[
    {
        "title": "Chinese embassy scholars, profs experience China winter camp – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chinese-embassy-scholars-profs-experience-china-winter-camp/",
        "html": "Chinese embassy scholars, profs experience China winter camp Chinese embassy scholars, profs experience China winter camp January 16, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Select students and professors from three Philippine universities participated in the one-week in-depth Winter Camp in China hosted by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines.  “We aim to promote understanding and collaboration among people,” said China Education Association for International Exchange’s (CEAIE) representative Shen Xuesong during the welcoming banquet for the Filipino delegates.  This is also the goal of the said camp participated by 18 students and three professors from the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD), Bicol University (BU) and Philippine Normal University (PNU).  The camp, which featured the encounters with fellow students and teachers from top Chinese universities from Dec. 7 to 14, is an initiative by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua in partnership with the CEAIE and the Chinese Ministry of Education.  “I am confident that this would be a great opportunity to further enhance our amicable ties,” Jianhua said in the invitation.  The delegates spent the week in Beijing and Xi’an discovering and appreciating Chinese culture and heritage while meeting students from esteemed universities in China. Zhang “Leo” Shangwu, attaché of the Chinese embassy accompanied the delegation.  Among the partner universities, which welcomed and gave orientation to the delegates were Peking University, Beijing Normal University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and Xi’an International Studies University. Their international offices toured the students and professors in their respective campuses.  The all-expense-paid trip was a great opportunity to know the real China, BU’s team leader and Dean of Office of Students Services, Dr. Merlie Arbo said.  “There’s nothing wrong if we have diplomatic ties with them. But that doesn’t mean that we have to stop to standing for our rights. Although we have issues, the only remedy is for us to talk,” Arbo said. She added that BU looks forward to the Chinese embassy offering scholarships to its students and providing them a chance to participate in similar initiatives. Only UP and BU students enjoy the Chinese ambassador’s scholarship program to date.  The camp also included tours to historical scenic spots in Beijing such as the China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing National Stadium, the National Aquatics Centre, the Summer Palace, Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, the Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. The participants were also treated to a Peking Opera in Beijing.     Exchanging experiences with students of Peking University. Contributed photo.     On the fifth day, the delegates travelled via bullet train to Xi’an, visited Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, the Terra Cota soldiers, Shaanxi History Museum, and Xi’an City Wall of Ming Dynasty and experienced the vibrant Tang Dynasty Music and Dance.  Dr. Lourdes Portus, professor of communication and special assistant to the President of UP said that the camp is beyond just touring China. “We are also meeting some very important people”—officials of the Chinese universities. She told the University officials and students that, “the meeting and exchanges between our students are so valuable and we think that these are the highlights of the winter camp. The camp is one of the most important aspects of the academic lives of the students,” Portus said during a speech delivered at the Xi’an International Studies University.  Portus added that the opportunity is vital for universities on their way to becoming global.  “Our students here may become the future leaders of our countries. And I think this exchange will really be a contributory factor on how they will lead and will always remember China as an inspiring country,” Portus added.  CEAIE is likewise grateful for the chance to strengthen relations between Chinese and Philippine schools, said Xuesong.  “We’re very happy to see that bilateral relations between China and the Philippines are good. We also believe that the young people are the future not only of our countries but of the world,” Xuesong said.  Meanwhile, for Arianne Agustin, a senior public administration student from UP, the trip made her understand and know more about China.  “Good relationship, ‘yun yung na-establish natin (We established good relationship). Dito sa trip na to hindi ko nakita na may conflict, (In this tour, I didn’t see our conflicts)” Agustin said. “Nakita ko na open yung both sides para sa pagkakaroon ng good relationship. (I saw that both sides are open to establish good relationship).”  Moreover, Mirriam Badilla, an education major from PNU said the camp broadened her ideas on China.  “’Yung opinion with each other ay naging broader (The opinion with each other became broader). Meron tayong first-hand knowledge tungkol sa kanila at di lang sabi-sabi lang (We had first-hand knowledge about them, not just hearsays),” Badilla said.  Aside from the memorable and enjoyable experience, the camp also opened doors for understanding the Chinese culture and educating Filipinos, Agustin said.  “Gusto ko rin linawin yung ilang bagay na mali at ipaliwanag yung relationship na meron tayo at kung ano yung cultural heritage na meron sila na gusto kong ma-adapt ng Filipinos tulad ng talagang pagmamahal nila sa sariling kultura at wika, (I also want to spread awareness on the wrong beliefs about our relations with China and introduce to others their admirable pride for cultural heritage and their language)” Agustin added.  Indeed, all participants agreed that the camp made them know China better and gain insights and new perspective on Philippines-China relations more.  “We are Asians, we may be diverse in some ways, but we are almost the same. And therefore we are very glad that we are establishing a strong cooperation in academic and also cultural aspects,” Portus said. “The scenic places we visited are all windows of the heart and soul of China. All of the people we met are all epitomes of success that we may want to emulate.”  Professors Portus (UP), Arbo (BU) and Malcampo (PNU) expressed gratitude to the Chinese Ambassador and look forward to a continuing exposure of the scholars to Chinese people, events and places.  The delegation: (left to right) Arianne Agustin (NCPAG), Reggie Jabagat (SOE), Dr. Lourdes M. Portus (Office of the President), Joan Madrilejos (SOE), Chinese Embassy Attache Shangwu Zhang, Patricia Roxas (CMC), Julie Corridor (SOE), Kevin Pan. Contributed photo."
    },
    {
        "title": "The ‘Panday’ Conspiracy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-panday-conspiracy/",
        "html": "The ‘Panday’ Conspiracy The ‘Panday’ Conspiracy January 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    It all began last week with my fellow chancellors at UP. With the term of the current president, Alfredo E. Pascual, coming to an end in February, the chancellors began to “plot” not a coup but a very special tribute timed for our Presidential’s Advisory Council meeting on Jan. 17, 2017.  The idea was to present one of those trophy-like awards, with the citation assigned for writing to an Inquirer columnist. We agreed to exchange ideas—by e-mail because the chancellors are located all over the country—on what would go into the citation, based on our own experiences of working with the president, while the trophy would be designed in Cebu.  I thought about the planned trophy and mentioned my reservations. I’ve seen too many of these awards gathering dust in dusty corners of the house or office. I’ve even seen some being sold in second-hand shops. In SM Megamall one weekend, I stopped dead in my tracks once when I passed by such a shop where a trophy with UP’s iconic Oblation (“lalakeng hubad” or naked man to many taxi drivers) was selling for P40,000.  The president deserves something better, I said, something he will keep and treasure. I thought of Toym Imao, whose public artworks—always with social messages—have become a familiar site in UP Diliman. He has also come to be known for his light installations, and I mean light as ilaw like the grand ones we had over the Christmas holidays, emanating from the Oblation and around the campus oval.  The other chancellors liked the idea, but we were starting from scratch. What could Toym put in the trophy, which I thought would be at most a foot high?  This would have to depend now on the proposed text or citation. I had asked the other chancellors to send me their thoughts. They did so dutifully, keeping a subject heading that warned: “Secret! Not to be forwarded!”  ‘Padayon’!  Meanwhile I was playing with the word padayon, which is found in all our Visayan languages. A favorite word with the president who uses it mainly to mean “Onwards!” which in Tagalog and other local languages means “Sulong.”  In addition, though, as I described in a column last year, padayon also means working together such as two people carrying something together, or even an entire team. Padayon is tied very much to the notion of movement, of taking a journey together, the “dayon” close in its meanings to “dayo.”  I e-mailed my thoughts to Toym, to get him started with the artwork. He liked the padayon theme.  Meanwhile my fellow conspirators were still sending in their experiences and what struck me, especially from our younger constituent universities, was how the president had encouraged them to explore new programs. It was the president, too, who guided UP Cebu, which had barely survived a serious crisis, to stand up again and move forward. From a campus of UP Visayas, it had become an autonomous college and, just recently, a separate constituent university.  Padayon, I thought, and then, one day, panday popped up in my head. Our brain circuits are amazing, sometimes going into dormancy only to light up with the right connections. I am sure one circuit was linguistic, tuning into the alliteration of panday and padayon.  But I am sure panday came to my mind, too, because I had been handling medical anthropology classes with discussions of amulets and talismans or anting-anting. One of my students had submitted a term paper around the theme of traditional healers who use metal objects. Fortuitously, she called right before the Christmas break, asking for a consultation before heading off for home in Mindanao, where she hoped to look into metals and metalwork.  When she came in for her consultation we were able to go into more discussions about the panday who is indeed a revered figure in many communities, especially among national minorities.  Kris and gongs  The panday, blacksmith, is popular in local folklore. The Bagobo say that Mt. Apo, our highest peak, is guarded by Apo Sandawa, a blacksmith-deity.  Even today the panday inspires. We have Fernando Poe Jr.’s “Ang Panday,” based on a story of Carlos Caparas. There he plays a blacksmith, with his balaraw, a mere dagger becoming a sword by supernatural intervention, which he uses to fight evil. I found out only recently that there is a current popular television series starring Jericho Rosales, with themes similar to those of FPJ’s movies—defending the poor and the oppressed.  My mind went into high gear over the break, thinking of how exemplary leadership comes close to the work of a good blacksmith. The ability to imagine what can be crafted, the mixing of crude ores to produce an alloy, the application of the right amount of heat to produce objects of utility and beauty.  A good example is the kris, found throughout Southeast Asia, used not just as a weapon but as a symbol of rank and status. There is an entire folklore about the kris—how it is produced, how it gives power to its owner, even how it has a life of its own, sometimes even turning on its owner.  “Panday” by Toym Imao. Left photo: Shows the base which is both an anvil and a seafaring vessel. It also features a a stylized Philippine flag. Center photo: Shows the Oblation at the helm, and “padayon” spelled in baybayin (pre-colonial Filipino scripts). It also shows a stylized rendition of the brain and the letters “UP”. Right photo: Traditional okir patterns created a sail for the ship. The sculpture, when turned sideways, also shows a heart shape. (UP System Information Office).  Metal has figured importantly, too, as musical instruments—locally, in our gongs, the gangsa of northern Luzon, the kulintang in Muslim Mindanao. The panday’s skill resonates in the quality of music coming out of these instruments.  Metal objects are spiritual, too, vested with powers of protection as with the anting-anting; and transformation (e.g., the sick becoming well with metal musical instruments being played to invoke spirits and bring communities together).  No wonder the panday is also perceived as powerful, a healer as well as someone who officiates in religious rituals.  The panday is indeed a good model for leadership, the panday-leader being someone who uses passion, patience and perseverance to bring out the best in people and move institutions forward—taking us into the connection of padayon and panday.  I dashed off an e-mail to Toym about panday and that inspired him. “Inspire” is an understatement because last Friday, as I began to panic about our deadlines, he sent me his finished artwork, which was a sculpture and not just a trophy. It was an awesome rendition of several themes: a base that was both anvil and a seafaring vessel, the Oblation at the helm, and padayon spelled in baybayin (pre-colonial Filipino scripts). Traditional okir patterns created a sail for the ship. Also incorporated into the sculpture were stylized renditions of the brain, of the heart and of the Philippine flag, a way of affirming UP’s commitment to use heart and mind, in the service of the nation.  The day before the presentation we had to smuggle this magnum opus into Quezon Hall, up into the board room, holding our breath until the president arrived. If he had asked what the veiled “thing” was, we would have answered the Santo Niño, or the Nazareno.  Thus was the “Panday Conspiracy” at UP was hatched for a leader who shaped minds and hearts and who, like a goldsmith, knows the importance of strength and resiliency as we handle one of the most precious of resources of our nation: our iskolar ng bayan.  This column article by University of the Philippines Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan was originally published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP inks MOA with NGCP for skills camp – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-inks-moa-with-ngcp-for-skills-camp/",
        "html": "UP inks MOA with NGCP for skills camp UP inks MOA with NGCP for skills camp January 17, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) entered into a memorandum of agreement on January 16 for the creation of development programs under a skills camp that will benefit NGCP host communities near UP campuses. This is the NGCP’s first collaboration with an educational institution for its livelihood projects.  From left to right: NGCP Chief Administrative Officer Anthony Almeda, NGCP President and CEO Henry Sy Jr., UP President Alfredo Pascual, UP VP for Public Affairs Edna Co. Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UPSIO.  According to NGCP Corporate Initiatives and Advocacies Chief Lida May Lopez, the pilot project will be implemented this year in seven NGCP host communities near UP Los Baños, UP Visayas (Miagao and Tacloban), and UP Mindanao. She added that these communities consist of 250 households or 1,000 individuals.  UP President Alfredo Pascual and NGCP President and CEOP Henry Sy Jr. both referred to the agreement as an expansion of the institutions’ partnership. A memorandum of understanding had been signed by the parties in 2014 to further develop the power sector through research and development, capacity-building programs, and technical training and exchange.  “This [MOA] widens the reach of our development efforts as we go down to the grassroots level and empower our communities,” said Pascual. “As UP is mandated to lead and serve as a public service university, this agreement is a welcome opportunity for us to work with NGCP in the delivery of meaningful and relevant development programs to its host communities.”  Sy, on the other hand, remarked that the latest collaboration was “more than just developing the skills of the people within NGCP and UP’s inner circles. . .  [it is] helping people beyond those inner circles, particularly in our host communities.”  The project will also involve local government units through their Public Employment Services Office (PESO). The role of the local PESO is threefold: to help identify needs in the labor market during the project’s scoping and needs assessment phase; to match trained beneficiaries with potential employers; and to serve as conduit for possible applications to livelihood programs for young people funded by the Department of Labor and Employment. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP fetes donors of Centennial Professorial Chairs in Engineering – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fetes-donors-of-centennial-professorial-chairs-in-engineering/",
        "html": "UP fetes donors of Centennial Professorial Chairs in Engineering UP fetes donors of Centennial Professorial Chairs in Engineering January 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Forging new ties and strengthening of existing ties with the donors of Engineering Professorial Chairs is one way of realizing greater academic productivity that elevates the quality of teaching and excellence through conferences and research,” Dean Rizalinda L. de Leon said in her welcome message at the reception for donors of Centennial Professorial Chairs in Engineering on January 11 at the UP Board Room in Quezon City.  The new batch of donors was dedicated to the “Centennial” Engineering Professorial Chairs as this marked the centennial anniversary of the respective departments receiving the donations, according to former College of Engineering Dean Aura C. Matias.  “It is also fitting that we begin the New Year by returning to our roots, in this case by going back to one of our core values, the same values that hold our culture and society together.  The five Professorial Chairs in Engineering that we are commemorating today are demonstrations of this revered value as much as they are expressions of a generous and supportive spirit and a far-sighted vision. What values are these? Nothing less than honoring the people and institutions who have made us who we are—our parents, and our Alma Mater,” UP President Alfredo E. Pascual said in a message delivered by UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela P. Concepcion.  Former UP Diliman College of Engineering Dean Aura Matias speaking before the donor families. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPSIO.  The five Professorial Chairs in Engineering are the following:  The Edgardo and Agnes Paynor Electrical Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair is named after Engr. Edgardo Paynor, a UP Electrical Engineering graduate and founder of Telmarc Cable, and his wife Mrs. Agnes Paynor, who is also a UP graduate.  The Don Benito Yao Metallurgical Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair was donated by SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation President Mr. Benjamin Yao in honor of Mr. Yao’s father, Don Benito Yao. The company has been a great supporter of the College of Engineering as it has been hosting since 2015 such projects as summer internship programs, study grants, and the completion of the Civil Engineering building.  The Pedro and Francisca Maniego Professorial Chair in Industrial Engineering is named in honor of the parents of UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation Inc. (UPERDFI) Chair and former National Renewable Energy Board Chair Pete Maniego, who is also a graduate of the UP College of Law.  Honoring the life and legacy of the late Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary and Senator Vicente Paterno is the Vicente T. Paterno Mechanical Engineering Centennial Chair, which recognizes Sen. Paterno’s outstanding achievements as a businessman and public servant. He was also recognized as one of the distinguished alumni of the UP Alumni Engineers.  The Quintin and Norma Calderon Chair in Civil Engineering is named in honor of UP Civil Engineering alumnus and pioneer in Philippine construction Quintin Calderon and his wife, Norma. Its donor is Engr. Rosario “Chato” Calderon, the incumbent vice-president of the UPERDFI and former president of the UP Alumni Engineers.  Also present at the reception were the families of the donors, as well as UPERDFI President Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr.  To view more photos from the event, please click through the album : https://www.facebook.com/upsystem/posts/1673095089380045 "
    },
    {
        "title": "EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM (EIS) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/executive-information-system-eis/",
        "html": "EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM (EIS) EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM (EIS) April 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP is a leading university in the use of Business Intelligence and Analytics to fortify its decision-making capability. This is achieved through a data warehouse that consolidates information from all systems, and a powerful visualization tool that generates interactive reports.     Consolidates information from all core systems Generates reports needed for performance evaluation and decision-making Access to accurate, real-time information Tutorials SUPPLY, PROCUREMENT, AND CAMPUS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPCMIS)"
    },
    {
        "title": "HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/human-resources-information-system-hris/",
        "html": "HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM April 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    HRIS enhances HR processes such as management of employee profiles, accomplishments, benefits, performance, and training. Together with the other information systems, it will automate many existing paper-based processes in UP.   |  LOGIN     Comprehensive management of employee data. This includes position and assignment history, benefits earned and used, leave data, education, training, accomplishments, dependents, SALN, performance evaluations, etc. Self-Service: Employees will be able to view and manage their employment data themselves, anytime and anywhere. They will be able to record important and frequently requested information such as publications, creative work, public service and other accomplishments. They can update their education and training as needed. Online processes, including the following: Application for Certificate of Employment Application for Authority to Travel Application for Limited Practice of Profession Application for Leave Application for Authority to Fill Payroll management. Online Performance Evaluation, with consolidation of ratings by office, department, college, etc. Management of training programs and internal job openings. Generation of reports such as SALN, Personnel Data Sheet, PSIPOP, headcount and other real-time reports. Single record reference for personnel with multiple assignments within and outside CU. Integration with SAIS Faculty data used in SAIS will come from HRIS. Data from HRIS and SAIS can be combined to produce Faculty Service Records. Data on dependents, for tuition discounts, will come from HRIS. Data on student employees will come from both systems. Students who graduate and become employees will have their information readily available."
    },
    {
        "title": "SUPPLY, PROCUREMENT, AND CAMPUS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPCMIS) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/supply-procurement-and-campus-management-information-system-spcmis/",
        "html": "SUPPLY, PROCUREMENT, AND CAMPUS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPCMIS) SUPPLY, PROCUREMENT, AND CAMPUS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPCMIS) April 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    SPCMIS automates processes related to the procurement of goods and services, and manages the inventory of the University’s physical resources. SPCMIS is integrated with FMIS. "
    },
    {
        "title": "FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (FMIS) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/financial-management-information-system-fmis/",
        "html": "FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (FMIS) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (FMIS) April 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    FMIS is the first UP system-wide project to streamline and automate financial processes in accounting and budget and cash management. Financial reports are automatically generated through the FMIS.  |  LOGIN     Comprehensive management and consolidation of all financial information generated and used by the Accounting, Budget, and Cash offices, as well as the other offices across all CUs. Management of General Ledger Cash Management Management of Fixed Assets Management of Accounts Receivable Management of Accounts Payable Inventory management ntegration with SAIS Student payments will be integrated with FMIS at the GL level. Allocations to various accounts will be made automatically instead of computed manually. The system will cover both assessment and non-assessment fees. Student loans will be reflected in both systems. Payments to student employees will be reflected in both systems. Comprehensive information on ST, scholarships, and loans."
    },
    {
        "title": "STUDENT ACADEMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SAIS) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-academic-information-system-sais/",
        "html": "STUDENT ACADEMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SAIS) STUDENT ACADEMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SAIS) April 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    SAIS is a Student Lifecycle data management system encompassing admission application to graduation and alumni tracking. It covers curriculum, advisement, payment, and integration with general ledger in FMIS and employee records in HRIS.   |   LOGIN     Comprehensive management of student records, including academic and financial data, throughout the complete student life cycle from admission to graduation. Comprehensive management of academic master data such as curricula and course information including pre-requisites. Comprehensive management of campus community data including student, faculty and alumni data. Integration with other systems including HRIS, FMIS, iLib, UPCAT, ST, Learning Management Systems, etc. Ability to manage student applications and admissions (non-UPCAT). Ability to manage financial aid and scholarships. Ability to generate Academic Advisement reports such as course checklists, study plans, etc. Ability to manage communications with students, faculty, and alumni. Alumni tracking. Online processes such as application for graduation, application for leave of absence, etc. Comprehensive student financial records, including detailed calculation of tuition and other fees, payment history, loan balances, refunds, etc. Pre-requisite checking Evaluation of requirements for graduation. Integration among UP CUs, and the ability to manage access to data. For example, registrar in one CU will be able to view the records of a student in another CU if given the authority to do so. Waiting lists for full classes, eliminating the need to physically wait in line for slots. Generation of course demand data, which can be used in determining class offerings. Ability to produce timely and accurate consolidated reports for the university, as well as reports organized by CU, College, office, etc. Reports will be easily accessible by authorized personnel. Communication tools – sending emails to groups, sending notifications and alerts, etc. Tagging of scholastic delinquencies, eligibility to enroll, etc. Integration with FMIS and HRIS"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Baguio inaugurates Museo Kordilyera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-baguio-inaugurates-museo-kordilyera/",
        "html": "UP Baguio inaugurates Museo Kordilyera UP Baguio inaugurates Museo Kordilyera February 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP Baguio (UPB) formally opened its three-story ethnographic museum, Museo Kordilyera, on January 31, seven months after its soft opening in 2016. Its main areas of focus are the collection, preservation, and exhibition of artifacts and other objects unique to the Cordillera region, its peoples, and its cultures and traditions.  Conforming to the campus terrain, only the first story of the museum is at ground level, as with the other campus buildings, while the second and third levels of the museum are underground. These lower levels have: spaces for the Museo Kordilyera’s permanent collection,;curatorial space for ethnographic materials; a temporary exhibition area; a room for the orientation of visitors; an audio-visual room; a shop; and, a café.  Representatives of the various Cordilleria indigenous communities perform a ceremonial dance at the opening of the Museo Kordilyera. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  Three inaugural exhibits were mounted as part of the event: “Batok Tattoos: Body as Archive”, based on the research of Museo Kordilyera Director Analyn Salvador-Amores, a professor at the UPB Department of Social Anthropology and Psychology ; “Jules de Raedt: Life Works, Lived Worlds”, a retrospective of de Raedt’s work; and, “The Indigenous, In Flux: Reconfiguring the Ethnographic Photograph” by Roland Rabang of the UPB Department of Language, Literature, and the Arts.  Together with Salvador-Amores, also involved in the curatorial work for the inaugural exhibits were: Professor Emeritus Delfin Tolentino, Jr. ot the UPB Department of Language, Literature, and the Arts; Professor Victoria Diaz of the UPB Department of Social Anthropology and Psychology; and, Cristina Villanueva, a UPB archivist.  Museo Kordilyera is now open to the public. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU launches youth program for Ifugao Rice Terraces conservation and sustainability – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-launches-youth-program-for-ifugao-rice-terraces-conservation-and-sustainability/",
        "html": "UPOU launches youth program for Ifugao Rice Terraces conservation and sustainability UPOU launches youth program for Ifugao Rice Terraces conservation and sustainability February 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Open University launched its latest project, the two-year “Youth Capacity Building and Exchange Program toward Sustainable Development and Conservation of Ifugao Rice Terraces”, on January 24 at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.  The project, funded by the Mitsui Co., Ltd. Environment Fund and done in collaboration with UP Los Baños, is led by UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies Associate Professor Joane Serrano. Also involved in the project are: Kanazawa University, Japan; Ifugao State University; the Ifugao Provincial Government; and, Ifugao local government units.  Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor, welcomed all partners and guests to the launch. She coined the term #Y4IRT as the shorter name to the project and explained how the project proves important to the University. Photo from UPOU Facebook page.  Program activities will focus on training Ifugao youth on sustainable tourism and farming practices, local food security, agricultural heritage systems, and cultural heritage preservation. In addition, there will be an exchange program between Ifugao youth and students from UPOU, UPLB, and nearby areas in Los Baños, to facilitate cultural and knowledge sharing.  The project also aims to create partnerships between countryside and urban communities and provide opportunities for hands-on experience, exchange programs, and internships to rural and urban-based youth. (UPOU Information Office) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Upsilon Sigma Phi sign agreement to construct UP Promenade – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-upsilon-sigma-phi-sign-agreement-to-construct-up-promenade/",
        "html": "UP, Upsilon Sigma Phi sign agreement to construct UP Promenade UP, Upsilon Sigma Phi sign agreement to construct UP Promenade February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On February 6, the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Assocation, Incorporated (USPAAI) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the construction of the UP Promenade.  “The construction of the UP Promenade is a legacy project donated by the USPAAI in celebration of the fraternity’s 100th founding anniversary in 2018,” USPAAI President Jesse Andres said.  “The UP Promenade will be constructed in the area fronting Gonzales Hall in the Diliman Campus. It will consist of a 7.5 meter wide (extending to 16 meters, more or less, at certain portions) by 115 meter long pathway with internet and wifi capable facilities. The area shall serve as a promenade for the use of the University’s students, faculty and personnel,” the agreement states.  “The USPAAI shall commence construction of the project no later than April 2017 and shall be completed within a period of 12 months from issuance of permits or, effective from the date of signing of the agreement by the parties. . . .” it added.  UP President Alfredo E. Pascual said in a message, “I believe that the UP Promenade will serve exactly such a purpose. I personally envision it, first of all, to be a refuge for our students and faculty, providing a space for them to spend quality time with their friends and mentors. More importantly, I also see the UP Promenade symbolizing an ideal that the University of the Philippines has long hoped to promote–that learning and meaningful connections can be had outside the confines of our classroom, and that the ideas that will shape our country’s future can be born and shared anywhere an isko or iska is to be found–one need only give them the space to do so.”  A groundbreaking ceremony followed right after the signing of the memorandum of agreement. Also present at the event were Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora, USPAAI Chair Ray Orozco, and USP Centennial Commission Chair Noy Dy-Liacco.  “The Upsilon Sigma Phi, founded in 1918, is the oldest fraternity in Asia. Based in the University of the Philippines, it has had an unbroken and singular association with the premier state university. There are no chapters outside of UP Diliman and UP Los Banos,” the Upsilon Sigma Phi website states. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao breaks ground for new facilities, unveils DC-UP Sports Complex training gym – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-breaks-ground-for-new-facilities-unveils-dc-up-sports-complex-training-gym/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao breaks ground for new facilities, unveils DC-UP Sports Complex training gym UP Mindanao breaks ground for new facilities, unveils DC-UP Sports Complex training gym February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Mindanao (UPMin) held a brief groundbreaking ceremony for seven infrastructure projects and inaugurated the Davao City-UP (DC-UP) Sports Complex Multi-purpose Human Kinetics Building or Training Gym on February 3. The events took place after UPMin’s tribute to outgoing UP President Alfredo Pascual.  Of the new structures to be constructed, three are part of the 20-hectare DC-UP Sports Complex development: the Football Stadium (phase 2); the Football Field and Track Oval (civil works); and the Aquatics Center. Four other facilities are: the Faculty and Staff Housing; the College of Science and Mathematics Research, Development and Extension Building; the Center for Advancement of Research in Mindanao (phases 1 and 2); and, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Cultural Complex.  The Training Gym is the first DC-UP Sports Complex structure to be inaugurated. At the program, key government officials pledged continued support for the project.  Laying of the time capsule at the site of the Davao City-UP Sports Complex football field and track oval. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  Officer-in-Charge Michael Aportadera of the  Sports Development Division-City Mayor’s Office, who represented Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, expressed the city leader’s confidence in the project’s development as Davao City plans to bid for the hosting of the 2019 Palarong Pambansa and subsequently, the Southeast Asian Games.  Philippine Sport Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez, who represented President Rodrigo Duterte, said that the national government, through the PSC, will extend assistance to the progress of the project. President Duterte, who was then Davao City mayor, strongly pushed for the construction of the DC-UP Sports Complex and signed the agreement with UP to implement the project.  Davao City 3rd District Representative Alberto Ungab, who succeeded his brother, Isidro Ungab, announced that he remains supportive of the endeavor. Isidro Ungab was acknowledged by UP President Alfredo Pascual as being instrumental in providing funds for the development of the DC-UP Sports Complex as chair of the House Appropriations Committee from 2013 to 2016.  In his speech, Pascual expressed gratitude to the aforementioned government officials and their respective offices for their contribution to the project’s realization. He also said that Davao City continued to be UP’s solid partner in seeing the development through. Pascual, who was days away from the end of his term as UP president, said that he “was leaving satisfied and reassured that the development of this sports complex in UP Mindanao is proceeding smoothly.” (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao pays tribute to Pascual – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-pays-tribute-to-pascual/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao pays tribute to Pascual UP Mindanao pays tribute to Pascual February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Mindanao (UPMin) held “Parangal para kay President Alfredo E. Pascual,” a tribute program for the outgoing UP president at the Lorenzo Hall, Administration Building on February 3, a week before the end of his term.  Sectors of the UPMin community honored Pascual in different ways. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, through its BA Communication Arts students, created a video presentation. The College of Science and Mathematics’ tribute was a song performed by one of its BS Biology students. Another song was performed by BS Agribusiness Economics students as the School of Management’s (SOM) tribute. Performances were also given by UPMin’s choral group, Koro Kantahanay, and the UPMin Dance Ensemble.  The program also featured tribute messages from: [Ed: in this position, his being an alumnus is presumed] UP Mindanao Foundation Inc. Chair Sebastian Angliongto; Officer-in-Charge Michael Aportadera of the Sports Development Division-City Mayor’s Office, who represented Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio; SOM Dean Larry Digal, who spoke on behalf of the faculty; President Analiza Fulvadora of the All-UP Workers Union-UPMin Chapter; President Michael Gatela of the Research, Extension and Professional Staff Association; former Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab; and, leaders of the Obu Manuvu Tribe led by Datu Joel Unad, who presented Pascual with the tribe’s  traditional costume and a plaque of recognition. Pascual also received gifts from UPMin employees through Fulvadora and Gatela, who represented them in the program.  UP President Alfredo Pascual wears the traditional garb of the Obu-Manuvu Tribe. It was given to him by five elders of the tribe to thank him for his initiative in ensuring livelihood opportunities for their people. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  UPMin Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion presented Pascual with the constituent university’s token of appreciation—an heirloom kris or “sudeng” from the T’boli tribe. She narrated how the sudeng was made by a chief sword maker and was a family heirloom before it was bartered for a horse with Datu Bundos Fara, who came from a long line of metal crafters. Concepcion added that the sudeng was a type of sword made for datus. It symbolized “authority, vigor, leadership, and magic,” and was believed to be endowed with “magical, mystical, and healing powers.” The sudeng is considered a highly-prized possession by the T’bolis.  Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion and Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, who attended the tribute, were also given tokens of appreciation by UPMin. Concepcion was given an “aged” kris from the Maranao tribe, while Florendo received a “new, unused” sword called a “kampilan”—also made for datus as a symbol of leadership by T’boli bladesmiths.  Apart from thanking UPMin for the tribute program, Pascual also looked back on his first visit to the campus and talked about how the constituent university has developed over the last six years. He also called on the UPMin community to support the succeeding administration of 21st UP President Danilo Concepcion. Pascual announced that after his term as UP president, he was still willing to serve the University as a UP alumnus and a Filipino citizen. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Fore more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP SURP inaugurates new building, launches new books – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-surp-inaugurates-new-building-launches-new-books/",
        "html": "UP SURP inaugurates new building, launches new books UP SURP inaugurates new building, launches new books February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP) welcomed UP officials, representatives from the office of the Ambassador of Germany to the Philippines and UNESCO Philippines to its new building’s soft inauguration and the launching of new books on February 6.  The unveiling of the International Center for Urban and Regional Planning (ICURP) was attended by UP President Alfredo E. Pascual, incoming UP President Danilo M. Concepcion, Vice President for Planning Elvira A. Zamora, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, Office of the Campus Architect Director Enrico B. Tabafunda, other UP officials, as well as other dignitaries.  “The ICURP will serve as UP SURP’s new facility to further its programs as a center for scholarship, technical assistance, and the country’s only graduate institution of its kind. Among ICURP’s features are–a state-of-the-art GIS laboratory; a modern library; the research work of local and international fellows; and a Virtual Reality Innovation and Application Center on Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning, which will encourage collaborative research, training and other programs,” according to UP SURP Dean Mario R. Delos Reyes .  Following the soft inauguration was the launch of UP SURP’s new book collection by UP SURP and UP PLANADES faculty members:  Bohol – A Window to the Philippines’ Natural History: Towards Sustainable Island Development by Dean Delos Reyes, Ms. Aguda and Prof emeritus Dr. Hillmer;  Property, Patrimony and Territory: Foundations of Land Use Planning in the Philippines by Prof. Serote, a revision/update of the book published in 2009 with the same title; and,  Book of Filipino Planners( a coffee table book) by Prof. Magno.  Pascual received the UP Oblation and Plaque of Appreciation from UP SURP, the institution’s tribute to the president in recognition of his support and assistance to the projects of SURP, especially the ICURP.  “These [activities] are a culmination of the steps that the UP SURP has taken over the past six years that have been central to UP’s greatness in the 21st century. As I prepare to wear a different hat in the following days as my term as President comes to an end, I would like to congratulate the UP SURP one last time–led by Dean Mario delos Reyes–for all your notable contributions to knowledge, to our people’s welfare, and to our University’s mission of leadership through service. May these latest programs and projects inspire all of you to continue your Institution’s ascent into global and regional leadership through the pursuit of your fourfold mandate of graduate education, research, training and extension in new and innovative ways. And may a stronger, more energized UP SURP help create–in the words of the urban scholar Jane Jacobs– ‘diverse and intense’ cities and regions ‘that contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves’.” Pascual said in his message.  Also part of program was the induction ceremony of the new officers of the UPAA SURP Chapter Board of Trustees 2016-2018. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB’s Makiling Chamber Singers is Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition back-to-back champion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplbs-makiling-chamber-singers-is-gawad-pangulo-choral-competition-back-to-back-champion/",
        "html": "UPLB’s Makiling Chamber Singers is Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition back-to-back champion UPLB’s Makiling Chamber Singers is Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition back-to-back champion February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Held on January 30 at the UP Cine Adarna in Diliman, this year’s Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition drew seven choral finalists from the various constituent units of the University.  On its second run, choral competition awarded its grand prize to the second-time winner, the Makiling Chamber Singers, the sole representative of UP Los Baños which was formed in September 2015 under the leadership of Rommel Lomarda.  Other groups included the UP Serenta, the official choral group of UP Cebu conducted by Cathy Rodel, which was awarded the second prize. Established in 1999 and conducted by Louie Arelvi Villanueva, the UP Engineering Choir from Diliman, which bagged the third prize, is one of the finest college-based choirs in UP Diliman. The iChoir, the UP Industrial Engineering Choir Club in Diliman, which was established in 2010 with its conductor Ramon Miguel Abeleda.  Representing UP Mindanao was Koro Kantahanay, with its conductor Jessi Anne Nakol Aligato; it was established in 2001 as part of the then UP Mindanao Kombuyahan. Formed in 1993, the Pharmacy Junior Ambassadors of Music (PharmJAM), isthe official music performing group of UP Manila under the leadership of Alshamir Bryan Aripuddin. It is composed of students, alumni and faculty members. And the UP Pintig, conducted by Benedic Velasco, is a new singing organization established in January 2016.  Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  Another feature of the contest was the performance of a selection, Isang Unibersidad, music by Raul Navarro and lyrics by Vim Nadera, Winning the best interpretation of the contest piece was UP Serenata.  The board of judges was composed of chair Prof. Janet Sabas Aracama as chair, and Prof. Edagardo Lumbera Manguiat, Prof. Ma. Cecilia Valeña, Mr. Arwin Tan and Mr. Rodney Ambat as members.  “Nothing comes close to a choral competition to effectively convey UP’s oneness of spirit and purpose in fulfilling its goals. The contending groups have regaled the audience with versatile vocal renditions that, even with diverse interpreters, resonated with an almost perfect harmony. Each has ably surpassed the benchmarks of musicality, technical competence, fidelity to the score, and audience presence,” said UP President Alfredo E. Pascual in a message.  In her message, Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion said, “as the national university, UP should actively lead in preserving, supporting and developing our cultural heritage, especially with the sad reality that some of our indigenous languages, practices and arts are now in danger of dying or have already been lost. Culture is a huge part of our national identity and we should do whatever we can to revive or reinforce our own unique traditions particularly in music and the arts.” (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP College of Music pays tribute to UP President Alfredo Pascual – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-of-music-pays-tribute-to-up-president-alfredo-pascual/",
        "html": "UP College of Music pays tribute to UP President Alfredo Pascual UP College of Music pays tribute to UP President Alfredo Pascual February 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association Incorporated (UPCMAAI) presented a thanksgiving concert on February 1 at the Executive House in Diliman to honor UP President Alfredo E. Pascual.  Present at the event were UP faculty, students, and administrative staff of the UP College of Music, UP System officials, as well as National Artists Ramon Santos and Bienvenido Lumbera.  “This concert manifests our greatest gratitude to UP President Alfredo Pascual for his unwavering support to the College since the beginning of his term. The infrastructure development that has been awarded the College is a great leap forward to new beginnings and continuing academic excellence and service,” said College of Music Dean Jose S. Buenconsejo, , in a message.  In his response, President Pascual said that he has been a big supporter of the arts. “I am looking forward to the full completion of the new facility of the College of Music as well as the other infrastructure development for the Arts and Humanities on campus. I believe that the University should excel and flourish not only in the sciences, but also in the arts.”  Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  Danica Mae Antazo, a pianist and a student of the College of Music, performed Franz Liszt’s Sonnet 104 of Petrarch and Ryan Cayabyab’s Toccata.  The Tugtugang Musika Asyatika (TUGMA) Koto Ensemble, composed of Maikee Barba, Angela Montaño, James Gazmin and Elizabeth Arce, played Tadao Sawai’s Tsuchi Ningyo. While the TUGMA Kulintangan Ensemble, made up of Elizabeth Arce, Julia Yabes, Hannah Malonzo, James Gazmin, Jacques Dufourt, Jun Legson, Kathleen Cahis, Dona Gonzales, Jeannae Dormido and Marla Añonuevo, serenaded the audience with Tidtu and Sinulog a bagu.  A major feature of the concert were the presentations of College of Music students Christian Dino and Jairus Saldajeno, who offered their original compositions to be performed for the first time.  Dino’s Gratitude for Generosity was interpreted by Michelle Mariposa, a soprano, Isaac Roldan on violin, Celyn Ponce on cello, and Christian Dino himself on the piano.  Meanwhile, Saldajeno’s Gunita, was performed by Paul Andrew Evangelista, Draizen Genesis Sanchez, Danelle Dionisio, Jose Lorenzo Reyna Jr., and Klyde Ledamo on violin, oboe, clarinet in Bb, bassoon, and piano respectively, and accompanied with an interpretive dance by the UP Dance Company. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD community gets together for Inter-College Socials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-community-gets-together-for-inter-college-socials/",
        "html": "UPD community gets together for Inter-College Socials UPD community gets together for Inter-College Socials February 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    There was song. There was laughter. There was a good mix of banter and deep conversation. It was the annual UP Diliman (UPD) Inter-College Socials, where the University community gathered to unwind for a night and enjoy the camaraderie among administrators, faculty, staff, and students.  Held on February 17 at the UPD National Science Complex Amphitheater, the event was organized by the College of Science (CS) and served as a prelude to the upcoming CS Week. CS Dean Jose Maria Balmaceda, who welcomed everyone to the gathering, told UP News that since it was an informal social event, there really was no line-up of performances to be followed.  The UPD National Institute of Geological Sciences faculty members, led by Acting Deputy Director for Resources and Facilities, Prof. Carlo Arcilla (second from right), perform at the event. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  Two bands composed of National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) faculty members and students performed several songs. One of the bands featured NIGS Director Mario A. Aurelio on drums and Acting Deputy Director for Resources and Facilities Carlo A. Arcilla on vocals and keyboard. Arcilla said they called themselves The Unconformity Band. Tripolar, a band composed of 11th graders from the UP Integrated School played several songs. Teresa Luz A. Gormise, a CS staff member performed as well. The open mic that followed saw other attendees singing with the NIGS musicians. A video karaoke machine was also on hand.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion joined the UPD community at the event. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     For more photos of the event, please click through the album here.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lumad Leader Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay is 2017 UP Gawad Tandang Sora awardee – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lumad-leader-bai-bibyaon-ligkayan-bigkay-is-2017-up-gawad-tandang-sora-awardee/",
        "html": "Lumad Leader Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay is 2017 UP Gawad Tandang Sora awardee Lumad Leader Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay is 2017 UP Gawad Tandang Sora awardee February 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The College of Social Work and Community Development of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP-CSWCD) announces the selection of Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay as the recipient of the 2017 Gawad Tandang Sora.  Bai Bibyaon is an outstanding indigenous woman leader. The only female chieftain in the history of the Manobo tribe, she has led the defense of the Manobo ancestral land since 1994. She was among those who led the pangayaw (tribal war) against the intrusion of a destructive logging company that threatened to destroy the ancestral lands in Talaingod, Davao del Norte. She remains active in asserting the rights of indigenous peoples until today.  The awarding ceremony will be held on February 23, 2017 at 9:00 a.m., during the UP-CSWCD’s College Week celebration. Bai Bibyaon, the third recipient of the Gawad since 2010, will receive a trophy made by UP Artist and College of Fine Arts professor and former Dean Leonilo Doloricon and a cash award from the Office of the Chancellor of UP Diliman.  For decades, Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay has been at the vanguard of the Lumad struggle, defending the communities of Pantaron range against plunder and militarization. Together with other Datus, she surpassed the hardships brought by militarization, all for the defense of their ancestral land and the environment.  Poster from UP CSWCD Facebook page.  She led her people during the massive exodus to the city after the military and its paramilitary group Alamara intensified their attacks on the Manobo communities in Talaingod and Bukidnon. She also led other indigenous leaders “spill blood on the grounds of the University of the Philippines” as she inspired trailblazing campaigns such as the Manilakbayan ng Mindanao protest camp and caravan and the Sandugo, a national alliance of Moro and indigenous peoples. Constantly, Bai Bibyaon upheld the dignity of the Lumad people as they face ethnocide.  Also among her accomplishments is organizing other indigenous women leaders and forming the Sabokahan to mo Lumad Kamalitanan (Confederation of Lumad Women). She was also instrumental in the growth of the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Learning Center which started in her community but now runs around 50 elementary and high school campuses for indigenous children.  As she nears the centenary of a life devoted to land, culture, rights, and life, she stands tall as a nurturing leader and as a woman of courage and vision for her people. Bai Bibyaon is the Tandang Sora of the countryside. She is the Mother of the Lumads who inspires the revolution of the Filipino people for national self-determination and freedom.  The U.P. Gawad Tandang Sora is the award bestowed upon outstanding academics, practitioners, or organizations that rendered excellent service in the fields of Social Work, Community Development, Women and Development and Social Development. It is administered by the College of Social Work and Community Development of the University of the Philippines Diliman.  The award is named after Melchora “Tandang Sora” Aquino, the “Mother of the Philippine Revolution,” whose life and deeds represent love of country and service to her fellow Filipinos. (UPCSWCD)  For questions and more information on the awarding ceremony, please contact:  Prof. Jocelyn T. Caragay Dean, College of Social Work and Community Development University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City Tel. no. 929-8438; 929-2477 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to continue Project NOAH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-continue-project-noah-2/",
        "html": "UP to continue Project NOAH UP to continue Project NOAH February 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    At its 1325th meeting on February 23, 2017, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents approved the adoption of Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) by UP upon the termination of its administration by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on February 28.  “In a sense, Project NOAH is coming home,” said UP President Danilo L. Concepcion after the BOR meeting, noting that the project was conceived by the DOST with the help of UP professors, led by its executive director Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), and that most of the project’s staff have come from UP.  Project NOAH began as a research program under the DOST in 2012 following the Typhoon Sendong tragedy in 2011. Having delivered its research results and after two extensions, the project was scheduled to end when UP stepped in to continue it.  “The project’s benefits go far beyond its research value,” said Concepcion. “It has literally been a lifesaver for millions of Filipinos threatened by natural disasters like floods, landslides, and storm surges. It deserves a new lease on life, and UP is happy to welcome it into its fold.”  A screenshot of the Project NOAH website (http://noah.dost.gov.ph/) with the project’s logo.  Project NOAH was designed to harness technologies and management services for disaster risk-reduction activities offered by the DOST through PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, and the DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), in partnership with the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) and the UP College of Engineering.  For the past four years, the media and the general public have come to depend on Project NOAH’s assessments for guidance in disaster situations. “We have offered open access to our findings and services, empowering the people—local governments and communities—to make decisions for themselves,” Lagmay explained.  The program will now fall under the Office of the President in UP. “We were a program in need of a home,” added Lagmay. “Disaster management should involve more than science and technology. We also need artists and educators to communicate messages more effectively. UP is an interdisciplinary community and will make the perfect home for us, given that our disaster problem will grow even bigger in the future. We remain deeply grateful to the DOST for having hosted us, and we look forward to complementing the work of its agencies toward our common goal of mitigating the effects of disasters on our people.”  For more information and questions, please contact:  Prof. Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. Vice President for Public Affairs University of the Philippines jdalisay@up.edu.ph 09175300951 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Masons and UP, bound by shared ideals – UP President Concepcion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/masons-and-up-bound-by-shared-ideals-up-president-concepcion/",
        "html": "Masons and UP, bound by shared ideals – UP President Concepcion Masons and UP, bound by shared ideals – UP President Concepcion February 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    New UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who was the guest of honor and speaker at the 13TH Installation of Officers of the Norberto S. Amoranto Memorial Lodge under the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, stressed in his speech that while he himself was not a Mason, he shared the ideals, principles and aspirations of Masonry, particularly as they relate to the upliftment of people to their finest possibilities.  “Your brotherhood is bound by a code consisting of the highest ethical and moral standards, and an emphasis on personal study and self-improvement, and on contributing to the good of society though individual action and philanthropy,” Concepcion said.  He went on to note the influence of Masonry upon liberation movements around the world, and cited the Filipino Masons who helped shape the country’s history: Dr. Jose Rizal and his fellow reformists; the founders of the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK), including Andres Bonifacio; the leaders of the first Philippine Republic such as Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini; and, distinguished names during the American War, the Commonwealth period, the Second World War, and modern Philippine history, such as President Manuel L. Quezon, Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, General Vicente Lucban, Senator Camilo Osias, Senator Quintin Paredes, President Manuel A. Roxas, President Jose P. Laurel, and the first Filipino Muslim Mason, Hadji Butu Rasul, prime minister of the sultan of Sulu. According to Concepcion, UP as well had been shaped by Masonic brothers, such as Filipino composer Nicanor Abelardo, UP President Rafael Palma, and UP College of Education Dean Jose Conrado Benitez.  UP President Danilo Concepcion (left) is congratulated by UP alumnus and newly installed Worshipful Master of NS Amoranto Lodge, Mario R. Sibucao. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  “In the University of the Philippines, which I have been privileged to lead, I have chosen to be inspired rather than daunted by the challenges that face us—chiefly, the challenge not only to become a world-class institution of higher learning, but also, and above all, a servant of the Filipino people. I can draw comfort in the knowledge that compatriots like you abound who can help us achieve this task,” President Concepcion concluded.  The new officers for 2017-2018 of the NS Amoranto Lodge are headed by its Worshipful Master, Mario R. Sibucao. Sibucao is Vice President of the Social Security System, and a BS Agricultural Engineering and Master of Technology Management graduate from UP. The event was held on February 17 at the Capitol Masonic Temple in Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City. (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)  Social Security System Vice-President and UP alumnus Mario R. Sibucao takes his oath as the new Worshipful Master of the NS Amoranto Lodge of under the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu pays tribute to Pascual – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-pays-tribute-to-pascual/",
        "html": "UP Cebu pays tribute to Pascual UP Cebu pays tribute to Pascual February 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Cebu (UPC) constituents thanked outgoing UP president, Alfredo Pascual, and recognized his administration’s achievements in developing the campus, through a pasidungog or tribute held on February 2, 2017 in the Performing Arts Hall of the UPC’s Lahug, Cebu City campus.  UPC Chancellor Liza Corro led the ceremonies with a testimonial to the outgoing president. This was followed by: a visual presentation on Pascual’s life; a shadow play by students; spoken-word poetry and live music by faculty members; and, a tribute song by the Gawad Pangulo awardee choral group of the campus, the UP Serenata. Prof. Aurelio Vilbar of the College of Social Sciences was master of ceremony.  Inspired by a Kahlil Gibran poem, Corro described Pascual as “the bow that was bent with might, so that we in UP Cebu, as living arrows, will go swift and far, as manifested by UP Cebu’s elevation to a full constituent university.””You nurtured us to create, inspired us to innovate, and for all the sacrifices you have devoted and withstood for UP, truly, you are destined to serve,” Corro added.  UPC credits the Pascual administration with creating the enabling environment for and endorsement of UPC’s elevation to constituent university status. This environment featured: a “trajectory increase” in research and publications, creative works, faculty and staff development programs, exchange programs, infrastructure and facilities in the last five years.  President Alfredo Pascual returns thanks to the UP Cebu community, “for [its] support and cooperation, and for pushing UP Cebu forward and upward.” Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  In return, Pascual thanked the UPC community, “for [its] support and cooperation, and for pushing UP Cebu forward and upward. Padayon!”  At the commencement exercises of the campus in 2016, Pascual cited “excellent results” of UP efforts to boost the three basic functions of the campus: education, research, and public service, particularly in the UPC niche areas of: information technology, business management, industrial and products design, and environmental and cultural studies.  Thus, UPC has come to be recognized for excellence, as manifested in the local government’s support of the UP Professional Schools at the Cebu South Road Properties (UPPS-SRP), expected to enhance UPC’s role as a “high-level resource university” for the region’s growing industries; as well as its support of the advanced digital Fabrication Laboratory. The latter was launched in June 2016 by the Department of Trade and Industry, Cebu office, to boost the region’s creative industry by providing access to a range of new digital manufacturing technology.  More than 25 innovation-based business start-ups in Cebu have flocked to technology business incubation (TBI) facilities put up on campus by UPC and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). DOST has also networked with UPC’s Program for Environmental Studies to implement a groundbreaking hazard and resources mapping of Western Visayas through LiDAR (light detection and ranging).  Pascual was given presents that included a specially designed lamp or suga inspired by the local puso or leaf-wrapped rice and a coffee-table book on a local artist. ( Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of this event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Alfredo E. Pascual unveils UP Covenant Monument marker – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-alfredo-e-pascual-unveils-up-covenant-monument-marker/",
        "html": "UP President Alfredo E. Pascual unveils UP Covenant Monument marker UP President Alfredo E. Pascual unveils UP Covenant Monument marker February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On February 2, the blessing of the UP Covenant Monument was led by UP President Alfredo E. Pascual and Rizal-Blumentritt Pamathalaan Academy President Rafael A. Morales.  The blessing of the marker was initiated by Fr. Rey Vigo, Malacañang chaplain of the Presidential Security Guard. “It serves as a marker for leaders and citizens in their renewal for unity, peace and prosperity,” said retired UP Professor Consolacion Alaras, head organizer of the UP Covenant Monument.  According to Morales, “the blessing was a radiant sign for the academy that the Interfaith Blessed Mother will fulfill her promise to care and protect President Duterte, so his prophetic presidency will fulfill the Rizal prophecy and Fatima prophecy that is leadership guided by divine grace.”  At the blessing, DILG Director Leocadio Trovela represented DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero, and received for UP President Pascual and Atty. Morales a box of gold with a golden key that represented the Philippine barangay education of the Rizal-Blumentritt Pamathalaan Academy .  File photo of retired UP Prof Consolacion Alaras leading the ceremonies for the commemoration of Emilio Jacinto’s 141st birthday anniversary at the Dambana ng Bayan or UP Covenant Marker. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Highlighting the ceremony was the unveiling of the UP Covenant Monument marker by Pascual and Morales. Also present were the members of the Rizal-Blumentritt Pamathalaan Academy, representatives from the Office of the President, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the House of Representatives, as well as from other sectors. At the unveiling of the The UP Covenant Monument marker,  the music of National Artist Ramon P. Santos was played.  “The UP Covenant Monument marker event was prophesied by the February 14, 2005 sacred soil from Fatima, Portugal marking Malacañang garden fronting Malacañang museum as a pilgrimage sacred space to realize the Rizal prophecy and Fatima prophecy,” Prof. Alaras said.  As stated in the marker, The UP Covenant Monument, erected in 2016, symbolizes the Covenant of Leaders and Citizens with the nation and the world for renewal, unity, peace, and prosperity. Inaugurated during the administration of Republic of the Philippines President Rodrigo R. Duterte, this monument is a legacy project of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual. The construction was underwritten by Rizal-Blumentritt Pamathalaan Academy President and UP Law alumnus Rafael A. Morales, with spiritual guidance from UP Arts and Letters retired Professor Consolacion A. Alaras. The design was created by UP Fine Arts Professor Emeritus Nestor O. Vinluan. Project implementation was facilitated by UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, and Campus Architect Enrico B. Tabafunda. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Top UP public service programs hailed – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/top-up-public-service-programs-hailed-2/",
        "html": "Top UP public service programs hailed Top UP public service programs hailed February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Honors from the UP president were conferred on outstanding public service programs of the University at the first Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service awarding ceremony on January 30, 2017 at the UP Executive House in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Six programs from six constituent campuses each received the Gawad and P100,000. In addition, nine programs were recognized as finalists.  The award, administered by the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and its Padayon Public Service Office, aims to recognize UP’s achievement in terms of the mandate to “lead as public service university by providing various forms of community, public, and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standard of excellence.”  The winners were: the College of Agriculture of UP Los Baños for “The Corn-based Farmer-Scientist Research, Extension, and Development Training Program”;  the Center for West Visayan Studies of the UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences for the “RISE (Bangon) Gigantes Project: Rehabilitation for Island Sustainability and Empowerment”;  the Land Reservation Management Office of UP Mindanao for “Economic Upliftment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Community through Agricultural Projects”;  the National Institutes of Health of UP Manila for the “Real-time Community Health Information Tracking System (rCHITS)”;  the Office of Legal Aid of the UP Diliman College of Law for the “Clinical Legal Education Program”;  and, UP Cebu for the “Business Incubator for IT”.  President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from UP Manila behind its Community Health Development Program, a finalist for the award, with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.  The finalists were: the Center for Integrative and Development Studies of the UP System for the “UP Program for Environmental Governance”;  the Department of Geography of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy for “Geography Field School”;  the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food of the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology for the “Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) Network Program”;  the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development of UP Diliman for the “KaSaMa Teachers Online Community”;  the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino of UP Diliman for “Programang Aklatang Bayan”;  the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod of UP Manila for the “Emergency Room Volunteers Program”,  the “Oral Health Project”, and the “Tutorial Program for Street Children”;  and, UP Manila for the “Community Health Program”.  The criteria for the awards included:  impact, approach or method, service orientation, and enhancement of teaching or research. Nominations required:  documentation of the initiative; a list of academic and official citations of the project; certification from project beneficiaries; and, certification of proper liquidation of funds.  President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture behind The Corn-based Farmer-Scientist RDE Training Program, winner of the awards, headed by National Scientist Romulo Davide, and UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.  The selection committee for this year’s awards was composed of: Sociology Professor Emeritus Manuel Flores Bonifacio;  College of Social Work and Community Development Dean Jocelyn Caragay; UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos; and, professor of History, Jaime Veneracion.  Public service publications from the UP System were also presented by: Ferdinand Llanes, founding director of the UP Padayon Public Service Office and its current director, Nelson Cainghog; and,  Deputy Director Frances Fatima Cabana of the System Information Office. The publications were: Disaster Risk Reduction Management Handbook for Academic Institutions: A UP Experience; Master Plan of UP Sta. Elena Campus in Tacloban City, 2015;  First Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference Proceedings (16-17 November 2015, UP Cebu and 26-27 November 2015, UP Los Baños);  Third AsiaEngage Regional Conference Proceedings (21-23 November 2016, SMX Convention Center); and, the UP Visual Identity Guidebook.  Dr. Edna Co, then vice president for Public Affairs, said that service was now on equal footing with teaching and research as a trademark of excellence in the national university; and that UP was at the forefront of defining metrics for it, in partnership with the ASEAN University Network.  The outgoing UP president, Alfredo Pascual, thanked UP units for initiating public service programs. He said universities in developing countries cannot neglect big portions of society, including the government, that need support from university experts. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Seed’ facility for UP innovation campus inaugurated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/seed-facility-for-up-innovation-campus-inaugurated/",
        "html": "‘Seed’ facility for UP innovation campus inaugurated ‘Seed’ facility for UP innovation campus inaugurated February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A campus envisioned as the innovation campus of UP is now on the rise with the inauguration of its “seed” facility at the Evia Lifestyle Center, Las Piñas on January 27, 2017.  The UP @Lab Innovation Hub, donated by Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. of the Villar family, offers working space to start-up technopreneurs and facilitates their linkage with industry and markets. At least four locators were introduced during the inauguration.  As planned, the innovation hub was established to attract and employ prospective engineering graduate students through technology business start-ups. They can take technology entrepreneurship and design engineering courses in the initial academic zone to be built for the new campus.  Entrances to the meeting and reception areas at the lobby of the UP @Lab Innovation Hub. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO. A common working area at the UP @Lab Innovation Hub. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  In the future, the campus will offer a Professional Engineering and Science Masters Program, the first of its kind in the country.  Dr. Aura Matias,  the chair of the technical working group developing the campus and   former dean ot the UP Diliman College of Engineering,  said the National University of Singapore and the University of California System have had similar, successful experiences establishing such an innovation campus. The campus will also use lessons from the university-aided development of Silicon Valley.  The technical working group consists of experts from the UP Diliman College of Engineering and Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. It is supported by the Department of Science and Technology, USAID-STRIDE, the UP College of Business Administration Alumni Association, and industry partners.  The campus has tentatively been named UP Vista City and UP Alabang, which will be one of the many expansions of the University in key economic zones. It is located at the center of the Calabarzon industry growth area and its “technology ecosystems”.  The specialized UP campus hopes to fill the gap in knowledge capital necessary to catalyze an “ecology” for technology development in the area, Matias said in an interview before the inauguration. Its curricular and technology business incubation offerings will be suited to the needs of the industry, particularly the need to level up to local demand and global competition.  The ribbon-cutting was led by the Villars, headed  by the former senator, Manuel Villar, and Senator Cynthia Villar; and UP officials headed by the outgoing UP president,  Dr. Alfredo Pascual and President-elect Danilo Concepcion. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman: “Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-salaysayan-kwentong-bayan-kaalamang-bayan/",
        "html": "UP Diliman: “Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan” UP Diliman: “Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan” February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Bilang pakiisa ng UP Diliman sa Pambansang Buwan ng Sining sa taong ito, naging gabay ng pagdiriwang ang temang “Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan.”  “Ang mga kuwentong bayan ay mga naratibong pasalita na nagpasalin-salin sa maraming henerasyon. Madalas ang mga kuwentong bayan ang nagpapaliwanag ng iba’t ibang aspekto ng tradisyon, mga kalakaran pati na rin kasaysayan. Sa pag-aaral ng mga kuwentong bayan, itinuturing na isang masining na pamamaraan ng pakikipagtalastasan sa mga maliliit na pangkat ang kuwentong bayan,” ayon kina Propesor Sir Anril P. Tiatco at Propesor Jem R. Javier, mga pinuno ng proyekto ng UP Diliman Month 2017, mula sa Opisina ng Inisyatiba para sa Kultura at mga Sining.  Dagdag pa nila, “sa pagdiriwang ng Pambansang Buwan ng Sining, sasariwain ng UP Diliman sa ating haraya at isipan ang mga kuwentong bayan na kinalalakipan ng samu’t saring saysay, pukaw at kaalaman.”  Ang programang inihanda para sa taong ito ay may sumusunod na layunin: (1) upang magkaroon ng mas malalim na pag-unawa sa kuwentong bayan sa iba’t ibang panahon at lunan; (2) upang maipakita na ang mga kuwentong bayan ay mga imbakan ng kaalamang bayan; (3) upang maiugnay-ugnay ang mga kuwentong bayan sa mga naratibo ng pagkabansa ng Pilipinas; at (4) upang maisalin ang mga kuwentong bayan sa iba’t ibang porma ng sining.  Pagbubukas ng UP Diliman Month 2017 na ginanap noong ika-1 ng Pebrero sa tapat ng Faculty Center, nagkaroon ng mga kulturang pagtatanghal. Ang “Tudyuhan ng Dalawang Diyos” ay isang pagbabahagi ng koro at sayaw na isinagawa nina Krystl Buesa (Magyawen), Nil’s Flores (Makaptan), Tomy Virtucio (Manaul), Conchords (Koro), at ng UP Filipiniana Dance Group.  Diliman Month 2017 Schedule of Activities from the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA).  Para naman sa pagtatanghal ng “Awit: Musika ng Muling Pagkabuhay ng Kalikasan” ay isang paghahandog ng awitin ng ConChords at ng UP Cherubim and Seraphim halaw mula sa “Awit ni Pulao” ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining Ramon Santos at ni Propesor Ed Maranan. Ang “Sikalak” at “Sikabay” naman ay tinanghal nina Jeconiah Retulla (Sikalak) at Kat Saga (Sikabay) kasabay ng ConChords at UP Filipiniana Dance Group.  Nagkaroon ng pagpuputong sa mga Artistang Lumikha ng Sansinukob na sina Junyee (Emptiness), Gerry Leonardo (Empitness), Ma. Rita Gudiño (Mebuyan sa Idalmunon), Anton del Castillo (Ang Pagbabalik Lupa), Leo Abaya (Ang Kahanginan), Leeroy New (Agtayabon), at Reg Yuson (Langit-non). Ang “Sansinukob” ay isang interactive–installation na eksibit tampok ang pitong (7) katangi-tanging obra ng mga bantog na manlilikha ng kasalukuyang panahon na sumisimbulo sa mga dakilang tapat lng sansinukob mula sa pananaw ng mga etnolingguwistikong grupo sa Pilipinas, ayon kina Tiatco at Javier.  Ang mga obra ay nakatalaga sa iba’t ibang istasyon sa loob ng kampus. Matatagpuan ang mga ito sa UP Oblation Complex, sa Vargas Museum, at sa UP Theater Complex.  Ang UP Diliman Month 2017 ay isang buwan ng pagdiriwang ng ib’at ibang porma ng sining sa pamamagitan ng mga kulturang pagtatanghal at palabas at kumperensiya. Maaaring antabayan ang iba’t ibang programang nakalatag para sa buong buwan ng Pebrero sa www.oica.upd.edu.ph o sa www.upd.edu.ph. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Komunidad ng UP Diliman nakiisa sa One Billion Rising 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/komunidad-ng-up-diliman-nakiisa-sa-one-billion-rising-2017/",
        "html": "Komunidad ng UP Diliman nakiisa sa One Billion Rising 2017 Komunidad ng UP Diliman nakiisa sa One Billion Rising 2017 February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Binuksan ng pagsasayaw ng Zumba ang pagtitipon para sa pandaigdigang kampanyang tinaguriang One Billion Rising 2017. Dinaluhan ng mga guro, REPS, administrative personnel maging ng mga residente ng Barangay UP Campus at mga kababaihang estudyante ng Balara High School ang nasabing kaganapan noong ika-14 ng Pebrero sa A.S. Steps sa UP Diliman.  “Ang paglahok ng UP Diliman sa pandaigdigang kampanyang ito upang wakasan ang karahasan laban sa kababaihan at ibang kasarian. Sabay-sabay tayong sasayaw laban sa pananakit, pang-aabuso, pambabastos at pagpapahiya, pagsasantabi at pag-apak sa karapatan sa loob ng mga tahanan , silid-aralan, trabaho, pampublikong espasyo, at pati na rin sa cyberspace,” pahayag ng komunidad ng UP Diliman.  Isa namang martsa ng pagkakaisa ang sumunod matapos ang pagsasayaw ng Zumba sa Academic Oval patungong Oblation Plaza. Ang nasabing martsa ay ang pagpapakita ng suporta ng mga aktibong dumalo sa panawagan ng paglaban sa karahasan, at maging sa panawagan ng pagkakaroon ng edukasyon, trabaho, lupa, at kapayapaan.  Participants performing their dance at the AS Steps, Palma Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Ipinagpatuloy ang programa ng One Billion Rising 2017 sa Oblation Plaza upang lalong ipanawagan ang mga kampanya hinggil sa:  Pagtataguyod ng malay sa kasariang edukasyon, ayon sa UP Diliman Gender Office, “ang sexual harassment ang nangungunang kasong paglabag sa kasarian sa kampus. Babae ang karamihan sa mga naitalang nakararanas nito. Ngayon higit kailanman, ang panahon na magkaroon ng isang gender course sa GE program kung naniniwala tayo na dapat at makabuluhan ang kursong dapat laminin ng GE program.”  Libreng edukasyon para sa lahat, “matatandaan ang kaso ni Kristel Tejada ng UP Manila kaugnay sa tuition fee at ang kawalang kapasidad na makapagbayad ng matrikula. Batay sa Philippine Collegian, kapos pa rin ang karagdagang 8.3 bilyong badyet na alokasyon ngayong 2017 sa 12.7 bilyong pangangailangan ng mga state universities and colleges (SUC) para paglingkuran ang 1.7 milyong mag-aaral ng SUCs. Ang deklarasyon noong Disyembre ng libreng matrikula sa mga SUCs ay tagumpay ng mga mag-aaral na matagal nang nagkakampanya para sa libreng edukasyon ngunit hanggang ngayon, wala pa ring katiyakan ang implementasyon nito, ayon sa pahayag ng OBR-UP Diliman.”  Regularisasyon, hindi kontraktwalisasyon, “wala pang linaw ang mga naunang deklarasyon tungkol sa pagwawakas ng ENDO (End of Contract). Nagpapatuloy pa rin ang bulnerableng posisyon ng mga kontraktwal. Sa UP, walang tenure at hindi kinikilala ang employee-employer relations sa mga non-UP contractual at mga agency-hired employees. Ang mga kontraktwal ang mga pinakabulnerable sa sexual harassment sapagkat hindi sila sakop ng UP IRR on Anti-Sexual Harassment ng UP,” dagdag pa ng pahayag ng OBR-UP Diliman.  Ipagpatuloy ang usapang pangkapayapaan, nananawagan rin ang OBR-UP Diliman para sa “pagpapatuloy ng usapang pangkapayapaan at bigyang daan ang komprehensibong repormang pang-ekonomiya na nakasaad sa Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER). Kahirapan ang malaking dahilan ng pagkalulong ng mga tao sa droga na tinatapatan naman ng militaristang paraan ng pagsugpo kung kaya pataas nang pataas ang bilang ng mga biktima ng extra-judicial killings.”  Ang UP Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO) at Gabriela Youth-UP Diliman ang mga nag-organisa ng OBR 2017 sa UP Diliman. Kasama ng mga ito ang mga miyembro yunit – Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment, Barangay UP Campus, UP Health Service, UP Diliman Police, College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), Office of Student Activities (OSA), UP Human Resources and Development Office (UP HRDO), University Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP CWGS), Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP), University Student Council (USC), All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), Alliance of Contractual Employees (ACE-UP), at ang UP Sigma Delta Pi. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visayas honors President Alfredo E. Pascual with “Pasidungog, Pagdayaw, Pasalamat” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visayas-honors-president-alfredo-e-pascual-with-pasidungog-pagdayaw-pasalamat/",
        "html": "UP Visayas honors President Alfredo E. Pascual with “Pasidungog, Pagdayaw, Pasalamat” UP Visayas honors President Alfredo E. Pascual with “Pasidungog, Pagdayaw, Pasalamat” February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On February 15, UP Visayas (UPV) officials, faculty members, professors emeriti, students, staff, and alumni, including Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, gathered at the Grand Xing Imperial Hotel in Iloilo City to honor the 20th president of the University of the Philippines, Alfredo E. Pascual.  The tribute had for its theme “Pasidungog, Pagdayaw, Pasalamat”. The program featured performances and messages from the different sectors of the Miag-ao and Tacloban units.  Central to the event was the constituent unit’s expression of gratitude to President Pascual’s support of UP Visayas. According to its statement, “President Pascual cascaded his vision to UP Visayas as in all other constituent units of the University and implemented programs, seeing to it that the infrastructure needs and facilities in all campuses of UP Visayas are included in the improvements of the whole UP System. As an administrator with a heart, his humanitarian spirit was best exemplified in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda when he gave immediate prioritization focusing on the rehabilitation of the UP Visayas Tacloban campus and the development of the Santa Elena property. His immediate financial support enlivened the spirit of the students, faculty, and staff and gave hope to the victims to move on after the disaster. This is well treasured by all as a resounding positive move of a leader who stood up during a crisis and gave hope to those who were in dire need.”  Prof. Ma. Joji Tan of the UP High School faculty and the administrator of the Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungod, highlighted in her message the strength of the Pascual administration in terms of funding support of faculty productivity, publications, as well as conferences. “There was also a significant increase in Academic Program Improvement (API) Funds (i.e. Php 10M per year) during President Pascual’s term. UP Visayas was also able to send faculty members for graduate studies in universities here and abroad. Financial support was given to faculty members for them to attend international conferences and have the chance to interact with other scholars and scientists in foreign universities. UP Visayas was also able to host three international conferences.”  President Pascual (center) watches the presentation by members of the UP Visayas community. With him is UPV Chancellor Rommel Espinosa (right). Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  UP Visayas-Tacloban Dean Virgildo E. Sabalo emphasized in his message of gratitude to the President, “the Yolanda experience in which the Pascual administration was able to accommodate the UP Visayas-Tacloban students in their cross-registration in Diliman at the time. Also, the UP Tacloban Santa Elena Campus project.”  President Pascual responded:  “I thank you for this wonderful tribute. I really felt it. It showcases the talents of UP Visayas from students, faculty, and staff. This is something that you offered me, the memory that I will treasure as I remember my sojourn in UP, particularly here in UP Visayas. This constituent unit of the University is the advocate of sustainable development, representing the country in the regions; each of the campuses in UP Visayas continues to stand at the forefront of higher education, pioneering programs responsive to the needs of the Visayan people and for the development of the region and the country.”  Cultural performances from the UP Visayas administration, faculty, students, staff and alumni were given during the program.  The program culminated with Chancellor Rommel A. Espinosa presenting to Pascual a sculpture of the sea goddess Luyung Baybay as UPV’s gift for the outgoing president’s invaluable support of the constituent university’s mandate to protect the sea and its marine life. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP School of Statistics inaugurates new building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-school-of-statistics-inaugurates-new-building/",
        "html": "UP School of Statistics inaugurates new building UP School of Statistics inaugurates new building February 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Three years after its ground breaking ceremony, the new UP School of Statistics building was inaugurated on February 7 in Diliman .  “The permanent home of the UP School of Statistics has classrooms, computing laboratories, a seminar room, a student organizations room and center, also a wellness center. By the third quarter of this year, the auditorium which can house up to 400 persons will be installed, as well as simulation rooms,” said UP School of Statistics Dean Claire Dennis S. Mapa.  Mapa added, “It is about time that the new building is in place with the School’s 25% increase in enrollment in the last five years. This development also goes along with the new endeavor of the School in extending its mentoring, research and public service at the UP Bonifacio Global City unit, as well as accommodating foreign students and faculty as part of the ASEAN program, especially with the current active exchange with neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Vietnam.”  “I am looking forward to this new beginning for the School of Statistics as it becomes more visible today. It now enters into a new era of big data processing as we can now envision data processing, information and technology courses to be offered by the School,” UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan said in a message.  The new School of Statistics building. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.  UP President Alfredo E. Pascual encouraged the School to become “fully engaged with multi-disciplinary collaboration as data processing is needed in all fields, and that the UP School of Statistics will be able to uphold its mandate in academic, research and public service.”  The UP System and Diliman, as well as Dean Mapa and faculty members of the School of Statistics opened the inauguration program with the unveiling of the School’s marker.  On the marker is written: “Under the bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the United Nations, the Statistical Training Center was established in 1953, and ten years later the Center was formally turned over to the University of the Philippines to become a degree-granting unit. It was renamed School of Statistics in 1998 to reflect its nature as independent college under UP Diliman. As the School continues to grow as the country’s leading educational and research institution in statistical science, the new UP School of Statistics Building is a testament to the university’s commitment for advancement of Statistics in the country and in South-East Asian Region. This building was designed and constructed during the term of President Alfredo E. Pascual, and Chancellors Caesar A. Saloma and Michael L. Tan. Inaugurated on the 7th day of February, 2017”.  According to the UP School of Statistics website: “In 1998, the Statistical Center changed its name to School of Statistics in order to reflect its expanded character of a degree-granting institution. Since 2006, the School is recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as the country’s Center of Excellence in Statistics. At present, the School of Statistics offers one undergraduate program and three graduate programs. These are the B.S. (Statistics) program, the Master of Science (MOS) program, the M.S. (Statistics) program and the Ph.D. (Statistics) program. Through these programs, the School of Statistics has produced numerous distinguished and respected statisticians in various professions and is widely recognized as the primary source of statistical expertise for the Philippine Statistical System and Industry.” (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Concepcion hails CSWCD compassion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/concepcion-hails-cswcd-compassion/",
        "html": "Concepcion hails CSWCD compassion Concepcion hails CSWCD compassion February 26, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP President Danilo Concepcion made his first official visit to the UP Diliman College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), which he hailed as a unit which has compassion a  founding principle. This is significant for Concepcion, who has declared compassion as a pillar of his administration, aside from honor and excellence.  “Sa bigkas pa lamang po ng inyong kolehiyo, hinding-hindi tayo magkakamali o mag-aalinlangan na ang pakay sa pagkakatatag ng kolehiyong ito ay pagmamalasakit sa kapwa at sa bayan,“ Concepcion said in his inspirational message to the college.  He was the guest of honor, together with the former Department of Social Welfare and Development secretary and CSWCD alumna, Dinky Soliman, at the College’s Service Awards ceremony on February 24, 2017 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UP Diliman.  “Kung may puwang dito sa ating unibersidad kung saan ang pagmamalasakit ay s’yang gabay at takaran ng kaisipan, pananaw at paglikha, ito ay matatagpuan sa College of Social Work and Community Development,” Concepcion said.  President Danilo Concepcion offers a definition of malasakit as taking extra care not to cause harm to persons or things one values, at the 2017 CSWCD Service Awards. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  “Hindi man ninyo napagtatanto nang lubos, nasa kaibuturan ng inyong puso ang isang malalim na pagbibigay-kahulugan sa salitang malasakit. Hindi man ninyo nabibigyan ng puna, malasakit ang buod at diwa ng kaalamang inyong ikinikintal sa isip ng lahat ng mga mag-aaral na dito sa inyong kolehiyo ay pinadpad ng kanilang maalab na damdaming maglingkod at tumulong,” Concepcion added.  In his vision statement, Concepcion said: “Simply put, compassion is responsiveness to the concerns of UP’s stakeholders.” He asked the question how UP could engender compassion in its culture, and then offered a number of answers, including: incentives, improvement of general education, interaction between academic and non-academic personnel, support of personnel, and expansion of the UP constituency to include other communities.  He described the service awards as recognition of compassion for the profession, the University, and the country. The CSWCD confers the awards on constituents who have rendered more than 10 years of service. This year they included: REPS and administrative staff member Rosita Zamora, who has rendered 40 years service; Fe Ticzon, 35 years; Perfecto Solitario, 20 years; and Celeste Vallejos, 10 years.  Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, who has served CSWCD for 20 years as faculty member, spoke for the awardees.  President Danilo Concepcion and CSWCD Dean Jocelyn Caragay hand tokens of appreciation to the former DSWD secretary, Dinky Soliman, a CSWCD alumna, at the 2017 CSWCD Service Awards. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Soliman delivered a lecture on what constitutes an ideal civil servant based on lessons she learned from being a member of government.  The occasion also saw the launching of the 2016 Philippine Journal of Social Development and the recognition of its authors, as well as CSWCD authors of other renowned publications. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "CSWCD confers 3rd Gawad Tandang Sora on Lumad leader – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cswcd-confers-3rd-gawad-tandang-sora-on-lumad-leader/",
        "html": "CSWCD confers 3rd Gawad Tandang Sora on Lumad leader CSWCD confers 3rd Gawad Tandang Sora on Lumad leader February 26, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay, Manobo chieftain from Mindanao’s Pantaron Range, is UP Gawad Tandang Sora’s 2017 recipient. 92-year old Bigkay continues to defend Manobo ancestral land and other rights of indigenous peoples (IPs).  The awarding ceremony was held on February 23, 2017 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora of the College of Social Work and Community Development (cswcd), UP Diliman.  The College described Bigkay as the “Mother of the Lumad Revolution and Tandang Sora of the Countryside”. In the 1990s, she was among those who led a tribal war against a destructive logging company that threatened their lands in Davao del Norte.  She provided sanctuary in the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Learning Center, which started in her community and now runs around 50 elementary and high schools for indigenous children.  Bigkay has been part of the Lakbayan ng mga Pambansang Minorya, which last sought sanctuary in UP Diliman at Kampuhan 2016. Through the Lakbayan, IPs are able to demonstrate their plight to the country and to centers of power. Most of them are driven away from their ancestral lands through militarization and harassment by mining and logging companies.  DSWD and UP officials raise their fists in solidarity with Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay and her companions from Mindanao. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  The Gawad is bestowed upon academics, practitioners, or organizations for excellent service in social work, community development, women development, and social development. It comes with a cash prize from the Office of the UP Diliman Chancellor. It was established during the UP Centennial but has been awarded only three times since then.  The trophy was sculpted by UP Artist Leonilo Doloricon.  The awarding ceremony was attended by:  Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, who is also chair of the Gawad Tandang Sora Committee; former Gawad Tandang Sora recipient, Salvacion Basiano; nominator, Sr. Noemi Degala, SMSM, of Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao; UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan; and former CSWCD deans, Rosalinda Ofreneo, Angelito Manalili, Sylvia Guerrero, Manuel Bonifacio, and Amaryllis Torres.  Incumbent CSWCD Dean Jocelyn Caragay welcomed the guests, gave a background of the awards, and reported on current developments in the College, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary as a separate academic unit in August. The celebrations, which began with the Gawad ceremony, are planned and coordinated by a committee chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Luna. ( Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches Gawad Oblation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-gawad-oblation/",
        "html": "UP launches Gawad Oblation UP launches Gawad Oblation February 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Gawad Oblation, an award given by the UP President to UP alumni and friends for “extraordinary service with or in the name of UP,” was launched and conferred on 14 individuals from government and industry in a ceremony held on February 7, 2017 at the UP Professional Schools in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.  The awardees each received a medal designed by Prof. Leo Abaya.  The first Gawad UP Gawad Oblation awardees were: Florencio Abad, former Department of Budget and Management secretary, represented by his daughter, Julia Abad, former Cabinet secretary; Magdaleno Albarracin Jr., businessman; Alfonso Aliga Jr., engineer; Pia Cayetano, former senator and now Taguig representative; Francis Escudero, senator; Ignacio Gimenez, businessman; Robina Gokongwei-Pe, corporate executive; Loren Legarda, senator; Patricia Licuanan, Commission on Higher Education chair; Rogelio Singson, former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary; Hans Sy, businessman; Reynaldo Tagudando, Department of Public Works and Highways regional director; Isidro Ungab, former Davao City representative; and, Manuel Villar Jr., businessman and former senator.  In various capacities, the awardees in recent years have helped UP come up with more than the usual resources and means in order to perform a leadership role in higher education and national development. “Your initiatives have truly made a positive impact on the development of UP and have allowed us not only to make great strides but take giant leaps in our journey towards the path for greatness in the 21st century,” the UP outgoing president, Alfredo Pascual, said to the awardees.  He described the Gawad as the highest honor UP can give as expression of gratitude.  The UP Gawad Oblation recipients with UP President Alfredo Pascual and Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co singing “UP Naming Mahal”. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  The outgoing vice president for public affairs who oversaw the award, Edna Co, said “extraordinary service” includes “exceptional teaching, research and public service, creative production, efficient public and university administration, exceptional generosity and voluntarism, and fund raising”. The awardees should have increased the institutional visibility and international recognition of UP, and have helped fulfill its mandate as national university.  Villar, speaking on behalf of the awardees, congratulated Pascual for “steering UP to new heights during his presidency” and for sharing with the awardees the dedication and passion to give back to the university and country.  “The award represents our lives coming full circle. Certainly, that’s how I feel,” Villar said. He added that it is an affirmation of UP moulding individuals into leaders.  UP alumni engineers represented by UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Benito Pacheco, Rogelio Singson, Alfonso Aliga Jr., and Magdaleno Albarracin also took the occasion to present Pascual a token of appreciation for his support of the UP Diliman College of Engineering. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP signs MOA with developers for Mindanao professional school – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-signs-moa-with-developers-for-mindanao-professional-school/",
        "html": "UP signs MOA with developers for Mindanao professional school UP signs MOA with developers for Mindanao professional school February 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP, Anflo Management and Investment Corp. (Anflocor) and its affiliate DamosaLand Inc. (DLI) formally entered into a contract to establish the UP Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP PSAE), an extension of UP Los Baños, in the Agriya mixed-use development area of Panabo City, Davao del Norte.  The memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by Dr. Alfredo Pascual, then-president of UP, and Anflocor Senior Vice President Ricardo Floirendo and Vice President Ricardo Luis Mateo Lagdameo on January 30, 2017 at the UP Board of Regents room, Quezon Hall, UP, Diliman, Quezon City.  According to the MOA, Anflocor will donate more than three hectares of land, buildings and facilities to UP, which will offer graduate UPLB courses and short courses through the school. Initially, the courses will be offered on off-campus mode, starting academic year 2017-2018. This means UPLB faculty will have to fly back and forth between UPLB and Mindanao. The residential phase – when the school will have its own faculty and staff to offer courses – is expected to begin in six years.  The UPLB Graduate School is already conducting an off-campus MS Entomology program with the UPLB College of Agriculture at the Anflocor Corporate Center in Davao City.  The UPLB College of Public Affairs and Developmentis also already offereing a PhD in Development Studies program in UP Mindanao in Mintal.  According to the project concept paper, UP PSAE is the university’s response to a knowledge capital gap, particularly in postgraduate education, in Mindanao. With its huge agricultural, fishery and forestry output, which has gained brighter prospects with new infrastructure and access to ASEAN, Mindanao could use expertise that can be provided by UPLB to manage growth and make it inclusive.  According to the paper, accredited postgraduate programs in Mindanao schools comprise mainly basic sciences and engineering. UP PSAE will help address the need for master’s and doctoral programs more focused on agriculture and environmental science.  Initially, these would include: Master of Science programs in Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Development Communication, Entomology, Environmental Science, Food Science, Forestry (Wood Science and Technology), Horticulture, Plant Breeding, and Plant Pathology; Master of Management in Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship; Master of Forestry (Forest Resource Management); and, Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies.  The industry demands of the area, together with enrolment data, will be further studied to tailor-fit future education, research, and extension offerings of the professional school.  Anflocor Senior Vice President Ricardo Floirendo (left) and then UP President Alfredo E. Pascual (right) shake hands at the conclusion of the signing of the Agreement. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  The MOA signing was attended mostly by UPLB officials, headed by Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, his executive staff, and UPLB deans led by Dr. Jose Camacho of the Graduate School.  Former UPLB officials, including former chancellor, Rex Victor Cruz, and former deans, Domingo Angeles and Cecilio Arboleda, also attended, together with former UP regents Gari Tiongco and Gladys Tiongco, both of whom Sanchez credited for initiating the partnership.  Sanchez, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and DLI Business Development Manager Marguerita Carmina Bibat signed the MOA as witnesses. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP & YMCA-LB affirm ‘good neighbors’ status – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ymca-lb-affirm-good-neighbors-status/",
        "html": "UP & YMCA-LB affirm ‘good neighbors’ status UP & YMCA-LB affirm ‘good neighbors’ status March 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP and the Young Men’s Christian Association of the Philippines-Los Baños (YMCA-LB) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which would secure their good neighbors relationship of 93 years for another 20 years, on January 30, 2017 at the office of outgoing UP president, Alfredo Pascual.  The parties agreed to continue their symbiotic relationship in the use of YMCA-LB properties on campus, in accordance with the objectives and mandates they share. Both agreed to look after the welfare of UP Los Baños (UPLB) students and the general UPLB community, to whom YMCA-LB has provided temporary housing; and the academic character of the UPLB campus.  YMCA-LB has operated a dormitory on its campus lot for more than 63 years and plans to construct another one. The MOA prevents the properties from being used as permanent dwelling places or from being leased by concessionaires not directly connected to UP and its partner institutions.  UP outgoing president, Alfredo Pascual, UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, and YMCA-LB President Rodolfo Tolentino signed the MOA. UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora and YMCA-LB Corporate Secretary Sally Tumambing and General Secretary Rolito Bacalangco signed as witnesses.  UP and YMCA-LB look forward to another 20 years of good neighbors partnership with the signing of the MOA. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Serlie Barroga-Jamias facilitated the MOA signing ceremony, along with OIC Florinida Blanca of the UPLB Legal Office, who oversaw the finalization of the contract.  A joint oversight committee will be formed by the parties to oversee the implementation of the MOA and regularly report on its progress to the UP president, the UPLB chancellor, and to the YMCA Philippines. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pharma development lab set up at UPLB S&T Park – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pharma-development-lab-set-up-at-uplb-st-park/",
        "html": "Pharma development lab set up at UPLB S&T Park Pharma development lab set up at UPLB S&T Park March 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Pascual Pharma Corp. (PPC) Research and Development Laboratory became a pioneer of the UP Los Baños Science and Technology Park with its inauguration on January 27, 2017, according to UP and PPC officials.  The laboratory aims at nurturing industry-academe-government partnership for solutions to metabolic syndrome, cancer, and tropical diseases. The laboratory offers an “open innovation and incubation platform and funding models” for projects addressing these prevalent health issues.  UP President Alfredo Pascual and Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion, both chemists, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the facility, with PPC officers:  Co-Chair Jay Lardizabal, Director Gani Padolina, President Virgilio Gomez, Senior Vice President Boyet Arellano, and Vice President Boyet Subida.  UP Visayas, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University, partner schools doing collaborative research at the facility, sent representatives to the inauguration. UP Director Glen Baticados of the Los Baños Center for Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship and UP Los Baños consultant, David Hall of the Research Triangle Institute, also attended.  A wing of the Pascual Pharma Corp. R&D Laboratory at UP Los Baños. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  In his welcome remarks, PPC Co-Chair Jay Lardizabal recalled the history of the company, which now focuses on research and development that is open to the broader academic community. Gomez said that more than providing a business model, the R&D laboratory , first of all, aims to help meet the company’s objective to be of genuine service to the community.  Concepcion praised PPC for its effort to make quality health care affordable.  Pascual said UP and PPC share a passion for generating knowledge to solve problems of humanity. He said the establishment of the laboratory would provide lessons for future partnerships in the University, particularly in terms of more industry-friendly policies.  Baticados said the event signaled UP Los Baños “becoming relevant in application products and services innovation.” (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHED-PCARI’s HeLe Project collaborators from UC Davis visit UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ched-pcaris-hele-project-collaborators-from-uc-davis-visit-up/",
        "html": "CHED-PCARI’s HeLe Project collaborators from UC Davis visit UP CHED-PCARI’s HeLe Project collaborators from UC Davis visit UP March 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Pediatric telemedicine experts from the University of California Davis (UC Davis) recently visited UP on March 1, 2017. They delivered a lecture at the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute in the morning and paid a courtesy call to UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP Executive Vice-President Teodoro Herbosa, and UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay at the conference room of the UP Office of the President in the afternoon. The UC Davis experts are UP’s collaborators, along with UC Berkeley, for a Commission on Higher Education-Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (CHED-PCARI) project, “Increasing the Rates of Newborn Hearing Screening with Novel Technologies and Telehealth” or the “HeLe: Hearing for Life”. It is under the Institute for Health and Innovation and Translational Medicine. Working on the project are the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health, specifically the Philippine National Ear Institute and the National Telehealth Center, and the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute. This CHED-PCARI project aims to develop a low-cost newborn hearing screening device with tele-audiology capability for the Philippines. It is headed by Dr. Charlotte Chiong of UP Manila as the Philippine project leader and Dr. David Lindeman of UC Berkeley as the US project investigator.  The guests from UC Davis were: Dr. James P. Marcin, chief of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Director of Pediatric Telemedicine, UC Davis Center for Health and Technology, and co-investigator for the HeLe project; Mr. George Wu, technical manager of the Center for Health and Technology, UC Davis Health System; Ms. Jamie L. Kissee, pediatric telemedicine project manager for the UC Davis Pediatric Tele-Emergency Program; and, Ms. Ilana Sigal, pediatric telemedicine research analyst at UC Davis Health System.  Joining them during the courtesy call were representatives from UP’s side of the project: Dr. Rosario Ricalde, clinical associate professor of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the UP College of Medicine and UP Philippine General Hospital and program manager of the HeLe project; Dr. Luis Sison, professor at the UPD-EEEI, director of the UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) and co-principal investigator of the HeLe project; Dr. Lorraine Hermosura-Faeldon, health analyst and public health official with the Philippine Biomedical Device Innovation Consortium (PBDIC), DOST-UP Enterprise Center for Technopreneurship; Dr. Patrick John P. Labra, ENT and otorhinolaryngologist practicing at the UP PGH; Mr. Nathaniel D. Cruz of the UPD-EEEI, who is part of the team that developed the: Electronic Natal Assistive Intervention (eNA)I, a locally-manufactured version of the RxBox, a medical-grade telemedicine device designed to serve rural areas and local health centers in farflung and disadvantaged areas in the country; and, Ms. Allia Acosta, research administrative assistant for the HeLe project.  UP officials and members of the UP side of the CHED-PCARI HeLe project conversing with UP’s project collaborators from UC Davis. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.  Launched when an agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation was signed by the US and Philippine governments on June 8, 2012, the PCARI Project aims to enhance the skills and expertise of faculty and staff of Philippine universities and colleges through scholarships, training and research partnerships with topnotch research universities in California, USA, under two priority areas or virtual institutes: information infrastructure development, and health innovation and translational medicine, under which the HeLe project falls. The Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine directs projects in health care through strategic technology, delivery and training, so as to improve diagnosis, treatment and health services delivery in the ten major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines, such as asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, dengue and diarrhea.  The HeLe project in particular aims to develop a low-cost newborn hearing device with telehealth capabilities that will enable local health units of all municipalities to easily comply with the mandate under Republic Act No. 9709 or the “Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009″ to screen all newborns for hearing loss within three months after birth. According to the PCARI website, the project intends to build capacities of primary care health facilities for newborn hearing screening and primary care health professionals to screen and appropriately refer patients identified to have potential congenital hearing problems. Given the University of California’s recognized expertise in the field of biomedical device development, the collaboration between UP, the Philippine government and the University of California is sure to fast-track device development to facilitate the full integration of the tele-AABR and local telehealth protocols (tele-audiology and tele-learning). ( Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fup-fighting-maroons-beat-dlsu-2%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "“Balangay: Ang Seremonya ng Pagwawakas”, programang handog sa pagtatapos ng UP Diliman Month 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/balangay-ang-seremonya-ng-pagwawakas-programang-handog-sa-pagtatapos-ng-up-diliman-month-2017/",
        "html": "“Balangay: Ang Seremonya ng Pagwawakas”, programang handog sa pagtatapos ng UP Diliman Month 2017 “Balangay: Ang Seremonya ng Pagwawakas”, programang handog sa pagtatapos ng UP Diliman Month 2017 March 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Ang isang buwang pagdiriwang ng UP Diliman Month 2017 o Buwan ng UP Diliman ay ginabayan ng temang “Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan.”  Sa pagbubukas nito, nagkaroon ng mga kulturang pagtatanghal na nagpamalas ng mga k’wentong hinggil sa paglikha ng mundo. Kasabay nito ang pagpapasinaya ng “Sansinukob,” isang interactive-installation na eksibit tampok ang pitong (7) katangi-tanging obra ng mga bantog na manlilikha ng kasalukuyang panahon na sumisimbulo sa mga dakilang tapat lng sansinukob mula sa pananaw ng mga etnolingguwistikong grupo sa Pilipinas.  Kasama sa serye ng mga aktibidad ay ang muling pagpapakinig sa musika ni Pambansang Alagad ng Sining Jose Maceda sa pamamagitan ng Pagsamba na itinanghal sa Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.  Nagkaroon din ng mga palabas pampelikula tulad ng “Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe, Ploning, K’na the Dreamweaver, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, Hinulid, at Tuos; at dulaang “Faust” ni Goethe, “Sita & Rama: Papet Ramayana. Nagkaroon din ng mga pagtatanghal ang mga kilalang musikero na sina Noel Cabangon at Bayang Barrios sa Himigsikan.  At sa pagtatapos, tampok ang isang programang nagpakita ng mga bantog na pagtatanghal mula sa Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao.  Nagbukas ang programang handog sa pagtatapos ng UP Diliman Month 2017 sa isang prologo ni G. Roger Federico ng rehiyon ng Cordillera at sa pagtugtog ni Prop. Solaiman Jamisolamin ng UP College of Music.  Balangay: Seremonya ng Pagwawakas sa Buwan ng Sining sa UP Diliman  Sunod na tinanghal ang “Pangalay” na ang kahulugan ay regalo o alay, ay isang estilo ng sayaw na tinaguriang “temple dance” na tumutukoy sa panahon ng pag-iral ng Kristiyanismo at Islam sa bansa. Sinasabi rin na ang sayaw na ito ang may pinakamayamang bokabularyo sa paggamit ng mga galaw ng katawan.  Ang “Amburukay” naman ay nilahad ni UP Visayas Professor Emeritus Alicia Magos at sinaliwan ng sayaw ni Bb. Kris-belle Paclibar-Mamagun. Samantala, ipinakilala naman ni Prop. Macrina Morados, Dekana ng Linangan ng Araling Islam ang iba’t ibang mayamang k’wentong bayan ng Mindanao.  Isa namang espesyal na pagtatanghal hinggil sa mga k’wentong bayan sa Mindanao, partikular ang pakikipagsapalaran ni Pilandok, ang hinandog ng bantog na Sining Kambayoka Ensemble ng Mindanao State University – Marawi City.  Para naman sa epilogo na pinamagatang Tayog ng Haraya ay binuo naman ng mga presentasyon ng mga sumusunod: UP Concert Chorus, UP Dance Company, UP Kontra Gapi, UP Repertory Company, UP Singing Ambassadors, UP Streetdance Club, at UP Symphonic Band.  “Inaasahan ko ang mas mahigpit na ugnayan ng Unibersidad at ng Mindanao State University para sa ibayong pagpapaunlad ng mga pangkulturang proyekto,” aniya ni Tsanselor Michael L. Tan.  “Umaasa tayong magsisilbing tulay ang ating mga salaysay sa pagitan ng bawat kababayang nahiwalay sa kaniyang kapwa, at sa pagitan na rin ng mga henerasyon—mga makulay at matibay na tulay na madadaluyan ng mga damdamin at kaisipang magpapayaman sa ating pag-unawa at pagtanggap ng ating pagka-Pilipino,” ayon sa Pangulo ng Unibersidad Danilo L. Concepcion. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Inauguration, groundbreaking of road network on UPD Campus – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/inauguration-groundbreaking-of-road-network-on-upd-campus/",
        "html": "Inauguration, groundbreaking of road network on UPD Campus Inauguration, groundbreaking of road network on UPD Campus March 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On February 25, UP President Danilo Concepcion, former UP President Alfredo Pascual, and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar led the groundbreaking ceremony on Jacinto Street as well as the inauguration of Ylanan Street as part of the construction, rehabilitation and improvement of various road networks in UP Diliman Campus.  Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  The infrastructure project is a partnership undertaking implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the University of the Philippines (UP) with its tie-up contractors, namely, F.P. De Guzman Construction Inc., Harley Construction, Inc. and Newbig Four J Construction Inc. Also present at the ceremonies were Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. and Atty. Gabby Concepcion. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Alumni Engineers Vow to Give Back More to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-engineers-vow-to-give-back-more-to-up/",
        "html": "UP Alumni Engineers Vow to Give Back More to UP UP Alumni Engineers Vow to Give Back More to UP March 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Newly-elected UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE) President Engr. Adrian S. Arias pledged to step up its efforts give back to both UP and the College of Engineering, amidst notable changes in the University’s academic landscape this year. Arias spoke during the induction ceremony of the UPAE’s new set of officers on March 6, 2017 in Quezon Hall.  Arias, who takes over from the outgoing UPAE president, Levy V. Espiritu, invited his fellow alumni engineers to invest in the College, its people, and the various projects of the UPAE. He noted that such investments would reap benefits for them not only as alumni, but also as Filipinos “contributing to the betterment of the College, the University and the country”.  The UPAE is well-known for spearheading initiatives such as the Study Now Pay Later (SNPL) program, which provides a monthly allowance of P5,000 for needy but deserving students of the College. In addition to the 10 students currently availing of this program, the UPAE under Arias seeks to add 12 more beneficiaries this 2017.  As part of its continued support of faculty development, the UPAE also pledged to formally turn over P1.2 million to the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) to revive the UP President Vidal Tan and Dean Crisostomo Ortigas Professorial Chairs in Engineering.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion congratulating members of the new UPAE officers. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  In addition to its other contributions, the UPAE vowed to assist the College’s infrastructure program. It will also urge industry partners to provide more internships and “real-world learning experiences” for students and faculty members.  Aside from its various institutes, the new UP Engineering Centennial Library will also move to the newly-constructed UP Engineering Complex by 2018. The College will fully implement its new curriculum next school year.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who was guest of honor during the induction ceremony, suggested that the UPAE should also refurbish UP’s dormitories and assist in the maintenance of iconic campus landmarks such as the UP Lagoon. He also encouraged the organization to see how student loans can be adjusted vis-a-vis the thrust toward free higher education in Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs).  The other new UPAE officers are: Maj. Gen. Silvino Alcabasa, Jr., Vice President-Internal; Engr. Dante Abando, Vice President External; and Engr. Gerardo M. Angeles, Secretary; together with new members of the UPAE Board of Trustees. Engr. Carlos Antonio Berba will continue as UPAE Treasurer. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP–Harvard University Collaborative Workshop/Meeting Held at UP Diliman, UP Manila – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-harvard-university-collaborative-workshopmeeting-held-at-up-diliman-up-manila/",
        "html": "UP–Harvard University Collaborative Workshop/Meeting Held at UP Diliman, UP Manila UP–Harvard University Collaborative Workshop/Meeting Held at UP Diliman, UP Manila March 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) hosted a three-day workshop/meeting with officials of the Harvard University from March 13 to 15. The activity aimed to effectively start cooperation between UP, the country’s national university, and Harvard, the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.  On March 13, UP President Danilo Concepcion, together with members of UP’s organizing committee, met with the Harvard delegation headed by Dr. Margot Gill, Administrative Dean for International Affairs, Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University. The meeting was held at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, to formally start the discussions on how UP and Harvard faculty, researchers, and students can collaborate on academic programs, courses, and projects. After the meeting, the group proceeded to the auditorium of the Institute of Biology, College of Science, for an open forum with students. A meeting with UP faculty members was held at the Auditorium of the College of Science Administration Building.  The UP Diliman Information Office (DIO) took the Harvard delegation on a tour around campus. A welcome dinner at the UP Executive House capped the day’s activities.  An information session for students and a meeting with UP Manila faculty was held on March 14. On March 15, the delegation met with the Harvard Club of the Philippines in Makati City.  Officials of the University of the Philippines and Harvard University meet at the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.  The Harvard University delegation was comprised of:  Dr. Gill; Dr. Sheila Thomas, Dean of Academic Programs and Diversity and Director of Diversity and Minority Affairs of the Harvard Medical School; Dr. Ted Gilman, Executive Director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; Dr. Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany and Curator at the Farlow Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany; and, Kamille Washington, Program Manager for International Affairs, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.  The organizing committee of UP was headed by Officer-in-Charge Rhodora Azanza of the Office of the UP Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of the Office of International Linkages.  The members included Dr. Jose Maria Balmaceda, Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, Dr. Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, Dr. Armando Crisostomo, Dr. Tammy dela Rosa, Dr. Rizalinda de Leon, Dr. Rodney Dofitas, and Dr. Gerardo Legaspi. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Hokkaido University Officials Visit UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/hokkaido-university-officials-visit-up/",
        "html": "Hokkaido University Officials Visit UP Hokkaido University Officials Visit UP March 17, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Officials and faculty of the Hokkaido University of Japan visited the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus on March 15, 2017. Activities included concurrent seminars by professors from Hokkaido University, a tour around the campus, a lunch meeting with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and an Appointment Ceremony for Hokkaido University Ambassadors and Partner at the UP Executive House.  By way of orientation for the visiting professors, Dean Jose Maria Balmaceda of UP Diliman, College of Science (CS) gave an overview of the UP System, the UP Diliman campus, and the degree granting units of CS. Dean Koichiro Ishimori of the Faculty of Science of Hokkaido University in turn presented an overview of his university. Seminars conducted by the Japanese professors were then held simultaneously at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and Institute of Biology, National Institute of Physics, and Institute of Mathematics. The topics and lecturers were: Algebraic Geometry and Hypergeometric Functions by Prof. Masanori Asakura; New Magnetoelectric Effect in Toroidal Ordered State of UNi4B by Prof. Hiroshi Amitsuka; Tetramerization of Tumor Suppressor Protein p53: Mutation, Evolution and Application by Prof. Kazuyasu Sakaguchi; Phylogeography and Population Genetics of Asian Mammals by Prof. Ryuichi Masuda; and, Collaborative Space Development by Philippines and Hokkaido University by Prof. Yukihiro Takahashi.  At the UP Executive House, officials of UP and Hokkaido University, and the newly appointed Hokkaido University Ambassadors and Partner, expressed shared optimism in creating more opportunities for the collaboration and strengthening of existing partnerships. In his message at the Appointment Ceremony, Prof. Ichiro Uyeda, Vice President and Executive Director of the Institute for International Collaboration of Hokkaido University, said they aimed to strengthen relations between the University and its graduates in Japan and abroad; and to build a global network of Hokkaido University partners and supporters. For these purposes, the following were appointed as Hokkaido University Ambassadors: Dr. Amelia Guevara, retired professor of Chemistry, former Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UP System, and former Undersecretary for Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); Dr. Joel Marciano Jr., professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering of the College of Engineering, UP Diliman, and Acting Director of the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of DOST; Dr. Derrick Ethelbhert Yu, professor of Chemistry, College of Science, Head of Materials Science and Nanotechnology Research Unit, and Vice Dean of College of Science, De La Salle University, and head of the Hokkaido University Alumni Association in the Philippines; and, appointed as Partner of Hokkaido University, Dr. Evangeline Amor, professor of Chemistry, College of Science, and former University Registrar of UP Diliman.  DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said he is happy with the partnerships, since opportunities such as these also advance science and technology in the country, e.g. further help   the space technology development program.  Officials from Hokkaido University pose with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (7th from right) and officials of the University of the Philippines. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa likewise expressed gratitude for the continuing partnership between UP and Hokkaido University.  To highlight collaborative efforts in previous years, the Philippines’ first microsatellite, DIWATA-1, was successfully launched into orbit in April 2016. The microsatellite was developed by Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, the DOST and UP Diliman under the DOST-funded research program, “Development of the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-MICROSAT)”.  Hokkaido University is one of Japan’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious universities. In preparation for its 150th anniversary celebrations, the University geared itself to “contribute towards the resolution of global issues.” To support and “bring together world-class teaching staff from around the world and within the University” and to promote cultural exchange and internationalization, Hokkaido University’s Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education has six Global Stations for:  Quantum Medical Science and Engineering; Zoonosis Control; Food, Land and Water Resources; Soft Matter; Big Data and Cybersecurity; and, Arctic Research.  The academic visit was made possible through the initiatives of the UP System’s Office of International Linkages and Hokkaido University’s Institute for International Collaboration and Office for International Academic Support, Faculty of Science. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bautista takes oath as VP for Academic Affairs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bautista-takes-oath-as-vp-for-academic-affairs/",
        "html": "Bautista takes oath as VP for Academic Affairs Bautista takes oath as VP for Academic Affairs March 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista took her oath as the University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs on March 16 at the Office of the President in UP Diliman (UPD).  Bautista is a professor of Sociology at the UPD College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), where she served as dean from 2001 to 2004. In the UP System, she headed the Center for Integrative and Development Studies from 1992 to 2000.  She was also a Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) from 2012 to 2016. Prior to her appointment as CHED commissioner, she chaired the Commission’s Task Force on Quality Assurance from 2010 to 2011, was vice chairperson of CHED’s Technical Working Group for Autonomous and Deregulated Higher Education Institutions from 2006 to 2008, and co-chaired the CHED Technical Panel for the Humanities, Social Sciences and Communications from 2002 to 2005.  President Danilo L. Concepcion, administering the oath of office to Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  In 2002, she was given the Achievement Award by the National Research Council of the Philippines. Bautista was recognized for her government service in 1995 and was named one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) by the TOWNS Foundation, Inc. She received the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology in 1988.  Bautista graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from UP Diliman in 1974. She earned her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. ( Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "COE honors professorial chair donors – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/coe-honors-professorial-chair-donors/",
        "html": "COE honors professorial chair donors COE honors professorial chair donors March 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Diliman College of Engineering (COE) held a reception for donors who funded the establishment of one professorial chair and provided additional support for four existing professorial chairs, on March 15 at the National Engineering Center.  The newly established endowment was for the Honorio T. and Elisa F. Allado Professorial Chair in Civil Engineering, donated by the Allado Construction Company, Inc. According to the deed of donation which was signed that day, the company, through the creation of the professorial chair, “desires to honor its late founder, a distinguished alumnus of UP belonging to BS Civil Engineering Class of 1934, and his late wife, Elisa.” The annual amount of P120,000 will be awarded by the company starting in the next academic year, with a pledge to fund the professorial chair for at least five years. In his message, President Ramon F. Allado of the Allado Construction Company, Inc. talked of how his father loved construction. He asked COE to produce more graduates highly adept at construction management as they were truly needed by the industry.  The four professorial chairs which received additional funding were: the UP President Vidal Tan Professorial Chair in Engineering, the Dean Crisostomo A. Ortigas Professorial Chair in Engineering, the Alejandro Melchor Professorial Chair in Engineering, and the Ambrosio Magsaysay Professorial Chair in Engineering.  The UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE) donated P1.2 million to support the Tan and Ortigas Professorial Chairs, the deed of which was also signed that day. The amount of P120,000will be given annually to each chair holder for a period of five years, starting in the next academic year. Both endowments started with funds from the Ford Foundation and were established by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in its 829th meeting on January 25, 1973. The chairs were originally named “The Vidal A. Tan Professorial Chair in Environmental Engineering” and “The Crisostomo A. Ortigas Professorial Chair in Materials Sciences.” UPAE President Adrian Arias said that the donation was made up of “small contributions” from members of the alumni group.  “Sa ngalan po ng UP, malugod ko pong tinatanggap at pinapahalagahan ang inyong suporta, kabaitan, at kagandahang-loob.”UP President Danilo L. Concepcion expresses his appreciation for the support extended by the alumni engineers. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  The other chair established during that BOR meeting in 1973 was “The Alejandro Melchor Sr. Professorial Chair in Systems Engineering,” which also began with a Ford Foundation donation. Additional funds to this professorial chair were given by COE alumnus, former regent, and Senior Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman Magdaleno B. Albarracin Jr. of the Philippine Investment Management Consultants, Inc., along with fellow alumnus and chairman of D.M. Consunji, Inc., Isidro A. Consunji. The deed of donation was signed on July 21, 2016. Albarracin said that a large part of who he was and what he has achieved was due to his UP education. Consunji, meanwhile, particularly addressed COE Dean Rizalinda de Leon when he said, “You can count on us—not just in the present, but in the future.”  The Magsaysay Professorial Chair started with a P150,000 donation from the daughter of Ambrosio Magsaysay, renowned artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho, and was established by the BOR in its 980th meeting on August 29, 1985. Magsaysay was appointed instructor of graphics in 1911, when COE was only two years old. The University of the Philippines Bulletin No. 15, published in 1932, listed Magsaysay as “Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering” under the COE’s “Faculty of Instruction.” He is co-founder of A. Magsaysay Inc. His remaining children and grandchildren continue to fund the endowment, with the latest deed of donation signed on July 21, 2016. Magsaysay’s granddaughter, Mariane Magsaysay-Pratte, delivered a message on behalf of their family. She said that she hoped more would be like her grandfather, who was a pensionado or government scholar sent to the United States to earn his college degree but chose to come back to the Philippines after he graduated so he could serve the country.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who thanked the donors on behalf of the University, said, “Professorial chairs are not just monetary awards for us here in UP; they are gifts of hope and confidence in our faculty. These are acts of compassion that tell them we—you as donors and UP as the implementing body—believe in their capability to achieve more than what they already have.” He went on to say that these endowments for faculty development encouraged the conduct of advanced research and inspired further excellence in the mentoring of future engineers. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ASEA-UNINET President visits UP OVPAA – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/asea-uninet-president-visits-up-ovpaa/",
        "html": "ASEA-UNINET President visits UP OVPAA ASEA-UNINET President visits UP OVPAA March 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dr. Carla Locatelli [second from right], currently Professor of Theory and Comparative Literature at the University of Trento, Italy, Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and recently elected president for 2016-2018 of the ASEAN-European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET), dropped by the UP Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs on March 16 to meet with [from left to right]: Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs (R&D Resource Management) Mary Delia Tomacruz, Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) Rhodora Azanza, , Vice-President for Academic Affairs Cynthia-Rose Bautista, Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Aaron Joseph Villaraza, and former VP for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion. Among the topics discussed during the informal meeting were the potential areas for collaboration and exchanges between UP and the University of Trento, and upcoming events under the ASEA-UNINET, such as the plenary meeting 2017 to be held at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz from July 17 to 20.  Dr. Locatelli, who came to UP Diliman to hold a series of lectures, is no stranger to UP, having first visited during the administrations of UP Presidents Francisco Nemenzo and Emerlinda Roman. Her research interests include Filipino literature. She has lectured and published papers on Filipino literature and literary criticism under the aegis of the Department of English and Comparative Literature, UP College of Arts and Letters. (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroons beat DLSU – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroons-beat-dlsu-2/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroons beat DLSU UP Fighting Maroons beat DLSU March 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Desiderio scores 42 points in 80th Araw ng Dabaw Basketball Tournament  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons overwhelmed reigning UAAP champion De La Salle University, 87-79, to capture the 80th Araw ng Dabaw basketball title at the Davao City Recreation Center (Almendras Gym) on March 26.  The Maroons trailed the Archers during the first period, 29-21, before UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics student Paul Desiderio exploded with nine three-point shots that enabled UP to overtake DLSU, 42-44, by the end of half-time. UP led, 63-77, towards the third period.  Desiderio was declared Most Valuable Player (MVP) while UP Coach Bo Perasol was named Best Coach.  UP’s Rob Ricafort won the tournament’s slam dunk contest. UPIS alumnus and incoming UP Diliman freshman Juan Gomez de Liano was declared winner of the three-point shootout competition.  Davao City Sports Head Michael Aportadera awarded the prizes to the winners.  UP Alumni Association-Davao City Chapter capped the evening by hosting a victory dinner for the UP Contingent. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP profs win top spots in UK engineering pitch contest – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-profs-win-top-spots-in-uk-engineering-pitch-contest/",
        "html": "UP profs win top spots in UK engineering pitch contest UP profs win top spots in UK engineering pitch contest April 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Two professors from the University of the Philippines won the top two spots in the Final Pitch Session of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship with the UK Royal Academy of Engineering held in March in London.  The panel of judges awarded first place to Assistant Professor DJ Darwin Bandoy of the UP Los Baños College of Veterinary Medicine, for his research on quorum sensing inhibitors for veterinary application. Second place went to Dr. Chelo Pascua, associate professor of Geology in UP Baguio, for his research on water filtration technology.  According to Dr.Bandoy, “the panel of judges for the pitch were composed of UK’s top engineers in the Royal Academy of Engineering as well as tutors of Oxford Innovation from Oxford University.”  “This validates UP’s position in leading innovative research that is responsive to the needs of the nation,” added Dr. Bandoy.  Associate Professor Chelo Pascua. Photo from Mindanao Cluster, Phil-LiDAR1 website. Associate Professor Chelo Pascua. Photo from Mindanao Cluster, Phil-LiDAR1 website.  Associate Professor Chelo Pascua. Photo from Mindanao Cluster, Phil-LiDAR1 website.  Bandoy and Pascua were among the 15 Leaders in Innovation Fellows with the UK Royal Academy of Engineering awarded earlier on February 7 under the Newton Agham program of the British government together with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Asian Institute of Management. This program aims to co-develop and implement programs that strengthen science and innovation capacity and create solutions to development challenges in the country.  Both UP professors have been conducting research on developing technologies and inventions that aim to address national concerns, such as antimicrobial resistance and clean water. Dr. Bandoy’s researches cover: antibiotic drug residue; viral and bacterial diseases of swine; and, effects of medicinal plants on bacteria and biofilms. Dr. Pascua’s researches and publications revolve around: materials synthesis; mineralogy; environmental materials applications; geohazards; carbon capture and storage; natural analogues; mineral-water interactions geochemistry; and, groundwater contamination. "
    },
    {
        "title": "BOR Appoints Prof. Lagmay as 1st Director of the UP NOAH Center, UP Resilience Institute – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bor-appoints-prof-lagmay-as-1st-director-of-the-up-noah-center-up-resilience-institute/",
        "html": "BOR Appoints Prof. Lagmay as 1st Director of the UP NOAH Center, UP Resilience Institute BOR Appoints Prof. Lagmay as 1st Director of the UP NOAH Center, UP Resilience Institute April 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay. Photo from UP Diliman website.  At the 1326th UP Board of Regents Meeting on 5 April 2017, Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay was appointed as Director of the UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, effective 21 March 2017 until 20 March 2020, and as Executive Director of the UP Resilience Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, effective 1 April 2017 until 21 March 2018.  Widely recognized as one of the world’s leading international scientific experts on natural hazards, Prof. Lagmay is a Professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, UP Diliman. He earned his degrees from the UP Diliman (BA, MS Geology) and the University of Cambridge (PhD Earth Science) and was a visiting scientist at the Geophysics Department of Stanford University from 2006-2007.  Prof. Lagmay’s pioneering research on natural hazards, volcano-tectonics and hands-on experience in search and rescue as well as forensic analyses of major Philippine catastrophes has become the basis for over 90 published articles in scientific journals he authored. Prof. Lagmay lectures frequently on Philippine disasters to share his knowledge and promote awareness of natural hazards and its impacts. He documents the difficult lessons from previous disasters, which include the lethal Frank, Ondoy, Pedring/Quiel, Sendong and Pablo floods, Guinsaugon debris avalanche, Mayon lahar, and Yolanda storm surges and uses them to recommend science-based disaster prevention policies.  Recognizing the impact of Prof. Lagmay’s interdisciplinary work, the European Geoscience Union (EGU, 2015) awarded him the Plinius Medal, the first Asian to receive such honor. He was featured by Asian Scientist Magazine (2016) as one of Asia-Pacific Region’s 100 leading scientists, one of five Filipino scholars to make it in the list.  Prof. Lagmay’s other important awards and citations, include the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award from the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senate Philippines (2013), The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Outstanding Professional of the Year Award in the field of Geology (2014), WiKiPinoy of the Year Award (2014), Catholic Mass Media Award (CMMA), Philippine Quill Awards and the Hildegarde awards (2014, 2015) for the educational radio program Red Alert on DZMM, which he anchors. Under his supervision, Project NOAH received the USAID and FHI360 Harnessing Data for Resilience Recognition Award (2016).  Last year, Prof. Lagmay was elected to the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), He was recognized for promoting and integrating advanced science and technology to enhance disaster management and the prevention capacity of the Philippines, which subsequently saved many lives.  The NAST also recognized Prof. Lagmay’s multi-disciplinary and global research on volcano-tectonics, which changed the way the scientific community understood volcanoes and their consequent societal impacts. Lagmay’s seminal work on Philippine geology, was used, in part, as the technical basis for the successful Philippine territorial claim in the Benham Rise under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). "
    },
    {
        "title": "Gabriela Lee named first Dalisay Chair holder – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/gabriela-lee-named-first-dalisay-chair-holder/",
        "html": "Gabriela Lee named first Dalisay Chair holder Gabriela Lee named first Dalisay Chair holder April 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The chair was endowed by an anonymous donor in the United States earlier this year in honor of Dr. Dalisay, one of the Philippines’ most accomplished writers. He has served as chair of the Department of English and Comparative Literature (DECL) in UP Diliman and director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing, and now serves as Vice President for Public Affairs.  Asst. Prof. Gabriela Dans Lee has been named the first recipient of the One UP-Jose Yap Dalisay Jr. Professorial Chair in Creative Writing.  Asst. Prof. Lee is a writer of young adult literature and lists speculative fiction and popular culture among her research interests. She completed her BA English Studies in UP and her MA Literary Studies at the National University of Singapore.  The chair is good for three years and carries a monthly grant of P10,000. It can be awarded to a qualified professor of creative writing at the DECL.  The photo shows Dr. Dalisay, the awardee, and DECL Chair Dr. Lily Rose Tope. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP student wins silver in int’l taekwondo meet – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-student-wins-silver-in-intl-taekwondo-meet/",
        "html": "UP student wins silver in int’l taekwondo meet UP student wins silver in int’l taekwondo meet April 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP College of Mass Communication (Broadcasting) student Beatrice Gaerlan earned the silver medal in the female minus 55-kilogram weight class at the 9th edition of the Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, on April 21, 2017.  The tournament has brought together dozens of male and female taekwondo practitioners from various Asian countries, including Afghanistan, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tina Monzon Palma is the U.P. Gawad Plaridel 2017 Recipient – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tina-monzon-palma-is-the-u-p-gawad-plaridel-2017-recipient/",
        "html": "Tina Monzon Palma is the U.P. Gawad Plaridel 2017 Recipient Tina Monzon Palma is the U.P. Gawad Plaridel 2017 Recipient May 26, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication is pleased to announce the recipient of the U.P. Gawad Plaridel 2017 in the person of MS. TINA MONZON PALMA.  Tina Monzon Palma is a veteran broadcaster who is cited for her pioneering efforts that opened doors/opportunities for women at a time when men dominated the media landscape.  Tina Monzon Palma has kept her professional integrity in her more than 40 years in the media. She was a news anchor during the Martial Law years, and remained steadfast in her craft.  The U.P. Gawad Plaridel comes with a trophy, specially designed by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, which will be presented to Palma by the U.P. President Danilo Concepcion and U.P. Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan in ceremonies on August 23, 2017 (Wednesday), 2:00 pm at the U.P. Film Center. Monzon-Palma will also deliver a lecture during the ceremonies.  Established by the U.P. College of Mass Communication, the annual U.P. Gawad Plaridel recognizes Filipino media practitioners who have excelled in any of the media (print, radio, film, and television) and who have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service.  The U.P. Gawad Plaridel’s roster of honorees include: Ms. Eugenia Duran-Apostol (2004, print), Ms. Vilma Santos (2005, film), Ms. Fidela “Tiya Dely” Magpayo (2006, radio), Ms. Cecilia “Cheche” L. Lazaro (2007, television), Mr. Pachico A. Seares (2008, community print), Mr. Kidlat Tahimik (2009, independent film), Ms. Eloisa “Lola Sela” Canlas (2011, radio), Ms. Florence “Rosa Rosal” Danon-Gayda (2012, television), Mr. Jose “Pete” Lacaba (2013, print), Ms. Nora “Nora Aunor” Villamayor (2014, transmedia), Mr. Ricardo “Ricky” Lee (2015, film), Ms. Francisca “Babes” Custodio (2016, radio).  The award is named after Marcelo H. del Pilar (nom de plume, Plaridel), the selfless propagandist whose stewardship of the reformist newspaper La Solidaridad gave voice to nationalist sentiments and libertarian ideas in the 1890s. Like Plaridel, the recipient of the award must believe in a vision of a Philippine society that is egalitarian, participative and progressive, and in media that is socially responsible, critical and vigilant, liberative and transformative, and free and independent. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Press launch of the Museum of Philippine Biodiversity and “Ugnayan” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/press-launch-of-the-museum-of-philippine-biodiversity-and-ugnayan/",
        "html": "Press launch of the Museum of Philippine Biodiversity and “Ugnayan” Press launch of the Museum of Philippine Biodiversity and “Ugnayan” May 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP) and through the initiative of Senator Loren B. Legarda, marked this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity with the launching of two projects, the Museum of Philippine Biodiversity and Junyee’s installation art “Ugnayan”, at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) in Diliman, Quezon City on May 22.  According to project team leader Dr. Perry S. Ong of the UP College of Science, the museum to be built inside the BMB-NAPWC’s Salakot Building will showcase the richness and beauty of Philippine biodiversity by featuring the country’s various terrestrial and marine ecosystems and Protected Areas. Conceptualized as an interactive and experiential venue utilizing multimedia exhibits and equipment that stimulate the senses (sight, touch, smell, and hearing), the museum aims to impart to its visitors the importance of Philippine biodiversity, its unique ecosystems, and the threats faced, and to promote environmental conservation.   BMB Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said they hope that this museum “will encourage people to do something for our precious biodiversity.”  Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO  “Ugnayan”, dubbed as the first permanent installation art in the country, stands just outside the Salakot Building. It was made by renowned artist Luis “Junyee” E. Yee, Jr. with “recycled hardwood pillars and metal to visualize the unity and cooperation of the 21 nations composing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in pursuit of common goals in different fields”.  With Sen. Legarda, Dr. Ong, Dir. Lim, and Mr. Junyee, also delivering inspiring messages for the occasion were: Dr. Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador, assistant director of the National Museum of the Philippines; Professor Leonardo C. Rosete, dean of the UP College of Fine Arts, and, representing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion,  Asst. VP for Public Affairs of UP Jose Wendell P. Capili. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Additional photos of the event can be viewed by clicking here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CSWCD holds first socdev conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cswcd-holds-first-socdev-conference/",
        "html": "CSWCD holds first socdev conference CSWCD holds first socdev conference May 26, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Diliman College of Social Work and Community Development (UPD-CSWCD) held its first inter-agency conference on social development, on May 17, 2017 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UPD.  Being a first, the conference had the theme of “defining the terrain and exploring the pathways” of the discipline, with speakers coming from leading universities in the Philippines and government, including Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo; and participants constituting of a network of social development students, educators and researchers, practitioners, and advocates in the country and in ASEAN.  By day’s end, the conference affirmed the “bottom-up” approach in theorizing for the discipline and endorsed a commitment to go beyond scientific rigor to the community. It stressed end-goals of people empowerment to tackle inequalities.  Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo, keynote speaker, shares the table with (from left to right) resource speakers Ramon Falcon of the National Economic Development Authority and Ateneo de Manila University Vice President for Social Development Jaime Hofileña, UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo, UPD College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) Dean Jocelyn Caragay, CSWCD Doctor of Social Development (DSD) Program Director Emmanuel Luna, and DSD Program Committee member Oscar Ferrer, at the golden anniversary conference of the UPD-CSWCD titled “Social Development: Defining the Terrain, Exploring Pathways” on May 17, 2017 at Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UPD. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  The four sessions discussed: contexts and directions of Philippine social development; trends and challenges in formal degree programs on social development and academic extension services; and challenges and playing fields for social development in the country and ASEAN.  Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo receives tokens of appreciation from the UP Diliman College of Social Work and Community Development (UPD-CSWCD) after delivering the keynote speech of the CSWCD golden anniversary conference “Social Development: Defining the Terrain, Exploring Pathways” on May 17, 2017 at Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UPD. Presenting the tokens are CSWCD Dean Jocelyn Caragay, CSWCD Doctor of Social Development Program Director Emmanuel Luna, and UPD Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  In her keynote speech, Robredo said, “Help doesn’t have to be grandiose.” She said that more important was the people’s sense of ownership of and participation in social development programs. She also said that her office’s flagship program, Angat-buhay, relies on listening to what communities need in being a conduit between communities, people and groups that could help, and the public.  The resource persons in the plenary sessions were: National Anti-Poverty Commission Undersecretary Maria Corazon Jimenez-Tan; National Economic Development Authority social development specialist Ramon Falcon; Professor Emeritus Amaryllis Torres of the CSWCD; Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Vice President for Social Development Jaime Hofileña; CSWCD Doctor of Social Development (DSD) Program Director Emmanuel Luna; ADMU professor, Mary Racelis; ADMU professor, Emma Porio; Philippine Women’s University professor, Angelito Meneses; University of Santo Tomas professor, Mark Anthony Abenir; and De La Salle University professor, Ador Torneo.  The conference is one of the golden anniversary activities of CSWCD. It was organized by the DSD program and students of the college. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  A network of social development students, educators and researchers, practitioners, and advocates in the country and in ASEAN gather around Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo and UP Diliman (UPD) officials and professors at the UPD College of Social Work and Community Development golden anniversary conference “Social Development: Defining the Terrain, Exploring Pathways” on May 17, 2017 at Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UPD. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Asian Center is NACAI founding member – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/asian-center-is-nacai-founding-member/",
        "html": "Asian Center is NACAI founding member Asian Center is NACAI founding member May 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines’ Asian Center (AC) along with nine leading academic institutes in Southeast Asia and China, have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish officially the Network of ASEAN-China Academic Institutes (NACAI) on 28 May 2017 at Fudan University, Shanghai, China.  Aside from AC, the other members of the network include the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam; Institute of Humanity and Social Sciences, Royal Academy of Cambodia; Center for China’s Relations with Neighboring Countries, Fudan University; ASEAN Studies Center, University of Indonesia; Asia Research Center, National University of Laos; Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya; Department of International Relations, University of Yangon;  ASEAN Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University; and Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.  UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Lim Tan signed the MOU on behalf of the Asian Center and UP Diliman. Chancellor Tan also served as the chairperson of the Conference’s first session.  The founding members have agreed to establish a platform of cooperation and collaboration that will promote studies on ASEAN-China relations and will provide intellectual support for the comprehensive development of the said relations, and enhance collaborative innovation among the participants.  Two AC faculty members also witnessed the MOU signing and delivered paper presentations in the NACAI sponsored session “ASEAN-China Relations in Transition: Differences Management and Win-win Cooperation” under the Shanghai Forum 2017. Dr. Joefe B. Santarita, AC Dean, presented a paper titled “ The Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship and its Implications to the ASEAN-China Relations’ and Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr., Assistant Professor and Assistant to the Dean for Administration and Public Affairs, delivered his lecture titled ‘The Direction of President Duterte’s Foreign Policy Agenda vis-à-vis China and the Future of ASEAN’. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eva Estrada Kalaw (1920-2017) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eva-estrada-kalaw-1920-2017/",
        "html": "Eva Estrada Kalaw (1920-2017) Eva Estrada Kalaw (1920-2017) May 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Last week, former senator Eva Estrada Kalaw passed away at the age of 96.  She was a leading political opposition leader during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos.  Eva Estrada was among the few female students of the Commonwealth era who dared enroll in the University of the Philippines, which was then based in Manila.  Her enrollment in UP was a daring feat because back then, Catholic high schools for girls discouraged their graduates from enrolling in UP on the mistaken assumption that UP is a godless institution.  Eva Estrada took education.  Because she stood out among her classmates, and because she was a headturner, Eva Estrada quickly became a campus figure.  She was a member of the Sigma Delta Phi, an exclusive sorority and the counterpart of the equally exclusive Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.  Many UP students were smitten by Eva Estrada, including the statuesque Enrique M. Fernando, the smartest law student in UP.  Although Fernando was unable to win Eva Estrada’s heart, he graduated at the top of his class, and became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1979.  It was another UP student, Teodoro Kalaw, Jr., who won Eva Estrada.  Kalaw, Jr. was an Upsilonian and his family was wealthy and noted for intellectuals like his father, the famous newsman Teodoro M. Kalaw, and the outspoken UP dean Maximo Kalaw.  They made an ideal couple.  Eva Estrada Kalaw was the vocal, outgoing and dynamic type of woman.  Teodoro Kalaw was a mild-mannered businessman who preferred a quiet, private life.  After the war, Teodoro Kalaw put up several successful enterprises, while Eva Estrada Kalaw became noted for civic and humanitarian causes.  In time, Eva Estrada Kalaw developed an interest in politics, and joined the Nacionalista Party.  With the unwavering support of her husband, Eva was elected to the Senate in 1965—the same year Ferdinand Marcos of the NP won the presidency.  Despite her partisan political affiliation with President Marcos, Senator Kalaw opposed measures espoused by NP senators known to be loyal supporters of the president.  Soon, Kalaw became very critical of the Marcos administration both in and outside the Senate.  In 1971, when Senator Kalaw’s term was almost over, she decided to seek reelection again under the NP.  Party bigwigs, however, eased her out of the picture.  Seeing her as a strategic ally, the opposition Liberal Party asked Kalaw to run for reelection under its wings.  Senator Kalaw agreed.  During the LP proclamation rally at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila held in the evening of August 21, 1971, two grenades were hurled at the crowded stage Senator Kalaw shared with other LP candidates.  Kalaw was seriously injured, but survived the bombing.  In the end, she was one of six LP senatorial candidates who won in the elections.  Senator Kalaw’s injuries at Plaza Miranda cemented her anti-Marcos stance.  She became a staunch anti-administration senator, and even advocated giving a student representative an ex-officio seat in the UP Board of Regents.  Together with Senator Salvador “Doy” Laurel, Kalaw protected UP students, who had barricaded the Diliman campus in 1971, from soldiers of the Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command or Metrocom who were determined to attack UP.  After the proclamation of martial law in the Philippines in 1972 led to the closure of the Senate, Kalaw was considered an enemy of the state.  Undaunted, Kalaw kept the LP alive when other party leaders like Jovito Salonga found refuge in the United States.  In 1980, Kalaw and Doy Laurel organized the Unido party to oppose its pro-Marcos counterpart, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan.  The Unido started from scratch, but under the brave leadership of Laurel and Kalaw, the party won one-third of the seats in the Batasang Pambansa in the May 1984 elections.  Kalaw herself won handsomely in Manila, and she became the Joan of Arc of the political opposition.  The Laurel-Kalaw duo chose to fight against a well-entrenched administration, at a time when many ex-politicians preferred to avoid trouble by keeping silent.  Laurel and Kalaw were staunch political allies of ex-Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was living in exile in the USA.  They could have conveniently joined the Marcos government and held important posts in his administration, but Laurel and Kalaw remained allied with Ninoy Aquino.  After the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, Salonga returned to the Philippines and seized the LP leadership from Kalaw.  As a result, Kalaw strengthened her ties with Laurel and the Unido.  Laurel and Kalaw were expected to be the Unido bets against the KBL tandem of Marcos and Assemblyman Tolentino in the 1986 presidential and vice presidential elections.  Unfortunately, Corazon Aquino exploited her status as Ninoy Aquino’s widow and joined the derby.  Eventually, Aquino succeeded in double-talking Laurel and in pushing Kalaw to the sidelines, and in becoming the Unido presidential candidate, with Laurel as her running mate.  Aquino used the Unido campaign machinery to install herself in office.  Kalaw still ran for vice president but lost her bid.  After 1987, she made an unsuccessful attempt at re-election to the Senate, and in 1988, she lost her bid for city mayor of Manila against Gemiliano “Mel” Lopez.  President Corazon Aquino made the Philippines the brownout capital of the world, and circumvented her promise to institute a genuine agrarian reform program.  Her relatives lorded it over the country during her presidency.  Vice President Laurel and Eva Estrada Kalaw reconciled in 1990.  Under the NP, they ran for president and vice president, respectively, in the May 1992 elections, but lost.  The ungrateful Corazon Aquino, who in 1985 disunited the Unido (which single-handedly fought the Marcos administration), actively campaigned against Laurel and Kalaw.  Laurel and Kalaw retired from the political scene in 1992, victims of the scheming widow of the opposition leader they supported during the trying times of martial law.  Salvador Laurel passed away in January 2004.  Eva Estrada Kalaw has also departed, but her unheralded contribution to Philippine democracy will be difficult to match by today’s female senators. (Victor Avecilla, Manila Standard)  Source (http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/hail-to-the-chair-by-victor-avecilla/238344/eva-estrada-kalaw-1920-2017-.html) "
    },
    {
        "title": "First Filipina chosen to run for UK Parliament hails from Sampaloc – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-filipina-chosen-to-run-for-uk-parliament-hails-from-sampaloc/",
        "html": "First Filipina chosen to run for UK Parliament hails from Sampaloc First Filipina chosen to run for UK Parliament hails from Sampaloc June 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    LONDON – Carmen Legarda, a British-Filipino who hails from Sampaloc in Manila, has made political history in the United Kingdom after becoming the first ever Filipino woman to be selected to run as a Member of Parliament in the upcoming general elections on June 8.  Representing The Green Party of England and Wales, Legarda is standing in the Hendon Constituency, in the London Borough of Barnet, which includes residents living in Burnt Oak, Colindale, Edgware, Hale, Mill Hill, Hendon Central and West Hendon.  The Green Party of England and Wales, colloquially known as the Greens, combines left-wing economic policies with environmentalism and progressive approaches to social policies including human and animal rights, LGBT rights, national living wages and democratic participation.  A colourful upbringing  The youngest of four sisters, Carmen Legarda was born in Sampaloc to Carmita Fernandez Legarda, the first ever Filipina woman to graduate from Oxford University, and actor Juan Antonio “Tony” Carrion, known for movies such as “American Ninja” and “Jose Rizal.”  At a young age, most of Legarda’s immediate family relocated to Oxford, England. Legarda later moved back to Manila during her high school years, going on to study psychology at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and Medicine at University of the East (Ramon Magsaysay).  Politics, however, has always been part of her heritage.  Her great grandfather, Benito Legarda, was a Filipino legislator who held various positions as cabinet member and vice president of the first Philippine legislature, before later becoming Philippine Resident Commissioner to the United States Congress.  Legarda’s grandmother, Trinidad Fernandez Legarda, was a suffragette, civic leader and diplomat – and was the first woman ambassador from the Philippines, appointed in 1958 to Vietnam.  Legarda’s eldest sister, Atty. Katrina Legarda, is a well-known lawyer, respected law professor and advocate for women and children’s rights in the Philippines.  Carmen Legarda handing out Green Party leaflets. INQUIRER/Melissa Alcantara  In 1997 Atty. Legarda famously won a child rape case against Romeo Jalosjos, a former Congressman, who was sentenced to prison for life (but later released by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after 13 years).  Advocating equality  Human rights have always been a primary driver for Legarda, both professionally and in her personal life.  Although a fully qualified doctor, Legarda’s career has been in the field of Human Resources and People Management.  Over the past three decades, Legarda has worked for renowned international organisations including The British Council, Save the Children and the Methodist Church, and has delivered workshops and training on equal opportunities and diversity to senior management worldwide.  “I believe all human beings are equal,” Legarda wrote in her campaign statement. “As a woman, as a British citizen, as an ethnic person of Spanish-Filipino heritage, and as a Human Resources consultant who has worked in over 30 countries, I’ve experienced first-hand how our society labels and segregates, rather than unites.”  “I’ve chosen to run for MP because I have demonstrated leadership at a senior level throughout my career, and I am confident that I can deliver fair, able leadership on a national scale.”  Tackling issues of social justice  The UK currently operates under a Conservative government led by Prime Minister Theresa May.  Legarda says she joined The Green Party because its values stand out in striking contrast to the disillusionment, deception, injustice, and exclusion that has so far occurred under the Conservatives.  “The Green Party is a party that cares, truly cares, about the wellbeing of ordinary people in our society. We tackle social issues that matter and are deeply committed to achieving social justice.”  Legarda, who lives in Hendon, an area notable for its Jewish community, is standing for Hendon because of the area’s rich cultural diversity.  UK Polling Report describes Hendon as “an ethnically diverse seat, with around a third of residents describing themselves as non-white.”  “As a woman and minority ethnic member of the community, I want to reach out to people from all walks of life,” says Legarda. “I can help inspire change and take action on community issues.”  Improving the local community  Some of Hendon’s most severe issues includes pollution, burglary, and poverty.  “I love living in Hendon,” says Legarda. “I love walking through its beautiful parks. But Barnet Green Party’s monitoring of air quality found that levels of nitrogen dioxide vastly exceed legal limits with some areas at almost double the legal limit.”  Robberies are also rife in the area, with Legarda herself having been burgled within the first year of moving to the area.  “At a recent Town Hall meeting, when asked who had been burgled, every single person in the room had been a victim of burglary. I want more support for our police with better coordination between the community and the police so that we can tackle crime more effectively together.”  The Hendon area is undergoing rapid regeneration, with brand new developments being built on land where houses and local shops have been pulled down.  The problem with this, says Legarda, is that housing is unaffordable for the generations who want to live near their parents and grandparents.  Vote for change  Ultimately, Legarda says she is ready to initiate change and use her expertise for the common good.  “I’m running to remind voters that the Green Party is a viable and powerful political choice. People need to know that the Green Party stands for all forms of justice and equality.”  Legarda adds, “If you’re registered to vote in the UK, please vote on June 8. The future of the UK depends on it.” (INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau)  Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/157497/first-filipina-chosen-run-uk-parliament-hails-sampaloc#ixzz4jCbgDN2P "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHED announces free tuition for med students in SUCs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ched-announces-free-tuition-for-med-students-in-sucs/",
        "html": "CHED announces free tuition for med students in SUCs CHED announces free tuition for med students in SUCs June 11, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Commission on Higher Education released a press statement today regarding free tuition for students of medicine in state universities and colleges. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Malang: Painter charmed with imaginative use of color – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/malang-painter-charmed-with-imaginative-use-of-color/",
        "html": "Malang: Painter charmed with imaginative use of color Malang: Painter charmed with imaginative use of color June 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Malang, a leader of the second generation of modernists that rejuvenated Philippine painting in the post-Pacific War period, died at his home in Quezon City on June 10, just short of 90.  Born Mauro Malang Santos in Manila’s Sta. Cruz district on January 1928, he used his maternal surname—that of a pre-Spanish clan in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan province—for his artistic signature.  Malang’s contemporaries include Arturo Rogerio Luz, Ang Kiukok, Hugo Yonzon, Juvenal Sanso, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Roberto Rodriguez Chabet and Romulo Olazo.  Largely self-taught, Malang was noted for his imaginative use of color.  Mauro “Malang” Santos (Photo from Inquirer.net)  He took no formal art lessons beyond those given by a retired art professor in his neighborhood and half a semester’s classes at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.  After a few months of drawing comics strips for the Roces chain, he moved to Manila Chronicle in 1947.  There, he was encouraged to paint by the abstractionist H. R. Ocampo, then one of the paper’s editors. Malang also developed friendships with artists Carlos V. Francisco, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Emilio Aguilar Cruz and the younger “neorealists” of postwar Manila.  Among the international masters, he was most influenced by the Russian-French expressionist Marc Chagall.  In the 1950s, Malang started painting vignettes of Manila’s folk culture in gouache— opaque watercolor—that he found the easiest to use. As it matured, his work became more and more abstract.  It was still capable of engaging the viewer with its variety surprises, since his subjects remained the same: the graceful and sad Filipina; curiously decorative barong-barong, and our archipelago’s exuberant vegetation.  Malang’s infectious optimism brought him commercial success long before critics discovered his work. His first one-man show in 1962 sold out and he never looked back.  Malang regarded his life’s work not as art but as craft. “I don’t make social statements,” he often said.  “When I look around me, I see patterns. I just enjoy what I do, and perhaps it shows in my work.”  Using gouache, Malang would paint quickly, adding layer after layer, but allowing some of the earlier layers to shine through from underneath—“letting the viewer’s eyes themselves mix the colors.”  “Color is the blood of the painter, as poetry is the blood of the poet,” said Chagall.  Filipino critics agree that a great deal of Malang’s painterly charm comes from his highly imaginative use of color. Critic Cid Reyes described Malang’s paintings as the most color-irradiated ever done in the history of Philippine art.  “There is no color he avoids; no color he cannot orchestrate in his palette …” he said.  Arturo Luz, in 1981, noted that Malang’s “colors glow, running the spectrum from end to end. Each painting is a visual feast—saturating the canvas and filling the senses …”  As early as 1973, painter and occasional critic E. Aguilar Cruz wrote that “while Malang’s art is as unlike those of the traditional schools represented by Amorsolo as a straight line is from a scroll, yet they both bear the same stamp of that quality.”  “The Artist as Filipino”— that’s the summary of Malang’s life and work that he would have loved. (Juan T. Gatbonton, Philippine Daily Inquirer)  Source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/265288/malang-painter-charmed-imaginative-use-color/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "NAST honors four UP scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nast-honors-four-up-scientists/",
        "html": "NAST honors four UP scientists NAST honors four UP scientists June 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the country’s highest recognition body in science and technology, announced the elevation of another UP scientist to the Academy, and the granting of its 2017 awards to three other UP scientists.  In a letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion, NAST Director Luningning Samarita-Domingo said Cesar Villanoy (Physical Oceanography, UP Diliman) has been named member of the Academy.  2017 NAST Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) awards will be given to Phillip Alviola (Biology, UP Los Baños), Nathaniel Hermosa II (Physics, UP Diliman, in Physics) and Aletta Concepcion Yñiguez (Marine Biology and Fisheries, UP Diliman).  NAST logo from http://www.nast.ph  Villanoy, Alviola, Hermosa II and  Yñiguez will receive medals, trophies, and cash prizes at an awarding ceremony on July 13, 2017 at the Manila Hotel.  Villanoy is a UPLB BS Zoology alumnus. He earned his MS and PhD degrees in Physical Oceanography from the University of Sydney.  He is a Professor at the UP Marine Science Institute. His publications include extensive research on milkfish feed, phytoplankton and algal blooms, upwelling areas and movement of water, biophysical environments of water bodies, and satellite remote sensing of Spratly Islands. He led the Benham Bank expeditions in 2016 and 2014.  Alviola obtained his BS Biology and MS in Wildlife Studies from UP Los Baños. He is also the curator of UPLB’s Museum of Natural History for small and volant mammals.  Hermosa earned his BS (Applied Physics), MS and PhD (Physics) degrees from UP Diliman. Currently, he is the program coordinator of the UP National Institute of Physics (NIP) Photonics Research Laboratory.  Yñiguez is a UPLB BS Biology alumnus. She earned her PhD in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami. She is an Assistant Professor at the UP Marine Science Institute, where she continues to work on population and ecosystem dynamics, and ecological modeling and management. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches Resilience hub – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-resilience-hub/",
        "html": "UP launches Resilience hub UP launches Resilience hub June 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines, the country’s national university, launched the revitalized UP Resilience Institute (UP RI) to provide Filipinos with innovative information vital to lifesaving climate change actions and disaster risk reduction efforts, on June 20 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman campus.  With the theme, “Empowering local communities through multi-disciplinary actions toward resilience,” the event introduced the UP RI as a proactive hub for collaborative works of experts in the fields of Science and Technology as well as the Arts and Humanities.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion said “the UP RI, with the UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center as its core component, is committed to providing sustainable, inclusive, and multidisciplinary approaches and responses to our country’s disaster problems.” Concepcion also emphasized the role of the University in protecting life, in general, especially in saving and uplifting human lives through such initiatives.  UP RI Executive Director Mahar Lagmay said the Institute aims to provide “reliable, understandable, and timely data that is open and free to the public at all times.” He added that the UP RI “will produce effective and efficient capacity building programs which are essential in forming sustainable development plans that will definitely benefit all Filipinos, especially the poor and other marginalized sectors.”  UP RI, Lagmay said, has a “crucial role to lead in mapping out blueprints for local government units on implementing genuine progress as they address and overcome the challenges of future catastrophes.”  Lagmay said the NOAH project  has helped local government units since 2012 in empowering communities and in averting more than 15 potentially fatal calamities through NOAH’s probabilistic multi-scenario-based multi hazard maps.  Guests of honor and resiliency advocates who attended the event included: Senator Loren Legarda, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Global Champion for Resilience; Representative Joey Salceda (2nd District of Albay), United Nations Senior Global Champion on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction; Dr. Michael L. Tan, Chancellor of UP Diliman; former UP president, Alfredo E. Pascual; The Netherlands Ambassador Marion Derckx; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo; former senator, Heherson Alvarez;  as well as UP System and UP Diliman officials, deans, faculty, and staff, and, many other UP RI partners.  UP launches Resilience Hub (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  In their respective keynote messages, Sen. Legarda, Rep. Salceda, and Chancellor Tan highlighted the need to mainstream the important lessons learned from their decades-long experience and advocacies in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and management, collaborative efforts, and scientific interventions. They expressed full support for UP RI, UP NOAH Center, and UP, and emphasized the need for solidarity in building a safer, more resilient and sustainable community and nation for all.  Keynote speakers received an artwork made by former UP College of Fine Arts (UP CFA) Dean and University Artist Neil Doloricon. The artwork, “Inang Kalikasan”, depicts Mother Nature, ecological balance, and the cycle of life.  It was produced through a relief printing process using rubbercut as a medium and hand-painted acrylic colors. Special recognition was also given to UP CFA Professor Joey Tañedo for creating the UP RI logo. It symbolizes the academe, government, and the people in cooperation, unity, and solidarity, all of which are essential to developing human resilience.  Original environmental music, “Nasa Atin Ang Panahon”, was performed by the group Layag, and “Muling Pagbangon” was sung by Ferdie Jarin of the UP College of Arts and Letters (UP CAL).  In 2013,  Pascual, UP president at that time, started to sponsor the creation of a network and institute for resilience.  He continues to support it today. The UP Board of Regents established the UP RI on July 2016, adopted NOAH and established it as a Center under UP on March 2017.  (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO; with reports from UP RI and NOAH Center) "
    },
    {
        "title": "First Aeta UP grad vows to serve Pinatubo tribes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-aeta-up-grad-vows-to-serve-pinatubo-tribes/",
        "html": "First Aeta UP grad vows to serve Pinatubo tribes First Aeta UP grad vows to serve Pinatubo tribes July 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    CLARK FREEPORT — It’s not too difficult to find Norman King in Barangay Macapagal, a settlement put up by former first lady Imelda Marcos on a hill at the northern side of this former United States military base-turned-economic zone.  Pointing to the King family home, an “unat” (lowlander) running a tricycle repair shop nearby described King as “the ‘kulot’ (Aeta) who recently graduated from UP (the University of the Philippines).”  It’s a distinction that the Aeta community around Mt. Pinatubo wears with pride. No other Aeta has been known to have graduated from the state university before King, who obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in behavioral sciences at UP Manila last month.  King, 27, is as proud of his identity, describing himself as a “katutubong” (native) Aeta, in an interview at the family kitchen behind a small yard filled with metal boxes, rubber tires and wooden planks.  In fact, during UP Manila’s recognition day on June 20 and graduation on June 21, King wore a “lubay,” an Aeta G-string for which he got such comments as “cool,” “‘astig’ (bold),” and “‘ang lupit mo, kuya’ (that’s gutsy, brother).”  Community spirit  “I was not showing off. I just wanted to say that we Aetas are capable of being educated,” he explained. “It wasn’t only I who went up the stage. The Aeta community was with me.”  King, the eldest in a brood of seven, had to work his way through school.  His parents, Warlita and Roman, could not afford to send all their children to school at the same time on her earnings as a vegetable and fruit grower, and his salary as driver for the late Justice Eleazer de los Santos.  King was only a year old when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, forcing the Aetas of Inararo village to flee to the lowlands.  After finishing high school in Angeles City in 2004, King worked as a delivery boy for Gintong Sining Art Center in Makati City for P3,700 a month.  Using his savings, King studied to become a computer technician in 2005, and landed a job in 2008 at a business process outsourcing company that paid him P16,000 monthly.  “Money is a tool you put to good use. It should not use you,” he said.  But there are more important things in life than money, King and his father soon realized.  The two quit their jobs in 2010 to help assert the right of Aetas over a part of their “lutan tua” (ancestral domain) where a Korean had built a spring resort.  The resulting tension caused Roman, a former village chief, to go into hiding for his safety.  Great respect King said he imbibed from his father the awareness that he was an Aeta and that their existence was tied to their ownership and control of their land. His grandfather, Miranda, had lived in a resettlement site near a forest about 10 kilometers from Inararo to protect the domain, King said.  In fact, he added, so great was the respect shown by early American commanders to his ancestors, the Aeta leaders, that they were given the name King. In more recent times, poverty and their remote resettlement site have deprived most access to education and health services, something that they gained back with the explosion of Mt. Pinatubo.  Sadly, King said, some members of the tribe used their education to improve only themselves and their families. “At times, I ask myself if it was worth defending the Aetas since some of us have already disregarded our culture,” King said.  “I end up asking myself, ‘Who would care for those who are struggling to defend our identity and culture?’” he added. King said he planned to take up law to help Aetas defend themselves and their lands. His aunt, Wyda Cosme of Zambales, is the first law graduate among Aetas.  He has trust in God’s guidance, King said. Isagani Malaya, the name he uses on his Facebook account, reflects this positive outlook. “I want to be a leader of our people,” he said. (Tonette Orejas, Philippine Daily Inquirer)   Read the source link here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP College of Law Class 2017 valedictorian speaks of gender, privilege, and rule of law – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-of-law-class-2017-valedictorian-speaks-of-gender-privilege-and-rule-of-law/",
        "html": "UP College of Law Class 2017 valedictorian speaks of gender, privilege, and rule of law UP College of Law Class 2017 valedictorian speaks of gender, privilege, and rule of law July 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On Gender, Privilege, and Rule of Law  Valedictory Address, UP College of Law Class 2017  June 26, 2017  Carlos S. Hernandez Jr.  Eight years ago, I was working in a pharmaceutical plant in Laguna for 12 hours a day, from Monday to Saturday. It was a 12-hour shift, six days a week, in the middle of the production line. I was a chemical engineer. I loved my job then but my childhood dream of becoming a lawyer continued to haunt me while I supervised the production of drugs.  Attending law school after work from Laguna was impossible.  It was only when I was able to find a job in Makati that finally I looked up the evening sky and saw that the stars had aligned to make my childhood dream of becoming a lawyer closer to reality. The LAE was the only entrance exam I took, not so much because I adore UP Law but because UP Law was the only law school I could afford. I was a working student, and I attended classes at night. I would report to work at 7AM so that I could leave at 4 PM and avoid the MRT rush hour on the way to school. The MRT becomes a war zone during rush hour. I would read my cases while standing inside the moving train, in a jampacked, canned-sardines scenario where I was sandwiched between fellow passengers. Reading cases was an act of bravery, and sometimes I was not that brave enough.  I would also read inside jeepneys, unmindful of the heat and traffic congestion around me. Learning the law in solitude while commuting became a ritual. It became my sweet escape.  My mother, on various occasions, asked me to quit my job and offered to finance my education. I would only look at her and say nothing because I know that she would be borrowing money again just to send me to school. The love of a mother is pure.  My story is similar to the stories of many of my classmates in the evening block. Their stories, though, are far more inspirational. A blockmate who is also graduating today is a breadwinner who had to send his three younger siblings to school with his meager salary. A blockmate has to put her baby to sleep after class. Another blockmate still has to work after class for his graveyard shift in a BPO. The road we had to take to arrive at this moment of so much joy and great pride was paved with sweat, tears, but most of all, love.  Our stories are a testament to the truth that the doors of the UP College of Law will be opened to those who are brave enough to knock, and stubborn enough to knock repeatedly and persistently.  This is not to say that sheer determination alone is enough to reach one’s dreams. I do not want to contribute to the spread of the big lie that poverty is not a hindrance to success. It is. Poverty IS a hindrance to success.  Five years in law school was both a humbling and rewarding experience. The experience made my resolve stronger to fight for the things that are worth fighting for. Allow me at this point to share my thoughts on three issues that are close to my heart. These are gender, privilege, and most importantly, rule of law.  ON GENDER  At first I thought law school would be an ultraconservative enclave. I once feared that students like me who are members of the LGBT community would have to suppress our gender identity and expression so that we would not attract too much attention to ourselves. I even practiced introducing myself to my professors and classmates in an alpha male voice, which is, of course, not my real voice. I practiced saying “I AM CARLOS HERNANDEZ JR.” in front of a mirror several times.  I was wrong. Because the moment Prof. Gaby Concepcion entered the room for my first class in law school, I knew right then and there that I belong, that I did not have to use a different voice to introduce myself to her and to my classmates. In my fifth year in law school, together with my LGBTQ+ friends in Malcolm Hall, we founded the UP OUTLaws, an organization of law students who self-identify as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders, and many more.  We also found an unlikely rainbow ally in Dean Pacifico Agabin. Dean Agabin is of the view that “to bar the lesbians, the gays and the transsexuals from the civil right to marry would violate the guarantee of equal protection,” and that the concept of marriage under the Family Code as a contract between a man and a woman is obsolete.  I fear that there are those who still think that a lawyer is less effective or less credible simply because he is gay or is flamboyant. That is why I think gay lawyers suppress their gender for professional reasons. I am confident that the members of the UP Law Class of 2017 would not entertain any such homophobic notion. One of the reasons why I studied so hard is because I want my competence to be measured based on merit alone, and that my gender would not get in the way of me getting retained, hired, promoted, or even appointed.  It’s about time that we extend the equal protection of the laws to the people who do not fit into the oppressive gender and sexual binary by passing the Anti-Discrimination Bill, and by making the institution of marriage accessible to everyone, and I mean everyone.  ON PRIVILEGE  There are two aspects of privilege that I would like to highlight about being a UP graduate and a UP Law graduate in particular.  First, our UP Law education gives us a certain level of credibility whether we deserve it or not. This is a double-edged sword. We can use it to educate or to ridicule. The rampant smart-shaming against UP students may have its roots in the tendency of some of us to mock. Maybe we have been using ridicule as a tool of persuasion very often, even at times when the circumstances do not warrant its use. We have been mocking the uninformed and the ignorant as if the quality of the opinions they form and things they believe in are ultimately of their own doing alone, without taking into account that they might not have been exposed to the kind of education we have been exposed to because of circumstances beyond their control such as abject poverty.  Of course, fake news, attempts to revise history, and malicious propaganda being propagated by self-serving individuals must be dealt with, with the full force of what we know and what we believe in. Now more than ever, we need to win the war against untruth, and the battle against memory.  Second, the culture of pervasive “othering” has to stop. I am referring to our tendency to label people who are not from UP as “The Others” with all the derogatory and pejorative connotations we attach to the label. It is harsh to even joke about one’s competence based on the school one has attended. It is a subtle way of speaking highly of oneself by reducing another’s worth.  We raised our voices so that the muted cries coming from the graves of the victims of Martial Law would be heard when Marcos was buried in Libingan Ng Mga Bayani. We protested against the death penalty because it is a cruel and inhuman punishment and the usual victims of wrongful convictions are the poor. We are also the first to express our indignation against the disregard of due process in this administration’s war against drugs. Let us be hated for these reasons, which are principled reasons, and not because we are seen as boastful of the education that we received.  The thing about privilege is that it’s like air: we’re oblivious of its existence yet it’s always there.  ON RULE OF LAW  The rule of law is the raison d’être of the legal profession. It is pointless for all of us here to master the law if we could not even invoke it. We assume that everyone should appreciate and cherish the due process of law.  But we are wrong. We are wrong to assume that we share the same faith in and devotion to the rule of law with the rest of the public. Law or due process is now seen by many as an unnecessary bureaucracy, an inconvenience, or worse, a tool for the dangerous elements of our society to go unpunished and roam free. We are suddenly awakened that our shared belief that the rule of law is beneficial to all is in reality abhorred and despised by many.  We are shocked that many of the poor and the powerless approve of disregarding due process even if it is their only shield against the arbitrary use of the state’s power.  We all graduate today against this gloomy backdrop.  In a world marred by so much inequality, the last bastion of hope in preserving our dignity as men and women is the law. The moment this last bastion collapses, the only alternative left is a revolution which can be bloody and violent.  It is in our best interests as future lawyers that the rule of law reigns forever supreme in our land, whatever political sides we may find ourselves in.  If there is no rule of law, our soon-to-be profession would become obsolete. We would be reduced to mere actors and actresses in a pantomime whose only role is to give a semblance of legitimacy to a legal system run by whoever is in power or who can pay the highest bribe.  I have no doubt that many of us will be successful and brilliant members of the legal profession. Some of us, years from now, will be in positions of power. Some of us will wield the awesome powers of the State. We will become close advisers to those who wield such powers.  My only hope is that when the moment comes that we have to take a position on a simple legal question that becomes complex because of political or financial considerations, whatever creative legal position that we take, may it always be something that fortifies, and not something that undermines, the rule of law.  There are some lawyers who now spit at the supremacy of the courts in all things legal just because they are now ensconced in the other two co-equal branches of the government, the legislative and the executive. They willfully forget the fundamental rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights they once memorized so that they can cling to power. Let us not follow in their footsteps. Let us instead erase those footsteps from the face of the earth.  The people have lost faith in a system they rightly perceive as highly legalistic, always in delay, and serving only the interests of the rich and the powerful.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “We shall overcome, deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome. And I believe it because somehow the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”  My fellow graduates of the UP College of Law, I am excited to work with all of you, as future great lawyers of this nation, in bending this stubborn arc in the direction of justice.  Maraming salamat po.  Isang mapagpalayang hapon sa inyong lahat.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Globe sign MOA for Village Base Station Project – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-globe-sign-moa-for-village-base-station-project/",
        "html": "UP, Globe sign MOA for Village Base Station Project UP, Globe sign MOA for Village Base Station Project August 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines and Globe Telecom, Inc. held a ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the commencement of the Village Base Station (VBTS) Project, on July 28 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Under the Philippine-California Advanced Research Institute (PCARI) Project and in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the VBTS is “a telecommunications research activity that aims to develop novel and innovative, low-cost GSM base stations that will address the lack of fundamental mobile communications service in rural areas.”     The MOA signing was attended by: (L-R) Josephine Dionisio, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project staff; Rofil Sheldon F. Magto, manager, Citizenship- Globe Telecom, Inc.; Charlotte Mallari, project manager, Globe Telecom, Inc.; Danilo L. Concepcion, UP president; Cedric Angelo Festin, project leader, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project; William Padolina, PCARI Project manager; and Philip Martinez, research fellow, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)  The MOA signing was attended by: (L-R) Josephine Dionisio, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project staff; Rofil Sheldon F. Magto, manager, Citizenship- Globe Telecom, Inc.; Charlotte Mallari, project manager, Globe Telecom, Inc.; Danilo L. Concepcion, UP president; Cedric Angelo Festin, project leader, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project; William Padolina, PCARI Project manager; and Philip Martinez, research fellow, CHED-PCARI VBTS Project.  The VBTS is a UP research project funded under the CHED-PCARI Program. This project aims to deploy “small-scale community cellular networks” in seven remote communities in San Luis and Dingalan, Aurora. In this project, the UP team will be: field-testing radio frequency enhancements and “community-specific applications and services”; evaluating the social and economic impacts of rural cellular connectivity; and, testing different business models for long-term sustainability. UP will: provide community cellular network equipment, antenna mast and other hardware and software; ensure compliance to government requirements; install, operate and maintain sites; and, provide full documentation and recommendations at the end of the research period. Globe Telecom, Inc., through its Corporate Social Responsibility program, on the other hand, will provide financial and infrastructure support, such as: Konekt SIMs, network-in-a-box equipment, radio frequencies, and other forms of assistance for the completion of the one-year pilot study. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Indonesian House committee members consult UP on local governance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/indonesian-house-committee-members-consult-up-on-local-governance/",
        "html": "Indonesian House committee members consult UP on local governance Indonesian House committee members consult UP on local governance August 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A committee of the Indonesian House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), one of the two parliamentary chambers of Indonesia, recently chose UP as one of a few agencies to visit in the Philippines for the committee’s comparative study on drafting a law for local autonomy.  Four members of the DPD, staff members of its Committee 1, and an officer from the Indonesian embassy in the Philippines met key UP officials in the UP Board of Regents Room on July 28, 2017 for a briefing on the University’s input to Philippine legislation on local governance.  UP Executive Vice President Ted Herbosa, Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) Executive Director Edna Co, and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Ranjit Rye briefed the Indonesian delegates on lessons from the implementation of the Local Government Code of 1991, which are being used to propose revisions to said Code. CIDS is part of a technical working group reviewing the Code. This group is also considering the shift to federalism being endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte.  UP Executive Vice President Ted Herbosa presides over a briefing of an Indonesian legislative committee on how UP contributes to legislation on Philippine local governance, in the UP Board of Regents Room, July 28, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  Studies suggest that if federalism is to be pursued, the process must be incremental and should perhaps look into “island economies” first, Co said.  UP handed to the Indonesian delegates copies of the CIDS’s Public Policy journal special issue on the theme “National Marine Policy Review and Strategic Directions”, which highlights the archipelagic character of the Philippines, a character it shares with Indonesia.  According to a CIDS presentation, natural bio-physical characteristics of territories is one criterion to be considered for the creation of special sub-national regions, aside from states of social services, industrialization, infrastructure, and peace and development.  The Indonesian delegates were led by the following DPD members: H. Fachrul Razi from Aceh, vice chair of DPD Committee 1; and Ir. Mohamad Nabil, Drs. Bahar Ngitung, and Yanes Murib, from West Papua and the Sulawesis. Prior to visiting UP, they had briefing meetings with the Metro Manila Development Authority, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, and the House of Representatives. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)                               "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scholarship to see Engineering, Law, and Medicine students through till graduation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scholarship-to-see-engineering-law-and-medicine-students-through-till-graduation/",
        "html": "Scholarship to see Engineering, Law, and Medicine students through till graduation Scholarship to see Engineering, Law, and Medicine students through till graduation August 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    FMC Research Solutions Inc., a company that is mainly into high-security document projects, established a scholarship program to support a third-year Chemical Engineering student, a first-year Juris Doctor student, and a level-III Medicine student of UP until they graduate.  The memorandum of agreement for the scholarship was signed by the company’s president, Fai Chua, and UP President Danilo Concepcion on August 2, 2017 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. The company’s chief technical officer, David Gus Adis, and UP Diliman Office of Scholarships and Student Services Officer in Charge Niel Kenneth Jamandre signed as witnesses.  Chua, a graduate of MS Industrial Engineering of UP Diliman in 2000, said, “I have high faith in UP students. We need to bring in more potentials in the field of science, because science expands into development. We want good lawyers with conviction and principles in government.”        FMC Research Solutions Inc. Chief Technical Officer David Gus Adis and President Fai Chua, UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Diliman Office of Scholarships and Student Services Officer in Charge Niel Kenneth Jamandre sign an MOA establishing a scholarship program on August 2, 2017 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  The scholarship, which amounts to P60,000 per semester per student, will begin this semester. It is renewable until the scholar graduates. “As Christian entrepreneurs we feel we have to extend our blessings to others. . . . But we want to be more involved. To sustain the scholarship until graduation, that is the positive burden we want,” Chua added.  Previously the company donated equipment and renovation to a UP Diliman Department of Mining Metallurgical and Materials Engineering laboratory.  According to its website, FMC Research Solutions Inc. is known for its one-stop shop approach to business, “offering consultancy, financing, technology, and experience all in one place, including products ranging from printing, IT services, anti-forgery, anti-counterfeiting, and anti-tampering solutions.”  Adis earned his BS Metallurgical Engineering in 1999, also in UP Diliman. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Legal experts weigh in on religious freedom in the secular state – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/legal-experts-weigh-in-on-religious-freedom-in-the-secular-state/",
        "html": "Legal experts weigh in on religious freedom in the secular state Legal experts weigh in on religious freedom in the secular state August 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Law Center headed a forum to help the Philippine legal system grapple with the mandates of both religious freedom and state secularization amid religious pluralism in the country. The forum was held on August 3, 2017 at Malcom Hall, UP Diliman.  The organizers flew in expertise from the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School International Center for Law and Religion Studies (BYU-JRCLS-ICLRC), Valparaiso University Law School (VALS), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to provide world perspectives on the issue. Experts based in the Philippines discussed the local situation and jurisprudence.  The keynote speakers were: W. Cole Durham, founding director of the ICLRC, who discussed American and European responses to the “erosion” of the right to freedom of religion; Prof. Zachary Calo, research scholar in law and religion of VALS, who did a philosophical take on the issue citing a Vatican proposal for church participation in state affairs; and, ICC Judge Raul Pangalangan, who talked about “laicite and religiosity in the Philippine public sphere.” For the closing message, Justice Marvic Leonen gave his dissent over “benevolent neutrality” and jurisprudence which would uphold the dominance of one religion.  On behalf of UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. (extreme right) welcomes the participants of an international forum on law and religion at Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman, August 3, 2017. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  Special Sessions  Durham and Calo were also resource speakers on a special session on trends in US Supreme Court law on religious freedom. Dean Jose Manuel Diokno of the De La Salle University College of Law discussed Philippine constitutional provisions on religion vis-a-vis universal human rights. Prof. Florin Hilbay of the UP College of Law talked about constitutionalism and mimicry on religious freedoms and rights.  Director Patricia Salvador-Daway of the UP Institute for the Administration of Justice gave a presentation on freedom of religion at the workplace. Dean Serafin Cuevas Jr. of the New Era University College of Law discussed collision and interface between law and religion. Dean Ma. Soledad Deriquito-Mawis of the Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law talked mainly of the oft-cited Escritor vs. Estrada case.  Three reactors were assigned for each special session. They were: Leo Battad, Rowena Daroy-Morales, and Ryan Oliva from the UP College of Law; Nielson Pangan and Lorna Patajo-Kapunan from Far Eastern University; Jemy Benigno Gatdula from the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Law and Governance; Jaime Hofileña from the Ateneo de Manila University; and, Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio from the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations.  Reactors also included: former Commissioners Nasser Marhomsalic and Liwayway Vinzons-Chato, of Human Rights and Internal Revenue, respectively; Fina Bernadette dela Cuesta-Tantuico of the Philippine Bar Association, and Regal Oliva of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines; Jo Aurea Imbong of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and Alvaro Senturias Jr. of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines; Marie Curie Fellow on Sustainable Peace Building, Jenny Lind Elmaco and President Henry Rojas of Lawyers Beyond Borders; Laguna RTC Judge Divinagracia Bustos Ongkeko, and legal adviser Rafael Aquino.  Secularism vs Secularity  According to Durham, the heart of the issue is finding ways for people with deep differences to live in harmony.  (Left to right) United Church of Christ in the Philippines Pastor Alvaro Senturias Jr., Lawyers Beyond Borders President Henry Rojas, and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines legal counsel Jo Aurea Imbong are reactors of a special session of an international forum on law and religion, August 3, 2017, at Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman. UP Law Center’s Bertrand Theodor Santos is moderator. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  In the Western world, a strict scrutiny of “compelling state interest” has been required to curtail religious freedom. But Durham reminded the audience, who were considering separation of church and state, of the difference between secularism and secularity. Secularism is making the secular an end in itself, aspiring to be “free from religion”–usually referring to the domination of one religion–and ending up being an oppressor itself. Secularity is a framework to provide protection for everyone to live their religious beliefs. It is characterized by “freedom of religion.”  Pangalangan concluded that in the Philippines, people, who have experienced a flawed democracy and governments appropriated for profits of a few, find their place politically in religiously constituted communities. Religion has been “a double shot of espresso for partisan and collective striving; and the challenge to the secular state is to leave enough room for that state to allow the activist faithful to transform the world.”  Calo proposed going into the meaning of the secular and the religious, using their genealogy and interplay, seeing that often, they are regarded to be in “a zero-sum binary relationship.” He offered the vision of Pope Benedict XVI for a “healthy secularity,” a modernity where religion has a place in the secular. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)                               "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD community welcomes Freshies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-community-welcomes-freshies/",
        "html": "UPD community welcomes Freshies UPD community welcomes Freshies August 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines officials and student organizations gave the first year students of UP Diliman (UPD) a meaningful and spectacular reception during the Freshie Welcome Assembly program held on August 7 at the University Theater (Villamor Hall) in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Hosted by the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), in partnership with the University Student Council (USC), the program marked the start of academic year 2017-18; and introduced the first year students of UPD to the administrators of the University, to their respective colleges and student organizations, and to the ways of the Iskolar ng Bayan.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin F. Agpaoa, and representatives of student organizations gave inspiring messages to UP’s new students.  In his message, Concepcion assured the Freshies that UP was here to nurture the scholars’ commitment to honor and excellence, coupled with compassion and service to the nation. “You can expect to live some of the best years of your life in this University because of our traditions of liberal education and academic freedom. I assure you that this is a place where you are free to express your views and open to countless interactions with people from different walks of life,” he said.  “Use every opportunity you can to learn not just from your teachers, but also from your classmates, peers, and other people around you. UP is a place where you can explore many ways of achieving your dreams and becoming the persons you wish to be,” Concepcion said.  Students respond with jubilant cheers and chants as they are called by their respective College deans during the introduction of Freshies. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  “Gamitin sana ninyo ang edukasyon nang tama at wasto tungo sa kapakinabangan, hindi lamang ng inyong sarili at mga mahal sa buhay, kundi tungo sa kapakinabangan ng buong sambayanan. Tunay, hindi naghihintay ng kabayaran mula sa inyo ang ating mga kababayan. Subalit sila ay labis na malulugod, at magpapasalamat, kung kayo naman ay magsusukli nang taos-puso sa kanila,” Concepcion advised.  Tan, as part of his introduction of UP culture to the students, shared tips in relation to University life: eat right; get enough sleep; exercise; use deadlines; if things don’t work out, take a break; life is short, express yourself; cultivate and nurture new interests; develop your passions; laugh often; love much; live on well; and, learn to be more patient and kind.  Tan also invited the audience to visit and support the Lumad’s ‘bakwit’ school – a temporary and alternative learning camp set up for and by indigenous people who fled martial law and militarization in Mindanao – presently holding classes in the UPD International Center. He added that UPD will be hosting hundreds more indigenous people in September.  The deans of Colleges or their representatives introduced their respective first year students by academic cluster; the latter responded with jubilant cheers and chants. Outstanding performances by renowned student groups – the UP Streetdance Club, Overduo, UP ROTC Symphonic Band, UP Pintinig, UP Filipiniana Dance Group, UP Dancesport Society, UP Concert Chorus, and the UP Pep Squad – made the event more memorable for the Freshies.  UPD USC chair, Benjie Aquino, and Freshie Council chair, Colleen Chua, introduced the members of their respective student councils. Freshie representative, Jayson Catindig, delivered the welcome message in behalf of the new batch of mga Iskolar ng Bayan. Right before the singing of the UP Naming Mahal at the end of the program, about a hundred student leaders staged a “lightning rally”. They highlighted the calls for free education and commitment to service to fellow Iskolar ng Bayan, the marginalized sectors, and the nation. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)   Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV CM inaugurates new building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-cm-inaugurates-new-building/",
        "html": "UPV CM inaugurates new building UPV CM inaugurates new building August 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Visayas (UPV) College of Management (CM) inaugurated its new building in the Iloilo City campus on August 14.  With a budget of P24 million, CM not only renovated the existing two-story structure but extended it to add more rooms and space to accommodate its growing population and expanded graduate program offerings.  Just last year, its Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning program, a joint undertaking between CM and the UP Diliman (UPD) School of Urban and Regional Planning, was elevated to a Master in Urban and Regional Planning program. The College has also been offering the Doctor of Public Administration program in partnership with the UPD National College of Public Administration and Governance since 2013.  From left to right: UP Visayas (UPV) Chancellor Rommel Espinosa, UP President Danilo Concepcion, former UP President Alfredo Pascual, UPV College of Management (CM) Dean Mary Ann Gumban, and Commission on Higher Education Commissioner J. Prospero De Vera III unveil the marker of the new CM building. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  Former UP president, Alfredo Pascual, who spoke at the event, was acknowledged by CM Dean Mary Ann Gumban as instrumental in the infrastructure development initiative by allocating the needed funds. In his message, Pascual emphasized how management was integral to any operation and when executed properly and with efficiency, could lead to the success of any organization.  “I believe that better facilities provide the enabling environment for our faculty to teach better, our students to learn better, and our staff to work better,” said UP President Danilo Concepcion. He highlighted the importance of keeping the campus physical environment clean, orderly, and well-maintained as it was a reflection on the people that occupy and use the facilities and grounds.  “Ating tandaan na ang mga lugar at bagay na napapabayaan ay nagpapakita ng kawalan ng kahalagahan nito sa ating mga gawain. Kung gayon, nakaaapekto rin ito sa pagpapahalaga natin sa ating trabaho at sa kung ano man ang nais nating makamtan.” (Let us remember that places and things that are not well kept show their lack of importance to our work. In that case, it affects how we value our work and whatever we want to achieve.)  Concepcion also directed UPV officials to inform him of their needs to ensure the proper maintenance of campus grounds, facilities, and equipment. Since it was his first time in UPV, he announced that he would be coming back to inspect campus units and offices, as he had done with UP Diliman.  The new UP Visayas College of Management building in the Iloilo City Campus. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  Commission on Higher Education Commissioner J. Prospero De Vera III echoed Concepcion’s desire for a clean and well kept physical environment. Apart from his congratulations, De Vera encouraged not only UPV but the whole University to continue to enhance its engagements with other state and local universities and colleges to further strengthen Philippine higher education.  UPV Chancellor Rommel Espinosa welcomed Concepcion’s directive and in response to De Vera, said that UPV would, in fact, be signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Iloilo Science and Technology University after the inauguration. The MOU would formalize the partnership between both institutions in undertaking collaborative graduate research, instruction, training, and public service or extension programs.  Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who was represented by his brother Jay Victor Mabilog, also congratulated UPV, lauding its achievements and wishing for its continued success. He was confident that UPV would remain an influential and relevant institution in the development of the city and its citizens. The mayor is an alumnus of the UP High School in Iloilo and a former president of the UP Alumni Association-Iloilo. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Provident Fund commits to bigger, better support to employees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-provident-fund-commits-to-bigger-better-support-to-employees/",
        "html": "UP Provident Fund commits to bigger, better support to employees UP Provident Fund commits to bigger, better support to employees August 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Provident Fund (UPFFI) held its 19th Annual General Membership Meeting at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) Auditorium on August 12, 2017.  Its new chairman, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, presided over the meeting with members coming from various UP units in the System, such as Diliman, Cebu, Baguio, Manila, and Los Baños.  “Since its founding in 1997 as a retirement and savings fund for UP employees, the UPPFI has continuously provided benefits and financial assistance to its members. Through the years, the UPPFI enhanced its operations and services to help improve the financial lives of UP employees. It remains a reliable provider of free life and accident insurance, and fast and low-interest loans for the various needs of its members,” Concepcion said.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion at the UP Provident Fund meeting (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  “With the Fund’s revenues surpassing the P100 million mark in 2015, the UPPFI has become bigger and more vigorous in performing its mandate. Growing investments, better delivery of services and benefits, and improving confidence in the Fund translate to stronger membership. For these accomplishments, we are truly grateful to the UPPFI Board of Trustees and officials of the University,” he added.  UPPFI Executive Director James Ryan O. Jonas said that “the UPPFI remains steadfast in the promise to deliver excellent service with the goal of providing financial comfort to UP employees.”  Jonas reported that “a bigger, better, and stronger UP Provident Fund was the goal last year and the Fund is proud to say that it was successfully achieved with brand new financial and membership milestones in 2016.”  Among the Fund’s major achievements are: revenues continued to grow last year, rising to P104.43 million from P100.91 million in the previous year with a net income that rose 6% to P91.8 million, the highest in recent years; membership continuously increased, reaching 77% penetration rate across all UP units with a total membership of 9,444, the highest number of members in 10 years; and, UPPFI embarked on transferring the highest amount of “partial return of equity” given to members, a first time in the Fund’s history, according to Jonas.  UP Provident Fund 19th Annual General Membership Meeting at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) Auditorium (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  The Fund pledged to uphold its vision of giving UP employees a life of financial comfort through its goals: to sustain the Fund’s outstanding financial and membership performance; to delight members by offering innovative financial products and excellent customer service; and, to contribute to positively changing the lives of UP employees.  Former UP president, Alfredo E. Pascual, UP Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque, UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito G. Florendo along with other UP Provident Fund officers, namely Atty. Teodulo G. San Juan Jr., Prof. Neil Kenneth F. Jamandre, Professor Rachelle Denise G. Sison, and Prof. Luis Diego D. Lee also attended the assembly. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP lawyers group holds rites for new and outstanding members, UP president – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-lawyers-group-holds-rites-for-new-and-outstanding-members-up-president/",
        "html": "UP lawyers group holds rites for new and outstanding members, UP president UP lawyers group holds rites for new and outstanding members, UP president September 5, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Women Lawyers Circle Inc. held a testimonial ceremony for outstanding members and for UP President Danilo Concepcion, after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales swore in its new members on August 17, 2017 at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.  The group presented plaques of recognition to Concepcion, and to 16 WILOCI members who have assumed leadership posts in government and the judiciary: Milagros Isabel Cristobal of the Department of Agrarian Reform; Mary Kristerie Baleva, Analiza Teh, and Maria Paz Luna of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Agnes Joyce Bailen of the Department of Budget and Management; Karen Olivia Jimeno of the Department of Public Works and Highways; Maria Fe Pangilinan of the Philippine Embassy to Hungary; Maria Cecilia Papa of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process; Gwen De Vera and Amabelle Asuncion of the Philippine Competition Commission; Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig and Catherine Manahan of the Court of Tax Appeals; and, Rosario Carriaga, Maria Victoria Soriano Villadolid, Maria Clarissa Pacis-Trinidad, and Ana Celeste Bernad of Regional Trial Courts.     Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales administers the oath to the WILOCI inductees. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The occasion also saw the oath-taking of around 30 female graduates of the UP College of Law as members of WILOCI. Gwendolyn Pimentel Gana, master of ceremony, estimated the number of female lawyers who graduated from UP in 2016 to be 60.  WILOCI is a 71-year-old organization dedicated to public service programs, the centerpiece of which is its legal aid program.  In his keynote message, Concepcion updated the alumni on the College, law education, and the general situation of women in the profession. “Historically women in law held and continue to hold a crucial niche in Philippine and international legal systems, despite the norms still being slightly against their favor,” he said. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tina Monzon-Palma to young journos – “it is your turn” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tina-monzon-palma-to-young-journos-it-is-your-turn/",
        "html": "Tina Monzon-Palma to young journos – “it is your turn” Tina Monzon-Palma to young journos – “it is your turn” September 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Students of journalism joined some of the most illustrious names in the profession to witness the University of the Philippines (UP) confer the Gawad Plaridel Award to broadcast journalist Tina Monzon-Palma at the Cine Adarna in UP Diliman on August 23, 2017.  The Gawad Plaridel award is given by UP to outstanding media practitioners who have excelled in their field and have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service. Monzon-Palma was unanimously chosen as its 2017 recipient for her pioneering role as a woman broadcaster, her leadership as a news anchor and director, and her unshakeable integrity during the Martial Law period and its succeeding years. She also served as a mentor to the country’s next crop of exceptional broadcast journalists.  Monzon-Palma’s award ceremony was witnessed by several friends and colleagues, including GMA 7’s Marissa Flores and Jessica Soho, Rappler’s Maria Ressa, veteran journalist Luz Rimban and others. The award was conferred by UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and UP College of Mass Communication Dean Elena Pernia.  In a lecture she delivered after the awarding ceremonies, the self-described survivor of seven coup attempts drew strong parallels between the dangers of the Martial Law years and today’s sociopolitical ills. “The years when everything you watched, heard and read was a whitewashed version of reality. There were years when people lived in fear of the knock on the door, which ended with people dying and missing to this day.”     Veteran journalist Tina-Monzon Palma poses at the UP Film Institute’s Cine Adarna (Photo by Jun Madrid)     “But this generation is living through a parallel of that,” she claimed. “I was talking about the crony press, but you (now) call it ‘fake news’. In many ways, those years are uncannily similar to today, don’t you think?”  While sharing her thoughts about why making such comparisons are apt, Monzon-Palma also shared how the presence of online and social media could exacerbate the problem.  “Everything is on steroids,” she said. “You know, in those years, everything was placid. Above the ground. But there was a groundswell underneath. I was thinking how fast this generation’s volcano will explode – everything happens ten times faster.”  In an age, however, when proponents of ‘fake news’ and hate speech are eroding public trust in media, she had this piece of advice to current and future media practitioners: “Stick to good journalism,” she said. “You will never feel afraid if you know what you write about is the truth.”  Furthermore, drawing from more than 40 years of experience, which often saw her clash with officials of multiple national administrations, Monzon-Palma stressed that the media’s national role becomes clear as truth becomes blurred.  “[The media’s] best weapons against lies are being transparent, thorough and provocative,” she said. “When mainstream media descends into unobtrusiveness, it does a disservice to the audience. When media masters the art of camouflage, people will forget. And when media becomes muted, we let the underlying message behind the trolls and the propaganda machine dominate the discourse”.  “Thirty years ago,” she said, during my time, media answered the call. Now it is your turn.” (Andre Encarnacion, UP MPRO)  "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP firms up ties with Taiwanese marine university – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-firms-up-ties-with-taiwanese-marine-university/",
        "html": "UP firms up ties with Taiwanese marine university UP firms up ties with Taiwanese marine university September 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Officials of the National Kaohsiung Marine University (NKMU) visited UP Diliman on September 4, 2017 to sign a memorandum of student exchange (MOSE) and explore areas of collaboration with UP.  The nine-man delegation was led by NKMU Acting President Syue-Sinn Leu, who signed the MOSE with UP President Danilo Concepcion and headed exploratory talks for collaboration with marine experts of UP Diliman, most of whom came from the Marine Science Institute (MSI).  The MOSE, which provides for an exchange of five undergraduate and graduate students from each university for one year, is a step to concretize a memorandum of understanding for academic cooperation signed on May 7, 2017 between the two universities. Academic linkages are among the many fruits of UP’s exploratory interactions with the alliance of Southern Taiwan universities in the past couple of years.     UP President Danilo Concepcion welcomes the delegates of the NKMU September 4, 2017 at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     NKMU plays an important role in Taiwan, which is surrounded by sea. Established in 1948, it has trained marine professionals to contribute to Taiwan’s economic development. According to its website, the university now focuses on “aggressively promoting international academic and technical exchanges, leading Taiwan’s marine-related industries in the pursuit of technification and sophistication, and creating a bright future for our country’s marine industries.”  Several UP Diliman experts briefed the delegation on their areas of research. They were: Aaron Joseph Villaraza of the Institute of Chemistry; Mark Daniel de Luna of the Department of Chemical Engineering; and, Gil Jacinto, Gisela Concepcion, Fernando Siringan, Porfirio Alexander Aliño, and Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes of the MSI.  The NKMU delegation, accompanied by staff of Taiwan’s Manila Economic and Cultural Office, was also set to visit UP Visayas, which is the ocean sciences and fisheries campus of UP. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "PHOTO GALLERY: The Investiture of UP President Danilo L. Concepción – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/photo-gallery-the-investiture-of-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion/",
        "html": "PHOTO GALLERY: The Investiture of UP President Danilo L. Concepción PHOTO GALLERY: The Investiture of UP President Danilo L. Concepción September 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Photos taken during the investiture of Atty. Danilo L. Concepción as 21st president of the University of the Philippines on September 20 at University Theater, UP Diliman.  21st UP President Danilo L. Concepción takes his oath of office. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairperson Patricia Licuanan affixes the UP President’s Medallion over President Concepción’s academic gown with the assistance of Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan Concepción, the president’s wife. Looking on are two of the four Concepción children. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairperson Patricia Licuanan hands the UP President’s Mace to President Concepción. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “We recognize that a national university exists not to profit the pocket, but to enrich the mind and to enlarge the soul of our people. We stand firm in the belief that all forms of knowledge benefit humanity, and that part of our mission is to employ that knowledge for social transformation.”—UP President Danilo L. Concepción in his investiture address. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The president and his wife react to delighted cheers from the crowd. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP chancellors take a selfie. From left to right: UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos, and UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP College of Law faculty members (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From left to right: UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepción, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From left to right: Dr. Ester Garcia, University of the East President and former CHED and UP BOR Chair; former UP Regent Nelia Gonzalez; and Dr. Maria Cristina Padolina , Centro Escolar University President and former UP Open University Chancellor. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     President Concepción (far left) with academic leaders of other Philippine universities (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     President Concepción (center) with academic leaders of other Philippine universities (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials, from left to right: Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, UP Visayas Chancellor Rommel Espinosa, UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepción, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, President Concepción, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, and Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Leaders of Philippine higher education institutions attended the UP President’s investiture. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan Concepción (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From left to right: Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepción, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan Concepción, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From left to right: Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., and Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (far left) and Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara welcome Philippine Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (center) introduces Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara to Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción and his wife, Atty. Concepción (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     President Concepción (center) with fellow UP Board of Regents members. From left to right: Regent Angelo Jimenez, CHED and UP BOR Chair Patricia Licuanan, Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, and Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo (far right) chats with Philippine Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales (center). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción enters the University Theater in the processional. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP president gets a hug from his mother, Mrs. Natalia Lardizabal Concepción. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción’s mother, Mrs. Natalia Lardizabal Concepción (left), and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Teresita Roldan (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Three of President Concepción’s four children (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Former UP President Emerlinda Roman (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Former UP President Jose Abueva (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Former UP President Francisco Nemenzo (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Former Regents, from left to right: Dr. Georgina Encanto, Dr. Philip Ian Padilla, UPV Information and Publications Office Director Anna Razel Ramirez, Alexis Mejia, and Cleve Arguelles. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Singing of the UP Naming Mahal to end the program (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Singing of the UP Naming Mahal to end the program (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Members of the diplomatic corps and leaders of foreign universities attended the event. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials and faculty members were at the UP president’s investiture. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción takes the stage during the reception after the investiture rites. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Guests raise their glasses to toast President Concepción. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción (right) and his predecessor, Alfredo Pascual (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Concepción with academic leaders from local and foreign universities (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Taiwan Academic Delegation Visits UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/taiwan-academic-delegation-visits-up/",
        "html": "Taiwan Academic Delegation Visits UP Taiwan Academic Delegation Visits UP September 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines officials welcomed the Taiwan Academic/Educational Delegation at the UP Board Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City on 28 August 2017. The delegates from top Taiwan universities and government units visited UP campuses to establish partnerships with the University through the UP Office of International Linkages.  The delegates from Taiwan were: Mr. Chi-Hung Tsao, Former Minister of Council of Agriculture and Former Magistrate of Pintung County; Ms. Lisa Li-Hsia Huang, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation of Taiwan Sugar Association; Dr. Bien Chiang, Director of the Center of Austronesian Culture of the National Taitung University; Dr. Chin-Jung, Director of International Recruitment and Admissions Division, Department of International Business of the National Dong Hwa University; Dr. Wen-Ling Deng, Director of Division of Foreign Student Affairs, Department of Plant Pathology of the National Chung-Hsing University; from the National Chiayi University, Dr. Wen-Te Tang and Dr. Lan-Szu Chou of the Department of Bio Agricultural Sciences, and Ms. Fu-Chi Chuang of the Extension Education Division; Dr. Chun-Ying Cho of the Department of Social Work of the Chang Jung Christian University; Prof. Ching-Mei Lu of the Department of Tourism Management of the Kao Yuan University; Dr. Tien-Chien Chen, Chairperson of the Department of Soil and Water Conservation of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology; Prof. Jean Chihyin Cheng of the Banqiao Community University; from the Pingtung County Government, Mr. Cheng-Jen Yen, Principal of the Paiwan Dawushan Tribal School (Indigenous Tribal School), Council of Indigenous Affairs, and Ms. Jhen-Ni Hsieh, Section Chief of Information of the Laiya Senior High School (Indigenous Senior High School); from the Kaohsiung City Government, Mr. Chin-Fu Shieh of the Indigenous Education Policy and Language Education, Education Bureau, and Mr. Kuo-I Tseng, Principal of the Kaohsiung City Taoyuan Elementary School; and, Dr. Eing-Ming Wu, Chair Professor of the Shu-Te University, representing the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Kaohsiung.     Taiwan Academic Delegation Visits UP (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Representing UP during the meeting were: Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UP Executive Vice President; Prof. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs; Prof. Gil S. Jacinto, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director of the Office of International Linkages; Prof. Michael L. Tan, Chancellor of UP Diliman; Prof. Soledad M. Dalisay, Chairperson of the Department of Anthropology, and Prof. Edwin Valientes, also of the Department of Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman; Prof. Alex B. Brillantes, Jr. of the National College of Public Administration and Governance, UP Diliman; and Prof. Mary Delia G. Tomacruz, UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (R&D Resource Management). (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  To view more photos of the coverage, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Washington Z. SyCip, 1921-2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/washington-z-sycip-1921-2017/",
        "html": "Washington Z. SyCip, 1921-2017 Washington Z. SyCip, 1921-2017 October 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          Philippine accounting pioneer Washington Z. SyCip (LLD, honoris causa, 2001) passed away last October 7 from an apparent heart attack en route to Vancouver. He was 96.  A staunch supporter of Philippine development and education, SyCip briefly attended the University of the Philippines before transferring to the University of Sto. Tomas, where he graduated with an accounting degree, summa cum laude, at the age of 17. He took a master’s degree and passed the CPA examination at 18 but was too young to be given a professional license, so he flew to the United States to take a PhD at Columbia University, where he was overtaken by the war. He joined the US Army, which assigned him to Calcutta to break Japanese codes as a cryptographer.  Upon his return to Manila in 1946, he established what would later become Sycip, Gorres & Velayo. SGV later grew into the country’s largest accounting firm and one of the region’s leaders in the profession. He also founded the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in 1968, and later sat on the board of leading Philippine and international corporations and foundations, giving his valued counsel to generations of Filipino and foreign leaders.  He retired in 1996 but continued his civic and philanthropic work, focusing on basic education, microenterprises, public health, and poverty alleviation.  SyCip made generous donations to UP, which in 2001 awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree. In 2012, the Zuellig Group spearheaded the establishment of a Washington SyCip Garden of Native Trees behind the UP Carillon in his honor.  In 2009, the SGV Foundation and AIM launched his authorized biography Wash: Only a Bookkeeper, written by UP professor and now Vice President for Public Affairs Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr.  “More than the pioneer and titan of Philippine accounting that many knew him to be, Washington SyCip was a tireless advocate of Filipino development and culture, a firm believer in the Filipino’s ability and resourcefulness to succeed even in the most difficult circumstances, with adequate support and proper leadership. Despite the American citizenship he had to accept in a time of war, he thought and acted as a true global Filipino,” Dr. Dalisay would note upon SyCip’s passing.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Imao wins sculpture prize – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/imao-wins-sculpture-prize/",
        "html": "Imao wins sculpture prize Imao wins sculpture prize October 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP College of Fine Arts Studio Arts Department faculty member and Master of Fine Arts candidate Abdulmari “Toym” Imao Jr. won Special Citation in the 2017 Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) national competition.  He and the three grand winners in the sculpture and painting categories received their prizes consisting of a trophy designed by Metrobank prize recipient Noell El Farol and cash assistance, on September 21, 2017 at Le Pavillon, Pasay City.  According to the awards program, a special citation is awarded to “a finalist worthy of distinct mention”. Imao won for “Monument for the Pursuit of Happiness”, his work in pounded brass, stainless steel, and galvanized iron.  “The sculpture features the growth and blossoming of an individual depicted by different family milestones that are shown from every side of the work,” according to the awards program.     “Monument for the Pursuit of Happiness” Abdulmari ‘Toym’ Imao, Jr. SPECIAL CITATION Sculpture Recognition Program Source: MADE (Metrobank Art and Design Excellence) Competition Facebook Account https://www.facebook.com/MADECompetition/photos/a.551683838226995.1073741837.115828015145915/1498724713522898/?type=3&theater     “When I was invited to the competition by the organizers, the ‘Tree of Life’ theme instantaneously came to my mind. As I was developing the design, I thought of making a public art work that would also have a subtext of an homage to Mindanao, through a colorful contemporary tree fashioned from a deconstructed sarimanok,” Imao told UP News.  “I was doing two other works inspired by the sarimanok at that time: a float design for the ASEAN parade in Manila, and ‘Manara’, an interactive moro-inspired installation at the Ayala Museum, which moved to Davao, then Cebu. I see these installations as a continuation of alternative public art works I started at the UP Palma Hall steps in 2014,” he said.  “I dedicate the ‘Monument for the Pursuit of Happiness’ to Marawi, which is currently under siege,” Imao added.  The awarding ceremony took place in the middle of a hectic week for him, when he participated in several arts events and protest actions related to the martial law anniversary. “In these dark times of death and attacks on the institutions of our democracy, our art can be used as a weapon of illumination,” Imao posted on Facebook.  According to toymimao.com, he is a sculptor, painter, and, recently, production designer for film and stage. A UP Architecture graduate, he earned an M.F.A. Sculpture from Maryland Institute College of Arts under a Fulbright scholarship. His works include: the Tandang Sora National Shrine in Quezon City; the Andres Bonifacio National Shrine in Maragondon, Cavite; and, the Dr. Jose P. Rizal statue in Carson City, California. Imao is the son of National Artist Abdulmari Imao.  The MADE national competition is a program of the Metrobank Foundation aimed at recognizing Filipino artists and designers in the field of painting, sculpture, interior design, and architecture. The sculpture recognition program is open to Filipino professional sculptors who have staged at least one solo exhibition. Some of the prominent artists who were once MADE prize-holders are Mark Justiniani, Elmer Borlongan, Emmanuel Garibay, Andres Barrioquinto, Sajid Imao, Ronald Ventura, and Jan Leeroy New. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scholars present past and modern ties of Phil and Spain – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scholars-present-past-and-modern-ties-of-phil-and-spain/",
        "html": "Scholars present past and modern ties of Phil and Spain Scholars present past and modern ties of Phil and Spain November 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The 15th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference was held on October 5 and 6, 2017 at the UP NISMED Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City, with the theme, “Legacy and Diplomacy: Celebrating Historical and Modern Ties between the Philippines and Spain”.  The conference, which is the academic component of the annual Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day celebrations, is co-organized by the Spanish Embassy, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the UP Diliman Department of History.  The theme arose from this year being the 70th anniversary of modern Philippine-Spanish diplomatic relations. Research on the Boxer Codex, one of the earliest texts and illustrations on 16th century Philippines, was also featured as this year is also the 70th year it has been made public.  Sessions that featured 30 paper presentations began with the keynote address of Carlos Salinas, former ambassador of the Philippines to Spain. He enumerated key diplomatic engagements between the countries, such as visits of their heads of state. During the open forum, Salinas emphasized the central role of learning the language to deepen and expand Philippine-Hispanic relations.  Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Antonio Calvo Castaño said the Philippines was ahead of its time in diplomacy, given that Apolinario Mabini served as the country’s first foreign minister and Felipe Agoncillo, the first diplomat. He thanked UP for representing civil society in support of diplomacy.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and Prof. Ricardo Jose of the UP Department of History welcome Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Antonio Calvo Castaño and National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Rene Escalante at the opening ceremonies of the 15th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference on October 5, 2017 at UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Rene Escalante considered old Catholic churches as the most visible legacy of Spain’s great influence on the country’s religion and culture. He reported on his agency supervising the reconstruction of Spanish-era churches destroyed by the 2013 Bohol earthquake.  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa welcomed the organizers, resource persons, and participants of the conference to the University. Formerly assigned to the emergency department of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), he cited the Spanish grants to modernize the department and establish the PGH Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal as important legacies of Philippine-Spanish friendship.  The conference sessions were divided by topic: archaeology and museology; transportation and mobility; science and the environment; contemporary literature and colonial texts; international relations; migration and demography; language and education; and, propaganda and propagandists.  The presenters consisted of faculty members and researchers of the UP System, Universidad de Olavide, the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Misamis University, University of Asia and the Pacific, University of Santo Tomas, Philippine State College of Aeronautics, San Beda College, Oblates of St. Joseph Major Seminary, and St. Francis de Sales Theological Seminary. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-NIP holds 1st NIP-RIKEN Joint Research Workshop – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-nip-holds-1st-nip-riken-joint-research-workshop/",
        "html": "UP-NIP holds 1st NIP-RIKEN Joint Research Workshop UP-NIP holds 1st NIP-RIKEN Joint Research Workshop November 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) National Institute of Physics (NIP) in partnership with RIKEN, Japan’s premier research institute, held the 1st NIP-RIKEN Joint Research Workshop last November 10-11, 2017 in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Scientists from both institutions shared their latest research interests and activities with the objective of identifying areas for collaboration. UP and RIKEN have a MOA on International Joint Graduate School Program.     Group photo of the 1st NIP-RIKEN Joint Research Workshop taken last November 10, 2017 in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Standing, from left to right) Elmer Estacio, Percival Almoro, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Takuo Tanaka, Chiko Otani, Arnel Salvador, Maria Vanessa Balois, Nathaniel Hermosa, and Wilson Garcia. (Seated, from left to right) Roland Sarmago, Yousoo Kim, Norihiko Hayazawa, Carla Dimalanta, and Genichi Tsuzawa.     Click the image below for a copy of the workshop handbook that includes abstracts of presentations, scientist profiles and event photos.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Symposium unveils groundbreaking UP research – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/symposium-unveils-groundbreaking-up-research/",
        "html": "Symposium unveils groundbreaking UP research Symposium unveils groundbreaking UP research November 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The latest and most notable research projects from the University of the Philippines were put on display by their proponents from November 20-21 at the 2017 Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) Research Symposium. Held at the UP National Institute of Physics (UP NIP), the Symposium featured introductions and updates on many groundbreaking OVPAA-funded projects from around the UP System.  Guests and presenters were welcomed to the venue by UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Bautista, who highlighted the importance of good research to the University’s pivotal role in national development. Immediately following this introduction, representatives of diverse disciplines from UP’s different constituent universities took 20 minutes each to present their findings and current progress in their respective research initiatives.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     These projects, which the OVPAA funds through its various administered programs, harness the talents of UP researchers here and abroad to help develop a globally competitive Philippines in part via promoting a strong research and creative capability, driven by academic and operational excellence.  Among the OVPAA projects that made the research projects on display possible are the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) Program, the Balik-PhD Program and the Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant (ECWRG).     UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Carla Dimalanta (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The EIDR funds innovative, interdisciplinary, inter-campus research that aim to create new knowledge that contributes to the understanding of natural phenomena, with beneficial applications. Projects funded under the EIDR come from a diverse set of research areas, from health and wellness to Philippine arts and culture. The Balik-PhD Program aims to recruit foreign-trained PhDs and postdoctoral fellows to pursue research and mentor students in UP. Finally, the ECWRG provides funding to help researchers and faculty members to undertake work that will lead to research publications, creative performances, and patented innovations, among other outputs. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)  For more information about the specific research initiatives funded by the OVPAA, and the projects that support them, please visit: http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Varsity Bus 2.0 Turned Over to PDLC by Alpha Sigma – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-varsity-bus-2-0-turned-over-to-pdlc-by-alpha-sigma/",
        "html": "UP Varsity Bus 2.0 Turned Over to PDLC by Alpha Sigma UP Varsity Bus 2.0 Turned Over to PDLC by Alpha Sigma December 1, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Completely overhauled and refurbished, the UP-Alpha Sigma Varsity bus for university athletes was formally turned over to President Danilo L. Concepcion by the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association (UPASFAA) on the steps of Quezon Hall last December 1.  Donated to the university by Alpha Sigma in 2008 in honor of the UP Centennial, the bus was due for renovation after a decade of heavy use, and the UPASFAA stepped up to do the job, drawing on the generosity of its members. Major donors for the P2.5-million project included Aris Batuhan, Jackie Cruz, Mike Defensor, Eric Español, Jessie Gimenez, Pato Gregorio, Ray de Guzman, Raffy Morales, Senen de Santos, Doy Vea, and Raymund Yu-Ekey. PLDT-Smart was also a major sponsor, its CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan being an honorary Alpha Sigman.     Members of the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity and members of some UP varsity teams pose in front of the refurbished bus. Alpha Sigma donated the bus in 2008 and recently had it renovated. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Undertaken by Automorin Cars Corp., the repairs and renovation took two full months from September to October 2017, and included a thorough overhaul of the engine, brakes, suspension, and electrical system. A new stereo, TV, and wi-fi system was installed, as well as new flooring, carpeting, and hydraulic doors. The bus’ exterior has also been completely redone, with the names of UP’s varsity teams boldly emblazoned on the side of the bus.     UP President Danilo Concepcion rides the improved service vehicle for UP athletes. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “This donation represents the Alpha Sigma Fraternity’s continuing commitment to the development and success of our varsity teams,” said Atty. Raffy Morales, former managing partner of SyCip Law, representing the fraternity. Alpha Sigma has been most closely associated with supporting the basketball team.  For his part, President Concepcion expressed the University’s gratitude for Alpha Sigma’s support and encouraged other fraternities to help in other areas of UP’s sports and campus development. “Every donation like this is deeply appreciated, because it represents the true UP spirit of giving back to the University and the people,” he said.  Also present at the turnover were Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., Human Kinetics Dean Ronualdo U. Dizer, and resident Alpha Sigma Lord Chancellor Raffy Ricalde, as well as UP varsity team members and resident and alumni members of the fraternity. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Int’l team presents “Project Yolanda” research outputs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/intl-team-presents-project-yolanda-research-outputs/",
        "html": "Int’l team presents “Project Yolanda” research outputs Int’l team presents “Project Yolanda” research outputs December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    An international team of researchers which conducted the three-year project “Poverty alleviation in the wake of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)”, or “Project Yolanda”, shared their findings and recommendations at a whole day seminar-workshop held at the Balay Kalinaw in UP Diliman, Quezon City on November 7, 2017.     Photo by Bong Arboleda     Comprised of faculty from the University of Nottingham and the University of the Philippines, the team members discussed the many challenges faced and lessons learned by stakeholders from their engagements with local and international NGOs, communities, businesses, local government units, policy makers, women, and the academe during relief work and post-disaster reconstruction efforts in Yolanda-affected urban communities.  Ambassador Daniel Pruce of the Embassy of the United Kingdom in the Philippines, UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) Dean Maria Bernadette L. Abrera, and Dr. Pauline Eadie of the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom delivered welcome remarks.     Photo by Bong Arboleda     Forum panelists were: Dr. Eadie, Dr. May Tan-Mullins (University of Nottingham Ningbo China), Dr. Maria Ela L. Atienza (Department of Political Science, CSSP, UP Diliman), Mr. Dante Dalabajan (Oxfam in the Philippines), Ms. Eden Garde (Typhoon Yolanda Response and Recovery Project, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UNDP Philippines), Ms. Meraldy Doñoz (School of Urban and Regional Planning, UP Diliman, and formerly with World Vision), Prof. Ladylyn L. Mangada (UP Visayas), Mr. Ted Jopson (Housing Office, Tacloban City Government), Assistant Secretary Aleli Bawagan (Department of Social Welfare and Development), Prof. Clarinda L. Berja (College of Arts and Sciences, UP Manila), Mr. Oliver Cam (Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tacloban, Leyte), Mr. Raul Reyes (Investment Promotions Office, Catbalogan City), Prof. Jan Robert R. Go (Dept. of Political Science, CSSP, UP Diliman), Dr. Perlita Frago-Marasigan (Dept. of Political Science, CSSP, UP Diliman), and Dr. Maria Lourdes G. Rebullida (Dept. of Political Science, CSSP, UP Diliman).  Typhoon Yolanda made its first landfall in the Philippines on November 7, 2013 and caused catastrophic damage, a high death toll, and no less than a humanitarian crisis in affected areas. More information about the project can be accessed on the website www.projectyolanda.org. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Class of 1992 leads tribute to UPIS teachers and staff – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/class-of-1992-leads-tribute-to-upis-teachers-and-staff/",
        "html": "Class of 1992 leads tribute to UPIS teachers and staff Class of 1992 leads tribute to UPIS teachers and staff December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To give thanks to the retired teachers and staff of the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) and to promote fellowship among the members of the UPIS community, the UPIS Class of 1992 hosted the “Parangal sa mga Guro at Kawani ng UPIS” on December 2 at the UPIS High School gymnasium in UP Diliman, Quezon City.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The event featured a thanksgiving program and a “wellness fair” wherein attendees enjoyed inspirational messages and songs, spoken word poetry, free consultations with health practitioners, Zumba and meditative exercises, and free massages. They were also given simple gifts as tokens of appreciation.  The UPIS Class of 1992, together with the UP High and UP Prep Class of 1967, will also co-host the 101st Grand Alumni Homecoming of UPIS on December 9. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP leads public service conference for HEIs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-leads-public-service-conference-for-heis/",
        "html": "UP leads public service conference for HEIs UP leads public service conference for HEIs December 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP organized the second public service conference for colleges and universities in the Philippines to take stock of, develop, and possibly coordinate public service delivered by the country’s higher educational institutions (HEIs). UP organized the first one in 2015.  Held in two legs by the UP Padayon Public Service Office—in Bonifacio Global City and Cebu City on November 9-10 and 28-29, 2017, respectively—the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon 2) had the theme “Compassion and Social Responsibility: Cornerstones of Public Service and Extension in Higher Education”.  The conference featured more than 130 presentations from 35 HEIs, reflecting the range, best practices, challenges, and thrusts of public service by private and public HEIs in the country.     Organizers, participants, presenters, and performers of CUPSCON 2 gather on stage on November 10, 2017, at UP-BGC, Taguig. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The plenary speakers who gave presentations on the lessons resulting from public service initiatives and experiences of their organizations were: Assistant Secretary Aleli Bawagan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; Prof. Glecy Atienza of UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters; former UP President Alfredo Pascual; UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro; and, Prof. Early Sol Gadong, an education innovator from UP Visayas.  A common challenge faced by the participants was the still informal status of public service in universities and colleges, vis-a-vis their more recognized functions of teaching, research, and extension. The conference also developed the theme of rendering public service integral or contributing to and arising from academic specialization.  The parallel sessions were facilitated by the following Padayon Public Service Office fellows: Celia Balbin of UP Diliman, Charina Maneja and Christine Joyce Mendoza of UP Los Baños, Fedelynn Jemena of UP Manila, Soledad Garibay of UP Visayas, Emely Amoloza and Luisa Gelisan of UP Open University, and Vlademir Shuck of UP Mindanao, among other notable public service workers of the University.     A question from the floor for former UP President Alfredo Pascual at Cupscon 2, UP Cebu (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The public service initiatives covered: community health; agriculture and green technology; public management and community development; community spatial and environmental development; empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable sectors; heritage preservation and cultural enrichment; pedagogy and academic improvement; promotion of voluntarism; reintegration of ex-convicts; and, literacy, livelihood, skills, and industry training.  The Padayon Public Service Office is currently headed by Dr. Ma. Crisanta Flores. The office was formed in 2012 under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs to monitor and coordinate public service in UP and to operationalize UP’s mandate as HEI leader in public service.     Cupscon 2, UP Cebu ends with distribution of certificates of participation. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In his welcome remarks during the first leg of CUPSCon 2, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. expressed UP’s hope of higher education institutions learning from each other in terms of best practices in public service and extension activities, how these are valued and programmed in the institution, and internal networking.  “In 2015, when we launched the inaugural CUPSCon. . . we envisioned the transit of the academe from its ivory tower to the society it must serve outside the confines of the premier state university,” Dalisay said, through his Assistant Vice President Ranjit Rye, on CUPSCon 2’s second leg. “May CUPSCon be a staple in the greater narrative signified by our own Oblation, which is serving the nation,” he added. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public service pioneers recognized in Padayon gathering – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-service-pioneers-recognized-in-padayon-gathering/",
        "html": "Public service pioneers recognized in Padayon gathering Public service pioneers recognized in Padayon gathering December 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A social gathering in honor of UP public servants led by Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and Padayon Public Service Office pioneers followed the 2nd Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service awarding ceremonies on December 5, 2017 at the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman.  Certificates of recognition from the Padayon Public Service Office were handed out to the former director of the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, and former directors of the Padayon Public Service Office, Dr. Ferdinand Llanes and Prof. Nelson Cainghog. Dr. Glecy Atienza received a special citation. Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Ranjit Rye received the award on behalf of Cainghog.  Dalisay spoke of the “rich” experience of voluntarism under Ugnayan ng Pahinungod; Atienza, on community outreach using the arts; and Llanes, on proposing a public service office at the UP System level in the tradition of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and also on being its founding director.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, who was the director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod of UP Manila, delivered a message highlighting the character-building and unifying effect of voluntarism and how she insisted on the Ugnayan’s continuation in UP Manila. She invoked a programmed provision of space for voluntarism open to all sectors of the University.     After presenting the history of the Padayon Public Service Office, Prof. Ferdinand Llanes, the first director of the UP Padayon Public Service Office, receives a certificate of recognition from Executive Vice President Ted Herbosa for his initiative. With them are Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The gathering also saw the presentation of an online public service reporting and monitoring system developed with a team, led by Vince Teodosio, from the Office of the Vice President for Development . It is set to be launched in January 2018. Also presented was The Disaster Risk Reduction Management Handbook for Academic Institutions: A UP Experience, edited by Llanes, which took lessons from UP System-coordinated responses to recent disasters.  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and current Padayon Public Service Office Director Ma. Crisanta Flores received the guests, handed out the citations, and acknowledged the presence and contributions of other veteran volunteers and public service pioneers, including Oscar Ferrer and Theresa de Villa, both former directors of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. The late Ledivina Cariño of UP Diliman, the late Severino Cuevas of UP Los Baños, and Ruben Gumala of UP Visayas were also mentioned.  Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto and Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos were also present to meet and greet them that afternoon, Flores described as “an afternoon of gratitude and nostalgia”.  Public performance artist and art therapy pioneer Vim Nadera recited an apostrophe to UP, with national banduria champion Nikki Zen Obmasca of the Philippine High School for the Arts in accompaniment. Atienza performed a couple of songs used in her community outreach, with Robert Mendoza of Manila Tytana College accompanying her on guitar. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "President caps UPD Christmas festivities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/president-caps-upd-christmas-festivities/",
        "html": "President caps UPD Christmas festivities President caps UPD Christmas festivities January 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The starry contingent from the UP Diliman administration. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Danilo Concepcion capped his first UP Diliman Lantern Parade as UP president by hailing the tradition as uniquely UP, reminding the UP constituents to be light sources in their own lives and communities, and announcing the grant of P10,000 cash gift to each UP employee.  “Let us be lanterns in our lives and in our communities–giving life and lighting the way as we face challenges and look for a better future–lanterns that burn bright in mind and heart, far though we wander,” Concepcion said in Filipino at the end of the Lantern Parade program on December 15, 2017, before the fireworks display.     UP President Danilo Concepcion with Atty. Gaby Roldan-Concepcion heading the lantern parade. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     He said the Lantern Parade is a tradition bearing the UP brand, but reflecting the Filipino spirit in the changing designs of the lanterns and in the lively participation of the community.  In announcing the Christmas cash gift, he said his administration had implemented cost-saving measures which saved money from maintenance and other operating expenses enough to give P10,000 to each employee as a Christmas gift in his first year as President.  Concepcion said he hoped to add to the amount before the end of 2018.     College of Human Kinetics participants give a lively ending to their presentation. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Participating in the 2017 UP Diliman Lantern Parade, with the “Paaralan, Palaruan” theme, were academic and administrative units of UP Diliman, the UP System, and also the UP Manila College of Medicine, as well as campus- and community based organizations. They adopted a “no-litter” policy.  The presentations at the UP Amphitheater were punctuated by performances by magicians, a vocal ensemble, a rock band, and the UP Concert Chorus. Alumni Ricci Chan and Agot Isidro were the emcees.     Emcees Ricci Chan and Agot Isidro, both UP alumni. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The panel of judges for the lantern contest, with UP Diliman Information Office Director Sir Anril Tiatco. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The College of Engineering, with its bright carousel of technologies, won the best lantern award. The College of Arts and Letters, with its puppet lantern tribute to Amelia Bonifacio, and the College of Mass Communication, with its carousel of truth versus misinformation, were runners-up.     The winning lantern of the College of Engineering, featuring technologies. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The winning lanterns of the College of Arts and Letters, inspired by the puppetry of Amelia Bonifacio. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The College of Fine Arts (CFA) lanterns were grouped under themes inspired by the rights of children. The lantern on the right to expression won the top award in the CFA category. Those representing the right to health care and the right to special needs were runners-up.     The winning lantern in the College of Fine Arts category, inspired by the child’s right to free expression. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Guests picnic at the UP Amphitheater grounds. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Statements against the drug war and tyranny, among others, were incorporated in a number of lanterns, mobile tableaus, and presentations. The parade was filled with images of carousels, kites, and children. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "BOR appoints five UP officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bor-appoints-five-up-officials/",
        "html": "BOR appoints five UP officials BOR appoints five UP officials January 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Board of Regents (BOR) in its January 26 meeting appointed three new UP officials and renewed the appointments of two others.  According to the Office of the Secretary of the University and of the BOR, the Board voted in favor of all five appointments.  UP Diliman (UPD) University Librarian Chito N. Angeles was renewed for another three-year term. He has been senior lecturer at the UPD School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) since 2000. Angeles earned his Master of Library and Information Science and his Bachelor of Library and Information Science degrees from SLIS.  UP Los Baños (UPLB) College of Arts and Sciences Dean (CAS) Felino P. Lansigan was also renewed for a second three-year term. He is Professor 12 at the CAS Institute of Statistics. He graduated from UPLB with a BS in Agriculture (Statistics) and MS (Statistics). Lansigan received his PhD (Hydrology and Water Resources; Statistics) from Colorado State University, USA.  The UPD College of Law’s newly-appointed dean is Atty. Fides Cordero-Tan, a consultant at the Tan Concepcion & Que Law Firm. She is also lecturer on Evidence at the college, where she was a former associate professor teaching Criminal Procedure, Corporation Law, and Insurance Law. Cordero-Tan earned her BS in Foreign Service and Bachelor of Laws degrees in UPD.  UP Visayas (UPV) has two new deans: Prof. Severa Fe S. Katalbas for CAS and Prof. Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap for the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS).  Prior to this appointment, Katalbas was associate dean from 2014 to 2017. She is Associate Professor 7 at the UPV CAS Division of Biological Sciences. She earned her BS and MS degrees in Biology at UPD.  Yap is Professor 2 at the UPV CFOS Institute of Fish Processing Technology and the immediate past UPV vice chancellor for academic affairs. She has a BS in Fisheries (Fish Processing Technology) degree from UPD and an MS in Food Science degree from Cornell University, USA. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Search for next UP Diliman Chancellor begins – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/search-for-next-up-diliman-chancellor-begins/",
        "html": "Search for next UP Diliman Chancellor begins Search for next UP Diliman Chancellor begins January 5, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Diliman has begun its search for its next Chancellor.     On January 4, the Search Committee for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor revealed the names of the three nominees who have qualified for the selection. They are:  Dr. Aura C. Matias Professor and former Dean, College of Engineering Curriculum Vitae | Vision Paper  Dr. Michael L. Tan UP Diliman Chancellor and Professor, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Curriculum Vitae | Vision Paper  Dr. Roland B. Tolentino Professor and former Dean, College of Mass Communication Curriculum Vitae | Vision Paper  The nominees will face members of the UP Diliman community in a public forum which will be held on January 9, 1:00 p.m. at Gusali II, College of Home Economics, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  For a full timetable of the activities in the Search, please click here. To view the program for the public forum, please click here.  For more information and questions on the public forum, please contact:  Mr. Limwell Lectura Telephone number: (632) 981-8500, local 3401 Email address: chancysearch2017@gmail.com "
    },
    {
        "title": "Brandon Stanton brings Humans of New York to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/brandon-stanton-brings-humans-of-new-york-in-up/",
        "html": "Brandon Stanton brings Humans of New York to UP Brandon Stanton brings Humans of New York to UP February 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York (Photo courtesy of Monoxide Works)     Humans of Metro Manila witness a day in the life of the world famous digital storyteller, Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York (HONY).  With over 25 million social media followers worldwide, Stanton decided to do HONY’s first ever meet up with its audience in the Philippines. Taking up its history in a back-to-back, one-hour talk at the University of the Philippines Cine Adarna on February 3.  The idea of Humans of New York was born eight years ago when Stanton was caught in the midst of a finance crisis as a bonds trader. “I was absolutely terrified of losing that job because I have come from a place where I was such a failure,” he said.     Humans of Metro Manila meet Brandon Stanton. (Photo courtesy of Monoxide Works)     From dropping out of school and going back into earning a history degree, to his fear of losing a lucrative job, all of Stanton’s thoughts were poured into that time when he was sitting in his office chair, contemplating about what he really wanted to do, what he wanted to be remembered for.  “So I asked myself, if money wasn’t an issue, and I were to spend my time doing anything that I would want to do. What would I do? And the answer was photography,” Stanton said. This decision has led him on to the path to what Humans of New York is known today.  Stanton’s goal was to photograph all day long. His early iterations were just as common as photos other people take. “The thing that I could really do was not really about my photography, but maybe I could get really good at approaching, writing about random people. And make people comfortable enough for them to allow me to take their photograph,” Stanton emphasized.     Photo and autograph signing opportunity after Stanton’s one hour talk (Photo courtesy of Monoxide Works)     HONY is a vibrant blog, capturing lives of people on the streets of New York. Today, it is expanding in over 20 countries including the Philippines, telling stories of people in different walks of life. Stanton’s work is also featured in two bestselling books, “Human of New York” and “Humans of New York: Stories.” (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)          "
    },
    {
        "title": "BOR appoints UP scientists, approves stipend for professors emeriti – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bor-appoints-up-scientists-approves-stipend-for-professors-emeriti/",
        "html": "BOR appoints UP scientists, approves stipend for professors emeriti BOR appoints UP scientists, approves stipend for professors emeriti February 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In its 1332nd meeting on January 26, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the appointment of faculty and researchers as UP Scientists for CY 2017-2019. Thirty-six were new appointments while 32 were retentions and promotions. (See list at the end of article.) They were recommended by the UP System Scientific Career System Committee.  For the duration of the award, a UP Scientist I receives P150,000 per year; a UP Scientist II, P200,000, and, a UP Scientist III, P250,000.  The University’s highest-governing body, presided over by Commission on Higher Education Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III, also confirmed approvals done earlier through referendums. These included the Academic Award for Professors Emeriti and the granting of the P10,000 Collective Negotiation Agreement incentive per qualified employee—decided on the 27th and 29th of December last year, respectively.  The proposal for the Academic Award for Professors Emeriti stated that those who have served UP “actively through University-recognized teaching, research or extension work for at least four months in a given year are eligible” to receive the award at the end of that year in the form of a P22,000 stipend. It is “subject to the availability of funds in the Constituent Unit they are affiliated with.”     UP Board of Regents in its 1332nd meeting. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apart from the appointments of UP Diliman (UPD) University Librarian Chito N. Angeles, UP Los Baños (UPLB) College of Arts and Sciences Dean (CAS) Felino P. Lansigan, UPD College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan, UP Visayas (UPV) CAS Dean Severa Fe S. Katalbas, and UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Dean Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap which were reported earlier, the BOR also confirmed the appointments of the following UP officials:  Office of Alumni Relations Director Jose Wendell P. Capili UPLB Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Portia G. Lapitan UPLB Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rex B. Demafelis UPLB Vice Chancellor for Administration Crisanto A. Dorado UPLB Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Marish S. Madlangbayan UPLB Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Serlie F. Barroga-Jamias UPV Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Gay D. Defiesta UPV Vice Chancellor for Administration Mary Ann T. Gumban UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin G. Genodepa UPV Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rolly G. Fuentes Korea Research Center Director Eduardo T. Gonzalez  UP Scientists effective CY 2017-2019  Source: Office of the Secretary and of the Board of Regents  (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP explores collaboration with Ballet Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-explores-collaboration-with-ballet-philippines/",
        "html": "UP explores collaboration with Ballet Philippines UP explores collaboration with Ballet Philippines February 14, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes and Ballet Philippines president Margie Moran Floirendo met recently with President Danilo L. Concepcion and members of the UP dance and music community to explore cooperative programs between UP and Ballet Philippines. In his response, PDLC reiterated UP’s strong support for the arts and his vision for making UP a center for national cultural development. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP honors top science journalists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-honors-top-science-journalists/",
        "html": "UP honors top science journalists UP honors top science journalists February 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (L) Keynote Speaker Dr. Clarissa David, 1st UP Science Journalism Awardees Nef Luczon (Sun Star Cagayan de Oro), Michael Joe Delizo (DZMM/ABS-CBN), Mikael Angelo Francisco (GMA News Online), Angelica Yang (GMA News Online) and Edmund Usman (Rappler), and UP CMC Dean Dr. Elena Pernia. (Photo by Jose Wendell Capili)     The University of the Philippines recognized five winners and 13 finalists for the first UP Science Journalism Awards held in UP Diliman last Saturday, February 17.  The winners are Angelica Y. Yang of GMA News Online for Best Science News Story, Nef Luczon of SunStar Cagayan De Oro for Best Science Commentary for Print and Online, Edmund Usman of Rappler for Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online, Michael Joe Delizo of ABS-CBN/DZMM for Best Science Story for Radio, and Mikael Angelo Francisco of GMA News Online for Best UP Science Story.  They received a cash prize and a trophy designed by the late National Artist for Sculpture, Napoleon V. Abueva. Finalists from different publications and media organizations were also awarded certificates of recognition.     1st UP Science Journalism Awards trophy designed by the late National Artist for Sculpture, Napoleon V. Abueva. (Photo by Jose Wendell Capili)     Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student and Fulbright Scholar Timothy James Dimacali of GMA News Online also received an Abueva trophy for his contributions to the development of science communication in the country.  The Science Journalism Awards recognizes exemplary reporting in science and technology, as well as, the scientific researches and developments in the country. It also aims to acknowledge the importance of communicating accurate science stories and the mainstreaming of science and technology into the public consciousness.  The finalists include: Stanley Buenafe Gajete of Manila Times, Timothy James Dimacali of GMA News Online for Best Science News Story; Jesse Madriaga of Mindanao Times for Best Science Commentary for Print and Online; Herty Lopez of Super Balita Cebu, Henrylito Tacio of Edge Davao, and Stephanie Tumampos of Business Mirror for Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online; Dr. Josephine Agapito and Dr. Custer Deocaris of Pinoy Scientist- Radyo Aguila, and TechSabado of Radyo 5 for Best Science Radio Story; Erwin Nicavera of SunStar Bacolod, Melvin Calimag of Newsbytes Philippines, and Nickolas Tubo of SunStar Philippines for Best UP Science Story.  The winners and finalists for this years’ Awards reflect the result from 60 nominations of a diverse group of mainstream and community media organizations nationwide. The judging committee is composed of journalists, academicians, scientists, and an economist to represent S&T as an interdisciplinary field.  “Very often science is perceived to be something that is not understandable, something that exists in laboratories. Our program aims to highlight the fact that developments in science benefit everything we do and use. The UP Science Journalism Awards brings together journalists and scientists to deliver the message to the ordinary man that science is something that is beneficial to our daily lives,” says Dr. Elena Pernia, program leader of Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP (CoST UP).  UP Science Journalism Awards is a project component of CoST UP, an Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program (EIDR), funded by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UP System. Call for entries for the 2019 edition of the awards will open in March. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Papers: Asian Journalism Research Conference 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-asian-journalism-research-conference-2017/",
        "html": "Call for Papers: Asian Journalism Research Conference 2017 Call for Papers: Asian Journalism Research Conference 2017 January 26, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Department of Journalism of the University of the Philippines Diliman will hold the Asian Journalism Research Conference 2017 on 26-27 April 2017 at the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Originally organized as the annual Philippine Journalism Research Conference (PJRC), the AJRC is part of the department’s extension work, aimed at encouraging journalism students and researchers in conducting studies on the profession and the issues which confronting its professionals. The conference is intended to:  Encourage Mass Communication and Journalism students around the country to pursue research in the field; 2. Provide Journalism students from around the country a venue in which to share their research regarding timely Journalism issues and its subjects;​ 3. Help build a body of research on timely themes in Journalism studies;​ 4. Build a network of Journalism schools and academics throughout the country.  This year’s theme, The Fourth Estate: Revisiting the Normative Ideals of Journalism in a Multimedia Era, will tackle issues such as:  *The role of Journalism in the 21st century * Journalists views on journalism *Impact of Media Ownership on the News *Journalism Safety *Citizen expectations and perspectives on journalism *Advocacy vis-à-vis Journalism *Information versus propaganda *News values versus value-laden news *Millenials as news prosumers *Traditional legacies versus commercialization *Relevance of Media ethics *Who is a journalist?  The concept of the Fourth Estate is founded on democratic ideals that assign journalism and journalists as the guardians of public interests. In Journalism Studies, the normative dimensions are taken as “a given”, notwithstanding the fact that the media within the Asian region has – since the turn of the 20th century – adopted various models from the Western press liberal models to some Asian authoritarian models.  This conference seeks to promote Journalism Studies in the Asian region, where issues of press freedom and media responsibility abound. It will examine the normative legacies of journalism vis-à-vis the realities of today’s multimedia environment, which has resulted in the new paradigms of Journalism, affecting all aspects–from news gathering to newswriting to news distribution. The conference also seeks to explore ethical issues brought about by new technologies, the gray line between advocacy and journalism and the increasing trust issues between media and the public.  Abstracts should be submitted to up.ajrc2017@gmail.com on or before March 1, 2017. Please indicate in the email subject line “AJRC 2017 abstract”​. Abstracts submissions should be 500-750 words. Please include name/s of author/s, year level, course and school, contact email and mobile numbers.  The conference will have two kinds of presentations:  For oral presentation only II. For oral presentation and paper competition  For oral presentation only  Open to undergraduate and masteral students in any Asian university. Students should submit an abstract on or before for oral presentation in the following categories:  Academic research (AR) – Thesis or full research papers on journalism studies; 2. Investigative report (IR) – Investigative reports written or produced for print, broadcast or online media; 3. Special project (SP) – In-depth features or analysis in text, audio, photo, video or multimedia  For oral presentation and paper competition  Open to Philippine undergraduate students only. As in the past years of the Philippine Journalism Research Conferences (PJRC), three student awards will be given for best academic research, best investigative report and best special project.  Apart from the abovementioned awards, there will be a special citation for investigative and/or feature stories (under special projects) for the following sub-themes in 2017:  Best Investigative Report on Road Safety 2. Best Investigative Report or Special Project on Science Journalism  The AJRC 2017 was organized in collaboration with the Fakultas Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik of the Universitas Gadjah Mada, the University of Santo Tomas, Vera Files, the Philippine Press Institute and the Asian Congress for Media and Communication. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP TWSC to mark 40th anniversary with international conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-twsc-to-mark-40th-anniversary-with-international-conference/",
        "html": "UP TWSC to mark 40th anniversary with international conference UP TWSC to mark 40th anniversary with international conference January 12, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center is organizing “The Third World Studies Center in Its 40th Year: An International Conference” to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. This conference will be held on 9-10 February 2017 at the GT Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman.  At forty, the Third World Studies Center gathers in this multidisciplinary conference its vast and resilient network of scholars and public intellectuals, academics and activists, advocates and bearers of unorthodox views from different parts of the globe. The conference aim is twofold. First, it is a time to reflect on the Center’s enduring history and its contributions to critical scholarship on Philippine, regional, and global issues. The Center has encompassed anti-authoritarian scholarship and social movements, peace studies and human security, democratization and critical articulations of the nation, political economy of transnational corporations and the history of mass transit, and digital piracy and cybersex–-pioneering research efforts that established the center as a premier social science research center. Second, the conference will extend the role of the Center as meeting point for established intellectuals and young, emerging scholars. It renews a space that fosters the development of critical, alternative paradigms to promote progressive scholarship and action for change.  Dr. Alfred W. McCoy, Harrington Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the keynote speaker. Two (2) plenary sessions are set aside for the Center’s former Directors and respected scholars whose long academic histories have included doing research in the Philippines as TWSC visiting research fellows. Panelists include former Directors Professor Randy David of the Department of Sociology, Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Dr. Teresa Encarnacion Tadem, and Dr. Maria Ela Atienza of the Department of Political Science, and Dr. Maria Serena Diokno of the Department of History, University of the Philippines-Diliman; Dr. Teresita Maceda of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Dr. Paul Hutchcroft of the Australian National University, Dr. Johannes Dragsbæk Schmidt of the Aalborg University, Dr. Takushi Ohno of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and Dr. Patricio Abinales of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (TBC). Former TWSC visiting research fellows, contributors to Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies, and members of the TWSC network will be presenting papers in panels centering around TWSC’s current research themes: (1) political economy and globalization, (2) social movements, (3) authoritarianism and democratic governance, (4) peace and human security, (5) culture and identity, and (6) (new) media and technology. Documentaries produced by student interns of TWSC and the University of Montreal will also be screened.  Participants will need to register online at the conference website: http://twscconference.up.edu. ph/.  The two-day conference, which will include snacks, lunch, and a workshop kit, has a subsidized registration fee of PHP 2,000.00. All undergraduate students who will register online from January 15-31, 2017 will only have to pay PHP1,000.00. Payment of the registration fee can be made either at the TWSC office in cash or paid on site.  For any inquiries and/or concerns regarding the conference, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via twsc.updiliman@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum No. PAEP 17-03: Guidelines for the Professional Development Grant (PDG) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-paep-17-03-guidelines-for-the-professional-development-grant-pdg/",
        "html": "Memorandum No. PAEP 17-03: Guidelines for the Professional Development Grant (PDG) Memorandum No. PAEP 17-03: Guidelines for the Professional Development Grant (PDG) January 11, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Upon recommendation of University President Alfredo E. Pascual, the UP Board of Regents at its 1323rd meeting held on 16 December 2016 approved the one-time Professional Development Grant (PDG) of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (Php 25,000) per qualified employee of the University.  This grant is in recognition of the collective effort of the UP faculty and staff in achieving the mandates of the University under the UP Charter of 2008 (RA 9500) and in maintaining its status as the top university in the country and a leader in various areas of specialization in Asia.  In appreciation of such effort and to further the capacity of the organization to achieve its goals, the PDG was endorsed by both the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU).  Payment of the PDG shall be made not earlier than 15 January 2017 (Sunday). It is understood that the PDG shall be subject to refund by the employee recipients if the same would later be found not in order by concerned competent authority.  Please exercise due diligence in complying with the following guidelines for the release of the PDG:  Coverage and amount  1.1 All regular, full-time or part-time, UP contractual and casual faculty members, administrative staff and Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) whose salaries are funded by the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA), with employer-employee relations with the University.  1.2 Full-time employees. Full-time employees who are expected to have rendered at least four (4) months of service to the University as of 31 December 2016, shall be granted the full amount (Php 25,000) per employee.  1.3 Employees in the following circumstances shall receive a proportional amount as indicated in Table 7.  1.3.1 Employees on approved leave without pay, who reported back to work, and expected to have served for at least (1) month as of 31 December 2016;  1.3.2 Newly hired employees. Employees hired in 2016 and expected to have served for at least one (1) month as of 31 December 2016;  1.3.3 Recently separated employees. Those who have or shall have rendered active service and separated from the University due to retirement or resignation or death from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016;     Table 1. Proportional amounts based on months of service  1 month but less than 2 months 25% PHP 6,250 2 months but less than 3 months 50% PHP 12,500 3 months but less than 4 months 75% PHP 18,750 4 months and above 100% PHP 25,000     1.3.4 Part-time employees in service from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 shall receive half the amount in Table 7, in proportion to their workload, or months of service;     Source of funds  The PDG shall be funded from revenues from income-generating projects of the UP System administration, and/or concerned Constituent Universities (CUs) and units, based on the following funding estimates.  CU/Unit Faculty REPS Admin Total headcount Professional Staff Dev’t Grant (PDG) Php 25,000 each faculty and staff Baguio 128 9 70 207 5,175,000 Cebu 107 9 64 180 4,500,000 Diliman 1,494 427 1,311 3,232 80,800,000 Los Baños 996 454 1,299 2,749 68,725,000 Manila 605 104 452 1,161 29,025,000 Mindanao 94 14 60 168 4,200,000 Open U 33 18 67 118 2,950,000 Visayas 343 48 432 823 20,575,000 PGH – 101 3,517 3,618 90,450,000 System 2 15 193 210 5,520,000       Total 3,802 1,199 7,465 12,466 311,650,000  Source of headcounts: CU HRDO reports as of 30 June 2016     Exclusions  The following employees are not entitled to the PDG:  3.1 Under preventive suspension;  3.2 Formally charged with administrative and/or criminal cases, in relation to acts or omissions in connection with their official duties and functions and found guilty and/or meted penalties in 2016 except when the penalty is a mere reprimand;  3.3 Absent without official leave (AWOL) as of 31 December 2016;  3.4 Lecturers; visiting, affiliate and adjunct faculty and researchers; professors emeriti; clinical faculty; preceptors and/or equivalent titles; student and graduate assistants (SAGAs); teaching fellows / assistants (TF/TAs); apprentices; non-government workers (NGWs); appointments under Contracts of Service (COS); including those paid on piecework basis; and others whose remuneration are not charged to the budget allocation for Personal Services in the UP budget under the GAA FY2016; and similar personnel with no employer-employee relations with the University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 (Television Category) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-nominations-up-gawad-plaridel-2017-television-category/",
        "html": "Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 (Television Category) Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 (Television Category) January 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The U.P. College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) is now accepting nominations for the annual UP Gawad Plaridel which recognizes Filipino media practitioners who have excelled in any of the media (print, radio, film, television, and new media) and have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service.  For 2017, the thirteenth U.P. Gawad Plaridel will be given to an outstanding Television Practitioner.  The award is named after Marcelo H. del Pilar (nom de plume, Plaridel), the selfless propagandist whose stewardship of the reformist newspaper La Solidaridad helped crystallize nationalist sentiments and ignite libertarian ideas in the 1890s. Like Plaridel, the recipient must believe in the vision of a Philippine society that is egalitarian, participative and progressive; and in media that are socially responsible, critical and vigilant, liberative and transformative, and free and independent.  Eligible for the awards are all living Filipino individuals who have excelled in the field of television as producer, director, scriptwriter, announcer, actor, sound designer, sound technician, reporter, news anchor, etc. Aside from their probity and integrity, these media practitioners must have produced a body of work that is marked by excellence and social relevance and must have achievements recognized nationally and/or internationally.  Individuals and institutions may nominate potential recipients. Institutions include media corporations, professional media associations, media advocacy groups, educational institutions, cultural foundations, and NGOs. Previous nominees may still be considered for this year’s award. All current full-time faculty and staff of the UP CMC are disqualified from the nomination.  The deadline for submission of nominations is on 01 March 2017, 5pm. The recipient of the UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 will be announced in April 2017.  The UP Gawad Plaridel will be given in August in commemoration of del Pilar’s birth anniversary. The awardee will receive the U.P. Gawad Plaridel trophy (designed by National Artist Napoleon Abueva) and will deliver the Plaridel Lecture addressing issues relevant to the state and practice of Philippine media. The recipient will have a place of honor at all ceremonies and functions of the College. The recipient’s portrait will be hung at the U.P. Gawad Plaridel Gallery located at the College lobby (Plaridel Hall, U.P. Diliman).  Nomination form and award guidelines are available at the UP CMC Website and at the UP CMC Office of Extension and External Relations (UP CMC-OEER). Interested parties may call (02) 981-8500 loc. 2668 or email upgawadplaridel@gmail.com for further inquiries. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP enhances hospitalization benefits for employees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-enhances-hospitalization-benefits-for-employees/",
        "html": "UP enhances hospitalization benefits for employees UP enhances hospitalization benefits for employees January 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP has enhanced its hospitalization benefits for UP personnel effective Jan. 1, 2017.  This came about with the approval by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) of the Enhanced Hospitalization Programme (eHOPE) for the Faculty, REPS and Administrative Staff at its 1322nd meeting on Nov. 24, 2016.  A highlight of the eHOPE is the PhP 80,000 yearly financial assistance for hospitalization expenses incurred during confinement.  This constitutes an enhanced amount from the PhP200,000 lifetime coverage under the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE) that UP personnel used to enjoy.  eHOPE shall also provide a PhP 10,000 annual financial assistance for medicines prescribed during confinement and upon discharge of the UP employee.  eHOPE will cover the following hospitalization expenses incurred during confinement: a) Medical I diagnostic procedures such as ultrasound, MRI, X-ray, CT scan, biopsy, mammography, echocardiography, angiogram, blood chemistry, and other laboratory examinations; b) Prescribed drugs and medicines in accordance with the Generics Act of 1988 (RA6675); c) Professional fees of Philhealth-accredited physicians and specialists up to amounts based on the Relative Value Unit (RVU) set by Philhealth for specific medical cases; and d) Expenses for room and board for the duration of the confinement.  Excluded from the coverage of eHOPE are hospitalization expenses for cosmetic-related surgery confinement and self-inflicted injury and illness. The annual medical and physical examination for eligible employees are covered by the specific Constituent Unit policies. "
    },
    {
        "title": "5th President’s Toast: Pag-uulat at Pasasalamat ni Pangulong Alfredo E. Pascual – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/5th-presidents-toast-pag-uulat-at-pasasalamat-ni-pangulong-alfredo-e-pascual/",
        "html": "5th President’s Toast: Pag-uulat at Pasasalamat ni Pangulong Alfredo E. Pascual 5th President’s Toast: Pag-uulat at Pasasalamat ni Pangulong Alfredo E. Pascual February 1, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines President Alfredo E. Pascual will deliver his end of term report and express his gratitude to the members of the academic community at the 5th President’s Toast: Pag-uulat at Pasasalamat, on 9 February 2017, 9:00 a.m. at the Institute of Biology Auditorum, National Science Complex, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  As the venue has limited seating capacity, accommodation of guests will be on a first come, first served basis. It would be best to confirm your attendance ahead by calling the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs at 981-8500 loc. 2507 or the UP Center for Integrative Studies at 981-8500 loc. 4266 to 68.  Here’s the link to the event’s page: https://www.facebook.com/events/188097608337632/?ti=icl. "
    },
    {
        "title": "1st Gawad Oblation Awarding Ceremony to be held on 7 February – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/1st-gawad-oblation-awarding-ceremony-to-be-held-on-7-february/",
        "html": "1st Gawad Oblation Awarding Ceremony to be held on 7 February 1st Gawad Oblation Awarding Ceremony to be held on 7 February February 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines, through the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and the Office of Alumni Relations will hold the 1st Gawad Oblation Awarding Ceremony on 7 Febuary 2017, 6:00 p.m. at the UP Bonifacio Global City Auditorium, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.  Among the awardees for this year’s Gawad Oblation are: former Budget Secretary Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad, Representative and former UP Regent Pilar Juliana ‘Pia’ Cayetano, Senator Francis Joseph ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Senator Lorna Regina ‘Loren’ Legarda, former Senator Manuel ‘Manny’ Villar, Jr., former Public Works Secretary Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson, Davao City Third District Representative Isidro Ungab and Commission on Higher Education Chair and UP Regent Patricia Licuanan.  The full list of awardees will be made available during the ceremony.  Attire for the occasion will be business or smart casual. Invited guests are expected to be seated by 5:45 p.m.  For more information please contact: Michelle/ Juvy (632)929-8226 or (632) 981-8500, local numbers 4251 and 4252. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ceremony for the Turnover of the University of the Philippines Presidency – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ceremony-for-the-turnover-of-the-university-of-the-philippines-presidency/",
        "html": "Ceremony for the Turnover of the University of the Philippines Presidency Ceremony for the Turnover of the University of the Philippines Presidency February 1, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents invites the public to the Ceremony for the Turnover of the University of the Philippines Presidency from Alfredo E. Pascual, 20th President, to Danilo L. Concepcion, 21st President, on 10 February 2017, 8:00 a.m., at the Quezon Hall Lobby, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The attire for the occasion will be smart casual, with invited guests expected to be seated by 7:30 a.m.  For more information on the event, please contact Candy of the OSU at telephone number (632)433-1873. You can also send her a message via email address osu@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum No. PAEP 17-09: Additional Assignment of Research and Extension Fellows of the Resilience Institute – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-paep-17-09-additional-assignment-of-research-and-extension-fellows-of-the-resilience-institute/",
        "html": "Memorandum No. PAEP 17-09: Additional Assignment of Research and Extension Fellows of the Resilience Institute Memorandum No. PAEP 17-09: Additional Assignment of Research and Extension Fellows of the Resilience Institute February 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Background/Purpose  As you are aware through Memorandum No. PAEP 16-67 of 20 December 2016, the Board of Regents at its 1319th Meeting on 28 July 2016 established the new System-wide Resilience Institute at UP or Resilience lnstitute at the University of the Philippines for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.  The Resilience Institute shall have the following functions and programs concerning multi-hazard, multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral, comprehensive DRRM:  1) Research and Creative Work: undertake policy research, action research, and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research or creative work; 2) Knowledge Sharing: disseminate research findings, creative works and innovations; 3) Education: establish non-degree educational programs and support degree programs within the UP System; 4) Institution Building: improve the capability of the UP System as an agent of change [for…] disaster resilience in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim region.  Detailed documents about the establishment of the Rl at UP were earlier circulated and may be downloaded from the UP System webpage.  Fellows and Junior Fellows  Professor Benito M. Pacheco of the Institute of Civil Engineering of UP Diliman has been appointed by the BOR as the first Executive Director. Through his report I am very glad to learn that to this date nearly 100 faculty members from all the 8 CUs of UP had send their individual Expressions of Interest to receive appointments in additional assignment basis as Research and Extension Fellow or Research and Extension Junior Fellow without additional compensation.  To further hasten the process of self-organization of the Resilience Institute human resource pool for the period February-July 2017, I enjoin all interested regular faculty members (regular full time and, in some cases of a few CUs, regular part time) to accomplish and submit online the Resilience Institute at UP for DRRM Form 101-EOI, on or before Tuesday, 7 February 2017. The online form is available at the following URL: https://goo.gl/forms/4Ig2oBpbsBILTFtR2  For the initial appointment in February-July 2017, no Research Load Credits will be assigned yet. Instead, a Fellow or Junior Fellow may receive funding and logistical support according to the budget of the start-up project where s/he is engaged (e.g., honoraria commensurate and applicable to the involvement of the Fellow or Junior Fellow). Appointments shall be renewable annually, ideally coinciding with the academic year, e.g. August 2017 -July 2018.  Instructors, non-regular faculty and alumni who likewise send their expression of interest shall be invited by the Resilience Institute in a special involvement.  Guidelines for Research & Extension Fellows and Junior Fellows, attached to Memorandum No. PAEP 16-67 of 20 December 2016, shall apply.  III. Organization, 5-Year plan, Programs and projects  Subsequently we shall search for CU Coordinators, Theme Coordinators, Financial Coordinator, Program Managers, Project Managers, and Project Leaders for the Resilience Institute. Start-up projects shall be invited from among the Fellows and Junior Fellows. A workshop among Fellows and Junior Fellows shall be organized soon for the crafting of 5-Year Plan.  Budget, initial plans and the initial roster of Fellows and Junior Fellows shall be announced at a joint event at the Institute of Biology, College of Science, UP Diliman on Thursday, 9 February at 9AM-12NN.  Other inquiries may be addressed to: resilience.institute@up.edu.ph  Alfredo E. Pascual President "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-anti-sexual-harassment-code/",
        "html": "UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code March 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Approved by the UP Board of Regents on its 1324th Meeting, 26 January 2017  Pursuant to its powers vested by law, the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines System hereby promulgates this Anti-Sexual Harassment Code within the jurisdiction of the University of the Philippines.  Section 1. Declaration of Policy. – The University values and upholds the dignity of every individual, and guarantees the full respect for human rights of all members of the UP community.  All forms of sexual harassment are unacceptable.  To this end, the University shall maintain an enabling, gender-fair, safe and healthy learning and working environment for the members of the UP community.  Section 2. Policy Standards and Guidelines on Sexual Harassment. – In furtherance of the Declaration of Policy in Section 1 hereof, the following standards and guidelines shall be observed by the University:  (a) This Code shall apply to all teaching and non-teaching personnel, and students of the University.  (b) Sexual harassment is a reprehensible conduct which subverts the mission of the University and undermines the dignity of the members of the UP community. The University shall undertake measures to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment.  (c) All reported incidents or cases of sexual harassment, including incidents between member/s of the UP community and partner entities, shall be appropriately acted upon by the University.  (d) The University shall provide appropriate services to parties to sexual harassment cases.  (e) Retaliation, in any form, against persons directly or indirectly involved in any incident report or case involving sexual harassment, shall be a ground for disciplinary action.  Section 3. Coverage. – This Code applies to all members of the UP community.  The “UP community” refers to persons, natural or juridical, inclusive of teaching and non-teaching personnel, and students as defined herein.  (a) “Teaching personnel” – any member of the teaching staff of the University, regardless of academic rank or status of appointment, including any person with teaching responsibilities.  (b) “Non-teaching personnel” – any person who works for the University, not included in the teaching staff regardless of status of appointment.  (c) “Student”– any individual admitted and registered in any program of the University on a regular or part-time basis, including one who is officially on leave of absence and who has not yet been separated from the University formally through either transfer, graduation, honorable or dishonorable dismissal, expulsion or expiration of the period allowed for maximum residence, at the time of the commission of the act of sexual harassment, regardless of whether or not he/she is enrolled in any unit of the University at the time of the filing of the charge or during the pendency of the disciplinary proceedings, including any person undertaking on-the-job training.  (d) “Other UP workers”– refers to non-UP contractual and job order workers, who are under a contractual teaching and non-teaching arrangement, including, but not limited to coach, mentor, trainer, consultant.  (e) “UP organizations” – refers to organizations or groups registered or recognized by the University or any of its offices/units.  Section 4. Definitions. – As used in this Code –  (a) Academic activity – any activity that involves academics such as, but not limited to, classes, tutorials, seminars, workshops, conferences, lectures, examinations, fieldwork, externships/internships, on-the-job trainings, for the fulfillment of academic requirements and others.  (b) Academic unit – all units such as but not limited to College, School, Institute, Center or Program.  (c) Academic year – as determined by the University.  (d) Admonition/Reprimand – a written or oral, formal reproof.  (e) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) – any process to amicably resolve a case by which the dispute is resolved by the parties themselves with the assistance of a neutral third party, which includes mediation and conciliation.  (f) Apology – a signed written expression of contrition or remorse for wrong done, accepted by the University and by the private complainant.  (g) Community service – any rehabilitative activity, as provided by the University designed to provide for the public good in keeping with the overall goals of the community, and agreed upon by the University and the respondent/s; Provided, that it should not displace regular employees, supplant employment opportunities ordinarily available, or impair contracts for services.  (h) Constituent University (CU) – The University is composed of its 
existing Constituent Universities, as follows: University of the Philippines Diliman; University of the Philippines Manila; University of the Philippines Los Baños; University of the Philippines Visayas; University of the Philippines Mindanao; University of the Philippines 
Baguio; University of the Philippines Open University; and those that may be created in the future.  (i) Expulsion – permanent disqualification from attendance in the University.  (j) Hearing – an opportunity for the parties to be heard. The hearing is not a trial-type hearing.  (k) Juridical person – refers to partnerships, corporations, cooperatives, and labor unions.  (l) Partner entity – refers to any private or public person, natural or juridical, with which the University has teaching, research, extension, and other service arrangements.  (m) Private complainant – the aggrieved person who files a complaint, or any person initially acting in his or her behalf. She/he shall be considered a complaining witness.  (n) Respondent – one against whom a Formal Charge is issued.  (o) Semester – academic period as determined by the University.  (p) University premises – the lands, buildings or facilities occupied or managed by the University.  (q) University System – all units and offices under the Office of the University President and Vice Presidents.  (r) Year, month, day – “year” is understood to be twelve calendar months; “month” of thirty days, unless it refers to a specific calendar month in which case it shall computed according to number of days the specific month contains; “day,” a day of 24 hours; and “night,” from sunset to sunrise.  Section 5. Sexual Harassment Defined. –  Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcome, uninvited behavior of a sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances or offensive remark about a person’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  It is an act, which may be committed physically, verbally, or visually with or without the use of information communication technology.  Sexual harassment may be a demand or request for a sexual favor by a person of authority, influence or moral ascendancy in exchange for appointments, grants, grades or favors, or set as terms and conditions for appointments, grants, grades or favors regardless of whether such act or series of acts are accepted by the offended party.  It may be committed inside UP premises; or outside UP premises in a work, education, research, extension, or related activity.  Sexual harassment under this Code may include, but is not limited to, cases involving abuse of authority or power, ascendancy, influence such as in a teacher-student, senior faculty-junior faculty, health worker-patient or healthcare provider-client relationship; cases involving peer relationships such as faculty-faculty, employee-employee, or student-student relations, or cases involving harassment of teaching or non-teaching personnel by students, or cases involving harassment of supervisors by subordinates.  This Code contemplates cases of harassment involving persons of the same or opposite sex, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.  Where the act/s of sexual harassment are shown to be organization-related or organization-based, the liability for sexual harassment shall extend to the officers of the organization, who are registered students during the commission of the offense, and the organization itself.  Section 6. Persons Liable. – Any member of the UP community is liable for sexual harassment when he/she:  (a) directly participates in the execution of any act of sexual harassment as defined by this Code;  (b) induces or directs another or others to commit sexual harassment as defined by this Code;  (c) cooperates in the commission of sexual harassment by another through an act without which the sexual harassment would not have been accomplished;  (d) cooperates in the commission of sexual harassment by another through previous or simultaneous acts;  (e) benefits from the commission of any act of sexual harassment;  (f) conceals or hides the commission of any act of sexual harassment; and  (g) restrains, or coerces the victim from filing the appropriate complaint.  Section 7. Classification of Acts. – Sexual harassment in relation to Section 5 is classified as light, less grave and grave offenses, as follows:  (a) Light Offenses shall include, but are not limited to:  1. surreptitious looking or stealing a look at a person’s private parts or underclothing; 2. malicious leering or ogling; 3. sexual flirtation or persistent unwanted attention with sexual overtones; 4. inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life and gender orientation; 5. communicating sexist/smutty remarks causing discomfort, embarrassment, offense, or insult to the receiver; 6. display of sexually-offensive pictures, materials, or graffiti; and 7. other analogous cases.  (b) Less Grave Offenses shall include, but are not limited to:  1. verbal and/or non-verbal abuse with sexual overtones, including but not limited to, offensive hand or body gestures; 2. derogatory or degrading remarks or innuendoes directed toward the opposite or one’s sex, sexual orientation or gender identity; 3. touching or brushing against a victim’s body; 4. pinching that does not fall under grave offenses; 5. sexual advances or propositions; and 6. other analogous cases.  (c) Grave Offenses shall include, but are not limited to:  1. touching or groping of private parts of the body such as the breast, genitalia, or buttocks; 2. forced kissing; 3. requesting sexual favor in exchange for employment, promotion, local or foreign travels, favorable working conditions or assignments, a passing grade, the granting of honors or scholarship, or the grant of benefits or payment of a stipend or allowance; 4. attempted or consummated unwanted sexual intercourse or torture of the person in a sexual manner; 5. and other analogous cases.  Section 8. Anti-Sexual Harassment Council. – An ASH Council shall be constituted in each of the constituent universities (CUs). The ASH Council shall be composed of:  (a) the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Vice Chancellor for Administration, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and other Vice-Chancellors, or equivalent officials;  (b) one representative each from the teaching and non-teaching personnel, and students, who shall be appointed by the Chancellor in consultation with their respective sectors, for a term of one academic year each; Provided, that the exclusive bargaining representative of the teaching and non-teaching personnel shall be accorded representation;  (c) the Director/Coordinator of the Women’s Studies Center/Gender Office; and  (d) the Coordinator of the OASH, who shall be a non-voting member.  The Council shall be headed by a Vice Chancellor who will serve as Chairperson on a rotating basis with the other Vice Chancellors.  The ASH Council shall be responsible for the following:  (a) serve as the oversight committee of the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment (OASH);  (b) determine whether a prima facie case of sexual harassment exists before giving due course to the complaint;  (c) recommend the constitution of Hearing Committees to hear and resolve cases with members drawn from a pool of nominees; and,  (d) perform such other tasks that the Chancellor will assign or delegate.  Section 9. Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment. – Each constituent university shall have an Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment (OASH). The OASH shall be directly under the Office of the Chancellor. It shall be headed by a Coordinator.  (a) The Coordinator shall be appointed by the Chancellor to serve for a term of three (3) years, which may be renewed. He or she shall be the executive officer of the Office and shall be responsible for the efficient implementation of the decisions of the Office and of the Chancellor involving sexual harassment cases.  (b) The OASH shall:  1. design and implement a continuing program of activities and initiatives for the prevention of sexual harassment; 2. undertake information and educational activities to ensure that the University policy, rules, regulations, and procedures on anti-sexual harassment are disseminated and become part of academic culture; 3. formulate procedures of such nature as to elicit trust and confidence on the part of interested parties in resolving problems arising from cases or incidents of sexual harassment, including counseling and grievance management; 4. coordinate security and support measures to aggrieved parties or victims in sexual harassment cases; 5. serve as the secretariat of the ASH Council and Hearing Committees and act as custodian of records; 6. prepare and submit an annual report to the Chancellor of the University; 7. monitor the implementation of decisions/orders of the appropriate disciplining authority; and, 8. perform such other functions which this Code and the Chancellor may delegate.  Each constituent university shall henceforth set up its respective OASH, not later than one (1) year from effectivity of this Code. The existing organizational structure shall continue to discharge its respective functions pending the creation of an OASH and Gender Office/Center as separate and independent units in each constituent university.  Section 10. Anti-Sexual Harassment Hearing Pool. – The OASH shall constitute and maintain a pool of students, and teaching and non-teaching personnel with regular appointments from which shall be drawn the members of a Hearing Committee for every case where formal procedure is preferred or is deemed necessary.  The members of the pool shall undergo orientation on the nature of sexual harassment, and gender sensitivity.  Section 11. Procedures. – The University shall provide facilities for both informal and formal procedures for resolving cases or dealing with incidents of sexual harassment.  Informal procedure refers to University action other than the formal procedure outlined in Section 16. It may include alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, corrective measures, and provision of support services, such as counseling, providing information, issuance of an administrative protection order, alternate or temporary shelter, study or work immersion, wellness programs and wholesome rehabilitative measures, and such other appropriate support. Formal procedure refers to an administrative disciplinary proceeding initiated upon a sworn written complaint and, after investigation, involves the issuance of a Formal Charge, the conduct of summary hearing, the resolution of a case, and the imposition of the corrective measure, if any.  Incidents of sexual harassment dealt with in this manner will be documented to determine whether patterns of sexual harassment are present, and to come up with measures to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment.  Section 12. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). – As used in this Code, ADR is limited to conciliation and mediation. It may be resorted to only in one complaint of sexual harassment. Provided, that these three requisites occur: it is the first complaint against the person being complained of; the complaint is a light offense; the case is peer-to-peer. Furthermore, it is understood that the complaint against the respondent is the first complaint filed in any of the constituent universities.  Complaints settled through ADR shall at all times be with the assistance of the OASH.  Section 13. Support Services. – The OASH may, at any time, in either formal or informal procedure, coordinate with, refer to, and/or provide appropriate support services to both aggrieved party or person/complainants and persons complained of/respondents.  Support services may include but are not limited to: temporary shelter, medical and legal services, counseling, transportation, communication, safety and security measures, and laboratory procedures.  For this purpose, the OASH shall provide orientation/training to all those who are involved in providing support services to parties in the sexual harassment case.  Section 14. Right to Representation. – The University as complainant shall be represented by the Chancellor or President, as the case may be, or his/her designate.  The complaining witness and the respondent may be assisted by their respective counsels of choice, who are not connected with the University.  The role of counsel shall be limited to advice to his/her client.  Section 15. Where to File. – The report/complaint may be filed with the CU OASH where the incident was committed, or in the CU OASH selected by the aggrieved party, if parties involved are from different CUs.  Section 16. Procedures on the Determination of Sexual Harassment. –  (a) How Commenced. – Any sexual harassment committed may be reported orally or in writing, in English or Filipino, to the OASH by an aggrieved party, or by any person for the aggrieved party. No particular form is required for the report, but it must be in writing, signed by the aggrieved party or person, and notarized.  Deans/Directors/Heads of units who receive such report shall communicate the report to the OASH.  A report made orally, or thru a text message, or thru other non-written means, shall be reduced in writing by the OASH person-in-charge using a prescribed case in-take form and signed by the aggrieved party, or any person serving as the aggrieved party; Provided, that reports or statements in writing and other documents submitted shall be attached thereto.  A report filed by any member of the UP community against a non-member of the UP community with the University shall be dealt with similarly; Provided, that the report against the latter shall proceed in accordance with the terms of their engagement with the University.  A report filed against any member of the ASH Council and the OASH staff shall be referred to the Office of the Chancellor for investigation and appropriate action.  Reports/complaints involving UP System officials and employees shall be referred to the UP Diliman OASH for investigation and disposition.  A report filed against the Chancellor shall be referred to the Office of the President of the University for investigation and appropriate action.  A report filed against the President shall be referred to the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines for investigation and appropriate action.  (b) Interview. – A designated OASH case interviewer shall determine the particulars of the incident/s reported by asking specific questions to elicit details, record the answers and ensure that the record of the interview is attested to by the aggrieved party or person.  (c) Notices. – Within five (5) days from receipt of the report, the OASH shall serve a notice of the report upon the person complained of and his/her parent or guardian, if the student is below 18, with copies of all pertinent documents.  (d) Response to Report. – Within a period of five (5) days from receipt of the notice of the report, the person/s complained of shall submit to the OASH a written and notarized response, with a copy furnished the aggrieved party.  (e) Prima Facie Determination of Sexual Harassment. – Upon receipt of the response to the report or the expiration of the period for the submission thereof, whichever comes first, all pertinent documents shall be forwarded to the ASH Council for evaluation and determination whether or not a prima facie case for sexual harassment exists, and if there is basis for issuance of preventive suspension.  Sexual harassment is deemed to exist on the basis of the complaint when any of the following circumstances is alleged:  1. The sexual favor is demanded or requested as a condition in hiring, employment or reemployment or in granting favorable compensation or promotion or any other term, condition or privilege; or the refusal to grant the sexual favor results in limiting, segregating or classifying which would discriminate, diminish or deprive employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the person who is the object of sexual harassment;  2. It would impair the rights or privileges of the students, teaching and non-teaching personnel under the law, rules or regulations;  3. It would result in an intimidating, hostile or offensive employment or learning environment; it could force the offended party to give in to the unwanted, unwelcome, or uninvited behavior.  4. Committed against a student, trainee or one who is under the care, custody, supervision or advisorship of the offender, or one whose education, training, apprenticeship or tutorship is entrusted to the offender; or,  5. The sexual favor is deemed to be a condition to the giving of a passing grade, the granting of honors and scholarships, or the payment of a stipend, allowance or other benefits, privileges, or considerations.  At any time during this evaluation, the ASH Council may request the attendance of parties to answer questions, inform them of the opportunity to resolve the complaint through an informal procedure, and employ such other measures as it may deem relevant in the evaluation of the complaint. The ASH Council shall ensure the voluntariness and readiness of the parties opting for either the informal or formal procedure.  The ASH Council shall submit to the Chancellor or President, as the case may be, its report and recommendation/s, notwithstanding any withdrawal of the report made by the aggrieved party, within thirty (30) days from receipt of the response to report/complaint.  Section 17. Issuance of Formal Charge. – After finding a prima facie case, the Chancellor or President, as the case may be, shall issue a Formal Charge against any or all of the respondents within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the OASH report and recommendation/s.  The Formal Charge shall state the name, age, civil status, citizenship and relationship with the University of the person complained of; the acts or omissions constituting sexual harassment; the name, age, civil status, citizenship and relationship with the University of the offended person/s; the approximate date, time, place and circumstances constituting the elements of the report/complaint.  Formal Charge may include preventive suspension, including its scope, and protection order.  Filing of complaints may be done digitally subject to compliance of requirements provided in this Section.  Section 18. Preventive Suspension. – Upon the recommendation of the ASH Council, the Chancellor or President, as the case may be, may suspend any student, teaching or non-teaching personnel for a non-extendible period of not more than ninety (90) days from issuance of Formal Charge; Provided, that no suspension shall be beyond the maximum imposable penalty.  An order of preventive suspension may be issued to temporarily remove the respondent from the scene of the complained incident and to preclude the possibility of his/her exerting undue influence or pressure on the witnesses against him/her or destroying, tampering, hiding or suppressing evidence.  A respondent under preventive suspension shall be prohibited from any or all of the following:  (a) attending classes and academic activities/rendering work;  (b) entering UP academic/office/service buildings and their premises;  (c) using UP campus facilities, including but not limited to, athletic facilities, libraries, and computer laboratories; except dormitories for dormitory residents, health service, houses of worship, police station, resource generation areas, residences, and others as may be recommended by the ASH Council;  (d) participating in UP activities within university premises;  (e) holding student/office jobs; and,  (f) enjoying IT privileges as defined by the current policies on IT uses and resources of the University, except online enrolment.  The preventive suspension may include other conditions set by the Chancellor or the Dean or President, as the case may be.  Section 19. Protection Order. – The Chancellor or President, as the case may be, may issue a Protection Order, on his/her own initiative, or upon application by the complainant, or upon the recommendation of the ASH Council, or Hearing Committee for the purpose of preventing retaliatory acts or continuing acts of sexual harassment against the complainant and granting other necessary relief. The reliefs granted under a Protection Order serve the purpose of safeguarding the complainant from further harm, minimizing any disruption to her/his daily life, and facilitating her/his opportunity and ability to independently regain control over her/his life. The provisions of the Protection Order shall be enforced by the Head of the Academic Unit or Office that has authority over the respondent.  A Protection Order may be temporary or permanent. A Temporary Protection Order (TPO) may be issued for not more than ninety (90) days unless the charge is for a grave offense, in which case the TPO is issued for the duration of the proceedings. A Permanent Protection Order (PPO) may be issued as part of the corrective measures.  The Protection Order may include any, some or all of the following reliefs:  (a) prohibition of the respondent from threatening to commit or committing, personally or through another, any of the above acts prohibited in this Code;  (b) prohibition of the respondent from directly or indirectly harassing, annoying, discriminating or committing any other acts that tend to damage the reputation of the complainant;  (c) removal and exclusion of the respondent from the place of work or study of the complainant, if they are officemates or classmates, either temporarily or permanently for the purpose of protecting the complainant;  (d) directing the respondent to stay away from the complainant and to stay away from the residence, school, place of employment, or any specified place frequented by the complainant; and,  (e) provision of such other forms of relief as may be deemed necessary to protect and provide for the safety of the complainant; Provided, that the complainant consents to such relief.  Violation of the TPO/PPO shall be subject to immediate disciplinary action as recommended by the Hearing Committee to the Chancellor.  Section 20. ASH Hearing Committee. – Upon the issuance of a Formal Charge, the Chancellor or President, as the case may be, shall constitute a Hearing Committee of three (3) members drawn from a Hearing Pool, which shall be composed of the following:  (a) a Chairperson, who is a member of the teaching personnel;  (b) one (1) member representing the sector of the complainant; and,  (c) one (1) member representing the sector of the respondent.  The presence of the Chair and a member shall be sufficient to constitute a quorum. The concurrence of two (2) members shall be necessary for the submission of the Committee report and recommendation/s.  A member of a Hearing Committee shall serve until the final disposition, unless in the meantime, he or she has officially severed his/her relationship with the University, or for other compelling reasons as determined by the Chancellor. Any change in the membership composition of the Committee shall not prejudice the continuity of the proceedings or the final disposition of the case.  It shall be the duty of the members of the Hearing Committee to meet and convene promptly and expeditiously for the purpose of early disposition of the case.  Section 21. Formal Procedure under the ASH Hearing Committee. – All proceedings before the ASH Hearing Committee (Hearing Committee) shall be summary in nature and the Hearing Committee shall not be bound by technical rules of evidence. The parties and their witnesses, if any, shall submit affidavits subject to clarificatory questions by the Hearing Committee.  (a) Quorum. – The hearings and all other meetings of the Hearing Committee shall proceed when a majority of the members are present.  (b) Prohibited Pleadings. – The following requests are prohibited: 1. extension of time to file an answer; 2. dismissal of the complaint; 3. re-opening of a case; 4. demurrer to evidence; 5. postponements/cancellation of hearings; 6. reply/rejoinder; 7. intervention; and, 8. new proceedings on the same case.  (c) Summons. – Within five (5) days from its constitution, the Hearing Committee shall serve written summons to the respondent/s with a copy of the Formal Charge by registered mail or courier service, through the Dean/Head of Unit, or to the student-respondent’s parents or guardians.  (d) Answer. – Within seven (7) days from receipt of the summons and the Formal Charge, the respondent/s shall submit to the Hearing Committee an answer in writing or if he/she fails to submit an answer, his/her answer during the prima facie determination shall be considered as his/her answer.  (e) Preliminary Meeting. – The preliminary meeting shall be mandatory. The Hearing Committee shall set the preliminary meeting date not later than two (2) weeks after receipt of the respondent’s answer or after the expiration of the period within which the respondent should answer.  Failure of the private complainant to appear shall be a ground to dismiss the complaint.  Matters taken and agreed upon during the preliminary meeting shall be reduced in writing and attested to by the Hearing Committee, the University Representative and/or the private complainant, and the respondent. The preliminary meeting report shall be binding on the parties. The parties may also agree to submit the case for resolution during the preliminary meeting.  (f) Position Papers. – Within two (2) weeks from the preliminary meeting, the parties shall simultaneously file their respective position papers, attaching thereto the affidavits of their witnesses and/or documentary evidence, if any.  (g) Clarificatory Meeting. – At any time after the submission of the position papers, the Hearing Committee may call for clarificatory meetings.  (h) Report and Recommendation. – Within fifteen (15) days from the receipt of the position papers or the last clarificatory meeting, the Hearing Committee shall submit its report and recommendation/s to the Chancellor or President, as the case may be.  (i) Decision by the Chancellor. – Within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the Committee report and recommendation/s, the Chancellor shall render a decision.  The decision of the Chancellor shall be final and executory ten (10) days after receipt of the copy thereof by the parties; Provided, that in cases where the corrective measure is expulsion/dismissal, the same shall be automatically appealed to the Office of the President.  No motion for reconsideration is allowed.  (j) Appeal to the President. – The decision of the Chancellor may be appealed to the President within ten (10) days upon receipt of the decision.  In cases of automatic appeal, the records of the case shall be transmitted by the OASH to the President within five (5) days from receipt of the decision of the Chancellor.  The President shall decide the case within thirty (30) days upon receipt of the decision of the Chancellor.  No motion for reconsideration is allowed.  (k) Decision by the President in Cases Involving UP System Officials and Personnel. – Within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the Committee report and recommendation/s, the President shall render a decision.  The decision of the President shall be final and executory ten (10) days after receipt of the copy thereof by the parties; Provided, that in cases where the corrective measure is expulsion/dismissal, the same shall be automatically appealed to the Board of Regents.  No motion for reconsideration is allowed.  (l) Appeal to the Board of Regents. – The decision of the President is appealable to the Board of Regents (BOR) within ten (10) days upon receipt of the decision.  Only one motion for reconsideration is allowed.  Section 22. Corrective Measures. – The corrective measures for light, less grave, and grave offenses are as follows:  (a) For teaching or non-teaching personnel  1. For light offenses 1st offense – Reprimand or suspension for one (1) month and one (1) day to six (6) months 2nd offense – Fine or suspension for six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year 3rd offense – Dismissal  2. For less grave offenses 1st offense – Suspension for six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year 2nd offense – Dismissal  3. For grave offenses 1st offense – Dismissal  (b) For students  1. For light offenses 1st offense – Reprimand or community service not exceeding 30 hours 2nd offense – Suspension not exceeding one (1) semester 3rd offense – Expulsion  2. For less grave offenses 1st offense – Community service of 60 hours 2nd offense – Suspension for one (1) semester to one (1) year 3rd offense – Expulsion  3. For grave offenses 1st offense – Suspension for one (1) academic year to expulsion  (c) For other UP workers  They shall be proceeded against in accordance with the provisions of their contract with the University.  (d) For UP organizations  The corrective measures shall range from a minimum of suspension of privileges and recognition for one semester to a maximum of non-recognition as the gravity of the circumstances shall warrant.  In consonance with the transformative values of student discipline, the corrective measure of suspension for one semester or less may be converted and served for a like period in community service. Community service shall include a reasonable period for clinical counseling and rehabilitative measures.  Section 23. Additional Corrective Measures. – In addition to the imposable corrective measures, regardless of the number of times the offense is committed, the following corrective measures may be imposed within the period of service of the corrective measure. These include the following, but are not limited to:  (a) written or oral apology;  (b) counseling; and,  (c) attendance in appropriate or relevant trainings, seminars, and lectures, such as gender sensitivity trainings, or other such similar activities.  In determining whether corrective measures are appropriate or necessary, the following factors shall be taken into consideration:  (a) nature and circumstances of the act committed;  (b) frequency and severity of the act;  (c) personal circumstances of the person complained of/ respondent (e.g., age, maturity, position, or rank)  (d) safety of the parties or community; and,  (e) such other relevant factors.  These corrective measures may also be adopted in complaints submitted for disposition under the informal procedure.  Section 24. Alternative Circumstances. – In the determination of the corrective measures to be imposed, the following circumstances attendant to the commission of the act shall be considered as alternately mitigating or aggravating:  (a) physical illness;  (b) good faith;  (c) time and place of act;  (d) official position;  (e) subordinate;  (f) disclosure of confidential information;  (g) use of government property in the commission of the act;  (h) habituality;  (i) employment of means to commit or conceal the act;  (j) education; or,  (k) other analogous circumstances.  If the respondent is found guilty of two or more charges or counts, the corrective measures to be imposed should be that corresponding to the most serious charge or count and the rest shall be considered as aggravating circumstances.  Section 25. Prescriptive Period. – All complaints for sexual harassment shall be filed with the OASH within four (4) years from the commission of the act complained of.  Section 26. Institution of Separate Actions. – Nothing in this Code shall preclude the complainant from instituting a separate criminal or civil action.  Section 27. Confidentiality Clause. – All proceedings and records related to the case are strictly confidential. For purposes of dissemination of Decisions to pertinent University offices, only the dispositive portion shall be released.  Parties to the case as well as University personnel and students entrusted with duties and functions in connection with the implementation or enforcement of this Code, are enjoined from disclosing any matters related thereto and to respect the individual privacy of all parties during the pendency of the case.  Any person who violates the confidential nature of such records shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.  The identity of the complainant in the final decision released by the University shall, upon request of the complainant, be under an assumed name; Provided, however, that where the respondent is found not liable for the offense charged, the name shall also be under an assumed name.  Section 28. Responsible Officials. – The President and the Chancellors shall be directly responsible for the effective implementation of this Code.  Section 29. Protocols for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment. – The ASH Council shall formulate, disseminate and publish protocols for the prevention of sexual harassment upon consultation with the UP community. Academic units may formulate implementing guidelines applicable to their particular situation or context, subject to the review of the ASH Council.  An anti-sexual harassment protocol with contractors and concessionaires shall likewise be integrated in contracts entered with the University.  Section 30. Anti-Sexual Harassment Orientation and Clearance Requirement. – All members of the UP community shall undergo an orientation on anti-sexual harassment, once every three (3) years.  Anti-sexual harassment orientation and clearance shall henceforth be a component of student curriculum, personnel actions, such as hiring, tenure and promotion, and accreditation of service contractors, and partner entity engagements.  Section 31. Review. – The Chancellor shall call for the review of this Code or parts of it by members of the UP community, if none has been made in ten (10) years. Any member of the UP community, through the Chancellor, may propose amendments to the Board of Regents. The amendment, as approved by the BOR, shall take effect on the first day of the succeeding semester. The UP community may propose amendments to the Code.  Section 32. Repealing Clause. – This Code amends and supersedes the University’s Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995.  This also amends and supersedes all resolutions and issuances inconsistent with this Code.  The Chancellors are hereby directed to issue appropriate guidelines and issuances to implement this Code in their respective constituent universities.  Section 33. Effectivity. – This Code shall take effect seven (7) days from publication in the UP System official publication and website.  To download a copy of the UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code, please click here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission warn against Charter Change – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/members-of-the-1986-constitutional-commission-warn-against-charter-change/",
        "html": "Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission warn against Charter Change Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission warn against Charter Change March 1, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Matotokhang ba ang 1987 Constitution?”, the first of three forums under the 2018 Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series was held at the Benitez Theater of the College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City on February 23, 2018.  Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, namely Florangel Rosario Braid, Wilfrido Villacorta, Ponciano Bennagen, and Edmundo Garcia, discussed the process and context in which the 1987 Constitution was drafted, completed and ratified at the beginning of the Corazon Aquino administration. Forum panelists also explained why they were against the Rodrigo Duterte administration’s moves to modify the nation’s Charter.     Florangel Rosario Braid, one of the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, explains why she opposes Charter Change. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The forum was moderated by Professor Randy David.  To introduce the forum series launched in time for the commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of EDSA People Power, David said the forum “Matotokhang ba ang 1987 Constitution?” aimed to encourage discussions on the 1987 Constitution, the supreme law of the Philippines ratified soon after the downfall of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. He asked if the 1987 Constitution, through Charter Change, would also be discarded, just as the victims of killings under the Duterte administration have been.  Braid explained that when the Constitutional Commission started drafting the present Charter in 1986, they were able to integrate provisions on social justice which reflected the Filipino people’s aspirations and sought to prevent the injustices they experienced during the martial rule of Marcos. While recognizing the flaws in the 1987 Constitution, Braid said she opposed Charter Change because now was not the right time for it and the people were not prepared for federalism. She also warned of the possibility of Congress deleting or diluting many provisions pertaining to human rights and social justice.  Villacorta said that the outcome of Charter Change could not be predicted, but he favored revisions in a Constitution suited for the 21st century, which would make the fundamental law of the land responsive to widespread poverty, corruption, political dynasties, and other social realities.  Bennagen recounted the consultative processes undertaken by the Aquino administration and the 1986 Constitutional Commission immediately after the EDSA revolt. He added that the fate of the 1987 Constitution depended on the shifting balance of forces between the Duterte administration’s pro-federalism apparatuses vis-a-vis those whom he considered to embody the spirit of People Power today.     Edmundo Garcia, one of the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, and UP Professor Randy David, forum moderator, hold a copy of the 1987 Constitution. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Garcia explained that the 1987 Constitution could provide solutions to this nation’s problems. He said he opposed Charter Change or the drafting of a new constitution because the administration’s context and process, headed by people and politicians with vested interests, could not be trusted. He also called on the public to continue the heroic struggle, “with both wisdom and courage, by pushing back against the politics of hate and fear, by rediscovering a brave brand of politics, by speaking truth to power, by waging a just peace and not waging the wrong war.”  The second and third forums in this series will feature possible scenarios to be faced by the country’s judiciary and law enforcement agencies during the course of Charter Change and the shift toward a federal system of government. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the fire at the UP Shopping Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-fire-at-the-up-shopping-center/",
        "html": "Statement on the fire at the UP Shopping Center Statement on the fire at the UP Shopping Center March 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Barangay UP Campus and Brgy. Krus na Ligas, and nearby volunteers arrived to put out the fire, with UP officials to secure the scene. Firemen declared the fire was under control at around 8:54 a.m. (Photo by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     Dr. Michael L. Tan Chancellor, UP Diliman March 9, 2018     There was a fire yesterday at the UP Shopping Center (SC) that started around 7 am, with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declaring fire out at 8:54 am.     Thanks to the quick responses of the BFP, and UP Diliman’s security, maintenance and various service offices, there were no injuries or casualties.  The fire was kept within the SC even as our agencies secured a nearby dorm and shops, UP’s Accounting, Budget and Cash offices, and two banks.  People were evacuated and crowd control was fairly successful.     The damage was extensive, affecting 48 concessionaires providing the UP community with many essential services such as photocopying, food, groceries, and grooming, among others.  The SC was built in 1970, and had just been renovated last year.     As the BFP conducts an investigation into the cause of the fire, we are working to immediately relocate the concessionaires, especially those providing essential services.   An emergency meeting was convened that same morning with the deans, directors and the Student Council to find both short-term and long-term solutions to the problems.  The emphasis was on further strengthening disaster responses.  Student concerns around their books, term papers and theses being burned in the fire are being addressed.     Another meeting was held with the UP President, Danilo Concepcion, who assured full support for rehabilitation.     Administrators then met with all the concessionaires to work out relocation plans and to recover whatever can be salvaged.     UP Diliman grieves the loss of an iconic structure.  We will keep the public informed of new developments.  —  This post was originally published at https://upd.edu.ph/statement-on-the-fire-at-the-up-shopping-center/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Gender Guidelines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-gender-guidelines-2/",
        "html": "UP Gender Guidelines UP Gender Guidelines March 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Guidelines on Promoting Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in the University of the Philippines  Approved by the UP Board of Regents on its 1309th Meeting, 22 July 2015  PREAMBLE  WHEREAS, the University of the Philippines, hereinafter referred to as “the University”, upholds the principles of human rights and gender equality;  WHEREAS, the University upholds the 1987 Constitution which explicitly recognizes the role of women in nation building and the fundamental equality before the law of women and men, as well as the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710) and its implementing rules and regulations;  WHEREAS, the University seeks to ensure that the potentials of all persons, specifically those who are marginalized and socially excluded, are fully developed;  WHEREAS, the University condemns all forms of discrimination and violence that are obstacles to the full participation of women in economic, social, cultural, civil and political life of the University and the nation;  THEREFORE, the University commits to provide an intellectual, healthy, gender-friendly environment that promotes gender equality within the premises and jurisdiction of the University and shall adopt gender mainstreaming as a strategy to implement the Magna Carta of Women and strictly implement policies, guidelines, rules and procedures which are gender-responsive, gender-sensitive and culture-sensitive to the dynamics of interaction among all members of the academic community;  NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the powers vested in it, the Board of Regents of the University hereby promulgates the following Gender Guidelines promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality:  RULE I  GENERAL PROVISION  SECTION 1. Title. – This document shall be known and cited as the “Guidelines on Promoting Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in the University of the Philippines” or by the short name “U.P. Gender Guidelines.”  Sec. 2. Coverage. – The U.P. Gender Guidelines shall apply to any and all constituent universities, offices and units, existing or as may be established .  RULE II  DEFINITION OF TERMS  Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. – The following terms shall mean:  A. “Affirmative Action”* refers to a special measure undertaken as a policy action to accelerate the attainment of gender equality in all aspects of the University. Affirmative action should not result in unequal or separate standards and must be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.  B. “Audit of GAD Funds” refers to a comprehensive audit of the University policies, fund programs, projects and activities focusing on the area of gender and development to determine economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of interventions in addressing gender issues in the University.  C. “Constituent University” – The University is composed of its existing Constituent Universities, as follows: University of the Philippines Diliman; University of the Philippines Manila; University of the Philippines Los Baños; University of the Philippines Visayas; University of the Philippines Mindanao; University of the Philippines Baguio; University of the Philippines Open University; and those that may be created in the future.  D. “Culture-sensitive” is the state of knowing that cultural differences as well as similarities exist, without assigning values, i.e. better or worse, right or wrong, to those cultural differences.  E. “Employee” refers to any person who holds an official appointment or designation in any academic or administrative unit of the University and includes any person who is working in the University as casual or contractual personnel and does not have an employee-employer relationship with the University.  F. “Gender” refers to the socially constructed or determined differences between men and women such as roles, attitudes, behaviors and values. The term “gender” is not interchangeable with the term “sex”, which refers exclusively to the biological differences between men and women. They are learned through the socialization process. These differences determine what is considered appropriate for members of each sex. They are context-specific and can be modified. Other variables, such as ethnicity, class, age and ability intersect with gender differences.  G. “Gender and Development (GAD)” refers to the development perspective and process that is participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, and supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in development choices; seeks to transform society’s social, economic, and political structures and questions the validity of the gender roles ascribed to women and men; contends that people are active agents of development and not just passive recipients of development assistance; and stresses the need for women and other marginalized sectors to organize themselves and participate in political processes to strengthen their legal rights.  H. “Gender Audit” refers to a form of “social audit” or “quality audit” which determines whether the organization’s internal practices and related support systems for gender mainstreaming are effective, are reinforcing each other and are being followed. This tool or process assists organizations in establishing a baseline, identifying critical gaps and challenges, and recommending ways of addressing them.  I. “Gender-awareness” is the ability to identify problems arising from gender inequality and discrimination, even if these are not evident on the surface and are “hidden,” or are not part of the general and commonly accepted explanation of what and where the problem lies. Gender awareness means a high level of gender conscientization.  J. “Gender Discrimination” refers to any gender-based distinction, exclusion, or restriction, which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by any person, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.  It includes any act or omission, including by policy, administrative measure, or practice, that directly or indirectly excludes or restricts anyone, on the basis of gender identity, sex or sexual orientation in the recognition and promotion of their rights and their access to and enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges.  Provided, that a measure or practice of general application is gender discrimination if it fails to provide for mechanisms to offset or address sex or gender-based disadvantages or limitations, as a result of which concerned persons are denied or restricted in the recognition and protection of their rights and in their access to and enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges; or any person is shown to have suffered the greater adverse effects of those measures or practices.  Provided, finally, that discrimination compounded by or intersecting with other grounds, status, or condition, such as ethnicity, age, poverty, or religion shall be considered gender-based discrimination under the U.P. Gender Guidelines.  K. “Gender Equality” refers to the principle asserting the equality of everyone regardless of gender and their right to enjoy equal conditions realizing their full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of development and with the State recognizing that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights.  L. “Gender Equity” refers to the policies, instruments, programs, services, and actions that address unequal gender relations in society by providing preferential treatment and affirmative action as appropriate.  M. “Gender-Fair” or “Gender-Neutral” or “Gender-Friendly” refers to policies, rules and regulations that are applicable to gender; having equal impact on all, giving each person equal access to resources and benefits of a development initiative. In language, it refers to gender-inclusive pronouns that neither reveal nor imply the gender or the sex of a person. These policies may or may not result in gender-fair or gender-friendly outcomes.  N. “Gender Mainstreaming” refers to the strategy for making the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs in all social, political, civil, and economic spheres so that every person, regardless of gender, benefits equally and that inequality is not perpetuated. It is the process of assessing the implications of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas and at all levels so that these contribute to achieving gender equity and equality.  O. “Gender-based Violence” refers to an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will, and that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between males and females. While women and girls are the primary victims of gender-based violence because of their subordinate status vis-a-vis men and boys worldwide, men and boys may be victims of violence that is based on socially determined roles, expectations and behaviors linked to ideas about masculinity. Gender-based Violence may also constitute acts, which impair or nullify the enjoyment of any person of human rights and fundamental freedoms under general international law or under human rights conventions. These rights and freedoms include:  1. The right to life; 2. The right not to be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; 3. The right to equal protection according to humanitarian norms in time of international or internal armed conflict; 4. The right to liberty and security of person; 5. The right to equal protection under the law; 6. The right to equality in the family; 7. The right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health; and, 8. The right to just and favorable conditions of work.  P. “Gender-responsive” refers to giving consistent and systematic attention to the differences between women and men in society with the view to addressing structural constraints to gender equality.  Q. “Gender-responsive Budgeting” refers to government planning, programming and budgeting that contributes to the advancement of gender equality and fulfillment of women’s rights. It entails identifying and reflecting needed interventions to address gender gaps in University policies plans and budgets.  R. “Gender-sensitive” refers to the ability to recognize gender issues and to recognize women’s different perceptions and interests arising from their different social position and gender roles.  S. “Gross monthly compensation” refers to the monthly basic pay plus mandatory allowances fixed by law.  T. “Gynecological disorders” refers to disorders that would require surgical procedures such as, but not limited to, dilatation and curettage and those involving female reproductive organs such as the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, breast, adnexa and pelvic floor, including hysterectomy, ovariectomy and mastectomy.  U. “Marginalization” refers to a condition where a group is excluded from useful and meaningful participation in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the University.  V. “Marginalized” refers to the basic, disadvantaged, or vulnerable persons or groups in the university. These include, but are not limited to, women in the following sectors and groups:  1. “Children” refers to those who are below eighteen (18) years of age or over but are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition.  2. “Indigenous Peoples” refers to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by other, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally-bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed customs, tradition, and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social, and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and culture, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. They shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains as defined under Section 3 (h), Chapter II of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.”  3. “Moro” refers to native peoples who have historically inhabited Mindanao, Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely of the Islamic faith.  4. “Persons with Disabilities” refers to those who are suffering from restriction or different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, or sensory impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being, as defined in Republic Act No. 7277 as amended by Republic Act No. 9442, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.”  5. “Senior Citizens” refers to those sixty (60) years of age and above.  6. “Solo Parents” refers to those who fall under the category of a solo parent defined under Republic Act No. 8972, otherwise known as the “Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000.”  W. “Medical Ethics” refers to a set of biomedical norms that abide by the principles of autonomy or respect for persons, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence. In order to affirm autonomy, every effort must be made to discuss treatment preferences with patients and to document them in the patients’ charts. The principle of beneficence requires service providers, other things being equal, to do good or what will further the patient’s interest. The principle of non-maleficence requires service providers, other things being equal, to avoid harm to the patient, or what would be against the patient’s interests. Justice is the principle that requires distribution of goods and services, including medical goods and services, and considers the following criteria: likelihood to benefit the patient, urgency of need, change in quality of life, and duration of benefit. As used in these Rules and Regulations, the term ethical shall relate to the foregoing definition.  X. “Minimum Initial Service Package for Reproductive Health (MISP)” refers to a set of priority activities to be implemented during the onset of emergencies due to conflict situations or natural disasters, including when refugee camps are being established. These priority activities include the following:  1. Provision of reproductive health services;  2. Implementation by appropriately trained health service providers, which include a coordinator for reproductive health;  3. Development of guidelines and training materials on the implementation of selected interventions; and  4. Availability of essential drugs, basic equipment and supplies based on the recommended standards of the Department of Health (DOH). The aim of the MISP is to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with reproductive health issues during crisis situations, particularly among women.  Y. “Sexuality” is a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices, roles and relationships. While sexuality can include all these dimensions, not all of them are always experienced or expressed. Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical and religious and spiritual factors.  Z. “Social Inclusion” refers to policies, programs, and mechanisms that ensure individuals’ access to essential elements related with their wellbeing and the development of their capabilities and functionalities. Broadly speaking, social inclusion represents people’s capabilities to exercise their human rights and a set of civil liberties that enable them to participate in society and to reinforce their individual and collective identity.  In an inclusive society, every individual has an active role to play. Such a society is based on fundamental values of fairness, equality, social justice, and human rights and freedoms, as well as on the principles of tolerance and embracing diversity. It also incorporates mechanisms that enable the constituents to participate in decisions that affect their lives and ultimately, their common future.  AA. “Social Protection” refers to policies and programs that seek to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized sectors; to recognize and protect the basic rights of all employees to a living wage, security of tenure, career development, and humane working conditions; to protect against hazards and sudden loss of income, and to improve people’s capacity to manage risks.  BB. “Special Leave Benefits for Women” refers to a female employee’s leave entitlement of two (2) months with full pay from the University based on her gross monthly compensation following surgery caused by gynecological disorders, provided that she has rendered continuous aggregate employment service of at least six (6) months for the last 12 months.  CC. “Student” refers to any person (1) admitted and registered in a degree or non-degree program, or cross-registered in any course of the University on a regular or part-time basis, including those who are officially on leave of absence; (2) admitted and registered in the UP administered primary and secondary schools and those enrolled in the University supervised daycare centers; and (3) who has not yet been separated from the University formally through either transfer, graduation, honorable or dishonorable dismissal or expulsion or expiration of the period allowed for maximum residence, regardless of whether or not he or she is enrolled in any unit of the University.  DD. “Substantive Equality” refers to the full and equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms contemplated under the U.P. Gender Guidelines. It encompasses de jure and de facto equality and also equality in outcomes.  EE. “Temporary Special Measures” refers to executive, administrative, and regulatory instruments, policies, and practices aimed at accelerating de facto gender equality. These measures shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail, as a consequence, the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. They shall be discontinued when their objectives have been achieved.  FF. “University System-wide units” refers to all units and offices under the Office of the UP President and Vice Presidents, and such other units and offices that may be created in the future.  GG. “Violence Against Women (VAW)” refers to any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private. It shall be understood to encompass, but not limited to, the following:  1. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and intimidation occurring in a work-related or education-related environment; and  2. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring in a work-related or education-related environment perpetrated or condoned by the University System whether directly or indirectly. It also includes acts of violence against women as defined in Republic Acts No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act of 2003 and 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.  Under the U.P. Gender Guidelines, this term is seen and defined herein as a special category of “gender-based violence”.  HH. “Women’s Empowerment” refers to the provision, availability, and accessibility of opportunities, services, and observance of human rights which enable women to actively participate and contribute to the political, economic, social, and cultural development towards academic excellence, as well as those which shall provide them equal access to promotion, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants.  II. “Women/Gender Center/Office” refers to the office, program, or committee organized in each Constituent University that functions, among other matters, to (1) create and sharpen awareness of women and gender-related issues; (2) encourage and strengthen teaching, research, extension, and advocacy programs on gender and for gender equality; (3) vitalize Women’s and Gender Studies multi- and interdisciplinary programs; (4) initiate the integration of gender concepts into academic curricula; and (5) promote incentives for the recognition of the achievements and contributions of women and other marginalized sectors to national development and gender consciousness.  JJ. “Women in Special Circumstances” refers to women that may be in inherently unfavorable situations and are thus given special attention herein. For the purposes of these Guidelines, Women in Special Circumstances include:  1. Women affected by disasters, calamities and other crisis situations – refers to women of the university who are affected or victims of disasters, calamities, and other crisis situations.  2. Women in Sports – refers to women who are engaged in competitive and non-competitive sports representing the University, either as players or coaches, among others.  3. Women in arts and media – refers to women who are in the Arts (visual or performing arts) or Media (print, broadcasting, film, etc.), and whose engagements may range from performances, works, competitions and exhibitions within the University, to representing the University for such activities.  4. Women of Indigenous peoples – refers to women who have been identified as belonging in Indigenous groups as have been previously defined under “Marginalized”.  5. Women with disabilities – refers to women who are suffering from restriction or different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, or sensory impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.  6. Women in Sciences and Engineering, and those assigned to fieldwork – Women engaged in the field of Applied and Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Engineering, including, but not limited to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members and researchers, and are, due to the nature of their field, often engaged in fieldwork.  7. University Officials, faculty members, employees and students in Especially Difficult Situations – refers to victims and survivors of sexual and physical abuse, victims and survivors of rape and incest, and such other related circumstances, which may have incapacitated them functionally.  KK. “Women in University Police and in other Security services” refers to women employed in the University Police, Special Security Brigade, and private security agencies who are providing security to areas and properties from various forms of threat. It also includes women trainees in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.  RULE III  DUTIES RELATED TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN  The University, in general, and all individuals therein shall contribute to the recognition, respect, and promotion of gender equality.  Sec. 4. The University as the Primary Duty-Bearer. – The University shall not discriminate on the basis of gender; shall not violate human rights with the understanding that women’s rights are human rights; and shall work for the promotion and fulfillment of gender equality.  Sec. 5. Participation and Representation. – The University shall undertake affirmative action to accelerate the participation and equitable representation of women within the University. While the U.P. Gender Guidelines reiterate the emphasis on women under the Magna Carta of Women, the University recognizes that true democratization will require similar affirmative action for other marginalized sectors and that full gender equality cannot be achieved without full democratization.  A. Empowerment within the University – Within the next five (5) years, the number of women shall be increased in the ranks of decision makers, such as boards, committees, councils, and similar bodies, to achieve a gender balance. Increasing women’s opportunities and capacities to engage in decision-making within the University shall in no way be used to justify the underrepresentation of other marginalized sectors. Provided further, that no University Official shall be removed from office on account of achieving the gender balance.  B. National and International Bodies – The Guidelines shall ensure the equal opportunity and equal treatment of women and men, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, to represent the University at the national and international level and to participate in the work of national and international organizations.  C. Integration of Women in Campus Organizations – The University shall encourage the integration of women in leadership positions and internal policy-making structures, appointive and electoral nominating processes.  Sec. 6. Equal Treatment before the Law. – The University shall review and, when necessary, amend and/or repeal existing University Rules and Regulations that discriminate on the basis of gender, within one (1) year from the effectivity of the U.P. Gender Guidelines.  Sec. 7. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination in Education, Scholarships, and Training. – A. The University shall ensure that gender stereotypes and images in educational materials and curricula are adequately and appropriately revised. Gender-sensitive language shall be used at all times. Education and information programs on gender and development (GAD), peace and human rights for all University officials, faculty members, employees and students shall be pursued.  Within three (3) years from the adoption of the U.P. Gender Guidelines, all Constituent Universities and University System-wide units, working through the proper authorities and channels, but in close coordination of the various women’s/gender centers/offices, shall:  1. Develop and promote gender-sensitive curriculum: (a) Set minimum standards on gender sensitivity that will be integrated in the subjects/courses/training curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular for students and trainees; (b) Integrate the principles of gender equality in curricular offerings and pedagogical systems and strategies; (c) Ensure that all counseling and career education programs are gender responsive; (d) Adopt a comprehensive gender-fair or gender-neutral language policy.  2. Develop gender-fair instructional materials: (a) Review, revise and update programs, syllabi, textbooks and other instructional materials to ensure that gender biases and discrimination are adequately and appropriately revised; (b) Develop gender-responsive instruments for the evaluation of instructional materials and curricula, including criteria about gender concepts, values, and gender-fair language; and (c) Ensure that evaluators and personnel in-charge of instructional materials and curricula are knowledgeable on gender sensitivity, peace, human rights education, and use of gender-sensitive language.  3. Capacity Building Program – Implement a capacity building program on gender, peace and human rights education for their University officials, employees and students.  4. Fellowship, Scholarship, and Training programs – Develop policies to ensure that all academic and non-academic personnel, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, political, social, economic and religious status and affiliations have equal access to scholarships, fellowships and training programs. Guarantee fellowship, scholarship, and training programs for women and girls. Factors such as sex, creed, civil status, sexual orientation, political or religious affiliation or belief, ethnicity, disability, pregnancy, motherhood, lack of consent of husband or any other similar discriminatory condition, and age (other than the normal provisions relating to retirement) shall not be grounds for disqualification in the grant of scholarships.  B. Admission of Women – The University shall provide incentives to units that will undertake programs to attract women in traditionally male-dominated courses and skills training, provided that the University’s policies on admission are complied with.  C. Discriminatory Acts – Expulsion and non-readmission of women faculty due to pregnancy outside of marriage shall be prohibited. No unit of the University shall refuse admission to a female student solely on the account of her pregnancy outside of marriage during her term in school. For this purpose, each Constituent University shall ensure that:  1. Women University officials, faculty members, employees and students who become pregnant outside of marriage shall not be discriminated by reason thereof. They shall not be dismissed, separated from work, forced to go on leave, re-assigned or transferred. They shall have access to work already held with no diminution in rank, pay or status and shall be entitled to all benefits accorded by law and by the concerned learning institutions.  2. No female student shall be expelled, dismissed, suspended, refused or denied of admission, or forced to take a leave of absence from any UP academic unit solely on grounds of pregnancy outside marriage during her school term. When needed, students who are pregnant shall be accorded with a special leave of absence from school upon advice of the attending physician, and be given an opportunity to make up for missed classes and examinations.  3. Pregnant University officials, faculty members, employees and students shall be assisted through available support services while in the University.  D. Prevention of Violence; Support and Redress for Victims  1. Programs and policies, to prevent gender-based violence including violence against women (VAW) and other forms of gender-based violence, shall be developed. These shall include the review, revision or development of existing institutional mechanisms for complaints and redress in cases of rape, sexual harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence and discrimination, and provide assistance to students, faculty, or personnel who have been victims; and  2. Assistance for coordination with PNP, DOJ, CHR, DSWD, and the LGU shall be extended by the concerned unit in the University so that appropriate assistance is given to female officials, faculty members, employees and students who are victims of rape, sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.  3. All University officials, faculty members, employees and students involved in the protection and defense of women against gender-based violence, shall regularly undergo the mandatory orientation on gender-based violence and discrimination within one year from approval of the U.P. Gender Guidelines.  4. Informational materials on gender equality and VAW shall be distributed to all University officials, faculty members, employees and students on entry in the University.  Sec. 8. Right to Health. – A. Comprehensive Health Services – The University shall endeavor to provide all University officials, faculty members, employees and students comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and gender-responsive health services and programs.  Access to management, treatment, and intervention of physical and mental health problems shall be ensured.  To implement the provisions on comprehensive health services, the University, as appropriate and necessary, shall perform the following roles and functions:  1. Review and revise existing health programs, develop plans, policies, standards and gender guidelines in the implementation of said programs that are gender-responsive, gender-sensitive, rights-based and culture-sensitive;  2. Formulate standards and develop information, education, communication and advocacy strategies for the implementation of gender-responsive, gender-sensitive and culture-sensitive health programs; 3. Provide support in the development of innovative but gender-responsive, gender-sensitive and culture-sensitive projects, strategies, and approaches;  4. Establish network and coordination mechanisms with other stakeholders particularly NGOs, private and commercial sectors;  5. Provide technical assistance on the implementation of programs for women to all Constituent Universities and University System-wide units.  6. Develop and institutionalize a sex and gender-disaggregated report/ databank on health-related concerns.  7. In appropriate cases, provide facilities, such as breastfeeding areas, child-minding centers, gender-sensitive toilets and dressing rooms, and qualified and capable health service providers.  B. Comprehensive Health Information and Education – The University shall provide all University officials, faculty members, employees and students with appropriate, information and education on all the aspects of health.  Health education programs shall include:  1. Age-appropriate health and sexuality education taught by trained educators that are gender-responsive, gender-sensitive, rights-based and culture-sensitive;  2. Trainings for health service providers/educators towards gender responsiveness, gender sensitivity, culture sensitivity, non-discrimination and non-judgmental behaviors and attitudes; and  3. Centers to provide health and sexuality education and counseling.  Sec. 9. Right to Decent Work. – The University shall ensure decent work standards in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity.  The University shall:  1. Advance the right to decent work by promoting equal opportunities for employment and equal treatment, and strengthening social dialogue. To achieve this, the University shall facilitate adequate consultative mechanisms with workers and employers groups and organizations;  2. Ensure the provision of support services as protection from occupational and health hazards taking into account women’s maternal functions in accordance with standards established by DOLE, including but not limited to, the conduct of orientations and trainings, and provide available information, education and communication materials.  3. Work closely with both the employers and unions or worker representatives in promoting a safe and healthy workplace.  4. The University shall support the balancing of family obligations and work responsibilities by providing child-minding facilities, nursing/lactation breaks, flexible work arrangements, and anti-sexual harassment initiatives.  5. In the exercise of their labor rights, all workers are free to exercise their right to self-organization and are encouraged to form unions and join associations.  6. Moro and non-Moro Muslim and Indigenous employees shall be allowed to observe their cultural practices in the workplace provided that the University is notified by the applicant or employee about the cultural practice/s that she needs to observe and the cultural practice/s will neither hamper work efficiency of the employee nor be prejudicial to the operation of the workplace.  7. Give women the opportunity to benefit from skills training without discrimination and for that purpose: (1) Disseminate available training and scholarship programs; and (2) Maintain a database of workers who have availed of skills development and training.  RULE IV  WOMEN IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES  Sec. 10. Women in Special Circumstances. – A. Women Affected by Disasters, Calamities, and Other Crisis Situations – Women of the University have the right to protection and security in times of disasters, calamities, and other crisis situations affecting women in the University. The University shall provide assistance, allocation of resources, and early resettlement of women affected by calamity within the University and its jurisdiction. The services offered may include available psychological and health services. The University shall ensure their full protection from sexual exploitation and other sexual and gender-based violence committed against them. Responses to disaster situations shall include the provision of services.  For this purpose, the Constituent Universities shall ensure:  1. The development of a gender-responsive disaster management tool kit and training of all responsible agencies to prepare for disasters, mitigate the risks, to ensure a coordinated and gender-sensitive response in all stages of the emergency, and to coordinate timely, adequate and culturally appropriate provision of relief goods and services.  2. The disaster management response shall include measures to prevent sexual violence in evacuation centers and relocation sites that may be established. These include: (a) security and safety of women and children; (b) security patrols preferably by female security officers; (c) prohibition of alcohol, drugs and gambling, among others. The Constituent Universities shall actively involve women in the decision-making processes during the relief efforts.  B. Women in Sports – The University shall develop, establish, and strengthen programs for women in competitive and noncompetitive sports representing the University to achieve excellence, promote physical and social wellbeing, eliminate gender role stereotyping, and provide equal access to all benefits.  For this purpose, the University shall, within one (1) year from publication of the U.P. Gender Guidelines, establish and integrate affirmative action as a strategy to gender equality as a framework in planning and implementing their policies, budgets, programs, and activities relating to women in sports.  The University shall provide material and nonmaterial incentives to sports organizations for promoting, training, and preparing women for competitive and noncompetitive sports, especially in local and international events.  No sports event or tournament played within the University will offer or award a different sports prize, with respect to its amount or value, to women and men winners in the same sports category. This rule shall apply when the tournament, contest, race, match, event, or game is open to both sexes and is divided into male or female divisions.  The University shall ensure the safety and wellbeing of all women in sports, including trainees, reserve members, members, coaches, and mentors of sports teams, in all phases, by providing them comprehensive health and medical insurance coverage, as well as integrated medical, nutritional, and healthcare services.  In particular, the University shall endeavor to:  1. Train more female coaches for girls’ and women’s teams;  2. Conduct activities such as sports clinics and seminars for potential female leaders, coaches, and teachers at least once a year;  3. Provide equal incentives and awards for both men and women for any competition;  4. Provide equal opportunities for scholarships and travel grants for women leaders, coaches and athletes with adequate sport mechanism;  5. Provide sufficient funds to support women in sports;  6. Form more women’s teams in athletic leagues;  7. Collect sex-disaggregated data in sports.  The University shall, at the beginning of every school year, publish its total women-student population for the purpose of granting athletic scholarships. Each constituent unit shall ensure pro-rata representation of women in the athletic scholarship program based on the percentage of women in the whole student population.  C. Women in Arts and Media – The University shall develop, establish, and strengthen programs for women in arts and media to achieve excellence, promote physical and social wellbeing, eliminate gender role stereotyping, and provide equal access to all benefits.  For this purpose, the University shall, within one (1) year from publication of these, establish and integrate affirmative action as a strategy and gender equality as a framework in planning and implementing their policies, budgets, programs, and activities relating to women arts and media.  The University will provide material and nonmaterial incentives to arts and media organizations within the University for promoting, training, and preparing women for local and international arts and media events.  No art and media event will offer or award a different prize, with respect to its amount or value, to women and men winners in the same event category.  The University shall formulate policies and programs for the advancement of women in collaboration with government and non-government media-related organizations. It shall likewise endeavor to raise the consciousness of the University officials, faculty members, employees and students in recognizing the dignity of women and the role and contribution of women in the family, community, and the society through strategic use of art and media.  The dignity of women and their roles and contributions in all spheres of private and public life shall be promoted.  The malicious and unreasonable portrayal of women in a discriminatory, demeaning, and/or derogatory manner in art and media is not encouraged or condoned, unless the medium is utilized for educational purpose. The University shall not permit violence against women in any form and/or the violation of their human rights in art and media.  D. Women of Indigenous Peoples – The University shall recognize and respect the rights of Moro and indigenous women to practice, promote, protect, and preserve their own culture, traditions, and institutions and to consider these rights in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs in consultation with the sectors concerned to protect their rights to their indigenous knowledge systems and practices, and other manifestations of their cultures and ways of life. Provided, that these cultural systems and practices are not discriminatory to women. The University shall support social protection schemes created for the indigenous peoples.  E. Women with disabilities – The University shall support a social protection scheme consistent with benefits given by the University.  F. Women in Sciences, Engineering and other traditionally male-dominated disciplines and those assigned in fieldwork – The University shall develop, establish, and strengthen programs and activities that will eliminate gender stereotyping in the physical, geological, chemical and engineering sciences, and other traditionally male-dominated disciplines, taking into account the differential and gender effects of health hazards in the workplace and in fieldwork.  Sec. 11. Women in Especially Difficult Circumstances. – The University shall as far as practicable, deliver the necessary services and interventions to victims and survivors of sexual and physical abuse, victims and survivors of rape and incest, and such other related circumstances which have incapacitated them functionally. These services may include:  (a) Temporary and protective custody;  (b) Medical and dental services;  (c) Psychological evaluation;  (d) Counseling;  (e) Psychiatric evaluation;  (f) Legal services;  RULE V  INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS  Sec. 12. Gender Mainstreaming as a Strategy for Implementing the Magna Carta of Women. – Within two (2) years from the adoption of the U.P. Gender Guidelines and every three (3) years thereafter, the University shall review its gender mainstreaming in consultation with the University officials, faculty members, employees and students and modify the programs accordingly.  The University shall adopt gender mainstreaming to eliminate gender discrimination in its systems, structures, policies, programs, processes, and procedures.  A. Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation for GAD –  1. Development of GAD Plans and Programs. The University System and its Constituent Universities/Units shall formulate their annual GAD Plans, Programs and Budgets as follows:  (a) Conduct a gender audit, gender analysis, and review of age and sex-disaggregated data; (b) Following the conduct of a gender audit, gender analysis, and/or review of sex-disaggregated data, develop GAD Plans, Programs, and Budget to address gender gaps or issues faced by University officials, faculty members, employees and students. The U.P. Gender Guidelines, the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development (PPGD), the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), and the CEDAW, among others, shall serve as key documents to guide the identification of gender issues and the formulation of GAD Plans, Programs and Budget; and (c) Consult with the University officials, faculty members, employees and students to ensure the relevance of their GAD Plans and Programs. Where needed, temporary special measures shall be included in their plans.  2. Budgeting for GAD Plans and Programs  (a) The University President shall ensure that at least five percent (5%) of the total University budget appropriations shall correspond to activities supporting GAD Plans and Programs as well as other gender mainstreaming activities; (b) The University President shall ensure that five to thirty percent (5-30%) of funds received from foreign governments and multilateral agencies are in support of gender-responsive programs and projects. The GAD Budget may be allocated using any or a combination of the following:  i. As a separate GAD fund to support GAD-focused programs projects and activities; ii. As fund to support integrating gender perspectives in regular/flagship programs and projects; iii. As counterpart fund to support gender-responsive Official Development Assistance (ODA)-funded projects.  (c) The University President shall review the GAD Plans, Programs, and Budgets; (d) The University President through the UPCWGS shall consolidate all GAD annual reports and shall make recommendations for subsequent programs and projects, which recommendation shall be sent to the Constituent Universities and the University System-wide units for implementation.  3. Enhancement of Existing Implementing Tools/ Mechanisms.  (a) The University President shall ensure that all Constituent Universities and University System-wide offices adopt gender-responsive performance-based budgeting; (b) The Constituent Universities and the University System-wide units, in coordination with the University officials, faculty members, employees and students and other relevant offices shall develop gender audit tools and any other tools necessary for gender mainstreaming.  4. Mainstreaming Gender Perspective in University Plans. To move towards a more sustainable performance based planning and budgeting, Constituent Universities and the University System-wide units shall adhere to the U.P. Gender Guidelines in mainstreaming a gender perspective in their jurisdiction.  5. Monitoring and Evaluation of the Implementation of and Budget Utilization for GAD Plans and Programs. The University System, in consultation with Constituent Universities shall institute a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their GAD budget utilization.  B. GAD Authority.  1. University of the Philippines Center for Women and Gender Studies (UPCWGS). The University Center for Women Studies, which will be renamed as the “University of the Philippines Center for Women and Gender Studies”, shall address concerns and issues on women, gender, and sexuality in the University and in society, in consonance with the teaching, research and extension thrusts of the University.  The UPCWGS shall:  (a) Create and sharpen awareness of women and gender issues in the University as well as in the larger society; (b) Encourage and strengthen teaching, research, extension and advocacy programs on and for women and gender mainstreaming; (c) Strengthen and vitalize multi- and interdisciplinary programs in women and gender studies; (d) Initiate the integration of gender concepts in academic curricula; (e) Promote incentives for, and the recognition of, women’s achievements and contribution to national development and gender consciousness; and (f) Provide an organizational umbrella for System-wide activities in women and gender studies.  As the oversight body on women’s/gender concerns, the UPCWGS shall act as catalyst for gender mainstreaming, authority on women’s concerns, and lead advocate of women’s empowerment, gender equity, and gender equality.  2. The Director of UPCWGS. In recognition of the role of women, and in the spirit of promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality, the Director of UPCWGS may be invited to the regular meetings of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC).  The UPCWGS advises and recommends to the President on policies, programs and projects that will ensure the gender responsiveness of the university in all endeavors.  3. The Constituent University’s Women’s/ Gender Center or Office. The Women’s/Gender Center or Office of the Constituent Universities, under the Office of the Chancellor, shall act as the GAD Focal Point at the Constituent University level, with the following functions:  (a) Initiate gender mainstreaming activities. (b) Lead in ensuring that all offices have the capacity to effectively implement the U.P. Gender Guidelines through capacity-building activities on, among others, gender sensitivity and gender analysis. (c) Ensure that GAD Focal Points are appointed in all colleges, centers of learning and vital units of the Constituent University. (d) Provide technical assistance to all GAD Focal Points. (e) Monitor the implementation of the U.P. Gender Guidelines; (f) Monitor and evaluate the budget utilization for GAD Plans and Programs in coordination with the budget office; (g) Collate, review and make recommendations to the annual GAD Accomplishment Reports of the colleges and units and other GAD reports that may be required under the U.P. Gender Guidelines for submission to the Chancellor of the Constituent University.  In the same manner that the Director of the UPCWGS may be invited to the regular meetings of the PAC, the director/ coordinator of the Constituent Unit’s Women’s/ Gender Center or Office may be invited to the regular meetings of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council and/or Executive Committee.  The Constituent Unit director/ coordinator advises and recommends to the Chancellor on policies, programs and projects that will ensure the gender responsiveness of the university in all endeavors.  The Constituent University and University System-wide units shall submit to the President, through the Office of the Chancellor their GAD plan budget, at the beginning of the year, and their Accomplishment and Financial Reports at the end of each year;  To effectively and efficiently undertake and accomplish its functions, all Constituent Universities without the Women’s/ Gender Center or Office, within one (1) year from the adoption of the U.P. Gender Guidelines, shall ensure the Board of Regents’ approval of their structure and staffing patterns.  C. Creation and/or Strengthening of the GAD Focal Points (GFPs). The University President, the Chancellors of the Constituent Universities, and all Deans and heads of units in the Constituent Universities are de facto Gender Focal Points. They may however designate their respective alternates. These GAD Focal Points shall ensure the formulation, implementation and evaluation of the GAD plans, programs and activities and budget in their respective offices.  D. GAD Database. All Constituent Universities and the University System-wide units shall develop and maintain a GAD database containing GAD information to include gender statistics and age, sex and gender-disaggregated data that have been systematically produced/ gathered, regularly updated to serve as inputs or bases for planning, programming, and policy formulation. The University shall issue statistical policies on the generation of data support on gender issues and improve the system of collection and dissemination of gender statistics.  Sec. 13. Gender Mainstreaming.– Within two years from the adoption of the U.P. Gender Guidelines, and every three (3) years thereafter, the Constituent Universities and the University System-wide units shall review their gender mainstreaming strategy in consultation with key stakeholders and modify the program accordingly.  Sec. 14. Incentives and Awards.– There shall be established an incentives and awards system which shall be administered by the University for outstanding achievement and/or performance in upholding the rights of women and effective implementation of GAD programs and projects.  RULE VI  SANCTIONS  Sec. 15. Penalties. – Units within the University which, after having undergone due process, are found guilty of violating the provisions of these Guidelines, shall be subject to sanctions in accordance with University mechanisms, policies, rules and regulations. Additionally, the person directly responsible for the violation, as well as the head of the unit shall, after having undergone due process, also be held liable.  Moreover, individuals who, after having undergone due process, are found to have committed gender-based discrimination, violence or other offenses in the University shall be considered guilty of simple misconduct, disgraceful or immoral conduct, or conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, as each case may warrant and shall be subject to sanctions in accordance with existing University policies, rules and regulations.  Provided, that the University’s actions to address the violation shall not preclude the victim from filing criminal or civil charges against the violating individual/entity pursuant to other relevant laws. As such, the University shall also establish mechanisms for assisting the victim in filing of such actions.  RULE VII  FINAL PROVISIONS  Sec. 16. Separability Clause. – If for any reason, any part or provision of the U.P. Gender Guidelines shall be held invalid, other sections or provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.  Sec. 17. Effectivity. – The U.P. Gender Guidelines shall take effect as approved by the Board of Regents, fifteen (15) days after publication in the University’s Official Gazette.  List of Acronyms  BPFA – Beijing Platform for Action CEDAW – Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CHR – Commission on Human Rights CU – Constituent Unit DOH – Department of Health DOJ – Department of Justice DOLE – Department of Labor and Employment DSWD – Department of Social Welfare and Development GAD – Gender and Development GBV- Gender-Based Violence GFP – GAD Focal Point LGU – Local Government Unit MISP – Minimum Initial Service Package NGO – Non-Government Organization OASH – Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment OP – Office of the President PAC – President’s Advisory Council PNP – Philippine National Police PPGD – Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development UP or U.P. – University of the Philippines UPCWGS – University of the Philippines Center for Women and Gender Studies VAW – Violence Against Women  NOTES ON THE DEFINITION OF TERMS  The terms defined within the guidelines are sourced from the following relevant laws, rules and regulations, conventions and pertinent organizations: • RA 9710 gender “An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Women” • Implementing Rules and Regulation of RA 9710 • Philippine Commission on Women, Official Website • RA 9500, “An act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University” • United Nations Women Watch, Official Website • Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) • Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) • United Nations Millenium Development Goals • UNICEF, Official Website • Merriam Webster Dictionary • Black’s Law Dictionary • United National Statistical Commission, 1993 International Classification by Status in Employment’  To download a copy of these Guidelines, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "2nd and Last Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2nd-and-last-call-for-nominations-up-gawad-plaridel-2017/",
        "html": "2nd and Last Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 2nd and Last Call for Nominations: UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 March 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Deadline for Submission of Nominations is on March 22  The UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) is still accepting nominations for the annual UP Gawad Plaridel which recognizes Filipino media practitioners who have excelled in any of the media (print, radio, film, television, and new media) and have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service.   For 2017, the thirteenth UP Gawad Plaridel will be given to an outstanding Television Practitioner.   The award is named after Marcelo H. del Pilar (nom de plume, Plaridel), the selfless propagandist whose stewardship of the reformist newspaper La Solidaridad helped crystallize nationalist sentiments and ignite libertarian ideas in the 1890s. Like Plaridel, the awardee must believe in the vision of a Philippine society that is egalitarian, participative and progressive; and in media that are socially responsible, critical and vigilant, liberative and transformative, and free and independent.  Eligible for the awards are all living Filipino individuals who have excelled in the field of television as producer, director, scriptwriter, announcer, actor, sound designer, sound technician, reporter, news anchor, etc. Aside from their probity and integrity, these media practitioners must have produced a body of work that is marked by excellence and social relevance and must have achievements recognized nationally and/or internationally.   Individuals and institutions may nominate potential awardees.  Institutions include media corporations, professional media associations, media advocacy groups, educational institutions, cultural foundations, and NGOs.  Previous nominees may still be considered for this year’s award.  All current full-time faculty and staff of the UP CMC are disqualified from the nomination.  The deadline for submission of nominations is on 22 March 2017, 5:00 pm. The recipient of the UP Gawad Plaridel 2017 will be announced in April 2017.   The UP Gawad Plaridel will be given in August in commemoration of del Pilar’s birth anniversary. The awardee will receive the UP Gawad Plaridel trophy (designed by National Artist Napoleon Abueva) and will deliver the Plaridel Lecture addressing issues relevant to the state and practice of Philippine media.  The recipient will have a place of honor at all ceremonies and functions of the College.  The recipient’s portrait will be hung at the U.P. Gawad Plaridel Gallery located at the College lobby (Plaridel Hall, U.P. Diliman).  The Award Guidelines and Nomination Form are available at the UP CMC Website (http://masscomm.upd.edu.ph/up gawadplaridel2017) and at the UP CMC Office of Extension and External Relations (UP CMC-OEER), Room M-204 Plaridel Hall, UP DIliman, Quezon City. Interested parties may call (02) 981-8500 loc. 2668 or email upgawadplaridel@gmail.com for further inquiries. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Profs Named Hokkaido U Ambassadors – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-profs-named-hokkaido-u-ambassadors/",
        "html": "UP Profs Named Hokkaido U Ambassadors UP Profs Named Hokkaido U Ambassadors March 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Professors from the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University received their official appointments as Hokkaido University Ambassadors on 15 March 2017, 4:00 p.m. at the Executive House, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Former Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary and Retired UP Diliman Professor of Chemistry Amelia Peralta Guevara, DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) Acting Director and UP Diliman Electrical and Electronic Engineering Professor Joel S. Marciano, Jr., and De La Salle University Professor and Vice Dean of Science  Derrick Ethelbhert Yu were named Ambassadors of Hokkaido University. Meanwhile, UP Diliman Professor of Chemistry and former University Registrar Evangeline Cancio Amor was appointed Partner.  The Hokkaido University Ambassador and Partner System was established by the university in April 2016, as part of the university’s efforts to strengthen their research and international education activities with partner-institutions.  Previously, UP and Hokkaido University  collaborated with  DOST and Tohoku University in developing DIWATA-1, the first Philippine microsatellite, which was built to undertake scientific earth observation missions related to weather observation, environmental monitoring and disaster risk management.  DIWATA-1 was successfully released into orbit from the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on the International Space Station on April 27, 2016. The project has yielded several maps, which has been vital for the greater understanding of the changing coastlines and other topographical features of the country.  Hokkaido University Vice President, Institute for International Collaboration Executive Director and Professor Ichiro Uyeda and Faculty of Science Dean Koichiro Ishimori led the delegation from Japan. Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peňa and Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara represented DOST. They were welcomed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa and UP Diliman Science Dean Jose Maria P. Balmaceda. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: UP Korea Research Center Essay Contest – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-entries-up-korea-research-center-essay-contest/",
        "html": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: UP Korea Research Center Essay Contest CALL FOR ENTRIES: UP Korea Research Center Essay Contest March 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Win a Scholarship for Korean Language Class!  The UP Korea Research Center is organizing its 1st Korea Essay Contest in promoting better understanding of Korea among Filipino youths. It aims to inspire young Filipinos to showcase how two countries and people continue friendship in various social domains.  THEME: “What is the significance of Korean community in the Philippines to you?”  GUIDELINES  1. The contest is open to any Filipino college students who are currently enrolled 2. Entries must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be automatically disqualified. 3. Entries must be 1,000 – 1,250 words in English.  -They must be in MS Word (NOT PDF). -They must be in double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman text font with a one-inch margin on all sides of the page. -Authors whose entries contain references must cite them appropriately and must include a bibliography section at the end (*Bibliography will not be included in the overall word count).  4. Entries must be submitted together with a completed application form: download from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PIqws5HFz9IvZjbGnaGYlgOntkhjIGIOl9mMm8mX4OQ/edit?usp=sharing 5. Awarded essays will be published online. 6. UP KRC reserves the copyright to publish submitted essays. Once an essay is submitted, it will not be returned.  SUBMISSION DETAILS  When: May 20, 2017 (23:59 in Manila Standard Time) Where: Send your entry via email at pkrc@up.edu.ph with the subject line “SUBJECT: UP KRC 2017 Korea Essay Contest”  PRIZES  -Grand Prize: Scholarship for Extramural Korean Class (UP Department of Linguistics), KCC special gifts, Korean Travel Book -1st Prize: KCC special gifts, Korean Travel Book -2nd Prize: KCC special gifts, Korean Travel Book -3rd Prize: KCC special gifts, Korean Travel Book – Honorable Mention: Korean mug, Korean Travel Book  * All qualified finalists will be awarded a Certificate of Participation. * Grand Prize: 1) The slot will be for one Korean language module (30 hours) only; 2) The winner may avail of the slot for our 2017 Cycle 3 (Sept-Nov 2017), 2018 Cycle 1 (Jan-Mar 2018), or 2018 Cycle 2 (May-July 2018) only; 3) The winner may only avail of the offered Korean language Extramural Classes in any of the Cycles mentioned above. Should the winner’s Korean language proficiency/level be higher than the offered classes, s/he may give the slot to another person, provided that that person may enroll within the given period only.  INQUIRY Ms. Pamela Jacar Senior Office Associate, UP Korea Research Center 3F South Wing, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman (02) 981-8500 loc 2543 pkrc@up.edu.ph  Guidelines and application form for the contest may be downloaded here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Forum Public Service issue off the press – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-forum-public-service-issue-off-the-press/",
        "html": "UP Forum Public Service issue off the press UP Forum Public Service issue off the press March 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This is volume 18, number 1 of the quarterly UP Forum. This issue features public service programs of the University of the Philippines, particularly those conducted by its constituent units.  Also included are thoughts on public service programs in higher education from Camarines Sur Partido State University President Raul Bradecina, PhD and Pamantasang Lungsod ng Pasig President Amihan April Alcazar, PhD.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion’s Acceptance Speech at the Turnover Over Ceremony of the UP Presidency, which highlights ‘malasakit’ as a corner stone of his term, is also featured in this issue.        To download a copy of this issue, please click here.  For printed copies of the UP Forum, please visit:  University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office  2nd Floor, Math Building Annex, Institute of Mathematics  Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, University of the Philippines Diliman  Quezon City    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP DSCTA to hold speech, theater workshops – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-dscta-to-hold-speech-theater-workshops/",
        "html": "UP DSCTA to hold speech, theater workshops UP DSCTA to hold speech, theater workshops March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts (DSCTA) will conduct a summer speech and theater workshop for children, teenagers and professionals in May.  The workshop, which will be held for 20 hours, is part of the extramural programs of the UP DSCTA.  The basic speech workshop for kids (7 to 12 years old) and teens (13 to 17 years old) will cover confidence building, voice and diction, effective use of language in presentations, oral interpretation, and public speaking.  The speech workshop for adults and professionals will include basic grammar review, public speaking, confidence building, voice and diction, and essentials and effective use of language in presentations.  The theater workshop – which is open for seven to 18-year olds – includes voice, movement, acting, prop making, make-up and costume, and back stage and production work.  The speech workshops will be held from May 2 to 13 (weekdays), while the theater workshop will be held from May 3 to 24 (MWF) in UP Diliman.  Registration fee is at P5,000, with a ten percent early bird discount until March 31.  For reservations, please visit http://tinyurl.com/updsc taworkshops2017.  For inquiries, you may contact Mr. Lem Macadaan at 981 8500 local 2133 or at 0920 981 4663. You may also visit Palma Hall Pav 1 Room 1109. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP creates NOAH Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcements-3/",
        "html": "UP creates NOAH Center UP creates NOAH Center April 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines UP, by virtue of the  approval of the Board of Regents on Feb. 23 and an Executive Order from UP Pres. Danilo L. Concepcion, established the NOAH Center (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards – NOAH Center for climate actions and disaster risk reduction management) in UP on March 21.  The NOAH Center takes off from Project NOAH which began as a research program under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in 2012. In the past five years, the project harnessed technologies and management services for disaster risk reduction activities. These were  offered by DOST through PAGASA, PHILVOLCS, and the DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), in partnership with the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) and the UP College of Engineering. Having delivered its research results and after two extensions, this project under the DOST ended on Feb 28, 2017.  The University’s new NOAH Center will be attached to the Office of the President, with its main office at the UP NIGS in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The Center aims to “assist Filipinos in climate change actions and disaster risk reduction by providing timely, reliable and readily accessible data and information, such as hazard risk maps, as a basis for action by warning and response agencies against possible disasters that may occur from floods, typhoons and other natural hazards.”  The Center also aims to “support disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, and encourage public and private sector cooperation and partnership in the prevention and mitigation of disasters.”  Being a national scientific research center under UP, the NOAH Center will serve as a reliable and sustainable office tasked with generating “science-based information, models and applications useful for disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, resource management, water conservation and planning, land use and local planning, urban development, and engineering designs, and other similar mainstreaming actions, research, development and extension services.”  In addition to its goals of collaboration and partnerships with international and national or local entities or organizations through the UP System, the NOAH Center will also participate in the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council’s Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment system and provide information, technical assistance and capacity building to the Climate Change Commission. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcement-1/",
        "html": "Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya April 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   From a theater of division to a theater of peace and unity  After the conference “Seeing-Sounding Social Transformation in (the music of) Philippine Theaters” in 2013, co-organized by the UP College of Music (CMu) and the UP College of Mass Communication (CMC), CMu Dean Jose Buenconsejo and Dr. Amparo Adelina C. Umali of the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS) agreed to collaborate on a project that would revitalize the komedya.  They envisioned the project to be one that would adapt and revitalize the komedya and create a new play founded on its rich music and performance tradition. Moreover, it would aim to create a new komedya enhanced by the performance traditions of our Asian neighbors.  The production of Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya is one in the year-long series of events celebrating the UP CMu’s centennial year, which will be staged in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).  The script is the work of Enrique S. Villasis and Juan Ekis. Its dramaturgy is by Grace Jaramillo of the Komedya ng San Dionisio, and theater researcher Bryan Viray. While the UP Tugtugang Musika Aysatika (UP TUGMA) and the UP Dance Company are featured performers of the music and choreography, respectively. The komedya is directed by Amparo Adelina “Jina” Umali, with Angela Baguilat and Jeremy de la Cruz as co-directors, along with the music of Verne de la Peña.  De la Pena explained: “The inspiration for the music is grounded on the hybrid nature of the komedya, which is a European-Asian amalgam. The music still retains this hybridity, but one notable change is that the style has shifted towards a more Southeast Asian sound. It makes use of instruments and sounds typically used in Southeast Asian practice, such as the gong and drum ensemble. The latter includes the gamelan, gulintangan, and piphat, etc. but retains traces of the komedya brass band sonority by including woodwinds (flute, clarinet, and saxophone) and military drums (snare and bass drum). The banduria (plucked lute) was also added to reference lowland folk traditions. The ensemble is completed by a small chorus of women who play the role of celestial maidens in the story.”  The script, which is new material, is written in verses and follows the structured meter of the awit (12 syllables per line) and is delivered in the stylized manner of the dicho. The theme, however, moves away from the traditional depiction of the Moro-Christian conflict. It is based on the Maguindanao celestial maiden narrative, The Story about the Son of King Sulayman, which tells the story of Sulaymon (the son) and Putri Anak.  The play unfolds as a fictional story of two clans led by the leaders, Rajah Sulaymon and Sultan Magnaye, who are entangled in a love triangle with Putri Anak. A centuries-old territorial conflict has caused discord between the two clans. However, a far more threatening disaster is about to take place and this can only be addressed if the two warring clans unite their forces.  In terms of staging, the play retains the characteristic performance conventions of the komedya – the dicho, loa, marcha, pasadoble, sintahan, torneo, laban, and gran batalla — specifically those of the Komedya ng San Dionisio of Paranaque. It is enhanced by the introduction of movements inspired by Asian performance traditions, such as Bharata natyam, Tari Java (Javanese Dance), and martial arts sagayan, arnis, and pencak silat, to express a more Southeast Asian character.  This new play depicts the warring clans realizing that beyond conflict of belief, religion and territory, there are far greater local and global problems that need to be addressed, such as natural disasters that can only be resolved once the two forces unite and work together.  PutriI Anak, Isang Bagong Kmedya will be shown on April 9 at 3:00 pm and at 8:00 pm at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SIO is now MPRO – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sio-is-now-mpro/",
        "html": "SIO is now MPRO SIO is now MPRO April 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    At the 1326th UP Board of Regents (BOR) Meeting on 5 April 2017, the UP System Information Office (UP SIO) was renamed UP Media and Public Relations Office (UP MPRO).  The renaming accurately reflects UP MPRO’s functions and to reduce any possible confusion in the information functions of the Office of the Vice President for Development (OVPD) and the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs (OVPPA).  The BOR acknowledges that public appreciation of the word “information” has changed from “news” to “data”, which is more relevant to information technology and management information systems.  The OVPD oversees the Information Technology Development Center (ITDC), for which the University has designated a Chief Information Officer.  Media and Public Relations, on the other hand, precisely describes what the SIO does.  The renamed MPRO will continue to be a UP System office headed by a Director under the OVPPA. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academic meets artistic in first ASEANnale – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academic-meets-artistic-in-first-aseannale/",
        "html": "Academic meets artistic in first ASEANnale Academic meets artistic in first ASEANnale March 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The speakers at the ASEANnale opening ceremony: from left, UP President Danilo Concepcion, ASEAN Foundation Chair Elaine Tan, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN Elizabeth Buensuceso, ASEANnale 2018 Organizing Committee Chair Grace Javier Alfonso, and CHED OIC J. Prospero de Vera III (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The first ASEANnale was a powerful mix of scholarship and artistry, bringing together the 2nd International Symposium on ASEAN Studies (ISAS) and the 1st Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition from February 28 to March 2 at the Asian Center, UP Diliman. ASEANnale is a combination of “ASEAN” and “bienniale.”  With the overall theme of “Capturing the spirit of ASEAN in the Digital Times” focusing on diaspora, disasters, and democracy, the event was described by Organizing Committee Chair Grace Javier Alfonso as “a multimodal and multi-textual platform” where regional commonalities are brought together and diversity is reflected and respected.     UP Regent Spocky Farolan tries the interactive work of UP Diliman College of Mass Communication Prof. Melissa dela Merced (rightmost). With him are UP Regent Francis Laurel (in white) and UP Open University Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jean Saludadez (in maroon). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     During the opening program, messages were also delivered by UP President Danilo Concepcion, Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III of the Commission on Higher Education, and ASEAN Foundation Chair Elaine Tan. Concepcion said that the key to forming the ASEAN identity was interaction among peoples “on all fronts.” De Vera, meanwhile, lauded the organizers for choosing to discuss issues that bound together the citizens of ASEAN countries. And Tan emphasized the importance of connectivity: physical, institutional, and people-to-people linkages.  In her keynote address, Ambassador Elizabeth Buensuceso, permanent representative of the Philippines to ASEAN, revealed that the Philippines ranked among the lowest in awareness of the ASEAN in a 2016 survey. She said it should serve as “a clarion call for us to double or triple our efforts to make ASEAN known.”     The audience listens to Ambassador Elizabeth Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apart from the opening ceremony, the first day also featured, a Directors’ Forum with Baby Ruth Villarama Gutierrez and Nick Deocampo, plenary and parallel sessions on diaspora, and film and multimedia screenings, and the opening of an exhibit. The second day saw discussions on democracy and disasters in plenary and parallel sessions, in addition to continued film and multimedia screenings.  In all, the first ASEANnale had more than ten main speakers, over 40 paper presentations, and around 40 screened films and multimedia works.     The 2nd ISAS Best Paper winner and the honorable mentions (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The event closed with: the presentation of the ASEANnale Distinguished Award for Higher Education to Dr. M. Atwi Suparman of Universitas Terbuka Indonesia Open University; the recognition of the best paper in the 2nd ISAS; and, the announcement of winners in the Film and Multimedia Competition.  Wendell Glenn Cagape of Centro Escolar University won Best Paper for “Finding Foucault in the Rohingya Discourses”. Three were given honorable mention: Jim Duran of Far Eastern University for “Examining the Philippines’ State in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: A Competition of Old and New Financial Players”; Mark Lester Chico and Benjamina Paula Flor of UP Los Baños for “Community Media for Climate Change Resilience in Southeast Asia: Experiences of Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines”; and Danilo Santos Cortez Jr. of UP Diliman for “Understanding the Socio-cultural Lynchpin of ASEAN Regional Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in Philippine Perspective”.     The winners and honorable mentions of the ASEANnale 2018 1st Film and Multimedia Competition (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Below are the winners in the Film and Multimedia Competition.  ASEANnale Best Film:  Recto by John Paul Soriano, UP Diliman     ASEANnale Special Jury Award:  Pipo by Richard Legazpi, University of the East Caloocan     Best Narrative Film: Tie  Amy by John Craig de Guzman, De La Salle College of St. Benilde  Mission Accomplished by Eidref Kristin Faith Magpayo, Centro Escolar University Bulacan     Best Documentary:  Recto by John Paul Soriano, UP Diliman     Documentary honorable mentions:  Who’s Behind the Trump’s Effigy at the ASEAN Summit in Manila? by Che de los Reyes,  Ateneo de Manila University  Puti (White) by Jerald Yucot, University of Makati     Experimental Film honorable mention:  Diwa by Ma. Daniella Louise Borrero, UP Diliman  En Route by Anna Ma. Elizabeth Cañas-Llamas, UP Los Baños     Dr. Sri Sediyaningsih of Universitas Terbuka Indonesia Open University receives the ASEANnale Distinguished Award for Higher Education on behalf of recipient Dr. M. Atwi Suparman. With her are, from left, Prof. Rolando Talampas, Dr. Joefe Santarita, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, CHED Commissioner Lilian De Las Llagas, Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, and UP Open University Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jean Saludadez. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Best Animation:  Kinalimutan Natin ang mga Bata by Gilbert Baldoza, UP Diliman     Animation honorable mention:  Beautiful Soul by Edmund del Rosario, University of Makati  Kapit by Donnie Ray Ipan, University of Makati     Best Interactive Multimedia:  Hide and Seek by Nur Anis Zulaikha binti Ahmad and Che Mat Ruzinoor, Universiti Utara  Malaysia     Public Service Announcement honorable mention:  PWD Sensitivity Video by Nancy Galang and Lynda Garcia, Upholding Life and Nature     (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)  "
    },
    {
        "title": "All new UFS now serving its signature 5 Ms – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-new-ufs-now-serving-its-signature-5-ms/",
        "html": "All new UFS now serving its signature 5 Ms All new UFS now serving its signature 5 Ms March 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The all new University Food Service (UFS) is now serving the whole UP community in Diliman. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The all new University Food Service (UFS) is now serving the whole UP community in Diliman. On March 20, UP officials, faculty, staff and students attended the official opening and launch of UFS’s new logo at its original location in Vinzon’s Hall.  UFS officer-in-charge Mitzi A. Reyes recognized the joint efforts of UP System and Diliman officials in making the rehabilitation possible for UFS under the leadership of UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan.     New and improved UFS dining area (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Pres. Concepcion in his message emphasized that the administration had persisted in providing funds for the renovation not only for UFS, but also for the whole of Vinzon’s Hall. “There is still a lot to be done in this building. Having a budget of PHP 370M this year, we are looking at further improving the Vinzon’s Hall along with the construction of the Student Union building which will serve as the student’s activity center,” he stated.  “I believe that providing good and nutritious food should not be looked at as a profitable business especially for the UFS because it is in our mandate as a University to provide service. It is about time that we think more about providing service as a responsibility of this University and not as a profit-generating business; so the same will be expected in the reconstruction of the UP Shopping Center. We do away with the principle of overpricing food to save up for store rental rates. Instead, we come up with lower rental rates so that serving good yet affordable food is possible,” Concepcion added.     Pres. Concepcion with Atty. Gabby Concepcion trying out UFS’s assorted viands. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Happy experience, Uno sa sarap!  Back in 2014, Chancellor Michael Tan had envisioned “a healthier living in the campus, starting with food service units that understand the dietary needs of the constituents”, according to Reyes.  The new UFS is envisioned by Reyes as the five Ms – masustansiya, masarap, malinis, mura at maganda. “It is not a tagline, it is a philosophy which everyone in UFS must believe in, work for and live by,” according to Reyes.     The UFS crew, headed by Prof. Mitzi Reyes with UP System and Diliman Officials (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Reyes and the rest of UFS want the food experience at the cafeteria to be a happy and emotional one, more than just tummy-fillers as it provides healthy, delicious, reasonably-priced campus cuisine, in a clean and aesthetically pleasing kitchen and dining areas, which makes it “Uno sa sarap!”     New visual identity  The new UFS brand and logo aims to “reflect the values it upholds while strengthening the culture of UFS,” according to UFS’s branding team.  “The new UFS logo maintains the brand colors of the previous UFS logo. The logotype resembles the softness of baybayin strokes symbolizing the longstanding UFS tradition,” explained Prof. Annie Pacaña-Lumbao.     The new UFS brand and logo (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Behind the new and improved UFS are the UP College of Fine Arts faculty, who were in charge of the design, branding and marketing, and the Office of the Campus Architect.  Also present during the inauguration were UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo and Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum No. TJH 2017-07: Half-day work on Wednesday, 12 April 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-tjh-2017-07-half-day-work-on-wednesday-12-april-2017/",
        "html": "Memorandum No. TJH 2017-07: Half-day work on Wednesday, 12 April 2017 Memorandum No. TJH 2017-07: Half-day work on Wednesday, 12 April 2017 April 12, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In consideration of the Lenten season, the University will observe a half-day work schedule on 12 April 2017 (Wednesday).  Units doing vital public services such as health service (PGH and other health care units), security (UPDP), communications (PABX), and garbage collection, shall observe the regular whole-day work schedule. University officials and staff in these units, however, are urged to schedule their tasks with flexibility and understanding.  Please be guided accordingly.  TEODORO J. HERBOSA (Sgd) Executive Vice President "
    },
    {
        "title": "Revisiting History with Journalism: Presented by NHK WORLD TV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/revisiting-history-with-journalism-presented-by-nhk-world-tv/",
        "html": "Revisiting History with Journalism: Presented by NHK WORLD TV Revisiting History with Journalism: Presented by NHK WORLD TV April 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       A Special Lecture and Documentary Screening at the University of the Philippines     NHK WORLD TV from Japan collaborates with the University of the Philippines to present a special lecture for students of the College of Mass Communication. Following a screening of a documentary detailing the history between the Philippines and Japan after World War Two, students will explore the role investigative journalism plays in uncovering the truth while engaging in lively discussion with a panel of speakers consisting of the documentary’s producers and NHK WORLD journalists.  Quezon City, Manila, Philippines – 21st April 2017, Friday  Several classes from the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication will attend the special lecture, which is also open to all interested students of the university. The 90 minute special lecture will replace their usual class at that timeslot.  Social media will play a part in facilitating the conversation, with students posing responses and questions to panelists via the Twitter hashtag #NHKUP.  Having completed similar screenings in Los Angeles, London, and Paris this year, NHK WORLD is on a mission to share the power of journalism with the world. At the Philippines edition, university students interested in pursuing a career in journalism will have the opportunity to hear firsthand about veteran journalists’ day-to-day experience as well as learn more about the processes which enable journalists’ search for the truth.  About the Documentary  Title: NHK NEWSLINE FOCUS Sub-title: Lt. Onoda’s Return: The Untold Story of a Japanese War Straggler  Synopsis: NHK World has a look at the behind-the-scenes negotiations that helped a Japanese soldier return from the Philippines, nearly 30 years after World War Two. Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda received a hero’s welcome upon returning to his homeland in 1974, but with NHK journalists’ thorough research of official documents, the story takes a different turn. The documentary program involving investigative journalism reveals that it was what appears to be a political and diplomatic deal which allowed the Philippines and Japan to draw closer and move on from the past.     Panelists’ Profile     Takumoto Hashimoto / Reporter  An NHK reporter since 1989, Hashimoto has covered the administration of Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama as a political correspondent and the Defense Agency (now Ministry of Defense) as well as Self-Defense Forces in the Current Affairs Division.  Throughout his career, he has focused on coverage of Japanese gangs and historical stories relating to World War Two (Asia and the Pacific) as well as the post-war period. Hashimoto is also head editor of the NHK World’s news program, NHK NEWSLINE.     Takafumi Terui / Reporter  Since 2003, Terui has covered stories relating to the U.S. bases in Japan as an NHK reporter. From 2012, as a reporter for NHK World, he was stationed for 9 months in Beijing and also covered COP21 in Paris in 2015.  Last year, Terui served as a member of the NHK coverage team studying and reporting on the Panama Papers.        Fumio Kanda / Director  Kanda is currently a TV program director for NHK World. She returned to Japan in 2013 after working in New York, London and Shanghai. While in London, she worked at BBC History and Factual as an associate producer on WW2 documentary series. She is keen to find ways to tell the stories which matter in people’s lives today and share more similarities rather than differences across the world.        Event Details  Date: 21st April 2017 Time: 1.00pm – 2.30pm Venue: UP College of Mass Communication Plaridel Hall, Ylanan Road, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101  ~  For enquiries, please contact:  POINTS.SG Pte. Ltd. Nitobe Teppei / Zephyr Ow Email: contact@points-global.com Tel: +81-80-3480-6394 POINTS.SG supports NHK WORLD TV’s promotional activities in Southeast Asia. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD, UP Cebu to hold forum on Philippine Constitution – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-up-cebu-to-hold-forum-on-philippine-constitution/",
        "html": "UPD, UP Cebu to hold forum on Philippine Constitution UPD, UP Cebu to hold forum on Philippine Constitution April 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Department of Political Science, UP Diliman, and the Political Science Program, College of Social Sciences, UP Cebu, in cooperation with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) are co-hosting a public forum entitled “PH Constitution @30: Institutional Choices in a Time of Change” on 10 May 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Union Bldg. Hall, UP Cebu.  Speakers during the forum include University of Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus of Law Cheryl Saunders, and Australian National University Professor of Political Science Paul Hutchcroft, Professor of Political Science, Australian National University, and currently seconded to the Australian Government.  The forum is open to the public.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "An announcement from the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/an-announcement-from-the-university-of-the-philippines-office-of-the-vice-president-for-public-affairs/",
        "html": "An announcement from the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs An announcement from the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs May 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Upon verification with the official records of the Office of the University Registrar and the Office of Alumni Affairs, the University of the Philippines can find no record of a former student or alumnus by the name of Isnilon Hapilon.  This clarification is being made in light of recent news reports identifying Mr. Hapilon as a UP graduate. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The new UP System website is up and running – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-new-up-system-website-is-up-and-running/",
        "html": "The new UP System website is up and running The new UP System website is up and running June 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The new UP System website is up and running. Check it out here! "
    },
    {
        "title": "June 10 registration deadline for free workshop on genomic epidemiology on infectious diseases – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/june-10-registration-deadline-for-free-workshop-on-genomic-epidemiology-on-infectious-diseases/",
        "html": "June 10 registration deadline for free workshop on genomic epidemiology on infectious diseases June 10 registration deadline for free workshop on genomic epidemiology on infectious diseases June 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Philippine Genome Center and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is holding an international workshop on “Genomic Epidemiology on Infectious Diseases in the Philippines” on 03-07 July 2017 at the National Science Complex in University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.  This Workshop will bring together global experts on the study of genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases, particularly those affecting the Philippines. The Workshops aims to promote collaborations that will enhance the use of tools in bioinformatics, population genetics and statistics in infectious disease research. Days one and five of the Workshop, which will be held at the Institute of Biology auditorium, will focus on presentations and discussions relating to the role of genomics in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, with a focus on the Philippines. The other days, which will be held at the Computational Science and Research Center, will focus on genomic analyses with hands-on exercises. By the end of the Workshop, participants will be able to: (a) process raw sequence into a set of informative variants, through mapping to a reference genome or using de novo or reference-free assembly approaches, (b) conduct transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, in an integrated systems biology approach, and (c) perform downstream population genetic and association analysis.  ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA  Participants must be Early Career Researchers: Early Career Researchers are defined as holding a PhD and having a maximum of up to ten years post-PhD research experience. MSc graduates and Research Assistants with extensive research experience are also encouraged to apply. Participants must have a research or recognized research institution post, research contract, or fellowship) at a recognized institution either in the UK or Philippines. Please note that participants are expected to attend all sessions of the Workshop. Those who are not chosen to participate in the 3-day hands-on exercises are welcome to attend presentations and discussions on days 1 and 5.  A confirmation email will be sent to respondents on June 19.  VENUE  Institute of Biology Auditorium: Presentations & Discussions, Day 1 & 5 (July 3 and 7) Computational Science and Research Center: Hands-on Exercises, Day 2, 3 & 4 (July 4-6)  For further inquiries, please call 981-8744 or 981-8742 and look for Dr. Benedict Maralit or Francis Tablizo. You may also email your inquiries at bamaralit@pgc.up.edu.  About UP’s Philippine Genome Center The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, preventive products, and improved crop, aquaculture and animal varieties. It is a duly-created genomicsfocused and multi-disciplinary research unit of the University of the Philippines, the national university of the country. The main office and core facilities are currently housed at the 2/F NIMBB Building, National Science Complex, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Visit http://www.pgc.up.edu.ph to know more of PGC’s free webinars, workshops, and other scientific pursuits. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Concert for Marawi: Tabang para sa Katawhan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/concert-for-marawi-tabang-para-sa-katawhan/",
        "html": "Concert for Marawi: Tabang para sa Katawhan Concert for Marawi: Tabang para sa Katawhan June 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines will sponsor a benefit concert on 21 June, 6 p.m. at the GT-Toyoya Asian Cultural Center, UP Diliman for the victims of violent situation still obtaining in the Islamic City of Marawi.  It will be hosted by the Asian Center, UP’s more than 60 year old unit for Asian and Philippine graduate studies.  As hundreds of unarmed civilians have been killed, precious cultural heritage destroyed, lives left in limbo, hopes for survival still waiting for succor, UP has embarked on this project to raise funds for the immediate, no matter how limited, relief of the most wanting among the residents of Marawi City.  Volunteer musician artists from the UP community (Asian Center, Institute of Islamic Studies, College  of Music, College of Arts and Letters, College of Mass Communication, Muslim Students, among others) have volunteered to perform timely pieces not for entertainment but for showcasing and affirming solidarity with the innocent victims now in dire need of food, water, medicines, clothing and the like.  Tickets are available at the Asian Center, Institute of Islamic Studies and members of the UP Muslim Students Association and Wahdat Al-Asabiyyah.  Asian Center contact telefax (63 2) 920 3535 or 981 8500 local 3580. Email: tabangkatawhan@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Former UP President Javier to REPS: Pursue a higher calling – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/former-up-president-javier-to-reps-pursue-a-higher-calling/",
        "html": "Former UP President Javier to REPS: Pursue a higher calling Former UP President Javier to REPS: Pursue a higher calling March 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (from left): Bureau of Agricultural Research’s Joell Hizon Lales, UP REPSS President Fe dela Cueva, frmr. UP President Emil Javier and UP AVP for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili during the ribbon cutting ceremony at the poster section. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Some of the most distinguished and productive of UP’s Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) gathered at the Shercon Resort and Ecology Parkin Batangas from March 21-23 to attend the UP Society of REPS, Inc.’s (UP REPSS) 5th Annual Scientific Conference and 9th General Assembly Meeting.  The conference was an opportunity for REPS to share their published research and build camaraderie with colleagues from across the UP System. It featured a scientific paper writing workshop facilitated by National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Academician Evelyn Mae T. Mendoza, as well as poster and paper presentations.  Joining UP REPSS President Fe M. dela Cueva as special speakers at the event were former UP President Emil Javier and UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, who represented current UP President Danilo Concepcion at the event. Javier, himself a former UP REPS, delivered an inspirational message to the attendees, stressing the role of REPS in fulfilling UP’s mandate as the country’s only national university.     Attendees of the Conference pose for photos. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “A sense of purpose,” Javier said, referring to what should motivate REPS to continue doing excellent work. “Something that you can associate yourselves with and that can help our people.”  According to Javier, UP’s REPS are called to accomplish two out of the three well established social functions of great universities – generating new research and engaging in meaningful extension work that shares that knowledge to the broader society. These two functions, he added, make UP distinct from most other universities in the country, which lack the faculty and resources to commit fully to either endeavour.  He also stated that while UP only accepts around two percent of the annual student cohort, it receives around 31 percent of the state’s higher education funding. In a country, where progress in higher education is typically measured in terms of the number of students per institution, this poses a unique challenge. “This means,” Javier said, “that we cannot keep asking for resources from government on the basis of the teaching function alone, important as it is.”  He instead exhorted the REPS to focus their sacrifices on a much larger goal than themselves – helping UP to become a modern research university. This focus was not just for UP itself, but because “our country needs a great institution to lead Philippine progress.” Javier said that because REPS have less pressure to teach compared to the faculty, they are in an ideal position to fulfil UP’s research and extension goals in the service of national development.     REPS from across the UP System manning the registration table. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     This was a message also strongly reflected in President Concepcion’s message, which Capili delivered. Calling UP’s REPS and faculty “equal partners” in the fulfilment of UP’s mandate, Concepcion noted that the REPS inspired students, faculty members and members of the administration alike to achieve greater heights through their ethical service.  Expanding on a quote by a former New York senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Concepcion stressed that “UP must become a world-class university in order to build a great country,” highlighting how a synergy between REPS, faculty and administration was key to achieving this goal. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "2018 UP Diliman Arts Month caps off with LAWAS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2018-up-diliman-arts-month-caps-off-with-lawas/",
        "html": "2018 UP Diliman Arts Month caps off with LAWAS 2018 UP Diliman Arts Month caps off with LAWAS April 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Agnes Arellano’s “Pleiades” (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Capping off the success of the 2018 UP Diliman Arts Month is its public art installation dubbed as LAWAS.  Part of this year’s theme, “Kat(h)awan: Bodies, Culture, Society”, LAWAS is a three-man public art project with Agnes Arellano’s Pleiades, Mark Justiniani’s Pusod, and Pagpamulak by Lee Paje.     L-R: UP Professors Tessa Maria Guazon and Cecilia De la Paz of the UP Department of Art Studies; artists Lee Paje, Agnes Arellano and Mark Justiniani; and UPD OICA Officer-In-Charge Sir Anril P. Tiatco (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “This installation explores the intricate process of dwelling the body and probes the limits of the body, often imagined to be a vessel or a contained space,” the LAWAS Public Art statement reads.  The sculptural pieces are found at the campus’s open grounds where they are accessible and interactive. During its launch on April 11, the art pieces were used as sites of several art performances by Al Bernard Garcia, Sarah Samaniego, and the UP Dance Company, signifying offerings to these artworks.     “Pagpamulak” by Lee Paje (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO) Mark Justiniani’s “Pusod” with an onsite performance by Al Bernard Garcia (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Pleiades are cast stone goddesses, which reflect Arellano’s lifelong search for the sacred feminine. Pusod, on the other hand, is made up of a reflective disk that rests on the ground as it reflects the skies above. While Pagpamulak, which means ‘to blossom’ in the vernacular, is composed of sculptural works of phallic symbols that one may sit or lie on, LAWAS curators explained.  LAWAS is curated by Professors Tessa Maria Guazon and Cecilia De la Paz of the UP Department of Art Studies. The public installation will be on view until end August. A series of events will be launched in June, July and August in line with the public art exhibit, according to Prof. Guazon. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT results to be released by end-April – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-results-to-be-released-by-end-april/",
        "html": "UPCAT results to be released by end-April UPCAT results to be released by end-April April 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The results of the 2018 University of the Philippines College Admissions Test—popularly known as UPCAT—will be released by the end of the month, according to UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. Responding to mounting inquiries and complaints from the public about the reported delay in releasing the exam results, Prof. Dalisay cited an earlier statement by the Office of Admissions giving a range of March to April for the timing of the release.  “There’s no delay,” Dalisay stressed. “Our Office of Admissions announced to UPCAT applicants, during the exam, in its website, in its Facebook UPCAT Official posts, and in the UPCAT application portal, that the results will be released sometime in March or April given the very large number of applicants and the postponement of the examination from August to October in response to the demand of public schools. It’s taking time, but we’re making doubly sure that the results are accurate and fair.”  The UPCAT is taken yearly by graduating high school students in the Philippines seeking entry into the national university. More than 103,000 applied to take the exams last October, out of whom more than 80,000 actually took the exams. Of these takers, some 14,000 will be accepted into one of UP’s eight constituent universities, for a passing rate of about 17 percent.  “We acknowledge the great anticipation and anxiety felt by both parents and students at this time of the year,” Dalisay said. “But it’s ultimately for their benefit that UP is striving for accuracy in every step of the process, particularly in the computation of the applicant’s high school grades, which are validated twice to ensure consistency and integrity. We can’t afford to make mistakes in haste, especially given that entrance to UP is one of the greatest privileges a young Filipino can receive.”  Under UP’s complicated but well-studied admission rules, the results of the UPCAT exam itself make up just 60 percent of an applicant’s University Predicted Grade or UPG, an assessment of the student’s likelihood of succeeding in UP. The balance is made up for by an averaging of the applicant’s high school grades, plus a small plus or minus to encourage economic, social, and geographical diversity.  “We’ve also had to adjust to the changes brought about by K-12. We had very few applicants during the K-12 transition years, so processing and releasing results was much faster then.”  Dalisay revealed that about 60 trained staff members are working overtime to get the results out soon. Aware that other universities are already requiring nonrefundable deposits from prospective students also awaiting the UPCAT results, Dalisay explained that “Unfortunately we have no control over the academic calendars of other schools, and cannot be rushed by those calendars. On the other hand, if the students can wait and do get into UP, they can look forward to many years of quality, tuition-free higher education.” UP shifted to a new calendar two years ago, with first-semester classes opening in August.  UP was recently ranked 156th among Asia’s top 200 universities, according to the Times Higher Education survey, largely on the strength of its research citations. While it has applied a socialized tuition scheme for many decades now, UP led other state universities and colleges last year by implementing full free tuition ahead of the signing of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act or the free tuition law. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Job fair highlights passion at work – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/job-fair-highlights-passion-at-work/",
        "html": "Job fair highlights passion at work Job fair highlights passion at work April 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   University of the Philippines officials during the opening of the University Job Fair 2018 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City on April 10, 2018. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The University Job Fair 2018, dubbed as the biggest career fair in the University of the Philippines Diliman, was held at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni on April 10 to 13.  With the theme “Passion at Work”, the event featured a variety of booths, talks, and presentations by professionals from UP’s partner corporations for students and attendees to learn more about potential internship and job opportunities.  No less than UP President Danilo L. Concepcion himself delivered an inspiring talk to the participants to encourage them to appreciate the importance of starting to find the career path on which they can commit to work honorably, excellently, and passionately, as they contribute positively to the nation and society through their work.  At a recruitment hub for participating corporations to be able to hire UP’s graduating students, attendees submitted their printed resumes or provided them on-site through online registration.  Some government agencies also provided auxiliary services.        The University Job Fair 2018 was made possible through partnerships with: Bank of China, Chevron, Collabera Technologies, GMA New Media Inc., Migo, Schneider Electric, Balsam International – Philippine ROHQ, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Careers at Ayala Group, Department of Energy, Kickstart Ventures Inc., Princeton Review, Vista Land, Adobo Connection, Asia United Bank, Asian Institute of Management, China Bank, Concepcion Business Shared, EastWest Bank, Ecomparemo.com, Globe Telecom, Greenfield Development Corporation, Group M, HC Consumer Finance, MedGrocer, MSCI Hong Kong Limited, Shopee, Solar Philippines, Unilab, ABS-CBN, Acadsoc Limited, Assumption College, CDO Foodsphere, Concentrix, DMCI Project Developers Inc., ePerformax Contact Centers, Fourth Valley Concierge, Global Estate Resorts, Hallo Hallo, Healthy Options, ISEARCH International, JG Summit Petrochemicals, John Clements Consultants, Jollibee, Land Bank of the Philippines, Lazada, Malayan Insurance Company, Monark Equipment, Nestle Philippines, ORIX Metro Leasing and Finance, Philippine National Bank, Phoenix Petroleum, PLDT, Posco Daewoo, Property Company of Friends, PTT Philippines, S&P Global, SCG Marketing, Seaoil, Simplex Internet Philppines, Stellar Philippines, Tanda Workforce Solutions, Universal Robina Corporation, APPCO Group Asia, Brills Marketing Corporation, Bureau of Treasury, C&E Publishing, Cebu Pacific, Clientvista, EduInternational, FactSet, Greenfield Marketers One, Honestbee, Ideaspace, Keyence Philippines, MAD Travel, Maria Montessori School of QC, MetroMart, Optum, Perfetti Van Melle, PhilAm Life, Philippine Business Bank, PointWest Technologies, Qwikwire, Salarium, SCI Ventures, Scotts Philippines, ServeHappy Jobs, Star Paper Corporation, Teach for the Philippines, Timezone Philippines, UNIQLO Philippines, Vibelle Distribution Inc., UP Bike Share, Inquirer, WhenInManila, UP Broadcasting Association, Monster RX93.1, 99.5 Play FM, and DZUP 1602. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "On UPCAT 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/on-upcat-2018/",
        "html": "On UPCAT 2018 On UPCAT 2018 April 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       On 16 April 2018, Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista issued a memorandum to the chancellors, vice chancellors, deans, directors, department chairs, faculty and staff to “provide additional information to facilitate a better understanding of the UPCAT situation”. Below is the content of the memo, which is available in PDF format here.  This year, several universities and colleges set their deadlines for paying non-refundable reservation fees for first year college slots in March and April 2018. The University was criticized heavily in social media for not releasing UPCAT 2018 results before these deadlines.  To clarify matters, the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs issued a press statement on 11 April 2018, asserting that such perception is unfounded. Indeed, there is no delay. The UP Office of Admissions announced to UPCAT applicants, during the exam, in its website, in its Facebook account, and in the UPCAT application portal, that the results will be released on or before March – April 2018. Having a range of dates for the release of admission test results is the usual practice of reputable schools with a very large number of applicants.  This Memorandum provides additional information to facilitate  a better  understanding  of our UPCAT situation.  The UPCAT is usually held in August of each year. However, in 2017, the examinations were administered in late October in response to the request of public schools as well as some private schools for additional time to prepare the transcript of records of the first batch of Senior High School applicants under the new basic education curriculum; Except for 2016 and 2017, the average interval between the examination and the release of UPCAT results since 2006 has been about 6 months. In 2016 and 2017, the interval was a much shorter 3 to 4 months because there were only about 5,000+ examinees, 99% of whom were from private schools that developed acceleration and bridging programs to allow students under the old basic education curriculum to graduate. Between 75,000 and 86,000 took the UPCAT examinations in the last five years. The processing of applications was more challenging in 2017 because of the sheer number of applications-103,091 online applications and 4,944 manual applications . This is a stark contrast to 51,319 applications in 1996 and 88,554 in 2015, the year before the implementation of K to 12 when the number of UPCAT applications dipped to about 5,046 in 2016 and 6,020 in 2017. Admissions to UP of first year students is not determined solely by obtaining a passing score in UPCAT. Entry to UP via UPCAT takes into consideration the ranking of applicants by a predictor University Predicted Grade (UPG), an equation to measure potential college success based on research data. The UPG combines (60%) standardized scores from the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT) and (40%) of standardized HS final grades for three years preceding graduation. The Office of Admissions processes and subsequenlty combines three sets of data:  o UPCAT answer sheet-these are automatically checked  and  validated three times, with names replaced by ID#s  Form 1 containing personal data-if submitted online, these are encoded automatically but nevertheless validated; if submitted manually, are manually encoded and validated Form 2 containing the high school record of the last three years before graduation that are submitted and encoded manually and validated by a separate unit for accuracy in fairness to each examinee The encoding of the high school grades posed an unprecedented challenge for the Office of Admissions staff this year because the grades in the last three years before graduation include two years of junior high school and a year of senior high Majority of the examinees transferred to different senior high schools with grade record submissions coming from schools with different HS grading systems. Some of the grades do not also conform to the SHS DepEd-prescribed subject units. All Form 1 and Form 2 data are combined with the test score data. The final data record without names is submitted to the Office of Admissions Director who gives the data to two separate programmers for the computation of the UPG. The results of these computations must be identical. The names are then matched to the ID#s just before the UPCAT results are posted at the Office of Admissions and released to a separate IT consultant who ensures that the online posting is stable and will not be hacked. Applicants are then ranked per UP campus of their indicated campus choices. In accordance with the policy of democratic access, the selection of campus qualifiers also includes considerations for socio-economic and geographic disadvantages (including indigenous peoples). The cutoff for campus admission is based on the number of slots and the UPG cutoffs specified by the campus. However, all cutoffs must  not be lower  than the UP minimum cutoff to maintain standards of academic excellence. Due to the large number of applicants choosing UP Diliman, the cutoffs in this campus are quota based. Campus Qualifiers are then ranked per their respective degree program choices based on UPG, grade predictors and program quotas. Since examinees are ranked, the UPG of the last examinee who fills in a Constituent Unit’s (CU) slot may be way above the CU UPG cut-off. For this reason, successful UPCAT examinees should not be referred to as “UPCAT passers” because many examinees who are not admitted to UP actually make the cutoff grades of the CUs but their rankings are lower than those of the examinees who filled in the available slots.  This news originally appeared on OVPAA’s website.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Office of Admissions announces UPCAT 2018 schedule – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-office-of-admissions-announces-upcat-2018-schedule/",
        "html": "UP Office of Admissions announces UPCAT 2018 schedule UP Office of Admissions announces UPCAT 2018 schedule June 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Please visit the UPCAT – UP System Facebook page here for details and updates.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "DONATE NOW: Tulong ng UP sa Marawi – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/donate-now-tulong-ng-up-sa-marawi/",
        "html": "DONATE NOW: Tulong ng UP sa Marawi DONATE NOW: Tulong ng UP sa Marawi June 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines is accepting donations for our brothers and sisters in Marawi City. You may donate to the UP Foundation, Inc. with bank details:  UP Foundation, Inc. Account Number 102270018964 Unionbank Commonwealth Branch  Deposits in any Unionbank branch shall carry no inter-branch fee. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Student Financial Assistance Online: Frequently Asked Questions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-financial-assistance-online-frequently-asked-questions/",
        "html": "Student Financial Assistance Online: Frequently Asked Questions Student Financial Assistance Online: Frequently Asked Questions July 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   About SFA Online  Students from the University of the Philippines (UP) come from all walks of life. Some of them may not be able to afford paying the full tuition and other expenses to complete their academic requirements in the University.  To address this, UP, with the support of individuals, government, and private sector organizations, introduced a number of student financial assistance programs that can help students cover the cost of studying in the University.  At present, these financial assistance programs are administered as separate support programs. But this limited the offering of comprehensive financial assistance. For a number of students, financial assistance should allow students to cover not only enrolment but also their daily needs and other requirements to actively participate in academic and extracurricular programs. A unified application process can facilitate creation of comprehensive financial assistance to ensure all students can afford to study in the University.  UP created the Student Financial Assistance Online (SFA Online) to streamline the processing of applications from students who wish to obtain student financial assistance. The SFA Online is a web-based program that collects applications and allows matching and packaging of different financial assistance offerings. It collects and consolidates data on household income as well as the socio-economic characteristics of the household of students. Scholarships and Student Affairs units UP use these data to allocate slots and create complementing financial assistance programs for University students.  The SFA Online is a platform managed by the UP System Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). For more information, please visit the SFA Online website at https://sfaonline.up.edu.ph/.  Frequently Asked Questions  Is SFA Online the same as Socialized Tuition System (ST System)?  No. The SFA Online is a program to collect applications, match financial needs with financial support, and package multiple programs into one comprehensive financial support. The ST System is just one of the financial assistance programs offered through SFA Online.  I am applying to Free Tuition 2017. Do I need to submit documents to complete my application?  Free Tuition 2017 is governed by CHED & DBM Joint Memo Circular 2017-1A. The program requires the submission of tax and other documents to complete your application.  I am applying to Free Tuition 2017. How are applications evaluated?  Free Tuition 2017 is governed by CHED & DBM Joint Memo Circular 2017-1A. Applications are evaluated based on submitted income information, tax documents, and/or other documents. Grantees are determined based on the prioritization directive and availability of funds indicated in the Joint Memo Circular.  I am applying to the Tulong Dunong Grant. Why can’t I submit applications to ST System?  Tulong Dunong grant is governed by CHED & DBM Joint Memo Circular 2017-3. The Joint Memo Circular provides that grantees of the Tulong Dunong program cannot enjoy other government-funded financial assistance, except for Free Tuition 2017.  If you wish to apply for tuition subsidy and cash allowance, you are advised to click the Free Tuition 2017/Socialized Tuition and Tulong Dunong options of SFA Online.  I am applying to the Tuition Subsidy for Med Students program. Why can’t I also apply to ST System?  Tuition Subsidy for Med Students is governed by CHED & DBM Joint Memo Circular 2017-4. The Joint Memo Circular provides that grantees of the program cannot enjoy other government-funded financial assistance.  Do I need to submit documents for all members of my household?  No. You only need to submit tax and other documents of members of your household who finance your education when applying for Free Tuition 2017 and Tuition Subsidy for Med Students. For other household members who do not contribute, you can select n/a for the document type.  Where do I send my application to the ST System?  Students applying for tuition subsidy and financial assistance from the ST System must log in and fill out the forms in SFA Online.  Who can apply for tuition subsidy and financial assistance through SFA Online?  In general, UP undergraduate students and UP Med students can submit applications through SFA Online. Eligibility for financial support will be based on the policies that govern the individual programs (e.g. CHED & DBM Joint Memo Circular 2017-1A for Free Tuition 2017).  Can UP Open University students apply for tuition subsidy and financial assistance?  Yes. UP Open University students may submit applications to Free Tuition 2017 and/or Tulong Dunong through SFA Online.  Can UP Law students apply for tuition subsidy and financial assistance?  Yes. Law students may submit applications to Free Tuition 2017 and/or ST System through SFA Online.  I can’t log in using my Student Number & PIN/Password.  Should you encounter log-in problems, contact your campus Student Financial Assistance Helpdesk regarding your concerns.  I can’t log in using my UP Mail (e.g. jpdelacruz@up.edu.ph).  If you are from UP Diliman, you can ask for assistance regarding your UP Mail account from the UP Mail Helpdesk (helpdesk@up.edu.ph). If you are from other UP campuses, contact your local Computer/IT Center. Be ready to present your latest Form 5 and UP ID for verification.  If you have an existing UP Mail account and you have never logged in to ST System, you need to contact the Student Financial Assistance Helpdesk in your campus to register your account.  Do I need to log in to SFA Online?  Yes. You must log in to indicate your intent to apply/not to apply to any financial assistance program in UP.  Why does my UP Mail redirect me to Google/Gmail?  UP Mail (e.g. jpdelacruz@up.edu.ph) is an email service available to all UP students, faculty, and staff. This email service is exclusively provided to UP for FREE by Google.  Your UP Mail account is linked to your SFA Online account. You are redirected to Google/Gmail to authenticate your account.  SFA Helpdesk  For more information on financial assistance offered by UP, contact the SFA Helpdesk in your campus.  UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Erlinda C. Palaganas (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Grace R. Tovera (Office of Scholarships & Financial Assistance) Telephone Number: (+6374) 446.5230 Email: sts.baguio@up.edu.ph  UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Ellen Grace M. Funesto (Coordinator) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Annie A. Manzano (Scholarship Affairs & Guidance) Telephone Number: (6332) 232.8185 local 115 Email: sts.cebu@up.edu.ph  UP Diliman – Quezon City Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Jerwin F. Agpaoa (Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs) Student Financial Assistance Officers: – Prof. Niel Kenneth F. Jamandre (Officer-in-Charge, Office of Scholarships & Student Services) – Ms. Jocelyn N. Aberin (STFAP Section: ST System, SAGA, Student Loans) – Mr. Aristeo E. Dacanay (Scholarships Section: UP & Donor-Funded Scholarship Programs) Telephone Numbers: (632) 981.8500 local 4504, 4505, 4506 Email: sts.diliman@up.edu.ph; osss@upd.edu.ph  UP Diliman – Pampanga UP Extension Program in Pampanga Head of Student Affairs Unit: Mr. Arnulf Roan M. Pita (Coordinator – UP Extension Program in Pampanga) Telephone Number: (6345) 599.6037 Email: upepp@up.edu.ph  UP Los Banos Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Nina M. Cadiz (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Jenette Lory P. Tamayo (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division) Telephone Number: (6349)536.3212 Email: sts.losbanos@up.edu.ph  UP Manila Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Tristan Nathaniel Ramos (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Elena M. Venturina (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Program) Telephone Number: (632)526.2274 Email: sts.manila@up.edu.ph  UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Mr. Remegio P. Domingo, Jr. (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Analiza S. Fulvadora (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division) Telephone Number: (6382)293.1353 Email: sts.mindanao@up.edu.ph  UP Open University Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Melinda F. Lumanta (Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Prof. Linglingay P. Mcdermott (Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs: Student Affairs) Telephone Number: (6349) 536.6001 to 6006 local 301, 420, 810 Email: scholarships@upou.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Iloilo & Miagao Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Ruben M. Gamala (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Marites E. Geonanga (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division in Miagao & Iloilo City) Telephone Number: (6333) 513.7019 Email: sts.visayas@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Tacloban Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Richard V. Cagara (Coordinator – UP Tacloban) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Luz A. Sevilla (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Section in Tacloban) Telephone Number: (6353)832.3045 Email: osa.tac.upvisayas@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "SFA Online Application Extended to July 16 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sfa-online-application-extended-to-july-16/",
        "html": "SFA Online Application Extended to July 16 SFA Online Application Extended to July 16 July 12, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Important announcement from the Office of Student Financial Assistance:  The deadline of applications for SFA Online is extended to July 16, 2017 at 11:59PM. Please log on to https://sfaonline.up.edu.ph/ to apply. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Imbitasyon para sa 2017 Salínan Pandaigdigang Kumperensiya – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/imbitasyon-para-sa-2017-salinan-pandaigdigang-kumperensiya/",
        "html": "Imbitasyon para sa 2017 Salínan Pandaigdigang Kumperensiya Imbitasyon para sa 2017 Salínan Pandaigdigang Kumperensiya July 30, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Ang 2017 Salínan Pandaigdigang Kumperensiya ay isang tatlong araw na kumperensiya sa Filipinas na itinataguyod ng Filipinas Institute of Translation, Inc. (FIT), sa pakikipagtulungan ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), ng Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining (NCCA), at ng Kagawaran ng Filipino ng Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila. Ang pandaigdigang kumperensiyang ito ay para sa mga dalubhasa at praktisyoner sa pagsasalin, lingguwista, mga guro (sa sekundarya at tersiyaryo), sosyologo, at iskolar sa wika, gayundin sa mga mag-aaral at iba pang propesyonal na interesado sa diskurso sa wika at pagsasalin.  Ito ay magaganap mula 28 hanggang 30 ng Setyembre 2017 sa Leong Hall Auditorium, Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Lungsod Quezon, Filipinas.  Sa okasyong ito, magsasama-sama ang mga lokal at internasyonal na dalubhasa sa teorya at praktika ng pagsasalin upang pag-usapan ang mahahalagang paksa sa pagsasalin sa kontekstong lokal at global.  Tatalakayin ang mga espesipikong kalakaran at pinakamainam na praktika sa pagsasalin at araling pampagsasalin mula sa iba’t ibang kontekstong pangkultura at panlipunan sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo, na magsisilbing pook upang maiugnay ang lokal na praktika sa pinakamainam na praktika ng pagsasalin at araling pampagsasalin sa mga bansa sa buong mundo.  MGA TIYAK NA LAYUNIN:  1. Maitanghal ang lawak ng saklaw ng pagsasalin bilang isang disiplinang akademiko at propesyonal na larang na may mahalagang papel sa pandaigdigang ugnayan at globalisasyon.  2. Maitampok ang mga espesipikong kalakaran at pinakamaiinam na praktika ng pagsasalin mula sa iba’t ibang kontekstong pangkultura at panlipunan sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo.  3. Maiagpang sa mga karanasang pandaigdig ukol sa pagsasalin ang mga partikular na lokal na sitwasyon sa praktika ng pagsasalin.  4. Makapaglatag ng mga panukalang hangarin at hakbang para sa higit na internasyonal na kolaborasyon sa pagsusulong ng mga proyekto sa pagpapalitang-teksto ng mga bansa sa mundo.  Ang mga pangunahing tagapanayam ay sina Propesor Lawrence Venuti mula sa Temple University sa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Propesor Luise von Flotow mula sa School of Translation and Interpretation ng Ottawa University sa Canada; at ang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining Virgilio Almario.  Kasama rin sa mga imbitadong tagapanayam sina: Mubarak Alkhatnai, King Saud University (Saudi Arabia); Chandrani Chatterjee, Savitribai Phule Pune University (India); Paul Dumol, University of Asia and the Pacific; Maggie Hui, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong); Marne L. Kilates, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino; Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo, University of Hawaii at Manoa (USA); Ma. Crisanta Nelmida-Flores, University of the Philippines Diliman; Danilo Francisco M. Reyes, Ateneo de Manila University; Hope Sabanpan-Yu, University of San Carlos; Benilda S. Santos, Ateneo de Manila University; Fr. Wilmer Tria, Ateneo de Naga University Press.  Para sa iba pang impormasyon at tanong, makipag-ugnayan kina: MICHAEL M. COROZA (Direktor ng Kumperensiya) Tel. Blg. +639477219249 Email: mcoroza@ateneo.edu  EILENE G. NARVAEZ (Kalihim ng Kumperensiya) Tel. Blg.: +6325471860 / +639257102481 Email: fitsalinan2017@gmail.com       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academia Sinica and UP scientists share breakthroughs in protein research – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academia-sinica-and-up-scientists-share-breakthroughs-in-protein-research/",
        "html": "Academia Sinica and UP scientists share breakthroughs in protein research Academia Sinica and UP scientists share breakthroughs in protein research April 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dr. An-Suei Yang of Academia Sinica’s Genomics Research Center talks Antibody Therapeutics. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Some of the best protein scientists from the Philippines and Taiwan gathered in UP Diliman from April 16 to 20, 2018 to attend the Academia Sinica-University of the Philippines Bilateral Workshop and Symposium which featured scholars from Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biological Chemistry (AS-IBC) who shared the latest protein research and drug discovery methods with their Philippine counterparts.  The event, according to UP Executive Vice President Teodoro V. Herbosa, was a “spiritual successor” to earlier knowledge exchange initiatives between the two universities. The cooperation between UP and Academia Sinica, he said, dated back to 2016, when both institutions signed a Memorandum of Academic Cooperation. This memorandum covered the joint holding of workshops and symposia like the above, as well as the exchange of students, faculty and technical staff between both parties.     Former UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion was one of the guests at the Bilateral Symposium. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     That same year, UP sent a contingent of researchers to Academia Sinica to share their research initiatives and build friendships in the fields of Biology and Chemistry. This contingent was led by UP Office of International Linkages (OIL) Deputy Director Aaron Villaraza, and was followed by two more trips by faculty members from UP Diliman and UP Los Baños to attend workshops in Taiwan on biology and physics  This year’s four-day workshop tackled topics from gene analysis to data visualization and drug discovery. April 20, similarly, saw top researchers from both institutions sharing their research to an assembly at the UP Diliman College of Science Auditorium. Presenters from Academia Sinica were led by Dr. Andrew H.J. Wang of the AS-IBC, one of the key architects behind the close relationship between both universities.     Guests and presenters at the Academia Sinica-UP Bilateral Symposium pose for a photograph. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “This symposium is designed in such a way,” Wang said, “that it will provide our new generation of scientists an opportunity to present their excellent research.” Joining their Taiwanese counterparts in the Symposium were: Dr. Ricky B. Nellas from the UP Institute of Chemistry, who talked about exploring the origin of ligand specificity through in silico molecular dynamics; and Dr. Pia Bagamasbad of the UP National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB), who talked about developing a promoter-based drug screen for prostate cancer therapy. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP professor emeritus for film conferred Excellence in Communication Award – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-professor-emeritus-for-film-conferred-excellence-in-communication-award/",
        "html": "UP professor emeritus for film conferred Excellence in Communication Award UP professor emeritus for film conferred Excellence in Communication Award April 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo courtesy of Philippines Communication Society)     The 2018 Excellence in Communication Award will be conferred by the Philippines Communication Society (PCS) to the beloved Media Educator, Film Studies Scholar, Communication Innovation Advocate, UP Professor Emeritus for Film, and Former Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University, Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso.  The awarding ceremony with Dr. Alfonso’s keynote speech is the highlight of the Media and Gender Conference with the theme “Constructing Gender in Multimedia Contexts” on April 30, 2018 (Monday) at the PUP Bulwagang Balagtas at the A. Mabini Main Campus in Manila. The award is the highest distinction of honor bestowed by the Philippines Communication Society, which in the past, have been conferred to: Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid and Ms. Gina Lopez.  “Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso embodies the rigour and commitment of a true communication scholar,” explains PCS President Dr. Lourdes M. Portus. “She is a vanguard in innovation in communication education, specifically open systems and distance learning.” The award recipient is also a painter, sculptor, filmmaker, director, multimedia artist, and film critic. She teaches film, media, and art in the ASEAN Region online, and as Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs.  She is the Founding Chair of UP College of Mass Communication Film and Audiovisual Department, now the UP Film Institute.     (Photo courtesy of Philippines Communication Society)     The 35-inch tall Excellence in Communication Trophy was conceptualized, designed and executed by UP Fine Arts Professor and visual artist, Toym Imao, the son of National Artist and TOYM Awardee for Sculpture, Abdulmari A. Imao, Sr.  The PCS Gender and Media conference will also launch the 2017 PCS Review, the annual official publication of the organization, and the third issue of the PCS Post.  Established in 1987, the Philippines Communication Society is an organization of communication scholars, researchers, media executives, public information officers, corporate communication officers and communication professionals engaged in the promotion of communication as a social science discipline. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Nominations for the next University Librarian extended – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nominations-for-the-next-university-librarian-extended/",
        "html": "Nominations for the next University Librarian extended Nominations for the next University Librarian extended August 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Committee overseeing the Search for the Next University Librarian is calling on all faculty, staff, and alumni to participate in the nomination process. The deadline for nomination is set on 7 August 2017.  The University Main Library (Photo from OVCCA)  The participation of all stakeholders system-wide is crucial in ensuring that the UP academic community enjoy quality service from its main repository of information.  For more information on the Search, please read through the memorandum, schedule of activities, as well as the The University Library Organic Act and University Library Rules and Regulations here.                            "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA names its distinguished alumni for 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-names-its-distinguished-alumni-for-2017/",
        "html": "UPAA names its distinguished alumni for 2017 UPAA names its distinguished alumni for 2017 August 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Alumni Association (UPAA) has recently named the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awardees for 2017. The list is headlined by prominent names honored as 2017 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumni—Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, and Senator Cynthia A. Villar.  According to the UPAA website, the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards are “conferred on alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements and excellent contributions in their chosen fields that bring about substantial benefits to society and distinct honor to the University.”  The rest of the main awards include UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awardees: United Nations Ambassador Lilia Bautista, Former SC Associate Justice Vicente Mendoza, literary critic Dr. Elmer Ordoñez, National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon Santos, and Atty. Renato B. Valdecantos who served various government positions.  Distinguished Alumni Awards 2017  The 2017 awards are also given to alumni who pioneered significant breakthroughs in the following fields: business and countryside development, community empowerment, corporate social responsibility, culture and the arts, entrepreneurship, financial management, health research, medicine, public health service, poverty alleviation and rural development, public service and good governance, science and technology, and women empowerment. UPAA will also recognize outstanding alumni, alumni chapters, and multi-generation UP alumni families with service awards.  The UPAA Alumni Awards will be part of the program of the UP General Alumni Homecoming on August 19, 2017 at the UP Bahay ng Alumni.   For the full list of awardees click here.                          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT applications extended until September 1 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-applications-extended-until-september-1/",
        "html": "UPCAT applications extended until September 1 UPCAT applications extended until September 1 August 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For more information, questions, and other announcements, visit: https://www.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions/.  You may also call 927-4561, 926-4002, or 926-4060. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP welcomes back alumni in General Homecoming – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-welcomes-back-alumni-in-general-homecoming/",
        "html": "UP welcomes back alumni in General Homecoming UP welcomes back alumni in General Homecoming August 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Alumni Association (UPAA) decided to push back its annual general homecoming two months later than usual in view of the academic calendar shift of the UP System which transferred the start of classes from June to August. The 2017 UP General Homecoming is set to take place on August 19 at the Bahay ng Alumni in University of the Philippines Diliman.  The theme “Itanghal ang Dangal” will focus on notable achievements as well as fond memories of the Jubilarians, who are celebrating their 60th (Class of 1957, Diamond), 50th (Class of 1967, Golden), 40th (Class of 1977, Ruby), and 25th (Class of 1992, Silver), respectively. The General Homecoming will also recognize the 2017 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awardees headed by Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, and Senator Cynthia A. Villar whose extraordinary achievements in their respective fields have embodied honor and excellence.  UPAA General Alumni Homecoming 2017  Other activities surrounding the UP General Homecoming are meetings by the Alumni Council and various chapters of UPAA. The UPAA will also release a yearbook to commemorate the events.  More details may be found on their website at http://www.upalumni.ph. You may get in touch with the UPAA Secretariat at (02) 920-6868 and (02) 920-6871, or email upalumni@yahoo.com.  (Source: http://www.upalumni.ph/preparations-afoot-for-2017-up-general-alumni-homecoming/)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "RELAUNCHED: The Carillon – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/relaunched-the-carillon/",
        "html": "RELAUNCHED: The Carillon RELAUNCHED: The Carillon August 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Carillon, the University’s official alumni magazine is now out with a maiden relaunch issue after an absence of several years. This June-December 2017 issue includes news tailored for the hundreds of thousands of UP alumni here and abroad, with features such as the new set of UP System officials, UP’s expanding map, and updated facts and figures about the entire UP System.  The Carillon is a publication of the UP Media and Public Relations Office. For inquiries, email UP MPRO at admin.mpro@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu Unang Siglo celebration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-photos-up-cebu-unang-siglo-celebration/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu Unang Siglo celebration IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu Unang Siglo celebration May 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    May 3 is the culmination of UP Cebu’s centennial celebrations, which carry the theme “Unang Siglo: Halad sa Katawhan, of Academic Excellence and Public Service,” featuring the unveiling of a gratitude wall for UP Cebu donors, inauguration of the UP Presidents’ markers at the new Oblation Square, awarding ceremonies, and a grand centennial “cookout” on the open grounds. #UPCebu100     UP officials welcome VIPs to UP Cebu.     UP Law Class ‘86, first donors to UP Cebu centennial fundraising, assist Chancellor Liza Corro in unveiling the gratitude wall.     UP presidents Alfredo Pascual and Francisco Nemenzo pay respects to each other.     UP Professor Emeritus for Film and former Chancellor of the UP Open University, Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, explains her design of new UP Cebu Oblation.     From left to right: Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, Jose Paolo Soriano, son of UP President Emanuel Soriano, UP Los Baños Chancellor Dr. Fernando Sanchez, UP President Alfredo Pascual, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, UP President Francisco Nemenzo, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandelaria, Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Regent Frederick Mikhail “Spocky” Farolan, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay, Jr.     New UP Cebu Oblation with former UP President Alfredo Pascual and university officials     UP Cebu high school students welcome guests to the evening events at UP Cebu performing arts auditorium     Cultural multimedia performance led by UP Cebu Professor Ligaya Rabago-Visaya.     The Centennial Gawad Chancellor Awardees     Former UP President Alfredo Pascual, Chancellor Liza Corro, with UP Cebu Serenata Singers and Coach     Student vocal group performing for cookout     Fireworks enlivening the cookout party     Students improvise group dancing with professors, officials and guests     Chancellor Liza Corro and batchmates in UP Law dance in the cookout party.     UP Cebu Centennial cookout party serves as bonding moment for entire community and its friends.     Text by Jo. Florendo Lontoc, UP MPRO  Photos by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO "
    },
    {
        "title": "Five UP students awarded prestigious international research prize internships – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/five-up-students-awarded-prestigious-international-research-prize-internships/",
        "html": "Five UP students awarded prestigious international research prize internships Five UP students awarded prestigious international research prize internships May 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Five students of the UP National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) will be spending part of their summer at prestigious research institutes in Switzerland, Germany and Taiwan.  After a three-round screening process, Marian Abigaile Manongdo was chosen as one of 20 international graduate students who will participate in this year’s Novartis Next Generation Scientist Program from June 1 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland. The immersive internship is offered jointly by Novartis and the University of Basel and allows students to work on research projects with expert mentors in their field of interest. The three-month internship also incorporates a leadership development program to enhance the decision-making, communication and presentation skills of the participants.  Carmela Rieline Cruz and Arman Ghodsinia will spend two months (August to September) at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum or DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany to work on cutting-edge cancer research. They are two of only twenty or less accepted by DKFZ each year. Like the Next-Generation Scientist Program of Novartis, the DKFZ Summer Internship includes professional development courses on scientific presentations and communication.        J-Ann Marie Lego was chosen as one of this year’s interns under the International Internship Program of the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP-IIP). TIGP is supported by Academia Sinica, the most prestigious research institution in Taiwan. Ms. Lego will join Jose Gabriel Hilario who will also do an internship in Academia Sinica from July-August, as part of his prize during the 2017 Youth Science Forum at the Philippine Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Annual Convention.  Manongdo, Cruz, Ghodsinia and Lego are MS MBB students while Hilario is a senior undergraduate. This brings to six the total of international prize internships awarded to NIMBB students this year. Ryan Timothy Yu, the 2017 winner of the Sanger Institute Prize, is currently on a 3-month internship at The Sanger Institute in Cambridge, United Kingdom. All six students are from the Disease Molecular Biology and Epigenetics Laboratory. (UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD, UPLB ROTC cadets hold graduation rites in Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-uplb-rotc-cadets-hold-graduation-rites-in-diliman/",
        "html": "UPD, UPLB ROTC cadets hold graduation rites in Diliman UPD, UPLB ROTC cadets hold graduation rites in Diliman May 15, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Diliman and UP Los Baños ROTC Units conducted their joint Turnover of Command and Testimonial Parade on May 5, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) units of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and UP Los Baños (UPLB) jointly held their commencement exercises, turnover of command, and testimonial parade at the University Ampitheater in UPD, Quezon City on May 5, 2018. National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) chief Alex Paul Monteagudo served as their guest of honor and speaker.  The event marks the graduation of UP students enrolled in the basic and advance ROTC courses, the turning over of authority from the outgoing to the incoming cadet Corps Commander, and the giving of awards to outstanding cadets at the end of every academic year.     (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Incumbent UPD Corps Commander CCol Rosette Bancaso 1Cl turned over the command to CMaj Bing Bong Salinas 2Cl. UPLB Corps Commander CCol Diana Mae Halim 1Cl turned over the command to CCpt Vanessa Meclat 2Cl.  The Duty Award, the Efficiency Award, and the Honor Award were also presented by the two ROTC units to their deserving cadets. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "2017 APRU Global Health Conference: 11th Annual Workshop – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2017-apru-global-health-conference-11th-annual-workshop/",
        "html": "2017 APRU Global Health Conference: 11th Annual Workshop 2017 APRU Global Health Conference: 11th Annual Workshop September 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines will be hosting the 2017 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference: 11th Annual Workshop on October 16 to 19, 2017 at Novotel Hotel Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.  The APRU Global Health Program aims to facilitate new collaboration that can lead to improved prevention and control efforts. It also aims to promote a simulating exchange of research findings in key topics including global health education, non-communicable diseases, migration, community health, tobacco control, and health systems; an increase in the number of cross-national comparative studies and the formulation of much-needed policy guidelines.  Participants are required to register through the APRU Global Health website at http://apruglobalhealth.org. Registration fees have been waived for participants from UP and other state universities and colleges and students who will participate in the student poster competition. For more information, visit the APRU Global Health website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches public service website – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-public-service-website/",
        "html": "UP launches public service website UP launches public service website September 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines launches its Public Service website to promote UP’s various forms of public service initiatives such as community and volunteerism projects. The website (http://publicservice.up.edu.ph) reflects UP’s commitment to its role as a public service university and in ensuring that its extension work and expertise are available to the general public.  The website houses the Catalogue of Institutional Public Service, a directory of all the extension services offered by UP units across the system. The UP College of Law Office of Legal Aid’s Clinical Legal Education Program, UP Los Baños’ Veterinary Medicine Anti-Rabies Drive and UP Mindanao’s Livelihood programs for the Indigenous People in UP Laak Land Reservation are some of UP’s major public service initiatives featured on the website.  It also showcases local scholarly works such as Public Service Reports, the Public Service Handbook as well as related informational resources such as the conference proceedings of the 1st Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon) and the 3rd AsiaEngage Regional Conference.  For more information about the public service initiatives of the University, please contact the Padayon Public Service Office at padayon@up.edu.ph or call (632) 981-8500 local 4256. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SYNAPSE: Igniting Partnerships for Health Promotion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/synapse-igniting-partnership-for-health-promotion/",
        "html": "SYNAPSE: Igniting Partnerships for Health Promotion SYNAPSE: Igniting Partnerships for Health Promotion September 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Join us as we ignite partnerships for health promotion.  All Filipino Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Program workshop graduates are invited to attend the Synapse launch event and grand reunion this October 7 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  The NEUROn group on Strategic Communications in Health is a partnership between UP College of Mass Communications, UP Manila College of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Communications and NEURON (private NGO).  Interested participants may register online through http://bit.ly/neuronlaunch.  Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/neuronconnects for updates.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July – September 2017 on Pride of Place is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-july-september-2017-on-pride-of-place-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July – September 2017 on Pride of Place is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July – September 2017 on Pride of Place is now available online October 11, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum July – September 2017 Vol. 18 No. 3 issue is now available online. It features seven articles on the theme “Pride of Place,” including a round table discussion on places as well as services to watch out for across the UP System.  Click the cover photo to start browsing :       "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Unilab Foundation Ideas Positive Run 8 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-submissions-unilab-foundation-ideas-positive-run-8/",
        "html": "CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Unilab Foundation Ideas Positive Run 8 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Unilab Foundation Ideas Positive Run 8 October 19, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Unilab Foundation’s Ideas Positive 8 is now open to accepting entries.  Ideas Positive is Unilab Foundation’s youth engagement program whose centerpiece is a nationwide competition of crafting innovative solutions to community health concerns.  Interested participants need to form a team of five youth (18-30 years old) members and a mentor.  Up to 17 qualifying teams with the best ideas will be chosen to undergo a three-day boot camp, and receive seed money of up to PhP100,000 to implement their projects in their communities for six months.  The goal is to help build a healthier Philippines to be able to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  Since 2012, teams from UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, and UP Visayas have competed and have become grand finalists. For the last two years, the Grand Champions have been from UP Visayas Miag-ao Campus.  The rest of the mechanics as well as frequently asked questions (FAQs) may be found on their website ideaspositive.org.  Unilab Ideas Positive Run 8"
    },
    {
        "title": "Extended call for papers : The 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/extended-call-for-papers-the-2nd-colleges-and-universities-public-service-conference/",
        "html": "Extended call for papers : The 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference Extended call for papers : The 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference October 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The CUPSCon is open to all disciplines with community engagements and public service initiatives, especially to those touching on themes such as service-learning, student engagement, public service monitoring and reporting systems, knowledge-driven volunteerism, linkages of the university with communities, civil society, industries, and government, impact measurement of engagements, among others.  On its second installment, which will be held in UP Bonifacio Global City Campus and UP Cebu, the conference aims to continue providing a venue for the sharing of unique public service and extension experiences. The main thrust is the manifestation of compassion (malasakit) in the initiatives of higher education institutions.  9-10 November 2017, UP Bonifacio Global City Campus, Taguig City (For Luzon Participants)  28-29 November 2017 UP Cebu Performing Arts Hall, Cebu City (For Visayas and Mindanao participants)  Deadline for CUPSCon BGC (Luzon): 12 October 2017  Deadline for CUPSCon Cebu (Visayas-Mindanao): 20 October 2017  Theme: Compassion and Social Responsibility: Cornerstones of Public Service and Extension in Higher Education  To view the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) endorsement of the event, click here.  Submission of Proposals  Kindly submit a 300-word abstract containing the following details:  Brief description and rationale of the policy/program/project Objectives of the initiative Activities undertaken, ongoing efforts, and prospects Outcomes and achievements  Please send your abstracts in .doc or .docx formats to cupscon@up.edu.ph with the subject “CUPSCon BGC Abstract” or ”CUPSCon Cebu Abstract”  Registration Fees  All participants must register for the conference. The registration fee is PhP 2,500.00 inclusive of kits, certificates, and snacks and lunch for two days, but exclusive of transportation, accommodations, and breakfast and dinner.  Payment may be deposited on or before 3 November 2017, through the following details:  Bank: Landbank of the Philippines  Current Account Name: UP System Trust Fund  Current Account Number: 1462-1013-64  Mother Branch: LBP – KATIPUNAN  Bank Address: One Burgundy Plaza, 307 Katipunan Ave. Loyola Heights, Quezon City  Kindly scan or take a clear picture of your deposit slip and send it to cupscon@up.edu.ph with the subject “REG_<Your Surname>_<Your conference location:Cebu/BGC>”. You may also send it via fax at (02) 436-5088.  For further inquiries, please contact Mr. Charles Ramos via mobile at 0917 571 8886 or through phone at (02) 981 8630. You may also send an email to cupscon@up.edu.ph with the subject “CUPSCon Inquiry.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP scientists launch festival to connect research with everyday life – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-scientists-launch-festival-to-connect-research-with-everyday-life/",
        "html": "UP scientists launch festival to connect research with everyday life UP scientists launch festival to connect research with everyday life June 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   ‘UP College of Mass Communication Dean Elena Pernia (standing) introduces event speakers (from left) Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, Dr. Laura Pham, and Prof. Louie Balicanta. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     One of the themes that stood out at the launch of Aghambayan, the UP-Department of Science and Technology (DOST) sponsored innovation festival, was the need for UP’s researchers to engage the public regarding the relevance of their work. UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita David-Padilla, in particular, credited successful conversations with lawmakers, hospitals and the general public as a major reason why her research on children’s health eventually became what is known now as the Newborn Screening Act of 2004.  Padilla was one of three panelists at the launch, which was held on May 30 at the B Hotel in Quezon City. She was joined by two other distinguished researchers, Dr. Laura Pham of BIOTECH UP Los Baños and Prof. Louie Balicanta of the UP Department of Geodetic Engineering, who also gave accounts of their research initiatives.  The launch, which connected the experts with several members of the media, served as a preview to the actual festival on June 20, where several UP-DOST research projects aimed at the public good will be showcased at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Manila.        During Padilla’s presentation, she narrated how she led a research team back in 1996 on newborn screening, which led to the law that sought the implementation of newborn screening services in all Philippine health institutions with birthing facilities. In order to make a case for requiring newborn screening for hospitals, her Newborn Screening Project, led by UP-Philippine General Hospital’s (UP-PGH) Department of Pediatrics, worked to provide the necessary data for government showing that the Philippines could save countless lives, in addition to $11 million every year by adopting such an initiative.  Today, according to Padilla, newborn screening is conducted in some 6,500 facilities across the country, giving Filipino children a fighting chance against potentially fatal conditions like congenital hypothyroidism.  Similarly, Pham gave an account of the benefits of her own research on protein-enriched copra meal (PECM) for animal feeds. This project, which she says is unique across the country in its focus, helps small Filipino farmers find cheaper alternatives to improve productivity, given how 92,000 metric tons of copra meal was produced here in 2005.     ‘The speakers at the Aghambayan launch are joined by officials from UP and the DOST. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The series of talks was capped by Balicanta, a member of the famed Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and Data for Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) Program. Since, 2012, the project has covered over 150,000 square kilometres around the country using LiDAR technology, and has mapped 18 major river basins and more than 200 other rivers. These detailed maps and models, which are proactive measures against natural hazards, are now being made accessible to both government and the private sector to aid in land use planning, disaster risk management, agriculture and other uses.  Ultimately, the whole point of Aghambayan, according to UP College of Mass Communication Dean Elena Pernia, is to share with the public the fruits of scientific research that is “for the people”. Going beyond the impression that scientists operate from the “ivory tower”, the festival stresses the value of science and evidence that improves people’s lives and relevant to the development needs of the country. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Kanino Kinikilig ang Korte Suprema?” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kanino-kinikilig-ang-korte-suprema/",
        "html": "“Kanino Kinikilig ang Korte Suprema?” “Kanino Kinikilig ang Korte Suprema?” May 15, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Third World Studies Center (TWSC), College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman held a public forum, “Kanino Kinikilig ang Korte Suprema?”, on May 10, 2018 at the National Engineering Center Auditorium in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Forum speakers discussed relevant dynamics between the country’s solicitor general and the Supreme Court, the Quo Warranto petition against Chief Justice (CJ) Maria Lourdes Sereno, and recent political developments under the Duterte administration.  Associate Professor Victoria Avena of the UP College of Law and former Associate Justice Vicente Mendoza served as resource speakers. TWSC Director Ricardo T. Jose served as moderator.  In her presentation, Avena discussed the primary grounds given by Philippine Solicitor General (Sol. Gen.) Jose Calida for the Quo Warranto petition to oust CJ Serreno vis a vis the Constitutional qualifications and processes pertaining to the CJ’s appointment and impeachment proceedings. Mendoza, for his part, contrasted the role and dynamics of the office of the Sol. Gen. and the Supreme Court of the country with that of their counterparts in the United States to provide the audience with insights on their respective relationships and on the possible outcomes of the then-pending decision on the Quo Warranto petition.     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     When asked about the dangers posed by recent political developments, Mendoza said that although he held his own opinions on the Quo Warranto issue, he reiterated that his role for this forum was to teach law, and it was now up to the students and the public to form their own informed opinions. Avena, warning on the threat of absolutism and of institutions possibly undermining democracy and the rule of law in the country, added that it would also depend on how the members of the Supreme Court would decide.  This forum was the third in the 2018 TWSC Public Forum Series that explores the theme “Sa Bungad ng Diktadura?”. The first, “Matotokhang ba ang 1987 Constitution?”, focused on Charter Change and was held on February 23. The second, “Puro bato na ba ang mga unipormado?”, revolved around the role of the country’s police and military institutions during times of Constitutional debacle and was held on April 10. Both forums were held at the Benitez Theater, College of Education in UP Diliman. Photos and videos of, and papers on the three forums were published by the TWSC in their blog https://uptwsc.blogspot.com/.  (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October – December 2017 on Celebrating the UP Spirit is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-full-color-off-the-press-the-up-forum-october-december-2017-on-celebrating-the-up-spirit-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October – December 2017 on Celebrating the UP Spirit is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October – December 2017 on Celebrating the UP Spirit is now available online December 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum October – December 2017 Vol. 18 No. 4 issue is now available online. It features eleven articles on the theme “Celebrating the UP Spirit,” including a round table discussion on traditions, festivals and celebrations unique to the University.  Click the cover photo to start browsing :    "
    },
    {
        "title": "New alumni website up and running – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-alumni-website-up-and-running/",
        "html": "New alumni website up and running New alumni website up and running November 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Calling all UP alumni!  Reconnect with the University through the new alumni website (https://alum.up.edu.ph/).  Register and become part of your alma mater’s alumni database. Doing so will get you your own @alum.up.edu.ph email address, where UP can keep in touch with you and give you updates.  Apart from news and announcements, the website also features the Carillon, the official University alumni magazine, which was relaunched in June. And you can read about fellow UP grads in the three Alumni Stories sections: Featured Alumni, Alumni Milestones, and In Memoriam.        Looking for an alumni group you can join? The website provides links to the UP Alumni Association and to the various groups and chapters in the Philippines and abroad. Whether you’re searching for fellow alumni in your geographic location or looking for grads from your college or campus, the Alumni Associations section has got you covered.  If you’re wondering how you can give back to UP, there’s the Give to UP link on the alumni website. Clicking on the link will direct you to the Give to UP website, where you can choose which campaigns to support—general, scholarships, professorial chairs and faculty, research, infrastructure and facilities, public service, or athletics.  The website is managed by the Office of Alumni Relations, under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, in collaboration with the UP Information Technology Development Center, under the Office of the Vice President for Development. "
    },
    {
        "title": "2017 pagbati mula sa pangulo ng UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2017-pagbati-mula-sa-pangulo-ng-up/",
        "html": "2017 pagbati mula sa pangulo ng UP 2017 pagbati mula sa pangulo ng UP December 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       I-click ang larawan para sa buong mensahe. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Taiwan presents more opportunities for Filipinos to study in Taiwan through scholarship programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/taiwan-presents-more-opportunities-for-filipinos-to-study-in-taiwan-through-scholarship-programs/",
        "html": "Taiwan presents more opportunities for Filipinos to study in Taiwan through scholarship programs Taiwan presents more opportunities for Filipinos to study in Taiwan through scholarship programs January 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines has once again opened various scholarship programs for qualified Filipino students. These scholarships are intended for Filipinos who wish to pursue further studies in Taiwan (Master’s and Doctoral Degrees) or for those who would like to learn the Mandarin Language in the Republic of China (Taiwan).  Due to popular demand and the positive responses from the Filipino students in the previous years, Taiwan‘s Ministry of Education (MOE) has decided to offer more slots for the scholarships to give more chances for Filipinos to study in Taiwan, learn the traditional Mandarin language through a different approach, experience the rich and vibrant Taiwanese culture, and broaden their international perspectives through their day-to-day experiences there.  As from February 1, 2018, Taiwan through TECO in the Philippines has opened the application for the following scholarship programs:   1.     Ministry of Education (MOE) Scholarship which gives 2 years scholarship for Master’s and 4 years for Doctoral Degree. MOE will shoulder 40, 000 NTD of the tuition and the remaining costs will be shouldered by the scholar. An additional 20, 000 NTD will be given every month as scholar’s stipend.  Application is from February 1-April 30, 2018.  Website: https://taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw   2.     Huayu (Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship which allows applicants to choose to pursue either 2 months or 3 months intensive Mandarin courses subject to TECO’s approval. A monthly stipend of 25, 000 NTD will be provided to cover all the expenses.  Application is from February 1-March 31, 2018.  Website: https://taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw   3.     International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) which covers full tuition fee, living expenses, economy class airfare tickets and textbook costs. Scholars pursuing Master’s will receive a monthly stipend of 15, 000 NTD and 20, 000 NTD for those pursuing Doctoral degrees.   Application is from February 1-March 31, 2018.  Website: http://www.icdf.org.tw  Interested applicants may only choose one scholarship program among these offerings and must process first their university admission to their preferred university in Taiwan. They also have to comply and submit necessary documents to TECO for review and recommendation based from the indicated deadlines of each program. It is important to note that a student is ineligible to apply if he or she is currently enrolled in another program in Taiwan. Scholarship guidelines and additional requirements prescribed by TECO can be found at the official website of TECO in the Philippines at http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ph  Since the introduction of the scholarship programs to the Philippines, Taiwan has partnered with Philippine institutions and universities to attract more young and capable talents to study in their country. More and more Filipinos have become interested to pursue their studies there because of various reasons. Aside from being the Philippine’s closest neighbor, Taiwan is also home to some of the nicest people in the world. They share the same qualities as their Filipino neighbors and provide a very affordable living environment for those staying there. Taiwan also possesses some of the best professors and high-class university facilities worldwide. It is truly the best location for Filipinos to pursue higher studies due to the conveniences that it presents.  Most of the Taiwan Alumni Scholars, who successfully finished their degrees, now hold various key positions in the government, academia, business and other sectors. All boast of rich and unforgettable experiences during their stay there and have come to love the country as their own.  In order to enhance the relationship with its neighboring countries, President Tsai Ing-wen is pushing forward with the “New Southbound Policy” to emphasize greater people to people exchanges in the different sectors, especially in the fields of education, tourism, and culture. Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, Representative of Taiwan/ROC to the Philippines is hoping that more and more Filipinos will seize these opportunities to study and experience Taiwan, as the two countries share a lot of commonalities and could really work together. “Taiwan can offer the resources, knowledge and technology, while Philippines can complement it through its young talents who are willing to equip themselves and be trained”, as emphasized by Dr. Lin.  For further information regarding these scholarship programs, you may check the “STUDY IN TAIWAN” section found in official website of TECO in the Philippines at http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ph or contact TECO’s Press Division at teco.linkages@gmail.com  DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT KIT HERE. "
    },
    {
        "title": "2019-2020 Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2019-2020-philippine-fulbright-graduate-student-program/",
        "html": "2019-2020 Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program 2019-2020 Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program January 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Fulbright Graduate Student Program is now open for applications for the US Academic Year 2019-2020. Applications will be accepted from 11 December 2017 to 19 March 2018 through the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF), the Fulbright Commission in the Philippines.  The program offers grants for graduate degree studies (Master’s and PhD) and non-degree studies (doctoral dissertation research) in some of the world’s leading universities based in the United States of America.  You can find out more through this link. They may be contacted through fulbright@fulbright.org.ph or (632)8120919. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[Call for Papers – DEADLINE EXTENDED] Film and Multimedia Content for “ASEANnale 2018” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-deadline-extended-film-and-multimedia-content-for-aseannale-2018/",
        "html": "[Call for Papers – DEADLINE EXTENDED] Film and Multimedia Content for “ASEANnale 2018” [Call for Papers – DEADLINE EXTENDED] Film and Multimedia Content for “ASEANnale 2018” January 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Submissions are welcome for the ASEANnale 2018, which will bring together two events, the 1st Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition and the 2nd International Symposium on ASEAN Studies (2nd ISAS), around the theme of “Capturing the ASEAN Spirit in Digital Times”. ASEANnale 2018 will be held at the UP Asian Center, QC from 28 February 2018 to 2 March 2018. ABOUT THE ASEANnale Film And Multimedia Competition  The ASEANale Film and Multimedia Competition encourages ASEAN higher education students to produce creative works in film and Multimedia that are the narratives of their culture and their personal experiences. The competition also gives honors to these filmmakers and multimedia producers whose creative storytelling explores a range of human experiences that echoes the festival’s theme of “Capturing the spirit of ASEAN in the Digital Times”.  Because of this, the ASEANale Film and Multimedia Competition encourages originality, creativity and research-based works. There are three (3) sub-themes for the film and multimedia competition – Diaspora, Democracy, and Disaster.  ABOUT THE ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS Along with the film and multimedia submissions, the abstracts for the ASEAN symposium must hew to the theme,  “Capturing the ASEAN Spirit in Digital Times” and dovetail with three current concerns shared and addressed by numerous parties in the region—Diaspora, Disasters and Democracy.  In media and various other modes of communication and information sharing via the World Wide Web through electronic digital devices, broadening and deepening inclusion and social involvement are opening venues for discourses and courses of action that impact of people’s lives. LIST OF IMPORTANT DATES [EXTENDED 9 February 2018] 19 January 2018—Submission of Entries for Film and Multimedia [EXTENDED 9 February 2018] 19 January 2018—Submission of Abstract for Panel, Paper and Poster [EXTENDED 15 February 2018] 02 February 2018—Notification of Short-listed Entries [EXTENDED 15 February 2018] 07 February 2018—Submission of Full Paper  For updates and more details on submission guidelines and entry requirements, please visit the official ASEANnale website.  READ SUBMISSION GUIDELINES @ ASEANnale WEBSITE   ORGANIZERS  This project is co-organized by the Commission on Higher Education, the University of the Philippines, the UP Open University, UP College of Mass Communication, TVUP, OUS, and the UP Asian Center. Dr. Joefe Santarita, Dean of the UP Asian Center and Associate Professor Rolando Talampas are members of the ASEANnale’s Steering Committee. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-anti-sexual-harassment-code-2/",
        "html": "UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code January 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       What is sexual harassment?  Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcome, uninvited behavior of a sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances or offensive remark about a person’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  It is an act, which may be committed physically, verbally, or visually with or without the use of information communication technology.  Sexual harassment may be a demand or request for a sexual favor by a person of authority, influence or moral ascendancy in exchange for appointments, grants, grades or favors, or set as terms and conditions for appointments, grants, grades or favors regardless of whether such act or series of acts are accepted by the offended party.  It may be committed inside UP premises; or outside UP premises in a work, education, research, extension, or related activity.  Sexual harassment under this Code may include, but is not limited to, cases involving abuse of authority or power, ascendancy, influence such as in a teacher-student, senior faculty-junior faculty, health worker-patient or healthcare provider-client relationship; cases involving peer relationship such as faculty-faculty, employee-employee, or non-teaching personnel by students, or cases involving harassment of supervisors by subordinates.  This Code contemplates cases of harassment involving persons of the same or opposite sex, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.  Where the act/s of sexual harassment are shown to be organization-related or organization-based, the liability for sexual harassment shall extend to the officers of the organization, who are registered students during the commission of the offense, and the organization itself.     Know where the line is.  Click the image below to download the UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code.  You may also read the text-only version of the code here.  For more information, visit the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment website at http://oash.upd.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PCARI Project Cycle 6 Request for Proposals (RFP) Now Open – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pcari-project-cycle-6-request-for-proposals-rfp-now-open/",
        "html": "PCARI Project Cycle 6 Request for Proposals (RFP) Now Open PCARI Project Cycle 6 Request for Proposals (RFP) Now Open February 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          The PCARI Project is pleased to announce a new cycle of Request for Proposals (RFPs) for CHED PCARI funding in 2018. Projects to be funded under this announcement are expected to be either in the priority areas of information infrastructure development and health innovation and translational medicine to be undertaken jointly by collaborating eligible HEIs.  Proposals must address a significant societal problem and have the potential to bring about and sustain technology transfer or commercialization activities. For this cycle, proposals are encouraged in e-Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Agriculture, Food Processing, Nutrition, and Marine & Aquatic Sciences related to Health Innovation & Translational Medicine, and Information Infrastructure Development.  A pre-condition for the approval of the proposals is for these to be undertaken in collaboration with a university in California, U.S.A., such as the University of California-Berkeley (UCB), the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), the University of California-Davis (UCD), University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of California-Merced, and the University of California-San Diego.  Submissions must be received electronically by the PCARI Secretariat at proposals.pcariproject@ched.gov.ph on or before 31 March 2018, 11:59 PM, Manila time (31 March 2018, 8:59AM, PDT).  Further details are in the attached RFP Guidelines and application packet and are also available through this link: http://ched.ph/central/newsevent/876  Please contact the following persons for further information:  PH side:  Institute for Information Infrastructure Development (IIID) – Dr. Aura C. Matias, amatias.pcariproject@ched.gov.ph  Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine (IHITM) – Dr. Ernelea P. Cao, ecao.pcariproject@ched.gov.ph  UC Campuses:  Berkeley – Dr. Anthony St. George, st_george@berkeley.edu   Davis – Dr. Jim E. Hill, jehill@ucdavis.edu   Los Angeles – Ms. Alice Young-Singleton, EdD, alice.youngsingleton@research.ucla.edu   San Francisco – Ms. Catherine Lagarde, Catherine.Lagarde@ucsf.edu   Merced – Autumn Salazar, atjalasma@ucmerced.edu   San Diego – Stella Sung, shsung@ucsd.edu   Administration  Email: proposals.pcariproject@ched.gov.ph  Telephone: (02) 376 1758  Telefax: (02) 352 5591   The specifics of this call may be found in the attached RFP Guidelines and application packet.   Announcement for 6th RFP   Guidelines for 6th Cycle RFP   PCARI Form No. 3a Data Sheet 2018   PCARI Form No. 3b Narrative Proposal 2018   PCARI Form No. 3c Line Item Budget 2018   PCARI Form No. 3.c3 Budget Justification 2018   PCARI Form No. 3d Workplan 2018  PCARI Form No. 3e Letter of Commitment 2018 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Farewell, SEJA – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/farewell-seja/",
        "html": "Farewell, SEJA Farewell, SEJA May 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines bade farewell to one of its sons, Edgardo Javier Angara, in necrological rites on May 18 at UP Diliman. It was the last stop of the 16th Senate President’s remains before he was laid to rest in his hometown of Baler, Aurora on May 22.  Before becoming “SEJA” at the Philippine Senate, where he served from 1987 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2013, Angara was the 15th president of the University from 1981 to 1987. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the UP College of Law in 1958.     Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines carry the casket from the hearse as the UP Rayadillo stand guard by the Oblation. The Philippine and UP flags were flown at half mast. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Arrival honors  The welcome ceremony began at Quezon Hall, the administration building, where Angara held office as president. The UP community led by President Danilo Concepcion received and gave its condolences to the Angara family. A floral wreath was also offered when Angara’s casket was placed in the lobby.  A procession was then held around Quezon Hall and the Academic Oval before proceeding to Malcolm Hall, the UP College of Law building, where the second part of UP’s tribute to Angara continued. The Carillon played the University Hymn, “UP Naming Mahal,” from the time his casket was at the Quezon Hall lobby until it reached the College. (Arlyn VCD Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion shows Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara the scale model of the Diliman campus as Atty. Gabriela Concepcion looks on. The younger Angara is a member of the College of Law Class of 2000. He was the first of the Angara family to arrive. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     SEJA’s widow, Gloria Manalang Angara, is welcomed by UP President Danilo Concepcion at the steps of Quezon Hall. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The soldiers carry Angara’s casket to the Quezon Hall lobby. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP honors its former leader with “Pamamaalam, Pagpupugay at Pakikidalamhati.” (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion, assisted by a member of the UP Rayadillo, offers a wreath of white flowers beside Angara’s casket. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     The hearse carrying Angara’s remains begins its procession around the Academic Oval. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     SEJA’s portrait stands in front of the Malcolm Theater before his remains arrive. In the background is a quote by former United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. inscribed in marble, greeting all who enter Malcolm Hall. “The business of a law school is not sufficiently described when you merely say it is to teach law or to make lawyers. It is to teach law in the grand manner, and to make great lawyers.” This is the principle that has guided every faculty member, student, and alumnus of the College. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Angara’s casket in front of the Malcolm Theater (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     A visitor signs the guest book. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     People lining up to pay their last respects to the former Senate and UP President at the lobby of Malcolm Hall (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Mass and necrological service  Angara’s remains were transferred from the lobby to Malcolm Theater for the mass and necrological service. It was where his remains laid before being transported to Baler the next morning.     Mrs. Gloria Manalang Angara talks to Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, Ateneo de Manila University President (left) and Fr. Aloysius Maranan, OSB, San Beda College President before mass was held. Fr. Villarin led the celebration of mass. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan talks to Mrs. Angara before mass begins. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Fr. Maranan reads the gospel as co-celebrants, Fr. Onofre Inocencio Jr., SDB, president of the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education, Inc. (left) and Fr. Villarin, remain at the altar. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Malcolm Theater packed with people attending mass in honor of SEJA (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Fr. Villarin delivers the homily. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Fr. Villarin (middle) leads the consecration. With him are Fr. Inocencio (left) and Fr. Maranan. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     SEJA’s daughter, Alexandra Leia Angara Cole, blesses his remains with holy water before the mass ends. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     President Concepcion talks about SEJA’s unlikely rise to the UP presidency as he was an “outsider” despite being an alumnus and one-time lecturer. Angara’s leadership was marked by “sweeping reforms” like the creation of the University System, that were initially unpopular but later on proved beneficial to UP—something that Concepcion realized during his brief stint as UP Vice President for Legal Affairs in 2011. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “He remained connected to UP,” says President Concepcion, enumerating the many ways by which SEJA continued to participate in University affairs after his presidency ended in 1987—as a member of the Board of the Regents, chair of the UP Centennial Commission, and benefactor of the single largest grant available to UP professors, among others. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Dr. Emerlinda Roman, who was UP president from 2005 to 2011, recalls how she never hesitated to ask Angara to head the UP Centennial Commission. She describes him as an intuitive person with a deep sense of urgency for getting things done and who never settled for complacency. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Francisco Nemenzo, who was UP president from 1999 to 2005, remembers how he, when he was dean of the then College of Arts and Sciences, was leery about Angara’s leadership of UP at first, but then grew to respect him as they worked together. Nemenzo says he was shocked by the news of SEJA’s passing as they had just seen each other during the UP Cebu Centennial celebrations earlier this month. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III talks about SEJA’s educational reforms that changed the landscape of Philippine higher education such as the commission that paved the way for the creation of CHED and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Former UP Visayas Chancellor Dionisia Rola admits not knowing who Angara was when he was nominated to the UP presidency. Their working relationship back then had since turned into a deep friendship, with her becoming one of his go-to advisers on the issue of education, long after his University leadership has ended. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Rola asks everyone at the necrological service to stand and applaud SEJA. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Former CHED Chair Ester Garcia, who was College of Science dean during Angara’s presidency, talks about how he supported the creation of the UP Science Complex (now National Science Complex). Along with Rola, Garcia’s working relationship with SEJA had also evolved into one of friendship. She was also one of his go-to advisers. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     One of the many performances of the UP Singing Ambassadors throughout the necrological service. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Atty. Teodoro Regala, one of the founding partners of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW) and Angara’s close friend and former classmate at the College of Law, says Angara always believed in the practice of law as public service. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Atty. Victor Lazatin, chair of the UP Law Alumni Association, of counsel of ACCRALAW, and Angara’s Sigma Rho Fraternity brother and close friend, recalls their last moments together—which was the night before SEJA passed away. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     National Artist for Literature Vilgirio Almario tells of Angara’s support for the arts and shares “Ang Araw ng Aurora,” a poem he wrote for and about SEJA in 2010. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP Singing Ambassadors founder and conductor Edgardo Manguiat reveals SEJA was a supporter of the group, making it a staple performer in many different occasions. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     “A wise man once said, ‘There are two ways to achieve immortality. One is to enter politics because you would be written in the history books. The second way is to teach because you would live on in the lives of your students.’ I will add a third. And that’s to create institutions, which my father has done. In fact, he has done all three. There were institutions he still planned to create but time has unfortunately caught up with him.”—Senator Sonny Angara in his response on behalf of their family. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Senator Angara thanks the University where his father spent “one-seventh of his life” but whose relationship and connection with him ran for far longer. “Thank you for working with him, bearing with him, and loving him. Because for sure he loved you, he loved UP.” (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "National Artist and “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture” Napoleon Abueva passes away, 88 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/national-artist-and-father-of-modern-philippine-sculpture-napoleon-abueva-passes-away-88/",
        "html": "National Artist and “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture” Napoleon Abueva passes away, 88 National Artist and “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture” Napoleon Abueva passes away, 88 February 17, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva (Photo credits: Documentary on the story of the Philippine national artist for sculpture, Napoleon Abueva by Katrina Ventura)     National Artist, recognized “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture” and esteemed alumnus of the UP College of Fine Arts Napoleon Abueva passed away Friday morning, February 16, at the age of 88.   This was confirmed by the Abueva family to the news media and announced by Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Vice President and Artistic Director Chris Millado in a Facebook post.  According to Abueva’s Facebook page cited by a report from CNN, the sculptor had been confined at the National Kidney Transplant Institute where he was being treated for pneumonia since December 31.  Abueva was born in 1930 in Tagbilaran, Bohol. He had six other siblings, including Jose Abueva, former president of UP.  In a 2003 interview with Dr. Jose Wendell P. Capili, he recounted that his own artistic career began in as early as primary school and high school where they were required to do gardening and he encountered clay for the first time.  He graduated high school at Rafael Palma College in 1949 and entered the UP College of Fine Arts as one of the second batch of Fine Arts students who moved from the old campus in Padre Faura, along with his contemporaries Jose Joya and Federico Alcuaz before he left for Spain. Abueva was mentored by National Artist and sculptor of the Oblation Guillermo Tolentino.  Since the 1950s, his sculptures have been winning prizes in local and international competitions and have been installed and exhibited in prominent locations around the world, such as The Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. He was an expert in both the academic representational style and modern abstract, and has utilized almost all kinds of material in his art, from hard wood to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass. According to the National Commission on Culture and Arts, among “the early innovations Abueva introduced in 1951 was what he referred to as ‘buoyant sculpture’—sculpture meant to be appreciated from the surface of a placid pool.”  Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955), Thirty Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration (1979), Eternal Garden Memorial Park, UP Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994) at the UP Diliman Faculty Center, Celebration of Life at the UP Manila campus, Sunburst (1994) at the Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan. He also did the Blood Compact Monument in Bohol and designed the door handles in all the National Museum galleries.  In 1976, he was named National Artist for Sculpture in the field of Visual Arts at the age of 46, the youngest to be named National Artist.  In the 2003 interview mentioned above, Capili asked Abueva how he wished to be remembered. Citing the inscription to one of his designs—a door to a parish chapel—Abueva said: “Whatever desire is expressed in form, one conceives in realm of design. The mind in the hand can falter or surpass: if you answer which one and how much was done by love.”  Abueva is survived by his wife, Cherry Abueva, and three children, Amihan, Mulawin and Duero. His wake will be in the Delaney Hall of the UP Diliman Chapel starting Friday, after 8 p.m.  —  Watch this documentary on the life of National Artist for Sculpture, Napoleon V. Abueva: "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMin BS Architecture program is exhibitor in Venice Biennale – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmin-bs-architecture-program-is-exhibitor-in-venice-biennale/",
        "html": "UPMin BS Architecture program is exhibitor in Venice Biennale UPMin BS Architecture program is exhibitor in Venice Biennale June 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   A summary of Davao City history in the UP Mindanao architecture exhibit in the “16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018” in Venice, Italy. (Photo courtesy of Rene Estremera, Public Relations Officer, UP Mindanao)     University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao Department of Architecture is one of four Philippine architecture schools that are participating in the “16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018” in Italy. The Biennale opened on 26 May and will be on public display until 25 November 2018. UP Mindanao is an exhibitor in the Philippine Pavilion with the theme “The City Who Had Two Navels” curated by Edson Cabalfin. UPMin’s design exhibit is titled “Empowerment and Transformation between and across Filipino Ethno-linguistic Cultures through Architecture”. It showcases a fully self-sufficient socio-cultural ecological village that will offer a rich source of indigenous systems: ethno-medicine; organic farming; construction material systems; natural food processing; natural wind mill systems; and water-harvesting systems.     UP Mindanao architecture program video presentation at the Philippine Pavilion in the “16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018” in Venice, Italy. (Photo courtesy of Rene Estremera, Public Relations Officer, UP Mindanao)     Aside from UP Mindanao, the Philippine Pavilion features works from UP Diliman, De La Salle – College of St. Benilde, University of San Carlos, TAO Pilipinas, a women-led architectural NGO; as well as artist Yason Banal and photographers Marvin Maning and Jinggo Montenejo.     Asst. Prof. Ryan Songcayauon of UP-Mindanao Dept. of Architecture at the Philippine Pavilion entrance in the “16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018” in Venice, Italy. (Photo courtesy of Rene Estremera, Public Relations Officer, UP Mindanao)     Curator Edson G. Cabalfin is Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati. Prior to coming to the U.S., he received his BS Architecture (cum laude) and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of the Philippines Diliman. (Rene Estremera, Public Relations Officer, UP Mindanao) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP researchers gauge LGU compliance to RA 10070, mechanisms for PWDs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-researchers-gauge-lgu-compliance-to-ra-10070-mechanisms-for-pwds/",
        "html": "UP researchers gauge LGU compliance to RA 10070, mechanisms for PWDs UP researchers gauge LGU compliance to RA 10070, mechanisms for PWDs June 21, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Center for Local and Regional Governance (CLRG) research team members present their findings and recommendations. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The UP Center for Local and Regional Governance (CLRG) presented its latest findings and recommendations on the implementation of Republic Act 10070 (Institutional Mechanisms for the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons) by selected local government units (LGUs) in a policy forum held on June 19 at the Sequoia Hotel in Diliman, Quezon City.  Members of the research team presented lessons gained from the best practices of LGUs in: Carmona, Cavite; San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte; Camarines Norte Province; Iloilo Province; Angeles City; Mandaluyong City; and, Valenzuela City. Representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities (PWDs), national government agencies, policy makers, and other stakeholders also shared their assessments in the forum.     Researchers answer questions from the audience during the open forum, as a sign language interpreter helps deaf participants to communicate. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     According to the researchers, PWDs in the Philippines still have limited access to health services, employment opportunities, education, and other basic necessities. Taking off from the creation of the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) through RA 10070 of 2010 to address PWDs distinct needs, the researchers reported that only about 60% of LGUs were compliant and that there was low awareness among local legislators of the requirements of RA 10070. They cited limitations in LGU personnel, challenges in the recruitment of qualified PWDs, and non-prioritization as some of the reasons for non-compliance.     Dr. Erwin Gaspar Alampay, UP professor and director of CLRG NCPAG, summarizes the team’s research findings and recommendations in the forum, “Enabling the Disabled: Assessment of PDAO Implementation by LGUs”, held at the Sequoia Hotel in Diliman, Quezon City on June 19, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Dr. Erwin Gaspar Alampay, UP professor and director of CLRG NCPAG, summarized their team’s findings and recommendations. He also explained the methodology and limitations of the study.  Among the top recommendations given were: to strengthen the monitoring of PDAO implementation and to incentivize compliance with RA 10070; to standardize data reporting of PWD information that can be linked to a national PWD registry; and, to clearly establish PWD representation and participation in LGUs.     Ms. Carmen Reyes-Zubiaga, executive director of the National Council on Disability Affairs, provides a recap of the PWD sector’s campaigns in line with RA 10070 and her assessment of and recommendations for the research project. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Ms. Carmen Reyes-Zubiaga, executive director of the National Council on Disability Affairs, provided a recap of the PWD sector’s campaigns in line with RA 10070 and her assessment of and recommendations for the research project. She reiterated the importance of having a PDAO. She said all LGUs should help improve PWDs’ access to health services, employment opportunities, education, and other basic needs.  This study was supported through the Coalitions for Change program of the Australian Embassy and The Asia Foundation (TAF). The CLRG is UP’s research, training and consulting center for local governments; and it is a constituent unit of the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG). (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Metrobank Foundation 2018 Search for Outstanding Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/metrobank-foundation-2018-search-for-outstanding-filipinos/",
        "html": "Metrobank Foundation 2018 Search for Outstanding Filipinos Metrobank Foundation 2018 Search for Outstanding Filipinos February 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. has opened the call for nominations for the search for the 2018 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos to recognize and honor ten (10) exemplary Filipinos: Four teachers, three soldiers, and three police officers. Each Outstanding Filipino shall receive PHP1,000,000 as cash prize, a trophy, and a gold medallion.  The UP community is enjoined to nominate teachers who are models of integrity and excellence. The basic eligibility requirements for nominees in the Award for Teachers category are as follows:  Years of Service – Nominees must have been teaching for a minimum of ten (10) years and must currently be in active, full-time service. Those who are set to retire must have at least three (3) more remaining years in active service. Performance Evaluation – Nominees must have a performance rating of at least “Very Satisfactory” in the last ten (10) years of his or her career. Character Record – Nominees must be of good moral character and must not have been guilty of any criminal, administrative, or civil offense. Educational Attainment – Nominees must have a Doctorate Degree. Contribution to Service and Community – Mominees must have concrete contributions to the development of their institution and their community.  In addition to teachers, the following are also eligible for nomination provided they carry a full teaching load within the months of January-September 2018: deans, vice-deans, directors, chairpersons of departments, subject area coordinators, assistant principals, teacher-librarians, research or extension coordinators, teachers-in-charge, guidance counsellors, college/university teachers with research or extension assignments.  The awards are also open for nominations of UP alumni who are soldiers and police officers with the following eligibility requirements:  Years of Service – Nominees must have been in service for a minimum of ten (10) years and those who are set to retire must have at least three (3) years remaining in service. Position/Rank – Soldiers must be commissioned officers (Captain to Colonel) or enlisted personnel (Corporal to Chief Master Sergeant). Police officers must be police commissioned officers (Police Inspector to Police Senior Superintendent) or non-commissioned officers (Police Officer 2 to Senior Police Officer 4). Performance Evaluation – Nominees must have a performance rating of at least “Very Satisfactory” in the last ten (10) years of his or her career. Educational Attainment – For soldiers, commissioned officers must have a Bachelor’s Degree while enlisted personnel must have finished high school. Police officers must have a Bachelor’s Degree.  Teacher nominations may be coordinated with the UP Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs while alumni nominations may be coursed through the UP Office of Alumni Relations. Last year, Dr. Alonzo Gabriel of the UPD College of Home Economics received the award.  Nomination forms may be accessed through bit.ly/2018OFAwardNominationForms. The deadline of nomination is on March 1, 2018. For inquiries, send a message to outstandingfilipinos.mbfi@gmail.com or call 898.87.57. More information may be found on Metrobank Foundation’s official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mbfi.outstandingfilipinos) and website (http://www.mbfoundation.org.ph/).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Paanyaya para sa “Sa Bungad ng Diktadura? Ang 2018 Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/paanyaya-para-sa-sa-bungad-ng-diktadura-ang-2018-third-world-studies-center-public-forum-series/",
        "html": "Paanyaya para sa “Sa Bungad ng Diktadura? Ang 2018 Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series” Paanyaya para sa “Sa Bungad ng Diktadura? Ang 2018 Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series” February 21, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Alamin ang sagot ng mismong mga miyembro ng 1986 Constitutional Commission na sina Florangel Rosario Braid, Wilfrido Villacorta, Ponciano Bennagen, at Edmundo G. Garcia. Dumalo at makilahok sa isang malayang talakayan sa Benitez Theater, College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman sa 23 Pebrero 2018 (Biyernes), mula 1:00-4:00 ng hapon. Si Propesor Randy David ang moderator sa public forum.         Sa pamamagitan ng forum na ito inilulunsad ang “Sa Bungad ng Diktadura? Ang 2018 Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series.”  Sa unang forum na “Matotokhang ba ang 1987 Constitution”, mapapakinggan ang pagsusuri at mga babala ng mga pangunahing nakakaalam ng diwa ng ating Saligang Batas ngayon—ang mga nagbalangkas nito. Sa ikinikilos ng kasalukuyang administrasyon, may mga palatandaan bang mababago ang kanilang isinulat upang bigyang-daan ang isa na namang mapang-abusong rehimen?  Sa ikawalang forum, tatalakayin, sa pangunguna ng mga dating miyembro ng Korte Suprema at mga iskolar ng konstitusyon, kung ano ang mga posibleng mangyari sa hudikatura kung ang Saligang Batas malagay sa purgatoryo ng mga emyenda o kung tuluyan itong palitan.  Sa ikatlo’t huling forum, maipapaliwanag ng mga dating naka-unipormeng tagapagpatupad ng batas  kung ano-anong mga hamon ang haharapin ng kanilang institusyon sa oras na makulayan ng mga partikular na interes ang proseso ng pagpapalit o pag-iemyenda ng konstitusyon.  Kailangan nating usisain at papanagutin lagi, hindi lamang ang may hawak ng kapangyarihan, kundi kahit ang mga taong nagtalaga kung ano ang halaga at bisa ng kapangyarihang ito. Nagsisilbing okasyon ang kasalukuyang banta ng diktadura upang bigyang diin ang pagtitimbang na ito, at upang mabantayan ang mga nakaambang pandarahas sa mga demokratikong institusyon ng bansa. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Application to the 2018 Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT) until March 18 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/application-to-the-2018-philippine-law-school-admission-test-philsat-until-march-18/",
        "html": "Application to the 2018 Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT) until March 18 Application to the 2018 Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT) until March 18 March 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          The Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. (CEM) has been commissioned by the Legal Education Board (LEB) to develop and administer the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT).  PhilSAT 2018 will be held on April 8 at various testing locations nationwide.  To register online, and for more information, check it out here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Political Society brings Blueprint 4.0 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-political-society-brings-blueprint-4-0/",
        "html": "UP Political Society brings Blueprint 4.0 UP Political Society brings Blueprint 4.0 April 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Blueprint is a nationwide public policy-generating initiative of the UP Political Society that aims to channel the idealism and innovative capacities of the youth to the development of concrete solutions in the form of public policies that shall address pressing issues in the Philippine Society.  In its fourth installment, the UP Political Society revamps Blueprint: A Public Policy Conference with the theme “Safeguarding the Future: The Philippine Environmental Security,” a one-day public policy conference. Blueprint 4.0 aims to hone the next game changers of the nation – the youth – in policy-making by exposing them to insightful talks on the policy process, and by providing them with a first-hand experience on how the policy process works – allowing them to transform their own ideas and initiatives into viable policies helpful to society and the nation.  This will be held on April 28, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the NISMED Auditorium, UP Diliman. Registration is waived and extended until April 22, 2018. You may register at  tinyurl.com/Blueprint2018Reg.  For inquiries email the Blueprint 4.0 team here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mass Comm calls for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mass-comm-calls-for-2018-lopez-jaena-community-journalism-fellows/",
        "html": "UP Mass Comm calls for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows UP Mass Comm calls for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows May 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The 22nd Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop now accepts online applications for fellowship via https://bit.ly/2JkgFJV. The deadline to accomplish the online form and to upload the bio-sketch, 2×2 photo, a sample published work, and endorsement form is on May 18.  The five-day workshop with the theme “Sustainability Science: Indigenous Practices in Biodiversity and Resource Management” will be held in Baguio City on June 3-8. The science journalism training will feature research projects and scientists of the Cordilleras.  Fellowship is open for 30 journalists, science information officers and journalism faculty members from Northern Luzon. Applicants should be currently engaged in media, a government agency or Higher Education Institution (HEI).  Full fellowship for journalists covers food, accommodation, and transportation. Partial grant of information officers and faculty members includes food and accommodation expenses.  Editors or supervisors, national or local press club heads, a media relations/information officers of any state university or college in Northern Luzon, or a Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop alumnus/alumna may endorse an applicant. Endorsement form is available at https://bit.ly/2K8e5I3.  Focus on science journalism training started in 2016 through the funding of Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development of the University of the Philippines (CoST UP), an Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program (EIDR) of the UP System. CoST UP aims to mainstream Science and Technology in public consciousness.  The Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop is a flagship extension project of the College of Mass Communication- Department of Journalism. The workshop has trained hundreds of community journalists from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao since its first workshop in 1985.  For inquiries, email lopezjaenaworkshop@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“A grand opportunity to serve”: Edgardo J. Angara, 1934-2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-grand-opportunity-to-serve-edgardo-j-angara-1934-2018/",
        "html": "“A grand opportunity to serve”: Edgardo J. Angara, 1934-2018 “A grand opportunity to serve”: Edgardo J. Angara, 1934-2018 May 14, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    He was considered one of the best Presidents the country could have had, one of the most accomplished legislators in contemporary Philippine history, and a respected mentor to junior leaders.  He was a tireless advocate for science, technology and innovation, multidisciplinary research to support national policymaking, education reform, and the people’s right to education.  In his long, colorful life, he served as educator, lawyer, farmer, diplomat, and patron of the arts. Before he passed away last May 13, he was appointed special envoy of the Philippines to the European Union.  But for the University of the Philippines, Edgardo Javier Angara will be remembered first and foremost for his service as UP’s 15th president from 1981 to 1987.  For the UP community, Angara was the president who worked to strengthen UP’s general education program, installed the seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (Intarmed) Program, energized the liberal arts program and strengthened the humanities and sciences in UP, and built a multi-campus university organization. He also rallied UP alumni to support the University during its Diamond Jubilee celebration in 1983 and its Centennial celebration in 2008 as chair of the UP Centennial Commission, serving UP twenty years after his term as UP President ended.        The boy from Baler  Born in Baler, Aurora in 1934, Edgardo J. Angara earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines, and his Master of Laws degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1964. Upon his graduation from UP, he became a lifetime member of the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society and the Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society.  While studying in UP, he joined the Sigma Rho Fraternity. He later went on to found the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW) in 1972, which would become one of the country’s most recognized and prestigious law firms.  In 1975, Angara became president of the Philippine Bar Association, and in 1979 he became president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. In 1980, he was founding president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Law Association.     The outsider President  Angara’s selection in 1981 as UP President sent shock waves through the University at the time, since he was perceived as having come from out of the blue—specifically, from the distinctly non-academic world of corporate law. In his biography of the former UP President, Edgardo J. Angara: In the Grand Manner (UP Press, 2015), author and current UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. wrote that Angara himself had expressed his doubts about his own preparedness to take on “such a lofty academic position,” given that his only teaching experience to date had been as a lecturer for two semesters after his return from the University of Michigan.  Despite his misgivings, Angara dove right into the difficult job of UP President, working to reorganize and streamline UP’s bureaucracy, revamp its academic programs, and secure fiscal autonomy for the university. Angara’s massive fundraising drive among UP alumni in the country and abroad raised a substantial amount of funds for faculty development, scholarship, student assistantship programs, and massive infrastructure development. It was also during UP President Angara’s term that the UP Colleges of Fisheries and Veterinary Medicine were transferred to UP Visayas and UP Los Banos, respectively.     A defender of dissent  Angara’s legacy lives on in part through the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP-CIDS), which was born from Angara’s vision of a policy research unit that would harness the multidisciplinary expertise of the University toward the resolution of the nation’s critical problems. The UP-CIDS provides a venue for the recipients of the UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellowship to present the results of their multidisciplinary research. The UPPEJA is the largest single grant available to UP Professors, which the UP Board of Regents established in Angara’s honor.  As his son and now senator Sonny Angara once said, his father was “best remembered for defending the state university’s tradition of dissent and obtaining fiscal autonomy. His efforts contributed to upholding its reputation for academic excellence as the country’s premiere educational center.”     A storied political career  Angara’s storied political career began in 1971 with his election in Quezon Province as one of the youngest delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, where he authored constitutional provisions such as the protection of public domain from undue exploitation by developers.  After his term as UP President, he was elected senator, first from 1987 to 1992, then from 1993 to 1998. He served as Senate President from 1993 to 1995, then in August 1995, he resigned from the Senate Presidency and was elected as the Minority Leader of the Senate.  Angara was set to run for president in the 1998 Philippine election, but yielded to popular vice president Joseph Estrada, running as his vice-presidential candidate instead. During the Estrada Administration, Angara was named Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Philippine National Bank, serving from 1998 to 1999, before being appointed Secretary of Agriculture in 1999.  During his term as Agriculture Secretary, he implemented his legislative creation, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), to oversee an improvement in food production programs and support services. In 2001 at the height of Estrada’s impeachment trial, Angara was appointed Executive Secretary following the resignation of Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, although he only served for 14 days before the Estrada administration was toppled by the EDSA II Revolution.     A legacy of laws  Angara was reelected senator in 2001, and again for a fourth term in 2007, making him the longest-serving senator in the post-EDSA revolution legislature. His achievements as legislator include authoring and passing measures for:  the Free High School Act to ensure that the poorest will be able to finish secondary education; the creation of the Commission on Higher Education and the technical Education and Skills Development Authority, thus freeing up the Department of Education to focus solely on basic education; the National Health Insurance Act or PHILHEALTH, providing health insurance to every citizen; the Senior Citizens Act, known as the Angara Law, enabling the elderly to avail themselves of substantial discounts for medicines and public transportation; the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, providing farmers and fisher folk improved seeds and plant materials, better irrigation, better financing and market access; the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), the biggest scholarship program; the Renewable Energy Act; the Procurement Reform Act; the creation of the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), which was later amended to Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority or APECO; the creation of the new National Museum and National Commission on Culture and the Arts; the National Book Publishing Industry Development Act and the National Cultural Heritage Law.  Angara was also an avid Hispanist, moving to rekindle the Philippines’ historic ties with Spain and Mexico, and institutionalizing the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act and the Dia del Galeon. He was known for his vast collection of antiquarian maps, books, and works of art, and he championed the creation of a Department of Culture.  His fourth term as senator ended in 2013, and in 2017 he was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to the European Union.  “It’s been a far from perfect life, fraught with accident—sometimes happily so—and misadventure,” Angara mused in his biography. And so it would seem to anyone reading an account of his legacy, one marked by both achievement and adversity. Then Angara adds: “But it has also been a grand opportunity and privilege to serve the Filipino people as lawyer, lawmaker, and educator.”  (The University will honor former President Angara in necrological rites to be held on Friday, May 18, at Malcolm Theater following a Mass at 6 pm. Interment will follow over the weekend in Baler.)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts lecture on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-lecture-on-taiwans-new-southbound-policy/",
        "html": "UP hosts lecture on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy UP hosts lecture on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy July 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Experts from the United States, Taiwan, and the Philippines shared their insights on the implications of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy (NSP) at a public lecture held in the Hall of Wisdom, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City on July 13, 2018.  Focusing on the policy’s significance for the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region, the experts explained that the NSP aims to strengthen Taiwan’s relationships with the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Australia, and New Zealand.  The resource persons expressed optimism in the convergence of national interests and the projected gains that the NSP would bring to the Philippines and the region.     Alan Hao Yang, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Professor Alan Hao Yang, PhD, executive director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) in National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taiwan, talked of the origins and importance of the NSP. He explained that with this policy, Taiwan was enhancing regional integration, strengthening partnerships, and promoting its cultural, technological, and economic assets, among others. He added that through the NSP, Taiwan and the Philippines could jointly nourish its youth and workforce.     Scott Kennedy, PhD, Deputy Director of the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) in Washington DC, USA. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Scott Kennedy, PhD, deputy director of the Freeman Chair in China Studies in CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) in Washington DC, USA, highlighted the areas where the NSP could help the Philippines and what the Philippines could do to make the policy more effective. He also explained that the NSP was a totally different engagement from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, wherein China is about making economic investments in other countries while Taiwan is about adjusting to changing global realities.  Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project in CSIS, and Derek Mitchell, former US ambassador to Myanmar and president of the National Democratic Institute, talked of US interests and how the NSP was also important for the US.     Derek Mitchell, former US ambassador to Myanmar and president of the National Democratic Institute. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Glaser discussed the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” or the US strategy toward the region, which she said built on the strategies of previous administrations and overlapped with other countries’ interests where there were shared interests on issues, such as respect for sovereignty, freedom of navigation, peaceful resolution of disputes, adherence to international rules and norms, and free and fair trade through bilateral agreements. Mitchell added that the US should be involved in the discussions since it had a strong partnership with Taiwan and that there were common interests, such as reaffirming rules-based order and promoting peace, development, stability, security, and free trade.     Herman Kraft, Associate Professor, UP Department of Political Science, College of Social Science and Philosophy (CSSP), University of the Philippines Diliman. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Professor Herman Kraft of the Department of Political Science, College of Social Science and Philosophy (CSSP), UP Diliman, presented his assessment of the NSP. He said that everybody should be interested in this strategic or long-term plan since it promised co-prosperity in the region. He further said that the Philippines could complement the policy with its own strategies for economic and trade collaboration, resource sharing, regional connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.  The public lecture was sponsored by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Strategic Studies Program (SSP), in collaboration with the UP Department of Political Science, Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc. (APPFI) and the CSIS. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "No fees to be collected by UP this semester – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/no-fees-to-be-collected-by-up-this-semester/",
        "html": "No fees to be collected by UP this semester No fees to be collected by UP this semester August 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       No tuition and other school fees will be collected by the UP System this semester.  This was announced on August 7 by President Danilo L. Concepcion in a memorandum outlining supplemental guidelines on tuition and other fees assessment and collection for this school year, in light of the passage of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last August 3. The new guidelines were approved by the Board of Regents through a referendum.  While the new law will not take effect until next year, the memorandum implements the spirit of Sections 4 and 6 of RA 10931, which provides for the coverage as well as exceptions to the non-collection of tuition and other school fees. All Filipino undergraduate students are qualified except those who already hold an undergraduate or bachelor’s degree, those who fail to meet admission and retention rules, and those who exceed the maximum residency requirement prescribed by the university. Students of medicine and law are also not covered by the provisions.  Alternatives, however, are available to those not covered by benefits of the law. These students may choose to apply for financial assistance through tuition discounts under the existing Socialized Tuition System of the university or any additional scholarship. Medicine students may also avail of a tuition subsidy under the Tulong Medisina program as provided in CHED-DBM Joint Memorandum Circular 2017-4.  A voluntary opt-out provision in the law will also be made available to those who wish to contribute to the University by paying their tuition and other school fees.  Qualified students will still have to undergo the prescribed registration procedures to avail themselves of this privilege.  A copy of the memorandum can be accessed here.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "NCPAG to hold pre-SONA forum and book launch – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ncpag-to-hold-pre-sona-forum-and-book-launch/",
        "html": "NCPAG to hold pre-SONA forum and book launch NCPAG to hold pre-SONA forum and book launch July 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) draws near, the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) will be holding two events, which focus on assessments of the previous and the current administrations.  The Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED) of UP-NCPAG will hold a forum to assess the Duterte Administration’s accomplishments with regard to its Zero + 10-Point Socio-Economic Agenda and publish the proceedings in a book form. This will be held on 19-20 July 2018 at the NCPAG Assembly Hall.  Faculty members of NCPAG will be presenting their assessments based on the current administration’s Zero Plus 10-Point Socio-Economic Agenda. The presentation will be made based on several clusters such as Economic Development, Social Development, and Political Development.  On 19 July 208, there will also be a book launch for The Performance of the Aquino Administration (2010-2016): An Assessment. The book contains assessments of the five clusters of the said administration (Good Governance and Anti-Corruption, Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Economic Development, Security, Justice and Peace, and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation) as well as a chapter on Summary and Ways Forward. This is authored by members of the faculty and NCPAG researchers.     The PNoy Book Launching and Pre-SONA Assessment of the performance of the Duterte Administration are open to the public for free. Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve seats, please contact CPED at 981 8500 loc 4162. Kindly look for Ms. Luisa or Ms. Rein. Media outfits are also advised to coordinate with CPED to secure a space for their staff and equipment during coverage.  This announcement was first published here: http://ncpag.upd.edu.ph/2018/07/ncpag-to-hold-pre-sona-forum-and-book-launch-2/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows extended – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-2018-lopez-jaena-community-journalism-fellows-extended/",
        "html": "Call for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows extended Call for 2018 Lopez Jaena Community Journalism fellows extended July 17, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          The application for Fellowship to the 22nd Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop is extended until July 27, 2018.       Limited slots for fellowship is open for Northern Luzon-based community journalists and science information officers.  Applicants may accomplish the online application form, upload bio-sketch, 2×2 photo, a sample published work, and endorsement form via https://bit.ly/2JkgFJV.     Editors or supervisors, national or local press club heads, media relations/information officers, or a Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop alumnus/alumna may endorse an applicant. Endorsement form is available at https://bit.ly/2K8e5I3.     Full fellowship for journalists covers food, accommodation, and transportation. Partial grant of information officers includes food and accommodation expenses.     The five-day workshop with the theme “Sustainability Science: Indigenous Practices in Biodiversity and Resource Management” will be held in Baguio City on August 19-24. For inquiries, email lopezjaenaworkshop@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-NCPAG launches book, evaluates Aquino and Duterte administrations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ncpag-launches-book-evaluates-aquino-and-duterte-administrations/",
        "html": "UP-NCPAG launches book, evaluates Aquino and Duterte administrations UP-NCPAG launches book, evaluates Aquino and Duterte administrations July 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dean Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza of NCPAG welcomes the participants of the forum and book launch held on July 19, 2018 at the NCPAG Assembly Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO).     The University of the Philippines – National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) held two consecutive forums featuring its faculty members’ and researchers’ assessments of the accomplishments of the administrations of President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino III (2010-2016) and of President Rodrigo R. Duterte (2016-present). The forums were held on July 19 and 20, 2018 at the NCPAG Assembly Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  At the first forum on July 19, the book, “The Performance of the Aquino Administration (2010-2016): An Assessment”, was launched and copies were distributed to the attendees. NCPAG faculty and staff presented the summaries of their evaluations and recommendations on the accomplishments of the PNoy Aquino administration. These presentations were grouped into clusters: good governance and anti-corruption; human development and poverty reduction; economic development; security, justice and peace; and, climate change adaptation and mitigation.  The publication was made possible with funding assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). A PDF copy of the book can also be downloaded here.     Dr. Alex B. Brillantes, Jr. discusses issues arising from the Duterte administration’s initiatives for charter change and shift to federalism. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO).     The second forum, a two-day event from July 19 to 20, was about the Duterte administration’s accomplishments. NCPAG faculty and researchers presented their assessments of the current administration’s “Zero Plus 10-Point Socio-Economic Agenda”. Forum proceedings will also be published in book form.  Among the presentors and discussants were: Dr. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, dean of NCPAG; Dr. Ebinezer R. Florano, director of NCPAG’s Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED); Dr. Alex B. Brillantes, Jr., former dean of NCPAG and commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd); Dr. Minerva S. Baylon; Dr. Kristoffer B. Berse; Dr. Ma. Victoria A. Raquiza; Prof. Wilhemina L. Cabo; and, Prof. Alicia B. Celestino.  The activities were part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the CPED. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Dr. Danilo R. Reyes, professor of Public Administration, asks the panelists about the projected costs of transition to federalism. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP expert talks on migration and disaster management – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-expert-talks-on-migration-and-disaster-management/",
        "html": "UP expert talks on migration and disaster management UP expert talks on migration and disaster management August 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Professor of public administration and governance, Dr. Edna Co, will discuss the relationship between human mobility and disaster management at the University of Newcastle (UON), Australia on August 9. She was invited by UON as part of the University President’s Visiting Fellow Program.  “The large-scale displacement caused by disasters may sometimes lead to a migration crisis [which creates] significant vulnerabilities for affected communities, long-term migration management challenges, and a strain on human resources,” she says as a prelude to her lecture.  Co is the director of the Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL) Philippines, the Asia Pacific hub in the CIFAL international network. Working under the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), CIFAL hubs promote and pursue “the exchange of knowledge amongst government officials, the private sector and civil society.”  Launched in 2016, CIFAL Philippines is a partnership between UP and UNITAR, where University expertise is expected to contribute to the global discourse on migration and development, gender equality, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.  The University strengthens its regional and global character through CIFAL Philippines and carries out its public service mandate through capacity-building programs that support local-level policymaking and action as well as enhance decision-making on a worldwide scale. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-ICE lauds DMCI Group for support to education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ice-lauds-dmci-group-for-support-to-education/",
        "html": "UP-ICE lauds DMCI Group for support to education UP-ICE lauds DMCI Group for support to education August 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   DMCI Homes and University of the Philippines-Institute of Civil Engineering officials tour the 260-seat David M. Consunji Theater following the recent installation of the facility’s signage at the UP-ICE Main Building in Diliman, Quezon City. The theatre is one of the facilities donated by DMCI Homes to the institution. The tour of the officials was held right before the 1st UP-ICE Recognition Rites on June 20, 2018.     Citing education’s lasting impact on nation building, the University of the Philippines-Institute of Civil Engineering (UP-ICE) has lauded the Consunji Group of Companies for its unwavering support for the improvement of the quality of education in the country.  UP-ICE Director Maria Antonia Tanchuling said this in appreciation of the conglomerate’s recent donations to the institution that include a 260-seat theater inside the UP-ICE main building. It was named after one of the institute’s esteemed alumni and acknowledged “Grandfather of Philippine Construction Industry,” the late Engr. David M. Consunji.  “Investing in education goes a long way to all stakeholders from the students and to the nation as a whole. I think that’s UP’s contribution to nation-building—to produce graduates who are not only competent but at the same time who are honorable,” Tanchuling stated.  “So we’d like to thank the private sector for the support to the university all throughout these years. DMCI, the Consunji family have been supporting the university especially the ICE. We’re really very grateful for all the support that has been given to us,” she added.  Inaugurated in November 2017, the P9.2 million-worth modern theater has hosted student assemblies, research colloquia, seminars, and more recently the first recognition rites of graduating students of the UP-ICE on June 20, 2018.     Photo shows (from left to right) UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Alfonso Aliga Jr., UP-ICE Director Maria Antonia Tanchuling, DMCI Homes Assistant Vice President for Marketing Jan Venturanza, Deputy Director for Students and Alumni Jaime Angelo Victor, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Dr. Karl Vergel, and Deputy Director for Planning, Development and Finance Dr. Errol Quinay.     “We have a large population of students so now we have a facility where we can have assembly of our students. So it’s really a big help,” she said.  Apart from the David M. Consunji Theater, DMCI Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries donated for the construction of various facilities and scholarships to the UP-ICE including professorial chair and teaching grants, lecture room, and canteen.  DMCI Homes and Dacon together with Friends of Engr. David M. Consunji also donated early this year P7.5 million for the setting up of UP ICE’s computational laboratory which is expected to be completed before the year ends.     Some of the computer sets at the DMCI Homes Computational Laboratory which will be operational starting this coming school year 2018-2019.     (From left to right) UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Alfonso Aliga Jr., UP-ICE Director Maria Antonia Tanchuling, DMCI Homes Assistant Vice President for Marketing Jan Venturanza, Deputy Director for Students and Alumni Jaime Angelo Victor, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Dr. Karl Vergel, and Deputy Director for Planning, Development and Finance Dr. Errol Quinay at the DMCI Homes Lecture Room of the UP-ICE in Diliman, Quezon City.     The DMCI Homes Lecture room can accommodate 250 students according to UP-ICE Director Maria Antonia Tanchuling.     The UP-ICE canteen donated by DMCI Homes not only benefits the students of UP-ICE but also of adjoining buildings like the Department of Chemical Engineering.     DMCI Homes Executive Treasurer Edwina Consunji-Laperal, on the other hand, expressed her gratitude to the University of the Philippines for allowing her family to become part of the institution’s pursuit of academic excellence.  “For us, this is a way to honor the memory of our late father, Engr. David M. Consunji, who always believed in the importance of education and continuous learning. For him, these are critical in the evolution and advancement of the industry that he was truly passionate about,” Laperal said "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Secure Reed Bank now.’—Justice Carpio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/secure-reed-bank-now-justice-carpio/",
        "html": "‘Secure Reed Bank now.’—Justice Carpio ‘Secure Reed Bank now.’—Justice Carpio August 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Luzon will have ten to 12 hours of brownouts every day less than 10 years from now.”  Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned of this grim possibility during the annual UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, where he was the featured speaker.  He said that this eventuality looms large if Reed Bank is not secured by the Philippines as soon as possible. It is intended to replace the Malampaya gas field, which supplies 40 percent of the energy requirement of Luzon and is projected to run out of the resource in less than a decade. Reed Bank, which is well within the 200- nautical mile (NM) Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is being claimed by China, which is more than 500 NM away.   Carpio talks about China’s map indicating its national boundaries. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  This warning was part of Carpio’s lecture, “The South China Sea Dispute: Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.” In it, he explained how the Philippines won its arbitration case against China at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Tribunal, talked about the Philippine claim to Scarborough Shoal, and allayed fears of a possible war with China.  He first discussed each of the five major issues raised by the Philippines which were resolved in the country’s favor by the UNCLOS Annex VII Tribunal and began with China’s claim to historic rights using its nine-dash line map. To counter this claim, the Philippines presented Chinese maps as early as 1136 that showed China’s southernmost territory to be no farther than Hainan. And even when it expanded that part of its territory in 1932, it only reached the Paracel Islands, 145 nautical miles (NM) from Hainan. China’s nine-dash line map, which claimed 85.7 percent of the South China Sea, was presented to the UN in 2009.  To strengthen its position, the Philippines showed Abraham Ortelius’ 1595 map of the South China Sea, which was then known as the Champa Sea. In Jan Huygen Van Linschoten’s 1596 map, the names of islands within the Champa Sea started with “Pulo,” which means island in Tagalog. Vincenzo Coronelli’s 1688 terrestrial globe also showed the then unnamed Spratly Islands to be within Philippine territory. Fast forward to 1734 with Pedro Murillo Velarde’s “Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica delas Yslas Filipinas,” known as “The Mother of all Philippine Maps,” that showed not only the Spratlys but also Scarborough Shoal, named Panacot at that time, as part of the Philippines.  The Tribunal also upheld the Philippine position that “no geologic feature in the Spratlys is capable of human habitation or economic life of its own” to generate a 200-NM exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that overlaps with Palawan’s EEZ. Even the inhabited Itu Aba, the largest among the Spratly Islands, does not satisfy the requirement for a 200-NM EEZ, which the Tribunal said should have the “objective capacity, in its natural condition, to sustain either a stable community of people or economic activity that is not dependent on outside resources or purely extractive in nature.”  On Scarborough Shoal, also called Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, the Tribunal agreed with the Philippines that it is a high-tide elevation entitled only to a 12-NM territorial sea, and not a 200-NM EEZ because it is a rock that is incapable of sustaining human life. It also ruled that “the territorial sea of Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino and Chinese fishermen, as well as fishermen from other countries”, so China does not have the power nor the authority to stop Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area.  The Philippines also raised the issue of China causing severe harm to the marine environment by dredging and building islands on seven reefs. In addition, it failed to “prevent its fishermen from harvesting endangered species like sea turtles, corals and giant clams in the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal.” In effect, Carpio said, “China violated its obligation under UNCLOS to ‘protect and preserve the marine environment.’ ” He then pointed out that China was, in fact, very active in the negotiations for UNCLOS, which began in 1972 and was finalized in 1982. According to the Tribunal, China “caused permanent and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem.” Carpio revealed that it was “the first time an international tribunal applied the UNCLOS provision on protection and preservation of the marine environment.”  Justice Carpio enumerates “The Three Warfares” of China during the open forum of the UP Alumni Council Meeting. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  Finally, the Philippines asserted that China committed unlawful acts within the Philippine EEZ by interfering with Filipino fishing activities, including: imposing a fishing ban; preventing petroleum activities of Filipino vessels; failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing; and, constructing islands and structures not only within the Philippine EEZ but also on its continental shelf. The Tribunal agreed on all points.  Carpio then gave a brief background on the Philippines’ claim to Scarborough Shoal, highlighting the Treaty of Washington in 1900, the second treaty between Spain and the US. Scarborough Shoal was not inside the treaty lines during the first treaty between both countries in 1898,the Treaty of Paris, which is commonly taught in Philippine basic education. It is in the 1900 treaty where Spain stated that it also ceded to the US, “all title and claim of title, which [it] may have had at the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace of Paris, to any and all islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, lying outside the lines” of the Treaty of Paris. Carpio bemoaned the lack of significance placed upon the Treaty of Washington in Filipino school books.  On the question of a possible war between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea dispute, he said, “War is not an option, and has never been an option. First, the Philippine Constitution prohibits war as an instrument of national policy. Second, the UN Charter has outlawed war as a means of settling disputes between states. That is precisely why the Philippines filed the arbitration case against China, because war was never an option.”  As for China launching an armed attack against the Philippines, Carpio explained that China’s policy is to conduct what it calls its “The Three Warfares.” He said that in the South China Sea dispute, these tactics have been evident.  First is public opinion warfare, where a historical narrative is repeatedly asserted so it is universally accepted even if it has no basis in fact. Second is legal warfare, “assert a legal basis for the historical claim to justify that claim as an exception to prevailing legal norms.” Third is psychological warfare, where might, power, and capability are overtly displayed to intimidate other parties into submission.  Carpio is one of the UP Alumni Association’s Most Distinguished Alumni this year. The Alumni Council Meeting precedes the annual general homecoming of the University and is a venue for the discussion of high impact, relevant, and meaningful issues. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Online accepts applications for AY 2018-2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-student-financial-assistance-sfa-online-accepts-applications-for-ay-2018-2019/",
        "html": "The Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Online accepts applications for AY 2018-2019 The Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Online accepts applications for AY 2018-2019 August 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Online is ready to accept applications for AY 2018-2019.  UP undergraduate students who are ineligible for free higher education under RA 10931 and students who wish to avail of allowances may apply for financial assistance through the SFA Online at https://sfaonline.up.edu.ph.  Application period is from August 2 to 7, 2018. Release of results will be on August 8, 2018. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[INFOGRAPHIC] Student eligibility for free higher education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/infographic-student-eligibility-for-free-higher-education/",
        "html": "[INFOGRAPHIC] Student eligibility for free higher education [INFOGRAPHIC] Student eligibility for free higher education August 14, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines’ Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of the Vice President for Planning and Finance released the guidelines to implement the free higher education under RA 10931 otherwise known as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.  Know whether you are eligible for free tuition and other school fees in this infographic:    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP honors ‘living proof’ of its excellence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-honors-living-proof-of-its-excellence/",
        "html": "UP honors ‘living proof’ of its excellence UP honors ‘living proof’ of its excellence August 17, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   2018 Most Distinguished Alumnus Awardee Ruben Villareal receives his award. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Some of UP’s most committed and accomplished graduates trooped to the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman as UP President Danilo L. Concepcion threw a dinner in honor of the 2018 UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Awardees.  Every year, the UPAA recognizes a select crop of alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements and excellent contributions in their respective fields that bring about substantial benefits to society and honor to the University. While formally awarded during UP’s Grand Alumni Homecoming, the awardees attended a special dinner sponsored by the UP President customarily held in the same week as a gesture of UP’s appreciation of them.     2018 UPAA Alumni Awardees take a selfie with the UP President (rightmost). (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     This year’s batch of awardees was headed by 2018 Most Distinguished Alumnus Ruben Villareal (BSA’60; MS’63), who rose from humble beginnings to become a former UP Los Baños chancellor and world-renowned plant breeder. Joining him were UPAA Lifetime Achievement Awardees Caesar Agnir (AA’58; AB’58), Filemon Berba, Jr. (BSEE’59 mcl), Melito Salazar, Jr. (BSBA’71; MBA’74) and Dr. Francisca Tolete-Velcek (BS’62; MD’66).  Also recognized were Distinguished Alumni Awardees from 12 distinct disciplines, from Community Empowerment to Women Empowerment; recipients of the UPAA Distinguished Service Award for an Alumni Chapter; UPAA Multi-Generation UP Family Awardees; and a trio of UPAA Presidential Awardees: Amable R. Aguiluz (BSBA’69), Robina Gokongwei-Pe (Economics 1981), and Dennis Serrano (BSBMS’87; MD’89; MHA’04).     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion addresses the awardees. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In a message to the awardees, President Concepcion said that the truest measure of a university’s excellence is the status of its alumni, and the esteemed accorded to them by society. With UP’s status as the number one university in the country, therefore, its distinguished alumni, who are leaders in their respective professions and workers for the common good, are living proof of its excellence. Concepcion, together with UPAA President Ramon Maronilla, started the dinner with a toast in honor of the 2018 Awardees and their invaluable contributions to Philippine society. In response to the honor, former Chancellor Villareal gave his own message on behalf of his fellow alumni awardees. He remarked that the honor they received symbolized both honor and intelligence, as well as a confidence in the awardees’ “abilities to continuously pursue UP’s ideals of honor, excellence, and service”.  “We cannot rest on our laurels,” Villareal said, of his fellow recipients. “We must continue our individual crusade (of uplifting the lives of fellow Filipinos) with fervor. With more passion, more perseverance, and more sacrifices if need be”. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     For a complete list of 2018 UPAA Alumni Awardees, visit: http://www.upalumni.ph/2018-upaa-awardees/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi-UP Chapter turns 85 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-honor-society-of-phi-kappa-phi-up-chapter-turns-85/",
        "html": "The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi-UP Chapter turns 85 The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi-UP Chapter turns 85 August 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi celebrates its 85 years of excellence with Pagdayaw – a series of Honor Society Activities including the launch of the revitalized Phi Kappa Phi website and Facebook account; exhibit and auction of Hiraya; conversations, lectures and roundtable discussions with Phi Kappa Phi scientists and academicians; as well as an awards and recognition dinner.  This year’s celebration highlights the Phi Kappa Phi Awards of Excellence and Exemplary Service Awards. Nominations for this special recognition of member-exemplars may be submitted to the Phi Kappa Phi Awards and Recognition Committee, Phi Kappa Phi Office, National Engineering Center, UP Diliman until November 5, 2018.  The Phi Kappa Phi is also sponsoring the Contests of Excellence, About Excellence, for Excellence (in the arts, sciences, social sciences, engineering and technologies). This is open to all students across UP campuses. Competition categories include: visual arts, literary works, investigative study and web page design both in the fields of engineering and social sciences, as well as song writing. Entries may be submitted not later than November 5 to the Phi Kappa Phi Committee on Contests of Excellence, Phi Kappa Phi Office, UP Alumni Center, UP Diliman or through the Phi Kappa Phi campus representative or Chancellor.  Winners will be announced on November 15 and will be awarded during the 85th Anniversary Awards and Recognition Program on November 17, 2018 at the Bahay ng Alumni.  For more information on the nomination, contests guidelines and forms, download here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Science harnessed in support of indigenous culture at UP Baguio’s Media Brunch – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/science-harnessed-in-support-of-indigenous-culture-at-up-baguios-media-brunch/",
        "html": "Science harnessed in support of indigenous culture at UP Baguio’s Media Brunch Science harnessed in support of indigenous culture at UP Baguio’s Media Brunch August 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP System and UP Baguio officials pose with the media-participants during UP Baguio’s Media Brunch. Sitting in the front row, from left to right: UPB faculty-researchers who presented their research that day—Dr. Teodora D. Balongcod, Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores, and UPB Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Corazon L. Abansi; UPB Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos; UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Jose “Butch” Dalisay; CoST-UP program leader and UP Diliman College of Mass Communication Dean Elenia E. Pernia; CoST-UP program member and UP Diliman College of Fine Arts Dean Leonardo Rosete. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Science, mathematics and economics blended with indigenous arts and culture at UP Baguio’s Media Brunch held on August 22 at the UP Baguio Boardroom.  The UP Baguio Media Brunch was held to showcase some selected research projects that UP Baguio has undertaken through the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) Program and the Enhanced Creative Work Grant (ECWG). Three UP Baguio faculty-researchers presented the results of their research to members of the media, government information agencies, and higher education institutions in northern Luzon.     Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores of the College of Social Sciences presenting the multidisciplinary CordiText Project. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores of the College of Social Sciences presented a multidisciplinary research on “Anthropological, Mathematical Symmetry and Technical Characterization of Cordillera Textiles” or the CordiText Project. The project documented and studied unique weaving techniques, forms and patterns of various indigenous communities to help preserve this aspect of indigenous culture. The project also designed scientific protocols to improve product quality of textiles from local indigenous materials and to help the efficiency of local weavers in the Cordillera regions. The team used tools from various disciplines, including anthropology, ergonomics, chemistry, materials science and ethnomathematics, to study this indigenous craft. Highlighted were distinctive mathematical symmetries found in Cordilleran garments and blankets, along with their cultural, religious and functional significance. Dr. Amores and her team hope to encourage greater appreciation of the creative artistry in traditional weaving, bring about product development, and rekindle interest in the craft among the Cordilleran youth.     Dr. Teodora D. Balongcod of the College of Science discussing the mummification process that was practiced in the Cordilleras. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Dr. Teodora D. Balongcod of the College of Science offered “A Glimpse of the Fire Mummies of Kabayan, Benguet, and the Role of Plants Associated with the Mummification Process”. The research focused on the now-extinct Cordilleran practice of mummifying dead bodies, which is done by applying herbal extracts and smoking the corpse, hence the term “fire mummies”. The research identified and studied the herbs used in the mummification process in order to test their antibacterial potential against selected bacteria. Four endemic herbs in particular were identified—bayabas (Psidium guajava L.), diwdiw or tibig [Ficus nota (Blanco) Merr.], patani (Phaseolus lunatus L.), and besudak (Embelia philippinensis A. DC); and the research found that these herbs can potentially serve as less toxic and more environment-friendly alternatives to formalin in the embalming process, as well as a source of more affordable drugs sourced from indigenous, endemic plants.     UP Baguio Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Institute of Management Professor Corazon L. Abansi on “Weaving Colors: A Value Chain Analysis for Tiger Grass in the Cordillera Highlands of Northern Philippines.” (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Finally, UP Baguio Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Corazon L. Abansi, who is also a professor of economics in the Institute of Management, presented “Weaving Colors: A Value Chain Analysis for Tiger Grass in the Cordillera Highlands of Northern Philippines”, a project she and Dr. Bienvenido C. Marzan jointly undertook. The research focused on the walis tambo and the cases of three major tiger-grass producing and softbroom-weaving communities in La Union. The research showed that tiger grass could be a more lucrative source of livelihood if value was added in the products along the chain. This higher value could be achieved by coloring the tiger-grass panicles. By weaving and selling the colored softbrooms, which are softer, sturdier and prettier than the ordinary walis tambo, weavers were able to create a market segment that was more discriminating and which appreciated quality rather than quantity. This enabled them to expand their markets and increase their earning potential. It also boosted the work participation of women and children in particular, and rural employment in general.  The three UP Baguio research projects were supported by the UP EIDR program and the ECWG under the Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, and the UP Baguio Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Extension Program through the Cordillera Studies Center. All three showcased developments in Sustainability Science, Material Culture, and Natural Resource Economics, which are key components in Sustainable Environment and Resource Management.     UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos giving his welcome remarks. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos said that he welcomed this interchange between the faculty-researchers and the media, because as the national university, UP needed to go beyond knowledge dissemination only through teaching.     UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Jose “Butch” Dalisay speaks on behalf of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Speaking on behalf of UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice-President for Public Affairs Jose Y. Dalisay emphasized the importance of media people translating and communicating what University academics and researchers did for everyone to understand.     UP Diliman College of Mass Communication dean and CoST-UP program leader Dr. Elena E. Pernia describing the CoST-UP program under the UP EIDR Program during her closing remarks. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP  MPRO)     The closing remarks were delivered by Dr. Elenia E. Pernia, dean of the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication and program leader of “Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development in UP (CoST-UP)”, which is another project funded by the EIDR Program. She gave a brief report of what CoST-UP has done through its media engagement component to help UP scientists engage with the media, to train the media in science journalism, to disseminate UP’s research, and to popularize science and technology among the wider public. (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     During Registration as the Media-Participants and UP officials came in. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO)     During the Q&A session wherein the three UPB faculty-researchers answered questions from the media-participants (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Katatagan Fair 2018 showcases disaster resilience initiatives – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/katatagan-fair-2018-showcases-disaster-resilience-initiatives/",
        "html": "Katatagan Fair 2018 showcases disaster resilience initiatives Katatagan Fair 2018 showcases disaster resilience initiatives August 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Diliman community is invited to attend and participate in the Katatagan Fair 2018 on September 10 from 8AM – 6PM at the UP Quezon Hall Amphitheater. The Katatagan Fair is a one-day outdoor activity which will consist of orientation on Resilient Campuses Project, lectures on geohazard maps in Diliman, exhibitions of initiatives/work on disaster resilience by various DRR organizations, presentations of DRR initiatives by the different colleges of UPD, and performances by local artists. This event aims to provide an effective platform to educate the UP Diliman students, faculty, and staff on Resilient Campuses and to raise awareness on DRR.  The Katatagan Fair is an initiative of the UP Padayon Public Service Office, UP Resilience Institute, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), University Student Council (USC), Diliman Emergency Response Team (DERT), National Service Training Program (NSTP), and UP Vanguard Inc. (UPVI).  You may register at https://bit.ly/2MJrXcC. If you want to know more about the fair, please contact Charles Ramos or Marielle Antonio at (02) 981-8500 loc 4256/4257 or email us at padayon@up.edu.ph  #UPKatataganFair2018 "
    },
    {
        "title": "PDLC updates Alumni Council on infra projects – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pdlc-updates-alumni-council-on-infra-projects/",
        "html": "PDLC updates Alumni Council on infra projects PDLC updates Alumni Council on infra projects August 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President Danilo Concepcion addresses the Alumni Council at Ang Bahay ng Alumni on August 17. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion shared news on infrastructure development in the University at the Alumni Council Meeting.  He pointed to road repairs for the campuses in Diliman, Los Baños, Mindanao, and Cebu. He also talked about the upcoming renovation of buildings such as Vinzons Hall, where the canteen was first to be finished; the UP Health Service in Diliman; and the UP Diliman (UPD) Main Library.     The UP Diliman Main Library will be renovated, according to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Camia, Molave, and Yakal Residence Halls in UPD are also up for renovation. Concepcion said that dorm residents would be provided temporary housing while the buildings were being fixed. The International Center’s renovation, meanwhile, is already underway.  He reported that “Tribute to Higher Education” by the late National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva would be rehabilitated. These sculptures are found on both sides of the University Avenue in Diliman and serve as portals to the campus. The Oblation Plaza in front of Quezon Hall will also be restored to what it once was: a reflecting pool with fountains.     The Oblation Plaza in UP Diliman will go back to being a reflecting pool with fountains. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Later this year, the promenade donated by Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity will be inaugurated. The P12-million project commemorates the organization’s centennial this year. It intersects Beta Way, which the Beta Epsilon Fraternity plans to renovate. Benches will also be placed around the Lagoon, courtesy of the UP Alumni Association in America.  UPD’s sports facilities are undergoing improvement as well. The complex that houses the football field, track oval, and stadium is being completed. The newly constructed Epsilon Chi Fraternity Wellness Gym is currently being used by the basketball team as its practice venue while it waits for its own practice gym to be constructed.  The construction of an Olympic-size swimming pool is ongoing and is expected to be finished by mid-2019. The old pool, Concepcion said, will remain as part of a recreational facility akin to a clubhouse. A P15-million donation from entrepreneur JJ Atencio will go to the renovation of the area, which includes the construction of a two-story building. The second level will be a gallery where students, faculty, and alumni can hold exhibits.     UP Diliman sports facilities, clockwise from top: photo of the football field construction taken in June 2018, a perspective of the olympic-size swimming pool expected to be finished in mid-2019, and perspectives of the football stadium (Photos by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     To save on water expenses, Concepcion revealed that the construction of a P50-million reservoir in UPD will finally allow the campus to utilize gray water from Manila Water for its grounds. He explained that each day 5,000 liters of gray water from the company was being wasted because UPD had no provision for storage, so that the water requirements of maintaining campus grounds made utility expenses higher.  New structures will also be put up in UPD. Villadolid Hall will be replaced by a seven-story building that will house the Archaeological Studies Program and the Resilience Institute. A Student Union building will also be constructed behind Vinzons Hall. With a budget of P270 million, it will house the offices of the sectoral regents and student organizations, a function room for student activities; and it will support facilities such as a bookstore, cafe, and ATMs.  The Faculty Center, which burned down in 2016, will be resurrected as the six-level Faculty Commons. The P675-million building will have conference facilities and multilevel parking. Concepcion said that plans for the Shopping Center, which burned down earlier this year, were finished. He expressed confidence that the procurement process for both projects would soon be underway.  One of the UP administration’s biggest infrastructure projects is the construction of the P9-billion Philippine General Hospital (PGH)-Diliman complex, which includes, among others, a 1,400-bed hospital, the UP Manila College of Medicine, a cancer research institute, and a large-capacity comprehensive laboratory. Concepcion said that the National Economic Development Authority had made PGH-Diliman a flagship project. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)      The UP Alumni Council, the advisory body of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), passed resolutions on the pursuit of scientific research and the development of the agriculture sector in its meeting on August 17 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. Read full story here: Alumni push for scientific research, agri dev’t "
    },
    {
        "title": "Soho: Defend the integrity of The Story – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/soho-defend-the-integrity-of-the-story/",
        "html": "Soho: Defend the integrity of The Story Soho: Defend the integrity of The Story September 3, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Maria Jessica A. Soho, UP Gawad Plaridel 2018 recipient (Outstanding Journalist). (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “Every story is important.”  Maria Jessica A. Soho, broadcast journalist for more than 33 years and a University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) alumna, said she lives by these words, as she received the prestigious UP Gawad Plaridel at the UP Film Center (Cine Adarna) in Diliman, Quezon City on August 29, 2018.  In her acceptance speech and lecture, Soho thanked all her mentors and colleagues in both UP and the GMA News and Public Affairs division. “Wala ako rito, kung hindi dahil sa inyo,” she said, as she detailed her humble beginnings as a student and as a journalist.  UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, Asst. Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili, and UP CMC Dean Elena E. Pernia delivered inspiring and congratulatory messages in the program.     (From left) Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson, UP Professor Emeritus; Ms. Jessica A. Soho, UP Gawad Plaridel 2018 recipient; Dr. Michael L. Tan, UP Diliman Chancellor; Dr. Elena E. Pernia, Dean of the UP College of Mass Communication; and Dr. Jose Wendell P. Capili, Asst. Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Soho imparted valuable lessons as she tackled the plight of journalists, the bane of disinformation, and the weaponization of media platforms. “I am not torn between public interest and the truth. I do not see any conflict there because at the bottom of it all is The Story. The Truth,” she said.  “The Story can never be changed nor revised, even if memories are short. What happened, happened! Pagbali-baligtarin man natin ang mundo,” Soho told the audience comprised mostly of students and teachers from UP and nearby schools. She then urged the public to “defend the integrity of The Story”.  Soho explained that “fake news is nothing more than a deliberate distortion of the truth and of reality,” and that “the only antidote to fake news is The Truth. The Story.”  Soho asked the public to be more discerning and to fact-check. “Get your news from trusted sources, not primarily from your own news feeds. Don’t believe anything just because it’s been repeated or retweeted or liked a million times. It is never a popularity contest,” she said.  “The Truth is determined NOT by algorithms or the number of posts, likes, tweets or engagements but by facts and facts alone,” Soho emphasized.     (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Soho is recognized here and abroad for her excellent work in GMA news programs, such as “Brigada”, “I-Witness”, “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho”, and “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho”; as well as for her comprehensive covering of and reporting on important events such as the EDSA Revolt of 1986, the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, super typhoons, and even wars in other countries.  Soho has received numerous local and international awards, including six Readers Digest Asia Most Trusted News Presenter awards. And is the first Filipino journalist to receive the prestigious George Foster Peabody award.  The UP Gawad Plaridel, the only award in the UP System given to outstanding Filipino media practitioners who have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service, was established by the UP CMC.  With this accolade, Soho joins UP’s roster of honorees: Eugenia Duran-Apostol (2004, journalism); Vilma Santos (2005, film); Fidela “Tiya Dely” Magpayo (2006, radio); Cecilia “Cheche” L. Lazaro (2007, television); Pachico A. Seares (2008, community journalism); Kidlat Tahimik (2009, independent film); Eloisa “Lola Sela” Canlas (2011, radio); Florence “Rosa Rosal” Danon-Gayda (2012, television); Jose “Pete” Lacaba (2013, journalism); Nora “Nora Aunor” Villamayor (2014, transmedia); Ricardo “Ricky” Lee (2015, film); Francisca “Babes” Custodio (2016, radio); and, Tina Monson-Palma (broadcast-TV, 2017).  The award is named after Marcelo H. del Pilar (nom de plume, Plaridel), the selfless propagandist whose stewardship of the reformist newspaper La Solidaridad, gave voice to nationalist sentiments and libertarian ideas in the 1890s. Like Plaridel, the recipient of the award must believe in a vision of a Philippine society that is egalitarian, participative and progressive; and in media that is socially responsible, critical and vigilant, liberative and transformative, and free and independent. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here to read the full text of Jessica Soho’s address.     The UP Concert Chorus, with Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama (center) as conductor, performs a medley of OPM (original Pinoy music) favorites. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UNESCO-Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme now open for applications – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/unesco-japan-young-researchers-fellowship-programme-now-open-for-applications/",
        "html": "UNESCO-Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme now open for applications UNESCO-Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme now open for applications September 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Commission on Higher Education invites all interested scholars to submit their applications to the UNESCO-Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme.  UNESCO designed the project “UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme” (UNESCO-Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme) in the framework of the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Capacity-Building of Human Resources which was established in November 2000 by the Government of Japan to enable UNESCO to give impetus to research in four areas under UNESCO’s Priority Programme Areas.  The programme focuses on post-graduate research activities in the following four areas:  Environment, with particular emphasis on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); Intercultural dialogue; Information and communication technologies; and Peaceful conflict resolution     Detailed information on the target group, eligibility criteria, conditions and procedures for application is available here.  Deadline of submission of nominations to UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (UNACOM) is on 9 November 2018.  For inquiries, interested parties may directly contact Mr. Rex A. Ubac, Jr., Programme Officer, through telephone number (02) 834-4887 or email at rexubac@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fair showcases resiliency efforts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fair-showcases-resiliency-efforts/",
        "html": "Fair showcases resiliency efforts Fair showcases resiliency efforts September 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP System Administration and various UP units and allied organizations showcased their disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives in a fair held in the UP Quezon Hall Amphitheater on September 10, 2018.  The first “Katatagan” or resiliency fair featured exhibit and demonstration booths of: the UP Manila DRRM Committee, the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) and Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), Mu Sigma Fraternity, the UPD University Student Council, the Quezon City DRRM Office, the UP Diliman Emergency Response Team (DERT), Rice Watch Action Network, the Philippine Red Cross Quezon City Chapter, the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, Up and Ready, and the UP Vanguard K9 Unit.     Members of the UP Diliman Emergency Response Team demonstrate evacuation of a disaster victim. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Coast Guard volunteers address inquiry of visitors of their booth. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A booth addresses rice productivity in a time of climate change. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Students flock to a booth on urban survival. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A technology to purify water is demonstrated by medical volunteers. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Vanguards exhibit its canine unit capabilities for disaster response. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “This is just the start of a series to make sure that the UP community is prepared for and safe from the challenges of forces of nature,” Prof. Jeanette Yasol-Naval, director of the fair organizer, Padayon Public Service Office, said.     UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval closes the one-day event. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay, who heads both UPRI and NOAH, and UP Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan, a UP Vanguard, delivered keynote presentations. Lagmay challenged UP students to break out of complacency and actively prepare themselves to learn and lead in saving lives in times of disaster. Farolan encouraged students to contribute to CCA-DRRM by pursuing CCA-DRRM topics in their course research.     Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute and UP NOAH updates the public on the system-wide efforts of UP toward disaster and climate change resiliency. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan, a UP Vanguard, cites UP’s role as a leader in promoting CCA-DRRM through its functions of training, research, and public service. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     They were followed by UP Diliman unit representatives who spoke of CCA-DRRM initiatives in their respective units, in terms of self-preparedness, research, and public service. They came from: the College of Engineering, College of Music, College of Education, Center for International Studies, College of Mass Communication, College of Social Work and Community Development, Department of Geography, National College of Public Administration and Governance, National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development, and the University Library.     Prof. Nathaniel Diola reports on the College of Engineering’s DRRM initiatives. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A NOAH map of UP is presented by the UP Resilience Institute. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     According to Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, the institutionalization of resiliency in the University has gained much ground since the administration of Alfredo Pascual, harnessing University expertise in geo-sciences, health, and interdisciplinary culture. He cited: the establishment of the UP Padayon Public Service Office, UPRI, UP-NOAH, and CCA-DRRM centers in constituent universities; the publication of books; integration of CCA-DRRM in General Education and National Service Training Program courses; and, the conduct of conferences and fire and earthquake drills.     Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, a trauma doctor and former Health undersecretary, stresses UP’s responsibilities on DRRM. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     In a speech read by Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, President Danilo Concepcion stressed the need to be resilient as a community and to help communities achieve resilience. UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa suggested inclusion of efforts for “pagpapatatag ng loob”, building fortitude in individuals.     Students drop in to the fair the whole day. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The fair was attended mostly by students. Participants were given free food and water, information materials, first aid kits, and raffle prizes. Musikang Bayan, the UP Repertory Company, Mikrokosmos, Koyang Jess Santiago, and Joel Costa Malabanan performed musical numbers. Prof. Glecy Atienza and the Guro sa Sining ng Bayan Inc. performed their musical compositions on earthquakes.     The UP Repertory Company presents a skit on a disaster-stricken family. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Prof. Glecy Atienza and members of Guro sa Sining ng Bayan Inc. rouse the crowd with catchy songs on earthquakes. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Padayon Public Service Office, under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, co-organized the fair with: UP System offices UPRI and UP-NOAH; the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs; Office of Initiatives for Culture and the Arts; University Student Council; Emergency Response Team and National Service Training Program; and, the UP Vanguard Inc. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PRESS RELEASE: PDLC expresses concern over visit of armed policemen to Palma Hall – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pdlc-expresses-concern-over-visit-of-armed-policemen-to-palma-hall/",
        "html": "PRESS RELEASE: PDLC expresses concern over visit of armed policemen to Palma Hall PRESS RELEASE: PDLC expresses concern over visit of armed policemen to Palma Hall September 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    PRESS RELEASE  13 September 2018     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion has written Philippine National Police chief Oscar D. Albayalde to express his concern over the reported visit of three uniformed and armed PNP officers to UP Diliman last Wednesday, September 12.  Witnesses said that the policemen went to the residence of Student Regent Ivy Joy Taroma, looking for her without disclosing their reasons. They later proceeded to Palma Hall, presumably in continuation of their search. Pictures of the visit surfaced on social media, provoking protests from student leaders, including Regent Taroma herself.  In his letter, President Concepcion told Gen. Albayalde that “The UP community is deeply alarmed by this intrusion and the possible reasons for its undertaking, and I am writing to inquire (1) if you or your local superintendents were aware of, and authorized, this visit; and (2) if so, what its official purpose was.”  He also noted that “the University and the police and military authorities have had a longstanding agreement to observe prior coordination with each other on any such actions on our campuses to prevent any misunderstandings, particularly as UP Diliman has its own police force to deal with minor incidents and disturbances.  “Such sudden and uncoordinated intrusions tend to raise concerns about the repression of civil liberties and human rights, and I hope that you will respond to allay those concerns and assure us that these incidents will not recur under your administration.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Balag, the Musical” to open on October 10 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/balag-the-musical-to-open-on-october-10/",
        "html": "“Balag, the Musical” to open on October 10 “Balag, the Musical” to open on October 10 October 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The life of protest art installation artist Luis Yee, Jr. more famously known as Junyee will be featured in a Tanghalang Pilipino production “Balag, the Musical.”  The play is written by Layeta Bucoy and directed by Audie Gemora. UP’s own Toym Imao is its set designer. Balag is scheduled to run on October 10, 2018, 7PM at the University Theater in UP Diliman. Admission is free. This event is supported by UP Office of the President and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Freedom of Intelligence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-freedom-of-intelligence/",
        "html": "The Freedom of Intelligence The Freedom of Intelligence October 22, 2018 | Written by Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.   Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     THE FREEDOM OF INTELLIGENCE  By Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.  Vice President for Public Affairs     Speech delivered at the 39th anniversary of Health Sciences Center autonomy and the 36th UP Manila Day, UP Manila, October 22, 2018.     I’m very glad to be here in UP Manila, which I consider to be UP’s historic home, the cradle of its spirit, of its ideals and traditions. In keeping with that spirit, I’ll speak today about the freedom to think, to speak, to study, and to teach—things which we in UP tend to take for granted, but shouldn’t, and I’ll tell you why.     A few weeks ago, I received a flurry of messages from the media, asking me to comment in my official capacity on allegations expressed by the police and military to the effect that the University of the Philippines, among others, was a recruiting ground for anti-government rebels. I resisted the urge to respond immediately, and said instead, carefully, that I had nothing to say because we had yet to see a copy of the report on which the military’s charges were presumably based.     I don’t know if that reached the other side, but the next day, the police came out with another statement citing the brainwashing of students by showing them anti-martial law movies, and the anti-government positions taken by some UP professors. I was glad because they had provided more specifics, which people could now evaluate for their merits. Was watching a film denouncing martial law a subversive act? Was criticizing government a crime? The outrage that followed those ridiculous propositions proved that their apprehensions about UP in 2018 were no more tenable than the charges laid against freethinkers on campus back in the 1940s.     As you can imagine—as a veteran of the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune, and as someone who spent most of his 19th year in martial-law prison—I would have had a mouthful to say about those accusations. But as a doddering senior and university official, I thought that I would leave the fireworks to others and frame a more measured if more leisurely response.     For this I will draw less on the present than on the past, specifically on a yet unpublished history of UP that I helped edit about fifteen years ago, when I first became VP. This way I hope history can help inform—maybe temper, maybe inflame—the passions that drive us so singularly today. For as serious and even life-threatening as the military’s allegations may be, there is something instructive and even amusing to be found in stepping back into the past.     Let’s go back to those questions: Is UP a recruiting ground for rebels? The only sane and honest way of answering this is to say of course it is; it always was. It’s no big secret that rebellion and resistance are coded into UP’s DNA, because we have always encouraged critical thinking, which in turn encourages—at least for a while, until complacency sets in—an attitude of dissidence, of anti-authoritarianism, of rejection of the status quo. That’s how knowledge happens, that’s how it begins, as every scientist since Galileo has affirmed.     Apply that to the political sphere, and not surprisingly, UP has for the past century been a crucible of protest, against both internal and external forces seeking to influence its constituents’ thoughts and actions. Those protests and their causes have ranged from tuition fees, uniforms, and substandard facilities to unfair dismissals, Malacañang interference, foreign control of our destiny, and the overhaul of Philippine society itself.     In 1928, a law prescribed the wearing of uniforms by students in all public schools, including UP. The uniform for men was a white suit (khaki on rainy days); for women, a white blouse and dress reaching three inches below the knees. UP students opposed the measure, and President Rafael Palma supported them.     In 1933, the first student protest against a tuition fee increase, from P30 to P50 per semester, took place at the College of Education in the form of a boycott led by, among others, Fe Palma—the daughter of the President.     The resistance got more serious when it came to political interference in UP affairs. In the early ‘30s, a young law student named Arturo Tolentino drew the ire of his dean, Jorge Bocobo, when he wrote an article in the Collegian taking a position on Philippine independence that countered that of then Senate President Quezon, whom Bocobo supported. Bocobo had 900 copies of the Collegian burned. Tolentino appealed to President Palma, who supported him. Infuriated, Quezon punished Palma—and the entire University—by removing UP’s lump-sum allotment and requiring it instead to submit an itemized budget. Palma’s woes didn’t end there. When he retired after ten years of service to UP, the Quezon-packed BOR voted against giving him any kind of terminal bonus. (But when Palma died in 1939, Quezon went to his funeral and offered generous praise for his former adversary.)     Quezon was a notorious meddler in UP matters, often coming to Padre Faura from Malacañang astride a white horse. He once even attended a BOR meeting to try and settle, once and for all, the valid causes for which professors could be fired—in other words, the parameters of academic freedom. But his mind wasn’t so simply anti-academic. Appreciating how lowly paid teachers were, he moved to grant tenure to professors to secure their jobs and, yes, their academic freedom.     A young UP law student even attacked Quezon for his “frivolity,” accusing Quezon of throwing lavish parties in Malacañang while the country suffered under the Americans. The student’s name was Ferdinand Marcos. Another law student, and president of the Student Council, led a rally which was met by Quezon himself at the quadrangle. Quezon charmed them, and the protest fizzled out. That student leader was Jose B. Laurel, the son of the future President and himself the future Speaker of the House.     This didn’t stop with Quezon. When President Quirino demanded courtesy resignations from all government officials, UP President Bienvenido Gonzalez refused to tender his, to protect UP’s autonomy.     In the 1950s, at the height of McCarthyism, the Congressional Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities conducted a witch-hunt for communists in UP; the committee was led by Cong. Leonardo Perez, himself a former Collegian editor. A throng of 3,000 students led by Heherson Alvarez and Reynato Puno marched to Congress in protest. But some other UP students sided with the witch-hunters. When President Garcia went to UP to inaugurate the University Theater, he was met by placards saying, “Mr. President, Why Tolerate Communism in the University?”     Diosdado Macapagal made few friends in UP when, upon assuming office in 1962, he announced that his choice for next UP President was Carlos P. Romulo, practically bypassing the Board of Regents. Macapagal got his way.     About Macapagal’s successor Marcos, I can only say that as a 17-year-old participant in the Diliman Commune, I carried but never got to throw a Molotov cocktail—but I would have if I had to, firm in the belief that the military had no right to drive their armored vehicles onto UP grounds. One night during the Commune, we snuck out of the campus in the backseat of a car driven by Prof. Alfredo V. Lagmay to publish what we called the Free Collegian. One year later, martial law was imposed, and what freedom we had would be lost for a long dark period.     I cite these instances not just to show how tenuous the relationship between UP and the Palace has always been, but also how time can make an ironic mockery of our experience.     Some of these protesters were Marxists and Communists, or were soon to be; most were not. As I have always emphasized to my audiences whenever I talk about martial law, the Left has always been in the minority, in UP and in society in general. It just happens to be well organized, loud, and influential, which accounts for the hysteria in response to its growth.     True, since the 1940s, many of the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (the old and the new) have come from UP, from the fascinating Lava brothers to the English major Joma Sison. But UP has also bred Presidents Laurel, Roxas, Macapagal, Marcos, and Macapagal-Arroyo. Ramon Magsaysay and Fidel Ramos both spent time in UP before moving elsewhere. We can add hundreds of senators, congressmen, Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet secretaries, and icons of industry, the arts, the sciences and the professions to this list.     In other words, UP has attracted all kinds—communists and socialists, yes, but also capitalists, ultraconservative Catholics and born-again Christians, Rizalist cultists, military agents, the Ananda Marga, and Muslim separatists. Our 300,000 alumni can count saints as well as scoundrels, Jedi Masters and Sith Lords, democrats and demagogues.     And the same thing can be said of top global universities like Cambridge, which in the 1930s was home to what came to be known as the “Cambridge Five,” led by the top Soviet spy Kim Philby. Harvard’s Law School was said to be dominated by Left-leaning professors and students in the 1960s, although the Harvard Republican Club has since risen in prominence. There’s a Communist Party of Canada Club at the University of Toronto, alongside an American Culture Club and a Chinese Christian Fellowship. Even Wharton has a Marx Café, an underground club of Marxist enthusiasts.     UP’s less-famous but reputed Communists included the delightfully eccentric professor of English Ignacio Manlapaz, who sang Wagnerian operas in class, taught Marx and Hegel, and gave students a piece of chalk with the cryptic instruction: “This is the subject. Write.”     I would posit that the true heart of UP lies neither in the Right nor the Left, but in that great liberal middle—“liberal” with a small “L”—whose members value the freedom to think, to speak, to study, and to teach, subscribing neither to State propaganda nor to Party doctrine, but trusting their own reason and education to illumine the way forward.     I locate myself in this middle, coming to UP from both extremes—as a sometime public-relations man for a government ministry under martial law, which I left to march at EDSA, and also as a former member of the hardcore Left, whose bright red star has sadly dimmed in my eyes in the wake of its internal purges and more recently in its opportunistic dance with despotism.     In this broad middle, we may quarrel passionately over the distribution of units among the humanities and the sciences in our GE program, but we will link arms, almost instantly and without need of exhortation, when it comes to any form of repression, especially of our academic freedom. Do not mistake this middle for just “Yellows” or robots for certain candidates. We may have voted differently in the last election, but our principles go beyond persons and presidencies. If there is anything we will die for, it is country, family, and university—not necessarily in that order.     We badly need to refresh the tone and quality of discourse in the University, and to rescue it from the trolls and the sloganeers. We must secure and defend the University as a zone of free thought and free speech—ironically, no matter what they may espouse, and no matter how obnoxious—employing reason to distinguish truth from lies, and right from wrong. We must resist intolerance, wherever it comes from, mindful that Left and Right can be as intolerant as the other—toward each other and to anyone in between.     Indeed, these days, I have often had a problem distinguishing between Left and Right. Historically, the Left itself has always been a rich recruiting ground for the Right—the disaffected, the corruptible, the cynical. Nothing makes a better reactionary than a former rebel.     Some people I once respected and admired, even idolized, for their courage and commitment in fighting the dictatorship half a century ago are now among the most ardent and artful defenders of strongman rule, deploying their ample talents in the service of falsehood. Former comrades who once barked loudly against the Marcoses and were even imprisoned by them have now become their lapdogs, their apologists and strategists. Jedi Masters have become Sith Lords.     Despite all that, we must believe that academic freedom also implies the freedom to disagree—a condition that could lead to occasional confrontation, but which we must learn to accept as the norm in a free and functioning university, under a regime that devalues freedom and human rights.     If we surrender discourse—say at the University Council—to these polar opposites, if we fear being criticized or shamed by them, then we surrender as well any right to complain afterwards when one extreme prevails. In our society, the freedom to speak—a right uniquely claimed by us Filipinos, which many of our Southeast Asian neighbors have yielded to their rulers—will mean little if it is not matched by the obligation to speak, to speak clearly, and to speak well.     So to our inquisitors, this I say: there has been no modern administration—whether in Malacañang or Quezon Hall—against which UP students have not marched when they felt they needed to. Your charges will only revive and strengthen a proud tradition of resistance now more than a century old. And I pray that we will continue to breed students who will not only be outstanding performers and citizens but also Filipinos of conscience who will march again for good and right when the country calls. Learning to lead requires critical thinking; learning to follow demands nothing more than blind conformity.     UP has survived both Marcos and the benign Prof. Manlapaz. With our community’s continuing commitment to truth, reason, and justice, we will survive this season of intolerance, and secure the freedom of our children’s minds.     Let me end with what the Philippine Collegian, in its editorial of April 14, 1962, said about outgoing President Vicente Sinco—a man whom future President Francisco Nemenzo Jr. and the Collegian itself had earlier scored for his high-handed manner, but who was also a visionary who fathered what came to be known as the General Education or GE program and who fought to maintain UP’s secular character:     “Dr. Sinco is one of the most liberal of UP presidents. He has stood for intellectual freedom, for the autonomy of the mind. During his term the university has witnessed one of the happy creative years of its existence as an institution of learning not merely among the faculty but among the students…. This particular achievement of Dr. Sinco in liberalism and protecting the freedom of intelligence from the infringements of lies, orthodoxy, and mediocrity is a challenge to anyone in the future who will occupy the office.”     May our beloved University be so guided in the years to come, and thank you all.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "From Novel to Film: Four Screen Adaptations of Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” from 1915 to 1993 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-novel-to-film-four-screen-adaptations-of-jose-rizals-noli-me-tangere-from-1915-to-1993/",
        "html": "From Novel to Film: Four Screen Adaptations of Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” from 1915 to 1993 From Novel to Film: Four Screen Adaptations of Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” from 1915 to 1993 March 11, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    The Pelikula Lektura: UP Film Institute Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture Series supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines continues with a founding member and former chair of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson — March 25, 2019 (Monday) 10 AM at the UPFI Media Center Film Studio, UP Diliman.  Admission is FREE and open to the public.  For interested participants, you may register at tinyurl.com/PelikulaLekturaDocNicT.  LECTURE TITLE  From Novel to Film: Four Screen Adaptations of Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” from 1915 to 1993  ABSTRACT  The lecture is a preliminary comparison of the different ways in which Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” (1887) was adapted for the screen by Edward Gross (1915), Jose Nepomuceno (1930), Gerardo de Leon (1961), and Eddie Romero (1993). It specifically looks into how the dominant technology for filmmaking, cinematic conventions, producer expectations, and the meaning of and attitude toward nationalism and Rizal during the years when the adaptations were made, helped to shape these four distinct filmic interpretations of the country’s foremost literary classic.  BIO  Professor emeritus Nicanor G. Tiongson, scholar, critic, playwright, and cultural administrator, is the author of “The Cinema of Manuel Conde” (2008) and editor of the four volumes of “The Urian Anthology”, covering four decades in the development of Philippine cinema from 1970 to 2009. He has published pioneering books on the Philippine komedya, sinakulo, and sarsuwela, and is editor-in-chief of the two editions (1994 and 2017) of the multivolume “CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.” He wrote and line produced Sari and Kiri Dalena’s “Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos” (2014), based on his book “The Women of Malolos” (2004). He is a founding member and former chair of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and served as a member of the MTRCB board in 1998-2000 and briefly as chair in 2001. He was vice-president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1986-1994.  The Pelikula Lektura: UPFI Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture Series aims to highlight key historical events and phenomena in Philippine cinema in the last 100 years and reflect upon what history can teach us for the next 100 years of our journey. The lectures will be presented by the leading scholars and respected critics & artists in the roster of the UPFI faculty and lecturers. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The arts influence and transform people – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-arts-influence-and-transform-people/",
        "html": "The arts influence and transform people The arts influence and transform people October 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “Balag, the Musical”, a Tanghalang Pilipino production based on the life of renowned installation artist Luis Yee, Jr., or Junyee, was shown at the University Theater in UP Diliman on October 10, 2018. It shows, among others, how the arts can help change people.  Written by Layeta Bucoy and directed by Audie Gemora, with UP’s own Toym Imao as set designer, Balag conveyed timely messages of determination, creativity, environmentalism, and hope, as it highlighted the artist’s journey toward the fulfilment of his dreams and making a lasting impact on society.  At the end of the musical, Nanding Josef, Tanghalang Pilipino’s artistic director, acknowledged all the artists and staff involved in the production before introducing the man whose life they portrayed.  Junyee himself expressed his gratitude to everyone. He also clarified that the musical is not just about his own “journey of becoming” but that of countless others who believe that “the arts have the power to influence and transform people”.  The event was supported by the UP Office of the President and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     With actor, singer and writer Rody Vera as Junyee, the musical opens with an incident that sets the artist’s “journey of becoming” into motion. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The teenage Junyee, played by Paolo Castillo, tries to convince his father Luis, played by Jonathan Tadioan, of his dreams of studying Fine Arts, but Luis offers Junyee the family’s hotel business instead. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Renowned music artist Bayang Barrios, as Musa, arrives to help Junyee overcome the challenges presented throughout the story. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Krystle Campos and DM Garcia portray the young Musa and the young Junyee, respectively. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Musa inspires Junyee to do his best, even if it means working as a poorly paid makeup artist on cadavers, as a means to pursue his dreams. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Junyee becomes involved in the anti-dictatorship movement. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     As a Fine Arts scholar in UP, Junyee tries to convince others to use art as a tool for protest. He heeds the wisdom of his mentor Propesor Abueva, played by Noe Morgado. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Musa, Junyee, and the activist ensemble build the Balag in UP Diliman, an installation artwork involving public participation in their protest against the Marcos dictatorship at that time. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The Balag was an installation artwork involving public participation in their protest against the Marcos dictatorship at that time. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Junyee uses objects that are available from his surroundings as materials for his installation art. After the onslaught of typhoons Milenyo and Reming, he gets the chance to create an artwork on the front lawn of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). He intended to use felled trees and branches from around the CCP complex but halfway through, impoverished people gathered these materials for firewood instead. The following scenes portray contradictions and resolutions leading to the creation of the new artwork, Angud, the “skulls” of trees felled by local loggers. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Mia Bolaños as Felisa, Junyee’s mother, and Astarte Abraham as Teresa/Tess, Junyee’s wife. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Junyee and Tess. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Junyee works on his new artwork, Angud, the “skulls” of trees felled by local loggers. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Luis and Junyee. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Tess completes the Angud installation art. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Nanding Josef, the artistic director of Tanghalang Pilipino. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The real Junyee congratulates and thanks the cast and staff of Tanghalang Pilipino. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Tanghalang Pilipino’s cast and staff, with Junyee, Tess, and UP officials and faculty. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Director Audie Gemora, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, Rody Vera, Junyee, Tess, and Astarte Abraham. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Manila team effort celebrated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-manila-team-effort-celebrated/",
        "html": "UP Manila team effort celebrated UP Manila team effort celebrated October 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Manila celebrated the 39th anniversary of its autonomy as the country’s Health Sciences Center and the 36th of its name, UP Manila, on October 22, 2018, with an affirmation of the virtues “Mahusay, Makabuluhan, Pampagbabago” (roughly translated, excellent, relevant, change-oriented).  The celebrations included the blessing of new and renovated facilities, the ground-breaking for an 11-story medical sciences building, the launch of research and student-support programs, and an awards ceremony for UP Manila constituents.  UP President Danilo Concepcion attended the celebrations, signing a Memorandum of Agreement with the UP Manila Alumni Foundation Inc. (UPMAFI) for the construction of the UP College of Medicine Medical Sciences Building, in which P400 million will be raised by UPMAFI, and P70 million by the UP System Administration.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Medical Alumni Foundation Inc. Chairman and President Rody Sy, UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, former UP College of Medicine Dean Agnes Mejia, and UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi with building project partners Jorge Consunji of DMCI (extreme left) and Architect Prosperidad Luis (second from right), during the ground-breaking for the UP College of Medicine Medical Sciences Building. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     According to newly appointed College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, the new building is an impetus for more collaborative research on Philippine medical problems and a venue for medical students to obtain dual and higher, research-based degrees.  In his speech during the ground-breaking, Concepcion commended the team effort of UP Manila sectors, most especially on projects with its alumni, to benefit the people. “Bilib na bilib ang buong UP System sa pagmamalasakit ng mga alumni sa ikagagaling ng UP Manila (The whole UP System is impressed with the amount of concern the alumni have for the welfare of UP Manila),” Concepcion added. The outstanding team effort is manifested in the scale of the medical sciences building project, he said, which UP Manila expects to finish in 24 months.  Concepcion highlighted the UP System’s support for maximizing space and for creating pedestrian-friendly and breathing spaces on campus. He spoke of a new library for which the UP System has committed P200 million to begin construction, it is hoped, before the end of the year.     UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Medical Alumni Foundation Inc. Chairman and President Rody Sy, and UP President Danilo Concepcion lower the time capsule during the ground-breaking for the UP College of Medicine Medical Sciences Building. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Later in the day, 25 retirees, and 109 faculty, administrative, and REPS employees who had served 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, 35 years, and 40 and above years were given awards, together with Gawad Chancellor recipients for outstanding teacher, researcher, faculty in extension service, REPS, administrative employee level I and level II, student, student organization, athlete, and artist awards. Dr. Isidro Sia, a UP Manila retiree, gave the response in behalf of the honorees during a gathering at the UP Manila Social Hall.  In the same gathering, UP Manila was launched as WHO partner in the Social Innovation in Health Initiative. Also launched was a mobile application, Lift Up, for students to access psycho-social counselors online; and a computer loan program for students as well.     Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr. presents the certificate for the Perla D. Santos Ocampo UP Centennial Professorial Chair for Research handed to him by UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, during UP Manila anniversary celebrations in the UP Manila Social Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The keynote speaker for the gathering was UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. “I’m very glad to be here in UP Manila, which I consider to be UP’s historic home, the cradle of its spirit, of its ideals and traditions. In keeping with that spirit, I’ll speak today about the freedom to think, to speak, to study, and to teach—things which we in UP tend to take for granted, but shouldn’t.” The full text of his speech is accessible here.     UP Manila anniversary keynote speaker UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. banters with UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, during anniversary celebrations in the UP Manila Social Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In 1979, the Manila campus of UP was declared the Health Sciences Center, an autonomous component of the UP System, through Executive Order No. 519 of President Ferdinand Marcos. In 1982, the Center was renamed UP Manila through Executive Order No. 4 of UP President Edgardo Angara. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The Gawad Chancellor trophies of UP Manila. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP experts join PAASE bid to improve lives via science and innovation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-experts-join-paase-bid-to-improve-lives-via-science-and-innovation/",
        "html": "UP experts join PAASE bid to improve lives via science and innovation UP experts join PAASE bid to improve lives via science and innovation October 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Sec. Ernesto Pernia (center) with PAASE President Joel Cuello and Dr. Gisela Concepcion. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) joined other scientists based locally and abroad at the UP Diliman National Institute of Physics from October 24 to 25, 2018 to hold a series of discussions and consultations on how science, technology and innovation can improve the lives and industries of Filipinos today.  Led by members of the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), the initiative was an opportunity for Filipino members of the scientific communities of the country and of the world to present position papers that contribute to the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 and the 25-year collective vision of Filipinos, AmBisyon Natin 2040. It served as a follow-up to the previously-held PAASE meeting at the University of Arizona, USA in April 2018.  In his keynote message, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and PAASE member Ernesto M. Pernia asked attendees to meditate on the question of how science, technology and innovation can be specifically used to accelerate the country’s socioeconomic development.  He added that AmBisyon Natin 2040 envisions a future where the Philippines is a “prosperous, predominantly middle-class society where nobody is poor. Filipinos enjoy long and healthy lives, are smart and innovative, and live in a high-class society in the midst of a global knowledge economy”.  It was undeniable, he said, that science, technology and innovation would be key drivers in the nation’s bid to achieve this goal.  Pernia thanked PAASE, which was represented in the opening ceremonies by its president, Dr. Joel Cuello, for bringing together experts to help fully implement the Philippine Development Plan. On the government’s part, he mentioned plans to expand the country’s expenditure on research and development from .15% to .5% of GDP, while supporting Department of Science and Technology-led initiatives like the strengthened Balk-Scientist Program.  All these together, Pernia said, would help to create a thriving science, technology and innovation system in the Philippines, with the help of the academe and industry. Such a synergy, Pernia claimed, would aid in the creation of new jobs, industries, and methods of service delivery that help the poor and disadvantaged.  Dr. Perry Ong of the College of Science gives his opening remarks. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Several UP experts joined these discussions to share success stories and assist in drafting position papers on the subject that will be submitted to the executive and legislative branches. They were led by former PAASE President and former UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion, Dr. Giovanni Tapang of the National Institute of Physics, and Dr. Edna Co of UP CIFAL Philippines. UP College of Science Dean Perry Ong delivered the opening remarks.  Two former UP presidents, Dr. Emil Javier and Dr. Alfredo E. Pascual, were also honored with the PAASE Distinguished Vanguard Awards, which are given to non-PAASE members for their exemplary service and contributions. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "[Memorandum No. 2018-94] Report on the Selection of Nominees for Faculty Regent – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/report-on-the-selection-of-nominees-for-faculty-regent/",
        "html": "[Memorandum No. 2018-94] Report on the Selection of Nominees for Faculty Regent [Memorandum No. 2018-94] Report on the Selection of Nominees for Faculty Regent October 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Memorandum No. 2018-94     Following the timetable attached to Memorandum No. PDLC 18-44 on the nomination of the next Faculty Regent, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs distributed to the CUs on Friday, 12 October 2018, copies of the list of qualified nominees submitted by UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor.  The CUs subsequently informed the OVPAA of their respective period of nomination as shown in the Table below and proceeded with the nomination process.     *UP Baguio requested to submit on the morning after the 22 October 2018 deadline, in time for the submission to President Concepcion of the list of nominees and for the top five nominees to be informed of the 26 October 2018 deadline for accepting the nomination and submitting the requisite Curriculum Vitae and Plan of Action.     A total of 1,479 eligible faculty members across the UP System participated in the process. Their distribution by CU is as follows:        As to the nominees, 241 eligible members of the UP Diliman faculty were nominated to the position of Faculty Regent. The top five ranking nominees (i.e., the nominees with the most number of votes) from among whom the next Faculty Regent will be selected are the following:     Guillermo, Ramon—College of Arts and Letters Paz, Victor—Archeological Studies Program Ocampo, Dina Joana—College of Education Balmaceda, Jose—College of Science Salvador, Arnel—College of Science     On Friday, 26 October 2018—the deadline for the nominees’ acceptance of their nomination—the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs received the CV and Plans of Action of Professors Ramon Guillermo, Victor Paz and Arnel Salvador. On the same day, the Office received the letters of Professors Dina Ocampo and Jose Balmaceda declining the nomination.     Now that we are commencing the election round, please go over the following sections of President Concepcion’s Memorandum (No. PDLC 18-44) which we disseminated to the faculty through the Chancellors and Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs on 8 October 2018:     Section 5.3: Election Round including the provisions for a Manual Voting Procedure (5.3.2.1) and for the Electronic Voting System and Procedure (5.3.2.2); Section 5.4: Canvassing/Reporting of Voting Results including the provisions for Canvassing/Reporting of Results from Manual Voting (5.4.1), from Electronic Voting (5.4.2) and for Consolidating Manual and Electronic Voting Results (5.4.3); Section 5.5: Mechanisms for Appeals; and Section 5.6: Announcement of Results     As members of the UP faculty community, please review the CVs and Plans of Action of Professors Ramon Guillermo, Victor Paz and Arnel Salvador and register your choice during your CU-scheduled election to be held within the 12-15 November period. Together with Memorandum No. PDLC-14 and this OVPAA report on the nomination process, the CVs and Plans of Action of the three nominees will be posted on the UP Website on Monday, 29 October 2018 as specified in the Timetable for the selection of the Faculty Regent.     CVs and Plans of Action  Ramon Guillermo Victor Paz Arnel Salvador     We look forward to your involvement as the University’s academic citizens in the selection of our next Faculty Regent (2019-2020).  Click here to view the Memorandum No. OVPAA 2018-94 Report on the Selection of Nominees for Faculty Regent          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fraternity turns over health and fitness center to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fraternity-turns-over-health-and-fitness-center-to-up/",
        "html": "Fraternity turns over health and fitness center to UP Fraternity turns over health and fitness center to UP October 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Epsilon Chi Center is located between the Ang Bahay ng Alumni and the Molave Residence Hall in UP Diliman. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Epsilon Chi Fraternity, based in the College of Engineering of the University of the Philippines (UP), turned over a health and fitness facility to UP, in an inauguration ceremony held on October 2, 2018. Named the “Epsilon Chi Center”, or EC Center, this new building is the fraternity’s legacy gift to UP “in gratitude and appreciation for the top-notch education that the university had provided” and is said to be the first ever building that an organization has donated to UP Diliman.  The EC Center features a basketball court that can also be used for other sports activities and events, such as volleyball, badminton and table tennis. The center also has a gym and several commercial stalls that offer the UP community a holistic environment.  UP System officials, together with the fraternity council, attended the mass and blessing, and officiated the ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the center’s marker. Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, and UP Epsilon Chi Fraternity Alumni, Inc. Radian Governor Eugenio G. Ong delivered messages during the inauguration.  The EC Center now serves as the training facility of the UP Fighting Maroons. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  For more information about the EC Center, read “A Physical High from Epsilon Chi”.     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials and members of the Epsilon Chi Fraternity council lead the ribbon-cutting. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials and members of the Epsilon Chi Fraternity council lead the unveiling of the center’s marker. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion delivers his acceptance message. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Alumni of the Epsilon Chi Fraternity receive commendations for their exemplary roles in the said project. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Pagdiriwang: Festivals as Heritage, International Conference on Folklore – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pagdiriwang-festivals-as-heritage-international-conference-on-folklore/",
        "html": "Pagdiriwang: Festivals as Heritage, International Conference on Folklore Pagdiriwang: Festivals as Heritage, International Conference on Folklore May 28, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), in partnership with the ALIGUYON-UP Folklorists and the University of the Santo Tomas Center for Religious Studies and Ethics, is organizing an international conference on folklore to be held on December 11-12, 2019 at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  The conference calls for submission of abstracts for this conference under the following themes:  Harvests and Water Rites, Rituals and Celebrations  History and Ethnicity in Rituals and Festivals  Popular Devotion and Religious Feasts  Urban Cultural Productions and Spectacles  Politics of Festivals  Space and Identity in Festivals  Commemorations, Anniversaries and Public History  Sustainable Feasts and Commodification of Traditions  Material Culture, Artifacts and Public Attractions  Emerging Traditions and Celebrations  Popular Media and Festivals  Language, Literature and Festivals  The deadline for submission of abstracts is on July 30, 2019. Please visit this link to know more about the conference, abstract submission guidelines, and relevant dates: http://kssp.upd.edu.ph/index.php/news-events/47-call-for-papers-2019-international-conference-on-folklore. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP REPS discuss representation, advancement in Systemwide Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-reps-discuss-representation-advancement-in-systemwide-conference/",
        "html": "UP REPS discuss representation, advancement in Systemwide Conference UP REPS discuss representation, advancement in Systemwide Conference November 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP System officials pose with organizers and panelists at the Systemwide REPS conference. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     In an event that featured several officials from across the UP System, the University’s Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) gathered at the UP Diliman School of Statistics Auditorium to participate in UP’s Systemwide REPS Conference 2018. The Conference, which was held from October 18-19, 2018, built on the gains of the first ever Systemwide REPS Conference held in 2013 by advancing important discussions relating to the recognition, role and representation of REPS across all of UP’s campuses.  In a message read on behalf of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista cited the importance of the REPS in fulfilling UP’s mandate of teaching, knowledge creation, and public service.  The REPS, she noted, are partners of the UP faculty in guiding the University’s students and in building the future of the nation. Bautista said the fact that UP REPS are increasingly becoming recipients of research publication awards and research dissemination grants just further justifies investing in the REPS and supporting their continued professional development.     REPS from all of UP’s constituent universities (CUs) travelled to UP Diliman for the conference. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Conference featured plenary sessions and workshops that aimed to discuss and build consensus around issues important to the REPS. These included: recognition of REPS for their contributions to knowledge creation and public service: participation of REPS in University governance; and, improvement of the career paths of REPS. These sessions and workshops were led and facilitated by REPS, who presented their findings during the closing program.  The lineup of speakers at the Conference’s opening ceremonies also included UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, President Carl Marc Ramota of the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), UP Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, and Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora.  In her message, Fulvadora noted several issues facing the REPS sector that include providing standardized guidelines and policies for hiring, tenure and promotion; as well as having a representative specifically for REPS among the Board of Regents. She added that her Office was aware of these concerns and that she was willing to work with REPS in attendance to craft strategies and programs that advanced the collective desires of the sector on these key points. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "A better Beta Way in the works – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-better-beta-way-in-the-works/",
        "html": "A better Beta Way in the works A better Beta Way in the works November 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Beta Epsilon Alumni Association Vice President Leonardo Jose Berba presents initial designs for the upgraded Beta Way, during a short program in the Office of the UP President. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The iconic walkway connecting Melchor Hall and Palma Hall in UP Diliman is up for improvements which include PWD access, rest areas, and lighted, landscaped promenades with sculptural installations.  UP signed on November 6, 2018 a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the donor organization, the Beta Epsilon Alumni Association Inc. (BEAI), which initiated and is implementing the project.  The alumni association, represented in the MOA signing by its president, Napoleon Ocampo Jr., and its vice president, Leonardo Jose Berba, said it plans to turn the upgraded “Beta Way” over to UP by August 2019, in time for the organization’s 90th anniversary.     UP President Danilo Concepcion signs an MOA with Beta Epsilon Alumni Association (BEAI) President Napoleon Ocampo Jr., with BEAI Vice President Leonardo Jose Berba as one of the witnesses. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     According to architectural plans presented by Berba to UP President Danilo Concepcion, the 192-meter path will be widened by two meters with promenades extending on both sides. PWD access ramps will be installed on both ends. Sculptural landmarks reflecting disciplines in Engineering and the organization’s legacies, designed by Toym Imao, and concrete stools, will be installed in selected spots.  Concepcion thanked BEAI for the donation and acknowledged the landmark status of Beta Way. One of his administration’s priorities is the physical upgrade and beautification of UP campuses. He is overseeing the Beta Way project together with the Office of the Vice President for Development and the Campus Architect.     Beta Epsilon Alumni Association Vice President Leonardo Jose Berba explains the rationale behind the initiative to upgrade the Beta Way, during a short program in the Office of the UP President. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Beta Epsilon members constructed the pathway in gravel and sand over grassland and swamp from 1951 to 1953, shortly after the UP transfer from Manila to Diliman, to make easier the traverse between two of the oldest and most often used buildings on the new campus. The Beta Epsilon Fraternity was awarded the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Award in 1962 for its Beta Way Project.  Beta Epsilon or the Brotherhood of Engineers was founded on August 23, 1929 at the UP College of Engineering. It counts for its members Engineering and Architecture students. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)      UP President Danilo Concepcion and Beta Epsilon Alumni Association (BEAI) President Napoleon Ocampo Jr. shake hands after signing an MOA for the upgrade of the Beta Way in UP Diliman. Signing as witnesses are Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora and BEAI Vice President Leonardo Jose Berba. Also present are UP Diliman Campus Architect Eric Tabafunda (standing extreme left), 2011 UPAA Distinguished Alumnus Awardee for Social Cohesion and UP Beta Epsilon alumnus, Engr. Mon Ramirez (second from left) and former UP Regent Filemon Berba (standing second from the right). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Specialists focus on fragile freshwaters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/specialists-focus-on-fragile-freshwaters/",
        "html": "Specialists focus on fragile freshwaters Specialists focus on fragile freshwaters November 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       World specialists in public health, limnology, freshwater ecology, biodiversity and conservation biology will converge in the country for the 2nd Philippine Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystems (PSFBE) on December 11 to 14, 2018 in the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman.  The key resource speakers are: Executive Vice President of the University of the Philippines and former Philippine Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa; John Morse of Clemson University, South Carolina; Karl Wantzen of Université François Rabelais, Tours, France; Tamar Zohary of Israel Oceanographic and Limnology Research; Noboru Okuda of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan; Darren Yeo of the National University of Singapore; Junjiro Negishi of Hokkaido University, Japan; and, Rey Donne Papa of the University of Santo Tomas.  Other experts and researchers will present their work in parallel sessions and posters. There will also be a visit to Lake Pandin, one of seven maar lakes in San Pablo City, Laguna; and, interaction with women’s groups actively involved in the protection and conservation of the lake.  The University of the Philippines, through the Institute of Biology, is organizing the event together with: the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the Ateneo de Manila University, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, the Department of Agriculture-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau, the Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines, and, USAID Philippines, in cooperation with The International Society of Limnology.  The first symposium was held in UST in 2016, attracting limnologists, environmentalists, professional organizations, professors, science teachers, and graduate and undergraduate students in the country and in Southeast Asia.  According to organizers, the symposium answers the call to update knowledge on protection, conservation, and management of freshwater ecosystems, which are overwhelmingly rich and endemic. “Lakes and rivers are sources of economically valuable goods and services to society, including clean drinking water and water for industrial purposes, irrigation, recreation, power generation, and transportation,” they added. However, freshwater biodiversity is fragile and freshwater ecosystems face multiple stressors associated with human population growth, natural resource overexploitation, and climate change.  Interested parties may contact the 2018 PSFBE Secretariat at telephone number 981-8500 local 3728; at psfbesecretariat@gmail.com; or visit www.psfs.org.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: UP Writers Night 2018 celebrates 40 years of Likhaan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-photos-up-writers-night-2018-celebrates-40-years-of-likhaan/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: UP Writers Night 2018 celebrates 40 years of Likhaan IN PHOTOS: UP Writers Night 2018 celebrates 40 years of Likhaan November 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This year’s UP Writers Night at the University Hotel in UP Diliman marked the 40th anniversary of Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing (ICW).  A special commemorative issue of Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature titled 40@40 was launched along with the journal’s regular 12th issue on November 23.  Former ICW directors delivered messages on the occasion and fellows from various batches of the UP National Writers Workshop performed.     Gougou de Jesus hosts UP Writers Night 2018. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature Chair Vladimeir Gonzales reads the message of UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters Dean Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP ICW Director Rolando Tolentino shares a brief history of the Institute. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Chuckberry Pascual (left) and Dr. Eugene Evasco, editors of Likhaan 12 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Likhaan 12 contributors, from left: Paul Rico de Lara, Alfonso Manalastas, and Mark Angeles (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The editors, authors, and production staff of Likhaan 12 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr., editor of Likhaan 40@40 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Likhaan 40@40 contributors: Niles Breis (left) and Marne Kilates (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The editors, authors, and production staff of Likhaan 40@40 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     National Artist for Literature Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jess Santiago (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Former ICW Director Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Prof. Nerisa del Carmen Guevara (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Former ICW Director VIM Nadera (right) and Donato Alvarez, who created the Likhaan logo (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Prof. Sandra Nicole Roldan (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Bernardo Aguay Jr. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     BLKD (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Joey Ayala (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-ICE unveils marker for David M. Consunji Theater – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ice-unveils-marker-for-david-m-consunji-theater/",
        "html": "UP-ICE unveils marker for David M. Consunji Theater UP-ICE unveils marker for David M. Consunji Theater July 15, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Institute of Civil Engineering (UP-ICE) in Diliman, Quezon City recently unveiled the marker for the 260-seat David M. Consunji Theater which was named in honor of the late founder of the DMCI Group of Companies.  The unveiling of the marker coincided with the 2019 UP-ICE Recognition Rites and Graduation Dinner on June 26.  The P9.2 million modern theater inside the UP-ICE main building has served as a venue for research colloquia, seminars, and student assemblies since its inauguration in November 2017.  The theater was named after the late Engr. David M. Consunji, one of the Institute’s esteemed alumni and the acknowledged “Grandfather of Philippine Construction Industry.”  It is part of various facilities and scholarships donated by DMCI Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries to the UP-ICE that include a professorial chair and teaching grants, a lecture room, and a canteen.  In 2018 DMCI Homes and Dacon Corporation, together with Friends of Engr. David M. Consunji, also donated P7.5 million to set up UP ICE’s computational laboratory which started operations in the previous academic year.     (From left to right) UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr., UP-ICE Director Maria Antonia Tanchuling, DMCI Homes Marketing Manager Johnson Tan, UP College of Engineering Dean Rizalinda de Leon, UP-ICE Deputy Director for Planning, Development, and Finance Reygie Q. Macasieb, a UP-ICE alumnus and former professor, Dr. Salvador Reyes, and a UP-ICE alumnus and lecturer, Engr. Michael Gonzales during the unveiling of the David M. Consunji Theater marker on June 26.     David M. Consunji Theater marker     The David M. Consunji Theater inside the UP-ICE main building in Diliman, Quezon City     Inside the theater"
    },
    {
        "title": "A Statement from the UP Board of Regents – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-statement-from-the-up-board-of-regents/",
        "html": "A Statement from the UP Board of Regents A Statement from the UP Board of Regents December 3, 2018 | Written by The Board of Regents    The Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines takes note of the apology of Regent Frederick Mikhail I. Farolan during the Board of Regents meeting today regarding his post on social media that appeared to advocate the use of violence against members of the men’s basketball team of the Ateneo de Manila University.  We dissociate ourselves as a Board from Regent Farolan’s statements and actions. Whatever his motives may have been, there is no excuse for sowing fear and confusion, especially at a time when the University’s attention should have been focused on the rising successes of its athletic program. We view with extreme disapproval and strongly condemn violence in any form.  The Board continues to uphold the principles of civility and sportsmanship. All Regents, officials, and members of the UP community are expected to keep with the highest standards of decorum.  We apologize to the officials, staff, and athletes of the Ateneo de Manila University and to the UP community for any anxiety Regent Farolan’s statements may have caused. We also deeply regret the dampening of the euphoria of UP reaching the UAAP finals.  Committed to a higher standard of accountability for its members, the Board hereby withdraws its recommendation for the reappointment of Regent Farolan to the Board of Regents. We enjoin Regent Farolan from making any such further statements which can compromise the reputation and the goodwill of the University.  UP Fight! One Big Fight! Mabuhay ang pagkakaisa at diwa ng Katipunan!     The Board of Regents University of the Philippines 3 December 2018     View PDF version "
    },
    {
        "title": "Maroon Love For Christmas on December 5 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/maroon-love-for-christmas-on-december-5/",
        "html": "Maroon Love For Christmas on December 5 Maroon Love For Christmas on December 5 December 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Maroon Love for Christmas, a blood donation drive for the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), will be held on Wednesday, 5 December 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Lobby of Palma Hall in UP Diliman.  According to Atty. Gaby Roldan-Concepcion, the current head of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW)-University of the Philippines Chapter, a previous edition of the PNRC fund drive was held at the UP College of Law.  This year, Atty. Concepcion hopes to engage the greater participation of UP administrators, faculty members, staff, students and alumni through blood donation.  Blood is needed by people during emergencies—serious health problems, fires, earthquakes, typhoons, and accidents. With blood stored in PNRC blood banks, many are saved. The donors themselves may need blood sometime. Donation from volunteers will help ensure adequacy of blood supply in PNRC blood banks.  In addition, blood donation stimulates production of new cells. Personal health check by medical doctors at the bloodletting site enables donors to know their blood type and hemoglobin.  December is the leanest month for the Philippine National Red Cross because partner-institutions and individuals are busy with Christmas-related activities. A PNRC Bloodletting Drive in Palma Hall is most appropriate because it is the nerve center of UP Diliman.  Interested parties may register online: https://form.jotform.me/83225543874462  Visit the official website of the Philippine National Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org.ph/       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for cash donations for the victims of the 2019 Mindanao earthquakes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-cash-donations-for-the-victims-of-the-2019-mindanao-earthquakes/",
        "html": "Call for cash donations for the victims of the 2019 Mindanao earthquakes Call for cash donations for the victims of the 2019 Mindanao earthquakes November 18, 2019 | Written by UP Padayon Public Service Office       The University of the Philippines continues its disaster response efforts for the victims of the recent earthquakes in Mindanao. Cash donations are still being accepted through the UP Foundation, Inc. Donations will be used to purchase additional tents and bedding materials, medicine, sanitary items, and other immediate needs. Below are the bank details of UPFI:  Payee: UP FOUNDATION, INC. Address: Room 102, Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center), Magsaysay Avenue, University of the Philippines Diliman 1101  For donors from the Philippines: Bank: Union Bank of the Philippines Branch: Commonwealth Branch Savings Account No.: 102270018964  For donors from abroad: Bank: Philippine National Bank Branch: UP Campus Savings Account No.: 108660029835 PNB Swift Code: PNBmPHmm  Please send a photo of the deposit slip to resilience.institute@up.edu.ph and padayon@up.edu.ph.  Related story: UP sends resilience experts to quake-stricken Mindanao "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of UP President Danilo Concepcion on police and military entry to UP campuses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-up-president-danilo-concepcion-on-police-and-military-entry-to-up-campuses/",
        "html": "Statement of UP President Danilo Concepcion on police and military entry to UP campuses Statement of UP President Danilo Concepcion on police and military entry to UP campuses December 11, 2019 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    I categorically deny that I agreed to allow the military and police to enter any University of the Philippines campus or property without coordination with the UP administration and UP Police.  UP does not consider itself above the law. Indeed, it is keen to see the law upheld and strictly enforced, with due respect for the rights of all concerned. As the national university, UP will continue to cooperate fully and openly with government authorities, all in full cognizance of the balancing act between public safety and academic freedom.     Danilo L. Concepcion President University of the Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "2017 Concepcion Dadufalza Awardee holds pioneering lecture-performance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2017-concepcion-dadufalza-awardee-holds-pioneering-lecture-performance/",
        "html": "2017 Concepcion Dadufalza Awardee holds pioneering lecture-performance 2017 Concepcion Dadufalza Awardee holds pioneering lecture-performance December 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dr. Jonathan Malicsi is recognized as a Concepcion Dadufalza awardee during his lecture. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Lovers of both literature and music made their way to the Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman on December 7, 2018 to attend the very first lecture-performance in the history of the Concepcion Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement. That evening, 2017 Concepcion Dadufalza awardee and UP Professor Emeritus of Linguistics Jonathan C. Malicsi combined music and linguistic analysis in his lecture, “Handel’s Testament of Faith: A Deconstruction of ‘I know my Redeemer Liveth’ from Handel’s Messiah”.  The Concepcion Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement was established in 2000, in honor of former UP Professor Concepcion D. Dadufalza, on the occasion of her 50th year of teaching. Funded by an anonymous graduate of the University, the award is given to outstanding individuals who have excelled in their craft or who have contributed significantly to important societal causes.  Malicsi, who was himself once a student of Prof. Dadufalza, took the opportunity provided by the Concepcion Dadufalza Memorial Lecture to combine two of his passions– literature and music theory– to bring to life Handel’s holiday classic. He was joined in his endeavor by soprano Angeli Benipayo and pianist Eugene Espino, who performed the composition live, alternating with Malicsi as he explained each note and word, together with the nuances they contribute towards the piece’s overall effect.     Malicsi analyzes the bars of Handel’s masterpiece as soprano Angeli Benipayo looks on. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     While Malicsi took the opportunity to analyze the entire composition, he highlighted how specific notes gave emphasis to the words being sang, which Handel’s librettist lifted from the King James Bible’s Books of Job and Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, specifically. “The G-sharp is a very important note,” Malicsi said of the high note, “It is reserved for the most important ideas in this particular song.”  Besides his involvement in musical direction, theater, and composition; Malicsi is perhaps better known for his contributions to Philippine linguistics. He earned the Concepcion Dadufalza Award specifically for linking the field of linguistics to language teaching and education.  Malicsi redesigned a college course based on a linguistic reanalysis of Philippine and Western English; and his insights have been adapted for the development teaching materials and courses utilized by multinational companies, educational institutions and key government agencies. He was also the recipient of the 2014 UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Distinguished Achievement Award for Educational Innovation. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     Dr. Jonathan Malicsi, 2017 Concepcion Dadufalza Awardee for Distinguished Achievement. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Disclosure incentive given to 22 projects – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/disclosure-incentive-given-to-22-projects/",
        "html": "Disclosure incentive given to 22 projects Disclosure incentive given to 22 projects December 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Eleven from UP Los Baños (UPLB), nine from UP Diliman (UPD), one from UP Manila (UPM), and one from UP Mindanao (UPMin). This is the breakdown per constituent university of the 22 research projects that received the Invention Disclosure Incentive (IDI) on December 12 at the Philippine Genome Center in UPD.     VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista delivers the opening remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The awardees from UP Los Baños (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPLB inventions  “Nanobiosensor” by Francisco B. Elegado, PhD; Evangeline C. Alocilja, PhD; Lilia M. Fernando, PhD; Maria Teresa M. Perez, MSc; Lorele C. Trinidad, PhD; Shara Mae T. Colegio; Susana M. Mercado, PhD; and Margarita A. Mercado, MSc, of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) is a DNA-based nanobiosensor for detecting food, feed, and water contaminants such as Listeria monocytogenes and coli to ensure safety for human consumption. “Probiotic Guava Tea” by Jennifer D. Saguibo, MSc; Francisco B. Elegado, PhD; Margarita A. Mercado, MSc; Marilou R. Calapardo, MSc; and Ma. Teresa M. Perez, MSc, of BIOTECH is a fermented probiotic drink from guava leaves, reported to have anti-diarrheal, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer properties. “Animal Probiotics” by Laura J. Pham, PhD and Chay B. Pham, PhD, of BIOTECH is a low-cost and locally produced product for the swine, poultry, and aquaculture industries to enhance animal responses to disease and improve the quality of their living environment. “Coolant” by Engr. Ma. Cristine Concepcion D. Ignacio, MSc, of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology is a nanofluid derived from rice hull ash with enhanced thermophysical properties that can be used as coolant for heat exchangers. “Meat Detection Kit” by Joy B. Banayo, MSc; Kathlyn Louise V. Manese; Medino Gedeun N. Yebron, Jr., MSc; and Antonio C. Laurena, PhD, of the College of Agriculture and Food Science is a DNA-based species authentication technology for meat and meat products. “Recombinant Thermo-acidstable Endoglucanase” by Richard D. Tambalo, PhD; Asuncion K. Raymundo, PhD; and Amy M. Grunden, PhD, of BIOTECH improves the hydrolytic process through the use of an endoglucanase enzyme in high temperature-dilute acid treated lignocellulose materials to improve the release of glucose sugars for use in bioethanol production. “Fertigroe Nanofertilizer” by Lilia M. Fernando, PhD; Oliver B. Salangad; Engr. Ida Allen P. Lopez; Erlinda S. Paterno, PhD; and Florinia E. Merca, PhD, of BIOTECH is a controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer for sugarcane, coffee, and corn that can help farmers lessen fertilizer consumption, minimize cost of production, and increase crop yield. “HormoGroe” by Lilia M. Fernando, PhD; Erlinda S. Paterno, PhD; Herald Nygel F. Bautista; Juan Miguel K. Parami; Florinia E. Merca, PhD; and Teofila dC. Villar, MSc, of BIOTECH is a controlled-release nano-encapsulated plant growth regulator that enhances shoot and root development, and induces seed germination and flowering for high value crop production. “Monascus Red Colorant” by Fides Marciana Z. Tambalo, PhD; Jayson F. Garcia; Cyrene D. Estrellana; Exiquel R. Aranda; Manolito E. Bambase, Jr., PhD; Erlinda I. Dizon, PhD; and Ronilo P. Violanta, PhD, of BIOTECH is a natural and safe colorant for cosmetics, food, and beverage extracted from fungi Monascus Purpureus M1018. “Nanosilica Beads” by Milagros M. Peralta, PhD and Maritess L. Magalona, MSc, of the Institute of Chemistry uses iron-modified nanosilica powder and aerogel beads for treating arsenic-contaminated water. “Nutrio” by Virginia M. Padilla, PhD, of BIOTECH is a naturally-derived foliar fertilizer for eggplant and sugarcane farming that can increase the yield of sugar from cane stalks and reduce soil damage caused by chemical fertilizers.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion pledges the administration’s continued and increased support for the IDI in his message. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The awardees from UP Diliman (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPD inventions  “AraGrow” by Marco Nemesio Montaño, PhD; Marie Antonette Meñez, PhD; Norchel Corcia Gomez; Christine Mae Edullantes; Jay R Gorospe, MSc; and Rose Angeli Rioja, MSc, of the Marine Science Institute (MSI), College of Science is Sargassum powder used as larval settlement inducer and early juvenile feed for the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria scabra. “CocoBento” by Bryan Pajarito, PhD; Carla Mae C. Aquino; Nikko B. delos Reyes; and Colleen Anh C. Pegollo of the Department of Chemical Engineering (DChE), College of Engineering is a less expensive curing additive that can be used as partial substitute activator and accelerator for sulfur-vulcanized natural rubber. “Nanometallink” by Mary Donnabelle L. Balela, PhD; Michael R. Tan; and Nathaniel T. de Guzman of the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (DMMME), College of Engineering utilizes metal nanowires as a more affordable replacement for indium tin oxide that can be used in optoelectronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, LED, LCD, RFID and flexible electronics. “Natural Rubber Deodorant” by Bryan Pajarito, PhD; Kayla C. Castaneda; Sofia Denise Jeresano; and Dominique Ann Repoquit of DChE is a modified rubber filler that can reduce and remove the foul odor of natural rubber, significantly improving the working and living conditions of rubber manufacturers and factory workers. “Prosthesis” by Hannah del Rosario of DMMME and Fernando Santos of the PBF Prosthesis and Brace Center is a lightweight, non-corrosive, and durable below-knee and other endoskeletal prosthesis at a lower cost. “Village Base Station” by Cedric Angelo Festin, PhD; Miguel Carlo Purisima; Adrian Vidal; Camille Corcega; and Maria Theresa Perez of the Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering is a base station with efficient GSM doherty power amplifier using slot detection to reduce power consumption and lower operating costs, allowing rural areas to access and expand cellular communications. “CLINN-GEM” by Engr. Herman D. Mendoza, PhD, of DMMME is a gold separation and extraction process that does not use hazardous chemicals such as mercury or cyanide for small-scale mining/milling operators. “Synergistic Cytotoxicity of Renieramycin M and Doxorubicin in Breast Cancer Cells” by Gisela P. Concepcion, PhD and Jortan O. Tun of MSI is a combination of the anti-cancer drug Doxorubicin and Renieramycin M as a new chemotherapeutic agent against breast cancer cells. “E-MIP Dengue Virus Sensor” by Clarisse Buensuceso Brylee David B. Tiu, PhD Florian R. del Mundo, PhD Rigoberto C. Advincula, PhD Portia Mahal G. Sabido, PhD Guillermo C. Nuesca, PhD, of the Institute of Chemistry, College of Science is a robust and inexpensive alternative sensor for the early detection of dengue infection.     UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Research Armando C. Crisostomo describes the delicate nature of health research. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The lone recipient from UP Manila is “Hemoxyther” by Erna C. Arollado, RPh, MSc, PhD, of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Institutes of Health is an herbal and food supplement for iron deficiency anemia and other hematologic disorders without the usual side effects like diarrhea, gastric irritation, and stomach ache. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia B. Concepcion promises more inventions from their constituent university. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Mindanao’s “Direct Lactic Acid Technology” by Melvin S. Pasaporte, PhD and Dulce M. Flores, PhD (+)of the Department of Food Science and Chemistry, College of Science and Mathematics is optimized direct L-Lactic Acid fermentation from sago starch and other industrial by-products to increase the overall lactic acid productivity at low cost for food, pharmaceutical, leather, and biodegradable plastic industries. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Of the awarded projects, nine were given P15,000 for invention disclosures alone, or what is categorized as the first phase tranche. Six received P25,000 for filing patent registration which is the second phase tranche. Seven projects were awarded P40,000 as a combination of both the first and second phases.     Technology Transfer and Business Development Office Director Luis G. Sison says that out of the 79 innovations thus far, 30 are undergoing market validation and 24 have active licenses. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The IDI is a UP System initiative implemented by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs through its Technology Transfer and Business Development Office. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     (Note: Details on inventions are from the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office.) "
    },
    {
        "title": "2019 University of Valencia Research Scholarships now open for applications – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2019-university-of-valencia-research-scholarships-now-open-for-applications/",
        "html": "2019 University of Valencia Research Scholarships now open for applications 2019 University of Valencia Research Scholarships now open for applications December 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of Valencia is inviting interested applicants from the Philippines to the 2019 Call for Scholarship for Young Researchers.  The University of Valencia has identified priority countries for development cooperation, including the Philippines, from which the University will award research scholarships. It is sponsoring 38 scholarships for a three-month research period and will cover travel to Valencia, food and dormitory accommodation, and health insurance.  Please refer to their website (https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/relaciones-internacionales/cooperacion/programas-propios-becas/investigacion-uv/jovenes-investigadores-1285850662018.html) for more information.  The deadline of applications is on January 3, 2019.   "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman Lantern Parade 2018 celebrates sea journey – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-lantern-parade-2018-celebrates-sea-journey/",
        "html": "UP Diliman Lantern Parade 2018 celebrates sea journey UP Diliman Lantern Parade 2018 celebrates sea journey December 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The winning lantern of the School of Urban and Regional Planning, depicting environmentalism in the urban setting. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Marked by rainy weather, images inspired by the sea, and a theme of “Paglaot, Pagdaong” or journeying far out to sea and going back ashore, the UP Diliman Lantern Parade on December 17, 2018 once again brought the community together for a year-end celebration.  Traditionally the culminating activity of the holiday season in UP, the parade is also held in other UP campuses featuring lanterns crafted collaboratively by campus units and organizations, and group field presentations, most of which often call attention to current national issues.  “Ang higit na malalim na pakay ng lantern parade ay ang pagkakataong magkaisa tayong lahat sa pagkilos at madama ang iisang pintig ng ating mga puso, na tayong lahat ay magkabigkis-bigkis bilang isang katawan, isang diwa, isang hangarin [The lantern parade has served the deeper purpose of providing an opportunity for us to act as one, to feel our hearts beating as one, to enable us to merge as one body, mind, and vision],” President Danilo Concepcion said in his Christmas message to the UP System.  In UP Diliman, an additional feature in the parade this year was floats for the Men’s Basketball Team and Men’s Track and Field Team, whose recent performance in the UAAP exceedingly shored up UP pride and rallied the community to intensely support UP athletes. Concepcion acknowledged this achievement of athletes, and bade them to stand with him on stage.     The poster boys of this year’s UAAP achievement of UP. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As in previous years, the UP Diliman Lantern Parade culminated on a high note with the presentation of larger-than-life creations from the College of Fine Arts (CFA) classes and ended with a sponsored grand fireworks display.     The grand fireworks display. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A mini-concert by The Company, an acclaimed vocal harmony act, also entertained the crowd as they awaited the announcement of winners of the lantern competition, the message of the UP president, and the fireworks. The judges were: Benjamin Cabangis and Ma. Victoria Abaño of the CFA, Tessa Maria Guazon of the Department of Art Studies, and Lee Paje, all visual artists; Nick Deocampo of the Film Institute; and, Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo.  The winners from the CFA showcased mythical creatures, the banig to depict arts, the lumad, and a giant pop-up book of Philippine historical upheavals. The winners among academic units were the College of Arts and Letters, which placed third; the Institute of Islamic Studies, second; and the School of Urban and Regional Planning, first.     The first-prize winning lantern of CFA Class Materials 1 Block V. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The second-prize winning lantern of CFA Class Materials 1 Block X. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The third-prize winning lanterns of CFA Class Materials 1 Block Y and CFA Class Materials 1 Block Z. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The winning lantern of the Institute of Islamic Studies, utilizing recycled materials. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The winning lantern of the College of Arts and Letters, symbolizing the Filipino language. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Adding to the celebration was the announcement by the President of the government grant to each employee of a Productivity Enhancement Benefit to be given the week after the parade. To those covered by the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA), Concepcion announced a grocery allowance to be given before Christmas, and the rice allowance and the Annual Incentive Grant in the new year.  Savings from cost-cutting measures this year, Concepcion said, would enable the administration to grant a CNA Incentive, pending approval from the Department of Budget and Management, which he hoped could be granted before the end of the year. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The Company rouses everyone to their feet. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Applications: One UP Professorial Chair and Faculty Grant Awards 2019-2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-one-up-professorial-chair-and-faculty-grant-awards-2019-2021/",
        "html": "Call for Applications: One UP Professorial Chair and Faculty Grant Awards 2019-2021 Call for Applications: One UP Professorial Chair and Faculty Grant Awards 2019-2021 January 4, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    At its 1309th meeting held on 22 July 2015, the UP Board of Regents approved the allocation of P100 Million per year for the period January 2016-December 2018 for approximately 800 professorial chair awards and faculty grant awards to be distributed among academic units across all the Constituent Universities. Named One UP Professorial Chair (PC) Awards and Faculty Grant (FG) Awards, these aim to further provide recognition and incentives to faculty members who demonstrate outstanding performance in two out of three work areas of the faculty: teaching, research or creative work, and public service.  To encourage a higher standard of performance among the faculty, the Board of Regents also approved the continuity of the awards subject to availability of funds in its 1323rd meeting last 16 December 2016. The revised guidelines have also been approved by the Board on its 1340th meeting last 3 December 2018 to cover more faculty. Hence, the 2019-2021 One UP PC & FG Awards are now accepting applications.     Download the guidelines here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP ranks 87th among top universities in emerging economies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ranks-87th-among-top-universities-in-emerging-economies/",
        "html": "UP ranks 87th among top universities in emerging economies UP ranks 87th among top universities in emerging economies January 16, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines has climbed 79 places to move into the top 100 universities from emerging markets.  It is now 87th among 442 institutions from 43 countries, according to the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings. Its overall score went up to 32.8 from 24.4.  The series of positive outcomes for UP kicked off in 2017 when it surfaced for the first time in the rankings and was included in the 201-250 bracket. Last year, it cracked the upper half of the rankings as it ascended to 166th.  Only countries classified as advanced emerging, secondary emerging or frontier economies based on FTSE’s quality of markets criteria are ranked. Brazil, Greece and South Africa are examples of advanced emerging economies while the Philippines, Russia and China are considered as secondary emerging markets. China leads the 2019 rankings and has seven universities in the top 10. Argentina, Cyprus and Jordan are among the frontier economies.  Institutions are assessed using the same World University Rankings indicators that measure performance in broad areas of teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. However, THE recalibrates the assigned weights to “reflect the development priorities of universities in emerging economies.”     The 13 indicators used to gauge the performance of universities. Source: THE website     UP’s best score is still for citations which jumped to 69.1. Citation numbers were extracted from more than 25,000 academic journals indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database and all indexed publications between 2013 and 2017.  Also apparent are UP’s sustained improvements in teaching and research, with scores at 21.7 and 16.4, respectively. Teaching reputation and research reputation, the two most prominent indicators in these areas, are judged according to the results of the global Academic Reputation Survey.  UP’s industry income score, which fell from 2017 to 2018, likewise picked up in the 2019 rankings at 35.8. The category suggests the extent to which businesses are willing to pay for research and a university’s ability to attract funding in the commercial marketplace.  The national university registered another dip in international outlook although the movement has been minimal. International outlook takes into account research collaboration in addition to students and staff.     UP’s scores overall and by area. Source: THE website     UP is one of only six universities from Southeast Asia that figured in the top 100.     Rankings of UP and universities from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia     The other Philippine university in the list is De La Salle University, which landed in the 201-250 range.  In recent years, UP has seen improvements in global rankings, due primarily to larger citation volume. It is the leading university in the Philippines and among the top universities in Southeast Asia.  (Last updated: 16 January 2019, 3.14 PM, first published here: http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-ranks-87th-among-top-universities-in-emerging-economies/) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for applications: Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-philippine-fulbright-graduate-student-program/",
        "html": "Call for applications: Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program Call for applications: Philippine Fulbright Graduate Student Program January 17, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Scholarship to Filipinos to study at the graduate level (master’s or doctoral studies) or pursue non-degree doctoral enrichment or doctoral dissertation research in the United States.  Grants under the Philippine Fulbright Student Program are for a maximum of one academic year for non-degree, one to two years for master’s, and two years for doctoral degree studies. The grant provides for round-trip international travel, monthly maintenance allowance, tuition and fees, book/supplies allowance, and health and accident insurance.  Fields of Study:  Study of the United States – the study of American culture, life and society through such fields as government, education, arts and humanities, law, economics, literature, history, the multi-disciplinary field of American Studies or any other humaniities or social science field with significant study of the US subject matter.  Global Issues – Fields of study include the environment, human rights, governance and public administration, peace studies/conflict resolution/transformation, international relations and transnational issues, international economics, international business, international law, public health and STEM fields.  Open Grants – Fields of study not covered by the first two field categories with the exception of medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, clinical psychology, medical technology, and accountancy.  General Eligibility Requirements: Philippine citizenship English proficiency College degree with major in field of specialization; excellent undergraduate record Applicants must have at least two years of professional work experience (after college) in their field of specialization.  Assistantships during college do not count. Applicants must be in good health to pursue graduate work in the US. Applicants must return to the Philippines immediately upon completion of study. Non-degree applicants must meet the added requirements: Applicants for doctoral enrichment must be enrolled in a relevant study program in a Philippine university Applicants for doctoral dissertation must show proof that materials required to pursue research are not available in the Philippines but are available in the United States  Individuals holding dual citizenship, are permanent residents and/or are presently studying in the US are not eligible.  Required Documents: Official or certified transcript of records from all colleges/universities attended Certified true copy of diploma (not original) Four letters of reference (forms are included with the application kit) Completed 8-page application form NBI Clearance acquired in the past 6 months     Application period for 2020-2021 Graduate Student Program is from December 10, 2018 to March 18, 2019.  Printed copy of completed applications must be received at the PAEF office on or before March 18, 2019. Grantees are expected to begin their studies in the U.S. late August or early September of 2020.  Forms may be downloaded here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for applications: Islamic Development Bank Scholarships 2019-2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-islamic-development-bank-scholarships-2019-2020/",
        "html": "Call for applications: Islamic Development Bank Scholarships 2019-2020 Call for applications: Islamic Development Bank Scholarships 2019-2020 February 6, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is delighted to announce that calls for scholarship applications for the academic year 2019-2020 are now opened through a new portal to receive online applications for the following programmes:  Undergraduate Scholarship Programme Master Scholarship Programme PhD Scholarship Programme Post-Doctoral Research Programme  The prospective applicants should apply through the IsDB website www.isdb.org from December 20, 2018 until February 28, 2019.  Only online applications will be considered. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A forum on El Niño, water infrastructure planning and the supposed water crisis – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-forum-on-el-nino-water-infrastructure-planning-the-supposed-water-crisis-2/",
        "html": "A forum on El Niño, water infrastructure planning and the supposed water crisis A forum on El Niño, water infrastructure planning and the supposed water crisis April 1, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Metro Manila residents have been waking up to waterless days these past few weeks. Although steps have been taken to address the problem, there is still a need to know and understand what is happening.  Learn the facts and figures from the experts. Join the Geological Society of the Philippines in its public forum entitled, “El Niño, water infrastructure planning and the supposed water crisis: facts & figures” on April 4, 2019, 1:00-5:00 PM at the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) AVR, University of the Philippines, Diliman.  The following experts have been invited to present their papers at the forum:  Rusy Abastillas, DOST-PAGASA Guillermo Tabios III, UP National Hydraulic Research Center Patricia Sanchez, UP Los Baños (UPLB) Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Water Ramon Alikpala, Futurewater Asia  This forum aims to come up with immediate science-based recommendations and solutions and forward policy recommendations to relevant government institutions.  Although the water supply issues have mostly affected the National Capital Region, this concern is also highly relevant to other areas in the country especially in the context of the prevailing El Niño as well as the changing weather and climate patterns.  This forum is co-organized by the UP Diliman National Institute of Geological Sciences, the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management, the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Water, the National Research Council of the Philippines, the UP Geology Alumni Association, and the Philippine Association of Geology Students. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for donations for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-donations-for-the-victims-of-the-taal-volcano-eruption/",
        "html": "Call for donations for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption Call for donations for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption January 22, 2020 | Posted by Media and Public Relations Office    CALL FOR DONATIONS  The evacuees of the Taal Volcano eruption are in need of immediate help. The University of the Philippines Taal Response Task Force is enjoining everyone to donate the following items: drinking water, canned goods, ready-to-eat meals, beddings, hygiene and health kits, towels, and face masks.  Drop-off Point: College of Human Kinetics, UP Diliman, Quezon City  For cash donations, please refer to the following bank details: Payee: UP FOUNDATION, INC. Address: Room 102, Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center), Magsaysay Avenue, University of the Philippines Diliman 1101  For donors from the Philippines: Bank: Union Bank of the Philippines Branch: Commonwealth Branch Savings Account No.: 102270018964  For donors from abroad: Bank: Philippine National Bank Branch: UP Campus Savings Account No.: 108660029835 PNB Swift Code: PNBmPHmm        On 16 January 2020, Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa issued a memorandum to the UP community, including its alumni and friends, on how to send help to the victims of Taal Volcano eruption through the University.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "8th UPRI-NOAH TALK on Resiliency: Women in DRRM – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/8th-upri-noah-talk-on-resiliency-women-in-drrm/",
        "html": "8th UPRI-NOAH TALK on Resiliency: Women in DRRM 8th UPRI-NOAH TALK on Resiliency: Women in DRRM March 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Resilience Institute, with UP NOAH Center as its core component, seeks to contribute to the continuous improvement of the overall capacity of Filipinos towards smart, sustainable, and resilient communities. It intends to produce and disseminate freely accessible, accurate, reliable, and relevant scientific information on climate and disaster risks. Using a transdisciniplary approach, the Institute aims to cultivate a culture of preparedness and reduce catastrophic impacts of extreme hazard events. In line with this, the institution holds the monthly UPRI-NOAH TALK where TALK stands for Think, Act, Learn, and be Knowledgeable. This monthly event explores the multi-faceted nature of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CCA-DRRM) through concise and powerful lectures. The UPRI-NOAH TALK aims to investigate and understand complex societal issues through a trans-disciplinary lens and to serve the people by providing a venue for learning and knowledge sharing.  This March, in line with the celebration of the International Women’s Day, with the theme #EachforEqual, the institute will hold its 8th UPRI-NOAH TALK on March 6, 2020 at the College of Science Auditorium, College of Administration Building from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. With the theme “Women in DRRM,” discussions will revolve around how the featured speakers actively shape their communities through their CCA-DRR efforts.  In a society where women are still among the poorest, most vulnerable, and most susceptible to violence despite the continuous efforts towards gender equality, shifting the spotlight to women who are active leaders in CCA-DRR shall give insight the dynamics that cause women to be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and during times of disasters.  To learn more about the TALK visit the UP Resilience Institute on Facebook or register for the event here at tinyurl.com/8thUPRINOAHTALK. To read more on the celebration of the International Women’s Day visit their page https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Online Portal of University of the Philippines COVID-19 News and Information – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/online-portal-of-university-of-the-philippines-covid-19-news-and-information/",
        "html": "Online Portal of University of the Philippines COVID-19 News and Information Online Portal of University of the Philippines COVID-19 News and Information March 20, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This portal serves as a compilation of verified information and resource materials on UP’s actions during this public health situation. Please bookmark and refresh this page to get the latest updates on UP’s response to COVID-19. Share this site and help us prevent the spread of misinformation. Thank you. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Remembering UP’s 15th president Edgardo Javier Angara – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/remembering-ups-15th-president-edgardo-javier-angara/",
        "html": "Remembering UP’s 15th president Edgardo Javier Angara Remembering UP’s 15th president Edgardo Javier Angara May 14, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP remembers its 15th president, Senator Edgardo Javier Angara, on the second anniversary of his passing. SEJA, as he was fondly called at the Philippine Senate, served as UP President from 1981 to 1987. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Student Learning Assistance System Online accepts applications for AY 2020-2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-student-learning-assistance-system-online-accepts-applications-for-ay-2020-2021/",
        "html": "The Student Learning Assistance System Online accepts applications for AY 2020-2021 The Student Learning Assistance System Online accepts applications for AY 2020-2021 September 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Students from the University of the Philippines (UP) come from all walks of life. Some of them may not be able to afford to pay the full tuition and other expenses to complete their academic requirements. As the UP community transitions to remote learning, other forms of learning assistance are needed to respond to the changing times.  To expand the support to financially-challenged students and expedite the processing support for academic activities, the University developed the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS). The SLAS is an expansion of the Student Financial Assistance Online (SFA Online). The UP designed the SFA Online in 2014 to accept applications for tuition subsidy and allowance. Beginning on 7 September 2020, UP students may apply directly for financial support and learning assistance in the SLAS Online (slasonline.up.edu.ph). The expanded System will gather information on students’ financial capacity, connectivity situation and connectivity options, and learning assistance requirements to help the University determine the support to be extended to the applicant.  For AY 2020-2021, the SLAS Online will support applications to the following learning assistance programs:  Learning Assistance for Remote Learning  In support of remote learning, the University is providing academic support to college students who would apply for learning assistance through the SLAS. Students from low-income households shall receive monthly Internet Connection to support academic instruction and learning activities this Academic Year. Based on their updated application information, students from the most vulnerable families shall be offered gadgets on top of their Internet connectivity subsidy.  UP undergraduate students, including those enrolled in Law and Medicine, are eligible for remote learning assistance.  To accommodate UP students in need of learning assistance in AY 2020-2021, the SLAS Online will accept applications beginning 23 September 2020.     Learning Assistance Application Deadline   2 October 2020   Release of Results   3 October 2020   Submission of Appeals   4-7 October 2020     Grants-in-Aid Program (GIAP)  UP created the Grants-in-Aid Program (GIAP) to reduce the cost paid by students during enrollment, based on the household’s paying capacity to which a student belongs. Through the GIAP, UP may subsidize a portion of the full cost required during enrollment and, in some instances, grant additional subsidy to waive miscellaneous fees and grant monthly cash allowances.  The UP GIAP is open to undergraduate students, including students enrolled in Law and Medicine.  Tertiary Education Subsidy  The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is a financial assistance program managed by the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST).  The TES grants cash allowance for one academic year to undergraduate students from low-income households. To process applications to TES, Scholarship personnel use the information submitted by students in SLAS Online. The University endorses SLAS Online applicants who meet the TES requirements of UniFAST.  Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan Program  To expand the support to financially-challenged students accessing remote learning tools, UP launched the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan Program. Kaagapay has mobilized the private sector to donate computing devices that will be made available to those who applied for learning assistance.  UP undergraduate students, including those enrolled in Law and Medicine, are eligible for the program. The University uses the information submitted by students in SLAS Online to determine the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral program’s beneficiaries.  Donor-funded Scholarship Programs  Donor-funded Scholarship Programs are financial assistance programs funded by private individuals and other organizations. Different campuses of the University manage these programs.  Applicants to donor-funded scholarship programs must submit application forms to Scholarship and Financial Assistance units on their campus. To process applications, Scholarship personnel use the information submitted by students in SLAS Online. Slots are assigned to SLAS Online applicants that match the requirements provided in the donor-funded scholarship program guidelines.  Students can apply for financial assistance to Donor-funded Scholarship Programs through the Scholarship Offices in their respective campuses. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Free webinars for UP employees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/free-webinars-for-up-employees/",
        "html": "Free webinars for UP employees Free webinars for UP employees January 14, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Development – Information Technology Development Center (OVPD-ITDC) is offering another set of free webinars for UP staff. These webinars were designed to strengthen the Work-From-Home capabilities of all UP staff.  This batch of free webinars will begin on Monday, January 18, 2021. To register in any of the offered webinars, please go to https://itdc.up.edu.ph/services/staff-training.  We encourage you to share this link with your UP colleagues*.  *Only those with official UP email accounts will be accepted "
    },
    {
        "title": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP Officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/security-advisory-phishing-attempts-posing-as-up-officials/",
        "html": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP Officials SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP Officials November 20, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To UP Users:  Please be informed that there have been reports of phishing attempts through emails posing as University officials. Please do NOT reply to these emails.  Kindly also be reminded NOT to click on ANY URL from UNSOLICITED email, even from trusted sources. We strongly encourage you to be extra vigilant when accessing websites or corresponding through email, social media, and other online platforms.  If you encounter suspicious websites, emails, and posts on social media sites, please immediately inform your CU ICT Support. You may find their respective email addresses at https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/.  For your kind information and guidance.  Please be safe always.  Information Technology Development Center Office of the Vice President for Development "
    },
    {
        "title": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Scamming Attempts Posing as UP Officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/security-advisory-scamming-attempts-posing-as-up-officials/",
        "html": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Scamming Attempts Posing as UP Officials SECURITY ADVISORY: Scamming Attempts Posing as UP Officials December 3, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To UP Users:  Please be informed that there have been reports of scams impersonating University officials. Please do NOT entertain these emails or messages.  This involves the scammer sending messages/emails and pretending to be an official, to ask for money or make payments to him/her or to a third party. Said messages/emails may be very emotional and will entice you to be kind and generous.  Please be extra vigilant when corresponding through email, social media, and other online platforms. Do NOT provide your personal information to questionable senders.  If you encounter suspicious websites, emails, and posts on social media sites, please immediately inform your CU ICT Support. You may find their respective email addresses at  https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/.  For your kind information and guidance.  Please be safe always.  Information Technology Development Center  Office of the Vice President for Development "
    },
    {
        "title": "BIDANI: A Strategy for Promoting Local Development and Nutrition Improvement – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bidani-a-strategy-for-promoting-local-development-and-nutrition-improvement/",
        "html": "BIDANI: A Strategy for Promoting Local Development and Nutrition Improvement BIDANI: A Strategy for Promoting Local Development and Nutrition Improvement March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem and cannot be solved only by health and nutrition practitioners. It needs multidisciplinary and multisectoral but integrative approaches in order to minimize if not solve this problem. The causes of malnutrition, being multiple and complex, are better addressed with the collaborative efforts of several disciplines.  One concrete example is the malnutrition problem due to poverty in an upland area. The people are poor despite planting cash crops under the forest trees. Their productivity is low because the cash crops they plant are not suitable and the soil had become infertile because of inappropriate planting methods. Nutritionist Dietitians (NDs) can advice them about nutrition, but foresters must also advise them about upland crops and methods so they will have a better source of livelihood.  Research and extension professionals of the Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (Bidani) recognize the common goal: Assuring human existence in a sustainable environment. This requires an integrated disciplinary approach to get to the root causes of problems and identify appropriate, lasting solutions.  The study of man alone necessitates the use of both the natural and social sciences.  Since its inception as a Nutrition Improvement Model, an action-research project of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1978, until it became a full blown network program of state universities and colleges (SUCs), Bidani’s niche has always been human ecology: the study of man and his interaction with the environment. Beginning with the physical matter of health and nutrition, we realize it is better viewed from a socio-economic standpoint. Health and nutrition are the best indicators of socio-economic progress. Only healthy and well-nourished individuals can participate in and contribute to socio-economic development.  Although we began with the goal of nutrition improvement (NI), it did not become the sole focus of Bidani. As we aspire to be holistic, NI led us to look for improvement in other interrelated areas of concern, including physical infrastructure such as farm to market roads, peace and order, livelihood, potable water, among others.  SUCs concerted efforts for the promotion of healthy and well-nourished community, i.e. conferences and consultations meetings. Photo courtesy of Ms. Lorna Garcia.  During the earlier times of the College of Human Ecology (CHE), the three departments and one institute collaborated for the practicum of both the Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology (BSHE) and Bachelor of Science in Nutrition (BSN) programs. The objective was to produce graduates with holistic perspectives who can articulate each of the departments’ objectives. The BSHE curriculum includes nutrition. At the same time, the BSN curriculum includes an introduction to human ecology because knowledge of the concept will enable students to understand the deep-rooted problems of man and his relationship with the physical, social, biological and economic environments which affect human nutrition.  Under the Department of Human and Family Development Studies (HFDS), the locus of operation is the family. BIDANI aims to help sustain healthy and well- nourished families to enable them to participate in socio-economic development. This is the same target set by the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF). The Department of Social Development Services (DSDS) targets communities to receive or avail of social services through different technologies and to take care of the environment, which is the domain of the Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning (DCERP). Each domain interacts with one another. Synergy is the essence of human ecology, and Bidani is utilized by the entire college for teaching, research, and extension.  At present, UPLB-Bidani has established linkages with colleges in UPLB—e.g., the College of Public Affairs and Development in the conduct of researches and studies on good governance, food security, nutrition program management and gender and development.  Bidani hopes to collaborate with other UP units through continuous upgrading of Bidani innovative components dealing with the community’s ability to manage information, refinement of the integrative development approach, and promotion of community participation in their own nutrition.  Evolution from model to integrated development approach  Bidani is a community-based, multidisciplinary, holistic, development-oriented approach aimed at improving governance and strengthening the food and nutrition security of Philippine villages. Evolving from the Nutrition Improvement Model (NIM), in 1982, the project changed its acronym to Bidani to live up to its approach. With funding assistance from the Netherlands for 10 years (1990-2000), the project expanded to a program of seven SUCs: Isabela State University (Region II), Central Luzon State University (Region III), Bicol State University (Region V), UP Visayas (Region VI), Visayas State University (formerly Visayas State College of Agriculture) (Region VIII), Central Mindanao State University (Region X), with UPLB as national overall coordinator.  These academic institutions, through their extension programs, partner with local government units to promote nutrition-in-development through community and other key stakeholders’ participation in an integrated management system. As such, Bidani considers nutrition as an objective, a component, an indicator, and outcome of development.  Being non-secular, non-partisan, scientific, and highly committed to their academic and social goals, the SUCs of Bidani have earned the trust of the communities that sustain the program.  Capacity building and Technical Backstopping for the preparation of BIDP. Photo courtesy of Ms. Lorna Garcia.  Bidani as a program is now in its 38th year, lodged at the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food, College of Human Ecology (IHNF-CHE), UPLB as the national overall coordinator. It has become the academe’s unique and continuing contribution to national development despite changes in the political leadership. It has become a flagship program of UPLB and has received multiple awards and recognitions.  In four decades, Bidani was strengthened through the implementation of innovative components or strategies:  1) Barangay Integrated Development Approach (BIDA) the development strategy for LGUs through a systematic, holistic and bottom-up approach in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and activities as embodied in a Barangay Integrated Development Plan (BIDP); 2) Participative Nutrition Enhancement Approach (PNEA) through strengthening health and nutrition interventions in the prevention of malnutrition and rehabilitation of malnourished children. 3) Barangay Management Information System (BMIS), which focuses on the needs of the barangay through an efficient and effective data collection prior to program planning, and management and implementation of various projects and activities at the barangay.  Bidanized equals better LGUs  One of the aims of Barangay Integrated Development Approach (BIDA) is to create awareness and to empower people in the local communities to participate actively in the development process. The BIDA as an innovative strategy is a package of capability building activities aimed at developing the capacity of the barangays in developing and managing nutrition-oriented programs. Technical trainings are conducted for project development or formulation of the barangay integrated development plan (BIDP) and implementation.  Trained barangay local government units (BLGUs) ensure that project planning is participatory, multi-sectoral, and uses the bottoms-up approach involving all the local officials and community stakeholders in problems and needs identification, and in identification of possible solutions.  Bidani has made a difference in empowering local government units and other stakeholders in community nutrition development planning. This was attained through relative coordination and complementation of projects, programs and activities among the development functionaries and the intended clientele and enhanced linkages of grassroots, stakeholders and other institutions such as government organization (GOs), non-government organization (NGOs), private agencies, and people’s organizations (POs).  With the adoption and operationalization of the Bidani strategy,  (1) A system in planning has been established in the barangays. Through the system the local officials and community members are able to identify sectoral problems and needs of the community from ocular inspection and surveys. With the availability of updated information, the local officials are able to come up with programs, projects and activities (PPAs) in the Barangay Integrated Development Plans (BIDPs) that are appropriate to the needs of their constituents.  LGUs which are “Bidanized” are able to effectively and efficiently evaluate and manage their own resources and needs, and access national and higher level programs of government and non-government organizations providing much needed assistance relevant to their situation.  (2) The expanded Barangay Development Councils/Program Planning and Implementing Committees (BDCs/PPICs) has become more organized, active and functional and are able to implement projects and deliver services to their constituents. Moreover, through the strategy, people’s participation in barangay activities has increased.  (3) They are able to monitor the children with malnutrition problems and are able to implement programs responsive to their needs like feeding programs, the establishment of food production areas, and livelihood training. They are able to link with concerned municipal agencies and members of the PPIC to work on projects.  (4) Bidani catchment barangays have been recognized as model barangays. They have received awards and have become favorite training grounds, locally, nationally and internationally.  (5) The barangay officials have become computer literate. Having learned how to make powerpoint presentations and other computer applications such as Excel, Word, and Internet (Google search) and enhanced their communication skills.  PNEA as Bidani’s direct nutrition interventions for family and community development. Photo courtesy of Ms. Lorna Garcia.  Pegging success on nutrition  If it is to become the indicator of the program’s success, the nutrition component of Bidani must be highlighted. In its early years of implementation, the nutrition component was weak since Bidani did not offer any direct interventions. Thus, in 1994, the Participative Domiciliary Nutrition Rehabilitation (PDNR) was launched as an individualized and family-focused approach to rehabilitate and/or prevent malnutrition among children 0-36 months of age and to promote improved nutrition.  PDNR reinforced the partnership and joint responsibility of the parents, the community, government line agencies and GOs with technical support from the SUCs. The PDNR also reinforced the nutrition-related activities of the government such as the Comprehensive Health and Nutrition Program of the Department of Health (DOH), the Supplemental Feeding Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Education (DepEd).  Through this strategy, malnutrition has been reduced in Bidani covered barangays with 17 percent of the 1,387 children (0-36 months) rehabilitated to normal status after six months. Based on data covered by the seven member SUCs from 1996-2000 like CMU, UPV, BU, ISU, CLSU, VSU and UPLB as the National Coordinator, reduction of malnutrition prevalence from the covered villages such that 82 percent or 8 out of 10 children were rehabilitated and/or improved to a higher nutritional classification after 12 months. There was also a significant increase of families involved in food production, mainly backyard gardening and animal husbandry.  Then in 2009, PNEA was conceptualized and implemented for a more comprehensive and participative approach in the delivery of nutrition and health services. It aims to rehabilitate and prevent the occurrence of malnutrition among 0-24 month old children through life cycle approach. Nutrition is crucial in human development and in reaching one’s potential. A compromised nutritional status even at the age of conception has a bearing on an individual’s nutritional status later in life.  PNEA offers an integrated nutrition enhancement package to ensure that LGUs and other partners would be able to deliver nutrition services effectively to achieve a healthy and well-nourished community. The approach provides technical assistance in facilitating the implementation of the national nutrition program at the local level and strengthening the skills of health providers (MHO, MNAO, BNS, BHW, midwives, peers, etc.) on health and nutrition development activities. PNEA also encourages participation of local stakeholders in health and nutrition activities.  The promotion and utilization of Kalinga mix (adopted from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute as Insumix) as the main food-based supplementary feeding is one of the main nutrition interventions of this strategy. Kalinga is a low cost, flour-like mixture of rice, mungbean and sesame seed. It is high in energy, protein and carbohydrates needed for optimum body growth and constant supply of energy for children to sustain their daily activities.  The information premium and Bidani’s niche  Literature on the subject report that different agencies have initiated and established local information systems. The Bidani Barangay Management Information System (BMIS) sets itself apart by helping the community establish its own sustainable databanking system to generate updated and reliable information for evidence-based planning, monitoring and evaluation of development activities at the barangay and municipal levels.  The BMIS and Municipal Management Information System (MMIS), which is the consolidation of all the BMIS of the municipality, are electronic systems which help synergize barangay and municipal development goals and activities.  Through the BMIS and MMIS electronic systems, the LGUs can also generate information for: the administrative reports requested by different agencies such as the local governance performance management system (LGPMS); situational analysis in the preparation of municipal/city development plans (CDPs) such as comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs); providing basis for the barangay development plan or financial plan; facilitating delivery of services to target beneficiaries; and monitoring and evaluation of projects.  The BMIS survey form is a two-page questionnaire which can generate about 100 tables and reports on the socio-demographic, economic, agriculture, health and nutrition information of the family and its members. Some of the statistical reports generated are population, working age groups, income and poverty levels, school enrolment rates, civil statuses, religious membership, sources of income, overseas Filipino workers population, and PWD population. Data also include nutritional statuses of 0-6-year olds, and statuses of immunization, deworming, vitamin and micronutrient supplementation, and breastfeeding of 0-24 month old children. Causes of mortality and morbidity, family planning practices, access to sanitary toilet, potable water, garbage disposal practices, engagement in food production activities are indicated. The BMIS/MMIS electronic systems can also generate a list of families or members needing assistance, such as those out of school. A unique feature of the BMIS is the integration and prioritization of nutrition data in the system. It relates nutritional status to the social, economic and environmental problem of a specific child.  The BMIS builds the capacity of the barangay to conduct a proper survey. Each step is designed to be sustainable, participatory, and specific for barangay council members so that they will have a sense of ownership of the activity. It is characterized by simple, user-friendly design flexible enough to accommodate any necessary modification. Of the more than 1,024 barangays trained on BMIS, about 70 percent are continuing their BMIS.  On the road toward greater reach and relevance  To date, the Bidani Network Program is continuing as a member of the Inter-agency Technical Committee of the National Nutrition Council. The achievements of Bidani are contributory to the attainment of the goals of the Philippine Development Plan and the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition.  Other major notable achievements in nutrition of the Bidani Network Program from 1978 to 2007 are the following: • Bidani has been integrated into the Accelerated Nutrition Act which seeks to strengthen the implementation of the National Nutrition Program of which Bidani is one of the enabling mechanisms to promote a healthy and productive citizenry. • Bidani was integrated in the Medium Term Philippine Food and Nutrition Program/Philippine Plan of Action (MTPPAN) from 1993-1998, 1999-2004, and 2005-2010 where Bidani strategy was incorporated as one of the enabling mechanisms to promote nutritional status of the Filipinos. MTPPAN is the country’s blueprint of action for achieving nutritional adequacy for all Filipinos and the government’s response to global commitment to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.  At the national level, Bidani as a strategy is recognized by the National Nutrition Council, the highest policy making and coordinating body in nutrition, as an enabling mechanism in integrating nutrition into the local development plan.  It has also received an endorsement from the Commission on Higher Education as a regular extension project of participating SUCs all over the country. The need for institutionalization  As a program, Bidani will continue as long as it plays an important role in local and national development. However, it needs the continuous training and technical backstopping of SUCs and partner LGUs. At the national level it needs a legal mandate for the SUCs to be able to regularly allocate a portion of the research and extension budget for the Bidani program to support its key staff/personnel and maintenance, operating and other expenses.  While many LGUs were very receptive and had expressed willingness to promote Bidani as a strategy despite budgetary constraints, Bidani needs a regular budget allocation for extension and research for its expansion, replication and institutionalization. Faculty members who are involved in Bidani are given equivalent credit unit loads. However, because the degree of operationalization and continuity at the SUC level will greatly depend on the policy commitment of each SUCs central administration, without full time staff and personnel to conduct the training and technical backstopping at the local level, the sustainability of the program is not assured.  Bidani continues to pursue activities towards institutionalization at municipal and village levels, strengthening operations research, training of trainers, documentation, publications of research and training manuals. Through the continued support from the national government, by way of regular provision of budget for its operationalization, key member SUCS in the network, Bidani remains to be a laudable nutrition-in-development program of academic institutions.  Bidani at the national and public service university  UP is mandated to lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence.” Since Bidani’s inception in 1978, it has lived up to its name of an integrated development approach to address malnutrition problem in the country through capacity building of local government units, establishing and strengthening community-based organizations, and participatory development planning at the community-level for nutrition improvement and rural development. Bidani has fulfilled UP’s mandate to lead other higher educational institutions in the areas of teaching, research, and, at its core, public service.  Public service is not an easy task. Bidani as a research-driven public service carried out by higher educational institutions needs to meet the challenges it is facing now and in the future for it to continue. It is steadfast in its commitment to take the frontline in the continuing fight to minimize if not totally eliminate hunger and malnutrition.  ——————–  The UPLB-Bidani or the Bidani Network Program has Ms. Lorna O. Garcia as program leader. Email her at lorns.garcia@gmail.com.  REFERENCES Eusebio, Josefa S. “Framework for Research and Extension in the College of Human Ecology,” June 16, 2000.  UPLB-BIDANI. Accomplishment Report. April 1990-September 1994.  Eusebio, Josefa. “BIDANI: A Nutrition-in-Development Model of Academic Institutions in Partnership with Local Governments,” Proceedings of the First BIDANI Asian Regional Conference. 28-30 September 1995. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP Manila Community Health and Development Program (UP CHDP) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-manila-community-and-development-program-up-chdp/",
        "html": "The UP Manila Community Health and Development Program (UP CHDP) The UP Manila Community Health and Development Program (UP CHDP) March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP CHDP is the UP Manila unit mandated by the University to enter into partnerships with Philippine municipalities to set up and maintain community-based health programs (CBHPs) that will benefit both parties. It provides the site for UP faculty, staff and students’ curricular (academic) immersion and service activities.  In 2007, the UP CHDP was revived by then UP Manila Chancellor Ramon L. Arcadio. The UP CHDP Conceptual Framework considers the community as a partner in health and development towards a healthier and more empowered community.  The objectives of the UP CHDP are to assist communities in attaining enhanced capacities in their own health care and development through the Primary Health Care Approach while providing learning opportunities for the faculty and students of UP in the principles and practice of community health and development which they can also use in their extension and volunteer work.  The community partner of the UP CHDP from 2007-2013 was the Municipality of San Juan, Batangas (San Juan started working with UP Manila through the UP College of Medicine in 2006) while the partner from 2013 to the present is the Province of Cavite through the A.M.I.G.A. Inter-L.G.U. Health Collaboration Council.  The municipality of San Juan and the UP CHDP successfully worked together from 2006 to 2013 “to decrease by 50 percent the morbidity of children 0-12 years old.” In addition to the municipal-wide program on children’s health, there was also a municipal-wide program on dengue prevention. The dengue program involved the formation of a Barangay Dengue Task Force in all the barangays. These groups created the mechanism whereby community members were able to participate actively in the program. School-Based Dengue Task Force groups were also formed in every public and private school in the municipality. Several public elementary schools were able to form teams of “Bulilit Health Scouts” which assisted in the implementation of school-based projects, including the school-based dengue prevention efforts.  There were also several barangay-wide initiatives such as solid-waste management programs and livelihood programs, as well as school-based programs anchored on the “Fit for School” initiative of the Department of Education.  A school-based program showcasing the collaboration among the Municipal LGU, MHO, Department of Education, School Officials and Teachers and a University. Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony G.H. Cordero.  A school-based program showcasing the collaboration among the Municipal LGU, MHO, Department of Education, School Officials and Teachers and a University. Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony G.H. Cordero.  There were also regular primary care clinical services in barangay health stations. The Rural Health Unit staff and the UP students worked together to provide primary care services with the assistance of the local government unit (LGU) and the health workers in the barangay.  The Municipality of San Juan was led by two mayors during the partnership years from 2006 to 2013, the Hon. Rodolfo Manalo (2006-2007 & 2010-2013) and the Hon. Danilo Mindanao (2007-2010). Dr Nestor Alidio served as the overall leader of the health team.  During a community health education activity with diagnosed hypertensives and diabetics in Cavite. Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony G.H. Cordero.  A disengagement and appreciation ceremony was held in March 2013 where both the municipality of San Juan and UP showed their gratitude for the collaboration. As early as 2012, the UP CHDP started discussions with the province of Cavite on a potential partnership program. Through the support and guidance of the Cavite Provincial Governor, the Hon. Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. and the Cavite Provincial Health Officer, Dr George Repique, the UP CHDP was introduced to the Amiga Inter-LGU Health Collaboration Council. The Council is made up of the municipalities of Alfonso, Mendez, Indang, General Emilio Aguinaldo and Amadeo.  A Memorandum of Agreement between the province of Cavite and UP Manila was formalized in March 2013. Governor Remulla represented Cavite while UP Manila was represented by then Chancellor Manuel Agulto.  Orientation activities were held from March to April 2013. Situational analysis was done by both parties through several participatory activities from May to July 2013: AMIGA decided to prioritize the issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) especially hypertension and diabetes in terms of the partnership with the UP CHDP. The objective that was collectively decided by both parties was “To increase by 25 percent the number of controlled hypertensives and diabetics within Amiga in five years (2013 to 2018).”  Community leaders and health workers with UP faculty and international partners after a DILG-mandated barangay assembly which drew more than 70 participants. Among the issues discussed was their community plans for the Bottom-up Budgeting. Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony G.H. Cordero.  The problem was further analyzed from July to October 2013 using the “problem tree analysis” approach. The strategies and interventions that are collectively being formulated, implemented and monitored by Amiga and UP are partly based on the factors that were determined through the problem tree analysis. Amiga and UP also decided in April 2014 to anchor all the activities on hypertension and diabetes on the Department of Health’s PhilPEN (Philippine Package of Essential Services for Non-Communicable Diseases) Strategy.  Most of the collective efforts by Amiga and UP have since then been geared towards achieving the main objective. These efforts included the following: (1) engagement of organized groups and interested individuals so they can be partners in the program; (2) regular community readiness assessment; (3) preparatory activities for the screening of all adults 25 years old and above in the barangays; (4) risk assessment using the DOH PhilPEN Risk Assessment Form and data management; (5) development, implementation and monitoring of barangay action plans based on the risk assessment data and on the factors that came out during the problem analysis in 2013.  Barangay-based Solid Waste Management Program in San Juan. Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony G.H. Cordero.  There were also several initiatives specific to particular municipalities and barangays. These were developed, implemented and evaluated by the concerned municipality or barangay with one or several UP units. Some of these initiatives included the following: (1) Universal PhilHealth Coverage project initiated by the municipality of General Aguinaldo; (2) School-based Handwashing and Toothbrushing program by the municipality of Mendez and the Department of Education; (3) Oral Health Workers Training with several towns; (4) Inter-Professional Practice in the five towns; and (5) numerous other barangay-specific projects within the municipalities of Indang, Amadeo, Alfonso and Mendez.  There were also activities that were mainly patient-based curative services. These were the out-patient clinics in the rural health units and barangay health stations were the LGUs. The municipal health offices and the rural health units worked together with the UP CHDP in providing primary care services. There were also regular oral health clinics and dental missions. From 2013 to 2015, regular dermatology clinics were conducted by the UP-PGH Dermatology Section.  As of June 2016, the Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Social Work and Community Development ( in UP Diliman) have worked with the program. Two departments and one section from UP-PGH (Dermatology, Family and Community Medicine and Pediatrics) have also sent their consultants and residents to the program. Cavite and UP have provided full-time community organizers to help in the organizing, advocacy, management and mobilization work within the program.  The official staff house of the program is in Barangay Bancod, Indang, Cavite. The staff house is maintained through the generous support of the Cavite State University (Indang campus) and the provincial government of Cavite.  UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla continues the tradition of providing invaluable guidance, support and assistance to the UP CHDP.  The UP CHDP has advocated the following guiding principles in the partnership program with San Juan and Cavite: (1) Primary Health Care Approach which recognizes health as a right and the importance of people’s participation, (2) Social Determinants Approach, (3) Community Development Theories and Community Organizing Principles and (4) Inter-Professional Education/Practice in which the UP CHDP is in a unique position of having the mechanism to achieve these purposes because of its multidisciplinary nature.  ——————–  Dr. Cordero is a graduate of the UP College of Medicine. He is the director of the UP Manila Community Health & Development Program and chair of the UP College of Medicine Return Service Obligation Program. He serves as faculty adviser for community partnership programs with several student organizations in UP Manila. He was the 2013 UP Manila Gawad Chancellor Awardee for Outstanding Faculty in Extension Service and the 2015 Gawad Chancellor Awardee for Outstanding Faculty in Teaching. He is engaged in numerous extension and volunteer service work in the field of community health and development and gender and development. He is an active volunteer of the UP Manila Pahinungod, a 2015 DOH Bayani ng Kalusugan Awardee. Email him at ahcordero@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "2 Filipinos Win in the Inaugural A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2-filipinos-win-in-the-inaugural-a-noam-chomsky-global-connections-awards/",
        "html": "2 Filipinos Win in the Inaugural A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards 2 Filipinos Win in the Inaugural A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards December 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Raphael A. Pangalangan and Maria Pilar M. Lorenzo, both graduates of the University of the Philippines, are two of the seven winners of the first annual A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards. Raphael Pangalangan is the recipient of the Rising Star Emerging Scholar (post-terminal degree completion category) and Maria Pilar Lorenzo is the recipient of the Rising Star Emerging Scholar (graduate student category). The awards were presented on Tuesday, December 8, at the 2020 STAR Conference Closing and Award Ceremony, which can be viewed globally via YouTube.  The Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) Scholars Network through the Global Connections Awards recognizes the commitment of concerned people who are able and willing to make a difference in the lives of others. Several individuals with a deep impact on advancing global, social mobility are recognized every year. For the year 2020, seven STAR Scholars were awarded for their achievements and distinctive contributions to transnational research that demonstrates the very best of scholarly collaboration among scholars around the world.  Each year, the Star Scholars Network recognizes up to two (2) emerging scholars who have shown significant promise and commitment to transnational research. One award recognizes an emerging scholar (post-terminal degree completion) in any field that has distinguished him/herself as a rising leader in advancing transnational research. The other award recognizes a current graduate student who has demonstrated significant promise to advancing transnational research through publications, leadership, or other relevant contributions.  Raphael A. Pangalangan  Photo from the Star Scholars Network Global Connections Awards website.  Atty. Pangalangan is recognized for his outstanding scholarly work and legal practice. He practiced Criminal Law in the Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines and was a Lecturer in Philosophy in the University of the Philippines under the mentorship of Professor Renato Manaloto. He thereafter completed a clerkship with the Office of the President of the UNIRMCT under Judge Carmel Agius, while simultaneously finishing his M.St. in Human Rights at the University of Oxford.  While earning his LL.M. in the University of Cambridge, Atty. Pangalangan served as a Project Researcher for the Cambridge Pro Bono Project where he assisted on a Consultative Opinion filed before the IACtHR. He has written extensively on Transnational and International Law for the Brill | Nijhoff, the Oxford University Press, and the Cambridge University Press. His article, Dominic Ongwen and the Rotten Social Background Defense, was cited by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights and was awarded the Human Rights Essay Award by the American University Washington College of Law. He is also the recipient of the Oxford-Morris Prize in Human Rights, the Hague Academy of International Law Scholarship, and the Korean International Association Grant for Comparative Law.  Atty. Pangalangan has continued his legal advocacy as a Junior Fellow with Reprieve, the Chief Academic Adviser of the Aristotle & Alexander Institute, and as a Consultant with Ocampo & Suralvo Law Offices. He sits as the Associate Dean and Assistant Professor in Human Rights of Jindal Global Law School—India’s premier school of law.  Maria Pilar M. Lorenzo  Photo from the Star Scholars Network Global Connections Awards website.  Maria Pilar Lorenzo joined Ghent University’s Centre for Higher Education Governance Ghent as a PhD candidate in November 2020. She recently obtained an MSc degree in International Politics, magna cum laude (Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium, 2020), an Advanced MSc degree in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies, cum laude (KU Leuven, 2019, ), and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, summa cum laude ranking, top of the cohort (University of the Philippines, 2018). She is currently a Fellow of the Regional Academy on the United Nations, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Research Associate of the Philippine Society for Public Administration, an Associate Member of the National Research Council of the Philippines, a Member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and a Member of the ASEAN Think Tanks Network (by invitation only). She is a recipient of cumulatively 70 grants, scholarships, honors, and awards, including the recognition by YSEALI Women’s Leadership Academy Alumni Network as one of the 2020 cohort of women leaders in Southeast Asia.  As a researcher, she is fascinated with examining issues relating to higher education regionalization processes and policies, governance, and social (in)equities. Her most recent study investigates the cross-border research of a Philippine higher education institution within the ambit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Her publications include, among others: “The imperatives of peace for development in the Philippines” (Center for Local and Regional Governance); “Social equity in the Philippines” (Palgrave Macmillan); “Jewish migration in the Philippines” (Graz University Press). She also has three forthcoming co-authored chapters in edited volumes to be published by Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, and World Scientific. In addition, her think pieces have appeared in Channel NewsAsia, East Asia Forum, Modern Diplomacy, etc.     Source: Retired Commission on Audit Director Marietta M. Lorenzo "
    },
    {
        "title": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP ICT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/security-advisory-phishing-attempts-posing-as-up-ict/",
        "html": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP ICT SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as UP ICT March 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To UP Users:  Please be informed that there have been reports of phishing attempts from an email address posing as “Admin-ICT- University of the Philippines.” The email will indicate that you need to provide your personal details to prevent your account from being deactivated. Please be advised that said email is NOT being sent by the UP System ICT Support, nor any of UP’s ICT units.  Please DO NOT respond to this email, and please do not send your personal information. Kindly delete the email immediately.  Moreover, please be wary of emails, SMS, or phone calls asking you to provide any of your passwords or PINs. UP System online system administrators will NEVER ASK for your security credentials.  If you encounter suspicious websites, emails, and posts on social media sites, please immediately inform your CU ICT Support. You may find their respective email addresses at https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/  For your kind information and guidance.  Please be safe always.  Information Technology Development Center Office of the Vice President for Development "
    },
    {
        "title": "Geography in the Field: A Course-Based Extension Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/geography-in-the-field-a-course-based-extension-program/",
        "html": "Geography in the Field: A Course-Based Extension Program Geography in the Field: A Course-Based Extension Program March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Geography focuses on the study of the earth as the home of humans. A holistic discipline, it examines human-environment interactions, spatial processes, and the development of places and localities. It studies the physical and human processes of the earth and investigates how these produce different landscapes. It uses geographic techniques such as spatial analysis, cartography, geographic information science (GIScience), remote sensing, and statistical methods to explore and comprehend the complexities of natural and cultural systems and how they relate to each other. These can lead to better understanding of the factors that lead to the transformation of everyday spaces on the local, regional, and global levels.  The UP Department of Geography aims to bring geography to where it should be—at the center of decision-making in our country. The department takes an active role in propagating geography as a discipline in order to raise awareness on how our daily lives are influenced by human-environment interactions, and to empower localities in facing the challenges of an increasingly globalizing world.  Origins of Geography Field School  The Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) provides geography as a discipline the opportunity to showcase its relevance to society. In 1995, the department initiated partnerships with various local government units, non-government and peoples’ organizations, and other institutions. These partnerships involve the engagement of students of the department with partner communities. It has resulted in successful outputs such as planning documents and maps, which are vital for development planning especially in the remote areas of the country. It also serves as a venue for students to learn the skills of geographic inquiry, data collection, and analysis while serving the participating communities.  The Department’s Physical and Socio-Economic Profile (PSEP), now referred to as the Ecological Profile (EP), is a document in which the department often collaborates with local government units. This document is essential in formulating the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) mandated by the Local Government Code; CLUP will be enacted through zoning ordinances.  The first of these collaborations took place in 1995 with the local government of Jordan, Guimaras, which was then a sub-province of Iloilo. The field class came up with the PSEP and accompanying maps used by the LGU as inputs to their CLUP. After this successful engagement, the department continued to reach out to other LGUs, expanding its services by assisting them with their development goals.  Participatory 3D Mapping project of Geog 192 students led by Dr. Jake Cadag with the local children of Basud, Camarines Norte in partnership with UNICEF.  Geography Field School  Geography 192/202, Field Methods in Geography (or Field Geography at the graduate level), is a course-based extension program offered by the Department of Geography every mid-year/summer term. The course allows the faculty and undergraduate students of the department to support the development planning processes at the provincial, municipality and community levels. It also fulfills the goals of service learning in enhancing academic learning among students and faculty while extending assistance to communities in a professional manner.  Since its inception, the program has assisted 48 barangays, municipalities and cities all over the Philippines. The department has collaborated with different local government units (LGUs), peoples organizations (POs), academic and research institutions, non-government organizations (NGOs), and community members towards the enhancement of their capacities to make informed decisions through research, technical assistance, and utilization of geographic information resources and tools such as geographic information systems.  In recent years, the course objectives have broadened and diversified to accommodate the changing nature of development projects initiated or supported by the LGUs or local organizations. The following are the extension activities that are being carried out under the program.  Geog 192 class consulting with the Mayor of San Jose, Nueva Ecija.  Ecological Profiling/Physical and Socio-economic Profiling  The ecological profile (EP), formerly known as the physical and socio-economic profile (PSEP) is a comprehensive database composed of systematic description and analysis of the different sectors of an area or municipality, namely: social, physical, economic, institutional and environmental sectors.  The ecological profile is also the more comprehensive replacement of the socio-economic profile as it gives equal coverage to the physical, biological, socio-economic, cultural and built environments (DILG).  The Local Planning and Development Coordinator (LPDC) of the LGU is responsible for the preparation of this document. However, due to lack of personnel, data and technology, some LGUs reach out to other institutions for assistance in the formulation of the EP.  As of 2016, 28 municipalities have been given assistance with their PSEP/EP by the department.  Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)  The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is a planning document prepared by the LGUs to rationalize the allocation and proper use of land uses. It also projects public and private land uses in accordance with future spatial organization of economic and social activities.  It is mandated in Article 41 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) that LGUs shall prepare their CLUP which will be enacted through zoning ordinances. Similar with the lack of capacities to prepare such documents, some LGUs engage with other institutions for assistance in the formulation of their CLUP.  The department assisted the formulation of CLUP of Lucban, Quezon in 2001.  Minimum Basic Needs Profile  The Minimum Basic Needs Profiling provides a strategy of prioritizing primary requirements for survival, security and enabling needs of the community. It is also a way of using basic needs as basis for situation analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.  The department conducted the preparation of the Minimum Basic Needs Profile of Barangay Iniwaran, San Pascual, Masbate in 2005.  Darlene Gutierrez of UP Department of Geography receiving the 2016 Parangal sa Gawaing Ekstensyon with UPD officials.  Community Resource Management Framework Plan  The Community Resource Management Framework Plan is a strategic plan of the community on how to manage and benefit from the forest resources on a sustainable basis. It describes the community’s long-term vision, aspirations, commitments and strategies for the protection, rehabilitation, development and utilization of forest resources. It also provides detailed activities for the first five (5) years) which shall serve as a five-year work plan of the people’s organizations(POs).  The department assisted in the formulation of the CRMF of Barangay Calawis, Antipolo City, Rizal in 2009.  Participatory 3D Mapping  Participatory 3D mapping is a community-based mapping method which integrates local spatial knowledge with data on elevation of the land and depth of the sea to produce stand-alone, scaled and geo-referenced relief models.  In 2015, the UP Department of Geography, in partnership with UNICEF, facilitated the participatory 3D mapping in the municipalities of Paracale and Basud, Camarines Norte.  Participatory 3D Mapping project of Geog 192 students led by Dr. Jake Cadag with the local children of Basud, Camarines Norte in partnership with UNICEF.  Geographic Information System (GIS) Orientation/Workshop  Geographic Information System or GIS, is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking and displaying data related to positions on the earth’s surface. GIS can show many different kinds of data on one map, such as streets, buildings, and vegetation. This enables people to easily see, analyze, and understand patterns and relationships which can be vital for the development of an area.  Other planning documents prepared by the department include the following:  Risk and Hazard Assessment Ethno-geography Community Resource Inventory Evaluation of Ecotourism Social Impact Assessment Community-based Monitoring System Asset-based Livelihood Profiles Social Vulnerability Assessment Coastal Resources and Fisheries Profile Historical Geography  Impacts  Both the local communities and the department benefit from the Geography Field School.  Students undertake rigorous procedure for data collection, consolidation, validation, and data abstraction to ensure the most effective delivery of important information thus, developing their research skills. They also develop their communication and writing skills as well as their leadership, teamwork and decision-making skills, which is essential when they start their professional careers.  Students also develop critical thinking towards social, economic, political and environment issues that concern the communities that they work with.  It is not only the communities and the LGUs that benefit from the program. The faculty and the students are enriched by the opportunity to contribute to the communities through the process of building knowledge of place using the skills and the tools provided by the curriculum of the UP Department of Geography.  As of 2016, 48 municipalities/areas have been given assistance by the department. In May 2016, the Geography Field School was awarded as the best extension program in UP Diliman, in the degree granting unit category, besting two other extension programs, namely: Project Kapnayan of the Institute of Chemistry and Buklod Bohol of the Asian Institute of Tourism.  ——————–  Dr. Daniel L. Mabazza is Associate Professor and Chair of the UP Diliman Department of Geography. Kevin Nicole S.Vega is University Research Associate in the same department. Email them at dlmabazza@up.edu.ph and ksvega@upd.edu.ph.  Photos provided by Dr. Daniel Mabazza of the UP Diliman Department of Geography. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pagmamalasakit: Adhikain ng UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pagmamalasakit-adhikain-ng-up/",
        "html": "Pagmamalasakit: Adhikain ng UP Pagmamalasakit: Adhikain ng UP March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Pagtanggap sa Paglilipat ng Tungkulin ni UP President Danilo Concepcion 09 February 2017; Quezon Hall, UP Diliman Campus   Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat!  Una sa lahat, hayaan ninyong ipakilala ko ang aking butihing maybahay, si Atty. Gaby Concepcion.  Pangalawa, hayaan po ninyong ipakilala ko sa inyo ang mga bubuo sa aking gabinete:  Executive Vice President – Dr. Teodoro Herbosa VP for Academic Affairs – Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista VP for Planning & Finance – Dr. Joselito Florendo VP for Development – Dr. Elvira Zamora VP for Administration – Prof. Nestor Yunque VP for Public Affairs – Dr. Jose Dalisay, Jr. VP for Legal Affairs – Atty. Hector Danny Uy Secretary of the University – Atty. Roberto Lara  Sa yugto pong ito, nais kong pasalamatan nang taos-puso at lubos ang Lupon ng mga Rehente sa tiwalang ipinagkaloob nila sa akin na pamunuan ang Unibersidad sa loob ng anim na taon. Sisikapin ko po sa sukdulan ng aking kakayahan na kayo at ang lahat ng tumaya at umasa sa aking salita ay hindi mabigo. Ito po ay itinuturing kong isang sagradong pangako.  Pagpupugay naman at paghanga ang aking ibinibigay kay Presidente Alfredo Pascual na aking hahalinhinan sa kanyang pagbaba sa katungkulan. Napakataas po ng pamantayan na iiwanan ni Presidente Pascual. Tunay, mahirap itong abutin ng sino mang susunod sa kanyang mga yapak. Kung ito po ay ihahambing natin sa larong luksong-tinik, mahirap pong lundagin ang taas ng tinik na kanyang nilundag.  Sa aking pagtanggap sa katungkulan bilang Presidente, tinanggap ko rin po nang kusang-loob ang lahat ng hamon sa kanya: gaya ng hamon ng malalang problema sa umiiral na practice o sistema ng ating procurement, ang pagpapataas sa kalidad ng ating mga academic programs, ang internationalization ng ating Unibersidad, ang pagpapalakas ng ating mga faculty development programs, ang suliranin ng contractualization at health care, ang modernization ng ating mga opisina, kagamitan, at laboratoryo, ang suliranin ng admission at libreng matrikula, ang pagpapataas sa sweldo ng ating mga kaguruan at kawani, ang pagpapataas sa stipend ng ating mga scholars, o dili kaya ang inyong napuna pagpasok ninyo kanina sa ating campus, ang lumulubhang kalagayan ng ating mga gusali at kapaligiran. At marami pang iba. Napakahaba po ng listahan ng mga suliranin at mga hamon na bubunuin ng inyong abang lingkod sa susunod na anim na taon.   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Top UP public service programs hailed – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/top-up-public-service-programs-hailed/",
        "html": "Top UP public service programs hailed Top UP public service programs hailed March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from the UP Mindanao Office of the Chancellor’s Land Reservation Management Office behind the program Economic Upliftment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Community Through Agricultural Projects, winner of the award, and UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPSIO.  Honors from the UP president were conferred on outstanding public service programs of the University at the first Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service awarding ceremony on January 30, 2017 at the UP Executive House in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Six programs from six constituent campuses each received the Gawad and P100,000. In addition, nine programs were recognized as finalists.  The award, administered by the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and its Padayon Public Service Office, aims to recognize UP’s achievement in terms of the mandate to “lead as public service university by providing various forms of community, public, and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standard of excellence.”  The winners were: the College of Agriculture of UP Los Baños for “The Corn-based Farmer-Scientist Research, Extension, and Development Training Program”;  the Center for West Visayan Studies of the UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences for the “RISE (Bangon) Gigantes Project: Rehabilitation for Island Sustainability and Empowerment”;  the Land Reservation Management Office of UP Mindanao for “Economic Upliftment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Community through Agricultural Projects”;  the National Institutes of Health of UP Manila for the “Real-time Community Health Information Tracking System (rCHITS)”;  the Office of Legal Aid of the UP Diliman College of Law for the “Clinical Legal Education Program”;  and, UP Cebu for the “Business Incubator for IT”.  President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from UP Manila behind its Community Health Development Program, a finalist for the award, with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPSIO.  The finalists were: the Center for Integrative and Development Studies of the UP System for the “UP Program for Environmental Governance”;  the Department of Geography of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy for “Geography Field School”;  the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food of the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology for the “Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) Network Program”;  the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development of UP Diliman for the “KaSaMa Teachers Online Community”;  the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino of UP Diliman for “Programang Aklatang Bayan”;  the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod of UP Manila for the “Emergency Room Volunteers Program”,  the “Oral Health Project”, and the “Tutorial Program for Street Children”;  and, UP Manila for the “Community Health Program”.  The criteria for the awards included:  impact, approach or method, service orientation, and enhancement of teaching or research. Nominations required:  documentation of the initiative; a list of academic and official citations of the project; certification from project beneficiaries; and, certification of proper liquidation of funds.  President Alfredo Pascual, Vice President for Public Affairs Edna Estifania Co, and Selection Committee members Manuel Bonifacio, Jocelyn Caragay, and Jaime Veneracion, with the team from the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture behind The Corn-based Farmer-Scientist RDE Training Program, winner of the awards, headed by National Scientist Romulo Davide, and UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPSIO.  The selection committee for this year’s awards was composed of: Sociology Professor Emeritus Manuel Flores Bonifacio;  College of Social Work and Community Development Dean Jocelyn Caragay; UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos; and, professor of History, Jaime Veneracion.  Public service publications from the UP System were also presented by: Ferdinand Llanes, founding director of the UP Padayon Public Service Office and its current director, Nelson Cainghog; and,  Deputy Director Frances Fatima Cabana of the System Information Office. The publications were: Disaster Risk Reduction Management Handbook for Academic Institutions: A UP Experience; Master Plan of UP Sta. Elena Campus in Tacloban City, 2015;  First Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference Proceedings (16-17 November 2015, UP Cebu and 26-27 November 2015, UP Los Baños);  Third AsiaEngage Regional Conference Proceedings (21-23 November 2016, SMX Convention Center); and, the UP Visual Identity Guidebook.  Dr. Edna Co, then vice president for Public Affairs, said that service was now on equal footing with teaching and research as a trademark of excellence in the national university; and that UP was at the forefront of defining metrics for it, in partnership with the ASEAN University Network.  The outgoing UP president, Alfredo Pascual, thanked UP units for initiating public service programs. He said universities in developing countries cannot neglect big portions of society, including the government, that need support from university experts.  For more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“UP Under the Sun” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-under-the-sun/",
        "html": "“UP Under the Sun” “UP Under the Sun” March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Farmer-Scientist Davide Restoring Dignity of Farmers  At 82 years old, a person such as Romulo Davide already has a lot of feathers in his cap. He is a University of the Philippines Los Baños Professor Emeritus, and a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2012 for his Farmer-Scientists Training Program (FSTP) to which more than anything else, he is the enduring light to many farmers all over the country. In an interview with UP Forum, Davide shares how his award-winning project known as the Farmer-Scientists Training Program (FSTP) speaks of his life in a continuum.  Just a kid from Argao  His roomful of documents piled up on his desk and floor, jars containing various plant specimens, and of course, the pictures hanging on his office walls on the different times of his life tell of his very productive, yet humble life.  He points to a picture in black and white hanging on a wall close to the door of his office. He tells about how a young Davide in white polo shirt and trousers, bare foot along with his school mates at the public school grounds in Barangay Colawin, Argao, Cebu, dreamed of not just finishing school, but also going back armed with the knowledge of improving farming in his hometown.  It takes a young Davide who was early on exposed to the hardship of tilling the land as his family makes a living through farming to have such a dream to further improve agriculture by means of science and technology through what he calls “the secret weapon” that is education.  Taking it from the words of his father who was a teacher at his hometown’s public school, “there is no barren land, only barren minds,” Davide continued and pursued his studies to become the farmer-scientist that he is today.  As a scientist  Dr. Davide had to cope with the pressure of school and work, but managed to obtain his BS Agriculture degree in 1957 from the College of Agriculture in UP Los Baños. Shortly after, he pursued a M.Sc. in Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University which was followed by a PhD in Nematology-Plant Pathology from the North Carolina State University.  “Being a scientist and professor of Plant Pathology and Nematology at the Plant Pathology Department, College of Agriculture, UPLB, I started teaching and research work in the laboratory. I did research, mainly to identify plant diseases caused by nematodes, those microscopic pests that attack the root system of fruits, vegetables, root crops and other plants,” he said.  “We spent several years doing studies on the biological control of plant parasitic nematodes until we discovered a soil fungus, Paecilomyceslilacinus that feeds on the eggs, larvae, and adult nematode body and eventually kills the nematode,” he continued.  After working on this study with the help of his students and research assistants, Dr. Davide was able to develop the Biocon technology for the biological control of nematodes that attack the roots of many crops like rice, corn, banana, citrus, vegetables and others. According to Davide, Biocon is now registered and patented as Bioact. Its most significant contribution is that “it is harmless to man and animals compared to highly toxic and costly imported chemical nematicides,” he empashized. Bioact is now manufactured in Germany with markets in Europe, South America, USA and other countries worldwide.  In Yolanda Village, Bogo City, Cebu, Ms. Rosela Sinadjan (right) and Mrs. Divina Ganar, farmer-participants, show their harvested kangkong plants. Farmer-Scientist Teacher Susana Servise (right) delivers a lecture on spiritual and moral values to her class.  As an Agriculture Extension Worker  The “Father of Plant Nematology” shared how he led in developing FSTP,which was part of the lecture series of the Ramon Magsasay Award Foundation. This award is the Asian equivalent of the Nobel peace prize.  “Lacking in scientific farming technology, the farmers only produce low yields and therefore insufficient for their families. Thus, they remain poor and hungry and peace and order is a perennial problem. This was basically the situation in Cebu where we started our extension work in 1994,”Davide said.  “In response to this scenario and to address the poverty and hunger problem of our poor farmers, especially those in the upland mountainous communities, I conceived a program that was specifically designed to liberate the poor farmers from the bondage of poverty and hunger and is based on the assumption that farming is business. The farmers will not only grow corn but also staple crops like sweet potato, cassava, vegetables, fruit crops and other crops of commercial value and integrate them with backyard animal production.  “Farmers are Scientists through FSTP. The Corn-based Farmer-scientists Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Program for Sustainable Agricultural Development (FSTP) is based on the premise that farmers are smart individuals who by themselves can become scientists who implement and design experiments to arrive at useful conclusions with the guidance of scientists.”  The Cebuano scientist was also awarded the 1994 Gawad Saka Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award from the Department of Agriculture that included a PHP 500,000 research grant along with the Jose Rizal Pro Patria Gold Medal from then Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos. He said that he was “greatly challenged to help poor farmers so that they can live in peace and prosperity.”  “They have no right to remain poor and so the FSTP program was implemented initially with the PHP 500,000 research grant in cooperation with the local and regional government agencies like the DA-RFU 7, DOST 7, Dep Ed 7, Argao LGUs and NGOs,” he added.  FSTP Phase II Operation in Barangays Lahug and Luz, Cebu City: Dr. Romulo G. Davide, FSTP program leader, made an inspection visit on March 6, 2015. Farmer-Scientist Ernemel Soco (left) shows Dr. Davide his ampalaya fruits and plants grown at the back of DOST-7 building. DOST Region 7 Director Edilberto L. Paradela (front) and Dr. Davide inspect fruits and plants of ampalaya grown by Farmer Scientists Ernemel and Lorena Soco at the back of the DOST-7 building.  As the FSTP project leader  He further explains, “Under the FSTP program, farmers have to undertake three phases, namely: Phase I: farmers do research with the scientists in the field and also learn the value of love of God, country and people. They design and conduct experiments that include land preparation, varietal and fertilizer trials, intercropping, among others, which is the initial and technical part of FSTP for the farmers to become farmer-scientists.”  Meanwhile, Phase II means “farmers adopt the scientific methods and technologies learned in Phase I into their own farms, such as the use of new high-yielding varieties of corn, sweet potato and vegetables, correct use and application of fertilizer, correct preparation and care of soil.”  In Phase III, “farmers teach untrained fellow farmers in their barangay by serving as volunteer technicians and extension workers. Thus Phases I and II cover the R&D aspect of the program while Phase III takes care of the extension portion,” he pointed out.  Today, FSTP has expanded to several towns south and west of Argao, and other towns north and west of Cebu City. It has covered a total of 37 towns in Cebu and trained more than 30,000 farmers throughout the Philippines. Also, FSTP is now being implemented as a national program under Executive Order No. 710 since 2008.  “We are glad with this nationwide coverage since we can now reach out to our poorest farmers, regardless of religion, creed or tribal affinity. Thus we have now Mangyan farmer-scientists in the mountains of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro and the Blaan indigenous people in the mountains of Alabel, Sarangani Province in Mindanao,” said Davide.  Other areas where FSTP is being implemented include Zamboanga del Norte, Masbate, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur which belong to the top ten provinces with the highest poverty incidence.  Among the impacts of the FSTP program are the technical empowerment of poor farmers, especially in upland communities for socio-economic progress; improvement of corn, vegetable and livestock production through the introduction of high-yielding corn varieties and improved livestock; reduction in farmers’ cost of production by more than 50 percent through the introduction of newly developed microbial and organic fertilizers like BIO-N, chicken manure, and vermi-compost; as well as improvement in the farmers’ annual income especially in corn production from zero before the training to PHP 125,000 or more after the training.  Farmer-Participants Mr. Ernele Soco (left), Ms. Garlen Abarquez (front) and Ms. Susana Servise (right) show their harvested eggplants. Engr. Tristan Abando, Director of Science and Technology, Cebu, delivers a lecture on vegetables packaging.  UP under the sun, restoring dignity to farmers  Dr. Davide concludes, “It is basically bringing UP under the sun, in the farm fields and importantly in the minds of the farmers.” He recalls the joy of farmers after every training, when a simple “graduation ceremony” happens. “Every farmer feels that he, too, is an Iskolar ng Bayan.”  He gives much importance to farmers as they are the real heroes who cultivate our land and feed us. Thus, it is only right to bring dignity to their laborious work by empowering them through “direct contact with agricultural scientists and experts to improve their living conditions beyond the poverty level.”  At 82 years old, Dr. Davide has a mind that is as sharp as a tack, and the stamina that keeps him as busy as ever and moving all over the Philippines, in furtherance of his commitment to bringing farmer-scientist training to the countryside. ——————– Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph.  ENDNOTES  1 Personal interview with Professor Emeritus Romulo G. Davide, 22 June 2016 at his faculty room, Plant Pathology Department, UP Los Baños.  2 Davide, Romulo G. (2012). From the laboratory to the land: Teaching and making small farmers more productive farmer-scientists. Presented at the 2012 Magsaysay Awardees’ Lecture Series, Magsaysay Center, Manila, 30 August.  3 Cebu farmer-scientist Davide wins Magsaysay award. (2012, September 1). Cebu Daily News – Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/262112/cebu-farmer-scientist-davide-wins-magsaysay-award "
    },
    {
        "title": "In support of the Lumad children’s right to education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-support-of-the-lumad-childrens-right-to-education/",
        "html": "In support of the Lumad children’s right to education In support of the Lumad children’s right to education March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Members of the UP Diliman Chapter of the Save our Schools (SOS) Network (SOS-UPD) recently visited the Matigsalog Lumad community in Sitio Malungon, San Fernando, Bukidnon in Mindanao through the Ila-ila Lumad (getting-to-know the Lumad) interfaith program of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR).  The group, composed of UPD faculty, workers, students and researchers, joined other participants from the religious and non-government sectors to learn more about the culture, issues and needs of the Lumad. They observed the Manobo literacy and numeracy schools, or alternative schools in remote areas, and participated in the daily activities of the indigenous families there.  The group held art workshops and story-telling activities for the children, and sharing of insights and solidarity activities with the elders, as part of the learning experience and continuing dialogue with the community.  Another aim of the exposure program is to provide research support for the Lumad. UPD professor Sarah Raymundo and researcher Edge Uyangguren served as the delegation’s coordinators who will facilitate information exchanges through reports, forums and other activities in the near future.  In a Facebook post, Raymundo recounts trekking for 16 hours around mountains, crossing rivers and hills, and sharing wonderful insights with the exposurists and the Lumad. “The Lumad community schools are built by the community members themselves in cooperation with organizations and institutions that have come together to fight for and realize free education especially for poor families in rural areas. These are the same schools that have experienced militarization, harassment, vilification, massacre, and all sorts of technical difficulties from the Department of Education… And now that we understand better and know more about the Lumad, we can only make SOS Diliman work for the interest of free education and peace based on social justice,” Raymundo said.  The UPD Office of the Chancellor supports the program. UPD Chancellor Michael L. Tan chairs the SOS-UPD. In March 2016, Tan visited the Manobo youth and saw for himself the children’s determination to learn even though they were facing enormous challenges, such as the lack of books and school supplies, or the need to flee from military or paramilitary operations in their communities.  In 2015, the UPD community hosted the participants in the Manilakbayan protest caravan during which hundreds of Lumad marched from Mindanao to Manila to highlight their struggles and to hold the government accountable for their plight.  Photo by Sarah Raymundo / SOS-UPD  “Balik komunidad, balik eskwela”  In a press conference held at the UPD Quezon Hall in June last year, the SOS network, together with UPD officials, called on the new administration under President Rodrigo Duterte to help bring the Lumad safely back to their communities so that their children can return to school.  According to SOS, “despite threats of military harassment, about 5,100 Lumad learners and their 372 teachers (were) set to start school year 2016-2017 with high hopes and strong determination.” The network reported that about 175 teachers “were sent off to 67 indigenous peoples’ schools of the Salugpongan Community Learning Center and Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc. (MISFI) in Southern Mindanao and other neighboring regions. A number of newly-established schools are also set to start operating all over Mindanao.”  But, continued SOS, “some schools will not be able to resume their operations due to military presence within or near communities. As a result, over 1,000 students will be conducting their classes in makeshift classrooms at the Haran compound in Davao and Tandag Sports Complex in Surigao del Sur. They form part of over 4,000 individuals who have been residing in these evacuation centers since last year.”  UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Nestor Castro said “education is a right of every Filipino citizen,” and that government should do its part by supporting alternative learning systems suited for the Lumad.  UPD professor Gerry Lanuza, like Tan, also called for the safe return of Lumad to their schools and communities and expressed optimism that Pres. Duterte, who is the first Mindanaoan president and who has close ties with both the Left and the Lumad, will help address their calls by ordering the pull-out of military troops and stopping mining operations in indigenous communities.  SOS is a network of child rights advocates and organizations, such as: Salinlahi, Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), Gabriela, ACT Teachers, Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (Katribu), Karapatan, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), and Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP). The network was formed in support of the indigenous peoples’ rights to education and self-determination as their schools were militarized or used as outposts by government soldiers in violation of Philippine and international laws. According to SOS, nine out of 10 Lumad children have no access to education. The network also documented 233 cases of children’s rights violations from 2010 to 2015. ——————– "
    },
    {
        "title": "The DNA Analysis Kit: Helping Sex Crime Victims Find Justice – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-dna-analysis-kit-helping-sex-crime-victims-find-justice/",
        "html": "The DNA Analysis Kit: Helping Sex Crime Victims Find Justice The DNA Analysis Kit: Helping Sex Crime Victims Find Justice March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Rape is one of the most prevalent forms of violence against women (VAW) in the country, ranking third among reported offenses at 13.1 percent from 1999 to 2009. But the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and other concerned organizations are aware that the reality is far more troubling than the figures indicate. The social and cultural stigmatization associated with rape has silenced many victims about their ordeals. Those who do report rape incidents to authorities face another set of difficulties—from an over-reliance on victim testimony to the psycho-sociological and economic costs of a lengthy trial. The obstacles inherent in seeking justice in a rape case make the experience a particularly harrowing one for the parties involved.  An additional, yet equally pertinent difficulty in these cases is ensuring that evidence is effectively collected, transported, and analyzed.  In the case of DNA evidence in particular, the fact that the laboratories capable of analyzing it in sexual assault cases are all located in Metro Manila makes it unlikely that the 72-hour window within which DNA in collected samples is likely to be available can be met. The difficulty and cost involved in collecting, transporting and analyzing biological samples from a victim are a likely factor in an enormous number of cases where the presence of the evidence could have made a difference.  These challenges inspired the UP Diliman Natural Science Research Institute DNA Analysis Laboratory (UPD-NSRI DAL) led by Dr. Maria Corazon A. De Ungria to develop a prototype version of the Sexual Assault Investigation Kit (SAIK).  The DNA Analysis laboratory staff, in a photo featured in the UP Diliman Natural Sciences Research Institute website. Photo from UP NSRI website.  The idea of incorporating DNA evidence in the resolution of sexual assault cases in the country first gained recognition through the SAIK’s successful application at the World Bank-sponsored Panibagong Paraan 2004, or the 1st Philippine Development Innovation Marketplace. Designed by the lab with key inputs from its key researchers such as Frederick Delfin, the SAIK is one of a number of important extension services offered by the UPD-NSRI DAL to make DNA science serve the needs of Philippine society.  The premise behind the SAIK was as simple as it was timely. It aimed to use DNA’s ability as the most powerful current tool in human identification to produce objective evidence in identifying the perpetrators of sex crimes. It moves the burden away from victim testimony, while also being capable of being used in support of that same testimony. Moreover, it addressed the aforementioned problems of collecting and storing samples for DNA testing, the limited access to DNA laboratories, and, perhaps most importantly, the limited resources of victims and/or suspects.  Since its initial development by Dr. De Ungria and Mr. Delfin, several members of the UPD-NSRI DAL such as researchers Nelvie Soliven, Miriam Ruth Dalet, Minerva Sagum, Gayvelline Calacal and Jazelyn Salvador have contributed to the present version of the SAIK. According to Soliven, who currently leads the team doing improvements on the SAIK, the kit itself contains the collection materials—collection tubes, sterile swabs (oral, anal and vaginal), and envelopes which are color-coded based on sample type, together with the instructions and forms needed to document the collection and transport of the samples. These instructions contain all the elements prescribed by the Rule on DNA Evidence promulgated by the Philippine Supreme Court in 2007.  The typical evidence management process involves the collection of samples by trained medical personnel from the Child Protection Unit (CPU-Net) or other organizations around the country using the SAIK. The kit is then transported via courier to the DNA laboratories in Metro Manila for analysis.The evidence management process is vital in ensuring that the samples remain intact and accounted for from the collecting unit of origin to the DNA laboratory. Combined with the economical dimensions of the SAIK, it greatly reduces the costs and difficulties inherent in transferring and storing samples.  The SAIK, when properly used, aids law enforcement personnel in identifying the real perpetrators of crimes. This reduces the burden on the victim to provide a detailed and prolonged testimony and protects those who have been erroneously accused of the crime. The SAIK also helps doctors during the medical examination of an individual after an abuse by providing sterile material with the appropriate labels, thereby simplifying the overall process of evidence collection.  According to Dalet, work on the SAIK took many years because the UPD-NSRI DAL opted to study the entire system, from sample collection, transport, handling and laboratory analysis before a prototype version was made available to NGOs and GAs. Funding was obtained from the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council of Advanced Science and Technology Research Development (DOST PCASTRD), the European Union (EU), the World Bank and the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD). Two papers that were published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine (IJLM) in 2005 and 2011 reported the use of this kit in the examination of over 100 child-victims that were conducted by the CPU-Net. The prototype SAIK used in these studies is now available on a per-order basis from the UPD-NSRI DAL.  To improve the packaging of the prototype kit, the UPD-NSRI DAL is now working with the UP College of Fine Arts and the UP Diliman Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (UPD IPTTO). UPD-NSRI DAL is actively seeking out funding sources, as well as interested companies who can help its members make this all-important innovation available on a national scale in order to maximize the utility of this kit in finding justice for all sexual abuse victims and in strengthening the Philippine criminal justice. ——————– Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP addresses mental health issues – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-addresses-mental-health-issues/",
        "html": "UP addresses mental health issues UP addresses mental health issues April 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Organizers from the University Student Council and PAUW President Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion present tokens of appreciation to panelists Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Dhan de Leon, and TJ Manotoc. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The University is promoting mental health awareness among its constituents, with the UP chapter of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW-UP), the Padayon Public Service Office of the UP System Administration, and the University Student Council (USC) of UP Diliman co-organizing a #youwillbealright forum on April 11, 2018 in Malcolm Theater, College of Law, UP Diliman.  Atty. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion, PAUW-UP president, said that the time has come for mental health awareness in the University. “This forum aims to create a sense of community in so far as mental health awareness is concerned. . . . I’m sure we all have a friend or a family member who is suffering from one form of mental illness or another. We have heard of some things that could have been prevented merely by being aware.”     Students accommodate their peers at the registration table. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The forum, featuring mental health advocates from in and outside the University, highlighted the need to institutionalize systems to acknowledge and assist people dealing with mental health issues, whom the speakers said are not at fault for their conditions and whom the doctor among them described as saddled with a disability.  Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) described symptoms of disorders, enumerated the steps taken by her and her college to address mental health concerns in the community, and appealed for more support for such programs. Dhan de Leon, founding president of COPE-UP, and TJ Manotoc, a broadcast journalist, narrated their journey from being patients of clinical depression to mental health advocates and recommended ways to deal with mental health issues based on their experiences.     News personality TJ Manotoc explains #youwillbealright. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The forum, subtitled “A Discussion on Building Resilience and Nurturing Hope”, also featured a presentation on University offices and organizations with mental health initiatives. The forum was co-organized by the Padayon Public Service Office as part of its advocacy on emotional resilience. The office will hold the “Summit on Transforming UP into a Healthy and Nurturing University” on April 19 and 20, 2018 at the UP Professional Schools-Bonifacio Global City. The first such summit, to include UP’s eight chancellors, it will constitute a technical working group to work on a framework and action plan for System-wide initiatives to address mental health and psychosocial issues in the University.  The psychosocial initiatives of UP Diliman’s CSWCD, College of Law, Department of Psychology, Office of Counseling and Guidance, Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment, Gender Office, and Health Service; and student organizations such as the USC, the UP Psychology Society, and COPE-UP were also enumerated in the #youwillbealright forum. (Jo Lontoc, UP MPRO)          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Health, Wellness, and Heritage : Did you know? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/health-wellness-and-heritage-did-you-know/",
        "html": "Health, Wellness, and Heritage : Did you know? Health, Wellness, and Heritage : Did you know? July 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    There are physical activity prescriptions for different age groups in the Philippines.  The Department of Health (DOH) published the Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity (PNGPA) in 2010. The PNGPA was formulated by experts from the World Health Organization, DOH, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics, and Strength and Conditioning, Inc. It was benchmarked against existing guidelines from other countries then modified to suit local situations and settings.  For the majority, the increasing prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle poses many major health risks, while “for a very small minority, physical or sporting activity may be life threatening,” said the DOH. The PNGPA was developed with those considerations in mind. Apart from suggestions for achieving physical health, the PNGPA also addresses the needs of Filipinos aiming for physical fitness or “physical capabilities beyond health.”  According to the DOH, the PNGPA provides simple rules that will allow individuals to pursue a physically-active lifestyle. Its promotion and adoption, however, “should also be encouraged at an institutional level.  The implementing guidelines of the PNGPA are meant for people at the forefront of promoting and implementing the program: health professionals; fitness trainers; barangay health workers; physical education, health, and sports coordinators and teachers; and human resource department officers in the workplace.  The ten guidelines  An evaluation of physical activity readiness must be made before engaging in any physical activity and clearance from a physician is recommended if you want to engage in more rigorous physical activity; To ensure safety, clearance from a physician is also needed for people with illnesses that may contraindicate exercise; If deemed healthy, exercise should progress slowly and within comfortable effort levels—overexertion is not recommended; Stop if dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and chest pains occur; Reduce the intensity of the exercise or stop totally if there are physical or verbal manifestations of severe fatigue, cramps, and joint and muscle pains; Keep a daily record of physical activity for monitoring; For implementing personnel, allow the participant to stop when he requests at any point to do so; Drink 250 ml of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes of activity to ensure proper hydration; Wear proper attire and footwear for thermal stress management and prevention of injuries; and Allow ample recovery time after physical activities. Photo by UP MPRO  The prescribed activities  Children aged five to 12 years old should get at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity. It could be any one or a combination of the following:  Active daily tasks such as active travel (walking, cycling, stair climbing) and household and school chores; Programmed physical activities such as exercise, dance, or sports; and Unstructured spontaneous play or high impact play such as running, jumping, skipping, and other movements involved in children’s games or playground activities such as those on bars and ropes.  Adolescents to young adults aged 13 to 20 years old should also get at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity. It could be any one or a combination of the following:  Active daily tasks similar to those mentioned previously; At least 40 minutes of programmed physical activities and for those who have fitness goals, a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of continuous movement three to five times a week; At least 20 minutes of sustained moderate to vigorous physical activities resulting in rapid breathing like brisk walking, jogging, indigenous games, and dancing; and Two to three times a week of muscle strengthening and flexibility activities which involve weight or load bearing exercises that build muscle and bone strength, and flexibility.  Adults aged 21 to 45 years old should get between 30 to 60 minutes of daily physical activity through the following:  Active daily tasks such as active travel and household chores; Moderate aerobic activity done continuously for a minimum of 30 minutes or in increments of 10 minutes or longer resulting in a noticeable increase in heart rate and breathing, or for fitness purposes, 20 to 30 minutes of continuous activity at least three days per week, or for more active people with no risk factors, vigorous aerobic activity resulting in fast breathing and substantial increase in heart rate done at least three times a week with the goal of being able to do it five to six times per week; Activities using all major muscles to increase strength and endurance like weight training, weight bearing calisthenics, or stair climbing at least twice per week but on non-consecutive days, using a light load for a set of ten to 15 repetitions resulting in momentary muscle fatigue and performing at least four times a week, gentle stretches to the point of tension after aerobic exercises or at cool down, giving at least 20 seconds per position per muscle group; and Two minutes of physical activity for every hour of sitting in the workplace.  Older adults aged 46 to 59 years old should get at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity through the following:  Active daily tasks for adults; Moderate aerobic activity and prescription for more active people with no risk factors similar to those prescribed for adults; Activities using all major muscles to increase strength and endurance as well as gentle stretches similar to those prescribed for adults, with the only difference being the set of eight to 12 repetitions; Physical activity in the workplace similar to those prescribed for adults; and Activities for balance and coordination such as walking, gentle yoga, tai chi, dance, and aquatic activities two to four days per week.  Senior citizens should get at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity. There are three sub-age groups in this category.  For the young old or those aged 60 to 69, physical activity can come from the following:  Active daily tasks for adults; Moderate aerobic activity similar to those prescribed for adults, any rhythmic and continuous physical activity that uses large muscle groups with emphasis on load bearing activities to reduce rate of osteoporosis and to maintain bone density, or for more active people with no risk factors, low to moderate aerobic activity for a minimum of 30 minutes three to five times per week; Activities using all major muscles to increase strength and endurance as well as gentle stretches similar those prescribed for adults, with the only difference being the set of ten to 20 repetitions; Physical activity in the workplace similar to those prescribed for adults; and Activities for balance and coordination similar to those prescribed for older adults, with recommendations for performing simple yet dynamic movements that challenge postural and positional stability such as single-leg stands or supports, exercise ball-sitting, and weight shifting.  For the middle old or those aged 70 to 79, the following activities are recommended:  Active travel and mild or easy household chores like gardening, sweeping, folding clothes, etc.; Light physical activities such as leisurely walks and any rhythmic and continuous physical activity that uses large muscle groups while standing independently or assisted, seated, or reclined continuously for at least 30 minutes or in increments of 10 minutes or longer three times per week, or for more active people with no risk factors, low to moderate aerobic activity done continuously for 30 minutes, three times per week on non-consecutive days; Activities using all major muscles to increase strength and endurance such as mild calisthenics, elastic band training, or light weight training for a set of ten to 20 repetitions resulting in light challenge to the muscle, and gentle stretches to the point of tension done after aerobic exercises or at cool down for at least eight times per direction, three times per week; and Activities for balance and coordination similar to those prescribed for the young old, but with support or spotting.  For the vintage old or those aged 80 and above, the prescribed amount of physical activity can come from the following:  Active travel and mild or easy household chores similar to those prescribed for the middle old; Light physical activities similar to those prescribed for the middle old, done for 20 minutes continuously or in increments of 10 minutes or longer; Activities using all major muscles to increase strength and endurance similar to those prescribed to the middle old, for a set of ten to 15 repetitions resulting in light challenge to the muscle at least twice per week on non-consecutive days, and gentle full range of motion exercises done after aerobic exercises or at cool down for at least eight times per direction, two to three times per week on non-consecutive days; and Activities for balance and coordination similar to those prescribed for the middle old, at least three days a week.  Due to length considerations, the PNGPA implementing guidelines and prescriptions of physical activities were condensed. The PNGPA can be viewed at http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/HBEAT58a.pdf.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Minding Healthy Minds – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/minding-healthy-minds/",
        "html": "Minding Healthy Minds Minding Healthy Minds July 25, 2017 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    Years ago, when we underwent health examinations at the Infirmary before admission to any program in the University, we only worried about registering a normal body mass index, negative X-ray results, and no serious physical illness. Once we cleared these initial obstacles, we got the coveted stamp of “healthy” on our green health certificate.  But is this all there is to being healthy? How do we define and set standards on overall health and well-being?  What is mental health?  The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overall health as a concurrence of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, versus the commonplace notion of health being the absence of sickness or disease. While we consciously work on being physically healthy, and with Filipinos being naturally social people, we often overlook this critical dimension of health.  To the WHO, the state of your mind is an integral and essential component of your health, which covers the growth and realization of your goals and abilities, how you cope with stress, and being a productive member of your community. Your mental health can be affected by many social, psychological, and biological factors.  The WHO recommends that national mental health policies be more comprehensive in a manner that not only focuses on the prevention of mental health problems and disorders, but also promotes an environment where people can thrive and maintain healthy lifestyles. These policies must cut through all sectors, across all income brackets and age groups, from early childhood interventions, social support to the elderly, to mental health initiatives in school and at work.  In order to address the needs of those afflicted by mental health disorders, awareness is the first key step: knowledge on detecting signs and symptoms of these disorders are important to take action and prevent more complex problems like suicide and substance abuse.  Globally, about 14% of the world’s population are affected by mental, neurological, and substance use disorders with a higher prevalence of 11 to 44% for developing countries such as the Philippines. The stigma is prevalent among people with mental health disorders, who are further driven into poverty either by high costs and inaccessibility of treatment, or by being marginalized and denied opportunities at work or school.  In the Philippines, 20% of adult Filipinos suffer from mental or psychiatric disorders, with an average of 88 reported cases for every 100,000 citizens, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. In the 2000 National Census, 200,000 Filipinos had a mental disability among 1.4 million Filipinos with disabilities. Currently, only about 500 psychiatrists are licensed in the country, with less than 6,000 hospital beds allocated for people suffering from mental health disorders. In UP, most mental health issues revolve on relationships, family, and financial concerns.  The Department of Health has a proposed National Mental Health Policy as its flagship mental health program headed by a DOH Undersecretary and the Director of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control. It aims to work with other agencies such as the Philippine Psychiatric Association, the National Center for Mental Health, the Philippine Mental Health Association, and civil society organizations to provide mental health services and to engage in policy and legislation, research and capacity-building, and establish an information system and database.The National Mental Health Program Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 focuses on “Wellness of Daily Living, Extreme Life Experiences, Substance Abuse and Other Forms of Addiction, Neuroloic Disorders and Mental Health Disorders.”  OCG facilitates the Buddy Orientation Workshop with students from UP Psychedelics last November 2016.  The role of the University  As the national university, UP’s mandate includes the promotion of mental health and wellness, which is spearheaded by the Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG) in the University of the Philippines Diliman.  Dr. Violeta Bautista serves as Director of the OCG and also teaches with and heads the Clinical Psychology Program of the UP Department of Psychology in the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. She explains that mental health is the healthy functioning of the different dimensions of one’s psychosocial being by themselves and together.  She laments how mental health problems in the Philippines tend to be associated with issues related to psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety. As a result, most initiatives such as seminars and workshops are geared towards addressing these narrower issues. In fact, mental health programs must also tackle issues related to wellness in daily living such as enhancing happiness and satisfaction in life, understanding the self and others, marriage enhancement, experiencing wholeness in the workplace, and finding meaning and purpose in one’s studies and work to name but a few of such concerns. These are all mental health problems, according to Dr. Bautista.  “We certainly would like to nurture intellectual giants, but we would also like to nurture the total person among our students,” adds Dr. Bautista. The OCG’s vision is to have self-aware, psychologically healthy students who are clear about their life goals, who can manage the range and depth of their emotions, and are compassionate and caring towards other people. It pleases her that UP is oriented to a more holistic total-person orientation in education, a trend that is being observed worldwide.  Existing mechanisms within the University  Because mental health must not only be concerned with treating those who are already sick, the OCG offers both mainstream and innovative services. Aside from counseling to address personal and school related concerns, it also offers assessments to support career exploration and personality development. Freshmen are encouraged to drop by the OCG for an intake interview, to get to know the OCG’s services and people and to see how they can be helped. Interestingly, finding the intake interview to be most helpful to their students, several colleges are now institutionalizing the practice among their freshies. With the reported increase of psychiatric and serious psychological problems both here and abroad, the OCG is recruiting psychosocial support specialists, such as graduate students at the tailend of their program, who can provide psychotherapy under the supervision of licensed psychologists.  The OCG is also developing innovative initiatives emphasizing strength and thriving. Modules on stress management, understanding and knowing oneself, nurturing healthy relationships in the campus, and leveling up study habits are offered to address the need for students to thrive and grow. These workshops fall under the Campus Caravan program in which various colleges host roving talks and seminars.  Annual events such as the University Job Fair are also organized by the OCG in partnership with the University Student Council, AdCore, and JPIA to provide students with current and life-giving perspectives on career exploration and job search and to create opportunities for meet-ups between prospective employers and graduating students, which highlights the students’ values and aspirations which are integral psychosocial factors.  The annual Celebrate Life event coincides with Suicide Awareness Week. It is a half day of fun and meaningful activities that invite students to discover opportunities for thriving in the Diliman campus. Perspectives and tips on dealing with stress, anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts are shared.  To provide psychosocial support to students, the OCG is putting in place a buddy system, a program that aims to link up naturally friendly students with freshies and other students who need company and guidance. Another key program of the OCG is the “Learning to be a Lifeline” workshop. This is a one-day competency-building workshop for gatekeepers (teachers, admin staff, dormitory and security staff) designed to equip them to spot vulnerable students and to refer them to competent professionals.  In consultation with other units, the office has also crafted Policies and Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support which will guide the provision of such services to the students, with special focus on suicide prevention and post-vention.  The University Health Service (UHS) has also integrated a questionnaire that lists down items as a means to identify incoming freshies who may be at risk of psychological or psychiatric problems. An appointment with a mental health professional is necessary to get a student’s clearance to enroll.  Psychological first aid  Cassie Deluria, an incoming member of the UP Diliman USC and one of the student leaders who convened the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, started being a mental health advocate when she realized that within just one week, there was an upsurge in her daily conversations with friends involving depression, failing marks, and an overall fatigue towards student life. The trend worried her and she started doing research on whether this was a normal occurrence. This was when she encountered “psychological first aid” which consists of simple questions like asking if someone already had a full meal or a full night’s rest.  Psychological first aid is outlined in the WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MHGAP), a handbook of sorts to guide non-specialists in providing support and implementing an intervention guide. The MHGAP lists general principles of care, a master chart of priority conditions, and easy-to-understand flowcharts on assessment and management of various scenarios.  A first in the country, the Youth for Mental Health Coalition is an alliance of student councils, organizations, and individuals who are interested in raising awareness, connecting people to places to get professional support, and push for legislative gains in Congress. The coalition goes from school to school to stage events, with the first one held at the University of Santo Tomas. The coalition seeks to institutionalize psychological first aid in schools and universities. Other members of the coalition from UP are from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, the School of Statistics and the College of Engineering.  What’s next for mental health in UP?  The OCG is developing a Total Inclusive University Environment Project that aims to develop programs that will help students with mental and psychosocial disabilities to do well as students and experience total person growth in the university.  Recruitment of licensed mental health professionals such as guidance counselors and psychologists is also a priority, alongside the call for more psychosocial volunteers.  The OCG is building into its programs an evaluation component to gauge the impact and effectiveness of existing services, and to build on the current gains to design new ones. Admittedly, resources are also needed to improve existing physical structures to create a nurturing ambience and character in line with the message of the office. On top of everything, a communication strategy is being crafted to make the services of the office more known to the students and the wider Diliman campus community.  For the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, the passage of Senate Bill 1190 is a huge step forward for the cause. Senate Bill 1190, or the Mental Health Act of 2016 sponsored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, aims to uphold the basic right to mental health services and facilities by Filipinos. Its primary objective is for the national government to develop a mental healthcare system responsive to the psychiatric, neurologic, and psychosocial needs of the Filipino people. A parallel initiative is now being started at the House of Representatives with mental health champions Rep. Tom Villarin and Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.  Open Minds Forum in UST with Senator Risa Hontiveros and other members of the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, with Cassie Deluria second from right.  What can a normal person do to help?  Since lack of awareness is the primary hurdle that mental health advocates seek to overcome, what can an ordinary member of the UP community do to help?  Cassie believes the first step is to remove the cloak of special treatment around mental health problems in relation to other ones. She illustrates this by pointing out the stark difference between reactions on mental health (“I have depression”) which garners glorifying and flattering reactions and physical health (“I broke my arm”) which gets the usual reactions. The fact that a certain amount of bravery is needed to come out and discuss mental health issues may be a barrier to people who need professional help. She envisions a future in which people can speak about psychological pain as openly as they speak about physical pain.  Dr. Bautista, on the other hand, suggests a very basic approach: if you happen to have any psychological or psychiatric problem, there’s no reason to be ashamed of it. She says that it’s not a sign of being any less a person when confronted with these challenges. She adds, “Be confident that there are people and places on campus where you can ask for support in managing these problems. UP is committed to encourage not only to your surviving but also to your thriving and healing.” She ends with an open call for volunteers who wish to contribute directly by helping the OCG in the performance of its work.  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2017 on Health, Wellness, and Heritage is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-april-june-2017-on-health-wellness-and-heritage-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2017 on Health, Wellness, and Heritage is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2017 on Health, Wellness, and Heritage is now available online July 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum April-June 2017 Vol. 18 No. 2 issue is now available online. It features six articles on health, wellness, and heritage, including a round table discussion on their importance in a university setting.  Click the cover photo to start browsing :                                                                                                       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Forum points to Philippines, et al. role in East Asia security – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/forum-points-to-philippines-et-al-role-in-east-asia-security/",
        "html": "Forum points to Philippines, et al. role in East Asia security Forum points to Philippines, et al. role in East Asia security November 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Given its re-balanced diplomatic relations with major global powers, the Philippines, along with other “middle powers” in the region, has a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in East Asia, according to scholars and diplomats in the 2017 Korea-Philippines/Korea-ASEAN Partnership Forum held on October 27, 2017 at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City.  The forum, organized by the Busan University of Foreign Studies Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (BUFS-ISEAS) in partnership with the UP Korea Research Center (UPKRC), featured a keynote talk by Young-sun Kim, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, who underscored the importance of “middle-power diplomacy” or the partnership of countries without “hegemonic intentions” in reinforcing each other and confronting “uncertainties in the region related to rivalry among major powers”.     Keynote speaker Young-Sun Kim, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, before the 2017 Korea-Philippines/Korea-ASEAN Partnership Forum, Philippines. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Asked specifically about the Philippines during the open forum on Korea-Philippine relations, Kim Dong Yeob of BUFS and Amado Mendoza Jr. of UP Diliman said it can play a mediating role between power blocs after exhibiting diplomatic “rationality”, “strategic playfulness”, and “friendship with everybody” under the leadership of Rodrigo Duterte.  South Korea can also engage with North Korea through a partnership with ASEAN and other middle powers in the “Southwest Arc”, which includes India, Australia, and New Zealand, within the framework of a stabilizing “security architecture” in the region. This architecture was discussed by Herman Joseph Kraft, also of UP Diliman.  “ASEAN is the most promising entity to talk to North Korea. If ASEAN cannot do that, no one can do that in the world,” added Jaehyon Lee of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.  Hyung-jong Kim of Yonsei University extended the usefulness of Korea-ASEAN cooperation in South China Sea issues. “Korea’s support for ASEAN norms would contribute to the peaceful settlement of disputes and trigger international attention and support,” he said.     Korean and Philippine foreign relations experts with keynote speaker Young-Sun Kim, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, and UP officials, in the 2017 Korea-Philippines/Korea-ASEAN Partnership Forum, Philippines. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The third session was devoted to discussing the many facets and challenges of developing Korea-ASEAN and Korea-Philippine economic, social, and cultural relations, with Park Bun Soon of Korea University, Fernando Aldaba of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Louie Dane Merced of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs as resource persons.  The “partnership forum”, with the theme of promoting “future-oriented Korea-Philippines and Korea-ASEAN relations”, also aimed to contribute input to the ASEAN+3 summit in November 2017. According to Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in, who will be attending the summit, “ASEAN is as important as the immediate neighbors such as the United States of America and China in Korea’s external relations.”  The participants, many of whom were students of Philippine universities, and the resource persons were welcomed by Gil Jacinto and congratulated by Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, both UP assistant vice presidents for academic affairs. Jacinto mentioned stronger academic relations between UP and Korean universities, citing 27 formal linkages and the launch of the UPKRC in April 2016.  UPKRC is headed by Eduardo Gonzalez. Along with BUFS-ISEAS Director Park Jang Sik and UPKRC research fellows Aldrin Lee, Michelle Palumbarit, and Kyungmin Bae, Gonzalez facilitated the sessions. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "#YouWillBeAlRight brings stories of hope, healing, courage – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/youwillbealright-brings-stories-of-hope-healing-courage/",
        "html": "#YouWillBeAlRight brings stories of hope, healing, courage #YouWillBeAlRight brings stories of hope, healing, courage April 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Come and share in stories of hope, healing, and courage this coming April 11, 2018 at the Malcolm Hall Theater at #YouWillBeAlRight: Building Resilience and Nurturing Hope, a forum and discussion featuring TJ Manotoc, Dr. Guy Claudio, and Dhan De Leon! Registration starts at 4pm and food and drinks will be served.  This event is proudly presented by the Philippine Association of University Women UP Chapter, UP Padayon, and the University Student Council in partnership with UP Delta Lambda Sigma Sorority, COPE UP, UP ALYANSA, and UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity, and endorsed by the Office of the Chancellor.  Pre-register HERE. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Christmas begins in Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/christmas-begins-in-diliman/",
        "html": "Christmas begins in Diliman Christmas begins in Diliman November 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Oblation Plaza gets a makeover for the yuletide season with “Mulat” by Toym Imao. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman (UPD) signalled the start of the Yuletide season with the annual Pag-iilaw or lighting ceremony on November 24. The UPD community gathered at the Oblation Plaza to witness the event, where it was also treated to performances by the UP Staff Chorale Society, the UP Rondalla and Marynor Madamesila, UP Dance Company and Sandwich.  This year’s theme, “Paaralan at Palaruan” (“School and Playground”), emphasizes the University as a place of holistic learning, where intellectual growth is harnessed and psychosocial development is nurtured.     Performers at Pag-iilaw 2017 (clockwise from top left): The UP Staff Chorale Society, UP Rondalla with Marynor Madamesila​ on vocals​, UP Dance Company, and Sandwich​ (Photo​ of UPDC by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO; the rest by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     As in years past, the highlight of the campus festive decor is the installation at the Oblation Plaza. Artist Toym Imao’s “Mulat” is this year’s featured work. Mulat is the Filipino word for opening one’s eyes or being aware or conscious.  In this installation, the Oblation is in the middle of a giant eye, decorated with woven threads of varying colors, which the artist describes as representative of diverse views and ideas. The plaza, which the eye overlooks, is decorated with outlines of children playing, some made with woven threads and some without. This interplay of absence and presence, memory and reality is a commentary on a “land threatened by a culture of death and impunity.”     UPIS student Eunice Ruivivar releases the dove and signals the lighting of the campus. With her are (from left) UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Nestor Castro. (​Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Illuminated by black light, the installation is “meant to absorb light and radiate it back,” which Imao hopes inspires viewers “to overcome the darkness and be sources of light” themselves.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, in his message, said that because of Imao’s design, the Oblation serves as a beacon and constant reminder of the importance of social consciousness in embodying the University’s traditions of honor and excellence.     “Ang kapaskuhan ay panahon ng pagbubuklod, pagpapatawad, at pagkakaisa” (“Christmas is the​ ​season for coming together, forgiveness, and unity”).—UP President Danilo Concepcion (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The campus Christmas installations are lit every night at 6:00 pm. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)        "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP student wins International Public Speaking Competition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-student-wins-international-public-speaking-competition/",
        "html": "UP student wins International Public Speaking Competition UP student wins International Public Speaking Competition May 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Philippine representative Johanne Jazmin Tan Jabines, a third-year BS Business Administration and Accountancy student of UP Diliman, won the International Public Speaking (IPS) Grand Final on May 18, 2018 at the Royal Institution, Mayfair, London.     Photo of Jazmin from Rappler     The 38th annual IPS Competition of the English-Speaking Union, a London-based international charity, marks the 100th year of the Union. It was joined by country winners, all aged between 16 and 20 years, flying in from 51 countries before being whittled down to seven for the grand final.  The finalists were made to write and deliver a speech on the theme “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” After delivering their piece, they answered three questions from the audience.  Jabines, a UP debater, spoke on inventions to pursue success, family, and culture in the context of the OFW (overseas Filipino workers) phenomenon. “We can’t change circumstance, but we can predict the future of our families by inventing it. We pick up the pieces they’ve left behind, and invent a new kind of dream for ourselves and for them.”  Taking off from a family maximizing a one-hour layover of an OFW aunt at a Philippine airport, Jabines ended her speech on a positive note. “For the last time, I saw my aunt pass through the airport gates, but this time, without a heavy heart. After all, our futures can still be written – one hour at a time.”  Watch the video here:     Read the award winning piece here.  The six other grand finalists were from Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, the US, China, Lebanon, and Estonia.  Alan Johnson, former British Home Secretary and the chair of judges at the final, was impressed by the finalists, but, “In the end, it all comes down to what Aristotle said about rhetorics: ethos, pathos, logos, those three things about touching the heart, emotions, and about credibility–because the point about logos is logic,” he said.  “I think that we have seen some of our future leaders here and I’m enormously encouraged by that,” Johnson added.     Photo of participants from ESU     Jabines is the third winner from the Philippines since the competitions, said to be the biggest public speaking competition, began in 1981. The first was UP student Patricia Evangelista in 2004, followed by Philippine Science High School student Gian Carlo Dapul in 2008. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP renews partnership with Japan’s Kogakuin University – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-renews-partnership-with-japans-kogakuin-university/",
        "html": "UP renews partnership with Japan’s Kogakuin University UP renews partnership with Japan’s Kogakuin University September 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Mitsunobu Sato (left) and Chancellor Fernando Sanchez (right) officially renew the partnership between Kogakuin University and UP. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Some of the country’s leading lights in science and engineering trooped to the University of the Philippines Board of Regents Room in UP Diliman (UPD) to witness the renewal of UP’s academic partnership with Kogakuin University of Japan on September 18, 2018.  Represented at this event by its president, Dr. Mitsunobu Sato, Kogakuin University first signed an Academic Exchange Agreement with UP in 2013, under the term of then UP President Alfredo E. Pascual. Sato, who was the Kogakuin’s Vice President for International Relations at that time, was instrumental in paving the way for that initial partnership.  This year’s Agreement builds on the terms set five years ago and highlights the commitment of both universities to share manpower and intellectual resources. It makes possible the exchange of students, faculty members, and researchers; as well as the holding of jointly-organized symposia, lectures and research projects by UP and Kogakuin University.  With Kogakuin’s strengths being engineering, architecture and the applied sciences, distinguished engineers and scientists from UP Diliman and UP Los Baños (UPLB) were present at the launch. They included UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, UPLB Vice Chancellors Serlie Jamias and Marish Madlangbayan, UP Diliman College of Science Dean Perry Ong, UPD College of Engineering Dean Rizalinda de Leon, UPLB College of Engineering Dean Arnold Elepaño, Dr. Elmer Estacio of the National Institute of Physics, Dr. Magdaleno Vasquez of the Department of Mining Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and Dr. Simplicio Medina of the UPLB Office of International Linkages (UPLB OIL).  Representing the UP System was Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and UP Office of International Linkages Director Gil Jacinto. Reading a message on behalf of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, Jacinto said that the renewal of the 2013 agreement was a sign of the mutual respect and friendship that both universities shared. UP, he said, looked forward to training the “globally active and ethically grounded experts” that both institutions are known for, together with their Japanese partners.     President Sato presents a token of appreciation to Chancellor Sanchez. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Founded in 1887 and with a main 29-storey main campus located in the heart of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, Kogakuin University is committed to creating “sustainable societies” by providing quality training for engineers and other technical experts. This partnership stands to benefit UP’s students and researchers in these areas, as it allows them the opportunity to be trained in one of Kogakuin’s 147 laboratories, which have an excellent track record in innovation and international competitions. (Andre Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     To learn more about UP’s international partnerships and scholarships, visit the UP OIL website at: http://oil.up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Shaping Minds, Shaping Bodies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/shaping-minds-shaping-bodies/",
        "html": "Shaping Minds, Shaping Bodies Shaping Minds, Shaping Bodies July 25, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    A healthy mind in a healthy body. A sound mind in a sound body. Mens sana in corpore sano. This old adage points to the ideal condition of a human being’s health—that a healthy person is one who achieves both intellectual and physical well-being.  In the academe, where intellect and brains take center stage, physical wellness seems to be relegated to the background. It may be recognized as an important pursuit but perhaps not as important as stimulating and cultivating the mind.  Looking at the assertion of “mens sana incorpore sano” in the context of university life begs the question: How can one’s mind truly be sound when the body is not equally healthy?  At the University of the Philippines, the need to focus on physical health and wellness was officially addressed by the UP System administration in 2013. Then UP President Alfredo Pascual ordered the creation of two committees: one on healthy lifestyle and wellness, and the other on health and medical benefits.  Physical health for productivity  Health and wellness programs are an integral component of preventive care, in which one of the main goals is to be physically healthy to reduce the risk of developing common non-communicable diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.  The World Health Organization (WHO) in a 2002 report said that the risk of having cardiovascular disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, colon cancer, and breast cancer decreaseswhen engaging in physical activity. The WHO also identified four domains of physical activity in people’s everyday lives: at work, in transport, in housework, and in leisure time.+  In the Philippines, a comparison of the 2003 and 2008 surveys on physical activity conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology showed that in the occupational or at work domain, physical inactivity in Filipino males aged 20 to 65 has increased from 67 percent to 76.3 percent. Filipino females of the same age range, on the other hand, displayed the opposite, with physical inactivity in the occupational domain decreasing from 82.1 percent to 76.2 percent.  Limited physical activity in the workplace may be considered an occupational risk and an organization that provides an enabling environment for physical fitness programs through policies and facilities can maintain and even improve the physical well-being of its workforce to ensure efficiency and productivity.  In UP, the urgency of conducting a needs assessment and developing “appropriate programs and activities for UP faculty and staff to promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle, in support of productive academic and administrative work” was addressed by the creation of the UP Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Committee in January 2013 through Pascual’s issuance of Administrative Order (AO) No. PAEP 13-01, followed by a number of more localized directives.  From Zumba to bikes  All constituent university (CU) administrations and their respective committees on health and wellness provide support to wellness initiatives by providing funding, granting the use of facilities and official time, endorsing activities, or spearheading the programs themselves.  All CUs are equipped with health care facilities with varying levels of capability—from clinics or infirmaries to a tertiary hospital—that attend to the health needs of their constituents. Across the UP System are basic services like physical examinations of incoming freshmen and annual medical examination of UP employees.  Health and wellness programs, projects and new infrastructure among the various UP constituent units : UPOU Pilates group.  While some health and wellness programs like physical fitness activities are common among CUs, there are some initiatives that are distinct to a CU.  UP Manila (UPM), the University’s health sciences center and home of the UP-PGH, the country’s largest government tertiary hospital, has always been cognizant of the importance of achieving overall health—physical, mental, and social. Its initiatives on health and wellness begin with answering the most basic need: a healthy and safe work environment.  Apart from adhering to standards of health and safety, UPM also emphasizes disaster and emergency preparedness, peace and order, and public safety as crucial to the achievement of a truly safe and healthy workplace. It is in this environment that its employees are enabled to pursue health and wellness. Because of UPM’s expertise, its employees are able to access a wealth of information through training programs, lectures, symposia, and available resource materials.  The UPM community enjoys annual free health consultations at the UP-PGH Health Service and a 20 percent discount on selected services during confinement at the UP-PGH. For students in particular, UPM offers discounted immunization every August as it celebrates Immunization Month, free counseling services, free psychosocial services, and monitoring of suicide risks.  Physical fitness programs that promote camaraderie among UPM constituents include Zumba sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, for faculty and staff, the annual conduct of team-building activities. In a bid to encourage physical activity, UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla issued a memorandum in May 2016 encouraging breaks for physical activity from 10:00 am to 10:15 am and from 3:00 pm to 3:15 pm to reduce tension in muscles that have remained in one position for too long.  “A healthy body makes for smarter people, and a healthy mind means better physical health. Academic institutions tend to privilege the mind, and forget the body,” UP Diliman (UPD) Chancellor Michael Tan said in an interview with the UP Forum, so his administration is using the “integrated approach.” He cited three major initiatives to promote wellness: the development of UPD’s primary care facility, the University Health Service (UHS), in terms of infrastructure, services, and equipment; the development of sports facilities to ensure improved access to quality facilities; and “from non-existent Diliman-wide psychosocial services,” the creation of a team that provides them.  The Health and Wellness Management Committee of UPD (later renamed the UP Diliman Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle Committee) was formed in February 2013. The heads of various units were asked to designate coordinators to act as point persons in the dissemination of information on healthy lifestyle, planning and implementation of wellness programs in their respective units in close coordination with the UPD committee, and regular reporting of possible disease outbreaks or occurrence of disease as well as active participation in implementing public health and infection control measures.  Dr. Jesusa Catabui, UHS Acting Director and committee member, told the UP Forum that with the end-goal of achieving a healthy UPD workforce, each unit is encouraged to establish a wellness hub as well as wellness programs. She reported that some units in UPD have already instituted these.  Apart from lectures, symposia, and training workshops on healthy lifestyle promotion and disease awareness, the committee also partnered with other campus organizations like the UP Community Chest in conducting the annual “Walk for Wellness,” among other physical fitness activities. It tackled stress management through a seminar titled“Detoxify your Workplace.” The committee hopes to eventually institutionalize a program on healthy snacks “especially during staff or committee meetings, [hold] a dance fitness group contest and a ‘bike for wellness’ [event].”  In addition to committee initiatives, UPD has policies that prohibit smoking inside buildings, smoke belching, and idling of vehicles. Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs Castro told the UP Forum that the administration has also funded health and wellness activities and the construction of wellness centers in the UHS and Palma Hall. It was also able to secure a donation of 40 pieces of outdoor fitness equipment in 2015.  The UHS in Diliman and LB  Integral to UPD’s promotion of health and wellness and delivery of services is the UHS, which, Catabui said, has received enormous support from both the CU and UP System administrations. In the last six years, it was able to purchase upgraded equipment and before President Pascual’s term ended in February this year, received allocations of P125 million from the UP System for building renovation and P11 million to replace aging equipment.  UHS services include, among others, primary emergency care, confinement, medical and dental consultations, laboratory and diagnostic services, vaccination, psychosocial screening of incoming freshmen, health information campaigns, nutrition counseling, and dance fitness sessions.  Like UPD, UP Los Baños (UPLB) also has its own UHS, which, the CU administration said, “has been looking after the overall health of UPLB students, faculty, and staff for more than 100 years.” Unlike UPD, UPLB’s UHS is a secondary hospital with operating rooms, a delivery room for normal and caesarian section cases, a neonatal intensive care unit, a newborn screening unit, a dental clinic, a laboratory service unit, an X-ray and ultrasound service unit, electrocardiography, and endoscopy, among others. Improvements to UHS infrastructure amounting to P40 million are in the pipeline.  It has the Diabetes Education and Nutrition Clinic which offers consultations, counseling, and insulin therapy. It conducts relevant screening procedures at least once a month and layman lectures for diabetes patients every quarter. The UPLB UHS also has the Student Health and Welfare Clinic, which “seeks to improve the psychological and socio-emotional health of the students, especially those who are at risk of self-injury.”  Health and wellness programs, projects and new infrastructure among the various UP constituent units. Photo from UPLB Office of Public Relations  Beyond the UHS, UPLB annually holds its sports fest called “Palarong UPLB,” participated in by members of its community. This year, the previously week-long event ran for two weeks and included a tournament of the online battle game, Defense of the Ancients, more popularly known as DotA. These changes were instituted to make the sports fest even more enjoyable for UPLB’s constituents.  Athletic competitions such as UPLB-International Rice Research Institute Dual Meet and the UPLB-Central Luzon State University Friendship Games are also spearheaded by the UPLB Sports and Recreation Committee, which was constituted in 2013. The UPLB administration described its academic and administrative units as proactive in organizing health and wellness activities.  The College of Human Ecology has the Elderly Development Program focused on senior citizens and retirees of UPLB and surrounding communities, with monthly and yearly activities and services that address their “biopsychosocial needs” as well as the annual Senior Citizen’s Summit.  The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Human Kinetics, through its Move It or Lose It Program, actively promotes health and wellness by organizing regular activities such as community aerobics and cardio fitness, badminton and lawn tennis competitions, swimming sessions, sports clinics, flexibility tests, body mass index measurements, fun runs, summer fitness programs, and dance programs. These activities are aimed at fighting the effects of inactive lifestyles and preventing injuries due to strain from repetitive motions and immobility—the body’s posture when using gadgets, long periods of sitting in front of and typing on the computer, etc.  Similar to UPM’s drive to provide a safe and healthy environment for its constituents, UPLB also focuses on maintaining the campus as a clean, safe, and well-equipped space where health and wellness can be achieved.  Because UPLB is the recognized leader in agriculture and related fields, nutrition is also a critical part of its bid to achieve physical health. UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez issued a memo in January 2016 promoting the use of quality protein maize (QPM) blend among its concessionaries and caterers. This blend consists of 70 percent rice and 30 percent Corn QPM Var 6, a corn variety developed by UPLB’s Institute of Plant Breeding. It is a healthier alternative to pure rice, especially for diabetics and those at risk for diabetes, because of its low glycemic index and high-quality protein.  Across islands and cyberspace  For its part, UP Visayas (UPV) told the UP Forum that its wellness activities are based on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 38, issued on 30 September 1992. The CSC memo enjoins government units to implement a physical and mental fitness program for its personnel, authorizing the state agencies to utilize an hour each week, preferably 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, for health awareness programs, and use 20 minutes of each working day, before or after 10:00 am or before or after 3:00 pm to conduct fitness programs.  The creation of the UPV Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle Committee in August 2013 allowed the CU to streamline its health and wellness programs. The committee maintains UPV’s commitment to physical fitness through activities such as the UPV Chancellor’s Cup, an inter-office basketball tournament, the annual UPV Sports Fest, and the Shape UP Visayas Program.  Photo from Brenda Lynn B. Arroyo, Chair, UPVHLWelCom  The committee has conducted fitness tests, and organized twice-weekly sessions of flexibility and strength exercises, cardio exercises, and dance/aerobic exercises. It held a two-day seminar-workshop called “Awareness to Wellness: For a Healthier and Progressive UPV” and has facilitated the participation of its constituents in events like Run UP, CSC Fun Run, PhilHealth Fun Run, and other similar activities. It even assisted the municipality of Miag-ao in the organization of a Fun Run to commemorate its 300th founding anniversary.  This year, the committee, in partnership with the UPV Department of Physical Education, has lined up the following fitness activities: Zumba, band exercises, body weight exercises, free weight exercises, line dance, basketball, badminton, stretching, walking, social dance, basic tai chi, and basic arnis.  Despite its academic environment being located in a virtual space, the UP Open University (UPOU) has created a Health and Wellness Committee to cater to the needs of its faculty and staff. Since its constitution, the committee has organized various physical activities such as dance exercise and Pilates. This year, it plans to launch different interest groups in dance, music, sports, biking, and the arts.  The UPOU committee has also conducted lay forums such as “Life Begins at 40,” “UsapingPangkalusugan sa UPOU,” and “UsapingNutrisyon.” Included in this year’s lineup are activities guided by national and international celebrations such as Philippine Heart Month, International Women’s Month, Head and Neck Cancer Consciousness Week, World Immunization Week, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and Hypertension Awareness Month, among others.  This May, UP Mindanao (UPMin) Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion told the UP Forum that the CU was about to “start gym services since we just had our gym equipment delivered.”  When the CU’s Health and Wellness Committee was formed in early 2013, it undertook baseline studies among UPMin employees, asking them to answer a survey on healthy lifestyle and looking at anthropometric and physical fitness levels. Since then, it has initiated various physical activities such as sports, aerobics, dance, walking, jogging, weight training, fun runs, and biking.  It also conducted a physical fitness test two years after its inception and last year, undertook a survey among UPMin constituents for their preferred wellness activities. Forums on hypertension, mental health, food safety, and diet and nutrition were also organized. The committee also encouraged participation in annual events like blood-letting for the Philippine Red Cross, CSC Fun Run, parades for Araw ng Dabaw and International Women’s Day, and the Kadayawan Festival.  Photos by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao  UPMin also has its annual sports fest called DULA (game), which began in 2013 and is held from September to October. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni join in the games and sports events which include men’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, chess, lawn tennis, table tennis, and running. There are also exhibition games in football, scrabble, and DotA. Prior to the holding of DULA, “warm-up games” are held in some units. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has Hampang (play/game). The College of Science and Mathematics has Dula-Dula, while the administrative staff hold Pa-UgnatsaKusog (stretching the strength).  UPMin also prides itself in making its campus conducive to outdoor activities and providing facilities such as fields, courts, and a gym to its employees and students. Moreover, the administration encourages local farmers to sell their produce and other food products to UPMin employees.  UP Baguio’s (UPB) health and wellness program also targets both physical and mental well-being. Its Health and Wellness Committee was created to study and discuss policies, procedures and strategies on UPB’s overall health, with particular attention to a “proactive system of dealing with mental health issues aside from the customary guidance and counseling,” according to UPB Office of Public Affairs Director Roland Rabang. For physical fitness, it has Zumba workouts three times a week. UPB has also partnered with the women farmers of Atok, Benguet to sell organic vegetables on campus every Monday.  In UP Cebu, the Health and Wellness Committee implements regular programs on physical fitness such as exercises, recreational sports, and competitive sporting events. Its list of programs and activities include wellness lectures, stress management workshops, counseling, emotional and psychological support groups, interest groups, information sharing, posture and voice wellness training, quarterly campus cleaning, injury prevention, blood pressure and weight monitoring, fitness week, incentive programs, and a health maintenance organization to cover employees and their dependents.  As for employees of the UP System, there are no physical wellness programs catered specifically to them. Because their base of operations is in UPD, some of the health and wellness initiatives of the campus, especially those of the UHS, are also open to them. It is worth noting that the UP System does not have its own Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) to serve the needs of this set of UP personnel.  Lecture on stress management techniques. Photo by Jennifer Diaz-Guimpol, UPB Office of Public Affairs  eHOPEforcurative care  While health and wellness programs move to prevent the onset of diseases, curative or rehabilitative care aims to cure or manage an existing illness. The University also addresses this need. It has a program to help its employees undergo curative care, a new version of which was implemented at the beginning of this year.  The Enhanced Hospitalization Program (eHOPE), approved by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in November 2016, replaced the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE), which the Board approved in May 2010.  FAPHE provided a one-time P200,000 fund for each employee across the UP System, where hospitalization expenses may be reimbursed after deductions for PhilHealth. In 2013, President Pascual constituted a team headed by Dr. Dennis Mapa of the UPD School of Statistics to study the health care needs of UP students and employees and subsequently submit policy recommendations. Three years later, Pascual constituted a committee to formulate a medical benefit program for UP employees. Mapa, who had already become Statistics dean, also chaired the committee.  Mapa told the UP Forum that during the course of the team’s study, the members realized the scope of looking into the health care needs of both students and employees proved too large and recommended that these groups be studied separately. The decision was then made to focus on employee medical benefits first.  In its report to the UP President’s Advisory Council in September 2016, the committee benchmarked against the medical benefit programs of BangkoSentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Metrobank Card.  The committee also analyzed the utilization of FAPHE from 2010 to 2015. During that period, 1,805 employees claimed reimbursements from FAPHE. Based on the number of UP employees in 2015, the claimants made up around 15 percent of the total 12,491 employee population. The average claim was P47,738.00.  Significant among the committee’s findings, Mapa said, were that 56.28 percent of claimants were aged 55 and above, and that 8 percent of the claimants have already used up at least P160,000 of their P200,000 FAPHE benefits, with some already having reached the limit.  Based on its findings and adjusting for inflation, projecting employee behavior, and considering funding limits, the committee proposed eHOPE, which provides an annual hospitalization fund of P80,000 with P10,000 medicine allowance for prescribed medications during confinement and upon discharge.  The eHOPE guidelines were releasedin January 2017 via Memorandum No. PAEP 17-05. Claims under eHOPE are still processed as reimbursements and granted after deductions for PhilHealth and other medical health cards have been exhausted. The guidelines also state that “partnerships through agreements with the nearest government and private hospitals shall be initiatied by each of the [CUs] to include a ‘no-cash-out’ arrangement for the patient.”  UPOU has also strengthened the implementation of eHOPE for its employees. In May 2017, it reported the signing of memoranda of agreement with the Los BañosDoctor’s Hospital and Medical Center, and HealthServ Los Baños Medical Center to allow UPOU employees admission without the need for any initial deposit. They just need to present a letter of authorization from the UPOU administration and their UPOU ID. UPOU HRDO Chief Administrative Officer Michael Lagaya said that the UPOU is also exploring partnerships with hospitals in areas where other UPOU employees are based such as Calamba and San Pablo in Laguna, and in Quezon City, Metro Manila.  Inauguration of physical fitness programs in UP Cebu. Photo from UP Cebu  Challenges remain  Despite these health and wellness initiatives, the University is still faced with challenges in the continued and successful implementation of these activities.  According to Catabui, some of the factors that affect physical health and wellness in the UPD campus, for example, include the physical environment—“air pollutants coming from the exhaust of vehicles, uncollected garbage, peddling of unsanitary food, stray dogs and cats, stagnant canals”—as well as stress and workload, enforcement of the smoking ban, etc. She added that financial and other means of support are also needed by underprivileged sectors on campus such as indigent students who lack dorm accommodations or cheap but healthy food. Support for them means their need to seek employment may be averted so their energy and focus remain on their studies. Catabui also mentioned giving more health privileges to contractuals and outsourced personnel.  The UPD UHS, in particular, lacks human resources, especially in its Public Health Unit, which “will go full time in the conduct of activities for wellness.” Catabui also pointed out the lack of logistics, where the UPD UHS sometimes relies on the UP Community Chest, a private charitable organization, to help fund wellness activities. She also said that annual physical examination for employees should be compulsory and that the University should strongly act against the abuse of substances such as illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.  Prof. Rita Ramos, chair of the UPOU Health and Wellness Committee, said that one of the challenges faced by committee members is allotting time to creating programs “amidst their obligations as full-time employees.”  As head of the committee that proposed eHOPE, Mapa informed the UP Forum that he hoped the separate study on student medical benefits will push through, following the implementation of eHOPE for employees. One challenge he saw was the discrepancy in capability of each CU’s health care facility. He also said that the committee noted in its meetings that the UP-PGH does not have a flat rate discount for UP employees across the UP System.  As a whole, the University can still do more when it comes to strict compliance with CSC memos on physical and mental fitness and nutrition. One memo, for example, prescribes that government canteens serve low-cost and nutritious recipes, using only iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency; ensure that fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and fruit juices are served during office meetings; provide iron supplements to employees, particularly women; and coordinate with the National Food Authority and the National Agricultural and Fishery Council “for the fielding of a rolling store or a cooperative marketing unit selling basic food commodities at low prices in the agency premises.”  Outdoor exercise equipment installed at UP Diliman. Photo from VCCA Nestor Castro, UP Diliman  The Duterte administration’s no-smoking policy also has to be applied more strictly in all UP campuses, and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa—himself a surgeon and former DOH undersecretary—has directed the creation of designated smoking areas in the larger campuses.  But all told, all you have to do is look at the scores of joggers, walkers, and people playing football and throwing Frisbees at the Sunken Garden on any afternoon or weekend to see how deeply the fitness bug has bitten UP, for good. Shaping minds that shape the nation, as UP likes to describe its mission, means shaping up as well.  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "From Historical Landmark to Cultural Hub – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-historical-landmark-to-cultural-hub/",
        "html": "From Historical Landmark to Cultural Hub From Historical Landmark to Cultural Hub October 18, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Main Building. That’s what it’s called. A name that’s both nondescript and imposing. It doesn’t say much about the structure. It’s not named after a person, an office, or unit. Yet being called “Main Building” carries that air of supreme importance.  But what’s in a name, really?  One look at the neo-classical, Art Deco-influenced structure is enough to inspire awe. It stands out among the buildings inside UP Visayas’ (UPV) Iloilo City campus. Two large human sculptures representing law and order act as intimidating guards by its arched entrance. At the back, there’s a balcony that will make you think of that famous scene in Romeo and Juliet. Inside are high ceilings and walls decorated by reliefs, big solid wooden beams, chandeliers, and iron grill doors with the letters “IMB” in the middle. Look up at the beams in the atria and notice that their ends are actually sculpted dragon heads.  Story of the name, history of the building  It’s called Main Building for a simple reason: it was where UPV was born, where UP established its presence in Iloilo. It was the first building when UPV didn’t even exist. UP still wasn’t a university system of constituent universities and the Iloilo campus then was considered a branch of the University. It was a resolution in December 1945 by Mayor Fernando Lopez and the City Council that paved the way for that Iloilo branch, which was later endorsed in Congress by legislator Oscar Ledesma.  It was known as the UP Iloilo College and it formally opened its doors on July 1, 1947.  Fast forward to 36 years later when UPV was created. It would focus on fisheries and ocean sciences and Miagao, Iloilo was identified as the location of its main campus. The city campus remained and the Main Building housed the College of Arts and Sciences.  As far as UPV history goes, even the name on the building’s facade has evolved. It went from “UP Iloilo College” to “UP College Iloilo” to “UP in the Visayas” to “UP Visayas,” which is what it still says. Only the text below those names never changed: “University of the Philippines.” Prof. Martin Genodepa, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Culture and the Arts, told the UP Forum, that they couldn’t find a clear or near enough photo of the building prior to 1947 that could tell them if there was something written else on the facade before “UP Iloilo College.”  Why would that be of interest? Because the building was constructed not because of or for UP. It was meant to be the Iloilo Municipal Hall.     The beams with sculpted dragon heads at one of the atria the library, and Prof. Martin Genodepa describing the plans for adaptive reuse. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Conceptualized by Iloilo Municipal President Rosauro Jocson in 1908, coincidentally the year UP was created by law, nothing concrete came out of the idea until December 1928 when Municipal Vice President Pablo Nava presented a plan to the Municipal Council. Two months later, philanthropist Juliana Melliza donated 10.8 hectares for the project.  Architect Juan Arellano, who also drafted the city’s urban plan, was the main consultant, with Architect Alfred Eugenio as local consultant. Sculptures in the building were by Italian Francesco Riccardo Monti with Iloilo craftsmen Juan Siendo, and Pedro and Cirilo Sabiano. Construction began in 1933 and by 1934, it was touted as the largest building in the Visayas and Mindanao. It was inaugurated in December 1936 with much celebration as Iloilo had just been elevated from a municipality to a city.  So from the original Iloilo Municipal Hall it was intended to be, it became the Iloilo City Hall at the time of its launch. Genodepa surmised that the “IMB” on the iron grill doors found throughout the building’s interior stood for “Iloilo Municipal Building.”  It had only been occupied by the city government for around five years when Japanese troops occupied Iloilo during World War II. The Iloilo City Hall was turned into a garrison and the area around it, a concentration camp. It was abandoned upon the liberation of Panay Island in March 1945. And, as previously stated, the end of 1945 saw the city resolution for the establishment of a UP branch in Iloilo.  Bringing it back, making it better  While it’s a standout, the Main Building, like some septuagenarians, is showing signs of age. Structural changes had been made to accommodate the use of its rooms. Some original features were removed, covered, or added to. It also has a “hodge-podge” of tenants, Genodepa said—library, archives, galleries, clinics, offices, etc.  But things are about to change for the building that was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in 2009.  Plans are underway to restore the structure back to its original look and form. It was UPV’s proposal for adaptive reuse that convinced the NHCP to approve and undertake the Main Building’s restoration.  For now, UPV calls it a future culture and heritage center, Genodepa said. One side will be devoted to art and the other to ethnography. This is in keeping with UPV’s thrust of preserving and promoting local and regional culture and heritage, he explained.  From the current tenants, only the Committee for Culture and the Arts and the Center for West Visayan Studies and its affiliated units will remain. There will be areas for performances and changing exhibits, permanent museums, a cafe, art storage, preservation and restoration facilities, and a black and white photography and printmaking studio.  And even bigger plans are in store, not just for the Main Building but the campus itself, which was developed in relation to the Main Building.  UPV is revisiting its land use plan and pushing for compliance. It means ensuring that the Main Building is the focal point of the campus—that it is the first thing to be seen upon entry, together with the Oblation, just like the other UP campuses. That, in turn, entails not only establishing the main entry point of the campus but transferring the Oblation as well.  The next few years will see the changing landscape of UPV’s Iloilo City campus—one that puts heritage, tradition, and culture at the forefront.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Seven outstanding UP Masscomm alumni to receive the 2021 Glory Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/seven-outstanding-up-masscomm-alumni-to-receive-the-2021-glory-awards/",
        "html": "Seven outstanding UP Masscomm alumni to receive the 2021 Glory Awards Seven outstanding UP Masscomm alumni to receive the 2021 Glory Awards October 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations office    Seven exceptional alumni of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) will receive the 2021 Glory Awards in a virtual ceremony on November 27.  Bestowed annually since 2017 by the UP CMC Alumni Association (UPCMCAA), the Glory Awards honor alumni whose work goes beyond “the usual” consistent track record of excellence.  The Glory Awards were inspired by the legacy of honor and distinction of Dr. Gloria Feliciano, the founding dean of UP’s 56-year-old mass communications program, who served from 1965 to 1985. The Glory trophy, sculpted by UP Professor Emerita Gigi Javier Alfonso, will be presented to winners in recognition of their excellent work and impact on the communities they serve.  The awardees for 2021 selected by a distinguished jury of peers are Maria Luz Balmaceda for corporate communications, Atty. Maria Kristina Conti for social advocacy, Abner Mercado for broadcast journalism, Catherine Garcia-Molina for film, Felix “Nonon” Padilla for the performing arts, Rowena Carranza-Paraan for social advocacy, and Dr. Marianne Dayrit Sison for mass communication education.  This year’s panel of jurors was composed of broadcast journalist Ces Drilon, Visayan State University Professor Emerita Monina Movido-Escalada, former deputy press secretary Danilo Gozo, investigative journalist Malou Mangahas, and writer-director and actress Bibeth Orteza. The Glory also has two permanent jurors—UP CMC Dean and film professor Arminda Santiago and former ANC and CNN Philippines news director Jing Magsaysay, who represents the family of Dr. Feliciano.     The winners  Maria Luz Balmaceda, corporate communications  Marlu Balmaceda led the brand and corporate communications unit of SGV & Co., the country’s premier auditing and professional services firm, for 25 years. She was the Philippine program manager of the global Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” search. As executive director of the SGV Foundation, she helped make a difference in the lives of young students through education and entrepreneurship programs.     Maria Kristina Conti, social advocacy  Atty. Krissy Conti is a human rights advocate who has defended jailed journalists, student activists, political prisoners, urban poor evictees, and quarantine “violators” during the pandemic. She helped prosecute Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, accused of kidnapping and disappearance of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, led to his conviction. She also serves in the legal team assisting the families of persons killed during the government’s war on drugs.     Abner Mercado, broadcast journalism  Abner Mercado is renowned for documentaries about social and environmental issues, politics, and cultural anthropology. His work led him to scale Mt. Everest twice and record the moment the Philippine flag was waved from the roof of the earth. He was among the first workers displaced by the withdrawal of ABS-CBN’s franchise to operate. Still, he considers the experience his “medal of valor” from his network of 21 years. Mercado won a bronze medal from the New York Film and TV Festival and a special jury prize at the 9th Moscow International Festival of Mountaineering and Adventure Film.     Cathy Garcia-Molina, film  Cathy Garcia-Molina directed the two highest-grossing Filipino films of all time—Hello Love, Goodbye (2019) and The Hows of Us (2018)—among a string of hits with ABS-CBN Star Cinema. She was nominated for best director at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for Hello Love, Goodbye. The same film won her Movie Director of the Year honors from the Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards, duplicating her feat in 2007 when she directed that Year’s biggest blockbuster, One More Chance. Molina has won six times as Most Popular Film Director at the annual Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Entertainment Awards.     Felix “Nonon” Padilla, the performing arts  Nonon Padilla has staged and directed over a hundred plays, composed music, and designed sets for the country’s pre-eminent theater groups. In 1987 he founded the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Pilipino. Padilla started the Actors’ Company that produced highly regarded performers, including Nonie Buencamino, Pen Medina, and John Arcilla. In the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), he prepared the training curriculum to guide PETA artists in honing their acting craft. His works have been performed internationally in New York’s Royal Theater, Singapore, Japan, and across Canada.     Rowena Carranza-Paraan, social advocacy  Weng Carranza-Paraan served as chairperson, president, and secretary-general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines for over a decade. She waged a long campaign for justice on behalf of 57 journalists and media workers killed in the infamous Ampatuan massacre in 2009. She currently heads ABS-CBN News Public Service and produces the Lingkod Kapamilya segment and the citizen journalism program Bayan Mo, I-patrol Mo. Her ongoing projects include voters’ education and fighting disinformation thru news literacy.     Marianne Dayrit Sison, mass communication education  Marianne Dayrit-Sison is an academic leader in the public relations field. She is the founding chair and convenor of the Asia Pacific Public Relations Research and Education Network (APPRREN). In 2019 she was awarded Educator of the Year by the Public Relations Institute of Australia. The following Year, Dayrit-Sison received the Communication Excellence in Organizations (CEO EXCEL) award from the Philippine chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. She is based in Australia, an Honorary University Fellow and former deputy dean of media and communication at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s Cultural Landscapes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-cultural-landscapes/",
        "html": "UP’s Cultural Landscapes UP’s Cultural Landscapes July 25, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Lush, green, beautiful, serene, grand, open, free, wild and, perhaps to outsiders, a little bit odd. These are the words that are often used to describe many of UP’s 17 campuses. These are also, in a way, qualities expected of UP faculty, student, staff and alumni: the capacity to think independently and creatively, a beauty of character shaped by the values of honor and excellence, the ability to adapt to the twists and turns of life, an open heart and, much like the stately Oblation common to all UP campuses, a willingness, even eagerness, to offer all to the people we serve.  Diversity in art and infrastructure  However, UP is not a homogenous system, and each campus is not quite like the others. Each one has its unique strengths, its unique natural environment and appearance, unique infrastructure, and unique personality. This uniqueness is influenced by a wide range of factors, from the history of the campus and its surroundings, to its geographic location and natural environment, to the cultural and ethnolinguistic communities within and around it, and especially to the constituent unit’s niche and field of specialty.  For instance, UP Baguio, whose niche is in Indigenous/Cordillera and Northern Luzon Studies, has the Museo Kordilyera embodying its role in and contribution to Philippine development. The Museo, which formally opened in January, is an ethnographic museum that serves as a repository of the tangible and intangible culture of the Cordillera, and features the output of research undertaken by the UP Baguio faculty in the aspects of material culture, visual culture, language and literature, and anthropology. UP Baguio also has the Cordillera Studies Center, also a repository of research outputs by faculty and research affiliates, which also disseminates research through its publications.  Museo Kordilyera, UP Baguio. Photo by UP MPRO  As another example, UP Visayas, as the country’s premier authority in marine science, fisheries and aquaculture, has the Regional Research Center, inaugurated on August 23, 2016, which aims to be the premier R&D and innovation facility in the region, and to support UP Visayas’ vision as a world-class university especially in the field of fisheries and aquatic sciences. Fittingly enough, it is located on top of a hill overlooking the Guimaras Strait, and its glass and steel façade is fashioned to resemble the silhouette of a school of fish moving bi-directionally.  Each campus’ uniqueness can be more keenly appreciated through the artistic, architectural and cultural artifacts that are scattered throughout like hidden and not-so-hidden treasures. UP Visayas, for instance, has among others the Diwata ng Dagat, a 16-foot sculpture by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva depicting a strong woman standing upon fishes while pulling a fishnet, symbolizing UP Visayas’ commitment to its role as national center of excellence in marine science, fisheries and aquaculture. UPV Iloilo City also has the neoclassic Main Building designed by National Artist Juan Arellano, with its façade by Francesco Riccardo Monti of two bronze statues representing Law and Order.  Diwata ng Dagat, UP Visayas  UP Baguio has Inang Laya, a statue of a woman with open arms, also by National Artist Abueva, and the Four Pillars, four posts that stand for the four pillars of knowledge that UP Baguio started with—Social Sciences, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Humanities and Sports, Physical Education and Recreation. UP Mindanao has buildings that are designed to reflect each ethnolinguistic group in Mindanao, and the sculptures of Mindanao-based artist Kublai Millan in Kanluran.  Inang Laya, UP Baguio  The UP Open University has its Oblation, cast by former UPOU Chancellor Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, and rendered distinct among the others, thanks to the ribbon-like flag swirling around its pedestal, giving the effect of lifting the Oblation to greater heights and granting it boundless reach as befits UPOU’s distance and open education mission. And these are just a few examples from some of the campuses.  The Oblation, UP Open University  Shaping UP communities  In short, there is no better profile for each UP campus than its cultural landscape. The Planning Department of San Francisco City defines a cultural landscape as “a place with many layers of history that evolves through design and use over time. A cultural landscape embodies the associations and uses that evoke a sense of history for a specific place.” Cultural landscapes include physical features such as trees, buildings, site furnishings, pathways and water bodies, and intangible elements such as land uses and associations of people that influenced the development of a landscape.  Simply put, human activity in a natural environment, done over an extended period of time, creates a cultural environment. While it is easy to see how humans alter and influence the natural environment, it is slightly less easy to see how the environment alters and influences humans.  “The environment and the people in the environment actually have a two-way interaction,” says multi-awarded, pioneering installation artist Luis “Junyee” Yee Jr. “The environment first influences the people—the way they move, the way they interact. Then through the years, it is the people who influence the environment, because now they have the power and resources to change the environment.” Indeed, humans change the environment so much that they render it unrecognizable, especially in highly urbanized places.  Luis “Junyee” Yee Jr.  Still, in the beginning it is the environment that shapes its growing human population. “Environment is the one that creates all kinds of culture—Asian culture, African culture, Middle Eastern, Chinese, American. For instance, here we have plenty of bamboo, so we have many objects made of bamboo. Even our houses are made of bamboo. Can the Americans do that? No, not because they cannot do it, but because they do not have the resources—the bamboo,” says Junyee, who is known for articulating the intimate connection between art and the natural world through the use of natural, indigenous and biodegradable materials in his art.  “Ang Tao” in UPLB  Spirit of place  There is a kind of power in the environment, which can be enhanced by the cultural landscape that emerges from it. There is a concept in architecture and urban design called “spirit of place”, which is the translation of the Latin phrase “genius loci”, something artists, philosophers and storytellers are familiar with. In ancient times, it was believed that certain parts of the world are inhabited by gods or guardian spirits whom humans must appease. Fast forward through the centuries to Wikipedia’s definition of spirit of place as “the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place…it is as much in the invisible weave of culture (stories, art, memories, beliefs, histories, etc.) as it is the tangible physical aspects of a place (monuments, boundaries, rivers, woods, architectural style, rural crafts styles, pathways, views, etc.) or its interpersonal aspects (the presence of relatives, friends and kindred spirits, etc.).”  Each UP campus possesses a unique spirit of place, whether it is a campus built on a mountain plateau, near the coast on an island, in a woodsy area at the quiet fringes of an urban center, or in the heart of a dense, bustling metropolis with a history going back centuries. Every person inhabiting these campuses can feel this spirit of place, from the logical scientists to the students trying to survive Hell Week to the vendors selling cigarettes. They move through this spirit everyday, but are often unable to put it into words. “They are unaware of it intellectually, but emotionally, they are. It’s just that they don’t have the time to express it. Put them in a different place, and they will feel lost. You absorb the environment around you without vocalizing it. But it’s there,” Junyee says.  Kublai Millan’s sculpture in Kanluran, UP Mindanao  Most of the time, this is because our minds are too busy with day-to-day concerns to allow us to be conscious of and actively engage with our environment. But some people are able to be aware, and to translate this sublime awareness in ways we can understand, as Junyee points out: “As an artist, I have an active interaction with the world around me.”  The UPLB campus, which he has called home for 40 years, is a good example of campus with a potent spirit of place. And why not, with Mount Makiling practically embracing it? “This mountain is not just a mere mountain. Before people settled and studied here, the original inhabitants knew that Makiling was a legendary mountain. It’s a magical mountain.” It even has a goddess, Mariang Makiling, a literal example of a genius loci. “So if you come here, you feel different. You become part of her. You become proud of her. And then you have the lake, Laguna de Bae, the second biggest lake in Southeast Asia.” Junyee adds with a smile: “This is a beautiful place, and we have the most beautiful campus in the country. We are complete here.”  Despite having been massively expanded and modernized through the years, UPLB retains the spirit of its origins: the College of Agriculture. Its agricultural school roots are also part of what gives UPLB its unique spirit. Junyee, as an alumnus of the College of Fine Arts and a regular contributor to the cultural landscape of the Diliman campus, clearly senses the differences between the two large campuses. For one thing, UP Diliman admittedly has more in the way of public art, due to the presence of the CFA, a bigger budget for art projects and a “cosmopolitan kind of mindset”.  But the UPLB campus, while also free-thinking and just as if not even more internationally-oriented than other UP constituent universities, still retains its “provincial” atmosphere. “We’re very modern here, but the mindset is different,” says Junyee. “Even if there are more students now in UPLB who can afford cars, it’s still different. Why? It’s because of the environment, because of the campus’ birth. Ours is agricultural. And it’s the surroundings,” which do not include shopping districts, major highways, train stations, towering buildings, large, overcrowded housing sprawls, and the other trappings of urban life.  And if Junyee was to pick, among all the famous cultural artifacts gracing the UPLB campus, which one would best capture the UPLB campus’ spirit of place, it would be “Ang Tao,” the sculpture of a farmer with a plow and his faithful carabao beside him, flanked by two towers showing carabao heads. Down to earth, close to the natural environment, steadfast, hardworking, nurturing and most of all, absolutely essential to our country’s future.  Historic designed landscapes  Cultural landscapes are generally classified into four types: historic sites, historic designed landscapes, historic vernacular landscapes, and ethnographic landscapes. Campuses are considered historic designed landscapes, that is, going by Charles Birnbaum’s definition, “a landscape that was consciously designed or laid out by a master gardener, architect, or horticulturist according to design principles…recognized style or tradition.”  The spirit of place of the UP Diliman campus stems as much from its history as it does from its natural environment. To cope with a growing student population, it was decided that UP had to expand. A 493-hectare property in Diliman was acquired in 1939, and construction began in that same year. The first buildings to rise were Benitez Hall and Malcolm Hall, housing the College of Education and the College of Law respectively, before development of the campus was overtaken by World War II.  After the war, thanks to a P13-million grant, the first two buildings were repaired and construction restarted in earnest, with more structures rising within the next decades—Gonzalez Hall or the Main Library, Quezon Hall, Palma Hall, and Melchor Hall, followed by a series of other buildings reflecting UP Diliman’s expanding role as the country’s premier higher education and research institution in science and technology, social sciences, humanities, and policy and governance.  When asked what aspect of UP Diliman’s campus best captures UP Diliman’s spirit of place, UP Diliman Office of the Campus Architect Director Enrico B. Tabafunda replies: “Actually, it’s the diversity of architectural styles within the campus. These architectural styles are indicative of the different stages in the history of UP Diliman. If you look at the oldest buildings, they reflect the early years of UP Diliman, and so here is where our history is rooted.”  UP Diliman Office of the Campus Architect Director Enrico B. Tabafunda  The buildings built from the 1960s to the 1970s also reflect another period in Philippine contemporary history, as do the buildings built in later years. Still, Tabafunda returns to the first six buildings, with their neoclassical style, their formal north-south, east-west axis, and their mirroring of each other on opposite sides of the Academic Oval.  Tabafunda also notes another aspect of the UP Diliman campus that captures its spirit of place: the entire campus itself, with its well-designed Academic Oval, its acacia trees arranged to form majestic arcs over the street, its structures and landmarks, its parks, forests and fields—even the street lights that were chosen not just to provide energy efficient illumination, but to enhance the campus’ romantic atmosphere. Each element is a product of planning and landscape designing geared toward what would best serve the UP System’s vision of the University as an outstanding regional and global higher education institution, with the UP Diliman Chancellor’s vision of a campus that inspires pride of place, and is secure, sustainable, connected and nurturing of the spirit of people.  “The landscape is equally important,” Tafabunda says. “It is what gives cohesion to the campus plan.” The landscape acts as a gigantic canvas showcasing the myriad colors, shapes, lines and textures of UP Diliman’s physical structures. “You can have buildings that look different from one another, but it is the campus landscape that brings them together as a whole.”  The Regional Research Center, UP Visayas  Diliman’s heritage trees  Tabafunda knows how much of the details of the Diliman campus’ features are planned, all the way down to the kinds of trees that must be planted, and where and how. Yes, even the species of trees matter, thanks to a directive dating from the time of UP President Emerlinda Roman that states that only indigenous trees must be planted on the campus. This means we will be seeing more banaba trees with their violet blossoms and narra trees with their yellow sprays, but no more caballero trees, butterfly trees, and acacia trees except for what we already have.  Speaking of acacia trees, for Tabafunda, it is the acacia trees that give the campus some of its character; one landscape architecture professor has even proposed declaring the acacia tree UP Diliman’s heritage tree. The trees also help prove one of his points. The Ateneo de Manila University campus also has rows of acacia trees arching over its streets, but the overall impressions one gets of the campuses of the AdMU and UP Diliman could not be more different, thanks to their respective landscape designs.  “For me, it’s the landscape architect who provides the image of the campus—the planning, the functions and the visual image and landscape of the campus. That’s why landscape architects are so important.” Each campus will have its own image.  Of course, efforts are made to standardize the images of the UP campuses, to a certain extent. “Sometimes though, you will only have common elements, but you cannot achieve the same standard image throughout. They will all have their own images, because their environments are different, and the period when their campus and landscape planning was made are different. There are many factors involved.” Tabafunda is even more aware of this now that they are currently developing the site for the upcoming UP campus in Clark Green City. While UP Clark will technically be under UP Diliman, it is impossible to create a miniature Diliman campus there. UP Clark will be UP Clark.  A mixed bag  As a whole, the impression the UP Diliman campus presents is…mixed. We have a beautiful academic core, yet we also have blighted sectors. We have buildings whose varied architectural designs span an entire course in modern Philippine history. We have mini-forests, pockets of dense undergrowth, construction sites, old structures on the verge of collapse, paths cut through landscaped gardens, traffic rules and pedestrian lanes that are treated as suggestions at best, graffiti and street art side by side with the works of National Artists—a definite mixed bag.  And therein lies UP Diliman’s spirit of place.  “Our campus is very heterogeneous, in my opinion, which means it’s not easy to manage,” says Tabafunda. “Maybe this reflects our desire for freedom. The campus is very diverse, and besides, we dislike being restricted by too many rules. That is why, when you look at our environment, it seems somewhat relaxed. It’s beautiful, but some people might find it dirty or disorganized. But this is our style.” Indeed, if one were to transform the campus into a human being, it would likely be a person who is brilliant, expressive, freedom-loving, diversity-welcoming, rule-challenging, open-minded, comfortable going to class in PE shorts and slippers yet equally comfortable dominating in an international competition—in short, a typical UPD student.  Tabafunda, when asked which cultural structures he believes could best represent the spirit of UP Diliman, offers the two buildings, Palma Hall and Melchor Hall. “Maybe because of their architectural style—modern, but still old and formal. Not too organized; they are a little bit messy. I think [the buildings] have character, which is reflected in our campus as a whole.”  The School of Management, UP Mindanao  Keeping the UP spirit alive  The work of the campus landscape architect and planner is the same in every UP campus. It is a balancing act among contradicting demands—the need to give space for both the natural and man-made environment; the need for forests, buildings and infrastructure, and open spaces; the impetus toward development and modernization, and the need to protect and conserve the environment; the need to keep the campus’ inhabitants safe and secure, and the service the campus renders by opening up to the public; the need to preserve the past and to expand into the future; the need to design the campus to serve the overall vision and mission of the University, while enhancing the unique values, qualities and aspirations of the campus, and so on.  But one thing Tabafunda would like to do is to make sure that the campus and all its buildings and physical features, whether new or old, are attractive and, more importantly, functional. “We want the people to have pride in the place because it has aesthetic value, but of course we also want them to love the place because it fits their needs. What good is a building that is pretty if nobody uses it because it is not what people need?”  No matter what it is—a campus, a building, a house—a place only gains spirit through the memories of the people who use it. This is why UP alumni can wax nostalgic about a particular hall, a concrete walkway, a tambayan, or even a single tree. These places feature prominently in their memories of UP, and these memories hold a certain power. Generations of human memories imbue these places with spirit. And through their connection to these places, people who might otherwise have very little in common find a sense of identity, of belonging, and of community.  Freedom of mind  There is, however, another way we can help enhance a spirit of place, and that is to simply be mindful of it. And to be mindful as well of the consequences of our actions upon it. “People tend to be absorbed in their own daily tasks that they forget their other obligation as a member of the community,” says Junyee. “We all have a responsibility not just to maintain our place and community but to enhance it.”  How do we enhance a place? “For me, enhancement is more about freedom of mind, because without freedom of mind, you cannot create beautiful things, you cannot invent things that will benefit the community,” Junyee replies. This is wonderful advice for artists and innovators, but even ordinary people have a duty to enhance the place we live in simply by doing what we do to the best of our ability, all the time, seeking to add to the beauty around us through deliberate, conscious and compassionate action. And why is this?  Junyee’s answer is simple: “Because it might be the last thing you will do in your life.”  And therein lies the spirit of a person—a perfect reflection of the spirit of our beloved UP campus.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Broadens Its Horizons – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-broadens-its-horizons/",
        "html": "UP Broadens Its Horizons UP Broadens Its Horizons July 25, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    While everyone wants a UP in his or her own backyard—the System now has eight constituent universities spread around the country from Baguio to Davao—the national university clearly can’t be as national as it could possibly be, given its limited resources.  That said, it’s done its best to serve as many corners of the archipelago as it reasonably could, without compromising the high standards of teaching it’s been known for. Thus were established campuses to serve the major island groups of Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and recently, cyberspace.  UP was born in Manila in 1908, but that main campus was soon followed by others in Diliman, which then mothered campuses in Baguio City, Olongapo City, and Clark, Pampanga. UP Visayas comprised campuses in Cebu City, Iloilo City, Miag-ao, and Tacloban (UP Cebu is now on its own). UP Mindanao and the UP Open University were both established in 1995. (While “campus” refers to the physical locale, a “constituent university” or CU can cover several campuses.)  These CUs and campuses were designed to meet the particular needs of their region. For example, UP Visayas developed fisheries and ocean sciences to serve the major livelihoods of the island group; UP Mindanao developed agricultural supply chain management to facilitate the island’s massive agricultural activity; and UP Baguio developed indigenous studies to document indigenous culture in the Cordilleras.  UP has of course also expanded the basis of academic specialization, as in the case of UP Los Baños, which was established to focus on agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine, and UP Manila in the health sciences. UP Manila then began establishing schools on a geographical basis to provide health skills where they were lacking. Thus, the schools of health sciences in the remote areas of Baler, Aurora in Luzon; Palo, Leyte in the Visayas; and Koronadal City, South Cotabato in Mindanao.  Recently, with the mandate to aid in national economic development now explicitly in its charter, UP set out to focus on key development areas expected to be growth catalysts through innovations in the professions and in industry. And so the UP Professional Schools were established in Bonifacio Global City and UP Cebu’s campus in the city’s South Road Properties (SRP). Both locations are hubs of booming industries and economic activities with a national economic impact.  Either in the final stages of planning or in initial stages of operation are campuses in Vista City in southern Metro Manila; the Agriya agricultural city in Panabo, Davao del Norte; and Clark Green City in Pampanga—all being built under the same academe-industry-community framework for national development.  The new campus being built in Sta. Elena, Tacloban City will serve as a relocation site for the UP VisayasTacloban College and the UP Manila School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte, offering a safer place than their current locations, where they were laid to waste by Super Typhoon Yolanda. But it will benefit from design and planning guidelines crafted by the University.  The UP Professional Schools at Bonifacio Global City. Photo by UP MPRO.  UP Vista City  UP Vista City is in the center of the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) industry growth area and its “technology ecosystems.”  The UP campus hopes to fill the gap in knowledge capital necessary to catalyze an “ecology” for technology development in the area, says Dr. Aura Matias, the chair of the technical working group developing the campus and former dean of the UP Diliman College of Engineering. The campus is envisioned as the innovation campus of UP.  Its curricular and technology business incubation offerings will be suited to the needs of the industrial complexes in the area, particularly the need to level up to local demand and global competition.  The campus began its first phase with the inauguration of its “seed” facility at the Evia Lifestyle Center, Las Piñas on January 27, 2017. Called the UP @Lab Innovation Hub, donated by Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. of the Villar family, it offers working spaces to start-up technopreneurs and facilitates their linkage with industry and markets. At least four locators were introduced during the inauguration.  The innovation hub was established to attract and employ prospective engineering graduate students through technology business start-ups. They can take technology entrepreneurship and design engineering courses in the initial academic zone to be built for the new campus. In this zone, the campus will offer a Professional Engineering and Science master’s program, the first of its kind in the country.  The technical working group consists of experts from the UP Diliman College of Engineering and Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. It is supported by the Department of Science and Technology, USAID-STRIDE, the UP College of Business Administration Alumni Association, and industry partners.  UP Agriya  UP, Anflo Management and Investment Corp. (Anflocor) and its affiliate DamosaLand Inc. (DLI) formally entered into a contract on January 30, 2017 to establish the UP Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment (UP PSAE), an extension of UP Los Baños, in the Agriya mixed-use development area of Panabo City, Davao del Norte.  According to the MOA, Anflocor will donate more than three hectares of land, buildings, and facilities to UP, which will offer UPLB graduate courses and short courses through the school. Initially, starting academic year 2017-2018, UPLB faculty will have to fly back and forth between UPLB and Mindanao to teach. The residential phase—when the school will have its own faculty and staff to offer course—is expected to begin in six years.  The UPLB Graduate School and the College of Agriculture are already conducting an off-campus MS Entomology program at the Anflocor Corporate Center in Davao City. The UPLB College of Public Affairs and Development is also offering a PhD in Development Studies program in UP Mindanao in Mintal.  With its huge agricultural, fishery, and forestry output, which has gained brighter prospects with new infrastructure and access to ASEAN, Mindanao could use expertise that can be provided by UPLB to manage growth and make it inclusive.  According to the project concept paper, accredited postgraduate programs in Mindanao schools comprise mainly basic sciences and engineering. UP PSAE will help address the need for master’s and doctoral programs more focused on agriculture and environmental science.  Initially, these will include Master of Science programs in Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Development Communication, Entomology, Environmental Science, Food Science, Forestry (Wood Science and Technology), Horticulture, Plant Breeding, and Plant Pathology; Master of Management in Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship; Master of Forestry (Forest Resource Management), and Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies.  The industry demands of the area, together with enrolment data, will be studied further to tailor-fit future education, research, and extension offerings of the professional school.  UP CGC  Construction of the Clark Green City (CGC) formally started with the ground-breaking ceremony on April 11, 2016, and UP, through a campus in the master-planned community, is expected to build up human capital to drive the city and Region III’s growth.  According to former UP President Alfredo Pascual, the UP-CGC campus will implement innovations in education crafted by top world universities, consisting of harmonizing disciplines and seamless academe-government-industry collaboration, in order to build human capital for the country’s development. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), National University of Singapore (NUS), and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have innovative academic and research programs that integrate various disciplines such as health sciences, environmental sciences, public policy, resource systems, engineering, business and management, Pascual said.  The UP Board of Regents approved the memorandum of agreement between UP and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the developer of CGC, on July 22, 2015, through which BCDA allocates 70 hectares in CGC for the use of the University.  If plans push through, UP-CGC will offer one undergraduate Liberal Arts program and professional masters programs in Health Management, Sustainability Science, and Structural Analytics, under a College of Human Sciences, a College of the Natural Environment, and a College of Designed Environments.  UP is also planning to broaden its internationalization efforts in CGC through joint programs with top universities in the world, similar to what other national universities in ASEAN countries are doing. They enrich academic offerings through joint degree programs, attract international students, promote faculty exchanges, and facilitate collaborative research.  BCDA envisions the 9,450-hectare Clark Green City as a modern metropolis with mixed residential, commercial, agro-industrial, institutional and information technology development, as well as a community of residents, workers and business establishments within a balanced, healthy, and safe environment.  All expansion projects of UP are coordinated with the Office of Design and Planning Initiatives under the Office of the Vice President for Development. It is tasked with formulating Master Development Plans for UP System properties and the different CUs, define the distinctive UP character that will be integrated into buildings and landscapes to be designed and constructed within University premises, ensure efficient use of facilities, and move towards the realization of green sources of energy, among others.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CeBu InIT Shows the Way – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cebu-init-shows-the-way/",
        "html": "CeBu InIT Shows the Way CeBu InIT Shows the Way May 4, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The signs were up in Cebu: the site of the starry careers of design artists such as Kenneth Cobon­pue and Monique Lhuillier; recognition from the British Council as a Philippine creative capital, and a local business community eager to adopt creativity as anthem. The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) had responded to these signs as early as the first decade of the 21st century.  They felt they should be contributing to the economic boom. The creative industries were an obvious niche that technology businesses could boost. Cebu was ripe for DOST’s technology business incubation program.  And soon enough, the UP Cebu Business Incubator for Information Technology (UP CeBu InIT) was in opera­tion, actively seeking out potential start-ups in schools and creative communities.  Established in 2010 by UP and DOST, it embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign beyond the confines of the campus in 2011 to encourage potential locators from Region VII or Central Visayas, where Cebu is right at the center. The facility located on the third and fourth floors of UP Cebu’s Arts and Sciences building achieved full occupancy within the same year, domi­nated by start-ups from outside the campus.     UP CeBu InIT Project Leader Jason Nieva and Manager Jeffrey Montecillos with the TBI staff members. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Hotbed of creative technology  The hype was real: Cebu, and the region, was indeed a hotbed of emergent creative technology entrepreneurs.  In six years, UP CeBu InIT has nurtured 62 technol­ogy start-ups, half of which have already graduated. In technology business incubator (TBI) terms, graduation means being able to locate elsewhere on commercial rates and to pay their employees.  “Incubatees—whether resident or virtual—access our mentorship, consultations, training, venture financ­ing, referrals, intellectual property services, etc.,” says UP Cebu TBI manager Jeffrey Montecillos. “There are times when they would feel ready and voluntarily leave. But what we do is conduct our usual audit and advise them if indeed they are ready to move out, or if we feel they still have phases they need to improve. But we don’t stop them from leaving. Of course, the space and services could be offered to other start-ups,” Montecil­los adds.  After six years at full capacity with this graduation rate, UP CeBu InIT is not only an affirmation of the region’s creative technology entrepreneurship potentials, but of the technology business incubation strategy: that indeed, the government and academe partnership can survive and sustainably launch small technology com­panies into business.  DOST had been supporting TBIs all over the country since the turn of the century, but had had to man­age expectations. A first batch of six TBIs preceded UP CeBu InIT. They included the UP-Ayala TBI in UP Diliman, which have since been taken over by the private firm. Three simply became common service facilities, while one was phased out.  What could have gone right for UP CeBu InIT, which belongs to the second generation of DOST-supported TBIs? Montecillos says he could point to its openness to the region’s talents as the only thing the UP Cebu TBI must have done differently. Whatever, it has been recognized by DOST as a benchmark.     Open to regional talents, self-sustaining  Montecillos says that DOST chose it among the TBIs to host the first summit of TBIs in the country late last year because of that status. He adds that DOST was particularly glad about UP Cebu InIT’s sustainability. Like half of its locators, the facility has become self-sus­taining. It weaned itself from maternal support in 2013, three years after its birth.  “After being funded by DOST, we now operate on our own, using our revenue to cover our operating expens­es. And since the TBI was set up until now, it has never had to rely on the UP Cebu budget,” Montecillos says. “In two years we were funded by DOST, before the end of the program, we saved a net income of P1.2 million. We used that to start our revolving fund.”  He adds that “Of the second generation of TBIs, we are the only one who really developed an operations manual, which we improve now and then.”  UP CeBu InIT is able to offset its low rates with full oc­cupancy. Achieving this enables it to do what it sets out to do. Technology start-ups get to enjoy student talents from UP and across other educational institutions as far as Cotabato and Surigao hired by UP CeBu InIT for on-the-job training (OJT). They enjoy the nurtur­ing mentorship of UP technology transfer and business development experts.     Physical locators at the UP CeBu InIT facilities at the UP Cebu Arts and Sciences Building. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP CeBu InIT has even gone beyond nurturing start-ups to actively creating start-ups. “We are pilot­ing a program for UP Cebu students. It is supposed to be interdisciplinary. Coordinated with the faculty, we grouped students from Management, Design, and Computer Science in 10 teams. We piloted the pro­gram together with Cebu South Bus Terminal and Cebu Ports Authority. We sent the students there to do research on problems and develop applications to solve these problems,” Montecillos says. “We are very happy that they have expressed an intent to pursue three of the students’ programs.”  Montecillos says they can apply this strategy in forming start-ups with other universities.  In his mind, lessons such as this should be shared. He knows firsthand the value of openness and going beyond UP. It was openness that led to his UP stint. He is not from Cebu but Iloilo, a graduate of STI College, an outsider now contributing to the success of UP Cebu and the region it serves through his marketing expertise. He thanks UP for letting him into the team and to be of service.  And he considers the Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service given to the UP CeBu InIT an affirma­tion of why he continues to serve. The award affirmed UP CeBu InIT’s policy of openness so it could better serve locators from UP and from across the region; stu­dents in need of venues for professional, artistic growth, and entrepreneurship training; and UP and other TBIs as possible models for a business development strategy that’s still in its infancy in the Philippines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Art Blooms in UP Baguio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/art-blooms-in-up-baguio/",
        "html": "Art Blooms in UP Baguio Art Blooms in UP Baguio May 4, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In October 2017, Baguio City, already known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines, earned a new title when it became one of 64 cities around the world desig­nated as UNESCO Creative Cities. It was a recognition that the UP Baguio Office of the Chancellor, represent­ing Baguio City’s academic sector, helped secure.  UP Baguio’s commitment to promoting art and culture in Baguio City is hardly a surprise, as UP’s constituent university in the north has been doing exactly that for the past 30 years, and perhaps for even longer than that.  The UP Baguio Summer Arts Extension Program (UPB-SAEP) began on April 18, 1988 as the Summer Arts Festival, which took place in the campus of then UP College Baguio (UPCB). “And when we say festival, consider the magnitude of it,” recalls Dr. Elizabeth Cal­inawagan, dean of the UP Baguio College of Arts and Communication, who headed the Summer Arts Program for years.  Back when the UPCB was under UP Diliman, and with funding provided by the UP President’s Committee for Culture and the Arts, UP Baguio annually opened its gates to the inhabitants of the city and the nearby prov­inces for the month-long Baguio Summer Arts Festival. The event featured a wide variety of art workshops for children and even adults, musical and theatrical perfor­mances by guest performers and groups, distinguished artists and musicians from around the country and even abroad who would facilitate workshops, food fairs, and arts and crafts fairs. In short, the much-anticipated summer event organized by the then UPCB Division of Humanities was a celebration of every artistic endeavor, from the traditional to indigenous to the modern. Dean Calinawagan even recalls partnering with the University of Baguio in holding the Summer Arts Festival.  The Summer Arts Festival was, in turn, inspired by an even older tradition. According to an article in the program for the 1990 Baguio Summer Arts Festival, the event was “also in truth a revival of UPCB’s annual spon­sorship and hosting of the National Arts Festival from the ‘60s and ‘70s.” The political upheavals of the ‘70s eventually ended the National Arts Festival, but when then UPCB Dean Patricio Lazaro encouraged the revival of the Summer Arts Festival in 1988, he intended “to make these activities truly of service to the community at large” and “to promote the development of cultural work and activities [in the Cordillera and] in Northern Luzon.”     A child molding clay during the 2017 UP Baguio Summer Arts Festival. (Photo from the UP Baguio Summer Arts Program Facebook page)     The healing power of the arts came to the fore after the 1990, the year the Luzon earthquake struck. Despite the devastation, the UPCB decided to continue holding the summer art workshops for the children of the UPCB community and the stricken Baguio City.  The art was therapeutic for the children, who expressed their emotions through their drawings and artistic forays, recalled Prof. Io Jularbal, Chair of the UP Baguio Com­mittee of Culture and the Arts (CCA) and head of the Program for Indigenous Cultures, in a panel interview with Ms. Czarina Calinawagan, committee member of the CCA and Summer Arts Program, and Ms. Jhoan Medrano, coordinator of the UP Baguio Summer Arts Program 2018.  Fortunes shifted for the Baguio Summer Arts Extension Program in 2002, when UP Baguio was elevated to a constituent university. Without funding from the PCCA, a full-blown festival could not be sustained, but the UP Baguio College of Arts and Communication maintained the art workshops under the Summer Arts Extension Program in partnership with the UPB-CCA.  “We were able to sustain it, even with the little earn­ings that came in,” says Dean Calinawagan. “It’s really not a business, anyway. It’s a service, so we charge only enough to sustain the program.” While some workshops were offered for free, others had a minimum registration fee. What little the UPB-CAC earned from those was usually given as honorarium to the facilitator, although some of the guest artists who served as facilitators were perfectly willing to share their knowledge free of charge. “There are those who believe in our advocacy, in the spirit of extension work.”  UP’s academic calendar shift posed new challenges for the program, as UP’s “summer” break shifted to June to August. Last year, the UPB-SAEP organizers tried out a new schedule, spacing the workshops over a series of Saturdays instead of an entire week. It did not work out as planned, however. “We had fewer enrollees,” Medrano says. “The gap between workshops was too long to sustain the children’s enthusiasm.” Taking this as valuable feedback, they redrew the schedule for the 2018 SAEP for a week in April, May, and hopefully June.  Since 1988, the workshops and programs UP Baguio of­fered for children, teenagers and adults grew in number and scope. Some of the notable programs include: ad­vanced acrylic painting; art appreciation; basic drawing and cartooning; basic animation; basic broadcasting for teens; basic acting; community-based creative writing and arts; Cordillera music and dance; dance and musi­cal instruments; documentary filming and showcase; debate and argumentation; humanities workshops for both students and teachers; new and advanced journalism and creative writing methods; language teacher education and curriculum development as well as materials and aids advancement for teachers; mask-making; doodling; mobile photography; oil painting; poetry and script writing; portraiture; still-life, figure and advanced drawing; rubber-stamp workshop; terracotta sculpture; toy-making; tradi­tional arts; even pop-singing, musical theater and street theater.     A child painting at an easle during the 2017 UP Baguio Summer Arts Festival. (Photo from the UP Baguio Summer Arts Program Facebook page)     With such a varied array of choices, it is no wonder that the UPB-SAEP is such an anticipated event for the parents and children of Baguio City. For two to four weeks in April and May, children of all ages would come to the campus to attend these workshops. UPB arts and humanities faculty, and established artists, writers, musicians and theater per­formers from Baguio City and around the country serve as facilitators.  UP Baguio has also brought the art workshops to the com­munities and provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region as an accessible and affordable means to promote artistic and cultural expression and education among the children and teachers in places such as Sagada, Mt. Prov­ince, Kiangan, Ifugao, and Laoag, Ilocos Norte.  And for many parents within the UP Baguio community and Baguio City itself, the UPB-SAEP has become a long-standing tradition. In fact, many children of UP Baguio faculty and staff benefitted from the workshops. Some grew up to become UP Baguio faculty themselves. A case in point is Czarina Calinawagan, daughter of Dean Calinawagan, a proud alumna of many a workshop in her childhood.  It is also a trendsetter in Baguio City. “Other organizations now are offer­ing their own summer arts workshops, which are patterned after ours,” says Jularbal.  As noted in a paper submitted during the run-up to the UP Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service, which the UPB-SAEP won as one of eight top public service programs in UP: “The reinvigoration of cultural life on campus is one of the SAEP’s initial priorities since its creation. This would pave the way for the program to become the cornerstone of UPB’s aspiration of being the center of Arts and Culture in the region. So far, the revitalization… of culture and arts has been gradually achieved. UP Baguio is also recognized as a hub for arts and cultural learning by different academic and community oriented institutions in the region.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/looking-back-at-the-up-diliman-ugnayan-ng-pahinungod/",
        "html": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod May 4, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Over two decades ago, UP pioneered the country’s first university-based formal volunteer service program. The program merged from a study conducted by Dr. Maria Luisa Doronila and Dr. Ledivina Cariño that looked into how much value UP students ascribed to social commitment—essentially asking, “Has UP lost its soul?” The response to that study was the creation on February 28, 1994 of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod/Oblation Corps.  The Pahinungod Program is a legacy of UP President Emil Q. Javier’s administration. The autonomous universities under the UP System had Pahinungod offices under the UP System Pahinungod, which had Dr. Cariño of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance as the first Director, followed by Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay of the Department of Psychology, UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.     UP Diliman Academic Oval. (Photo by Arlyn VCD Romualdo, UP MPRO)     In his article published in Social Science Dili­man in December 2011 titled “Empowering the Youth Through Voluntarism: University of the Philippines Graduates as Volunteer Teach­ers,” Dr. Neil Martial Santillan wrote: “The first five years of Pahinungod saw the implementa­tion of a multitude of programs with support from students, staff, and faculty of the different UP campuses—medical missions coupled with training of community-based health profes­sionals and seminars on basic health care; relief and rehabilitation work in calamity-stricken areas; programs empowering farmers as agricul­tural scientists; summer immersion programs for students to gain insights directly from the community; service learning as an instructional method; peer counseling; ecology camps; train­ing workshops for teachers on updated peda­gogical skills; examination for students in the provinces underrepresented in UP (affirmative action program), and deployment of graduates as volunteer teachers in remote areas (Gurong Pahinungod).”  As the UP administration changed, priorities shifted as well, leading to a change in fortunes for the UP System Pahinungod. After UP Presi­dent Javier’s time, a devolution policy allowed the now UP constituent units to decide whether or not to continue the Pahinungod Program. UP Manila, UPLB, and UP Visayas all chose to retain the program in their own ways. The UP Diliman Pahinungod, however, was dissolved, and the task of providing avenues for volunteer­ism were transferred to the colleges’ extension service initiatives, coordinated by the UP Dili­man Office of Extension Coordination.  Here, the people who served as Directors of the UP Diliman Pahinungod look back on their experiences, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned about the spirit of volun­teerism and the blossoming of UP’s soul.     Dr. Oscar P. Ferrer Professor, Department of Community Development UP College of Social Work and Community Development     How did you get started at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinun­god, and what was it like?  I was the first director of the Diliman Pahinungod. We set it up together—Ma’am Ledy Carino as System Director, and all the different directors—based on UP President Javier’s “UP in Service to the Nation.”  Each campus put its own spin on the programs. In UPLB, their clientele was mostly farmers, so the programs are directed toward farmers and agriculture. In Manila, they were more into medical missions. In the Visayas, both students and faculty focused on their exten­sion programs. In Diliman, there were plenty of options; it all depended on the discipline. For instance, Home Econom­ics would focus on food and nutrition, so we would bring the HE volunteers to communities so they can provide daycare tutorials or feeding sessions. We directed volunteers from the College of Arts and Letters toward conducting tutorials for students in the grassroots. The others, we brought to shelter houses, orphanages and nursing homes for senior citizens as the DSWD directed.  Since I come from the College of Social Work and Community Development, I brought the volunteers to the grassroots communities, like the Aetas. The Aeta communities needed rebuilding after the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. You had to reforest the areas covered by lahar, so we had environmental programs where we collected seedlings from Mt. Makiling, and brought them to the Aetas’ areas to plant. Today, the Aetas communities have become green again. We had resettlement programs in Zambales. I even brought President Javier to the Aeta communi­ties, and we could see his passion for this work in the way he would get teary-eyed during the sharing sessions with the Aetas.  We conducted the Affirmative Action Program, holding UPCAT reviews for high school students in the 20 poorest provinces, so their population would be more represented in the University. We had UPCAT reviews from Baler to Kida­pawan. There were so many programs for volunteer work.  In terms of drawing people in to volun­teer, two things were important. Most of them wanted a meaningful, creative expression of what it is to be an iskolar ng bayan, but until the Pahinungod there was no institution that tapped that overflowing energy to volunteer, to serve, to reach out. We even had prison volun­teer work, which Ma’am Grace Dalisay continued.     People were saying that UP had “lost its soul.”  This was in 1994. The time for the heading-to-the-mountains activism was over, and commentators were claiming that UP had lost its soul. So President Javier decided that there had to be a visible expression of UP’s support for government and the other stakeholders in nation-building, and the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod was created. We got in touch with other volunteer agencies such as the Philippine National Volunteers Service Coordinating Agency and the Jesuit Vol­unteer Program, and we looked into how we could institutionalize it.  We easily received funding. As President Javier used to say, it’s easy to ask for money from Congress when you say the money is for extension services. When you say it’s for research, they hardly give any, but when it comes to extension ser­vices for the communities, the congress­men are very willing to give.     There was never a lack of volunteers?  Never. From the moment we announced it, faculty and student volunteers would come. They would line up for training and orientation until our office resembled a mar­ketplace. Then we would hold monthly sharing sessions to conduct psycho-social processing for the volunteers. There is an overflowing desire to serve, in any way or expression, as long as someone is there to affirm it, to acknowledge it, and to make them feel that they belong in a volunteer group.     What were the challenges you faced during your time as Diliman Pahinungod Director?  There were organizational challenges, such as tension among the autonomous units, and the politics behind the institutions where one official would focus on public ser­vice, the other on science and technology. In our process­ing and gathering activities, I would get caught in between. But in hindsight, these were all positive in the long run, because on one hand, the Science Complex was concep­tualized, and on the other hand, the idea of “service to the people” also took root. So now, UP is both a graduate and research university, and a public service university. The contradictions strengthened our thrusts, creating balance.  In terms of programs for the volunteers, the challenge was where to take the volunteers after their volunteer work. What was the next step in their career path if they are doing volunteer work? Because you have to nurture your volunteers; you have to help them level up. That is what I learned from a seminar-conference on the management of volunteer organizations that I attended in Israel. They need continuity.  And another thing, you want your volunteerism to be rooted in culture. This is another insight from the research we conducted: the Pahinungod is culturally-based. For Filipinos, almost every task is volunteer work. They help their kapwa because that is the essence of bayanihan, of communalism. So you need to nurture and institutionalize that. If the spirit of volunteerism or the bayanihan attitude is present in every region, how do you harness that cultural potential of the people?     Oblation at sunset by Celeste Ann L. Castillo, UP MPRO     As a professor at the CSWCD, what principles in com­munity development did you apply to your directorship of the Diliman Pahinungod?  From my discipline, I took organizing work, collective effort, participatory development and starting where the people are, and applied it to Pahinungod. You have to start with what the people in the community need. You can’t just go to a community devastated by a typhoon and hand them relief goods in the form of discarded clothes and expired cans of sardines. That’s demeaning. My disci­pline teaches the need for us to respond to the needs of the people. It must be needs-based.  We teach this to our volunteers as one aspect of how we treat our communities. We don’t call them disaster victims. We call them survivors.  Another discipline I brought into play is organizing work—community-based of course, which is my field. I tapped all our partner communities for volunteer work, where we could deploy volunteers and match their time and potential to the volunteer work needed, to maxi­mize the psychic reward.     What have you learned from your experiences in Pahinungod that has enriched your teaching?  We have our volunteers document their experiences in reflection papers, so that they can serve as teaching materials for the classroom. So it’s a win-win deal. You served the community, and you also support our aca­demic endeavors through your experience.     Is there a chance that the UP Diliman Pahinungod would be revived?  The approach must be top-down. If the BOR says it must be so, everyone will follow. It’s easier if it’s top-down.     The original study on “Has UP lost its soul?” was conducted over two decades ago. What about the UP students of today, who belong to the millennial generation?  That’s one thing we need to do research on. We need to brainstorm on how to tap the energies of the millenni­als, because their energies are different. With the social media revolution, they lack social skills and competence when it comes to face-to-face interactions. They com­municate mostly online. We need to do research on how we can tap their energies with available information technology to really bring out their potentials. We need to do an assessment or evaluation on their potential for volunteerism, on what they can share with the vulner­able, to those in need, to the underserved.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/looking-back-at-the-up-diliman-ugnayan-ng-pahinungod-2/",
        "html": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod May 4, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Over two decades ago, UP pioneered the country’s first university-based formal volunteer service program. The program merged from a study conducted by Dr. Maria Luisa Doronila and Dr. Ledivina Cariño that looked into how much value UP students ascribed to social commitment—essentially asking, “Has UP lost its soul?” The response to that study was the creation on February 28, 1994 of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod/Oblation Corps.  The Pahinungod Program is a legacy of UP President Emil Q. Javier’s administration. The autonomous universities under the UP System had Pahinungod offices under the UP System Pahinungod, which had Dr. Cariño of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance as the first Director, followed by Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay of the Department of Psychology, UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.     UP Diliman Academic Oval. (Photo by Arlyn VCD Romualdo, UP MPRO)     In his article published in Social Science Dili­man in December 2011 titled “Empowering the Youth Through Voluntarism: University of the Philippines Graduates as Volunteer Teach­ers,” Dr. Neil Martial Santillan wrote: “The first five years of Pahinungod saw the implementa­tion of a multitude of programs with support from students, staff, and faculty of the different UP campuses—medical missions coupled with training of community-based health profes­sionals and seminars on basic health care; relief and rehabilitation work in calamity-stricken areas; programs empowering farmers as agricul­tural scientists; summer immersion programs for students to gain insights directly from the community; service learning as an instructional method; peer counseling; ecology camps; train­ing workshops for teachers on updated peda­gogical skills; examination for students in the provinces underrepresented in UP (affirmative action program), and deployment of graduates as volunteer teachers in remote areas (Gurong Pahinungod).”  As the UP administration changed, priorities shifted as well, leading to a change in fortunes for the UP System Pahinungod. After UP Presi­dent Javier’s time, a devolution policy allowed the now UP constituent units to decide whether or not to continue the Pahinungod Program. UP Manila, UPLB, and UP Visayas all chose to retain the program in their own ways. The UP Diliman Pahinungod, however, was dissolved, and the task of providing avenues for volunteer­ism were transferred to the colleges’ extension service initiatives, coordinated by the UP Dili­man Office of Extension Coordination.  Here, the people who served as Directors of the UP Diliman Pahinungod look back on their experiences, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned about the spirit of volun­teerism and the blossoming of UP’s soul.     Dr. Grace H. Aguiling-Dalisay Professor, Department of Psychology Former Director, UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Former Director, UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod     How did you get started at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and what was it like?  I started off as director for UP Pa­hinungod Diliman, succeeding Dr. Ferrer. It was the late Dr. Cariño who sweet-talked me into accepting the post, but somewhere along the way, Ledy went back to her college, the NCPAG, so the System Director post was vacant. So I took it on, and for maybe a year, while we looked for a Diliman Pahinungod Director, I was director for both. Then when Dr. De Villa accepted the post of Diliman di­rector, I was able to leave Diliman and concentrate on the System.     How did you get into volunteer work?  From childhood, because my parents ran a community school, we were always open to these types of activities. As we were growing up, the idea of volunteering was really part of the way we lived. When I was in high school from 1969 to 1973, I was part of the student council. It was the time of martial law so you can imagine what it was like, but I was in an all-girls’ school that had very liberal ideas, so that also fostered the idea of service.  Volunteering with organizations was really part of my life. However, the difference was that Pahinungod was a formal volunteer organization. This is why when I was asked to serve as Pahinungod Director, things fell into place, because as a psychologist, one of my areas is Filipino psychology, which is a liberating psychology. It focuses on kapwa; it’s wanting to serve Filipinos. In Sikolohiyang Filipino, we want Psychology to serve the needs of the majority of Filipinos, and focus on Filipino thought processes, aspirations, the psyche, and relations with others.     How did Pahinungod operate as a formal volunteer organization?  This meant that we had to run things like any other organization. We need­ed a vision-mission-goals, we needed programs, we needed to clarify what the programs are for, how to ensure that the programs are well-run, how well volunteers are trained.  There is a formal process of screening and testing, because then, as now, the thinking is that it’s important to do good, but good intent alone is insuf­ficient. As corporate social responsibil­ity programs or business volunteering programs would say, you have to do good and you have to do it well. It’s important for people to be clear about what is expected from them, what they want to do, to behave accordingly, and to know what the entire program is for so that you don’t go there with a messianic view—I’m from UP, I’m so great, I want to save you. It’s really about finding out what is needed, and which of those needs can we meet.  That’s also why we had the widespread programs, because we wanted pro­grams that would match the skills of different people. We didn’t want to turn away volunteers, because the ideal is that you always have something that you can offer.     There was never a problem with recruiting volunteers?  Never. Of course, they had different reasons to volunteer; that’s part of the volunteering landscape. What’s impor­tant is the volunteering behavior and the desire to serve the community. It’s really wanting to help out and making sure that there’s a match between the community’s need and the ability of the Pahinungod to fill that need.     How does volunteering benefit the volunteers?  I think volunteering lets people look beyond themselves, so instead of thinking about your problems and how complicated life is, you get a chance to engage in positive change. People can see that each one could make a dif­ference, each one can contribute to making the transfor­mation happen, and in the process transform one’s self together with the communities. Instead of the abstract desire of “I want to do good,” concretely, what good can you do?     What challenges did you face as both System and Dili­man Director?  These are two different times—the time of President Javier, where he was all for it, and the time after when Pahinungod was not regarded in the same way. It makes a lot of difference. Volunteer organizations would say you need the “buy-in.” You need the top person to support the group. So I think the success of Pahinungod during the term of President Javier was to a very large extent because he supported it. Later on, with the change in administration, the challenge became how to convince people of the value of the Pahinungod.  When I was Diliman Director, the challenge was to come up with more creative programs, because there was a huge demand. We had to think of other programs so we didn’t have to turn people away. You can’t have only five programs when you have a thousand or even two thousand wanting to get in. It really was something that people were interested in.     After your stint at the Pahinungod, you were Found­ing President of the Volunteer Organizations Informa­tion Coordination and Exchange (VOICE) Network in 2001. You are also Chair of the Philippine Coalition for Volunteerism (PhilCV), and you were Internation­al Board Director of the Voluntary Service Overseas. Are there any lessons from your Pahinungod days that you carried over to your work with other volunteer organizations?  Oh, definitely. A lot. Basically, I credit Pahinungod for my belief in the importance of organized volunteerism. This is what got me started in formal volunteering, in the belief that we can do more together, be more effective if we plan together and undertake an endeavor collectively.  The other thing is that volunteer management systems are important if you want to succeed. When we asked some volunteers, they said that when they sign up for a formal volunteering opportunity, they look at organiza­tions that would allow them to contribute what they have to the community, and that usually means that the organization is well run. Perhaps one of the reasons the Pahinungod was so successful was that it was a well-oiled organization. It had its priority programs, its values were clear, and it was well-resourced. You need resources to make an organization run; that’s also another thing that’s important.     Oblation at sunset by Celeste Ann L. Castillo, UP MPRO     How have your Pahinungod and volunteerism experi­ences enriched your profession as a psychologist?  Professionally, I would say it’s been an area where I have worked in for the longest time. It’s been my area of inter­est, looking at the importance of engaged research work and community engagement, which is something I value. I’ve been asked to do talks about social involvement, the responsibilities of the academe beyond teaching.  As a faculty, I think one of the things I’ve incorporated it is service-learning. Even in the graduate level, I give my grad students in certain classes an option to do service-learning, where they use what they learned in class to serve certain groups. I also put up an Office for Service Learning and Outreach-Pahinungod at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy when I became Dean in 2014. For me, it has been a continuing journey to try to look at different ways by which I can highlight the impor­tance of volunteering.     How different would the volunteering landscape be for the students of the 1990s and the generations of students today?  Well, there’s no data to draw from right now. Maybe it’s time to do that study again.  One of the things that’s said about millennials is that they value engagement. It’s just that maybe the way they do it is different. So I think the challenge would be how to find a way to engage the different age groups in volunteer activity.  Currently, in the volunteer organizations we have, we’re trying to address this by looking at the different forms of volunteering. There are certain volunteer groups now that are really techie groups. They volunteer to do your network, and for these young people, that’s child’s play. There are some groups that offer that kind of service to the other organizations that may be run by older people.  It’s just breaking out of the traditional forms of volunteer­ing. We all have different skills and interests, so I think regardless of age, there are ways and opportunities to get people involved. So don’t be afraid of volunteering, because the reach and form of volunteering is as limitless as the imagination.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/looking-back-at-the-up-diliman-ugnayan-ng-pahinungod-3/",
        "html": "Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Looking Back at the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod May 7, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Over two decades ago, UP pioneered the country’s first university-based formal volunteer service program. The program merged from a study conducted by Dr. Maria Luisa Doronila and Dr. Ledivina Cariño that looked into how much value UP students ascribed to social commitment—essentially asking, “Has UP lost its soul?” The response to that study was the creation on February 28, 1994 of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod/Oblation Corps.  The Pahinungod Program is a legacy of UP President Emil Q. Javier’s administration. The autonomous universities under the UP System had Pahinungod offices under the UP System Pahinungod, which had Dr. Cariño of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance as the first Director, followed by Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay of the Department of Psychology, UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.     UP Diliman Academic Oval. (Photo by Arlyn VCD Romualdo, UP MPRO)     In his article published in Social Science Dili­man in December 2011 titled “Empowering the Youth Through Voluntarism: University of the Philippines Graduates as Volunteer Teach­ers,” Dr. Neil Martial Santillan wrote: “The first five years of Pahinungod saw the implementa­tion of a multitude of programs with support from students, staff, and faculty of the different UP campuses—medical missions coupled with training of community-based health profes­sionals and seminars on basic health care; relief and rehabilitation work in calamity-stricken areas; programs empowering farmers as agricul­tural scientists; summer immersion programs for students to gain insights directly from the community; service learning as an instructional method; peer counseling; ecology camps; train­ing workshops for teachers on updated peda­gogical skills; examination for students in the provinces underrepresented in UP (affirmative action program), and deployment of graduates as volunteer teachers in remote areas (Gurong Pahinungod).”  As the UP administration changed, priorities shifted as well, leading to a change in fortunes for the UP System Pahinungod. After UP Presi­dent Javier’s time, a devolution policy allowed the now UP constituent units to decide whether or not to continue the Pahinungod Program. UP Manila, UPLB, and UP Visayas all chose to retain the program in their own ways. The UP Diliman Pahinungod, however, was dissolved, and the task of providing avenues for volunteer­ism were transferred to the colleges’ extension service initiatives, coordinated by the UP Dili­man Office of Extension Coordination.  Here, the people who served as Directors of the UP Diliman Pahinungod look back on their experiences, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned about the spirit of volun­teerism and the blossoming of UP’s soul.     Dr. Ma. Theresa L. de Villa Professor of Education and Former Principal, UP Integrated School Former Dean, Faculty of Education, UP Open University Former Director, UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod     How did you get into volunteering?  I was with a group back in the 1980s to mid-1990s. It was called the Educa­tion Forum, an arm of the Associa­tion of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines. The volunteers were teachers from public and private schools. We would hold seminar workshops to enrich the curriculum—not only strategies but content as well—because we thought the teachers should make the decision about these matters, not just the administration. The word “empowerment” wasn’t in vogue yet, but I think that’s what we were doing. We asked, how do you make education relevant? So it was education for social transformation. Of course, you needed the teachers for that, so we would hold workshops for both the administration and the teachers to get them started at the same level.  When did you serve as UP Diliman Pahinungod Director?  I came in from 1999 to 2002. Grace Dalisay was System Director at the time, so I took over in Diliman. I was winding up my second term as Principal of the UP Integrated School (UPIS) and began sitting in as Direc­tor of Diliman Pahinungod in Febru­ary. I formally took over around April. I was also director of the Education Research Program of the Center for Integrative and Development Studies at the time.  My teaching at the UPIS was what kept my feet on the ground. Then the UP Open University asked me to han­dle one graduate course on language and literacy, and that’s how I started with the UPOU around 2000 to 2001. Then in 2008, I was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Education of the UPOU.  Tell us about the Gurong Pahinun­god.  My term was under UP President Emil Javier, then President Francico Nemenzo, with Dr. Emerlinda Roman as Chancellor of UP Diliman. Dur­ing my time, the administration was streamlining the budget, so all the offices were asked to be more strin­gent with expenses. So we looked at all the programs of the Pahinungod, we met with the staff and volunteers, and selected the programs that clearly achieved the objectives of the Pahi­nungod. And we saw that the Gurong Pahinungod, which was launched in 1997 in collaboration with the Department of Education, had a big impact.  So we strengthened the Gurong Pahinungod. We incorporated teacher-training seminar-workshops. For ex­ample, we would send volunteers to a school in an underserved community, and we would visit the Pahinungod volunteers quarterly.  The staff would go to a district, assess the surroundings, see what schools were covered in the district, then con­duct a survey on what these schools needed. The Gurong Pahinungod would help the teachers in conducting this survey. Based on the results, we would choose from the expertise of the faculty-volunteers from Diliman or elsewhere for the workshop we would run. So if the teachers said they needed training in English, Science and Social Studies, that’s what we went with, choosing a maximum of three subject areas for the workshop. The visit to the school would last five days, and the workshop three days. In between we would process the Gurong Pahinungod volunteers. But really, the entire thing was a community effort.  Our Gurong Pahinungod volunteers did not come from just the College of Education. They came from Engineer­ing, Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences and Philosophy, and so on. If they weren’t from Educa­tion, we would offer them programs on teaching and edu­cation prior to their deployment, equivalent to around 18 units, so many of them take and pass teacher exams after their one year of volunteer service and become teachers.  What were the challenges you faced as UP Diliman Pahinungod Director?  I saw the political aspect of it, when they ended the Pahi­nungod in Diliman. I went on sabbatical at the time, but most of my activities during my sabbatical involved work­ing with the struggling Pahinungod. We worked together to fight for the retention of the office. In fact, some of the deans rejected the idea of devolving Pahinungod to their units.  We, the Pahinungod directors, even agreed that, ideally, the Pahinugod Office would oversee the activities of the National Service Training Program, so that the volunteer activities and NSTP activities would be coordinated, with no overlaps and duplications. Diliman could form teams consisting of volunteers from each disciplinal cluster or a blend of disciplines and these teams could adopt commu­nities and develop programs, with the involvement of the communities.     Oblation at sunset by Celeste Ann L. Castillo, UP MPRO     There was no shortage of volunteers?  No. The students would come to the office and volunteer. There was no Diliman unit that didn’t have volunteers, and their usual comment was that they learned more from the community than the community from them. That’s usually the case.  Also, they found an outlet for what they wanted to do, other than purely academics, and they managed to blend academics with volunteering. There was a service-learning option, where instead of just submitting a term paper, you applied theories and principles outside. The NCPAG had this, and sometimes the volunteers would go to a depressed community and serve the senior citizens by facilitating their applications for senior citizen IDs.  We even had the Quezon City Jail Project where the volunteers would go to the Quezon City Jail in coordina­tion with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and conduct literacy workshops, or simply visit with the jail inmates who had nobody to visit them, or run simple errands for them, or on certain occasions, hold programs to entertain them. I remember some volunteers from the College of Music who would sing for them or play instru­ments.  I really saw the effort these young people put into volun­teering, and the camaraderie they developed. As director, I learned so much from them. And we and the volunteers still get in touch with one another. They still organize groups and do volunteer work. They still do this to this day, even though they already have families now.  What is it about volunteering?  I think it’s inherent in us Filipinos, because we’re not really individualistic. We love working with communi­ties; there’s a sense of service there. However, if you don’t make the students aware that this opportunity is available, they might get distracted, because there are so many more interesting things to do. Volunteerism is a way for them to see that there is a world outside where they are now.  What do you believe is the legacy of the UP Diliman and UP System Pahinungod?  As long as public service is there through the Padayon Public Service Office, and as long as it’s not a dole-out… UP is part of a bigger community, so we should always be involved—not only aware, but involved. We should do something. That’s why it’s called activism, because you act on it. It’s active participation.  It’s not just about joining a radical movement. Teachers can do this in class. We’re supposed to be dealing with knowledge, right? When we gain knowledge, we become more aware. But do we stop at awareness? No, we do something. We change our behavior. How do you share what you learned? How do you learn further from others so that you become a better person?  While each day is a learning experience, the learning from volunteering is deeper, broader. You learn to see society as one big school. The whole community is the school. Education happens every day, everywhere. Everyone is a part of it.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "2nd Diliman Science and Society Month – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/2nd-diliman-science-and-society-month/",
        "html": "2nd Diliman Science and Society Month 2nd Diliman Science and Society Month October 4, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Let us celebrate UP Diliman Science and Society Month this October with the theme “Habi: Kapilipinuhan sa Agham at Lipunan”. See calendar for line-up of activities. #UPDSciSocMonth    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP (Gets) High on Sports – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-gets-high-on-sports/",
        "html": "UP (Gets) High on Sports UP (Gets) High on Sports July 11, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The UPIS Pep Squad wins the championship at the Elevate 18: Lift One Another UP Cheerdance Competition held at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics on May 7, 2018. (Photo posted by Maribel Tapel and Anne Mapa in the UPIS Parents Information Board Facebook group page)     The science is in. Getting high on sports is a good thing, especially if you’re a teenager.  Studies have shown the many benefits of engaging in sports for young people. Adolescents who participate in sports are more physically fit, have better mental health, tend to do better in school, and are less likely to engage in risky behavior.  Research has also shown that people who play high school sports tend to get better jobs with higher salaries later in life. More importantly, sports instills qualities that will enable them to become productive citizens—hard work, self-discipline, commitment, leadership and time management skills, and the so-called “3 Ps”: persistence, patience and practice.  UP is mandated to develop these qualities among its students by undertaking comprehensive sports programs—not just for its college athletes, but for its high school students as well. The UP Integrated School (UPIS) in UP Diliman, the UP Rural High School (UPRHS) in UP Los Baños, the UP High School Iloilo (UPHSI) in the UP Visayas Iloilo City campus, and UP High School Cebu in UP Cebu are the four UP-administered high schools. Each of them developed and maintains various varsity and sports teams, and these teams go on to compete in regional and national competitions. Each knows the value there is in instilling a love of sports, both for its athletes and the institutions.     The UP High School Iloilo volleyball team, with their coach Prof. Imelda Catequista. (Photo from Imelda Catequista)     Smells like team spirit  The UPIS, the laboratory school of the UP College of Education, has five official varsity teams—basketball, volleyball for boys and girls, swimming, track and field, and table tennis—as well as a Junior Pep Squad. These teams, dubbed the Junior Maroons, compete in the juniors division of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and often bring home the gold, especially in swimming. Other as yet unofficial sports teams include taekwondo, fencing, and a swimming team at the elementary school level, whose members compete in the Palarong Pambansa. UPIS varsity alumni, such as swimmer Priscilla Aquino, Diego Dario and the Gomez-De Liano brothers Javi and Juan of the UP Maroons, basketball players Paolo Mendoza, Samuel Marata, Marvin Cruz, and Joel Tolentino, to name just a few, have gone on to compete in wider fields such as the UAAP, the PBA, and national and international competitions.  The UPRHS has six varsity teams—swimming, football, basketball, volleyball, chess and badminton—plus the table tennis team and the UPRHS Filipina Dance Troupe. According to Prof. Perla Bejerano of the UPRHS, all the varsity teams of UPRHS compete in sports competitions, from the district meet to the unit meet to the provincial meet under the Department of Education. The teams also compete against other high schools within Los Baños in friendly games and sports competitions organized by the UPLB and the local government of Los Baños. In fact, for SY 2017-2018, two players from the UPRHS football varsity team, Grade 11 student Angelo del Rosario and Grade 10 student Aaron Ramos, advanced to the One Laguna meet, which comes after the provincial meet.  The UPHSI fields several sports teams to compete in city and integrated meets, in the Western Visayas Regional Schools Athletic Association (WVRAA) meet, and the Palarong Pambansa: chess, basketball, arnis, badminton, lawn tennis, table tennis, taekwondo poomsae, dance sport, volleyball for both boys and girls, soccer for boys and softball for girls. In 2017, two Grade 10 students, Heather Angelique Parangan and Marc Leo Layson, won the championship during the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet in the Junior Category of the Latin American Dance Sport Competition under the guidance of their coaches, Prof. Imelda Catequista and Prof. Jessie Labiste, Jr. UPHSI Dance Sport athletes competed again and won in the 2018 Palarong Pambansa DanceSport Competition in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, representing Region 6—Heather Parangan and Carlos Gabriel Sola in Grades C and D Modern Standard, and John Louie Animas and Jasmine Venice Parangan in the Grade E Latin Dance category.     The life of a UP athlete  As diverse as these young athletes may be, they do have one thing in common with all UP athletes past and present—the pressure to excel in both sports and academics.  “All varsity players have to undergo a skills test and should not have failing marks to be able to join the varsity team,” said Prof. Bejerano. “When competing, whether locally or internationally, they should be able to make up for all missed requirements, tests etc., no exemptions.”  This is not just because of the rule in athletics associations that athletes must maintain a minimum grade-point average to be allowed to play. The schools themselves hold their athletes to this standard. “For the teachers, if you fail, you fail. They won’t go easy on you just because you play on a varsity team. Here, the athletes have to work hard on their academics,” said Dr. Lorina Calingasan, principal of the UPIS.  To which Prof. Paul Mabaquiao, head of the UPIS Department of Health and Physical Education, adds: “We make it a point to tell them at the orientation that if they enter this program, this is how their life will be from now on: After sports, they hit the books next.”  For these athletes, shrewd time management is a must. “They have no choice but to balance their studies and still have the time for training,” said Prof. Catequista. “But although it is hard sometimes, you can see in them how passionate they are during their training, and I think it is their outlet for all their academic pressures.”  Also common for all three schools is the crucial support of the athletes’ parents and the PTA. For the UPRHS and the UPHSI, the budget of the varsity teams for competitions and the honoraria for the coaches come solely from the PTA. For the UPIS, having the support of UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, who has provided budgets for uniforms for competitions, as well as the College of Human Kinetics which allows the high school teams to train in its facilities, significantly help. However, a great chunk of financial support for the teams still comes from the PTA. Moreover, the parents of athletes often show support in other ways by providing the meals, transportation and equipment needs of the athletes.     UPHSI’s winning dancers, representing Region 6 at Dance Sports (Modern Standard and Latin Dance) during the Paralong Pambansa 2018. (Photo from Imelda Catequista)     Winning at sports, winning at life  In sports, as in any worthwhile human endeavor, any sacrifice ultimately benefits everyone, especially the athletes. “It’s good for the children’s personal development,” said Prof. Mabaquiao. “It builds character, teaches discipline, and at the same time you’re molding the children and teaching them about life and how to manage it.” He also cites the sense of fulfillment the children get every time they accomplish something—a routine mastered, a move perfected, a competition won.  On a more pragmatic note, Dr. Calingasan also points out that joining the UP high school varsity team can also be a ticket to gaining admission to UP or any big university. “It’s always advantageous to students, because you can enter college through the Varsity Athletic Admission System (VAAS). It’s another entry point to UP besides the UPCAT; it gives you another option.”  “Working with these young athletes is kind of an Ilonggo version of sinigang,” Prof. Catequista reflected. “You need to have the proper Ilonggo local ingredients to taste its distinct sour Ilonggo kind of sinigang. At first there was a lot of discouragement involved in putting up a sports team for the UPHSI because of the nature of their curriculum, and how exhausting and demanding it is for the students. But when we started it, the support of the parents was overwhelming and the output of our participation is beyond expectation. Our athletes fought well and DanceSport is the proof of it.”     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lights! Camera! Tumble! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lights-camera-tumble/",
        "html": "Lights! Camera! Tumble! Lights! Camera! Tumble! July 11, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario   The UP Pep at the 2010 UAAP Cheerdance Competition: With the fiesta-themed routine, their costumes were adorned by banderitas. (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     Everybody loves Pep Squad ng Bayan. Year after year, the performance of the University of the Philippines Varsity Pep Squad (UP Pep Squad) easily becomes the highlight of the Cheerdance Competition (CDC) by the eight-school University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), whether it’s because of the team’s consistent podium finish for twenty straight years, or its standout theme and unique costumes.  According to UP Pep Squad Head Coach and Assistant Professor Lalaine Pereña of the UP College of Human Kinetics, she usually comes up with the Squad theme after brainstorming with the coaching staff and creative head Juan Carlos Soriano. The initial idea comes from Pereña and is developed by the creative head who then presents the same to the rest of the coaching staff. The inspiration for it varies, sometimes “with just the snap of a finger” and sometimes months after the most recent competition.  The 2015 routine of “Utak Puso” holds a special place in Pereña’s heart. “The whole concept was put together using all our hearts and minds. It was dedicated to all UP athletes who train with all their might for UP Nating Mahal,” the head coach recalled.  The UP Pep Squad was founded in 1994. It was preceded by an all-male UP Cheering Squad and the UP Rah-Rah Girls. Here is a quick stroll down memory lane with the most recent performances of the UP Pep Squad.     The UP Cheering Squad. (Photo from Education Through the Physical: The UP SPEAR Story by Celia Bocobo Olivar)     The UP Rah Rah Girls. (Photo from Education Through the Physical: The UP SPEAR Story by Celia Bocobo Olivar)     In 2007, UP dethroned the reigning champion, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, with a “rock” theme that then team captain Andrea Gonzales described as unique and gloomy, but in a fun, exciting way as accentuated by the team’s matching maroon and black leather outfits. The next year, the Squad donned tribal costumes for the tribo theme, while 2009’s theme featured the life of an Iskolar ng Bayan with familiar images such as bluebooks and the Ikot jeep.  2010 saw the UP Pep Squad as cheerdance champions again, with its fiesta-inspired theme complete with sunflowers, banderitas, and upbeat Filipino music such as “Kapayapaan” by Tropical Depression.     (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     The UP Pep channeling the ageless influence of Madonna in the 2011 UAAP Cheerdance Competition. (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     With another head-turning routine featuring bleached hair and the music of Madonna, UP Pep were back-to-back champions in the 2011 CDC. This was effortlessly turned into a three-peat the following year, with shaved heads and an ode to freedom—a value cherished by the entire UP community.  The defending champions settled for runner-up in the 2013 edition of the competition with disco balls in hand and a party theme. The same podium finish was awarded to UP Pep in 2014 when they made a statement on equality with the #PantayPantay routine and reversed roles by having female members lift the male ones while wearing rainbows on their chests.  The two most recent outings for the UP Pep are 2015’s “Utak Puso” routine which was an ode to UP athletes and 2017’s #KwentongIsko “Maroon Ako Isko” routine as UP’s comeback performance after skipping the CDC in 2016.     It’s the girls lifting the boys in 2014. (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     The 2017 maroon-gold-purple #KwentongIsko costume (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     The closing heart-shaped pyramid while “UP Naming Mahal” blasts in the background. (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     (Photo by Miguel Mondragon)     The UP Pep Squad has consistently broken barriers and set the standards for creativity in the CDC. The UP community is definitely looking forward to the Pep Squad ng Bayan as it proudly represents the maroon and green on the UAAP stage again.  [The author would like to thank Prof. Lalaine Pereña, Miguel Mondragon, and Rod Ralph Zantua for their assistance in this piece.]     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD Waits to Hit the Next Target – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-waits-to-hit-the-next-target/",
        "html": "UPD Waits to Hit the Next Target UPD Waits to Hit the Next Target July 11, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP’s relationship with archery is a story of hits and misses. And while that relationship ended for UP Diliman (UPD) eight years ago, no one has so far said it can’t be rekindled.  The first mention of archery as a physical education (PE) course and sport can be found in the University’s General Catalogue 1929-1930, under the PE Department in the Manila campus. It was one of ten PE courses female juniors and seniors could take if they didn’t have deficiencies in prior PE courses.  Back then, PE classes weren’t coed. Males and females had separate PE requirements and choices. But all UP students had to take four PE courses, with the first two being required. Participation in competitive sports including archery by upperclassmen as members of the intercollegiate, intramural, and/or varsity teams could also be “substituted for course work, provided that attendance [was] at least three times a week.”     Archery in PE  Soon after, archery disappeared from the General Catalogue. It was no longer listed in the 1932-1933 edition, although it could have been removed earlier.  Fast forward to 1967 when it made a comeback, albeit with limited accessibility. Archery and golf were the individual sports in an elective course in the training program leading to a certificate in PE. It was administered by the Institute of PE, which had just been established in the PE Department. It was to serve as a research and training center to upgrade the skills of teachers and coaches in the public and private schools.  In 1976, the department was elevated by the Board of Regents to a degree-granting unit and was renamed the Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (SPEAR). Archery made its way back to the UP general education curriculum, just like in 1929. And this time, you didn’t have to be a female junior or senior to take it.  More than three decades later, in the second semester of Academic Year 2009-2010, UPD offered the PE class in archery for the last time.     An undated photo of an archery class in UP. (Photo from Education Through the Physical: The UP SPEAR Story by Celia Bocobo Olivar)     “It had to be shelved because we couldn’t sustain it. Archery equipment is expensive and the maintenance of the Archery Range was also quite challenging,” explains College of Human Kinetics (CHK) Dean Ronualdo Dizer.  The range was, at one point, even chosen by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to be the competition venue for the Southeast Asian Games. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out and the 1991 games were never held in Diliman. But the PSC and UPD came to an agreement that same year allowing the Philippine team to use the range for training.  The last record of this agreement appears in the July-September 2004 issue of the UP Gazette. The BOR confirmed the extension of the contract on the National Archery Team’s use of the range until March 30, 2005. By 2011, the national team was reportedly training somewhere else. “It’s like we took back ‘ownership’ of the Archery Range,” said Dizer.     Archery as a varsity sport  From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, archery was a UPD varsity sport. That period covers the time SPEAR came to be until the UP Gym’s transfer to its present location from the Law Complex.  The CHK Varsity Office no longer has records on archery. Its history as a varsity sport in UPD can only be gleaned from a few publications, some records in the University Archives, and the recollections of UP personnel.  “I’m not sure what happened to our records when we transferred offices in 1984,” Josie Querimit says. She’s been with the Varsity Office since 1978. “We don’t have any documents on varsity archery here now.”  In Education through the Physical: The UP SPEAR Story, former Dean Celia Bocobo Olivar lists post-war “Sweater” awardees, where archers were recognized from 1977 to 1980. One of them was Jocelyn Guerrero, who competed in the 1977 SEA Games, archery’s first outing in the said event. She was celebrated as the country’s top female archer at the time, winning four gold medals and two bronzes. She finished the SEA Games as number one in the women’s division. The other Sweater awardees for archery were her siblings, Marinella, Margarita, and Arturo, along with Fermin Barrenechea.     UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Dean Ronualdo Dizer. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In December 1982, then UP President Edgardo Angara wrote a letter to UP archery coach and father to the Guerrero archers, Arte Guerrero, congratulating him and the UPD men’s and women’s teams for their victory in the recently concluded national championships.  Earlier that year, Angara had even written to then Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, informing him that in the last five years, UP “won three [University Athletic Association of the Philippines] general championships, including national and intercollegiate titles.” In his list of exemplary performances, only archery, baseball, and track and field won titles every year in that five-year period.  Querimit says it wasn’t long before the UPD archery varsity team ceased to exist. “Right around the time we transferred to this gym or maybe a little time before that, we didn’t have a coach anymore. The former varsity archers just focused on being members of the national team.”     Up in the air  Dizer can’t say for sure if archery is in UPD’s future, but he’s not discounting the possibility of a return—whether as a PE course, a varsity sport, or both. “If CHK had the funds to buy new equipment and the resources to sustain training, teaching, and groundskeeping, then maybe we can have archery again. It’s a sport that Filipinos can really excel in and could possibly bring us the Olympic gold.” He adds that there were proposals to include archery in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.  Right now, the Archery Range serves as a venue for outdoor PE classes. There are some people, he says, who have asked to use it for personal archery training and basic introductory lessons for children, and that they would shoulder the expense of having the grounds cleared using tractors and heavy equipment.  “I told them that if we allowed them to do that, it would only be temporary because that area is part of the Sports Complex that UP is developing according to the CHK Land Use Plan. They could only use the range on weekends or on weekdays when there are no PE classes. Our classes are still the priority.”  He also reveals that a former UP student has proposed to put up a 3,000-seater multipurpose airconditioned arena in the area, which he says it can easily accommodate. It could potentially be a fitting addition to the UPD Sports Complex, where developments are currently underway for a football field, track oval, grandstand, and swimming pool—all intended to be at par with international standards. It doesn’t mean though that the archery range will no longer exist. It is included in CHK’s plans for the Complex, but will probably be relocated.  Dizer is confident that the University leadership will make decisions with the best interest of CHK in mind. CHK, and largely, UPD, seem poised and ready to take aim and hit the next bullseye, whenever that target may be placed and whatever it may be.     The 9th ADMU-DLSU-UP Tri Meet in September 2017. (Photo from the UP Archery Club)     ARCHERY TRIVIA FROM ACROSS THE UP SYSYTEM  • UP Diliman alumna Ma. Amaya Amparo Paz-Cojuangco is a member of the national team. Her breakout year was 2005 when, at 19 years old, she won all the individual events in the women’s compound bow category in the 1st Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand and got two more gold medals in the team events. In addition to her four golds, she broke three national records in double 70 (675 points), 12 arrows (116 points), and 36 arrows (337 points). Just weeks after turning 20, she won the women’s compound events in the Southeast Asian Games. By the end of 2005, “Bulls Aya” ranked 39th in the world. As of this writing, her last gold medal was in the mixed team compound category of the Asia Cup earlier this year.  • UP Los Baños (UPLB) formed its varsity archery team in 2013 and it last competed in the ADMU-DLSU-UP Tri Meet in September 2017. The team is led by Coach April Iris Ladia, a UPLB alumna and former varsity athlete, who, prior to transferring to UPLB, was a varsity athlete of UP Baguio (UPB). UPLB stopped offering archery as a PE course around 5 years ago and has been unable to bring it back because of the lack of instructors.  • Archery is listed in “Elective Physical Education Activities for Beginners” in the 2013 UP Visayas Catalogue of Academic Programs. Unfortunately, the PE department says there were no takers.  • While UP Mindanao doesn’t offer archery, it did have a special PE session on Matigsalog Indigenous Peoples Games in 2014, which included a local form of archery. Bows and arrows made of bamboo were used to hit targets made of rolled rattan representing wild animals.  • Like UPLB, UPB stopped offering archery in PE because of manpower challenges. There’s currently no faculty member to teach the course and UPB resorted to hiring a lecturer in the past to sustain the class. Academic Year 2013-2014 was the last time archery was available. The UPB Archery Team still exists though it currently doesn’t have a coach. Their last competition as a team was the 2015-2016 Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League (BBEAL). Two of its members also competed in the 2017 State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association National Games. The team brought home the gold during the 1995 Palarong Pambansa and won the BBEAL championships in 1996-1997, 1997-1998, and 1998-1999 seasons.  • There is a UP Archery Club. Founded in 2006 and registered in UPLB ten years later, the Club describes its members as “archers from different campuses bound by one university.” The Club, joined by the UPLB Archery Team, competed in the ADMU-DLSU-UP Tri Meet in September 2017.  • UP Manila, UP Open University, and UP Cebu don’t have PE courses nor varsity teams in archery.     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "President Concepcion inducted as Musketeer, Regent Laurel as squadron leader – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/president-concepcion-inducted-as-musketeer-regent-laurel-as-squadron-leader/",
        "html": "President Concepcion inducted as Musketeer, Regent Laurel as squadron leader President Concepcion inducted as Musketeer, Regent Laurel as squadron leader May 7, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Danilo Concepcion receives an accolade from Musketeer Captain Aymeri de Montesquiou d’Artagnan as Philippine Squadron Leader Francis Laurel and other inductees look on. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “Excellence is your nature, honors in all your studies and distinctions for many achievements,” the Captain of Compagnie des Mousquetaires d’Armagnac addressed UP President Danilo Concepcion as he was inducted to the international association of Musketeers in a historic ceremony on May 3, 2019 in the grand ballroom of Grand Hyatt Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.  Concepcion thus became one of the first thirteen members of the newly established Philippine squadron of the Company of Armagnac Musketeers, along with UP alumni including Leo Ballesfin, Andrew Nocon, Aniceto Saludo, Egmidio Jose, and JJ Samuel Soriano.     Philippine Squadron Leader Francis Laurel puts a sash with the Musketeers cross on inductee Danilo Concepcion, as Musketeer Captain Aymeri de Montesquiou d’Artagnan prepares to give an accolade to the UP president. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     They are led by UP Regent Francis Laurel, the squadron’s founding leader. “From a family of great servants of the state”, Laurel was inducted as captain lieutenant of the new Manila squadron, “ambassador of the Musketeers’ values, and of French-Philippine friendship”.     Francois Riviera hands over an inductee’s certificate to Francis Laurel as Aymeri de Montesquiou d’Artagnan invests him with a squadron leader’s cape. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Founded in 1951, the Company now gathers more than 4,000 people of different nationalities to share the same values, “panache, courage, camaraderie, and duty of service”, as those of the Gascon Musketeer, Charles de Batz de Castelmore, otherwise known as d’Artagnan.  As stated in the Company brief, although they no longer fight with swords, “[the Musketeers] contribute through their personal success to the evolution of society.”     The Musketeers raise a glass of Armagnac for the inductees and the new Philippine Squadron. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The Philippine squadron is the newest of 18 squadrons and three detachments of the Company. The Company is based in Gascony, France, known for its eau-de-vie, Armagnac, which, according to “The Musketeer’s Oath”, is the “source of all masculine virtues and all feminine enthusiasms”.     The Compagnie des Mousquitaires d’Armagnac in its Philippine squadron’s launching event. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The launch of the Philippine squadron and the induction of the 13 new members were led by Musketeer Captain, Aymeri de Montesquiou d’Artagnan, and Captain Lieutenant-Secretary General-Keeper of the Seals, Francois Riviere.     Francois Riviere and Aymeri de Montesquiou d’Artagnan prepare to lead Company lieutenants and captain lieutenants carrying the Company’s emblems on a march to the ballroom. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “As the leader of this new group, I am proud to bring together mousquetaires who will uphold the traditional values of honor and chivalry,” Laurel said in his speech. “We dedicate ourselves to make a difference in our society. . . . All we need are a few good men,” he added.     Philippine Squadron Leader, Musketeer Captain Lieutenant Francis Laurel affirms a resolve to make a difference in society in his speech for the launch of the new squadron. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “All for one, one for all,” Laurel, echoing the Musketeer’s Oath, concluded.     Extravaganza signals the start of dinner celebrating the launch of Compagnie des Mousquitaires d’Armagnac in Manila and induction of new Musketeers. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Public Consultation Process on the Search for the New UP Diliman Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-consultation-process-on-the-search-for-the-new-up-diliman-chancellor/",
        "html": "Public Consultation Process on the Search for the New UP Diliman Chancellor Public Consultation Process on the Search for the New UP Diliman Chancellor January 9, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Search Committee for Chancellor of UP Diliman invites all constituents and stakeholders to attend the public forum on January 16 (Wednesday) at the Cine Adarna, UP Film Institute from 8:30AM to 12:30PM. The public forum will feature the presentation of the candidates for the next UP Diliman Chancellor as well as a report on the state of UP Diliman by Chancellor Michael Tan.  All sectors in UP Diliman are encouraged to maximize their participation in the series of activities following the public forum:  Sign up here: forms.gle/cCmcNAnbGVbrmbVt5.   The report of the Search Committee will be submitted to the UP Board of Regents on January 27 (Monday).  You may access the memorandum from the Search Committee HERE. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Uplifting Lives through Interior Design – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplifting-lives-through-interior-design-2/",
        "html": "Uplifting Lives through Interior Design Uplifting Lives through Interior Design May 3, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Which school should lead in integrat­ing public service in its undergraduate courses but the public service university itself, UP? UP’s Interior Design pro­gram is a trailblazer. Since more than 15 years ago, it has left the studio for its application course in order to embrace public service, an initiative that has given its students an edge over others.  The decision to take this untrodden path followed an era of soul-searching in the University, where a study in the early 1990s revealed that students ranked social orientation and moral uprightness far down in the order of importance of the qualities their colleges were developing in them. Reaching out to the community became a buzz-word, with UP Vice President for Public Affairs Ledivina Cariño promoting service learning as “learning to serve, and serving to learn.”     Photo from the ID 179 Class 2018.     A basic need  The College of Home Economics led by Dean Cecilia Florencio was one of the first to respond by serving the poor of nearby Libis. The Interior Design program saw an opportunity to turn the impression of Interior Design as elitist on its head. From the beginning, it was the wrong impression, Interior Design professor Adelaida Mayo says. She places Interior Design as a basic need.  “There’s food, clothing, and shelter. Architecture deals with shelter, but where is its soul? It’s in the space people use. It’s inside. The shelter will just be the shell of it,” Mayo says.  She raises the question of livability: the lack of finances precludes enjoying the benefits of proper interior design. “In low-cost housing, for example, there is really no Inte­rior Design team to do it. And that has led to problems and accidents.”  The advocacy for democratizing Interior Design must start with students. They must have the opportunity to directly touch people’s lives through the discipline they have been studying in the past three years, and to understand the enormous public service potential of their field.  Going into direct public service was a practical alterna­tive for an application course, which aims to “apply the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired and devel­oped during the first three years of extensive training in interior design through a special project of their choice.”  Beyond the studio  For a long time, students of Interior Design were apply­ing their skills only in the studio. This is understandable as designing actual interiors and implementing them requires a license, which students could not possibly have before graduation. They were compelled to simulate interior space, staging mock-ups of walls and ceilings and floors, furnishing, decorating and then exhibiting them inside halls, which was an expensive affair. But the resources went to waste in the inevitable dismantling for the egress. The students had no idea how their designs would have held up in actual use.  Mayo and Raquel Florendo, who were handling the two classes of ID 179 Special Projects Class, broached the idea of merging their classes to serve financially challenged institutions whose spaces were in dire need of rehabilita­tion. The students would be under the close supervision of the professors, whose licenses would take care of the legal requirements for the projects.  The students discussed the proposal among themselves and accepted the new challenge of the class. Grouped into teams, they helped look for project sites. They con­sulted with, and proposed designs for screening by, their professors. They coordinated among themselves to unify their concepts. Making cost estimates, they then set out to raise funds and get sponsorships.     Photo from the ID 179 Class 2018     In academic year 2001-2002, ID 179 Special Projects rolled out in eight cottages of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Reception and Study Center for Children; the clinic and therapy rooms of the Golden Acres Home for the Aged; and a model unit for Gawad Kalinga. At the end of the first semester, what had been dark, dreary, and beat-up spaces had turned into bright and proper spaces to welcome back children recovering from trauma, the aged regaining strength and positive outlooks, and the poorest of the poor reclaiming their dignity.  The bar was set for future batches. Since then, students have worked on important sections of public hospitals and clinics; schools and dormitories; halfway houses and shelters for women, children, the recovering sick and the disabled; dance studios for the talented poor; libraries; and Gawad Kalinga housing.  “Caring for the sick child not only needs competent healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Julius Lecciones, direc­tor of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, “but also an appropriate healing environment in the hospital… With the use of smart colors, lighting and design, the students were able to transform clinically drab and im­personal outpatient consultation rooms into a welcoming haven that exudes warmth, brilliance and comfort.”  Bringing joy to families  “I can’t thank the students and the teachers enough for their sacrifices, work, physical struggles, and good heart,” says Donald Geocaniga, a Gawad Kalinga director. “They brought joy to seven families whose houses they fixed. They raised the level of their living. They showed the way in caring for the poor, as they volunteered their services to us.”  Aside from the gratitude of partner institutions, the stu­dents had more benefits going their way. As expected, the students got to learn the practical side of their discipline and expanded their competencies into community work. Limited resources stretched their creativity. Also, they got the rare portfolio edge of having implemented designs on special sites, and getting critiques from the end-users.  “What they did gave us a place that is very comfortable for the body and beautiful for the eyes. Before, cleaning seemed to make little difference in our unit. It’s much better now,” says one Gawad Kalinga beneficiary.  “At night, we finally have the sleep we could only crave in the past. And when we wake up, wow! Our home now energizes us. I am now more active in serving the Lord, bonding with neighbors and other people,” says another.     Before (top) and after (bottom) photos of rehabilitated toilet at Bahay Biyaya, a residence hall which serves student PWDs. Photo from the ID 179 Class 2018.     Balancing aesthetics, function, and safety  By working on actual spaces with their beneficiaries, all the more do the students realize the importance of consultations, understanding the idiosyncrasies and needs of different people, and temperance and balanc­ing aesthetics, function, and safety.  Students also get to feel they are very much needed in the world. By making a difference in people’s lives, they contribute to an awareness of Interior Design as essen­tial to the quality of life.  But public service requires commitment, which may be hard to afford at times. Sometimes, the logistics are too much to grapple with, and piecemeal efforts could prove wasteful. Sometimes, the students feel they have too much on their hands. In such cases, the students could opt to go back to mounting studio exhibits, which, though not less expensive or less expressive of their tal­ent, is less complicated and formidable.  In the end, serving a needy institution is a decision by students deliberating among themselves. The students’ public service, when they choose to do it, thus stands as an act of voluntarism. And for some, this is the kind of public service that gives UP students a real defining edge. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman hailed as national debate champions, bags top individual awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-hailed-as-national-debate-champions-bags-top-individual-awards/",
        "html": "UP Diliman hailed as national debate champions, bags top individual awards UP Diliman hailed as national debate champions, bags top individual awards January 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Jazmin Jabines (3rd to the left) and Clarice Tee (center) of UP Diliman receive their national championship trophy from the Adjudication Core, composed of (from left to right) Lee Gogo, Albert Pagunsan, Nicole Tomas, Patrich Lozano, and Christian Manzano. Photo courtesy of Cebu NDC 2019 Organizing Committee.     The University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS) brought the trophy back home to Diliman after winning the National Debate Championship (NDC) held from December 14 to 19, 2019 at the University of San Jose – Recoletos in Cebu.  UPD A, composed of Jazmin Jabines (V – BS Business Administration) and Clarice Tee (IV – BS Business Economics), were crowned champions as they bested UPD D, made up of Jet Nicolas (V – BS Business Administration) and Alia Yao (II – BS Economics), and 2 other teams from the Ateneo de Manila University and UP Los Baños in the Open Grand Finals, on a unanimous decision by the nine-person judge panel.  Jabines swept the top individual awards after being awarded the Overall Best Speaker and Finals Best Speaker awards; while Tee received the 4th Best Speaker award. Moreover, Justin Guda (III – BS Biology) was also recognized as the Overall Best Judge of the tournament.  As in recent years, UPDS had another stellar overall contingent performance in the nationals as it sent two teams in the finals, its second feat in three years, and had eight of its teams break into the top 32 of the country, the highest number of teams from any institution for the second successive year.     UP Diliman had the largest and most successful contingent of the tournament as eight teams, the highest number from any institution for the second successive year, and 11 judges, who dominated the Top 10, participated in the break rounds. Photo courtesy of Cebu NDC 2019 Organizing Committee.     Neal Gellaco (III – BS Psychology) and Miguel Sulit (II – BS Business Administration & Accountancy) of UPD H; Ferdin Sanchez (V – BA Journalism) and Nicky Solis (III – BS Economics) of UPD B; and, CJ Carlos (I – BS Civil Engineering) and Josh Encinas (V – BS Business Administration) of UPD E all reached the Open Quarterfinals.  Three other teams broke into but did not compete in the break rounds due to the five-team institutional break cap in NDC: Bea Legaspi (I – BS Economics) and Najwa Uñga (II – BA Political Science) of UPD J; Pep Danguilan (II – BS Chemical Engineering) and Miguel Yulo (II – BS Physics) of UPD C; and, Gillian Sandigan (II – BA Sociology) and Gabriel Sulit (III – BS Business Administration) of UPD G.  Meanwhile, after sweeping the top judge awards of the British Parliamentary season, the organization once again showed exemplary performance as 11 of its adjudicators judged the out-rounds, with five ranking in the Top 10.  Aside from Guda who topped the judge tabs, Jesus Reyna III (lV – BS Civil Engineering) ranked 3rd; Micol Cansino (BS Business Administration 2019), 5th; Daine Torregosa (III – Malikhaing Pagsulat), 6th; and, Tim Gamez (II – BA Sociology), 7th.  Six other judges were included among the breaking adjudicators (Top 30): Jonathan Tuliao (III – BS Electronics and Communications Engineering) judged the Open Quarterfinals; Jae Mantuano (I – BS Business Economics), Marco Dava (III – BS Industrial Engineering), and Paco Berba (I – BS Interior Design) judged the Open Octofinals; and, Denzel Golla (IV – BA Sociology) and Czarina Endaya (II – BA English Studies) judged the Union Cup Finals. Endaya was also recognized as a member of the Shadow Adjudication Core.  Nicole Tomas (BA Political Science 2019) was also an elected member of this year’s NDC Adjudication Core. Tee will represent UP Diliman in next year’s edition. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Palaro with a Twist at UPLB – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/palaro-with-a-twist-at-uplb/",
        "html": "Palaro with a Twist at UPLB Palaro with a Twist at UPLB July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UPLB staff and students look forward to the yearly Palarong UPLB, not only because it provides relief from the humdrum of life in academe, but also because a new flavor is added to it each year, courtesy of the sponsoring college.  In one year, a Defense of the Ancient (DOTA) game, a computer-assisted online game, was added to the regular lineup of games to entice players who are online gamers. This was when the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology was its host. In another year, the College of Arts and Sciences featured their own version of the Amazing Race, requiring participants to run a course, jump from the swimming pool high board, and take a jeepney route.  When it was the turn of the College of Agriculture and Food Science to host the Palaro, the College introduced an “agri-game” in which players were required to lift sacks, go through an obstacle course, perform farming activities, and pass the mini-rodeo challenge, while the College of Development Communication introduced parlor games similar to that in a game show.  In this year’s Palaro last March, the College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) customized its own Amazing Race course with a challenge of cooking an egg by fire from wood or sticks without using matches.     Constituents of UPLB demonstrate their athletic prowess in events like the 100-meter dash during the annual sports festival called “Palarong UPLB.” Palaro aims to promote camaraderie and unity among the faculty, staff, and students through friendly sports competition. The 2018 edition, “Kalakasan, Kalikasan, Kalusugan,” was hosted by the College of Forestry and Natural Resources. (Text by Jessa Jael S. Arana; photo by Christopher V. Labe)     But this is just part of the fun because there are a lot more games that are featured each year, such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, team-building events such as plank walk, tug of war, sack race, as well as board games like chess and scrabble. There is also a cheer-dance competition and a Ms. Palaro competition.  Palarong UPLB has been around for more than ten years now. It started with the students’ being integrated into the teams where their college belongs, but now, the students compete in their own category with their co-students from other colleges.  Palarong UPLB builds camaraderie and friendship, as well as helps the staff and students cope with stress, while encouraging a holistic lifestyle of winning and losing in which no one is loses.  Teams are assigned per college, but some smaller colleges are merged with the others. The administrative and executive offices also compose another team. UPLB Varsity team members, with their strong sports background, are allowed to participate for as long as they play for their respective colleges. (Kristine E. Araguas, UP Los Baños) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sports in UP Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sports-in-up-mindanao/",
        "html": "Sports in UP Mindanao Sports in UP Mindanao July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Jezreel M. Abarca Instructor, Department of Human Kinetics UP Mindanao     Volleyball is my favorite sport. It is the reason I became a varsity player in school. I also play basketball, softball, and football.  I also like dance, specifically social dance, because it enhances flexibility and skills. Participation is by twos, such as in cha-cha or tango, and this creates a connection between the partners and it is fun. Also there is appreciation of history in dance.  It would be good if we promoted individual and dual sports such as chess, swimming, badminton, and table tennis. It’s good that we now have swimming. It would be better if we have martial arts so we add variety to the choices available for students. I have encountered students involved in martial arts and teaching it would be an appropriate springboard for those students.  Regarding the UAAP and winning it, we need to focus on scouting. We need more developed scouting procedures. The UP System should scout the different constituent universities.  In our NSTP field classes, we scout for athletes because this is the grassroots, and participants come from junior high and elementary schools. They are given an orientation and background on what UP can offer.  Aside from scouting in different CUs, we should scout outside UP because other universities get the best athletes because of the benefits they offer.  Even within UPMin we need to scout for athletes. In UP we’re really lucky if we get good players such as Juan Antonio Mendoza (BS Agribusiness Economics), our champion swimmer. We’re lucky because it’s an individual sport, which has its advantages.  Winning in team sports presents more difficulties. We may have Ms. Consuegra and Ms. Escamilla, two Palaro-level players, but we need four more players to complete a winning team. So we need more scouting, more orientation outside about UP, and we need to provide information about our existing and active varsity programs for them to aspire for.  We are happy because we had the summer invitational women’s volleyball games last month (April), in which six teams of which five were junior high school students, participated. We declared that our objective is to promote UP and that you are very welcome to take UPCAT and be part of our teams in the near future. We also had an invitational table tennis tournament in May. We need a committee for scouting so we can search for and discover good players.  Two years ago we had a summer clinic in Assumption College in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley Province where we taught table tennis, football, and volleyball.  Our students are also good in cheer-dance and we are proud of the initiative of the Department of Human Kinetics in having a gymnastic workshop to prepare them for the annual cheer-dance competition. Many of our students have potential in cheer-dance and their efforts are very commendable.     Magno “Magz” Batomalaque Staff, Department of Human Kinetics Student, Diploma in Exercise and Sports Science UP Mindanao     I am not a master of a single sport. I play basketball, volleyball, and table tennis. I like them all.  In our Diploma in Exercise and Sports Science program, my favorite course is anatomy and physiology, the muscle, the bones, the inner and outer parts and divisions of the body, the musculo-skeletal system.  We assembled a real skeleton we borrowed from the biology department—the carpals, the skull, all the parts. We prayed before handling the bones. It’s interactive. I was assigned to assemble the upper arm and identify if it was the left or right and the sex of the subject; to discover the form of the skull and many more. In other courses, we learned the principles of coaching, how athletes are trained before and after games.  In Tagum City we observed the Azkals football team. Before the game, when the stadium was still empty, a cheering crowd set up drums and painted their faces, led by a choreographer. The cheering squad was very enthusiastic before and after the games; everyone was very energetic in cheering.  Other topics in our program nclude sports management, sports testing, and observing the conduct of games or events.  We should promote indigenous games and Filipino games, such as sia-tong and others. Indigenous games are from our forebears, their practices that have become games today. Bows and arrows and spears have become games but in history these were for hunting snakes and animals. This has value because it preserves our culture and it’s also enjoyable.     Armando R. Salazar Assistant Professor, Department of Human Kinetics UP Mindanao     My favorite sport is badminton. Since the elementary grades I’ve played badminton with my friends. In college I had a good teacher, so I enjoyed badminton because the sport can be fast, slow, or low-arcing, and there are strategies involved.  I advocate sports for environmental protection, such as the extreme sport akin to Frisbee, or skin-diving, also known as snorkeling. It is not a sport but a leisure activity. It is safer, accessible to everyone, and you can do coastal clean-up or coral maintenance, or fish identification. We practice “look but no touch,” except for garbage in the waters. Scuba, on the other hand, is sports diving.  We should promote sports for the environment in our programs, such as camping, although it’s more focused on survival training. These can promote the protection and sustainability of the environment.  Now that we have a sports complex being built, we should have more programs for human kinetics such as an undergraduate program in sports. In scouting and recruitment, other schools have certain advantages in that they have primary and secondary schools from which they hone their students until college. Some promising athletes choose a college that is an underdog school, where they can make a difference in pulling up that school.  In our region, there are many individuals who are teaching or coaching sports by experience, but they have no foundation, something which they need.  We need an undergraduate program because those who will teach sports programs need a proper foundation if we want to improve the performance of our athletes. We cannot beat the offers by other schools. We need an alternative system to overcome these disadvantages. Athletes go to Manila because regional athletes do not have the same level of opportunity in terms of challenges and competition and in benefits. We need more regular tournaments, preferably those that are broadcast on television or can be seen widely, so there will be motivation for local athletes to stay in the region.  The grassroots sports program during childhood is important in providing children exposure to different sports. It is going on in our football or in our NSTP program where we have chess clinics and tournaments in schools. With regular scouting programs within our student population we are limited to identifying latent potential among the existing student population. If we have a Varsity Admission System we can get athletes who are already good in their sport or in dance.  We’d like to have an undergraduate degree in sports so varsity recruits can have an advantage in that upon graduation they will have a future in their career beyond being a player, such as being a coach, teacher, or administrator. In addition, we will be able to add to the public service of the university, to contribute to social equity by distributing equal opportunity to the different disciplines at par with arts and sciences.     Erwin E. Protacio Chair, Department of Human Kinetics UP Mindanao     I am the president of the Davao-South Regional Football Association (DRFA), one of the 33 Regional Football Associations in the country.  Regional Football Association presidents are members of the Philippine Football Federation Congress. I was elected to the Board of Governors (equivalent to Executive Council/Committee) from 2015 to 2019. I chair the Organizing Committee for PFF Competitions and I’m a member of the Referees Committee and Futsal Committee.  The BOG is the policy making body of the PFF. It sets the directions and thrusts in developing, promoting and controlling the sport. These include determining what age group tournaments the country will field, including the men’s and women’s national teams; hosting of tournaments (like the SEA Games & Suzuki Cup) and courses; and the implementation of the Players ID system, among others.  I am on the Board of Directors of the Liga Futbol Inc., the organizer Philippines Football League—the professional football league in the Philippines. The participating teams are Davao Aguilas FC, Global-Cebu FC, Kaya FC- Iloilo; JPV Marika FC, Ceres–Negros FC, and Laguna–Stallions FC.  Our thrusts for Davao City include:  1. Strengthening the grassroots program (ages 6 – 14 years old) in competitions (for elite & non-elite players). Implementation of 9-a-side format for 12 years old and above, which is usually in 7-a-side; establishment of a Football Academy for elite players; and, extending and hosting the age-group competitions in the Sports Complex; 2. Coaching development (holding the Philippine Youth Coaching License—the initial entry to formal coaching education and the AFC “C” License Course—which is for grassroots coaches); UP Mindanao is scheduled to host the AFC “C” License Course on July 19-30, 2018; 3. Upgrading the status of referees by hosting Level II and refresher courses; and 4. Hosting games in the Philippines Football League or the men’s national team; the 2019 Festival of Football; bidding for the National Youth Futsal Invitational; and futsal tournaments for college and high school teams.     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP offers alumni G Suite access with a uniquely UP touch – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-offers-alumni-g-suite-access-with-a-uniquely-up-touch/",
        "html": "UP offers alumni G Suite access with a uniquely UP touch UP offers alumni G Suite access with a uniquely UP touch April 13, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines invites its alumni to register for their UP alumni email account and access a whole range of Google services for free and with a uniquely UP touch.  The UP alumni email account is a Google Suite for Education account that allows UP graduates to use other Google services, such as Gmail, Google+, Google Drive, and Google Groups through their UP Alumni email account. UP alumni will also receive regular updates on University, including opportunities for donation and volunteerism, personalized alumni emails, updates on the latest University events, and special announcements. Updating personal information in the UP Alumni Database has never been more accessible through the @alum.up.edu.ph account.  UP alumni can register for their own UP Alumni email account at alum.up.edu.ph or scan the QR code on the poster.  For questions and inquiries, please email helpdesk@up.edu.ph or call (02) 8376-3100. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Arki celebrates 63rd year, inaugurates infrastructure – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/arki-celebrates-63rd-year-inaugurates-infrastructure/",
        "html": "Arki celebrates 63rd year, inaugurates infrastructure Arki celebrates 63rd year, inaugurates infrastructure May 23, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The College of Architecture Building 3 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Keep thinking out of the box.” This was the message of UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan to the students and faculty of the College of Architecture on May 7, during the opening ceremony of Haraya 2019, the College’s five-day commemoration of its 63rd founding anniversary.  Haraya used to be an annual event but beginning this year, has become biennial. According to Dean Armin Sarthou, this allows for better preparation and consequently, a bigger celebration.     UP College of Architecture Dean Armin Sarthou (left) envisions Haraya to someday be like the Venice Biennale, where students and faculty of architecture, and architects can showcase their designs. In the right photo, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan wonders why he was not invited to Haraya last year as he has always attended the event, only to find out Haraya has become a biennial celebration. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Haraya 2019 had a grand kick-off with the inauguration of two new structures in the College of Architecture complex: the seven-level Building 3 and the Benito Sy Pow Auditorium.     The ceremonial opening of Building 3: from left, Prof. Kelvin de Chavez, Prof. Dolores Madrid, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, College of Architecture Dean Armin Sarthou, former College of Architecture Dean Mary Ann Espina, and Prof. Richelle Baria (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Currently, only the first four floors of Building 3 are being utilized as the top three levels are still undergoing completion. The College expects full use of the structure next year.  Meanwhile, the Benito Sy Pow Auditorium, donated by New Golden City Builders through its president, Manny Sy, still has a few more finishing touches to go. It was named in honor of the donor’s father.     The ceremonial opening of the Benito Sy Pow Auditorium: UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Administration Virginia Yap (leftmost), UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and College of Architecture Dean Armin Sarthou untie one of the ribbons at the entrance; while Prof. Christopher Stonewall Espina, former UP President Alfredo Pascual, New Golden City Builders President Manny Sy, and former College of Architecture Dean Mary Ann Espina untie the other. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Benito Sy Pow Auditorium (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Other activities in Haraya 2019 included an exhibit, the awarding of the best thesis, student recognition program, night of music, career talks, workshops, film showings, research colloquia, lectures, and a culminating event on the evening of May 11.     The Haraya 2019 exhibit (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The College of Architecture recognizes 1956 as its foundation year, when the Architecture program was first offered in the University during the first semester of Academic Year 1956-1957. The program was still under the College of Engineering then. In the timeline of the College’s history, it notes that the first day of classes was on June 1, 1956, with 36 initial enrollees and its lone faculty member, Prof. Aurelio Juguilon. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Professor Emeritus and former UP System Information Office director, Dr. Teresita Maceda, 70 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-professor-emeritus-and-former-up-system-information-office-director-dr-teresita-maceda-70/",
        "html": "UP Professor Emeritus and former UP System Information Office director, Dr. Teresita Maceda, 70 UP Professor Emeritus and former UP System Information Office director, Dr. Teresita Maceda, 70 December 13, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Photo from Dr. Tet Maceda, first used in the January-March 2019 issue of the UP Forum.     University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus and pioneering scholar of Filipino and Philippine Studies, Dr. Teresita Gimenez Maceda, known as “Tet” among her friends, passed away on December 11, 2019. She was 70.     Dr. Maceda was a professor of Philippine Literature and Philippine Studies at the UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters since 1983, and was named Professor Emeritus in June 2019. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Maryknoll College in 1969, a Master of Arts in English and Philippine Literature from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a PhD in Philippine Studies from UP in 1990. Her book based on her doctoral dissertation, Mga Tinig Mula sa Ibaba: Kasaysayan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas at Partido Sosialista ng Pilipinas sa Awit, 1930-1955, was later published in 1996 by the UP Press and the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies. In her 1997 column, “BookTalk”, journalist Doreen G. Fernandez described Dr. Maceda’s book as follows: “All those who know Tet Maceda know that she sings, she teaches, she does research and analysis. Combining all these interests, she researched the songs of the Community Party (PKP), the Socialist Party (PSP), and the Hukbalahap (HMB).”     Maceda went on to publish numerous books and journal articles on Philippine popular culture and popular protest music, including the book Bride of War, My Mother’s World War II Memories. She also served as the adviser of the street theater group, UP Peryante.     Maceda leaves behind a legacy in UP publications. In 1989, she became the first director of the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (UP SWF), and founded Daluyan, the UP SWF’s refereed journal. In 1999, during the time of UP President Francisco Nemenzo, Maceda became the assistant vice president for Public Affairs and the director of the UP System Information Office (now the UP Media and Public Relations Office). She and President Nemenzo conceptualized the UP Forum, the official UP System-wide publication that aimed to be “a channel to communicate administration programs and policies” and a “venue for a vibrant and free exchange of ideas of members of the UP community across UP constituents”.     In the Roundtable Discussion of the January-March 2019 issue of the UP Forum which celebrated the publication’s 20th anniversary, we asked Dr. Maceda what she thought was the legacy of the UP Forum. Read her response here.     Dr. Maceda’s wake will be held at Room 1131, Pavilion 1, Palma Hall, Quirino Street, UP Campus, near the Landbank ATM. The schedule is as follows: Dec. 13, Friday at 3:00 p.m. to Dec. 14, 2:00 a.m.; Dec. 14, Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to Dec. 15, Sunday, 2:00 a.m.; Dec. 15, Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Chancellor-candidates present their visions of UP Diliman to the UPD Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chancellor-candidates-present-their-visions-of-up-diliman-to-the-upd-community/",
        "html": "Chancellor-candidates present their visions of UP Diliman to the UPD Community Chancellor-candidates present their visions of UP Diliman to the UPD Community January 22, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The two chancellor-candidates, UPD Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo (left) and UP College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand Manegdeg (right), together with outgoing UPD Chancellor Michael Tan (center), sing the UP Naming Mahal at the conclusion of the public forum where they presented their respective visions and plans to the UP Diliman Community. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The two candidates for the chancellorship of UP Diliman, UP Math Professor and the current UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development, Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, and the current UP College of Engineering (UPCoE) dean, Prof. Ferdinand G. Manegdeg, officially presented their respective visions and plans for UP Diliman before members of the UP Diliman Community at a public forum held on January 16, 2020 at Cine Adarna, UP Film Institute. The two officials are seeking to succeed Dr. Michael L. Tan as chancellor of the University’s flagship campus.     To decide which of them would be the first to present his vision and plans for UP Diliman, the two chancellor-candidates engaged in a game of rock-paper-scissors to the sound of a gamelan in the background. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     A globally competitive UP Diliman genuinely serving the people  The first to present his vision and plans for a UP Diliman that is “Globally Competitive and Genuinely Serving the Filipino People” was UPCoE Dean Manegdeg. He stressed the importance of “strong and experienced academic leadership” in UP, saying that UP Diliman “has to find its way back on track and its leadership needs to improve the development and promotion of programs”. He cited the need for a revamped UP Diliman administration and units exercising full autonomy to raise the standard of learning to Education 4.0. “We are often, if not always, proud about excellence and expertise in our respective fields. However, it is lamentable and disappointing to realize that we are actually lagging behind other nations now in terms of quality of education,” he said.     UP College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand Manegdeg. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Often referring to developments at the UP College of Engineering as an example, Manegdeg said he would bring his vision of UP Diliman to fruition through the acquisition of high-speed computers to be used to access research laboratories outside the country and help digitalize course offerings of all units. He emphasized the need for a new administration that implements timely appointments for all employees, that will not limit the full potential of its different and unique units or curtail the progress of its colleges, and that “will never be a dictatorship as accused by some who are the actual dictators in the guise of being democratic”.  For Manegdeg, academic governance would be dedicated to the betterment of faculty, REPS, administrative staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders. Pro-faculty endeavors would include: strengthening faculty incentives such as professorial chair awards; institutionalizing resource generation by negotiating value-for-work commissioned research and projects; and, promoting output-based teaching, progressive research and creative work, and effective public service. REPS would be made part of the faculty as lecturers, enabling them to get additional benefits and incentives; and a REPS chair awards would likewise be created. Administrative staff would acquire security of tenure or permanent items, the practice of contractualization would be put to an end, and an administrative chair award would also be put in place. Student needs would be addressed with the addition of campus-wide student wellness rooms, 24/7 learning spaces, decent tambayans, on-site guidance counselors and diversified student activities. There will be a campaign for more undergraduate and especially graduate students at UP Diliman, which will entail the construction of more dormitories. Finally, alumni will be given opportunities to give back in the form of return service to the University.     Staff members of the different UP Diliman student publications and DZUP prepping before the event. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     His plans also include: a decent housing policy for faculty, REPS and administrative staff;  promoting consistency of curricula, including the migration of five-year courses to four; and, commissioned research on supply and demand of each degree offering to reflect the gaps where UP should focus on. To promote the arts, exhibits on an international level would be held twice a year to internationalize UP Diliman’s artists and their works; likewise, international conferences would be hosted by the other academic clusters twice a year, with funding made available for such projects. Each unit would also house a museum and information center; and, the campus would be sectorized according to clusters:the Arts Paradise, Technology Haven, Innovation Mecca, Technopreneurship Center and the like. Manegdeg also mentioned elevating the UP Archaeological Studies Program to the level of school—the UP School of Archaeology.  “Activism is alive and vigilance will continue to thrive in our University. UP Diliman shall be open to all ideologies without excluding another,” he stated. With regard to national security the UP Department of Military Science and Tactics will be transformed into the National Security Leadership Institute, as “it is about time to have a UP brand on the interest of National Security.” The UP Extension Program in Pampanga and Olongapo will likewise be readied for their elevation into a UP constituent university. UP Diliman will also form a quick response group to aid and assist communities affected by natural disasters.     UP College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand Manegdeg. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “It is imperative that the incoming UP Diliman chancellor should be firmly committed to help UP President Danilo Concepcion build an iconic University. Furthermore, this has to be complemented with efficient and sustainable administrative processes and effective curricular changes that are universally acceptable and primarily benefit our nation. Therefore,” he concluded, “there must be a rightful change in the UP Diliman leadership, not a continuation of the past six-year administration.”  Watch: Prof. Ferdinand G. Manegdeg at the forum for nominees for UP Diliman Chancellor     An inclusive, diverse and public service-oriented UP Diliman  Vice-Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo followed with his presentation, “Re-Imagining UP Diliman as an Academic Center of Excellence; Inclusive, Diverse and Public Service-Oriented”. Beginning with his personal history growing up in UP Diliman, he said of his activist roots: “Noon pa man, malinaw na sa akin na ang UP ay naninindigan at lumalaban. Ang UP ay nakikilahok, nakiiisa at lumalaban para sa bayan. Sabihin mang pula ang kulay ng protesta, hindi ko kinahihiya ang marka ng tradisyon ng pakikibaka na aking pinagmulatan at kinalakihan.”     UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     His vision is of a UP Diliman that would play a critical role in helping the country attain parity with developed countries, and for our society to navigate the rapid global and economic transformations brought on by advancements in digital technology. Thus, he envisioned UP Diliman as a modern research university with a public mission, building upon the gains of previous administrations and learning from the successes and shortcomings of the past, and harnessing UP Diliman’s unique diversity to create fertile ground for critical and innovative thinking. He will likewise promote UP Diliman as an inter-disciplinary hub working with various sectors and communities in society to draw up responses to policy questions and development challenges.  In terms of promoting academic excellence, Nemenzo plans to continue to cultivate the spirit of critical inquiry and challenge the community to seek new ways of solving problems, bringing together the best minds across disciplines to address these problems through research. He also plans to enhance the digital infrastructure, tools and applications that would facilitate world class research.  The General Education program would be strengthened, alongside the specializations. Support for the varsity teams and sports programs would continue, while music, theater, literature and art programs would be bolstered. Internationalization would be pursued, but grounded on the recognition of our duty to our own nation, which entails improving academic programs to enhance our capability to serve our country. If selected chancellor, he plans to propose a multi-disciplinary discussion on the metrics of academic performance.     The audience consisting of members of the various sectors of the UP Diliman Community listens intently to the presentations of the two chancellor-candidates. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Nemenzo stated in his vision that “academic excellence can only thrive under conditions of openness and respect for diversity.” Hence, he is committed to defend UP as a safe space where free thought and free speech are practiced responsibly, and where collegiality and respect prevail.  In terms of democratic governance, according to Nemenzo, a chancellor’s role is not only to support the University’s free-thinking scholars and artists, but to imbue them with a sense of purpose and inspire them toward higher goals. To do this, transparency and accountability in decisions and actions would be promoted by enhancing public information systems, and instituting functional grievance and feedback mechanisms. “As chancellor, I will strengthen efforts to uphold democratic rights by conducting regular consultations on academic personnel and community concerns, with a view to empowering our students, faculty, REPS and staff” he added.  In terms of promoting the well-being and dignity of the academic community through the creation of a nurturing and enabling environment, Nemenzo plans: to expand the services of the Diliman Learning Resource Center and further support initiatives such as the Kapihan sa Diliman, a 24/7 study space for students; to provide more adequate housing, healthcare and other services by continuing to upgrade the UP health services and its primary care program; to advance gender equality by strengthening support for forefront offices such as the Diliman Gender Office, the Office of Anti-Sexual  Harassment, and the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies; and, to  promote mental health awareness and well-being by pushing for the institutionalization of the PsycServ program. As for UP Diliman’s communities of informal settlers, Nemenzo plans to work with the city government and other relevant agencies to provide satisfactory relocation sites.     UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In terms of administrative and operational efficiency, Nemenzo plans to create a comprehensive data management system to help the UP administration make timely and effective policy decisions. To ensure safety and disaster preparedness on campus, the UP Diliman Police and Special Services Brigade would be provided more support and training. He would also work with the UP Resilience Institute and the Quezon City Government to improve UP Diliman’s capacity for disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response. Nemenzo also declared his commitment to the protection and revitalization of UP Diliman’s natural environment.  Watch: Prof. Fidel R. Nemenzo presenting his vision at the forum for the next UPD Chancellor     UP Diliman interviews with constituents  UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan delivers a condensed version of his administration’s achievements report. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Prior to the presentation of the two chancellor-candidates, outgoing Chancellor Michael Tan presented a brief report on the achievements of his administration in the past six years, which concluded with a standing ovation from the audience.  A lively open forum followed the two presentations, with the chancellor-candidates answering questions from members of the UP faculty, students, REPS and administrative staff in the audience. Questions included: how each chancellor-candidate would mobilize the entire UP Diliman community to take a stand on burning issues of the day; how they perceive the role of a chancellor and what their style of leadership is; how they would handle conflicts between individual faculty and their units and departments; how they would deal with issues students face in relation to advising, enrollment, org-recruitment, student publications and so on; what their commitment would be to implementing the CNA between the administration and the faculty and administrative staff union; and, red-tagging by the national government. However, both chancellor-candidates reiterated their commitment to defend UP from unauthorized entry of the Philippine National Police and elements of the military into the campus.     The members of the Search Committee for the UP Diliman Chancellor, from left to right: UP President’s representative and Secretary to the University and the BOR Atty. Roberto M.J. Lara; student representative and Chairperson of the UPD College of Arts and Letters Student Council Mr. Joshua Caesar Chan; chairman of the Search Committee for UPD Chancellor and senior faculty representative from the UP College of Music, University Professor Emeritus and National Artist Dr. Ramon P. Santos [standing]; administrative staff representative Josephine P. Esteban of the UPD Office of Student Housing; senior faculty representative and Marine Science Institute professor Dr. Laura T. David; junior faculty representative Ms. Anna Melinda Testa-de Ocampo of the College of Arts and Letters; and REPS representative and head librarian of the UPD NCPAG Library Jocelyn P. Basa. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The public forum, which was organized by the multisectoral UP Diliman Chancellor Search Committee headed by Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist for Music, was followed by a series of interviews between the two chancellor-candidates and UP Diliman constituents, students, REPS, administrative staff, faculty and all sectors, spread out until January 22. The Search Committee is scheduled to consolidate all materials from the interviews, and to submit its report by January 27.     A group photo of the Search Committee for the UP Diliman Chancellor, the two chancellor-candidates and Chancellor Tan onstage after the public forum. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.      Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/spaces-for-a-green-life-of-the-mind/",
        "html": "Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind Spaces for a Green Life of the Mind November 9, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Picnicking under mango trees near the Carillon Plaza in UP Diliman. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Surveying scientific literature, a 2017 article in the British Journal of Psychology spoke of the positive relationship between “greenspace” and mental health and well-being.  “Individuals have less mental distress, less anxiety and depression, greater well-being and healthier cortisol profiles when living in urban areas with more greenspace compared with less greenspace,” said the paper by two authors from the University of Essex.  “If you’re going to be looking at UP, it is an ideal place already, as far as I’m concerned,” Armin Sarthou, UP College of Architecture dean and former UP Vice President for Development, says, talking about institutions with physical features supportive of the occupants’ mental health and well-being.  “The past presidents have seen to that. It was the vision of previous administrations that made sure we have a green environment,” Sarthou points out. UP campuses were granted large tracts of land, which make them ideal greenspaces, he adds. Foremost among these are UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, and UP Mindanao.  “There’s an architectural effect [in open spaces] that gives a feeling of expressiveness, freedom, etc., as opposed to cramped spaces,” Sarthou says.     A student in UP Baguio finds quiet on a pine tree-shaded spot beside Abueva’s open-armed Inang Laya; and a jogger, a visiting mother, and a taho vendor go about their respective businesses undisturbed under the canopy of raintrees at UP Diliman’s Academic Oval. (Photos by Misael Bacani and Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     “You have breathing space,” he continues. “That’s very, very important to the general well-being of the occupants. Without breathing space, you feel hemmed in, and that probably contributes to that state of affairs [where psychosocial problems are on the rise].”  Greenspace also affords people “green exercise” or the use of natural environment for physical activity, which is also “psychologically restorative,” the paper in the British journal also says.  “You have the venue for physical exertion or exercise. So on the practical side, UP will give you that opportunity, to walk and to run, and so on,” adds Prof. Dolores Madrid of the same college as Sarthou.     The UP Los Baños central turfs, aptly named Freedom Park; a biker whizzing by the greenery of a major UP Diliman avenue, and students walking to and from PE classes at the UP Diliman Gymnasium. (Photos by Misael Bacani (first) and Jo. Lontoc (second and third), UP MPRO)     Indeed, for many, UP is space in which to frolic, jog, fly a Frisbee, walk the morning, afternoon, or night, and where one can run around on the grass.  And to meditate, says Sarthou, like in the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman. Or take a nap under a tree.  UP is thus the classic greenspace, associated with mental health and well-being of urbanites.     The UP Diliman Sunken Garden spreading out for a game of frisbee; and the UP Diliman Amphitheater embracing the public on a leisurely day on the grass. (Photos by Misael Bacani and Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     More than just greenspace  Causality between greenspace and mental health and well-being has not been established in scientific literature, warns the BJP paper. But there are theories.  For Dr. Portia Grace Fernandez-Marcelo of the UP College of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, the color green is integral to the concept of home. It is a familiar color. “It is what should be and is seen typically.” Being naturally occurring in plants and trees, the color soothes humankind. “We are used to it,” Marcelo says. “Scientifically, it has a broad band in the visible light spectrum, thus we see this all the time, and familiarity gives comfort.”  Braving two to four hours of traffic every day, Fernandez-Marcelo returns from work in congested Manila to the greenery of UP Diliman, and immediately feels refreshed. She echoes the feeling of other UP Manila colleagues who have chosen UP Diliman as their residence.     Humankind is drawn to the familiar color of green. (Photo taken at the open field near the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman, by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The concept of home is also affirmed by the architects Sarthou and Madrid as essential in making spaces nurture mental health and well-being. This is especially true for students who are dragged away from home to be able to study in college.  “It’s not merely how a space is used but it is also the meaning of the space to a person,” Madrid emphasizes. Sarthou says that this is exactly the point behind the current UP Diliman administration’s thrust for pride of place. “The Chancellor wants to give UP students, faculty, staff, and anybody who has to do with UP a sense of belongingness and a sense of ownership: It’s home for you.”     A brown shrike stations on a golden shower tree behind the School of Urban and Regional Planning, UP Diliman. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     What exactly is home in psycho-physiological terms? “Home, tahanan, with its root word tahan: [when you feel] comfort, safe, secure. It means stress neurotransmitters are not in excess; the mind and body are in a quiescent and relaxed state; stress hormones and neurotransmitters are held at bay,” Marcelo explains.  That is why UP’s greenspace would not provide its supposed emotional benefits if it fails to be part of “home”—that is, if it is uncontrolled, says Sarthou, or does not feel safe and secure.  “Walking from Ylanan to your office at NISMED, there are trees, shade, and breeze, and [across the Lagoon], no vehicles to watch out for. There’s comfort and safety,” Dolores says. “But you have to remember that it was also on that route, in the 1980s, where somebody was raped and killed.”     Feeling at home is provided not just by rustic scenes such is laid out outside the window of the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, but by a sense of control and security. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     By the same token, UP Manila and the other smaller campuses, despite the lack of open spaces, still feel like home precisely because of the proximity of the occupants to each other and the security afforded by the smaller, fenced-in areas.  Yet many of UP constituents in the city centers yearn for open spaces and end up, like Dr. Fernandez-Marcelo and her family, braving the traffic and the long commute, taking refuge, making a home amongst the green open spaces of the more rustic campuses.  UP campuses with more than adequate hectarage continue to provide such a refuge, keeping greenery that is welcoming and not alienating, being natural and almost raw, manicured just enough to maintain visibility in the undergrowth while not telling people to keep off the grass, Sarthou and Madrid maintain.     Grass growing freely behind the Institute of Math building, National Science Complex, UP Diliman. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     And neither have the smaller campuses—already using their smallness to their advantage in keeping the community close and familiar—given up on greenspace. Based on recent reports, UP Manila is building vertically to afford itself more open spaces with greenery; UP Baguio maintains its pine trees, fills available space with expressionistic art, and maximizes the rolling terrain to keep people walking and climbing; and UP Cebu is still home to several towering age-old trees and open greens despite its new and rising structures.  With the lush harbinger of mental health and well-being, many people in UP are glad the green is still there, when many in the world are losing it.        Old photos of UP Baguio, UP Cebu, and UP Diliman, the last curiously captioned “After a difficult exam,” showing greenery integral to a healthy life on campus. (From UP MPRO file photos)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Creating Channels of Compassion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/creating-channels-of-compassion/",
        "html": "Creating Channels of Compassion Creating Channels of Compassion November 9, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    With the passage of the Philippine Mental Health Law or Republic Act 11036, the focus on mental health and related services has intensified. Signed last June 21, 2018, the law aims to integrate mental health care in the country’s existing systems. With institutional pathways already set within the University on matters concerning mental health, what are its biggest stakeholders initiating at their end?  Coping through an organization  For COPE UP’s founder Dhan De Leon, it all started when he battled depression four years ago and he had to take a leave of absence from school. When he came back, he took a counseling elective from the College of Education and met Professor Lorelei Vinluan.  “She was very vocal about helping students and counseling them,” recalls Dhan. Armed with a robust support system of family and friends, De Leon pledged to do something to help address the rising incidents of mental health issues in the University. What was initially envisioned as a support group system evolved into COPE UP, a university-wide organization “raising mental health awareness and providing a sound environment for individuals experiencing mental health disorders, problems, and other mental health-related challenges inside and outside the University,” according to its Facebook page.     Taken during one of COPE UP’s mental health modules last October 2017. (Photo from Dhan de Leon)     Currently, the organization has about 80 active members from an initial 23 spread across different colleges such as Business Administration (CBA), Science, Engineering, and Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) whose members are Psychology majors.  In its founding year, COPE UP was able to conduct five mental health modules with topics including stress management and child psychology.  The organization also held workshops for its members through partnerships with Neuro-Linguistic Programming Manila and the University Student Council, where COPE UP assisted in the drafting of a mental health awareness module for Diliman organizations, sororities, and fraternities. In the near future, the organization plans to strengthen its internal dynamics by tapping professionals to facilitate trainings on peer counseling.     Leadership through service  As the local representative bodies of each of the 19 colleges in UP Diliman, the college student councils are tasked to develop campaigns, events, and services with the welfare of their own constituents in mind.  In the School of Economics (SE), the student council provided simple services such as free bubble wrap and stress balls, free food, and a day when they could pet dogs on campus. A campaign was also launched called “Diwa,” which allowed students to undergo free consultation sessions with psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors.  “Diwa” was particularly challenging, according to SE Student Council Chair Josh Quimbo, because they had to ensure that the students’ identities would not be exposed.     It’s the little things that go a long way, according to SESC Chair Quimbo. (Photo from UP SESC)     Former Engineering Student Council (ESC) Public Relations Councilor Jason Fernandez talked about #SpeakOut, a mental health awareness campaign that kicked off with the ESC joining the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, and continued with a signboard campaign to push for a mental health law and a department caravan to hold mental health seminars in the college. The ESC also released a video series with #SpeakOut ambassadors expressing their sentiments about various mental health issues.  In the case of Malcolm Hall, the Law Student Government (LSG) formed its own Mental Health Committee and celebrated “Kalinaw,” a series of events dedicated to increasing awareness and breaking the stigma attached to mental health disorders. Headlining the week was the forum called “Bar Blues: A Talk on Spotting Depression and Anxiety, and Living With Them” and “Are You Having A Ruff Time?”, which brought therapy dogs from CARA Welfare Society to the halls of Malcolm. A primer and blog were also launched, along with a freedom wall during the week, and free film viewings for one day.     Dogs visited and gave law students a much-needed break during UP LSG’s “Are You Having A Ruff Time?” (Photo courtesy of UP LSG)     LSG President Chris Alquizalas says that the LSG was glad to have found a number of willing volunteers to help make the events a success. In the end, the goal is clear: to have an environment that is open and receptive to mental health issues, and to work together with the proper institutions in finding real and concrete solutions to address these issues.     Alternate venues to find purpose  All undergraduate students are required to take courses under the National Service Training Program (NSTP), which usually spans two semesters with a common module designed by the Diliman NSTP Office, which tackles leadership, citizenship, and volunteerism, and a second module particular to the college or unit administering the program.  There are currently three components under the NSTP: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (military training), Civic Welfare Training Service (community work), and Literacy Training Service (teaching). The common module serves as preparation for students before immersing in their target partner communities or institutions.  Programs under the NSTP vary across colleges, offering a wide array of volunteerism options for students. In the CSSP, for example, both the Departments of Linguistics and Philosophy offer teaching opportunities such as philosophy for children. Meanwhile in the CBA and the School of Statistics, an integrated NSTP offering may be taken up in one semester. The Diliman NSTP Office does not demand that programs offered by the units be anchored on their respective disciplines.     NSTP students help repack donated goods for Marawi City. (Photo from the UPD USC)     “Sometimes the ideas emanate from the students, and sometimes they come from the program coordinators,” states NSTP Office Director Arlyn Macapinlac. The School of Statistics lets students conduct meaningful surveys and studies, the College of Engineering carries out disaster risk reduction and management training, while the College of Fine Arts makes murals and coloring books for children under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  To promote the NSTP, the NSTP Office visits other state universities and colleges such as Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. It also has a radio show on DZUP for its stakeholders in the UP community.  One interesting program, according to Director Macapinlac, is a partnership with the UP Main Library where the CSSP Library is also housed. In one meeting, the librarian mentioned that the library had a huge backlog in covering its books in plastic. This was how “Project AlaLib (Alalay sa Lib)” was born. All CSSP NSTP classes were requested to commit one Monday out of their regular schedule to help cover books. After one semester, the library ran out of plastic protective casings.     CSSP NSTP students help CSSP Library inside the Main Library to cover books and recover its backlog.       (Photos from Rhoell Rondilla)     “Serving and volunteering do not always have to be grand gestures. It was a delight to see them develop their own systems in a seemingly simple task such as covering books with plastic casings,” Macapinlac relates.  The University is known for its less-than-forgiving circumstances that are supposedly designed to build character, but as empathy slowly finds it way and flows across channels carved by both its institutions and its students, UP may also progress not just as a haven for bright minds but for compassionate hearts as well. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Maceda100: Jose Maceda Centennial International Symposium – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/maceda100-jose-maceda-centennial-international-symposium/",
        "html": "Maceda100: Jose Maceda Centennial International Symposium Maceda100: Jose Maceda Centennial International Symposium September 5, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The legacy of National Artist José Monserrat Maceda, composer, scholar, philosopher and humanist, covers a wide breadth of human endeavours, interests and aspirations, with special significance to the musical cultures of the Philippines and Southeast Asia vis a vis the Asian civilization at large, as well as the rest of the world.  To celebrate Jose Maceda’s 100th birth year, the U.P. Center for Ethnomusicology launched the Maceda100, a series of special events featuring an international symposium, musical performances of his compositions, exhibits, and research activities scattered throughout the year of 2017 with an official kick-off on January 31, 2017 (his 100th birthday).  The centerpiece of the Maceda100 year-long celebration will be held on September 25-26, 2017: The Maceda100: Jose Maceda Centennial International Symposium. It will be conducted in the form of speeches and round-table discussion and will be attended by speakers and participants who are experts in the field of musicology, ethnomusicology, music performance and composition, as well as contemporaries and guests from related fields.  Cassettes100 performance at the Vargas Museum last February 2 during the Maceda100 Kick-off (Photo from UP Center for Ethnomusicology)  EXCHANGES, the first of two concerts that coincide with the Symposium, will be held on September 25, 2017 (7:30 PM). It features 3 works by Dr. Jose Maceda, namely: 2 Pianos and 4 Percussion Groups, Exchanges, and Siasid. The concert is under the direction and baton of Prof. Chino Toledo and will be performed by Grupo 20/21.  On September 26, 2017, an exhibit curated by Ms. Dayang Yraola titled “Attitude of the Mind” will have its official opening at 4:30 PM in the Bulwagang Juan Luna, Main Gallery of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The artists featured in the exhibit are Ms. Ringo Bunoan, Mr. Tad Ermitaño, Mr. Leo Abaya, Prof. Chris Brown, Mr. Malek Lopez, Mr. Arvin Nogueras, Mr. Ricky Francisco, and Ms. Rayla Heide.  The second concert will be held on the same day at 6:00PM– the re-staging and homecoming of Casettes100 in the Main Theater Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Cassettes 100 was first performed in 1971 at the CCP lobby where one hundred ‘musicians’ weaved their way through an ‘audience’ strolling around, each carrying a cassette player playing one of the hundred pre-recorded tracks of various Philippine instruments. This restaging will make use of new media (MP3 players) in the performance and will be under the direction of Dr. Jonas Baes and will feature artworks by Ms. Lani Maestro and Mr. Jun Yee.  The symposium, performances, and exhibits intend to showcase artists and scholars who are students and alumni of the University of the Philippines and are open to experts and scholars in music composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, anthropology, and related fields; archivists and information specialists; and, teachers and undergraduate and graduate students of music. A minimal registration fee of P2,000.00 will be requested from interested participants (P1,500) for early bird and students) which will cover expenses for the symposium materials and food (AM snacks, Lunch, PM snacks and welcome dinner). Cassettes 100 and Attitude of the Mind are free admission.  Press Contact: Grace Ann Fernando and Rica Aquino  Contact Details: 9257139 / upethno@gmail.com    "
    },
    {
        "title": "PPO plays to a full UP Amphitheater – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ppo-plays-to-a-full-up-amphitheater/",
        "html": "PPO plays to a full UP Amphitheater PPO plays to a full UP Amphitheater March 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP Amphitheater rang with symphonic orchestral music from the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the applause of a rapt audience. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The live concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) in UP Diliman on March 23, 2018 saw one of few instances the spacious and iconic UP Amphitheater was filled with people for an evening of symphonic orchestral music under the moon and stars.  Under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Ranera, PPO’s associate conductor, and with UP hosting, the PPO played to a crowd not limited to the UP community of faculty, students, staff, alumni, and residents.     Maestro Herminigildo Ranera conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in UP Diliman. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  “Seeing people here is heartening,” UP Diliman Chancellor Tan said in his welcome remarks.. “The turnout tells us people will come. . . and we are hoping the PPO will go to all our CUs (UP constituent universities) and campuses,” he added.  “Your presence is most important,” Tan told PPO, the resident orchestra of the (Cultural Center of the Philippines) CCP and the country’s premier orchestra. “It is bringing music to the communities and not keeping it within the Cultural Center.”  The concert, brought to the public for free by UP and CCP, began with PPO’s versions of “Lupang Hinirang” just after sunset, and ended with “UP Naming Mahal” with Professor Ramon Acoymo, the program coordinator for UP, singing.     The UP community, with its signature raised fist, sings “UP Naming Mahal” accompanied by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  All numbers in the program were well applauded: from the popular classics “Overture to Gillaume Tell” and “Waves of the Danube Waltz” to selections from modern-day musicals, “Les Miserables” and “Phantom of the Opera”; with themes from “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” to medleys of Aegis, Itchyworms, and APO Hiking Society tunes; and, from Pop classic, “Three Coins in the Fountain”, to “Despacito” and “Baby Shark”.  The concert, titled “Simulain at Pangarap: A Musical Celebration”, commemorated 106 years of the first UP commencement exercises held on March 31, 1911 at Padre Faura, Manila.     Maestro Herminigildo Ranera conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in UP Diliman. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  National Artist for Music Ramon Santos and Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso; Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and Commission on Higher Education Officer in Charge J. Prospero de Vera III; Former UP Presidents Emmanuel Soriano and Francisco Nemenzo; Former UP Regents Nelia Gonzalez and Judy Taguiwalo; UP President Danilo Concepcion and Regents Angelo Jimenez, Frederick Mikhail Farolan and Patricia Arinto were among those in the audience. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PPO to stage a free live concert March 23 in UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ppo-to-stage-a-free-live-concert-march-23-in-up-diliman/",
        "html": "PPO to stage a free live concert March 23 in UP Diliman PPO to stage a free live concert March 23 in UP Diliman March 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The public will get to see a concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the country’s leading orchestra, live and for free, on March 23, 2018 at 6 PM in the iconic University of the Philippines Quezon Hall Amphitheater in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) are mounting “Simulain at Pangarap: A Musical Celebration” to commemorate 106 years of UP commencement exercises. UP’s first commencement ceremony was held on March 31, 1911.  The concert will be conducted by Maestro Herminigildo Ranera of the PPO.  It will feature Philippine, American, and European music arranged for full symphonic orchestra, from such classic greats as J. Strauss and G. Rossini to contemporary legends like John Williams and the Beatles. According to the program coordinator, former Dean Ramon Acoymo of the UP College of Music, music popularized by Western and Filipino icons—from Frank Sinatra to Tito, Vic, and Joey—will be juxtaposed with songs of love of country.  Five hundred seats will be set up on the amphitheater lawn, while the rest of the amphitheater will be made a promenade area. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to host PPO performance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-host-ppo-performance/",
        "html": "UP to host PPO performance UP to host PPO performance August 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Some members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra play excerpts from Vivaldi and Mozart compositions. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines will once again host a free public concert by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) on December 8, 2018.  In a press conference on the PPO’s 45th anniversary, Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso and Vice-President Artistic Director Chris Millado revealed the line-up for PPO’s 36th concert season and outreach performances, which include the concert in UP Diliman.     Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso, Vice President-Artistic Director Chris Millado (fifth and sixth on the table, from the left), and partners of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for its outreach performances, which include UP as represented by its Vice President for Public Affairs, Jose Dalisay Jr. (extreme left on the table), cheer the partnerships. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. (fourth from left) with Hungarian diplomats David Ambrus and Ambassador Jozsef Bencze; and Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso and Vice President-Artistic Director Chris Millado. PPO will be hosted by UP in December 2018 and will be led by renowned Hungarian pianist and conductor Tamas Vasary in a concert in February 2019. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     On December 8, 2018, the PPO will play for the second time on the Diliman campus and for the third time in the University in a year. Its “Simulain at Pangarap: A Musical Celebration” concert last March in the UP Amphitheater filled the venue, drawing an appreciative audience from within and outside the University. It also held concerts in the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital.  The PPO outreach concerts are free to the public.  PPO conductor Herminigildo Ranera, recalling a joint concert between the UP and the UST symphonic orchestras three years ago, expressed hopes of performing with the former once again. Ranera conducted the UST orchestra in the historic “No Match” back-to-back concert in February 2015.     Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso (seated second from right), Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) conductor Herminigildo Ranera (standing extreme left), members of the orchestra (in black), and partners of the PPO for its outreach performances, which include UP, as represented by Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. (standing fourth from left), at the press conference for the PPO’s 45th anniversary. (Photo by Bong Arboleda)     Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Herminigildo Ranera answer questions from the press. Ranera expresses hopes of the PPO collaborating with the UP Orchestra as they did three years ago. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP’s hosting of the PPO was formalized in a ceremonial contract signing, along with other partners of the PPO, at the press conference in Manila Hotel on August 1, 2018. UP was represented by Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr.  “CCP is bringing art to the people. We are the players, but the art belongs to you,” Lizaso told the public.  The PPO is the resident orchestra of the CCP and is regarded as one of the top musical ensembles in the Asia-Pacific region. It is able to bring live symphonic music to the masses for free with the help of hosts and sponsors. (Jo Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra bring Handel’s Messiah free to the public – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-philippine-philharmonic-orchestra-bring-handels-messiah-free-to-the-public/",
        "html": "UP, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra bring Handel’s Messiah free to the public UP, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra bring Handel’s Messiah free to the public November 14, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra bring Handel’s Messiah free to the public     The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and UP’s top soloists and choral groups will perform immortal orchestral selections, Christmas and inspirational music including Handel’s Messiah, one of the grandest and best-known choral and orchestral works of Western music, free for the public.  Tenor and project coordinator Prof. Ramon Acoymo of the UP College of Music made the announcement of the concert, “Pamaskong Handog ng UP”, which will be held on December 8, Saturday, 7 PM, at the Quezon Hall Amphitheater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  More than 130 voices comprising soloists and choruses of UP—under the musical direction of UP professor and Madrigal Singers choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio—will be accompanied by the PPO under the baton of Dr. Herminigildo Ranera.  “The PPO will play six orchestral pieces, collaborate with the singers in the performance of three Messiah choruses and then round up the evening with a Christmas sing-along of six carols,” Acoymo said, citing initial plans.  The choral groups include the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Singing Ambassadors, the UP Staff Chorale, and UP College of Music Chorus Classes.  UP’s yearly Christmas traditions include a Messiah staging, which culminates in a grand-scale performance of “Hallelujah” when everyone in the audience rises on their feet. This is the first time the tradition will involve the partnership between the country’s premier orchestra, the University of the Philippines, and UP Diliman. Thus, this year’s Messiah will not only help PPO reach out to more communities but will also expand this venue for public service of UP and its own musical groups.  Handel’s Messiah is an oratorio reflecting on the story of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. “Sublime music is wedded to sublime literature in the Messiah highlights as well as in the ‘Songs of Christmas’ celebration,” Acoymo said.  Free seats for the public will be provided on the open amphitheater grounds. “All singers and chorister audience members may want to join in the singing of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus as well, in what may yet be a jubilant and reverent classical ‘flash mob’ rendition of the immortal piece,” Acoymo added. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP presents grand concert for Christmas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-presents-grand-concert-for-christmas/",
        "html": "UP presents grand concert for Christmas UP presents grand concert for Christmas December 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Maestro Herminigildo Ranera conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra as UP choral groups await the choruses behind the risers. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and UP choral groups gave the public an evening of symphonic and choral music with solos from a premier tenor and mezzo soprano, presented in a free and live concert, on December 8, 2018, in the Quezon Hall Amphitheater in UP Diliman.  Performing with the historic Quezon Hall as backdrop and in a full open-air amphitheater, the ensemble delighted the crowd with a mix of carols, classical and modern selections, including symphonic arrangements for 2015 and 2016 popular hits and Beyonce music.  A set was devoted to international and local Christmas-themed songs, which the crowd was invited to join. The concert culminated in the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s “Messiah” and Nicanor Abelardo’s “UP Naming Mahal”.  Maestro Herminigildo Ranera conducted the ensemble composed of the PPO and 130 voices provided by the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Singing Ambassadors, the UP Staff Chorale, and UP chorus classes. Solos were performed by mezzo soprano Janet Sabas-Aracama and tenor Ramon Acoymo, who also provided the concert spiels.  The intermission was highlighted by a surprise parade of UP athletes, for whom tribute songs were sung by Acoymo and the crowd. The amphitheater became a sea of waving lights as the crowd lit up their mobile phone flashlights and cheered the athletes.  Titled “Pamaskong Handog ng UP”, the concert was offered free to the public through the cooperation of the UP System and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This was the third time in 2018 the PPO played in a free and live concert in UP. “Pamaskong Handog” was the first time, however, for the PPO to accompany UP groups.  The PPO played in the Philippine General Hospital and UP Diliman under its outreach program in which it gives free performances to the public with the help of hosting partners. Acoymo has served as coordinator in the past two UP concerts. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)        The community camps out early in the amphitheater while the concert ensemble does final checks on stage. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The Quezon Hall portico extending to the steps serves as the concert stage. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The PPO’s central strings and woodwinds section as seen from the Quezon Hall bridge. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP’s choral groups sing as one chorus. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Tenor Ramon Acoymo holds the concert and the audience together with his solos and spiels. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Mezzo soprano Janet Sabas-Aracama performs solos for excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah”. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Maestro Herminigildo Ranera conducts the PPO. (Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The intermission becomes a highlight with the parade of UP athletes and Prof. Ramon Acoymo singing songs in their honor. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The crowd responds to the tribute to the UP athletes with cheers and waving lights. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     UP athletes wave to the crows as they are given a standing ovation. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of Admissions releases schedule for UPCA 2022 results – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-admissions-releases-schedule-for-upca-2022-results/",
        "html": "Office of Admissions releases schedule for UPCA 2022 results Office of Admissions releases schedule for UPCA 2022 results May 30, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Admissions of the University of the Philippines has released a schedule for the viewing the results of the UP College Application (UPCA) 2022. Please be guided by the time slots and assigned corresponding surnames in the graphic below.        For questions and assistance, please contact the Office of Admissions by sending an email message to upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph. You may also contact them via their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "74 named UP Artist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/74-named-up-artist/",
        "html": "74 named UP Artist 74 named UP Artist December 12, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP Artists gather for a group photo at the entrance of the Asian Institute of Tourism after the awarding ceremony of the UP Arts Productivity System. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Seventy-four faculty members from across the UP System were conferred the rank and title of UP Artist in a ceremony held on November 29 at the Asian Institute of Tourism, UP Diliman (UPD). Awardees hold the title for three years, which comes with a yearly monetary incentive. The recognition, which may be renewed or elevated to a higher rank, is given based on the Arts Productivity System of the University.     UP President Danilo Concepcion emphasizes the importance of giving proper compensation to artists in his welcome remarks. He also announced that new buildings in the University are required to have artwork incorporated in their design. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     Of the 74, 70 are from UPD and one each from UP Los Baños (UPLB), UP Manila (UPM), UP Visayas (UPV), and UP Baguio (UPB).     The UP Artists I who were able to attend the ceremony pose for a photo. They are joined by VP for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, who is third from left in the back row. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Thirty-three were named UP Artist I and will receive P150,000 annually for three years. They are:  Junley L. Lazaga – UPB Honey Libertine Achanzar-Labor – UPM Martin G. Genodepa – UPV Amparo Adelina C. Umali III – UPD Robert Rownd – UPD Josefina C. Santos – UPD Daphne-Tatiana P. Tolentino-Canlas – UPD Ramon Maria G. Acoymo – UPD Ena Maria R. Aldecoa – UPD Alegria O. Ferrer – UPD David Dino S. Guadalupe – UPD Jocelyn Timbol-Guadalupe – UPD Antonio R. Maigue – UPD Jose Santos P. Ardivilla – UPD Romanlito S. Austria – UPD Nina Elisa B. Constantino – UPD Ruben Fortunato M. De Jesus – UPD Fortunato B. De La Peña Jr. – UPD Eyasmin A. Lantz – UPD Marco Ruben T. Malto II – UPD Jamel Joseph A. Obnamia – UPD Mitzi Marie Aguilar-Reyes – UPD Leonardo C. Rosete – UPD Marc J. San Valentin – UPD Arbeen R. Acuña – UPD Cecilia S. De La Paz – UPD U Z. Eliserio – UPD Eloisa May P. Hernandez – UPD Gabriela Alejandra D. Lee – UPD Maria Eileen L. Ramirez – UPD Meliton C. Roxas Jr. – UPD Sir Anril P. Tiatco – UPD Lily Rose R. Tope – UPD     In this photo, some of the faculty members who earned the rank of UP Artist II are with VPAA Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, who is third from left in the back row. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Thirty received the rank of UP Artist II and will receive P200,000 annually for three years. They are:  Layeta Bucoy – UPLB Matthew Constancio M. Santamaria – UPD Gerard Rey A. Lico – UPD Julius Anthony M. Del Castillo – UPD Benjamin I. Cabangis – UPD Rita B. Gudiño – UPD Mary Catherine P. Sta. Ana – UPD Patrick F. Campos – UPD Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena – UPD Elizabeth L. Enriquez – UPD Jane O. Vinculado – UPD Rodney D.S. Sambat – UPD Janet S. Aracama – UPD Jonas U. Baes – UPD Laverne C. De La Peña – UPD Marie Jocelyn U. Marfil – UPD Raul C. Navarro – UPD Arwin Q. Tan – UPD Luna Sicat-Cleto – UPD Josefina F. Estrella – UPD Eugene Y. Evasco – UPD Vladimeir B. Gonzales – UPD Tessa Maria T. Guanzon – UPD Ramon G. Guillermo – UPD Judy Celine A. Ick – UPD Isabela B. Mooney – UPD Will P. Ortiz – UPD Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete – UPD Rommel B. Rodriguez – UPD Dexter M. Santos – UPD     Eight of the 11 UP Artists III with VPAA Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, who stands second from left (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Eleven were awarded the title of UP Artist III and will receive P250,000 annually for three years. They are:  Leonilo O. Doloricon – UPD Reuel M. Aguila – UPD Glecy C. Atienza – UPD Patrick D. Flores – UPD Jose Neil C. Garcia – UPD Yason B. Banal – UPD Eulalio R. Guieb III – UPD Rolando B. Tolentino – UPD Edna Marcil M. Martinez – UPD Maria Christine M. Muyco – UPD Josefino J. Toledo – UPD     VPAA Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista officially closes the awarding ceremony. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Managing UP Diliman’s Buildings and Sites – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/managing-up-dilimans-buildings-and-sites/",
        "html": "Managing UP Diliman’s Buildings and Sites Managing UP Diliman’s Buildings and Sites October 18, 2017 | Written by Fred Dabu    As the flagship campus of the University of the Philippines System, the 493-hectare UP Diliman campus is home to renowned cultural sites such as the Oblation Plaza, the University Amphitheater, the Carillon Tower and Plaza, the Sunken Garden, the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, the Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, the UP Main Library, the University Theater Complex, and the Asian Center. The campus attracts thousands of visitors from Metro Manila, the provinces, and other countries daily. The UP Diliman administration manages 167 academic and administrative buildings, 11 dormitories, and 1,143 University-provided housing units, plus its open spaces, parks and protected forest areas.     Completion of the DMMME Building, Eng’g Complex College of Engineering Library Learning Commons College of Fine Arts New Building     These buildings and sites—and the health and safety concerns of the community—are all attended to by the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) headed by Prof. Nestor T. Castro. The OVCCA oversees the following offices to address the community’s ever-growing needs: the Office of the Campus Architect (OCA), the University Health Service (UHS), the Campus Maintenance Office (CMO), the Housing Office, the Chief Security Officer, the Office of Community Relations (OCR), and the Task Force on Solid Waste Management (TFSWM).     DOST-UP DMMME Gold Copper Processing Plant in Bicol Region UPCA Auditorium UP Tourism Heritage Complex     UP Diliman’s Office of the Campus Architect (OCA), with Arch. Enrico B. Tabafunda as its director, is in charge of infrastructure planning and delivery. To keep up with the demands of the times and to better serve the UP Diliman community, the OCA recently completed several infrastructure projects, and has several more projects currently ongoing.  Maintaining the campus grounds  The UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office (CMO), headed by Arch. James Christopher P. Buño, provides building and grounds maintenance services to colleges and units of the University. According to Dir. Buño, “building maintenance services include works in carpentry, painting, plumbing, electrical installations and welding that are necessary for the upkeep of UP Diliman’s buildings. Grounds maintenance services, on the other hand, involve the upkeep of its roads, drainage and sewage systems, sweeping of streets and other open spaces, cutting of grass, collection of litter, and care of trees and ornamental plants.” The CMO annually receives more than 6,000 work orders for maintenance services.     Computer Science Building Phase 1. UP EEEI Microsatellite Lab College of Home Economics Complex Phase 1 School of Statistics Phase 2     “Aside from these, the office also provides support services like hauling and assistance in venue setups during special events. It also has a Quick Response Team which handles maintenance operations during typhoons and emergencies and incidents that pose threats to the upkeep of the campus facilities and safety of the members of the UP Diliman community,” Buño adds.  The CMO could use more workers, utility trucks, and heavy equipment. The office has a workforce of around 160, but according to Buño, the office is “approximately 40 people short of its projected ideal manpower.” He explains that “continuous development in the campus is also expected to affect the operations of the CMO as more and more buildings being built increases the scope and demand for maintenance services.”        To address these challenges, Buño says the CMO teams up with faculty, students and administrators “in improving existing processes and creating new practices, through: active involvement in different committees and projects where the campus facilities and amenities are involved; coordination with Building Administrators who share in the responsibility of maintenance particularly within their respective units; and partnership with faculty and students in various research and academic projects relating to the maintenance of the campus and the office’s other operations.”  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Early release of rice allowance, AIG for UP faculty, REPS, admin staff announced – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/early-release-of-rice-allowance-aig-for-up-faculty-reps-admin-staff-announced/",
        "html": "Early release of rice allowance, AIG for UP faculty, REPS, admin staff announced Early release of rice allowance, AIG for UP faculty, REPS, admin staff announced March 24, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Additional financial support for members of the UP community during the enhanced community quarantine has been made available with the early release of the first tranche of rice allowance for fiscal year (FY) 2020, amounting to P2,350 for each faculty member, research, extension, and professional staff (REPS), and administrative staff, as ordered by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion in his March 23, 2020 message to the UP community.  This was announced in a memorandum dated March 19, 2020, issued by UP System Vice-President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque.  The first tranche of the Annual Incentive Grant (AIG) for FY 2020 for each UP faculty, administrative employee, and REPS has also been released early. This is according to a memorandum dated March 20, 2020, issued by UP Executive Vice-President Teodoro J. Herbosa.  For the AIG, regular and non-regular UP faculty, REPS and administrative staff in active service, who have or will have rendered at least four months of service to UP as of May 31, 2020, will be granted P6,850 each regardless of their salary grade and employment status. This includes temporary, contractual, casual or substitute faculty and staff.  Newly hired faculty, REPS and administrative staff, who have or will have served for at least one month but less than four months as of May 3, 2020, will receive a pro-rated share of the AIG.  Faculty, REPS and administrative staff who have rendered active service but were separated or expected to be separated from the University from January 1 to May 31, 2020, will also receive a pro-rated share of the AIG.  Part-time faculty, REPS and administrative staff in service from January 1 to May 31, 2020 will receive one-half of the benefits of full-time personnel, in proportion to their months of service.  The early releases of the first tranches of these financial incentives were done in accordance with Section 2 of Proclamation No. 922, which declared a state of public health emergency throughout the country due to COVID-19. Section 2 mandates all government agencies and LGUs to render full assistance and cooperation and mobilize the necessary resources to undertake critical, urgent and appropriate response and measures in a timely manner to curtail and eliminate the COVID-19 threat.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM Main Library and Learning Commons starts construction – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upm-main-library-and-learning-commons-starts-construction/",
        "html": "UPM Main Library and Learning Commons starts construction UPM Main Library and Learning Commons starts construction November 28, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Architectural perspective of the building’s ground lobby. Image from UPM-CPDMO     The construction of the 12-story UP Manila Main Library and Learning Commons officially started on November 26, 2019 with a ground-breaking ceremony led by UP System and UP Manila officials.  “We will change the image of the library. [It will be] not just a study place or rest place, but a place for collaborative work,” UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla said.     Architectural perspective of the UP Main Library and Learning Commons. Image from UPM-CPDMO     The 12-story building will centralize the campus libraries. It will feature longer hours of operation, an open ground floor, individualized thesis-dissertation  rooms, small-group study and collaborative areas, a coffee shop, and free drinking water.  “It is the symbol of our commitment to higher learning,” Padilla added.     Architectural perspective of an individualized thesis room. Image from UPM-CPDMO     Architectural perspective of a reading room. Image from UPM-CPDMO     “Natutuwa ako sa pamunuan at samahan ninyo dito sa UP Manila. Mabilis ang galaw ng mga bagay-bagay dito. Dapat ninyo itong gamitin upang gumanda pa ang ating kampus [UP Manila’s leadership and interrelations hearten me. Things move fast in here. You should use this advantage to improve the campus],” UP President Danilo Concepcion said, assuring the constituent university of the UP System Administration’s priority of improving the physical plant of the campuses.     Architectural perspective of a discussion room. Image from UPM-CPDMO     Architectural perspective of a gallery hall. Image from UPM-CPDMO     The upgrade of UP Manila’s library was one of the visions of Padilla when she ran for chancellor in 2014. Former UP President Alfredo Pascual secured funding for a seven-story building in the 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA). When presented to the succeeding UP president for project implementation, Concepcion secured additional GAA funding for a vertical expansion which would make the structure “future-ready” and provide the campus with vital open spaces.     UP President Concepcion inspects ongoing construction in UP Manila accompanied by UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Michael Tee. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla drop a time capsule into the ground. Assisting Concepcion are Carmen Pascual representing Former UP President Alfredo Pascual, Vice Chancellor Arlene Samaniego, Vice Chancellor Nymia Simbulan, and Vice Chancellor Michael Tee. Assisting Padilla are Vice President Elvira Zamora, Vice Chancellor Armand Crisostomo, and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP Manila University Librarian Maria Nimfa Castro takes her turn burying the time capsule. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP Manila architects Rosalie Flores-Bernardo and Leonard Cordero bury the time capsule with UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Manila Vice Chancellor Michael Tee. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP President Danilo Concepcion discusses possible issues with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla in the ground-breaking ceremony for the UP Manila Main Library and Learning Commons Building. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Michael Tee, with representatives from the building contractor, BF. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Management and staff meet on ideas in UP Admincon – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/management-and-staff-meet-on-ideas-in-up-admincon/",
        "html": "Management and staff meet on ideas in UP Admincon Management and staff meet on ideas in UP Admincon August 1, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The conference participants with Rep. Satur Ocampo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The offices of the UP Vice President for Administration and the Staff Regent led the holding of the UP System-wide Administrative Management and Staff Conference with the theme: “Serving with honor, dignity, and compassion: Reaffirming the role of administrative personnel as partners in governance” on July 11 to 14, 2018 in UP Visayas.  “Why not include honesty?” Rep. Satur Ocampo said in a keynote address. “It is the key attribute for anyone to be regarded as having honor and dignity in public service,” he pointed out.  Ocampo affirmed the value of compassion: “It may be the fundamental element that can best measure a public servant’s worth in the eyes of the people. . . and strikes the highest resonance with them.”     Management, staff, and administration experts break the ice before the welcome dinner in the UP Visayas Auditorium in Iloilo City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Hosted by UP Visayas (UPV), the conference gathered together more than 150 delegates from the management and administrative ranks of the constituent universities in the main conference venue at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of UPV’s Miagao, Iloilo campus to listen to Ocampo and other resource persons: Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, former Vice President for Administration Maragtas Amante, Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan, Regent Angelo Jimenez, and Henrietta Española, MD.     UPV shuttle buses ferry the participants between the UP Visayas campuses in Iloilo City and Miagao, and between the dormitories and the conference venue Pidlaoan Hall, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in Miagao. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     With the input of the resource persons, management and staff tried to achieve a “meeting of minds” on ways to empower employees in support of University operations, strengthen the employee development program, protect employees from disasters and climate change, promote health and wellness, help employees avail of legal protection in the conduct of service; and thus, enable them to serve with honor, dignity, and compassion.  President Danilo Concepcion, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, and UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, and representatives of the rest of the chancellors were present for dialogues.     Registration on the first day of the conference proper (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     On the eve of the last day of the conference, the participants gathered in a solidarity dinner in the UPV Miagao Covered Gymnasium and presented cultural numbers by constituent university (CU). On July 14, together with the President, they were ferried from accommodations at UPV Miagao dormitories to visit the UPV Marine Biological Station in the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve off the southern coast of Guimaras for an awareness tour.     Ideas  Workshops and discussions between management and the staff representatives resulted in some workable ideas. Ocampo and Chancellor Concepcion spoke of the critical role of a strong labor union; and Amante, of the Collective Negotiation Agreement and the Staff Regent, of staff empowerment.     Conference participants await the presentations (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     For the legal protection of employees in the performance of their duties, the creation of a claims board with tenured lawyers and alumni assistance to strengthen legal offices were two of many suggested proposals. Vulnerabilities of employees and their families could be addressed by the extension of E-HOPE to family members, the creation of Safety Officer positions and an occupational safety commission for each CU, by formulating protocol for emergencies, and by conducting regular drug checks. To reward compassion in service, an awards program was to be considered.     Conference organizers Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora and Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, with UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro and host UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, sing the national anthem along with the delegates. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Yunque reported on UP’s discussions with the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Commission on Audit on a joint circular to end contractualization among its ranks, and to be able to mitigate its impact. He cited the possibility of forming a labor cooperative, among others, to address the problem.  He also reported on the current administration being all for equal opportunities for both academic and non-academic staff in terms of staff welfare and development. The staff in turn reiterated the need to also develop personnel in preparation for the retirement of those already in office.     UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran formally welcomes to his campus the participants, whom he calls “bida” and “sikat”. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Discussions zeroed in on details, including suggestions to eliminate the category “other duties” in performance targets, which could be used to exploit personnel.  Input by the UP President appears in https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-prexy-gets-close-look-at-admin-issues-upv/. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Regent Angelo Jimenez and Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan talk about legal protection of personnel in the conduct of service and their protection at work and at home in times of disaster and climate change. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Breakout workshop sessions (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     An ice-breaker before presentations of workshop output (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A medical team stationed at the registration area checks a participant’s blood pressure. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora and Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque give a token of appreciation to the resource speaker on health and wellness, Henrietta Española, MD of West Visayas State University. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Delegates enjoy a native feast at a solidarity dinner. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Manila delegates present mixed dances and a protest version of UP Naming Mahal. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu delegates, with Chancellor Liza Corro, perform a Cebuano song, with ukuleles, a beatbox, and projected visuals. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP Visayas executive staff join the UP Visayas delegates in the climax of their Iloilo dance presentation. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Delegates from the UP campuses in Tacloban perform a courtship dance. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Baguio delegates simulate a Cordilleran ritual dance before inviting the public to join them in a line dance. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Los Baños delegates present a medley of modern dances. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Mindanao delegates in malongs perform select Mindanao indigenous dances. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Changing to sarongs, the UP Mindanao delegates shift to a modern dance, as they are joined by their top officials and UP Mindanao-based Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Uplifting lives through interior design – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplifting-lives-through-interior-design/",
        "html": "Uplifting lives through interior design Uplifting lives through interior design March 9, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Interior Design students mount expensive mock-ups for studio exhibits as an old practice for application courses. (Photo by ID 179 students)     In an era of soul-searching in UP in the early 1990s, the Interior Design (ID) program saw an opportunity to turn ID’s elitist image around.  It started with an insight. To Interior Design Professor Adelaida Mayo, ID should be seen in the context of basic needs. “There’s food, clothing, and shelter. Architecture deals with shelter, but where is its soul? It’s in the space people use. It’s inside. The shelter will just be the shell of it,” Mayo concluded.  Without proper interior design, that space is bound to get unwieldy. Worse, it could lead to health problems and accidents. That living space may not be livable.  Sadly, interior designers are left out in planning most low-cost and mass housing projects. Financially strapped institutions understandably omit interior designers from their roster of contractors, given their limited budgets.  Together with another professor, Raquel Florendo, Mayo ushered the new millennium in the ID program with a concept to address this gap. How about their Special Projects classes doing it?  It would be a more difficult task, a radical change from mounting exhibits of the students’ designs. But UP gladly prepared the students for such a challenge.  The move to democratize Interior Design started with student volunteers. ID 179 or the Interior Design Special Projects Class called on students to apply “the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired and developed during the first three years of extensive training in interior design (to) a special project of their choice.”     The lobby of the Ephpheta Foundation Institute for the Blind as improved by ID 179 students (Photo by ID 179 students)     For a long time, ID students worked only in the studio. This was understandable as designing actual interiors and implementing them required a license, which students could not possibly have before graduation. They were compelled to simulate interior space, staging mock-ups of walls and ceilings and floors, furnishing, decorating and then exhibiting them inside halls, all of which was expensive. But all that went to waste once their works were dismantled. The students had no idea how their designs would have held up in actual use.  In their new special project, the students would be under the close supervision of the professors, whose licenses would take care of the legal requirements for the projects.  Grouped into teams, they helped look for project sites. They consulted with and proposed designs for screening by their professors. They coordinated among themselves to unify their concepts. Making cost estimates, they then set out to raise funds and get sponsorships.  In academic year 2001-2002, ID 179 Special Projects rolled out in eight cottages of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Reception and Study Center for Children; the clinic and therapy rooms of the Golden Acres Home for the Aged; and a model unit for Gawad Kalinga. At the end of the first semester, what had been dark, dreary, and beat-up spaces were turned into bright and proper spaces to welcome back children recovering from trauma, the aged regaining strength and positive outlooks, and the poorest of the poor reclaiming their dignity.     OLD AND NEW GK. The dining area of a Gawad Kalinga unit as improved by ID 179 students (Photo by ID 179 students)     The bar was set for future batches. Since then, students have worked on sections of public hospitals and clinics; schools and dormitories; halfway houses and shelters for women, children, the recovering sick and the disabled; dance studios for the talented poor; libraries; and Gawad Kalinga housing.  “Caring for the sick child not only requires competent healthcare professionals,” says Dr. Julius Lecciones, director of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, “but also an appropriate healing environment in the hospital. With the use of smart colors, lighting, and design, the students were able to transform clinically drab and impersonal outpatient consultation rooms into a welcoming haven that exudes warmth, brilliance and comfort.”     OLD AND NEW PCMC. A doctors’ outpatient clinic for adolescents in the Philippine Children’s Medical Center as improved by ID 179 students (Photo by ID 179 students)     “I can’t thank the students and the teachers enough for their sacrifices, work, physical struggles, and good heart,” says Donald Geocaniga, a Gawad Kalinga director. “They brought joy to seven families whose houses they fixed. They raised the level of their living. They showed the way in caring for the poor, as they volunteered their services to us.”  Beyond the gratitude of partner institutions, the students reaped other benefits. As expected, the students got to learn the practical side of their discipline and expanded their competencies into community work. Limited resources stretched their creativity. Also, they got the rare portfolio edge of having implemented designs on special sites, and getting critiques from the end-users.  “What they did gave us a place that is very comfortable for the body and beautiful for the eyes. Before, cleaning seemed to make little difference in our unit. It’s much better now,” says one Gawad Kalinga beneficiary.  “At night, we finally have the sleep we could only crave in the past. And when we wake up, wow! Our home now energizes us. I am now more active in serving the Lord, bonding with neighbors and other people,” says another.  By working on actual spaces with their beneficiaries, all the more do the students realize the importance of consultations, understanding the idiosyncrasies and needs of different people, temperance, and balancing aesthetics, function, and safety.  Students also get to feel they are very much needed in the world. By making a difference in people’s lives, they contribute to an awareness of Interior Design as public service, essential to the quality of life. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Utak at Pusa: The Cats and Dogs of UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/utak-at-pusa-the-cats-and-dogs-of-up-diliman/",
        "html": "Utak at Pusa: The Cats and Dogs of UP Diliman Utak at Pusa: The Cats and Dogs of UP Diliman November 15, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Three of the resident feline “stress-busters” of the UP College of Mass Communication. Note their collars. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Snowbell, a white cat as plump as she is sweet-natured, has been an unofficial mascot of the high school Practical Arts Pavilion of the UP Integrated School (UPIS). She even has her own Twitter account: UPIS Snowbell @pusaaa.     Snowbell, formerly of the UPIS Practical Arts Pavilion. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO)     Other units in UP Diliman have their own mascots. Name any building, and it likely has at least one feline resident. Even the Balay Tsanselor has its own non-human animal occupants. UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan laughingly describes inheriting ten cats who live at the Balay, whom he now takes care of along with two dogs.  UP Journalism professor Khrysta Rara, who hosts a radio show on DZUP entitled “Kwentuhang Pets, Atbp.” and who founded the animal welfare organization Friends of Campus Animals (FOCA UP), notes that the term “stray” might actually be a misnomer when it comes to UP Diliman’s non-human animal residents.  “We call them ‘stray’ cats but they’re not actually stray because they live on campus. Many are residents of each college, fed and cared for by students, staff and faculty. That’s why we call them community cats. They’re part of the community.”  Although voiceless members of the UP community, the campus animals have made a difference in people’s lives. Rara collects stories of heartwarming encounters between the animals and humans of UP Diliman—stories of students, faculty and staff feeding the animals, rescuing them, and adopting them.     UP CMC’s Prof. Khrysta Rara and one of the dogs who visit Mass Comm. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO)     Animals helping humans  In many instances, though, it is the animals who help humans. At the College of Mass Communication, students take a break from the pressures of academic life by sitting with the cats for a while. This has led Rara to dub the cats “stress-busters.” Staff at UP dormitories have shared stories of students from distant provinces whose loneliness was eased by the presence of cats. There was even a foreign student who found it hard to connect with his classmates but would spend his evenings studying with the cats for company.  The beneficial effect of pets on mental health has been widely studied, and both Rara and Tan have seen the transformative effect of having an animal companion. Rara herself shares how Kit-Kat, the famous feline matriarch at the CMC who has been featured on Howie Severino’s documentary “Pusang Gala,” comforted her during the difficult time following the passing of her mother.     Prof. Rara with Kit-Kat, the matriarch of the UP CMC’s resident cats. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Tan has also noted the effectiveness of therapy from dogs in easing the symptoms of mental illness, anxiety and stress—at least among people who like animals to begin with—which is why he is considering putting up a system of emotional support animals on campus, as is being done in universities abroad.  The campus animals also serve as companions for the staff and the security guards. Tan shares how the lady security guard assigned to the College of Science library building is particularly close to the alpha female who is the sole feline resident of the building. Sometimes, the bond between the animals and humans is so strong that the staff and security guards end up adopting the animals themselves, taking them to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered.  This is, of course, on top of the usual benefits of having animals, which is added security, pest control, and somewhat lesser known, as population control for other animals in the unit, since cats and dogs tend to be territorial and will drive away interlopers.     Nature abhors a vacuum  While there are benefits in having animals around, the uncontrolled population growth of animals does pose serious problems. Given that cats and dogs are territorial, putting too many of them together in one area stresses them out, which leads to fights and injuries. The humans also suffer—from poor hygiene from animal urine and feces; from the risk of the spread of diseases and parasites; and from the risk of bites and scratches. An uncontrolled population of cats and dogs also leads more people to view the animals as pests, which can lead to acts of cruelty that violate RA 8485, or The Animal Welfare Act of 1998.  Unit heads faced with an uncontrolled animal population usually resort to having the animals rounded up and taken to the pound, where at the end of a holding period, they are eventually put down.  This method, however, presents certain problems. Dr. Rey Oronan of the UP College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, who is Faculty-in-Charge of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) in Diliman, describes it thus: “Once you remove the resident animals in an area and you transfer them to a different place, you are creating a cycle. The resident animals have been removed, so a new batch will come in. Then the place you’ve relocated the animals to will also have a problem, since the number of animals in that area has increased. The other thing is, the animals aren’t really relocated. The pound, for one, is mandated to euthanize the animals.”  “The evidence is very clear that the wrong approach is to gather the animals and exterminate them, which is still the dominant thinking,” explains Tan. “Anyone with good training in biology should know that in ecology, Nature does not like vacuums. If you want total extermination, you would have to kill all the animals and you cannot do that. Not just from a humane point of view. It’s also impossible.”     Dr. Rey Oronan, Faculty-in-Charge of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at UP Diliman, speaking to the vet-students working in the clinic. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO)     Especially not in UP Diliman, an extremely porous community with two distinct aspects. It is, first and foremost, an academic community. But where there are people, there are dogs and cats, and UP Diliman is surrounded by residential areas. The campus has around 70,000 residents by Tan’s count, and a conservative estimate of 7,000 dogs. The cats number even more than that, since dogs give birth only twice a year, while cats give birth four times a year.     Findings on TNVR on UP Diliman Chancellor Tan’s desk. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO)     Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return  The ideal is for all the animals to have proper homes and responsible owners. Given the realities though, the best option is the “TNVR,” or trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program, the internationally accepted and most effective method of controlling animal populations. This entails humanely trapping the animals, spaying or neutering them, having them vaccinated for rabies and other diseases, ear-tipping them to mark them as spayed/neutered and vaccinated, and returning them to the places they were found.  TNVR is what Rara, other like-minded UP faculty, and the student-members of FOCA UP have been doing for the past few years. With help from Dr. Jonathan Anticamara of the Institute of Biology and his highly-trained team, the cats are counted and humanely trapped and with Oronan and the other veterenarians at the VTH performing the spaying/neutering procedures and vaccinations at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, FOCA UP has succeeded in spaying and neutering more than 300 cats and dogs in the campus since 2016 and returning them to their home units. CARA Welfare Philippines has also helped them by neutering more than 30 cats for free while the International Wildlife Coalition Trust has neutered more than a hundred cats and dogs. The Philippine Pet Birth Control Center Foundation has also fixed around 30 cats.  Anticamara has also been doing a population count of all the cats and dogs in the campus, while two other UP Diliman professors—Prof. Gregorio del Pilar of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Prof. Ibay Sicam of the College of Architecture—are doing research on the campus cats.  Animal-loving UP students also initiated Utak at Pusa: Iskolars ng Bayan supporting TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Operations in Diliman to help control the campus’ cat population in a humane way. A flagship project of FOCA UP, Utak at Pusa aims to raise awareness and rally support for the TNR project for UP Diliman’s cats, with students organizing rummage sales to raise funds for the medicines needed for the neutering surgeries, which Oronan does as a service to UP. Their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/utakatpusa, has over 4,600 followers and welcomes more.     FOCA student-volunteers help the cats relax during the Aug. 19 FOCA/IWCT neutering activity. (Photo by Khrysta Rara)     Six dogs were neutered from the UPDP during the Aug. 19 FOCA/IWCT neutering activity at the Institute of Biology. (Photo by Khrysta Rara)     TNVR is Tan’s preferred method of dealing with campus animals because nothing else works.  “We will not of course go with extermination, but if a unit does not want to go into a TNVR program, they have the option to have the animals rounded up, and we will try to look for homes for them. But we will monitor this, because our prediction is those units will keep calling us to round up the animals because the problem will never end. Then we will show that with TNVR, the population will be stabilized, the animals will become healthier, and there will be better relations between the humans and animals.”  In a way, Snowbell is luckier than most. She was among the UPIS cats recently rounded up by the Office of Community Relations. She has been adopted, though, and has found a new home, albeit one much quieter than the bustling school she has known.  With any luck, she might tweet about it very soon. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pet Care Is Smart Care – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pet-care-is-smart-care/",
        "html": "Pet Care Is Smart Care Pet Care Is Smart Care November 15, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan’s two pet dogs. (Photo from UPD Chancellor Mike Tan)     There is no question that animal-lovers abound on campus. However, compassion toward our community cats and dogs must be applied with judicious knowledge of animal care.  To help control our animal population on campus and create a better environment for both humans and animals, here are some dos and don’ts of responsible pet ownership:     If you are a building administrator or are a student/faculty/staff member who cares for the animals in your building:  • Do not feed the cats and dogs indiscriminately. Feed them only at designated times and in a designated place a safe distance from the building. This will train the animals not to scavenge or beg for food, or otherwise make pests of themselves.  • Do close off all entry points to keep animals outside the building itself.  • Do train a cat to avoid a certain place, e.g., a kitchen or dining area, by using a spray bottle to spray their rear ends with water. Also, cats hate the smell of vinegar and anything citrus, so you can put small containers of vinegar or citrus peelings in the area.  • Do respect the cats’ individual personalities and teach the other humans to do so. Some cats like being petted and cuddled by humans. Some cats do not. With cats, as with humans, “no” means no.  • Do get your all your building cats spayed/neutered and vaccinated as soon as possible. Contact FOCA through Prof. Khrysta Rara of the Department of Journalism or through their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/UPFOCA/.     One of the UP CMC’s resident cats. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     If you are an individual pet owner:  • Do take care of your pet’s health needs. This means getting them spayed/neutered and vaccinated as soon as possible. Male kittens and puppies as young as three or four months can be neutered, while female kittens and puppies can be spayed at six to eight months.  • Do make sure your dogs get enough exercise by walking them on a leash. In case they poop, scoop it up so others won’t step on it.  • Do not let your pet wander around outside. Keep your pet within your home. This decreases the risk of your pet getting run over or injured or, if he/she is still intact, reproducing. • Do provide for the basic needs of your pet, such as clean water, healthy food, regular baths and regular check-ups at the vet.  • Do have a disaster plan for your pet. Have a proper-sized cage or leash ready, along with around five-days’ supply of food, and pet identification and vaccination records. In case of sudden evacuation, do not tie your dog or cat to a post or a tree. Instead, let them loose and give them a chance to swim or run to safety.  • Do not let your pet be a bother to others. This means cleaning up their poop during walks, not letting them roam around, and training them if they have some behavioral problems.     Always remember: Taking care of a pet is not a right, but a responsibility. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Saliksikhay shines spotlight on UPD research – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/saliksikhay-shines-spotlight-on-upd-research/",
        "html": "Saliksikhay shines spotlight on UPD research Saliksikhay shines spotlight on UPD research February 12, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Engr. Ariston Gonzalez talks about the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology & Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program of the College of Engineering with the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute. STAMINA4Space builds up on the PHL Microsat Program. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Thirty-four research projects took center stage in Saliksikhay, a two-day conference that aimed to disseminate information on UP Diliman (UPD) research as well as to inspire collaboration among UP units and partnerships between and among industry, government, and the academe. It was held from January 16 to 17 at the UPD College of Architecture Benito Sy Pow Auditorium.  Saliksikhay, the word being a combination of “saliksik” (research) and “sikhay” (zeal), clustered the projects into eight categories: education and culture; transport solutions and energy; housing and infrastructure; environmental protection; food and agriculture; disaster risk reduction and resiliency; health and wellness;, and advanced science and technology.  In his message, UPD Chancellor Michael Tan said the conference aimed to “build bridges”—to get people to talk to each other, sparking ideas and leading to new explorations.  UPD Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and now incoming Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, whose office organized Saliksikhay, said the event expanded on Agham Bayan, a 2018 gathering that focused on scientific research. This was to show the “range of idea production” in UPD and prove that the work done in and by the University is “worthy of public support”.  Saliksikhay featured the following projects:  College of Science Dean Giovanni Tapang discusses “Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research (VISSER),” an affordable science experiment kit for high school students. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Education and culture  “Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research (VISSER)” of the College of Science presented by its dean, Dr. Giovanni Tapang; “Using Mathematics to Understand Perceptual Qualities of Philippine Bamboo Instruments” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Franz de Leon; “Gitara ni Juan” of the College of Engineering and College of Music presented by Engr. Crisron Rudolf Lucas; “Learning English Application for Pinoys (LEAP)” of the College of Engineering presented by Prof. Mario Carreon; “Exploring Philippine Alternative Modernity in Music” of the College of Music presented by Dr. Jose Buenconsejo; and, “PAGLULUAL International Ceramic Arts Project” of the College of Fine Arts, presented by Prof. Rita Gudiño.     Dr. Joey Ocon highlights renewable energy in “Powering Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Transport solutions and energy  “LocalSim: Local Traffic Simulator” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Hilario Sean Palmiano; “Charging in Minutes (CharM)” of the College of Engineering presented by Engr. Leo Allen Tayo; “UP Bike Share” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Nestor Michael Tiglao; “Powering Off-Grid Islands in the Philippines” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Joey Ocon; and, “Tidal Resource Investigation, Device, and Energy Tool (TRIDEnT)” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Michael Abundo.     Dr. Benito Pacheco suggests the streamlining of building rules and regulations in “Building Resilience: Philippine Building Act as Major Update of National Building Code.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Housing and infrastructure  “TAKBUHAN: Design of a Resilient Evacuation Center” of the College of Architecture presented by Arch. Mary Ann Espina; “DREAM/Phil-LiDAR Program” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Louie Balicanta; “Building Resilience: Philippine Building Act as Major Update of National Building Code” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Benito Pacheco; and, “BAYANIHANETS: Building Robust and Sustainable Cooperative Community Networks” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Isabel Austria.     Dr. Herman Mendoza holds up a gold nugget as he discusses “Community-Led Integrated Non-mercury Non-cyanide Gold Extraction Method (CLINN-GEM).” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Environmental protection  “Fish-i: A Semi-Automated Method for Measuring Reef Fish Species Population Density and Biomass” of the College of Engineering and College of Science presented by Dr. Prospero Naval; “Solid Waste Management Program” of the UPD Environmental Management Office presented by Engr. Kristian July Yap; “UP Marine Science Institute Bolinao Marine Laboratory Training and Extension Program” of the College of Science presented by Dr. Cecilia Conaco; “A Tale of Two Tools: From Underwater Assessment to Virtual Larvae” of the College of Science presented by Dr. Aletta Yñiguez; and, “Community-Led Integrated Non-mercury Non-cyanide Gold Extraction Method (CLINN-GEM)” of the College of Engineering presented by Dr. Herman Mendoza.     Dr. Alonzo Gabriel explains why “UNIQUE-corn: Ready-to-Eat Corn Grit Meals” are a better and healthier alternative to the usual canned food and uncooked rice given to those affected by disasters. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Food and agriculture  “Development of Retrogradation-Resistant Thermally-Processed Local Rice Cake Products for Use as Disaster Food” of the College of Home Economics presented by Prof. Benjamin Gonzales; “Towards Integrating Inclusivity in Current Business Relationship in the Coffee Industry” of the Institute for Small Scale Industries presented by Reynold Ferdinand Manegdeg; “UNIQUE-corn: Ready-to-Eat Corn Grit Meals” of the College of Home Economics presented by Dr. Alonzo Gabriel; “Optimization of Ready-to-Drink Sweet Potato Leaf Extract Beverages through the UP-DOST Food Innovation Facility” of the College of Home Economics presented by Dr. Casiana Blanca Villarino; and, “Different Food Processing Technologies using Philippine Mangoes” of the College of Home Economics presented by Prof. Abigail Rustia.     Prof. Raymond Freth Lagria says calls for help in social media during times of disaster need to be addressed which is why he explored “A Lookup-Based Decision Support System for Classification and Prioritization of Disaster-Related Tweets for Disaster Response.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Disaster risk reduction and resiliency  “Honing Agents for National Disaster Awareness (HANDA) Program” of the Institute for Small Scale Industries presented by Joanna Rose Laddaran; and, “A Lookup-Based Decision Support System for Classification and Prioritization of Disaster-Related Tweets for Disaster Response” of the College of Engineering presented by Prof. Raymond Freth Lagria.     Prof. Alegria Ferrer presents “Lunop Han Dughan (Voice of Yolanda),” an original contemporary Waray sarswela as psychosocial support to survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Health and wellness  “Lunop Han Dughan (Voice of Yolanda)” of the College of Music presented by Prof. Alegria Ferrer; “Masaklaw na Panukat (MAPA) ng Loob” of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy presented by Dr. Gregorio E.H. del Pilar; “Harnessing the Power of Sport for Resilience” of the College of Human Kinetics presented by Dr. Maria Luisa Guinto; “Discovery and Development of Health Products (DDHP)” of the College of Science presented by Dr. Irene Villaseñor; and, “UPD Psycserv: Bringing Ginhawa to the UP Diliman Campus” of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy presented by Dr. Violeta Bautista.     Dr. Nathaniel Hermosa relates his work on “A Generalized Multidirectional Paraxial Optical Cloak” to Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Advanced science and technology  “STAMINA4Space Program” of the College of Engineering presented by Engr. Ariston Gonzalez; and, “A Generalized Multidirectional Paraxial Optical Cloak” of the College of Science presented by Dr. Nathaniel Hermosa.  The Saliksikhay Book of Abstracts may be viewed here: https://view.joomag.com/saliksikhay-saliksikhay-abstracts-pdfv5/0969879001579050181?short. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IT vs. TB – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/it-vs-tb/",
        "html": "IT vs. TB IT vs. TB March 1, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu    Tuberculosis has been an age-old scourge for Filipinos, killing 14,000 in 2015 (according to data from the Department of Health, while the World Health Organization’s estimate is 22,000 in 2016) and putting the Philippines fourth on the WHO list of countries with high TB incidence. Fighting it hasn’t been easy. “Superbugs” or bacteria that have become resistant to existing first-line drugs have emerged due to inappropriate use of medicines, incorrect prescription, or failure to complete the treatment program. Some anti-TB medicines also cause serious side effects.  Filipino scientists have thus been looking for newer and more effective compounds against multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis or XDR-TB, among other superbugs.  Drug development is a long and expensive process. But in UP, computer-aided drug discovery and development (CADDD) is now helping to reduce the time and cost of drug discovery.  In 2012, a UP research team embarked on a project pioneering the use of computers in discovering new compounds for the treatment of TB. The project was supported until August 2017 by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) of the UP System under the Emerging Inter-Disciplinary Research (EIDR) program.  Out of around 5 million compounds screened virtually in the computer laboratory set up in UP Manila, the researchers were able to test around a hundred compounds, and then filter down the number of top hits to around ten active compounds, from which three were considered very promising.     How drug leads are discovered (from “Drug Discovery Today: Fighting TB with Technology” on SlideShare https://www.slideshare.net/rendevilla/drug-discovery-today-fighting-tb-with-technology)     The project has officially ended, but according to project leader Junie B. Billones, PhD, a professor in Chemistry at the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics of the College of Arts and Sciences (DPSM-CAS), the work goes on. The computational lab for drug discovery, including the software and computers they used, are still there for UP students and researchers to use.  This breakthrough project proved that Filipinos can perform cutting-edge drug discovery and that UP researchers can match what those in universities abroad, with more advanced facilities and equipment, are doing.  Dr. Billones, who was formerly Assistant Director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, says that their group focused on tuberculosis research because TB, a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is still a major health issue as the sixth leading cause of death in the Philippines.     Prof. Junie B. Billones (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “As researchers in a developing country like the Philippines, we should have a contribution on drug discovery to address those areas we feel are quite neglected in terms of drug discovery and development,” Billones adds. This approach is not really new in developed countries because this has been the technique used by large pharmaceutical companies abroad. But as researchers in an academic institution or any research institution in the Philippines, CADDD research is still new in our country.”  The project is unique because it utilizes, for the first time in the Philippines, computer software in the discovery of new compounds. “Typically, new compounds are discovered by chance, by trial and error method,” he explains. “We usually discover new compounds from extracts of plants or organisms, like marine life, sponges. We collect the organisms from the field and then we extract them. We characterize the isolated compounds and then we test the compounds for antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, and effects on other diseases. We use them for assays for different diseases. We are lucky if we find new compounds that can be used for the treatment of a particular disease. It’s really a hit and miss experiment for the longest time; that’s how we discover drugs in the Philippines, really very basic, like finding a needle in the haystack. You really don’t know what is in there and for what purpose.”        This time, however, UP’s researchers tapped the information from database collections of compounds. Says Billones: “We can now pre-select sets of compounds with very promising activity against a certain target. We are reducing the number of compounds to a very manageable number; so our tests in the lab, the bioassay we do in the lab, are for those that give very highly encouraging results, in terms of binding energy, for example, our criterion for activity. We don’t have to spend for a lot of chemicals or specimens for testing millions of compounds since it is impractical and expensive to do so.”  Ten computer units were acquired and installed with software which can perform the functions of “all computational tools in drug discovery, from target modelling to ligand modelling, to modelling interaction between the two, and modification of the top hits, to prediction of ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) properties that can also be predicted using computational and statistical tools” for the purposes of the project.  Billones says that CADDD is very cost-effective and quite fast compared to typical laboratory experiments. The software’s two-year license fee costs around P1 million, against more expensive equipment in a typical laboratory setup that could cost as high as P50 million.  The UP Manila’s TB Drug Discovery Team includes Maria Constancia O. Carillo, PhD, Voltaire G. Organo, PhD, and other research associates who are also from the DPSM-CAS, UP Manila, and Gisela P. Concepcion, PhD, from the Marine Science Institute, College of Science, UP Diliman. They were also able to publish several articles related to the project in various international scientific journals.     Billones says the project also proves that the Philippines has the expertise to perform this kind of research. “Now, there is an increasing number of paper presentations in conferences, from other research groups in CADDD. There’s an increasing number of scientists in the Philippines going into this kind of work. That’s very encouraging. Drug discovery and development should always be accompanied by modern technologies, CADDD tools in discovering and designing drugs. That’s how pharmaceutical companies abroad are doing it. I’m very thankful to the UP System, especially the OVPAA. I hope other scientists will be able to work with us, to share other structures from compounds, from plants, from bacteria, from any organism in the Philippines. Maybe they can do some testing first, through our facility. They can work with us and we can identify the appropriate bioassay for a particular compound. This speeds up the process of discovery.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Wheelchairs for Empowerment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wheelchairs-for-empowerment/",
        "html": "Wheelchairs for Empowerment Wheelchairs for Empowerment May 4, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo from the Philippine Society of Wheelchair Professionals https://www.facebook.com/pg/WheelchairTrainingPSWP/photos/     The sight of a wheelchair has tradition­ally evoked pity for the person sitting in it, often presumed to be powerless and incapable. But that perception is changing—as well as the reality behind it. Today, wheelchairs are seen as tools for empowerment, which could change people’s lives for the better.  United Nations statistics suggest that 10 to 15 percent of any given population may be per­sons living with disabilities (PWDs) in need of some form of assistive technology, such as a wheelchair, visual aid, hearing aid, or other devices to help them with their daily needs, activities, and mobility. Given our population of just over 100 million, there could be about 15 million Filipinos living with a disability today.  Given these figures, the supply of wheelchairs for Filipino PWDs could be far shorter than the de­mand, so the University of the Philippines has stepped in to fill the gap and raise the quality of life of PWDs.  The UP College of Allied Medical Professions (UP CAMP) in UP Manila initiated a Wheelchair Service Program for indigents in 2012 as part of its Com­munity-Based Rehabilitation Program (CBRP) and the Clinic for Therapy Services (CTS). Dr. Ferdiliza Dandah S. Garcia, a speech pathologist and a medi­cal doctor currently teaching in UP CAMP, oversees the implementation of the WSP.     Program staff make adjustments on the wheelchair based on the user’s needs and condition.     More than a device  Garcia says that the wheelchair should no longer be seen as just a device given out of charity or some­thing to transport a PWD with for him or her to get adequate exposure to sunlight. “Wheelchairs are tools for empowerment. Being among the leading therapy schools in the country, we want to be at the forefront of advancing knowledge and skills that could enable our fellow persons with disabilities,” she says.  According to Garcia, wheelchairs enable PWDs to do what they can and want to do. Through the WSP, various organizations such as the Philippine Society of Wheelchair Professionals, Physicians for Peace, KAISAKA Foundation, the provincial gov­ernment of Bataan, Department of Health (DOH), and others, help them attend to the needs of PWDs. They are also able to impart to their clients and the public the necessary information and training for appropriate wheelchair service provision and access to services.  Beyond securing wheelchairs, the WSP also provides services to their users. This new paradigm, Garcia adds, requires the service provider to determine with the PWD and his or her family the appropriate specifications of the wheelchair to make the device suitable to their needs. The wheelchair can then be semi-customized to suit the PWD’s condition, envi­ronment or terrain, and activities, whether it is to be used in a school or work environment, or for sports or other activities. In this way, an enabling environ­ment is created for the PWD.  The WSP came out of a meeting among wheelchair ser­vice stakeholders years ago. Back then, it was estimated that wheelchairs were needed by only one in 100 Filipinos, with only 10 to 15 percent of that sub­group having access to a standard wheelchair. The group’s application for a grant was approved in 2015 and through it, they were able to acquire some equipment for teaching and training faculty and stu­dents in UP Manila on how to do wheelchair service provision at the intermediate level. From then on, they were able to assess and fit wheelchairs for low-income clients in UP CAMP’s CBRP and CTS.     Attaching cushions and safety straps for a child-customized wheelchair seat. Photos from the Philippine Society of Wheelchair Professionals https://www.facebook.com/pg/WheelchairTrainingPSWP/photos/     Not only for PWDs  Garcia says she hopes the program can help the University acquire a steady supply of affordable wheelchairs, and to find other partners who can develop these. Most wheelchairs in use are imported and expensive. The need for wheelchairs, she stresses, is “not limited to the PWD. They also include the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, those needing dialysis, those with a temporary disability, such as a fracture. They all need some form of mobility.”  Although the WSP already uses available tools and equipment for semi-customizing wheelchairs, Garcia says the country still needs to establish a viable do­mestic industry for appropriate wheelchairs because importing is expensive. “There are prototypes for new wheelchairs, especially in other countries. There are designs for low-resource and high-resource types. The wheelchair is just one part of a bigger set of as­sistive technologies. It can be an industry here in the future. The WHO and UN are pushing for assistive technologies. Later on, there will be funding for other assistive devices such as communication aids, hearing aids, and visual aids. Hopefully, other UP colleges can do collaborative work to develop these,” she add.  The WSP now serves as a model for other organiza­tions. Through their partnerships with non-govern­ment organizations and local governments, about 90 wheelchairs have been given to children with dis­abilities. In the college-based CTS and community-based CBRP, more than 50 wheelchairs have been provided since 2014, and about 18 formal train­ing activities were conducted in UP Manila. Some WHO modules were integrated into their Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy classes.  Garcia says that UP CAMP is training students in basic wheelchair service provision and hopes to train other health professionals, especially from UP. The WSP also aims to promote access to research and documentation, and to put up a model wheelchair service delivery center in the Philippines.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman Pag-iilaw 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-photos-up-diliman-pag-iilaw-2018/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman Pag-iilaw 2018 IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman Pag-iilaw 2018 December 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Diliman signaled the start of the holiday season on campus with its annual lighting ceremony or Pag-iilaw on November 29.  This year’s highlight is the lantern titled “Kamalayag,” an amalgamation of kamalayan (consciousness), malaya (free), alay (offering), and layag (sail). Created by Prof. Toym Imao, who has been designing the Pag-iilaw’s centerpieces since 2015, “Kamalayag” also reflects the season’s theme, “Paglaot, Pagdaong” (sailing out to sea, docking).     “Kamalayag” by Prof. Toym Imao (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Front view of “Kamalayag” by Prof. Toym Imao (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Back view of “Kamalayag” by Prof. Toym Imao (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Jose Antonio Clemente hosts the Pag-iilaw 2018 program. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Vice Chancellor Jose Ernie Lope opens the program by inviting everyone to the other activities of the season such as the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra concert on December 8 and the annual Lantern Parade which will be on December 14, among others. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The orchestra composed of College of Music students and alumni (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     VP for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. delivers UP President Danilo Concepcion’s holiday message. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Louise Anne Manuel sings as Kris-belle Paclibar Mamangun dances to the Rico Blanco song, “Posible.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Rosie Sula, a chanter from Lake Sebu, performs a blessing ritual. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     VP for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. (left) and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan read excerpts from the poem “Pananalig” by National Artist for Literature Amado Hernandez. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Louise Anne Manuel and Lorenz Edward Sarrondo perform a duet of “Iisang Bangka” by The Dawn. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan (leftmost) closes the program. With him on stage are, from left, Louise Anne Manuel, Prof. Toym Imao, Lorenz Edward Sarrondo, Rosie Sula, a member of the production crew, Kris-belle Paclibar Mamangun, and Dr. Jose Antonio Clemente. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Bateria Brigada kicks off the concert in front of the Quezon Hall lobby. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO, with report from Anna Regidor, UPDIO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The Carillon 2018 is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-carillon-2018-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The Carillon 2018 is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The Carillon 2018 is now available online August 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Enjoy the latest edition of Carillon, the University’s official alumni magazine. This January-June 2018 issue includes news tailored for the hundreds of thousands of UP alumni here and abroad, with features such as UP Cebu’s centennial celebrations, Upsilon Sigma Phi’s 100th year, life of former UP President Senator Edgardo J. Angara, UP in several iconic films, and much more!  Browse it here:     Download a PDF copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Clarification on the Approved UP Diliman Adjusted Academic Calendar for the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/clarification-on-the-approved-up-diliman-adjusted-academic-calendar-for-the-second-semester-of-academic-year-2019-2020/",
        "html": "Clarification on the Approved UP Diliman Adjusted Academic Calendar for the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020 Clarification on the Approved UP Diliman Adjusted Academic Calendar for the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020 April 30, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines would like to clarify that the heading, “REOPENING OF THE SEMESTER*” (for students who opt to complete course requirements within the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020), that appeared in the University of the Philippines Diliman Adjusted Academic Calendar approved by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on 28 April 2020, DOES NOT refer to reopening nor resumption of classes.  Consistent with the implementing guidelines of UP’s Policy on the Second Semester Academic Year 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19, released on 23 April 2020, classes officially end today, 30 April 2020. These include face-to-face classes for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Online classes are also discouraged, but may be conducted only for leveling expectations, clarifications, overall guidance, and summation. These real-time online meetings will not impact grading and will be recorded and disseminated to all students concerned. The UP Policy, a resolution approved by the UP Board of Regents at its special meeting on 16 April 2020, was based on the 13 April 2020 recommendations of the UP President’s Advisory Council, which, in turn, were drawn from the recommendations of the UP System Academic Affairs Committee that were based on the decisions of the Constituent Universities’ Executive Committees.  The resumption of academic activities after 01 May 2020 will enable students to complete adjusted course requirements by 16 June 2020, the end date set in the adjusted Academic Calendar. Grades of students who are unable to complete the adjusted course requirements by this date will be deferred. They are given until May 31, 2021 to do so.  All faculty members with students who opt or need to complete the course requirements within the Second Semester of AY 2019-2020 have until 24 June 2020 to submit their final grades. No student will be given a grade of 4.0, 5.0 or INC for courses in the Second Semester AY 2019-2020.  Please read the guidelines here.  Additionally, please read the FAQs prepared by UP Diliman on the guidelines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Are Laguna’s hot springs losing steam? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/are-lagunas-hot-springs-losing-steam/",
        "html": "Are Laguna’s hot springs losing steam? Are Laguna’s hot springs losing steam? June 11, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu    Researchers, mostly from the University of the Philippines, have pointed out that over-extraction of groundwater by hot spring resorts in Calamba and Los Baños in Laguna Province can cause a variety of problems, such as a drop in groundwater level and competition for water supply in the near future. Will Laguna’s hot springs also “lose steam” or cool down due to over-consumption?     Municipalities of Calamba and Los Baños located at the foothills of Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw. (Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 11, June 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2015.11.020)     Among the tourist attractions that Laguna is known for are its hot spring resorts and water spas sprawling in areas endowed with plenty of groundwater made warm by geothermal activities in the foothills of Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw. The researchers were concerned that “the increasing number of hot spring resorts in the area and the increasing number of visitors entail greater demand for groundwater to be used in the pools,” especially during the summer months from March to May, and in December, peak periods for these business establishments.  The research team comprised Karen Ann B. Jago-on of the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) in UP Diliman (UPD); Fernando P. Siringan of the Marine Science Institute (MSI) in UPD; Rosana Balangue-Tarriela of the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) in UPD; Makoto Taniguchi of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan; Yvette Kirsten Reyes of SURP; Ronald Lloren of MSI; Maria Angelica Peña of NIGS; and Elenito Bagalihog of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) of the Philippines.  In an article published in the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 11, June 2017, these researchers warned of over-consumption of groundwater in selected areas in Laguna for domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial uses; and, of possible negative effects of unregulated water use on affected populations, such as conflict or competition over the use of available water.  Through their study, they are calling for improvements in the implementation of existing water use regulations and the strengthening of partnerships for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. The researchers are also asking for the crafting and implementation of specific water use regulations for hot springs. The article was one of the team’s research outputs under a bigger research project on human environmental security funded by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN).  Their study, “Hot spring resort development in Laguna Province, Philippines: Challenges in water use regulation,” projected the impact of the activities of hot spring resorts in Calamba, where 466 of these were registered, and in Los Baños, where 42 were registered as business establishments with their respective local government units. Only a handful of them, however, were registered with the NWRB.     Location of private pools and resorts based on online search and actual survey. (Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 11, June 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2015.11.020)     The NWRB is the lead government agency that “coordinates and regulates all water-related activities in the country that have an impact on the physical environment and the economy.” Estimates on water consumption were made based on data from government agencies and at least 65 resorts surveyed. The researchers further warned that any increase in the population and in commercial and industrial activities in these areas also leads to increase in water use and demand.  According to the study, most of the resorts, typically having one adult pool (usually 6.8 meters × 11.12 m in size and about 1 m to 2 m deep) and one children’s pool (about 3.12 m × 3.82 m in size and 0.6 m to 0.9 m deep), were built only in the past 13 years and operate without water use permits. These “use 1 or 2 motor pumps, and it usually takes about 7 hours to fill the pool with water. The depth of the wells ranges from 3 m to 100 m. The average depth of the wells is about 29 m.” Since the “swimming pools are drained of water every booking of new guests, which on average is about 3 times a week during peak periods of tourist arrivals, the estimated average volume of monthly water consumption per pool is around 1,500 m3 during peak periods and about 700 m3 during lean periods or during the rainy months,” the study reveals.     Used water are drained on the streets. (Photo courtesy of research team)     The researchers reported a “huge demand of groundwater from these water resorts” based on the estimated total monthly water consumption of registered resorts during peak season in Calamba (around 665,260 m3, or up to 77% of the domestic consumption serviced by the Calamba Water District) and in Los Baños (about 59,959 m3). Furthermore, new data on the pools’ water temperatures, gathered from previous and recent research initiatives, point to a general “decrease in temperature through time”, such as an observed cooling down by 5 to 8 degrees.     Estimated monthly water consumption (cu.m.) of surveyed resorts in Calamba and Los Baños during peak season. (Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 11, June 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2015.11.020)     There have also been some reported changes in the volume of water, such as a “decrease in water yield and flow rate from pumps; increase in the time to fill the pools; and decline in water level making it necessary to dig deeper wells,” due to “unrestrained exploitation of groundwater.”  If water extraction from Laguna’s hot springs is left unregulated, as the study warns, water resorts might also “lose steam” (a metaphor for possible consequences, not due to geothermal activities), or could literally cool down (as new data suggests), due to decreasing groundwater supply and over-exploitation of the resource now and in the future.  That’s worrisome—but if you take that hot dip now, will you be contributing to the problem down the road?    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu shows taxis the way forward – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-shows-taxis-the-way-forward/",
        "html": "UP Cebu shows taxis the way forward UP Cebu shows taxis the way forward July 24, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Micab developers in a UPCeBuInIT co-working space in 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Taxicabs have long been the boon and bane of the urban commuter’s existence. And the public sector can only do so much to address the bane. Nurtured by UP’s incubation program, a start-up company is rising to the occasion.  In the UP Cebu Business Incubation for IT (UPCeBuInIT), Micab has found a home since January 2015. Even before the Grab issue, Micab had already been pioneering this kind of service in Cebu. As a start-up, it zeroed in on the much-maligned taxicab service, to give commuters an alternative to old-school taxicab fleet management and hailing.  In 2012, it pioneered SMS-based taxicab hailing; by 2013, it was a working data-based app. But only when it was taken on by UP Cebu in January 2015 was it able to have staff that would run and continually upgrade the service full-time, with active customer support for its growing number of clients.  Now Micab is known as an Internet-based taxicab hailing application, introduced into the national consciousness in the wake Grab’s takeover of the country’s TNVS (transport network vehicle service) private fleets.  “Instead of getting fleets from the private sector, we provide the taxis a system by which the fleets are managed and monitored. At the same time, the riding public can get taxis through the app,” Micab Chief Technology Officer Kenneth Baylosis summarizes the system.     Taxicab 2.0  Now, according to Baylosis, the Micab app has conquered 50 percent of Cebu’s taxicab fleets or around 3,000 taxicab units. It is now powering over 2,000 taxicab users in Manila, 700 in Iloilo, and 500 in Baguio. It is being introduced in Bacolod, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro. Its share of the market qualifies it as a major app provider, even as it struggles to meet demand nationally.  Labeled Taxicab 2.0, this has improved the taxicab experience, through the app that has worked out kinks in its early operations and that continuously learns from its partnerships. Baylosis said that Micab embodies the aspiration for modern and professional taxicabs.     Micab developers, with VP for Engineering Edison Quiñones Jr., in an old space at UPCeBuInIT. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The app chooses units to power. The Micab app runs on units that meet standards, certifications, and clearances set by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). These include adoption of modern amenities such as GPS, and the use of units not older than four years. Micab thus partners with highly recognized operators, such as Ken and Yoo in Cebu.  “In the app, you can see the complete driver’s profile,” Baylosis adds. “And we are training the drivers, who must of course have undergone regular health and drug checks.”  “We began with a difficult situation—a taxicab industry that was very old school in terms of doing business and bad habits already formed. We’re trying to shake those habits out through technology. We’re using technology to change the culture,” he says.  “For example, we have a points system to dissuade the drivers from choosing clients. If you accept clients and reach quota, you get incentives. We’re now working to ‘gamify’ the incentives for the drivers’ side,” Baylosis continues.     Honing its edge  To further ensure safety, the app has a “Share Trip” feature which allows friends and family to track the cab one has taken.  But it is Micab’s online support to both operator and customer that gives Micab an edge, Baylosis said. “If you want to report units that reject you or for lost-and-found, they can be traced through customer service. Actually in the app, you can type your complaints. Our customer support is constantly going through all those. We make outbound calls, especially in urgent cases. That’s a salient feature of Taxi 2.0.”     Micab Chief Technology Officer Kenneth Baylosis (extreme right) with some of the Micab staff at UPCeBuInIT. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO) ​  Micab collects data to support further development. For one, “We make sure that rides with three-star ratings and below go through proper investigative measures.”  For a start-up to accommodate such overwhelming demands, it needs all the support it can get. UP’s incubation, with the aid of the Department of Science and Technology, is making it possible for Micab to meet the challenge, first by giving a home, together with some scientific and entrepreneurial network support, to its 20 regular and freelance staff.  “Providing this facility here is very beneficial to us, especially when we were still really growing. The rates are not expensive.” Having a Micab office was a decisive step since Baylosis met Micab Chief Executive Officer Eddie Ybañez in a Start-Up Weekend in 2012, when the latter was just pitching a hailing application off his thesis. They started off by borrowing staff from another company.     Spreading its wings  After three years, moving into a dedicated office enabled it to collect and confine the developers’ energy into focus through a conducive space provided by UP. Now the staff is devoted exclusively to Micab. Additionally, it now has staff to take the Micab expertise toward demands outside the transport network, forming the nucleus for a spin-off start-up they are not yet ready to reveal.     Micab’s accreditation by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, dated April 30, 2018. (Photo from www.micab.co) ​  Through UP CeBuInIT, Micab expanded its business network, and was able to be referred to DOST for a grant for technology development. It soon hopes to be able to provide government with the important transport data it needs.  UP technology incubation thus remains a boost to Micab, a small start-up now playing against a multinational giant in the transport network service. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s Choral Legacy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-choral-legacy/",
        "html": "UP’s Choral Legacy UP’s Choral Legacy January 10, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The UP Singing Ambassador’s conductor Ed Manguiat leading the choir during their “Tunay na Ligaya: A Homecoming and Tribute Concert” at the UP Film Center following their triumphant 2018 European tour. (Photo by Noel Ignacio, from the UPSA Facebook page)     In August this year, UP received amazing news. During their three-month tour in Europe, the UP Singing Ambassadors had won the Grand Prize and 17 other awards in the 66th Concorso Polifonico Internazionale “Guido d’Arrezzo,” including top prizes in four categories. The group also reaped awards in various other choir competitions in Berlin, Torrevieja, Spain, and Florence, Italy.  Not bad for a choir that started out in 1980 as a freshman dormitory choir created by its conductor Prof. Edgardo Manguiat and which evolved into one of the country’s best choirs recognized by the Consumers’ Choice Awards and the ALIW Awards Foundation. This year, the UPSA became the only Asian choir to win the Grand Prize at Arezzo twice, the first time being in 2001. With this win, UPSA is qualified to compete in the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2019.  Media described UPSA’s triumph as a “grand slam.” Yet on another level, it was also par for the course for UP’s choral groups in light of how UP has influenced the growth of Philippine choral music since the mid-20th century.     Watch “Kilometro” (Choral Cover) by the UP Singing Ambassadors     Philippine choral singing is a product of three forces: colonization, Christianization, and Westernization. In churches, singing was part of the liturgy, while schools, which were run by religious orders, also included group singing in the curriculum. The American period saw the development of secular choral music, and before and after World War II, choral groups of Protestant churches dominated Philippine choral singing. In the early 20th century, nationalistic compositions also emerged in the form of hymns.  Nevertheless, most choral pieces were pieces brought here from Europe and the US, as well as Catholic church music, with arrangements by some Filipino composers including UP College of Music alumni such as Nicanor Abelardo, Rodolfo Cornejo, Lucio San Pedro, and Ramon Tapales. According to Prof. Andrea Veneracion, National Artist for Music, there were only about a dozen or so original Filipino choral works around the time she founded the Madrigal Singers.     From the UP Mixed Chorus to the Korus  The 1960s was a turning point for Philippine choral music. In 1962, the UP Mixed Chorus was named the UP System’s official choir by then UP President Carlos P. Romulo. The UP Mixed Chorus participated in the musical extravaganza that marked President Romulo’s inauguration in 1963. During the gala concert, Eliseo M. Pajaro conducted his Prelude and Testament with Aurelio Estanislao as baritone soloist and the UP Mixed Chorus singing in the choral fugue.  The UP Mixed Chorus was originally conducted by UP College of Music Dean Ramon Tapales. Dean Rey T. Paguio succeeded him in 1969 while Prof. Janet “Jai” Sabas-Aracama took over in 1999. It became the UP Concert Chorus or simply the “Korus”. The UPCC is famous for pioneering Choreo Capella or choreographed a capella singing in the Philippines.  The Korus has been named one of the world’s best choirs, has performed in full-length ballets, operatic works, popular films, TV specials and pop concerts. It has won international competitions in Spain, Hungary and Finland, and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Aliw Awards Foundation in 2012, and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts’ Ani ng Dangal award in 2013.     The UP Concert Chorus, with conductor/musical director Prof. Jai Sabas-Aracama (2nd from right), posing at the UP College of Music. (Photo from the UPCC Facebook page)     The Philippine Madrigal Singers  In 1963, another choir made its debut at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium under Veneracion’s leadership. It was a small group consisting of UP College of Music faculty and students that she had organized to sing madrigals during lunch breaks. The group introduced a new concept in performance—sitting in a semi-circle, with Veneracion, their conductor, seated with them instead of standing in front.  The group, known as the UP Madrigal Singers or simply “the Madz”, soon became one of the world’s most awarded choirs, attaining near legendary status for its virtuosity, versatility and vast repertoire. In 1980, the Cultural Center of the Philippines appointed the Madz as its resident artist in choral music, prompting the UP Madz to change its name to the Philippine Madrigal Singers in light of its national recognition.  The Madz holds the distinction of being the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, the first time in 1997 under Veneracion’s leadership and again in 2007 under Mark Carpio, who succeeded Veneracion. The Madz has been recognized by the UNESCO as Artists for Peace. Its alumni have since gone on to establish choirs of their own.     The Philippine Madrigal Singers performing their spot number during the 2013 UP Diliman performance of Handel’s Messiah. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A haven for choral singing  Choral music in UP continued to blossom as more choirs were created, many of which went on to carve their own niches in the field of choral singing. UP’s official children’s choir, the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, was founded by the UP College of Music’s Flora Zarco-Rivera in 1971. The UP Staff Choral Society, whose members are from the ranks of UP’s faculty, administrative staff and REPS, was founded shortly later, in 1973. A relatively young choir, the UP Dawani Women’s Choir, was created in 2013 as the first all-female resident choir of the UP College of Music.  The flowering of choral singing is not limited to one UP campus. The UP Manila Chorale (UPMC), composed of UP Manila students from different disciplines, has performed in major concerts, benefit concerts, nine European tours, with the latest tour in 2018, and performances for heads of state. The UPMC has garnered awards locally and internationally, including, in 2015, 3rd prize in the mixed category and 2nd prize in the folk category in the 33° Festival Internacional de Musica de Cantonigros in Vic, Spain, and 1st prize in the polyphony category of the 61° Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia in Torrevieja, Spain, and the Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) by the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 2016. The UP Medicine Choir, the official choir of the UP College of Medicine founded in the 1980s, has also gone on local and international tours and won prizes in choral competitions, the most recent being the 7th Bali International Choir Festival. The UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble, founded in 1991, has had numerous concert tours around Europe and Asia, competing in international competitions in Switzerland and Germany. A young choir from UPLB, the Makiling Chamber Singers, which is composed of UPLB students and faculty members, won the top prize in the first UP Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition in 2016.  UP Cebu’s UP Serenata, established in 2000, counts UP Cebu students and alumni as its members and has a repertoire that predominantly features Cebuano music. The group has performed in major and benefit concerts, and has been a three-time champion of JCentre Mall’s Melodies of Christmas Choral Competition, grand champion of the 2015 Sinulog Choral Competition, and winner of the best interpretation of the contest piece in the 2017 UP Gaward Pangulo Choral Competition.  UP Mindanao’s Koro Kantahanay has for the past 17 years sought to promote Mindanaoan culture, heritage and arts through choral singing. The group has performed all over the Philippines and participated in the 2nd Gawad Pangulo Competition and the Madz Et Al Concert Festival at the CCP.  The other UP campuses, too, have their own choirs—the UPOU Chorale, the UP Visayas Tacloban Chorale and the UP High School Iloilo Harana Choir, and Tinig Amianan, one of the first student organizations in UP Baguio.     Filipinos singing together  “Choral music in the Philippines is at its apex today,” Alfred John De Veyra wrote in Madz: Almost Everything About the Philippine Madrigal Singers (2013). “Philippine choirs…are actively touring the world and winning accolades at international competitions. Filipino conductors sit as international jurors and are actively invited to deliver workshops and master classes the world over. Commissioning of new choral works is gaining popularity today.”  This is in contrast to the days when Veneracion had to scrape together Filipino choral materials and encourage members of the Madz to arrange and compose their own pieces. Many composers and arrangers have since gone on to produce their own material, and many of the names in composition and choral arrangement either taught or studied at UP, among them Lucrecia Kasilag, Ramon Santos, Ruben Federizon, Eudenice Palaruan, Ryan Cayabyab, Ily Matthew Maniano, Christopher Borela, and Nilo Alcala II.  In short, the Philippine choral music scene today is Veneracion’s proudest achievement—“a nation singing together in harmony.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Safeguarding Philippine Cultural Treasures – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/safeguarding-philippine-cultural-treasures/",
        "html": "Safeguarding Philippine Cultural Treasures Safeguarding Philippine Cultural Treasures January 14, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    There’s nothing more culturally devastating than having traditions slowly fade from practice into the dark corners of memory. Music, especially its forms deeply rooted in specific events and experiences, belongs to those traditions. This is why the UP Center for Ethnomusicology is such a high-value cultural resource.  The center started out as the UP Ethnomusicology Archives in 1997, when the University Board of Regents recognized the groundbreaking work and authorship of National Artist for Music Jose Maceda. He put together the center’s core collection: an ethnomusicological treasure of around 2,500 hours of recordings, field notes, musical instruments, transcriptions, song texts, photographs, and compositions, among many others, as well as roughly 2,000 books and journals.  In 2007, that collection was recognized as documentary heritage and inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.     Amal Lumuntud, a kulintang player from Datu Piang, Cotabato, playing the instrument under his house (UPCE-P-2492). Photo from Jose Maceda’s research during his 1954 fieldwork among the Maguindanaoans. Taken from the Jose Maceda Collection of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology.     The change in name signaled the evolution of the center from archival work and digitization of its collection to conducting its own research, linking up with similar institutions, and pursuing multidisciplinary initiatives. It has ethnomusicological materials from the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and representative areas from different continents.  It currently has four facilities: a library, archives, an instrumentarium, and an audio conservation laboratory.  One of its biggest projects was Laon Laon, the brainchild of former Executive Director Ramon Santos, who was later named National Artist for Music. Laon Laon was a venue for music research centers across Asia to come together in pursuit of preserving and sustaining music amid the changes brought by modernization.     Samaon Sulaiman playing a kutyapi or lute (UPCE-P-5117). Photo from Jose Maceda’s research in 1980. Taken from the Jose Maceda Collection of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology.     More than safekeeping  College of Music Dean LaVerne de la Peña, who also serves as the center’s Executive Director, says that the center does more than just hold artifacts for safekeeping. Its work is geared toward safeguarding. “I believe there’s a distinction,” he asserts.  De la Peña describes safeguarding as not only preserving resource materials, but also ensuring that these keep cultural traditions alive by allowing them to be used for research, practice, and performance, and by “repatriating” what materials the center can to the cultures they belong to.  He finds the idea somewhat strange since “We’re supposed to be learning from them and not the other way around.” But the reality is that in some cultures, the younger generation no longer practices these traditions or even knows how to do or perform them. Santos recalls that he, an “outsider,” was asked by teachers and students in a public high school in Baguio to “teach” them the badiw of the Ibaloi.     Marking its 25th year  In 2022, the center turns 25. It has laid out a roadmap detailing seven goals: to be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that are at par with similar centers around the world; to improve services by adopting best practices and procedures; to become a dynamic hub of research activities; to further expand the collection and make it more accessible to the public; to enlarge and improve the production of new knowledge; promote awareness of ethnomusicology among students, teachers, and community leaders; and to ensure the permanence and sustainability of the institution as a research unit within the University.  De la Peña says one of the biggest challenges is widespread dissemination. These days, it’s mostly done online, but there are still issues with intellectual property that are being worked out. Until then, researchers and the curious will have to go to the UP Diliman College of Music, where the center is located. It is currently in the process of moving into the recent addition to the complex, the Jose Maceda Hall.  “Our dream is to have communities set up their own centers for ethnomusicology, where they have documentation and records of their musical traditions. We can help them do these, help them put up these centers and provide information on how to maintain their collections. Ultimately, they are the best guardians of their own cultures,” de la Peña declares.  Listen to some of the Center’s collections here: http://upethnom.com/sounds-from-the-archive/       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Symphonies in UP Music to the People – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/symphonies-in-up-music-to-the-people/",
        "html": "Symphonies in UP Music to the People Symphonies in UP Music to the People January 14, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Ranera sustains the big sound. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP is a musical hub, as it is a leader in culture and the arts with its many scholar artists, national artists, and bright young talents. But not resting on its laurels, it also invites and attracts world-class musicians, exposing the public to the best, and inspiring UP’s own.  UP recently forged partnerships with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the resident orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which is regarded as one of the top musical ensembles in the Asia-Pacific region. With the University as host, it has brought live symphonic music to the public for free.  A collaboration early this year resulted in a public performance that exceeded expectations. The concert “Simulain at Pangarap” rivaled the UP Diliman Lantern Parade and general commencement exercises in audience size. The live concert on March 23, 2018 was one of the few instances in which the UP Quezon Hall Amphitheater was filled with people for an evening of symphonic orchestral music under the moon and stars.     Ranera gestures the entrance of strings. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Ranera goes for a more rounded tone. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Part of the woodwinds section (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     “Seeing people here is heartening,” UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan said in his welcome remarks. “The turnout tells us people will come,” he added.  “Your presence is most important,” Tan then told PPO. “It is bringing music to the communities and not keeping it within the Cultural Center.”  The concert began with PPO’s version of “Lupang Hinirang” just after sunset. It ended with Professor Ramon Acoymo, the program coordinator for UP, singing “UP Naming Mahal”. The crowd applauded the classics “Overture to Gillaume Tell” and “Waves of the Danube Waltz” just as warmly as it did selections from the modern-day musicals Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. Symphonic music roused all ages familiar with the Indiana Jones and Star Wars themes, and Aegis, Itchyworms, and APO Hiking Society tunes. The familiar “Three Coins in the Fountain”, “Despacito”, and “Baby Shark” were similarly played for the crowd’s entertainment.     Ranera keeps the rhythm steady. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Ranera keeps a note precise. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Part of the brass section (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Many hope that UP’s partnerships with PPO will lead to UP’s establishing its own symphony orchestra. UP has a number of in-house instrumental ensembles, including the UP Symphonic Band, and a UP Orchestra which played side by side the UST Symphony Orchestra in the “No Match” concert in February 2015. The concert featured Herminigildo Ranera, conductor of UST and PPO, and UP’s own Edna Marcil Martinez.  Ranera, in an interview with UP Forum during the press conference in August 2018 for the PPO’s 45th anniversary and 36th concert season, said he envisions more collaboration between UP and the PPO.     Ranera takes a “watch me” stance. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Double basses at the rear (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Philharmonic violinists and violists (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The two institutions are currently working on a free public concert set for December 8, 2018. This was announced in the same press conference by Cultural Center of the Philippines President Arsenio Lizaso and its Vice President and Artistic Director Chris Millado. The conference, held in the Manila Hotel, ended with UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. signing a contract with the PPO for the UP concert in December.  The PPO will thus play for the second time on the Diliman campus and for the third time in the University in a year. It has also held concerts in the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital, giving back to the Filipino community represented by hospital patients, caregivers, health workers and visitors. It played soothing orchestral music that was much appreciated in the bustling public hospital.     Ranera turns to the rear of the orchestra, signifies a calming down. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Ranera motions to draw a fuller sound. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Ranera gestures to a small section to his right. (Photos from ‘Simulain at Pangarap’ concert by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     “CCP is bringing art to the people. We are the players, but the art belongs to you,” Lizaso said more than once during the press conference.  The public will get a grand serving of that art in the coming December evening event. PPO will join in UP’s traditional Christmas concert which culminates in Handel’s “Messiah”. PPO and 130 UP voices, in a rare collaboration, will play and sing one of the grandest and best-known choral and orchestral works of Western music, on a green expanse under the stars. It will be a treat befitting UP’s celebration of the Christmas season. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A night of music for Edgardo Angara – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-night-of-music-for-edgardo-angara/",
        "html": "A night of music for Edgardo Angara A night of music for Edgardo Angara October 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   National Artist for Music and UP University Professor Emeritus Ramon Santos conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, soprano Stefanie Quintin, tenor Conrado Calnea Ong III, the UP Concert Chorus, UP Cherubim and Seraphim, and the UP Singing Ambassadors in a special performance of “Awit ng Pagdiriwang” (Song of Celebration). Santos, who was then UP College of Music Dean, wrote the song’s music and lyrics for the investiture of UP President Edgardo Angara in 1982. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo was filled with orchestral music, then applause and cheers as the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) performed in a tribute concert to the late Senator Edgardo Angara on October 17.  Presented by the CCP and the PPO Society, Inc. (PPOSI) in cooperation with UP, the invitational event celebrated the life and work of the former Senate and UP president, particularly his affinity for and contributions to Philippine arts and culture.  In the opening program, CCP President Arsenio Lizaso described Angara as “a champion who believed that every Filipino deserves to experience the arts.”     CCP President Arsenio Lizaso delivers the welcome remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Angara served four terms as senator, during which he authored and supported legislation that created the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the National Living Treasures Award, as well as established the Book Publishing Industry Act, National Museum Act of 1998, National Book Development Trust Fund, and the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. At the end of his last senate term in 2013, Angara was awarded the Dangal ng Haraya by the NCCA in recognition of the impact and value of his work on the culture and arts of the country.  Even before his entry into the Philippine Senate, when he was still UP president, Angara formed the PPOSI to help CCP’s resident orchestra. It took care of the procurement and upkeep of instruments, and provided new uniforms annually for the members.     PPOSI President Zenaida Tantoco speaks during the opening program. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     According to PPOSI President Zenaida Tantoco, Angara set up gratuity funds for retiring orchestra members. Just six months before his untimely passing, he gave study grants to two PPO members. One was to attend a master class in the United States and the other, to pursue a PhD in Music at UP Diliman.     Ramon Orlina (right) presents his sculpture, “Eternal Flame,” to the Angara family represented by Mrs. Gloria Manalang Angara (left) and Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (hidden) . Beside Orlina is UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista representing UP President Danilo Concepcion. Inset: Orlina’s “Eternal Flame” (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     CCP and PPOSI present a sculpture by Impy Pilapil to the Angara family. From left to right: PPOSI Vice President Nestor Jardin, PPOSI President Zenaida Tantoco, CCP President Arsenio Lizaso, Mrs. Gloria Manalang Angara, and Senator Sonny Angara . Inset: Pilapil’s sculpture (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Two glass sculptures were presented to the Angara family during the opening program. The first was “Eternal Flame” by Ramon Orlina, who was inspired by Angara’s unstinting support for the arts. Impy Pilapil created the other sculpture, an interpretation of the natural world’s dynamism and mystery.     Senator Sonny Angara delivers the response of the Angara family to the tribute. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In his response on behalf of the Angara family, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara expressed gratitude for the tribute. He revealed that his father’s support of Filipino arts and culture stemmed from his conviction that these were necessary to “building a sense of unity across our nation.”     Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura conducts the PPO’s performance of “Le Corsaire.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura and the PPO prepare to take a bow after the “1812 Overture.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura and the PPO are joined by Raul Sunico on the piano in “Concerto in F.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The PPO performed Hector Berlioz’s overture, “Le Corsaire,” and the “1812 Overture” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, its music director and principal conductor. For “Concerto in F” by George Gershwin, they were joined by renowned pianist Raul Sunico.     National Artist for Music and UP University Professor Emeritus Ramon Santos introduces his piece and the concert finale, “Awit ng Pagdiriwang.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The night ended with National Artist for Music and UP University Professor Emeritus Ramon Santos conducting the PPO, soprano Stefanie Quintin, tenor Conrado Calnea Ong III, the UP Concert Chorus, UP Cherubim and Seraphim, and the UP Singing Ambassadors in a special performance of “Awit ng Pagdiriwang” (Song of Celebration). The music and lyrics of the piece were composed by Santos, who was then UP Diliman College of Music dean, for Angara’s investiture as the 15th UP president in 1982. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD celebrates 70th year since Exodus from Manila – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-celebrates-70th-year-since-exodus-from-manila/",
        "html": "UPD celebrates 70th year since Exodus from Manila UPD celebrates 70th year since Exodus from Manila April 4, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   A grand fireworks display caps the UP Diliman Arts and Culture Month 2019 opening program. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     February 2019 marked the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) community’s month-long celebration of its 70th year since the University’s transfer or exodus from its original campus or birthplace in Ermita, Manila to the flagship Diliman campus in Quezon City. The actual transfer of the UP Oblation statue by members of the UP faculty and students on February 11, 1949 symbolized the community’s exodus.  With the theme, “Lakad-Gunita sa Lupang Hinirang”, the series of activities featured a cultural program, an exhibit, a national conference, a theatrical play, film screenings, walking tours, and an open-air concert commemorating the UPD community’s shared history, national relevance, and social engagements throughout the past seven decades.     The UP Symphonic Band performs during the “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad” on Feb. 11, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad”  UPD’s Quezon Hall lobby and Oblation Plaza served as the center of festivities during “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad”, the grand opening ceremony of UP Diliman Arts and Culture Month 2019 held on February 11, 2019. The night’s program was divided into four parts: Exodus (Pag-alis sa Lugar), Home (Paghubog ng Tahanan), Activism (Lakaran) and New Directions (Liwasan); and it showcased the most significant events in the life of UPD constituents through messages, poetry, imagery, music, and dance performances.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan delivers his message for the “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad” on Feb. 11, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Among the UP officials and performing groups who made the event more memorable were: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan; Professor Emeritus and former UP President Emerlinda R. Roman; Dr. Olympia Q. Malanyaon (director of the Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office of UP Manila, representing UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla); Professor Emeritus and former College of Arts and Letters Dean Flora R. Mirano; the UP Filipiniana Dance Group; the UP Dance Company; the UP Varsity Pep Squad; the UP Repertory Company; the UP Symphonic Band; the UP Concert Chorus; the UP Cherubim and Seraphim; the UP Chorus Classes; and, the UP Manila Chorale.     Music, movement and imagery give the audience a chance to experience UPD history during the “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad” on Feb. 11, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Activism (Lakaran) and New Directions (Liwasan) of the “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad” program dramatize the UPD community’s many social issues and dynamic transitions from the 1980s to the present. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Activism (Lakaran) and New Directions (Liwasan) of the “Pag-alala at Paglulunsad” program dramatize the UPD community’s many social issues and dynamic transitions from the 1980s to the present. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Lupang Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman”  At the Bulwagan ng Dangal University Heritage Museum, the “Lupang Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman” exhibit showed UPD as “a place of dwelling, learning, and doing” as well as “an active heritage site” by combining archival research and installation art. The exhibit ran from February 15 to March 29 and was capped with a forum on “Memories and History of UP Manila and UP Diliman” on its last day.     “Pagpunla at pag-ani” was held at the NISMED Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Pagpunla at pag-ani”  “Pagpunla at pag-ani: A national conference to commemorate the 70 years of UP Diliman” was held at the NISMED Auditorium on February 22. The day-long conference gathered some of the renowned academics of UPD to share memories of their experiences and lessons gained as students, educators, and residents of the campus.  Leading the roster of speakers were: historian Reynaldo Ileto, National Artist Ramon Santos, National Scientist Lourdes Cruz, Professor Emeritus Randy David, Professor Belen Medina, and Professor Ricardo Jose, director of the Third World Studies Center of UPD.     Historian Reynaldo Ileto shares lessons he learned from the 1970s during the “Pagpunla at pag-ani” conference held at the NISMED Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     National Artist Ramon Santos and National Scientist Lourdes Cruz talk about the importance of the Sciences and the Arts in developing well-rounded citizens during the “Pagpunla at pag-ani” conference held at the NISMED Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Ileto talked about life in the Department of History and recalled how he and his fellow teachers faced the challenges of the 1970s. Santos discussed the development of education in modern music and culture at UPD, concluding that the University experience aims to shape students into well-rounded individuals, academics, humanists, artists, and citizens of a global community. Cruz emphasized the importance of rigorous training in science, multi-disciplinary collaboration, advocating for sustainability, and turning knowledge into science-based policies and action programs. David focused on the physical and political transformations of Diliman from a “wilderness” in the 1930s into the community that it is known today, while relating his journeys as a student and an educator in the Department of Sociology in the 1960s up to the present. Medina shared happy memories about life in campus from 1949 when she entered as a college freshman, joined the academe after graduating in 1953, and until her retirement from teaching in 1997, adding that her family now has four generations of well-rounded and loyal UP alumni. Jose highlighted the value of recognizing the greatness and history of the people, buildings, places, and events unique to UP, urging the audience not to take them for granted, and to link the past with the present as we move forward to the future.     Sociologist Randy David discusses the political and physical transformations he witnessed in UP Diliman during the “Pagpunla at pag-ani” conference held at the NISMED Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Professor Ricardo Jose of the Department of History talks of the greatness and the history that can be found in UP Diliman during the “Pagpunla at pag-ani” conference held at the NISMED Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Nana Rosa” and “Tahan(an): Pista Pelikula”  The line-up of activities for the UP Diliman Arts and Culture Month 2019 included: “Nana Rosa”, a play that explores the story of the first Filipino who publicly came out as a World War 2 comfort woman; and “Tahan(an): Pista Pelikula”, screenings of selected films with the themes of displacement and struggle. “Nana Rosa” was made possible by the UP Playwrights’ Theatre of the College of Arts and Letters, Rody Vera, and Jose Estrella, and was staged at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater from February 20 to March 10.  “Tahan(an): Pista Pelikula” included the films, Tu Pug Imatuy (Arbi Barbarona), Pureza (Jay Abello), Tundong Magiliw (Jewel Maranan), and others that were screened at the Cine Adarna, UP Film Institute.  “Lakad-Gunita” and “Himigsikan”  The Walking Tours around the campus were managed by the Asian Institute of Tourism so as to engage participants in appreciating the history and environment of UPD. The “Lakad-Gunita” tours were held around the themes: Fauna (birds of UPD), History (Diliman Commune Revisited), Public Arts and Architecture, Flora (plants and trees of UPD), and Historical Buildings.  The open-air live music concert, “Himigsikan”, was held on February 24 at the UP Theater Canopy.  The month-long celebration was spearheaded by the UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA). "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP weighs options for AY 2021-2022 admissions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-weighs-options-for-ay-2021-2022-admissions/",
        "html": "UP weighs options for AY 2021-2022 admissions UP weighs options for AY 2021-2022 admissions October 27, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo Lontoc   File photo / Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The University of the Philippines is set to come out with a system of freshmen admissions unique to the pandemic situation, following a series of consultations with stakeholders.  UP experts had earlier come up with five options or scenarios, UP Office of Admissions Director Francisco de los Reyes, a data scientist, told UP News in an online meeting on October 20, 2020.  The scenarios are the following:  1) A paper-and-pen administration of the UPCAT, subject to IATF and LGU Covid19 protocols and coordination;  2) An online UPCAT;  3) A hybrid paper-and-pen and online mode for UPCAT;  4) A no-UPCAT scenario where UP may mine data from the applicant’s personal data sheet, high school records, the specific high school and performance of its graduates in UP, etc., to arrive at the University Predicted Grade (UPG);  5) A moratorium on freshmen admissions.  The Office of Admissions is holding discussions at every level over which option would be the best for all stakeholders involved. This decision, which is projected to be made during the next meeting of the UP Board of Regents on October 29, will ultimately be based on consultations currently being held with the UP faculty, high schools, UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) contact persons, testing centers, and volunteers.   With a go-signal on any of Options 1 to 4, UP may accept applications by November 2020. The University aims to keep with the usual schedule of releasing the qualifiers list by April each year.  Based on the recent trend, the University expects over 100,000 applicants to be considered for freshmen admission for academic year (AY) 2021-2022.  De los Reyes assures the public that UP remains steadfast to the guiding principle of excellence and equity, whatever option will be taken; and that it will not compromise standardization or waver on the commitment not to disenfranchise any candidate for admission.  “Ultimately, planning for our next round of admissions will be inclusive, with the acknowledgment that some applicants do have the economic privilege, and with empathy for the marginalized,” de los Reyes says in a presentation.  In the meantime, the UP Office of Admissions is beefing up its automation program and IT infrastructure, in cooperation with the UP Information Technology Development Center and Data Privacy Office, which will greatly help it to cope with the pandemic. Foremost in development are dedicated portals for UPCAT inquiries and fully online applications. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of the UP Diliman Executive Committee on the Shutdown of ABS-CBN – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-the-up-diliman-executive-committee-on-the-shutdown-of-abs-cbn/",
        "html": "Statement of the UP Diliman Executive Committee on the Shutdown of ABS-CBN Statement of the UP Diliman Executive Committee on the Shutdown of ABS-CBN May 11, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The shutdown of ABS-CBN, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a disservice to the Filipino people.  We consider all broadcast media organizations, including ABS-CBN, as partners in engaging the public. They provide channels and platforms for bringing vital information to communities and other places which schools and universities are not able to reach. They offer platforms for the university’s scholars, researchers, scientists, and artists to speak to broader audiences, translating expert knowledge into popular forms and transmitting ideas and discourse into the wider public arenas.  For the truth to stand above mendacity, a university provides an arena for contending views to debate. The conditions for academic excellence are the same for media integrity. They require conditions of openness and respect for diversity. This means that the freedom to question, to think, to write, and to speak should be safeguarded for all, regardless of beliefs and background. While ABS-CBN has been criticized for its political biases, it has also given space for diverse political views, a process that is fundamental to democracy.  The shutdown of the network on May 5, two days after the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, was a stunning blow against the freedom of the press and people’s right to information.  We cannot stress how important and critical a role mass media plays during this time of crisis. As COVID-19 spreads and worsens at the national and global scale, it is wrong to silence a vital channel of information such as ABS-CBN, which has become, after years of public service, a significant pillar of the media establishment.  Moreover, the shutdown has resulted in the loss of jobs for 11 thousand employees, aggravating further the precarious situation of growing economic instability and hunger resulting from containment measures of the pandemic.  UP Diliman stands with the workers of ABS-CBN. UP Diliman stands for press freedom.  The statement was originally posted by UP Diliman on May 9, 2020 here: https://upd.edu.ph/statement-of-the-upd-execom-on-the-shutdown-of-abs-cbn/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/compassion-our-common-ground-investiture-speech-of-danilo-l-concepcion/",
        "html": "Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción September 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       “UP must be that special place within which it should still be possible—despite all divisions and distractions—to work together with the University’s and the nation’s strategic interests in mind.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Compassion, Our Common Ground  Investiture Speech of  Danilo L. Concepción  21st President, University of the Philippines  20 September 2017, 5:00 p.m., University Theater     I stand before you today as a student trained in two disciplines: that of science, which taught me the measure of Nature, and that of the law, which taught me the measure of Man. I cannot claim that I have learned enough because education is a lifelong process, and I expect to live a little longer. But this I have surely come to realize: that while Nature may be bewilderingly complex, Man is infinitely more so.  If I had remained an agricultural engineer, I might have been happy designing new tools for farming or more effective irrigation systems. But ultimately, I found law more challenging, that which is the calibration and codification of human and social behavior.  And as if that were not enough, and even before UP, I took on teaching and university administration—which, in a strange but logical way, draw on all these threads of thought and experience to form a coherent wholeness of purpose.  Indeed the university is probably the one institution in society—with the possible exception of Congress—where diversity and difference are its very nature and intrinsic to its success.  Today, with nearly 200 undergraduate and almost 350 graduate programs, UP can proudly claim to offer the broadest canopy under which Filipino students and scholars can learn. Nowhere else in this country can you take such diverse courses as Archeology, Geomatics Engineering, Tropical Landscape Architecture, and Women and Development.  That is what a national university is for, and that is why UP is one. We recognize that a national university exists not to profit the pocket, but to enrich the mind and to enlarge the soul of our people. We stand firm in the belief that all forms of knowledge benefit humanity, and that part of our mission is to employ that knowledge for social transformation.  At his investiture in 1911, our first President, Dr. Murray Bartlett, made it clear that the new University of the Philippines was not merely going to be a copy of its models in the West but would be a “University for Filipinos” devoted to providing “the intellectual and moral leadership essential to social salvation and progressive national development.”  It seems ironic today—given our much-vaunted nationalism and secularism—to remark that Dr. Bartlett was an American and a Protestant pastor. But that irony offers vivid proof that our founders understood that creating a great university would mean stepping out of one’s own moorings into a true community of minds.  And so, difference and diversity have been with us since the beginning—and of course, dissension and debate, especially since the University Council was first set up. But again, and notably, we have managed to harmonize our differences over more than a century of discourse to forge a way forward—whether it be in terms of crafting a curriculum for general education, or rewarding performance and productivity.  Therein lies our University’s vitality—not in the fact that we argue, because argue we must, but in the fact that we have always managed at some point to agree, because agree we also must.  Dissent has been coded into our DNA, the most familiar expression of the critical thinking we have sought to imbue every UP student with. But we also know that between academic inquiry and practical necessity lies much common ground to explore and to inhabit.  On June 8, 1933, students at the College of Education boycotted their classes in the first protest ever against a tuition fee increase, from P30 to P50 per semester. Among the leaders of the mass action was none other than Fe Palma, daughter of then UP President Rafael Palma. History does not record what President Palma said to his daughter afterwards, but I suppose he should have been proud, as she was a product of the liberal education that he himself espoused in his inaugural address.  Four years later in 1937, when President Quezon pushed for the transfer of UP from Padre Faura to Diliman, UP students led by a young editor named Armando Malay held a straw vote that resoundingly rejected the move by 84 percent.  The critics complained that Diliman was a dark and mountainous territory teeming with snakes, monkeys, and mosquitoes. Then UP President Bienvenido Gonzalez was crucified. But twelve years later, when the move had finally happened, Malay spoke again, but this time in Diliman, and acknowledged that it was time “for a closing of the ranks.”  These instances of dissent were classically and uniquely UP. We ourselves have made this possible, empowering and emboldening generations of students with reason, enabling them, as Palma put it, “to react properly to the promptings of truth and to the world.” We—and perhaps we alone—have justly and proudly held reason above all other considerations in our academic life: considerations such as creed, kinship, privilege, authority.  And it is this supremely valuable faculty to which I appeal today, as I grasp the helm of this great enterprise we call the University of the Philippines. Let reason guide us, but not reason alone; let it be reason tempered with respect, responsibility, and collegiality.  Both at the national and university levels, it is becoming difficult to push any agenda forward without being subjected to intense, sometimes malicious, but also often necessary scrutiny. In many instances, we have stopped talking to one another as a people sharing the same future.  Truth, reason, and respect have been the prime casualties in these exchanges, which I am sure you have witnessed—if not participated in—online. The phrase “social media” has almost become an oxymoron, as it has become the stalking ground of some of the most unsociable people you could come across.  Sad to say, some of that caustic and deeply divisive rhetoric has come to infect our University, not just our students but our faculty, staff, and administrators as well. This is perhaps to be expected, as a university remains, in many ways, merely a microcosm of a much larger society.  Our strength lies in our collegiality. If we allow our reason and our rhetoric to be clouded by intolerance, then we will be no more and no better than a gang, indeed than any other collection of ill-tempered individuals.  At his investiture in 1975, another of my predecessors, President Onofre D. Corpuz, openly took issue with the University’s characterization as “a battleground of ideas,” calling it a “romantic notion” that the people could ill afford to pay for with their taxes.  Rather than a battleground, I prefer to focus on finding, in this University, a common ground, a clearing—a safe, free, and congenial space within which its constituents can teach, study, and work productively to their full potential.  UP must be that special place within which it should still be possible—despite all divisions and distractions—to work together with the University’s and the nation’s strategic interests in mind.  For this we must promote consensus over conflict, civility over calumny, and collaboration over confrontation. We must foster strategic thinking over short-sightedness, honest labor over opportunism, and shared effort over self-promotion.  There should be no better place in this country than UP for the expression of ideas without fear, without fear of violent retribution from one’s colleagues or from the State itself. There should be no environment more welcoming than UP for cutting-edge research, timely policy studies, exciting new exhibits and productions, and provocative art and literature—in other words, the work we have always meant to do, and do best.  We will be guided by the overarching vision of UP as a leading regional and global university in an environment that sustains 21st century learning, knowledge creation, and public service for society and humanity.  Where our University is situated today would not have been possible without the foundations laid by my esteemed predecessors, whom I acknowledge and thank today, and to whom I make a personal pledge to do my best to live up to their example. President Edgardo Angara, who was not able to make it today, Presidents Emanuel Soriano, Emil Javier, Jose Abueva, Francisco Nemenzo, Emerlinda Roman, and Alfredo Pascual—sa inyo pong lahat, tanggapin ninyo ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat, paggalang, at pagpupugay!  Bunsod ng ating hangaring ituloy ang mga mahahalaga at makabuluhang pagbabago, at sa paniniwalang mayroon tayong maia-ambag sa hangaring ito, ini-alay po natin ang ating sarili upang maglingkod bilang Pangulo. Nagsama-sama po tayo sa ating pakay at galaw, at dahil dito, tayo po ay nanaig at nagtagumpay.  Ngayon, ang tagumpay na ito ang simula ng ating pagkilos upang patunayan sa lahat na ang mga pangarap at adhikain na sinampalatayaan at pinanghawakan ng ating mga kasama, kakampi man o katunggali, ay kaya nating maisakatuparan at makamtan. Lahat po ng ating balak at panukala ay matutupad at matatapos kung tayo po ay magsa-sama-samang muli sa pagpaplano, pagpapasya, at pagpapapatupad sa lahat ng ating gagawin para sa pagsusulong ng minimithing pagbabago.  Upang tayo ay magtagumpay, ang tatlong sangkap ng ating Unibersidad: ang mga mag-aaral, ang kaguruan, at ang mga kawani, ay dapat na magkabigkis-bigkis tungo sa isang layunin. Nasa pagkakaisa nating lahat lamang ang susi ng tagumpay. Totoo, ang pagkakaisa ay tunay na mailap at mahirap makamit sapagkat lubhang maraming pagkakaiba ang ating mga pangangailangan, paniniwala, at pamantayan. Subalit tayo ay nananalig na mayroong isang tagpuan kung saan lahat tayo ay maaring tumayong sama-sama na parang isang katawan. Bilang isang katawan, tiyak nating mapagtatanto at madarama na ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan. Ang sakit na iniinda ng sinuman sa atin, ay sakit na iindahin ng lahat natin. Hindi natin marahil napapansin subalit ang tagpuang ito ay nasa mga puso na natin. Kailangan lamang po nating itong mapagtanto at madama.  At upang tayo ay manatiling magkakayakap sa ating tagpuan, tayo po bilang Pangulo, ang magsisilbing isang pagkit na sa ating lahat ay hahatak at magdi-dikit upang wala ni-isa man sa atin ang mawalay o malisya.  Tayo po ay nakalaang makinig kanino man upang malaman ang inyong mga loobin, balak, at pangangailangan upang tayo po ay magabayan sa ating pag-ugit. Sa atin pong pamumuno, mas mahalaga ang kagalingan ng lahat kaysa sa ating personal na pananaw o kagustuhan.  Sa ating pagpapasya sa mga hakbang na ating tatahakin, ang ating gabay at panuntunan ay pagmamalasakit. Pagmamalasakit sa ating Unibersidad, pagmamalasakit sa ating mga propesyon, pagmamalasakit sa ating mga sarili, at pagmamalasakit sa isa’t isa. Kung tayo po ay nagmamalasakit, tayo ay lubos na nag-iingat; nag-iingat na ang ating bawat kilos at galaw ay hindi makasasakit o makasasama sa bawat isa sa atin.  Kung pagkakaisa ang susi sa tagumpay ng ating mga mithiin, pagmamalasakit naman ang susi tungo sa isang samahang wagas at pangmatagalan.  Sa susunod na anim na taon na ating hahawakan ang timon, ito po ay ating hahawakan nang mahigpit at maingat sapagkat maraming hamon at balakid ang ating haharapin, bubunuin, at gagapiin. Sa simula pa lamang ng ating pag-ugit, isang malaking hamon ang agad ay sumalubong sa atin: ang libreng matrikula sa kolehiyo.  Tunay po na ito ay isang malaking hamon sapagkat animnapung porsyento ng ating koleksyon mula sa matrikula ay nakalaan para sa ating mga faculty development programs. Kung hindi po ibibigay sa atin ng national government ang katumbas ng dapat ay ating koleksyon, wala po tayong malilikom na pondo na sadyang ilalaan sa mga programang magpapaunlad sa katayuan ng ating kaguruan.  Bukod dito, bagama’t totoong libre na nga ang tuition sa UP, makapasa naman kaya sa UPCAT ang mga kapus-palad na kabataan na sa UP ay nais makapag-aral?  Wala pong saysay at kabuluhan ang programang libreng matrikula kung sa UPCAT ang estudyante ay di naman papasa. Sa mga nakalipas na pagsasaliksik at pag-aaral, napag-alaman na maliit na bahagi lamang ng mga nagtatapos sa maraming public high schools sa labas ng Metro Manila ang pumapasa sa UPCAT. Ang sinisisi pong dahilan ay ang mababang kalidad ng pagtuturo sa mga public high schools na ito.  Dahil dito, panukala po natin na gawing kondisyon sa pagtanggap sa isang estudyante ang pagbibigay ng balik-serbisyo sa ating bayan; balik-serbisyong isang taon pagkaraang makatapos ang estudyante sa kanyang kurso. Sa loob nang isang taon, siya po ay ating pagtuturuin sa senior high school sa mga public schools na ito upang kahit-manawari ay tumaas ang kalidad ng kanilang edukasyon.  Ang kondisyong balik-serbisyo ay hindi naman po sapilitan. Malaya po ang estudyante na hindi magbalik-serbisyo, dangan siya po sa halip ay magbabayad ng matrikula kung siya po ay tatanggi bago makatapos, o ang buong halaga ng kanyang edukasyon kung siya ay tatanggi kapag siya ay nakapagtapos na. Hindi rin po libre ang pag-babalik-serbisyo. May bayad po sila habang sila ay nagtuturo.  Ganoon pa man, tayo po ay lubos na umaasa na magbabalik-serbisyo ang ating mga iskolar ng bayan. Ito na po ang kanilang pagkakataon na isabuhay ang kanilang isinisigaw na pagmamahal sa bayan. Ito na po ang pagkakataon na patunayan nila sa kanilang mga sarili ang panawagan nilang maglingkod sa kapus-palad nating mga kababayan.  Madalas pong magmartsa ang ating mga estudyante, sumisigaw ng pagbabago. Kung ating pong wawariin, parang wala nang katapusan ang kanilang mga reklamo at kahilingan; parang ibig nilang sila na ang magpalakad sa ating Unibersidad, at sila ay mag-aral nang sang-ayon tangi sa kanilang pasya at kagustuhan.  Subalit sinasabi natin ngayon sa kanila, na hinding-hindi natin sila pipigilan sa kanilang pagpapahayag ng kanilang mga kaisipan at paniniwala; hinding hindi natin sila bubusalan sa kanilang mga hinaing. Bagkus, sila ay ating pakikinggan, uunawain, at gagabayan. Hindi po natin hinuhubog ang ating mga estudyante sa isang hulmahan. Hinuhubog po natin sila upang magkaroon ng isang malaya, mapanuri, mapagtanong, at malikhaing pag-iisip; upang sila ay magtaglay ng diwang walang takot, ng tinig na hindi pasusupil; at upang sila ay manindigan para sa katwiran at katarungan.  Sa ating kaguruan, ang lakas natin ay nasa ating kakayahang mag-talo at magpasya bilang isang kalipunan. Ang kakayahang ito ay ating itataguyod at pag-iibayuhin nang marubdob.  Pagsisikapan nating malikom ang pondong kailangan ng ating faculty development programs upang hindi maputol ang mga programang nasimulan na, at upang madagdagan pa.  At upang manatili sa Unibersidad ang ating mahuhusay na kaguruan, pag-aaralan po natin na luwagan ang mga regulasyon sa tenure at promotion upang ang mga ito ay maging mas patas at mas makatarungan. Marapat din na sila ay bigyan natin ng magandang working condition, at masaya at masiglang buhay-akademiko sa ating mga campus.  Titiyakin po natin na maitayo muli ang nasunog na Facuty Center sa loob ng 3 taon. Ang bagong Faculty Center po na ito ay magiging mas malaki, mas moderno, at mas faculty-friendly.  Ang ating pong kaguruan ay binibigyan ng lipunan ng pinakamataas na pagkilala at paggalang habang sila ay nagtuturo sa ating Unibersidad. Hindi po natin papayagan na sila ay mawalan ng dignidad matapos na sila ay magretiro sa pagtuturo. Marahil, dapat tayong magtayo ng isang opisina na walang gagawin kung hindi ihanda ang ating kaguruan para sa kanilang pag-reretiro, at upang sila ay gabayan at tulungan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan, lalong-lalo na sa usapin ng pabahay.  Nakalista po sa ating priority projects ang pagpapaganda sa ating mga campuses. Nangangailangan na po ng rehabilitasyon ang ating mga gusali at mga dormitoryo. Dapat na po nating wakasan ang masakit na biro na walang malinis at mabangong CR dito sa UP.  Tayo po ay nananawagan sa ating mga alumni na sana tayo ay tulungan at damayan sa krusadang ito. Sa mga matagumpay nating alumni na tumira at nakinabang sa murang bayad sa ating mga dormitoryo, sana’y masumpungan nila sa kanilang mga puso ang magsukli at tumulong sa ating pagbabangong-anyo.  Pagsisikapan din po nating magtayo ng pangalawang Philippine General Hospital dito sa UP Diliman. Kasama po sa itatayo ang kakambal nitong College of Medicine at Genomic Cancer Research Institute. Ang medical complex po na ito ay magbibigay-serbisyo sa komunidad ng UP Diliman at ng hilagang Metro-Manila. Ang College of Medicine ay magdaragdag ng mga duktor sa ating bansa at ang Institute po naman ay tutuklas ng lunas sa cancer gamit ang makabagong siyensya ng genomics.  Pangarap po natin na ang PGH na ito ay maging pinaka moderno at pinaka magandang ospital sa buong bansa. Naniniwala po tayo na kaya nating isakatuparan ang pangarap na ito sa tulong ninyong lahat at ng lokal at pambansang pamahalaan.  Para naman po sa ating mga kawani, sinimulan na po natin ang proseso upang gawing regular ang mga kawaning matatagal na sa serbisyo. Sapagkat mangangailangan ito ng mga karagdang plantilla positions, ang proceso po ay inaasahan nating magtatagal. Subalit habang tayo po ay naghihintay,   itataas na po natin ang mga non-UP contractuals, yaong matatagal na po sa serbisyo, sa antas ng UP Contractuals upang sila ay tumanggap na ng lahat ng benepisyo ng isang regular na empleyado. Ganoon pa man, inaasahan natin na ang mga kawani ay magmamalasakit din para sa kapakanan ng ating Unibersidad. Huwag sana nilang igiit ang kanilang mga kahilingan kung ito ay hindi kayang pasanin ng ating kabang-yaman.  Kasabay nito, kailangan po nating suriing mabuti ang pangangailangan ng ating operasyon upang ang laki ng ating administrative workforce ay maging tugma rito, at hindi tuluyang lumobo. Ang salop na umaapaw ay di na po dapat dagdagan.  Sa ibabaw po ng lahat nang ito, i-aangkas natin ang ating mga reporma sa ating procurement system, sa automation ng ating mga operating systems, at sa paggamit ng ating mga pondo at resources.  Tayo po sa ngayon ang nag-iisang Pambansang Unibersidad. Subalit ang karangalan pong ito ay may kaakibat na tungkulin para sa mga unibersidad at kolehiyo sa buong bansa, pribado man o pambupliko. Sa ilalim po ng ating pagmamasid, itataguyod natin ang tambalan ng UP sa mga unibersidad at kolehiyo na ibig makipagtulungan sa ating mga gawaing akademiko at pananaliksik. Pag-aaralan po natin ang pagbalangkas sa isang facility-sharing scheme para sa ating mga SUCs.  Dumako naman po tayo sa usaping informal settlers. Lingid sa karamihan, ang pamilya po natin, minsan, ay naging informal settler din. Kung kaya po damang-dama rin natin ang nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayang nakikitirik sa ating mga lupain. Bibigyan po natin ng tamang pansin ang kanilang kapakanan. Ang kanilang kagalingan ay lagi po nating ilalahok sa lahat ng balak at pagpa-plano sa pagsasa-ayos ng ating mga campus. Hindi po tayo gigiba ng bahay kung ito ay gigiba ng buhay. Ang tanging dasal po natin, sana’y magmalasakit din naman sila sa ating Unibersidad at sa ating komunidad.  Hindi po natin ikinahiya kailanman na tayo ay galing din sa hirap. Dala po ng kahirapan sa buhay tayo po ay nangailangang tumulong sa ating mga magulang sa pagtataguyod sa pamilya. Tumulong po tayo na magpa-aral sa ating mga kapatid upang magbago ang kanilang mga kapalaran at ng ating mga mahal sa buhay. Sa ating pagtulong, nangailangan pong humingi tayo ng awa sa Panginoon. At upang patunayan na ang ating panalangin ay taimtim, tayo po ay nagbitaw ng isang panata. Panata na tayo po ay hindi hahanap ng kabiyak sa buhay hanggat hindi natatapos ng kolehiyo ang lahat ng ating mga kapatid. Dininig po ng Maykapal ang ating panalangin at malugod naman po nating tinupad ang ating panata. Hindi po tayo nakipag-isang dibdib kay Atty. Gaby hanggat hindi po tapos ng medisina ang bunso nating kapatid.  Ngayong hapon, saksi kayong lahat at ang Dakilang Lumikha, tayo po ay gumagawa muli ng isang panata. Panata na tayo po ay maglilingkod ng wagas, sa sukdulan ng ating kakayahan, nang patas at makatarungan, nang buong puso at pagmamahal, nang walang iwanan at laglagan, at higit sa lahat, na walang halong biro!  Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat!  Mabuhay and Unibersidad ng Pilipinas!        (The English translation of the Filipino portion follows below.)     Driven by the sincerest and noblest desire to continue accomplishing meaningful and necessary changes in the University, and with the firm belief that I could contribute to achieve this dream, I humbly offered myself to serve our University as its President. And because we were brought and bound together by our common selfless intentions and pursuits, we prevailed, we succeeded.  This success signals the beginning of the more important task of proving to our colleagues—friends and detractors alike—and to those who rely on and believe in us that we will fulfill and deliver the reforms we have committed to achieve. This we will realize through a renewal of our collective and united efforts to plan, decide, and act toward the needed change we have envisioned together.  For us to triumph, the three vital components of our University—the students, the faculty, and the administrative staff—should aim as one to hit our targets. Our unity is the key to our success. True, unity is elusive because we fully acknowledge and accept the complexity and diversity of our respective needs, beliefs, and standards. However, we believe that there is a common ground where all of the three components can stand together as one body. We have to act as one body, so that pain endured by one of us will be pain felt by all of us. That common ground is right here in our hearts; we simply have to feel it to realize it.  To ensure that all of us will stay in that common ground together as one, I, as your President, shall act as the adhesive that will keep us fastened and bound together, so that no one will fall out, or be left out.  I am committed to listen to anyone who needs my attention, so I would know what he or she feels, plans, and needs in order to guide me in my work. Under my leadership, the common good is far more important than my personal views or desire.  The road to change is treacherous to say the least. But to guide us in every step of the way, compassion is what shall set our bearings. It is compassion when we feel genuine care for our University, genuine care for our professions, genuine care for ourselves, and genuine care for each other. When we genuinely feel compassion, we are truly careful with our words and deeds; very careful of our every move so as not to hurt or harm the things we value and care for.  If our unity is the key to our success, compassion is the key to our solidarity and lasting camaraderie.  In the next six years that I will steer the helm of this administration, rest assured that I will hold it firmly and with vigilance, for there will be great obstacles ahead to confront and overcome. Just at the start of my term as President, we already met a major challenge: tuition-free college education.  It is a major concern because we have been allocating sixty percent of our collection from tuition fees for faculty development programs. If the national government will not replace the tuition collection we will forego, there will be no funds to finance the programs that develop and uplift the conditions of our faculty.  Apart from this, we have to address another concern. While studying in UP may be free, can the students belonging to the less-privileged and marginalized families pass the UPCAT if they intend or wish to study in UP?  The free-tuition program will clearly be pointless, senseless, and useless if the students from poor families will not pass the UPCAT. Based on previous studies, only a small percentage of graduates from public high schools outside Metro Manila pass the UPCAT. This low turnout is being blamed on the low quality of instruction in those public high schools.  This reality has given rise to our proposal to impose return service as a condition for the admission of students to UP. This return service will be for one year after graduation. Our graduates will be required to teach senior high school students in public high schools that we will identify as UP feeder schools. This scheme, we hope, will uplift the quality of the graduates from these feeder schools.  The return-service condition, however, will be voluntary. Any student may opt out from this condition before graduation by paying his tuition, or the cost of his education if he will opt out after graduation. The return service to be rendered by our graduates will not be for free. Our students who will decide to teach will be compensated properly.  While it is voluntary, we are very optimistic that our students, the scholars of the nation, will choose to render return service. That is because it will be a perfect opportunity for them to live out their professed love for our country, and their advocacy to serve our poor countrymen.  Our students often march on the streets to demand change. Sometimes it seems that their clamors and complaints will never end; that they want to run the University themselves; and that they wish to study as they please or solely what they desire.  Nevertheless, we shall guarantee their right and freedom to express their ideas, beliefs, and principles. We will never even attempt to suppress what they want to say, or oppress them for what they fight for. Instead, we shall listen to them, understand them, and guide them. We do not mold them to think one way or another. On the contrary, we mold them to think freely; to develop inquisitive, discerning, and creative minds; to be fearless and assertive; and to uphold what is right and just.  For our faculty, our strength lies in our ability to discourse and resolve our differences collegially. We will value and nurture this ability intensely. We will vigorously pursue and secure the funding needed to continue and improve our faculty development programs.  In order to retain our valued faculty in our University, we will study how to ease the rules on tenure and promotion to make them fair and just. We will also upgrade their working conditions and provide them with a happy and vibrant academic life in our campuses. After it burned down last year, a bigger, more modern, and faculty-friendly Faculty Center will rise up again in three years.  The community bestows utmost recognition and respect to the members of our faculty while they are in the University. We will never allow the loss of that dignity after their retirement from teaching. To accomplish this, we will create an office specifically dedicated to prepare our faculty for a well-deserved retirement life and to assist them with their needs, especially in housing.  Included in the list of our priority projects is the rehabilitation of our campuses. It entails the repair, restoration and improvement of our buildings and dormitories. The time has come to put an end to the not-so-amusing joke that there is no clean or decent toilet in UP.  I appeal to our alumni for compassion by helping us in this crusade. I am reaching out to our successful alumni who stayed in the dormitories and enjoyed the benefits of living on campus, paying very cheap dormitory fees. I hope they find in their hearts the generosity to pay it forward and help us in the makeover of their dorms.  We shall strive to build a second Philippine General Hospital in UP Diliman. With it, we shall establish its complement: the College of Medicine and the Genomic Cancer Research Institute. This medical complex will serve the UP Diliman community and the north of Metro Manila. On the one hand, the College of Medicine will result in a substantial increase in the number of medical students we shall train to increase the number of doctors in our country. And on the other, the Genomic Cancer Research Institute will focus on finding cures for cancer, using the science of genomics as a major tool.  We conceive of PGH-Diliman to be the most modern, well-equipped, and excellent hospital in the country. We believe that we can make this dream happen with your support and the help of our national and local governments.  For our contractual personnel who have served the University for a long time, we have begun the process of making them regular employees. However, inasmuch as doing it will require the creation of new plantilla positions, the process will take some time. In the meantime, we shall move up our non-UP contractuals, those who have rendered many years of service, to the level of UP contractual so they can be entitled to all the benefits that a regular employee receives. With this, I hope that our staff would feel that we care. We believe that they, too, have compassion for the welfare of our University. I expect them to understand and not to insist on their demands if our coffers cannot afford these benefits.  Alongside this, we need to take stock of and examine our operations to ensure a match between the size of our administrative workforce and our operational requirements. We will ensure that its size no longer balloons unchecked.  In a larger perspective, we will institute reforms in our procurement system, in the automation of our operating systems, and in the allocation and use of our funds and resources.  As the national university, we have an obligation in our Charter towards other universities and colleges, private and public. Under our watch, we shall comply with that mandate. We shall foster cooperation and collaboration with schools that wish to partner with us in academic and research initiatives. We shall study and consider the establishment and operationalization of a facility-sharing scheme.  In addressing the concern on the informal settlers in the University, many do not know that my family was also once an informal settler. This is why I know how it feels to be one. We shall give proper attention to their needs and well-being. Their welfare will be included in all of our plans to put in order our campuses. We will not destroy houses if it will destroy lives. My sincere prayer and hope is for them to also have compassion for our University and our community.  I was never ashamed of my humble origins. We were so poor that I had to help my parents in supporting our family. I helped them by ensuring that my siblings could finish their schooling to change their lives and futures for the better. To accomplish this, I had to ask a big favor from God. To prove how fervent my prayer was, I made a vow that if God granted my request, I would not marry until all my siblings had finished college. God answered my prayer and I faithfully fulfilled my vow. I did not get married to Atty. Gaby until my youngest sibling had finished medicine.  Today, with all of you and God Almighty as my witnesses, I once again make a solemn pledge to serve you faithfully, to the best of my ability, with fairness and justice, with all my heart and soul, leaving no one behind, and with utmost seriousness of purpose.  Thank you all! Long live the University of the Philippines!     You may watch the video of his speech below: "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to focus on seizures, neurological symptoms, and COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-focus-on-seizures-neurological-symptoms-and-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to focus on seizures, neurological symptoms, and COVID-19 UP webinar to focus on seizures, neurological symptoms, and COVID-19 November 11, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are still learning about all the different ways that the viral disease can affect the body. One of these is the impact of COVID-19 on the brain and the neurological system.  It has been found that patients who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 may also suffer neurological symptoms such as delirium, brain inflammation, nerve damage, stroke and others. These neurological problems pose particular challenges to clinical management. Another factor is the delay in emergency care for patients with neurological symptoms because of COVID-19 infection, leading to hypoxia or the deprivation of oxygen to a region of the body, and an increased risk of seizure recurrence or the development of new onset and acute symptomatic seizures.  For the 30th installment of the University of the Philippines’ webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, which will be held on November 13, 2020, at 12:00 noon, the focus will be on “Seizures in a COVID-19 Patient”. The case to be studied will be that of a 90-year-old man who showed neurological signs and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Several attempts were made to give the patient emergency care after he was turned down by seven hospitals, but the patient continued to deteriorate and developed seizures. How the seizures were related to COVID-19 will be discussed.  The presenter for this webinar is Dr. Athena Antonio, an EEG and Epilepsy Fellow at the Department of Neurosciences, UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH). Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UP System Executive Vice President and Special Adviser to the National Task Force on COVID-19 is the guest speaker. Dr. Marc Fernandez, Associate Professor at the UP College of Medicine, will be the clinical discussant; while Dr. Leopoldo Vega, Health Undersecretary and Treatment Czar as well as head of the One Hospital Command Center, will be the health systems discussant.  The UP webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the very first online medical grand rounds in the Philippines, is organized by UP in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and UP PGH.  To participate in this webinar, please register at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar30. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV, ISAT-U pursue collaboration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-isat-u-pursue-collaboration/",
        "html": "UPV, ISAT-U pursue collaboration UPV, ISAT-U pursue collaboration August 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Visayas (UPV) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) on August 14 following the inauguration of the new College of Management building at the UPV Iloilo City campus.  The MOU involves “collaborative graduate level instruction, research, training, and public service or extension programs.” With their shared interests in knowledge generation through “innovative capacity-building programs in fisheries and aquatic sciences” and in the sustained development of technologies, both institutions have seen fit to join forces and use their expertise, resources, and facilities to plan and implement relevant programs. The partnership also aims to strengthen each party’s capabilities in the conduct of research in emerging inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary fields.  The new UP Visayas College of Management building in the Iloilo City Campus. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  The memorandum notes that any student working on his thesis or dissertation through the MOU “shall be given priority to use any data generated to complete thesis or dissertation and to ensure timely graduation.” In addition, all publications resulting from these theses or dissertations “shall be co-authored by UPV and ISAT-U collaborators, and must always include the student,” although the assignment of primary author must be agreed upon by both universities. A scientist who has published research as part of the MOU “shall be given the right to be the primary author,” should he desire to include the said publication in his application for tenure.  UPV and ISAT-U ink a memorandum of understanding for collaborative graduate research, instruction, training, and public service​ or extension work. Standing from left to right are CHED Commissioner J. Prospero De Vera III and UP President Danilo Concepcion. Seated from left to right are ISAT-U VP for Research and Extension Carmelo Ambut, ISAt-U President Raul Muyong, UPV Chancellor Rommel Espinosa, and UPV VC for Research and Extension Ricardo Babaran. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  UPV Chancellor Rommel Espinosa and ISAT-U President Raul F. Muyong signed the MOU with Commission on Higher Education Commissioner J. Prospero De Vera III, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UPV Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Ricardo Babaran, and ISAT-U Vice President for Research and Extension Carmelo Ambut as witnesses. The partnership became effective upon signing. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)  "
    },
    {
        "title": "For the Love of Cinema – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/for-the-love-of-cinema/",
        "html": "For the Love of Cinema For the Love of Cinema October 18, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    You’ll recognize it from Giuseppe Tornatore’s film, Cinema Paradiso. It’s the UP Visayas (UPV) Cinematheque in the Iloilo City campus.  It currently houses the 77-seater Cinema Exmundo, and a film museum which are open to the public.     UP Visayas – Iloilo campus Cinematheque (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “It’s not big like UP Diliman’s Film Center but also not as small as its Videotheque. It’s our own little intimate film theater,” said Prof. Martin Genodepa, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Culture and the Arts and former Cinematheque faculty-in-charge (FIC). It has that old movie house feel, emphasized by refurbished seats salvaged from Allegro Theater, one of the city’s “vintage” cinemas.  Flash back: The origins  Funded by UP alumni, the Cinematheque was launched in 2008 as a UP Centennial project and inaugurated in December 2009. It later closed for repairs to the leaking roof and reopened when the work was done.  Cinema Exmundo is named after alumni donors Solomon Exmundo and Nilda Lopez-Exmundo, who, along with their son Oliver, furnished the Cinematheque’s interior. Genodepa said the Exmundos are film lovers and wanted to share that love with the UPV community. Prof. Alfredo Diaz, the present FIC, added that Cinema Paradiso is the donors’ favorite movie, which not only explains the building’s design but also the sharing of their passion for cinema.  But the Exmundos are not the only alumni responsible for the existence of the Cinematheque. Former Antique Governor Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez is also instrumental in the sourcing of funds for the P3-million building.     The 77-seater Cinema Exmundo (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Now showing: a gathering place  Diaz told the UP Forum that Cinema Exmundo not only screens classic and independent feature films and documentaries, but is also a venue for lectures. It naturally beckons film enthusiasts in and out of UPV to come together, enjoy movies, and listen to film scholars and practitioners.  The engagement of the UPV community has improved, he said. “I’m happy that students have become very active in acquiring rights to movies that they want to be shown here. And if they’re screening it for free, we don’t charge them.” He explained that in the beginning, deciding on the films to be featured fell on the management’s shoulders.  The Cinematheque is also rented by alumni to hold private screenings and events. “It’s often nostalgia. They would watch movies that were popular during their high school or college days,” Genodepa said. Even Diaz’s high school batch has scheduled a screening of Bagets to celebrate its silver anniversary this year.  Next attraction: The museum  The Cinematheque film museum was inaugurated in 2013 and currently exhibits items like an original helmet from Ben Hur, a first issue Mickey Mouse figure, face casts of celebrities famous for their roles as movie monsters, a newspaper used in Titanic, a zoetrope, a praxinoscope, and Han Solo in Carbonite. Right at the entrance of the cinema is a huge old film projector from the Allegro Theater.  Prof. Alfredo Diaz (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  While Oliver Exmundo is not an alumnus of UP, he has been supportive of his parents’ initiative. He is recognized by UPV as a major donor and is responsible for the museum’s permanent collection. Genodepa revealed that he regularly adds memorabilia to be displayed. The younger Exmundo was a senior animator at Weta Digital and worked on visual effects for movies such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Avatar, Maleficent, The Adventures of Tintin, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Ant-Man, among others.  Coming soon: Film workshops  When it was inaugurated at the end of 2009, future plans for the Cinematheque included the conduct of courses in digital filmmaking, film theory and history, and workshops for those who want to embark on filmmaking.     Prof. Martin Genodepa talking about the pieces in the film museum (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     These plans have not been abandoned, UPV is simply ensuring that the conditions are right before moving on to the next stage of the Cinematheque’s development. For now, Genodepa said the building’s second level still needs work. This is to ensure an appropriate space for film-related workshops. While the timeline for the offering of more advanced courses has yet to be determined, it certainly remains part of the Cinematheque’s future.  The UPV Cinematheque is almost eight years old. Like a child of the same age, it has a lot of growing up to do before it reaches maturity. But with the support of the whole UPV community—the administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumni—things bode well for its future.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Oysters you can sprinkle – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/oysters-you-can-sprinkle/",
        "html": "Oysters you can sprinkle Oysters you can sprinkle November 9, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    You love oysters, but you hate all that brushing, washing, and shucking. So you give yourself a little treat and pay a pretty price at a restaurant just to get your oyster fix. Well, someone at UP Visayas has some good news for you.  Her name is Ernestina Peralta, a researcher at the Institute of Fish Processing Technology; and she has led in the creation of two kinds of oyster powder—one from oyster extract and the other from the meat residue—packed with that distinct flavor you love. You can use them to season your dishes or as base components for sauces and mixes.     Ernestina Peralta says the country produces oysters in high volume. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     That’s just one application. Oysters are rich in vitamins, amino acids, and minerals like taurine and zinc, which means the powders can also be used in nutraceuticals. Even those who don’t like the taste of these bivalves can benefit from their nutrients.  What’s more, these products are all natural. “Oyster powders aren’t new, but the processes in producing that powder vary. Ours is simplified and aims to preserve the oyster’s nutritional value without the use of chemicals,” Peralta explains.     The oyster powder team at the Institute of Fish Processing and Technology, from left to right: Edna Monreal, Grace Palmos, Ernestina Peralta, Rose Mueda, Nona Andonaque, and Salve Sevilleno. (Photo from Institute of Fish Processing and Technology)     Peralta also reveals that there are differences in taste and nutritive components between the two powders they created. “The extract powder is stronger in taste but the residue powder has higher nutrition levels. Just choose the kind of powder that suits your needs.”     “Oysters are rich in minerals like zinc and taurine,” says Peralta. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     She says the oyster powder idea came from the fact that the Philippines harvests oysters in high volume, yet they remain an underutilized resource and are even considered low-value commodities. As she waits for the patents to be granted, Peralta hopes their products will eventually be able to contribute to making oysters a high-value commodity in the country—an in-demand resource in domestic and commercial food production as well as in the production of nutritional dietary supplements. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Accidental Runner – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-accidental-runner/",
        "html": "The Accidental Runner The Accidental Runner July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   During the 40th National Milo Marathon Finals, December 2016.     The current Chair of the UPV Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Committee, Mary Lyncen M. Fernandez, is a staunch advocate of health, fitness and wellness.  “Six years ago, my blood chemistry was going through the roof. A doctor told me that I needed to take maintenance to control my blood sugar, uric acid, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure. I was a short, fat, middle-aged woman who weighed more than 80 kilos. I called myself ang babaeng walang leeg (the woman with no neck).”  Mary Lyncen says that was her wake-up call. She bargained with the doctor to give her three months to change her diet and vowed to undergo a regular exercise routine.  “My Lola died of a stroke in the shower. It was more than an hour before we found her body. My own mother had a stroke in her middle age. The fifth one left her paralyzed for nine years before she died. These two things flashed in my mind in the doctor’s office while listening to her talk about Lipitor, and Losartan.”  She says that she was fortunate to live inside the UP Visayas Miag-ao campus with its undulating roads that feature many uphill and downhill slopes. She started walking around and about the campus, which is also thickly populated by trees.     Trail Run, July 2017.     “Starting was the toughest part, maintaining it even more so. I remember the first time I tried to run up the road which I dubbed the Diwata Road because that is where the Diwata ng Dagat sculpture by National Artist Napoleon Abueva sits. It was the steepest hill inside the campus and I thought I would die after just a few meters. But the feeling of exhilaration stayed with me. It was awesome to have wings on your feet even for just a few seconds.”  Being the researcher that she is, she started to read extensively on how to become a runner. If she was going to be one, she said she might as well do it right.  “I remember my first fun-run, a 3K event in July 2010. I kept my head down for fear of seeing the snickers of people in seeing this fat, middle-aged woman hobble towards the finish line. What was running in my mind was that I would probably be the last to cross the finish line.”  Since then, she has signed up for other fun runs and the 3K progressed to 5K and 10K with some trail running thrown in. On December 2013, she crossed the finish line of her first half-marathon, a 21K run. After some setbacks, one of which was an operation to remove her gallbladder, she did her first full marathon this year in February at the age of 50.  “After I crossed the finish line and somebody put that 42K finisher’s medal on my neck, I wept on my husband’s shoulders. He was waiting for me at the finish line. All those years of running and self-training, waking up at 3:00 a.m. to run for three to four hours, running alone, doubting myself, lacing up my running shoes even when I didn’t feel like it, sidelined by sickness and injuries—these flashed through my mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be a marathoner. I had never been athletic. Women were not encouraged to go into sports during my time. What is even more astounding is that only 1% of the world’s population has run marathons.”     Run UP4, July 2014.     UPV folks at CSC Fun Run, with VCA Gumban, March 2012.     She adds, “How I wish I had started in this wonderful journey of health and fitness much, much sooner. I had to have my gall bladder removed because gallstones the size of corn kernels had formed there. This was brought about by years of abusive eating, particularly of salty and oily food.”  Mary Lyncen says that she is committed to pursuing this lifestyle of health and wellness for the rest of her life. She said that she does not diet but has changed the way she eats, such as giving up sugary drinks and junk food, and trying to eat as much fruit and vegetables as she can every day.  “I am stronger in mind and body now that I am 50 years old than when I was in my 30s and 40s. Running has completely changed my life. It has made me strong physically and mentally. I am always at peace with myself and the universe every time I run. Running has given me so much joy and peace and energy. It has given me good health. For the past six years, my blood chemistry results have been excellent. I take no maintenance medication, so far. One of running’s greatest surprises is that you get more energetic after a run.”  She says that “That is why I keep urging my fellow office workers, who are strapped into their chairs eight hours a day, five days a week, to engage in this life of health and wellness. I want us to be healthy in mind and body and be more productive at work and still have the energy for family stuff.  Along with her fellow UPV Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness committee members, she has been urging the UPV community to get into this new lifestyle. They have come up with a year-long program that consists of a combination of physical activities and information drives through lectures. A year-long, weekly Zumba for Miag-ao and Iloilo city campuses employees has been put in place to encourage office workers to take a break from eight hours of sitting. Lectures on depression, nutrition, menopause and andropause, strength training, and a Palarong Pang-empleyado and year-end Zumba Run have been lined up for 2018.     At the finish line of Fernandez’s first 42K, Feb. 18, 2018.     “It’s my hope and wish that all members of the UPV community would be fit and healthy long after we have retired from the University. So that we can still be active and productive and not spend our retirement money in hospitals and on maintenance drugs,” Mary Lyncen says.  The other members of the UPV Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Committee include Prof. Catherine B. Anecita, Prof. Brenda Lynn B. Arroyo, Prof. Cristituto S. Rogador, and Ms. Mybelle G. Zulueta, all from the PE Department, Ms. Teresa S. Hortillo from the Office of Student Affairs, Dr. Marchette S. Noble from the Health Services Unit, Ms. Maureen Kay C. Ongo from the Cash Office, and Ms. Melinda C. Sasana, Dorm Manager. (Mary Lyncen M. Fernandez, UP Visayas)     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP prexy gets close look at admin issues, UPV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-prexy-gets-close-look-at-admin-issues-upv/",
        "html": "UP prexy gets close look at admin issues, UPV UP prexy gets close look at admin issues, UPV July 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Danilo Concepcion raises a token of appreciation given to him by the organizers of the UP System-wide Administrative Management and Staff Conference 2018 led by Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora and Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion visited UP Visayas (UPV) on July 13 and 14, 2018, consulting with administrative personnel representatives of the UP System, inaugurating new UPV structures, and checking on the remote UPV Marine Biological Station on Taklong Island, Guimaras.  Concepcion attended the second day of the triennial UP System-wide Administrative Management and Staff Conference held in the UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Auditorium in the UPV Miag-ao campus, where he listened and reacted to the reporting of workshop output on administrative staff concerns.  He spoke of his favoring administrative staff directorship of administrative offices. He endorsed equal opportunity for research and free studies for the administrative staff, but urged them to initiate the proposals. He also expressed support for automatic promotion for those qualified, and for raising University revenues to be able to buy land for faculty and staff housing.     The new UP Visayas Faculty and Staff Housing before the ribbon cutting, with UP President Danilo Concepcion and (from left) UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Administration Mary Ann Gumban, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, UP Assistant Vice President for Administration Ariel Betan, and UP Mindanao Vice Chancellor for Administration Antonio Obsioma. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion (3rd from left) and UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran (center) cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new UP Visayas Faculty and Staff Housing, with (from left to right) UP Vice President Nestor Yunque, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Administration Mary Ann Gumban, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, and UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     He said he would find more money to regularize employees. “I will not back down on this promise,” he pointed out, referring to his UP presidential nomination platform. Concepcion also assured the administrative personnel of the University’s legal protection in cases filed against them for performing their official duties.  “We should trust each other. I am one with you,” the President told more than 150 administrative personnel delegates, assuring them he would look after their welfare in his decisions.  The dialogue ended with Concepcion’s plea to uphold the Filipino characteristic of malasakit. “Magmalasakit sa Unibersidad na pinanggagalingan ng ating kaligayahan, kabuhayan, at karangalan. Magmalasakit sa propesyon, sa sarili, sa isa’t isa,” he said.     President Danilo Concepcion sings “UP Naming Mahal” with other UP officials and organizers and delegates of the UP System-wide Administrative Management and Staff Conference 2018. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The President proceeded to inaugurate the Graduate Students Office, consisting of two laboratories and working spaces for up to 57 graduate students; and the new Faculty and Staff Housing, a condominium-style structure, with 49 two-room and single-room units.  On the next day, Concepcion took the multi-modal trip to the UPV’s Marine Biological Station (MBS) in the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve off the far southern coast of Guimaras island, where he met with UPV Division of Biological Sciences Chair Frances Nievales and UPV-MBS Head Ma. Celia Malay.  The President was briefed on the problems of the marine reserve in general, which include illegal fishing, the influx of visitors, and solid waste; and the biological station, in particular, which include administration, logistics, and communication.     UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran explains the map of Guimaras Province to UP President Danilo Concepcion during the latter’s visit to the UP Visayas Marine Biological Station on Taklong Island, Guimaras. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion on a boat docked at the mangrove entrance of the UP Visayas Marine Biological Station on Taklong Island. With him are (from left) UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Administration Mary Ann Gumban, Lorena Yunque of the Philippine Commission on Women, UP Assistant Vice President for Administration Ariel Betan, former UP Vice President for Administration Maragtas Amante, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, and UP Los Baños Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration Genaro Cuaresma. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Concepcion is only the second UP president to set foot on the island after Emerlinda Roman. The late UP President Edgardo Angara made the trip when he was Senate President, according to UPV officials.  On his way to the Taklong island jump-off from the Jordan, Guimaras port, he met with Jordan Mayor Ruben Corpuz and Imelda Fernandez of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project. The three belong to the same Agricultural Engineering batch in Araneta University. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Physical High from Epsilon Chi – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-physical-high-from-epsilon-chi/",
        "html": "A Physical High from Epsilon Chi A Physical High from Epsilon Chi July 25, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    For those looking to get fit and to sweat it out in Quezon City, there are few destinations more scenic or iconic than the UP Diliman campus.  Every day, thousands of people visit the 493-hectare campus, many with physical fitness in mind. Campus landmarks such as the Academic Oval, the National Science Complex and the Sunken Garden, among many others, have become go-to destinations for everyone from hardened athletes to beginners carrying out their very first exercise routines.  Truly, very few other places in the Metro offer fitness opportunities that are quite as scenic, safe and open as the UP System’s flagship campus.  This fact, when combined with the respectable annual showings of UP’s varsity athletes, might lead one to think that fitness is no serious concern for UP’s students in general. This, however, is not necessarily the case, as Dr. Shirley Villosillo-Guevarra, officer-in-charge of the UP Office of Student Housing (OSH) indicates—especially for the University’s beloved dormers.  A faculty member from the UP College of Home Economics (CHE) and a proponent of “holistic human development,” Guevarra notes that even the healthful atmosphere in UP has not prevented some dormers from dropping out or falling prey to various lifestyle and mental illnesses. While these cases have many causes, experts like Guevarra have been increasingly concerned by the stresses students face when meeting high-pressure academic requirements, as well as the attendant sedentary habits and isolation that can afflict dormers in particular.  It was with great pride and excitement, therefore, that Guevarra and other officials welcomed the decision of the UP Epsilon Chi Fraternity under the leadership of Governer Radian Eugene Ong to donate a legacy project in celebration of the fraternity’s 50th anniversary in 2014. The result of that decision is the Epsilon Chi Health and Fitness Center, which had its groundbreaking ceremony at the Molave Residence Hall on October 2014, and is expected to open its doors to the UP community in early 2018.  According to Guevarra, the decision to donate a Health and Fitness Center stems from the desire of both the fraternity and the UP administration to provide a “holistic environment for the dormers,” and, by extension, the rest of the UP community. It is also envisioned to be a convergence center, drawing people from around the campus and the city in the pursuit of health and community.  The donation of a health and fitness center, while not always intuitive, is a very important one, primarily for its unique attributes. “There had already been a good number of scholarship grants given to the students by our alumni,” Guevarra says. Epsilon Chi, however, wanted something different. With a good number of them being dormers in the past, the members of the fraternity, Guevarra says, wanted to specifically provide a facility to improve the health of present and future dormers.  As opposed to a single scholarship fund, Guevarra said the construction of the facility would provide a “bigger and greater impact” on the UP community that surrounds it. “If you have a facility, it is there and will be there (virtually) forever, if you maintain it well.”  And that, indeed, is the plan. First, the Health and Fitness Center will improve existing facilities within Molave, in particular the basketball court. The newly refurbished and now-covered court not only can host basketball games, but can be convertedfor other sports, such as badminton or table tennis. One of the most anticipated features is the addition of a mezzanine containing a gym, with exercise equipment and spaces donated by Epsilon Chi.  UPD Chancellor Michael L. Tan and Epsilon Chi Fraternity Radian Governor Eugene G. Ong (sitting, left to right), together with OSH officer-in-charge Dr. Shirley V. Guevarra, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Neil R. Santillan, Engr. Manuel H. Torres and Engr. Roberto C. Ronquillo (standing, left to right), during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Epsilon Chi health and fitness center in UP Diliman, held October 2, 2015, taken from an article written by Haidee C. Pineda, with photo by Leonardo A. Reyes, UP Diliman Information Office. (Photo from the UP Diliman website, http://upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DSC_0452.jpg)  In addition, ancillary spaces and facilities are also being constructed. Bleachers were designed, as well as toilets and shower rooms for players and guests to use. Lastly, some stalls are planned from which the place can generate additional rent income, apart from the small fees that will be charged to outsiders for facility use. The income generated will go into a fund that will be used to pay the center’s future staff and repairs, helping to make it self-sufficient.  Guevarra says that there are no plans for the outright commercialization of the center and its services—just enough “to generate funding for maintenance of the place.” The center is planned to be free of charge for all UP dormers. Ultimately, for Guevarra, what the center will provide beyond the benefits of health is a sense of community and a clear reflection of what UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan calls “Pride of Place” and “Pride in People.” It is a tangible manifestation, for one, of the will of the UP alumni to give back and “to provide a healthy and holistic place for UP dormers and the community, as well”.  “In the CHE, we go for what we call holistic development of people, of Filipino families,” notes Guevarra. “The residence halls are considered homes—second homes of students, so we need to address their needs from multiple dimensions and aspects. These are not just dormitories, where you eat and sleep. There are communities here. That’s why we welcomed this beautiful project. It’s aligned with the OSH’s aim to provide a nurturing environment, encompassing not only psychological, but physical and social aspects as well.”  Like Guevarra, UP Diliman Office of the Campus Architect (OCA) Director Enrico B. Tabafunda views the project as a success—particularly as it is the first major alumni donation from Chancellor Tan’s first term.  Tabafunda points out that one major advantage of the Health and Fitness Center is that it will give students access to equipment and facilities that they might otherwise have to travel a considerable distance to utilize.  Studies show that closing the distance between students and opportunities for exercise may make a large difference in their capacity and willingness to get fit. A 2005 study of American university students by Julian Reed and D. Allen Phillips found that students exercised more and longer the nearer they were to exercise facilities.  As a personal display of “Pride in People” and since private funds were being used for the project, Tabafunda had one request—to have a UP architect design the Center, in order to highlight both pride and familiarity with the place, as well as the quality of the UP College of Architecture’s training.  Luckily, Governor Eugene Ong took his request seriously and got in touch with UP alumna and Miss Universe 2011 3rd-runner up Arch. Shamcey Supsup-Lee, who agreed to do the design for free. “She really is the architect-of-record in this project,” Tabafunda says proudly.  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "First batch of new UP IDs released – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-batch-of-new-up-ids-released/",
        "html": "First batch of new UP IDs released First batch of new UP IDs released September 4, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo     Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     UP System employees were the first recipients of the new UP ID produced by PayMaya, free of charge, for the University.  In a ceremonial presentation, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, and Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora received their new IDs from PayMaya founder and CEO Orlando Vea on August 27, the first day of release.     Top photo: UP President Danilo Concepcion (center) shows his new UP ID. With him in this photo are, from left, PayMaya Enterprise Head Tisha Quinitio, PayMaya founder and CEO Orlando Vea, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, and UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora. Bottom photo: UP EVP Teodoro Herbosa (second from left) and UP VP for Development Elvira Zamora (third from left) hold up their IDs with PayMaya Enterprise Head Tisha Quinitio (leftmost) and PayMaya founder and CEO Orlando Vea (righmost). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Asked why the fintech company is doing this for free, Vea, a UP Diliman School of Economics alumnus, said that he wants his alma mater to be part of the national initiative toward digital financial inclusion—to be the first university in the country ready to engage in an increasingly cashless economy.     UP System employees with their new IDs (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     New UP ID holders will have the option to avail of PayMaya’s financial services that are external to the University, but not required by UP. Rather, this option is a provision that gives holders the flexibility to expand the use of the IDs for added personal purposes.  Concepcion, Herbosa, and Zamora, chose to activate their PayMaya accounts and made the first financial transactions with the new UP ID. They loaded money into their accounts through the money-in kiosk at Quezon Hall and made purchases at the Chocolate Kiss Café, Ang Bahay ng Alumni. UP System employees who likewise activated PayMaya services were assisted by PayMaya personnel in a booth at the Quezon Hall lobby.     In the top photo, UP President Danilo Concepcion loads his account through the money-in kiosk at Quezon Hall as PayMaya founder and CEO Orlando Vea and UP VP for Development Elvira Zamora look on. The bottom photo shows UP EVP Teodoro Herbosa getting his receipt after using the same kiosk with PayMaya Strategic Communications Manager John Mark Tuazon. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion (top photo) and UP VP for Development Elvira Zamora (bottom photo) use their IDs to pay for purchases at the Chocolate Kiss Café, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The rollout schedule of the new IDs to all UP campuses is still being discussed with the constituent universities.  The memorandum of agreement between the University and PayMaya was signed on June 20. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Don’t break the streak! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dont-break-the-streak/",
        "html": "Don’t break the streak! Don’t break the streak! September 4, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    In both sports and politics the goal of the “clean sweep” is one that competitors continually aspire to. Victory by an overwhelming margin, or a series of triumphs without a loss reflects excellence and superiority.  Since 2009, UP Mindanao’s BS Architecture program has been performing clean sweeps of its own. Through a combination of rigor, scholarship, and a sensitivity to regional needs, the program has maintained a record 100 percent passing rate among its graduates in the Architecture licensure exams up to the present year.  This achievement has also seen seven topnotchers from the ranks of its alumni. This is highly impressive for the College and the Humanities and Social Sciences-based unit that rose past a troubled start to embody the saying that success does indeed speak for itself.  What makes this young program the emerging powerhouse that it is today? We sat down with faculty members of the BS Architecture program to talk about who they are, what makes them unique, and their plans to strengthen the discipline in the future.  Silencing doubts  For a program that has brought such pride to the region, it is somewhat surprising that it barely made it through its first few years intact. The BS Architecture program was implemented in 1999, with a pioneer batch of only 12 students. From the beginning, says Dr. Isidoro Malaque III, who handled the first thesis batch in 2003, the program was beset with “birth pains,” resulting from early calls for its abolition.  Dr. Isidoro Malaque III of the UPMin Department of Architecture (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)   One reason, he indicated, was the unique circumstances of UP Mindanao’s creation. This CU was mostly the brainchild of Congress, rather than the UP Board of Regents. Beyond politics, however, the constant question that was being leveled at the program members, given that UP Diliman already had an Architecture program, was “Why are you here?”  This annual call to justify their existence lit a fire under the members of the young program, which also saw the entry of long-time chairperson and now College Dean Jean Marie Juanga into the ranks at around that time. “Our faculty wanted to prove that Mindanao needed the program because Mindanao has its own built environment and planning issues,” Malaque says. “Eventually the faculty also inspired the students to do well.”  It was in 2007 that the program’s first licensure exam takers tested themselves and attained their first 100% exam results. These successes in both the exams and in research and extension would continue until, by 2012, not a single question about the program remained.  A research culture  The current faculty members, which now includes architects Ryan Songcayauon, Kristin Faye Olalo, Alexis Ken Cartajenas, Dan Jezreel Orendain, Mark Ndsy Puso, Angelo Felix Regalado and the current chairperson, Myrafe Sebastian-Ylagan, do agree that one major aspect of the program sets it and its graduates apart—a strong research culture.  UPMin Architecture department faculty members (from left) Alexis Ken Cartajenas, Dan Jezreel Orendain, and Mark Ndsy Puso (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  As opposed to the majority of schools in the country, the members of the program view their students not only as future professionals, but also as researchers. Unlike most other programs, UP Mindanao requires its graduates to complete a thesis project. It is a process that requires two semesters—the first being solely devoted to a scholarly treatment of the relevant building issues before the final building proposal is made.  The treatment is highly scientific, while also being unique to each student. For example, in the design of a nursing home, Malaque suggests that instead of merely abiding by existing Department of Health Standards, a student might study things like the end-of-life process, both conceptually and empirically. “Those who are about to die, how do you make it happier for them and their families?”  These and other considerations are then integrated into the final design. “We then look at those,” he continues, “of course via the pertinent standards. But over and above that, each project has uniqueness because of the preceding research phase”.  Independent thinkers  The members of the department believe that this process, while already highly appealing, does make a significant difference in the way their graduates take the licensure exam and think as professional architects.  Malaque says that a strong research culture helps create independent thinkers who think beyond cookie-cutter solutions and can be lifelong learners. “As a teacher, I cannot guarantee that what we will teach will come out in the exam or in practice,” he says. “But the research culture we inculcated in you will make you more versatile thinkers. You don’t need to depend [that much] on your reviewers.”  A faculty member and former board exam topnotcher, Alexis Cartajenas, echoes that assessment, especially with the current board exams’ emphasis on comprehension over mechanical drafting skill.  “It helps build a problem-solving perspective,” Alexis says. “For example, you’ll be asked what kind of roof you will use for a beach rest house? Asphalt shingles, polycarbonate, or clay? If you look deeper, natural clay roofing is the best. It retards heat and it is heavy. If you look at the structural code, wind forces are stronger near large bodies of water,” he adds. “But if you have weak comprehension and fact-finding, what you usually see or what you find aesthetic is what you would choose. You would not ask questions why.”  (from left) Dan Jezreel Orendain, Isidoro Malaque, Kristin Faye Olalo, Alexis Ken Cartajenas, Myrafe Sebastian-Ylagan (chair), Jean Marie Juanga (dean), Angelo Felix Regalado, Ryan Songcayauon, and Mark Ndsy Puso (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)   The last GI killed  With the department’s consistent string of successes, its members believe that the days of justifying their existence are long over. “The last time we had a send-off for our graduates,” Alexis says, “the [UP Mindanao] community was cheering for them to ‘go for 100 percent.’ Don’t break [the streak]!”  “So the drive of our newer graduates is more of not to break the streak. Failing is not really a bad thing, but of course you don’t want to be the one who gets singled out. If it were World War II, it’s more like: ‘Try not to be the last GI killed.’ ”  In response, the faculty has very tangible plans to build on these successes. According to Dan Orendain, the program is set to receive its first materials development and testing facility, which will allow faculty and students to conduct more scientific tests like compression tests, in addition to being a possible income-generating center for the University.  “The next step is revise the curriculum,” says Dan. “We will be incorporating more environmental planning and more indigenous Mindanao issues.” These curriculum changes, they hope, will also get the program accredited by the Canberra Accord and make it consistent with ASEAN borderless practices—steps that would take it from being one of the nation’s best to becoming a truly competitive global program.  “We want our courses to be more hands-on like construction,” Orendain continued. “Like if you talk about plumbing, our students won’t just draw. They will go on site, they will know how to assemble things without asking. They will not be clueless.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "The new herbalists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-new-herbalists/",
        "html": "The new herbalists The new herbalists October 4, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    They say that one of the biggest life-savers in human history was discovered by accident. In 1928, Alexander Fleming’s laboratory assistant accidentally left a window open overnight, allowing blue-green mold to contaminate a dish of Staphylococcus bacteria.  Initially incensed by this act of negligence, Fleming would, however, notice something unusual under the microscope—the bacteria surrounding the mold were either dying or dead. Somehow the mold was preventing the bacteria from forming new cell walls and reproducing.     Dr. Aleyla de Cadiz of UP Mindanao’s College of Science and Mathematics (CSM). (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     As it turns out, the fungus in question was Penicillium chrysogenum. And the drug family that was developed from this natural substance, which we now know as penicillin, would change the course of medicine, allowing for the successful treatment of such historical killers as meningitis, pneumococcal pneumonia and syphilis.  Not content to wait for good luck to fly in through the window, many scientists would also be motivated by this development to set out in search of natural products to treat human ailments. Thus, so-called “mega-diverse” countries like the Philippines received significant scientific interest for the promise of novel compounds to be found in their terrestrial and marine environments.  Fresh from earning degrees in the United States and Japan, both Dr. Joel Hassan Tolentino and Dr. Aleyla de Cadiz of UP Mindanao’s College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) openly admit that such a quest was not initially on their minds. Experts in leukemia and amoeba transcriptomics, respectively, the pair decided to take on the challenge back home anyway, as researchers under the DOST PCHRD’s “Drug Discovery and Development of Health Products” program.        Dr. Joel Hassan Tolentino overseeing the work of his student. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     This commitment meant that Joel and Aleyla would be applying their hard-won skills for a new purpose. Their current goal is to find natural bioactive compounds against lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Their source? The endemic and abundant plants of Mindanao.  Plant persons  The DOST PCHRD’s program taps laboratories from around the country, including four UP constituent universities (CUs)—Diliman, Manila, Baguio, and Mindanao—in the search for drugs and therapies derived from natural products. In UP Mindanao’s case, the search for bioactive compounds involves sampling the area’s terrestrial plants and organisms.  This fact has necessarily turned both Drs. Tolentino and de Cadiz into “plant persons,” as they combed the region for samples to bring back to the laboratory. “In Phase One of the project,” Aleyla says, “we had to collect 300 plant extracts,” which were composed mostly of the bark, leaves and stems of around 110 plants that are either endemic, native to the country and Asia, or abundant onsite.  Together with their research assistants (RAs), both researchers saw their search for samples as an adventure. After their initial plan to do a collection in Mount Apo failed to materialize, Aleyla says they braved an almost three-hour walk through the fields to get to UP Mindanao’s land reserve, which in turn was cut short due to security issues. Finally, a chance discovery by one of their RAs led them to a semi-wild forest in Tagum’s Banana Beach Resort. With the owner’s support and a permit from the DENR, the team finally began their work in earnest.  Isolation and purification  After an extensive sample collection and identification stage, the project is now in its second phase, the one where the skill set of both microbiologists is brought to the fore. Joel calls this the “isolation and purification” phase.  At the end of the previous phase, the extracts for bioactivity against certain cancers and diseases were screened. In addition, he says, “we also test them on normal cells, like liver cells or kidney cells, to see if we can use them ‘as-is’ for treatments. Our ethnic groups, for example, use herbal plants as-is to treat their illness.” Some plants with cancer-killing activity, however, are toxic to humans.  Tolentino and de Cadiz will build on this work in Phase Two by taking the 10 or so crude extracts that they found to have activity against lung cancer and isolating their bioactive compounds. To assess inclusion, the pair utilizes a cut-off value of 30 micrograms per milliliter. “In a crude extract, that amount should kill more than 50% of cancer cells,” Joel said. “That’s the reference standard for our project.”  Dr. Joel Hassan Tolentino (left) and Dr. Aleyla de Cadiz (right). (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     After these compounds are isolated, purified and their structure and novelty determined , the next project phase will be chemical synthesis. “It can be difficult to get the same compound from the natural source,” Joel notes. “So you synthesize. And if there is a problem with the compound after synthesis you can modify it. Like you can increase its solubility in water by adding more polar groups, and then test it again.”  “Once we understand the compound we can also find other sources that have the same basic structure and by chemical synthesis just add on the rest.” This, both say, reduces the complications of collecting from the wild, where plants are subject to natural phenomena like fires or typhoons. It also avoids killing the plants, which can happen when for instance, researchers remove the bark from a tree.  Encouraging Mindanao research  A more contemporary model of what Tolentino and de Cadiz hope to achieve is exemplified by the case of camptothecin, a chemotherapy drug obtained from the wood and bark of Camptotheca acuminata, a tree native to China. First isolated in the 1960s, Joel remarks that the compound was initially toxic to humans.  “So initially that particular compound did not progress,” he explains, citing its lack of water solubility and side effects in clinical trials. Eventually, however, via chemical synthesis, scientists from the United States were able to modify the compound’s structure. Analogues of camptothecin are used today in the treatment of breast, ovarian, lung, and other cancers.  Aside from the obvious life-saving good of their project, both researchers hope it will urge the government and other sectors to invest more generously in Mindanao-based researchers. This wish was inspired by their early days in campus when the lack of equipment hobbled their ability to get results. “If we find something interesting here,” Aleyla adds, “we also hope it encourages Mindanaoans to pursue research into natural products.”     Student researcher Shem Gempesaw at UP Mindanao’s Medium Throughput Bioassay Laboratory. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Lastly, despite the nondisclosure agreement that prevents them from naming the species they are focusing on at present, Tolentino and de Cadiz hope that their findings will inspire more Filipinos to take better care of their native flora.  “What if, for example, it turns out that rattan has anti-cancer properties? What if durian has unexpected uses?” Aleyla muses. “These can help replenish our endemic trees, and that would be good for our biodiversity.”  The ethnobotanist Michael J. Balick said the secret to why traditional cultures found so many effective natural treatments was consummate experimentation; with members constantly observing, testing and trading with everyone they met. These modern-day herbalists are in many ways doing the same thing, and, with the help of modern science, just might revolutionize medicine again. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A better kind of alchemy (Part 2) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-better-kind-of-alchemy-2/",
        "html": "A better kind of alchemy (Part 2) A better kind of alchemy (Part 2) July 30, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In the alchemy of social change, technology is only one part of the formula. The other, arguably more complex part, is people. This can be seen in the journey to bring the technology dubbed CLINN-GEM, or the Community-Led Integrated Non-Cyanide Non-Mercury Gold Extraction Method, out of project leader Dr. Herman D. Mendoza’s laboratory at the UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and into the communities and day-to-day lives of the country’s artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs).  For this part of CLINN-GEM’s journey, the other half of the CLINN-GEM team and Dr. Mendoza’s good friend takes the helm: Dr. Oscar P. Ferrer of the Department of Community Development, UP College of Social Work and Community Development, who came in with his own teams sometime from 2013 to 2014 to handle the social prep work.     CLINN-GEM partners: UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering professor Dr. Herman “Doc Judge” Mendoza (left), and UP Department of Community Development professor Dr. Oscar “Oskee” Ferrer (right). (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     “I said to Doc Oskee, we need to work together, because we’re not just talking about the technology, but the community that will use it,” Dr. Mendoza recalls. “We’re trying to marry the community and the technology, and that’s the challenge.”  Dr. Ferrer explains further: “For large-scale mines, mining is about profit. But for ASMs, this is economic subsistence, livelihoods. If they mine today, they must come home at night with something to put on the table to feed their families. That’s the most challenging part of organizing.” Large scale mines, of course, operate far above the level of day-to-day survival that ASMs do, and can afford the delays that come with transitioning between technologies. But ASMs? “All their lives, what they know to do is amalgamation and cyanidation. Then you come in with a new, environment-friendly technology. What exactly will they do during the transition?”     Gold and quartz from the Benguet Consolidated Gold Mine, Philippines. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons taken August 11, 2010 by James St. John.)     This is not about resistance to change. Neither is this a lack of awareness of the dangers of amalgamation and cyanidation. The grassroots miners are open to innovations that are beneficial to their communities and families, because of course they are. “They know that mercury tainting the river means death. They know what is environment-friendly or not. This is their milieu, and we have to value that,” says Dr. Ferrer. “It’s in how you handle the balance between the economic needs of the people and the environment. How you treat mining in small communities is different. This is not an issue of anti-mining. This is an issue of human lives.”     Transmutation and change  So they began with the easiest among the four localities: Benguet, where the ASMs were already organized under the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, Inc.; therefore, they had a voice and power of their own. Even then, the UP team had to convince the miners of the advantages of CLINN-GEM. They did so by way of a side-by-side competition or parallel testing with the old ways, which Dr. Ferrer laughingly compares to a track-and-field race that Dr. Mendoza’s CLINN-GEM inevitably won. Moreover, the parallel testing did not even take in the environmental damage and the cost that would be incurred when using the old and dangerous techniques of amalgamation and cyanidation.     Small-scale miners in the Philippines at work mining for gold. (Photos from the ILO in Asia and the Pacific on Flickr)     The challenge was even bigger in the other areas, where the ASMs were unregulated and considered illegitimate, and had no organization to speak for them and deal with UP, the DOST and the local governments on their behalf. Dr. Ferrer and his teams worked within the unique sociopolitical contexts of each area to organize the ASMs from the ground up.  The arduous job included things like coaxing the skittish miners to get organized; teaching them about the technology, alongside some basic mining and metallurgical engineering; skills-training to give them alternative sources of livelihood, especially the women and children; and, giving the communities the political, legal and paralegal skills they needed to fend off greedy and unethical agents of the State cloaked with police power, including those mandated personnel at the regulatory and monitoring agencies of the government, who preyed on small miners, thereby giving the communities the power to be self-reliant and to defend their own interests.  And this was just within the community. Dr. Ferrer and Dr. Mendoza also had to navigate dense networks of DOST offices; local government officials from the barangay captains to the provincial governors and Congressmen, some of whom did not see eye to eye with each other; state universities and colleges; and, even policymakers and national government agencies. They also had to worry over potential sabotage from economic players further along the value chain that the technology would run over—the merchants selling mercury and cyanide, for instance, and perhaps large scale mining companies who would lose a convenient scapegoat if the ASMs suddenly became environment friendly.  “It’s tough. You’re threatening a lot of players,” Dr. Ferrer says, to which Dr. Mendoza adds, “And we are dealing with a very sensitive community.”     Marrying the social and the technological  Dr. Mendoza described the CLINN-GEM project as 20% technology and 80% community and society. “The technology is intact. UP owns the technology, and we’re trying to deploy it. But you see, deploying the technology is not that easy,” he admitted. “You can just imagine the problems that come with it. Even if UP says, ‘Oh, we have this and that technology,’ how will the community make use of it?”  Innovations such as CLINN-GEM are more than just technology. Innovations are social movements, and for Dr. Ferrer, innovations and technologies are key to developing the grassroots. “Our framework is technology for empowerment,” he says. “Give the communities the technology, so they hold the mode of production. Teach them everything—marketing, sourcing, legal and paralegal skills—so they can be autonomous and self-reliant. Then they can say, we can provide for ourselves, and we are empowered.”     A “Training on Policy Advocacy” seminar held on November 7, 2015 at the UP National Engineering Center. Photo from the UP-DOST Field Testing Project team.     Group photo of the participants of the “Training on Policy Advocacy” seminar. (Photo from UP-DOST Field Testing Project team)     Because of this, the two are adamant that CLINN-GEM will benefit only the people who need it the most. “It’s for sustainability purposes. If you give the technology to some rich mining company, they might turn around and oppress the small miners,” says Dr. Ferrer. “Many approach Doc Judge to buy his patent, but we tell them, ‘We will not give it to you. We will give it to the small miners; it’s not for you.’ ”  For Dr. Mendoza, it’s about doing it the UP way. “Through this project, we’re doing the mandate of UP. We’re teaching, we’re doing research, and whatever we teach, whatever we do research on, we give back to the community. It’s a cycle, and we follow that cycle.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "A better kind of alchemy (Part 1) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-better-kind-of-alchemy/",
        "html": "A better kind of alchemy (Part 1) A better kind of alchemy (Part 1) July 30, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    There’s something alchemical about extracting precious gold using deadly mercury and cyanide. But for the many who work in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), this bit of alchemy is a grim reality that often results in mercury or cyanide poisoning, death, and environmental degradation.  Worldwide, some 15 million artisanal or small miners mine for gold using mercury or cyanide. In the Philippines, which is one of the most mineral-rich countries especially in gold, nickel, copper and chromite, some 300,000 gold miners rely on ASM as their main source of income, producing around 80% of the country’s gold supply. They earn somewhere between P300 to P1500 a day, but they pay for this with their lives, mining under unsafe conditions and using mercury via mercury amalgamation and cyanide via gold cyanidation to extract and purify gold from the ore.     Worth its weight in gold  This problem called for an engineering, not alchemical, solution. Enter CLINN-GEM, which is short for the Community-Led Integrated Non-Mercury Non-Cyanide Gold Extraction Method. CLINN-GEM is the brainchild of its project leader, Dr. Herman D. Mendoza of the UP College of Engineering’s Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (DMMME), who worked on it from 2008 to 2012. At the time, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), under its Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) program, had been spurring research under its environment and infrastructure R&D track, which included the Better Mine program.     The entire CLINN-GEM pilot facility assembled at the UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering building, where the entire process takes place, from gold extraction to waste treatment. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     “Better Mine is meant to make the mining and mineral industry better, but we were interested in small-scale mining. We knew there were serious problems in ASM,” Dr. Mendoza recalls.  Their top priority was taking mercury and cyanide out of the entire extraction process. So Dr. Mendoza and his teams began developing technological alternatives to amalgamation and cyanidation for extracting gold as well as copper. They hit on the idea of using gravity to separate the gold from the ore by taking advantage of gold’s specific gravity and the way it behaves when placed in water.  But for gold that has become as fine as dust and exponentially harder for small-scale miners to recover, Dr. Mendoza and his teams added a spin, so to speak. They used centrifugal force to enhance the separation of very fine gold particles and recover gold form the non-gold particles. This process is called enhanced gravity concentration, and work well in collecting both free coarse gold and very fine gold particles.     Engineering over alchemy  But collecting the free gold is relatively easy, and many small-scale miners have had to settle for collecting only the gold nuggets and dust and discarding the rest as irrecoverable. However, gold comes in another form—as associated gold, or gold mixed in with or embedded into other minerals. To extract this gold without resorting to amalgamation and cyanidation, Dr. Mendoza and his team collected ore samples from various parts of the country, studied their characteristics, and came up with a practical extraction process: flotation and leaching.     A member of the CLINN-GEM research team sifting for gold. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     The first step is flotation, which produces a concentrate consisting of gold associated with extraneous material and waste. The concentrate then goes through a leaching stage, which transforms the waste matrix into a leachable form in order to dissolve the gold easily, resulting in a loaded solution with gold ions, commonly called a pregnant solution.  The solution with the dissolved gold then undergoes precipitation, with Dr. Mendoza and his team adding a “precipitant” to fully separate or leach the gold from the copper and remaining minerals. The precipitated gold sinks to the bottom of the solution, ready to be collected and refined. The recovery of gold from the ore is maximized, resulting in more profit for the small-miners.     Better, safer, more earth-friendly gold  Extracting more gold more efficiently is only one half of what CLINN-GEM can do. The other half is dealing with one of the worst issues regarding the mining industry: tailings and waste. Dr. Mendoza points out that of every batch of ore dug out, only 0.1% of it is actually extracted and collected as valuable while the remaining 99.9% is discarded as waste. These waste materials are usually composed of fine particles, and when combined with the marine environment, they can wreak havoc upon the entire ecology. This is true for all kinds of mining, whether ASMs or large-scale.  But CLINN-GEM has a way of treating the waste materials produced by mineral processing in a way that does minimal impact upon the environment. The waste produced by the enhanced gravitation concentration process consists of associated gold, and is put through the flotation and leaching processes to further squeeze the gold out of it.     The entire CLINN-GEM pilot facility assembled at the UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering building, where the entire process takes place, from gold extraction to waste treatment. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     The waste produced by the flotation process is placed into settling ponds to separate the fine solids from the bulk liquid. Since CLINN-GEM uses no toxic or harmful chemicals, both liquid and solid waste from flotation are considered inert, or chemically unreactive and stable in the atmosphere. The liquids can be safely returned to the rivers, while the solids are packed into sacks and delivered to landfills or used in other ways, such as construction materials.  Treating the waste from the leaching process is a bit more complicated, as the waste liquids contain heavy metals. CLINN-GEM also has a way to treat this, however, using both natural minerals and organic materials as absorbents to safely clear the heavy metals from the waste.  “So there is a friendly extraction process to extract the gold from the concentrate, and there is a waste treatment part to address all the waste coming out of the plant,” Dr. Mendoza sums up. All of this—from extraction to waste treatment—are contained in just one CLINN-GEM plant or facility.     One part of the equation  Dr. Mendoza’s CLINN-GEM is designed for Filipino ASMs, using a range of collectors tailor-made for the specific mineral composition of the ore, which varies from area to area, and is built at a scale that makes it ideal for small mining communities in far-flung areas. It’s considerably safer for humans and more environment-friendly, making it the more sustainable option. Moreover, field-testing data has shown that gold (and copper) recovery rate, cost and processing time for CLINN-GEM are better, compared to existing ASM practices.     Dr. Mendoza gives a guided tour of the CLINN-GEM pilot plant in the UPDMMME, pointing out features that handle each step of the process, from gravity and enhanced gravity conentration, to gold extraction and collection, to flotation and leaching. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     So the technology is sound. So sound that of the four different locations where CLINN-GEM is undergoing field testing—Benguet, Camarines Norte, Compostela Valley, and the CARAGA Region—one of them, in Itogon, Benguet, already has an operational facility capable of processing up to 10 metric tons of ore per batch.  “Technically, we are injecting technology into the extraction of gold, and this is what we want to teach and enable the small-scale miners,” Dr. Mendoza says. “It is still a challenge bringing the technology to the ASM community, and up to now, some of them still cannot see the advantages.”  Because, if there is one thing he learned in the ten years he has spent working on the CLINN-GEM project, engineering and technology make up only one half of the alchemical equation for the transformation of lives. And this might just be the simpler half.  Learn how the CLINN-GEM project was taken out of UP’s laboratory and brought into the communities and day-to-day lives of the country’s artisanal and small-scale miners in A better kind of alchemy (Part 2).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Repurposing typhoon-damaged trees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/repurposing-typhoon-damaged-trees/",
        "html": "Repurposing typhoon-damaged trees Repurposing typhoon-damaged trees September 5, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    When Typhoon Glenda tore through Southern Luzon in July 2014, some of UP Los Baños’ treasured trees—old and huge acacia and mahogany—didn’t escape the tropical cyclone’s wrath. But they’ve been given new life, so to speak, as furniture in all ten UPLB dormitories.     Some of the indoor and outdoor furniture created by the UPLB Housing Office skilled workers from trees felled by Typhoon Glenda (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     This was initiated by the UPLB Housing Office (UHO), which takes care of student and staff housing on campus. And UHO Director Zoilo Belano Jr. says they’re not even done. Four years after the disaster, there are still slabs of wood waiting to be repurposed and pieces in the makeshift workshop to be finished.     Saving trees, saving on cost  Belano explains that when he proposed the project to campus officials, he told them that he didn’t want the trees to simply go to waste and that he had seen wood furniture in Australia they could use as inspiration. In addition, the University wouldn’t have to spend on plastic furniture for the residence halls.  It wasn’t hard to get the UPLB administration on board. “Chancellor Fernando Sanchez and Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Serlie Jamias loved the idea and even showed me some examples of repurposing they had seen in Japan,” Belano continues.  The UHO carpenters got to work. Their main duties were focused on repairs and other minor construction jobs for housing units under the UHO jurisdiction. Furniture-making wasn’t really part of their tasks and it was something many had to learn.     At work in the makeshift workshop and storage area at the Agricultural Training Institute-National Training Center Residence Hall: from left to right, master carpenter Aurelio Heredia, master carpenter Roger Villegas, and foreman Luis Dela Cruz (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Even with the lack of tools for such an activity, they persisted and learned from their more knowledgeable co-workers. It was a side project they worked on when they weren’t called to the dorms and staff housing units to do repairs.  UPLB is lucky to have its carpenters, Belano says, because dorm residents now enjoy a variety of tables and benches where they can eat, study, work on their projects, or hang out. There are long and wide pieces of furniture to accommodate big groups, long and high tables with wheels paired with bar stools, round tables with chairs for smaller groups, and outdoor tables and chairs for those who want to go al fresco. Even dorm kitchens have been furnished.     Building capacity, inspiring creativity  Those pieces are not the only good things to come from the initiative.  Some of the workers discovered they were quite good at making furniture. “They are proud of what they have accomplished and they deserve to be. It makes me happy that we were able to help them acquire new skills and realize talents they didn’t know they had,” Belano says.     Foreman Luis Dela Cruz describes how inspiration often comes suddenly when determining how to appropriate a wooden slab into furniture. An example is the backrest of the bench he is sitting on, the slab of which was shaped like almost symmetrical wings. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Luis Dela Cruz, a UHO foreman assigned to staff housing, is one of the lead employees in the project. He reveals that the assignment really encouraged them to think creatively in not only using as much of the wood as possible, but also appropriating its use and making it aesthetically pleasing.  “It takes an active imagination. There are times when I would sit and stare at the wooden slab and its shape and curves. And then the idea suddenly just comes to me,” Dela Cruz says, explaining his process.  Working on the furniture seems to be a welcome respite from doing housing repairs for the UHO carpenters. They profess their enjoyment at creating things and seeing their handiwork being of use to students, staff, and visitors in the residence halls.  While the UHO wishes it could have better tools and equipment to handle furniture-making, it takes pride in its workers’ resourcefulness and ingenuity. And it excitedly waits for the next batch of furniture to be completed and delivered to the dorm that needs it.     Honey Faith Roa-Evangelista, dorm manager of the Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives Institute (ACCI) and International House Residence Halls, and UHO Director Zoilo Belano Jr. in a furniture set outside ACCI dorm complex (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s Tradition of Protest Music – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-tradition-of-protest-music/",
        "html": "UP’s Tradition of Protest Music UP’s Tradition of Protest Music January 14, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Jonas Baes’s iron-nail peace chimes, played by the audience for his ‘Patangis-Buwaya’ and ‘Banwa’ compositions to produce subtle glimmering sound like water, over the music sheet for the vocal part of ‘Banwa’. (Photo by Gardika Gigih Pradipta, an arts journalist from Indonesia for a workshop of Baes’s compositions at the Arts Summit Indonesia in Makassar, Sulawesi in 2016, reproduced with permission from Prof. Baes)     UP Diliman College of Music Professor and UP Artist II Jonas Baes had a famous kuya. Aloysius “Ochie” Baes, a Bantayog ng mga Bayani martyr, was a student leader who founded the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK) chapter in UP Los Baños.  Arrested upon the declaration of martial law, Ochie endured prison through music, sometimes written on the child Jonas’ music sheets, which the latter always carried with him on family visits to the stockade. One song that he managed to smuggle out of prison was a kundiman adapted from an original by Bonifacio Abdon, a musician of the Philippine Revolution and one of the early music teachers at the UP Conservatory of Music. It was one of the first underground protest songs against martial law, “Mutya.”  Not long after, in the second half of the ‘70s, musically-inclined campus activists in UP Los Baños formed Tulisanes, a group that collected, created, and performed protest music from those who, like Ochie, had committed their lives to the service of the masses. It was through them that college student Jonas lived his own youthful activism.        Art and conscience  Prof. Jonas recalls being active in Tulisanes in the late 1970s while he was taking up music in UP Diliman. He regularly commuted between Diliman and Los Baños where he composed and played music for his collective and the so-called parliament of the streets.  But in the College of Music in Diliman, he immersed himself in the state-sponsored project of ethnomusicology, which was being led by future National Artists Jose Maceda and Ramon Santos. Instead of co-opting the student to pursue the state narrative, ethnomusicology would be responsible for bringing maturity to Jonas’ activism, as it entailed deeper immersion among indigenous peoples and creating music for and with the communities. It was in the college where Jonas’ art and his social conscience seamlessly merged.  Now a professor of composition, Jonas is vocal in his support for the cultural collective, for music’s need to be true to its source. For him, protest music by Filipinos should not just vocalize poetry while assuming borrowed forms. Jonas aspires for music whose form is also a protest statement by being more originally Filipino.  His musical projects, like his most widely-performed composition “Patangis Buwaya” based on the narratives of the Iraya Mangyans of Mindoro, echo the cries of indigenous peoples as they suffer from displacement and the exploitation of their living spaces by aggressive development.  Jonas’ musical history is a reflection of the history of modern Philippine protest music itself, covering its rise from the kundiman toward more indigenously-grounded forms.     Patatag file photo of Jonas Baes and Patatag alumnus Rody Vera, interacting with the audience before a tribute concert to Patatag music in 2015 in the UP Diliman College of Music.     A turning point  According to Prof. Teresita Maceda’s research on Philippine protest music, the Marcos regime was a turning point in Philippine protest music, when artists with activist inclinations had to veer away from the Philippine Revolution’s kundiman “Bayan Ko,” the marching beat of Maoist songs, and others that immediately tagged them as “red” to authorities.  This was the era after Woodstock, of folk songs and rock music as unabashed expressions of counter-culture. The Western-oriented Filipino music industry rode on the trend, experimenting with the vernacular and finding much to protest about the Philippine situation. Popular music could not help but manifest the repression of the times, but were muted at best. On the other hand, the militant subculture, taking the cue, found a new medium with which to reach the masses, disseminate their ideals, describe social realities, and sow the seeds of resistance; and at the same time blend in with the crowd and escape state assault.  The University, fighting for its academic freedom, became a nesting ground for activist artists.  Thus came the era of “poet-musicians”, who included UP’s Jess Santiago, Paul Galang, Inang Laya’s Susan Fernandez, and Becky Demetillo, and others who offered their poetry set in music to the cause of the resistance.  Like Jonas’ Tulisanes in Los Baños, their work was duplicated and distributed far and wide. Bootleg cassette tapes or mimeographs of their songs reached the farthest ends of the country, often without any acknowledgment of the authors, singers, and musicians.  However, another musical trove was making its presence felt. Ethnomusicology—promoted by UP’s Jose Maceda and pursued by the younger professor Ramon Santos and then-student Jonas—was revealing its potential to benefit the very musical sources themselves that were indigenous and more powerfully connected to the Filipino psyche. It was soon evident in the alternative music introduced by Joey Ayala and the Bagong Lumad in the early 1980s. The ethnic feel of Ayala’s music gave it an edge in both the protest music and popular music subcultures.     Patatag file photo of a 2015 tribute concert in UP Diliman, where a photo of members singing in the parliament of the streets is flashed on stage.     At the same time in UP, the Patatag ensemble was formed and gravitated toward Philippine folk songs and ethnic music. It harnessed various musical talents—college students and young professionals—in UP toward activist aspirations. Jonas found this cultural collective characteristic of Patatag, resulting in his production of its third and last album, “Masdan, O Yahweh,” as the 1980s ended.  Patatag attracted quite a number of young musical artists. One of them was Dong Abay, who would form the band Yano and who would continue rocking the boat in musical conventions and making his presence felt in protest actions.  The protest tradition in UP thus continues to enrich Philippine music and politics. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Versus Verses: FlipTop as Counterculture – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/versus-verses-fliptop-as-counterculture/",
        "html": "Versus Verses: FlipTop as Counterculture Versus Verses: FlipTop as Counterculture January 14, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario   Performance at Hacienda Luisita Massacre Commemoration Protest Action at Camp Aquino, Tarlac City. (Photo by Max Santiago)     The University’s long and rich tradition of celebrating while studying the arts has allowed its sons and daughters to carve out their niche in many industries and art forms. UP has made its mark in mainstream and popular art, but is also in those spaces where counterculture has thrived, through,among others, one of UP’s top cultural performing groups Kontra GaPi (Kontemporaryong Gamelang Pilipino), and Kidlat Tahimik’s films that earned him the well-deserved title of National Artist for Cinema.     An emerging form  In music, the growing counterculture phenomenon known as FlipTop (which refers to anything related to the actual genre or form “battle rap” or local hiphop) has amassed a significant online following, with its YouTube channel presence of three million subscribers and its Facebook page with more than 2.6 million likes. FlipTop is actually the Filipino hiphop multimedia production company behind the famous rap battles. To the unfamiliar and bewildered, hiphop refers to the culture and lifestyle that has rap as one of its art forms.  One of the names that this rising form has produced is BLKD (pronounced “balakid”), a Community Development graduate from UP Diliman. “Modern balagtasan,” according to BLKD, is a battle rap format consisting of face-to-face rap contests. Battle rappers prove their supremacy by rapping verses usually directed against each other. The format originated in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and these videos are what introduced BLKD to rap battles as early as 2006. When he learned that a local counterpart was being produced by FlipTop Battle League in 2010, he joined the fun. He credits his background in writing poetry in high school as his only tool of survival in the cutthroat, high-pressure contest. But he also believes that he has always had the knack for wordplay, hence his naturally learning rapping “on the job.”     Spitting verses  A typical rap battle is governed by rules and mechanics adopted from its foreign counterparts who first launched battle leagues. The local rap battles run by FlipTop are in the modern format in which the competitors are given prior notice and ample time to prepare their a capella verses before the night of the competition. This is different from the old-school format in which performances are more spontaneous and verses are crafted on the spot with a beat.  BLKD’s experience in creative writing and theater in UP gave him a more solid platform on which to compose. But what set his verses apart on the FlipTop stage is his more grounded, more meaningful approach to art creation: his exposure to the social realities that have taken center stage in his works today due to his integration with the basic masses in Community Development as well as his cultural mass organization Sinagbayan. These influences have propelled BLKD to the mission of serving the people through art.  His first album, Gatilyo (released in 2015) a collaboration with DJ UMPH featured nine tracks as a concept album built with themes and statements that he personally picked. “I approached it almost as I would a research paper, deciding on chapters (tracks) that would help complete or explain my thesis,” he recalls. For each track and verse, he would decide on the form elements first before content, depending on the vibe of the beat he is writing to. “The process is never really linear. There are adjustments and remixing before the final product.”     Performance at the Hip Hop Stage of Fête de la Musique 2016, Makati City. (Photo by Ryan Andres)     Bigger battles ahead  FlipTop has evolved from being a small battle event in Makati to a national battle league with divisions in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It has also expanded to publishing articles, running an online radio show, and producing new shows about local hiphop, on top of bimonthly events and a steady stream of battle videos online. BLKD is hopeful that FlipTop will become the country’s primary source of hiphop content in the future.  BLKD encourages young artists to study the culture and to immerse themselves in the communities first before giving battle rap a serious try.  “Battle rap is more than just rhyming and punchline writing,” he believes. “While outsiders can enjoy the spectacle from a distance, future artists in rap battle can only appreciate it when they know the context of the community in which they belong,” he added.  This unique part of the music counterculture has reached the national consciousness through the Internet. As it speaks to a more rebellious soul of young culture and expands its reach to more audiences, a bigger stage is set for artists like BLKD to harness and use art as a weapon in the battle against societal ills.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Two Bands and an Orchestra – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/two-bands-and-an-orchestra/",
        "html": "Two Bands and an Orchestra Two Bands and an Orchestra January 14, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP Symphonic Band. (Photo by Han Asuncion)     The University of the Philippines community takes pride in its official bands and orchestra: the UP Symphonic Band, a Student Performing Arts Group; the UP ROTC Band, its marching band; and, the UP Symphony Orchestra, its newest system-wide orchestra.     UP Symphonic Band  The UP Symphonic Band has proven itself worthy of the Honorific Award for Student Performing Arts Group (HASPAG) for all its accomplishments in local and international concerts and events throughout the years.  Initially named in 1986 as the UP-Philippine Youth Symphonic Band (PYSB), the group formally changed its name to “UP Symphonic Band” in 1998 under the leadership of its Music Director and Conductor, Asst. Prof. Rodney Ambat of the UP College of Music.  Last October 2018, the band held its “Symphonicity” concert at the Abelardo Hall, its latest in its long list of remarkable concerts held at venues such as the Abelardo Hall Auditorium, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philamlife Theater, Concert at the Park in Luneta, and many others. Also recently, the band performed at the closing concert of the UP College of Music centennial in September 2017, the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino in April 2017, and the CCP International Winds and Jazz Festival in July 2016.  Many of its members are winners of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and Philippine Representatives to the Asian Youth Orchestra and Southeast Asian Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble (SAYOWE).     UP Symphonic Band. (Photo by Han Asuncion)     UP ROTC Band  The University’s official marching band, the UP ROTC Band, provides music for formal ceremonies, parades, and occasions such as the Lantern Parade, Commencement Exercises, Investiture Rites, inaugurals, and other academic affairs.  The Band has more than a hundred years behind it. It was the Philippine Constabulary that formed the “UP Band”, which the UP Department of Military Science and Tactics (UP DMST) then renamed the “UP ROTC Band” as part of the UP Reserve Officers Training Corps (UP ROTC).  The UP ROTC Band’s alumni include “top caliber musicians with diverse specializations, National Artists, Gawad CCP Awardees…, top military band commanding officers, principal musicians of Philippine Philharmonic, Manila Symphony, ABS-CBN Philharmonic, San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, UP Jazz Ensemble, and some of the best marching bands,” writes Leonardo G. Quinitio (2018) in the book Saysay Himig: A Sourcebook on Philippine Music History, 1880-1941.  Since the members of this band are also instrument majors of the UP College of Music, there was a period when it was called the “UP ROTC Symphonic Band”. Quinitio writes that this was when the “line up of musicians was upgraded from the basic regimental band structure to one with bigger brass and woodwind sections, additional percussion, timpani, and a string double bass section.” It was also “a vital laboratory for performance classes of the UP College of Music for brass, winds, woodwinds, percussion, and band conducting students.”  Prof. Ambat clarifies that the UP Symphonic Band and the UP ROTC Band are two different groups but are comprised of almost the same members of Music students. The 60- to 80-member UP Symphonic Band is under the supervision of the UP College of Music, performs in concerts, and fulfills academic functions, while the UP ROTC Band is the marching band of the UP ROTC.     UP Symphony Orchestra  The UP Symphony Orchestra, the University’s official system-wide orchestra, recently announced its pioneering roster and first Yuletide treat.  The orchestra, under the musical direction of Prof. Josefino Toledo, now has 65 instrumentalists from UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, and UP Manila, and has started its rehearsals for its first public performance in December.  Dean LaVerne C. de la Peña of the UP College of Music said the newly-formed UP Symphony Orchestra aims to mount three major concerts per semester, or six concerts plus two special performances each year. Dean de la Peña adds that the orchestra will also serve as a laboratory for UP’s composers, conductors, and performers.  The UP Symphony Orchestra is supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music, as authorized by the UP Board of Regents on August 30, 2018. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Pag-iilaw 2019” shines on UPD as a sanctuary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pag-iilaw-2019-shines-on-upd-as-a-sanctuary/",
        "html": "“Pag-iilaw 2019” shines on UPD as a sanctuary “Pag-iilaw 2019” shines on UPD as a sanctuary December 9, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The “Pag-iilaw 2019” ceremony at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Carillon Plaza on November 29 signaled the start of the Christmas season in UP, as University officials formally switched on the decorative lights of the Carillon and all the major buildings and avenues in the campus.  With the theme “Pumailanlang”, or “to soar”, the celebration for this season is centered on the Carillon Tower and Plaza, now adorned with bird-like lanterns to symbolize UP Diliman as a sanctuary for wildlife and humans alike, of marginalized sectors seeking refuge in the University, as well as for advocates of civil rights and academic freedom, especially in times of uncertainty and social turmoil.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion highlights the importance of the Carillon as one of UP’s historic structures and an enduring symbol of unity. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan reminds the UP community: “Huwag nating talikuran ang UP Diliman. Huwag nating talikuran ang mahal nating bayan. Huwag nating talikuran ang liwanag.” Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Chase Salazar narrates Severino Reyes’s “Ang Prinsesa ng mga Ibon”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Katz Trangco conducts the UP College of Music Student Ensemble in “Daluy”, a composition by Professor Jonas Baes. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Cris Go and Ervin Lumauag sing “Noong Unang Panahon” and “Awit ng Pagsinta”, compositions by Nonong Pedero and Ryan Cayabyab and musical arrangement by Jai Saldejano, together with the UP College of Music Student Ensemble under the baton of Katz Trangco. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Air dance” performance choreographed by Japhet Mari Cabling. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The Carillon plays as the mythical bird approaches for the “Pagbubukas ng Ilaw”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Cris Go and Ervin Lumauag sing Rivermaya’s “Liwanag sa Dilim” and Bamboo’s “Noypi”, musical arrangement by Jai Saldejano, together with the UP College of Music Student Ensemble under the baton of Katz Trangco. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     After the ceremony, a live band concert, featuring Moonstar 88 and We Got, and a potluck street party, in celebration of the achievements of the UP athletes who participated in the UAAP Season 82, were held at the Washington Sycip Garden, which is located at the same block and faces the UP Bahay ng Alumni. Most notable of those present were the Men’s Basketball Team and the UP Pep Squad.     Concert featuring Moonstar 88 and We Got. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Potluck street party at the Washington Sycip Garden. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     As a tribute to its historic significance and continuing relevance to the UP community, the Carillon, also known as the Andres Bonifacio Centennial Carillon Tower, serves as this year’s centerpiece and venue for the Pag-iilaw, which is traditionally held at the Oblation Plaza. The bells of the Carillon were rung as part of protest actions marking the ouster of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and the excesses of the Philippine drug war under the present administration, which has claimed the lives of many innocent victims, among many other social issues.  Just like the previous years’ Pag-iilaw designs, the mythical birds for this season were also designed by Toym Imao.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The much awaited Lantern Parade will be held on December 13 to cap the University’s Christmas and year-end celebrations.     The theme “Pumailanlang”, or “to soar”, invites the public to be like the mythical birds Adarna, Sarimanok, Manaul or Tigmamanukan, and other avian characters in Philippine folklore which symbolize the spirit of freedom, honor, and determination to serve with compassion and hope. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The theme “Pumailanlang”, or “to soar”, invites the public to be like the mythical birds Adarna, Sarimanok, Manaul or Tigmamanukan, and other avian characters in Philippine folklore which symbolize the spirit of freedom, honor, and determination to serve with compassion and hope. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "New chancellors of UPLB, UPV appointed by the BOR; UPM chancellor reappointed – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-chancellors-of-uplb-upv-appointed-by-the-bor-upm-chancellor-reappointed/",
        "html": "New chancellors of UPLB, UPV appointed by the BOR; UPM chancellor reappointed New chancellors of UPLB, UPV appointed by the BOR; UPM chancellor reappointed September 30, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines Board of Regents (BOR) recently approved the appointment of Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. as the new chancellor of UP Los Baños (UPLB) and Dr. Clement C. Camposano as the new chancellor of UP Visayas (UPV), as well as the reappointment of Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla for a third term as the chancellor of UP Manila (UPM). Their three-year terms will take effect from November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2023.  The appointment of the two new chancellors and reappointment of the chancellor of UP Manila was approved at the UP BOR’s 1354th meeting held on September 24, 2020, according to Memorandum No. OSU2020-01-17 of the UP Office of the Secretary of the University and the BOR dated September 25, 2020.  New UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. Photo from the UPLB website.  Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. served as the dean of the UPLB Graduate School prior to his appointment as the new UPLB chancellor. He also served as the chair of academic programs and curriculum, and as the chair of the Department of Economics. He was also Associate Dean of the UPLB College of Economics and Management, specializing in the economics of education, labor and human resources, institutions, and political economy. A professor of economics, he graduated with a Master’s in Economics of Development at the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands, in 1995, and a doctorate in Economics at Kyoto University, Japan, in 2007.  Chancellor Camacho’s vision-statement, “Future-Proofing UPLB”, saw UPLB as sustaining its relevance “by developing methods, approaches, and framework to minimize the costs and impacts of shocks of future events,” noting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both the University and the country. “UPLB will continue as a bastion of innovation, knowledge-generation and as a center for lifelong-learning and public service initiatives. Its cutting-edge research will be utilized for the influence and benefits it shall cause people as they enlarge opportunities to pursue their goals for recovery, development and social transformation,” he stated.  New UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Camposano. Photo from the UP Visayas Facebook page.  New UPV Chancellor Clement C. Camposano is a faculty member of the UP Diliman College of Education. He earned his PhD in Philippine Studies (Anthropology) from the Tri-College Program of UP Diliman in 2009. He earned his MA in Political Science and his BA in both Political Science and History from UP Diliman.  In his vision-statement, Camposano envisioned a UPV that is more inclusive and has stronger democratic governance and proposed a “Stakeholders’ Digital Engagement Space” that would serve as a venue for consultations with various UPV sectors using different social media platforms. He also vows to exercise an empathetic leadership by considering the perspectives of his constituents; and envisions a UPV that is more publicly engaged, promotes diversity and safe spaces, and uses its resources for public good.  Reappointed chancellor of UP Manila, Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla. Photo from DZUP Balita’s Facebook page.  Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla is a professor of pediatrics and was the executive director of the UP-based Philippine Genome Center prior to her first appointment as UP Manila Chancellor in 2014. She is Founding Director of the Institute of Human Genetics and the Newborn Screening Reference Center at the National Institutes of Health, and a pioneer in genetics in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region. Recognizing her varied contributions to the academic growth of genetics in the Philippines, she was conferred the title of Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology in 2008. She has been overseeing UP Manila’s and the UP Philippine General Hospital’s critical and timely responses to the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning of the quarantine.  Other UP administrative officials appointed by the UP-BOR at the same meeting were: Dr. Maria Bernadette L. Abrera as Dean of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy; Ms. Elvira B. Lapuz as UP Diliman’s University Librarian; and, Dr. Aurelia Luzviminda V. Gomez as Dean of the UP Mindanao School of Management. They will serve until the end of their terms on September 23, 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Too ripe, too soon? Fruitect it! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/too-ripe-too-soon-fruitect-it/",
        "html": "Too ripe, too soon? Fruitect it! Too ripe, too soon? Fruitect it! October 3, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Attention, fruit farmers and exporters: there’s a new way to extend the shelf life of your produce! That’s right. UP Los Baños scientists have discovered a way to help the fruit industry cut back its post-harvest losses by making produce last longer.  Dr. Veronica C. Sabularse, Dr. Hidelisa P. Hernandez, and Rhea DC Mallari from the Institute of Chemistry have created Fruitect Mango, a liquid coating formulation that delays the ripening of Carabao mango. Other formulations are suited for White Sunrise papaya, PPY-14 papaya, Smooth Cayenne pineapple, and Lacatan banana.  It’s easy to apply. It can be brushed on harvested fruits or it can be used as a dipping solution. It rinses off with just water because it’s not like the usual wax-based coating which needs to be removed with soap and water. In addition, it’s green technology. It comes from agricultural waste, which makes it a byproduct that prevents main agricultural products from going to waste.  According to the team, initial data showed that Fruitect can also minimize moisture loss, shriveling, and abrasion during transport. But the measure of success lies in one very important factor: taste. One would think that delaying the natural ripening process would affect the freshness and taste of the produce, but it doesn’t.  “Our research assistants ate the fruits in our experiments and they all said, ‘Masarap!’ [Delicious!] Rhea can attest to that,” Hernandez says with a laugh. “So, no. There were no observed changes in taste. The fruits tasted the way they were supposed to, comparable to freshly picked ripened fruits from the farm,” adds Sabularse.     The team that created Fruitect, from left to right: Rhea DC Mallari, Dr. Veronica C. Sabularse, and Dr. Hidelisa P. Hernandez​ of the Institute of Chemistry, UP Los Baños. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     The backstory  Sabularse actually started working on coating formulations back in 1996. “The idea of coatings has been around for a long time,” she says. “That’s what I worked on when I was on fellowship in Australia and when I came back, I had the idea of making use of agricultural processing waste.”  In 2010, Sabularse’s proposed research on nanobiocomposite coatings was one of four exploratory projects on nanotechnology funded by the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development, now the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Three years later, the council’s nanotech exploration had become a program and Sabularse and Hernandez had already joined together and were granted funding for additional research.  ”PCIEERD had a condition: that we work on major export commodities. Post-harvest losses range from 20 to 80 percent,” Hernandez reveals. Almost four years later, four Fruitect formulations were created.  Trial and error  Like any scientific research requiring experimentation, Fruitect and its four formulations resulted from the age-old painstaking process of trial and error— from the optimization of extraction of ingredients from raw materials to making and recalibrating the formulations to actual testing, which involves physical observation and chemical analysis. Each Fruitect formulation is specific to a variety of papaya, mango, pineapple, and banana.  “We really have to emphasize that it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” Sabularse explains. “We can’t guarantee the desired result if the technology isn’t used as intended,” Hernandez adds.  Following export storage conditions of 13°C, Fruitect Mango delays the ripening of the carabao variety by 16 days. At 25°C, the delay is four days. Fruitect Papaya delays the ripening of the PPY-14 variety by five days when stored at 20°C, and the white sunrise variety by 28 days when stored at 13°C. Stored at 25°C, Fruitect Pineapple extends the life of the sweet cayenne variety for six more days. Fruitect Banana also prolongs the life of the lakatan variety by six additional days when stored at 28°C.  The coating formulation for papaya has already been granted a utility model patent, while another patent application for mango coating has been filed.     Experiment on Carabao mangoes showing control group and group treated with Fruitect Mango. These were stored at 13°C, the storage temperature during export. Fruitect Mango delayed ripening by 16 days. (Photo from Dr. Hidelisa P. Hernandez, UPLB IC)     The present and future of Fruitect  “We’re always invited to DOST technology transfer events across the country and we’ve been getting calls from interested farmers and exporters,” says Hernandez. These are not just those with thousand-hectare farms and exporters of produce to foreign countries, but also those with smaller farms and who export locally or across Philippine islands.  In addition, they’ve been “getting inquiries about coating formulations for other produce like strawberry, cucumber, okra, and tomato,” according to Sabularse.  The team says that going around the country to the tech transfer events has been an eye-opener for scientists such as themselves who are usually engrossed in their research and cooped up in their labs.  Hernandez is hopeful of the future. “We see a lot of potential in the multitude of problems that are presented to us. There are so many possibilities like other waste materials to repurpose or other agricultural products that could be major exports if only they had longer shelf life after harvest. We can still make so many improvements.”  While the team is working toward helping the fruit industry in waste utilization and decreasing post-harvest losses, it also hopes to reach out to regular folk who harvest fruit from a few trees around their houses or even consumers who just want their fruits to last a little longer. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Amped up copra meal for animal feed mixes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/amped-up-copra-meal-for-animal-feed-mixes/",
        "html": "Amped up copra meal for animal feed mixes Amped up copra meal for animal feed mixes January 5, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Step aside, soybean meal, and get ready for competition. Protein-enriched copra meal (PECM) is here to challenge your position as a main ingredient in animal feed.  Developed over the last ten years by Dr. Laura J. Pham and her team at the UP Los Baños (UPLB) National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), PECM was created by treating copra meal with microorganisms to enhance its protein content.     Protein Enriched Copra Meal created by Dr. Laura J. Pham and her team at the UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Photo from Dr. Laura J. Pham)     Copra meal or copra cake is a byproduct of coconut oil extraction and has around 20 percent protein content. Through UPLB BIOTECH’s patented process, the protein content was raised to as much as 44 percent—quite close to soy meal’s 46 percent.  So why is this significant?  The Philippines is one of the world’s top coconut producers. According to 2015 data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in January of this year, coconut products were the country’s number one agricultural export commodity, with copra meal earnings of US$70.42 million.  Copra meal is already being used in animal feed mixes, but its composition—not enough protein and too much fiber—doesn’t make it an ideal main ingredient, which is what soybean meal is.  The problem with soybean meal? It’s not locally abundant, so local feed producers and farmers need to have this protein source imported. This need is so great that the same PSA data shows soybean meal as the country’s second top agricultural import commodity, costing US$888.4 million. “This product was sourced from the USA, accounting for 77.3 percent of the total value of imports,” the agency says. The Philippines was, in fact, identified as “the largest market for US soybean meal” by a 2016 Global Agricultural Information Network report of the US Department of Agriculture.     Comparison of milkfish (top) and tilapia (bottom) fed with commercial aquaculture feed (left) and with feed mixed with PECM (right) (Photo from the UP Visayas Institute of Aquaculture)     Pham says that due to the “high cost and insufficient supply of nutritious feed components, the animal industry is beset with problems of malnutrition, poor livestock, and the high price of animal products.” Price increase ultimately leads to a decrease in local consumption of animal products, she explains. And this, of course, means low income for Filipino farmers.  By providing a cheaper and locally-abundant alternative that’s just as healthy and nutritious, PECM can help ensure the sufficiency of an animal feed protein source and allow the reduction of prices of animal products due to lower production costs.  The good news doesn’t end there.  People might think PECM is only good for livestock like swine and poultry just because it was developed in UPLB, which is known for its leadership in agriculture education, training, and research.     Institute of Aquaculture Director Rex Ferdinand Traifalgar of the UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Well, it’s not. It’s looking pretty good for aquaculture, too.  Retired UP Professor Valeriano L. Corre Jr. and Institute of Aquaculture Director Rex Ferdinand Traifalgar of the UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences have been leading the team on “Field trial of PECM as feed protein for tilapia, milkfish, and shrimp aquaculture.” One of the goals of the project is to come up with an optimized feeding guide in the use of PECM in aquatic animal feed.  Preliminary trials have posted positive results. Soybean meal could be replaced by as much as 50 percent with PECM, which the team says “could lower the cost of feed inputs in culturing shrimp, tilapia, and milkfish.” Overall, production was good for tilapia, milkfish, and shrimp in low density culture. The use of PECM didn’t affect the look, taste, and feel of the meat from these three products. Traifalgar notes, however, that trials in large-scale commercial-size ponds and tanks need to be completed to see if the results verify those of the preliminary tests.     F​rom left to right: UPLB Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rex B. Demafelis, Dr. Laura J. Pham,​ BIOTECH​ Director​ Rosario G. Monsalud, Former ​UPLB ​Ass​istant​ Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension​ Susan May F. Calumpang​, and PCAARRD​ ​Deputy Executive Director Edwin C. Villar​ ​lead the groundbreaking ceremony of the ​Phase I construction of ​the ​PECM pilot plant facility on 25 May 2016 (Photo from ​Dr. Laura J. Pham​)​     With funding support from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology, the development and production of PECM is projected to advance further with the upcoming completion of its pilot plant facility. Pham reveals “the optimization of the process conditions for the pilot scale production at one metric ton capacity will follow.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eats from the garden – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eats-from-the-garden/",
        "html": "Eats from the garden Eats from the garden July 3, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   A sampling of dorm produce: clockwise from top right, landscape maintenance staff Joel Cia and the chilies at the Men’s Residence Hall; okra; tomatoes; and MS Entomology student Vanessa Jane Acabal getting her hands on some papaya at the International House garden. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     There’s some kind of food revolution going on at UP Los Baños (UPLB) and it’s begun to take root in student dormitories.  Edible gardening is gaining ground as a way of providing students not only more nutritious options in their diet but also food in dorms when students can’t go out to eat. It seems only right, since UPLB is the country’s leading institution in agriculture. The effort also ties in neatly with the University’s initiative on edible landscapes.  “Sometimes we have students who are short on cash, so they scrimp and skip meals. Or there are those who study late into the night only to realize it’s far too late to go out and buy a proper meal,” says UPLB Housing Office (UHO) Director Zoilo Belano Jr. on how the idea of edible gardening in dorms came about. He added that some of the more healthy choices are also cheaper, so fruits and vegetables freely harvested from the gardens make better sense.     Joeseph Quisado may study insects for his PhD in Entomology but he seems to be good at horticulture, too. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     They’re organic, too  UPLB obviously isn’t short on expertise, so the UHO sought the help of Dr. Blesilda Calub of the College of Agriculture and Food Science-Agricultural Systems Institute to teach organic gardening to dorm staff and residents. This was to take better care of food sources that have naturally grown around the dorms, such as papaya and banana, as well as new ones they intend to plant.  The edible gardens at dorms are at different stages of development, with some having more variety of produce than others. Belano explains that this is due to varying terrain and manpower availability, although the UHO will continue to work on improving the productivity of the gardens with less produce.  At present, the most developed is the International House Residence Hall garden, where they’ve planted tomato, okra, cucumber, habanero pepper, strawberry, and blueberry, among many others. The other dorms have string beans, mustard greens, eggplant, chili pepper, sweet potato, ginger, squash, etc. Those that need more work are the gardens at the Women’s Residence Hall and the Veterinary Medicine Residence Hall.  Belano says that the gardens will continue to be developed and maintained through organic farming methods.     From left to right, International House residents Joeseph Quisado and Vanessa Jane Acabal with Dorm Manager Honey Faith Roa-Evangelista and UPLB Housing Office Director Zoilo Belano Jr. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Not just for students  The UHO is thinking big and it plans to expand its edible gardening initiative to the faculty and staff housing sector. “We have five residential zones for faculty and staff, and what we want is to have at least one common garden for each zone,” reveals Belano.  Apart from promoting a healthier lifestyle through nutrient-rich foods, gardening is known to be beneficial to physical, mental, and emotional health for all ages. In fact, a field related to this has developed—therapeutic horticulture.  “We also want these gardens to be pockets of social interaction, bringing members of the community closer to each other to make better neighborhoods where residents live harmoniously,” Belano adds.     Master Carpenter Roger Villegas tends to the edible garden at the back of the Agricultural Training Institute-National Training Center Residence Hall, where the carpentry workshop of the UPLB Housing Office is temporarily located. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     He is confident the UPLB community will be supportive of these plans and he looks forward to the day edible gardening becomes a widespread phenomenon in schools. After all, as the leading academic institution in agriculture, UPLB is expected to do no less than start the food revolution in its own backyard. "
    },
    {
        "title": "From Grief to Gratitude – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-grief-to-gratitude/",
        "html": "From Grief to Gratitude From Grief to Gratitude November 16, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Emely Amoloza lost her daughter to cancer seven years ago. But it was gratitude, not grief, that pushed the then administrative officer at the UP Open University (UPOU) to launch a public service initiative that has become an anticipated annual event: the UPOU Blood Donation Drive.     Haydelle Amoloza in her high school graduation photo (Photo from Emely Amoloza, UPOU FICS)     Her daughter was a quiet young woman who was enjoying university life as a second-year Applied Physics major at UP Los Baños (UPLB). She spent her free time reaching out to children who lived near the train tracks outside campus. She shared her knowledge with them, showed them kindness the best way she knew how. She didn’t even tell her mother about it; she didn’t think herself or what she did exceptional. It was only at Haydelle’s wake, when those children came to visit, that Emely realized the extent of her daughter’s generosity and compassion for others.  Haydelle was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2010. Things looked good after her operation, but life took a heartbreaking turn just a few months later. It was December when they learned that the cancer had returned. In January 2011, it had metastasized and was classified as stage IV. She succumbed to her illness on April 18, 2011—twelve days after she had turned 19.     Paying it forward  “When you go through something like this, you don’t really expect an outpouring of support. But there it was and it was really overwhelming,” Emely recalls, teary-eyed.     Emely Amoloza (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Relatives, friends, former classmates at the UP Rural High School and UPLB—hers and Haydelle’s, and UPOU colleagues—rallied around the Amoloza family during those difficult times. And it was something that stayed with Emely. “I was so grateful at the amount of help that was extended to us. I still am. We were really blessed to have received so much love.”  It was that feeling of gratitude and her daughter’s kindness that inspired Emely to find a way of helping others, to provide what they need. While it wasn’t very challenging for their family to find blood supplies for Haydelle, she knew that other patients weren’t as fortunate as her daughter. “I thought a blood drive would be a good way of paying it forward.”     Critical need  There is no substitute for human blood and it is always in high demand. According to the Red Cross, patients with cancer, trauma, extensive burns, blood diseases, and chronic illnesses benefit most from blood donations. Their lives depend on it.  Blood is a resource that healthy persons can easily replenish. In fact, they can donate every three months. Donating blood benefit not only the recipients but the donors as well. Apart from the emotional satisfaction of knowing you are helping save lives, bloodletting reduces iron stores in the body. Studies have been made on how high levels of iron in the blood increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and liver diseases, among others.     To have a heart  Emely, now a university extension associate, says that it wasn’t hard to get UPOU support for the blood drive because public service is one of the University’s main functions. It also wasn’t hard to get the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on board because it welcomes initiatives such as this.     2018 UPOU Blood Donation Drive (Photo from UPOU FICS)     Except for 2013, the blood drive has been held in April of each year in memory of Haydelle. Emely said that she has received messages telling her that they were excited to donate, that they were asking more of their friends to go with them, that perhaps the one-day event could be extended to two so that more donors could be accommodated.  Since the program started in 2012, the number of donors has been increasing and so has the number of partner organizations. It even encouraged more people to volunteer their services and sponsor items such as food and beverage for blood donors.  As a result, UPOU’s program has been cited by the PRC “for meritorious service rendered in the promotion of Blood Services.” Emely’s way of “paying it forward” doesn’t stop with the blood donation drive. UPOU is entitled to ten percent of its total blood collection, freely given to those in need. When it runs out and there are still indigent patients asking Emely for help, she calls other blood drive organizers to ask for their “free blood.” She also extends assistance to those who need to secure blood from the PRC.  Emely said that while the program was conceived by a mother’s gratitude, it owes a big part of its life to the University.  “Looking back on everything—Haydelle’s selflessness, the generosity of my co-workers in UPOU, the unrelenting support from my schoolmates and my daughter’s schoolmates, my passion for this endeavor—I realize that this blood drive exists because UP taught us ‘puso,’ what it truly means to have a heart. It allowed me to transcend the despair of losing my daughter, to be thankful, and to pass on to others the kindness bestowed upon me and my family.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP confers Doctor of Laws upon Dr. Richard Roberts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-confers-doctor-of-laws-upon-dr-richard-roberts/",
        "html": "UP confers Doctor of Laws upon Dr. Richard Roberts UP confers Doctor of Laws upon Dr. Richard Roberts November 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In ceremonies which he said “touched him the most,” Dr. Richard J. Roberts, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, was conferred by UP the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, for his contributions in molecular biology, without which UPLB would not have been able to produce its biotechnology products.  Dr. Roberts received the honorary degree during a ceremony on Nov. 21 at the DL Umali Hall in UPLB.  Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III, chair of the UP Board of Regents (BOR) and the Commission on Higher Education, and Atty. Danilo L. Concepcion, president of UP, spearheaded the awarding ceremonies.  “I’m overwhelmed. This is an unbelievable honor. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life,” Dr. Roberts said.  UP recognized Dr. Roberts for his discovery of split genes and RNA splicing. His contributions to the wide availability of restriction enzymes have also paved the way for many of UPLB’s biotechnology products.  The University also took note of his advocacy for the production and consumption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  He has persuaded 138 fellow Nobel awardees to sign a manifesto supporting the safe and responsible use of recombinant technology in improving plant varieties to produce GMOs.  In his address and lecture during the event, Dr. Roberts talked about his stand favoring GMOs.  “GMO is safe. There is no evidence whatsoever that GMOs are dangerous. There has not been a single credible problem posed by GMOs since they were first introduced,” Dr. Roberts stated.  “GMOs are safer than conventionally bred foods for a simple reason that [compared to] conventional breeding, in GMOs, you know exactly what’s in it,” he added.  Dr. Roberts said that precision breeding selects only a particular gene to improve the quality of plants, such as resistance to specific pests. He cited Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Corn, Bt Eggplant, Golden Rice and Rainbow Papaya as examples of these GMO crops.  He also emphasized the role of GMOs in providing more food, particularly to children of developing countries who suffer from food scarcity and vitamin deficiency.  “If you want to make decisions about supporting or not supporting GMOs, have a heart. Think about these kids in Africa. They need food and they are not going to get the food they need by traditional methods, but they can get it by using GMO methods,” Dr. Roberts ended.  Witnessing the awarding ceremony were Hon. Angelo Jimenez and Hon. Frederick Mikhail Farolan, both members of the UP BOR; Atty. Roberto Lara, secretary of the university and the BOR; and Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.  Also present were National Scientist Dolores Ramirez and National Academy of Science and Technology Academician Dr. Eufemio Rasco, Jr., who introduced Dr. Roberts.  UPLB constituents–current officials, past administrators, faculty members, research, extension, professional, and administrative staff, and students–witnessed the ceremony. (Mark Jayson E. Gloria)     This article was first published on UP Los Baños News and Updates on November 22, 2018 (http://uplb.edu.ph/top-stories/up-confers-doctor-of-laws-to-dr-richard-roberts/). "
    },
    {
        "title": "Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/istorya-ng-pag-asa-calls-for-film-entries/",
        "html": "Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries January 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          Are you interested in making films? Do you have a true and inspiring story you want to share? Join the Istorya ng Pag-asa Film Festival!  Istorya ng Pag-asa (INP) is a traveling photo gallery featuring extraordinary stories of ordinary Filipinos. Through words and portraits, this project aims to inspire, empower and be a source of hope for all.  INP is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President, aiming to direct our social conversations away from animosity toward positivity by spreading stories of hope featuring ordinary Filipinos who triumph over adversity. Officially launched in November 2016, it now continues to grow with stories of hope sourced from local communities, with the help of different socio-civic groups and local government units.  INP continues to expand its reach to all corners of the country, with the support of partners and stakeholders from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Quezon City, Naga, Baguio, Palawan and Dumaguete.  Click here to view the mechanics, application form and FAQs. Accepting submissions only until February 25, 2018. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Danilo L. Concepción installed as 21st UP president – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/danilo-l-concepcion-installed-as-21st-up-president/",
        "html": "Danilo L. Concepción installed as 21st UP president Danilo L. Concepción installed as 21st UP president October 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Atty. Danilo Lardizabal Concepción was formally installed as the 21st president of the University of the Philippines on September 20 at the University Theater, UP Diliman. He has been in office for seven months.  Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Patricia Licuanan, who heads the UP Board of Regents, presided over the investiture rites. As part of the ceremony, she handed over the symbols of the presidency such as the mace and medallion to Concepción.  Pres. Danilo L. Concepcion receives the mace from CHED and UP BOR Chair Patricia Licuanan (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     CHED and UP BOR Chair Patricia Licuanan affixes the medallion on Pres. Danilo L. Concepcion’s academic robe along with his wife Atty. Gabriela Roldan Concepcion (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo graced the event along with other government officials. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had been invited but sent his regrets along with his “felicitations to the University and its new leadership.” Members of the diplomatic corps, National Artists, National Scientists, academic leaders, former UP presidents, and University officials from across the UP System were among those who attended the ceremony.  When Concepción was still a nominee, his vision sought to redefine UP’s culture, enhancing its time-honored traditions of honor and excellence to include “malasakit” or compassion—a virtue he considers as “UP’s moral core as the national university.”  In his investiture speech titled “Compassion, Our Common Ground,” he defined compassion as genuine care for UP, for the professions, and for each member of the University. “When we genuinely feel compassion, we are truly careful with our words and deeds; very careful of our every move so as not to hurt or harm the things we value and care for,” he said.  Speaking both in English and Filipino, the new UP President began by looking back at UP’s 109-year-long history and noting that while “dissent has been coded into the University’s DNA,” the current atmosphere of political polarization in the country and even the university had taken its toll on “truth, reason, and respect.” He called for the promotion of “consensus over conflict, civility over calumny, and collaboration over confrontation. We must foster strategic thinking over short-sightedness, honest labor over opportunism, and shared effort over self-promotion.”  He said that he would “focus on finding, in this University, a common ground, a clearing—a safe, free, and congenial space within which its constituents can teach, study, and work productively to their full potential.”  Pres. Danilo L. Concepcion takes his oath as the University’s 21st president (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     He acknowledged the implementation of the new free tuition policy as his administration’s first major challenge. While tuition is now free, Concepción raised another important student issue: democratizing admissions. A good number of underprivileged students who wish to go to UP fail the UP College Admission Test. To address this, he proposed a voluntary return service agreement for UP students benefitting from free tuition. There are three options: agree to teach in senior high school for one year after graduation with compensation, opt out by paying tuition, or opt out after graduation by paying the cost of their UP education. Concepción was optimistic that UP students would choose to render service.  On student protests and rallies, he promised to “guarantee their right and freedom to express their ideas, beliefs, and principles. We will never even attempt to suppress what they want to say, or oppress them for what they fight for.”  For UP faculty, Concepción discussed the vigorous pursuit of funding for development programs; easing up the rules on tenure and promotion; the rise of the new and improved Faculty Center in three years; and the establishment of an office to help faculty members prepare for retirement, which includes assisting them with their needs, like housing.  Campus rehabilitation is also on his list of priorities. He appealed to the UP alumni for support, specifically for the rehabilitation and upkeep of dormitories. Concepción also revealed plans for a Philippine General Hospital in Diliman, a medical complex that will include a College of Medicine and the Genomic Cancer Research Institute. It will serve northern Metro Manila and nearby areas.  Another campus concern Concepción brought up was the presence of informal settlers across the University. He said that his family was, at some point, like them, so he knows how it feels to be one. “Their welfare will be included in all of our plans to put in order our campuses. My sincere prayer and hope is for them to also have compassion for our University and our community.”  On staff development, Concepción emphasized the need to match operational requirements with administrative workforce. He also said that his administration has begun the process of regularizing contractual employees. Concepción explained that regularization entails the creation of plantilla items, which takes time. While waiting, non-UP contractuals are being moved up to UP contractual status for now, to let them enjoy the same benefits as regular UP employees.  Concepción also talked about seeking reforms in the procurement process, automation of operating systems, and in the allocation and use of funds and resources. He mentioned the drive for more collaborative activities with other universities and colleges.  Prior to assuming the presidency on February 10 this year, he was the executive director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. He also served as Vice President for Legal Affairs in the administration of his predecessor, Alfredo Pascual. From 2000 to 2002, he was president of De La Salle Araneta University. He has also been serving as the Dean of the UP College of Law since 2011.  Born in 1958, Concepción earned his Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 1986 as a Chevening Scholar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree, cum laude, from UP Diliman in 1983. In 1979, he received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering degree, summa cum laude, from De La Salle Araneta University.  He was elected to the position in November 2016 by the 11-member Board of Regents, UP’s highest governing body. UP’s presidents have traditionally held their investiture several months after taking office.  To view a copy of his speech, click here.  Click here to view photos taken during the investiture. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/compassion-our-common-ground-investiture-speech-of-danilo-l-concepcion/",
        "html": "Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción Compassion, Our Common Ground: The Investiture Speech of Danilo L. Concepción September 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       “UP must be that special place within which it should still be possible—despite all divisions and distractions—to work together with the University’s and the nation’s strategic interests in mind.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Compassion, Our Common Ground  Investiture Speech of  Danilo L. Concepción  21st President, University of the Philippines  20 September 2017, 5:00 p.m., University Theater     I stand before you today as a student trained in two disciplines: that of science, which taught me the measure of Nature, and that of the law, which taught me the measure of Man. I cannot claim that I have learned enough because education is a lifelong process, and I expect to live a little longer. But this I have surely come to realize: that while Nature may be bewilderingly complex, Man is infinitely more so.  If I had remained an agricultural engineer, I might have been happy designing new tools for farming or more effective irrigation systems. But ultimately, I found law more challenging, that which is the calibration and codification of human and social behavior.  And as if that were not enough, and even before UP, I took on teaching and university administration—which, in a strange but logical way, draw on all these threads of thought and experience to form a coherent wholeness of purpose.  Indeed the university is probably the one institution in society—with the possible exception of Congress—where diversity and difference are its very nature and intrinsic to its success.  Today, with nearly 200 undergraduate and almost 350 graduate programs, UP can proudly claim to offer the broadest canopy under which Filipino students and scholars can learn. Nowhere else in this country can you take such diverse courses as Archeology, Geomatics Engineering, Tropical Landscape Architecture, and Women and Development.  That is what a national university is for, and that is why UP is one. We recognize that a national university exists not to profit the pocket, but to enrich the mind and to enlarge the soul of our people. We stand firm in the belief that all forms of knowledge benefit humanity, and that part of our mission is to employ that knowledge for social transformation.  At his investiture in 1911, our first President, Dr. Murray Bartlett, made it clear that the new University of the Philippines was not merely going to be a copy of its models in the West but would be a “University for Filipinos” devoted to providing “the intellectual and moral leadership essential to social salvation and progressive national development.”  It seems ironic today—given our much-vaunted nationalism and secularism—to remark that Dr. Bartlett was an American and a Protestant pastor. But that irony offers vivid proof that our founders understood that creating a great university would mean stepping out of one’s own moorings into a true community of minds.  And so, difference and diversity have been with us since the beginning—and of course, dissension and debate, especially since the University Council was first set up. But again, and notably, we have managed to harmonize our differences over more than a century of discourse to forge a way forward—whether it be in terms of crafting a curriculum for general education, or rewarding performance and productivity.  Therein lies our University’s vitality—not in the fact that we argue, because argue we must, but in the fact that we have always managed at some point to agree, because agree we also must.  Dissent has been coded into our DNA, the most familiar expression of the critical thinking we have sought to imbue every UP student with. But we also know that between academic inquiry and practical necessity lies much common ground to explore and to inhabit.  On June 8, 1933, students at the College of Education boycotted their classes in the first protest ever against a tuition fee increase, from P30 to P50 per semester. Among the leaders of the mass action was none other than Fe Palma, daughter of then UP President Rafael Palma. History does not record what President Palma said to his daughter afterwards, but I suppose he should have been proud, as she was a product of the liberal education that he himself espoused in his inaugural address.  Four years later in 1937, when President Quezon pushed for the transfer of UP from Padre Faura to Diliman, UP students led by a young editor named Armando Malay held a straw vote that resoundingly rejected the move by 84 percent.  The critics complained that Diliman was a dark and mountainous territory teeming with snakes, monkeys, and mosquitoes. Then UP President Bienvenido Gonzalez was crucified. But twelve years later, when the move had finally happened, Malay spoke again, but this time in Diliman, and acknowledged that it was time “for a closing of the ranks.”  These instances of dissent were classically and uniquely UP. We ourselves have made this possible, empowering and emboldening generations of students with reason, enabling them, as Palma put it, “to react properly to the promptings of truth and to the world.” We—and perhaps we alone—have justly and proudly held reason above all other considerations in our academic life: considerations such as creed, kinship, privilege, authority.  And it is this supremely valuable faculty to which I appeal today, as I grasp the helm of this great enterprise we call the University of the Philippines. Let reason guide us, but not reason alone; let it be reason tempered with respect, responsibility, and collegiality.  Both at the national and university levels, it is becoming difficult to push any agenda forward without being subjected to intense, sometimes malicious, but also often necessary scrutiny. In many instances, we have stopped talking to one another as a people sharing the same future.  Truth, reason, and respect have been the prime casualties in these exchanges, which I am sure you have witnessed—if not participated in—online. The phrase “social media” has almost become an oxymoron, as it has become the stalking ground of some of the most unsociable people you could come across.  Sad to say, some of that caustic and deeply divisive rhetoric has come to infect our University, not just our students but our faculty, staff, and administrators as well. This is perhaps to be expected, as a university remains, in many ways, merely a microcosm of a much larger society.  Our strength lies in our collegiality. If we allow our reason and our rhetoric to be clouded by intolerance, then we will be no more and no better than a gang, indeed than any other collection of ill-tempered individuals.  At his investiture in 1975, another of my predecessors, President Onofre D. Corpuz, openly took issue with the University’s characterization as “a battleground of ideas,” calling it a “romantic notion” that the people could ill afford to pay for with their taxes.  Rather than a battleground, I prefer to focus on finding, in this University, a common ground, a clearing—a safe, free, and congenial space within which its constituents can teach, study, and work productively to their full potential.  UP must be that special place within which it should still be possible—despite all divisions and distractions—to work together with the University’s and the nation’s strategic interests in mind.  For this we must promote consensus over conflict, civility over calumny, and collaboration over confrontation. We must foster strategic thinking over short-sightedness, honest labor over opportunism, and shared effort over self-promotion.  There should be no better place in this country than UP for the expression of ideas without fear, without fear of violent retribution from one’s colleagues or from the State itself. There should be no environment more welcoming than UP for cutting-edge research, timely policy studies, exciting new exhibits and productions, and provocative art and literature—in other words, the work we have always meant to do, and do best.  We will be guided by the overarching vision of UP as a leading regional and global university in an environment that sustains 21st century learning, knowledge creation, and public service for society and humanity.  Where our University is situated today would not have been possible without the foundations laid by my esteemed predecessors, whom I acknowledge and thank today, and to whom I make a personal pledge to do my best to live up to their example. President Edgardo Angara, who was not able to make it today, Presidents Emanuel Soriano, Emil Javier, Jose Abueva, Francisco Nemenzo, Emerlinda Roman, and Alfredo Pascual—sa inyo pong lahat, tanggapin ninyo ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat, paggalang, at pagpupugay!  Bunsod ng ating hangaring ituloy ang mga mahahalaga at makabuluhang pagbabago, at sa paniniwalang mayroon tayong maia-ambag sa hangaring ito, ini-alay po natin ang ating sarili upang maglingkod bilang Pangulo. Nagsama-sama po tayo sa ating pakay at galaw, at dahil dito, tayo po ay nanaig at nagtagumpay.  Ngayon, ang tagumpay na ito ang simula ng ating pagkilos upang patunayan sa lahat na ang mga pangarap at adhikain na sinampalatayaan at pinanghawakan ng ating mga kasama, kakampi man o katunggali, ay kaya nating maisakatuparan at makamtan. Lahat po ng ating balak at panukala ay matutupad at matatapos kung tayo po ay magsa-sama-samang muli sa pagpaplano, pagpapasya, at pagpapapatupad sa lahat ng ating gagawin para sa pagsusulong ng minimithing pagbabago.  Upang tayo ay magtagumpay, ang tatlong sangkap ng ating Unibersidad: ang mga mag-aaral, ang kaguruan, at ang mga kawani, ay dapat na magkabigkis-bigkis tungo sa isang layunin. Nasa pagkakaisa nating lahat lamang ang susi ng tagumpay. Totoo, ang pagkakaisa ay tunay na mailap at mahirap makamit sapagkat lubhang maraming pagkakaiba ang ating mga pangangailangan, paniniwala, at pamantayan. Subalit tayo ay nananalig na mayroong isang tagpuan kung saan lahat tayo ay maaring tumayong sama-sama na parang isang katawan. Bilang isang katawan, tiyak nating mapagtatanto at madarama na ang sakit ng kalingkingan ay sakit ng buong katawan. Ang sakit na iniinda ng sinuman sa atin, ay sakit na iindahin ng lahat natin. Hindi natin marahil napapansin subalit ang tagpuang ito ay nasa mga puso na natin. Kailangan lamang po nating itong mapagtanto at madama.  At upang tayo ay manatiling magkakayakap sa ating tagpuan, tayo po bilang Pangulo, ang magsisilbing isang pagkit na sa ating lahat ay hahatak at magdi-dikit upang wala ni-isa man sa atin ang mawalay o malisya.  Tayo po ay nakalaang makinig kanino man upang malaman ang inyong mga loobin, balak, at pangangailangan upang tayo po ay magabayan sa ating pag-ugit. Sa atin pong pamumuno, mas mahalaga ang kagalingan ng lahat kaysa sa ating personal na pananaw o kagustuhan.  Sa ating pagpapasya sa mga hakbang na ating tatahakin, ang ating gabay at panuntunan ay pagmamalasakit. Pagmamalasakit sa ating Unibersidad, pagmamalasakit sa ating mga propesyon, pagmamalasakit sa ating mga sarili, at pagmamalasakit sa isa’t isa. Kung tayo po ay nagmamalasakit, tayo ay lubos na nag-iingat; nag-iingat na ang ating bawat kilos at galaw ay hindi makasasakit o makasasama sa bawat isa sa atin.  Kung pagkakaisa ang susi sa tagumpay ng ating mga mithiin, pagmamalasakit naman ang susi tungo sa isang samahang wagas at pangmatagalan.  Sa susunod na anim na taon na ating hahawakan ang timon, ito po ay ating hahawakan nang mahigpit at maingat sapagkat maraming hamon at balakid ang ating haharapin, bubunuin, at gagapiin. Sa simula pa lamang ng ating pag-ugit, isang malaking hamon ang agad ay sumalubong sa atin: ang libreng matrikula sa kolehiyo.  Tunay po na ito ay isang malaking hamon sapagkat animnapung porsyento ng ating koleksyon mula sa matrikula ay nakalaan para sa ating mga faculty development programs. Kung hindi po ibibigay sa atin ng national government ang katumbas ng dapat ay ating koleksyon, wala po tayong malilikom na pondo na sadyang ilalaan sa mga programang magpapaunlad sa katayuan ng ating kaguruan.  Bukod dito, bagama’t totoong libre na nga ang tuition sa UP, makapasa naman kaya sa UPCAT ang mga kapus-palad na kabataan na sa UP ay nais makapag-aral?  Wala pong saysay at kabuluhan ang programang libreng matrikula kung sa UPCAT ang estudyante ay di naman papasa. Sa mga nakalipas na pagsasaliksik at pag-aaral, napag-alaman na maliit na bahagi lamang ng mga nagtatapos sa maraming public high schools sa labas ng Metro Manila ang pumapasa sa UPCAT. Ang sinisisi pong dahilan ay ang mababang kalidad ng pagtuturo sa mga public high schools na ito.  Dahil dito, panukala po natin na gawing kondisyon sa pagtanggap sa isang estudyante ang pagbibigay ng balik-serbisyo sa ating bayan; balik-serbisyong isang taon pagkaraang makatapos ang estudyante sa kanyang kurso. Sa loob nang isang taon, siya po ay ating pagtuturuin sa senior high school sa mga public schools na ito upang kahit-manawari ay tumaas ang kalidad ng kanilang edukasyon.  Ang kondisyong balik-serbisyo ay hindi naman po sapilitan. Malaya po ang estudyante na hindi magbalik-serbisyo, dangan siya po sa halip ay magbabayad ng matrikula kung siya po ay tatanggi bago makatapos, o ang buong halaga ng kanyang edukasyon kung siya ay tatanggi kapag siya ay nakapagtapos na. Hindi rin po libre ang pag-babalik-serbisyo. May bayad po sila habang sila ay nagtuturo.  Ganoon pa man, tayo po ay lubos na umaasa na magbabalik-serbisyo ang ating mga iskolar ng bayan. Ito na po ang kanilang pagkakataon na isabuhay ang kanilang isinisigaw na pagmamahal sa bayan. Ito na po ang pagkakataon na patunayan nila sa kanilang mga sarili ang panawagan nilang maglingkod sa kapus-palad nating mga kababayan.  Madalas pong magmartsa ang ating mga estudyante, sumisigaw ng pagbabago. Kung ating pong wawariin, parang wala nang katapusan ang kanilang mga reklamo at kahilingan; parang ibig nilang sila na ang magpalakad sa ating Unibersidad, at sila ay mag-aral nang sang-ayon tangi sa kanilang pasya at kagustuhan.  Subalit sinasabi natin ngayon sa kanila, na hinding-hindi natin sila pipigilan sa kanilang pagpapahayag ng kanilang mga kaisipan at paniniwala; hinding hindi natin sila bubusalan sa kanilang mga hinaing. Bagkus, sila ay ating pakikinggan, uunawain, at gagabayan. Hindi po natin hinuhubog ang ating mga estudyante sa isang hulmahan. Hinuhubog po natin sila upang magkaroon ng isang malaya, mapanuri, mapagtanong, at malikhaing pag-iisip; upang sila ay magtaglay ng diwang walang takot, ng tinig na hindi pasusupil; at upang sila ay manindigan para sa katwiran at katarungan.  Sa ating kaguruan, ang lakas natin ay nasa ating kakayahang mag-talo at magpasya bilang isang kalipunan. Ang kakayahang ito ay ating itataguyod at pag-iibayuhin nang marubdob.  Pagsisikapan nating malikom ang pondong kailangan ng ating faculty development programs upang hindi maputol ang mga programang nasimulan na, at upang madagdagan pa.  At upang manatili sa Unibersidad ang ating mahuhusay na kaguruan, pag-aaralan po natin na luwagan ang mga regulasyon sa tenure at promotion upang ang mga ito ay maging mas patas at mas makatarungan. Marapat din na sila ay bigyan natin ng magandang working condition, at masaya at masiglang buhay-akademiko sa ating mga campus.  Titiyakin po natin na maitayo muli ang nasunog na Facuty Center sa loob ng 3 taon. Ang bagong Faculty Center po na ito ay magiging mas malaki, mas moderno, at mas faculty-friendly.  Ang ating pong kaguruan ay binibigyan ng lipunan ng pinakamataas na pagkilala at paggalang habang sila ay nagtuturo sa ating Unibersidad. Hindi po natin papayagan na sila ay mawalan ng dignidad matapos na sila ay magretiro sa pagtuturo. Marahil, dapat tayong magtayo ng isang opisina na walang gagawin kung hindi ihanda ang ating kaguruan para sa kanilang pag-reretiro, at upang sila ay gabayan at tulungan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan, lalong-lalo na sa usapin ng pabahay.  Nakalista po sa ating priority projects ang pagpapaganda sa ating mga campuses. Nangangailangan na po ng rehabilitasyon ang ating mga gusali at mga dormitoryo. Dapat na po nating wakasan ang masakit na biro na walang malinis at mabangong CR dito sa UP.  Tayo po ay nananawagan sa ating mga alumni na sana tayo ay tulungan at damayan sa krusadang ito. Sa mga matagumpay nating alumni na tumira at nakinabang sa murang bayad sa ating mga dormitoryo, sana’y masumpungan nila sa kanilang mga puso ang magsukli at tumulong sa ating pagbabangong-anyo.  Pagsisikapan din po nating magtayo ng pangalawang Philippine General Hospital dito sa UP Diliman. Kasama po sa itatayo ang kakambal nitong College of Medicine at Genomic Cancer Research Institute. Ang medical complex po na ito ay magbibigay-serbisyo sa komunidad ng UP Diliman at ng hilagang Metro-Manila. Ang College of Medicine ay magdaragdag ng mga duktor sa ating bansa at ang Institute po naman ay tutuklas ng lunas sa cancer gamit ang makabagong siyensya ng genomics.  Pangarap po natin na ang PGH na ito ay maging pinaka moderno at pinaka magandang ospital sa buong bansa. Naniniwala po tayo na kaya nating isakatuparan ang pangarap na ito sa tulong ninyong lahat at ng lokal at pambansang pamahalaan.  Para naman po sa ating mga kawani, sinimulan na po natin ang proseso upang gawing regular ang mga kawaning matatagal na sa serbisyo. Sapagkat mangangailangan ito ng mga karagdang plantilla positions, ang proceso po ay inaasahan nating magtatagal. Subalit habang tayo po ay naghihintay,   itataas na po natin ang mga non-UP contractuals, yaong matatagal na po sa serbisyo, sa antas ng UP Contractuals upang sila ay tumanggap na ng lahat ng benepisyo ng isang regular na empleyado. Ganoon pa man, inaasahan natin na ang mga kawani ay magmamalasakit din para sa kapakanan ng ating Unibersidad. Huwag sana nilang igiit ang kanilang mga kahilingan kung ito ay hindi kayang pasanin ng ating kabang-yaman.  Kasabay nito, kailangan po nating suriing mabuti ang pangangailangan ng ating operasyon upang ang laki ng ating administrative workforce ay maging tugma rito, at hindi tuluyang lumobo. Ang salop na umaapaw ay di na po dapat dagdagan.  Sa ibabaw po ng lahat nang ito, i-aangkas natin ang ating mga reporma sa ating procurement system, sa automation ng ating mga operating systems, at sa paggamit ng ating mga pondo at resources.  Tayo po sa ngayon ang nag-iisang Pambansang Unibersidad. Subalit ang karangalan pong ito ay may kaakibat na tungkulin para sa mga unibersidad at kolehiyo sa buong bansa, pribado man o pambupliko. Sa ilalim po ng ating pagmamasid, itataguyod natin ang tambalan ng UP sa mga unibersidad at kolehiyo na ibig makipagtulungan sa ating mga gawaing akademiko at pananaliksik. Pag-aaralan po natin ang pagbalangkas sa isang facility-sharing scheme para sa ating mga SUCs.  Dumako naman po tayo sa usaping informal settlers. Lingid sa karamihan, ang pamilya po natin, minsan, ay naging informal settler din. Kung kaya po damang-dama rin natin ang nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayang nakikitirik sa ating mga lupain. Bibigyan po natin ng tamang pansin ang kanilang kapakanan. Ang kanilang kagalingan ay lagi po nating ilalahok sa lahat ng balak at pagpa-plano sa pagsasa-ayos ng ating mga campus. Hindi po tayo gigiba ng bahay kung ito ay gigiba ng buhay. Ang tanging dasal po natin, sana’y magmalasakit din naman sila sa ating Unibersidad at sa ating komunidad.  Hindi po natin ikinahiya kailanman na tayo ay galing din sa hirap. Dala po ng kahirapan sa buhay tayo po ay nangailangang tumulong sa ating mga magulang sa pagtataguyod sa pamilya. Tumulong po tayo na magpa-aral sa ating mga kapatid upang magbago ang kanilang mga kapalaran at ng ating mga mahal sa buhay. Sa ating pagtulong, nangailangan pong humingi tayo ng awa sa Panginoon. At upang patunayan na ang ating panalangin ay taimtim, tayo po ay nagbitaw ng isang panata. Panata na tayo po ay hindi hahanap ng kabiyak sa buhay hanggat hindi natatapos ng kolehiyo ang lahat ng ating mga kapatid. Dininig po ng Maykapal ang ating panalangin at malugod naman po nating tinupad ang ating panata. Hindi po tayo nakipag-isang dibdib kay Atty. Gaby hanggat hindi po tapos ng medisina ang bunso nating kapatid.  Ngayong hapon, saksi kayong lahat at ang Dakilang Lumikha, tayo po ay gumagawa muli ng isang panata. Panata na tayo po ay maglilingkod ng wagas, sa sukdulan ng ating kakayahan, nang patas at makatarungan, nang buong puso at pagmamahal, nang walang iwanan at laglagan, at higit sa lahat, na walang halong biro!  Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat!  Mabuhay and Unibersidad ng Pilipinas!        (The English translation of the Filipino portion follows below.)     Driven by the sincerest and noblest desire to continue accomplishing meaningful and necessary changes in the University, and with the firm belief that I could contribute to achieve this dream, I humbly offered myself to serve our University as its President. And because we were brought and bound together by our common selfless intentions and pursuits, we prevailed, we succeeded.  This success signals the beginning of the more important task of proving to our colleagues—friends and detractors alike—and to those who rely on and believe in us that we will fulfill and deliver the reforms we have committed to achieve. This we will realize through a renewal of our collective and united efforts to plan, decide, and act toward the needed change we have envisioned together.  For us to triumph, the three vital components of our University—the students, the faculty, and the administrative staff—should aim as one to hit our targets. Our unity is the key to our success. True, unity is elusive because we fully acknowledge and accept the complexity and diversity of our respective needs, beliefs, and standards. However, we believe that there is a common ground where all of the three components can stand together as one body. We have to act as one body, so that pain endured by one of us will be pain felt by all of us. That common ground is right here in our hearts; we simply have to feel it to realize it.  To ensure that all of us will stay in that common ground together as one, I, as your President, shall act as the adhesive that will keep us fastened and bound together, so that no one will fall out, or be left out.  I am committed to listen to anyone who needs my attention, so I would know what he or she feels, plans, and needs in order to guide me in my work. Under my leadership, the common good is far more important than my personal views or desire.  The road to change is treacherous to say the least. But to guide us in every step of the way, compassion is what shall set our bearings. It is compassion when we feel genuine care for our University, genuine care for our professions, genuine care for ourselves, and genuine care for each other. When we genuinely feel compassion, we are truly careful with our words and deeds; very careful of our every move so as not to hurt or harm the things we value and care for.  If our unity is the key to our success, compassion is the key to our solidarity and lasting camaraderie.  In the next six years that I will steer the helm of this administration, rest assured that I will hold it firmly and with vigilance, for there will be great obstacles ahead to confront and overcome. Just at the start of my term as President, we already met a major challenge: tuition-free college education.  It is a major concern because we have been allocating sixty percent of our collection from tuition fees for faculty development programs. If the national government will not replace the tuition collection we will forego, there will be no funds to finance the programs that develop and uplift the conditions of our faculty.  Apart from this, we have to address another concern. While studying in UP may be free, can the students belonging to the less-privileged and marginalized families pass the UPCAT if they intend or wish to study in UP?  The free-tuition program will clearly be pointless, senseless, and useless if the students from poor families will not pass the UPCAT. Based on previous studies, only a small percentage of graduates from public high schools outside Metro Manila pass the UPCAT. This low turnout is being blamed on the low quality of instruction in those public high schools.  This reality has given rise to our proposal to impose return service as a condition for the admission of students to UP. This return service will be for one year after graduation. Our graduates will be required to teach senior high school students in public high schools that we will identify as UP feeder schools. This scheme, we hope, will uplift the quality of the graduates from these feeder schools.  The return-service condition, however, will be voluntary. Any student may opt out from this condition before graduation by paying his tuition, or the cost of his education if he will opt out after graduation. The return service to be rendered by our graduates will not be for free. Our students who will decide to teach will be compensated properly.  While it is voluntary, we are very optimistic that our students, the scholars of the nation, will choose to render return service. That is because it will be a perfect opportunity for them to live out their professed love for our country, and their advocacy to serve our poor countrymen.  Our students often march on the streets to demand change. Sometimes it seems that their clamors and complaints will never end; that they want to run the University themselves; and that they wish to study as they please or solely what they desire.  Nevertheless, we shall guarantee their right and freedom to express their ideas, beliefs, and principles. We will never even attempt to suppress what they want to say, or oppress them for what they fight for. Instead, we shall listen to them, understand them, and guide them. We do not mold them to think one way or another. On the contrary, we mold them to think freely; to develop inquisitive, discerning, and creative minds; to be fearless and assertive; and to uphold what is right and just.  For our faculty, our strength lies in our ability to discourse and resolve our differences collegially. We will value and nurture this ability intensely. We will vigorously pursue and secure the funding needed to continue and improve our faculty development programs.  In order to retain our valued faculty in our University, we will study how to ease the rules on tenure and promotion to make them fair and just. We will also upgrade their working conditions and provide them with a happy and vibrant academic life in our campuses. After it burned down last year, a bigger, more modern, and faculty-friendly Faculty Center will rise up again in three years.  The community bestows utmost recognition and respect to the members of our faculty while they are in the University. We will never allow the loss of that dignity after their retirement from teaching. To accomplish this, we will create an office specifically dedicated to prepare our faculty for a well-deserved retirement life and to assist them with their needs, especially in housing.  Included in the list of our priority projects is the rehabilitation of our campuses. It entails the repair, restoration and improvement of our buildings and dormitories. The time has come to put an end to the not-so-amusing joke that there is no clean or decent toilet in UP.  I appeal to our alumni for compassion by helping us in this crusade. I am reaching out to our successful alumni who stayed in the dormitories and enjoyed the benefits of living on campus, paying very cheap dormitory fees. I hope they find in their hearts the generosity to pay it forward and help us in the makeover of their dorms.  We shall strive to build a second Philippine General Hospital in UP Diliman. With it, we shall establish its complement: the College of Medicine and the Genomic Cancer Research Institute. This medical complex will serve the UP Diliman community and the north of Metro Manila. On the one hand, the College of Medicine will result in a substantial increase in the number of medical students we shall train to increase the number of doctors in our country. And on the other, the Genomic Cancer Research Institute will focus on finding cures for cancer, using the science of genomics as a major tool.  We conceive of PGH-Diliman to be the most modern, well-equipped, and excellent hospital in the country. We believe that we can make this dream happen with your support and the help of our national and local governments.  For our contractual personnel who have served the University for a long time, we have begun the process of making them regular employees. However, inasmuch as doing it will require the creation of new plantilla positions, the process will take some time. In the meantime, we shall move up our non-UP contractuals, those who have rendered many years of service, to the level of UP contractual so they can be entitled to all the benefits that a regular employee receives. With this, I hope that our staff would feel that we care. We believe that they, too, have compassion for the welfare of our University. I expect them to understand and not to insist on their demands if our coffers cannot afford these benefits.  Alongside this, we need to take stock of and examine our operations to ensure a match between the size of our administrative workforce and our operational requirements. We will ensure that its size no longer balloons unchecked.  In a larger perspective, we will institute reforms in our procurement system, in the automation of our operating systems, and in the allocation and use of our funds and resources.  As the national university, we have an obligation in our Charter towards other universities and colleges, private and public. Under our watch, we shall comply with that mandate. We shall foster cooperation and collaboration with schools that wish to partner with us in academic and research initiatives. We shall study and consider the establishment and operationalization of a facility-sharing scheme.  In addressing the concern on the informal settlers in the University, many do not know that my family was also once an informal settler. This is why I know how it feels to be one. We shall give proper attention to their needs and well-being. Their welfare will be included in all of our plans to put in order our campuses. We will not destroy houses if it will destroy lives. My sincere prayer and hope is for them to also have compassion for our University and our community.  I was never ashamed of my humble origins. We were so poor that I had to help my parents in supporting our family. I helped them by ensuring that my siblings could finish their schooling to change their lives and futures for the better. To accomplish this, I had to ask a big favor from God. To prove how fervent my prayer was, I made a vow that if God granted my request, I would not marry until all my siblings had finished college. God answered my prayer and I faithfully fulfilled my vow. I did not get married to Atty. Gaby until my youngest sibling had finished medicine.  Today, with all of you and God Almighty as my witnesses, I once again make a solemn pledge to serve you faithfully, to the best of my ability, with fairness and justice, with all my heart and soul, leaving no one behind, and with utmost seriousness of purpose.  Thank you all! Long live the University of the Philippines!     You may watch the video of his speech below: "
    },
    {
        "title": "CIS bares research on native house restorations and rituals in Ifugao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cis-bares-research-on-native-house-restorations-and-rituals-in-ifugao/",
        "html": "CIS bares research on native house restorations and rituals in Ifugao CIS bares research on native house restorations and rituals in Ifugao June 30, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines–Diliman Center for International Studies (CIS) hosted a couple of events to celebrate the completion of its project entitled “Native House Restorations and Rituals Toward Community-Based Tourism in the UNESCO World Heritage Batad Rice Terrace Cultural Landscape” on 17-19 June 2017.  The two mumba’ih performing ritual dancing and chanting before the slaughter.  The Pahang, a traditional housewarming ceremony, was held together with the annual harvest of tinawon heirloom rice in Barangay Batad, Banaue, Ifugao.  On 17 June, Saturday, the first harvest of rice was done at the terraces of Penneng Ambojnon in Sitio Balihong. Twenty-five local women were joined by several tourists in gathering the rice panicles one-by-one. This joyful event was celebrated with a pig slaughter (sponsored by honorary Batad villagers Rene and Maki Bajit) and a meal shared with everyone in the community.  The Pahang ritual, done the following day in Sitio Gabgab, was officiated by the last two mumba’ih (ritualists) of this village. The two septuagenarian mumba’ih, Appo Nappog of Sitio Nabnong and Appo B’fuy-a of Sitio Higib, were joined by a few other elders who still knew the old prayers.  Mid-afternoon at the UNESCO World Heritage Batad Rice Terrace Cluster  The ritual started at around four in the morning and ended in the afternoon of the following day. It began with an exhortation and invitation for the ancestors and other natural spirits to join the feast. Over the course of the day, the mumba’ih performed small chicken sacrifices, epic chanting, ritual dancing, then culminating in the slaughter and sharing of three pigs.  This Pahang was done mainly to honor the couple Tu’paw and Rita Ugay. Mr. Ugay is a b’faluy (native house) builder and craftsman who worked with the project to restore its first b’faluy, the Osmogan-Ugay Lodge. He also joined in the restoration of the two other native houses of the project.  This project is funded by the University of the Philippines System through an Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant.  The project proponent, Assistant Professor Raymond Aquino Macapagal, worked with local craftsmen to adaptively restore three b’faluys and develop community-based tourism for the development of the UNESCO World Heritage village of Batad.  Once restored, these native houses will serve as lodges for tourists as part of an eco-cultural experience of the rice terraces. Visitors will be given a chance to participate in typical village life, and also get to see the natural beauty of this mountain hamlet.  The adaptively restored Osmogan-Ugay Lodge, with UP dedication "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘ANA Yose: Rakugo in English’ comes to UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ana-yose-rakugo-in-english-comes-to-up-diliman/",
        "html": "‘ANA Yose: Rakugo in English’ comes to UP Diliman ‘ANA Yose: Rakugo in English’ comes to UP Diliman September 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Organized by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and in cooperation with UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), The Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), we bring back Rakugo in English, a Japanese Sit-down Comedy with special Japanese artists to enthrall Philippine audience. On October 6, 2017 (Friday), 6 pm, there will be a special performance at the Aldaba Hall, University Theater Complex, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City.        Rakugo is a Japanese comic storytelling art that has been used as entertainment for over 400 years and is still widely popular today, staged at “yose”, which are specialized theatres for Rakugo. The artist speaks to the imagination, and single-handedly creates the hilarious side of tradition of Japan.  Enjoy Rakugo with Kaishi Katsura, the world’s top performer of English Rakugo and former Japan cultural envoy, along with Asakichi Katsura and Fukuryu Katsura. Meanwhile, as a colorful counterpoint to all-talk comedy, Kouki Houraiya will amaze audiences with daikagura traditional clowning, a vintage street art with elements of acrobatics, juggling, magic, dance, and comedy.  For more information, contact Paul Alcala, Extension Associate at upd.cis@gmail.com or call 981-8500 loc. 2460. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCIS Students Participate in the 2nd Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcis-students-join-the-2nd-ferris-university-short-stay-visitexchange-program/",
        "html": "UPCIS Students Participate in the 2nd Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program UPCIS Students Participate in the 2nd Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program January 17, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Some of the student-participants with the faculty advisers of the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program of UPCIS East and Southeast Asian Studies Division and Ferris University pose in front of the welcome banner at the Ferris University Ryokuen Toshi Campus entrance. (from left to right) Assoc. Prof. Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III, PhD, coordinator of East and Southeast Asian Studies Division of UPCIS, Jesse Leigh Morales (3rd Year BA Comparative Literature), Nyle Mikhail Cauli (4th Year BS Computer Engineering), Anna Maria Lourdes Geli (3rd Year BA Comparative Literature), Jacqueline Giron (1st Year BA European Languages), Chelsey Jan Perez (3rd Year BS Economics), and Prof. Ogaya Chiho, professor from the Faculty of Arts and Letters of Ferris University (Photo from UPCIS)     Six students enrolled in the UPCIS-offered Global Studies 197 (GS 197) Special Topics Course on Japanese Traditional Performance Practice (JTPP) went in November last year to Yokohama and Tokyo to participate in the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program.  The Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program — a brainchild of Assoc. Prof. Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III, PhD, UPCIS coordinator for East and Southeast Asian Studies, and Prof. Chiho Ogaya, of Ferris University’s Faculty of Arts and Letters – is modelled after the Global Studies Tour organized by the UPCIS and the Yokohama National University (YNU), which the two professors had also initiated.  This year, the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program was organized in cooperation with the UPCIS European Studies Division and the Yokohama National University (YNU). Student-participants participated in discussions, attended lectures by professors, underwent intensive training rehearsals with Noh grandmasters, and visited iconic Japanese sites.     Dr. Umali presents “Filipino Performing Noh and Bunraku: Approaching Performance Tradition from the Outside Looking In” to the students of Prof. Takahashi Kyoko of Ferris University prior to the student-participants performance. (Photo from UPCIS)     The students discussed with their counterparts from Ferris University “Representation of People of Mixed Ethnicity in Media” and “Territorial Conflict: The Case of Philippine-China Relations and Japan-China Relations.“ With YNU students, they discussed the Philippine economic divide.  Dr. Umali lectured on Filipinos Performing Noh and Bunraku: Approaching Performance Traditions from the Outside Looking In to students of Prof. Takahashi Kyoko of Ferris University. UPCIS students, who are eventually invited to become members of the UPCIS Noh Ensemble and the UPCIS Bunraku Ensemble, performed Kiri of Hagoromo (Utai) and Chu no Mai (Hayashi) after the lecture.  Prof. Wystan de la Peña, coordinator of the European Studies of UPCIS, delivered a lecture entitled “Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón, or La Tierra del Sol Naciente (Imitating the Rising Sun) in the Filipino Hispanic Elite’s Imagining of a Post-Colonial Philippines” to the students, faculty, and alumni of Ferris University, Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan Women’s University, and the UP Center for International Studies. The lecture was organized by Dr. Umali and Prof. Ogaya as part of the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program.     Prof. Wystan dela Peña, coordinator of the European Studies of UPCIS, gives his lecture on “Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón, or La Tierra del Sol Naciente in the Filipino Hispanic Elite’s Imagining of a Post-Colonial Philippines” students, faculty, and alumni of Ferris University, Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan Women’s University, and the UP Center for International Studies. Among the professors in attendance were Profs. Patrick Heller, Ogaya Chiho and Onishi Hiroshi of Ferris University; Profs. Tanabe Kazuko, PhD and Yasunori Fukuda, PhD of Japan Woman’s University; Prof. Kabashima Hiromi of YNU; and Assoc. Prof. Amparo Adelina C. Umali,III, PhD. (Photo from UPCIS)     The lecture used data obtained from the research entitled, Images of Japan in Filipino Spanish Language Newspapers, 1900-1910, funded by the Sumitomo Foundation.  The students underwent a seven-hour intensive-training rehearsal with three Noh masters: Noh Grandmaster Osamu Toda, Noh Master for Shite of the Kanze School, Noh Grandmaster Naohiko Umewaka, Noh Master for Shite of the Kanze School and Noh Grandmaster Chozaemon Umewaka, Noh Master for Shite of the Kanze School.     Student-participants Anna Maria Lourdes Geli (left) and Xaika Nadine Saldivar (right) discusses on the topic Territorial Conflict: The Case of Philippine-China Relations and Japan-China Relations as part of the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program. (Photo from UPCIS)     The participants also visited: Hibiya Park, Ginza, Harajuku, and Yamashita Park, China Town, and Minato Mirai.  The students, who received Japan’s Ministry of Education Culture and Science’s Japan Student Services (JASSO) Short Stay Scholarship for International Students for the program were: Nyle Mikhail Cauli (4th Year BS Computer Engineering), Anna Maria Lourdes Geli (3rd Year BA Comparative Literature), Jacqueline Giron (1st Year BA European Languages), Jesse Leigh Morales (3rd Year BA Comparative Literature), Chelsey Jan Perez (3rd Year BS Economics), and Xaika Nadine Saldivar (3rd Year BA Broadcast Communication), and Laureen Lioanag (2nd Year MA Anthropology).     As part of the short stay visit, participants visited iconic/landmark sites including Hibiya Park where the bust of Jose Rizal can be found. The bust also marks the location of Tokyo Hotel. Participants, including Margie Tamayao, a UP Statistics major currently on a one (1) year exchange program in Tsuda College in Japan, pose in front of the National Hero’s bust. (Photo from UPCIS)     Margie Tamayao, a UP Statistics major currently on a one-year exchange program in Tsuda College in Tokyo, also participated in the said program.  Acting as faculty advisers for the group were Prof. Ogaya, Dr. Umali, and Prof. de la Peña. (Paul Alcala, UPD CIS) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ilustrados-enamorados-del-japon/",
        "html": "Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón January 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Two Yokohama women — both daughters of former samurai — may have become footnotes in Philippine history, but not in the lives of two important 19th-century Filipino reformists now considered heroes.  Usui Seiko, more popularly known as O Sei San, and Udagawa Okiyo intersected the lives of national hero Jose Rizal (1861-1896) and Mariano Ponce (1863-1918), respectively, during the two reformists’ stay in Yokohama, a port city some 40 km south of Tokyo.  Rizal was on a six-week stay in Yokohama enroute to Europe via the United States in the spring of 1888 when he met Usui. Ponce was detailed there as diplomatic representative of the Emilio Aguinaldo-led First Republic from June 1898 to September 1899, during which time he courted Udagawa.  Usui has gone down in Philippine history as Rizal’s Japanese romantic interest who introduced him to Japanese culture as they went on afternoon strolls talking in French.  Udagawa became Ponce’s wife, left Japan with him, converted into Christianty, bore him children, and never returned to her homeland. Both women lived long enough to witness their Filipino beaus enshrined in the pantheon of Philippine national heroes and experience World War II from opposite sides.     Prof. de la Peña gives his lecture “Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón (Illustrados Enamored with Japan), or La Tierra del Sol Naciente (The Land of the Rising Sun) in the Filipino Hispanic Elite’s Imagining of a Post-Colonial Philippines” before the students, faculty, and alumni of Ferris University, Yokohama National University, Japan Women’s University, and UPCIS. (Photo courtesy of UPD CIS)     In what he called a “love story-telling session,” Prof. Wystan de la Peña of UP Diliman’s College of Arts and Letters and the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), used the Rizal-Usui and Ponce-Udagawa narratives to frame the lecture on Filipino ilustrado patriots he gave on November 23, 2017 at Ferris University, the first all-women university in Japan founded more than a century ago by Western Christian missionaries.  Entitled “Ilustrados Enamorados del Japón (Illustrados Enamored with Japan), or La Tierra del Sol Naciente (The Land of the Rising Sun) in the Filipino Hispanic Elite’s Imagining of a Post-Colonial Philippines,” de la Peña’s lecture unravelled the emergence of Japan as a regional power, following its victory in the 1894-95 war against China, and as a nation that the two reformists saw as a model for an independent Philippines.  De la Peña, who translated Ponce’s diplomatic correspondence to Filipino and who is also UPCIS coordinator of European Studies, showed powerpoint slides featuring coverage of the Sino-Japanese War by the Barcelona daily La Vanguardia and images of articles from La Solidaridad, the Filipino reformists’ organ.  Both newspapers showed favorable representations of Japan.  When La Solidaridad folded in 1896, the year Rizal died, Ponce left for Hong Kong to be part of the Aguinaldo government.  He later went to Yokohama to procure weapons for the Filipino army during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902).  The presentation used data obtained from the research “Images of Japan in Filipino Spanish Language Newspapers, 1900-1910” funded by the Sumitomo Foundation.  Students, faculty, and alumni of Ferris University, Yokohama National University (YNU), Japan Women’s University, and the UP Center for International Studies attended the hour-long lecture. Among the professors in attendance were Profs. Patrick Heller, Chiho Ogaya and Onishi Hiroshi of Ferris University; Profs. Tanabe Kazuko, PhD and Yasunori Fukuda, PhD of Japan Woman’s University; Prof. Kabashima Hiromi of YNU; and Assoc. Prof. Amparo Adelina C. Umali,III, PhD.     Photo courtesy of UPD CIS     During the Q&A forum, Onishi, a historian, expressed interest in researching on Filipino ilustrados in Yokohama, especially Artemio Ricarte (1866-1945), one of Aguinaldo’s generals who preferred exile in Japan than swear allegiance to the United States at the end of the Philippine-American War.  Kabashima welcomed the lecture and said all the information she had heard was new to her. The lady professor was present during an earlier discussion between UPCIS and YNU students on the Philippines’ economic divide, part of programmed activities in the Ferris Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program.  The UPCIS students also had a similar activity with their Ferris University counterparts.  The lecture, arranged by Umali and Ogaya, is one of two prepared presentations of the 2017 Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program organized by UPCIS East and Southeast Asian Studies Division and UPCIS European Studies Division with Ferris University and YNU.  The program, a brainchild of Umali, coordinator of UPCIS East and Southeast Asian Studies Division, and Ogaya, of Ferris University’s Faculty of Arts and Letters, began with a visit by UPCIS students in 2015, a year before the two universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). (Center for International Studies) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Japanese students highlight cooperation and corruption in disaster management efforts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-japanese-students-highlight-cooperation-and-corruption-in-disaster-management-efforts/",
        "html": "UP and Japanese students highlight cooperation and corruption in disaster management efforts UP and Japanese students highlight cooperation and corruption in disaster management efforts April 30, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Cooperation displayed by Japanese citizens and perceived corruption of Filipino officials differentiate recent Japanese and Philippine disaster management efforts.  Assoc. Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III, PhD, made this conclusion in synthesizing case presentations made by UP students and their visiting Japanese counterparts in a Global Studies 197 Special Topics on Cultures of Disaster: Learning from Life Experiences offered at the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), where she is coordinator of East and Southeast Asian Studies.     UPCIS students discussing the effect of typhoon Yolanda on the people of Eastern Visayas. (Photo courtesy of UPCIS)     The students exchanged information on their countries’ disaster management experiences during small group discussions in the class.  The Japanese, who came to Diliman on February 28, discussed the efforts of Japan’s farmers who cooperated with their government’s disaster management program in the wake of the 2011 earthquake-and-tsunami disaster that produced the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis.  UPCIS students, some of whom visited Ferris University in November last year as part of the Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program, discussed unsatisfactory Philippine government rehabilitation efforts in Eastern Visayas in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, where official data showed only 33% of housing targets had been completed as of 2017.  During the small group discussions, the Japanese students expressed trust on their government, while the Filipinos wondered where the rehabilitation funds had gone.  Japanese professors, who accompanied the visiting students, stressed the importance of government efforts for disaster mitigation.     Japanese students presenting the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. (Photo courtesy of UPCIS)     “We have to conduct some research about the cause [of the natural disasters] and why this problem happened. So I think this is the role of the university,” Assoc. Prof. Takaaki Kobayashi of Yokohama National University (YNU) said.  Assoc. Prof. Kotaro Yonemura of YNU said that with foreigners living in Japan today, a miscommunication problem can arise if a natural disaster occurs. Japanese local governments are improving their disaster prevention effects, as seen in the use of several languages in documents and signages, added Prof. Chiho Ogaya of Ferris University (FU).  Prof. Yuji Kanamura of Wayo Women’s University (WWU) said that the Philippines and Japan experience the same kind of natural disasters, like typhoons and volcano eruptions. “This is a good chance, not only for the discussion, to save lives in the natural disasters that will happen in the future,” he added.  Assoc. Prof. Masako Suginohara of Ferris University said that the joint presentation was a “very good opportunity for students from Japan, the Philippines, and some other countries to talk about their own experience, their knowledge, and exchange their views.”  In his closing remarks, Prof. Wystan de la Peña, UPCIS coordinator of European Studies thanked the Japanese students for their visit.  “You capitalize the ‘I’ of ‘International’ in ‘Center for International Studies,’” he said.     Professors and students from UP, YNU, FU, and WWU who participated in the afternoon lecture on disaster management in the Philippines and Japan pose for a souvenir photo. (Photo courtesy of UPCIS)     De la Peña emphasized the need for people from different countries to come together to talk about mutual problems and issues confronting them. “We do international studies because what we want to do, at the end of the day, is to have international understanding,” he added.  The UPCIS students gave the Japanese a campus tour after the class, and UPCIS hosted a Lebanese-themed dinner in the evening.  The exchange program — a brainchild of Umali and Ogaya – is modelled after the Global Studies Tour organized by the UPCIS and the YNU, which the two professors initiated. The Japanese visit is part of YNU’s International and Business Law Field Study Trip 2018 conducted with Ferris University and Wayo Women’s University and followed the UPCIS students’ visit to YNU and FU last year. (East and Southeast Asian Studies Division, Center for International Studies) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT 2019 online application now open – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-2019-online-application-now-open/",
        "html": "UPCAT 2019 online application now open UPCAT 2019 online application now open July 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UPCAT Online Application is now open for eligible applicants to the University of the Philippines for SY 2019-2020.  Please read the UP Privacy Notice and 2019 General Information Bulletin carefully before starting your online application. Please check https://upcat.up.edu.ph and UPCAT – U.P. System for other announcements.  UP Office of Admissions Telefax: +63 2 9274561 Telephone: +63 2 981-8500 loc. 3827/3828/3830/3831 Email: oadms@up.edu.ph Address: Kalaw cor. Quirino Ave., UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT Advisory as of September 28, 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-advisory-as-of-september-28-2018/",
        "html": "UPCAT Advisory as of September 28, 2018 UPCAT Advisory as of September 28, 2018 September 28, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     UPCAT 2019 will be held on SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 & 28, 2018.     Please read the following carefully: · PLEASE HOLD ON TO THE TEST PERMITS THAT WERE ISSUED TO YOU BY THE UP OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS. · TAKE NOTE OF THE CHANGES IN SCHEDULE:     OLD SCHEDULE in Test Permit NEW SCHEDULE DATE TIME DATE TIME 15 September 2018 (Saturday) 6:30 AM 27 October 2018 (Saturday) 6:30 AM 15 September 2018 (Saturday) 12:30 PM 27 October 2018 (Saturday) 12:30 PM 16 September 2018 (Sunday) 6:30 AM 28 October 2018 (Sunday) 6:30 AM 16 September 2018 (Sunday) 12:30 PM 28 October 2018 (Sunday) 12:30 PM"
    },
    {
        "title": "Announcement on UPCAT 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcement-on-upcat-2019/",
        "html": "Announcement on UPCAT 2019 Announcement on UPCAT 2019 September 12, 2018 | Posted by MPRO    The UP Office of Admissions will be postponing the administration of the UPCAT 2019 nationwide.  This decision is based on consultation with UP System officials and weather experts on the latest forecast on Typhoon Ompong and its expected impact on Northern Luzon and Eastern Seaboard including Western Visayas, and in consideration of the nationwide scope of the exam that entails synchronized travel arrangements among others which pose undue risks to both UPCAT examinees and UPCAT personnel.  The Office will announce a new date as soon as possible and provide instructions to all examinees. "
    },
    {
        "title": "12 tips for UPCAT examinees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/12-tips-for-upcat-examinees/",
        "html": "12 tips for UPCAT examinees 12 tips for UPCAT examinees October 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Read the instructions that were provided to you by the UP Office of Admissions. Check your test permit for complete entries, the dry seal on part of your photo, and your signature. This will save you the trouble of doing it on the test day itself.     Visit your testing hall in advance so you get there easier when UPCAT day comes. Avoid the frantic search. You don’t want to waste time and end up being late for the test even if you arrived early. For those who will take the test in UP Diliman, you were given maps and you can check out http://diskover.up.edu.ph to get more info.     Condition yourself to be calm and focused. Make sure you get a good night’s rest and a proper, but not heavy, meal before the exam. Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight or may cause discomfort. Be ready with a jacket or sweater in case it gets cold. If you feel anxious, take slow, deep breaths to relax.     Be early. Arrive at your testing hall before 6:30 AM for the morning session and before 12:30 PM for the afternoon session.     Bring and submit documents required of you. The UP Office of Admissions marks these as deficiencies on your test permit. Keep these documents ready and when asked, submit them.     Bring good quality pencils—not too light but not too dark. No part of the test will ever require you to use any other kind of writing instrument. No pens of any kind. Just good quality pencils.     Bring a snack and drink. You can eat at any time during the test because there are no breaks. But please don’t bring something that might soil the test materials and food so odorous or noisy to unwrap that it distracts your fellow examinees.     Don’t bring scratch paper. We’ll provide this for you. The scratch paper we issue is the only paper you must use. You can always ask for additional sheets, so there’s really no need for you to bring scratch paper.     Turn off your cell phone or put it on silent mode with the vibration function turned off. This should be self-explanatory.     Understand and follow instructions. Read carefully before answering. You can ask examiners or proctors only to clarify instructions and not about any test item you don’t understand. You can also inform them of irregularities like missing or duplicate items or pages in the test booklet.     Make sure you’re filling out the answer sheet correctly. Check to see if you’ve written all needed data and shaded the right ovals properly. Take note of skipped items and go back to them when you still have time.     Finally, don’t cheat. Don’t even try. Don’t even think about it. Unless you want to say goodbye to the UPCAT and the chance to be admitted to UP."
    },
    {
        "title": "AdMU-UP team entry among APRU-NYT competition top ten – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/admu-up-team-entry-among-apru-nyt-competition-top-ten/",
        "html": "AdMU-UP team entry among APRU-NYT competition top ten AdMU-UP team entry among APRU-NYT competition top ten June 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On June 26, at the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) 21st Annual Presidents’ Meeting held in Sydney, Australia, APRU Chair and Chancellor Gene Bloc of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) announced the winners of and short-listed competitors in the inaugural APRU-New York Times Asia-Pacific Case Competition 2017. The competition focused on raising awareness of climate change and the future of the Pacific Ocean. It attracted entries from students of 31 universities in 12 economies in the Americas, Asia, and Australasia.  The team entry submitted by Carlos Arcenas from the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and Benjo Buensuceso from the University of the Philippines (UP) was among the top ten entries judged by senior APRU leaders and staff members from The New York Times. The team from the University of Washington won the top prize, while students from the Yale-NUS College and the National University of Singapore (NUS) won the second and the third place, respectively. Entries from students from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Auckland, University of California (UC San Diego) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) also made it to the competition’s top ten.  Photo grabbed from APRU winners’ announcement.  The top 10 case submissions will be published and reports made available for download next month.  APRU was established in 1997 as a premier alliance of research universities to serve as an advisory body to international organisations, governments and business on the development of science and innovation, as well as on the broader development of higher education. APRU aims to contribute to the economic, scientific and cultural advancement of Pacific Rim economies. UP is the only Philippine university in the APRU, where membership is based on the nomination by and votes of member universities.  As the voice of knowledge and innovation in the Pacific, APRU pledges to continue using its unique geographical reach to bring together the region’s leaders and brightest minds to address the future of the world’s greatest ocean. (Source: https://www.apru-nyt2017.com/winners) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts first Akademyang Filipino forum-assembly – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-first-akademyang-filipino-forum-assembly/",
        "html": "UP hosts first Akademyang Filipino forum-assembly UP hosts first Akademyang Filipino forum-assembly December 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Akademyang Filipino’s first general assembly with its board of trustees seated in front. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines hosted on November 24, 2018, the first general assembly and forum of Akademyang Filipino, a gathering of the country’s thought leaders who aim to elevate the discourse on national issues. UP President Danilo Concepcion welcomed the Akademya’s trustees and members to the main auditorium of the UP Professional Schools in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.  According to Concepcion, the promotion of service to the people and to the nation was an objective shared by the University and the Akademya. “We must foster strategic thinking over short-sightedness, honest labor over opportunism, and shared effort over self-promotion,” he said.        “Being among you I realize that I stand at the summit of Filipino intellectual, cultural, and moral achievement,” he said. Concepcion greeted the Akademya: beginning with trustee Justice Antonio Carpio; and followed by chairman emeritus and National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose; trustee and National Scientist Angel Alcala; chairman, former Ombudsman and Justice Conchita Carpio Morales; Trustee Felipe Gozon; and members, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., former Prime Minister Cesar Virata, and former UP President Emerlinda Roman.  Jose made an appeal for “self-transcendent leadership” in his tribute to Akademyang Filipino co-founder, former UP President and Senate President, Edgardo Angara. Morales addressed the assembly for the first time, calling for “curated information and curative information” for the people.     National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose acknowledges what many of the Akademyang Filipino members are doing “to build a nation that is just, sovereign, and also happy”. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The public forum focused on defending Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. The Keynote speaker was Carpio who, in his speech, criticized Chinese sovereignty claims to areas of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea as false or fabricated. He explained how some of these areas are consistently part of historical maps of the Philippines and its zones of entitlements.  Carpio encouraged Filipinos to strongly and explicitly protest against the false claims, and to make politicians accountable, especially during elections, for their stand on the issue.     Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio starts his keynote address by highlighting the economic importance of the South China Sea. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Akademya members and West Philippine Sea experts De La Salle University’s Renato Cruz de Castro, University of the Philippines’ Jay Batongbacal, and author and columnist Richard Heydarian, served as discussants in a panel. In their exchange, the current Philippine government stand on the disputes was described as “classic appeasement”; and a call was made for a clearer and consistent stand, signaling toward deterrence or a freeze in militarization, reclamation, and naval exercises in the disputed areas.           UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., an Akademya trustee, announced the forthcoming release of the academy’s statement which would sum up the points of the forum “with a view toward lending our collective voice toward a more progressive, more just, and more patriotic foreign policy.” In his closing remarks, Dalisay said the academy’s meetings aimed to “broaden the circle of national discourse and to expand our intellectual universe to bring out the Rizals and the Bonifacios in each of us.”  Akademyang Filipino, inaugurated in February 2017, is composed of leaders in the arts, sciences, politics, industry, and professions. It includes national artists, national scientists, and the Philippines’ Ramon Magsaysay Awardees. Apart from Jose, Morales, Alcala, Carpio, Dalisay, and Gozon, the academy’s trustees are Sonny Angara, Lydia Echauz, Doris Magsaysay Ho, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr.     Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales addresses the trustees and members of Akademyang Filipino for the first time as its chair. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The first general assembly and public forum was sponsored by the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, the UP College of Law, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     UP Vice President Jose Dalisay Jr., the master of ceremonies of the Akademyang Filipino’s first general assembly and public forum, delivers his closing remarks. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Watch the replay of the forum here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "An Earth Science Olympian and his road to France – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/an-earth-science-olympian-and-his-road-to-france/",
        "html": "An Earth Science Olympian and his road to France An Earth Science Olympian and his road to France November 9, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    When he was younger, UP Integrated School (UPIS) 12th grader Adrian Jeremiah C. Bornilla would make it a point to go over the natural and earth science sections of the almanacs his family had at home. The boy found the topic endlessly fascinating, and it was no surprise that his parents, both engineers, would fill his and his siblings’ younger years with even more books on science and engineering.  Little did Adrian realize years later that his childhood interest would give honor to the country in his final year of secondary school. Together with fellow students Maria Janine Juachon (Philippine Science High School Central Luzon), Eugene Toribio (PSHS Bicol Region) and Mikhail Angel Torio (PSHS Main Campus), he represented the country as the lone UP representative in the 2017 International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) in Cote d’Azur, France.     Adrian Bornilla (2nd from left) from the UPIS poses with the team and their medals     When the smoke cleared, the team had won two gold medals, three silvers and two bronzes at the IESO, a competition for secondary students that tests their skills in all areas of the Earth Sciences: geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, terrestrial astronomy and environmental sciences. The competition is both practical and theoretical: participants are tested not only on their Earth Science knowledge, but also on their ability to conduct scientific investigations in the field.  Adrian first got wind of the competition when a letter from Bicol University arrived at the UPIS with the news that after a six-year absence, the Philippines intended to join the IESO once again. “Because France was this year’s host,” he explained, “they were able to waive the entrance fee for the Philippines.” Budgetary constraints had prevented the country from previously sending a team to the competition.  Adrian was chosen, together with another batchmate from the same track, to take part in the selection process, which took place in both Metro Manila and Bicol. As fate would have it, he would end up as the sole UP representative in the historic team of four.  Earth Science boot camp  After being selected, Adrian and his teammates were told to brush up on all pertinent areas of the Earth Sciences. This was the first step in a highly rigorous training process that saw them being taken under the wing of some of the world’s foremost experts in these fields.  “The first legitimate training sessions were held in Bicol,” Adrian noted. Here, the world-renowned former volcanologist and Pinatubo expert Dr. Chris Newhall, formerly of the US Geological Survey, trained the team in field methods. They spent a total of five days in Legaspi City, mastering various Earth Science topics. In addition, the team also received astronomy pointers from famous physicist Dr. Reinabelle Reyes, the Filipina who helped confirm Einstein’s Theory of Relativity on a cosmic scale back in 2010.     Team Philippines and their mentors at the IESO Welcome Trail     The final leg of the training session, however, was held at the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), where UP faculty members such as Dr. Allan Gil Fernando and Dr. Leonila Bron-Sikat gave them intensive training in geology and other topics. Through it all, mentors Prof. Miguel Cano of Bicol University and Dr. Marietta de Leon of the Geological Society of the Philippines, who joined them all the way to France, guided the team through the process.  “It was interesting. I had a subtle attraction to meteorology,” Adrian admits, when asked about his favorite subject among those they studied. He considered geology the most challenging, a subject, he said, that his teammates had a better grasp of. Identifying rocks, for instance, was an activity he had to really work on to master.  Luckily for the team, which Adrian now considers a barkada, each one was willing to pitch in during practice sessions and help the others in the area that person was strong in. “We would use the previous exams as reference for practice because they uploaded it to the internet. Our team dynamics was good.”  A distinct Olympiad  Once in France, Adrian and his friends found the competition to be as competitive as it had been billed. “So far, I think this IESO had the most number of countries—29 countries and 129 students,” he recals. The main selling point of the IESO for Adrian was that, unlike other competitions, there was a very strong collaborative element as well. “There were also competitions that involved groups, but you were grouped with people from other countries. That was what makes the IESO distinct from other Olympiads.”  “As a team, we were also surprised to find that hydrology was included for the first time in our training sessions.” That first in training would be a key to victory for the young Filipinos since, unlike in previous years, hydrology took up a significant portion of the written test. “When our mentors saw the test, even they began screaming ‘Yes!’ because its inclusion in training felt so serendipitous.”     Adrian Jeremiah Bornilla (in white) poses with his medal     For Adrian and his teammates, doing well in this prestigious competition was even sweeter because of the possible good it would do for young scientists. “At first we never thought that we would medal,” he said. “It matters that we medalled, because the funding for the Olympiad in the Philippines has not received real attention.”  He continues: “So if you get an award or a distinction in an Olympiad, it could be a reason for the government to consider that maybe the Philippines has potential or that the Philippines is good in Earth Sciences. So why not fund the students who get sent to the Olympiad?”  One thing is certain, however, for this international medallist—is future will likely be in the sciences. “My plan so far is to pursue a science-related course,” he said. “I originally planned to take the medical path. But because of the Olympiad, I’m suddenly considering studying geology. But that came very late as I had already passed my UPCAT form! But I’m sure it will be science-related.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Giant Artworks that Define Us – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-giant-artworks-that-define-us/",
        "html": "The Giant Artworks that Define Us The Giant Artworks that Define Us December 12, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    A wreath of flame. An awe-inspiring conch shell. If you have been a religious attendee of UP Diliman’s year-end celebrations over the past few years, you might have noticed a distinct change in the artistic installations people are used to seeing in the University’s Oblation Plaza.     UP Diliman’s Pag-iilaw, 2013 (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UPMPRO)     Everyone from nostalgic alumni to casual visitors have most likely marveled at the keen attention to detail and the rich symbolism that characterize the massive themed structures in front of Quezon Hall over the past few Decembers. At the heart of these displays are the giant lanterns enfolding the Oblation—UP’s most iconic figure—that give a meaningful and otherworldly beauty to events like the Pag-iilaw and the Lantern Parade.  Famously designed by UP artist Toym Imao, these figures serve as concrete representations of the overall Celebration themes—themes that define UP Diliman’s identity and purpose in contemporary Philippine society. But what do they mean, exactly, and what is the process that goes into making the themes that inspire them?  “The year-end celebration is a reminder and a celebration of the good things that UP Diliman contributed to the community—to the nation, and even to the world,” says Dr. Sir Anril Pineda Tiatco, the celebrated dramaturg, scholar, and director of the UP Diliman Information Office (DIO), one of a select core of artists who convene yearly to develop the year-end theme celebrating UPD’s important national role.  Tiatco and colleagues DIO Deputy Director Jem Javier, UP Theater Complex (UPTC) Director Jose Estrella, and UPTC Technical Director Barbie Tan-Tiongco come together as early as August to exchange ideas on both the theme and the central image for the installation. By the time the UPD Committee on Year-End is constituted a month later, the group is more than ready to present their initial ideas.     UP Diliman’s Oble amidst his seasonal finery in 2015 (Photo by UP MPRO)     “As soon as the committee approves the theme and the image, we immediately discuss them with the artist,” Tiatco says. “Imao provides a series of studies. We talk about his studies until we come up with something – a compromised version, in a way.” Some important constraints on the final output, he notes, are: (a) a tight budget, (b) comprehensibility (can the community relate to the piece?), and (c) aesthetics. The last can be a tricky variable to navigate, especially when different artists can have different visions and creative backgrounds to inform them.  “I remember in 2016, it took three weeks before we finally used Himig ng Diliman as our central theme. Originally, we wanted to use Tipunin ang mga Tinig, but we thought it was uninteresting and not indicative of how UP Diliman should present itself to the public”.  The end-results of these long discussions, however, are now storied parts of UP Diliman’s history.  The debut year for Tiatco and his colleagues was 2015. It featured the year-end theme Dingas (spark), which celebrated, according to Chancellor Michael Tan, UP Diliman’s role as a spark and facilitator of national discourse. Capturing this ideal was the installation Sulo (torch), which saw the Oblation surrounded by sparks of molded steel and plastic. In-between the space between the sparks were three bamboo triangles representing the islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.  “In a way the dingas or spark is a testament to UPD’s character as a trailblazer,” Tiatco says, “but subtly it is also a reminder to be careful because others are there to follow. It is a reminder of our social, political, cultural and even moral duties. I believe that ‘spark’ is both exciting and daunting.”  The following year’s installation was Budyong at Tambuli, named after the instruments of the same name. In precolonial times, Tiatco says, the sound of the budyong heralded the coming of a visitor or of imminent danger. “What we wanted to present back then was the role of UP Diliman as an institution that heralds the community and its role in announcing the coming of danger.” Here he recalls Imao’s reminder about UP’s tradition of progressive action and thought that warns against threats to the liberties of the people. “The installation vis-a-vis the theme Himig ng Diliman symbolizes UP Diliman’s voices and narratives of the joys and achievements, and at the same time the struggles and dissents.”     UP Diliman’s Oble amidst his seasonal finery in 2016 (Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UP Diliman Information Office)     “This year,” Tiatco promises, “we will be playful and childlike.” Indeed, the year-end theme for this month’s celebration is UP Diliman: Paaralan/Palaruan, inspired by the author Johan Huizinga’s idea of the centrality of “play” in the foundation and formation of culture. Games, the idea goes, are rule-bound, but also contain within them the possibility of these rules’ being transcended and remade by their own players for the better.  Complementing this theme is the lantern-installation, Mulat, which sets the Oblation against a giant eye woven with colored threads that represent diverse ways of seeing. This eye watches over a field of outlines of children at play lining the plaza—representing those who have been lost in senseless conflict, and glowing against the darkness. The University here is represented as an entity watching over the people and an initiator of movements that level the playing field “against threats to society and those who do not play fair.”     UP Diliman’s 2017 Christmas season began with the annual Pag-iilaw on November 24, with the Oblation Plaza decked out in “Mulat” by Toym Imao. (Photo by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO)     “There are two important images—children and an eye,” Tiatco says. “The kids are happily playing and a huge eye is watching over the kids. Sort of saying that we are responsible for the children. We should take care of our kids. We mould our children—their becoming is our responsibility.”  While the mere presence of these structures no doubt inspire wonderment due to their sheer immensity and craftsmanship, Tiatco hopes to emphasize their more functional community role.  “While it is true that they are symbolic, I want to emphasize that these are installation arts,” he says. “These art objects are necessary because they help us reflect about the world we live in, and about UP Diliman.” More specifically, their presence allows us, the beholders, to “defamiliarize” ideas and situations that we believe to be commonsensical.  “Most of the time, we only recognize the importance of an object when we start defamiliarizing them,” Tiatco emphasizes. “I think that’s what these huge installations have been trying to do since 2015.”  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Databases vs. Filipino Cancers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/databases-vs-filipino-cancers/",
        "html": "Databases vs. Filipino Cancers Databases vs. Filipino Cancers August 17, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Biologist and informatics expert Joeriggo Reyes. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Sitting alone in an office built for two, Joeriggo Reyes may not appear at first to be part of a multidisciplinary team tackling one of the world’s deadliest diseases. The lab gowns or sequencing machines that one typically associates with biological scholarship are nowhere in sight. From his room at UP Diliman’s Institute of Mathematics, however, this biologist and informatics expert finds himself at the crossroads of contemporary cancer research.  As the lead builder of the scientific database for a CHED-Philippine California Advanced Research Institute (PCARI)-funded project, Reyes’ office is the convergence point for data produced by four groups from the Philippines and the US. Once done, it will house information from laboratories in UP Los Baños, the University of California Davis, UP Diliman, and the Lung Center of the Philippines.  These researchers—united more by a common vision and fiber optic cables than physical proximity—are using their expertise in systems biology, medicine and chemistry to unlock the secrets of lung cancer, a disease that claims ten Filipinos per hour, according to the World Health Organization.  While building a freely accessible storehouse for researchers sounds like the least glamorous part of the job, Reyes finds his role perhaps the most reflective of how 21st-century science can be done.  Scientists today are increasingly relying on large data sets to bring together previously isolated subjects, and to model the interacting components that make up complex phenomena like cancer. At the heart of these efforts is the database—where researchers can access massive amounts of data uploaded by their peers and predecessors to solve previously intractable problems. Reyes hopes the repository he is building will not only benefit his fellow project proponents, but other scientists working towards the next generation of breakthroughs in Philippine biomedical research.     What is a database?  While a project that marries biology and information technology can sound daunting, describing a database in itself is fairly straightforward. “A simple example of a database is a Microsoft Excel file,” says Reyes. “In an Excel file, you have rows and you have columns. And in these you have attributes like people’s names and birthdays. That’s a simple database, and we just work to make more complex ones.”  These more complex databases have now become staples of increasingly multi-part and sophisticated biological research. One example is the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) of the US National Institutes of Health, with its BLAST algorithm.     Visualized interactions of the cancer-correlated protein EFGR from STRING database. Visit: https://string-db.org/     “BLAST connects to the repository of all the genetic data of the NCBI,” Reyes explains. “Different institutions from the US, Japan and Europe formed a consortium to ensure that whatever data they have is available to the outside world.  So, everyone’s seeing the same thing.”  In principle, whenever an experimenter from anywhere in the world sequences a gene (or a genome), one can always use BLAST to look up similar ones within the database. “That way,” Reyes says, “you can identify your gene or your protein, or make an intelligent guess as to its structure or function.” The process applies even to other types of molecular data, such as mass spectrometry fingerprints for proteins and metabolites.     A many-part machine  The need for an in-house database that is comprehensive and easy to use becomes obvious, given the scale and complexity of Reyes’s project. Communicating mostly over Skype, each of his fellow researchers in the Glycoproteomics of Filipino Lung Cancer Cell Lines for Biomarker Discovery and Anti-Cancer Screening of Natural Products team makes unique data contributions, working autonomously on components that, in sum, contributes to the achievement of broader aims.  In total, the project lays the foundation for future research that will allow clinicians to profile a patient and tell, in the shortest time possible, whether he or she has lung cancer, and what therapeutic regimen might be most effective. It will also help us develop drugs that target multiple genes, tailored specifically to the local population.  One component of the project, headed by Dr. Francisco Heralde of the Lung Center of the Philippines, will collect tumor tissue and blood samples from Filipino lung cancer patients, and establish cell lines for them.  Why is this important? Reyes says the majority of work done on lung cancer so far has used European and American samples. “We have our own sets of mutations, our own genetic profile.” And these samples will both help establish if Filipinos do indeed have unique cancer biomarkers, and help clarify how we might respond differently to therapies, given these profiles.  In another component, researchers will be using techniques offered by the UC Davis laboratory of Dr.  Carlito Lebrilla, an expert in glycosylation—the attachment of carbohydrates to molecules like proteins. Some of these “glycoproteins” in turn perform functions vital to the cell, such as sending and receiving signals.  Lebrilla’s team found out that several types of cancers could be differentiated by analyzing the types and abundance of these carbohydrates or “glycans.” Profiles of these glycans in collected patient samples will be made, in addition to profiles of genetic variation and gene expression to determine how glycosylation errors come about and how these might be diagnostic “markers” which future therapies can target.     Reyes skims over large data sets. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     The third component, led by chemists Dr. Ruel Nacario and Dr. Gladys Completo from UP Los Baños, in collaboration with Dr. Isagani Padolina of Pascual Pharma Corp. R&D Lab will characterize and identify plant extracts from the Makiling area that can help prevent or treat lung cancer. Compounds isolated from these plants will be screened for bioactivity against known cancer cell lines, and those previously collected. A computational team, including Reyes and led by mathematician Dr. Jomar Rabajante, will also try to model the broader cancer network involving genes, their expression, and the interactions between them based on all the collected data.  Underpinning all these efforts and constantly fed by information produced by team members will be the project’s database. And while access to this invaluable repository might be limited to the team at this time, it will be available to the world once the project is complete.     Thinking in systems  For Reyes, advances in technology have irrevocably changed how science is done. Databases like BLAST, KEGG and the one he is helping build, now allow scientists to think bigger and bridge disciplines once considered distinct.  “Nowadays, we cannot live in isolation,” he says. “In order to solve scientific questions, you probably have to have a multi-disciplinary team like our project does. It’s invigorating to be in the middle of such a team.” For Reyes, this multidisciplinary and collaborative approach is key to sustaining local scientific progress.     Joeriggo Reyes drawing up the interactions between genes and proteins in cancer. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Reyes expects their effort to soon be joined by younger researchers, trained from high school onwards to think more broadly about scientific problems. “I don’t know how biology in high schools is taught now, but I think it should include a sense of thinking in systems. That there is so much more beyond the textbook.” On this note, organizations such as the US-based Institute for Systems Biology are introducing systems biology concepts to K-12 students there.  If applied in the Philippines, this orientation should produce versatile students that are better prepared for the interdisciplinary and data-driven nature of contemporary research. And when they graduate, the database prepared by Joeriggo Reyes and his colleagues should be there to help that generation’s brightest to make their own breakthroughs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Infinity Walk” proponents break ground – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/infinity-walk-proponents-break-ground/",
        "html": "“Infinity Walk” proponents break ground “Infinity Walk” proponents break ground February 21, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   University of the Philippines (UP) and Tau Alpha fraternity officials lower the time capsule during the groundbreaking rites for the “Tau Alpha Infinity Walk”. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     University of the Philippines (UP) and Tau Alpha fraternity officials marked the start of the construction of the pathway that will connect Quezon Hall to the Main Library of UP Diliman with the ceremonial groundbreaking and laying of the time capsule on January 31, 2020 at the lagoon area facing the Carillon.  Dubbed as the “Tau Alpha Infinity Walk”, this legacy project coincides with the fraternity’s 90th anniversary celebrations and will benefit the UP Diliman community as well as the visitors of the campus. The project features a promenade or walkway across the lagoon, a plaza for showcasing artworks and cultural activities, tunnels with vaulted ceilings, and rockscape and waterworks that complement the biodiversity and enhance the natural beauty of the lagoon. The completed project will be turned over to UP in 2022.  President Norberto P. Mendoza of the Tau Alpha Foundation said this legacy project would benefit the entire UP community. Chairperson Antonio A. Turalba, Sr. of the Tau Alpha Legacy Project Committee said they presented their conceptual plan and Memorandum of Agreement to UP officials in May and these were approved by the UP Board of Regents in June 2019. He said their design took into consideration the biodiversity in the lagoon to enhance the area, preserve trees and plants, and continue to attract migratory birds. He added that everyone could be proud of the project, as it was also the fraternity’s way of giving back to UP, the institution that had molded them into who they are today.     Officials of the University of the Philippines (UP) and Tau Alpha fraternity. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion commended the University’s alumni for partnering with UP for projects such as this. He added that the Tau Alpha legacy project was the newest of the many infrastructures being contributed by fraternities such as the Upsilon Sigma Phi, Beta Epsilon, and Epsilon Chi that supported UP’s goals of having a world class campus.  Engr. Mario G. Montejo, former Secretary of Science and Technology, thanked UP officials for this opportunity and lauded fellow alumni here and abroad for supporting the project. He added that the project involved UP’s alumni engineers, architects, designers, and managers, and that the fraternity’s commitment to UP went beyond the “Infinity Walk” legacy project.     Engr. Mario G. Montejo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Also present were UP officials: Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora, Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili, Dean Bernadette L. Abrera of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Executive Director Romy S.A. Carlos of the UP Alumni Association, Student Regent John Isaac B. Punzalan, and the residents and alumni of Tau Alpha.  A dinner program was held to cap the event at the University’s Ang Bahay ng Alumni.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts conference on Philippine strategic outlook – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-conference-on-philippine-strategic-outlook/",
        "html": "UP hosts conference on Philippine strategic outlook UP hosts conference on Philippine strategic outlook March 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Conference participants discuss strategic forecasts in view of the rise of China as a global superpower. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) and the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP IMLOS) hosted the “3rd Katipunan Conference: The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2018 – 2019” on February 27 to 28, 2018 at the UP Law Center in UP Diliman, Quezon City. This two-day conference featured panel discussions on current and emerging issues affecting Filipinos.  Resource speakers tackled a wide range of topics, such as: shifting power dynamics in Asia, ICT and strategic advantage, climate change, maritime and regional security, economic and political stability, and forecasts from various stakeholders’ perspectives.  Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., National Security adviser and director general of the National Security Council, delivered the keynote address at the conference. Panelists were: Dr. Aileen S.P. Baviera (Asian Center, UP Diliman); Dr. Emmanuel C. Lallana (IdeaCorp.); Dr. Herbert V. Docena (Department of Sociology, UP Diliman); Jaime B. Naval (SSP); Dr. Jay L. Batongbacal (UP IMLOS); Julio S. Amador III (ASEAN Studies Center, New Era University); Ma. Anna Rowena Luz G. Layador-Roaquin (Department of Political Science, UP Diliman); Dr. Gilberto M. Llanto (Philippine Institute for Development Studies); Ramon C. Casiple (Institute for Political and Electoral Reform); Dr. Antoinette R. Raquiza (Asian Center, UP Diliman); Rear Admiral Rommel Jude G. Ong (Naval Inspector General, Armed Forces of the Philippines); George T. Siy (Convergence Realty & Development Corp.); Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado (Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Office of the President); Dr. Henry Chan Hing Lee (East Asia Institute, National University of Singapore); and Dr. Aries A. Arugay (SSP, UP CIDS).     Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Launched in 2015, the Katipunan Conference serves as a venue where scholars, practitioners, stakeholders, and decision makers from government, non-government, business, and the academic sectors can exchange views on strategic issues affecting the country. Conference presentations and outputs are posted or published by the UP CIDS (http://cids.up.edu.ph). (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS presents Italian documentary on Filipino migrant workers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/filipino-migrant-workers-documentary-free-screening-on-august-3/",
        "html": "UP CIDS presents Italian documentary on Filipino migrant workers UP CIDS presents Italian documentary on Filipino migrant workers July 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The public is invited to attend the film screening of Filipinos in the Eyes of an Italian by Italian journalist Francesco Conte, a documentary on Filipino migrant workers in Italy, on August 3, 2018 (Friday), 2:00-5:00 PM, at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni UP Diliman.  In this film, Francesco Conte depicts an in-depth portrait of Filipinos in Italy where they tell their own stories and talk of the challenges and fulfillments of living and working in Italy. After the film presentation, a panel discussion led by Ambassador Pete Chan (former Consul General in Milan), Fr. Graziano Gavioli and Dr. Maruja M.B. Asis (both from the Scalabrini Migration Center) will take on topics concerning the situation and issues Filipino migrant workers face in Italy.  This is event is organized by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Philippine Italian Association, UP Department of Political Science, and the Scalabrini Migration Center. For inquiries, please contact Jesam Jimenez at pspc.cids@up.edu.ph or through telephone number 981-8500 loc. 4266. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS holds “Higher Education Reforms to Address the Deficit in Philippine Health Care Workers” forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cids-holds-higher-education-reforms-to-address-the-deficit-in-philippine-health-care-workers/",
        "html": "UP CIDS holds “Higher Education Reforms to Address the Deficit in Philippine Health Care Workers” forum UP CIDS holds “Higher Education Reforms to Address the Deficit in Philippine Health Care Workers” forum August 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Program on Higher Education Research and Policy Reform (HERPR) of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) invites you to a forum on “Higher Education Reforms to Address the Deficit in Philippine Health Care Workers” on September 4, 2018, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Room 300, UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI), E. Jacinto Street, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The forum will discuss various issues in higher education as they relate to the shortage of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care workers in the country. These include issues on quantity, distribution and quality of higher education programs in medicine, nursing and other health-related fields, and performance of graduates in licensure exams.  In light of ongoing legislation on Universal Health Coverage Bill (Senate Bill 1458), the forum will also discuss the deficit in doctors across the country, as well as the feasibility and monetary costs of a suggested scholarship program for medical students that aims to eliminate the deficit in doctors (relative to the standard of 1.1 doctors per 1,000 people) under different timelines.  To register, please email us at highereducation@up.edu.ph on or before Friday, August 31, 2018, 5 PM and await confirmation that seats are available. Snacks and lunch will be provided. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Literature Engineering in West Visayas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/literature-engineering-in-west-visayas/",
        "html": "Literature Engineering in West Visayas Literature Engineering in West Visayas April 4, 2019 | Written by Leoncio P. Deriada       A participant at an Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo, Aklan. Photo by Bernardo “Berniemack” Arellano III, taken January 25, 2014, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ati-Atihan_Festival_Participant.jpg     West Visayas is designated Region 6. Its lingua franca is Hiligaynon, but unknown to many, there are more speakers of Kinaray-a than of Hiligaynon. Kinaray-a in its many variants is spoken in all of Antique, all the southern coastal towns and central towns of Iloilo, and all the towns and hinterlands of Capiz. Aklanon, likewise in its various versions, is spoken in all the provinces of Aklan.  Sadly, people usually lump these languages together as Hiligaynon. Worse, Kinaray-a and Aklanon are labeled as dialects, as if they were not capable of expressing the best in the minds and hearts of their users.  The Mother Language  The mother language of West Visayas is Kinaray-a. It must have been the language of the ten Bornean datus believed to be the ancestors of the West Visayans as recorded in the Maragtas and Panay epics. The ten noblemen allegedly got the island of Aninipay (the ancient name of Panay) from the Ati chief Marikudo in exchange for a headgear of gold and a necklace that touched the ground.  Hiligaynon developed through the Chinese of Molo, Iloilo’s Chinatown. It is an early example of how colonial mentality works and how economic and cultural power can shape the language of power. The natives spoke Kinaray-a but instead of forcing the Chinese who controlled commerce to master the language of the place, it was the natives who accommodated the linguistic deficiencies of the foreigners. Thus the r in wara (none or zero), daraga (young woman), harigi (post), uring (charcoal), parigos (to take a bath), etc. became wala, dalaga, haligi, uling, paligos, etc.  As Hiligaynon developed into a language of the elite, Kinaray-a lost its position and dignity as the mother language. It became associated with the soiled workingman of the farms and the highlands, of the vulgar and uneducated, of the muchacha and the sakada.  Meanwhile, Aklanon also developed from Kinaray-a without Chinese acculturation. The most peculiar aspect of the language is its exotic /l/ sound. The so-called normal in Aklan, ulo (head), balay (house), dalaga (young woman), etc. is sounded with the tip of the tongue touching the upper teeth—Akean, ueo, baeay, daeaga, etc. There are words that have the normal /l/, but only Aklanons know them. The Hiligaynon bala (the Tagalog and Cebuano ba) is baea, but bullet is bala, not baea. The provincial capital is Kalibo, not Kaeibo, and there are towns like Balete, not Baeete, and Malinao, not Maeinao.  The folk explanation for this is that Datu Bangkaya, the Bornean who appropriated for his territory the present province of Aklan, had a speech defect. He had a short tongue, and he lisped. So that their chief would not feel abnormal in his speech, his followers imitated his mangling of the /l/ sound.        The Engineering  The 1986 EDSA revolution is a milestone in the literary history of West Visayas and the country. Three new writings emerged in the region: Kinaray-a, Aklanon and Visayan-influenced Filipino.  It started with the new management of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), which encouraged the establishment of local art councils; subsidized conferences, workshops and publications; and awarded writing grants and venue grants at the National Arts Center (NAC) on Mt. Makiling. The first writing workshop I directed as CCP literature coordinator for West Visayas was at UP Visayas in 1987. The following year, the Sumakwelan, the association of Hiligaynon writers, won a venue grant at the NAC, with me directing the writing workshop.     Poem included in the original March 29, 2000 issue.     In the group were two writers from Antique—Ma. Milagros C. Geremia, a research assistant at UP Visayas’ Center for West Visayan Studies, and Alex C. de los Santos, a former student of UP Visayas and then a senior English major at St. Anthony’s College. Like any other Kinaray-a speaking writer before them, the two never thought of writing in their home language. Then during one of the discussions, I asked them: Why don’t you write in Kinaray-a?  And they did. After the workshops, they swamped me with poems, all written in Antique Kinaray-a. I found them very good, some in fact extremely good. The two eventually formed Antique’s first ever writers’ group which they called Tabig.  Liberating itself likewise from literary oblivion was Aklanon. Emerging Aklanon writers formed the Aklanon Literary Circle in Kalibo, spearheaded by UP Visayas librarian Melchor F. Cichon and UP Visayas student John E. Barrios, who took on my challenge to the Kinaray-a writers. Soon the Aklan issue of Ani was published by the CCP and launched in 1993. Cichon turned out to be the leading poet in his language and is the first Aklanon to publish a book of poems in his own language. Cichon and Barrios soon won writing grants from the CCP.     Poem included in the original March 29, 2000 issue.     New localities, richer nationhood  More deliberate is my involvement in this radical, more calculated engineering of a brand of Filipino, which I believe is the intention of the Philippine Constitution. The national language is not Tagalog, but the natural fusion of words from Philippine languages and from Spanish, English, Chinese, Arabic and other foreign languages. Left alone, this fusion will take centuries. The development of language can be hastened with planning and judicious implementation.  I believe the country needs a national language, and the sooner we junk English as the language of instruction in our school system, the better it is for our people. I resent, however, the manner Tagalog is being forced on us as the national language contrary to the constitutional provision. I have always believed that the national language will be something like the lingua franca of Davao City where I grew up. It is a natural combination of words from different languages, mostly Tagalog and Visayan and a sprinkling of Iloko and other northern languages, Chabacano, and the ethnic languages of Mindanao.  So I proposed that the CCP create a category for Tagalog in writing grants, and the CCP eventually separated the Tagalog grant from the Filipino grant. The first winner of the writing grant in Filipino poetry—in Filipino that was not pure Tagalog—was John Erimil E. Teodoro of San Jose, Antique, a product of my workshops. Teodoro won the first prize in the Gawad Amado Hernandez the very next year.     Poem included in the original March 29, 2000 issue.     The emergence of new writing in West Visayas—in Kinaray-a, in Aklanon and in a Visayan-influenced Filipino—has produced three new literary localities in the region. These three, combined with the more established writing in Hiligaynon and in English, make the literary geography of West Visayas an extremely visible landmark in the country’s mapping out of a richer, more diverse yet more defined nationhood.  Prof. Leoncio P. Deriada was a multilingual writer and professor emeritus at the UP Visayas, where he was the head of the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino. He was also an associate of the UP Institute of Creative Writing and a Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards Hall of Famer, and was recognized as the Father of Contemporary Literature in Western Visayas.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum March 29, 2000 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Min Comm Arts students launch Dengue fever detection and management campaign – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-min-comm-arts-students-launch-dengue-fever-detection-and-management-campaign/",
        "html": "UP Min Comm Arts students launch Dengue fever detection and management campaign UP Min Comm Arts students launch Dengue fever detection and management campaign May 22, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo courtesy of UP Mindanao)     Fourth year BA Communication Arts students of UP Mindanao conducted a campaign called “Dehydration Bantayan, Peligro sa Dengue Malikayan” at the covered court of Purok 10, Barangay Talomo Proper, Davao City on May 18.  The campaign highlighted the importance of hydration as a key preventive measure when one is diagnosed with dengue fever. It emphasized the early detection and proper response during dengue fever’s initial stages. At the same time it also addressed the misconceptions and malpractices that people usually do during the course of dengue detection.  More than 60 mothers and household heads attended the said campaign.  Ernie Cequiña, Tropical Nurse Unit head from the City Health Office advised the mothers to consult a doctor as soon as possible.  Meawhile, Dr. Richard Mata, DOH Consultant for dengue, highlighted that known remedies such as drinking of tawa-tawa­ tea, eating durian, and eating balut do not necessarily bring one’s platelet count back to normal. Instead, a person infected with dengue should be brought to a doctor as soon as possible, and should be hydrated.     (Photo courtesy of UP Mindanao)     Informational materials, tumblers, fans, and vitamins were distributed to the participating mothers. Most importantly, hydrite salts were also distributed to aid mothers in the hydration process of the children.  The campaign was organized by fourth year students of BA Communication Arts from UP Mindanao, under their Communication Planning course advised by Professor Nelfa Glova, with the aim to reach out to different communities and address the community’s problems and promote awareness, more particularly with regards to health.  The campaign was in collaboration with the local barangay hall in Talomo and Davao City Health Office.  Barangay Talomo Proper was reported to have the highest incidence of dengue cases from January to May, followed by Brgy. Bunawan, and Brgy. Maa. (Karla Gericka Gador, UP Mindanao)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "World-class Sports Facilities in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/world-class-sports-facilities-in-up/",
        "html": "World-class Sports Facilities in UP World-class Sports Facilities in UP July 11, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The Davao City-UP Sports Complex as planned, where Structure 1 is the Football and Track Stadium, and Structure 2 is the Training Gym. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Athletes and sports enthusiasts are excited to see new facilities slowly shaping up in the University. Among these facilities are the Davao City-UP and UP Diliman sports complexes. With features at par with world-class standards, they are expected to boost sports not only in the University but in the entire country as well where there is a lack of sports venues available to the public.  First to be constructed for the UP Diliman Sports Complex is the football stadium. Several tons of dirt were hauled to the site to raise, level, and compact the grounds. An intricate drainage system was then constructed for the facility. The artificial turf for the football field has passed rigorous certification by FIFA. Soon to rise are outdoor lighting and the grandstand.     Construction of the UP Diliman Sports Complex football field is nearing completion with the application of artificial turf. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Plans for the UP Diliman Sports Complex Football Stadium to replace the old grandstand. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Plan for the UP Diliman Sports Complex Swimming Pool and Stadium as it appears on the project tarp. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The facility is expected to boost the performance of the UP men’s varsity football team, which is a perennial champion in the UAAP. The women’s team struck gold in Season 78.  Government-funded, an all-weather track oval and a bigger grandstand will be constructed alongside the field.  The grounds near the old UP Gymnasium are being prepared for the construction of the new UP Diliman Swimming Pool and Stadium, which is expected to be finished next year. The only other swimming pool in Quezon City to approximate Olympic size is largely unmaintained, located at the Amoranto Sports Complex.  After the swimming pool, the softball field will be constructed in the area in front of the UP Vanguard Building near the Ylanan entrance.     A miniature rendering of the plan for the Davao City-UP Sports Complex Training Gym. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The Davao City-UP Sports Complex Training Gym, which is now being used by UP Mindanao PE classes. (Photos by UPMin CPDO)     Architectural rendering of the Davao City-UP Sports Complex Aquatic Center as it appears on the project tarp. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Davao City-UP Sports Complex Football Stadium’s Multipurpose Building nears completion. (Photo by UPMin CPDO)     In the Davao City-UP Sports Complex, the training gym and the multipurpose building for the football field and track oval are almost complete. With the hope of hosting international competitions, the football field and track oval are currently being prepared for the installation of FIFA-tested and certified artificial turf and an IAAF-certified synthetic track oval.  Next in line are the Aquatics Center, featuring an Olympic-sized swimming pool, warm-up/warm-down pool, a diving pool, and spaces required by the Fédération Internationale de Natation.  Hopefully, they will all be ready for Davao City’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa, or the Department of Education’s youth games and the Davao Regional Athletics Association games next year.  In 2015, UP and Davao City signed an agreement in which UP Mindanao provided a 20-hectare site for the complex, while the City of Davao would construct facilities at par with international standards.     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Behind the scenes of the birth of UP Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/behind-the-scenes-of-the-birth-of-up-mindanao/",
        "html": "Behind the scenes of the birth of UP Mindanao Behind the scenes of the birth of UP Mindanao January 17, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    Education as liberation of the poor  “For me, I associate education as liberation of the poor,” an animated John Gaisano recalls as he tells the story of how a UP in Mindanao was established. Gaisano, of the famed chain of shopping malls owned by his family, sees the ripple or multiplier effect of how a University of the Philippines campus right in the heartland can alleviate poverty. He illustrates this by citing actual stories from graduates of UP Mindanao. “We have about a thousand graduates, and when they go home to their hometowns, what do you think is in their mind? Of course they want to help their younger siblings. From 800 graduates, you now have about 1,600. And when they get married and have kids, where do they send their kids to? UP.” According to Gaisano, the typical UP Mindanao student is one with parents who may be laborers, farmworkers, or (street) vendors. Gaisano proposes that a UP education may help break the cycle of poverty. Mindanao, after all, has the country’s highest poverty rates. “UP is supposed to be helping the country, but why is it not here in the poorest regions?” Gaisano posed the question.     On the 50th Anniversary of UP Alumni Association Davao in December 1999. (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     Gaisano said that in the campaign to have a UP campus in Mindanao, he and his colleagues had to reach out to members of Congress, from senators to representatives. They found out that the Senate that time had a lot of UP alumni. “Actually, you know, it’s like you start a ripple in the water. You keep doing it until it creates a small wave, then a big wave. Now, will it ever happen? We don’t know that but we cannot think it cannot be done. The moment you think it cannot be done, you will stop doing and it will never happen,” he declares.  After relentless campaigning, the establishment of UP Mindanao was realized during the term of Philippine president Ramos, seeing the light of day during the term of UP President Emil Javier. However, many other hurdles still had to be overcome. During the term of President Macapagal-Arroyo, then House Speaker Nograles told Gaisano that the amount requested for the UP Mindanao budget was too large to be given under one General Appropriations Act. It could only be through appropriation distributed across three to five fiscal years.     During the presentation of Prof. Fernando Sanchez of the UP Mindanao campus development plan with guests and stakeholders. (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     Working from the ground up  A university must have at least three colleges before it can be called one. To do this, some capital had to be injected to UP Mindanao. Gaisano along with alumni Angie Angliongto led a series of successful fundraising activities and solicitation of donations. He envisioned UP Mindanao to be a center of expertise when it comes to managing natural resources, such as land, mining, agriculture, and the seas. Gaisano initiated the establishment of the UP Mindanao Foundation, separate from the UPAA Davao, with the goal of encouraging UP faculty from other UP universities to come to UP Mindanao. Later on, the UPMF also extended their financial assistance to the poorest students.  During one fund raising event, he remembers sharing a very small table with then Senate President Angara and then UP President Javier to meet with donors who were mostly UP alumni. Gaisano suggested the roles: he would talk about the relevance of having UP in Mindanao, Javier talked in detail how this would benefit businesses in Mindanao, and finally Angara would deliver the punchline. The board of UPMF also decided not to touch the principals of the donations, and instead just use the interest as operating funds to grant financial aid.     During the first founding anniversary celebration of UP Mindanao. (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     Gaisano takes pride in being the man behind the scenes, having attended all of UP Mindanao’s graduation ceremonies (except for one when he mixed up the dates and ended up in Manila) by sitting at the back row and casually observing the graduating iskolars in their sablay, the humble, unassuming parents who travelled from the provinces, and the UP Mindanao faculty and administration officials. He bears witness to generations of UP Mindanao scholars who “have become confident and learned to assert their right” and who “have become independent and developed initiative and resourcefulness.”     Looking back, moving forward  Gaisano was not even supposed to study in UP in the first place. “I think my father valued education a lot because we were based in Cebu and only flew to Manila for studies. That time I think we only paid P300 for my UP education compared to around P5,000 in the school across the street,” Gaisano recalls. Looking forward, he envisions that UP Mindanao will institute important degree programs to help Mindanao grow. UP has both the capacity and the freedom to design specific programs with competent faculty and research staff. He also hopes that the sports facilities will be improved as an added come-on, as more UPCAT takers mean more quality students who could in turn occupy key leadership and influential positions within Mindanao.     Taken in 2000 when UP Mindanao celebrated its fifth anniversary. Seated onstage is John Gaisano (rightmost). (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     In closing Gaisano shares a memorable anecdote. He was once invited to a town fiesta in a far-flung area, inaccessible to most modes of travel except by driving or by walking. A lot of his colleagues warned against going there for obvious security reasons as he is a prominent businessman. He nevertheless went and was introduced onstage by the municipal mayor. After the program he was approached by a young lady who introduced herself as the mayor’s executive assistant. “Sir, I was a scholar of the UP Mindanao Foundation,” the lady revealed.     UP alumni held a treeplanting activity in the Alumni Oblation Plaza. John Gaisano with UP alumni and local officials. (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     “I’m in the last few chapters of my life,” Gaisano said. “In fact, I’m preparing for the next generation to take over our businesses.” But he sees a great future in the hands of the products of UP Mindanao, one that he helped shaped from vision to reality.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP prof works with Google on COVID-19 online dictionary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-prof-works-with-google-on-covid-19-online-dictionary/",
        "html": "UP prof works with Google on COVID-19 online dictionary UP prof works with Google on COVID-19 online dictionary August 28, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot of Google’s Diskyonaryong COVID-19, which was launched on Aug. 28.     Prof. Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez of the UP Diliman Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, a member of the Filipinas Institute of Translation, recently worked with Google for the Filipino terms related to COVID-19.     Prof. Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez. Photo from a UP Forum Roundtable Discussion in 2017.     This was for Google’s “Isang Gabay sa mga Salitang Kaugnay ng COVID-19”, the site of which, https://diksyonaryongcovid19.com/, was launched on August 28 as part of Buwan ng Wika.  In a release by the tech company, it said that the “initiative recognizes the significant role of local languages in creating an understanding among Filipinos regarding the most commonly used COVID-19-related words and in disseminating helpful information.”  The site “provides the Filipino and Cebuano translations and definitions of the featured terms, their part of speech, as well as usage in a sentence to further demonstrate their meaning.” It is accessible on any internet-connected device.  As of press time, “Isang Gabay sa mga Salitang Kaugnay ng COVID-19” has a list of at least 115 words and phrases, including scientific and medical terms, commonly used in reference to the disease. It also has “new vocabulary that pertains to changes in business, education, and new way of life.”  Hannah Marie R. Aranas, a faculty member of the University of San Carlos Department of Languages and Literature, worked on the Cebuano translation of the COVID-19 terms for Google’s e-resource. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Health is wealth for pigs as well – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/health-is-wealth-for-pigs-as-well/",
        "html": "Health is wealth for pigs as well Health is wealth for pigs as well January 4, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    Did you know that next to rice, the second biggest industry in agriculture is pig or swine farming? And that in this industry, the latest data show that at least seven out of ten pig farmers are involved in backyard pig farming?  Backyard pig farmers are not as well-equipped as their industry-grade counterparts who operate in large tracts of land with tools, equipment, and techniques backed by up-to-date research. Instead, backyard pig farmers rely on their own strategies in raising their own pig farms. Most of these strategies have been passed down one generation to the next in a family.     A typical backyard farm illustrating close interactions between animals. (Photo from Dr. Lyre Murao)     This potential piqued the interest of Dr. Lyre Espada Murao, Associate Professor at the College of Science and Mathematics in UP Mindanao, who is also part of the University’s Balik PhD program. “There’s a gap that we can fill in as a scientist. What can we do to help them [pig farmers]? Being in the field of infectious diseases, we thought this was something we could bring to the table for them,” Dr. Lyre recalls.  According to her TEDx profile, Dr. Murao “teaches anything micro from molecules to microbes and cells but once outside the classroom, she goes hunting for nasty viruses.” This hunt led her to ask the local city veterinarian for data on backyard pig farmers. Her team found out that the local vet had a list of less than 10 backyard pig farmers which did not seem to add up, given Davao City’s expansive area. After reaching out to farmers’ organizations, veterinarians, and technical experts, they were able to zero in on four major districts: Tugbok, Calinan, Bunawan, and Toril. Dr. Lyre and her team went around to survey all the barangays and were able to obtain a comprehensive list of more than 800 farmers.     Crafting the study design  The next step was to obtain formal permission from the local government to conduct research on pig farms with the backyard pig farmers. The particular research is done in collaboration with Dr. Pete Alviola and his students from UP Mindanao’s School of Management. They crunch the numbers and data, while Lyre takes care of the biological aspect of the study. The main focus is to identify existing management practices and integrate new strategies in terms of managing diseases to help improve the overall economics of the farms.     Research staff and thesis students preparing for molecular detection of rotavirus A (Photo from Dr. Lyre Murao)     The decision to direct research attention to Rotavirus A is predicated on two primary considerations: one, it has an effect on the pigs; and two, it has a public health dimension. Dr. Lyre explains that the virus causes diarrhea and gastroenteritis in pigs, which stunt the animals’ growth, and lead to smaller profits for farmers. In addition, recent scientific reports indicate that Rotavirus is capable of zoonosis, meaning that the virus can cross barriers among hosts, from pigs to humans, especially children.  To gather data, Dr. Lyre’s team monitored randomly selected farms for 12 months, visiting those farms monthly to check the presence of Rotavirus and compare it with the farm’s prevailing management practices. They had to examine fecal samples because this was where the virus showed up. The samples underwent molecular diagnostics, while the team simply interviewed the farmers to obtain data on management practices. While the study design is relatively simple, Lyre believes in the significance and wide use of the findings of the study.     Forwarding the findings  The findings are interesting: there are certain factors outside of management practice that can predispose a farm to Rotavirus A. For example, the number of pigs, as well as the presence of other animals on the farm, such as goats and chickens, can increase the likelihood of getting infected by the virus. “This goes back to our theory on zoonosis where the virus can just transfer from one host to another,” she explains. However, she recognizes the difficulty in abruptly changing the farmers’ ways of raising backyard pigs. “You can’t just tell them to raise only five pigs, or to stop raising other animals in their backyards. It’s their source of living.”     The research team and students working on different aspects of rotavirus A and other pathogens (Photo from Dr. Lyre Murao)     Fortunately, hope is not lost when it comes to abandoning old ways. Dr. Lyre relates that after conducting their study, her team was able to identify factors that could be targeted to lessen the risk of contracting the Rotavirus. One is sanitation, where improper disposal and waste management can contribute a 45% increase in likelihood of Rotavirus presence. This can also be remedied by ensuring that there is enough space around the pig pen to isolate waste and not pass the virus on to other animals or humans.  Another factor is the putting pigs of different ages together. In this case, there is 35% less likelihood of their getting the virus. A similar study on age difference is conducted in humans. By using mathematical models, it was found that children are more predisposed to pass on influenza because they interact with children only; while adults who are exposed to other humans of varying ages are less likely to get the virus.  The last factor is a good diet. The research found that farms using purely commercial feeds have a higher risk of infection, compared to farms which use a mix of forage or natural food which contains fiber. Fiber is good for the pigs’ guts because it strengthens the organ and helps it resist the Rotavirus. Dr. Lyre recommends a mix of organic or natural food and commercial mix because the latter contains only protein and pigs need fiber too.     Dr. Lyre Murao speaks at a TEDx event to spread awareness about their research (Photo from TEDxRoxasSt Facebook page)     In terms of replicating the research findings and having actual stakeholders adopt the recommendations, Lyre says that a local government official was able to hear the presentation of the research project; so she hopes action may be taken by the government to address the concerns of backyard pig farmers. “It was one of the promises I gave the barangay captains when we reached out to them, that the results would be returned to them. So right now I’m looking for opportunities to do that,” says Dr. Lyre. She recently spoke at a TEDx event of the same vision of sharing what they have discovered by marrying fields such as biology and mathematics. The research will also be published in the Tropical Animal Health and Production journal. “I want to make people aware of what we’re doing as scientists, so they can see that there is relevance in what we do.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP enhances eHOPE coverage – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-enhances-ehope-coverage/",
        "html": "UP enhances eHOPE coverage UP enhances eHOPE coverage April 28, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) has further enhanced its program for financial assistance for the hospitalization of its employees—faculty members, REPS, and administrative staff—with the approval of the amendments on the amount of eHOPE Benefits and covered hospitalization expenses (professional fees allocation), plus an expanded coverage of eligible employees.  The amendments on the policy were approved by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in its 1380th meeting in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, on 27 April 2023. Under the program, UP now allows eligible employees across all its constituent universities (CUs)/units to avail of up to P100,000 per year as financial assistance for hospitalization expenses incurred during confinement—hence, an additional P20,000 to the previous limit of P80,000 accumulated maximum amount per year.  Furthermore, the coverage of UP Contractuals has been expanded to include even those whose salaries are charged against fund sources other than the General Appropriations Act (GAA). As such, UP Contractuals (faculty, REPS, and administrative staff) who have rendered at least one year of continuous service to the University, have employer-employee relations with the University, and whose salaries are charged against the Revolving Fund/Trust Fund—are now also eligible for the eHOPE. Their eHOPE benefit shall be charged against the same funding source (RF/TF), but subject to availability of funds.  The allocation for professional fees (PF) of PhilHealth-accredited physicians and specialists has also been increased. A maximum of twice the amount on the Relative Value Unit (RVU) set by the PhilHealth for specific medical cases can now be covered under eHOPE.  The eHOPE, an enhancement of the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE), took effect starting 1 January 2017 under then-UP President Alfredo E. Pascual. Enhancements on eHOPE were proposed by the Ad Hoc Committee on eHOPE Implementation, constituted by physicians/officials from UP Manila and UP-PGH and representatives from the two (2) employee unions. Last April 25, Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque, through Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Y. Balmores, endorsed the proposals to President Angelo A. Jimenez, who then endorsed the amendments for the BOR’s approval. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Salamat at saludo, UP Fighting Maroons! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/salamat-at-saludo-up-fighting-maroons/",
        "html": "Salamat at saludo, UP Fighting Maroons! Salamat at saludo, UP Fighting Maroons! December 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Our teams have consistently placed in the top three spots in general UAAP championships but UAAP Season 81 has been a historic campaign for the UP Fighting Maroons and its various varsity teams. We have made significant milestones in track and field where our men’s team ended a 36-year title drought and emerged as champions. Of course, the unwavering support of the UP Faithful has helped propel our men’s basketball team to the UAAP Finals, with an MVP medal to boot—a feat that has not been accomplished in more than three decades.  As the second semester arrives, we are looking forward to replicate these victories in softball, football, volleyball, and baseball among other sports. We need your support.     SUPPORT THE MAROONS, SUPPORT UP ATHLETICS. DONATE NOW—CLICK THE LINKS BELOW: Donate via Give to UP (https://giveto.up.edu.ph/).  Account Name: UPS ON-LINE DONATIONS Account Number: 5375-455-9 Swift Code: DBPHPHMM Bank: Development Bank of the Philippines  Kindly scan or take a picture of the deposit slip and send it to giveto@up.edu.ph so your donation can be confirmed. Please indicate if you wish to receive an official receipt.  For cash or check donations, please fill out this form: https://giveto.up.edu.ph/gate/donation.  For inquiries, contact us through the following channels:  Landline: (632) 929-1288 / (632) 981-8500 local 2531, 2532, 2507 Email: giveto@up.edu.ph     Donate via Nowhere to Go But UP (http://nowheretogobutup.ph/support)  Email them via info@nowheretogobutup.ph or through mobile at 0926 021 9361 or 0908 866 0710.     Salamat at saludo, UP Fighting Maroons! Panalo pa rin kayo sa aming mga puso! Hanggang sa susunod na taon, UP, padayon! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPEEEI Tech Fair Celebrates Engineering Innovation, Education and Collaboration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upeeei-tech-fair-celebrates-engineering-innovation-education-and-collaboration/",
        "html": "UPEEEI Tech Fair Celebrates Engineering Innovation, Education and Collaboration UPEEEI Tech Fair Celebrates Engineering Innovation, Education and Collaboration May 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For one day on May 24, faculty, researchers, students and staff of the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UP EEEI) left their laboratories and classrooms to hold the institution’s first Technology Fair at the UP Professional Schools, Bonifacio Global City.  The Technology Fair brought together representatives from private IT companies, government agencies and organizations, and other universities as part of its objective to engage state universities and colleges, government agencies, and industry partners in advancing the Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering fields in the Philippines by setting the platform for collaboration; hence its theme, “Towards a New Century of Innovative and Visionary Engineering Research and Education.”  The Technology Fair also held a poster-session and an exhibit of the latest projects and research outputs of the different research laboratories under the UPEEEI. As Dr. John Richard Hizon, director of the UPEEEI, said during his welcoming remarks: “To end our centennial celebration by acknowledging the work of our faculty, researchers, students and staff is a good starting point in defining our institute’s new direction.”  In the first part of the program, two representatives from government—Dr. Maridon Sahagun, Director of the Department of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation Services and Dr. William Padolina, Executive Director of the Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) under the Commission on Higher Education—delivered messages on behalf of the DOST and the CHED, respectively.  Sahagun congratulated the UPEEEI for continuing to be one of the DOST’s most active and productive collaborators in the implementation of its projects as well as the recipients of grants for DOST research and human development programs, such as: the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) Program; the establishment of the Philippine Institute for Integrated Circuits (PIIC); and, the “Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite” or PHL-Microsat Program, known as Diwata 1 and Diwata 2. The PHL-Microsat Program, a collaborative research program of UP Diliman through the UPEEEI and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute, aims to build, launch and effectively utilize the Philippines’ first micro-satellite for multi-spectral, high precision earth observation.  Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  Sahagun also noted that the DOST and the UPEEEI are both working toward highlighting the importance of partnerships in nurturing the innovative capacities of the various sectors in a science, technology and innovation ecosystem, a strategy contained in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) for 2017-2020. Chapter 14 of the PDP, she said, was dedicated to advancing science, technology and innovation by increasing R&D expenditure from only 0.14 percent in 2013 to 0.5 percent by the end of 2022, and by increasing the number of scientists, researchers and engineers produced per million population from 270 currently to 300 by 2020. The DOST is also aggressively pursuing programs to accelerate technology production and stimulate innovation in the next six years by: improving S&T infrastructure; enhancing the R&D capacities of our institutions, especially those in the regions; increasing technology transfer; and, strengthening partnerships with industry and other stakeholders, among others.  Padolina informed the audience of the available programs under CHED that it was hoped would enhance interaction between industry and academe. He presented an overview of the Philippine higher education landscape, and presented CHED’s efforts to upgrade the capacity for directed R&D extension programs to serve socio-economic goals, particularly in the five high-priority areas of food security, environment and disaster risk reduction, marine resources, smart analytics and engineering innovations, health systems, and education for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, math). As part of its promotion of academe-industry linkages in terms of translating industry needs into HEI curricula, the CHED is also exerting efforts to develop or reinstate courses such as: BS Meteorology, BS Business Analytics, BS Business Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, BS Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and so on. On the other hand, the current industry-academe partnerships that the CHED has been monitoring in the HEIs are on-the-job training, graduate placement, and an early stage of collaboration in R&D by looking at joint R&D programs and commissioned research, technology licensing and spin-off companies.  For faculty members who no longer have a teaching load due to the K-12 transition, they are given grants for them to pursue higher degrees and engage with industry partners through research and hired technical services. Padolina also mentioned the PCARI project, which aims to enhance the capacity of Philippine HEIs for R&D that translates to technological innovations that would address societal projects. Finally, Padolina cited several critical concerns for higher education, including: talent development and the job-skills mismatch; the lack of industry relevant knowledge in terms of curricular issues; the lack of skilled labor; the generally low quality of instruction in HEIs; and, the need to strengthen our technology delivery and extension system so that the research output of our scientists and researchers would benefit small and medium enterprises, especially those in the regions.  Later in the day, Mr. Lowell Tortona, head of Nokia’s 5g R&D arm in the Philippines, gave a talk on the Internet of Things (IOT) and 5G. 5G stands for fifth generation wireless connection standard, which is based on the IEEE 802.11ac standard of broadband technology, and is built to keep up with the proliferation of devices that need a mobile internet connection. These range from communication and computing devices, to household appliances, medical equipment, vehicles, public safety and transport systems, and factory equipment—the so-called “Internet of Things”. The development of 5G connectivity is the hot topic abroad. It will, however, take time to reach the Philippines, but will enable greater connectivity, responsiveness, reliability, efficiency and even greater environmental protection in areas such as smart industry, smart healthcare, smart home and utilities, smart cities, public safety, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).  Later in the afternoon, three parallel sessions were held to discuss in greater depth the research being conducted by the UPEEEI’s laboratories and research collaborations with private industries. These parallel sessions were classified according to topic: “Technologies to Harness Renewable Energy” chaired by Assistant Professor Lew Andrew Tria; “Technologies to Enable Internet of Things” chaired by Dr. Rhandley Cajote; and “Enabling Communication Networks” chaired by Assistant Professor Paul Jason Co.  Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  The UPEEEI’s laboratories and students also presented their research products and output through posters and live demonstrations. Among those exhibited during the Tech Fair were: 1. RxBox (Real Life Experiences in a Box) for efficient portable health monitoring in far-flung areas;  2. The Village Base Station Project, which employs community cellular networks, small-scale, bottom-up cellular networks to provide mobile phone connectivity to poor, remote communities  3. Tanglaw, an automated reading tutor for elementary students of Filipino; Video-based Traffic Monitoring for Philippine Intelligent Transport System  4. Project 2 – Developing Closed Captioning Systems for Philippine Languages; Optimization of an Energy-Aware RPS for Wireless Sensor Networks with Ambient Energy Harvesting; Human Activity Recognition Based on Sensor Fusion in Smartphones  5. Room Occupant Count and Temperature Prediction Models for Optimal HVAC Control  6. Dynamic Matching Circuit in a 5.8GHz RF Energy Harvester for Wireless Sensor Nodes  7. Rese2nse (Resilient Sensory Swarms for Smart Energy and Environmental Monitoring), which uses the concept of global data plan to collect and manage information from different sensor networks and make these information available for the development of different applications  8. Gitara ni Juan, a project initiated by the UP College of Music and EEEI, which is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Filipino musicians and engineers who aim to preserve the country’s luthierie, and to leverage local wood industry using modern techniques for wood selection, wood crafting, and structural design in building quality classical guitars  9. Non Technical Loss Detection Using Data Analytics  10. RF-based Fault Type Classification and Impedance Estimation Models in Distribution Systems Using Phasor Measurements; VREx – Human Hands as Input Device for an Immersive Virtual Reality Experience  11. Aneeme – Synthesizing and Sharing Animation Building Blocks for Rapid Creation of 3D Motion Scene; Smartwire, a project that aims to develop the technology for a smart electrical grid system  12. Event Detection and Wavelet Transform Analysis – Micro-synchrophasor Measurement Units  13. Power Distribution System State Estimation with Limited Sensors Optimal Curtailment Dispatch for Demand Response Energy Allocation  14. Short Term Load Forecasting Using Gaussian Processes under the Interruptible Load Program.  The Tech Fair, which was the culminating activity of the UPEEEI’s year-long centennial celebration that began in 2016, was organized in partnership with Nokia. Other sponsors of the event, some of which were featured in their own booths during the fair, were: Artesyn Embedded Technologies, First Philec, Samsung, Maxim Integrated, Xinyx Design Consultancy & Services, Inc., Analog Devices, EVWealth Inc., PHINMA Energy, Chroma, Sqreem Technologies, and Trident Electronics, Corp. (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Stories of the Old Trees of UPD – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-stories-of-the-old-trees-of-upd/",
        "html": "The Stories of the Old Trees of UPD The Stories of the Old Trees of UPD October 18, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Trees are silent, and many, like hermits, are dying lonely and unseen. But their silence is deceptive, for they have stories to tell. Much of UP is trees. And trees remain UP’s most widespread physical legacy to Diliman, a vast denuded estate overlooking Marikina valley.  Acacias, the traditional choice for public spaces since they were brought in during the early days of Spanish rule, were the first trees planted after the transfer of UP to Diliman in the late 1940s. The hard adobe grounds had to be blasted to allow them to take root. Since then, they have spoken eloquently of UP Diliman’s fast and robust growth. Now larger-than-life, acacias hold sway at the academic center, providing shade where there was once only grassland.  But they are also like UP and the country’s colonial past; dominant and lingering, roots long and winding, beautiful and scary at the same time; and as an exotic species, forever imposed, a stranger to the land.  But theirs was not the beginning story.  A sampaloc and two mango trees at the site of the Arboretum came without design, survived the aridness of the landscape, and the Japanese-American War. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A few had come before them, and continue to live. A sampaloc and two mango trees at the site of the Arboretum came without design, survived the aridness of the landscape, and the Japanese-American War.  There is no account of their histories, except that they, like acacias, are exotic. But together with the native agoho in front of Quezon Hall, which an old hand in the transfer of UP to Diliman recalled being planted before Christmas 1949, they have seen more of campus life than all the acacias surviving to this day.  They are forgotten trees. Despite being at the campus portal, the agoho has had no alumnus taking selfies beside it as it stands beside a creek, quietly enduring the thin topsoil, the constructions, many fires, the barricading of Diliman’s iconic building. The tallest tree in the area, it is hidden by bulkier trees, broken, and wasting away.     The agoho tree said to be the oldest tree on main campus. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     At the Arboretum, the stories of War and growth of an urban forest are replaced by the story of encroaching urban blight. The roots of one mango tree are now covered by growing mounds of garbage. It nearly died from a treasure hunt digging. The other tree broke in the middle from a typhoon and has become a dump for old bottles. The mighty roots of the sampaloc are laid bare by eroding forces of water, wind, wheels, and feet.  The acacias have contemporaries within and outside the Oval. Many now tell the story of holding on for dear life.  The camachile, for example, another exotic species, insists on a foothold at several sites on campus. Most would be familiar with the four ones lining Velasquez Street. One had been cut close to the base, but from the large gnarly stump, a new crown has sprouted. Two had fallen from typhoons but from the fallen trunk, several more trunks arose. Same is true for the camachiles at the parking lot of the Alumni Center, and behind the Gymnasium and DMST complexes.     A camachile at the Alumni Center parking lot facing Ylanan Street. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The native ones, like the bitaog, are proving to be hardier. Most visible to freshman applicants would be the dark imposing silhouette up Kalaw street. Its fan-like breadth tells a story. It is one of being cut at the top early in life and being forced to grow laterally, well over to the other side of the street, where the Registrar’s stands.  The bitaog on the eastern side of the campus does not enjoy the same space to spread its branches. It is pruned regularly to stay clear of the facade of Malcolm Hall, the mirror building of Benitez Hall, the two pre-war buildings on campus. In old pictures, the bitaog is a distinct growth by the driveway, growing alongside the acacia saplings at the Oval. It sheltered the first nurses from UP until the college had to move to UP Manila. The lawyers from UP would surely remember it, as it has gazed over the entrance since all the living of them could remember.     The old bitaog along Kalaw Street. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     At Gonzalez Hall, three towering dungon trees in a row, facing the Sunken Garden, remain steadfast sentinels, guarding over the knowledge seekers on the floors and, once, when the Beach House was in business, food-hunters at their feet.        A dungon tree at the side of the old Beach House. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Right at a corner of the Sunken Garden, boughs wistfully bending over toward the grass, the grand calumpit tree has been witness to countless pageants and parades of the past and the youthful revelry of games and UP Fairs of the present.     The calumpit tree with its boughs shading a corner of the Sunken Garden. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     But not all the old native trees of UP Diliman have been as lucky. One, which lorded over residences behind the Protestant church, succumbed to a typhoon last year and fell on a day-care center. The other one, in front of Vinzons Hall, once hulking and mighty on the hill, only recently died of rot after its trunk was slowly stripped of its bark by folks who believed in its alleged abortifacient powers. Fortunately, a younger one is surviving, standing guard over the marker of a campus legend, botanist Leonard Co.  Their name is dita. Endemic in the Philippines, they are more commonly known in the world as either the devil tree or the scholar tree, names which are stories by themselves.     Commonly known in the world as either the devil tree or the scholar tree.     But what could be sadder than the story of the diliman?  It left no trace or proof of existence in the area. But it must have dominated the primordial forests of the area. It is said to grow on adobe, which the area is known to have a bedrock of, thriving on forest moisture, most likely beside the creeks. It is said to disappear in summer and to return with the rains. One summer, most likely when the last of the forest was felled, it said goodbye for good. UP Diliman is thus named after an orphan.     Diliman ferns obtained from a forest at the border of Laguna and Quezon provinces are propagated in the nursery. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     And as stories go, a virtual library of new ones is being told by the 100 exemplars rising in the Washington Sycip Garden of Native Trees behind the Carillon, a donation of the Zuellig Group, and by the threatened native species being planted in natural groupings by the Institute of Biology and the Energy Development Corp. at a new arboretum inside the National Science Complex.  But the diliman, the one that the ancients and perhaps even Katipuneros must have passed through in their times, now lives with us only in name.  ——————–  The author wishes to thank Emiliano Sotalbo and Noel Pomada of the UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office Grounds Services and Arboretum Division; and Director Perry Ong and Herbarium Technician Ramon Bandong of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, for their invaluable input to this article. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for applications: 2021-2022 Fulbright Foreign Student Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-2021-2022-fulbright-foreign-student-program/",
        "html": "Call for applications: 2021-2022 Fulbright Foreign Student Program Call for applications: 2021-2022 Fulbright Foreign Student Program January 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The application period for the 2021-2022 Fulbright Foreign Student Program (for Filipinos) is now open!  The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a scholarship opportunity for Filipinos to study at the graduate level (master’s or doctoral studies) or pursue non-degree doctoral dissertation research in the United States. Visit https://bit.ly/2021Classic to apply! The online application portal will accept applications until March 20, 2020.  Follow Fulbright Philippines for updates.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP climbs to No. 166 among emerging economies’ top universities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-climbs-to-no-166-among-emerging-economies-top-universities/",
        "html": "UP climbs to No. 166 among emerging economies’ top universities UP climbs to No. 166 among emerging economies’ top universities May 10, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Of the top 378 higher education institutions (HEIs) from emerging economies in 2018, the University of the Philippines (UP) is ranked 166th, a significant rise from last year’s 201st-250th ranking, based on the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.  UP is now in the upper half of the top 378 HEIs from countries considered “advanced emerging”, “secondary emerging”, and “frontier” economies by the London-based global index provider, and which thus excluded HEIs from developed economies.  THE Global Rankings Editorial Director Phil Baty announced UP’s ranking through a communication sent to the University. “Your institution’s place in this ranking of the best research-led universities among the emerging economy nations is a significant achievement,” he said, noting that THE considered institutions from 50 countries, with institutions from only 42 making it to the final 378.  The “THE Emerging Economies University Rankings 2018” used the same 13 performance indicators as the THE World University Ranking—where UP made it to the top 601-800—but recalibrated to better reflect the characteristics and development priorities of universities in emerging economies. “More weight is given, for example, to a university’s industry links and international outlook,” Baty said.   (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)  The rankings can be viewed at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/emerging-economies-university-rankings.  Click here to view UP’s rank in 2018 THE Asia University Rankings released earlier this year: https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-leaps-into-the-asias-top-200/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP rises in world ranking for medicine, dentistry, & health subjects – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-rises-in-world-ranking-for-medicine-dentistry-health-subjects/",
        "html": "UP rises in world ranking for medicine, dentistry, & health subjects UP rises in world ranking for medicine, dentistry, & health subjects November 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines has gained recognition in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2019 as a top university for social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences; and for clinical, pre-clinical and health subjects, in which UP rose to the top 126-150 of 721 institutions from top 201-250 of 501 institutions in the 2018 edition of this ranking.  UP obtained its best ranking in the clinical, pre-clinical and health subject for the second year in a row. The national university not only rocketed to the 126-150 band but it also placed 7th globally in terms of citations after earning a nearly perfect score of 98.8 points. This was an improvement of more than 10 points since the 2018 edition. The University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Harvard University which took the top three positions for the subject, scored 92.7, 87.4 and 88.5 points in citations, respectively. According to the THE rankings, the clinical, pre-clinical, and health subject ranking “highlights the universities that are leading in medicine, dentistry and health subjects.”  Rankings data for University of the Philippines (Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings for UP, https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-philippines)     UP figured for the first time in the other subject rankings, earning a place in the 501-600 bracket of 751 universities in life sciences; in the 501-600 bracket of 666 universities in social sciences; and in the 801+ bracket of 963 universities in physical sciences.  The THE World University Rankings by subject are based on the same range of 13 performance indicators used in the overall World University Rankings (WUR) 2019, where UP placed in the 501-600 bracket of the top 1,258 universities of the world, up from its 601-800 ranking in WUR 2018. The methodology is recalibrated for each subject to suit the individual fields.  The UK-based THE World University Rankings, founded in 2004, provide a definitive list of the world’s best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, reputation and other factors.  Details of the subject rankings in which UP figured can be found at:  Clinical, Pre-Clinical and Health Social Sciences Life Sciences Physical Sciences     Related story: UP achieves big move in natural, social sciences in new subject rankings "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP moves up in Asia university rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-moves-up-in-asia-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP moves up in Asia university rankings UP moves up in Asia university rankings October 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Click to view the QS University Rankings: Asia 2019     The University of the Philippines (UP) now ranks 72nd among the top 500 universities in Asia, three notches higher than its previous ranking, and remains first in the Philippines, based on Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) reports released on October 23, 2018.  The performance of UP in the 2019 rankings also establishes it among the top 15 percent of the more than 500 universities ranked, up from the top 20 percent stature in the past two years, according to the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2019 Top 500 fact file for UP.  UP’s main strength in ranking high is its employer reputation, which ranks 33rd among the universities. Employer reputation is computed based on an annual QS survey, which gathered 43,000 responses from employers for this ranking year.     Academic and Employer Reputation Scores: Asia, 2019 Source: University of the Philippines Fact File, QS World University Rankings: Asia 2019 Top 500.     UP ranks 54th in academic reputation, based on 83,000 responses of academics; and 56th in international research network, based on Elsevier’s Scopus data and the Margalef Index.     Ranks by Indicator: Asia, 2019 Source: University of the Philippines Fact File, QS World University Rankings: Asia 2019 Top 500.     QS ranks the universities using scores in 11 weighted indicators: academic reputation (30%), employer reputation (20%), faculty-student ratio (10%), staff with PhD (5%), citations per paper (10%), papers per faculty member (5%), international research network (10%), international faculty and students (2.5% each), and inbound and outbound exchange students (2.5% each).  UP’s highest score is in international research network, which is 88.2 points out of a hundred; followed by employer reputation at 82.5; and faculty-student ratio at 67.9.  UP’s lowest score is in staff with PhD; then in international faculty and students, and exchange students; and papers per faculty.     Underlying Data for Rankings Calculations Papers period: 2012-2016 | Citations period: 2012-2017 Source: University of the Philippines Fact File, QS World University Rankings: Asia 2019 Top 500.     In the Philippines, UP is followed by Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and the University of Santo Tomas, which rank 115th, 155th, and 162nd, respectively.  The Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology is the latest to figure in the rankings, joining Silliman University in the 451st-500th bracket. The University of San Carlos is in the 301st-350th bracket; and Mapua University at 401st-450th bracket. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public Service Writing Fellowship applications extended – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-service-writing-fellowship-applications-extended/",
        "html": "Public Service Writing Fellowship applications extended Public Service Writing Fellowship applications extended October 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Public Service Writing Fellowship aims to promote public service as a scholarly and interdisciplinary endeavor. This encourages university faculty and staff to contribute to the body of academic work which were developed from the various public service initiatives.  One (1) fellow will be selected from each of the constituent university. The fellowship is open to all UP faculty, staff and REPS who wish to write and publish their experiences from the public service initiatives that they have undertaken.  The deadline for submission of applications is on 12 October 2018. You may access the application package here: http://bit.ly/PSWF2.  For inquiries, please contact Ms. Jeremi Elaijah M. Barretto at (02) 981-8630 or (02) 981-8500 loc 4256, or via email at padayon@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU marks 23rd year – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-marks-23rd-year/",
        "html": "UPOU marks 23rd year UPOU marks 23rd year March 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   “We are also here to guide the development of our students into becoming better human beings—using the best of their abilities with integrity, humility, conscientiousness, and compassion. In the end, these qualities will define how we have contributed to the development of our country, our people, and humanity—how we have made good on our commitment to serve.”—UP President Danilo Concepcion, in his anniversary message to UPOU (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Distance learning is the future of education.” This was the declaration of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion at UP Open University’s (UPOU) 23rd anniversary program at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna on February 26.  He also emphasized the importance of not only developing UP students through academic rigor but also of guiding them into becoming “better human beings—using the best of their abilities with integrity, humility, conscientiousness, and compassion.” These attributes, he said, will define how the University has contributed to the development of the Filipino people.  In her message, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria expressed confidence in how UPOU continues to adapt and even revolutionize its distinct form of education. “We can take on the challenges as we move forward,” she said.     Authors of chapters in Assessment Praxis in Open and Distance eLearning: Thoughts and Practices in UPOU, which was launched during UPOU’s anniversary program (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The celebration featured the launch of three initiatives: the Universal and Inclusive Accessibility Program;the UPOU Internal Communication System; and, the UPOU Networks Mobile Application. The first program will encompass “all aspects of academic and administrative functions and services” of UPOU. It will be guided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Guidelines on the Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities in Open and Distance Learning. The second is the improvement of UPOU’s internal communication system that consists of integrated online solutions. The third program aims to enhance the accessibility of UPOU Networks—the online repository of learning materials it has produced in various media.  Assessment Praxis in Open and Distance eLearning: Thoughts and Practices in UPOU was also launched at the program. It is an open resource book which can be accessed online via the UPOU Networks website.     The Gawad Chancellor awardees with University officials: from left, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, UPOU Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jean Saludadez, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Administrative Personnel (Second Level) awardee Pura Amoloza, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Administrative Personnel (First Level) awardee Gloria Boncodin, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) awardee Larry Cruz, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Faculty awardee Dr. Joane Serrano, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Melinda Lumanta, and UP Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Another highlight of the anniversary celebration was the awarding of the Gawad Chancellor—an honor named after a UP constituent university’s highest official. The winners were: Gloria Boncodin, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Administrative Personnel (First Level); Pura Amoloza, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Administrative Personnel (Second Level); Larry Cruz, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Research, Extension and Professional Staff; and, Dr. Joane Serrano, Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Faculty.     UP President Danilo Concepcion (fifth from left) and Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria (to his left) pose for photos with representatives of some of UPOU’s partner institutions. From left, with plaques: Tuntungin-Putho Integrated National High School; Quezon Power Limited Co.; HealthServ Los Baños Medical Center; CoopHub; Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development; Municipal Government of Mauban, Quezon; Veterans Bank; Land Bank of the Philippines; Los Baños Doctors Hospital and Medical Center, Inc.; and Digital Freedom Network (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It has been a UPOU tradition to recognize its partners in every anniversary program and this year was no exception. Its partner institutions for 2017 to 2018 are: National University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Commission on Higher Education; Department of Information and Communication Technology; Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development; DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development; Department of Education-Quezon; Department of Education-Tuntungin-Putho Integrated National High School; Municipal Government of Mauban, Quezon; City Social Welfare & Development Office of Santiago City, Isabela; Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental; Cebu Technological University; CoopHub; Digital Freedom Network; Health Serv Los Baños Medical Center; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies; LandBank of the Philippines; Los Baños Doctors Hospital and Medical Center, Inc.; PLDT; Quezon Power Limited Co.; UPOU Foundation, Inc.; and, Veterans Bank. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)      —-  UPDATE as of 11 June 2018: UPOU has severed its affiliation with COOPHUB and OFW Credit Coop and has no joint program or course offerings with these organizations. UPOU did not also authorize Coophub’s and/or OFW Credit Coop’s use of the university’s name, logo and photos in their websites, social media pages, paraphernalia and marketing activities.  View UPOU’s official statement here: https://www.upou.edu.ph/news-and-features/536-statement-on-the-use-of-upou-s-name-by-coophub-multimedia-services-coophub-and-ofw-credit-cooperative-ofw-credit-coop    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Making Ripples in Mauban – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/making-ripples-in-mauban/",
        "html": "Making Ripples in Mauban Making Ripples in Mauban May 2, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Sometimes it doesn’t matter how small the stone is. What’s amazing is how the small ripples it creates become bigger and wider as they move farther away from where the stone was dropped in the water.  That’s exactly what the Teacher Development Program (TDP) of the UP Open University (UPOU) has been doing in Mauban, Quezon since 2005.  What started as a capacity-building program to help public elementary and high school teachers through training programs and scholarship grants has grown to include other sectors integral to the development of the municipality.  Because of its impact, the United Nations Educa­tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization has cited the TDP in a 2017 report as one of the good lifelong learning practices in Southeast Asia.     Perfect timing  It seemed like the stars had aligned for the creation of TDP. UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, then the University Registrar, was actively seeking funding for scholarship programs for teachers when Quezon Power called for a proposal on a sustainable training program for teachers. Both institutions had what each other needed and with the added sup­port of the local government, the Department of Education-Quezon, and UPOU Foundation Inc., the program was born.  Bandalaria says it was a great opportunity “to test the private sector-government-academe partnership model” and to design a continuing professional development program that combined formal and non-formal courses to upgrade knowledge on subject areas, strengthen teaching skills, and allow the pursuit of advanced degrees.  While things seemed to be in order for TDP’s roll-out, the program faced an enormous challenge outside its purview: its target participants were intimidated by the prospect of studying in UP.     A tutorial class in 2007. (Photo from Luisa Gelisan, UPOU)     Building confidence  Mauban human resources head Conchita Mirabue­no reveals that during the first phase of TDP, “There was a lot of apprehension because of the implement­ing school. They were so afraid they couldn’t meet the standards and requirements of UP.” This was also noted by Luisa Gelisan in a reflection paper she wrote on the TDP, which she has been a part of since its inception.  This hurdle was overcome through the TDP’s en­couragement, which built the scholars’ confidence and guidance on what a UPOU student’s life entails. As TDP continued, the number of eager applicants increased. They witnessed how it has helped not only in the professional development and promo­tion of their fellow teachers, but also in enhancing their capabilities to become more effective educa­tors. Quezon Power even reports that the perfor­mance of Mauban schools with TDP scholar teach­ers improved in the national aptitude tests because of the program.  Building the confidence of those pioneer scholars has, in turn, empowered those around them to also pursue self-improvement—whether as teachers, administrators, or students.     Resources, adaptability, and evolution  As with any program, funding is a consistent concern in implementation. For TDP, there have been highs, like national political support that expanded the program to the whole first district of Quezon, and lows, such as the withdrawal of local political support that left the TDP operating on half its needed budget.  Through the lows, UPOU placed primary impor­tance on the scholars and their need to be able to continue their studies. And these hurdles were overcome. This kind of institutional support is one of the reasons why TDP is continuing.  Apart from finances, technology was also a chal­lenge. It wasn’t possible for Mauban to simply adopt UPOU’s existing mode of education delivery at the onset because of Internet connectivity issues. The project team at UPOU acknowledges that while it couldn’t bring better ICT facilities to Mauban, it could still deliver what the scholars needed.  Dialing down on the use of technology, UPOU adapted to the situation by scheduling face-to-face sessions, conducting pen-and-paper enrollment and examinations, and accepting hard copy submission of assignments, among others. But that was then.  The ubiquity of ICT and its numerous possibilities for teaching and learning necessitated the inclusion of ICT training in TDP, not only to make the scholars more adept in using these technologies as UPOU students, but as educators who also need to provide a better learning environment for their students.  Mirabueno shares the effort of a TDP graduate who “initiated the establishment of a Tablet Room” in his school, despite its having no Internet connectivity because it was located in a remote barangay. “He brings home the tablets to download the learning modules and the students access these materials in the Tablet Room. Learning has become more fun and engaging for the students. Plus, they become exposed to the use of ICT.”  Today, an e-Learning Ville stands in Mauban, a center that caters to the ICT needs of the community, whether in the use of facilities or for ICT skills enhancement. UPOU partnered with then Quezon First District Representative Mark Enverga, PLDT, Intel Philippines, and the National Computer Center for its establishment. TDP now also includes a technology grant that provides scholars with net­books and mobile broadband connection.     (Photo from Luisa Gelisan, UPOU)     Not just for teachers anymore  In August 2017, the sixth phase of TDP was launched at UPOU, where it also presented its latest batch of scholars. It has been renamed TDP/En­hanced Continuing Education Program for Mauban or TDP/eCEP4Mauban because it now includes training programs for people in areas integral to the municipality’s development.  Current and potential school administrators will have the opportunity to take part in leadership workshops. Other teachers who are not part of the scholarship program to earn advanced degrees can continue to participate in training programs that incorporate digital literacy as a necessary component of K-12 implementation. Disaster risk reduction and management is now part of its roster of training programs, which also widens the reach of the TDP beyond the education sector.  With more than a hundred graduates and with its scholars moving up the professional ladder, the positive impact of TDP on Mauban’s education sector can’t be denied. But more than its direct effect on its participants are the ripples it makes across the greater community.  Bandalaria relates she has seen the growth of Mauban into a learning community, and that is the TDP outcome she is most proud of—that it has gone beyond its primary audience. As for Gelisan, she adds that she is “proud that we are able to make UP education available and accessible to those who need it—no matter how far they are.”  Mirabueno, who continues to see firsthand the im­pact of TDP on the municipality she serves, says, “It has transformed the lives of Maubanin—from the teacher-scholars to the students to the schools to the municipality.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCIS marks 10 years of short-visit program with Japanese universities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcis-marks-10-years-of-short-visit-program-with-japanese-universities/",
        "html": "UPCIS marks 10 years of short-visit program with Japanese universities UPCIS marks 10 years of short-visit program with Japanese universities April 16, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Diliman, through the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), marked this February ten years of a student-and-faculty short-visit program with Japanese universities by welcoming some 13 students and faculty from Ferris University and Yokohama National University (YNU), both located in the port city of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, and the Wayo Women’s University, located southeast of Tokyo.  Two groups of students in UPCIS — the Asian Emporium (Southeast Asia 30) and the Japanese Culture and Society 1 (Japanese Studies 101) classes — welcomed the Japanese visitors on February 26, 2019 in a combined class session during which students from both countries made oral presentations on a contemporary issue of global importance.  The visiting students were: Rika Yamamoto, Momoka Yamamoto and Hina Okubo (Ferris University); Miho Marutake, Ayumi Oguro, Zhong Liuyin, Liu Xiangfu, Cao Songwan, Pierre Kilele, Mika Kimura, Ayaka Iwasaki and Kiyoka Ebina (YNU); and Yukino Osada (Wayo Women’s University).  Three of the students were Chinese and one was Congolese.     Joint class discussions of SEA 30 and JS 101; together with students from Ferris University, Yokohama National University, and Wayo Women’s University at the U.P. Center for International Studies held on February 26, 2019.     Accompanying them were Profs. Chiho Ogaya and Masako Suginohara of Ferris University; Profs. Hiromi Kabashima and Takaaki Kobayashi of YNU, and Prof. Yuji Kanamaru of Wayo Women’s University.  The Japanese students talked about environmental awareness issues and student life in Japan, while their Filipino hosts discussed life as a UP student and Solid Waste Management practices in the Philippines. They later conducted small focus group discussions on specific topics earlier prepared in consultation with the two professors-in-charge and initiators of the short-visit program, Profs. Amparo Adelina Umali, III of UPCIS and Ogaya.     The Japanese students tour the Diliman campus after discussions with UPCIS’ students. Standing from left to right: Prof. Wystan de la Peña, Rika Yamamoto, Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III, Prof. Masako Suginohara, Prof. Hiromi Kabashima, Mika Kimura, Liu Xiangfu, Zhong Liuyin, Miho Marutake, Ayaka Iwasaki, Pierre Kilele, Hina Okubo, and Yukino Osada.     In November 19-29, 2018, five students from the Global Studies 197 (GS 197) Special Topics Course on Japanese Traditional Performance Practice (JTPP), a class offered at the UPCIS, visited Yokohama and Tokyo to participate in the 3rd Ferris University Short Stay Visit/Exchange Program.  The students were: Timothy Earl Castillon (BS Public Administration), Nikki Rae Rallos (BS Food Technology), Leo Niel Jasper Sese (BA European Languages), Crizel Ruth Ghelmae Ricaro, (BS Food Technology), and Alanis Zeta (B Fine Arts).  Accompanying them were UPCIS staff Maria Fe Lafuente and UPCIS lecturer and Noh Theater Ensemble founding member Danielle Naomi Uy.  Uy, an MS Human Movement Science student and currently a PE teacher in the university, studied Noh intensively for three months and performed at the Nagoya Noh Theatre for her recital as a recipient of the East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme: Invitation Programme for Creators (2007/2008) through the Government of Japan and the Japan Foundation.  She also received a one-year grant from the student exchange program (2008/2009) of the UP System, which allowed her to study Nihongo and Japanese culture at Kyushu University while pursuing Noh training with Noh Grand Master Shigeji Omura.  The visiting students from UPCIS were recipients of the Japan’s Ministry of Education Culture and Science’s Japan Student Services (JASSO) Short Stay Scholarship for International Students, which allows student-participants to join discussions, attend lectures by professors, and visit remarkable Japanese sites. Ogaya and Umali served as faculty advisers of the program.  Umali is a Japanese literature and traditional theater performance scholar who obtained her PhD from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.  She is also the UPCIS Coordinator for East and Southeast Asian Studies and the founder and artistic director of two UP-based Japanese theater performance groups, the UPCIS Noh Ensemble and the UPCIS Bunraku Ensemble.  Noh is an ancient elite theater tradition in Japan that developed in the 14th century and Bunraku is the traditional puppet theater that began in the 17th century.  Ogaya is a Ferris University-based sociologist who does research work on Japanese-Filipino families and Filipino OFWs in Japan.  She was a faculty of the YNU when she and Umali started the short-visit program in 2009.  The two started the program in 2009, during the terms of Prof. Cynthia Neri Zayas as UPCIS officer-in-charge, Dr. Sergio Cao as UP Diliman Chancellor under whose office the UPCIS is attached, and now professor emerita Emerlinda Roman as UP President. Two years later, UPCIS students received funding from JASSO to travel to Japan and visit YNU.     Ferris University faculty and students welcome to Yokohama the UPCIS delegation recipients of 2018 edition of the short-stay program. Standing, from left to right: Prof. Hiroshi Onishi, Moe Arai, Prof. Chiho Ogaya, Kaoru Arai (Ferris University); Maria Fe Lafuente (UP Diliman), Yoichi Imafuku, and staffs of International Center of Ferris University, and Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III (UP Diliman); Kneeling, from left to right: Erina Asano (Ferris University), Crizel Ruth Ghelmae Ricaro, Leo Niel Jasper Sese, Timothy Earl Castillon, Alanis Zeta, Nikki Rae Rallos, and Danielle Naomi Uy (UP DIliman).     Yokohama National University faculty and students welcome UPCIS students, faculty and staff at the entrance of YNU during the short-stay program in November 2018. Standing, from left to right: Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III, Alanis Zeta, Timothy Earl Castillon, Crizel Ruth Ghelmae Ricaro (UP Diliman), and Peng Bo (YNU); Kneeling, from left to right: Nikki Rae Rallos, Maria Fe Lafuente, Leo Niel Jasper Sese, Danielle Naomi Uy (UP Diliman,) and Shi Xiaoyu, Feng Xiaomei, Prof. Takaaki Kobayashi, Keishun Sakamoto, and Kiyoka Ebina (YNU).     In AY 2018-2019, the UPCIS welcomed Haruna Sorita and Chihiro Kawasaki, the first exchange students from YNU to study in UP Diliman.     The first two Japanese exchange students to get hosted by UPCIS under the short-stay program, Chihiro Kawasaki and Haruna Sorita (second and third from left, respectively), are welcomed to UP by (from left to right): UPCIS Director Prof. Sarah Jane Raymundo, Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III, UPCIS administrative aide Melvin Mabini, UPCIS Extension Associate Alyssa Silvano, and (seated) Prof. Raymond Macapagal.     The short-visit program has been implemented with assistance from JASSO and, occasionally, of the UP Mobility for Vigor and Excellence (MOVE-UP) Short Stay Scholarship for International Students.  The funding has enabled members of the UPCIS Noh Ensemble and the UPCIS Bunraku Ensemble — mostly students from the UPCIS-offered Japanese Traditional Performance Practice class — to come to Japan every November and have hands-on training sessions with grand masters of Noh in Tokyo and women Bunraku culture bearers in Naoshima.  The program also allowed discussions in classroom settings with students from YNU and Ferris University on different relevant contemporary issues and showcase their Noh and Bunraku skills to their Japanese counterparts.  The training sessions were instrumental in preparing UPCIS Noh Ensemble and the UPCIS Bunraku Ensemble to stage in 2016 the Shinsaku Noh Play (new Noh play) “Cedula sa BGC” directed by Umali.  Japanese Noh Grandmasters who trained ensemble members were Naohiko Umewaka (shite), Jiro Fujita and Youji Isso (fue), Shunichiro Hisada (kotsuzumi) and Shigeji Omura (otsuzumi).  The short-stay program has had different offshoots through the years. Two students have been invited to train in Noh for a longer period in Japan.  Margie Tamayao, a BS Statistics major, the second student to receive Noh training for a longer period, returned in 2018 from a one-year UP student exchange program which allowed her to study Noh, Nihongo, and even take Statistics classes at Tsuda University.  Prof. Wystan de la Peña, a UPCIS faculty affiliate and former chair of the Department of European Languages at the College of Arts and Letters, was invited to deliver a lecture in 2017 before faculty and students of YNU and Ferris University on Filipino ilustrados who had come to Yokohama.  Prof. Hiroshi Onishi, a historian based at Ferris University, came to Manila in 2018 together with Prof. Ryoju Sakurai of Reitaku University for a research tour.  UPCIS faculty accompanied them in their visits to the UP Main Library, the Ateneo de Manila University’s Rizal Library, the Philippine National Library, and the Filipinas Heritage Library of Ayala Museum and other historical sites and institutions such as the Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Base, Libingan ng mga Bayani and the Manila American Cemetery.  Onishi, a Yokohama historian, researches about the 19th century revolutionary general Artemio Ricarte (1866-1945), who exiled himself to Japan after refusing to swear allegiance to the American colonial government.  The academic collaboration resulting from the short-visit program also produced the first joint UP-Ferris University panel presented at the 4th Philippine Studies Conference in Japan, held in Hiroshima in November 2018.     The joint UPCIS-Ferris University panel at the 4th Philippine Studies Conference in Japan at Hiroshima University pose at the end of their presentations. From left to right: Prof. Hiroshi Onishi (Ferris University), Profs. Wystan de la Peña and Amparo Adelina Umali, III (UP Diliman).     In the conference, Umali, Onishi, and de la Peña presented papers about Ricarte and Mariano Ponce (1863-1918), two Filipino historical figures who lived for a time in Yokohama.  A bilingual edition (Filipino-Japanese) of the letters of Ponce to Japanese officials while he was stationed in Yokohama as Emilio Aguinaldo’s diplomatic representative in 1898-1899 has been proposed to be the next collaborative project between the two universities. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Int’l Conference on Area Studies and the Study of Politics in Asia held in UPD – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/intl-conference-on-area-studies-and-the-study-of-politics-in-asia-held-in-upd/",
        "html": "Int’l Conference on Area Studies and the Study of Politics in Asia held in UPD Int’l Conference on Area Studies and the Study of Politics in Asia held in UPD December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Asian Politics & Policy, University of the Philippines Department of Political Science, UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Program on Strategic Studies, and UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change hosted an international conference on November 28-29, 2017 at the GT Toyota Asian Cultural Center in UP Diliman, Quezon City.     Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO     The event, “Conference on Area Studies and the Study of Politics and Policy in Asia”, featured paper presentations and discussions on populism, public policy and accountability, international relations, migration, civil rights, and related issues faced by the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and other countries.  The keynote address for the conference was delivered by Dr. Vinod Thomas, Special Adviser to the President and Dean of the Asian Institute of Management. He is also a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore. Previously, he worked for the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.     Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO     Participants in the two-day conference were researchers and faculty from: UP Diliman, UP Manila, De La Salle University (Metro Manila), Saint Louis University (Baguio City), University of San Carlos (Cebu City), Ateneo de Davao University (Davao City), University of Washington (Seattle), Thammasat University (Bangkok), Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Bangladesh), Metropolitan University, University of Sydney, and Universitas Indonesia. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "3rd Katipunan Conference: The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2018-2019 on 27-28 Feb – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/3rd-katipunan-conference-the-philippine-strategic-outlook-2018-2019-on-27-28-feb/",
        "html": "3rd Katipunan Conference: The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2018-2019 on 27-28 Feb 3rd Katipunan Conference: The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2018-2019 on 27-28 Feb February 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       ​The Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), in partnership with the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS) is hosting the 3rd Katipunan Conference: The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2018 – 2019 on February 27 – 28, 2018 (Tuesday 8:30 – 5:00 & Wednesday 8:30 – 12:00) at the Law Center, University of the Philippines, Osmena Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1101.  About the Conference  Launched in 2015 as a platform for discussing current and emerging issues that impact Philippine foreign policy and undertake a strategic scan of the international environment from multiple perspectives to produce practical and informed policy opinions and decision-making aids for government agencies and officials. It also is a venue where scholars and practitioners can engage in meaningful dialogue about pressing strategic issues facing the country.  This event is open to the public but slots are limited. Please register at https://goo.gl/forms/DuuytDbZxowogRkb2  Registration closes on Friday, February 23, 2018.  For more details visit the CIDS website at cids.up.edu.ph  For inquiries please email ssp.cids@up.edu.ph  Click here for the conference program. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS, UNESCO offer MOST Academy on March 21-22 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cids-unesco-offer-most-academy-on-march-21-22/",
        "html": "UP CIDS, UNESCO offer MOST Academy on March 21-22 UP CIDS, UNESCO offer MOST Academy on March 21-22 March 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Philippine National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM PH), will be holding the UNESCO Management for Social Transformation (MOST) Academy on Inclusive Policy and Valorization of Knowledge on March 21 to 22, 2018 at Brentwood Suites, Quezon City.  The UNESCO MOST Academy is a 2-day training-workshop which aims to strengthen the competence for evidence-informed decision making of UNESCO Member States. It serves as the culminating activity of a 6-month research project by the UP CIDS and UNESCO entitled “Valorization of Research and Evidence on Inclusive Social Development to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the Philippines”.  This project aims to promote the principle of social inclusion with a particular focus on increasing access to healthcare by addressing the shortage of primary care workforce. It includes a research of programs that address the shortage of health workforce and a training-workshop to enhance valorization of research and evidence for social inclusion. The project likewise serves as a space for NGA-CSO interaction/collaboration.  For more information and other related inquiries, please contact Nikka Garriga of the UPCIDS-UNESCO Project on Social Inclusion at upcids.unesco@gmail.com or via mobile at 0966 168 1343. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS holds public lecture on the need for nuclear energy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cids-holds-public-lecture-on-the-need-for-nuclear-energy/",
        "html": "UP CIDS holds public lecture on the need for nuclear energy UP CIDS holds public lecture on the need for nuclear energy January 17, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Program on Social and Political Change and the Strategic Studies Program, together with the UP Department of Political Science, are co-organizing a public forum “Why We need Nuclear Energy” by Michael Shellenberger, President, Environmental Progress on Friday, 25 January 2019 at 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the Institute of Biology Auditorium.  In this provocative talk, Michael Shellenberger, a Time Magazine “Hero of the Environment,” award-winning author, and lifelong peace and environmental activist, will make the case for why we need nuclear energy to lift people out of poverty and protect the natural environment. Island nations like the Philippines, which imports 90 percent of its energy, need nuclear energy most of all. Nuclear can create thousands of high-paying jobs and save billions spent importing coal, oil, and natural gas. Renewables like solar and wind are too expensive, unreliable and require too much land. What’s standing in the way? Irrational fears. While it may sound shocking, nuclear energy is the safest way to make electricity. The reason? It produces no deadly smoke. While people were scared of Fukushima and other accidents, the only harm was from panic, not radiation, which proves that our fears of nuclear are more dangerous than the technology. Around the world, from the United States and Europe to South Korea and Taiwan, people are overcoming their fears and voting to re-start their nuclear plants — for economic and environmental reasons. What does this mean for Philippines, which already has a fully-built nuclear plant that it is too afraid to open? Come to the talk to learn more.  Shellenberger’s presentation will be followed by commentaries from Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, Professor of Chemistry from the Ateneo de Manila University and Engr. Roberto Verzola, President of the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology.  Michael Shellenberger’s profile can be found here.  Joining as discussants are Fabian Dayrit, RCh, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, Ateneo de Manila University and Roberto Verzola, President, Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman holds 107th General Commencement Exercises – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-holds-107th-general-commencement-exercises/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman holds 107th General Commencement Exercises IN PHOTOS: UP Diliman holds 107th General Commencement Exercises June 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Diliman candidates for graduation and their families and friends, UP officials and most respected faculty members, and guests from the diplomatic corps attend the University’s 107th commencement exercises on June 24, 2018 morning, at the UP Diliman Amphitheater, Quezon City.  Sen. Loren Legarda receives an honorary Doctor of Laws and delivers the commencement speech for UP Diliman’s 4,600 candidates for graduation, 3,576 with baccalaureate degrees and 1,042 with graduate diploma, masteral, and doctoral degrees. China Marie Giuliani Gabriel, candidate for BA Broadcast Communication, summa cum laude, gives the valedictory address.  The marches were accompanied by the UP ROTC Band, and intermission numbers provided by the UP Concert Chorus, Triple Fret, and Froilan Canlas.   (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman’s Oblation with a Sablay (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The candidates for graduation remain standing after the processional, their friends and families anticipating the start of ceremonies. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Board of Regents Chair J. Prospero de Vera, Member Ann Hofer, and Co-Chair Danilo Concepcion take turns vesting Sen. Loren Legarda with honorific regalia. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP Concert Chorus accompanied by Triple Fret sings “Awit ng Kabataan.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Candidates for graduation from the College of Law wear uniform sombreros. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     National Artists from the University, professors emeriti, and other senior faculty members take their seats early on in the program. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP ROTC Band on the Quezon Hall Bridge (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The candidates for graduation with their families and friends anticipating the start of ceremonies. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan welcomes the candidates for graduation, their guests, and the University’s guests. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan welcomes the candidates for graduation, their guests, and the University’s guests. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Sen. Loren Legarda, the UP Board of Regents, and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan face the candidates for graduation while the citation is read. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Sen. Loren Legarda and the UP Board of Regents face the candidates for graduation while the citation is read. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Sen. Loren Legarda is conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the University as led by the Board of Regents. With them are UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, who nominated her, and Legarda’s father Antonio Cabrera Legarda. (Photos by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Sen. Loren Legarda is congratulated by her father after she receives the honorary Doctor of Laws. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A somber moment during Sen. Loren Legarda’s commencement speech (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A light moment during Sen. Loren Legarda’s commencement speech (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Candidates for graduation cheer their college’s top academic honorees. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)        Candidates for graduation from the College of Mass Communication hold up uniform sunflower umbrellas. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The bearers of the University and national colors (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion takes a look at the candidates for graduation before conferring upon them their degrees. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Candidates for graduation symbolically receive their degrees from President Danilo Concepcion by shifting the Sablay from the right shoulder to the left. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The rows of UP’s new graduates turn into a sea of umbrellas as the sun rises to late morning. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     China Marie Giuliani Gabriel, summa cum laude, from the College of Mass Communication wraps up her valedictory address. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman’s new graduates sing the University Hymn. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)        Master of ceremonies Prof. Maria Rosel San Pascual and Prof. Oscar Serquiña Jr., with program managers in the background (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University’s top governing body as they sing “UP Naming Mahal” at the end of the ceremonies. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: 1,086 graduate from UPV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/1086-graduate-from-upv/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: 1,086 graduate from UPV IN PHOTOS: 1,086 graduate from UPV June 28, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Visayas (UPV) conferred degrees upon 1,086 graduates this year in two commencement exercises.  The first was in Miagao, Iloilo where 840 graduates from the Miagao and Iloilo City campuses received their degrees on June 22. The second was on June 26 in Tacloban, Leyte, where UPV Tacloban College (UPVTC) graduates numbered 246.  Ma. Sheena Escordial led the UPV Class of 2018. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics. In UPVTC, the college valedictorian was Kim Limosnero, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy, magna cum laude.  UP alumnus, former Senate President, and Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. Chairman Manuel Villar addressed the graduates in the Miagao campus ceremonies, while UPVTC’s commencement speaker was UP alumna and San Miguel Brewery Inc. Vice President and National Sales Manager Debbie Namalata. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     The UP Visayas Covered Court in the Miagao campus is all decked out for the commencement exercises. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Soon-to-be grads at the Iloilo City campus prep for the graduation ceremonies. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     People love taking photos with the sunflowers in Miagao, too. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A rainbow-colored fan keeps this future grad cool under the mid-afternoon sun. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Fixing a fellow Iska’s UP Sablay (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The processional hasn’t started yet but someone’s already waiting to give this bouquet to a graduate. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Kids watch the processional from the sidelines. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran introduces the commencement speaker, UP alumnus, former Senate President, Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. Chairman Manuel Villar. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Public service is not exclusive to politics and government service,” says Villar, adding that entrepreneurship is also a form of service. One piece of advice from him: “Embrace challenges and erase the idea of giving up.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Waiting to be presented as candidates for graduation (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     That moment of relief, happiness, and pride as they shift their UP Sablay from right to left, indicating that they have indeed graduated and earned their degrees. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, representing UP President Danilo Concepcion, looks at the approaching graduate with her diploma in his hand. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Showing their diploma folders proudly (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The distribution of diplomas continues well into the night. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Clockwise from top: UPV summa cum laude graduate Ma. Sheena Escordial reminisces about her stay in UPV and thanks all who have helped her along the way; seated with her fellow honor graduates, Celine Whayne Dusaban (BS Economics, magna cum laude) and Maynard Vargas (BS Computer Science, magna cum laude); and receiving the President’s Medallion with her parents. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The graduates pledge their loyalty to UP. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The University Hymn, “UP Naming Mahal,” serves as the backdrop of lightning rallies during commencement exercises. It is no different in UPV. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The exit of colors by the UP Rayadillo signal the start of the recessional. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The end of the formal ceremonies allows the graduates to let loose with wacky poses. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Kudos and daghang salamat, UP Mindanao Class of 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kudos-and-daghang-salamat-up-mindanao-class-of-2018/",
        "html": "Kudos and daghang salamat, UP Mindanao Class of 2018 Kudos and daghang salamat, UP Mindanao Class of 2018 July 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines in Mindanao saw its biggest batch of graduates so far at its 21st Commencement Exercises, held on June 26, 2018 at the Atrium of the Administration Building in Mintal, Davao City.  UP Mindanao Class of 2018 numbered 250, and produced eight magna cum laudes, including valedictory speaker and BS Computer Science graduate Cherrie Me Andrea E. Sun, and 59 cum laude graduates. This brings UP Mindanao’s total number of graduates to date to 3,072, according to Chancellor Sylvia B. Concepcion. In her message, the chancellor reminded this year’s crop of iskolar ng bayan: “It is your turn to pay forward through service to the Filipino people.” She added that the graduates, through their own example and exemplary practice, should “strengthen the belief among fellow Mindanawons that it is in quality education in UP Mindanao that the true path to a state of empowerment can be discerned.”     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials and faculty led by President Danilo Concepcion (Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     Joining the graduates was Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, who was conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, by UP President Danilo Concepcion at the event. Secretary de la Peña was UP System vice-president for Planning and Development when the original committee was constituted in August 1994 to study the feasibility of establishing a UP campus in Mindanao. Dela Peña was a member of that committee. In his commencement address, he regaled the audience with his recollections of UP Mindanao’s history. He recalled how then UP President Emil Q. Javier and Davao Congressman Elias Lopez pushed for the bill to establish UP Mindanao, leading to the signing of Republic Act 7889, formally creating UP Mindanao on February 20, 1995.  Sec. de la Peña also reminisced about having his picture taken with the first student dormers in UP Mindanao, UP Mindanao’s first commencement exercise in 1997 held for its first batch of Master of Management and Master of Urban and Regional Planning graduates, and the Bago Oshiro campus which had been part of the Bureau of Plant Industry, and the present campus in Tugbok, previously occupied by the 52nd Engineering Brigade of the AFP. He gave credit to the UP alumni of Davao who were instrumental in the establishment of UP’s sixth campus and who also established the UP Mindanao Foundation, Inc.; as well as to UP Mindanao’s pioneering faculty, including its first Chancellor Rogelio Cuyno, Prof. Marcy Dans Lee, Dr. Dulce Flores who established UP Mindanao’s Food Technology program, and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nilo Oponda. Finally, Sec. de la Peña also cited several prominent products of UP Mindanao, including Palanca awardee Errol A. Merquita, Davao City Counselor Antoinette Principe, doctorate degree-holder in Mathematics and UP Mindanao faculty member, Dr. Ritchie May Gamot, DOST Region XI Director Anthony Sales, and DOST Director in Compostela Valley Kenneth Barroga.     DOST Sec. Fortunato T. de la Peña is conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, by UP President Danilo Concepcion, with UP Regents Angelo Jimenez (standing, extreme left, with sash) and Francis Laurel (front, 2nd from right), and UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion assisting. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Aside from recalling UP Mindanao’s history, Sec. de la Peña also shared his own experiences as a fresh UP Chemical Engineering graduate starting out in the world to work. He passed on some lessons he learned from his experiences. First, if you’ve found the job you want to do or need to shift careers, it is best to do it before the age of 30. Second, be clear about your definition of success. And third, if the opportunity to do what you love presents itself—no matter how challenging it may seem at first—always say yes.  Finally, Sec. de la Peña also briefly described the current national administration’s thrusts toward promoting science and technology and the DOST’s programs, all of which aim to reduce inequality at every level, and to create new opportunities, whether in technopreneurship, capacity-building, or through DOST scholarships.     BS Computer Science, magna cum laude, graduate and recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal for Academic Excellence Cherrie Mae Andrea E. Sun speaks in behalf of Class 2018. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Cherrie Me Andrea E. Sun, who received the Chancellor’s Medal for Academic Excellence, urged her fellow graduates to continue to uphold what it means to be an iskolar ng bayan. “As iskolar ng bayan, we should go the extra mile. No matter where you are in life by that time—be it the manager of a big company, a village doctor, a volunteer or a government officer—remember our calling. Remember our mission. More than collecting memories that will put a smile on your face, use your abilities, serve the people, in order to collect the memories of the smiling faces of your countrymen. And we can do it together.”   (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     UP and UP Mindanao officials onstage following the processional, with commencement speaker and DOST Fortunato de la Peña in black toga in the middle, and UP President Danilo Concepcion to his right. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia B. Concepcion addressing the graduates. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     DOST Fortunato de la Peña delivering his commencement address. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UPMin graduates during DOST Fortunato de la Peña’s commencement address. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)        After UP President Concepcion officially conferred the degrees of Class 2018, the jubilant graduates shift their sablays from the right shoulder to the left. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UPMin graduates march onto the stage after Sun’s speech on behalf of Class 2018 to deliver a politically-charged message to their batchmates and the world. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Graduates, families, and faculty at the end of the 21st Commencement Exercises (Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Unboxing the RxBox – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/unboxing-the-rxbox/",
        "html": "Unboxing the RxBox Unboxing the RxBox September 5, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    In the UP Diliman infirmary, an annual physical exam means you go for the required tests from one department to another, falling in line for each test. Then you wait hours or days, going back to the same venues, for the results, before being finally ready for a doctor’s assessment of your general state of health.  The process is stressful and drawn out, but you’re more or less assured that all bases are covered. In a rural health facility, the situation is worse. All the equipment it will most likely have will be thermometers, stethoscopes, sphygmomanometers, weighing scales, and for expectant mothers, speculums.  The staff can tell you if you have fever, the state of your heartbeat, your blood pressure, your weight. If you’re expecting, they’ll tell you if the baby’s heartbeat is OK, and if you’re close to giving birth.  But don’t expect to get exact figures about a whole lot of other important things. They can only estimate the level of oxygen in your blood, which helps detect lung and cardiovascular problems. The staff will have difficulty measuring the fetus’s heart rate at critical times of the pregnancy and delivery, and the strength of a mother’s uterine contractions during labor and delivery, which indicates distress of the mother and the baby.  For such exact measurements, you would have to go to a better-equipped polyclinic in town, which is probably half a day’s travel away for most Filipinos.  That’s why the RxBox is a game-changer. It’s a life-saving invention of UP, in a box which combines several diagnostic devices for common medical problems, computerizing results, and electronically transmitting data.  The writer is fitted with a pulse oximeter and blood pressure monitor, as Dr. Alvin Marcelo, former director of the National Telehealth Center, and Dr. Portia Grace Marcelo, RxBox project leader, explain how the setup works, during the UP Knowledge Festival in April 2016. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  Doctors, health workers, physicists, computer scientists, and electrical and electronics engineers helped put this box together. This handheld machine has a blood pressure monitor, a pulse oximeter, an electrocardiogram (ECG), a fetal heart monitor and a maternal tocometer with fetal movement marker, and a temperature sensor—all built around a touch-screen tablet. Because it’s modular, it can be integrated with more devices in the future.  The RxBox can make many measurements in one sitting and can transmit them as a mobile and Internet device. Where there might be no doctors present, the health worker can make the measurements and send the results via telemedicine to a doctor who can respond immediately on remote. The potentials for faster and cheaper health services are obvious.  The tablet stores and transmits not only diagnostic results, but electronic medical records as well. With CHITS or the Community Health Information Tracking System—another homegrown and prizewinning UP Manila technological breakthrough—health workers need not pore over paper files to get to patients’ medical records.  You give all public health facilities mobile or Internet access and this device, and public health recording goes automatic. For this purpose, the configuration of the CHITS data sets has been aligned with the datasets of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). Organized mass-based data will improve public health policy and planning.  The tablet also has built-in data to help users make sense of measurements, which makes it useful as a medical training device.  Telehealth involves the patient being attended to by the health worker, the worker referring his or her case to doctors and institutions, and the encoding of data for public health information and planning, all using networked devices. Through the leadership of UP’s National Telehealth Center (NTHC), telehealth has been a pillar in the modernization of the country’s health care system since 2004. Foremost among its tools is the RxBox.  “When you think about telehealth and telemedicine, think about a long-running health program that is likewise research and service by the University. It’s continually being improved with technologies being tested with the people—frontline health workers—so that we can find the best ways to improve access to health care and achieve better equity in health,” says Dr. Portia Marcelo, lead RxBox investigator.  The RxBox was originally conceptualized for emergency cases at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The idea was for the first responders to be able to provide the hospital staff real-time information on the clinical status of the patient before he or she arrived at the hospital—alerting the staff to the personnel and equipment needed.  RxBox Program in Cabucgayan, Biliran in the Philippines (Photo from telehealth.ph)  The RxBox prototype was conceptualized as early as 2007 by Dr. Alvin Marcelo, then NTHC director, and Dr. Luis Sison of the UP Diliman College of Engineering. It is one of the first “emerging disciplines” projects of UP to have reached national policy levels.  Beginning from scratch, the device, CHITS, and telehealth underwent several iterations or versions through the years. Deployment to 169 rural health units refined the RxBox to its current design.  The RxBox now enables the National Telehealth Service Program (NTSP) being directed by a National E-Health Steering Committee, which was formed as part of UP’s advocacy for governance of e-health initiatives in the country.  Led by the DOH and the Department of Science and Technology, with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Commission on Higher Education, PhilHealth, and UP Manila, the committee is bent on scaling up the deployment of RxBox under the NTSP.  “The RxBox 1,000 project has been launched and will deploy these technologies to a thousand of the country’s 3,500 towns. The poorest of the poor municipalities are our priority,” Dr. Portia Marcelo says.  With widespread use and confidence, bigger demand is expected. Making an industry out of the RxBox will no longer be far-fetched. The manufacture of a thousand units in one go, for full deployment early next year, will be proof of the viability of commercialization.  This could be the country’s gift of innovation for national industrialization, and health care in the world, according to Marcelo. And as a UP product, RxBox emerged out of UP’s mandate to serve the country’s poor and underserved masses, which is perhaps its greatest value added. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: Public Service in Higher Education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-public-service-in-higher-education/",
        "html": "The UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: Public Service in Higher Education The UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: Public Service in Higher Education March 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Raul G. Bradecina, Ph.D. SUC President III Partido State University Camarines Sur  The University of the Philippines is succeeding in making public service an essential part of the higher education program. For Partido State University, the public service arm of UP has enabled a budding and growing University to access UP’s expertise to capacitate its faculty members as well as help enhance PSU students’ competency in highly technical courses where faculty members having advanced degrees are lacking or inadequate. For instance, UP has been consistently sending its experts from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) to conduct lectures for our geology students.  UP has assisted PSU in forging research collaborative ties with research institutions here and abroad. True to its mission of shaping the minds that shape the nation, its faculty members, in their personal capacity, have shared opportunities for collaborative research engagements with budding researchers of PSU. The efforts of scientists and professors of UP Visayas and UP Los Banos to motivate, mentor and link PSU faculty researchers to their networks of research institutions and organizations not only boost our faculty members’ confidence but also improve our institutional capacity for research and development.  UP helps small and growing higher education institutions (HEIs) and state universities and colleges (SUCs) like PSU to accelerate their development as an institution of higher learning. It sends its curriculum and disciplinary experts to help PSU redesign its curriculums to achieve outcomes-based education (OBE) and develop demonstrable student competencies.  HEIs and SUCs like PSU gain many opportunities from UP public service. First, it informs SUCs of UP services and resources that can be accessed. Second, it provides assistance to its clientele in accessing services and resources to the fullest. Third, it provides advice on how clientele SUCs could maximize the benefits in terms of capacitating and developing them for opportunities accessed. HEIs or SUCs can gain both opportunities in research, extension and instruction capacity development and related resources to support and sustain their growth. The networks and linkages that UP has developed and nurtured over the years are being offered to SUCs and HEIs so that they too, like PSU, could be mainstreamed to the global networks of academic institutions, gain insight from the experience and grow.  Collaborating with UP through its public service program helps PSU financially through partnering and sharing of resources in implementing academic-related activities. Because it has its own budget for public service, UP shoulders its own expenses in joint engagements, thus greatly reducing the expenditure of partner SUCs in implementing such activities mutually agreed by UP and PSU. We suggest that UP should scale up its public service program in assisting HEIs and SUCs in the provinces. Also, there is a need for increased budget for its public service program for UP to fully implement activities that will further help strengthen higher education programs in the country.  Dr. Amihan April M. Alcazar National President Philippine Association of Extension Program Implementers, Inc. (PAEPI) University President, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig  The Philippine Association of Extension Program Implementers, Inc. (PAEPI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization whose aim is to make extension on the same level of professional practice as teaching and research in the country’s colleges and universities.  Its vision is to elevate the level of the discipline to make it an effective means of social and individual transformation. To that end, PAEPI organizes capability training conventions, where paper presentations are made and is in the process of compiling those inputs into a professional journal.  The country is still in the process of making public service an essential part of higher education. With the impact of K-12, professors can now be involved in extension and public service activities during the transition period from 2016-2018.  The constraints are institutional in nature, as every higher educational institution has different policies governing the conduct of extension and public service programs. The suggestion made to the Commission on Higher Education during the Extension Conference in 2015, was to institutionalize the framework for the policies governing extension programs.  Opportunities are now available because of the Commission on Higher Education K-12 Transition Program which includes funds for innovation. These funds should be applied for and accessed by higher educational institutions so that extension and public service programs can be conducted during the transition period. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-health-wellness-and-heritage/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE July 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Question: Why are health and wellness important in a university setting? What are the major health and wellness issues being faced by the system or by your constituent university or campus? What steps are being taken at your level to address these concerns? What more do you think can or should be done to improve health and wellness on campus?  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa Executive Vice President UP System        Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa  Executive Vice President  UP System  The University is where one increases his or her knowledge on subjects of higher education, whether in the creative arts or in science and innovation technologies. The power of the intellect cannot be separated from the well-functioning bodily systems. For the mind to function efficiently, all body systems must be functioning at their peak and efficiently. The health and wellness of the students, faculty and staff cannot be relegated to a lower priority. Health is a state free from illness and wellness is the level of functioning of the body, mind, and spirit.  On our UP Manila campus, we suffer from the physical lack of spaces in which one can walk, jog, or exercise with clean air. The campus has become congested as many units have been crammed into a limited land area. Aside from these physical deficiencies, the area around Taft Avenue is filled with polluted air from the exhaust of jeepneys and buses that traverse the front of UP Manila.  Healthy environments need to be created for the students and faculty with proper solid waste management including rodent and vector control, healthy meals, food safety, air quality, and ample open spaces with plenty of trees to create a healthy environment for both body and soul. UP Manila is a no smoking campus. Programs for smoking cessation also need to be implemented. On campuses as big as UP Diliman, road safety also needs to be addressed. Lastly, we want a university that is free from illegal drugs and substances.  When I was a visiting professor in Malaysia, their faculty center had a proper gym and across their campus was a huge park and football field. Time was allotted for exercise and it was considered official time.                                  "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION : HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-health-wellness-and-heritage-2/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION : HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION : HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE July 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Question: Why are health and wellness important in a university setting? What are the major health and wellness issues being faced by the system or by your constituent university or campus? What steps are being taken at your level to address these concerns? What more do you think can or should be done to improve health and wellness on campus?     Prof. Cecile Leah T. Bayaga Department of Food Science and Nutrition College of Home Economics UP Diliman  Prof. Cecile Leah T. Bayaga  Department of Food Science and Nutrition  College of Home Economics  UP Diliman  Most people hold health and wellness as an ideal, but in order to truly achieve a state of optimal wellness or well-being, one must first be clear about its meaning. Although there is no universally accepted definition of wellness, below are a few definitions:  “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization)  “We view wellness as much more than just a state of physical health. It also encompasses emotional stability, clear thinking, the ability to love, create, embrace change, exercise intuition and experience a continuing sense of spirituality.” (The Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine)  “Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.” (National Wellness Institute)  “Wellness is an active, lifelong process of becoming aware of choices and making decisions toward a more balanced and fulfilling life. Wellness involves choices about our lives and our priorities that determine our lifestyles.” (Arizona State University)  Therefore, optimum health and wellness is more than having a sound body and eating adequately. Wellness encompasses all aspects that enable a human being to have a fulfilled and satisfied existence.  Wellness can have a positive impact on work and academic success. By choosing and establishing healthy habits in nutrition, exercise, and other areas of wellness, an individual can set him/herself up to be more successful in academics and work.  In addition, many of the activities that keep a person healthy can also improve mental focus, lower stress. levels, and improve the quality of study/work time. For example, regular physical movement increases mental energy and improves mental performance by providing more oxygen to the brain through increased blood flow. The brain burns energy at ten times the rate of other body tissues and uses 20% of the body’s fuel. It is therefore important to consume enough water and nutrients to optimize brain function. This optimization of brain functions will make an individual’s time spent on thinking more focused and effective.  College campuses are more akin to small communities composed of students and employees ranging from service workers to senior-level faculty and administrators.   Therefore, the issues and/or concerns on health and wellness faced by a university/campus are dependent on the concerned subpopulation.  In one of our classroom activities in FN 10 (Food Trip), an MST GE, a significant number of students for the past five years has expressed the need for more stalls around the university that sell more vegetable dishes, fruit varieties, and non-fried and non-processed snack items that are affordable. The students also mentioned the need for nutrition messages or information posted or disseminated throughout the campus.  For faculty and staff, there is probably a need for a regular, sustainable, and administration-supported or endorsed nutrition, health and wellness program at the college or university level. Most of the time, wellness programs initiated by different units are short-lived, and the majority of the programs concentrate on exercise and eating right. Emphasis should also be given to stress management, thinking effectively, and working more productively.  At the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, nutrition lectures and counselingfor students and staff are conducted as part of class activities in nutrition education and diet therapy. The Department also organizes nutrition lectures, aerobics, or zumba activities for the staff. These are small, low-impact activities. However, these lectures, if attended by the staff, and if nutrition counselingis held regularly, are likely to contribute to the nutrition and health quotient of the university. The University Health service offers dietary/nutrition counseling. However, additional manpower is needed to provide counseling or advise to more than 20,000 students and more than 2,000 faculty members and administrative staff. The current project on the reconceptualization of the UP Health Service is a laudable effort in increasing the health-seeking behavior of university constituents.  There is so much still to be done to improve the health and wellness on campus. To my knowledge, there has been no genuine study that has looked into the following aspects:  The health and wellness needs/concerns of the various university constituents; How these needs/concerns are identified; The expected health outcomes of these needs and concerns which may include healthcare cost reduction, health behavior change, increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, or reduction in employee turnover; The support needed from the administration for regularity and uniformity across colleges and units and steadiness of health and wellness programs to be offered; and How partnerships with the communities around the University can be formed and maximized for the implementation of the nutrition, health, and wellness programs that will be created.  Participation should be incentivized to achieve enrollment and involvement in a wellness program. Incentives can take many forms such as financial incentives, paid time off work, and material rewards. However, most researchers believe that financial incentives are the most effective. Accessibility of facilities, ability to include family members, a supportive work environment, and encouragement from management and co-workers are also considered incentives to participation that remove several of the barriers that typically get in the way of participation. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-health-wellness-and-heritage-3/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND HERITAGE July 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Question: Why are health and wellness important in a university setting? What are the major health and wellness issues being faced by the system or by your constituent university or campus? What steps are being taken at your level to address these concerns? What more do you think can or should be done to improve health and wellness on campus?  Health and wellness are fundamental concerns in a university setting. There is a need to proactively promote good health and optimum wellness among university constituents—students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Health and wellness programs are important in ensuring the productivity of university employees. They should address health concerns and provide healthy options that could reduce health care costs and increase vitality among university constituents to function productively in the university.  The university creates an environment that supports a healthy way of life.  Dr. Sue Liza C. Saguiguit Department of Human and Family Development Studies College of Human Ecology UP Los Baños  Providing a healthy life in campus involves addressing the states of physical, mental and social well-being of university constituents. It is an evolving process, with the aim of providing an enabling environment for its constituents to achieve total human development. The state of human beings results from the interrelations between them and their social and physical environment. In the context of a university as a healthy community, creating and improving the social and physical environments for people to develop their maximum potential and contribute productively to the university is of prime importance.  Health is a resource for personal and professional goals to be achieved and for the development of the institution. In an effort to provide an enabling environment to achieve these goals, UPLB supports the health and well-being of its constituents and their families in different stages of life through human development programs and is creating a campus environment conducive to learning and boosting health and well-being.  UPLB provides programs for the total development of its constituents—individuals, their families and the community. The programs are anchored on disciplinal thrusts and serve as instructional and research laboratories. UPLB also provides services to the immediate community. In UPLB, most of the health and wellness-related programs are initiated by the College of Human Ecology. As a discipline, Human Ecology promotes the holistic understanding of human development across the life stages in the context of its social, natural and the built environment.  The thrusts of the College of Human Ecology are in the areas of human development, human nutrition, social development, and human settlements planning. The College has four units, the Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS), Institute of Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF), Department of Social Development Services (DSDS), and the Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning (DCERP).  The Department of Human and Family Development (DHFDS) has programs that serve as instructional and research laboratories for students and provide services for families of faculty and staff of the university. The Day Care Laboratory is a program to promote developmental experiences to children, ages 2-3 years old, and provide them alternative or supplementary care while their parents are working in the campus. The Child Development Laboratory is a program for early childhood development for children ages 3-5 years old. It has served as a preschool for children of UPLB employees for the last 52 years.  The Elderly Development Program attends to the needs of the elderly members 60 years old and above, of the UPLB community. It caters to the needs of senior faculty members, staff, alumni, and recent retirees of the university. It provides activities for the holistic development of the elderly. The Elderly Development Program provides regular health and wellness seminars, nutrition counseling among others. Moreover, the DHFDS has a Day Care Resource Center, a program that provides capacity building initiatives and technical assistance for child development and day care workers of the community, and neighboring municipalities and provinces.  The Institute for Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF) offers a program for the nutritional well-being of UPLB constituents and nearby communities, through its Nutrition and Wellness Clinic. IHNF provides nutrition screening and counseling to UPLB constituents. In addition, a Lactation Station has also been established for nursing/lactating university staff.  Some initiatives that need to be done to improve health and wellness on campus include:  There is a need to pursue more health and wellness programs that are holistic in nature and would entail multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary collaboration among academic units. It would also promote integration of disciplines in addressing complex health related issues. Such comprehensive programs could be considered as social laboratories and provide the necessary exposure and learning opportunities for our faculty, staff, and students, towards a healthy university.  Further, health-related programs would encourage opportunities for collaboration with the local government and government agencies to be beneficial not only to the University but the immediate community.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP welcomes Soka University officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-welcomes-soka-university-officials/",
        "html": "UP welcomes Soka University officials UP welcomes Soka University officials October 3, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   (From left to right) Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro, International Program Coordinator Emmie Miyagawa, Office of International Affairs Director Hiroki Shimoide, Former UP President Jose Abueva, and Soka Gakkai International Philippines General Director Hisako Alcantara in a quiet conversation on a Balay Kalinaw balcony. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP welcomed top officials of Soka University with ceremonies that celebrated the multifaceted connection between the universities and between their people.  The visit by Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro, Office of International Affairs Director Hiroki Shimoide, and International Program Coordinator Emmie Miyagawa on September 24, 2019 included: a tour of the Balay Kalinaw and of a donation to the complex of eight photographs taken by their university’s founder; and, the opening of the “Seeds of Hope” exhibit of an international Buddhist network at the Palma Hall Lobby.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan welcomes Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro, International Program Coordinator Emmie Miyagawa, and Office of International Affairs Director Hiroki Shimoide on the Palma Hall steps. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Tashiro, Shimoide, and Miyagawa were met by: esteemed personalities of the University, led by former UP President Jose Abueva and UP Diliman (UPD) Chancellor Michael Tan; members of the Buddhist network, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), in the Philippines; and, alumni and visiting students of Soka University in the Philippines.     A photograph of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda downloaded from his full profile at https://www.daisakuikeda.org     Soka University was founded by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the donor of UP Diliman’s Balay Kalinaw and after whom the hall was alternately named. Ikeda also happens to be the founding president of SGI.     The facade of Balay Kalinaw along Dagohoy Street, UP Diliman. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Balay Kalinaw is a symbol of our friendship of over 30 years with the University of the Philippines,” Tashiro said, after visiting the complex.  He relayed Ikeda’s message where he recalled the inauguration of the Balay Kalinaw on May 11, 1993, when Ikeda quoted Jose Rizal’s poem on dying without seeing the dawn. In one essay about that occasion, Ikeda narrated an emotional connection with Abueva, whose family was a casualty of the last world war. Ikeda had spoken of his own family’s sufferings from the war, and that he, like Abueva, became committed to world peace as a result.     A souvenir photo on the Palma Hall steps of: Former UP President Jose Abueva with visiting officials, students, and alumni of Soka University; members of the Soka Gakkai International Philippines; and, UP System and UP Diliman officials and staff members, including Prof. Mary Ann Espina who was the lead architect of Balay Kalinaw. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Ikeda first met Abueva in 1990, after which they corresponded regularly with each other. Ikeda officially visited UP in 1991 to attend the graduation ceremonies. Their discussions, both face-to-face and written, formed the framework of a recently published work.  The Balay Kalinaw became a major project of the Abueva presidency. Named with the Visayan word for “peace”, the structure offers spaces for many academic and related events, social gatherings, offices, and housing.     Reproduction of photos of flowers and Soka University taken by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda now on display at Balay Kalinaw. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “We are convinced that Dr. Ikeda’s photos will warmly watch over the people who come to visit this place in search of peace,” Tashiro said.     The ceremonial turnover of photographs from Soka University officials to UP officials. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “We are gathered here tonight to receive a new set of memories that will further bond us together: Soka [University] and UP Diliman,” Program Development Associate Gilda Uy of the UPD Office of International Linkages added at the donation ceremony for the photographs.     Program Development Associate Gilda Uy of the UP Diliman Office of International Linkages introduces speakers and performers in the Palma Hall lobby program. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “I sincerely wish today’s conferral [of photographs] ceremony will lead to further development and exchange between the two universities,” Ikeda was quoted by Tashiro. Tashiro narrated how Ikeda once again alluded to Jose Rizal in saying:”Educational exchange is the soil in which the seeds of peace will sprout and grow.”     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro exchange tokens of appreciation and icons of their universities. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     According to UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto, he would like to see not just more student exchange between the two universities but also more interaction between the two faculties, especially for research.     A deed of donation for Dr. Daisaku Ikeda’s photographs is signed by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia on behalf of UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan; and Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro and Office of International Affairs Director Hiroki Shimoide. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     On the exhibit, “Seeds of Hope: Visions of Sustainability, Steps Toward Change”, which has gone around the world since 2010, UP Vice President Elena Pernia read the message of UP President Danilo Concepcion: “We in UP welcome its vision of our interconnectedness as human beings in the greater community of life. We welcome its message that we need to widen our circle of compassion and love to encompass more than just our tribes, but the entirety of nature as well.”     General Director Hisako Alcantara of Sokka Gakkai International Philippines introduces the “Seeds of Hope” exhibit and the philosophy of her organization that was founded by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The exhibit is mounted by SGI, a community-based Buddhist network linking 12 million members in 192 countries and territories around the world in promoting peace, culture and education. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.     Soka University Board of Trustees Chair Yasunori Tashiro, General Director Hisako Alcantara of Soka Gakkai International Philippines, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia cut the ribbon to inaugurate the “Seeds of Hope” exhibit in the Palma Hall lobby. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The ceremonies were accompanied by music and dance performed by the Kontemporaryong Gamelang Pilipino.     UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto, who is also the director of the System Office of International Linkages , wrapping up his closing remarks, finds a photography philosophy in common with Dr. Daisaku Ikeda’s. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss COVID medications, updates – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-covid-medications-updates/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss COVID medications, updates UP webinar to discuss COVID medications, updates February 10, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The Omicron variant is now the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in the Philippines. Amid the early 2022 surge, thankfully, more COVID-19 medications have sprung up, such as molnupiravir, Paxlovid, remdesivir, and more.  Are these safe and effective treatments against COVID-19? What are the dangers of self-medication and online buying of certain unrecommended drugs? How can we make these accessible and readily available for everyone?  This week’s episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, titled “COVID-19 Medications: Epektibo Ba?” will discuss the latest updates on the virus, vaccines, and prescribed medicines. Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña, Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health, and a member of the Department of Health’s Technical Advisory Group, will be the main speaker.  Dr. Mary Ann Lansang, esteemed infectious diseases specialist and clinical epidemiologist, and Dr. Maria Ofelia Ocana-Alcantara, mayor of the municipality of Tolosa, Leyte, will also be part of this week’s webinar’s panel.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and stay on top of the facts, the evidence, and the science on the treatment of COVID-19.  The UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Stanford University link up for Law programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-stanford-university-link-up-for-law-programs/",
        "html": "UP, Stanford University link up for Law programs UP, Stanford University link up for Law programs June 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Representatives signing the MOU (L-R): UP Law BGC Program External Executive Director Diane A. Desierto, WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University Executive Director Prof. David J. Cohen, Ph.D., UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan (Photo by Pedro Malicdem Jr., UP College of Law)     The University of the Philippines College of Law and the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University signed a memorandum of understanding on June 11.  With a track record of active in-country and regional engagement in academic and professional teaching, as well as institutional collaboration on the justice sector and human rights, the WSD Handa Center is entering into this long-term strategic partnership and collaboration with the University.     UP-Stanford University law education collaboration led by WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University Executive Director Prof. David J. Cohen, Ph.D. and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (Photo by Pedro Malicdem Jr., UP College of Law)     The memorandum specifies: “UP College of Law will engage in long-term cooperation on programmatic, project, and academic activities with the WSD Handa Center in regard to ASEAN research, policies, training, teaching, and future extension programs for ASEAN institutions.”  This collaboration placed UP College of Law as the Southeast Asian partner and the WSD Handa Center as the North American partner. “UP College of Law will become an important regional leader in legal education in ASEAN,” as stated in the memorandum.  Representatives of the two institutions who signed the memorandum of understanding were: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan, UP Law BGC Program External Executive Director Diane A. Desierto, and the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University Executive Director Prof. David J. Cohen, Ph.D.     L-R: Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, UP College of Law Professor Ryan Oliva, UP Law BGC Program External Executive Director Diane A. Desierto, WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University Executive Director Prof. David J. Cohen, Ph.D., UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan, and Visiting Professor Jose Manuel de Torres Perez from the University of Malaga in Spain. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Also present during the signing were Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, UP College of Law Professor Ryan Oliva and Visiting Professor Jose Manuel de Torres Perez from the University of Malaga in Spain. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP recognizes the largest number of UP Scientists in its history – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-recognizes-the-largest-number-of-up-scientists-in-its-history/",
        "html": "UP recognizes the largest number of UP Scientists in its history UP recognizes the largest number of UP Scientists in its history March 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Scientists take to the stage at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “As scientists, you are all responsible for the innovations that uplift our people’s lives, as well as for the growth of global knowledge,” UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa said. He added, “I also believe that UP scientists are the best exponents of a manner of thinking sorely needed today – one that elevates evidence over opinion, values clarity over obfuscation, and that is committed to the truth above all else.”  It was this insight that opened the awarding ceremony of the UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) 2017-2019 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni on March 21, 2018. Since 2005, the SPS has encouraged and rewarded the productivity of UP scientists by giving monetary and institutional support to a select crop of qualified researchers.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista congratulates UP Scientists for their world-class and impactful research. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The productivity of scientists is evaluated based on publications in reputable scholarly journals and books, peer-reviewed technological outputs, as well as professional and scientific standing in the international community. Awardees are conferred the official title of ‘UP Scientist’, which they hold for three years, as well as a monetary prize whose amount depends on whether one is in the first, second or third Scientist rank.  The rank of UP Scientist can subsequently be renewed or upgraded depending on the grantee’s productivity. Regular, full time faculty, research faculty and researchers (REPS) from UP who meet the necessary qualifications are all eligible.     UP Scientist III awardees from UPLB pose with EVP Herbosa, Chancellor Sanchez and VP Bautista. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     According to UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, the current batch of awardees is historic in being the largest number compared to their predecessors. The 2017-2019 batch featured 36 new appointees from across the UP System, together with 35 retained or promoted researchers. UP Los Baños had the greatest number of representatives, with 22 qualifiers for the rank of Scientist I, three for Scientist II, and nine for Scientist III.     Kelly Peralejo from the UP College of Music performed during the event intermission. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     At the ceremonies, Herbosa and Bautista were joined by the chancellors of UP’s different constituent universities (CUs) in individually recognizing each awardee, including UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, who was himself named Scientist I. Bautista said that the historic number of awardees in this year’s ceremony was evidence of UP’s growing influence as a node of high quality research “that changes the way society sees its and its problems, and the way they can be solved.” UP’s improved research performance was also recently reflected in its improved rank in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Ranking, where it rose to 156th place, due in large part to the recent rise in citations of papers written by UP scholars.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa addresses the awardees on behalf of UP President Danilo Concepcion. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The awarding ceremony was also a prelude, Bautista said, to a planned celebration that the University was planning to hold in June together with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to celebrate the contributions of UP scientists to the nation. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)  To learn more about the Scientific Productivity System, visit: http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-scientific-productivity-system-2/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CMC Journalism department inaugurates new news lab, classroom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cmc-journalism-department-inaugurates-new-news-lab-classroom/",
        "html": "UP CMC Journalism department inaugurates new news lab, classroom UP CMC Journalism department inaugurates new news lab, classroom May 15, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Jane Llanes, head of the San Miguel Corporation Media Relations and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan. lead the ribon-cutting (Photo courtesy of UP CMC)     A new news laboratory and classroom of the UP Journalism Department of the College of Mass Communication were inaugurated on May 7. These new facilities were an endowment from business tycoon Ramon S. Ang.  Leading the ribbon-cutting were Jane Llanes, head of the San Miguel Corporation Media Relations and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan. According to Llanes, the personal donation of Mr. Ang is part of his continued support for higher education.     (Photo courtesy of UP CMC)     “The Php2-million donation was solicited by the UP Journalism Department to sustain its laboratory, which had 12-year old computers that could no longer accommodate new programs in Print and Web design and Data Journalism. The Laboratory (room M209) received an overhaul with: the latest All-in-One computers with bundled software; a Smart TV; an environment-friendly inverter air-conditioning; a new projector and screen; and, new tables and chairs. The Laboratory is currently used for several courses, including J117 Online Journalism, J121 The Newsroom, J122 Publications Design and J116 Data Journalism,” according to UP CMC.  Among other improvements are the upgrading of room M207 into a seminar room with a set of multimedia equipment, such as a Smart TV, an LCD projector and a projector screen also to be used for Journalism master classes by other CMC departments. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP ID to get an upgrade – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-id-to-get-an-upgrade/",
        "html": "UP ID to get an upgrade UP ID to get an upgrade June 21, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    UP students and employees are about to say goodbye to the barcoded UP ID as the new and improved radio frequency identification (RFID)/near-field communication (NFC) UP cards will be rolled out soon.     UP President Danilo Concepcion (second from left) and PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea (third from left) show the mock-ups of the new UP ID for employees and students. Joining them are UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo (leftmost) and PayMaya Managing Director and COO Paolo Azzola (rightmost). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The University has signed a memorandum of agreement with PayMaya on June 20 for the creation and deployment of the cards as well as the accompanying facilities needed for the use of the new UP ID.  According to UP President Danilo Concepcion, the project was first envisioned as a meal card for students on scholarship programs with food allowance. He said he asked IT experts in UP how the University can employ a system similar to some establishments where money is loaded onto a card and the card is used to buy food and beverages. “And they told me PayMaya has that system. PayMaya was, coincidentally, also looking at UP as a potential partner for the deployment of its services.”  From a meal card, the project evolved into the “powered up” UP ID, where students can receive their allowances and stipends, and pay for dormitory and other school fees, among others.     Top photo: UP President Danilo Concepcion (second from left) and PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea (third from left) sign the memorandum of agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. Signing as witnesses are UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo (leftmost) and PayMaya Managing Director and COO Paolo Azzola (rightmost). Bottom photo: The customary handshake of the top executives to show a sealed partnership (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea emphasized that the partnership with UP plays a big part in an even broader initiative toward digital financial inclusion in the country. “There is a confluence of objectives,” he said, of PayMaya’s undertakings and the goal of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that at least “20% of all commercial transactions are digital by 2020.”  The RFID/NFC UP ID will primarily be used for internal University transactions such as those in libraries, offices, and cafeterias. It will also be used for access and timekeeping.     UP President Danilo Concepcion and PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea hold up the mock-ups of the new UP ID, showing the front (Concepcion) and back (Vea) portions. With them are, from left, UP Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy; PLDT Enterprise Senior Relationship Manager Jojo Alonzo; PayMaya Enterprise Head Tisha Quinitio; PLDT Assistant Vice President and Public Sector Head of PLDT Alpha Joy Hilao; PLDT Enterprise Senior Relationship Manager Rossana Lim; UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo; PayMaya Managing Director and COO Paolo Azzola; PLDT Senior Vice President and Group Controller, and Smart Communications CFO Chaye Cabal-Revilla; PLDT Smart Vice President for Finance Marisa Conde ; PayMaya Associate Director and Head of Integrated Marketing Group Heidi Anne Garayblas; PayMaya Enterprise Manager Cris Tagle; UP Information Technology Development Center (UP ITDC) Director Paulo Noel Paje; UP ITDC Deputy Director and Assistant Professor of Computer Science Rommel Feria; UP Assistant Vice President for Administration Ariel Betan; and UP Deputy General Counsel for Corporate Affairs Eunice Saño. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Students and employees across the UP System will have the option to avail of PayMaya’s financial services that are external to the University. However, these have to be activated by the users as the new UP IDs to be issued are inactive for these services.  These additional external financial services by PayMaya are not endorsed by UP nor required by UP of its constituents. Should the UP ID owners decide to enable these services, provided that the cards are valid and active, theirs will be a private and personal agreement with PayMaya.  The deployment of the new UP ID is expected to begin in August of this year. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The psychology of decent wages – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-psychology-of-decent-wages/",
        "html": "The psychology of decent wages The psychology of decent wages November 12, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   An evening transaction at Bheng’s Sari-Sari Store, Barangay Pansol, Quezon City. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     What does it mean to be able to live a “decent life”? Is it getting paid a certain salary? Does money even sufficiently capture its meaning?  These are just some of the questions that have continually run through the mind of Jose Antonio “Ton” Clemente recently. Since his PhD training at the University of Macau, Clemente has become a firm believer that psychologists like him could play a role in solving issues like social inequality in the country. And as a freshly minted PhD in 2017, he decided that he would focus his energies on seeing if he could work towards realizing that possibility.  But can Social Psychology, as he believes, really offer something positive to the social justice conversation beyond what tried-and-tested factors like wages and prices provide?  This 2018, with help from his friends, Clemente seems to be zeroing in on his answer. As the only UP-based author in a soon-to-be-released study, he and his colleagues have found that the freedom people have to pursue goals that they value, given a certain income level, can have significant effects on their overall well-being. Experts like Clemente call these beliefs “perceived capabilities,” and they could soon redefine how we understand concepts like ‘fair pay’ in our country in the years to come.     A dismal topic  With its ungarnished view of the human factors underlying social inequality, even Clemente admits that the Social Psychology of Social Class was one topic even he hesitated to tackle.  “I was very much a showbiz person,” admits Clemente, who was better known for his work on values and interpersonal relationships. “Early on, I was not very comfortable with topics that were sad or bleak, because these topics make you have to face reality.”     Dr. Jose Antonio Clemente in the office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apprenticing abroad under Prof. Allan Bernardo for his PhD, however, Clemente felt he could hide no longer. Being part of a laboratory that dealt with the psychology of social inequality eventually opened him up to new ideas and new goals. After exposure to critical texts in the field as well as to the plight of Filipino migrants in Macau, Clemente ultimately decided to bring this relevant approach back home. “I just got older, and it was time to face more difficult conversations.”  And it was back home where Clemente got introduced to his current approach and his present co-authors. At the 2017 summer school of the Asian Association for Social Psychology, Clemente joined Ateneo’s Mendiola Teng-Calleja and Ma. Ligaya Menguito to study under the humanitarian work psychologist, Stuart Carr, and find how “capabilities” could be used to understand social phenomena like wages. But what exactly are capabilities?  Clemente describes capabilities as the freedom of individuals to pursue goals that they value. These goals can be tangible or intangible (e.g. a nice house, good social relationships). Thus, pursuing them involves a balance of personal agency and freedom from social constraints.  As psychologists, the trio naturally studied a person’s subjective perception of his/her capabilities and how these might predict performance, depending on monthly income. “We argue that this emphasizes the value of interpretations,” Clemente says. “The government can define the poverty line or the middle class at a certain income level. But as an individual, you still have your own perspective on it—maybe I don’t personally feel that poor or wealthy despite my category. And that’s the subjective element we want to put forward, that the way a person sees these material things is crucial in predicting outcomes.”     Magandang Buhay  To determine what Filipinos actually value in life, Clemente and his group utilized dimensions from a study in 2000 by UP psychologist Lynna Marie SyCip and her colleagues that directly asked people that question. Using a combination of focus groups and a nationwide survey, SyCip identified 11 indicators of magandang buhay or “the good life” according to Filipinos. These ranged from physical health to being able to practice one’s religion and spiritual life.     Eleven domains of magandang-buhay: ‘The eleven domains of Magandang Buhay. (Infographic by Peter Drapeza, UP MPRO)     Clemente’s group used these indicators to find the discrepancy between what people valued and their perceived attainability. They asked 500 middle- and lower-income Filipinos to rate the importance of each “good life’”indicator; then they subtracted from these scores separate ratings of how achievable participants thought these domains were, given their present incomes. These resulting differences resulted in what they called “capability gaps.”  For this study, the group wanted to see if capability gaps could predict so-called organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), or prosocial actions at work that go beyond contracted tasks. These behaviors, they thought, could be viewed as both wellness and job performance indicators. And as the group predicted, the less monthly income participants received and the greater the gap was between what they found important and their ability to pursue them, the less prosocial behaviors they tended to display at work.  What did surprise Clemente, however, were other findings that made less intuitive sense. While middle- income Filipinos performed more OCBs in general than their lower income counterparts, the group found stranger results in the domains of: a) housing, b) social relationships, and c) religion.  Specifically, when the housing gap grew large (i.e. people were less confident of attaining good housing when they rated it as important), the group found that lower-income participants began to perform significantly less OCBs than middle income participants. Curiously, this trend reversed in the domains of social relationships and religion. For the latter two, when capability gaps grew larger, the more prosocial acts were performed by lower income participants compared to middle income ones.  While even Clemente thinks his explanations of these are tentative, he goes out on a limb nonetheless: “I think this emphasizes the importance of housing, and how some people might really be struggling to get a house of their own or to pay rent. Also, if social relationships or religion are important to me and I can’t achieve them, I devote extra effort in the workplace. Because that’s where the gaps created in my relationships due to my income are filled. That’s where I will nurture relationships,” he continues. These, he says, run counter to the more middle-class tendency to keep professional and personal domains relatively distinct.     Thriving  Having modeled how Psychology can leave its mark on the wage discussion, he and the group, together with graduate student Donald Jay Bertulfo, are preparing to release a paper in 2019 which utilizes capabilities and the magandang buhay framework to calculate a living wage that, at P885 per day, independently approximates the figures pegged by the IBON Foundation and other concerned groups.     A busy day for a street sweeper in Katipunan, Quezon City. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “It’s an economic concept,” Clemente says of the living wage, “But we are also arguing that it is important psychologically.” While other approaches primarily center on one’s ability to afford enough food for subsistence, he believes Social Psychology can help shift the discussion from merely eating and surviving to leading a decent life, which is the essence of a living wage.  “It is not just about buying food. Because what if food is not as important as religion, or knowledge, or social relationships? What we are saying is that it is an accumulation,” he argues.  Is the group asking too much? Clemente certainly doesn’t think so. “The amount isn’t a lot, but people would feel that they are living a decent life. And isn’t that an achievement? They’re not just surviving but thriving.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "How Do You Make a Carillon Sing? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-do-you-make-a-carillon-sing/",
        "html": "How Do You Make a Carillon Sing? How Do You Make a Carillon Sing? January 10, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    There is a structure in the University of the Philippines whose music has survived some of the most tumultuous years of the 20th century. No symbol other than the Oblation captures the timelessness of the UP alumni’s loyalty to both country and alma mater. Moreover, it is the only structure in the University with an unofficial Twitter account that religiously echoes its real time activities online.  Iskos and iskas are likely to have realized at this point that the structure in question is none other than the Andres Bonifacio Central Carillon Tower or, simply, the UP Carillon. The 130-foot tall brainchild of National Artist Juan Nakpil has been the Diliman campus’ official time-keeper and music player since 1952. It served as the eyes of student activists during the First Quarter Storm of the 1970s and witnessed UP’s transformation into the country’s only national university in 2008.     The UP Carillon (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Despite its iconic sound, very few people have any understanding of how the Carillon actually plays its music. While the notes of L’Internationale proudly rang out during Karl Marx’s 200th birth anniversary and a somber rendition of “Bayan Ko” marked the May 2018 ouster of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the mechanisms and individuals behind the music have remained obscure. Are humans or machines to thank for the gift of music that punctuated these events?  According to Henriette Baes and David Israel of the University Theater Complex, the process involves a little bit of both. Ever since the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) turned over the Carillon to UP Diliman in 2010, the task of operating, recording for, and maintaining the Carillon has been taken over by technical assistants like them. Through their work, human musicality and improvisation are married with computers to compose and time the tunes that we now know so well.     Henriette Baes with the clavier used by trained carillonneurs to play their music. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A quick internet search of carillon-playing reveals clips of skilled carillonneurs striking the long, baton-like keys of a clavier with closed fists in order to play the solemn carillon music in old European cities. And, indeed, Baes says that this was initially how UP’s own Carillon was played. Masters like Adrian Antonisse, Jr., Eva Gonzales and Wesley Tubuyoyong once graced the landings of the Carillon to make its bells sing.  With the refurbishment and modernization of the Carillon in 2008, however, Dutch bell-makers Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen included a computer together with the structure’s 36 new bells that allowed users to easily pre-record tunes via keyboard and automate their playing over weeks, even months.  “You have two methods of control,” Baes said. “You have manual control and you have a Midi keyboard.” Indeed, walking into the tower, the control mechanism with its LCD display and array of buttons are more reminiscent of science fiction movies than classical music. From the Carillon’s main menu, one has the choice to either play a melody already saved in the system (each melody has an associated ID number) or to play one manually.  Choosing the ‘manual play’ option, someone familiar with the Carillon’s bells can choose to play a tune in real time. To the right of the control panel’s LCD display are numerical keys and LED lights that are connected and correspond to specific bells. Pushing each key will play a bell by either swinging or pealing (striking with hammers). Technicians like Israel, who typically scales the tower’s spiral staircase for this task, can play an impromptu melody or test each bell and its components in this manner.  For more technical pieces, like the aforementioned “Bayan Ko”, however, the Theater Complex team is typically assisted by volunteers from the UP College of Music. These volunteers transpose the notes of each melody into a format appropriate to the Carillon’s 36 bells that are playable by a special Midi keyboard. Baes explained that each key in this keyboard can be programmed to associate with specific notes/bells, which in turn form the basic elements of each composition. Then, with assistance, these players can begin the meticulous process of recording the tune for posterity.     David Israel opening the electrical enclosure responsible for the Carillon’s hourly magic. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “These things are programmed,” Israel said. “So, for example, somebody requests ‘Bayan Ko’. Our player will usually practice it first on the keyboard before we save it onto the computer. That’s until he gets it completely and everything is in tune. And only then do we record, because once recorded you can’t make edits to it. You have to start over.”  The careful process of transposition and recording is essential given the Carillon’s condition. According to Baes, volunteer players must transpose their requested tunes to make allowances not only for the uniqueness of the instrument, but also for bells that have been damaged and degraded by nature.  “During the last assessment, it was found that there were three bells that can’t be used. Two have wiring problems. That was in November of last year, so the bells are not in good condition.” The Carillon’s exposure to the elements has, indeed, left it with not only shorted-out wiring and damaged solenoids, but also broken windows and chipped paint.     The UP Theater Complex’s Henriette Baes and David Israel atop the Carillon tower (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Both Baes and Israel hope that the bells of the Carillon that mark every hour remind members of the UP community to care for this UP icon. “For one,” Baes said, “because its architect is a National Artist. But also because of its rich history, that UP has to maintain it.”  “Not only members of our community but prospective students, tourists and alumni who have long graduated come here just for that structure. They all really want to hear the Carillon play.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB chemistry fair goes green – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-chemistry-fair-goes-green/",
        "html": "UPLB chemistry fair goes green UPLB chemistry fair goes green January 25, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   ‘The guest speakers at Kapnayan 2019; Ariel Pineda (center) and Meden Peneyra (left) of SGS Philippines, and NEDA Regional Director Luis Banua (right) lead the ribbon cutting of the event’s exhibit. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     A sizeable group of high school students from across the nation visited the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) when experts representing both academe and industry pitched the advantages of pursuing a career in Chemistry at the week-long fair, Kapnayan 2019. Kapnayan is a triennial event organized by the UPLB Chemical Society (ChemSoc), that aims to spread awareness about chemistry and its allied sciences through activities based on the year’s theme, and to inspire future scientists to be catalysts for change through the study of Chemistry.  This year’s Kapnayan had the theme, “Sustainable Development Through Advancement in Green Chemistry and Renewable Energy Technology”.  Opening ceremonies were held on January 14, 2019 at UPLB’s NCAS Auditorium. In line with this year’s theme and the global call for more sustainable approaches to national development, the UPLB ChemSoc invited three speakers from government and the private sector to talk about current opportunities in pursuing the areas stated in the theme, as well as their importance to the country’s national development.     ‘NEDA Regional Director for Calabarzon Luis Banua begins his talk. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     First to speak was National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Calabarzon Regional Director Luis Banua. In his message to the students, Banua grounded the importance of studying green chemistry and renewable energy in “Ambisyon Natin 2040”, the long-term economic and social vision of the Philippines, which was signed into existence by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. In this vision, Banua said that the government envisions the development of a resilient society and a competitive economy, both of which will be made possible by advancing science and technology and innovation.  Banua mentioned what he thought were the two key strategies to bring this vision about: 1) putting the proper infrastructure–minds, institutions and certifications–in place for green chemistry and sustainable energy to be productive; and, 2) being informed of the need to pursue sustainable energy solutions in a country reliant on cheaper energy sources like coal for development.     ‘Graphics from previous Kapnayan fairs and other UPLB ChemSoc activities were on display at the exhibit. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO’     In addition to implementing policy mechanisms in laws like the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, Banua said that these plans will hinge on the development of quality scientists and research, which he hoped the secondary school students who attended the fair would consider pursuing. Highlighting these in Kapnayan, he added, “is a way to make known the vast opportunities we have towards researches and studies that are supported by local and international development forecasts.”Moreover, he said that with more than 60% of Luzon’s energy coming from Calabarzon, students in the region can play a major role in securing the country’s future through the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions.  Opportunities were also the focus of talks of two invited speakers and Chemistry graduates from Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) Philippines. Using SGS as an example,  SGS Philippines Managing Director Ariel Pineda and Laboratory Operations Manager Meden Peneyra talked about industry opportunities for students who choose to focus on sustainable energy and green chemistry.     UPLB Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Portia Lapitan (right, in orange) greets the invited speakers on behalf of the University     SGS, according to Miranda, is the “largest inspection, verification, testing and certification company globally”. By working for a company like SGS, he continued,  trained chemists can be a part of a company that serves as an independent third-party tester and certifier that creates trust in business by vetting organizations and products through benchmarks like ISO standards.  Peneyra, on the other hand, detailed the specific tests and techniques that the multi-laboratory at SGS uses to verify the safety and quality of the products it inspects. From garments to food products and cosmetics, Peneyra gave a rundown of how applications of chemistry can ensure quality and safety at every stage of the consumption chain.     ‘SGS Philippines Laboratory Operations Manager Meden Peneyra. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     According to UPLB Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Portia Lapitan, who gave the opening remarks, exposing the nation’s students to opportunities in pursuing sustainable energy and green chemistry is important not only to inspire them but also to highlight “how much we continue to consume and how much our environment continues to suffer because of it”.  “Thus it is our hope,” she said, “that apart from enjoying the activities lined up in this year’s Kapnayan, you (the students) will also be inspired to take part in sound and sustainable solutions that can help in the promotion of responsible production and consumption, as well as develop innovative technologies that help reduce our waste and create more efficient and cleaner energy sources.”  These opening talks were immediately followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kapnayan exhibits at UPLB’s Physical Sciences Annex Lobby. Kapnayan 2019 also featured activities like poster making and essay writing contests, career orientation seminars, nature and educational trips and the National Chemistry Quiz contests for its participants.     ‘Invited secondary school students at Kapnayan 2019 sign up for the week-long fair. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     ‘Speaker Luis Banua (third from left) poses with officials and organizers of Kapnayan 2019. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "The South remembers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-south-remembers/",
        "html": "The South remembers The South remembers July 28, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    UP alumna Gloryrose Dy-Metilla and her friends are on a mission to give indigenous Mindanao architecture its rightful place in the public eye.  “It’s dying,” said Gloryrose Dy-Metilla. A deep sense of urgency ran through the voice of the professional architect and UP alumna, as if she were referring to a friend about to be taken before his time.  Her subject, however, was no single person but a time-honored way of being and doing. Dy-Metilla observed how traditional Mindanao architecture and design were beginning to disappear, even within tribal communities themselves. That fact was not lost on her co-founders at the Swito Corporation (swito: a Bisaya term that means “wise guy”—a Davao-based social innovation hub where Dy-Metilla joins her sister Glorypearl Dy and fellow alumni Marben Jan Picar and Angely Chi as Chief of Design and Innovation.  Gloryrose Dy-Metilla, founding partner of Switocorp, Inc. and founding architect of Swito Designs (Photo by Swito Designs, Inc., http://switodesigns.com)  It all began when Gloryrose and her colleagues began holding digital storytelling workshops among Midnanao’s different ethnolinguistic groups. The group had been collecting interesting, personal narratives from members of their far-flung villages for a few years when the architect in Gloryrose could not help but ask: “Where are all the traditional houses?”  As it turned out, in spite of the otherwise strong pride of place among residents that they observed, many of the island’s indigenous peoples were slowly moving away from their own traditional architecture. This, as Gloryrose saw it, was part of a much bigger problem—the lack of a general consciousness of even the existence of diverse indigenous designs all over the country.  “We mostly just know about our bahay na bato and our bahay kubo,” said Gloryrose, who only gained a full-fledged appreciation for that diversity herself as an Architecture student in UP Mindanao. “I think the reason why it’s dying is that it was never really promoted anywhere. People never really got to know about it”.  Pooling together their brains and resources in 2013, Gloryrose Dy-Metilla and her colleagues decided to do something to change that.  Empowering communities  That decision led to the establishment of Switodesigns, Inc., a multidisciplinary design studio based in Davao City that seeks to promote traditional architecture, Mindanaoan cultural identity, and participatory practices in design. To its founders, the roots of the company in the act of storytelling is self-evident. What they hope to do is to provide the “tangible structures” that house the lived experiences that the people of Mindanao seek to share.  One major aspect of the work is helping indigenous communities to remember and restore their own communities. The process begins with the team visiting and holding workshops in a specific location. To take a recent example, the Switodesigns team led by Gloryrose and principal architect Henna Dazo gathered community members of the Ata-Manobo tribe in Davao to engage in a process of “remembering” and a joint re-creation in miniature of the tribe’s designs.  This process is essential, Gloryrose said, because many of the peoples they visit have no tribal community to speak of at all due to armed conflict or natural disasters. The process, they say, guides both community members and Switodesigns to construct tribal villages in the communities’ ancestral domains. Through the process of remembering, Dy-Metilla considers both process and product to be of indigenous ownership. “We are just here to facilitate the remembrance of what they had almost forgotten.”  In the case of the Ata, the centerpiece project of the cooperation is the building of their Panuluanan, or “school of living traditions.” The school is where members of the Ata community engage in “cultural remembering”. It is where an indigenous craft expert in disciplines, like weaving or dance, can impart their knowledge to younger generations. The construction of this and other structures in the cultural village are completely IP-led, with labor and building materials provided by community members themselves.  The second aspect of Switodesigns’ mission involves spreading awareness of Mindanao’s traditional architecture through their clients and projects. “We suggest indigenous designs to our local clients, because we don’t just want to help communities without educating the clients themselves,” Gloryrose said. “We want them to appreciate that this is from Mindanao, and that we are promoters and advocates of Mindanao.”  Swito Designs, Inc. is dedicated to bring the virtues of peace, unity and interaction among cultures through their projects and workshops. (Photo by Swito Designs, Inc., http://switodesigns.com)  The greenest ever  Recently, the use of indigenous designs and elements has been catching on among the company’s non-IP clientele—a fact that pleasantly surprises Dy-Metilla herself. “We found that people really want to know about and want to have these kinds of structures.”  “When we talk to people, they ask us: why is it that when we go to Thailand, we get to see Thailand [architecture] immediately? When we go to Cambodia, we see Cambodia. Why can’t we have this in Mindanao?”  One practical reason for the rising popularity of Switodesigns’ structures is the innate suitability of indigenous designs to Philippine climate and geography. “It’s the greenest we can ever have,” Dy-Metilla remarked proudly. The ridged bamboo and rattan roofs of the Maranao torogan, for instance, offers the kind of cool air flow closely associated with “tropical designs” currently in vogue.  Indigenous designs also offer not only comfort but the potential to save lives. The exceptionally long eaves generally found in indigenous roofs and the awning windows protect residents from the ravages of the winds and rains. Moreover, structures like the torogan are very earthquake- and flood-resistant. “We all know they said the Japanese introduced the [earthquake-resistance] concept to us,” she said. “But it was already being used by the Maranaos.”  Gloryrose and her colleagues believe that more than any single element, the innate empathy that pervades and inspires indigenous designs makes them a true source of Philippine pride on the world stage. “Empathy for self, empathy for nature, and empathy for the people around you. If you can make a framework for what Mindanao architecture is, it includes all of these.”  3D puzzles  Even with a string of recent successes, Gloryrose and her friends from Switocorp are not resting on their laurels. Just last year, the group launched Balay Balay 3D Architecture, their newest initiative to promote Mindanao design. Inspired by Dy-Metilla’s passion to spread the appreciation of Mindanao’s indigenous structures among adults, the group is hoping to do the same with children by crafting 3D puzzles modeled after native houses and other traditional spaces.  “What can represent our country as a structure?” asked Marben Jan Picar, one of Switocorp’s co-founders. Shaken by the fact that they could find no other structure besides the nipa hut that most fit the bill for most people, the group launched the project with the aim to make Mindanao architecture as ingrained in the consciousness of Filipino children as Legos and yoyos.  Each of Balay Balay’s puzzles goes through a long process of validation before being made. Consultations are done with indigenous peoples, academics, and NGOs before the month-long process of carving and painting begins.  Their work has caught the eye not only of children and their families who view their works, but also of indigenous peoples who are struck with nostalgia when they see the pieces. Gloryrose recalls a number of Maranao visitors from Lanao who saw their torogan model and said that they would work to rehabilitate their own, which had become dilapidated over the years.  “People who visit our exhibits would say, ‘That’s where we used to play, in-between the torogan posts. And that was like 20 or so years ago’.”  Balay Balay 3D Puzzle of the Maranao Torogan. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  Whether it involves reigniting the spark of nationalism in their fellow Mindanaoans or helping young Filipinos gain insight into their rich and complex heritage, Gloryrose Dy-Metilla hopes that their efforts open the door for more people to appreciate Mindanao and the rest of the country better. “I think for us Filipinos,” she explained, “we are instilled early on with the idea that everything foreign is good. We yearn for that green card, for our family members to finally get to the US, and things like that.  They just don’t know enough about our culture. And if there aren’t enough people who will show them, how will they find out?”                                              "
    },
    {
        "title": "From Placards to Memes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-placards-to-memes/",
        "html": "From Placards to Memes From Placards to Memes December 12, 2017 | Written by Fred Dabu   The Diliman Commune. Photo from The University of the Philippines: A University for Filipinos, edited by Gloria D. Feliciano (1984)     The University of the Philippines, the country’s national university, is known globally as a university system that fosters the ideals of academic excellence, freedom and human rights, nationalism and development, and progressive thinking, hence its campuses, especially the UP Diliman and Manila campuses, are also famous for being centers of student activism and dissent.     UP students hold a demonstration against the Manila Times in one of the first protests in UP. Photo from The University of the Philippines: A University for Filipinos (Feliciano, 1984)     The culture of activism in UP that we recognize today has largely been shaped by the student and people’s movements that challenged the prevailing social order and culminated in historical events from the 1960s to the present. Younger generations of scholars have taken the helm and are carrying on with the “fight for a better world,” bringing with them the valuable lessons of the past and learning from existing social realities and the people’s ongoing struggles.        How it began  The earliest protests in UP happened between 1915-1920, when students petitioned university officials and held demonstrations during the term of UP’s first Filipino President Ignacio Villamor. They involved the wrongful arrest of an instructor during the celebration of the first University Day, extended scholarships, and most loudly then, the “unwarranted press attack” on Villamor. From the UP campus along Padre Faura, students and faculty marched toward the Manila Times office in Sta. Cruz, Manila to condemn the newspaper’s editorial and to defend UP’s Villamor. The issue of tuition hikes first surfaced during the term of President Rafael Palma (1923-1933).     Student leaders welcome the first year students of UP Diliman during the Freshie Welcome Assembly on August 7 at the University Theater (Villamor Hall) in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The first UP administrations up to the 1970s are credited for institutionalizing academic freedom and excellence, student leadership, service, and patriotism, core principles of present-day activism. Palma “encouraged discussions on social and political issues confronting the country.” Jorge Bocobo “promoted patriotism and love of culture in the university. He also promoted values such as discipline, duty and sacrifice, values which he believed were essential for nation-building.”  A bastion of nationalism  Social contradictions transformed UP “into a bastion of intense nationalism” in the 1950s to 1970s.  According to Jose Maria Sison (AB English, 1959), “student activists originating from the UP stirred up the masses of youth and working people to conduct concerted protest actions, shaking the entire country in the entire 1960s, from the demonstration of 5,000 UP student demonstrators… to the First Quarter Storm of 1970 which rocked the national capital region with almost weekly marches and rallies of 50,000 to 100,000 people against the Marcos regime.” Sison should know; he founded a new Communist Party in 1968.     The UP Diliman Gender Office doing a groufie for One Billion Rising in February and March 2017 (photo from the UPDGO Facebook page) Rally against tyranny at PNU-Taft, Sept. 21, 2017 (Photo from UP MPRO)     Crises and the radicalization of youth in the 1960s to 1970s gave birth to organizations such as the Kabataang Makabayan. Rising prices of basic commodities, worsening poverty of peasants and exploitation of workers, and corruption and abuses reported during those years fueled militancy and social upheavals.  The most dramatic examples of student militancy engaged in by UP students during this period were the massive protests of the First Quarter Storm, including the barricading of the UP Diliman campus against police assaults during the Diliman Commune of February 1971.     Students light candles to campaign for justice for Kristel Tejada (Photo from UP MPRO), 2013 Indignation rally at the UP Diliman Oblation plaza calling for justice for the victims of the Marcos dictatorship and Martial Law era, Nov. 8, 2016 (Photo from UP MPRO)     From radical organizations came the thousands of youth who would become progressive leaders of aboveground organizations, on one hand, and revolutionaries of underground organizations on the other, both aiming to defeat fascism and, soon after, with President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law in September 1972, the overthrow of the dictatorship.  According to Dr. Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, former vice chairperson of the UP Student Council, “Activists took very seriously the revolutionary imperative of bringing about the downfall of the oppressive status quo… student activists were at the forefront of breaking the “tyranny of silence” by scribbling defiant slogans on blackboards and walls, smuggling manifestoes, holding secret discussions and conducting lightning rallies.”  During martial law, “subversive” organizations were banned, along with the student councils, publications, and organizations that were closed down or tightly watched by the State. Despite the repression, students persevered in fighting for what they believed in, linking up with workers and farmers for social change.     UP Baguio’s Class of 2016 conduct the traditional lightning rally during the commencement exercises on 23 June 2016 at the Baguio Convention Center (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) UP Visayas Tacloban College 40th Commencement Exercises, June 27, 2016 at the Arts and Sciences grounds (Photo from https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/news/281-upvtc-holds-40th-commencement-exercises)     Meanwhile, the Philippine Collegian and the “mosquito press” continued to publish critical analyses and alternative news and views that the dominant media failed to propagate. Student alliances also succeeded in reviving student councils and publications, and persisted in community service and organizing.  Fraternities such as Alpha Phi Omega also defied the dictatorship. To raise political awareness, APO staged its first Oblation Run in 1977 “to promote “Hubad na Bayani,” a play which exposed Marcos’ myths and denounced the atrocities committed under martial rule. This year, APO is staging the Oblation Run in UP Diliman to call for an end to wars and to extrajudicial killings.  Evolving with the times  After the People Power Revolt at EDSA in 1986, activism in UP continued to address the fundamental ills of Philippine society. The forms of protest and the culture of militancy evolved to adjust to the new challenges and opportunities created by the age of the Internet and the cellular phone, moving from placards to memes.  UP campuses have continued to be centers of activism, evidenced by lightning rallies during commencement exercises; public forums, alternative classes, sit-in demonstrations, room-to-room campaigns, and indoor rallies, among others. Students have also mastered the use of publications and other forms of media; creative and provocative visual campaign materials such as posters, stickers, leaflets, ribbons, effigies; online activism with the use of hashtags, selfies, wefies, videos, profile photos, and websites; community organizing, and many others.     Lightning rally at the UP Mindanao 19th Commencement Exercises on June 28, 2016 (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO) Rally during commencement exercises at UPLB (Photo from the UPLB Perspective)  For Renato Reyes, Jr., a student leader in UP Diliman during the 1990s and currently the secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), activism in UP “is something to be proud of,” convinced that “collective action” is the most effective means to make an impact on society.  All UP Academic Employees Union national president and UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences professor Carl Marc Ramota adds that important issues are brought up to policymakers through protest actions. These issues have included tuition and other fee hikes, worsening poverty and human rights issues, election scandals, corruption, and the higher education budget. As a student in UP Manila, Ramota recalls participating in the protest actions leading to EDSA II.  “Activism comes with the realization of one’s role and place in society, that one does not just cater to individual interests, whims or wants and that one’s individual existence serves a higher purpose or calling,” explains Ramota. “UP provides venues by which one can explore, be interested in, and experiment on quite a number of ideas. One must always remind oneself about what activism is for. For whom does one do these things?”  For the Isko, activism is not only a time-honored tradition but an important part of the UP way of life.  ——————-  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Broken Chain of Love – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-broken-chain-of-love/",
        "html": "A Broken Chain of Love A Broken Chain of Love December 12, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The cadena de amor vine lives on in the Diliman campus. (Photo by Butch Dalisay, UPVPPA)     For 34 years, it was a highly anticipated UP event, promoted and covered by national newspapers and magazines. It was the Cadena de Amor festival, a grand parade that met the sunset with its three festival queens and university seniors in their white gowns who carried and passed on a vine of cadena de amor—the floral signature of Diliman—to juniors in pink.  According to historical notes at the UP Diliman (UPD) Archives, it was a rite of passage in which women seniors handed over the “responsibility of upholding the virtues, ideals, and traditions of the University” to their younger counterparts.     A clipping from the Philippines Free Press in 1954     Ideals and ideas  It began in 1934, when UP President Jorge Bocobo had just taken over the university leadership. Dean of Women Ursula Clemente initiated the event “upon instructions” from him.  An unattributed 1955 article in the archives titled “Cadena De Amor: Pink and White” reports that Bocobo “broached to Mrs. Clemente the idea of a ritual befitting the classic architectural background of the old UP buildings in Padre Faura.” Clemente and Prof. Melquiades Gamboa then came up with Cadena de Amor, and the UP Woman’s Club (UPWC) took charge of the festival.     A clipping from an April 1959 issue of the Manila Times     According to The University Experience, the festival was inspired by the annual Daisy Chain of Vassar College, New York, USA, in which a group of sophomore women chosen by a committee of seniors “carry a 150-foot chain of daisies and laurel” during commencement day. They wore white dresses and served “as a flower-lined corridor to guide the graduates to the ceremony.” Vassar history says daisies traditionally decorated the college’s old chapel for Class Day, the day before graduation where seniors meet as Vassar students for the last time.  In the 1958 Cadena de Amor souvenir program, Clemente’s message states that “The three principal characters of the Festival as well as the Chain of the Cadena de Amor are symbolic of what the University of the Philippines stands for in respect to the Filipino woman.” The chain of pink flowers stands for the “continuous flow of ideas and ideals of [UP] through the students, all designed for the service of country, mankind, and God.”  “The first festival was held with the stately columns of the old Padre Faura halls for background. On the old campus the Seniors in white left the university compound at Isaac Peral, breaking into two lines. One line went down Taft Avenue, and the other passed through Nebraska Street. The lines would finally meet at the University Quadrangle… [and] the Juniors would then join them from Padre Faura,” wrote the noted fictionist and essayist SV Epistola, then a graduating student, in the Philippine Collegian in 1953.     a photo by Max Orate published in the 1963 issue of the Manila Times     Tradition and evolution  Though incomplete, the Cadena de Amor files at the UPD Archives still manage to tell the story of this once-celebrated UP event and its development through the years.  In 1936, the Philippine Collegian reported that “for the first time in the history of the University of the Philippines,” the Cadena de Amor would be held as part of commencement week. Since then, the festival was held as an event that closed the academic year.  When UP transferred from its Manila campus to Diliman in 1949, the first Cadena de Amor in the new campus was held at the Sunken Garden, according to the UPD Catalogue. Later on, it was held around the Quezon Hall complex—the Amphitheater and the quadrangle or Oblation Plaza.  Based on available copies of the souvenir programs, earlier ceremonies had six parts in the main program: “The Tendrils,” the concert of the UP ROTC Band; “The Verdant Leaves,” the processional; “The Petals,” where “UP Beloved” was sung, the meaning of the festival was narrated, Annie Ramos’ poem “Cadena de Amor” was recited, “The Song of Maria Clara” was sung, a message to the elder sisters was delivered, and the elder sisters then responded; “The Loops and Links,” the passing of the cadena de amor chain; “The Vine,” the closing remarks by the UP Woman’s Club president and singing of the club hymn; and “The Clusters,” the recessional. The festival also had a “Rigodon de Honor” and a ball.  Over the years, festival elements changed. “Auld Lang Syne” was specified as the song during the passing of the chain. “The Tendrils” was no longer used. “UP Beloved” and “The Song of Maria Clara” disappeared. Festival muses had bigger roles in the ceremony. “Rigodon de Honor” became “Grand March,” then was no longer in the program. Ramos’ poem was replaced with “Cadena de Amor Festival” by Trinidad Tarrosa (later, Tarrosa-Subido). The “Ball” became the “Graduation Ball,” later the “Pink and White Ball” was no longer mentioned in the souvenir program.        The Cadena de Amor featured three festival queens: Filipinas, Alma Mater, and Maria Clara (later, Lakambini). They were academic achievers, members of various student organizations, recipients of scholarships, and participants in social and civic activities.  Clemente described them in 1958 as follows: Filipinas symbolizes the “noble role that the Filipino woman plays in national and international affairs;” Alma Mater, “learning and wisdom, for the continuous quest for truth, beauty, and goodness;” and Maria Clara, “the continued preservation of the pristine moral values of Filipino womanhood.”  Filipinas and Alma Mater were seniors or members of the graduating class while Maria Clara or Lakambini came from a lower batch. A list of festival queens in the archived files show that the last Maria Clara title was given in 1960 and the title changed to Lakambini the following year.  The end of the chain  Little did anyone know that March 9, 1968 would be the last afternoon of the Cadena de Amor.  Even with Adelaida Mapua-Lim’s scathing piece in the Philippine Collegian four days later, no one thought the festival would end. In “Where is the Amor?” she writes, “One just has to hand it to the Euthenics teachers, doesn’t one? To hold graduation over our heads like the beheader’s axe. So it was that the four hundred strode into the bullring a bewildered, submissive herd hanging on for dear life to a lifeless snake that was supposed to represent a chain of love.”        On the 27th of February 1969, a tiny box at the bottom of the Philippine Collegian’s front page signaled the beginning of the festival’s demise. “The traditional Cadena de Amor has been cancelled due to lack of funds.”  UP in the late 1960s was strongly defined by student activism. Frivolity and pageantry were criticized. It was all about social relevance and support for the masses. It was in this environment that the UPWC, organizer of the Cadena de Amor, decided to conduct a survey in 1969 to know what UP coeds thought about it. Preliminary findings in 1970 showed 53 percent of respondents thought the club was useful and 44.65 percent voted for continuing the Cadena de Amor.  It was no longer fit to be revived, however. Students had gradually lost interest in social events like the Cadena de Amor because their attention was now on the upheavals in Philippine society. The UPWC itself had changed its name to Samahan ng Kababaihan sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (SKUP), and along with it, the direction of the group and what it stood for.     The souvenir program of the last Cadena de Amor on 09 March 1968     In 1971, announcing the discontinuation of its other activities that had become tradition, SKUP President Marilyn Reyes said in a Philippine Collegian piece that “The SKUP can no longer waste time looking for outstanding products of our colonial education now that the nation is in such a deplorable state.”  Not a few Diliman oldtimers, however, still look back on this floral chain with wistful affection, back to their own lost youth.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "DC-UP Sports Complex marker unveiled – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dc-up-sports-complex-marker-unveiled/",
        "html": "DC-UP Sports Complex marker unveiled DC-UP Sports Complex marker unveiled January 28, 2019 | Written by Rene A. Estremera   A close-up view of the newly installed marker of the Davao City-University of the Philippines Sports Complex. Photo by Rene A. Estremera, UP Mindanao.     “The Sports Complex is the testimony of the partnership of the University of the Philippines and the City Government of Davao in nurturing the athletes of Mindanao and the Country.” These are the words on the marker that was unveiled at the Davao City-University of the Philippines Sports Complex on 26 January 2019.  The unveiling of the marker was done by UP President Danilo Concepcion, Davao City Assistant City Administrator for Operations Atty. Lawrence Bantiding on behalf of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Davao City 3rd District Congressman Alberto Ungab, former congressman Isidro Ungab, and UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion.  Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in her message read by Atty. Bantiding, said that “the marker serves the purpose so all may be informed that the project to further sports development in the City is a result of the coming together of the government and the academe.”  Davao City 3rd District Congressman Alberto Ungab, in his remarks, introduced Davao City and its 3rd District, in particular, for the benefit of the visitors.  Former congressman Isidro Ungab declared that he was “the happiest person in the gathering” for having seen the sports complex project from its beginnings in 1995 up to the present, whereof he narrated the highlights.  President Danilo Concepcion, for his part, said he considered himself “the most fortunate person in the gathering” for having the benefits of the efforts of the former congressman for UP “fall like the rain” during his own term.  Chancellor Concepcion, in her welcome remarks, introduced the UP officials present and thanked the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine Sports Commission, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, and the UP Mindanao Campus Planning and Development Office.     The Unveiling of the DC-UP Sports Complex Marker was attended by (left-right) UP VP for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo,  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP VP for Administration Nestor Yunque, UP Mindanao Dean Larry Digal (behind), UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr., UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran (behind), Congressman Alberto Ungab, Asst. City Administrator Atty. Lawrence Bantiding, Hon. Isidro Ungab, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, Francisco “Bobby” Ramos, UP EVP Teodoro Herbosa, UP VP for Development Elvira Zamora,  UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria. Photo by Rene A. Estremera, UP Mindanao.     Among the guests who attended from UP were Regent Angelo Jimenez, Regent Analiza Fulvadora, Executive Vice-President Teodoro Herbosa, VP for Administration Nestor Yunque, VP for Development Elvira Zamora, VP for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Jr., and Padayon Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval representing VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao graduates achieve 100% passing in the architecture board exams – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-graduates-achieve-100-passing-in-the-architecture-board-exams/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao graduates achieve 100% passing in the architecture board exams UP Mindanao graduates achieve 100% passing in the architecture board exams July 9, 2019 | Written by Rene Estremera    BS Architecture graduates of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao bested the national passing rate in the June 2019 Architect Licensure Examination when they achieved a 100% passing rate once again. This was revealed after the Professional Regulation Commission released the results of the exam where 2,104 passed among the 3,172 takers or equivalent to a 66% national passing rate. The newly licensed architects from UP Mindanao are Ar. Dax Raymond S. Aznar, Ar. Fayanna P. Cerillo, Ar. John Christien G. Dacalos, Ar. Charisse Alexia S. Dinopol, Ar. Abegail Imee R. Enriquez, Ar. Reyl B. Espirituoso, Ar. Eiries Von B. Estilloso, Ar. Mercy B. Gomez, Ar. Kim O. Laguitao, Ar. Christine C. Laniba, Ar. Jomarie Viel R. Maglunob, Ar. Kate C. Patayon, Ar. Sherwin O. Puntas, and Ar. Ceino Rey U. Quimintan.  The UP Mindanao Architecture program has been able to maintain its 100% passing record for a number of years and has produced eight passers to the top ten rankings. Apart from the board exam reviews undertaken outside of the university, students of the program also take mock exams or the architecture instructional exam. The undergraduate thesis topics in the architecture program include housing studies, materials development, and heritage and indigenous architecture, all of which contribute to UP Mindanao’s built environment research. Public service through participation in industry fairs further hone the students’ abilities.  After earning their licenses and proceeding to professional practice, a number of the architects have also pursued careers as faculty members in various architecture schools in Mindanao. Some have taken higher studies in the UP Mindanao Diploma/Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning to better serve the needs of various sectors in the region, particularly in the practice of environment and natural resources, public works, transportation, and estate planning. Graduates from this program have also earned licenses as professional environmental planners, which further extend their scope of service to development in Mindanao. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-april-june-2018-vol-19-no-2-issue-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue is now available online July 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue is now available online.  It features nine articles on UP’s sports programs, facilities, and legacies. It also includes a roundtable discussion–from UP’s most memorable PE classes to UP’s stake in the UAAP.  Click the cover photo to start browsing :  Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the issue. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eight senate bets bare plans in UP-held forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eight-senate-bets-bare-plans-in-up-held-forum/",
        "html": "Eight senate bets bare plans in UP-held forum Eight senate bets bare plans in UP-held forum December 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The eight senatorial candidates are introduced at the University Theater. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Eight candidates for the Philippine Senate and their supporters trooped to the University Theater in UP Diliman on the afternoon of December 2, 2018 to participate in The Filipino Votes, a senatorial forum jointly organized by UP and CNN Philippines.  The forum was an opportunity for candidates to bare their plans and positions on current hot button issues five months ahead of the 2019 midterm elections. The candidates who attended the event were: Magdalo Para sa Pilipino’s Gary Alejano; Bam Aquino of the Liberal Party; Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa of PDP-Laban; Chel Diokno of the Liberal Party; JV Ejercito of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC); Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino’s Juan Ponce Enrile; Independent candidate Serge Osmeña; and, PDP-Laban’s Francis Tolentino.  The format of The Filipino Votes had candidates answering questions gathered from social media and the event’s live audience. No rebuttals were allowed, and each candidate was generally allowed a minute and a half to respond. Each one could also take one minute more to answer questions directly addressed to him. During the commercial break, candidates were asked to state their positions on certain issues by raising ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ signs supplied by the organizers.     Candidates used ‘yes’ and ‘no’ signs to signify their attitudes on nationally important issues. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     A broad range of questions was asked during the 90-minute forum, ranging from the candidates’ ideas on how to address rising prices across the country, to their opinions on solving the nation’s drug problem. “What our present and prospective senators will do to address these concerns is of great interest to all of us,” said UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay, Jr. in his opening message, “for more than academic reasons.” He added that co-hosting the forum with CNN Philippines was UP’s contribution to creating a more informed electorate that will choose politicians on the basis of performance and character, rather than on personalities.  Apart from sporadic heckling, especially when the issues of re-imposing the death penalty and martial law were brought up, the forum generally permitted the candidates to expand on their priority goals should they be elected into office next year.     Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa clarifies his stance on the death penalty as Bam Aquino listens. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     When asked about the first bills they intend to file, the attending candidates covered a broad range of priority areas. Ejercito, for instance, called for more legislation to push for infrastructure development and transport modernization. Diokno called attention to the weaknesses in and the need to revise the country’s Witness Protection Act. dela Rosa, in turn, insisted upon the necessity of restoring the death penalty for drug traffickers,a position that incurred strong reactions from the live audience.  Aquino said he intends to supplement the recently passed ‘free tuition’ law with legislation to ensure that graduates get matching jobs appropriate to their education. Enrile touched on a number of issues he hoped lawmaking could improve, from slow telecommunication speeds to high taxes. Alejano proposed the formation of a Department of Maritime and Oceanic Affairs to streamline the strategic initiatives of the country with respect to its marine resources and territories.  Osmeña cited the need to improve the country’s ailing coconut industry, which he says has been hobbled by low productivity due to aging trees, among other causes. Lastly, Tolentino proposed a Department of Water Resources Management to address a water crisis that he predicts will hit the country in 2025. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tigresses walk on Lady Maroons – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tigresses-walk-on-lady-maroons/",
        "html": "Tigresses walk on Lady Maroons Tigresses walk on Lady Maroons September 7, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The UP Women’s Basketball Team with Head Coach Paul Ramos during a last-minute huddle in the final moments of the game. At extreme right, partly hidden, is Assistant Coach Asi Taulava. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     It was a blatant 103-48 win for the UST Growling Tigresses over the UP Lady Fighting Maroons on September 7, 2019 at Smart Araneta, in their first round match in UAAP Season 82 Women’s Basketball.  The Tigresses controlled each quarter, scoring 26, 22, 28, and 27, over UP’s 17, 13, 8, and 10, the former padding their lead to 55 in the final quarter.     Lulu Ordovera successfully fending off UST’s Grace Irebu and maintaining ball possession. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     But the Lady Maroons gave a fight.  UP made the first point, courtesy of rookie Ash Taulava. But it was rookie Rei Sanchez who clocked in the longest along with Mika de Leon, scoring 11 and 10 points, and making 11 and 6 boards, respectively. Sanchez made two successful shots from six attempts outside the perimeter, while De Leon was successful in one of two. Jona Lebico chipped in another 10 points, making 100 percent of her four free throws.     Jona Lebico is still a high-scorer. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Pat Pesquera, with her five rebounds, was second to Sanchez in securing the ball back for the team in the opponent’s territory, followed by Lulu Urdoveza.     Pat Pesquera directs the ball. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     But the Maroons’ effort was no match to the Tigresses, led by last season’s MVP Grace Irebu, who scored 23 points, getting nine goals out of 14 attempts. UST’s dominance forced 35 turnovers from UP, keeping theirs at a minimum 16.     Rei Sanchez makes a jump shot from the perimeter line. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Fighting Lady Maroons is under new coaches, Paul John Ramos and Philippine Basketball Association’s Asi Taulava.     New Lady Fighting Maroons coach, Paul Ramos. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     SCORES UST 103: Irebu 23, Reynalyn Ferrer 20, Jeorge Panti 15, Lon Rivera 12, Aly Gonzales 11, Ruby Portillo 8, Eka Soriano 3, Kikay Gandalla 3, Josa Casiano 2, Shen Callangan 2 UP 48: Sanchez 11, De Leon 10, Lebico 10, Ordoveza 7, Pesquera 4, Erica Gusilatar 2, Taulava 2, Kat Hidalgo 2     Mika de Leon sets a 7/14 record on her free throws. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Ash Taulava makes the first goal of the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Gritty Maroons Fall to Ateneo in Game 1 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/gritty-maroons-fall-to-ateneo-in-game-1/",
        "html": "Gritty Maroons Fall to Ateneo in Game 1 Gritty Maroons Fall to Ateneo in Game 1 December 3, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo courtesy of UP Men’s Basketball Team Facebook page)     The UP Fighting Maroons kept it close for most of Game 1 of Season 81, UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals, but eventually fell to the defending champions, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 79-88, at the Mall of Asia Arena.  Inspired by spirited play from their bench, specifically from Season 80 Rookie of the Year Juan Gomez de Liaño and Diego Dario, the Maroons wiped out a 12-point Ateneo lead to trail by only one at halftime, 38-39. The team was also buoyed up by streaky shooting from guard Jun Manzo, who registered a team-high 19 points on 8 of 11, shooting from the field.  These heroics, however, were not enough for the Maroons to survive a clutch performance from Ateneo’s Matt Nieto, who scorched the Maroons with 27 points, including four 3 pointers. A steal by Nieto on Manzo, with under 50 seconds remaining in regulation, all but sealed the victory for the Blue Eagles. Ateneo ace Thirdy Ravena capped the victory with a near-triple double, registering 21 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists for the defending champions.  It was nearly a more heartbreaking outing for the Maroons, as Season 81 MVP Bright Akhuetie exited the game with an apparent knee injury, with more than 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, after a physical battle for position with Ateneo’s Ange Kouame. Akhuetie would return to the bench with ice on his knee in the 4th quarter, eventually checking back into the game with 7:04 remaining.  Fresh from his clutch performance against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, UP stalwart Paul Desiderio struggled to put his imprint on the game, finishing with 5 points and 5 fouls. While compensating with his rebounding and facilitation for the Maroons, Desiderio’s foul on Raffy Verano inside the game’s final minute would be his evening’s last – a final blow punctuating a difficult final five minutes for the team, which struggled to mount a significant offense within that span.  The Fighting Maroons, who are returning to the Men’s Basketball Finals for the first time in 32 years, have their backs against the wall, and must win Game 2 to keep their championship hopes alive. Game 2 will be on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 3:30 PM. (Andre DP. Encarnacion, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Online applications for free tuition and other financial assistance programs starts today – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/online-applications-for-free-tuition-and-other-financial-assistance-programs-starts-today/",
        "html": "Online applications for free tuition and other financial assistance programs starts today Online applications for free tuition and other financial assistance programs starts today June 29, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Important announcement from the Office of Student Financial Assistance  Online applications for free tuition and other financial assistance programs will start today at 1:00 PM via https://sfaonline.up.edu.ph  For more information on financial assistance offered by UP, contact the SFA Helpdesk in your campus:  UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Erlinda C. Palaganas (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Grace R. Tovera (Office of Scholarships & Financial Assistance) Telephone Number: (+6374) 446.5230 Email: sts.baguio@up.edu.ph  UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Ellen Grace M. Funesto (Coordinator) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Annie A. Manzano (Scholarship Affairs & Guidance) Telephone Number: (6332) 232.8185 local 115 Email: sts.cebu@up.edu.ph  UP Diliman (Quezon City) Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Jerwin F. Agpaoa (Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs) Student Financial Assistance Officers: – Prof. Niel Kenneth F. Jamandre (Officer-in-Charge, Office of Scholarships & Student Services) – Ms. Jocelyn N. Aberin (STFAP Section: ST System, SAGA, Student Loans) – Mr. Aristeo E. Dacanay (Scholarships Section: UP & Donor-Funded Scholarship Programs) Telephone Numbers: (632) 981.8500 local 4504, 4505, 4506 Email: sts.diliman@up.edu.ph; osss@upd.edu.ph  UP Diliman (Pampanga) UP Extension Program in Pampanga Head of Student Affairs Unit: Mr. Arnulf Roan M. Pita (Coordinator – UP Extension Program in Pampanga) Telephone Number: (6345) 599.6037 Email: upepp@up.edu.ph  UP Los Baños Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Nina M. Cadiz (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Jenette Lory P. Tamayo (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division) Telephone Number: (6349)536.3209 Email: sts.losbanos@up.edu.ph  UP Manila Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Tristan Nathaniel Ramos (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Elena M. Venturina (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Program) Telephone Number: (632)526.2274 Email: sts.manila@up.edu.ph  UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Mr. Remegio P. Domingo, Jr. (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Analiza S. Fulvadora (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division) Telephone Number: (6382)293.1353 Email: sts.mindanao@up.edu.ph  UP Open University Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Dr. Melinda F. Lumanta (Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Prof. Linglingay P. Mcdermott (Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs: Student Affairs) Telephone Number: (6349) 536.6001 to 6006 local 301, 420, 810 Email: scholarships@upou.edu.ph  UP Visayas (Iloilo & Miagao) Office of Student Affairs Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Ruben M. Gamala (Director) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Marites E. Geonanga (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Division in Miagao & Iloilo City) Telephone Number: (6333) 513.7019 Email: sts.visayas@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas (Tacloban) Head of Student Affairs Unit: Prof. Richard V. Cagara (Coordinator – UP Tacloban) Student Financial Assistance Officer: Ms. Luz A. Sevilla (Scholarships & Financial Assistance Section in Tacloban) Telephone Number: (6353)832.3045 Email: osa.tac.upvisayas@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Video Tutorial for SFA Online Application – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/video-tutorial-for-sfa-online-application/",
        "html": "Video Tutorial for SFA Online Application Video Tutorial for SFA Online Application July 12, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Information Technology Development Center and the UP Office for Student Financial Assistance has produced a video guide for SFA Online application. For more details and to apply, please log on to https://sfaonline.up.edu.ph/. You may view the video here:    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP College of Nursing to host webinar, launch leadership course – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-of-nursing-to-host-webinar-launch-leadership-course/",
        "html": "UP College of Nursing to host webinar, launch leadership course UP College of Nursing to host webinar, launch leadership course May 7, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu       Nurses in the public health setting are performing leadership, management and supervision roles. Nurses may also perform additional tasks such as community organizing and take on the roles of public health officers.  To provide valuable information on “Leadership in Public Health Nursing”, the University of the Philippines College of Nursing (UPCN), the country’s premiere nursing school, will be conducting a webinar on May 12, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, with Hon. Cora A. Añonuevo, former member of the PR-Board of Nursing, as resource person. This webinar will be held via Zoom and livestreamed on the UPCN Facebook page.  The NurseLEAD project, a leadership course for advanced practice in public health nursing, will also be launched at this online event. NurseLEAD, a 3-year project, is a certificate course that aims to “help improve the quality of care through a competent frontline health workforce, contributing to strengthening primary and community-based health systems”. This is made possible in partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Foundation.  Reactors for the webinar will be: Mary Ruth Sanchez-Politico, Chief of the Planning and Standards Division of the Department of Health-Health Human Resource and Development Bureau; Elnora Duque of the Nurses’ Initiatives for Change; and, Melbert Reyes, President of the Philippine Nurses Association.  Interested participants may register here to receive the Zoom meeting credentials. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Taiwan network of universities visits UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/taiwan-network-of-universities-visits-up/",
        "html": "Taiwan network of universities visits UP Taiwan network of universities visits UP July 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Representatives of nine universities in Taiwan visited the University of the Philippines on July 4, 2017 as part of the Southern Taiwan Universities Network (STUN) delegation exploring academic cooperation with Philippine counterparts.  Professor Emeritus Grace Alfonso of the UP Open University and Deputy Director Aaron Joseph Villaraza of the UP Office of International Linkages welcome heads of the Southern Taiwan Universities Network delegation: President Jhing-Fa Wang of Tajen University and University Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu-Te, at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman on July 4, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  The STUN members’ visit to UP coincided with their meeting with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC). Present during the visit to UP were faculty members and officials of Shu-Te University (STU), I Shou University, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Kaohsiung Marine University, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Science, National University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan Shoufu University, and Tungfang Design University; and, President Jhing-Fa Wang of Tajen University.  The delegation was headed by STU Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu, assisted by Jerry Cheng-An Chuang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines. Also present were staff members of Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association.  UP was represented by President Danilo Concepcion,Vice President Joselito Florendo, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, and Deputy Director Aaron Joseph Villaraza of the Office of International Linkages.  Also present were: former UP System officials Alfredo Pascual, Gisela Concepcion, and Rhodora Azanza; Professor Emeritus Grace Alfonso of UP Open University and TVUP; Prof. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza of UP Diliman; Prof. Tammy dela Rosa of UP Manila,; and, Prof. Decibel Faustino-Eslava of UP Los Baños.  The Southern Taiwan Universities Network academic visit to UP on July 4, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  After exchanging gifts in the Board of Regents Room, the group brainstormed on areas for collaboration. These included faculty and student exchange to enable English teaching of courses and English proficiency in the STUN. Philippine universities can in turn take advantage of the STUN’s strength in science, technology, and engineering.  Alfonso talked about the joint offering of courses, combining distance and face-to-face modes.  The Philippines, according to Pascual, is a potential big market of young people for training by STUN for a new industrial revolution. The training of the latter’s teachers could also be a focus of academic cooperation, he added.  Since last year, UP officials and faculty members, in batches, were invited to Taiwan. They signed a memorandum of academic cooperation (MAC) with STUN’s key contact university, STU; as well as a joint declaration for academic networking with STU and three other STUN member universities.  UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan exchanges business cards with National University of Kaohsiung environmental engineer Hsing-Lung Lien, in a huddle with Tajen University President Jhing-Fa Wang and Shu-Te University Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu at the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, July 4, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  Signed in April 2016, the MAC provides for the establishment of an academic matchmaking platform to integrate resources of the alliance of universities in southern Taiwan and that of Philippine state universities and colleges. Wu said during the academic visit that the parties would like cooperation based on the sharing of higher education resources and the narrowing of the skills gap necessary to pursue a new industrial revolution in the region.  President Concepcion and Vice President Florendo expressed the administration’s commitment to “build upon the legacy” of the former UP administration and STUN, which began the strong of ties and cooperation between them.  Past and present UP presidents, Alfredo Pascual and Danilo Concepcion, respectively, welcome the Southern Taiwan Universities Network delegates for an academic visit to UP in the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, July 4, 2017. Concepcion assures them of the continuation of the Pascual legacy of cooperation with the Taiwanese. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  According to Villaraza, 67 UP professors have held exploratory meetings with southern Taiwan universities under this agreement of cooperation. In the school year 2016-2017, 200 UP fellows visited Taiwan, more than 20 of whom were students and 10, faculty members who decided to pursue PhD degrees in Kaohsiung, said Wu.  The partnership between UP and STU was further concretized by the offering beginning this year of an STU course, Master of Arts in Applied Arts and Design, in UP Cebu.  (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "5 UP alumni among 7 new National Artists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/5-up-alumni-among-7-new-national-artists/",
        "html": "5 UP alumni among 7 new National Artists 5 UP alumni among 7 new National Artists October 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Five alumni of the University of the Philippines have been named National Artists for 2018, achieving the highest honors given to practitioners in the arts and culture.  They join 17 other UP alumni on whom the award has been conferred since it was established in 1972, four of whom are still living: Virgilio Almario (Literature, 2003), Bienvenido Lumbera (Literature, 2006), Benedicto “BenCab” Reyes Cabrera (Visual Arts, 2006), and Ramon Santos (Music, 2014).  The new members of the Order of National Artists coming from UP are Lauro Zarate “Larry” Alcala (Fine Arts, UPD CFA, BFA 1950); Raymundo Cipriano Pujante “Ryan” Cayabyab (Music, UPD CMusic, BM 1983); Eric Oteyza “Kidlat Tahimik” de Guia (Film, UPD CLA, AB 1963); Amelia Lirag “Amel” Lapeña-Bonifacio (Theater, UPD CLA, AB 1953); and Resil B. Mojares (Literature, UPD CAS, PhD 1979). Also named National Artists were Ramon L. Muzones (Literature, FEU/CPU LlB1952, d. 1992) and Francisco T. Mañosa (Architecture, UST, BS 1953).     A well-loved cartoonist  A native of Daraga, Albay, the well-loved cartoonist, publisher, and UP Fine Arts professor was known for his comics Siopawman, A Slice of Life, Mang Ambo, and Kalabog en Bosyo. His first work appeared in the weekly magazine Liwayway and his unique Taglish style of communicating eventually found its way to commercial campaign advertisements for products ranging from milk to gasoline to t-shirts and even cans of beer. His skill in the art of illustration and cartooning paved the way for the creation of the UP College of Fine Arts’ Visual Communication Department, which he chaired in the late 1970s. He saw that cartoons played a pivotal role in education and values formation.  His 50-year career generated over “500 characters, 20 comic strips, six movies, two murals, and over 15,000 published pages,” according to his official website. His art illustrated the “snippets of the Filipino way of life” and “captured the idiosyncrasies of the Filipino psyche” which he preserved through humor for generations to come. He served as art director, editorial cartoonist, illustrator, and consultant for various publications, TV shows, and movies. He also headed art associations and received awards from UP Alumni Association, the Mayor of the City of Manila, mass media organizations, and government agencies. He died in 2002.     A Pinoy pop icon  After finishing his degree in Music, this icon of Pinoy pop better known as “Mr. C” taught music composition and music theory for almost twenty years at the UP College of Music. He went on to direct the San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts after being the only Asian to win in the Onassis International Cultural Competition in Greece in 2001.  His body of work includes modern and popular music spanning theater musicals, choral pieces, commercial recordings, film and television musical scores, short symphonic works, and full-length ballets. His most popular hits include Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, Nais Ko, Mamang Kutsero, Iduyan Mo, Paraisong Parisukat, and Da Coconut Nut.  Ryan’s legacy started with founding the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, a group of seven singers in the 1990s. This continued with the establishment of the Philpop Music Fest Foundation, Inc. which hosts and the famous music festival recognizing amateur musical talent and songwriting. Ryan Cayabyab has garnered countless awards from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Awit Awards, UP Alumni Association, and the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines. He runs the Music School of Ryan Cayabyab with his wife Emmy.     From economist to filmmaker  The Baguio-born filmmaker first stumbled upon a 16mm Bolex in Germany while working as an economist in France, holding an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He introduced another Filipino film legend, Lino Brocka, to small-stake investors while the latter was working on Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974).  While his contemporaries Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Mike de Leon were establishing themselves back home in mainstream cinema, Kidlat Tahimik debuted Perfumed Nightmare (1977), featuring a cab driver with his namesake chasing “progress” in the US and Europe and leaving his hometown behind. The film won three prizes at the Berlin Film Festival.  What followed were three more award-winning films: Memories of Overdevelopment (1980), Who Invented the Yoyo? (1981), and Turumba (1983). He resettled in Baguio with his family after the production of these films. Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow (shot in 1983, finished in 1994) responded to the environment of political violence and exhibited Kidlat’s “kapa-kapa” and “Bathala na” style of filmmaking. His film Balikbayan #1 (2015) was the completed version of his 1980 film which won the Calgari Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.     Pioneer of children’s theater  Known to many as Tita Amel, Lapeña-Bonifacio is a celebrated Filipina author, educator, and puppeteer. She specialized in Japanese traditional theater, Southeast Asian traditional theater, as well as international children’s theater where she utilized Japanese Bunraku and Indonesian wayang (shadow puppets) to depict Asian folklore and Filipino mythology and make them appeal to her young audience.  She later founded Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas which housed her award-winning plays while on a Fulbright Grant for MA in Theatre. The Teatrong Mulat performed locally on tour and abroad in Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The theater also featured themes surrounding religion and history, whose shows were instrumental to easing children’s trauma following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the early 1990s.  The 100-seater theater in UP Village next to the UP Diliman campus was repurposed and reopened in 2006 as the Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio Teatro Papet Museo and is currently managed by Tita Amel’s daughter Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete and her grandchildren.  She is a University Professor at UP, and is an adviser on the board of the UP Institute of Creative Writing, which she headed back when it was still the UP Creative Writing Center.     A scholar of the first order  A scholar of the first order, Dr. Resil Mojares’ work in literary criticism, local and national history, urban and rural history, and political biography has earned him National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle. The writer, critic, and cultural researcher also received recognition from the Free Press and Carlos Palanca Awards, the UP Creative Writing Center, as well as Ford, Toyota, and Rockefeller Foundations, the Fulbright Program, and the Social Science Research Council in New York. He was also awarded the Grant Goodman Prize for History from the Association of Asian Studies and the Fok Ying Tung Southeast Asia Prize.  After teaching stints as a Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin, University of Hawaii, University of Michigan, Kyoto University, University of California, Los Angeles, and the National University of Singapore, Dr. Mojares taught literature and history at the University of San Carlos in Cebu as Professor Emeritus. At USC, he was director of the Cebuano Studies Center and the San Carlos Publications. Today he serves as General Editor for the biographies of the Ramon Magsaysay awardees.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB DAAE starts its centennial celebration with art exhibit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-daae-starts-its-centennial-celebration-with-art-exhibit/",
        "html": "UPLB DAAE starts its centennial celebration with art exhibit UPLB DAAE starts its centennial celebration with art exhibit September 11, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   “August Rush: The Stunning Life in Agriculture” exhibit at the DL Umali Hall, University of the Philippines Los Baños, August 13-30, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The opening of the art exhibit, “August Rush: The Stunning Life in Agriculture,” on August 13 at the DL Umali Hall, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna signaled the start of the centennial celebration of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (DAAE) of the UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM). The exhibit, cosponsored by the UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), featured diverse artworks portraying farm life and provided the audience “a glimpse of how spectacular the agriculture sector is.”  “We’ve been feeding the minds of agricultural economists for over a hundred years. Now, we want to feed not only the minds but also the heart and soul; that’s why we are starting our centennial celebration with this art exhibit,” said Dr. Antonio Jesus Quilloy, chair of DAAE.     DAAE chair Antonio Jesus Quilloy introduces the participating artists present during the opening ceremony. (L-R) Quilloy, Jowee Aguinaldo, Karla Sajona-Sta. Cruz, Aaron Sta. Cruz, Bing Famoso Tac-an, Glenn Blanco, and Gem Blanco. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “August Rush” showcased exemplary artworks by Quilloy and fellow artists, Jowee Aguinaldo, Karla Sajona-Sta. Cruz, Aaron Sta. Cruz, Bing Famoso Tac-an, Glenn Blanco, Gem Blanco, Deo Blanco, and Sarah Cuenco, depicting life in agriculture through various mediums, styles, and techniques.  “Despite the downward trajectory of its economic performance in the Philippines and the Asian Region, the sector maintains its economic and social significance—being the main livelihood in the countryside; a major supplier of food and raw materials in both rural and urban societies; and an important ally in natural resource conservation,” Prof. Jaymee Cabangbang said at the opening ceremony. “The sector, despite the changing times, remains a wellspring of inspiration for Filipino artists,” she added.     Harmonya, UPLB’s string ensemble. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “It is important that we recognize how agriculture shapes both economic and social developments. Such an appreciation provides insights on how past decisions and circumstances have led to current conditions and serves as a guide to the possible directions that the said sector can take in the future,” Dr. Portia G. Lapitan, UPLB Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said. “Magsama-sama tayo para itaguyod ang agrikultura,” she added.  Karla Sajona-Sta. Cruz expressed gratitude and related the elements of art to agriculture. “We now have a greater sense of appreciation of the things that are grown and being consumed. We also have gratitude to the farmers, the traders, the scientists, the policy makers, and other agriculture stakeholders. I hope this exhibit will make an imprint in our collective memory, that we should not take things for granted. Rather, we should learn how to appreciate agriculture beyond its traditional functions, as art embodies the life of agriculture,” she said.  OICA Director Jerry Yapo, and CEM Associate Dean Arlene Gutierrez also delivered welcome messages. Special numbers were performed by a CEM alumna, Ms. Melanie Cortez, and the string ensemble, Harmonya, at the event.  The exhibit ran until August 31.  The DAAE will also be hosting an international conference and a grand alumni homecoming in October as part of its centennial celebrations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scholars discuss common home and happiness for Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scholars-discuss-common-home-and-happiness-for-asia/",
        "html": "Scholars discuss common home and happiness for Asia Scholars discuss common home and happiness for Asia February 10, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Atsumi International Foundation Executive Director Itsuko Atsumi hands Ambassador Jose Laurel V, conference keynote speaker, a sculpture as a token of appreciation. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Hundreds of scholars from the Philippines and abroad presented papers on “Sustainable Shared Growth: Our Common Home and Happiness” at the 5th Asia Future Conference, hosted by UP Los Baños (UPLB) through the College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf),  from January 9 to 13, 2020 at the Bellevue Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa and the UPLB campus in Laguna.  The conference is organized every two years by the Sekiguchi Global Research Association, a division of the charitable Atsumi International Foundation (AIF) of Japan. It is held in different countries. The association is composed of non-Japanese researchers from all over the world who have conducted advanced studies in Japanese graduate institutions. The conference aims to give these foundation scholars a venue to discuss the future of Asia.     Asia Future Conference Chair Yasushi Akashi makes an “opening declaration”. Looking on are Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, keynote speaker Jose Laurel V (hidden), UP President Danilo Concepcion, and UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “We are convening this time in the Philippines, which recent years have shown remarkable economic and other developments,” Conference Chair Yasushi Akashi, council member of AIF, said during his opening declaration. “We intend to focus on the question of the wealth gap, which is increasingly manifest as a global issue of major importance,” he added.  Leading the program were Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Castillo Laurel V, who delivered the keynote speech, “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the Age of Social Media”; and, discussing the theme from various perspectives, the panel of: Dean Rolando Bello, Dr. Ferdinand Maquito  and Dr. Josefina Dizon of CPAf; Dean Jose Camacho Jr. of the UPLB Graduate School; Arch. Michael Tomeldan of the UP Diliman College of Architecture; and, Dr. Peter Lee U of the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics.     Seated at Table 1 are Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan talking with UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, and Secretary of the University Roberto Lara talking with Regent Francis Laurel. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     According to Maquito, the first AISF scholar from the Philippines, sustainable shared growth translates to three goals of efficiency, equity, and environmental friendliness. Common happiness would refer to “all our aspirations to lead fulfilled lives”.  The panel discussion was followed by paper presentations by 300 scholars in several roundtable and parallel sessions on a range of topics, from technology, resource and risk management to a dialogue of national histories, cultures, and religion; from literature and education to public governance; and, from empowering social groups to health and peace of mind.     Dr. Ferdinand Maquito of the UP Los Baños College of Public Affairs and Development, an Atsumi International Foundation scholar, introduces the Asia Future Conference to a group of journalists. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The 20 best papers included studies on:  the social media usage of mothers and the health of toddlers;  urbanization and its effects on human living; liveable underground space design; cognitive empathy and relationship repair; localized climate financing; low-carbon residential energy system; prevalence of child maltreatment; teaching for wisdom; instability of piles in liquefiable ground; and, plastic characterization for easier recycling.  During the opening program, the conference participants were welcomed by UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda and UP President Danilo Concepcion gave congratulatory remarks.     Atsumi International Foundation (AIF) Managing Director Junko Imanishi introduces the foundation to a group of journalists. Looking on are AIF Council Member and Asia Future Conference Chair Yasushi Akashi and UP Los Baños College of Public Affairs and Development Dean Rolando Bello. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “There is still much to be done in our country,” Concepcion said. “UP is grateful for institutions like the AIF that have been unceasing in their faithful efforts to provide opportunities for international exchange.” Since 2004, AIF has held 27 seminars in the Philippines on the theme of shared growth.  The AFC, the biggest program of the AIF, was attended by the AIF Executive Director Itsuko Atsumi and Managing Director Junko Imanishi, wife and daughter, respectively, of the late Takeo Atsumi, who was the president of the Kajima Construction Corporation of Japan, after whom the foundation was established.     UP President Danilo Concepcion thanks the Atsumi International Foundation (AIF) for its unceasing efforts at promoting sustainable and shared growth among people and countries. Looking on are AIF Executive Director Itsuko Atsumi, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, and Philippine Ambassador to Japan and Asia Future Conference keynote speaker Jose Laurel V. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Science Journalism Workshop for Public High School Journalists and School Paper Advisers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-science-journalism-workshop-for-public-high-school-journalists-and-school-paper-advisers/",
        "html": "CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Science Journalism Workshop for Public High School Journalists and School Paper Advisers CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Science Journalism Workshop for Public High School Journalists and School Paper Advisers June 18, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       REMINDERS: • The workshop is limited to applicants from public secondary schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) • Slots are limited to one (1) science campus journalist and (1) adviser per school. We will only accept two (2) publications per city/municipality on a first come, first served basis • The training will be for both science campus journalists and campus paper advisers. Advisers are required to accompany the students on the actual workshop • Deadline for applications is on 21 June 2019  This project organized by Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at the University of the Philippines (CoST UP), aims to promote science journalism and help enhance the science and technology writing skills of campus journalists. The one-day training will include lectures on the fundamentals of Science Journalism, critical issues, data visualization, and actual engagement with UP scientists and innovators. Workshop fellows will receive training kits, food, and certificates.  Applicant Qualifications:  1. Must be enrolled (A.Y. 2019-2020)  in a public secondary school in NCR 2. Must be a current science news editor/reporter or editor-in-chief of their school publication 3. Must be endorsed and accompanied by their respective school paper adviser on the actual workshop  Submit your applications at http://bit.ly/UPSciJournTraining. Only applications submitted on the portal will be processed.  Should you have inquiries, please email gddelarmente@up.edu.ph or jfloristo@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao graduates first summa cum laude, holds investiture rites for fifth chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-graduates-first-summa-cum-laude-holds-investiture-rites-for-fifth-chancellor/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao graduates first summa cum laude, holds investiture rites for fifth chancellor UP Mindanao graduates first summa cum laude, holds investiture rites for fifth chancellor July 9, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Newly-installed chancellor of UP Mindanao, Dr. Larry N. Digal, addresses the constituent university’s graduating class of 2019. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Mindanao had its first summa cum laude graduate and held the investiture rites for its fifth chancellor, Agricultural Economics Professor Larry N. Digal, during the constituent university’s 22nd commencement exercises on June 21, 2019 in Davao City.  Food Technology major, Pete Maverick Nicole Estudillo, was the first student of the campus to qualify for the top honor after earning a cumulative Weighted Average Grade of 1.1971. She was also the valedictorian of her batch.     BS Food Technology graduate Pete Maverick Nicole Estudillo, UP Mindanao’s first summa cum laude graduate, delivers her valedictory address. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Digal was the commencement speaker. Before the conferment of degrees, he was vested as UP Mindanao Chancellor in rites administered by UP Regent Angelo Jimenez.  Estudillo and Digal both alluded to God and the UP core values of honor and excellence in their speeches.     : The University Mace is handed over to UP Mindanao’s new chancellor, Dr. Larry N. Digal, by UP Regent Angelo Jimenez. Helping administer the investiture rights are UP Mindanao Registrar John Bengan and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nilo Oponda. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Estudillo first praised her batchmates. “Hindi mo hinayaang diktahan ka ng iyong kalagayan. Bagkus, nagawa mong lampasan ang hamon na ipinukol sa ‘yo. [You did not allow circumstances to dictate upon you. Instead, you were able to surmount the challenge thrown at you.]”  “Kaya ka narito, [That’s why you’re here]” she said.  She paid homage to “lakas at diskarte ng babae,” having been raised by what she described as a “nagsasariling ina.” Growing up asthmatic, she learned to value each day. “There’s something miraculous each day if you’re willing to see.”     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa congratulates Pete Maverick Nicole Estudillo as she receives her medal and diploma. Accompanying her onstage is her mother. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Estudillo thanked UP for having taught students to measure success in terms of helping others, and God for unconditional and boundless love. “Ang paglilingkod sa Kaniya ay paglilingkod sa bayan [Serving God is serving others],” she stressed.  “Kaisa tayo sa mithiing-bayan, magkakaiba man ang pamamaraan [We are one in serving the country, although in different ways],”  she said. “Some of us here may be silent, but we are not blind. . . . There’s an Oble in each of us,” Estudillo added before engaging the class to individually declare themselves as the beginning of change starting that day.     UP Mindanao’s 5th Chancellor Larry N. Digal reads his oath, assisted by the constituent university registrar, John Bengan. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Digal, raised in Davao and a father of three, is a BS Agriculture cum laude graduate of UP Los Baños. He earned his postgraduate degrees at Purdue University in Indiana, USA and at the University of Sydney. Before joining UP Mindanao in 2001 and rising to the deanship of its School of Management, he taught at the Ateneo de Davao University and the University of Sydney. He has held executive posts in the Mindanao Business Council, JS Gaisano Inc., and the Department of Trade and Industry Region XI.     UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry N. Digal confers with an office assistant before the commencement and investiture ceremonies. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     He spoke of the importance of dreams, “Having a simple dream [to teach in UP] has led me to where I am now.” He spoke of the “power of timing” or being in the right place at the right time. “God prepared me so that UP Mindanao [will] be the place for me to share my talents and to be surrounded by my family and those who are important to me.”  Digal then spoke of his dream of UP Mindanao contributing to the development of Mindanao, “with the University bringing the best of the world to Mindanao and the best of Mindanao to the rest of the world.”     UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal delivers this year’s commencement speech for the constituent university. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     He said that the University will focus on sustainable agri- and bio-systems, Mindanao arts and culture, and world-class sports development.  Digal and Estudillo served as inspiration for the 353 candidates who were receiving their degrees, 16 of whom graduated magna cum laude, and 79, cum laude, from UP Mindanao’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, and School of Management.     The UP Mindanao candidates for graduation are conferred their degrees and awarded their titles, do the traditional shifting of the Sablay. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Mindanao, established in 1995 through an act of Congress, is UP’s sixth of eight constituent universities.     Friends and relatives of the graduates monitor the commencement exercises on a video wall installed at the steps of the UP Mindanao administration building. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Mindanao candidates for graduation sing the National Anthem. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal confer the degrees upon and award the titles to the constituent university’s graduating class of 2019.     The new graduates sing the University Hymn. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The new graduates, with their diplomas, congratulate one another. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Fishing industry leader shares success story with UPV graduates – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fishing-industry-leader-shares-success-story-with-upv-graduates/",
        "html": "Fishing industry leader shares success story with UPV graduates Fishing industry leader shares success story with UPV graduates July 9, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. shares lessons learned from the success of Frabelle Fishing Corporation. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Candidates for graduation from the Iloilo City and Miagao town campuses of UP Visayas had a  glimpse of their possible future in the person of fishing industry leader, Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who spoke before them during the constituent university’s 40th commencement exercises on June 27, 2019 in the UP Visayas Miagao campus.  Laurel is the president of Frabelle Fishing Corporation, a 100-percent Filipino-owned company which, according to him, has emerged as one of the top three fishing companies in the world from the last 20 years, and which has grown to a fleet of 150 fishing vessels from just two old ones purchased with borrowed money in the sixties.     UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran introduces the commencement speaker. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP Visayas is a center of fisheries and marine sciences education, research, and extension in the country. Laurel presented his corporation as an example of how these disciplines combined with knowledge in management and technology, which all happen to be pursued and delivered in the four colleges and one school of UP Visayas, could make an international success story out of a Philippine corporation that started humbly enough.  “I hope to make you realize that there is a future in fisheries and mariculture industry,” Laurel stressed.     Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. delivers the commencement speech in front of Philippine higher education and University officials, and UP Visayas faculty members; and before the UP Visayas graduating class of 2019, their families, and friends. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “[With] the colleges [and school] that compose UP Visayas, [and] the seafood industry, I believe we can do much more if we all work together as one,” Laurel said, speaking before around 825 candidates for graduation from the Iloilo Province campuses of UP Visayas.  “Our country’s fisheries is a resilient, renewable resource but which is currently in an alarming situation, but if managed properly and sustainably, with a strong political will, can benefit many Filipinos for many generations to come,” he added.     BS Fisheries graduate Amethyl Mardin Pernito, magna cum laude, delivers the valedictory address. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The valedictorian of the graduating class was Amethyl Mardin Pernito, one of 14 magna cum laude graduates from UP Visayas. There were 175 cum laude graduates. They led around 1,100 UP Visayas candidates for graduation, including those from the UP Visayas Tacloban College, who graduated in a separate ceremony on June 20, 2019.  “We will never cease to learn and seek knowledge, and continue to take part in helping find solutions to our country’s problem, not to be hindrances but rather to be catalysts of change for the betterment of society,” Pernito, a graduate of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, said.     The UP Visayas graduates of 2019 pledge their loyalty to the University. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “As UP graduates, we are expected to contribute to our nation’s development, but we are also expected to safeguard our resources in the process. . . and our patrimony,” she added. “Let us resolve to be among the passionate builders of our nation.”  “Maraming salamat, UP. Handa na kaming maging iskolar para sa bayan” [Thank you very much, UP. We are now ready to become scholars serving the nation], Pernito concluded.     The UP Visayas graduates of 2019 sing the University Hymn. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP Visayas graduates students with degrees in fisheries, communication and media studies, political science, history, literature, psychology, sociology, community development, mathematics, sciences, economics, accountancy, management, marketing, food technology and chemical engineering.     University and constituent university officials, with UP Visayas commencement speaker Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., before marching to the UP Visayas Miagao Campus Covered Court for the commencement exercises. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Its colleges and school are located in Iloilo City and Miagao town in Iloilo Province, and in Tacloban City, with Miagao being the site of the main campus where the central administration offices are located. The constituent university aims to contribute to the development of the Visayas through instruction, research, and extension programs.     Two UP Visayas candidates for graduation rush to the pre-march formation outside the graduation venue. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The UP Visayas candidates for graduation make their way to the ceremony. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The entrance of the Philippine and University colors at the UP Visayas 40th commencement exercises. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The families, relatives, and close friends of the UP Visayas candidates for graduation in their reserved seats at one end of the Miagao campus covered court. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The UP Visayas class valedictorian of 2019 and other graduates show off their diplomas. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP Visayas BS Biology graduate Gabrielle Thea Ramos is interviewed by media. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Groot to UPLB Class of 2019: PH, developing nations need you – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/groot-to-uplb-class-of-2019-ph-developing-nations-need-you/",
        "html": "Groot to UPLB Class of 2019: PH, developing nations need you Groot to UPLB Class of 2019: PH, developing nations need you July 12, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   University of the Philippines Los Baños graduates applaud upon the official conferment of their respective titles and degrees by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Thousands of Iskolar ng Bayan and their loved ones converged at the DL Umali Freedom Park of the University of the Philippines Los Baños for the UPLB’s 47th Commencement Exercises on the afternoon of June 22, 2019. The event marked the University’s conferment of degrees to its 2,419 graduates for this year and the conferment of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, on Dr. Simon N. Groot.  Groot, recipient of the 2019 World Food Prize award and the honorary chairman and founder of the East-West Seed Group, was recognized by UP for his outstanding contributions to Philippine agriculture and for helping improve the income of farmers through the development of high quality vegetables using modern plant technologies.     University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion officiates the conferment of the honorary degree Doctor of Laws on Dr. Simon N. Groot. He is assisted by the members of the UP Board of Regents and UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Simon N. Groot (center), his daughter Maaike, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents, and UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In his commencement speech, Groot told the graduates, “This country and many others in tropical Asia and Africa need you.” He said that nation building, like agricultural development, “needs a variety of skills leading to combining ability.” He explained that this is possible through “recombining several highly desirable characteristics,” an important process “not only in plants but also in people, organizations, and cultures.” He also talked about the importance of promoting nutritious diets and an interest in amateur vegetable farming, especially for children.     Dr. Simon N. Groot, 2019 World Food Prize laureate, honorary chairman and founder of the East-West Seed Group, and the guest speaker at the UPLB’s 47th Commencement Exercises, imparts life-lessons and inspiration for the Class of 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     By drawing lessons from his decades-long experience in developing vegetable farming, helping small farming communities, and promoting vegetable nutrition, Groot encouraged the graduates to “combine the right kinds of knowledge about crops and markets”, learn by doing, have passion for farmers, and become innovators.  Groot was born in The Netherlands, took up business economics, and became a pioneer in the seed industry. (For more information on the World Food Prize and Dr. Groot, please access https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/laureates/2019_groot/).  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, members of the UP Board of Regents, and UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., officiated at the ceremonies.  UPLB, renowned for its leadership in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and allied academic programs, produced one summa cum laude, 22 magna cum laude, and 201 cum laude graduates this year. At the ceremonies, 2,048 received their Bachelor’s degree; 285, their Master’s degree; 73, their doctorate; and, 13, their Certificate in Forestry. The traditional lightning rally staged by graduating activists at the end of the program also highlighted issues of national significance, such as political repression and the West Philippine Sea. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD grad centers on theme of ‘tahanan’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-grad-centers-on-theme-of-tahanan/",
        "html": "UPD grad centers on theme of ‘tahanan’ UPD grad centers on theme of ‘tahanan’ July 12, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The Oblation dons the Sablay to celebrate the UP Diliman Class of 2019. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Tahanan. Home. That was the theme of the UP Diliman (UPD) Commencement Exercises held on June 30 at the University Amphitheater.     Scenes before the UP Diliman graduation ceremony, clockwise from top: the stage, graduating students clad in raincoats, lining up to enter the University Amphitheater, and the venue quickly filling up (Top and middle right photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO, and bottom and middle left photos by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Home is where you feel love and care, where you rest and get nourishment, where you are listened to, and where you dream and create. In times of turmoil, home is a place of refuge and renewal. This was how National Artist for Theater and University Professor Emeritus Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio described it in her commencement address. And she considered UP her “second home.” Her affinity with the University began when she entered as an English major in 1948.     National Artist for Theater and University Professor Emeritus Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio is UP Diliman’s commencement speaker this year. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Lapeña-Bonifacio gave the UPD Class of 2019 three pieces of advice: ambition is important but it needs to be balanced by reality; failing is not the end of the world; it just means there was something lacking in what we did so we should persist until we succeed; and, serve with honor and excellence without asking for anything in return.     The graduating class and college marshals listen to the commencement address under the cover of umbrellas in the University Amphitheater. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As with the commencement speaker, BA Philosophy summa cum laude graduate Joshua Emmanuel Ramos, who spoke on behalf of the graduating class, said that the capacity to love is rooted in the home. In UP, this capacity is strengthened when academic life is coupled with empathy and unity with the masses. As an example, he cited the many UP graduates who have turned their backs on lucrative careers to serve as teachers of Lumad children.     Joshua Emmanuel Ramos, BA Philosophy summa cum laude, delivers a message on behalf of the UP Diliman Class of 2019. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Ramos, who graduated with a weighted average grade of 1.096, added that home is where inquiring minds are first developed; and, in the University, the inquiring mind is further encouraged and nurtured. When he is asked why people from UP always question the government that funds their education as though they are attacking their own parents, Ramos said he remembers how his father was at home. “He never told me to not answer. What he would always say is to not answer rudely. Which means as long as there is respect, there is nothing wrong with answering, reasoning out, or asking.”  At the end of his speech, Ramos told his fellow graduates, “Just as UP became our home and refuge, may we also be the refuge for those who long for freedom from their oppressive realities.”     The lightning rally toward the end of the UP Diliman graduation ceremony takes center stage (top photo) and the open space in front of the University Amphitheater (bottom photos). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apart from Ramos, there were 53 other summa cum laude graduates. They are:  Jaron Nicolas Uy, BS Chemical Engineering, 1.019 Reine Jiana Reynoso, BS Electronics and Communications Engineering, 1.027 Samantha Amante, BS Business Administration, 1.071 Jamie Christine Lim, BS Mathematics, 1.073 Sethric Andre Mesoza, BS Mathematics, 1.078 Lea Andrei San Juan, Bachelor of Sports Science, 1.088 Bianca Isadora Germar, BA Anthropology, 1.089 Mariel Santos, BS Psychology, 1.110 Joshua Miguel Danac, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 1.113     A member of the UP Rayadillo, the Honor Guard Battalion, faces the Sablay-draped Oblation as he stands at attention in the Quezon Hall Lobby. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Anna Michaella Dela Cruz, Bachelor of Sports Science, 1.116 Jody Kirsten Uy, Bachelor of Secondary Education, 1.118 Helli-Mar Trilles, BS Civil Engineering, 1.122 Jasper Jamir, BS Electronics and Communications Engineering, 1.127 Raphaelle Joshua Traballo, BS Business Administration, 1.130 Aleeza Dana Sy, BS Industrial Engineering, 1.131 Raphael Don Tantan, BS Business Administration and Accountancy, 1.133     “We take pride today in the 54 summa cum laudes, the highest in UP’s history,” says UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan in his opening remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jerielle Malonzo, BS Mathematics, 1.134 Xaika Nadine Saldivar, BA Broadcast Communication, 1.135 Christian Fitzedward Tan, BS Economics, 1.142 Stanley Brian Sayson, BS Civil Engineering, 1.146 Ciana Lim, BS Computer Science, 1.154 Eloise Misa, BS Mathematics, 1.155 Ara Isobel Mercado, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting), 1.156     Former College of Education Dean Marie Therese Bustos interprets the program in sign language—a first in the UP Diliman Commencement Exercises. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO     Weand Ybañez, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 1.158 Erika Antonette Enriquez, BS Mathematics, 1.161 Isabella Mae Tan, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Industrial Design), 1.163 Wilbert Jacob Julio, BS Chemical Engineering, 1.165 Carlos Emmanuel Garcia, BS Mechanical Engineering, 1.166 Maru Feriel Del Carmen, BS Chemical Engineering, 1.167 Anderson Kirk Nigel Tan, BS Psychology, 1.168     The singing of the Philippine National Anthem starts off the UP Diliman graduation rites. (Photo by Misael Bacani)     Joseph Neos Cruz, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 1.168 Timothy Jason Simeon, BS Civil Engineering, 1.169 Ranier Biglang-awa, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting), 1.173 Mikaela Maria Gomez, BS Business Administration, 1.180 Samantha Yzavelle Ceniza, BS Economics, 1.181 Jiwan Tai, BS Economics, 1.183 Ferdinand John Briones, BS Computer Engineering, 1.185     The graduating students from the College of Arts and Letters (left photo) and the College of Law (right photo) celebrated LGBTQ Pride by flashing rainbow-colored umbrellas and souvenir programs, respectively, as their academic units were called. The UP Diliman Commencement Exercises were held on the last day of LGBTQ Pride Month. (Left photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO and right photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Karlo de Leon, BS Physics, 1.186 Charmaine Regina Yu, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Communication), 1.187 Sam Ezrael dela Cruz, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 1.187 Reina Nette Daguio, BS Civil Engineering, 1.188 Arvy Daniel Ngo, BS Electronics and Communications Engineering, 1.188 Lian Mae Tabien, BS Statistics, 1.190 Francis Zac dela Cruz, BS Computer Science, 1.191     UP President Danilo Concepcion (left photo) administers the Oath of Loyalty to the University to the UP Diliman Class of 2019 (right photo). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Kwen Kwen Cabalag, BA Philosophy, 1.193 Exequiel Kim Isaac Salvador, BS Mathematics, 1.193 Edrea Faustina Choa, BS Business Administration, 1.193 Emilio Paul Nogales, BS Chemical Engineering, 1.194 Aaron Cris Vega, Bachelor of Sports Science, 1.195 John Anthony Kho, BS Chemical Engineering, 1.196 Carissa Andrea Lim, BS Business Administration, 1.196 Dana Sison, BA European Languages, 1.197 Francesca Sy, BS Civil Engineering, 1.199     At last! The Class of 2019 celebrates after the shifting the UP Sablay from the right shoulder to the left—a symbolic act of shifting from being a graduating student to finally being a graduate. (Top photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO, bottom photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UPD Class of 2019 also had 437 magna cum laude and 1,173 cum laude graduates. Of the 5,049 graduating class, 3,980 earned baccalaureate degrees while 1,069 received graduate degrees. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Manila grads encouraged to stand up for truth, justice, human rights – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-manila-grads-encouraged-to-stand-up-for-truth-justice-human-rights/",
        "html": "UP Manila grads encouraged to stand up for truth, justice, human rights UP Manila grads encouraged to stand up for truth, justice, human rights July 12, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Atty. Theodore O. Te, a professorial lecturer at the UP College of Law and a Legal Education specialist at the UP Law Center, delivers his message for the graduates of UP Manila at the 110th Commencement Exercises of the constituent university on June 26, 2019 at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines Manila, the nation’s Health Sciences Center, held its 110th Commencement Exercises at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City, on June 26, 2019.  At the ceremonies, titles and degrees were conferred on a total of 1,134 graduates. 949 received their Bachelor’s degrees; 233, their Master’s degrees; and, 10, their doctorate. Batch 2019 has one graduated summa cum laude, 33, magna cum laude, and 207, cum laude; they come from UP Manila’s nine degree-granting units: the College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP); the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS); the College of Dentistry (CD); the College of Medicine (CM); the College of Nursing (CN); the College of Pharmacy (CP) the College of Public Health (CPH); the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (NTTC-HP); and,  the School of Health Sciences (SHS).  Atty. Theodore O. Te, a professorial lecturer at the UP College of Law and a Legal Education specialist at the UP Law Center, delivered the commencement address at UP Manila’s graduation rites this year. Te is a prominent human rights lawyer and a former spokesperson and chief of the Public Information Office of the Supreme Court.     Atty. Theodore O. Te, a professorial lecturer at the UP College of Law and a Legal Education specialist at the UP Law Center, delivers his message to the graduates of UP Manila at the 110th Commencement Exercises of the constituent university on June 26, 2019 at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Iskolar para sa Bayan  In his message, Te urged the graduates to stand up for truth, justice, and human rights amidst “a war that is being waged on many fronts and in many forms.” He explained that every Iskolar ng Bayan must “remember always who we are” as scholars who “come from the people” and who are expected to “always put the people first.”  “Be good people. . . as Iskolar ng Bayan, Iskolar para sa Bayan,” Te advised. He also gave several examples on how UP graduates can help others, as innovators and leaders. “Find ways to help. . . . Be a counterculture,” added Te.     Graduates of 2019 listen to Atty. Theodore O. Te’s commencement speech. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Insist on what is true, what is just, and what is right. Do that through our scholarly research; through the use of science to find the truth; through multi-disciplinary engagements that allow us to see beyond where we find ourselves now,” Te advised.  Te also expressed confidence that UP has adequately trained its graduates “to be courageous and to be good.” He said further, “More than just allowing mastery of our respective fields, we must strive to inculcate not only knowledge but also to develop character—the conviction of what is good, right and just; to be able to do the right thing, and to resist compromising one’s ideals and values. This requires courage, perseverance, and fortitude; it also requires the strength to persist through challenges and struggles, and to choose what is right even when it is difficult, even when you stand alone and everyone else is against you.”     UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla , presents the plaque of appreciation and token to Atty. Theodore O. Te, the commencement speaker. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Iskolar ng Bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban  Georgina B. Gato, BA Political Science, summa cum laude, delivered her valedictory address on behalf of the graduating class after each of the graduates and recipients of awards were called on stage. Dozens from the Class of 2019 rushed to the front of the Plenary Hall, unfurling streamers and placards for the lightning rally as a response to the challenges presented by Te and Gato.  After the graduates were inducted into the UP Alumni Association and the UP Manila Alumni Association, the SDE (same-day edit) video of the commencement exercises was played, showing the highlights of the event.     Graduates of UP Manila pose for a wacky shot. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Read the commencement address of Atty. Te here.  Watch the highlights from UP Manila’s YouTube channel.     Officials and faculty members of the University of the Philippines Manila. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Members of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents, UP System administration, and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla pose with Atty. Theodore O. Te (center), the commencement speaker for the 110th Commencement Exercises of UP Manila. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Taiwanese universities’ faculty meet for academic cooperation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-taiwanese-universities-faculty-meet-for-academic-cooperation/",
        "html": "UP, Taiwanese universities’ faculty meet for academic cooperation UP, Taiwanese universities’ faculty meet for academic cooperation December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Top officials and faculty members from the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Taiwan Strategic Alliance for Colleges of Education and Humanity / National Taiwan University System (TSA-CEH/NTUS) held an academic collaborative meeting and workshop on November 20, 2017 in UP Diliman, Quezon City.     Photo by Bong Arboleda     The event was highlighted by the signing of a memorandum on academic cooperation between UP and TSA-CEH, and by a series of discussions on possible joint activities and international exchanges among participating higher education institutions.     Photo by Bong Arboleda     Representatives from UP, NTUS, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), and National Cheng Chi University (NCCU) attended the activities held at Quezon Hall, Palma Hall, and the Microtel by Wyndham – UP Technohub in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/istorya-ng-pag-asa-calls-for-film-entries-2/",
        "html": "Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries Istorya ng Pag-asa calls for film entries February 6, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Are you interested in making films? Do you have a true and inspiring story you want to share? Join the Istorya ng Pag-asa Film Festival 2019!  Istorya ng Pag-asa (INP) is a traveling photo gallery featuring extraordinary stories of ordinary Filipinos. Through words and portraits, this project aims to inspire, empower and be a source of hope for all. It was an offshoot of Araw ng Pagbasa, Araw ng Pag-asa, an annual reading advocacy program that began in Quezon City.  Officially adopted in November 2016, Istorya ng Pag-asa is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President aiming to direct social conversations away from animosity and toward positivity by spreading stories of hope.  Istorya ng Pag-asa continues to grow and expand its reach to all corners of the country, with the support of partners and stakeholders from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Quezon City, Naga, Baguio, Palawan and Dumaguete.        Click here to view the mechanics, application form and FAQs. Accepting submissions only until March 25, 2019."
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for applications: 2021 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-2021-ajinomoto-postgraduate-scholarship-grant/",
        "html": "Call for applications: 2021 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant Call for applications: 2021 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant January 24, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Ajinomoto is inviting interested applicants from the Philippines to apply for the 2021 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant.  The Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grants aims to help deserving Filipino students who require financial assistance to pursue higher education in the field of sciences. This gives a full scholarship in a master’s course at specified graduate schools in designated universities in Japan. This grant can be applied to specified graduate schools at the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ochanomizu University, Waseda University and Kagawa Nutrition University.  Further details of the scholarship can be accessed through this link: https://www.ajinomoto.com.ph/whats-new-archive/2021-ajinomoto-postgraduate-scholarship-grant/    "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHE Museum and Child Development buildings inaugurated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/che-museum-and-child-development-buildings-inaugurated/",
        "html": "CHE Museum and Child Development buildings inaugurated CHE Museum and Child Development buildings inaugurated December 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The facades of the newly inaugurated CHE Museum building and Child Development Center complex. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Three years after its inclusion in the UP budget proposal, the College of Home Economics’ (CHE) infrastructure development project, beginning with the College Museum and the Child Development Center buildings, was inaugurated on December 12, 2018.  The inauguration was led by UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and CHE Dean Aurorita Roldan, with former UP President Alfredo Pascual and former CHE deans and faculty members as guests of honor.  They toured around the facilities of the CHE Museum, which include the costume museum; and of the new CDC building, which include observation classrooms, playgrounds, and an auditorium.  Aside from the costume museum, the CHE Museum will house museums for traditional Philippine attire, home implements, toys, and other home artifacts.  The CDC is the laboratory school of the CHE’s Family Life and Child Development Department, which educates children from three months to 5 ½ years old.     Part of the CHE’s collection of ternos on display in the costume museum. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The CDC open-air playground highlighted by a slide said to be the work of Napoleon Abueva and a wading pool. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Two of the CDC observation classrooms, especially designed for infants (top photo) and older pre-schoolers (bottom photo). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “I know this is a work in progress that we will support in whatever way we can, as part of the larger vision to be a center of Home Economics,” said Tan in the inauguration program. “Many of our problems are rooted in the destruction of what we used to teach at home.”  He added that Home Economics “. . . is an appreciation of what we have. That is where we shape our Filipino-ness and where we have our inculturation.”     Chancellor Michael Tan and President Danilo Concepcion deliver messages. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Concepcion wanted the name of the College “tweaked” to reflect the many disciplines in the College and to get recognized alongside their international counterparts.  He assured the College of more support from him, so that it can lead the country in terms of its expertise and expand the coverage of courses to include emerging industries. He called upon the initiative of the College to contribute to the country’s food security by discovering new food sources and processes. He also spoke about extension programs to make courses such as culinary arts and hospitality management more accessible in the Philippines. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Works of children wards hang just outside the classrooms. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPDGO holds forum on confronting EJKs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/updgo-holds-forum-on-confronting-ejks/",
        "html": "UPDGO holds forum on confronting EJKs UPDGO holds forum on confronting EJKs September 27, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO) conducted a forum about extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in urban and rural communities on September 20 at the UPDGO Seminar Room, Benton Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  “Nanay, Tatay, gusto kong tinapay, Nanay, Tatay, gusto kong MABUHAY” served as a venue for dialogue and psychosocial guidance for participants from Barangay UP Campus and Sitio Sandugo (Kampuhansa UP Diliman).  Facilitating the forum were: UPDGO’s Guidance Counselor and (OASH) Extension Specialist Prescilla Tulipat; Legal Consultant, Atty. Alnie Foja; Gender and Development Specialist, Cindy Cruz-Cabrera; and, Coordinator, Prof. Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel, in cooperation with the Bai Indigenous Women’s Network and the Barangay UP Campus Family Community Healing Center.  The participants expressed feelings of hurt, fear and anger over the killings of children, even as they also discussed community actions to address these issues. A candle lighting ceremony and call to action capped the day’s activities.  A candle lighting ceremony and call to action capped the day’s activities. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Fight for ancestral lands and safer communities  “How can we keep our communities safe? Do we still feel safe if the police and military are the ones committing or condoning the killings?” These were among the questions raised during the discussions, as the participants shared their own experiences in the context of the Martial Law era that began 45 years ago under the Marcos dictatorship, the Duterte administration’s drug war, and the Martial Law situation in Mindanao at present. Forum participants said there have been at least 13 recorded deaths in Barangay UP Campus attributed to the drug war. Meanwhile, women tribal leaders narrated how government and paramilitary groups have been committing violence on their communities since the Marcos era.  Bai Aida Seisa, a Bagobo leader from the Paquibato district, Davao City, recounted how she survived two massacres, the first in 1983 and then recently in 2015. She said on these separate incidents, her father, Amado Sandunan, a Bagobo leader who fought logging operations in their ancestral lands, and other villagers, were killed by paramilitary and government troops, because they were fighting for their natural resources-rich yutang kabilin, their ancestral lands.  Bai Aida Seisa, a Bagobo leader from the Paquibato district, Davao City (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Michelle Campos, Lumad youth leader, narrated their plight after her father, Lumad leader Dionel Campos, grandfather, Datu Juvello Sinzo, and school director, Emerito Samarca were killed by paramilitary troops in Lianga, Surigao del Sur in September 2015.  Bai Kakay Tolentino, a Dumagat and the national coordinator of BAI, said indigenous peoples are fighting for survival and defending their ancestral lands from corporations and militarization because land is their source of life. She said they have also learned to fight for their lives, united as a tribe, as a community, and as members of broader alliances with common goals.  BAI members arrived with the delegates of the Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya 2017 on August 31 for the three weeks-long Kampuhansa UP Diliman along C.P. Garcia Avenue.  During the candle lighting ceremony, the forum speakers and participants called for solidarity, healing, justice, and for an end to the killings, as they pledged to join protest actions against violence and creeping tyranny. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD launches “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” on International Women’s Day 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-launches-sayaw-ng-paghihimagsik-on-international-womens-day-2019/",
        "html": "UPD launches “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” on International Women’s Day 2019 UPD launches “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” on International Women’s Day 2019 March 11, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Members of the UP Diliman community dance the “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” and “One Billion Rising” as their expressions of unity and protest. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) faculty, staff, students, and residents of Barangay UP Campus gathered at Quezon Hall on March 8 for a festive and militant multisectoral program in celebration of International Women’s Day 2019. The event featured the public launching of “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik”, one of the UPD community’s contributions to the annual “One Billion Rising” (OBR) global campaign and the local series of activities in March, Women’s Month.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     With the theme “Laban U.P.! Laban sa Misogyny! Nagkakaisang UP laban sa lahat ng anyo ng karahasan at pang-aapi sa kababaihan. Pagyurak ay wakasan, irespeto ang kababaihan! Kababaihan, ipaglaban ang bayan! Bayan, ipaglaban ang kababaihan!” formulated by the UPD Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System, members of organizations spearheaded by the UPD Gender Office (UPDGO) participated in the “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” and OBR dance as their expression of protest against all forms of violence against women. Among them were: the University Student Council, Gabriela Youth, Lumad and Bakwit Schools, All UP Workers Alliance, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND), the University Library, and the UPD Human Resources Development Office (HRDO). Staff from the University Health Service, Barangay UP Campus Golden Lolas, TUBAW Music Collective, The General Strike, and Pasada also rendered their respective cultural performances during the event.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa reads UP President Danilo L. Concepcion’s solidarity message for the event. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     Solidarity messages were delivered by UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa, representing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UPDGO coordinator, Dr. Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel, and representatives of participating organizations. They said that campuses and communities should be safe and enabling environments for all. They also called for unity in the fight to end all forms of violence against women and children, oppression, and misogyny (hatred of or contempt for women), and reiterated that these have no place in the University and in society.     The Barangay UP Campus Golden Lolas performing a Filipino folk dance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     After the program in Diliman, Quezon City, a contingent then proceeded to the City of Manila to join the bigger protest programs held on Mendiola Bridge and at Liwasang Bonifacio.  The Women’s Month series of activities in UPD included gender sensitivity seminars, exhibits, livelihood trainings, services for health and wellness, and forums.     Poster from the UP Diliman Gender Office.     The lyrics and music of “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” may be downloaded from the Facebook page of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Statement by the President on Recent Issues Involving Fraternities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-statement-by-the-president-on-recent-issues-involving-fraternities/",
        "html": "A Statement by the President on Recent Issues Involving Fraternities A Statement by the President on Recent Issues Involving Fraternities November 23, 2018 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    Recent incidents within the University of the Philippines have drawn renewed attention to the roles and actuations of fraternities on our campuses—in particular, a brawl involving members of two fraternities, and even more disturbingly, a series of offensive posts on social media attributed to the Upsilon Sigma Phi.     Let me speak first as the President of this University.     Whatever the source of these reported posts may be, the language and the behavior they contain are reprehensible and totally unacceptable in our community. Such flagrant misogyny has no place in a university dedicated to the highest ideals and the practice of gender equality and human rights. That practice is best tested in our private utterances and actions, and the attitudes displayed in these published posts demonstrate how much more we need to do to reform medieval mindsets within the university at all levels.     Let me now speak as an Upsilonian.     It personally pains me for my fraternity, which is celebrating its Centennial, to have been associated with these posts. They do not represent what we have stood for all these years, as they bring us back to the darkness rather than the light.     But my pain cannot be compared to that of those maligned by the posts, and I assure the University community that I will do all I can, both as President and as a fellow of the fraternity, to root out this problem and to instill or reaffirm a culture of respect, tolerance, and decency within Upsilon and our entire fraternity system.     Let me be absolutely clear about this: I will not protect any fraternity brother who may be found culpable of these kinds of offensive acts. I call on my fellow Upsilon alumni to support me in this position, so we can bring the fraternity forward into a new and more progressive century.     The long-held excuse that “Boys will be boys” can no longer hold. We will not tolerate misogyny, sexual harassment, and bullying or any form of violence against women and other groups in this University, and any such offenses will be dealt with to the full extent of our judicial and administrative remedies.     Accordingly, I have instructed UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan to expedite the investigation into the recent brawl on campus reportedly involving members of the Upsilon Sigma Phi and Alpha Phi Beta fraternities to identify the participants, establish liabilities, and file the appropriate cases against the offenders.     I am also directing all Chancellors to require all new and renewing student organizations for their members to undergo gender sensitivity training before accreditation or renewal is granted, and to intensify security on their campuses to ensure a peaceful and secure environment for students, faculty, staff, and residents.     To anyone who may feel personally threatened or aggrieved by these recent incidents, I am offering the protection and assistance of my office in seeing to it that your case is attended to, that your safety and security are assured, and that justice is served.     May these challenges become an opportunity for all of us to work together for a safer, fairer, and more convivial University environment.        DANILO L. CONCEPCION  President  23 November 2018 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Danilo Concepcion steps in as 21st UP president – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/danilo-concepcion-steps-in-as-21st-up-president/",
        "html": "Danilo Concepcion steps in as 21st UP president Danilo Concepcion steps in as 21st UP president February 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) welcomed its 21st president, UP Diliman College of Law Dean Danilo Concepcion, on February 10 in a ceremonial turnover of the university leadership at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. He will serve a term of six years.  “Today, I will pass on, with both pride and humility, the mantle of leadership to my successor, whose outstanding qualifications give me confidence that the future of UP is in good hands,” said outgoing UP President Alfredo Pascual in his valedictory address. “I call on our faculty, students, staff, and alumni to help our new president stay the course as he takes his turn in putting a few more stones in the building of our great edifice—that is our UP beloved.”  In his acceptance speech, Concepcion highlighted compassion as an integral value in moving the university forward. “Marapat siguro na ating isaalang-alang na mas titingkad ang taglay nitong bisa kung ang dangal at husay ay kakambal ng pagmamalasakit. Kinakailangan nating itong isapuso at isadiwa sapagkat ito ang magiging pangunahin nating takaran upang matagumpay nating maiukit ang dibuho ng ating hinaharap. Sa susunod na anim na taon na ating pagsasamahan, malasakit ang magbibigay bigkis at buhay sa lahat ng ating layunin, sa lahat ng ating mga kilos, at sa lahat ng ating mga galaw.” (“We should consider that the meaning and value of honor and excellence is further deepened when it is coupled with compassion. We should keep it in our hearts and minds as this will be the foundation upon which we can successfully carve out our plans for the future. In the next six years that we will be together, compassion will unite and give life to all our objectives and all our actions.”)  Prior to the UP presidency, Concepcion was the executive director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. He also served as Vice President for Legal Affairs in the administration of his predecessor, Alfredo Pascual. From 2000-2002, he was president of De La Salle Araneta University.  Concepcion earned his Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 1986 as a Chevening Scholar of the United Kingdom government. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree, cum laude, from UP Diliman in 1983. In 1979, he finished his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering degree, summa cum laude, in De La Salle Araneta University. He also topped the licensure examination for agricultural engineers that year.  The new UP president’s platform is the redefinition of UP’s culture, enhancing the time-honored traditions of honor and excellence to include compassion—a virtue he considers as “UP’s moral core as the national university.”  To “engender compassion in [UP’s] culture,” Concepcion has enumerated five key points in his vision paper: the academic thrust should reflect its concern for the welfare of its primary constituency—the nation, the admission and financial aid system should respond to the needs of all deserving students; efficient and effective services must be delivered to UP’s constituency within the campuses and meaningful support extended to all its personnel; as UP’s contribution to prudent management of public resources, creative ways must be conceived to boost its income without abandoning the campaign for increased government subsidy; and UP should contribute to national development. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion names Executive Team – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-names-executive-team/",
        "html": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion names Executive Team UP President Danilo L. Concepcion names Executive Team February 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Newly-installed UP President Danilo Concepcion has introduced the members of his executive team in his acceptance speech during the ceremonial turnover of the university leadership on February 10 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Oath-taking of the Vice Presidents and the Secretary of the University took place at the Office of the President right after the ceremony.  The 21st UP President has reappointed three officials from the previous administration to continue serving as part of his executive team. They are Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, who is from the UP Diliman Cesar EA Virata School of Business-Department of Accounting and Finance; Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, also from the same School, but from the Department of Business Administration; and Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, from the UP Diliman College of Law.  The Executive Vice President post will be occupied by Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, former undersecretary of the Department of Health, 3rd Vice President of the UP Alumni Association, and professor at the UP Manila College of Medicine. Vice President for Academic Affairs is Dr. Cynthia Rose Bautista, former commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education and professor at the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy-Department of Sociology. Dr. Nestor Yunque, professor at the UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences-Division of Biological Sciences and former UP Visayas Vice Chancellor for Administration, has been appointed by Concepcion as the Vice President for Administration.  Vice President for Public Affairs (VPPA) is Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr., a professor at the UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters-Department of English and Comparative Literature who previously held the VPPA position under the administration of former UP President Francisco Nemenzo. Atty. Roberto Lara, a 1987 graduate of the UP Diliman College of Law who is engaged in private practice, has been appointed as the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents.  Prior to assuming the presidency, Concepcion was the executive director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. He also served as Vice President for Legal Affairs in the administration of his predecessor, Alfredo Pascual. From 2000-2002, he was president of De La Salle Araneta University.  UP President Danilo Concepcion (leftmost) administers the oaths of office of his executive team. From left to right: Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, and Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara. Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista was unable to attend. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.     Concepcion earned his Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 1986 as a Chevening Scholar of the United Kingdom government. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree, cum laude, from UP Diliman in 1983. In 1979, he finished his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering degree, summa cum laude, in De La Salle Araneta University. He also topped the licensure examination for agricultural engineers that year.  The new UP president’s platform is the redefinition of UP’s culture, enhancing the time-honored traditions of honor and excellence to include compassion—a virtue he considers as “UP’s moral core as the national university.”  To “engender compassion in [UP’s] culture,” Concepcion has enumerated five key points in his vision paper: the academic thrust should reflect its concern for the welfare of its primary constituency—the nation, the admission and financial aid system should respond to the needs of all deserving students; efficient and effective services must be delivered to UP’s constituency within the campuses and meaningful support extended to all its personnel; as UP’s contribution to prudent management of public resources, creative ways must be conceived to boost its income without abandoning the campaign for increased government subsidy; and UP should contribute to national development.  He will serve a term of six years.     From left to right: Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., and Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara. Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista was unable to attend. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pascual reports accomplishments, thanks UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pascual-reports-accomplishments-thanks-up/",
        "html": "Pascual reports accomplishments, thanks UP Pascual reports accomplishments, thanks UP February 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP outgoing president, Alfredo Pascual, gave markers of his administration’s accomplishment and expressed his thanks to the UP community, his executive staff in particular, at the 5th President’s Toast on February 9, 2017, the eve of handing over the UP presidency to his successor.  The event, which opened the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman to the UP community–saw student protesters, as well as chancellors giving thanks on behalf of their constituent universities through their gift of a Toym Imao sculpture. Representatives of UP sectors delivered testimonials to the outgoing UP president.  Pascual cited the administration’s two-pronged strategic plan aimed at academic and operational excellences to achieve a “one UP”. Enabling the administration’s successful implementation of this plan was its campaign for state funding, which saw the UP budget increase almost three-fold, from P5.4 billion in 2011 to P15.1 billion in 2016, mostly in the form of allocations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and capital outlay, which amounted to P9 billion in a span of five years, according to the outgoing President.  Pascual’s presentation began with achievements in pursuing academic excellence.     UP outgoing President Alfredo Pascual expresses gratitude to each of his executive staff through citations. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  These included enhancing access to UP by poorer segments of society through the online UPCAT application and the free online UPCAT review. Those passing the UPCAT were given better motivation to enroll and chances of staying in UP through a liberalized loan system and a streamlined Socialized Tuition System, including increased stipends, scholarships, and compensation for student assistants.  The roster of faculty was strengthened through increased incentives for the Balik-PhD program, sufficient grants to travel and pursue postgraduate courses abroad, multi-campus offering of doctoral programs, establishment of the One UP Professorial Chairs, and merit promotions.  Research activity flourished through huge investments in research and facilities. The banner projects included buildings and equipment for the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health. Several research projects that had great impact nationally such as Project NOAH/DREAM-LIDAR resulted from the Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Program.  Internationalization was jump-started with the shift in the academic calendar, international linkage programs such as MOVE UP and COOPERATE programs, and cross-border partnerships. These resulted in an influx of international professors, experts, and students, and active participation in an international network of universities. Programs were also benchmarked internationally, and open education was strengthened.  In terms of public service, Pascual reported on UP’s first integrated approach to disaster response and to voter information, technical assistance to other higher educational institutions, and the launch of a Resilience Institute and a public service television, TVUP. UP’s expansion in several industrial zones and growth areas also concretized its efforts at reaching target publics actively involved in economic development.  A major leap in operational excellence, meant to facilitate academic excellence, was the rolling out of eUP, an integrated operations and information system for all of UP. This included providing greater internet bandwidth and future-proofing of the fiber optic network.  The Pascual administration was also the first to create system-wide guidelines for environment-friendly operations, building and landscaping design, and land use.     Pascual expressed gratitude to each member of his executive staff through citations.  The program was also a chance for various UP sectors to deliver testimonials to the outgoing president. The event organizer, the UP outgoing vice president for Public Affairs, Dr. Edna Estifania Co, spoke of Pascual’s “deep concern” to improve the lot of employees, faculty, and students. Atty. Reynaldo Laserna, alumni representative, mentioned Pascual’s name along the “great” UP Alumni Association presidents who eventually became presidents of the University. Regent Alexis Mejia, staff representative, enumerated the various staff benefits received during Pascual’s term. Kevin Mark Gomez, student representative, spoke of the international exchange program of the administration which made possible his studies abroad. Dr. Agnes Rola, faculty representative, said the administration “leveled UP to become a socially-relevant university.”  UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, representing the chancellors, gave brief testimonials he solicited from each chancellor. UP outgoing Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion, representing UP System officials, made the Gawad Pangulo choral competition an example of administration programs that cut across the system and sectors and generated goodwill and creativity. Commission on Higher Education Chair and UP Board of Regents Chair Patricia Licuanan thanked UP for helping CHED perform its role to lead the higher education sector.  Tenor Ramon Acoymo of the UP College of Music delivered a spiel and rendered his versions of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Moonriver” in honor of Pascual.  Delivering a final word, Pascual repeated his trademark “Padayon UP” which harks on his vision of a great university: UP able to lead the country to prosperity in the globalized world.  Pascual earlier said his acceptance of the nomination to the UP presidency was motivated by his love for his alma mater, responsible for his career advancement and the development of the youth, which now includes his grandchildren. (Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     For more photos of the event, please click through the album here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU graduates 348 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-graduates-348/",
        "html": "UPOU graduates 348 UPOU graduates 348 October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP Open University Class of 2018 listens to the commencement speaker, Dr. J. Prospero de Vera III, Officer-in-Charge of the Commission on Higher Education. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “As graduates of the national university, we have the duty to give back.” Commission on Higher Education Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III reminded the 348-strong UP Open University (UPOU) Class of 2018 on September 29 at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.     Commission on Higher Education Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III addresses the graduating class of UPOU. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     He also highlighted the unique experiences of UPOU students not only as distance learners that mainly employed technology in their education but also as learners who ardently pursued education despite the obstacles that prevented them from going to traditional universities, such as physical challenges, or personal or professional obligations.     Master of Development Communication graduate Joanne Gerio delivers a message on behalf of the graduates. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Joanne Gerio, a Master of Development Communication graduate and an overseas Filipino worker who delivered the valedictory address, pointed out how “fortunate we are now to live in a world where learning is not only confined within the four walls of the classroom.”  Echoing de Vera, she hoped that her fellow graduates will use their UPOU education to harness the potentials of digital technologies and lifelong learning in serving humanity. Gerio added: “Achievements and awards do not make us winners; [rather,] they represent our attitudes toward learning and constantly challenging ourselves in this technology-fueled world.”  Of the 348 UPOU graduates, 50 received their undergraduate degrees while 298 earned their graduate degrees. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)      Scenes prior to the graduation ceremony (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Officials of the UP Open University pose for the traditional photo in front of the Oblation on graduation day. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP officials in the processional: from left, Assistant VP for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Executive VP Teodoro Herbosa, UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, Student Regent Ivy Taroma, Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, Regent Angelo Jimenez, UPOU University Registrar Aurora Lacaste, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria (hidden), Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara, and UP President Danilo Concepcion; at the end (hidden) is commencement speaker, CHED OIC J. Prospero de Vera III (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Members of the graduating class in the processional (Photos by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion confers the degrees and titles upon the graduates. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The graduates receive their diplomas from UP President Danilo Concepcion, who also leads the hooding of PhD graduates. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO; except for middle row left which is by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion leads the graduates in pledging loyalty to the University. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Alumni Association (UPAA) 1st Vice President Luis Rey Velasco, representing UPAA President Reynaldo Laserna, administers the alumni oath. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UPOU Class of 2018 sings “UP Naming Mahal.” (Photo by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Fireworks signal the end of the commencement exercises. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The end of the ceremony allows the graduates to take photos with family, friends, and professors. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS conducts Public Lecture on “Change and Continuity in China’s Foreign Policy” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-lecture-on-change-continuity-in-chinas-foreign-policy/",
        "html": "UP CIDS conducts Public Lecture on “Change and Continuity in China’s Foreign Policy” UP CIDS conducts Public Lecture on “Change and Continuity in China’s Foreign Policy” September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the University of the Philippines’ Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), in partnership with the UP Diliman Department of Political Science, will hold a lecture, “Change and Continuity in China’s Foreign Policy”, on Wednesday, 10 October 2018 from 1:30 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Diliman, Quezon City.  The event will present the findings of the studies conducted by SSP Research Fellows and Assistant Professors, Dr. Meiting Li and Raisa E. Lumampao, on the emerging trends in China’s foreign policy and its implications for Korea.  The lecture is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. To pre-register, please visit https://bit.ly/2NeOVMR or https://cids.up.edu.ph/change-and-continuity-in-chinas-foreign-policy/ to learn more about this event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Kabuluhan ng ‘k’wentong bayan’ sa iba’t ibang disiplina tinalakay sa “Sampaksaan” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kabuluhan-ng-kwentong-bayan-sa-ibat-ibang-disiplina-tinalakay-sa-sampaksaan/",
        "html": "Kabuluhan ng ‘k’wentong bayan’ sa iba’t ibang disiplina tinalakay sa “Sampaksaan” Kabuluhan ng ‘k’wentong bayan’ sa iba’t ibang disiplina tinalakay sa “Sampaksaan” March 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Nagtipon ang mga dalubhasa, guro, iskolar, at mga estudyante sa Panitikang Pilipino mula sa Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Benguet at iba’t ibang rehiyon sa bansa sa kumperensiyang pinamagatang “Sampaksaan sa K’wentong Bayan.”  Ang kumperensiya ay ginanap noong Pebrero 23 sa UP National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED) Auditorium bilang bahagi ng pagdiriwang ng UP Diliman Month 2017.  “Nilalayon ng ‘Sampaksaan’ na mailahad ang kasaysayan at kabuluhan ng mga k’wentong bayan at kaugnayan ng mga ito sa pagbuo ng pambansang kamalayan. Dagdag pa rito, layunin din nito ang (1) maging lunan ng talastasan para sa mga iskolar, mag-aaral, guro at mananaliksik ng mga k’wentong bayan at kaalamang bayan; (2) marinig ang mga pinakabagong pananaliksik hinggil sa mga k’wentong bayan bilang isang lehitimong larangan; at (3) makabuo ng network ng mga iskolar para sa posibleng kolaborasyon,” ayon kina Propesor Sir Anril P. Tiatco at Propesor Jem R. Javier, mga pinuno ng proyekto ng UP Diliman Month 2017, mula sa Opisina ng Inisyatiba para sa Kultura at ng mga Sining.  “Ang mga k’wentong bayan ay mga naratibong pasalita na nagpasalin-salin sa maraming henerasyon. Naririnig ang mga ito sa mga pangkomunidad na seremonya at ritwal at sa pang-araw-araw na huntahan at kuwentuhan ng mga mamayan. Madalas ang mga k’wentong bayan ang nagpapaliwanag ng iba’t ibang aspekto ng tradisyon, mga kalakaran at pati na rin kasaysayan. Ang mga k’wentong bayan ay itinuturing ding masining na pamamaraan ng pakikipagtalastasan sa mga kasapi ng pamayanan maging sa tagalabas,” dagdag pa nila.  Para naman kay Tsanselor Michael L. Tan ng UP Diliman, “ang k’wentong bayan (folklore studies) ay may mahalagang papel sa pagbubuo ng pambansang identidad lalo sa kinakaharap ngayon ng ibayong pag-unlad ng teknolohiya na nakakapagpawala ng mga orihinal na konteksto ng mga tradisyunal na sining at konteksto halimbawa sa mga k’wentong bayan.”  “Mahalaga ang k’wentong bayan lalo sa truth-telling lalo na sa panahon ng tinatawag na post-truth na may malaking epekto sa ating pagbuo ng ating bansa, at ng ating mga sarili,” dagdag pa ni Tan.  Si Propesor Felipe M. de Leon, Jr., Dating Tagapangulo ng Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, at Propesor ng Aralin ng Sining sa Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, ang pagbigay ng susing pananalita para sa kumperenisya.  May tatlong plenaryo ang kumperensiya na nagtalakay sa iba’t ibang disiplina at ang kaugnayan at mahalagang papel ng k’wentong bayan sa mga ito. Ang unang plenaryo ay nakatutok sa kahalagahan ng paglikom o dokumentasyon ng mga datos ng mga k’wentong bayan mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Ang mga panauhing tagapgasalita sa plenaryong ito ay sina Prop. Ma. Luisa T. Camagay, Ph.D. para sa “Kaalamang Bayan: Balon ng Kaalaman ng mga Ilustradong Pilipino”; Prop. Flora Elena R. Mirano, Ph.D. para sa “Isang Lakaran sa Larangan ng Kaalamang Bayan”; at si Prop. Percival F. Almoro, Ph.D. para sa “Agham at mga K’wentong Bayan.”  Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Ang ikalawang plenaryo ay nakatuon sa patuloy na pagsuri, at sa pagkakataong magrebisa ng kurikulum sa mga asignaturang tumatalakay sa kasayasayan at lipunang Pilipino, at ang mapaunlad ang ating kaalamang bayan. Sina Prop. Maria Bernadette L. Abrera, Ph.D. sa presentasyong “K’wentong Bayan at Kaalamang Bayan sa K-12” at Prop. Lorina Y. Calingasan, M.A.T. para sa “Ang Lugar ng Kaalamang Bayan sa K-12 Kurikulum” ang mga nagpaunlak bilang mga panauhing tagapagsalita.  Ang pokus ng ikatlong plenaryo ay hinggil sa talakayang “Kulturang Popular at Kaalamang Bayan” na tinalakay ang kahalagahan ng makabagong teknolohiya sa makabagong panahon at ang ugnayan nito sa tradisyong k’wentong bayan, at ang papel ng teknolohiya upang maipaabot o maipakalat sa nakararami ang kaalamang bayan. “Refletions on the History of MMFF, the Decline of Bakbakan and Folklore” ni Prop. Patrick F. Campos, MA at “Tabi-tabi Folkloradyo!”: Saysay, Salaysay at Salapungan” ni Melecio C. Fabros III, MA ang mga naging tagapagsalita at presentasyon sa bahaging ito.  Para kay Pangulong Danilo Concepcion, “napakahalaga ng mga gawaing tulad nito upang mapagyaman at maisulong ang ating pambansang kamalayan bilang mga Pilipinong nakapaloob sa ika-21 siglo, ngunit may mababalikang milenyo ng pagkatha, pagkwento, at pagdalumat sa mga hibla ng imahinasyon na bumubuklod sa atin bilang mga Pilipino. Madalas tayong makarinig ng mga panawagan para sa pambansang pagkakaisa mula sa ating mga pinuno. Subalit ang tunay na pagkakaisa ay hindi lamang usaping pulitikal kundi isang proyekto ng imahinasyon, isang pagsasarebulto ng bayan mula sa mayaman at pinagsamang putik ng iba’t ibang rehiyon at pangkulturang komunidad,” aniya sa isang mensaheng ipinaabot ni Bise Presidente para sa Gawaing Pang-madla Jose Dalisay, Jr.  Sa pagsasara ng programa, ipinaabot ni Dekana at Punong Tagapangasiwa ng Sampaksaan Grace H. Aguiling-Dalisay, Ph.D. ang kaniyang mensahe, “Ibinabalik tayo sa kahalagahan ng ‘folklore’ at kuwentuhan at makinig sa pagsasalaysay ng ating mga sarili na siyang nakapagbubuo ng mga kuwentong bayan.” (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President’s investiture set for Sept. 20 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-presidents-investiture-set-for-sept-20/",
        "html": "UP President’s investiture set for Sept. 20 UP President’s investiture set for Sept. 20 September 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President’s investiture set for Sept. 20     Atty. Danilo Lardizabal Concepción will be formally installed as the 21st president of the University of the Philippines on September 20, 5:00 pm, at the University Theater, UP Diliman.  Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Patricia Licuanan, who also heads the UP Board of Regents, will preside over the investiture rites. As part of the ceremony, she will hand over the symbols of the presidency such as the mace and medallion to Atty. Concepcion.  In his speech, Concepción is expected to expound on his vision for the University, explaining the strategic plan that will guide the duration of his six-year administration.  In his vision paper for the presidency, he sought the redefinition of UP’s culture, enhancing its time-honored traditions of honor and excellence to include compassion—a virtue he considers as “UP’s moral core as the national university.”  Prior to assuming the presidency on February 10 this year, he was the executive director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. He also served as Vice President for Legal Affairs in the administration of his predecessor, Alfredo Pascual. From 2000 to 2002, he was president of De La Salle Araneta University. He has also been serving as the Dean of the UP College of Law since 2011.  Born in 1958, Concepción earned his Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 1986 as a Chevening Scholar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree, cum laude, from UP Diliman in 1983. In 1979, he received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering degree, summa cum laude, from De La Salle Araneta University.  He was elected to the position in November 2016 by the 11-member Board of Regents, UP’s highest governing body. UP’s presidents have traditionally held their investiture several months after taking office.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Invitation to the Investiture of the 21st UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/invitation-to-the-investiture-of-the-21st-up-president/",
        "html": "Invitation to the Investiture of the 21st UP President Invitation to the Investiture of the 21st UP President September 15, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP community is invited to attend the Investiture of the 21st President of the University of the Philippines, Atty. Danilo Lardizabal Concepción, on September 20, 5:00PM at the University Theater.  Faculty members who are attending the Investiture are requested to wear their sablay or academic gown, and to be seated at the venue by 4:30PM. A livestream link will also be accessible via http://livestream.up.edu.ph.  You may view the Memorandum No. TJH 2017-35 issued by Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP responds to red-tagging and claims of communist recruitment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-responds-to-red-tagging-and-claims-of-communist-recruitment/",
        "html": "UP responds to red-tagging and claims of communist recruitment UP responds to red-tagging and claims of communist recruitment November 19, 2020 | Written by UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs    The University of the Philippines is an educational institution. The University’s core mission is knowledge and innovation creation, production, and dissemination, using various approaches of knowledge transfer. UP does not recruit for the communists as this is not its mission.  The University of the Philippines has played a critical role in training the professionals, high-level specialists, scientists and researchers who are needed by the country to generate new knowledge in support of development needs and goals.  With its critical mass of experts in a comprehensive range of disciplines, UP has contributed much in terms of research and technologies. During the past months of the pandemic alone, UP mobilized its multidisciplinary research expertise to address multiple COVID-19-related imperatives. For instance, it had more than 200 projects focusing on the molecular biology and clinical features of the virus; clinical trials on and evaluation of treatment (e.g., convalescent plasma); infection control measures; development of a COVID-19 testing kit; projections on the state of transmissions based on LGU data, and municipal/city density mapping of current active cases; engineering solutions (e.g., prototype adult ventilators, disinfectants and decontamination through different means); the development of apps (e.g., apps for more efficient case-finding and monitoring, job risk calculators for the workplace); and analysis of the pandemic’s socio-economic impacts (e.g., effects on the supply chain), among many others.  UP is present as well in all branches of government. In the executive branch, 15 members of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s cabinet graduated from UP. Several of them were/are still in our faculty, such as Secretaries Herminio “Harry” Roque Jr., Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Leonor “Liling” Magtolis-Briones, Fortunato “Boy” dela Peña, CHEd Commissioner J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera III, Wendel Avisado, and Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr.  The University of the Philippines values academic freedom—the freedom to think, to speak, to study, to teach, and even the freedom to disagree. UP encourages critical thinking which, at times, may manifest as an attitude of dissidence and anti-authoritarianism. UP cannot be said to be anti-government because its mandate is clear: UP is the national university. Its community of scholars is dedicated to the nation’s quest for development. And so, UP will continue to lead as a public service university by providing service to the nation including scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society.  The University of the Philippines continues to serve the country and humanity in a myriad of ways, and its faculty, students, staff and alumni, who represent the country’s best and brightest, continue to uphold its principles of honor and excellence in the service of the Filipino people.  —Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, University of the Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bienvenido O. Juliano, Ph.D., Outstanding Filipino Scientist in Organic Chemistry, 81 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bienvenido-o-juliano-ph-d-outstanding-filipino-scientist-on-organic-chemistry-81/",
        "html": "Bienvenido O. Juliano, Ph.D., Outstanding Filipino Scientist in Organic Chemistry, 81 Bienvenido O. Juliano, Ph.D., Outstanding Filipino Scientist in Organic Chemistry, 81 February 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       National Scientist Bienvenido O. Juliano, known Filipino expert in Organic Chemistry, joined our Creator on February 21, 2018.  The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST, PHL), joins the science community in mourning the demise of National Scientist (NS) Juliano. NS Juliano was known for his outstanding contributions to the chemistry and technology of rice and rice food products, which rationalizes breeding strategies for rice grain quality all throughout the world; his extensive and primary research works on rice starch and its constituents; and for his enviable capacity to train many scientists from the national rice programs of many countries and other segments of the academe. His important research activities in collaboration with scientists in related disciplines had produced socio-economic impact amongst the rice-eating countries of the world.  Spanning 32 years working as a chemist, NS Juliano worked for the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), an independent, nonprofit rice research and training organization and Asia’s largest nonprofit agricultural research center from 1961 to 1993 as in charge of grain quality research, where he contributed much to the basic knowledge in differences between varieties of grain quality of rice. He demonstrated that the amylose (a linear polymer made up of D-glucose units) content of starch determines the quality of milled rice in Asia. In addition, he also delved into the nutritional quality of rice and formulated an innovative and improved methods for grain quality evaluation.  He was author and co-author of more than 370 scientific papers on rice chemistry and quality and technology and rice in human nutrition and compiled essential data on world rice. He edited and contributed to several chapters of the 2nd edition of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) monograph “Rice Chemistry and Technology” in 1985, wrote “Rice in Human Nutrition” for FAO in 1993, and “Rice Chemistry and Quality” for PhilRice in 2003. He was an M.S. and Ph.D. theses adviser to several scholars, fellows and research assistants, a number of postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists who did research in his laboratory. He also produced competent IRRI laboratory trained chemists from national rice breeding programs of many countries.  Considered a world authority on rice grain quality, NS Juliano has been recipient of many awards and citations, including the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award in Science in 1964, the Jose P. Rizal Pro Patria Award for Rice Chemistry in 1976, the Japanese Society of Starch Science Medal of Merit in 1982, the Thomas B. Osborne Medal Award from the AACC in 1988, the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) National Researcher Award in Physical Sciences in 1993, and the ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologists Award in 1998, among others. In 2004, he was included in the Institute of Scientific Information Highly Cited Researchers. He is in the Editorial Board of Journal of Cereal Science and Food Reviews International.  Recognizing his important researches done at IRRI and in collaborative studies with scientists in related disciplines, he was elected Member of NAST in 1979 and eventually National Scientist in 2000.  NS Juliano completed his undergraduate degree in B.S. Agriculture from the University of the Philippines Los Baños magna cum laude (1955). He finished his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the Ohio State University in 1958 and 1959, respectively. He was the youngest Ph.D. graduate of the said university at the age of 22.  His research activities and collaborative initiatives with other scientists in the field provided an in depth physicochemical analysis of rice grain quality being requisite to the improvement of rice grain productivity. The augmented grain quality led to an increase national welfare by raising the value of rice to either consumers or producers leading to expanded market, improved quality of products, and development of new rice products. Improved quality and shelf-life of selected rice food products has also added market value particularly for export into targeted markets, thus allowing more efficient competition in the world market.  Upon retirement, he was senior consultant at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Los Baños, a rice research institute headquartered in the country, which plays a key role in building and sustaining a competitive rice economy through research into farming systems, technology, and policy-making, since his voluntary retirement from IRRI in June 1993.  Necrological services will be held on February 24, 2018 at 10:00 AM in St. Therese of the Child Jesus Chapel, Los Baños, Laguna.  This story was first published on uplb.edu.ph, “Bienvenido O. Juliano, Ph.D., Outstanding Filipino Scientist on Organic Chemistry, 81.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "4th Katipunan Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/4th-katipunan-conference/",
        "html": "4th Katipunan Conference 4th Katipunan Conference August 7, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) invites everyone to the 4th Katipunan Conference happening on 15 and 16 August 2019, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, at the National Institute of Physics Auditorium, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  This year’s Katipunan Conference carries the theme “The Philippine Strategic Outlook 2020: Strategic Transformations and Responses in the Asia Pacific” and aims to serve as a platform for discussing current and emerging strategic issues that impact Philippine foreign policy. The conference will feature panels on maritime security, conflict and security in the Philippines, political-economic development in Southeast Asia, development of military industries in developing nations, and development of science and technology.  The lecture is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. To pre-register, please visit bit.ly/2RT2HE9. For more information, email ssp.cids@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Empowering Local Governance in the Philippines: Policy Studies for the National Capital Region – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/empowering-local-governance-in-the-philippines-policy-studies-for-the-national-capital-region/",
        "html": "Empowering Local Governance in the Philippines: Policy Studies for the National Capital Region Empowering Local Governance in the Philippines: Policy Studies for the National Capital Region October 24, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Program on Social and Political Change (PSPC) of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), together with the UP CIDS Program on Alternative Development (AltDev), invites everyone to Empowering Local Governance in the Philippines: Policy Studies for the National Capital Region, a public forum happening on 8 November 2019 (Friday), 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  This forum draws from the research conducted by the UP CIDS and the Department of the Interior and Local Government–National Capital Region (DILG–NCR) showing that there are many opportunities to strengthen and empower local government units (LGUs), especially in the National Capital Region. The papers featured in this forum tackle environmental governance, devolution of health and education services to LGUs, issues on water services in Metro Manila, local insurance, local fiscal governance, urban land use, and socialized housing.        Speakers  PANEL ONE  Solid Waste Management, Environmental Governance, and Sustainable Development: Prospects for the National Capital Region  Maria Lourdes G. Rebullida, DPA Professorial Lecturer, UP Department of Political Science  The State of Health, Delivery of Health Services, and Equity of Access in Metro Manila: Successes, Challenges, and Possible Ways Forward  Maria Ela L. Atienza, Ph.D. Professor, UP Department of Political Science and Co-convenor, UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change  Urban Dimensions of Floodings and Holistic Flood Risk Management: Case of Pasig-Marikina River Basin in Metro Manila  Guillermo Q. Tabios III, Ph.D. Professor, Institute of Civil Engineering, UP College of Engineering  Alternative Water Sources for Metro Manila for Water Security and Resilience  Guillermo Q. Tabios III, Ph.D. Professor, Institute of Civil Engineering, UP College of Engineering  Reclaiming Public Services: Giving Back Ownership and Control of Water Services to the Public Sector  Eduardo C. Tadem, Ph.D. Convenor, UP CIDS Program on Alternative Development  PANEL TWO  Charting a Strategy on Local Insurance: Risk Transfer Mechanism  Dennis G. dela Torre Research Fellow, Center for Local and Regional Governance, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance  Does Fiscal Decentralization Benefit the Margins? Examining the Uneasy Relationship Between Transfers and Local Fiscal Governance  Rogelio Alicor L. Panao, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, UP Department of Political Science  Urban Farming and Urban Land Use Dilemmas in Metro Manila  Kristian Karlo C. Saguin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, UP Department of Geography  Ensuring the Affordability of Socialized Housing: Towards Livable and Sustainable Homes for the Filipino Poor  Chester C. Arcilla, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, UP Manila  Basic Education and Federalism: Implications and Options for the National Capital Region  Elvin Ivan Uy Director for Operations, Philippine Business for Social Progress     Register  The lecture is free and open to the public, but seats are very limited. You may email pspc.cids@up.edu.ph for more information. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/constitutional-performance-assessment-in-the-time-of-a-pandemic-the-1987-constitution-and-the-philippines-covid-19-response/",
        "html": "Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response July 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies‘ Program on Social and Political Change and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance present a new discussion paper titled “Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response.” Building off the “Constitutional Performance Assessment of the 1987 Philippine Constitution” project, this paper examines key constitutional issues to watch out for as the Philippines responds to COVID-19, including electoral institutions, legislative–executive relations, judiciary, accountability institutions, local governments, rights, security, economy and labor, and citizenship and equality.  Read and download the publication for free at bit.ly/3hxQKzg. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mindanao-fractured-promises-continuing-challenges-2/",
        "html": "Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges August 24, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       ONLINE FORUM SERIES Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges August 26 and September 2, 2020 • 1:00 to 3:00 PM • via Zoom and Facebook Live  The University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) is resuming the forum series “Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges” online via Zoom and Facebook Live. The second installment of the forum series will be held on August 26, 2020 (Wednesday), while the third forum will happen on September 2, 2020 (Wednesday). Both forums are scheduled from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.     About the Forum Series  The forum series aims to harness the research of the various UP CIDS programs conducting policy-oriented studies to examine some of the issues and concerns that define the Mindanao conundrum and arrive at recommendations addressed to the country’s decision-makers and other stakeholders.  The presentations will tackle political, historical, and cultural issues with specific focus on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).     Presentations and Speakers  Forum 2 August 26, 2020 (Wednesday) 1:00 to 3:00 PM Moderator: Darwin J. Absari (UP Institute of Islamic Studies)  Sustainability Concerns of the Madrasah Education Program: Basis for Philippines Islamic and Madrasah Education Policy Review Arlyne C. Marasigan, Ph.D. (Director, Graduate Research Office, Philippine Normal University–Manila)  Alternative Delivery Modes of Education in the BARMM Marie Therese Bustos, Ph.D. (Convenor, UP CIDS Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program)  COVID-19 and Armed Conflict: Exacerbating Precarity and Marginalization in the BARMM Rufa Cagoco-Guiam (Retired Professor, Mindanao State University–General Santos City)     Forum 3 September 2, 2020 (Wednesday) 1:00 to 3:00 PM Moderator: Aaron Abel T. Mallari (UP CIDS Decolonial Studies Program)  Bangsamoro during the Transition Period: What Went Before and What is Happening Now? MP Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph (Member of Parliament, Bangsamoro Transition Authority)  Moral Governance Framework for BARMM Nassef Manabilang Adiong, Ph.D. (Project Leader, UP CIDS Decolonial Studies Program)  Prospects and Challenges of Philippine Muslim History Darwin J. Absari (Assistant Professor, UP Institute of Islamic Studies)  Islamic Finance in Mindanao: Issues and Prospects Yassen Ala (Co-founder, Youth Peace Hub and Philippine Collaboration for Inclusive Economies)     Download the full concept note and schedule of the forums at https://cids.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/UP-CIDS-Online-Mindanao-Forum-Abstracts-as-of-17-August-2020.pdf.     Registration  The forum is free and open to the public, but pre-registration via bit.ly/MindanaoForum2 (for the August 26 forum) and bit.ly/MindanaoForum3 (for the September 2 forum) is required.     Inquiries  For inquiries, kindly contact Ms. Liza Villanueva (Administrative Officer, UP CIDS Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program) at l.villanueva@actrc.org. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s 5th Katipunan Conference to focus on COVID-19 and the strategic environment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-5th-katipunan-conference-to-focus-on-covid-19-and-the-strategic-environment/",
        "html": "UP’s 5th Katipunan Conference to focus on COVID-19 and the strategic environment UP’s 5th Katipunan Conference to focus on COVID-19 and the strategic environment September 25, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       To what extent has the pandemic altered the strategic environment in the Asia Pacific? Learn more about the Emerging Trends in the Regional Environment at the time of COVID 19 in the first installment of the 5th Katipunan Conference on Tuesday, October 6 from 10:00-11:45 AM via Zoom.  Interested participants may pre-register at http://bit.ly/5thKatipunan for access to this free lecture.  Organized by the Strategic Studies Program of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), this four-part lecture series carries the theme “COVID 19 and the Strategic Environment: Change and Continuity” and looks into the transformations that have taken place and how these impact on Philippine strategic interests and on the regional security architecture since the onset of the global pandemic.  The Katipunan Webinar Series will also feature discussions on norms and international law in ASEAN (October 12); conflict and security (October 19); and scan of the future developments in the region (October 26). Participants may also pre-register for these lectures via http://bit.ly/5thKatipunan.  Now on its 5th year, the  Katipunan Conference serves as a platform for discussing current and emerging issues that impact Philippine foreign policy and the region. It undertakes a strategic scan of the international environment from multiple perspectives to produce practical and informed policy opinions and decision-making aids for various stakeholders.  For more information, please direct your inquires to ssp.cids@up.edu.ph or visit www.cids.up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Invitation to “The Challenges of Constitution Building: The Fiji and Taiwan Experience” forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/invitation-to-the-challenges-of-constitution-building-the-fiji-and-taiwan-experience-forum/",
        "html": "Invitation to “The Challenges of Constitution Building: The Fiji and Taiwan Experience” forum Invitation to “The Challenges of Constitution Building: The Fiji and Taiwan Experience” forum October 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Department of Political Science, International IDEA, Constitution Transformation Network, and the UP-Center for Integrative and Development Studies Social and Political Change Program invite you to a forum entitled “The Challenges of Constitution Building: The Fiji and Taiwan Experience” on Thursday, October 5, 2017, from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at the UP-CIDS Conference Room located at the Lower Ground Floor of Ang Bahay ng Alumni at UP Diliman. Dr. Naidu Vijay from the University of South Pacific, Fiji and Dr. Wen Chen Chang from the National Taiwan University will be giving lectures on the subject.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dimalanta receives 2018 Metrobank Outstanding Filipinos Award – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dimalanta-receives-2018-metrobank-outstanding-filipinos-award/",
        "html": "Dimalanta receives 2018 Metrobank Outstanding Filipinos Award Dimalanta receives 2018 Metrobank Outstanding Filipinos Award September 7, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo taken from: https://www.facebook.com/mbfi.outstandingfilipinos/photos/dr-carla-b-dimalantadilimans-first-female-geophysics-expertas-the-only-female-ex/280099259071066/)     Prof. Carla B. Dimalanta, D.Sc., Professor 10 at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, is one of the 10 recipients of this year’s Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Award.  A program of the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI), the Outstanding Filipinos Award is a career-service exemplar in the academe, the military and the police force. The award recognizes the awardee’s services rendered above and beyond the call of duty.   As the country’s only female Exploration Geophysicist with a Doctoral Degree, “Dimalanta’s 25-year service delves in researches that provide answers to geoscientific problems in the Philippines, such as assessment of landslide hazards, investigating gold mineralization and identifying sources of groundwater for coastal communities.”  “I want to be remembered as someone who embodies the different roles a teacher has to play in today’s world: a mentor who shapes students’ minds and shares her knowledge to her colleagues; a researcher who contributes to the generation of new knowledge; and a public servant who uses geophysics as a tool empower communities and help solve pressing societal problems,” said Dimalanta.  The MBFI announced the winners on August 10 in a press conference in Quezon City. Dimalanta, together with three other educators, three military officers and three police officers will receive the award on Sept. 7 at the Metrobank Plaza Auditorium in Makati City, in celebration of Metrobank’s 56th anniversary. She and his co-awardees will receive a trophy, a medallion and a cash prize.   This is the second year MBFI put the three component search programs (outstanding teachers, outstanding soldiers and outstanding policemen) into one award.  Currently Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UP System, Dimalanta earned her Doctoral of Science degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of Tokyo, Japan in 2001.  For her significant contributions in the field of geology, Dimalanta has been recognized with the following awards: the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)- Philippines Outstanding Young Scientist in 2003; UPD 2010 Gawad Chanselor Para sa Natatanging Guro; UP Scientist I (2006-2008 and 2009-2011); UP Scientist III (2012-2014 and 2015-2017); One UP Professorial Chair Award (Outstanding Research and Public Service) 2016-2018; and the 2018 NAST-Philippines Outstanding Research and Development for Basic Research or the Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal Award.     (This article was first published here: https://upd.edu.ph/2018-metrobank-foundation-outstanding-filipino-awardee/) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Seven UP alumni shortlisted for the 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/seven-up-alumni-shortlisted-for-the-2019-metrobank-foundation-outstanding-filipinos/",
        "html": "Seven UP alumni shortlisted for the 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Seven UP alumni shortlisted for the 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos July 18, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Image from the homepage of the Metrobank Foundation http://www.mbfoundation.org.ph/outstanding-filipinos/about-the-program/     Seven UP alumni are among the recently announced 18 finalists of the 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos. Five are among the finalists for the teacher award, and two, the police officers competition.  These finalists will move onto the final selection process on July 26 and 27 at the Metrobank Plaza, Makati City.  Among the finalists for the teacher awards are: a UP Visayas College of Arts and Science graduate, Dr. Dorothy S. Tarol of the Special Education-Integrated School for Exceptional Children (Iloilo City); a UP Los Baños College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology graduate, Amando Perfecto dlC. Molin of South Hill School, Inc. (Los Baños, Laguna); a UP Diliman College of Education graduate, Dr. Cristina B. Cristobal of the Philippine Science High School Main Campus; Dr. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-de la Paz of the UP Manila National Institutes of Health; and, Dr. Ricardo T. Jose of the UP Diliman Department of History.  Finalists for the police officers competition include: Police Captain Dexter D. Panganiban of the Viga Municipal Police Station, Catanduanes Police Provincial Office (Viga, Catanduanes), who is a UPLB Development Communication graduate; and, Police Lieutenant Colonel Oliver S. Tanseco of the Operations Management Division, Highway Patrol Group, Camp Crame (Quezon City), who earned his postgraduate degrees from the UP Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance and the College of Mass Communication.  Guided by the theme of “Beyond Excellence”, the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos are recognized for rendering service above and beyond their call of duty. Their accomplishments must have inspired and influenced their peers as well as the people in their respective communities. Their works must have transformed a community with a lasting positive impact on people and the country.  From these finalists, 10 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos will be chosen, to include four teachers and three police officers. They will each receive a cash prize of P1 million, a gold medallion and a trophy during Metrobank’s 57th anniversary celebration in September. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CA Associate Justice and UP alumna Rosmari Carandang appointed to the Supreme Court – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ca-associate-justice-and-up-alumna-rosmari-carandang-appointed-to-the-supreme-court/",
        "html": "CA Associate Justice and UP alumna Rosmari Carandang appointed to the Supreme Court CA Associate Justice and UP alumna Rosmari Carandang appointed to the Supreme Court November 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP alumna and CA Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang is the latest Supreme Court associate justice. (Photo taken from The Supreme Court of the Philippines, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z89HErlMwA)     A UP alumna was recently appointed the newest justice of the Supreme Court, bringing the number of UP alumni currently sitting as justices in the highest court in the land to four.  Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang was appointed as the Supreme Court’s newest magistrate by President Rodrigo Duterte on November 26, although her appointment was confirmed on November 28. After being shortlisted as potential SC justice at least five times before, Carandang takes the seat vacated by Chief Justice Teresita De Castro (BAPolSci, ‘68cl; LLB’72) after she officially retired on October 10.  Carandang obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and her Bachelor of Laws degree from UP in 1971 and 1975, respectively. She graduated cum laude from the UP College of Law and was class salutatorian. She took the Bar that same year, and finished in ninth place with an average of 84.95 percent. She is also one of the founders of the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority.  Carandang worked as technical assistant in the Commission on Audit in 1976. She then went into private practice and joined the private sector as legal assistant at the Aguiluz Law Office, legal counsel of Filinvest Development Corporation, and corporate secretary and legal counsel of Filinvest Land, Inc. She also worked for a time with the Perpetual Savings Bank and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.  She was appointed presiding judge of the Manila court in 1994, where she served for nine years until she was appointed to the appellate court in March 2003 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.  Aside from working in the judiciary, Carandang also taught law at the Philippine Christian University and the Manuel L. Quezon School of Law.  Carandang has stated her opinions on major issues decided on by the Supreme Court in her past interviews with the Judicial and Bar Council. She said that Congress should have convened to decide on martial law in Mindanao, and that granting bail to former senator Juan Ponce Enrile is not provided for in the Rules of Court. She also disagreed with the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani “on moral grounds,” adding however that there was no law against it.  She was also in support of the passage of the Reproductive Health law.  The 66-year-old Carandang, who hails from Taal, Batangas, will retire in January 2022. (Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumnus is new Supreme Court Chief Justice – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumnus-is-new-supreme-court-chief-justice/",
        "html": "UP alumnus is new Supreme Court Chief Justice UP alumnus is new Supreme Court Chief Justice December 3, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo from the Philippine Supreme Court website, http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/aboutsc/justices/cj-bersamin.php)     Supreme Court Associate Justice and UP alumnus Lucas Bersamin has been chosen as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Bersamin’s appointment as top magistrate by President Rodrigo Duterte was confirmed on November 28. He replaces Teresita Leonardo De Castro who retired on October 8.  Bersamin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1968 from the then College of Arts and Sciences of UP Diliman. He finished law at the University of the East in 1973, and placed ninth in the Bar examinations that same year. He is a fellow at the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.  He entered private practice in 1974, becoming a partner in the Purugganan, Lizardo and Bersamin Law Office. In 1986, he was appointed by then President Corazon Aquino as judge on the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 96 at the age of 37, making him the youngest RTC judge in Metro Manila. He became an associate justice on the Court of Appeals in 2003.  In 2009, then President Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Bersamin as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He has been a member of the judiciary for more than 30 years.  Bersamin was awarded the Best Decision in Civil Law and Best Decision in Criminal Law awards in 2000 during the Judicial Excellence Awards (JEA), and the Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos Award for Judicial Excellence (Outstanding RTC Judge) in the 2002 JEA. In 2006, he was one of UE’s 60 Most Outstanding Alumni Awardees during UE’s Diamond Jubilee Awards.  Hailing from a political clan from Bangued, Abra, Bersamin is the brother of former governor Eustaquio Bersamin and Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin, Jr., who was fatally shot in Quezon City in 2006.  His decisions in recent Supreme Court cases include dismissing plunder charges against President Arroyo and allowing the burial of President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and granting the Duterte administration’s quo warranto petition to remove then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.  Bersamin, who is 69 years old this year, retires in October 2019. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visayas to formally unveil restored Main Building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visayas-to-formally-unveil-restored-main-building/",
        "html": "UP Visayas to formally unveil restored Main Building UP Visayas to formally unveil restored Main Building August 14, 2019 | Written by Ms. Anna Razel Ramirez       UP Visayas will formally unveil the newly-restored UPV Main Building after the turn-over ceremony from the National Historical Commission on Friday, August 16, 2019 at the Iloilo City campus.  NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante and Exec. Director Ludovico D. Badoy will lead the turn-over rites. Sen. Franklin M. Drilon, Deputy Speaker Loren B. Legarda and UP Pres. Danilo Concepcion will be joining the turn-over together with other local officials.  It was in February 28, 1929 when Dona Juliana Melliza formally donated 10,000 square meters of her lot to the Municipal Government of Iloilo to be the location of a dreamt “massive and splendid municipal hall for Iloilo.”  On the same year, Municipal Councilor Evelio Zaldivar suggested the presentation of the plan to the Bureau of Public Works (BPW) in Manila for assessment and review, which was unanimously approved by the Municipal Board.  The projected cost of building construction was P90,000.  Engineer Aquino received the grant loan amounting to P50,000.00 on January 20 to February 1931  from the director of the BPW in Manila to start the building construction.  BPW Consulting Architect Juan Arellano designed a very formal, one level structure with neat row of arched windows which started in 1935. The main entrance dividing the horizontal plane in two equal parts echoed the arches of the windows and is flanked on either side by austere looking composite pilasters. It was capped with interesting cupola or dome.  He devised the facade to look more grandiose and interesting by letting his Italian friend, Francesco Riccardo Monti, sculpt  two seated  bronze male statues representing the abstract concepts of Law and Order on either side of the entrance and a bas-relief of four figures above the arched opening. The design of the building is a composite of neo-classical and revivalist influences though Art Deco and nativist elements are predominating in its interior.  The centerpiece of the building are the Court Room and the Session Hall, also known as Lozano Hall, which was named as such in honor of Cresenciano M. Lozano, a Guimarasnon law-maker who authored House Bill 2368 granting Iloilo a status of a chartered city in 1937.  The Iloilo City Hall was inaugurated amid much fanfare and celebration. It was a double celebration during Christmas season in 1936 as the inauguration of the presidencia or the House of the People and the elevation of the municipality of Iloilo into a chartered city by December 19-31, 1936 also took place.  It was in 1945 when Mayor Fernando Lopez and the Iloilo City Council passed Resolution 485 appealing for a Junior College of the University of the Philippines be established in Iloilo (December 18). On February 21, 1946, the city council reiterated to the UP Board of Regents its request for the establishment of UP Junior College in Iloilo.  The city council unanimously approved Resolution 461 formally donating the pre-war city hall and its site of 10.8 hectares for the exclusive use of UP Iloilo College (April 8). The University of the Philippines Iloilo College (UPIC) was formally opened with Dr. Tomas Fonacier as the first Dean on July 1, 1947.  A Restoration grant of P54M was allotted by NHCP in 2017 for the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the UPV Main Building through the facilitation of the Sen. Franklin Drilon and Sen. Loren B. Legarda. (With sources from Dr. Randy Madrid, CWVS)  This was originally published on the UP Visayas website at UP Visayas to formally unveil restored Main Building. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: the newly-restored UPV Main Building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-photos-the-newly-restored-upv-main-building/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: the newly-restored UPV Main Building IN PHOTOS: the newly-restored UPV Main Building August 29, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The restored Main Building in the UP Visayas Iloilo City campus (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The result of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ (NHCP) P44-million two-year restoration of the UP Visayas (UPV) Main Building in its Iloilo City campus was finally unveiled on August 16.     The ceremonial cutting of the ribbon at the building’s main entrance: from left, UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa, UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, Senator Franklin Drilon, UP President Danilo Concepcion, NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante, and JS Lim Construction and Trading General Manager Joselito Lim (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The undertaking was prompted by UPV’s proposal for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the structure that was named a National Historical Landmark by the NHCP in 2009. The restoration was not limited to the design and the materials used. It also ensured the structural integrity of the building.     A central feature of the Main Building is this hall that directly faces the main entrance. It was originally the courtroom when the building was still the Iloilo Municipal Building during construction, then later became the Iloilo City Hall upon inauguration. The left photo, taken on 14 August 2017, shows the space as an art gallery with a mezzanine. The right photo, taken on 15 August 2019, shows the hall as it was originally designed. Old wood that matched the original flooring were bought from old houses, according to NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Before (top, taken 14 August 2017) and after (bottom, taken 15 August 2019) photos of the restoration of the Main Building’s façade. The paint was removed from the bronze sculptures and bas relief at the entrance. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Before (left, taken 14 August 2017) and after (right, taken 15 August 2019) photos of Lozano Hall, the Session Hall. It was named in honor of Cresenciano M. Lozano, the legislator from Guimaras who authored House Bill 2368 which elevated the status of Iloilo from a municipality to a chartered city in 1937. The left photo shows its use as a library two years ago. The chandeliers in Lozano Hall were the only originals left, so the restoration entailed the recreation of the chandeliers to be put in the former courtroom and in the hall across Lozano. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The yet unnamed hall across Lozano: the left photo is from before the restoration two years ago (14 August 2017), and the right photo shows “Aggregation,” the exhibit mounted in celebration of the Main Building’s turnover from NHCP to UPV, as well as the recreated chandeliers copied from the originals in Lozano Hall. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     One of the two courtyards in the Main Building shows the change from concrete to the original landscaped garden with a pond at the center. The top photo, where Prof. Martin Genodepa gives a tour of the Main Building, was taken on 14 August 2017 and the bottom photo was taken on 15 August 2019. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The west entrance of the Main Building (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The back of the Main Building (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Senator Franklin Drilon (leftmost), an alumnus of the UP High School in Iloilo and UP Diliman, reminisces about his classes at this particular room in the Main Building, to the amusement of the UP and NHCP officials. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Congresswoman Loren Legarda visits the exhibit, “Aggregation.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon and former Senator, now Deputy House Speaker, Loren Legarda—acknowledged by UPV as having been instrumental in the approval and implementation of the restoration—graced the event.     From left: Senator Franklin Drilon highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage; Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda talks about the preservation of cultural and environmental treasures in her province; and UP President Danilo Concepcion emphasizes the necessity of restoring and maintaining heritage structures for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left: UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa formally opens the program and briefly discusses the project; NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante talks about how the restoration was carried out; and UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran accepts the restored Main Building on behalf of the University. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The certificate of transfer and acceptance of the restored UPV Main Building was signed by NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante and UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, with UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa as signing witness.     From left: JS Lim Construction and Trading General Manager Joselito Lim and UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa with Senator Franklin Drilon, NHCP Chairman Rene Escalante, UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, and UP President Danilo Concepcion who are holding up the signed certificate of transfer and acceptance of the restored UPV Main Building. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UPV community and its guests pose for a photo outside the newly-restored Main Building. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     To learn more about the Main Building, read the pre-restoration feature, “From Historical Landmark to Cultural Hub,” as well as “History of the UPV Main Building.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "18th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference, Oct 15-16 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/18th-philippine-spanish-friendship-day-conference-oct-15-16/",
        "html": "18th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference, Oct 15-16 18th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference, Oct 15-16 October 12, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       THE CONFERENCE  The year 2021 marks the 500th year of Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines. This event is significant not only because it was our first direct contact with a people who subsequently colonized us, but more importantly, it ushered in a new period in our history. This period was characterized by dramatic changes in the political, economic, and socio-cultural life of the Philippines. But although Spanish colonialism was the primary stimulus that brought about such changes, the reactions of the Filipinos themselves, ranging from flight and fugitivism to outright resistance, and deliberate participation and accommodation, must also be emphasized. Hispanization, therefore, as John Leddy Phelan (1959) argues, was a product of the colonizing efforts of the Spanish conquistadores, officials and religious missionaries, and the Filipinos’ involvement in this process.  To commemorate this historic event, the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference 2020 aims to gather scholars to present new researches that reexamine the “hispanization” of the Philippines from the sixteenth to the late eighteenth century. Phil-Span 2020 intends to provide a forum for academic papers which interrogate the multi-faceted hispanization process viewed from different perspectives and by utilizing diverse theorical lenses and unexplored primary materials. Through these papers, the conference will probe three specific processes. First, it will analyze the colonial impositions introduced and maintained by the Spaniards, highlighting their motivations and their consequences. Second, it will examine the myriad forms of negotiation and even conflicts that occurred between the Spaniards and Filipinos that shaped Philippine colonial society. Finally, it will explore the diverse transitions and transformations in the Philippines as a result of hispanization.     FORMAT AND PARTICIPATION  The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference 2020 will be held online via the National Quincentennial Commission of the Philippines (NQC) portal. The conference is free of charge but only a limited number of participants will be accommodated via the portal’s webinar. Interested individuals must follow these steps:  (1) register in the NQC portal: https://bit.ly/2FZCBOg; then,  (2) sign up for the conference by clicking “take this lecture” on the Phil-Span 2020 page: https://bit.ly/3i4Cj5R.  The conference will also be live streamed on the UP Department of History’s and NQC’s Facebook pages. For inquiries, email the Secretariat: philspan.upd@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, DPWH ink MOA for infra dev’t – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-dpwh-ink-moa-for-infra-devt/",
        "html": "UP, DPWH ink MOA for infra dev’t UP, DPWH ink MOA for infra dev’t September 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (left) and UP President Danilo Concepcion sign the memorandum of agreement between both institutions. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are teaming up for infrastructure development across the University System through a memorandum of agreement signed on September 6.  This capacity-sharing initiative, according to UP President Danilo Concepcion, signifies the University’s trust in the technical and professional expertise of DPWH, the national agency mandated to undertake infrastructure projects for the government. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the Department will meet the expectations of UP.     From left to right: District Engineer Ramon Devanadera of Quezon City 2nd District, DPWH Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership Maria Catalina Cabral, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP VP for Development Elvira Zamora, UP VP for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, and UP EVP Teodoro Herbosa (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The agreement includes road improvements in UP Visayas, rehabilitation of the UP Cebu Undergraduate Studies Building, and renovation of UP Diliman (UPD) structures, such as the main library, the University Health Service, the gym, and Kamia, Molave, and Yakal Residence Halls.  The partnership also involves the construction of the following: the Faculty Center, Multipurpose Hall, Resilience Institute, faculty and staff housing, public restrooms, and water impounding lagoons in the UPD campus; the Agronomy, Soils, and Horticulture Building, and a dorm for graduate students in UP Los Baños; the Neuroscience Institute in UP Manila; the UP Open University Multimedia Production Building; the UP Mindanao student dormitory; and the first phase of the Puerto Galera Biodiversity and Environmental Research and Outreach Center.  “Through cooperation and collaboration, these projects will be completed with better outcome,” Concepcion said. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Construction of the UP Student Union Building starts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/construction-of-the-up-student-union-building-starts/",
        "html": "Construction of the UP Student Union Building starts Construction of the UP Student Union Building starts October 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     On October 20, 2018, the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, held the groundbreaking ceremony for the UP Student Union Building to be constructed at the back of Vinzons Hall and facing Katipunan Avenue in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Designed to have a total floor area of 7,800 square meters, the proposed seven (7) storey building will serve as the new home of the University Student Council, the Philippine Collegian, the Office of Student Activities, the University Food Service, various student organizations, shops, and other facilities conducive for students’ activities. The 200-million peso project will be implemented by the DPWH’s Quezon City 2nd District Engineering Office, with its Phase 1 expected to be completed by December 15, 2019.  UPD Chancellor Michael L. Tan welcomed officials and guests. He said that he had many happy memories of the old building, with a bookstore and some shops they frequented as students several decades ago, and being a center of students’ activities even at night. He added that maybe UP can still retain some of the old “heritage” materials to be used again in the new building.  Concepcion envisioned the area to have a bank or ATM machines, a bookstore, restaurants, offices for the students, and a kitchen and a mess hall to be built on the second floor.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UPD Chancellor Michael L. Tan, UP Student Regent Ivy Joy P. Taroma, and representatives of student organizations. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Villar, whose parents Manny and Cynthia were UP graduates, said he also supports UP’s initiatives. He added that the DPWH has many ongoing projects with UP, not only in the Diliman campus, as part of the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration. These, he said, boost UP’s very progressive and unique character, in line with UP’s mandate.     DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP and DPWH officials look at the building’s blueprint. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Groundbreaking and laying of the time capsule (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     With Concepcion, Villar, and Tan, the groundbreaking ceremony was witnessed by representatives of student organizations, faculty, and other UP System officials: Student Regent Ivy Joy P. Taroma; Staff Regent Liza S. Fulvadora; Regent Angelo A. Jimenez; Regent Frederick I. Farolan; Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; VP for Administration Nestor G. Yunque; VP for Development Elvira A. Zamora; VP for Public Affairs Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.; Assistant VP for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili; UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran; and Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW-UP) President Gabriela Roldan Concepcion. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Vinzons Hall to be renovated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/vinzons-hall-to-be-renovated/",
        "html": "Vinzons Hall to be renovated Vinzons Hall to be renovated February 11, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Architect’s perspective of the Vinzons Hall renovation (From the Office of the Vice President for Development)     Sixty-one years after it was inaugurated, Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Hall—UP Diliman’s student center—is set to undergo the first phase of its renovation. The P100-million project was launched on February 11 and is expected to be completed in 2020.     UP President Danilo Concepcion (left) and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar unveil the marker of the first phase of Vinzons Hall’s renovation. With them are, from far left, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, DPWH-NCR Regional Director Ador Canlas, and District Engineer Ramon Devanadera of the DPWH Quezon City 2nd District Engineering Office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Vinzons Hall was constructed to provide a space for students, their activities and organizations, as well as for services dedicated to them. The idea for this student center was conceived and proposed by the Student Council to the University administration in 1956. Construction began in 1957 and the building was finished in 1958.  Originally called the Student Union building, it was renamed after Vinzons shortly after its completion. Vinzons was a prominent student leader at the University who would later become governor of Camarines Norte, a guerilla leader, and World War II hero.     UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In his message, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa, representing Chancellor Michael Tan, said of the project: “Never have we enjoyed this much support for our student spaces.” He was also referring to the ongoing construction of the Student Union building behind Vinzons Hall.     UP President Danilo Concepcion (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion, meanwhile, emphasized that it is the University administration’s duty to ensure that the campuses remain conducive to the holistic development of UP students.     DPWH Secretary Mark Villar (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, whose agency is UP’s partner in the initiative, assured the delivery of efficient and quality service in the implementation of the project because “UP deserves to have quality infrastructure.” He also reported that the construction of the Student Union building, which broke ground in October last year, was already at 15 percent completion.  According to the Office of the Vice President for Development, the renovation “ensures structural integrity, general safety, and efficient use of space for its occupants.” It includes electrical, plumbing, and security systems repairs and upgrades.  Along with the Student Union building, the newly-renovated Vinzons Hall is expected “to meet the increasingly complex needs of its ever-growing student clientele” and enhance UP’s capability to provide student-related services. It will house units under the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs: the Office of Student Activities, the Student Disciplinary Council, the Office of Scholarship and Student Services, and the Office of Counseling and Guidance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV Iloilo City breaks ground for University Avenue – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-iloilo-city-breaks-ground-for-university-avenue/",
        "html": "UPV Iloilo City breaks ground for University Avenue UPV Iloilo City breaks ground for University Avenue September 23, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Perspectives of the University Avenue that is being constructed in the Iloilo City campus of UP Visayas (Images from UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa)     UP Visayas (UPV) held a simple groundbreaking ceremony for the University Avenue in its Iloilo City campus on August 16, following the turnover and blessing of the newly-restored Main Building. The University Avenue is part of the campus’ re-orientation of its academic core zone. The cost of the whole project is estimated at P21 million.     From left: UP Vice President for Adminstration Nestor Yunque, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Congresswoman Loren Legarda, Senator Franklin Drilon, UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, and UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Iloilo City campus’ University Avenue (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Iloilo City campus is bordered by General Luna St. in the north, Delgado St. in the south, Ybiernas St. in the east, and Infante St. in the west. Except for Delgado St., the gates along the other streets provide access to the campus.  The Oblation monument is currently in front of the Graduate and Continuing Education Building facing General Luna St. and the Infante Flyover. The new campus orientation entails the transfer of the Oblation, to be positioned facing Delgado St., which will be the campus’ main access point.     The Oblation in the UPV Iloilo City campus (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Oblation in the UPV Iloilo City campus (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     View from outside: The gate along Delgado St. has not been used for many years, but it will soon be UPV Iloilo City campus’ main gate. (Screen grab from Google Maps)     View from the inside: Somewhere behind the tractors on the left side of the photo is the gate along Delgado St. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The plan harmonizes UPV Iloilo City’s layout with other UP campuses, where the Oblation figures prominently upon entry, with a significant building as backdrop. In the case of the Iloilo City campus, that structure of importance is the Main Building, which was the original focal point of the area when it was still the Iloilo City Hall.     A perspective showing the placement of the Oblation monument in front of the UPV Main Building (Image from UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Martin Genodepa)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Countries share experiences for constitution building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/countries-share-experiences-for-constitution-building/",
        "html": "Countries share experiences for constitution building Countries share experiences for constitution building October 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Practitioners and scholars of constitution building from across Asia and the Pacific converged in UP on October 3 and 4, 2017 to share experiences in a forum with the theme “From Big Bang to Incrementalism: Choices and Challenges in Constitution Building”.  The forum, hosted by the UP Diliman Department of Political Science (DPS) and the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Social and Political Change Program, was the second Melbourne Forum on Constitution Building in Asia and the Pacific, which is co-organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Constitution Transformation Network (ConTransNet) of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.     UP Department of Political Science Chair Maria Ela Atienza welcomes the participants of the second Melbourne Forum on Constitution Building in Asia and the Pacific held October 3 and 4, 2017 at the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Looking on are Melbourne Law School Laureate Professor Emeritus Cheryl Saunders, International IDEA Regional Program Director Leena Rikkila Tamang, and Philippines resource person Benedicto Bacani. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “Big bang” and “incrementalism” represent two ends of a spectrum of options in constitution building. The forum aims “to enhance understanding of decisions around the magnitude of constitutional change so as to better understand constitution building generally and to inform decisions made by others in the future”.  Forum participants came from and talked about experiences in the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Chile, Argentina, Iraq, Pakistan, Kyrgyztan, Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, and South Korea. There was also a talk on the role of the UN in constitution building.  The delegation from International IDEA was headed by its Asia and the Pacific Regional Program director, Leena Rikkila Tamang; and that from Melbourne Law School, by Laureate Professor Emeritus Cheryl Saunders. Together with DPS Chair Maria Ela Atienza, they chaired the sessions on making a new constitution, amending existing constitutions, moving between a presidential and parliamentary system, moving between a federal and unitary state, and deferring controversial issues.     The participants of the second Melbourne Forum on Constitution Building in Asia and the Pacific at Bahay ng Alumni steps, UP Diliman, Quezon City, October 3, 2017. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Political Science Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer, chairperson of the of the Philippine Government Peace Panel in talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, cited lessons from the discussions applicable to the Philippines. According to Coronel, the arrival of “constitutional moment” in the country is hampered by mistrust of leadership, the question of process, and faulty arguments, among others. Earlier, Philippine resource person, Benedicto Bacani Jr. of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, cited weak institutions and political parties as factors working against constitutional reforms. (Jo Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The cocosilk road to beauty – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-cocosilk-road-to-beauty/",
        "html": "The cocosilk road to beauty The cocosilk road to beauty July 28, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Who doesn’t dream of having clear, beautiful, young-looking skin? And who better to crack the beauty code than the country’s premier national research and development institution?  At the UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPLB-BIOTECH), where traditional and modern biotechnologies combine to make innovative products and processes, the secret to beauty comes down to three letters: VCO or 100% pure virgin coconut oil.  Beauty in oil  Virgin coconut oil, which is one of UPLB-BIOTECH’s top products, is the key ingredient in Cocosilk, a line of handmade, specialty herbal soaps and body scrubs developed at the UPLB-BIOTECH’s Enzyme Research Laboratory by Fides Z. Tambalo, a University researcher and project leader. In an article for the Philippine Star, Tambalo described the Cocosilk line as “made from 100% premium virgin coconut oil certified free from heat and chemical treatments.”  “We were doing the extraction of virgin coconut oil, and we were thinking of what other high value product we could make from the VCO that we made,” Tambalo said in an interview. “Through our studies, we got an idea—why don’t we do a 100% VCO soap?”  Many VCO-based beauty soaps and scrubs are currently hot on the market because of virgin coconut oil’s properties. According to the website Organic Facts, coconut oil is predominantly composed of saturated fatty acids. Among its chief chemical constituents are vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that promotes silky-soft hair and healthy, glowing, younger looking skin. It is well known to have medicinal properties and antimicrobial and antifungal agents, as well as antioxidant and anti-aging properties. It also has moisture-retaining capacity, which makes it ideal to use for dry, cracking skin.  The problem however with some of these commercial soaps is that they may not contain as much pure virgin coconut oil as they claim on their labels. Moreover, the extraction and processing methods used may reduce the moisturizing ability of those soaps. “If you use some of these commercial soaps, you’ll notice that they leave your skin dry, because sometimes the glycerin is taken out, which is then converted into moisturizer or shampoo or conditioner,” said Fides.  The UPLB-BIOTECH, however, uses traditional methods of extraction and processing. This leaves the beauty-enhancing qualities of their VCO completely intact, and are even further enriched with vitamins A, C and E and additives. But the superior quality of the VCO used in the Cocosilk soaps and scrubs is not their only draw.  Heaven’s salad bar  There are at present 20 Cocosilk soap variants, each one containing a unique herb or ingredient—acapulco, carrot, guava, tomato, malunggay, citrus, tamarind, gotu-kola, oatmeal, coffee, chocolate, albumin, fresh milk, jasmine, lavender, malic, rose, mango and citronella. There are also variants of body scrubs designed to exfoliate, whiten and nourish the skin, including cinnamon, lemon, sunflower, strawberry, and cucumber-melon.  Photos from UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (BIOTECH) website, https://biotech.uplb.edu.ph/en/products/specialty-soaps-body-scrubs-aromatherapy-oils-and-malunggay-tea-leaves  It is no accident that the variants sound like heaven’s salad bar. “We looked at what’s trending now all over the world, and it’s bringing your food into your personal care,” said Tambalo. “Whatever it is we eat, for instance tomatoes—that will be the active ingredient in our personal care.”  Aside from the properties of VCO, each herb or ingredient adds special properties to the soaps and scrubs. Acapulco leaves, for instance, contain the antifungal chrysophanic acid, and so the Cocosilk soap variant with acapulco is excellent for fungal skin infections and insect bites. The Cocosilk guava variant contains guava leaf extract, which is known for its antiseptic and astringent properties, and is ideal as intimate wash. Aside from being a top source of vitamins A and C, tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant ten times more effective than Vitamin E.  Daily use of the malunggay soap, also rich in Vitamins A and C, will promote younger, whiter skin. Soap with citrus rinds and calamansi extract is effective for bleaching freckles and for treating acne. Coffee soap, now popular among beauty lines, is an effective exfoliant and deodorizer. And albumin, or egg white, contains proteins that smoothen and tighten skin, making wrinkles and lines less visible. (More information on each variant is available on the UPLB-BIOTECH’s website, https://biotech.uplb.edu.ph/en/products/specialty-soaps-body-scrubs-aromatherapy-oils-and-malunggay-tea-leaves).  The properties of the ingredients in Cocosilk soaps have been known to us since time immemorial. Indeed, knowledge of them stems from Filipino folk wisdom. “When I was young, I was very amazed with all these things,” Fides revealed. “You know how it is with us Filipinos—our albularyos, our lolos and lolas, our mothers and fathers. They used whatever they could find in their surroundings.”  She decided to bring science into play, conducting research to test the accuracy of these folk remedies as well as the potency of these herbs and ingredients in doing what they were purported to do. She had the herbs tested by high school and elementary school students, and evaluated the efficacy of their anti-microbial or antioxidant properties. She also read up on Philippine folklore, then experimented by putting these herbs into soaps.  The conclusion? Our elders were definitely on to something. In fact, in some cases, our own indigenous products outperform the expensive concoctions from abroad. Tambalo has seen this during the testing and verification services they do at the lab. “Some companies would ask me to test the efficacy of other natural products that come from other countries, and I would see what their actual properties are versus what they claim to do.”  With that, she poses a question to Filipino formulators: “I strongly believe that our biodiversity in the Philippines is incredibly rich. Why look for ingredients outside the country when we have so much here?”  Photo from BIOTECH Enzyme Laboratory Team  Beauty in the eye of the entrepreneur  Fides Tambalo continues to experiment with nature’s bounty and formulate new soaps, scrubs, and even teas and aromatherapy oils. The result is a lineup of Cocosilk variants that can rival any other in the beauty product industry. “That’s something I’m proud of. We could find acapulco or guava soap being produced or sold in the market, but if you do some comparisons. . . . Of course, we’ve been doing this for research, so we can really tell if the soap is well made or not.”  However, she does not really wish to see the Cocosilk specialty soaps become part of a huge, established commercial line. Instead, her dream for UPLB-BIOTECH’s uniquely processed beauty soaps is, in a way, even bigger than that.  “I would like the University to explore the commercial value of these soaps,” she said. “So it would be very interesting to have somebody take a serious look at this and make a go of it, to convert this into a business.”  So far, the Cocosilk specialty soaps can only be ordered online from the UPLB-BIOTECH. But the Institute welcomes any potential entrepreneurs wishing to go into business with a line of products that are scientifically proven, completely natural, and uniquely Filipino. “There are so many young entrepreneurs I wish would look into things like this, because I think this is one of the easiest things to sell, and you don’t need to invest a large amount of money.”  In fact, UP student-entrepreneurs would make the ideal partner for Fides. “It’s something I have been wishing for, and it’s something that’s stopping me from engaging big companies, because I can see that this is something affordable that can be adopted by a very simple startup. Or it could even be run by two or three serious students who want to be entrepreneurs, especially since young people now are very good at selling online. I’ll be happy if I can just see some UP students succeed with this as a business.”  As Tambalo and UPLB-BIOTECH have proven, science plus tradition equals beauty. But science plus tradition plus a committed entrepreneurial spirit makes beautiful dreams come true.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Toyota team up for biodiversity – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-toyota-team-up-for-biodiversity/",
        "html": "UP, Toyota team up for biodiversity UP, Toyota team up for biodiversity February 13, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP and Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. (TMPF) seal their memorandum of understanding with a handshake by their respective leaders, TMPF President David Go (third from left) and UP President Danilo Concepcion (fourth from left). With them are, from left, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager Ronald Gaspar, TMP First Vice President and Environment Director Jose Maria Aligada, UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and Dr. Aletta Yñiguez of the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute, committee chair of the UP Puerto Galera Project. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. (TMPF) on January 24 at the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa, Laguna for the development of the Puerto Galera Biodiversity and Environmental Research Outreach Center in Occidental Mindoro.  TMPF donated to UP a check in the amount of PhP630,000 immediately after the signing ceremony.     Dr. Aletta Yñiguez gives a background on the UP Puerto Galera Biodiversity and Environmental Research Outreach Center in Occidental Mindoro. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In a presentation by Dr. Aletta Yñiguez, the committee chair of the project, she said that the Center was envisioned to be a “world-class research and outreach facility showcasing the Philippines’ remarkable biodiversity.” The Center aims to enable “transdisciplinary and synergistic collaboration between experts across UP campuses as well as local and foreign researchers and practitioners.”     TMPF President David Go reveals that the partnership for Puerto Galera is only one of Toyota’s many partnerships with the University. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     TMPF President David Go, in his welcome remarks, revealed that the Foundation’s partnership with UP was in line with the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, particularly on the “establishment of a future society that is in harmony with nature.” He further stated that Toyota “would like to share our business practices and facilities with UP as extension of [its] laboratories.”     UP President Danilo Concepcion says climate change and human activity continue to make a dent on the environment’s health. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In his message, UP President Danilo Concepcion said that the earliest record of the University’s research interest in Puerto Galera dated back to 1912, during the term of UP’s first president, Murray Bartlett. Puerto Galera was designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in 1977 and with TMPF’s support, Concepcion added that “UP can help ensure the biosphere reserve’s continued health.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s very own orchestra holds debut Christmas concert – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-very-own-orchestra-holds-debut-christmas-concert/",
        "html": "UP’s very own orchestra holds debut Christmas concert UP’s very own orchestra holds debut Christmas concert December 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The newly-formed UP Symphony Orchestra is introduced to the world. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A symphonic orchestra that UP can finally call its own made its debut on the evening of December 13, 2018 in a concert, Unang Pasko. The newly established UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) joined other acclaimed musical groups from the UP College of Music at the University Amphitheatre in playing holiday classics for the UP community for free.  Proudly identifying itself as the “Sixty-Five Strong”, clearly inspired by the “Sixteen Strong” nickname of the UP Men’s Basketball Team, the UPSO is under the direction of Prof. Josefino “Chino” Toledo of the College of Music. Its members consist of 24 alumni, 34 students, six faculty members and one staff member of the University. These musicians underwent a rigorous audition process to earn their slots. They come from three different constituent universities of UP¬–Diliman, Manila and Los Baños.  The UPSO wasted no time in proving itself, playing Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture in A Major, Op. 96 as their first piece. This was followed by a series of festive medleys of popular Christmas tunes, certain to put the audience in the mood for the holidays. First of these medleys was the Glorious Sounds of Christmas, arranged by American composer Dwight Gustafson. It included excerpts from popular classics like Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Away in a Manger, and Angels We Have Heard on High.     The ConChords were one of a number of other acclaimed musical acts that performed that evening. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     After their rendition of Leroy Anderson’s Bugler’s Holiday, the UPSO welcomed the first of many distinguished guest performers, the ConChords. The singing group, with the UPSO, performed a Toledo-arranged medley of romantic songs, including: Pasko Na, Sinta Ko; I’ll Be Home for Christmas; and, Merry Christmas, Darling. Later, the UPSO also accompanied the award-winning UP Dance Company in an interpretation of dances from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s popular ballet, The Nutcracker.  In perhaps the most rousing performance of the evening, the UPSO, together with members of three UP-based choral groups,the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble and the UP Manila Chorale, interpreted Filipino holiday classics. These included National Artist Lucio San Pedro’s Simbang Gabi, and National Artist Ryan Cayabyab’s arrangement of songs, Namamasko, Mano Po, Ninong, and Pasko! Pasko!.     Maestro Josefino “Chino” Toledo directs the UPSO’s string section. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The formation of the UPSO is one of the latest and greatest in UP’s bid to create a vibrant performing arts culture in the University. It was formally approved by the UP Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, which established its status as UP’s official system-wide orchestra, funded by the UP System and hosted by the UP College of Music. Not only will the UPSO serve as a training ground for UP’s emerging musicians and conductors, but it also as UP’s representative on the national and global musical stage. A second concert is being planned for February, with the UPSO aiming to mount at least six concerts per year. (Andre dP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     The UP Symphony Orchestra in action. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP celebrates Buwan ng Wika with the restaging of Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-celebrates-buwan-ng-wika-with-the-restaging-of-putri-anak-isang-bagong-komedya/",
        "html": "UP celebrates Buwan ng Wika with the restaging of Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya UP celebrates Buwan ng Wika with the restaging of Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya August 16, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), UP College of Music (UPCMu) and Sentro ng Wikang Filipino celebrate Buwan ng Wika with the restaging of Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya on August 23-25 at 3p.m. and 7p.m. at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium inside the UP Diliman campus.  The theater production, a collaboration between the UPCIS and the UPCMu to mark the latter’s centennial this year, premiered at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in April and signals the birth of this new Komedya. It is also UPCIS’ and UPCMu’s contribution to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN for it features common themes in celestial maiden narratives among Southeast Asian as well as Japanese, Indian and Chinese cultures as it banners a message of peace and reconciliation.  UP Optics CCP Performance (Photo from UP CIS)     Largely based on the Maguindanao celestial maiden narrative of the Philippines, Putri Anak, Isang Bagong Komedya tells the story of Putri Anak, a celestial maiden who came down to earth to bathe in a stream with her six sisters. She is stranded on earth when she loses her wings. The play then unfolds as a fictional story of two warring clans led by their leaders, Rajah Sulaymon and Sultan Magnaye, who are caught in a love triangle with Putri Anak. This rivalry is aggravated by centuries-old territorial conflict between their clans. However, an impending disaster makes them realize that only by uniting their forces could they successfully ward off a common enemy. The play is written by Enrique Villasis and Juan Ekis following the dodecasyllabic verse of the traditional Komedya.  Its music, without losing the European-Asian touch in the traditional Komedya, veers towards a more Southeast Asian sound. Dr. Verne de la Peña, a musicology professor at the UPCMu, composed the music with Mary Katherine J. Trangco, UPCMu faculty as musical director.  Woven into the conventions of the Komedya ng San Dionisio of Parañaque are performance elements from Filipino, Japanese and Southeast Asian performance traditions. This bagong komedya is directed by Dr. Jina Umali, an Asian Theater scholar of UPCIS. Her co-directors Angela Baguilat, UPCMu dance faculty who studied India’s Bharata Natyam and Jeremy de la Cruz, UPLB theater professor who studied Indonesia’s Tari Java (Javanese court dance) created the choreography with movement inspiration mainly taken from the aforementioned Asian dance forms. Other movement inspirations were taken from Japan’s Kabuki and the martial arts sagayan, arnis, and pencak silat. Bryan Viray, UP Theater professor, and Grace Jaramillo of the Komedya ng San Dionisio, provided the dramaturgy. Mark Legaspi designed the set with Darwin Desoacido as costume designer. Michael Que restages the play.  Joining the artistic staff in the restaging are costume designer Gino Gonzales who creates the costume of the character Putri Anak, Jethro Joaquin, UP Theater lecturer who designs the sound and Joseph G. Matheu who is both technical director and lighting designer.  UP Optics CCP Performance (Photo from UP CIS)  The production features performances of UP Tugtugang Musika Asyatika (UP TUGMA) and the UP Dance Company. Elizabeth Garcia Arce, a UPCMu student plays the title role while Alexander Dagalea and Jude Matthew Servilla reprise their roles as Rajah Sulaymon and Sultan Magnaye, respectively.  The production is sponsored by the Office of the UP President and the Office of the UP Vice Presid  ent for Academic Affairs, U.P. Diliman Office of the Chancellor, UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, and the Japan Foundation Manila.     Regular ticket price is Php500.00. UP Students can avail of a special discounted rate of Php 300.00 while non-UP students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, government employees and military personnel can avail of a 20% discount.  For ticket inquiries, please call the UP Center for International Studies at 981-8500 loc. 2460 or 426-75-73 and look for Ms. Iyah Lafuente.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Symphonic Band takes the Abelardo Hall Concert Series stage – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-symphonic-band-takes-the-abelardo-hall-concert-series-stage/",
        "html": "UP Symphonic Band takes the Abelardo Hall Concert Series stage UP Symphonic Band takes the Abelardo Hall Concert Series stage October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For Season 2’s third pitch of the Abelardo Hall Concert Series, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Office of the Chancellor thru the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, proudly present: “Symphonicity” featuring the UP Symphonic Band.  Under the baton of Asst. Professor Rodney D.S. Ambat, the eighty-piece band garnered the Best Performing Group Award when they performed original compositions of Asian Composers of new music in Symphonic Band Category at the 33rd Asian Composers League International Festival and Conference in 2015. In what promises to be another riveting production on 26 October 2018 (7PM), the performance pieces of the UP Symphonic Band, recipient of UP’s Honorific Award for Student Performing Arts Group (HASPAG, 2016), will be artistically depicted, visually enhanced and skillfully projected by the UP College of Fine Arts, Department of Visual Communication’s Chairperson Marc J. San Valentin, Associate Professor Mitzi Marie Aguilar- Reyes, Annie Dennise P. Lumbao, and Melvin S. Calingo.  The Abelardo Hall Concert Series, now on its second Season, envisions the Abelardo Hall Auditorium as a center of culture not just for the university, but for the larger community. The Season comprises of monthly concerts that showcase the diversity of talents that are or have been part of the UP College of Music. The intended lineup is a mix of genres and styles that is truly the mark of UP.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please contact Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series closes Season 2 with UP Concert Chorus, Baihana – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abelardo-hall-concert-series-closes-season-2-with-up-concert-chorus-baihana/",
        "html": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series closes Season 2 with UP Concert Chorus, Baihana Abelardo Hall Concert Series closes Season 2 with UP Concert Chorus, Baihana November 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For the Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 2’s fourth and final offering, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, Inc., in cooperation with the Office of the Chancellor thru the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, proudly present: “Ang Pag-ibig Naghahari” featuring the UP Concert Chorus and Baihana.  Since its establishment in May 2008, Baihana has been garnering awards such as the “Best Jazz Band” at the Boy Katindig Songwriting Competition (2012) and the “Best Performance By A New Group” at the 26th Aliw Awards (2013). Backed up by the dashing Debonair District, Anna Graham, Krina Cayabyab and Mel Torre enjoy executing playful arrangements of vocal harmonies, as the all-female vocal trio simply dive into any kind of music genre.  Pioneers of ChoreoCapella or Choreographed A Capella in the Philippines, the UP Concert Chorus, simply known as Korus, ranked “Number 1 in the World” for Folk Choral Performance at the 2012 Festival Internacional de Cantonigros in Spain. Under the leadership of versatile mezzo-soprano Associate Professor Janet Sabas- Aracama, Korus has been in various international tours and choral competitions and has won numerous festival awards including the Grand Prix at the 6th International Krakow Choir Festival in Poland.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please contact Ms. Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. Show starts promptly at 7PM. "
    },
    {
        "title": "GMA News Online’s SciTech editor receives Fulbright scholarship to MIT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/gma-news-onlines-scitech-editor-receives-fulbright-scholarship-to-mit/",
        "html": "GMA News Online’s SciTech editor receives Fulbright scholarship to MIT GMA News Online’s SciTech editor receives Fulbright scholarship to MIT June 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    GMA News Online’s Science and Technology editor Timothy James Dimacali has been officially admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Graduate Program in Science Writing as a Fulbright scholar.  “The application process was pretty straightforward: I was asked what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. My response was just as frank: I wore my geek heart on my sleeve! I told them that I love science and I want to pursue science communications,” Dimacali said.m Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore in October 2016.  He added, “I honestly didn’t think I would get in, because my grades and test scores, though decent, weren’t particularly stellar. All I really had to show for myself was my passion for science and love of the written word.”  Dimacali received assistance from the Philippine American Education Foundation (PAEF), the Institute of International Education (IIE), and a few generous benefactors who wish to remain anonymous.  The help is not unwarranted, as Dimacali’s accomplishments are an assurance that he is committed to excellence in his work.  Dimacali, a graduate of Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines, joined GMA News Online in 2009 and has been in charge of the Science and Technology section since 2010.  He is a recipient of the Department of Science and Technology’s Gawad Scriba Award for Science Communicatiors and an alumnus of Asia Journalism Fellowship, the Netherlands Fellowship Program, CERN School Philippines, the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, and the Iligan National Writers Workshop.  With the launch of the space program and the exciting discoveries of new species in recent years, Dimacali expressed his enthusiasm in telling more stories from the new frontiers that the country is exploring.  He hopes to use what he learns from the graduate program to help build on the science classes and courses in his alma mater.  “My commitment to the Fulbright program means coming back to the Philippines to help develop our still-nascent science communications field,” he shared.  The MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing is one of the most eminent science communications courses in the world, with fewer than 10 students accepted per year. It counts among its faculty physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, author of the best-selling book “Einstein’s Dreams.” (Aya Tantiangco/BM, GMA News) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Madrigal Singers concert set on April 27-28 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-madrigal-singers-concert-set-on-april-27-28/",
        "html": "UP Madrigal Singers concert set on April 27-28 UP Madrigal Singers concert set on April 27-28 April 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       This month, the Abelardo Concert Series 2018 Season 1 is proud to present the choral group that holds the distinction of being the first choir in the world to win the formidable European Grand Prix for choral singing twice.  Watch the nation’s premier choral group perform in their home turf in “Quintessence: Celebrating 5 Decades of the UP Madrigal Singers” on April 27 (7PM) and April 28 (3PM and 7PM).  For ticket reservations, please contact Faye Manuzon at (02) 926-0026 or (02) 981-8500 local 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The student in the boardroom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-student-in-the-boardroom/",
        "html": "The student in the boardroom The student in the boardroom September 4, 2017 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    On her first Board of Regents (BOR) meeting, Student Regent Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino admitted her overwhelming anxiety. UP President Danilo Concepcion turned to her and asked her for a few words. Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Patricia Licuanan then prompted her to discuss a student issue. Shari took the chance to inquire about the tuition collection policy of the University. This helped her realize that while she now had the task to put student issues on the table, it was not an impossible task after all.  In the past, according to Shari, only a student observer was allowed inside meetings of the Board of Regents, the highest policy-making body of the University. The student observer could raise student concerns during discussions but he or she had no voting power. Eventually, the Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP campaigned for genuine student representation with voting power in the BOR, to participate more directly in crafting policies affecting students. Today, the Student Regent represents the biggest constituency in the entire UP system. (The BOR also includes a Faculty and a Staff Regent.)  Oliquino believes that the Office of the Student Regent is crucial in light of the signing of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which grants free tuition and other subsidies to qualified undergraduate students in state universities and colleges. She sees obstacles remaining for students of law and medicine, as well as those struggling academically. She asserts that education is a right to be enjoyed by all regardless of socioeconomic status, and hopes for the support of all UP students from Baguio to Mindanao, knowing she can’t possibly succeed in her advocacy alone.  SR Oliquino takes her oath before members of the Board of Regents- University President Danilo Concepcion and CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan. (Photo from SR Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino)  Accepting the challenge  Asked what made her decide to accept her nomination as Student Regent from UP Mindanao, her response was short: “I didn’t even think twice about it.” Graduating with honors with a degree in Broadcast Communication from the College of Mass Communication in Diliman, she could have taken a break from being a student leader from her grade school days in the UP Integrated School (UPIS).  But in the midst of an intensifying campaign for free education, she couldn’t refuse the call. “I wasn’t going to do it for myself, and serving my fellow students had become my passion, so why not?” she added.  Shari considers former Student Regent and human rights lawyer Krissy Consti as her model. Shari admires Krissy’s boldness in staging mobilizations all by herself even before other students had assembled in the Palma Hall lobby. Conti was also instrumental in the recent release of Maricon Montajes, a Film student and political prisoner.  While her dreams of being a lawyer like Conti remain intact, Shari also recognizes former Student Regents as mentors in addressing multiple and sometimes simultaneous concerns from eight constituent units in the University.  During the selection of this year’s Student Regent at the UP Visayas Miag-ao campus through the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC), Oliquino presented her vision for forging unity among students in sustaining campaigns. As she went around the System, she saw more specific problems, such as huts being used as men’s dormitories in UPV Tacloban. She also stressed the need to preserve UP’s public character by ensuring that idle assets are used for academic and research purposes. She called for unity with other members of the UP community, such as the manininda (vendors) and ordinary employees, recalling an exchange during the GASC where a representative of UPV’s College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences drew attention to the concerns of fisherfolk.  What’s work like for the Student Regent? After scheduling and prior to leading student summits for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao spread across September and October, Oliquino takes care of requests for interviews, especially on free education. She also meets with student councils regularly, apart from the monthly BOR meetings.  Starting young  Oliquino traces her roots in student-leadership to her formative years in UPIS. She characterized UPIS education as “progressive,” where they were taught societal issues such as the disparity between the country’s natural resources and levels of poverty. She vividly remembers an Araling Panlipunan class where her teacher drew a can of gasoline with wings and strings tied to basic goods attached to the can.  At a young age, she was exposed to issues that had to be discussed within the University. She served as president of the Grade 3-6 and Grade 7-10 councils. She used what she learned in her History classes as joined UP campus politics, moving from classroom to classroom and consulting student organizations about projects, events, and services.  SR Oliquino joins a USC mobilization in her days as an undergraduate student leader. (Photo from SR Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino)  When she entered UP, Oliquino held key leadership positions in her organizations such as the UP Broadcasters’ Guild and UP Beta Sigma Ladies Corps. As early as her freshman year, she was asked to run for the University Student Council (USC), but she declined. After a year, she ran twice for the same position and won, ranking fourth among 12 councilors. She eventually headed the USC Committee on Students’ Rights and Welfare. The major difference, according to her, was that party lines are drawn more sharply in university politics than in UPIS politics.  Holding the position of Student Regent is a different challenge as the SR should be a unifying, rather than dividing, force among students, and is expected to be more more inclusive and more consultative. A bigger challenge lies the dynamics between the SR and members of the BOR who are mostly administrators, legislators, and Malacañang appointees.  Moving forward  Looking back on what her term has accomplished so far, Shari considers the signing of the free education law a leap forward and the fruit of years of student activism from campaigning in the streets to lobbying. However, she warns that the movement must not rest for the fight is far from over until all mechanisms to make students pay cease to exist.  She is currently enrolled in the Master in Community Development program in the College of Social Work and Community Development, believing it to be the best program for her to be able to integrate with communities. “If we want genuine social change, we need to fight alongside other sectors.”  In eventually pursuing law studies, she aspires to become a people’s lawyer who will expose and oppose the system by freeing political prisoners, upholding human rights, and strengthening the mass movement. She envisions her legacy to be the actualization of free tuition after decades of struggle. At the same time, she wants to be remembered as an approachable and accessible Student Regent. “I never want to be too far from my constituents!”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Institute of Civil Engineering celebrates its 110th year with #UPCEat110 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-institute-of-civil-engineering-celebrates-its-110th-year-with-upceat110/",
        "html": "UP Institute of Civil Engineering celebrates its 110th year with #UPCEat110 UP Institute of Civil Engineering celebrates its 110th year with #UPCEat110 June 30, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The UP Institute of Civil Engineering (UP ICE) in Diliman is celebrating the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the UP Civil Engineering Program this June-July 2020 with a series of activities around the theme, “Reimagining the Future: Leveraging 110 Years of UP Civil Engineering”.  Activities held in June included the launching of the #ReminisCE: Kwentong UP CE Photo Contest on June 3, and the book launch of Water Resources Systems of the Philippines: Modeling Studies by Dr. Guillermo Q. Tabios III on June 26.  The UP ICE Status Report 2020 was also published and launched last June 13. The report aims to showcase the evolution of UP ICE through the years, and reaffirm the Institute’s commitment to continue serving the nation by delivering excellent instruction, research, and extension services in civil engineering, even in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. You may watch the video here.        Part of the celebration of the 110th anniversary of the UP Civil Engineering Program is also the hosting of the UP ICE webinar series, which covers timely and relevant topics in Civil Engineering. The webinars are scheduled on June 26 and the Fridays of July 2020, starting from 3:00PM. A limited number of attendees may be accommodated in Zoom, while others may watch via the live streaming on UP ICE Facebook page. Pre-registration links will be posted regularly on UP ICE social media accounts.  Visit the Facebook page of UP ICE for more details on the anniversary celebration activities, using the hashtag #UPCEat110. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT advisory as of July 30, 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-advisory-as-of-july-30-2018/",
        "html": "UPCAT advisory as of July 30, 2018 UPCAT advisory as of July 30, 2018 July 30, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The deadline for submission of the application forms of students from Metro Manila private high schools was July 27 and was extended to today, July 30, 2018.  All applications submitted today—physically or by courier (timestamped today)—will be accepted as within the deadline. Everyone remaining in line today will be accommodated. To serve the high volume of applicants, lines have been segmented and dropboxes with someone receiving the forms are available at the Office of Admissions. UPCAT applicants are estimated to have risen to 167,000 this year from 103,000 last year, largely because of the free-tuition policy.  As stated on the UPCAT website (upcat.up.edu.ph) applications may be submitted to the Office of Admissions either in person OR through the authorized school representative, OR by courier. Applications sent via courier will not be considered late if posted by courier today. Applicants are urged to utilize courier services to avoid having to line up and to decongest the receiving area.  The deadline for submission for Metro Manila public schools remains August 3 and regional private and public schools August 10. Dropboxes will also be made available on those dates. For today all those in line can either submit through a dropbox or line up for permits.  Instructions may be found on https://upcat.up.edu.ph/htmls/aboutupcat.html.  The public is advised to avoid “fake news” sites and social media accounts supposedly devoted to the UPCAT, some even bearing the UP logo. Official announcements about the UPCAT and the admission procedure are announced only through the following channels:     UPCAT website                                          upcat.up.edu.ph  UPCAT-UP System Facebook page       facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions  UP System website                                   up.edu.ph  UP System Facebook page                     facebook.com/upsystem  UP System Twitter page                         twitter.com/upsystem "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT Advisory as of September 20, 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-advisory-as-of-september-20-2018/",
        "html": "UPCAT Advisory as of September 20, 2018 UPCAT Advisory as of September 20, 2018 September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This is to inform the public that as of today, 20 September 2018, the new UPCAT schedule has not yet been finalized by the UP Office of Admissions. Please disregard the posts on new testing dates that have circulated online.  The University is currently checking on the condition of UPCAT testing centers throughout the country in the wake of Typhoon Ompong. UP’s paramount concern at this time is the welfare of examinees and test administrators. UP is working to ensure the safe and efficient administration of the UPCAT.  The official announcement on the new UPCAT schedule shall come only from the UP Office of Admissions. Please be guided accordingly. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT 2019 results now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-2019-results-now-available-online/",
        "html": "UPCAT 2019 results now available online UPCAT 2019 results now available online April 1, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UPCAT 2019 results are now ready for online viewing. Please go to the UPCAT main website upcat.up.edu.ph.  For applicants who received an offer of admissions, please indicate your confirmation of acceptance of the offer of admissions through the ONLINE ACCEPTANCE link in the instructions provided when you viewed your results.  The deadline for confirmation is on 14 APRIL 2019.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Dios ti Agngina, President Alfredo E. Pascual”—UP Baguio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dios-ti-agngina-president-alfredo-e-pascual-up-baguio/",
        "html": "“Dios ti Agngina, President Alfredo E. Pascual”—UP Baguio “Dios ti Agngina, President Alfredo E. Pascual”—UP Baguio February 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Baguio (UPB) held a tribute program for UP President Alfredo Pascual on January 31, more than a week before he steps down from the University leadership.  A video showing members of the UPB community thanking Pascual for supporting various projects and promoting initiatives that benefitted them was presented at the program. Pascual was also given a wooden sculpture with a citation and traditional woven fabric from the Cordilleras.  In his opening message, UPB Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos expressed gratitude to Pascual for increasing allocations and facilitating the growth and development of the constituent university—through needed infrastructure, student mobility programs, incentives for research and creative work, faculty grants for graduate and post-graduate education, staff development programs, among others.  Pascual, on the other hand, shared a presentation he had previously made to the UP Board of Regents. It highlighted his administration’s accomplishments in accordance with the UP Strategic Plan 2011-2017, as guided by the provisions of the UP Charter of 2008 or Republic Act No. 9500. He said that his administration not only continued and built upon the initiatives of his predecessors, it also instituted and implemented new initiatives that aimed to propel the University forward.  Among the achievements he mentioned were the increased budget appropriations for UP from the national government, which he credited to successful discussions with alumni and key officials in the executive and legislative branches of the government.  President Pascual delivering his report on his administration’s accomplishments to the members of the UP Baguio community. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPSIO.  He also pointed out the intensified support for research and creative work, particularly those that were interdisciplinary in nature. He likewise talked of internationalization efforts and how these have increased student mobility, opportunities for visiting foreign professors and Filipino experts with PhDs from abroad, participation in and organization of international conferences, as well as  how such efforts have strengthened linkages with other institutions.  Pascual pointed to the construction and perspectives of sports facilities in different campuses, aspart of meeting his sports development objective. Academic and research infrastructure across the UP System was also part of his presentation. He said that green architecture, design, and engineering were given emphasis in these construction projects as part of his Green UP initiative. All infrastructure projects are in accordance with guidelines and policies in the UP System-wide Master Development Plan, which his administration had also formulated.  As regards public service, Pascual talked of various disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) activities, the pioneering DRRM handbook soon to be released, and the Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service, for which the ceremony was held just the day before at UP Diliman.  UPB’s tribute program was held after the inauguration of Museo Kordilerya, where Pascual was the  guest of honor. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)  For more photos of the event, please click through the album here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "From final endings to new beginnings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-final-endings-to-new-beginnings/",
        "html": "From final endings to new beginnings From final endings to new beginnings January 8, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    “Old age is not for sissies.”  This quote, attributed to American actress Bette Davis, seems particularly apt in our society. In a country with a population where people 65 and older make up only 4 percent, our elderly face issues that are not for the faint of heart, such as poverty, abuse and neglect, sickness and disability, and loneliness and alienation from society.  Add to that existential and metaphysical concerns that come with old age—questions about death, the meaning of life, and the vast unknown beyond it. It’s enough to make any youngster glance up from their smartphones in bewilderment, or if they happen to be old enough to have experienced a life crisis, to reach for a shot of gin. But for the elderly, there is no escaping these questions.  “The aging years are as important as that of infancy or of childhood years,” writes UP Baguio assistant professor of psychology Prof. Maria Ana B. Diaz in her paper, “Expressing Religiosity in Old Age,” which she presented at the Growing Up, Growing Old: Times and Seasons 2nd Global Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, in May 2016.     Photo by Norbert Kaiser, taken 2006-12-27 (Source: Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nollendorf_D%C3%A4mmerung_(01)_2006-12-27.jpg)     “Unlike children who look forward to being adolescents, who in turn project how their life will be as adults, and with the latter anticipating how life will be in old age, the elderly have no clear prediction of what it will be after old age or after life.” Being confronted with the prospect of dying is often at best uncomfortable and at worst frightening. “The loss of loved ones, failing health, and narrowing of the social network all lead to feelings of uncertainty,” Diaz continues.  However, when facing the ultimate unknown, the elderly have a source of solace to turn to: religion and spirituality. Diaz notes in her paper that studies have shown a strong link between faith, spirituality and health in the elderly, and that the anxiety experienced by the elderly dissipates when they have faith in a spiritual being to hold on to and to give them a sense of contentment and positive well-being. In fact, according to Diaz, it has been found that “spirituality and religious participation are highly correlated with positive successful aging, as much as diet, exercise, mental stimulation, self-efficacy, and social connectedness.”  For her paper, she focused on the experiences of several elderly members of the indigenous people from the Mountain Province, ages 60 to 73, with regard to religion and spirituality and how these help them cope with the difficult questions of aging. They made for unique subjects because they had two religions/spiritual traditions to call upon, having been both baptized into Christianity (Roman Catholic or Anglican) but also still adhering to their own traditional beliefs as indigenous people.  Diaz also distinguished between spirituality, or the search for significance and for a personal relationship between an individual and God or a supernatural being, and religiosity, which is adherence to certain doctrines and prescribed patterns of behavior. By and large, the elderly indigenous people (IPs) drew comfort from observing the religious practices of Christianity, resulting in “magaan ang loob” (i.e. a feeling of peace and lightness). These practices included attending Sunday services in a church or structure; providing assistance and prayer services to others; and, prayer.  Prayer also helps ease the “death anxiety” that comes with the experience of major life losses as one grows older, such as illness and the loss of a spouse or friends. “Older adults who have strong religious faith are more likely to feel good about themselves, to find more meaning in their life, and to cope with life’s adversities better,” writes Diaz.     Photo by J. Samuel Burner, taken 10 March 2006 (Source: Wikicommons via http://www.flickr.com/photos/lobsterstew/110692504/)     Aside from Christian practices, the elderly IPs Diaz studied drew comfort from their indigenous traditions and pagan beliefs, which they continue to hold as equally important. “The individual develops a Christian faith that governs his thought and behavior,” Diaz writes in her paper, “but the individual belongs to a group that has strongly established customs and traditions that define their identity.” Adhering to their group’s goal of practicing and transmitting the indigenous tradition “gives them a sense of uniqueness, an identity that separates them from the rest,” Diaz explains.  But for the elderly IPs, the fact that Christianity and their indigenous beliefs have never been integrated, that one has never completely supplanted the other, gives them a wealth of resources to draw upon, especially when it comes to resolving the hard questions, such as one’s destination in the afterlife.  According to Christian belief, one merits heaven if one has lived a virtuous life, and hell if one has not. But life is rarely rendered in convenient black and white, but rather in complex shades of gray. Of her elderly IP subjects, Diaz says: “They ask themselves, where am I going? This means there is fear and uncertainty. So I think for majority of the case studies, yes, there is a fear of death.”  However, the IPs have a different concept of death, one that does not necessarily end with harsh judgments and sentences. They also value their elderly differently. In contrast to Westernized, mainstream societies that hold much store in productivity and the ability to work, the IPs value wisdom and experience, and hence accord a high status and level of respect to their elders. The older you are, the more valuable you are to the community.     Terraced rice fields carved from the sides of mountains, done by indigenous Filipino communities over the last hundreds of years. Photo is a cultural heritage property in the Philippines with ID PH-15-0010. (Photo by Spiff2005, taken April 30, 2006. Source: Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ifugao_Rice_Terraces.JPG)     From her interviews with the elderly, Diaz has gleaned some insights on how to prepare for one’s twilight years. One of her case studies, a retiree from UP, said that it is vitally important to be financially prepared for retirement. “Like it or not, aging brings with it a whole host of health problems so you have to prepare for it,” Diaz says. “You have to save money, invest money, so you’ll have something to draw from when you need to go to a doctor or buy medicine or hire a nurse.”  The other important thing to prepare for is to make sure your social relationships with family and friends are sound, because burning too many bridges and building too few can lead to loneliness and isolation in your later years.  Clearly, the sooner one begins to prepare for the senior years, the better. To do this, Diaz offers an important tool that can and should be used at any stage in life—the life review.  As a tool, the life review crosses from religiosity to spirituality, and bridges emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual health. It is the act of asking yourself the hard questions, hopefully before life itself forces you to, like “Who are you? What is the purpose and meaning of your life? Where have you succeeded and failed? What regrets do you have? What makes you happy? And how can you turn your life around now to make your death, whether it happens 50 years or a year from now, a peaceful one?”  Do a life review as early and as often as you can, Diaz advises. “You can’t postpone it until you’re already old. You shouldn’t cram for this, as if it were the finals in college.”  Old age and death are not pleasant subjects. Nor are regret and wasted time. But confronting old age, regret, and death with courage and clarity can lead to the wisdom of the ages. Even better, it can lead to new beginnings, no matter at which stage in your life. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Teaching in mother tongues – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/teaching-in-mother-tongues/",
        "html": "Teaching in mother tongues Teaching in mother tongues February 6, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Mural at the UP Baguio College of Arts and Communication     In 2009, the Department of Education (DepEd) recognized the benefits of teaching children using their mother tongue or first language. Local and international research has found that children learn to speak, read, and write more quickly in their first language, and can pick up a second and third language more easily if taught in their first language. In the same way, they acquire other academic competencies more quickly, particularly in science and math.  Through Department Order 94, DepEd instituted Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), with the following major languages as languages of instruction in 2012-2013: Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, Chabacano, Ivatan, Sambal, Akianon, Kinaray-a, Yakan, and Sinurigaonon. Aside from their mother tongues or first languages, the children are taught English and Filipino as subjects focusing on oral fluency, starting in the first grade. From the fourth grade onward, Filipino and English are introduced as languages of instruction.  A dizzying variety  However, given the dizzying variety of languages in the country—over 170 languages spoken by various ethno-linguistic groups, with almost 50 of these spoken by various groups in northern Philippines alone—it’s not unusual for a teacher to find herself handling a first-grade class in a public school consisting of children from different linguistic backgrounds. This poses a challenge for the teachers: how do they make sure the students learn when they are not all equally competent in the language of instruction?  In her 2016 paper, “A Multilingual, Multicultural and Multidisciplinary Approach to MTBMLE: A Model for Northern Philippines”, Dr. Elizabeth Calinawagan, a professor of Filipino and Dean of the College of Arts and Communication, UP Baguio, gives three possible classroom scenarios a teacher may face.     Dr. Elizabeth A. Calinawagan, professor of Filipino and Dean of the College of Arts and Communication, UP Baguio     In the first scenario, a school may have a strong community language as its mother tongue and the majority of its students communicating in this language. According to Calinawagan, this scenario is more common in rural areas. In her paper, she recommends that the teacher use a monolingual teaching-learning process, “Basic education [here] should be in the mother tongue. Then you’ll just be transferring knowledge through a lingua franca, and then English.”  In the second scenario, there are more students whose mother tongue is the regional lingua franca—for instance, Ilokano in northern Luzon—and the other students use their own community/indigenous languages as their mother tongue. This scenario is more common in densely populated cities such as Baguio City.  “In one classroom in a public elementary school, the students could have different mother tongues—Maranao, Kankanay, Pangasinan, Ilokano. This could be problematic. The DepEd chose Iloko [as the language of instruction], but teachers encounter difficulties because not all the students speak Iloko. Some are more fluent in Filipino, especially in urban centers.”  A bridge to learning  Calinawagan recommends that, in this case, the teacher use the regional lingua franca as the medium of instruction, but allot a special time to the speakers of other languages, using the regional lingua franca as a bridge to learning in other languages. The teacher would have to consult with the students and their parents to find out what language the child speaks at home, and to seek the cooperation of the parents in translating lessons into and creating learning materials in the child’s mother tongue.     Second-graders in the Cabambangan (Poblacion), Bacolor, Pampanga Elementary School Barangay Cabambangan (Poblacion), Bacolor, Pampanga. Photo by Judgefloro, taken 23 February 2015 (Photo from Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jf9633Cabambangan_Bacolor_Elementary_School_fvf_25.JPG)     In the third scenario, there could be a strong regional lingua franca, but the students’ linguistic profiles show that they are more competent in languages of wider communication such as English and Filipino. This is more common in private schools, where students are sometimes pressured by the school administration, teachers, and parents to use these languages. Calinawagan recalled a study conducted in San Carlos, Pangasinan, in which parents were asked why they spoke to their children in Tagalog at home instead of their mother tongue.  “They said it was so the children would find it easier to integrate at school, so they are taught bilingually, English and Tagalog, at home.”  In this last scenario, Calinawagan suggests in her paper that lessons “may be learned in Filipino or English, but the version in the community language/s should still be used as a springboard for linguistic and cultural lessons embodied in that language.” She adds that there should be strong community advocacy to make sure that residents of a community are knowledgeable in their language.     School children in the Barangays Balete, Tarlac City. Photo by Judgefloro, taken 2 July 2015 (Photo from Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:01415ajfSchool_children_Philippines_Tarlacfvf_05.jpg)     “There is still an initiative from the private schools to teach the language of the community. There should be a subject taught in the mother tongue from which we can draw cultural knowledge. Because for instance in the Ilocos, our culture isn’t Tagalog or English. Where else would we draw our cultural experience?”  The tireless soldiers  In all these scenarios, the teachers, especially first-grade teachers, are the tireless soldiers at the frontlines, displaying heroic levels of creativity, resourcefulness and determination not just in teaching, but in making reading and learning materials, doing advocacy work and community mobilization, and even developing a working orthography of local languages. In a certain locality, the teachers made “big books” by handwriting stories on sheets of manila paper, stories in the students’ mother tongues, together with drawings to provide visual aids, of which they then made photocopies.        As mentioned, many teachers in Northern Luzon are already multilingual. In many localities, they have already collected and generated learning materials in the different mother tongues. According to Calinawagan, the next level of training these teachers need is in using linguistic comparative methods toward multilingual acquisition. They must now translate the available materials in the mother tongue into the lingua franca for multilingual pedagogy, and so generate multilingual vocabularies, dictionaries, and grammars for use in their classrooms.  Moreover, the teachers must be trained in the techniques of linguistic and cultural analysis. Through the continuing in-service training provided by the DepEd in partnership with MLE specialists, these teachers can be effectively trained in these methods.     Foggy view of Tuba, Benguet Town Proper. Photo by Ramon FVelasquez, taken 29 November 2013 (Photo from Wikicommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuba,Benguetjf0090_07.JPG)     “The success of the MTB-MLE in the Philippines truly depends on the ingenuity and innovativeness of teachers in their pedagogy as well as their commitment to the program,” Calinawagan says. And from her observations of these teachers in the field, commitment will not be in short supply, especially once the students who are products of the MTB-MLE program grow older and begin to show the results of their mother-tongue learning. The country can then look forward to a generation of Filipinos who are multilingual but remain deeply rooted in their unique cultures. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA resets deadline for nominations to the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-resets-deadline-for-nominations-to-the-2020-distinguished-alumni-awards/",
        "html": "UPAA resets deadline for nominations to the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Awards UPAA resets deadline for nominations to the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Awards January 11, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Image from the UPAA Secretariat’s Facebook page     In view of COVID-19 protocols, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) is extending the deadline for nominations to the 2020 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards to Tuesday, February 16, 2021. This was announced by UPAA President and Alumni Regent Reynaldo C. Laserna.  The awarding ceremonies will be held during the 2021 UP General Alumni Homecoming, to be set on a more propitious date that will be published sometime before the event.  The awards are conferred on UP alumni who have demonstrated, in their respective chosen fields of endeavor, exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions that bring about substantial benefits to society and distinct honor to the University. Recognition will also be given to families with at least three successive generations of UP alumni.  Nomination forms are available at the UPAA, Room 211, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City. For more information, please contact the UPAA Secretariat at (8)920-6868/71/75; (0917)837-2098; or email to upaa.awards@gmail.com.  For more information, please contact:  Mr. Romeo S.A. Carlos  UPAA Executive Director  Contact nos.: (8)920-6868/71/75; (0917)837-2098  Email:  upaa.awards@gmail.com "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dr. Teodoro Herbosa resigns as UP’s Executive Vice President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dr-teodoro-herbosa-resigns-as-ups-executive-vice-president/",
        "html": "Dr. Teodoro Herbosa resigns as UP’s Executive Vice President Dr. Teodoro Herbosa resigns as UP’s Executive Vice President April 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa has tendered his resignation as Executive Vice President of the University of the Philippines (UP) System, effectively immediately, due to “personal reasons”.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion has accepted his resignation, expressing his regret from the fact that Herbosa had served the University with great dedication. “In your service as Executive Vice President, you have shown how vital this position can be to the governance of the University,” President Concepcion writes in his letter accepting Herbosa’s resignation.  President Concepcion, however, noted that “it is imperative that there be consistency and harmony in our relationship as administrators, as well as in our public pronouncements, given that we both represent the larger University community, its spirit, and its interests.”  Dr. Herbosa served as Executive Vice President of UP since the start of President Concepcion’s administration in 2017. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP in top three of global health case competition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-in-top-three-of-global-health-case-competition/",
        "html": "UP in top three of global health case competition UP in top three of global health case competition August 6, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The UP Mediasina Team consisting of six UP medical students. Screenshot from the UP Mediasina’s proposal video for Project Dinig submitted to the 2021 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Case Competition.     UP Mediasina, a team of six UP medical students, is in the top three of the 2021 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Case Competition for its Project Dinig, alongside teams from Nanyang Technological University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  The real-world challenge presented to students was to make a proposal for “technology-driven solutions to the COVID-19 infodemic”. According to the organizers, “This challenge focuses on addressing the massive amount of misinformation that has quickly spread throughout the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, with dramatic negative personal and societal consequences.”     Screenshot from the UP Mediasina’s proposal video for Project Dinig.     In a letter to UP, APRU Global Health Program Director Mellissa Withers says 121 teams from 37 universities participated in the challenge, which has a US$1,000 prize.  Through a 10-minute video, Team Mediasina proposed the creation of a task force in the Health Promotion Bureau of the Department of Health to counter misinformation. Its tasks include: “digital and community monitoring” of misinformation and infodemic response; and, either “debunking” or “pre-bunking” false information, depending on a data stratification, with the help of an inter-sectoral network. It aims to formulate a “health information-handling algorithm”, the team added.     Screenshot from the UP Mediasina’s proposal video for Project Dinig.     The top three videos were chosen by an international panel of 30 judges. The wining team will be announced on November 18. Final scores will include the judges’ scores combined with the votes from the participants of the APRU Global Health Conference 2021.  Team Mediasina is composed of Kariza Pamela Abu, Anna Michaella de la Cruz, Joseph Rem de la Cruz, Robyn Gayle Dychiao, Stefanie Anne Francisco, and Leonard Thomas Lim. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scientists explain SARS-CoV-2 mutations, genomics in latest webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scientists-explain-sars-cov-2-mutations-genomics-in-latest-webinar/",
        "html": "Scientists explain SARS-CoV-2 mutations, genomics in latest webinar Scientists explain SARS-CoV-2 mutations, genomics in latest webinar July 30, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.     Reports on mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, mainly on D614G which affects the spike protein on the virus’ surface, have led the public to ask whether these changes make the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease more infectious, lethal, or on the other hand, benign and less transmissible.  As the official count went beyond 61,000 (as of July 16) confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, more participants are joining the community of health educators, learners and practitioners following the UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates”.  Dr. Cynthia P. Saloma, Executive Director of the UP Philippine Genome Center and Professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP Diliman, talked about “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” during the 13th episode of the webinar series held on July 17. This episode is now accessible on the YouTube channel of TVUP. This webinar had 1,500 registered participants, the highest number for the series.  Available information shows that globally, there are multiple mutations, and not just three, the resource speaker explained in the webinar. According to Dr. Saloma, even the Philippine isolates have genetic sequences that are unique. “Our analysis shows that they are benign. At this point in time, the data suggest that they are harmless mutations. The information is important for us to track the source of infection and transmissibility,” she explained.  She added that more research needs to be done to help scientists and policymakers understand how these mutations affect existing health interventions and efforts leading to the development of vaccines.     Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.     Dr. Saloma’s webinar presentation revolved around the importance of genomic information, how genomics and genome sequencing of the virus can inform decision-making, testing and management of the disease, and what steps should be taken in the future.  She showed the sequence variants in isolates or samples collected here in the Philippines from March to July to determine SARS-Cov-2 circulating viruses and come up with transmission analysis. She explained that virus mutations can have implications on vaccine design, testing, and treatment.  Saloma said “China’s release of the SARS-Cov-2 data in January allowed many institutions around the world to develop tests, diagnose the virus, and for vaccine developers to design vaccines based on sequence alone, and for structural modeling studies. . . .  Worldwide, we have a publicly available shared database wherein researchers from all over the world can deposit their sequences.”     Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.     “With whole genome sequencing, we can track sequence variations, and disprove conspiracy theories that say the SARS-Cov-2 is a bioweapon. The data in the field suggest that it wasn’t developed as a bioweapon and that it evolved naturally,” Saloma explained.  “It is important for epidemiologists to study the random mutations in the SARS-Cov-2 genetic code to inform containment measures, to analyze the similarities between the different viruses, and to allow scientists to build a genetic tree,” she added.  Saloma went on to discuss how technology helps researchers understand virus spread. “We can organize samples in the tree according to the date they were taken. This helps us visualize how the virus spread over time. Geographical movement is interpreted based on the location of the samples. It is important that we have very good record-keeping and contact tracing. It helps us analyze how the transmissions take place,” she said.     Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.     Saloma shared valuable information yet to be published. “The data presented are part of the results of the field validation study of the GenAmplify nCov RT-PCR detection kit of Dr. Raul Destura, with the study funded by PCHRD DOST, and the project leader was Dr. Marissa Alejandria,” she said.  “Majority of the analysis was done during the month of April, with samples collected during the last week of March (about 380 cases). Within this period, the number of cases grew from 2,311 (April 1) to 8,488 (April 30),” added Saloma.     Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.      Saloma further said that “numerous mutations have already been identified across the viral genome of SARS-CoV-2 from different countries. . . .  Many of the variations that we observed in the six Philippine isolates are not really alarming. These should not cause alarm. We are still tracking the mutations happening in the country.”  Included in Saloma’s discussion were updates on major COVID-19 vaccine development programs around the world.     Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel. Screenshot from the webinar “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARS-Cov-2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” aired on July 17, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.     To verify information on the source of the virus variants circulating in the Philippines, Saloma discussed how “Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data can help shed light on cases of community infections, traceability of the virus, and travel history of patients, among others. It can also be used to track worldwide SARS-CoV-2 sequence variations, and mutations of the virus through time with phylodynamic analysis.”  “So far, SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the Philippines seem not to vary that much with the Original Wuhan Isolate,” Saloma said.  She discussed a hypothesis formed from the Nextstrain global dataset and subsampling tree showing the path of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the Philippines that was from China to India until it reached the country. She added, however, an Asia-focused subsampling tree showed the transmission route to be from China to Japan to India to the Philippines. She said that this variation was due to the time of collection and focus of the samples.  These hypotheses were related to the phylogenetic tree showing the Philippine samples clustered in B, C, and D. In cluster B, the samples shown as coming from Japan came from Filipino and Indian seafarers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and were taken in late February. In cluster C & D, they were shown as coming from Shanghai, China in mid-February. “Based on this tree, we can say that the samples we had in March came from the transmissions from the Diamond Princess cruise ship” that was boarded at Yokohama, Japan and not from India, Saloma said.  “For the community transmission (samples from PGH, dated March 22-28), possibly there was transmission from the seafarers to the community.  Based on the clustering of samples, we hypothesize that there are at least two sources of the viral transmission in the country: China (mainly from Shanghai) and Japan (from the Diamond Princess). This is only a small proportion of the transmission, we need to sequence more samples, particularly the earlier cases, if possible, to provide us a comprehensive picture of the geographic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 in the country,” Saloma clarified.  Saloma concluded her presentation by highlighting the need for advancing: genomic epidemiological monitoring of COVID-19 in the Philippines; biosurveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the country to track mutations and aid in developing vaccines; and, the creation of the Philippine virome database, as these will greatly help Filipinos to understand transmission of the virus, assist in designing therapies and vaccines, track the virus, and prepare for future pandemics.  Guest speakers for this episode included: Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, Executive Director of TVUP and UP Professor Emeritus, and Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco de la Paz, Executive Director of UP-NIH and Director of the Health Program of the Philippine Genome Center, who both shared their appreciation to the growing community of scholars and practitioners who are participating in the webinar series.  Hosted by Dr. Raymond Francis R. Sarmiento, Director of the UP-NIH National Telehealth Center, and Dr. Susan Pineda Mercado, Special Envoy of the President for Global Health Initiatives, this webinar series is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center. The series aims to share the best available knowledge and practices to more people in order to help improve the Filipino people’s understanding and management of COVID patients and other aspects of the health crisis in general.  The UP-PhilHealth webinar series will take on a new twist this coming Friday, July 31, 12:00 n.n, with the “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the very first online medicine grand rounds in the Philippines. The 15th installment in the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series will focus on “Doctor as Patient: The Journey of Dr. Rody Sy”, Professor Emeritus of the UP College of Medicine and a National Academy of Science and Technology Academician.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar15. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s virtual grand rounds webinar series takes on the case of a COVID-negative mother with a COVID-positive baby – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-virtual-grand-rounds-webinar-series-takes-on-the-case-of-a-covid-negative-mother-with-a-covid-positive-baby/",
        "html": "UP’s virtual grand rounds webinar series takes on the case of a COVID-negative mother with a COVID-positive baby UP’s virtual grand rounds webinar series takes on the case of a COVID-negative mother with a COVID-positive baby August 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Grand rounds are a time-honored tradition in medical education and in-patient care wherein the medical problems, research findings and treatment of a particular patient are presented and discussed with an audience of doctors, residents and medical students. On July 31, the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, held the very first online medical grand rounds in the country in its continuing webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, now on its 16th installment.  The second online medical grand rounds to be held on August 7, 2020, 12:00 nn will focus on a particular case of a first-time mother who has a congenital heart defect, and is thus a high-risk patient, who develops COVID-19-like symptoms and delivers her baby too soon. The virtual grand rounds will focus on her struggles to seek adequate medical care and how health workers handled her case, which can serve as a guide for other frontliners in coping with the harsh realities of death   during a pandemic. This is especially a concern in a country which had an unacceptably high maternal mortality rate even before the pandemic.  Dr. Hannah Sombilla, Infectious Disease Division Fellow of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UP College of Medicine and UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), will be the main presentor. Reactors will be: Dr. Sybil Bravo, Division Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Infectious Disease Clinical Associate Professor, UP College of Medicine and UP-PGH; Dr. Lourdes Ignacio, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry, UP College of Medicine and UP-PGH; and, Dr. Marimel Pacatipunan, member of the COVID Management Team and Associate Professor at the Department of Pediatrics, UP College of Medicine and UP PGH.  The UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, which is held every Friday, is being undertaken in cooperation with the UP College of Medicine and the UP-PGH. All medical frontliners and healthcare workers are invited to watch the webinar and be informed, so that together we can win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.  Register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar16. The webinar will also be streamed live on August 7 on TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP PGH shares lessons learned as a COVID-referral hospital in first ever virtual national town hall meeting for hospitals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-shares-lessons-learned-as-a-covid-referral-hospital-in-first-ever-virtual-national-town-hall-meeting-for-hospitals/",
        "html": "UP PGH shares lessons learned as a COVID-referral hospital in first ever virtual national town hall meeting for hospitals UP PGH shares lessons learned as a COVID-referral hospital in first ever virtual national town hall meeting for hospitals August 18, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines’ and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS”, once again breaks new ground with the firstever virtual national town hall meeting for hospitals in the Philippines.  The special edition of the ongoing UP webinar series, which will focus on “Keeping Our Health Care Workers Safe: The PGH Experience”, will be held on Friday, August 21, at 12:00nn.Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi, Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will be the main speaker, while Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH), will be the guest speaker. Reactors are Dr. Vincent M. Balanag, Jr., Executive Director of the Lung Center of the Philippines, and Dr. Alfonso Victorino H. Famaran, Jr., Director of the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.  With the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions surging over the past few weeks, healthcare workers in hospitals run a high risk of getting infected. Recently, a few hospitals in the National Capital Region had to close due to infections among healthcare workers, pointing to the need for urgent action and measures to protect them.  In April 2020, the UP PGH, the Philippine Lung Center and the Jose Nicanor Rodriguez Medical Center were designated COVID-19 referral hospitals and were tasked to provide care to patients in severe and critical condition. These three hospitals began developing their own infection control protocols to keep their staff safe. And now, six months into the pandemic, the UP PGH has produced a summary of lessons learned on efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the hospital setting.A rich source of information for other health care facilities, this will be shared during this virtual national town hall meeting for hospitals.  The UP webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS” is also organized in cooperation with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP PGH.  Register here to join this event: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar18. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Newborn with Blue Lips – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-newborn-with-blue-lips/",
        "html": "A Newborn with Blue Lips A Newborn with Blue Lips August 27, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu       The next episode of the UP Webinar Series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, to be held on August 28, from 12 noon to 2p.m., will focus on how pediatricians and other health care professionals respond to emergency cases involving pregnant women and newborns during the COVID-19 crisis.  Access to routine prenatal care became more difficult these past six months due to stricter health protocols, limited movement under the community quarantine, lack of funds for transportation, and inability of health facilities to cater to non-COVID cases. The pandemic also increased the risk factors for both mother and child, especially since congenital problems, the third leading cause of infant death, might go undetected. Before COVID-19, the mother and the unborn child’s conditions could easily be monitored and congenital problems even addressed at birth.  This webinar episode will examine a case of a newborn baby who was rushed to the hospital after having severe respiratory distress at home, manifesting bluish-purple lips and gasping for breath.  The infant had a serious congenital problem that was unnoticed at birth in a lying-in facility.  Resource speakers are:  Dr. Maria Consuelo Lopez-Apeles, Pediatric Surgery Fellow at the UP-Philippine General Hospital; Dr. Antonio Catangui, Chief of the UP-PGH Division of Pediatric Surgery; and, Dr. Anna Ong Lim, Section Chief of the Pediatric Infectious Disease, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, and President of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines.  This Webinar Series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the very first Online Medicine Grand Rounds in the Philippines, is hosted by the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP Philippine General Hospital.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar19. Videos of the previous webinars can also be viewed and shared via the YouTube page of TVUP. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to focus on case of a child battling COVID-19 and cancer – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-focus-on-case-of-a-child-battling-covid-19-and-cancer/",
        "html": "UP webinar to focus on case of a child battling COVID-19 and cancer UP webinar to focus on case of a child battling COVID-19 and cancer September 3, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Close to 3,000 new cases of cancer in children are reported every year, and an estimated half of these cases are leukemia. Children with leukemia are immunocompromised and prone to infections, putting them at even greater risk of contracting severe COVID-19.  The 20th installment of the UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” will focus on the case of a three-year-old boy with acute lymphocytic leukemia, who was admitted to the hospital due to severe respiratory distress. When the patient’s condition did not approve even after various antibiotics were given, the medical team suspected COVID-19 and decided to put him on plasma convalescent therapy.  The upcoming webinar in the UP webinar series will dive deep into this case, with Dr. Sally Jane G. Aro, consultant in Infectious Disease and Tropical Diseases at the UP Philippine General Hospital’s (UP-PGH) Department of Pediatrics as presenter. Dr. Patricia A. Alcasabas, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, UP-PGH Department of Pediatrics, will be the discussant. Reactors will be Dr. Mary Ann Castor, Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, UP-PGH Department of Pediatrics, and Mr. Howie Severino, journalist and COVID-19 survivor.  The UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the country’s first online medical grand rounds, is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP-PGH.  The next “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”webinar, “Will Plasma Convalescent Therapy Save a 3-year old Boy with COVID-19?”, will be held on September 4, 2020, Friday, at 12nn.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar20. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio inaugurates Training Gym, inspects Sports Complex – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/davao-city-mayor-sara-duterte-carpio-inaugurates-training-gym-inspects-sports-complex/",
        "html": "Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio inaugurates Training Gym, inspects Sports Complex Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio inaugurates Training Gym, inspects Sports Complex December 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP-Mindanao Human Kinetics Building and Training Gym located in the Davao City-UP Sports Complex in Mintal, Davao City     Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio visited the UP-Mindanao campus on December 5 to lead a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the building plaque for the newly-completed UP-Mindanao Human Kinetics Building and Training Gym.      AT THE UP-MINDANAO TRAINING GYM ribbon-cutting ceremony are (front, left-to-right) UP-Mindanao Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nilo Oponda, Dept. of Public Works and Highways-XI Regional Director Allan Borromeo, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, former congressman Isidro Ungab, and UP-Mindanao Vice-Chancellor for Administration Antonio Obsioma. Witnessing the ceremony from behind is Barangay Bago Oshiro chairperson Christopher Lapayag.   The City Mayor lent her presence to the ceremony in the course of an inspection tour of the on-going construction works in the Davao City-UP Sports Complex in Mintal, Davao City.          A view of the Football and Track and Field Stadium and Field under-going construction  The Gym, the Football and Track and Field Stadium that is being constructed, and the upcoming Aquatics Center for swim competition events are the first projects to be implemented in the Sports Complex. A road network is in various phases of construction to connect the facilities and provide access to and from the national roads.      THE UP-MINDANAO TRAINING GYM building marker is unveiled by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (beside marker) on December 5 in the company of former congressman Isidro Ungab and officials of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao, Dept. of Public Works and Highways, and Dept. of Education, to announce the first sports facility to be completed in the Davao City-UP Sports Complex in Mintal, Davao City   The Sports Complex is the realization of a plan for Davao City to host international-standard sports events. The facilities are funded by the General Appropriation Acts of 2015 and 2016 and the Dept. of Public Works and Highways Local Infra Programs. (Rene A. Estremera, UP Mindanao)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle teenage pregnancies at the height of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-teenage-pregnancies-at-the-height-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle teenage pregnancies at the height of COVID-19 UP webinar to tackle teenage pregnancies at the height of COVID-19 August 12, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Join us this Friday, August 13, 2021, from 12nn to 2pm, for another special topic episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series. Co-sponsored by the Philippine Obstetric and Gynecologic Society (POGS), the episode titled “Children Bearing Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic” will discuss everything we need to know about teenage pregnancy in the Philippines after more than a year into the pandemic.  Are pregnant teens able to access good prenatal and antenatal care during a pandemic? What are the risks to pregnant teens who develop COVID-19? What are the risks of low birth weight and maternal death? How do teen-age girls cope with pregnancy in a time of economic hardship? All this and more will be answered by the panelists: Dr. Juan Perez, Undersecretary and Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development; Dr. Emma Llanto, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine at UP-PGH; Dr. Josefina Natividad, former Director at the UP Population Institute; and Honorable Maria Ofelia O. Alcantara, Mayor of the Municipality of Tolosa, Leyte.  There will also be a question and answer portion, to be led by Dr. Imelda Paz Carbajal from POGS and Dr. Ma. Socorro Bernardino, former President of the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Society of the Philippines.  Dr. Benjamin Cuenca, President of POGS, will open the event and Usec. Jose Miguel R. Dela Rosa for NEDA’s Corporate Affairs will officially close it.  Join us as we learn how we can play a role in preventing teen-age pregnancies and repeat teen pregnancies, and provide care and support appropriate to girls at risk during this pandemic.  Register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar65. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP students can now apply for learning assistance in 3rd round of SLAS Online applications – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-students-can-now-apply-for-learning-assistance-in-3rd-round-of-slas-online-applications/",
        "html": "UP students can now apply for learning assistance in 3rd round of SLAS Online applications UP students can now apply for learning assistance in 3rd round of SLAS Online applications October 21, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   To apply online and for more information, visit slasonline.up.edu.ph.     The University of the Philippines has announced that students in need of learning assistance in AY 2020-2021 may now send in their applications to the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS) Online’s third application round starting on October 22, 2020.  Details of the third round of applications for learning assistance under the SLAS are as follows:  Learning Assistance Application Period: October 22–28, 2020 Release of Results: October 29, 2020 Submission of Appeals: October 29–31, 2020  This was announced in a memorandum from the UP System Office of Student Financial Assistance, dated October 19.  The memorandum also states that undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students who were not able to submit their forms in the previous round may do so during this period. Moreover, students whose requests for extended availment of Free Tuition and Other School Fees under RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act are also encouraged to apply for learning assistance during this period.  Students applying for assistance through the SLAS Online must use their individual UP email (@up.edu.ph). Students may apply directly for financial support and learning assistance at slasonline.up.ed.ph.  The University developed the SLAS to expand support for financially challenged students and expedite the processing support for academic activities. The SLAS is an expansion of the Student Financial Assistance Online (SFA Online), which was designed in 2014 to accept applications for tuition subsidies and allowances.  For AY 2020-2021, the SLAS Online supports applications for the Learning Assistance for Remote Learning program, which aims to support the remote learning needs of UP students, especially those from low-income households, through monthly Internet connectivity subsidy and gadgets; the Grants-in-Aid Program (GIAP), which aims to reduce the cost paid by students during enrollment based on the paying capacity of the student’s household ; the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), a financial assistance program managed by the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST); the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan Program, which is mobilizing the private sector to donate computing devices for students applying for learning assistance; and, the Donor-funded Scholarship Programs, which are financial assistance programs funded by private individuals and other organizations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SLAS Online opens 6th round of applications for UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/slas-online-opens-6th-round-of-applications-for-up-students/",
        "html": "SLAS Online opens 6th round of applications for UP students SLAS Online opens 6th round of applications for UP students February 16, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   To apply online and for more information, visit slasonline.up.edu.ph.     To accommodate UP students in need of learning assistance in AY 2020-2021, the SLAS Online has opened its 6th round of applications for financial assistance beginning 15 February 2021.  Undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students, may file their applications during this period. Use your respective UP mail (@up.edu.ph) and apply via slasonline.up.edu.ph.  Learning Assistance Applications Deadline: 15-18 February 2021 Release of Results: 19 February 2021 Submission of Appeals: 19-22 February 2021 "
    },
    {
        "title": "SLAS Online opens 7th round of applications for UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/slas-online-opens-7th-round-of-applications-for-up-students/",
        "html": "SLAS Online opens 7th round of applications for UP students SLAS Online opens 7th round of applications for UP students March 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   To apply online and for more information, visit slasonline.up.edu.ph.     To accommodate UP students in need of learning assistance in AY 2020-2021, the SLAS Online will accept applications beginning 25 March 2021  Learning Assistance Application Deadline: March 25-27, 2021 Release of Results: March 28, 2021 Submission of Appeals: March 28-30, 2021 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP holds 2nd webinar series on online resources for UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-holds-2nd-webinar-series-on-online-resources-for-up-students/",
        "html": "UP holds 2nd webinar series on online resources for UP students UP holds 2nd webinar series on online resources for UP students March 12, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       This March, the University Library Diliman’s Information Services and Instruction Section is conducting the second “Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries” webinar series, featuring new online resources available for the constituents of the University of the Philippines (UP) System.  The previous webinars, which were held last February, were aimed at UP faculty and staff. This time, the new series of webinars, which will be held via Zoom teleconferencing from March 18 to 26, 2021, is aimed at UP students.  The schedule of the new webinars, with their respective registration links, is as follows:  Mar. 18, Thursday, 10:00 AM – Exploring Gateways to Online Resources and Academic Integrity **popular** https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsduCtrjIsGNLPlEf4loyKs210LiaBedHp  Mar. 19, Friday, 10:00 AM – Discovering a Treasure Trove of Local and International Resources https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArfuqurD0qGNEiTFRUHPbeHmzbGZ65tidV  Mar. 22, Monday, 10:00 AM – Visual Learning and Teaching with Audiovisual Databases https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwud-ivpjgtHNWyonE2wFJ8spMH139fabYw  Mar. 23, Tuesday, 10:00 AM – Getting to Know Reference and Multidisciplinary Resources **popular** https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMucOqqrT4vH9X5khVG1f5lvyMWb_39YSfq  Mar. 24, Wednesday, 10:00 AM – Strengthening Your Research in Arts & Humanities https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkf-ispjwpE9FCSBmS1hRSBUQbpY_cvXJY  Mar. 25, Thursday, 10:00 AM – Empowering Knowledge with Elsevier Tools **popular** https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcOiuqzwtGdB7UyFLxIsdoKTol2v8Xl4X  Mar. 26, Friday, 9:00 AM – Smart Searching Tips https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpdeCqqT0rHte3X9GSy2Sn01xnwMBErPdM  Mar. 26, Friday, 10:30 AM – The Do’s and Don’ts of Referencing and Citation **popular** https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUucu2vrjMtHtDsTHWmEJ9DyV1G6-P6Q9Km        Webinars marked as **popular** are the sessions that received the most positive feedback among UP students. Students are highly encouraged to attend all the webinars to gain more knowledge about the resources on remote learning available to them, but if they are only able to attend a few, then the webinars marked **popular** are to be given priority. The webinars also tackle some frequently asked questions such as inquiries about remote access, reference and citation, and how to use EBSCO and ScienceDirect databases.     Download the webinar schedule here.  Click the photo to download.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "New Homes for Sports and Wellness – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-homes-for-sports-and-wellness/",
        "html": "New Homes for Sports and Wellness New Homes for Sports and Wellness July 25, 2017 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    Be it on the lines, on the lanes, at the nets, on the courts, on the fields or on the floor, UP’s athletes have made history and a name in sports. While they may be struggling today to recover lost luster in some areas, the University’s Maroons were not named “Fighting” for nothing.  New blood, new coaches, and new management with a new game plan will make that happen. After all, UP is a university like no other. Its charter puts sports squarely in the context of “training and learning in leadership, responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions and practice through academic and non-academic programs, including sports, and the enhancement of nationalism and national identity.”  But to meet these lofty goals, the University needs to provide its athletes—and anyone else interested in health and wellness—with the proper facilities for training and competition. And true to its mission, UP has not been remiss in making this possible.  And while UP Diliman, being the largest constituent university, often hogs the headlines—its new sports complex will soon boast a new football field, football stadium, and track oval—encouraging initiatives in sports and wellness have been arising elsewhere across the System.  Mindanao’s “Mecca of Sports”  One of these bright new spots can be found in UP Mindanao, which has worked closely with the City Government of Davao to put up a sports complex aimed at serving as “a unifying venue to showcase the common and distinctive social, cultural, indigenous heritage and identity of the people of Mindanao through the development of sports and human kinetics.”  Construction of the Multi-Purpose Building (Football Stadium Phase (Photo by DPWH XI)  According to Cherrylyn F. De Leon-Cabrera of UP Mindanao, the idea for the DC-UP Sports Complex began in 1998 with the creation of the Mayor Elias B. Lopez Sports Foundation, Inc. (MELSF) to oversee the planning and management of a sports complex inside the UPM campus as well as the administration and sustainability of the city’s sports programs.  But things really took off only in 2013 when then Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte revived the plan for a sports complex in Davao, spurring meetings between the city government and UP. In April 2015, the Davao City Council authorized Mayor Duterte to sign an MOU with UP, and in July, the BOR authorized President Alfredo E. Pascual to do the same for UP. The MOU was then signed on August 6, 2015.  Under the MOU, UP Mindanao will provide a 20-hectare site for the complex, while the City of Davao will provide and develop the infrastructure facilities at par with international standards.  This so-called “Mecca of Sports” draws on many inspirations: the Canberra Stadium in Australia; the Yankee Stadium in New York, USA; and Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. Its Human Kinetics Center looks back on the Australian Institute of Sports, the National Institute of Sports in India, and the Institute of Sports of the Heidelberg University in Germany.  According to its site development plan, the DC-UP Sports Complex envision a sports venue that will have a training gym; a football stadium; a football field; a track oval; an aquatics center; a sports arena/coliseum; a medical center and athletes’ dormitory; open and public areas for hiking, skateboarding, among others; a multi-level public transportation terminal and parking areas; as well as a tree-road network.  Panoramic-aerial view of the on-going construction of the DC-UP Sports Complex (Photo by DPWH XI)  Working closely with the University’s Office of the Vice President for Development, the construction of the following facilities is underway:  Training gym.The basket-like structure is taken from the handy container that the indigenous people of Mindanao use for food and goods. This functions as a sun-shade to the building, with its façade and windows in triangular shapes symbolizing the IP’s dominant symbol.  Concreting/Improvement of the UP Mindanao-Manambulan Road. The P50-million construction of a two-lane road along the upper perimeter of the sports complex is ongoing, being handled by the 2nd District Engineer’s Office (2DEO).  Multi-Purpose Building (Football Stadium Phase 1).The football stadium is being constructed in phases based on the available budget allotment for this site. Its initial budget of P50 million will build a 1,300-seater facility, which will house two locker rooms with bath and comfort rooms for the playing teams; office spaces for the FIFA as well as the local organizing committee (LCO); medical and doping rooms; a VIP room; a sports commentators’ room; public restrooms; and viewing areas especially made for PWDs and the like.  Multi-Purpose Building (Football Stadium Phase 2). Another P50-million endowment from the 2016 Local Infrastructure Program (LIP) of the DPWH XI-2DEO has enabled the Multi-Purpose Building (Football Stadium Phase 2) to be constructed, and it will extend Phase 1’s seating capacity by around 2,000. This will also house the “mixed zone” area, where it will hold the meet-and-greet between spectators and athletes, as well as provide a media holding area.  Sports Complex. The Sports Complex Building will host international football matches. Its civil works as well as its track oval is now being laid out for the installation of a FIFA-certified artificial turf including an IAAF-accredited synthetic track oval.  The Aquatics Center in Davao City draws its design from indigenous themes.  Construction of the P150-million sports complex—P70 million for the football field and track oval, and P80 million for the Aquatics Center Phase 1—is expected to begin within 2017.  Upon completion, the Aquatics Center is expected to have a 25 x 10m warm-up/warm-down pool that can be converted into a children’s pool and a 20-foot deep diving pool. Its design is inspired by the cultural and economic significance of water in Mindanao, taking the form of the Badjaos’ sama dilaut (tribal houseboat) and employing the patterns of t’nalak and bwengkel (crocodile).  UP Mindanao and the Davao City Local Government expect this “Mecca of Sports” to be completed by 2018.  Wellness in Manila  As the University’s leading institution in the field of medicine and public health, UP Manila’s promotion of sports and wellness among its constituents comes as no surprise.  Building perspective of the UPM Sports and Wellness Center (Photo by Joy J. Deanon, UP Manila Office of the Chancellor)  To create an active and holistic healthy environment, UP Manila has installed regular programs of pocket sports activities and social exercises, as well as regular physical education classes for its students and other constituents. It’s been limited, however, by a small and outdated two-storey Sports Sciences and Wellness Center (SSWC) formerly occupied by the Environment Management Bureau. Otherwise, physical exercises and group activities are held in tiny pockets or halls on campus, or outside the campus.  Faced with this challenge, then Chancellor Marita V. Reyes and then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Marilou G. Nicolas envisioned a sports and wellness gymnasium in 2000.  It wasn’t until 2015 when the money for this gymnasium came through. Headed by Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla, the construction of a sports and wellness facility amounting to P45 million began.  Expected to be completed this year, the three-storey SWC is UP Manila’s first fully integrated gym that will serve the needs of the Department of Physical Education as well as being the sports venue of the UP Manila community.  Its ground floor, with a 4-meter floor-to-ceiling clearance, will have subdivisions for indoor sports activities like dancing, badminton, arnis, and weightlifting. The second floor will be reserved for classrooms, while the top floor will have the basketball court and volleyball court. Shower rooms will be provided. The Department of PE will also have its faculty rooms onsite.  Progress on construction as of May 16, 2017 (Photo by Joy J. Deanon, UP Manila Office of the Chancellor)  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SLAS Online accepting applications this June for MOVE UP applicants in need of learning assistance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/slas-online-accepting-applications-this-june-for-move-up-applicants-in-need-of-learning-assistance/",
        "html": "SLAS Online accepting applications this June for MOVE UP applicants in need of learning assistance SLAS Online accepting applications this June for MOVE UP applicants in need of learning assistance June 9, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   To apply online and for more information, visit slasonline.up.edu.ph.  The SLAS Online will accept applications beginning 9 June 2021 for Mobility for Vigor and Excellence – University of the Philippine (MOVE UP) applicants only.  Learning Assistance Application Deadline: June 9-13, 2021 Release of Results: June 14, 2021 Submission of Appeals: June 14-16, 2021    "
    },
    {
        "title": "OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on August 21 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/osfa-to-accept-learning-assistance-applications-on-august-21/",
        "html": "OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on August 21 OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on August 21 August 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Student Financial Assistance has announced the opening of applications for learning assistance in Academic Year 2021-2022.  The Student Learning Assistance System Online will accept applications from bonafide students of the University. These include undergraduate students, including those enrolled in law and medicine. Applicants must also have UP mail accounts. For more information on the application process, please click this link: https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/#application  For questions and clarifications on the requirements and the application process, please contact the Student Financial Assistance Helpdesk in your campus.  UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Numbers: (+632) 8981.8500 local 4504, 4505, 4506 Email: sts.diliman@up.edu.ph; osg.upd@up.edu.ph  UP Diliman-Pampanga Telephone Number:(045) 499-9970/ (+6345) 599.6037 Email: epp.upd@up.edu.ph; armas.eppo@up.edu.ph  UP Los Baños Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.3209; 63 9992272816 Email: sts.losbanos@up.edu.ph; learningassistance_osg.uplb@up.edu.ph  UP Manila Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: 8814-1250 / 8814-1251 Email: sts.manila@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Iloilo & Miagao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6333) 513.7019; 337-6582 Email: sts.visayas@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Tacloban Telephone Number: (+6353) 832.3045 Email: osa.tac.upvisayas@up.edu.ph  UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6374) 446.5230 Email: osfa.upbaguio@up.edu.ph  UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6382) 293.1353 or or 09189184934 (Smart) Email: osa.upmindanao@up.edu.ph  UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6332) 232.8185 local 115 Email: sts.cebu@up.edu.ph  UP Open University Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.6001 to 6006 local 344 Email: scholarships@upou.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Flourish in the rubbish – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/flourish-in-the-rubbish/",
        "html": "Flourish in the rubbish Flourish in the rubbish July 28, 2017 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    Waste management has been a great challenge, especially in highly populated cities around the world. Nations have been creative now more than ever in formulating and implementing environmental initiatives, policies, as well as programs on waste disposal and management.  The Philippines has Republic Act 9003 also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which enforces solid waste management and compliance with the 50 percent waste-reduction target.  The University of the Philippines, as the country’s national university, is mandated to lead and benchmark new strategic programs which contribute to sustainable environmental development. UP thus established Green UP, which “aims to contribute policy options across the system, including green building standards, energy audits, replacement of equipment to improve energy efficiency, water and solid waste management, monitoring of building maintenance standards, environmental management and other strategic initiatives in relation to climate change, disaster risk reduction and sustainability.”  The UP Diliman Task Force on Solid Waste Management (UPD-TFSWM) had earlier been created through Administrative Order No. 99-25 issued by former UP Diliman Chancellor Claro T. Llaguno on July 21, 1999 in fulfillment of RA 9003. Its main objective was to provide the entire UP Diliman community with an alternative means of effective solid waste management, as garbage generation on campus continues to be a serious problem to contend with, according to Engr. Kristian July R. Yap, the head of the UPD-TFSWM.  Today, the UPD-TFSWM is a comprehensive and dynamic hub that has developed from a waste management site into an integrated model urban farm, research laboratory, and educational facility.  The UP Diliman Task Force on Solid Waste Management (UPD-TFSWM) from waste management site into an integrated model urban farm, research laboratory, and educational facility. (Photo from UPD-TFSWM)  200 kilos a day  The UPD-TFSWM is focused mainly on municipal solid wastes, namely biodegradables (food and yard wastes) and recyclables. It does not handle hazardous wastes.  It has implemented “integrated waste management operations” which involve a daily collection of about 200 kilos of food waste from UP housing areas within the campus, excluding dormitories. Also, a drop-in system for food wastes from campus canteens and restaurants collects about 90-100 kilos of food waste per day, according to Anna Lyn F. Yumul, UPD-TFSWM administrative staff member.  In November 2015, The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) donated the DOST-ITDI Bioreactor, a 500-kilogram capacity machine, which processes both yard and food waste into organic compost. UPD-TFSWM conducts a 24/7 processing and production of compost, and provides machine maintenance yearly.  “UPD-TFSWM conducts daily processing of food wastes from campus residential areas, University canteens as well as restaurants, as well as processing of yard waste collected by the Campus Maintenance Office (CMO) and Brgy. UP Campus, then turning them into compost through conventional and bioreactor-facilitated curing using inoculants and microbes,” Anna Lyn confirmed.     UPD-TFSWM implements integrated waste management operations (Photo from UPD-TFSWM)  Pinakbet and tinola on the ground  Aside from operation and maintenance, UPD-TFSWM is also developing its materials recovery facility into an organic vegetable garden by utilizing its compost products and scientific farming methods.  “The facility makes use of its compost product for its organic farming and production of vegetables such as okra, gabi, ampalaya, kalabasa, kamote tops, pechay, lettuce, as well as basil, oregano, dill, and mint herbs depending on the season,” Anna Lyn said.  In the garden, herbs along with various ornamentals are grown in sub-irrigated planters, which are makeshift plant pots from recycled plastic soda bottles. Meanwhile, fruit and vegetables, such as pineapple, yam, pandan and dragon fruit, grow in soil plots.  Vegetable patches can also be found. One is called “pinakbet patch”, which combines the growing of amplaya and kalabasa; and another is the “tinola patch”, that cultivates native sili together with papaya. Pairing these plants together is based on the organic farming method of combining complementary plants that protect each other from their respective pests, according to Yumul. Organic insecticides, such as ginger and chilli pepper, are also used.  Vermiculture is another feature of the facility. “This is a nutritious compost that we are introducing to our consumers and into our farming production,” Yap said. “We have expanded its scope to increase production, at the same giving us an additional source of income,” he added.  Recently, the team has also started its poultry raising and production with a newly procured incubator facility. It began selling fresh organic eggs from native chickens, as well as from a particular breed called “Cobra,” to campus staff and residents, also walk-ins from outside the campus.  Research  UPD-TFSWM is currently hosting two research projects in two greenhouses. One is a vetiver research project by a graduate student, an explorative study on the absorption of heavy metals contained in water. Another involves two groups of undergraduate chemical engineering students, one focused on the improvement of compost production, and the other on ways of turning waste into energy through the production of biogas from waste.  Public service initiatives  The facility also conducts training seminars on solid waste management for campus building administrators and maintenance staff, and helps set up composting areas in academic buildings and dormitories, among other public service initiatives.  The UPD-TFSWM has received awards for its work, among them the Gawad Chancellor Award (2004); the model MRF of the Presidential Commission on Global Warming and Climate Change (2009); and, from the Junior International Philippines, The Outstanding Farmer Award (TOFARM) under the Agricultural Initiatives category (2012).  Under Yap’s term which ends in 2019, he envisions the UPD-TFSWM to become “a facility that would improve and promote waste segregation, which is a lingering problem especially in academic buildings. Each building should have its own composting facility so that they can later produce their own compost, and making their own gardens, because that is one way of promoting sustainability. Environmental ordinances and laws cannot be enforced if there is lack of awareness and education,” Yap added.  Operated and maintained by 20 workers and 3 admin staff (all are non-UP contractual), excluding the Task Force Head. (Photo from UPD-TFSWM)  Engr. Yap also aims to expand the trainings offered by the unit in the other regions, and to improve the marketing of products to restaurants and in-house college canteens, such as the Tea Room and the University Food Service. “Right now, we are monitoring and expanding the production of our produce to ensure the consistency and sustainability of our supply. We plan to have a collaboration with our campus canteens and restaurants to supply them with fruits and vegetables,” he explained.  Among other things, he looks forward to the improvement of the sales and collection of their products, which will benefit their workers, as well as more research partnerships with students, scholars, and other parties.                               "
    },
    {
        "title": "Turning Farmers into Scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/turning-farmers-into-scientists/",
        "html": "Turning Farmers into Scientists Turning Farmers into Scientists May 4, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    A mother, a farmer, a scientist and a businesswoman is what Maria Lina Raposa is today.  Lina’s place is in the fields as farming has been her life and source of living in a one hectare farm in the agricultural area of Brgy. Maltana, Tampakan, South Cotabato. While farming along with her husband, she is on to greater dis­coveries as she learns about new farming technologies and experiments. She has also found her passion in processing sweet delicacies by growing her own ingredients—and adding business into the equation.  Moving from being a homemaker to a household name in Tampakan, Lina owes much of her achievement from a formula that she learned back in 2013. “KKAA,” which stands for Kogi (hard work), Kusog (strength), Antos (sac­rifice) and Ampo (prayer), is what Lina took to heart after earning her place as a member of the pioneering batch of the Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) in Tampa­kan, South Cotabato that year.     Maria Lina Raposa, farmer-scientist from Tampakan, South Cotabato. (Photo courtesy of Augustus Franco Jamias, FSTP Development Communicator)     Sowing knowledge, harvesting farmer-scientists  “Lacking in scientific farming technology, the farmers only produce low yields for their families. Thus, they re­main poor and hungry and peace and order is a perennial problem. This was basically the situation in Cebu, where we started our extension work in 1994,” the Cebuano scientist and FSTP project leader Romulo Davide says. Dr. Davide is a Professor Emeritus at UP Los Baños and a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for his work with farmers.  “In response and to address the poverty of poor farmers, especially those in the upland mountainous communities, I conceived a program that was specifically designed to liberate the poor farmers from the bondage of poverty and hunger based on the assumption that farming is business. The farmers will not only grow corn but also staple crops like sweet potato, cassava, vegetables, fruit crops and other crops of commercial value and integrate them with back­yard animal production,” according to Dr. Davide.  He further explains that “FSTP is based on the premise that farmers are smart individuals who by themselves can become scientists who implement and design experiments to arrive at useful conclusions with the guidance of scien­tists.” In the FSTP program, farmers have to go through three phases, namely: Phase I: farmers do research with the scientists in the field and also learn values for love of God, country and people. They design and conduct experiments that include land preparation, varietal and fertilizer trials, intercropping, among others, which is the initial and technical part of FSTP for the farmers to become farmer-scientists.”     Members of Mansalay Corn-based Farmer-Scientists Association (MCFSA) able to learn and apply low-cost, effective, and environmentally-safe pest management, as well as adopt different organic farming techniques. (Photo courtesy of Augustus Franco Jamias, FSTP Development Communicator)     In Phase II, farmers adopt the scientific methods and technologies learned in Phase I into their own farms, such as the use of new high-yielding varieties of corn, sweet potato and vegetables, correct use and application of fertilizer, correct preparation and care of soil.  Phase III requires them to teach untrained fellow farmers in their barangay as volunteer technicians and extension workers. Thus Phases I and II cover the R&D aspect of the program while Phase III takes care of the extension portion.  Lina’s is just one of the many success stories. Since 2011, Oriental Mindoro has been in the good hands of its indigenous people-turned-farmer-scientists especially in the vast lands of the municipality of Mansalay.  Shortly after, in 2012, the Mansalay Corn-based Farmer-Scientists Association (MCFSA) was formed and reg­istered. Today, its 70 active members have been able to learn and apply low-cost, effective, and environmentally-safe pest management, as well as adopt different organic farming techniques. The association is also being sup­ported by both government and non-government agen­cies for its various scientific-agricultural projects such as the weaving of their locally-grown leafy plant called anabu, which is backed by the Department of Science and Technology-IVB, Philippine Fiber Industry Devel­opment Authority, and their local government.  Meanwhile in the fourth-class municipality of San Andres, Quezon, just as the same year as MCFSA was formed, the San Andres Corn Farmer-Scientists’ Association (SACFSA) was established. Its membership has grown over the years reaching to about 105 members who are all part of SACF­SA’s cooperative agribusiness ventures today.  Aside from SACFSA’s funding support of PHP 3.7 million from various government agencies, it has established its own charcoal briquetting center, corn mill, and building equipment for coco sugar production funded by the De­partment of Science and Technology. Also, SACFSA takes pride of its women farmer-scientist members of the asso­ciation who are now venturing into corn coffee business.  With the many achievements and continuing develop­ment of SACFSA, it has been recognized by the Philip­pine Maize Federation (PhilMaize) in 2015 as “one of the promising farmers’ associations advancing the corn industry in the country.”     Photo courtesy of Augustus Franco Jamias, FSTP Development Communicator     From farm to fish  The impact of the FSTP program include the technical empowerment of poor farmers, especially in upland com­munities for socio-economic progress; the improvement of corn, vegetable and livestock production through introduc­tion of high-yielding corn varieties and improved live­stock; a reduction in farmers’ cost of production by more than 50 percent through introduction of newly developed microbial and organic fertilizers like BIO-N, chicken manure, and vermi-compost; and an improvement in the farmers’ annual income especially in corn production from zero before the training to PHP 125,000 or more after the training.  The FSTP program is now looking to expand into the Philippines’ vast waters with FishSTP. Very much like how FSTP started out, the Fishermen-Scientists Research Development and Extension Training Program (FishSTP) for Sustainable Development in Fisheries was launched in 2017 right in the heart of FSTP’s origins in Argao, Cebu.  Its project leader, Dr. Davide, takes pride in its being a first in the country. He says that it will be the same as the FSTP training program only that it will focus on the scientific methods of aquaculture and sea farming. He is hopeful that it will carry on just like FSTP is doing today.  Dr. Davide gives much importance to farmers as he said that they are our real heroes who cultivate our land and feed us. Thus, it is only right to bring dignity to their work by empowering them through “direct contact with agricultural scientists and experts to improve their living conditions beyond the poverty level.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons tame Tamaraws, 61-55 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-tame-tamaraws-61-55/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons tame Tamaraws, 61-55 Fighting Maroons tame Tamaraws, 61-55 September 5, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Fighting Maroon forward Javi Gomez de Liaño pushes through Tamaraw defense to sink the first basket in the last quarter. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     First game, first win. The UP Fighting Maroons took the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws by the horns to win its Season 82 opener in the University Athletics Association of Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on September 4 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.  The Big Dome echoed with chants from both maroon, and green and gold sides as UP, last season’s runner-up, clashed with Season 81’s fourth place finisher. A formidable opponent, FEU, along with De La Salle University, has the highest number of semifinals appearances since UAAP instituted the final four format in 1993.  The Tamaraws drew first blood with Ken Tuffin shooting from beyond the arc. UP pushed back with a 7-0 run coming from Jun Manzo’s three-pointer and back-to-back dunks by Bright Akhuetie and Ricci Rivero. With less than a minute left in the tight first quarter, Juan Gomez de Liaño sank a trey that broke FEU’s two-point lead. Another basket from his brother Javi closed the first quarter at 20-17.     Guard Jun Manzo shoots UP’s first trey two minutes into the game. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     David Murrell slams UP’s first dunk of the season. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Amazing alley-oop play from Jun Manzo to Ricci Rivero, seen here still swinging from his dunk. Manzo’s pass came from Murrell’s snatch off Tamaraw Rey Bienes. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Maroon squad asserted its dominance in the second quarter, successfully staving off FEU’s field goal attempts for almost four minutes. Two consecutive three-point shots by King Maroon Noah Webb and Rivero gave UP a double-digit lead at 32-22 with a little over four minutes remaining in the quarter. The team from Morayta failed to close the gap and the first half ended at 38-27.     The Oblation pose by the UP Pep Squad during its first halftime performance of the UAAP season (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     High-flying synchronicity from the UP Pep Squad’s halftime performance (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Immediate past UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Dean and outgoing UAAP Board Member Ronualdo Dizer receives a plaque of appreciation from the UAAP Board. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It seemed the halftime break cooled the Fighting Maroons a bit too much as they struggled to keep up with the charging Tamaraws back on the court. Scoring only nine points against FEU’s seventeen, UP’s 11-point lead in the first half dwindled to three, 47-44, at the end of the third quarter.  The Diliman dribblers rallied to maintain its slim lead in the last quarter until Tamaraw LJ Gonzales’s basket cut down UP’s lead to one, 55-54. With four minutes left in the game, a foul by Javi Gomez de Liaño sent Tamaraw Wendell Comboy to the charity line, where he sank one of two to tie the match. The tense deadlock lasted for almost three minutes until Akhuetie’s points in the paint put UP back in the lead with less than two minutes remaining. And just as Manzo scored the first Maroon goal, he ended the match with four points from the line to a final score of 61-55.     UP breaks the deadlock and regains its lead in the last quarter from Center Bright Akhuetie’s inside shot. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP faithful cheer as the Fighting Maroons take back the lead. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jun Manzo seals UP’s win with perfect scoring in back-to-back trips to the charity line in the last ten seconds of the game. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Fighting Maroons face the UP crowd, singing “UP Naming Mahal.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Top scorer for UP was Javi Gomez de Liaño with a career high of 22 points, while Akhuetie was top rebounder with 11.     “There were a lot of times Javi bailed us out.”—UP Fighting Maroons Head Coach Bo Perasol talking to the media about the game’s top scorer beside him, Javi Gomez de Liaño (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Fighting Maroons will face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in their second game in this UAAP season’s first round of eliminations. The game will be at 4:00pm on September 7, in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UAAP Men’s Basketball: Fighting Maroons suffers season’s first loss – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uaap-mens-basketball-fighting-maroons-suffers-seasons-first-loss/",
        "html": "UAAP Men’s Basketball: Fighting Maroons suffers season’s first loss UAAP Men’s Basketball: Fighting Maroons suffers season’s first loss September 7, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   A visibly frustrated Jun Manzo is helped up by UST top-performing Mark Nonoy and Rhenz Abando at the game’s final buzzer. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     Season 81’s MVP Bright Akhuetie led the Fighting Maroons with the game’s highest 19 points and 16 rebounds on their second match, September 6, 2019 at Smart Araneta, in UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball first-round games. But the team’s effort proved inadequate against the UST Growling Tigers’ scoring prowess. UP suffered a crushing 69-85 loss, fresh from winning its first game with the FEU Tamaraws three days prior.     One of center Bright Akhuetie’s many successful shots from under the ring. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Ricci Rivero drew first blood with a three-pointer, followed by Akhuetie and Noah Webb’s inside and penalty shots, resulting in the Fighting Maroons’ biggest lead, 12-6. The Tigers then unleashed a rally buoyed by Rhenz Abando’s trey. Three consecutive shots by Dave Ando finally broke UP’s lead and sealed UST’s advantage, 14-19, which UP would not be able to surmount.     Jun Manzo driving past USTs’ Renzo Subido. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Saddled by a 37-44 lead by UST after the first half, UP’s hope was regained on the third quarter as David Murrell and Javi Gomez de Llano’s successful shots narrowed UST’s lead, until Murrell’s follow-up shot tied the game at 46-46 halfway through the quarter. UST’s Chabi Chabiyo was quick, however, to wrest the lead back for UST. The third quarter ended with UST’s lead down to five, 58-63.     Guard/Forward Javi Gomez de Llano is guarded by UST’s Rhenz Abando, at first half. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The fourth quarter saw UP losing steam, with UST making its first point out of a steal from Rivero to build up its final 32 points against UP’s 10.     Point guard Jun Manzo attempts a layup. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP’s Kobe Paras did not see action in the games on account of a sprained ankle.     UP President Danilo Concepcion and PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi and the rest of the UP crowd cheer as a shot by Juan Gomez de Llano gets counted at the end of the first half. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “We need to share the ball more,” said Fighting Maroons coach Dolreich “Bo” Perasol in the post-game interview. “We were [just] trying to watch everybody make things happen. . .  .If Juan [or] Ricci [or] Bright. . . makes the shot, we’re all [just] watching them and hoping that things will happen the right way. . . and that’s the tendency when you have very good teammates.”     Fighting Maroons coach Dolreich “Bo” Perasol in the second half. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “We really need to play good defense. . . . At the end of this, you know you have good opponents also,” he added. The Growling Tigers had a 47-percent field goal, as against UP’s 31 percent.     The UP crowd cheers the Fighting Maroons on in the dying minutes of the last quarter. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     SCORES UP 69: Akhuetie 19, Ja. Gomez de Llano 15, Jaydee Tungcab 11, Murrell 6, Juan Gomez de Llano 5, Jun Manzo 5, Rivero 4, Webb 4 UST 85: Chabiyo 18, Mark Nonoy 16, Renzo Subido 13, Abando 12, Ando 10, Zach Huang 9, Brent Paraiso 6, CJ Cansino 1     The “UP Naming Mahal” closes the day’s games at Smart Araneta. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     The Fighting Maroons in a hopeful huddle moments before the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UST gains first possession of the ball. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Team captain Noah Webb’s free throw after being fouled early in the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Pep Squad performs during the halftime break. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons win another close game – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-win-another-close-game/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons win another close game Fighting Maroons win another close game September 28, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc     Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office     The Fighting Maroons snatched a razor-thin victory, 72-71, from the Green Archers, who had led for almost 39 minutes of the 40-minute regulation time on September 25, 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena. With its fourth straight win, UP raises its scorecard to 5-1. The only team left to battle in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball first round games is its finals rival last season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles.  UP’s fourth-quarter game was propelled and brought home by three-pointers from injury-laden point guard Juan Gomez de Liaño early and in the last eight seconds of the quarter. Juan took the cudgels for the team who saw lead scorers Kobe Paras and Bright Akhuetie reduced to 21-percent and 35-percent field goal shooting, respectively.  The Maroons trailed in the first two quarters, 14-18 and 29-36, and began the fourth with a seven-point deficit, 52-59. Successful free throws by Bright, a fast-break shot by Jaydee Tungcab and a three-pointer by Juan, closed the gap at 59-61. Kobe sunk his penalty shots to tie the game, 61-61.  The Archers gallantly fought back, with Andrei Caracut and Aljun Melecio serving a trey each. With barely a minute left in the game, the Archers led by four points, 67-71. Kobe then sank another pair of penalty shots to narrow the gap to two, 69-71. In the last 49 seconds, Bright fouled out of the game, but foul receiver Archer Jamie Malonzo was zero on the line.  With the last quarter of the minute ticking away, Juan stole the ball from a pass by Aljun toward Archer territory, crossed to UP court, and made the quick and decisive trey with seven seconds left in the game. The clutch basket stunned the Archers into wasting away their succeeding possession.  “The biggest shot came from Juan, and he’s not even a hundred percent yet when he took that shot,” Fighting Maroons coach Bo Perasol said post-game. “But once a player is a winner, he’s always a winner, so I didn’t have a doubt in my mind when he was bringing the ball down that he was going for the three-point shot. In fact what I was looking at were his feet.”  “I made the extra sacrifice to play in the last few minutes despite all the injuries I’m going through right now,” Juan said. “I faced injuries for the past five months… So I’m really thankful for my team. Even though I’m struggling, they still had trust in me.”  “Leading my team is like leading a chariot with wild stallions,”the head coach revealed. “A lot has to improve as far as how we’re going to deal with our offense. I’m quite sure that we’re decent as far as our defense is concerned. Despite the fact that we’re missing a lot, we’re still able to hold [our opponent] out.”  On their game on Sunday, September 29, 2018, Coach Bo said: “You’re going up against the defending champions, who have been battering their opponents for double digits. We watched the game earlier,” he added, referring to the Blue Eagles match versus the Red Warriors. “They’re just an excellent team. … but come Sunday time, I’m sure we will be ready for them.”     IN PHOTOS: UP vs DLSU – UAAP Season 82, 1st round  Ricci Rivero and Kobe Paras assist Jun Manzo who fell defending the ball on its way to the UP side early in the first half.Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Bright Akhuetie hurdles the tough guarding of Archers Justine Baltazar and Brandon Bates. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Juan Gomez de Liaño takes the ball from fallen teammate Bright Akhuetie. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Ricci Rivero slips through three Archers for a lay-up. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Juan Gomez de Liaño takes control of the ball. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The UP crowd is roused from their seat by the intense fourth quarter. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP suffers twin losses in UAAP basketball – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-suffers-twin-losses-in-uaap-basketball/",
        "html": "UP suffers twin losses in UAAP basketball UP suffers twin losses in UAAP basketball October 4, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Push on, UP! Fighting Maroons supporters raise their fists for “UP Naming Mahal,” singing as one community to show their continued support for the University’s men’s basketball team despite losing to the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     It was not the ideal way to close the first round of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 basketball eliminations in the seniors division. UP lost to Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) in women’s and men’s basketball on September 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.     Stiffany Larrosa keeps the ball away from Katrina Guytingco’s prying hand. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The Lady Maroons, looking to clinch their first win this season, went up against the Lady Eagles, who were gunning to end their four-game losing streak. In the end, UP struggled to keep up with ADMU and ended the game with a 14-point deficit, 62-76.     Stiffany Larrosa drives to the basket. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Sophia Rivera barges through Lady Eagle defense. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP started slow as the end of the first quarter saw it trailing by nine, 16-25. But the Lady Maroons rallied, banking six two-point field goals and four out of eight charity shots, for a total of 16 added points in the second quarter. The Lady Eagles meanwhile, only managed ten, owing to two triples, two from the line, and one from the field.     Erica Gusilatar lays it up. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Cindy Gonzales takes the inside shot. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     With only a three-point lead by Ateneo at the end of the first half, 35-32, UP was ready to battle it out in the third. But an early 6-0 run by the Blue and White team stopped the Maroon and Green squad from scoring. That is, until Lulu Ordoveza broke through with a basket from an inbound pass, which was then countered by Nicole Cancio’s two.     Patricia Pesquera stops and jumps for the basket. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Lady Maroon Rhea Sanchez replied, booking a back-to-back two and three, all within thirty seconds. Teammate Patricia Pesquera followed up with another two, for the 7-0 run, which was halted by a two-pointer from Ateneo’s Katrina Guytingco. Foul trouble soon followed UP, with Guytingco sinking five of six shots from the line. Despite two more baskets on the Maroon side by Erica Gusilatar and Pesquera, the third quarter ended with UP behind by ten, 47-57.     Jonalyn Lebico breaks away from Lady Eagle Jhazmin Joson and goes for two. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     And the onslaught continued. As in the previous quarter, the Lady Maroons scored 15 points, not enough against the Lady Eagles’ 19. At the end of the first round, UP’s scorecard in women’s basketball is 0-7.  Later that day, the Fighting Maroons faced the Blue Eagles in the much hyped first meeting since facing off in the Season 81 finals.     Kobe Paras steals and runs away with the ball all the way to the basket. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     It was as tense as expected, with a good amount of cheering and jeering from the almost 20,000-strong crowd, plenty of shouts on calls and non-calls from both Blue and Maroon sides, and four technical fouls to boot. Add the ejection of UP Head Coach Bo Perasol and it certainly was an explosive way to end the first round of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.     Javi Gomez de Liaño challenges the taller Ateneo center Ange Kouame to make two for UP. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Despite its hot start, ending the first quarter with a six-point lead at 21-15, UP was unable to keep its momentum and eventually lost to Ateneo, 63-89.  Top-seed ADMU started pulling away in the second quarter with three runs that limited UP’s quarter points to ten. Blue Eagle SJ Belangel’s two charities off a foul called on Kobe Paras less than twenty seconds in, were answered by Ricci Rivero in the paint. Then the 7-0 run by Ateneo happened. Paras barged through Ange Kouame’s defense at the 04:17 mark to halt the string of Blue baskets.     Juan Gomez de Liaño goes around Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena’s defense for the layup. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     ADMU retaliated with another run at 6-0, only to be stopped by Kouame’s foul on UP center Bright Akhuetie, who aced his points from the line. He later tapped the ball off Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena’s dribble toward fellow Maroon Janjan Jaboneta, who then passed the ball to Paras before crossing the court to make two inside points. Kouame then sank a two, followed by Matt Nieto, who got a bonus free throw from another foul slapped on Paras. Kouame was also called for another foul against Akhuetie, who made two for two again. UP was down by four at the end of the first half, 31-35.     Ricci Rivero goes for the reverse off a pass from Jun Manzo. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The UP Pep Squad’s impeccable pyramids at halftime. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Ateneo started building a solid lead against UP in the third quarter, the most heated and controversial part of the match. This quarter saw two technical fouls for excessive complaining. The first, called on ADMU Head Coach Tab Baldwin less than two minutes in. The second was on Akhuetie less than a minute later, immediately after a personal foul had just been called on him and he had already crossed to the other court.     Kobe Paras (left photo) and Jun Manzo (right photo) pacify teammate Bright Akhuetie, who was angry at the technical foul called on him immediately after he had been slapped with a personal foul. Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Around two minutes later, Fighting Maroons Head Coach Bo Perasol charged into the playing court while the ball was live, confronting Referee Jaime Rivano. He got a disqualifying foul and was ejected from the game. The Blue Eagles were up by 12 points then, 47-35. Assistant Coach Ricky Dandan took over in Coach Perasol’s absence, but UP’s 15 points was no match for ADMU’s 26. The third quarter ended with a 15-point lead for Ateneo, 61-46.     Jerson Prado, Kobe Paras, Noah Webb, and Bright Akhuetie lead Coach Bo Perasol off the court as Team Manager Jonvic Remulla signals for them to come over to the sideline. Perasol earlier charged at a referee, frustrated at the two back-to-back fouls on Akhuetie—the latter one a technical that Perasol deemed “irrational.” Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Jun Manzo shoots from the perimeter, his fourth consecutive basket following two field goals and one technical free throw. Manzo accounted for all UP points in the first half of the fourth quarter. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     In the final quarter, both teams scored two points higher than their previous quarter scores. ADMU made 28. UP banked 17—three two-pointers and one technical free throw from Jun Manzo all in the first three and a half minutes; a couple of field goals and a charity from Juan Gomez de Liaño; another two-pointer from his brother Javi; and, a basket from beyond the arc from Paras. The final score was a 26-point heartbreaker for UP, 63-89.  UP will face Far Eastern University in its first of the second round matches in both women’s and men’s tournaments on October 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena, 10am and 4pm, respectively.     Watch the highlights of the game:  UP-ADMU Men’s Basketball Round 1   Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     UP-ADMU Women’s Basketball Round 1   Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“That wasn’t our best yet.”—Bo Perasol – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/that-wasnt-our-best-yet-bo-perasol/",
        "html": "“That wasn’t our best yet.”—Bo Perasol “That wasn’t our best yet.”—Bo Perasol October 4, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   “Cohesion was our number one problem in the first round.”—UP Fighting Maroons Head Coach Bo Perasol (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Fighting Maroons Head Coach Bo Perasol was blunt in his assessment of the team’s first round performance in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament. “That’s the bottom line. . . . It’s not that we could have done better as far as standings [go], but we could have done better in terms of execution and cohesion.”  He acknowledged how strong the playing field this season has been thus far. And while he is happy with the team’s victories, he knows the team can still improve.  Injuries during the pre-season prevented the completion of the roster in training and matches. Bright Akhuetie, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Kobe Paras, and Ricci Rivero were unable to complete or attend some training programs because they needed to recover. So, the first round was a story of how the Fighting Maroons tried to find their way as a team. “And even with that situation, we managed to win.”  Perasol said of the four, “Bright and Kobe have shown what they can do. Juan and Ricci haven’t reached the peak of their performance yet.”  Going into the second round, he revealed the team’s expectations of raising the quality of its game because each match is more crucial to reaching the semis. There has been immense pressure on the Fighting Maroons. The coaching staff and players can feel it.  The pressure has gotten stronger since UP surged to number 3 and into the final four after last season’s second round, when it notched five more wins to add to its first round three. It grew after defeating the Adamson University Soaring Falcons twice in the semifinals to clinch the finals spot.  The Fighting Maroons know people are expecting them to reach the finals again and that the UP community dreams of a championship. “Becoming the best is not easy. We’re just starting out. Our progression has so far been good but it has also been quite tough. We’re trying very hard to get there.”     The Maroon crowd in the Smart Araneta Coliseum during the UP-Ateneo game on September 29 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The accomplishment of the Fighting Maroons that Perasol is most proud of? Becoming relevant once again to the University community and reenergizing the Maroon crowd. “There was a heightened awareness of the team again. The UP community was giving us more support. That support and the greater expectation of us propel us to excel.”  As for the Fighting Maroons’ first game in the second round against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on Sunday, October 6, Perasol said he will be “close by until the end of the game.”  He is not allowed to enter the Mall of Asia Arena because of an automatic one-game suspension following his ejection in UP’s previous match versus Ateneo de Manila University. “I have to give [this match] to Coach Ricky [Dandan]. I’m [just] going to ask him to make good decisions, but they are going to be his decisions.”     Javi Gomez De Liaño pushes through to the paint in UP’s first meeting with FEU this season. UP won, 61-55. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     On October 4, UAAP Basketball Commissioner Jensen Ilagan denied the October 2 appeal of Perasol on the additional two-game suspension that was handed down to him on October 1. The additional penality followed the UAAP technical committee’s review of the September 29 UP-Ateneo match, where Perasol charged into the playing court and confronted referee Jaime Rivano.  The Fighting Maroons head coach will be playing the waiting game while other legal options are being explored.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP falls short, loses to FEU – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-falls-short-loses-to-feu/",
        "html": "UP falls short, loses to FEU UP falls short, loses to FEU October 9, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   We BOlieve. Javi Gomez de Liaño warms up wearing this shirt, along with his teammates, to show support for their suspended Head Coach Bo Perasol. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It was a Sunday of runs and rallies until the clock stopped ticking.  In their second round opener of the UAAP men’s basketball on October 6 at the MOA Arena, the UP Fighting Maroons challenged the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, but were not able to survive the attack in overtime, 82-79.     Kobe Paras flies high for the layup. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The scenario was reminiscent of the teams’ meeting last season in the first round. UP was without Head Coach Bo Perasol, who was suspended, following his ejection from a previous game with Ateneo. The Fighting Maroons were supposed to face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, but the match was postponed due to bad weather, so that Perasol served his suspension in UP’s next game versus FEU. The Maroons lost to the Tams by 16 points, 73-89.     Juan Gomez de Liaño goes for a perimeter basket. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     This time, the Morayta squad was looking to avenge its first round loss to UP, while the team from Diliman was on a “We BOlieve” campaign for their head coach, wanting to notch another win and strengthen its hold on the second spot.     Jaydee Tungcab makes two for UP. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     FEU started off strong, making 18 points and limiting UP points to five. But the last four minutes of the first quarter saw a 12-0 run, with Kobe Paras putting in eight and Bright Akhuetie making four. Four of Paras’s points were from his slick back-to-back snatches, one of which resulted in a flawless back and forth with Jaydee Tungcab into a highlight jam. At the end of the first 10-minute rollercoaster ride, the Fighting Maroons were behind by only a point, 17-18.     Steal. Pass. Slam. Kobe Paras runs away with his steal (left photo), then passes to Jaydee Tungcab, who brings it back to him (middle photo) for the game’s first highlight dunk (right photo). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The second quarter saw UP taking the lead by three after baskets from Javi Gomez de Liaño and Tungcab less than three minutes in. But FEU was relentless, going toe-to-toe and shooting two consecutive hoops from beyond the arc courtesy of Wendell Comboy and Ken Tuffin. It was attack and counter-attack from then on, with UP ending the second quarter three points down, 27-30.     With 25 seconds to go in the second quarter, Jun Manzo snatches the ball off Royce Alforque’s dribble, denying FEU possession before crossing the court for a sure basket to make up for his earlier miss from the perimeter. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The always anticipated UP Pep Squad halftime number (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Tungcab’s three-pointer tied the game at the beginning of the second half, which Tamaraw Xyrus Torres answered with a three, followed by LJ Gonzales’s three-point play off Maroon Juan Gomez de Liaño’s foul. Akhuetie and Javi Gomez de Liaño banked four more for UP and FEU retaliated with 11 straight points, stretching its lead to 13. Paras sank two, but the Tamaraws gored through the Maroon defense and marked the biggest lead in the game at 19. The third quarter closed with UP trailing by 17, 43-60.     Bright Akhuetie challenges Pat Tchuente’s inside defense to score for the Fighting Maroons. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     James Spencer closes the third quarter with a trey. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Going into the fourth quarter, the Fighting Maroons chipped away at the deficit, and less than two minutes in, were able to reduce the gap to ten. Sensing another Maroon surge and wanting to nip it quick, the Tams drove its lead to 16 with six minutes left in regulation.     The screen from Bright Akhuetie makes space for Ricci Rivero’s layup. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     King Maroon Noah Webb throws a three. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Comboy’s foul on Paras less than five minutes remaining started the Maroon comeback that FEU was unable to answer. Paras made one of two charities and an inside shot. Juan Gomez de Liaño sank a three. Akhuetie also sank one of two from the line, plus a putback off Ricci Rivero’s attempt and a bonus free throw. Paras again secured two free throws and scored from the perimeter. It was Javi Gomez de Liaño’s steal, drive, and shoot that locked the game at 69. With 24.7 seconds remaining and the ball in FEU’s possession, Comboy received the inbound from Gonzales, dribbled the 24-second shot clock down, and made his move with a step-back from the arc with three seconds left to shoot. The ball was in and out.     One-man show. Javi Gomez de Liaño completes his steal, drive, and shoot to end the fourth quarter in a deadlock and force overtime. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Lifted. The Maroons find all sorts of ways to celebrate the game-tying shot by Javi Gomez de Liaño, the culmination of a 16-0 run that brought the crowd to its feet. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Tamaraws asserted themselves at the start of extra time, making five points from two field goals within the first two minutes. Javi Gomez de Liaño shot three for UP, but then Comboy also sank three for FEU. Juan Gomez de Liaño banked three from the line after he was fouled by Gonzales. Akhuetie added two in the paint to tie the game at 77 with 1:05 left. But sharp-shooting FEU forward, Tuffin, who had only missed one of his five three-point attempts, bagged another basket from the arc to take the lead for the Tamaraws.     Juan Gomez de Liaño reaches out to tap hands with Tamaraw Pat Tchuente in a show of sportsmanship and camaraderie. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Bright Akhuetie soars to the basket with the grace of a ballerina. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It was one against three as Javi Gomez de Liaño drove through the Tamaraw defense of Gonzales, Pat Tchuente, and Torres, for two inside points to trim the FEU lead to one with 34 seconds left in overtime. And Comboy again replied with a perimeter basket 16 seconds later. The Tamaraws tightened their defense with Torres leaving little wiggle room for Javi Gomez de Liaño, who had to shoot a three as the shot clock was winding down to the last three seconds. But the ball was a bit off to the left and bounced. Five seconds later, the buzzer signaled the end of the game.  The UP Fighting Maroons are set to face the University of the East Red Warriors next on October 12, 4:00pm, at the MOA Arena. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Teodoro J. Herbosa, MD Executive Vice President UP System     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  My most memorable PE subject was badminton. I was a member of the UP Varsity Track Team competing in 110-m high hurdles and 400-m low hurdles. I didn’t have to take PE yet, but we were encouraged by my coach to take other PE subjects to cross-train. I decided to take badminton because of the pretty girls, one of whom was my crush. The PE teacher was surprised because I was the only male student in the class. Of course he humiliated me and made me sweat and run by playing with me in front of my lady classmates! I was humiliated in front of my crush but got my cross-training and realized how real badminton was actually very strenuous.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I was active in high school in Modern Arnis and was one of the prime students of Remy Presas, the father of Modern Arnis in the Philippines. I also studied Shotokan Karate and Choy Lai Fut Kung Fu. I was a member of the high school track and field team competing in 110-m high hurdles, 400-m low hurdles and 4×400-m relay. I was also the chess champion of my high school and competed in the first National Students Chess Championship. In undergraduate school in UP Diliman, I was invited to join the varsity track team competing in the same events. I also joined the first Swing competition in the Philippines. In medical school, I indulged in running along Roxas Blvd and also cycling and swimming. During residency in Surgery, I join AAK Karatedo and eventually also competed. These days, I now just walk around the UP Academic oval for exercise and occasionally swim as well.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  I suggest other sports that are popular with the current generation as well as other Olympic sports.     What do you think it will take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  With hard work, discipline and good coaching, we can definitely become overall UAAP champions again. This also requires investments in our sports teams, facilities, equipment, and coaching staff.  (Among the significant contributions of EVP Ted Herbosa to Philippine Sports Medicine are his stints as an officer of the Sports Medicine Association of the Philippines in the early 1990s; medical director of the Philippine Sports Commission in the late 1990s; medical director of the World Union of Karatedo Organizations in the early 1990s; and team doctor of the Philippine Team to the 1995 SEA Games in Jakarta and the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1997.)     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-2/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Philip Ian P. Padilla, MD, PhD Professor of Microbiology Former UP Faculty Regent UP Visayas     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  My most memorable PE subject was swimming. I learned I was quite good at it. All throughout my high school days, I had poor eye-hand coordination (table tennis, badminton) and was very poor at team sports (volleyball, basketball). But in swimming, neither was required. All I needed was to be comfortable in the water and make it to several laps. It was an excellent full body workout for my wiry frame and improved my lung capacity.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I still swim regularly (once or twice week) although not as often and I’m a bit slower now. I used to do kendo until I became regent and had to miss weeks of practices. When I decided to return to practice last year, I had frozen shoulders so I had to rest from kendo again and actually change bags to relieve the stress from both shoulders. In order to improve my eye-hand coordination, I played badminton for 10 years while I was doing my PhD in Japan (during lunch time) and in the US (in the evenings). I try to squeeze in some badminton practice in Iloilo as long as the gym has wooden floors. I also bike regularly because I got used to riding my bicycle in Japan and the US. Lastly, I try to walk at least 2 kilometers a day. In UPV Miag-ao campus, I seldom ride the tricycle because I walk from CAS to the faculty staff house every day, up rolling hills.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  I think kendo and other martial arts (taekwondo, karate do, judo, etc.) should be added. Especially as a PE choice in other campuses. These expose students to different cultural contexts and build their appreciation of these sports.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  The UAAP has always been a challenge for UP. My UP College of Medicine classmates have children who now play for UP so I frequently hear feedback from them. I believe more resources should be given to the athletes and as regent under the Pascual administration, I know the BOR fully supported his initiatives (building the sports facilities, establishing a sports program office, etc.). As a physician by training, I fully support the initiatives of PGH and its director to help in the medical needs of the athletes. Lastly, private support for the athletes should be better coordinated. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-3/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Fernando P. Florendo Coordinator, Human Kinetics Program UP Baguio     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  I have two memorable PE subjects: PE 1 Foundations of Physical Fitness since it deals with all the basics of fitness including exercise physiology, health, and wellness. The other is PE 2 Swimming, a required course for BS Biology students, which is the most difficult and risky PE 2 course to teach since extra precautions are very much needed compared to the other PE 2 courses. The teacher and students would travel for an hour going to, and an hour and a half coming from, the venue which passes through steep roads.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I am currently active in playing sports such as table tennis in which I used to compete both nationally and internationally, in basketball and volleyball as an intrams player, in petanque, and swimming as a form of recreation. I also do Zumba and Strong Zumba since it is a required fitness activity for employees.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  UP should promote individual sports (badminton, table tennis, petanque, etc.) as well as dance sports (ballroom, cheer, street, etc.) in which UP is already excelling, but which are not as popular as the ball games (basketball, volleyball and football). UP should also promote leisure activities (outdoor recreation, orienteering, bird watching, nature walks, etc.) which enhance awareness of and concern for the environment.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  UP should at least equal if not surpass the other UAAP schools’ offerings. However, to begin with, it is better said than done since it is the only public school in the UAAP. Funding is limited by COA rules unlike in the private schools. Only strong support from the alumni or private institutions could offset this disadvantage, although it could be said that UP is UP where quality education is second to none. It still cannot be helped that poor but gifted athletes become practical what with the present economic realities. Some UAAP schools offer much more than just scholarships—uniforms, housing, allowances, and the like. For instance, Hans Sy was quoted in a news article that NU even provides employment to the athlete’s parents through SM. How can we beat that? Perhaps another move would be to ban imports to put all the teams on an equal footing. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-4/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Robby Lagmay Solis BS Economics 2008 UP Diliman Consultant, House of Representatives     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  Judo, because it was where I was able to grow and develop into a varsity athlete. I learned the fundamentals and techniques of the sport not only through rigorous training, but also through an honest-to-goodness study of literature on the martial arts.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I play multiple sports such as judo, powerlifting, basketball, athletics, running, breakdancing, swimming, volleyball, badminton, ballroom dancing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and various martial arts, among others. I like cross-training in various sports because I get to adapt to different movements. Also, cross-training keeps me mentally alert, hence the saying “a sound mind in a sound body.”     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  I definitely believe that UP should promote Philippine games and basic self-defense as staples in the list of PE subjects. This is because our country is so rich in its culture that we have a variety of games to choose from. As to self-defense, I believe that UP students need to be equipped with techniques to defend themselves should the need arises.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  When it comes to talent, UP has an abundance of it. While there have been initiatives to support our varsity teams, there should be consistency with respect to training for the UAAP games. With the right mix of talents, support, discipline, and guidance from the Lord, UP will go back to its winning tradition. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Waste to help trim your waist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/waste-to-help-trim-your-waist/",
        "html": "Waste to help trim your waist Waste to help trim your waist September 5, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    If you think cacao is only good for making chocolate, think again.  Scientists from UP Los Baños (UPLB) have discovered and developed a new product that comes from a most unlikely source, one that’s considered waste—the cacao pod husk.  At the Food and Feed Laboratory of the UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), researchers Tess Ramirez and Arcie Sapin have found a viable dietary fiber source in the husk that’s discarded after the precious cacao beans have been harvested from the pod to make chocolate. They processed the husk, treated it with enzymes, and developed a powder as food supplement for human consumption.  “It’s high-fiber, high-protein, and rich in antioxidants,” Sapin said. Ramirez added that when they sent it to the UPLB College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) for feeding trials, “CVM happily reported that it was low on the Glycemic Index and actually lowered the blood glucose levels of the diabetic lab mice they tested.”        UPLB researchers Arcie Sapin and Tess Ramirez show the food applications of their cacao pod husk dietary fiber powder. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     The trials involved feeding the mice with the cacao pod husk powder, a commercially available dietary fiber supplement, and glibenclamide, an anti-diabetes drug. It also included one that wasn’t given any drug or supplement at all. Among all the mice, the ones who were fed the BIOTECH product had fasting blood sugar level results comparable to those who were fed glibenclamide.  According to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the United States National Institutes of Health, dietary fiber “adds bulk to your diet to make you feel full, helps prevent constipation, and may help lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.” The United Kingdom National Health Service says it is “an important part of a healthy balanced diet” and can help prevent weight gain and some cancers.  Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are on the list of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) identified by the World Health Organization, which reports that “Of all the major health threats to emerge, none has challenged the very foundations of public health so profoundly as the rise of chronic [NCDs].”  Ramirez and Sapin’s dietary fiber powder is good news not only for diabetics, those with high levels of low-density lipoproteins or bad cholesterol, and those with indigestion. This alternative dietary fiber source is also a welcome development for those who want to achieve a healthier body.  And the positives just keep on coming.  Their product is so versatile, it can be used by food manufacturing companies for mass production and by individuals for personal consumption. “We’re giving them the freedom to formulate—as ingredient for bread mixes, for example, or for ready-to-eat pastries.”  Ramirez and Sapin had to figuratively add a chef’s toque to their lab gowns when they explored food applications for the powder. Their fellow researchers at the Food and Feed Lab were more than willing to be guinea pigs and sampled the food items: pan de sal, mamon, polvoron, muffins, cookies, and tortillas.  The verdict? “They said our test products were delicious! Everything had a hint of chocolate.” And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, most people love chocolate. Although Ramirez and Sapin were concerned with the powder turning the food products a bit brown, they said most high-fiber foods are brown in color anyway. Aside from the baked goods, they’ve also come up with pancake and butterscotch mixes.     The researchers and staff of the Food and Feed Laboratory, UPLB National Insitute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or BIOTECH. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  Healthy and nutritious? Check. Versatile? Check. Can it get any better?  Yes.  Ramirez and Sapin’s work has produced a high value product from cacao waste—a huge step in helping the Philippine cacao industry manage waste from processing. It was Dr. Rene Espino, former division head of the Department of Agriculture’s High Value Commercial Crops, who posed the challenge of waste utilization from existing agricultural industries.  In the Philippines, cacao has been recognized by the national government as a crop with high local and international demand. In fact, the Philippine Cacao Industry Roadmap was signed early this year at Malacañan Palace to strengthen the industry of what is now considered a very important global commodity.  So not only have Ramirez and Sapin managed to come up with a product that’s healthy, edible, and tasty, but they’ve also found a way to use what was previously just rubbish to help decrease waste products from cacao industries. The last bit of positive news? They’ve already filed a patent application for their cacao pod husk dietary fiber powder early this year. The product’s name is still a mouthful but no doubt Ramirez and Sapin are already thinking of a more catchy label.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Jazz Ensemble turns 40 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-jazz-ensemble-turns-40/",
        "html": "UP Jazz Ensemble turns 40 UP Jazz Ensemble turns 40 May 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!  Since 1977, the UP Jazz Ensemble has been thumping in the background of our collective lives in Diliman. In celebration of their 4 decades of swinging, the Abelardo Hall Concert Series 2018, Season 1 is presenting “We Jazz Turned 40” on Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 3 pm and 7 pm.  Led by Prof. Raymundo “Rayben” Maigue, the ensemble served as training ground for performers, composers, arrangers and conductors. and has spawned many of our country’s young professional jazz musicians like the Ugoy-ugoy Band, Side A, Brass Munkeys, Parliament Syndicate and the AMP Big Band. Acting as host will be mainstay vocalist, Ms. Lara Maigue, an up and coming tv star, and pop and classical artist. And since improvisation and spontaneity is the heart of jazz, do not be surprised if some of our campus personalities hop on stage and jam.  We are inviting you and your friends to experience this highly celebrated group with us. The tickets, worth Php 500 and 250 (with discounts of 50% for students and 20% for seniors and PWD) may be reserved by calling Ms. Faye at 926 0026. And to add pizazz, we are encouraging everyone to come in 40s, 50s or 60s attire.  Time to celebrate the end of another semester; time to celebrate 40 years of jazz on campus. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Akademyang Filipino to discuss West Philippine Sea dispute in first general assembly – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/akademyang-filipino-to-discuss-west-philippine-sea-dispute-in-first-general-assembly/",
        "html": "Akademyang Filipino to discuss West Philippine Sea dispute in first general assembly Akademyang Filipino to discuss West Philippine Sea dispute in first general assembly November 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The country’s thought leaders, who have come together as Akademyang Filipino to help the country solve its biggest challenges to national advancement, will hold their first general assembly and a forum on defending Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, on November 24, 2018, at the UP Professional Schools Auditorium, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.  Akademyang Filipino trustee and Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will be the keynote speaker at the forum, which will also feature a panel of experts on the West Philippine Sea territorial and maritime dispute composed of Renato De Castro of De La Salle University International Studies Department, Jay Batongbacal of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, and author and columnist Richard Heydarian.  Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, chair of the Akademyang Filipino Board of Trustees, will keynote the general assembly. Messages will be delivered by UP President Danilo Concepcion and National Artist F. Sionil Jose, who co-founded the academy with the late Sen. Edgardo Angara and who is now the academy’s chair emeritus.  At the inaugural meeting of Akademyang Filipino in February 2017, Angara said he hoped the diverse organization “may provide an intellectual climate conducive to reform and change.”  The association’s membership comprises leaders in the arts, sciences, politics, industry, and professions, including national artists, national scientists, and the Philippines’ Ramon Magsaysay Awardees. Apart from Morales, Jose, and Carpio, the academy’s trustees are Angel Alcala, Sonny Angara, Jose Dalisay Jr., Lydia Echauz, Felipe Gozon, Doris Magsaysay Ho, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr.  The public is invited to watch the livestream of the forum at livestream.up.edu.ph, which will begin at 9:30 AM and end at noon. Observers, senior law students, and faculty members from UP and De La Salle University are expected to attend.  The event is sponsored by the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, UP College of Law, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Artist talks about “CalligraFilipino”, emphasizes love for own culture – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/artist-talks-about-calligrafilipino-emphasizes-love-for-own-culture/",
        "html": "Artist talks about “CalligraFilipino”, emphasizes love for own culture Artist talks about “CalligraFilipino”, emphasizes love for own culture February 26, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Visual artist Ian “Taipan” Lucero (right) shows a magazine featuring a story on the contemporary usage of the ancient Baybayin script. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “Napakaganda ng ating kultura! Mahalin natin ang sariling atin!” (We have a beautiful culture! Love what’s ours!), said visual artist Ian “Taipan” Lucero, as he shared his passion and advocacy for Filipino culture and our ancient script known as Baybayin in his lecture as the guest of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW)-University of the Philippines (UP) Chapter at the UP Executive House in Diliman, Quezon City on January 20, 2020.     Visual artist Taipan Lucero describes the Baybayin characters etched in Philippine peso coins and bills. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Attended by members of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW), teachers and staff of PAUW-UP Child Study Center, and visiting students from Japan, Lucero’s lecture-presentation on “CalligraFilipino” focused on the beauty of the indigenous and pre-colonial culture of Filipinos and how these could inspire modern-day patriotism through fine arts. He revealed that he used these as his inspiration for developing the distinct artistic style he called “CalligraFilipino”, and that this highlights the fusion of the ancient Baybayin writing system, calligraphy, and elements from traditional art and jewelry across the archipelago, such as the Sarimanok, the Kulintang, and the Okir, among many others.  “We had our own thriving civilization and system of writing long before the Spaniards came,” Lucero said. He further said that the ones seen in the ancient Angono Petroglyphs were used in teaching children; the Boxer Codex illustrated people and culture in pre-colonial Philippines; and the Tagalog’s Baybayin was just one of our many ancient systems of writing. Our ancestors, he added, also had gold jewelry with remarkable and intricate designs said to match those made by modern goldsmiths. “Our language is as important as our script. Be proud of what’s ours!” Lucero emphasized in his talk.     Members of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW), PAUW-UP Child Study Center, and guest students from Japan listen to the presentation by Taipan Lucero. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Lucero developed his distinct creative style by combining the above-mentioned elements, Baybayin, and calligraphy, and called it “CalligraFilipino”. He graduated cum laude from the College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman in 2012, worked as a graphic artist here and abroad, and studied calligraphy in Japan. There, he was inspired by the Japanese calligraphers’ love and respect for their culture. When he decided to return to the Philippines, he came home with this novel style and advocacy of promoting nationalistic Filipino art and design.     Visual artist Taipan Lucero emphasizes the importance of the ancient Filipino written and spoken language. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Lucero said that “CalligraFilipino” followed some rules to form graphic designs, words, or illustrate concepts using Baybayin characters.  “I put them together, stylized, into what would look nice,” he said. The style incorporates principles of: Kapuwa, for the characters’ positions to symbolize strong ties among family and friends; Kasiguraduhan, for the sureness of strokes and direction, without hesitation or error; and, Katuwiran, for the straightness of the character’s path, to symbolize steadfastness. He added that he had featured some of his works on his website (www.taipanlucero.com) and social media platforms (https://www.facebook.com/TaipanLucero/ and https://www.instagram.com/taipanlucero/) since technology and art were vital in preserving our culture and transmitting these to future generations.  Through the years, Lucero has participated in solo and group exhibitions that have been sponsored by UP, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), or private galleries here and abroad.     The Board of Directors and members of the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW), teachers and staff of PAUW-UP Child Study Center, and the guest artist Taipan Lucero. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The PAUW-UP Chapter Board of Directors is comprised of: Atty. Gaby R. Concepcion (President); Ms. Carmen M. Pascual (Executive Director); Prof. Elizabeth L. Diaz (Vice President); Prof. Adelaida F. Lucero (Secretary); Prof. Ma. Vanessa L. Oyzon (Asst. Secretary); Prof. Rosella Jean M. Puno (Treasurer); Ms. Sigrid Buendia (Asst. Treasurer); Dr. Elvira S. Verano (Auditor); Prof. Carmelita C. Ramirez (PRO); and, Prof. Belen Medina, Prof. Selma G. Cortes, Dr. Sylvia H. Guerrero, Dr. Consolacion R. Alaras, and Prof. Catalina Tolentino as Board Members. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to bare all COVID-19, ‘Omicron’ updates – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-bare-all-covid-19-omicron-updates/",
        "html": "UP webinar to bare all COVID-19, ‘Omicron’ updates UP webinar to bare all COVID-19, ‘Omicron’ updates December 2, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for an urgent meeting to discuss the new variant of concern (VOC), later named ‘Omicron,’ first reported in Botswana and allegedly responsible for a steep rise in cases in South Africa.  This new COVID-19 variant sparked tension worldwide, causing countries to implement stricter protocols and travel bans and even close their borders to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.  As of writing, the Philippines has not reported any cases of the Omicron strain. The Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has also suspended flights from several African and European nations.  What other measures should we be taking? Is Omicron more highly contagious than Delta? Is it resistant to our current vaccines? Where are we on both the vaccine and booster rollout of the country?  Find out the answers to these questions by tuning in to the second to the last episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series this year. This coming Friday, December 3, 2021, from 12nn to 2 pm, catch “What’s New? Nandito na ba ang Omicron: Updates on COVID-19 Clinical Management”.  Hear firsthand from our experts: Dr. Franco Felizarta, infectious disease specialist from the UP Medical Alumni Society in America (UPMASA); Dr. Jubert Benedicto, Head of the CCU-Management Action Team of the UP PGH; Dr. Jean Abalos, obstetrician-gynecologist infectious disease expert and Medical Director of Chong Hua Hospital; Dr. Benny Atienza, President of the Philippine Medical Association; and, Dr. Ted Herbosa, Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19.  Dr. Benito P. Atienza, President of the Philippine Medical Association, and Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director of Health Operations at UP PGH, will officially open and close the event.  Don’t forget to register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to look at Delta surge around the globe – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-look-at-delta-surge-around-the-globe/",
        "html": "UP webinar to look at Delta surge around the globe UP webinar to look at Delta surge around the globe September 2, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, would like to invite everyone to join the fight against COVID-19.  This Friday, September 3, at 12:00 noon, join us for the fourth International Virtual Conference of the Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series. As cases of COVID-19 surge in the Philippines, we pause to take a look at what is happening around the world.  With the Delta Variant now becoming the most dominant variant of concern, we ask these questions: Are cases increasing in other places as well? What measures are being put in place to curb what is now the “dominant variant” in many countries? What interventions show promise in controlling the Delta variant?  Speakers around the globe will tackle these issues: the current surge caused by Delta; how young and fully-vaccinated people are affected; the mental health impact of lockdowns; and updates on testing and vaccination.  The panel includes: Dr. Franco Felizarta (Philippines), an infectious disease expert); Dr. Atsumo Tsutsumi (Japan), Professor at Kanazawa University; Mr. Roy Wadia (Thailand), Communications Advisor to the United Nations; Dr. Chun-Yu Lin (Taiwan), Consultant for COVID-19 Pandemic); and, Dr. John Wong (Philippines), Senior Technical Advisor from EpiMetrics, Inc.  Register here and don’t miss this timely talk as we seek to understand what is happening in different parts of the world, and hopefully, we help each other navigate this pandemic together.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle physical classes, risks, preparations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-physical-classes-risks-preparations/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle physical classes, risks, preparations UP webinar to tackle physical classes, risks, preparations September 8, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The pandemic struck a big blow to the country’s healthcare system. While we scramble for short-term solutions, long-term goals must also be pursued, and that includes preparing the next generation of healthcare workers. How do we strike the balance between reintroducing face-to-face classes to sustain their learning needs and protecting them from risk of infection?  This coming Friday, September 10, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will tackle just that. Titled “Limited Face-to-Face: Ligtas Ba?”, speakers, students, and members of the academe will share how they have been preparing for the reopening of classes for health professionals, the challenges that come with it, as well as highlight the creative ways in which they’ve worked around these constraints so far.  The opening remarks will be given by Atty. Cinderella Filipina S. Benitez-Jaro, Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Speakers from different universities also invited are: UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla; of; Dr. Caroline Marian S. Enriquez, President of Our Lady of Fatima University; and, Dr. Ma. Cristina D. Padolina, President and Chief Academic Officer of Centro Escolar University.  Two students will also be giving their reactions after the talks: Rani Ailyna Domingo (UP Medicine Class of 2022) and Daniel Louis E. Puspos (CEU Dentistry COMPASS Chapter). Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, Dean of UP College of Medicine, is set to end the webinar with her message.  Register here or catch the livestream via TVUP’s official Facebook and YouTube accounts at 12:00 noon on Friday.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-wins-iabc-gold-quill-for-stop-covid-deaths/",
        "html": "UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” April 29, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    When the COVID-19 pandemic began to rampage in early 2020, there were no experts on the disease nor any well-established treatments. Any knowledge gained came at a great price as doctors, and other medical professionals were among the first to fall to the new, highly infectious viral disease.  The Philippines alone lost nearly two dozen medical specialists to COVID, a devastating blow to a country where health workers were already in short supply. Add to this the skyrocketing incidence of burnout among Philippine health workers as the pandemic raged on, as well as the government’s relatively weak COVID-19 response compared to the rest of ASEAN, and it becomes apparent that the country’s healthcare system’s recovery from the pandemic remains an uphill battle.  Early on, the University of the Philippines (UP), the country’s national university, saw the urgent and continuing need for the exchange of accurate information about and on-the-ground experiences with COVID-19 among doctors, nurses, health workers, scientists, government officials, private healthcare representatives, and other frontliners.  UP was then determined to ensure that the Philippine healthcare sector provides the best possible care for COVID-19 patients and national and local pandemic response. The general public also needed resources for science-based information about COVID-19 to counter the parallel epidemic of fake news and misinformation.  By tapping into its community of the country’s top experts in multiple fields and disciplines, UP organized the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series early into the pandemic. This series is a collaborative work with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH) and National Telehealth Center (UPM-NTC), and the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), with TVUP handling the Zoom-based program, including its livestreaming.  These informative, educational webinars are held every Friday at noon over the TVUP YouTube channel and through the University’s Twitter account and TVUP’s Facebook page, making them free and openly accessible to anyone. UP has produced 96 “Stop COVID Deaths” webinars. They are still available for viewing on the TVUP YouTube channel. The latest round expands the discussion beyond COVID-19 and other infectious diseases significantly impacting the Philippine population, such as measles.  2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit  The university’s significant educational and public service initiative—now into its third year—has recently earned international recognition when the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinars won a 2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit from the US-based International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).  According to its official website, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have recognized and awarded excellence in strategic communication worldwide. It is the only awards program that globally honors communicators’ dedication, innovation, and passion. Since 2008, organizers have screened more than 4,451 projects.  As one of the awardees for 2022, the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” series won an Award of Merit under the Communication Management Division of the Gold Quill Awards in the “COVID-19 Response and Recovery Management and Communication” category. Its co-winners in its category include projects by the Region of Peel and the Vancouver Coastal Health (Canada), and the London Health Sciences Centre (UK).  According to a letter from the IABC Awards Committee sent to UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, “Our Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel evaluators assessed your entry against the IABC Gold Quill Award criteria and IABC’s Seven-point Scale of Excellence. Your work met this high standard—a great accomplishment!”  “Through this work, you’ve managed to create a movement that has had a major impact on your country not only as it relates to how information is shared amongst frontline medical workers but also in the access that the public has to information that is highly relevant and important to Filipinos,” the IABC Gold Quill jury commented in its assessment of the webinar series.  “In a time where many people and organizations were overwhelmed, this project stands out as one that demonstrates how effective and impactful simple, clear and consistent communication can be,” it added.  Other winners from the Philippines are ABS-CBN for excellence in communication award for the web for its “Act as if you have the virus” campaign and recognition of merit in communication skills for its Kapamilya Himig Handog event, Christian Kyle Pascual of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde earned the award of merit in audio-visual communication skills for the presentation “Turtales: Telling the Tales of Endangered Marine Turtles,” the Megaworld Foundation garnered an award for excellence in communication skills in social media for its “Mega Summer Ventures Version 2.0” and Meralco for excellence in communication skills in publications award for its 2020 Corporate Reports and award of merit in communication skills in social media for its Meralco Corporate Partners Viber Community.  Everyone is invited to attend this week’s UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar titled “Batang Biglang Hindi Makalakad: Siryosohin Natin ang Tigdas”, to be held on April 29, 2022, from 12 to 2 p.m.  With reports from Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2018 Vol. 19 No. 3 issue is now online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-july-september-2018-vol-19-no-3-issue-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2018 Vol. 19 No. 3 issue is now online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2018 Vol. 19 No. 3 issue is now online October 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum July-September 2018 Vol. 19 No. 3 issue is now online.  Central to the magazine’s issue is UP’s character as being not just about utak, but also with puso.  It features ten articles on UP’s efforts in addressing the problems of students, faculty and staff not only academically but more importantly, emotionally, socially, financially and in other aspects of their stay on campus.  It also includes a roundtable discussion on “Utak at Puso” highlighting stories of kindness and compassion.  Click the cover photo to start browsing:  Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the issue. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum January-March 2018: A tradition of public service is now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-january-march-2018-a-tradition-of-public-service-is-now-available-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum January-March 2018: A tradition of public service is now available online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum January-March 2018: A tradition of public service is now available online April 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum January-March 2018 Vol. 19 No. 1 issue is now available online. It features eleven articles on UP’s continuing tradition of public service, including a round table discussion on how can universities and colleges serve the public better.  Click the cover photo to start browsing :  Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the issue. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October-December 2018 Vol. 19 No. 4 issue is now online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-october-december-2018-vol-19-no-4-issue-is-now-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October-December 2018 Vol. 19 No. 4 issue is now online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum October-December 2018 Vol. 19 No. 4 issue is now online December 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Forum October-December 2018 Vol. 19 No. 4 issue is now online.  Central to the magazine’s issue is UP’s legacy to Philippine music.  It features eleven articles on UP’s contribution to various aspects of Philippine music.  It also includes a roundtable discussion on UP’s legacy of music featuring insights from the faculty and students.  Click the cover photo to start browsing:   Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the issue. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS hosts “Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy: Implications for the Philippines” public lecture – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cids-hosts-taiwans-new-southbound-policy-implications-for-the-philippines-public-lecture/",
        "html": "UP CIDS hosts “Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy: Implications for the Philippines” public lecture UP CIDS hosts “Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy: Implications for the Philippines” public lecture July 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The public is invited to attend a lecture on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy: Implications for the Philippines on 13 July 2018 at 9:00am to 12:00nn to be held at the Seminar Room, Hall of Wisdom of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. This public lecture aims to provide insights on the significance of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy for the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region in general. Experts from the United States, Taiwan, and the Philippines will discuss issues related to this national policy. The invited speakers include scholars from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, D.C. and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) of the National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan. We are also expecting members of the academe, government, and armed forces, and foreign delegates to attend.  The public lecture is free and is sponsored by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Strategic Studies Program (SSP), in collaboration with the University of the Philippines Department of Political Science, Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc. (APPFI) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  The SSP of the UP CIDS aims to promote interest and discourse on significant changes in Philippine foreign policy and develop capacity building for strategic studies in the country. The program views the Philippines’ latest engagements with the great powers and multilateral cooperation with other states in the Asia-Pacific region as a catalyst to further collaborative and multidisciplinary research between the intellectual communities within East Asia.  For more information, email ssp.cids@up.edu.ph or contact 981-8500 loc. 4266/4267/4268.  Please register at: https://goo.gl/forms/AZ4tCC9l4nv7rKqa2  The online registration closes on Thursday, 12 July 2018 at 5:00pm.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "5th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium (PKSS) held in UPD – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/5th-philippine-korean-studies-symposium-pkss-held-in-upd/",
        "html": "5th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium (PKSS) held in UPD 5th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium (PKSS) held in UPD December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    With the theme, “Establishing Korean Studies as an Instrument for Development”, the 5th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium (PKSS) was held at the NISMED Auditorium in UP Diliman on November 9-10, 2017.  Plenary lectures by Dr. Donald L. Baker (Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia) and Dr. Hyunmee Kim (Department of Cultural Anthropology, Yonsei University) provided valuable lessons and insights on Korea’s modern history, contemporary politics, and the diverse faces of its youth movement. The symposium also featured paper presentations and discussions on related researches on media, gender, language, climate change, telecommunications, mass transportation, Korean-Philippine development projects and programs, and K-Pop.     Photo by Jun Madrid     The two-day symposium was organized by the UP Department of Linguistics and the Academy of Korean Studies, with the support of the Korean Cultural Center, the UP Korea Research Center, the UP Office of International Linkages, and other partner institutions. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu hosts first national TBI summit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-hosts-first-national-tbi-summit/",
        "html": "UP Cebu hosts first national TBI summit UP Cebu hosts first national TBI summit December 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Heads of 20 higher education institutions, including Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion of UP Mindanao, sign a memorandum of understanding under the HEIRIT Program, at the First Philippine TBI Summit, held in Cebu City, November 24, 2017.     Hailed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as a showcase, the UP Cebu Business Incubator for Information Technology (UP CeBu inIT) hosted the first Philippine Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) Summit on November 24, 2017 at the Cebu Parklane International Hotel. The summit served as a venue for the TBIs around the country to share their experiences and lessons including how to start a network in order to further develop the TBIs. The event was made possible in partnership with the Philippine Council for Industry, Engineering and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the DOST.  Aside from UP Cebu inIT, other established TBIs in attendance included, among others: the UP Enterprise Center for Technopreneurship, the UP Diliman Innovation Hub, Batangas State University, Western Visayas State University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, and the youngest TBI, the Palawan State University.     An open forum at the First Philippine TBI Summit, held in Cebu City, November 24, 2017.     “It took almost eight years, if we reckon the start of TBIs in 2009, before we were able to hold this first ever national summit,” UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro said in her welcome remarks. She echoed the summit objectives of promoting the establishment of an association of TBIs as an avenue “to share best practices, and to relay to government and industry the needs of TBIs and our start-up locators.”  Sharing his knowledge on best practices on the sustainability of TBIs, ‘Azra’i Shu’ib, the general manager of Technology Park Malaysia, discussed Malaysia’s journey in building its “fourth-generation TBIs”. The TBIs in attendance are the second generation of TBIs established with the support of DOST. Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora Terrado talked about how FabLabs could help capacitate technopreneurs in the region. FabLabs or fabrication laboratories are a kind of facility to enable the transformation of digital designs into physical reality.  Other resources speakers included Executive Director Carlos Primo David and TBI Program Manager Russel Pili, both of PCIEERD.  The summit also marked the launching of the Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship (HEIRIT) Program. Spearheaded by UP Engineering Prof. Nestor Rañeses, the program aims to prepare higher education institutions for technology business incubation ventures. A total of 20 of these higher education institutions were named, including UP Mindanao, with chief executives signing a memorandum of understanding with DOST through Secretary Fortunato de la Peña.     UP Mindanao Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion and UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro meet Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña at the First Philippine TBI Summit, held in Cebu City, November 24, 2017.     The summit showcased as well some start-ups sharing their own experiences with UP Cebu inIT’s own locators, InnoPub Media and PayRuler, taking the stage. Since its establishment in 2009, a number of TBIs around the country have experienced challenges in sustainability with UP Cebu inIT remaining as a good example and described by DOST as “the more matured” of the TBIs.  According to Jeffrey Montecillos, who has been with the UP Cebu inIT since its inception, the maturity of UP Cebu’s TBI is due to a high start-up graduation rate and financial sustainability of operations. Of its 62 locators, 40 have graduated from the TBI as capable of operating on their own. The TBI has also come up with an operations manual and has realized significant savings.  The UP Cebu inIT is currently being managed by Project Leader Jason Nieva along with staff members, Montecillos, Hazel dela Peña, and Fretzy Colonia. "
    },
    {
        "title": "DOST-JSPS Joint Research Program for 2019 now open for proposals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dost-jsps-joint-research-program-for-2019-now-open-for-proposals/",
        "html": "DOST-JSPS Joint Research Program for 2019 now open for proposals DOST-JSPS Joint Research Program for 2019 now open for proposals June 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Joint Research Program, first launched in 2004, is a bilateral exchange program jointly conducted by Filipino and Japanese researchers in accordance with their mutual agreement on international scientific collaboration.  In this bilateral activity, a Filipino scientist/researcher is given the opportunity to conduct his/her research project with funding from DOST, and also build/strengthen collaborative work with Japanese researchers and institutions. The call for proposals will close on September 5, 2018.  View the guidelines for submission of proposals and application procedures here.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Aghambayan showcases UP’s DOST-backed research achievements, contributions to nation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aghambayan-showcases-ups-dost-backed-research-achievements-contributions-to-nation/",
        "html": "Aghambayan showcases UP’s DOST-backed research achievements, contributions to nation Aghambayan showcases UP’s DOST-backed research achievements, contributions to nation July 3, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Scientific researches on display at the Aghambayan Innovation Festival (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Aghambayan, a one-day science and technology and innovation festival, showcased UP-led, DOST-funded project. Highlighting the event were an exhibit, panel discussions and a conference with breakout sessions at the Jose Rizal Hall, Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City on June 20.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña opened the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Sa UP hindi lang tayo nagsasaliksik upang tumuklas lamang ng bagong kaalaman. Lahat ng nais nating gawin sa UP ay inilalaan natin ang ating panahon, yaman at kakayahang taglay sa mga saliksik na magdudulot ng pakinabang sa buong sambayanan. . . . Ang agham po sa UP ay para sa bayan. Ang UP ay agham bayan… [In UP, we are doing research not just for the sake of discovering new knowledge. Everything that we do in the University is dedicated through our efforts, resources and expertise to researches that benefit the Filipinos and the nation. Science for UP is for the nation. UP is agham bayan],” Pres. Concepcion said during his welcome remarks.  On exhibit was a display of scientific works divided into four themes: health and well-being, environment, food, and human resource development-job creation. Along with the research exhibits, there were interactive technology demonstration corners as well as actual discussions with project leaders and scientists present at the event.  The panel discussions brought together: primary stakeholders of science, technology, and innovation, government and industry leaders, including faculty members and researchers from UP and other state universities and colleges; policy makers; and, investors discussing policy implications and utilization of scientific research and innovation benefiting the public.     Featuring researches on health and well-being as one of the themes of this year’s Aghambayan festival (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The industry panel discussion was moderated by UP alumna and ABS-CBN’s ANC anchor Michelle Ong. It was attended by some industry leaders: Roberto Amores of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and Dan Lachica of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI). Discussions were on the importance of research and development (R&D) especially to major industry investors. These emphasized the need to review existing policies pertaining to R&D as well as to patent and intellectual property issues.  With Aghambayan showcasing UP’s science innovations which are in collaboration with DOST providing practical value to Filipino’s everyday lives, DOST Secretary Dela Peña stressed that “this endeavor has gone far in achieving its goal, take for example, in uplifting the lives of agricultural farmers and its sector.” He continued, “This is a gift to the whole country. And the DOST does not work with UP alone; in fact, we have launched the ‘Science for Change’ program to accelerate science and technology innovation through a massive investment in science and technology, human resource development and R&D. We are working aggressively to establish lead-centers for R&D in the regions through the R&D leadership program, and efforts to connect R&D institutions with industry. So, with this kind of program, we hope to have more activities like Aghambayan to manifest DOST’s strategy: science for the people.”  For the government panel discussion, UP alumna and GMA documentarist and journalist Kara David was the moderator, of with DOST Sec. Dela Peña and NEDA Usec. Adoracion Navarro among the key panel discussants. They raised issues on: funding support, strengthening commercialization, knowledge transfer and patent, the government’s trust in the research products of scientists and academe.     Top officials from the government and industry sectors also receive from UP President Danilo Concepcion and DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña the “Better Living Through Science and Technology” handbook. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     At the event, top officials from the government and industry sectors also received from UP President Danilo Concepcion and DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña the “Better Living Through Science and Technology” handbook, featuring a compilation of DOST-funded UP research and development projects. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public lecture on Indo-Pacific geopolitical situation set on October 23 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-lecture-on-indo-pacific-geopolitical-situation-set-on-october-23/",
        "html": "Public lecture on Indo-Pacific geopolitical situation set on October 23 Public lecture on Indo-Pacific geopolitical situation set on October 23 October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the University of the Philippines’ Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), in partnership with the UP System Office of International Linkages (UP OIL), will hold a World Experts Lecture Series on Tuesday, 23 October 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Audiovisual Room of the UP Marine Science Institute, Diliman, Quezon City.  The public lecture, which seeks to provide insights on the developing geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific, will have as its speakers Dr. Brendan Taylor, Associate Professor of Strategic Studies, and Dr. William Tow, Professor of International Relations, from the Australian National University.  This event is free and open to the public. To pre-register visit https://goo.gl/forms/fTmqVLHXzuAt66bv1  For more information, please contact ssp.cids@up.edu.ph or (02) 981 8500 loc. 4266-68. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Building a soul for Diwata – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/building-a-soul-for-diwata/",
        "html": "Building a soul for Diwata Building a soul for Diwata October 30, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Engr. Ariston Gonzalez of the PHL-Microsat bus development team. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     For much of his stay at Japan’s Tohoku University, there was little Ariston Gonzalez could do to ease the grind of his daily shift. At times the process of satellite-building seemed more hard labor than scholarship. Even for this UP-trained engineer, each repetitive motion hardly seemed to lead to the near-miracle of creating what essentially became a tumbling box in space that could obey commands.  Take the case of the humble nut and bolt. Where in previous projects, Gonzalez could twist away to his heart’s content, the life cycle of each of his bolts followed strict protocols. There were quality control protocols, cleaning protocols, and even protocols for proper torqueing. “But here was where I learned that every detail matters,” he says. “Because if one bolt fails, everything could fail.”  Indeed, what followed was the opposite of failure. In April 2016 Gonzalez’s little box would rise to fame as Diwata 1, the first ever microsatellite made and designed by Filipinos. Gonzalez, together with three others, was a member of Diwata’s original bus development team. Their crew was tasked not only with building the satellite’s infrastructure, but also providing the sensors that would act as its eyes, the computer that would serve as its brain, and the fans that would serve as its muscles in space.  Expertly tying together all these components made it possible for Gonzalez and the PHL-Microsat team to solve important problems. For instance, how would Diwata know where it was? And once they had a lock on its location, how could they control it? After all, even a satellite with a camera needs to point before it can shoot.  The secret, he says, lies in “attitude control”, the synergistic use of sensors and systems to orient objects like satellites in 3D. And much like the seafarers of old, Gonzalez claims that Diwata’s journey is one that tackles challenges common to all travelers. “How do we get to our destination and where are we even going?”     Sea of stars  With his trademark glasses and graphic tee, Gonzalez is fond of his nautical analogies. But instead of a ship on the water, his explanation of attitude control likens Diwata to a vessel in a sea of stars. “Like us, mariners also had tools like telescopes and sextants to chart star relationships. And they had compasses to chart where they were.”  There are multiple phases that go into pointing a satellite. And Gonzalez says, like Moana in the movies, that the first involves using sensing equipment to learn its location and position with respect to certain bodies. Diwata 1, and its successor Diwata 2, have a plethora of such sensors.  First, lining the bodies of both Diwata 1 and 2 are multiple sun aspect sensors (SAS). Holding up a metal square with a reflective center, Gonzalez notes the two purposes of this device. “First it tells us where we are with respect to the sun.” Working like solar cells, the sensors can indicate which side faces the sun when stuck directly by its light.     A glimpse at Diwata-2’s sun aspect sensor. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Second, even in its tumbling state, the sensors can help calculate Diwata’s angle with respect to the sun using light intensity. “When it shines directly on the sensor, that’s typically when it is most intense,” Gonzalez says. As the angle of sunlight moves off-center, typically the intensity decreases, and the onboard computers can calculate a line tracing the satellite’s orientation based on the information.  Because it orbits the earth lower than larger global positioning system (GPS) satellites, Diwata 2 will be able to receive GPS data, much like a typical mobile phone, to measure both position and velocity. But even this only serves to complement Diwata’s geomagnetic sensor (GAS). “We know that the Earth has a magnetic field of its own,” explains Gonzalez. And with different areas on the planet having fields of different magnitudes, the PHL-Microsat team can use the sensor to map the coordinates of Diwata with a considerable degree of precision.  Diwata’s final two sensors are perhaps its most sensitive. While vessels of old used gyroscopes to measure their orientation, Diwata’s fiberoptic gyroscope (FOG) takes this to another level. Instead of rotating wheels, the FOG features optical fiber coils located on three axes. Light is split and made to travel these coils in opposite directions, with rotation on any of these wheels causing interference that delays one beam relative to the other (called the Sagnac effect). “It is so sensitive to rotations,” Gonzalez says, “that just setting it on the table, it can measure the rotation of the Earth.”  Finally, just as the ancients before it, Diwata 2 also uses the stars. Since stars are fairly static landmarks, the microsatellite can utilize its star tracker telescope (STT) to take a snapshot of a region of space. It then compares this snapshot to the 360-degree star gallery included on board Diwata to estimate the satellite’s current attitude and location.  So accurate is the STT that Gonzalez says it is virtually the standalone system behind Diwata’s most precise pointing capability (called “fine attitude determination”) that locks onto a given location with an accuracy of up to 0.1 degrees.     High-altitude photographs  When taking a photo in space, however, knowing one’s location is only half the battle. You need to use all this information to take a position and aim. Once Diwata’s central computer has integrated its sensors’ data, it relies on a pair of clever instruments to move properly.  First, to break it from a high-speed tumble, Diwata 2 features three magnetorquers, which are coils with electric current running though them. When turned on, each magnetorquer generates a magnetic field that aligns with the Earth’s own. And, like typical magnets, both fields will lock onto one another—fixing the satellite in a specific orientation.                                                                       Once locked in, Gonzalez says finer adjustments can be made. For these, they installed four reaction wheels located diagonally across each other. Because angular momentum is conserved, Gonzalez says paired wheels spinning at equal speeds cancel each other’s influence out. But weaken or turn one off and Diwata can pivot in a controlled fashion suitable to take the high-altitude photographs that have made it famous.  As the public has witnessed since 2016, the images produced by the nation’s microsatellites are as useful as they are remarkable. With the ability to point directly down (called “nadir pointing mode”), to track a specific landmark as it passes, or to aim at an off-center direction, Diwata can take multispectral images to check for environmental health or detailed photos of important targets.     A stitched together panorama of multispectral images of Palawan’s sediment plumes. (Courtesy of PHL-Microsat project)     With the technical requirements in place, taking, say, a panoramic image of Palawan becomes simple. “So basically what you do when you make a panorama is shoot photos while on the move,” Gonzalez said. “But since Diwata moves on its orbit, you just have to hold it down and take snapshot after snapshot. After stitching these together, you end up with one big mosaic.”     A Diwata’s soul  The philosopher Aristotle once described a soul as that which gives a being its primary purpose and contains faculties for it to think, sense and act. In that sense, it might not, therefore, be an exaggeration to say that the sleepless nights Gonzalez and his colleagues spent building and coding were giving Diwata the closest thing it has to a soul.  Fortunately, this larger purpose was never lost on Gonzalez and his team, especially during cold winters. “I always say when I give talks to students that even when you are doing technical work, you should always keep the bigger picture of what you are doing in mind. Looking at it in retrospect, this is really testament to our country’s journey—that we can do it!”  To perk himself up in the lab, there were times when Gonzalez would put his fingerprints on the tiny sensors he made and imagined them being part of something greater. Today, these same sensors are moving at 7 kilometers per second, ensuring that Diwata 2 can watch over the Philippines tirelessly as it looks forward to a future in space.     Ariston Gonzalez (seated, center) with members of the PHL-Microsat team prior to the launch of Diwata-2. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Read more on the launch of Diwata-2 HERE. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Experts discuss Asia-Pacific geopolitics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/experts-discuss-asia-pacific-geopolitics/",
        "html": "Experts discuss Asia-Pacific geopolitics Experts discuss Asia-Pacific geopolitics November 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   William T. Tow, PhD, and Brendan K. Taylor, PhD. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Two international relations scholars from the Australian National University (ANU) shared their views on the geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific region at the lecture hosted by the Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) and the UP Office of International Linkages (UP OIL) in the Audiovisual Room of the UP Marine Science Institute in UP Diliman, Quezon City on October 23, 2018.     Brendan K. Taylor, PhD. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Brendan K. Taylor, PhD, Associate Professor of Strategic Studies at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, talked on four flashpoints or geographic areas where violent conflict may erupt and then offered possible scenarios to prevent war. Taylor is a specialist on great power strategic relations in the Asia-Pacific, East Asian flashpoints, and Asian security architecture. His presentation, “Stopping Asia’s ‘Crisis Slide’: An Australian Perspective on Asia’s Flashpoint”, featured analyses contained in his latest book, The Four Flashpoints: How Asia Goes to War (2018).     William T. Tow, PhD. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     William T. Tow, PhD, Professor in the International Relations Department at the ANU Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs, discussed several developments in the region’s geopolitics in his presentation, “Structural Change and Power Balancing in the Indo-Pacific: An Australian View of the Region’s Alliance Politics”. He has been a visiting research fellow at Stanford University’s Asia-Pacific Research Center, the Yusof Ishak Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Rajaratnam School of International Studies.     Teresa S. Encarnacion Tadem, PhD, Executive Director of the UP CIDS, welcomes the participants of the public lecture. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Taylor outlined several historical and structural causes of conflict, shifts in balance of military power, and methods to prevent a catastrophic clash among key players in the region, among others. He said the flashpoints were: Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. He also explained that it was important for scholars and world leaders to understand the connections and possible resolutions in order to prevent a “crisis slide” or a series of international problems that could lead to war.     Herman Joseph S. Kraft, convenor of the UP CIDS – SSP, delivers the closing remarks. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Tow discussed how scholars of international relations and strategic studies are looking at the rise of China in relation to the perceived erosion of Western power, nations’ alliances and connections with the US, prospects for a post-Cold War bipolar world order, and new opportunities for global connectivity. He warned that corruption, nationalism or populism, and overheated economies complicate miscalculation, making the situation volatile or less predictable. He recommended that connectivity, free trade, and a rules-based order based on sovereignty and respect are vital for nations to avoid blocks or conflicts. He also said the world must not return to the age of great power rivalry. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP KRC and Ateneo Korean Studies Program hold public lecture on “Accounting for Popular Taste: Neoliberalism in Reality Talent Shows” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-krc-and-ateneo-korean-studies-program-hold-public-lecture-on-accounting-for-popular-taste-neoliberalism-in-reality-talent-shows/",
        "html": "UP KRC and Ateneo Korean Studies Program hold public lecture on “Accounting for Popular Taste: Neoliberalism in Reality Talent Shows” UP KRC and Ateneo Korean Studies Program hold public lecture on “Accounting for Popular Taste: Neoliberalism in Reality Talent Shows” April 13, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On March 12, 2021, the University of the Philippines (UP) Korea Research Center and the Ateneo Korean Studies Program conducted another public lecture, “Accounting for Popular Taste: Neoliberalism in Reality Talent Shows”. This free lecture discussed the history, nature, and practices of Korean reality talent shows and K-pop idol formation under neoliberalism.     Screenshot during the UP KRC’s public lecture, “Accounting for Popular Taste: Neoliberalism in Reality Talent Shows”. Watch the replay on the UP KRC’s Youtube channel.     Dr. Roald Maliangkay from the Australian National University was invited to share his expertise on this topic. Fascinated by the mechanics of cultural policy and the convergence of major cultural phenomena, he analyzes cultural industries, performance, and consumption in Korea from the early twentieth century to the present. He is the author of Broken Voices: Postcolonial Entanglements and the Preservation of Korea’s Central Folksong Traditions (University of Hawai`i Press, 2017), and co-editor of K-pop: The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry (Routledge, 2015).  Today, many K-pop fans and audiences alike anticipate the formation of their K-pop idols from Korean reality talent shows and survival shows like I Can See Your Voice (Mnet), Superstar K (Mnet), The Voice of Korea (Mnet), Korea’s Got Talent (tvN), Survival Edition K-pop Star (SBS), Top Band (KBS), Singing Batte (KBS), and Star Audition: The Great Birth (MBC). This kind of “business formula” was established as early as the 1930s, and today’s events sometimes reveal precedency of “good looks and showmanship over musical skill.” Dr. Maliangkay highlighted that the term “neoliberalism” has been used not only in economic and social studies, but also in cultural studies and K-pop. He noted that neoliberalism can be identified in the K-pop industry with hypercommodification and hyper-rationalization through the hectic training system, “use of lipsync”, different idol formations, and idol-fan interactions.  Participants also asked questions related to recent survival show issues and fandom competitions at the end of the lecture. Re-watch the full lecture via UPKRC official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aFgcNP2QEs.  Press release prepared by Diana Kassandra A. Almarez (UP KRC Research Assistant) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Outstanding public service programs in 2017 recognized – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/outstanding-public-service-programs-in-2017-recognized/",
        "html": "Outstanding public service programs in 2017 recognized Outstanding public service programs in 2017 recognized December 20, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Eight public service programs of the University won this year’s Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service. UP President Danilo Concepcion handed out certificates and cash rewards to the winners in a ceremony on December 5, 2017 at the UP Institute of Biology Auditorium.  The awardees were:  the “Geography Field School” of the UP Diliman Department of Geography; the “Capacity Building Program on Bridging Leadership toward Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Development” of UP Visayas; the “iBuntis (Imaging Buntis) Program — The Use of Handheld Ultrasound Integrated to Smarthone to Avert Maternal Deaths in Two Regions in the Philippines” of the UP Manila College of Medicine; “Evidence-based Planning for Resilient Local Health Systems of the UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences and the UP Manila College of Public Health and School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte; the “Summer Arts Extension Program” of the UP Baguio College of Arts and Communication and Committee on Culture and the Arts; the “Teacher Development Program through eLearning” of the UP Open University Faculty of Information and Communication Studies and Faculty of Education and the UP Los Baños Rural High School; the “Phil-LiDAR 2 Program: National Resource Inventory of the Philippines Using LiDAR and other Remotely-Sensed Data” of: the UP Diliman College of Engineering, Department of Geodetic Engineering, and Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry; the UP Mindanao College of Science and Mathematics; the UP Los Baños Institute of Biological Sciences; and the UP Cebu Department of Biology and Environmental Studies; and, the “Participatory Implementation of a National DOH Program (PhilPEN Strategy) as a Public Service Program” of: the UP Manila Community Health and Development Program, College of Dentistry, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, and Department of Family and Community Medicine; and the UP Diliman College of Social Work and Community Development and College of Home Economics.     The awardees of the 2nd Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service with Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, UP System and Padayon Public Service Office officials, chancellors, and the awards selection committee (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP Padayon Public Service Office under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs administers the program, which is now on its second year.  The award looks at initiatives connected to or are part of the work of UP constituent universities. Concepcion said that compassion, which he envisions as a pillar of UP, should be integral in their study, teaching, and research, resulting in knowledge that is relevant to the nation.  He further said in his message that he looks at university public service as “excellent, honorable, true, fair, and humane”. He pointed out that it did not begin with the Charter, as public service had long been symbolized by UP’s iconic Oblation. “Ang Pahinungod at ang Unibersidad ay iisa,” he said.  The selection committee was composed of Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., Professor Emeritus of Sociology Manuel Flores Bonifacio, Professor of Social Work Jocelyn Caragay, and Professor of History Jaime Veneracion. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "With Maya-1 flying high, DOST, UP aim to train more satellite builders – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/with-maya-1-flying-high-dost-up-aim-to-train-more-satellite-builders/",
        "html": "With Maya-1 flying high, DOST, UP aim to train more satellite builders With Maya-1 flying high, DOST, UP aim to train more satellite builders August 14, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   At slightly over 2 lbs., the Maya-1 cube satellite is even smaller than Diwata-1. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     With the successful deployment of the Maya-1, the first ever U1 cube satellite (CubeSat) built by Filipinos from the International Space Station (ISS) on August 10, 2018, the people behind its success promised that the best was yet to come.  Watching from the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute’s (UP EEEI) Reading Room, a contingent of officials from the Philippines and Japan joined members of the PHL-Microsat program to witness the real-time release of Maya-1 from the ISS through the Japanese Experimental module, Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD), through the ‘Kibo’ module. This was the same module used to deploy the first Philippine-built microsatellite, Diwata-1, back in 2016.     Video feed from the ISS just a few seconds before the release of Maya-1. (Video by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The contingent was led by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and Consul General Atsushi Kuwabara from the Embassy of Japan. They joined UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, Senior Expert Shigeki Kamigaichi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), EEEI Director John Richard Hizon, as well as members of the Institute and the press. The event was facilitated by Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., program leader of the PHL-MicroSat project,  Maya-1 was designed and constructed primarily by Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) graduate students, Joven Javier and Adrian Salces, together with their Kyutech advisers under the second iteration of the BIRDS-2 Cube Satellite Project. The BIRDS project is a KyuTech-hosted interdisciplinary effort to assist non-spacefaring countries in building their own miniature satellites. As part of BIRDS-2, Maya-1 was launched together with two other CubeSats: UiTMSAT-1 from Malaysia and the Bhutan-1 from Bhutan.     UP EEEI Director Richard Hizon gives a briefing to guests, including UPD Chancellor Michael Tan (leftmost) and UP President Danilo Concepcion (2nd from left), on Maya-1. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Orbiting at an altitude of around 400 kilometers, Maya-1 is expected to pass over the country around three to four times a day and is expected to remain in orbit for a year. Among its missions is the demonstration of the Store and Forward (S&F) System, a remote data collection system where the satellite collects data from remote ground segments (GST) within its footprint, stores it, and forwards it to ground stations, including those from UP Diliman.     A replica of the country’s first nanosatellite greeted viewers of the live broadcast. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Among these data will be photographs of crops, river basins, forestlands and settlements, taken using two cameras with different focal lengths. Maya-1 can also be used to send and receive messages and sensor data from far-flung areas without cellular connections.  According to Dr. Marciano, the success of Maya-1 will allow both UP and the DOST to take their space science and technology efforts to the next level. He noted that starting January 2019, the EEEI will launch a variation of its Masters in Electrical Engineering program geared towards building our own local CubeSats. Scholarships under this program will include testing these built satellites in Japan, Marciano said.  The primary aim, he clarified, was the dissemination of space technology to other Philippine universities. This sentiment was echoed by EEEI Director Hizon, who lauded how Maya-1 helped give Filipinos the muchneeded expertise to further the country’s technological capabilities.  Finally, Sec. dela Peña teased the formation of a ‘Philippine Space Agency’, which he claims was one of the top three priorities of the DOST. The Secretary cited how Maya-1 was a pivotal step towards its fulfillment due to the lessons it provided the country’s Space Technology Development Program, not only scientifically, but also in the areas of education and human resource development.     Sec. Fortunato dela Pena congratulates the scientists and engineers behind Maya-1. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     When asked about the general importance of these efforts to national development, dela Peña answered directly: “If I have to be frank, we do not want to be left out.” (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Diwata-2 takes flight – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/diwata-2-takes-flight/",
        "html": "Diwata-2 takes flight Diwata-2 takes flight October 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   A replica of Diwata-2 overlooks the GT-Toyota Auditorium. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines PHL-Microsat Team and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) achieved another milestone on October 29, 2018, as Diwata-2, the second microsatellite built and designed by Filipinos was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan via the H-II F40 rocket.  In a viewing session at UP Diliman’s GT-Toyota Auditorium, project leaders of the PHL-Microsat joined their counterparts from government, the Japanese Embassy in Manila, the media and the UP community to witness the launch on the big screen. A more technologically advanced sibling of the groundbreaking Diwata-1 microsatellite, Diwata-2 will orbit at a higher altitude (~620km.), and features an increased lifespan and a sun-synchronous orbit that makes repeated environmental monitoring of specific places possible.  Like its predecessor, Diwata-2 carries a wide field camera (WFC), middle field camera (MFC), high precision telescope (HPT), and spaceborne multispectral imager (SMI) with liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF). Unlike its predecessor, it features the deployable solar panels for increased power generation output, an enhanced resolution camera (ERC), and two locally-made experimental modules: an Amateur Radio Unit for disaster and emergency communications and a Satellite Orientation Module for increased pointing accuracy.  Diwata-2 was developed, as was Diwata-1, with the mentorship and support of Japan’s Hokkaido University and Tohoku University. It is a pivotal precursor to the next phase of Philippine space technology, called the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, that aims to build a local industrial base and enhance local space science and engineering expertise towards the establishment of the Philippine Space Agency. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     PHL-Microsat Project 5 head and ASEAN US Science Prize for Women winner Gay Jane Perez. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     High school students from around the country viewed the launch of Diwata-2. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     VIPs from the DOST, the Office of Senator Bam Aquino, UP and the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines cheer on the launch of Diwata-2. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     PHL-Microsat engineers Kaye Kristine Vergel, Ariston Gonzalez and Delburg Mitchao walk everyone through the launch. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Embassy of Japan Minister and Consul General Atsushi Kuwabara. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     K-12 students during the Q&A. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     PHL-Microsat Project’s Delburg Mitchao, Ariston Gonzalez and Kaye Kristine Vergel. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Check out the story behind Diwata-2 HERE. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public forum on Saudi Arabia tackles OFW issues – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-forum-on-saudi-arabia-tackles-ofw-issues/",
        "html": "Public forum on Saudi Arabia tackles OFW issues Public forum on Saudi Arabia tackles OFW issues March 6, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   H.E. Ambassador Dr. Abdullah N.A. Al Bussairy (rightmost) leads the Saudi Arabian contingent, also featuring King Abdulaziz Foundation Sec. General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Semmari (3rd from right). With them are UP Institute for Islamic Studies Dean Macrina Morados (2nd from right) and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     A broad array of academic, diplomatic, religious and inter-faith organizations sent delegations to attend a Public Forum on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held in the UP School of Statistics Auditorium, UP Diliman on February 20, 2019. The event was organized jointly by the University of the Philippines through the UP Institute of Islamic Studies (UP IIS), the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Philippines, and the King Abdulaziz Foundation.  The forum, which was personally attended by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Abdullah N.A. Al Bussairy and King Abdulaziz Foundation Acting Secretary General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Semmari, brought together four speakers to talk about bilateral relations between the two countries and the state of OFWs in Saudi Arabia.  The speakers included two faculty members from the prestigious King Saud University in Riyadh, Dr. Abdullah Nasser Alwelaie and Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Tuwiri, who were joined by Ms. Jocelyn Sanchez from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) and Mr. Raymond Balatbat of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Manila.     Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Tuwiri (rightmost) answers a question as Prof. Julkipli Wadi of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies (center) and Mr. Raymond Balatbat look on. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     With almost 25% of the number of expat workers situated in Saudi Arabia, totaling around 1 million persons, the discussions of the speakers generally focused on the issues of that sector. For instance, while the Agreement on Domestic Worker Recruitment signed in 2013 between the two countries is considered a labor milestone, the Agreement only had a span of five years and was terminated in 2017.  According to reactor Dr. Abdul Hussein Kashim, this Agreement laid down the expectations of both the Philippines and Saudi Arabia with respect to OFWs, as well as codified the rights and privileges of every Filipino domestic worker in the Kingdom. Its importance, he said, meant that reviving the Agreement this 2019 is a necessity. “Both governments should sincerely work together to protect these people,” Kashim said.     Staff members of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies welcome diverse guests to the UP School of Statistics Auditorium. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The forum was opened by UP ISS Dean Macrina A. Morados. According to Morados, the public lecture is one of the results of Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s state visit in 2017 to the Kingdom that strengthened bilateral relations between both countries. She also thanked the Saudi government, specifically King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for his generosity to the Institute and support of its goals. The King, Morados noted, donated $2 million for the construction of a new IIS building, which will help the Institute to better fulfill its research and teaching mandate in the 21st century.  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia also read a message on behalf of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, proposing the creation of a Philippine Learning Commons in Saudi Arabia, similar to that  established by UP in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2018. Such a facility would enable OFWs to acquire training through online resources and courses, to be made possible through the UP Open University’s distance learning programs.     King Abdulaziz Foundation Acting Secretary General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Semmari arrives in UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Tau Alpha to donate ‘legacy’ pathway from Main Library to Quezon Hall – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tau-alpha-to-donate-legacy-pathway-from-main-library-to-quezon-hall/",
        "html": "Tau Alpha to donate ‘legacy’ pathway from Main Library to Quezon Hall Tau Alpha to donate ‘legacy’ pathway from Main Library to Quezon Hall May 17, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Tau Alpha Legacy Project Committee Chair Antonio Turalba accepts the great responsibility for the construction on behalf of his fraternity. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Officials from the University of the Philippines (UP) joined their counterparts from the Tau Alpha fraternity on May 3, 2019 at Quezon Hall in UP Diliman to sign a Memorandum of Agreement for the construction of the latter’s legacy project. Estimated at around P80 million, the project will lead to the creation of a pathway connecting Quezon Hall to the Main Library of UP Diliman.  Tau Alpha, which was represented at the signing by Legacy Project Committee Chairperson Antonio Turalba and Tau Alpha Foundation President Norberto Mendoza, thanked UP President Danilo L. Concepcion for the opportunity to undertake the prestigious project. “That honor also brings with it tremendous responsibility,” Turalba added in his message, while clarifying that Tau Alpha was ready to undertake that responsibility.  President Concepcion was joined in the signing by UP Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora as representatives of the University. Also with them at the ceremonies were UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Director of Office of Alumni Relations, Rica D. Abad.  Tau Alpha’s legacy project was created to commemorate the fraternity’s 90th anniversary, which will be in 2021. In addition to the pathway, the project’s budget will cover the cost of one or two bridges (depending on the final design) along Roces Avenue, with tunnels featuring vaulted ceilings. It will also cover the cost of incidental landscaping with provision for benches and artworks across the pathway, as well as the refurbishment of the Lagoon and the possible addition of a holding pond. Construction is expected to finish in 2022.     Tau Alpha officials and members pose with UP System officials led by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Concepcion lauded the agreement as “historic,” noting that partnering with UP alumni has always been productive for the University. He said that it was his dream for UP to have a world class campus, but he always hoped to achieve it without sacrificing the open spaces, trees, and natural beauty. The current project, he clarified, was a major step towards achieving that goal.  Concepcion also announced that his administration had several more major projects in the pipeline and asked for the alumni’s continued support in these endeavors. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Ateneo host “Shakespeare, Traffics, Tropics” conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ateneo-host-shakespeare-traffics-tropics-conference/",
        "html": "UP, Ateneo host “Shakespeare, Traffics, Tropics” conference UP, Ateneo host “Shakespeare, Traffics, Tropics” conference May 22, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Shakespeare, Traffics, Tropics is the 3rd biennial conference of the Asian Shakespeare Association jointly hosted by the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Ateneo de Manila University. It features leading Shakespearean scholars and theatre practitioners from around the globe with a keen interest in Shakespeare as produced in and by Asia and a mini-festival of Shakespearean performances from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  The conference is scheduled on May 28-30, 2018 at the College of Arts and Letters of UP Diliman and the Areté, the new creative hub of the Ateneo de Manila University.  The conference will include plenary, panel, and seminar sessions on several aspects of Shakespearean pedagogy, publication, translation, adaptation, and theatrical histories in various Asian locations.                 Selected papers from the conference will be published as a special issue of Kritika Kultura, a Thomson-Reuters-indexed and Scopus-listed internationally refereed online journal on literary, language and cultural studies published by the Ateneo de Manila University.  For more details of the conference, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP welcomes incoming Oblation scholars – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-welcomes-incoming-oblation-scholars/",
        "html": "UP welcomes incoming Oblation scholars UP welcomes incoming Oblation scholars December 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan talks with a group of Oblation scholars at the beginning of the reception. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP welcomed the incoming batch of Oblation scholars with a lunch and the awarding of recognition certificates on December 8, 2018 in the Isabelo delos Reyes Auditorium, Bonifacio Hall, UP Diliman.  The Oblation scholarship is awarded to the top 50 freshman qualifiers based on the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) and University Predicted Grades (UPG). To date, 27 of the 2018 top 50 expressed their intention to enroll in UP.  The 50 topped the 78,949 UPCAT examinees and 12,920 qualifiers of 2018. According to the UP Office of Admissions, they also belong to the first batch of UP freshman applicants to complete the K-12 Program.     Incoming Oblation scholars up for enrolment in UP Manila, with Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nymia Pimentel-Simbulan, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Carla Dimalanta, and Admissions Director Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Aside from free tuition, the Oblation scholars are entitled to book and transportation allowances every semester, and to monthly incentive allowances. They enjoy the scholarship throughout the normal length of time required to finish their degree program (but only the first four years for those in the Intarmed Program) as long as they maintain the required 2.0 grade average.     Incoming Oblation scholars up for enrolment in UP Diliman, with Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Carla Dimalanta, Admissions Director Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     According to admissions figures, 70 percent of the top 50 came from public science high schools, 22 percent from private schools, and 8 percent from general public high schools. Fifty-four percent are residents of the National Capital Region; 36 percent, of the rest of Luzon; and 10 percent, of Visayas and Mindanao.  The majority or 92 percent were applicants to UP Diliman, and 8 percent, to UP Manila; 60 percent to Science programs, 36 percent to Engineering programs, and 4 percent to Business programs. As Oblation scholars, however, they are entitled to choose a different undergraduate program in the UP System should they finally decide to enroll in UP.     Admissions Director Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza presents a profile of the new Oblation scholars. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The scholars and their family members were welcomed by University officials and representatives of UP constituent universities.     Representatives from UP constituent universities present themselves to the Oblation scholars and their families. Standing is UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rex Demafelis. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “The premium factor here is not that we have no tuition. With regard to essential facilities, we’re good [but] what we have to offer you is the diversity,” said UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan. He then spoke of UP’s diverse degree programs, ethnic backgrounds, and multiple intelligences.  Tan also spoke of new mental health programs, which would respond to the special needs of those considered to be among the best students in the country.  “For the parents, I know you have nagging fears. . . . You have to trust your children to be discerning enough,” he added.     Incoming Oblation scholars take souvenir photos of their batch mates. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Alyssa Peleo-Alampay read the message of Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, which drew a comparison between Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio in terms of promoting both love of country and education. “In UP you become not only an iskolar ng bayan, but more importantly an iskolar para sa bayan,” the message read.  “We not only encourage the deepening of a specialization, but also of holistic growth,” Bautista said. “Students appreciate their work as part of a bigger reality,” she added. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     UP College of Music students Marlee Pabico on guitar and Evette Parcon on vocals perform Philippine classical music for Oblation scholars and their families. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, ABS-CBN, and others sign covenant for Elections 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-abs-cbn-and-others-sign-covenant-for-elections-2019/",
        "html": "UP, ABS-CBN, and others sign covenant for Elections 2019 UP, ABS-CBN, and others sign covenant for Elections 2019 January 21, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa signs the covenant initiated by ABS-CBN for its partners in the campaign for peaceful, clean, and orderly elections in 2019. ABS-CBN Senior Vice President for Integrated News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes awaits the signatories for a photo opportunity while broadcaster Karen Davila calls out the names of the signatories. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     UP is among 25 organizations that signed a covenant on January 18, 2019 with ABS-CBN for a campaign to hold peaceful, clean, and orderly national elections on May 13, 2019.  Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, representing the University, signed the covenant together with representatives from the Commission on Elections, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Foreign Affairs Overseas Voting Secretariat, other major universities, non-government organizations, professional and business organizations, and media and advocacy groups that have forged a partnership with ABS-CBN for its 2019 national elections coverage.  ABS-CBN was represented by Chief Operating Officer Cory Vidanes and Senior Vice President for News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (3rd from right) and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rica D. Abad (rightmost) meet DZMM Station Manager Marah Faner-Capuyan (leftmost), ABS-CBN Head of Breaking News and Live Events Francis Toral (2nd from left), ABS-CBN Senior Vice President for Integrated News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes (3rd from left), and ABS-CBN broadcast journalist, Karen Davila (2nd from right), who are all UP alumni, after the ABS-CBN covenant signing for the 2019 elections. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     The organizations swore to support programs which safeguard the credibility of the elections, inform citizens on the elections, and help them guard their votes.     The text of the covenant and signed logos of covenant partners are flashed onstage. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     On December 10, 2018, UP President Danilo Concepcion approved a partnership between ABS-CBN and UP in support of the former’s flagship campaign Bayan Mo, i-Patrol Mo (BMPM), consisting of “in-depth, balanced presentation of news and other issues about the elections, particularly of the candidates and of the electorate”.  This would entail participation of UP resource persons in ABS-CBN news program platforms and BMPM-related events; and, provision of UP venues, audience, research materials, and, if available, fact-checking service. In return, the media corporation will acknowledge UP as a partner in its platforms and support UP election-related events and projects.     ABS-CBN Senior Vice President for Integrated News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes welcomes the covenant partners of ABS-CBN for the 2019 national elections. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     The signatories of the covenant for peaceful, clean, and orderly elections initiated by ABS-CBN stand on stage after the signing ceremony in ABS-CBN’s ELJ Building. In the middle are ABS-CBN Chief Operating Officer Cory Vidanes, Comelec Commissioner Socorro Inting, and ABS-CBN Senior Vice President for Integrated News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes. Behind Vidanes and Inting is UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     The signatories of the covenant for peaceful, clean, and orderly elections initiated by ABS-CBN stand on stage after the signing ceremony in ABS-CBN’s ELJ Building. In the middle are ABS-CBN Chief Operating Officer Cory Vidanes, Comelec Commissioner Socorro Inting, and ABS-CBN Senior Vice President for Integrated News and Current Affairs Ma. Regina Reyes. Behind Vidanes and Inting is UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East, a Roundtable Discussion (RTD) with Vedi R. Hadiz – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/islamic-populism-in-indonesia-and-the-middle-east-a-roundtable-discussion-rtd-with-vedi-r-hadiz/",
        "html": "Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East, a Roundtable Discussion (RTD) with Vedi R. Hadiz Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East, a Roundtable Discussion (RTD) with Vedi R. Hadiz October 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Center for Integrative Studies (UPCIDS) Programs on Alternative Development, and Social and Political Change, together with the UP Department of Political Science will be holding a roundtable discussion on the book “Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East,” on 21 October 2017, 10:00 a.m. onwards at the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Lower Ground Floor, Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. The discussion is free and open to the public, but seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  About the book and the discussion  Vedi R. Hadiz. Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East. Cambridge University Press. 2017.  In a novel approach to the field of Islamic politics, this provocative new study compares the evolution of Islamic populism in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, to the Middle East. Utilising approaches from historical sociology and political economy, Vedi R. Hadiz argues that competing strands of Islamic politics can be understood as the product of contemporary struggles over power, material resources and the result of conflict across a variety of social and historical contexts. Drawing from detailed case studies across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the book engages with broader theoretical questions about political change in the context of socio-economic transformations and presents an innovative, comparative framework to shed new light on the diverse trajectories of Islamic politics in the modern world.  Charts the evolution of Islamic populism in Indonesia, comparing it to the Middle East Offers a novel framework to understand the diverse trajectories of Islamic politics in the modern world Engages with debates on religion, politics and social change  About the speaker  Vedi R. Hadiz is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne. Previously he was Professor of Asian Societies and Politics at Murdoch University’s Asia Research Centre and Director of its Indonesia Research Programme. An Indonesian national, he was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in 2010-2014. Professor Hadiz received his PhD at Murdoch University in 1996 where he was Research Fellow until he went to the National University of Singapore in 2000. At NUS, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology until returning to Murdoch in 2010. His research interests revolve around political sociology and political economy issues, especially those related to the contradictions of development in Indonesia and Southeast Asia more broadly, and more recently, in the Middle East.  Aside from his latest book Islamic Populism in Indonesia and the Middle East (Cambridge University Press 2017), his other books include Localising Power in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: A Southeast Asia Perspective (Stanford University Press 2010), Workers and the State in New Order Indonesia (Routledge 1997) and (with Richard Robison) Reorganising Power in Indonesia: The Politics of Oligarchy in an Age of Markets (RoutledgeCurzon 2004,), as well as the co-edited Between Dissent and Power: The Transformation of Islamic Politics in the Middle East and Asia (Palgrave Macmillan 2014) and the edited Empire and Neoliberalism in Asia (Routledge 2004). His articles have appeared in such journals as Development and Change, New Political Economy, Democratization, Journal of Development Studies, Pacific Review, Pacific Affairs, Third World Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Critical Asian Studies, Indonesia, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies and Historical Materialism.  Professor Hadiz has been a visiting scholar in the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in France, the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies in the University of Kyoto and the Department of Sociology in the University of Indonesia, where he is also an Adjunct Professor.  If you are interested in attending the event, sign up here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Book Launch and Panel Discussion: “Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/book-launch-and-panel-discussion-ensuring-a-square-meal-women-and-food-security-in-southeast-asia/",
        "html": "Book Launch and Panel Discussion: “Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia” Book Launch and Panel Discussion: “Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia” October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change, together with World Scientific Publishing (Singapore) and the UP Department of Political Science, is co-organizing the launch of and a panel discussion on the book “Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia” on October 19, 2018 (Friday), 2:00 to 4:00 PM, at the UP CIDS Conference Hall.  The panel discussants include Dr. Theresa Devasahayam (Singapore University of Social Sciences), editor of the book, and Dr. Jorge Tigno (University of the Philippines Diliman) and Dr. Thelma Paris (University of the Philippines Los Baños), authors of the book’s two chapters.  To register, please contact Ms. Jesam Jimenez at pspc.cids@up.edu.ph or (02) 981-8500 locs. 4266 and 4267.     The Book  Research on women and food security in Southeast Asia has been limited. The collection of chapters in “Ensuring a Square Meal: Women and Food Security in Southeast Asia” is one of the first attempts at providing a lens into the linkages between women and food security at the household, community, national, and transnational levels. More broadly, the chapters examine women’s contribution in households, resource distribution to produce food, and the purchasing power to buy food. In analysing the various facets of food security in relation to gender, the analyses focus on the meanings of ‘private’ and ‘public’, and the extent to which the effects of the two spheres spill over into each other. Given women’s critical role in food production and provision, the book assesses the structural forces enabling women to access productive resources and, in turn, ensure sustainable strategies for food security; as well as it evaluates how governments might address the constraints women face in this vital role.  For more information on the book, please visit https://doi.org./10.1142/10761.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Interpreting Pre-Election Surveys: A Public Panel Discussion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/interpreting-pre-election-surveys-a-public-panel-discussion/",
        "html": "Interpreting Pre-Election Surveys: A Public Panel Discussion Interpreting Pre-Election Surveys: A Public Panel Discussion March 11, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Pre-election surveys dominate the news cycle during election season. When they come out, candidates in the lead celebrate their results while a number of those trailing behind question their validity. Some commentators praise surveys as a means for the average citizen to influence policy while others caution that surveys are means to manipulate public opinion.  How are pre-election surveys done? What do they tell us? And what should we do with that information?  To find answers to this question, the UP Department of Political Science and UP sa Halalan, in partnership with the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Program on Social and Political Change, present “Interpreting Pre-election Surveys,” a public panel discussion with experts from the industry and academe on March 12, 2019 (Tuesday), 1:00-4:00 PM at UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Conference Hall, Bahay ng Alumni. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mga Pahayag at Sabi-Sabi sa SONA 2019: A UP Roundtable Discussion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mga-pahayag-at-sabi-sabi-sa-sona-2019-a-up-roundtable-discussion/",
        "html": "Mga Pahayag at Sabi-Sabi sa SONA 2019: A UP Roundtable Discussion Mga Pahayag at Sabi-Sabi sa SONA 2019: A UP Roundtable Discussion July 12, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (website: https://cids.up.edu.ph/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upcids/), through the UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change, and the UP Department of Political Science (website: https://polisci.upd.edu.ph/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upd.polisci/) invite everyone to Mga Pahayag at Sabi-Sabi sa SONA 2019, a UP roundtable discussion happening on 17 July 2019, 1:00–5:00 PM, at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  This event is organized in partnership with the UP CIDS Program on Alternative Development, Decolonial Studies Program, Program on Data Science for Public Policy, Program on Escaping the Middle-Income Trap: Chains for Change, Islamic Studies Program, Political Economy Program, and Strategic Studies Program.  About the Event  President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) comes in the wake of the May midterm elections which saw the defeat (or unequivocal rout) of the more liberally- and democratically-minded opposition in both chambers of Congress. In three years, the Duterte administration continues to enjoy high levels of public satisfaction amid its bloody campaign against illegal drugs, the Marawi siege and martial law in Mindanao, and territorial disputes with China, among many others.  In this roundtable discussion, we invite the public to join us and a group of academics and experts on political science, Islamic studies, foreign relations, constitutional law, and economics to discuss and review the achievements and challenges that the current administration face as we reach the midpoint of the Duterte presidency.  Speakers  PANEL ONE  Themes in the Presidential Policy Rhetoric  Jalton G. Taguibao, Ph.D. Co-convenor, Program on Data Science for Public Policy, UP CIDS Assistant Professor, UP Department of Political Science  Labor and Social Justice Initiatives  Rogelio Alicor L. Panao, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, UP Department of Political Science  Constitutional Change  Dante B. Gatmaytan, LLM Project Leader, Decolonial Studies Program, UP CIDS Professor, UP College of Law  Foreign Policy/Relations Issues  Aileen S.P. Baviera, Ph.D. President & CEO, Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc.  PANEL TWO  Local Governance and Decentralization in the SONAs  Maria Ela L. Atienza, Ph.D. Co-convenor, Program on Social and Political Change, UP CIDS Chair & Professor, UP Department of Political Science  National Defense and Security  Herman Joseph S. Kraft Convenor, Strategic Studies Program, UP CIDS Associate Professor, UP Department of Political Science  Threats and Challenges on the Duterte Administration in Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago  Julkipli M. Wadi Project Leader, Islamic Studies Program, UP CIDS Professor, UP Institute of Islamic Studies  Midway Under Duterte  Emmanuel S. de Dios, Ph.D. Fellow, Program on Escaping the Middle-Income Trap: Chains for Change, UP CIDS Professor, UP School of Economics  Register  The roundtable discussion is free and open to the public, but registration is highly encouraged. Please register at pspc.cids@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-proposals-midyear-competitions-and-workshops-for-up-students/",
        "html": "CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students July 19, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In the spirit of harnessing the creativity and critical thinking of its students, the University of the Philippines, through the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, is calling for proposals for competitions and workshops during the Midyear term.  Intended for the engagement and participation of students in all the constituent units of the University, the proposals are expected to maximize the use of online performance arts, speech competitions, digital video competitions, online games, online trainings on wellness and mindfulness, as well as interactive games.  Submissions must be made by recognized student organizations based on any of the constituent units of the University. Inter-CU collaborations are also encouraged. The project teams in these proposal activities must be UP students. The event must be doable from July to mid-September 2021.  The proposals must be submitted to the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Competitions and Workshops. These must be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation which will contain the following:   A narrative background explaining the nature of the project and its contribution to the creative and critical thinking of UP students, method of implementation, a project timeline (activity and proposed timeframe), and an evaluation plan Quality and suitability to the topic Audience of the project Explanation of the feasibility of the project within grant timeframe Annotated budget proposal  The proposals will be presented and evaluated by the Ad Hoc Committee. Proponents of the chosen proposals will be notified by the Committee.  Deadline for submission of proposals is on Monday, July 26, 2021. Please submit your proposals through tinyurl.com/uhwe9r72. "
    },
    {
        "title": "From iska to beauty queen – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-iska-to-beauty-queen/",
        "html": "From iska to beauty queen From iska to beauty queen March 5, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    To say that beauty pageants are big in the Philippines would be an understatement. Year after year, millions are glued to their TV sets watching Filipinas compete on the international arena as beauty queens become heroes who dominate the national conversation. The battle, however, begins at home and two iskolars are among this year’s Binibining Pilipinas 2018 candidates, both of whom are striving to stand alongside powerful, elegant women such as Theresa Licaros, Venus Raj, Shamcey Supsup, Ariella Arida, and Catherine Untalan.  Driven by dreams  A native of Nasugbu, Batangas, Jerelleen A. Rodriguez, Binibini #25, is a cum laude graduate of BS Business Administration and Accountancy from UP Diliman where she teaches basic and advanced accounting as well as public accounting practice. On the same campus, she is currently taking up law in the UP College of Law. She placed sixth in the accounting board exams and after a brief stint at SGV & Co., she is now also working with small- and medium-sized enterprises to secure funding for their business.     Jerelleen Rodriguez graduated BS Business Administration and Accountancy, cum laude. (Photo by Jerelleen Rodriguez)     Wynonah Van Joy C. Buot, Binibini #26, hails from Cebu where she graduated from UP with a BA in Mass Communication, cum laude. She worked as an executive assistant to design superstar Kenneth Cobonpue from 2015-2017 after focusing on her modeling career which led to multiple pageant victories, such as Miss UP Cebu in 2012 and Miss Cebu in 2015. She wanted to pursue graduate studies in arts and journalism in New York, but due to constant prodding and encouragement from family and friends, she eventually tried out for Binibining Pilipinas.  At 24, Wynonah wants to be able to tell herself that she was able to accomplish something. Her family has been very supportive, particularly her sister who prodded her, and her mom whom she thinks is a “frustrated beauty queen.” Her supporters keep her going every day. “They help you get up in the morning and motivate you to be someone,” she said.     Wynonah Buot winning Miss Cebu in 2015 (Photo by Epic Events Photography)     Joining Binibining Pilipinas had always been Jerelleen’s dream. When she finished high school, she witnessed how Theresa Licaros won the crown and competed while being a law student. Jerelleen even initially applied for the same undergraduate degree program (Broadcast Communication) that Licaros took. She eventually shifted to Accounting for practical reasons and put academics as top priority until she graduated, aced the board exams, and passed the Law Aptitude Examination. After turning 25 last year, she finally decided that it was time to pursue her dream.  However, it is the vision of bringing her family together that truly drives Jerelleen to stay determined to achieve success. She grew up in a family of modest means, and when her father worked overseas to provide for them, she used this as her primary motivation.  Advancing advocacy  Wynonah firmly believes that advocacy should be something that a candidate carries with her naturally as her passion, and not just something forced on or demanded from a Binibini. Fortunately, as a UP student, being exposed to various discussions on social issues coupled with the expectation from people for iskos and iskas to be socially aware, she realized that she could use her background as a communicator to be involved in the peace process, focusing on terrorism and conflict in the Philippines. She feels that events in conflict areas are not as factually reported in mainstream media as they should be. She adds, “As a communicator, I can help by going to the communities, talking to stakeholders, and being a voice in providing concrete solutions.” Excellence and social responsibility are values Wynonah holds dear, both as a UP graduate and a Binibini contestant.     Binibini 26 Wynonah Buot (Photo by Erwin Lim)     Women empowerment has always been a key theme in beauty pageants but as a teacher, Jerelleen envisions this to be a centrepiece in education reform and instruction. “We’ve seen women become presidents, Supreme Court justices and judges, and leaders in their respective fields. These women became icons but their awakening came later on and I hope to change that by instilling this idea in little girls early on.” She laments the fact that textbooks in basic education still reinforce gender stereotypes, e.g. how men should be architects and construction workers and women should be teachers and nurses. “We should be taught that we can do anything, regardless of whether we’re men or women. Equality must be taught at an early stage,” she adds.  Regardless of the outcome, Jerelleen sees the Binibining Pilipinas experience as a boost to her confidence in gaining a voice in society. As a law student, she seeks to use the platform to make use of her technical knowledge by reaching more people. As a true-blue probinsyana, she was taught by UP what it was like to be a newcomer—she was the only one from her high school who made it to Diliman. She learned how to catch up by exerting twice the effort, which she also finds herself doing in Binibini as a first timer. “Although we are sisters, this [Binibini] is still a competition. We all have to step up but I have to step up more because I’m coming from zero experience. The perseverance and persistence in my days in UP really helped,” Jerelleen recalls.  Countering criticism  Their advice to those considering a beauty pageant stint? For Jerelleen, it’s simple: just accept yourself, given social media and heightened “bashing.” “Think of the pageant experience as a normal school—you come to class and learn every day, you have tests here and there, and come coronation night, you graduate and become a better person.” Wynonah advises, “She must really know if she wants to be in the pageant or not.” As someone who has had extensive experience in pageants, she believes it is critical that you are “101% sure that you really want this. Ask yourself: is it really ‘do or die’ for you? Have courage, be prepared, and tiwala lang sa sarili. Laban!”     Binibini 25 Jerelleen Rodriguez (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In last year’s Miss Universe question-and-answer portion, one of the questions asked was “What do you think is the most important social movement of our generation and why?” Wynonah thinks that her generation is trying to search for its collective identity. Older generations see millennials as people with short attention spans and fleeting ideas who settle for mediocrity. She posits, “It’s a challenge for us to prove them wrong, that we have dreams and aspirations and that we can reach them. We should stand out and be our own selves. I’m proud to be part of this generation.”  On the other hand, Jerelleen believes the campaign “think before you click” is relevant today for the generation living in a time of advanced technological developments where involvement in issues is almost second nature. Because of social media, a larger portion of society is more socially and politically involved. By thinking before they click, comment, or post, people are encouraged to examine all sides before forming an opinion.  The Binibining Pilipinas 2018 is set to crown its new queens on its Coronation Night, March 18, 7 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The artist as storyteller – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-artist-as-storyteller/",
        "html": "The artist as storyteller The artist as storyteller February 6, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Funny Komiks made Mervin Malonzo realize he could tell stories with drawings. His family had just moved into another rental house and the former occupants had left copies lying around. The future magna cum laude graduate and National Book Award winner was in the third grade then.  “I don’t remember a time I wasn’t drawing. And those comics made me decide I wanted to create comics, too.”  Slips and bumps  It hasn’t been easy. “We weren’t rich. My father repaired watches. My mother was a housewife.” He drew on his old notebooks, and an aunt who was a teacher gave him test papers she had finished checking, the blank sides of which he used. That same aunt, who Mervin had thought was encouraging him, also told him he couldn’t make a living out of his illustrations because he “could only succeed if he was good at it.”  Perhaps it was because he was an achiever in school who excelled in math and science that his aunt wanted him to go for a more lucrative career. But even if he was the eldest of five children, his parents never expected him to be the breadwinner. They just told him to “do what made him happy,” so he planned to take up Fine Arts in UP Diliman (UPD) to help him achieve his dream of making comics.     Mervin’s workspace sits on one corner of his family’s bedroom. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)      But Mervin didn’t make the cut. He fell short of the required UPD grade. He did qualify for his next choice: BS Chemistry at UP Los Baños.  There he was, disappointed, but ready to put his dream on hold. He had already found a dorm and was set on enrolling. Until he learned that the talent determination test in the Fine Arts program could still get him in.  In 2001, he entered UPD as a Painting major and all throughout, Mervin was a Pitoy Moreno scholar. It wasn’t hard for him to maintain the scholarship grade requirement. The genuine desire to learn that made him excel in his younger years persisted when he entered UP.  “I didn’t struggle too much with the studying part of UP life. Finances were harder to deal with.”  Love, horror, and making a living  He met Princess when she was a freshman at the Asian Institute of Tourism and he was a year from graduating. A friend had given him her number in hopes of setting them up because she was in UP, too; but it was months before he did something about it.  It was December 2013 and he had been living in a relative’s house without electricity for roughly a year. He was continuing to develop the story that had been brewing since he was 17—a story inspired by, but not quite similar to, the characters in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, mixed with Philippine mythology and horror, all of which interested him greatly.     Princess and Mervin laugh about how awkward he was early on in their relationship. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Living alone in a dark house can be scary but I fought that fear through the horror in my story. It was horror I controlled.” But loneliness was another matter, so he reached out to Princess.  To his surprise, they were actually classmates in Natural Sciences 2 and were practically neighbors! They only met in person when classes resumed, and as their relationship developed, so did his story.  After he graduated in 2005, he took on jobs as an in-house artist and designer for some companies. “I wanted to show people I could earn a living as a Painting graduate.” So despite his dream of creating comics, his story, Tabi Po, had to wait.  Breaking free  He learned how to use digital art tools for work and it didn’t take long for him to translate traditional painting practices into the new medium. In 2010, he uploaded Tabi Po online, making it freely available for anyone to read. It gained popularity and for a while, Mervin was content with simply sharing his work with the world.  An incident at his workplace years later forced him to reassess his career. He was the creative head of new media who was suddenly denied entry because of the leather sandals he usually wore. It then occurred to him that success in that track meant doing things that didn’t fit his personality; so he quit shortly after.     The first three issues of Tabi Po. (Photo from Mervin Malonzo’s online store, http://www.mervstore.com)     He became a freelance artist who did illustration and web design jobs. He had more time to devote to Tabi Po and the clamor for a print version was increasing. In just a year, Tabi Po Isyu 1 was published and won the 2014 National Book Award for Graphic Literature. He reveals it was one of his proudest moments.  “I was recognized not only as an artist but also as an author. I got an award for realizing my dream of telling a story through comics. It was better than all my academic honors combined.” He still feels bad though, that dengue prevented him from going to the awards ceremony.  What followed was an offer to turn it into a live action TV series. From the time he won until Tabi Po was aired in 2017, Isyu 2 was printed, Isyu 3 was being completed, he and Princess had gotten married, and baby El was born. He had also decided, at the end of 2016, that he would just focus on comics—as a creator, illustrator, and publisher. With the full support of Princess and together with friends Aliyah Luna and Adam David, Haliya Publishing was born. One of its first releases was Tabi Po Isyu 3.  A balancing act  As co-founder and co-owner of Haliya, Mervin continues to learn the ropes of publishing, including production, marketing, and sales, among others. Even with added work, he and Princess continue to be hands-on parents to El. He admits with a laugh that the one-year-old is, in fact, “the boss.” When they both need to work, El is looked after by Mervin’s parents and siblings who live with them.     Mervin signs a copy of Tabi Po Isyu 3. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The balancing act hasn’t hampered his creativity. He is continuing the Tabi Po series with another story arc. Mervin the artist and storyteller is also no longer content with letting people merely read his stories and enjoy his illustrations. He has created sculptures of his Tabi Po characters. He is animating not just his work but also others published by Haliya. Based on the online reception, people can’t get enough of his creations.  “I want more people to appreciate the stories of Filipino writers, through comics or graphic novels, through animation. I want to show everyone that Filipinos can do these things and do these well.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "From beauty queen to iska – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-beauty-queen-to-iska/",
        "html": "From beauty queen to iska From beauty queen to iska February 7, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   During the Miss Universe 2017 visit in the country with the past Miss Universe-Philippines title holders (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     She is just as honest as she was during her final question-and-answer portion at the Miss Universe contest in 2010. But this time, eight years later, she admits that she has a major, major problem when asked why she wanted to take up a master’s degree in Community Development.  “I’ll be very honest with you,” says the towering Bicolana beauty Venus Raj. “I had no idea what Community Development was at first. Someone told me to enroll in it as I was interested in going back to my roots and serving the community. Those were the selling points for me,” she continued.  The Community Development department panel raised the same questions that she, too, had bombarded herself with. “Why did you come here? Of all the courses, why Community Development, and why study? They were thinking, even myself, that I already had a nice job as a television personality, model, beauty queen, so why still pursue this kind of endeavor?”  With these two things in mind—going back to her roots and serving communities—the Bicol University graduate got her chance of a lifetime as the doors of UP opened to her.     Medical mission in her hometown, Bato, Camarines Sur in partnership with Freedom Fest, LCC Foundation, and the community’s church (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     One with the community  “I’m telling you, life in UP is way different. Yes, I studied for four years in a university and graduated from my program in Journalism. But when I entered UP, as I said in one of my interviews then, I felt like I was sent to another beauty pageant, go there and compete!” Venus says.  She is thankful to all her professors who guided her along the way. “And I think the one thing that also helped me in painstakingly coping and understanding all the jargon was my classmates,” she emphasizes.  “I have been inspired by my friends, classmates and professors who are working in the various sectors, especially when they speak about empowerment and organizing communities. Then, I would think about my contribution; how do I really do community organizing?”  A relocation site in Bustos, Bulacan opened her eyes to what community organizing really meant. Staying for a month there to fulfill a class requirement, Venus resided along with three other classmates in a vacant housing unit. “During the first week, residents consistently knocked on my door asking for photos with me or an autograph. Of course, from my line of work, it is automatic for me to take selfies with them. But one of the important things I have learned from my professors, when it comes to organizing, is that you should be one of them. You’re an effective organizer when they don’t see you as an outsider. When you’re one with the community, then you’re effective in what you’re doing.”     Fieldwork in Bicol (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     The star mania died down and eventually she took part in the community customs, food sharing and celebrations. “It is nice that they look at me as part of their community, a neighbor and not an outsider who just came to bring in some kind of charity to the community. It is a very fulfilling experience that gave me the realization that you can empower communities by allowing them to let them know that they can thrive on their own.”     Fieldwork in Bustos, Bulacan (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     Venus graduated in 2017, with a thesis that focused on women in disaster stress management. “Basically, the topic was looking at spirituality as a pillar in disaster-resilience, because most of the time, we know that there is physical intervention in disaster stress management. It became an interest because I grew up in Bicol where disasters happen often. So, I integrated community development, spirituality, and DRRM in the context of fisherfolk in my hometown in Lake Bato, Camarines Sur,” she added.  Between work and worship  Entering politics, representing an NGO, becoming a teacher, mixing community work with show business were just some career paths that most would think for her to take it to the next level.  However, serving the community took on more depth and meaning when she became an active member of the Christ Commission Fellowship (CCF) in 2014, while taking her master’s program. She was quick to say with conviction, “What do I do now? Where do I put this education to good use? Is it for the glorification of God’s name? Yes.”     Venus Raj with her CCF mentoring group (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     She explains: “I think the misconception is this, when you have the Lord in your life, your life will be very easy. Your wants will be provided. That’s not true. There will always be trials, there will always be challenges; but the difference is, in those trials, in those challenges, you know that you are not alone, you know that you have someone. You know that you have the Lord to battle with you.”  “In CCF, we have a lot of programs, like for example the UPLIFT program, which is a ministry. We send students to school, to college, in partnership with ALS, and create programs as well as livelihood projects for communities. From my experience, it’s really important that your heart is in what you are doing. As long as I am able to put all that I have learned from my community work and journalism courses, in church, even in life, and to reach as many people, I will never get tired of doing community work.”  Looking back on her studies, struggling to balance work and worship, everything was a humbling experience, at the same time an empowering one because she realized that work is also a form of worship if done for the Lord, according to Venus. “It kept me grounded. No matter how much I have achieved in life, I know what it is like to have nothing. I have been there.”     (Photo courtesy of Venus Raj)     If there’s one thing that she thinks will work best for Philippine community development, it’s the bibingka approach. “The community should be allowed to decide on its own, and be consulted, while at the same time, the government takes care of enforcement. At least we have some people like my professors Judy Taguiwalo and Aleli Bawagan who are fighting for marginalized communities. We see them working on a national scale and lobbying for the people.”  Venus Raj certainly proves that beyond beauty and brains, what matters in an iska is her heart. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A reverie of impressions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-reverie-of-impressions/",
        "html": "A reverie of impressions A reverie of impressions April 3, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   Installation view of artworks at the Art Basel Hong Kong 2018 (Photo courtesy of Artinformal)     A high ceiling and sprawling walls provide the sheer vastness required by blown-up images of mounted paintings, such as those in Zean Cabangis’s body of work.  This year’s edition of the world renowned Art Basel in Hong Kong provides the grandest of spaces for about 248 premier galleries from 32 countries and territories. According to a statement of Art Basel Hong Kong, it features “both historical material and cutting-edge works by established and emerging artists”, including Cabangis who is among other selected local artists representing the Philippines.  Hong Kong’s Convention and Exhibition Center displays the creativity behind utilizing such space, which is transformed into a captivatingly large tableau where Cabangis’ work becomes a reverie of impressions, of intersecting images, objects and texts.  “It is a series of paintings depicting places and landscapes that actually show no actual place or, as I call it, no place,” he explains.     A display of artworks by Zean Cabangis and fellow Filipino artists at the Art Basel Hong Kong 2018 (Photo courtesy of Artinformal)     Cabangis continues, “About this series, I was trying to show a sense of displacement and uncertainty to one’s feeling of home and sanctuary by putting in multiple layers of familiar images. The title of the works evokes a sense of longingness and of being lost and confused to one’s provenance and direction.”  In the great big world of international art, Zean Cabangis is making it big, for the country and for himself. However, he confesses that this is how he felt while doing his work for Art Basel. He draws parallels between his pieces in this latest exhibit and his personal contemplation as an artist—that he is at a crossroads in his art career with regards to technique and concept. “But in the end,” he says, “I wouldn’t know if I don’t do it and find it out myself.”  He is known for using acrylic and emulsion transfer as his medium. This is a recurring process that allows him to create multiple photographic images and a sensation of accumulated layers, a style that is Cabangis’s signature, but this time, collage is incorporated to add visual depth, for all Art Basel goers to see.     Musings at the Art Basel Hong Kong (Photo courtesy of Artinformal)     Art as allusion and allegory  Cabangis is as a trained painter whose narrative constitutes a sea of images and objects straight out of film scenes, mainstream media, architecture, nature and mostly from his bike rides. “There’s a lot from which I get the images. I just keep an open mind when I do things, especially the mundane ones, because most of the time that’s when a stream of ideas come in,” he explains.  He finds long bike rides a vital routine in processing his work, of remembering and forgetting. The physical as well as mental challenge of biking allows him to meditate and connect with his ideas, concepts and techniques in art. At other times, staying indoors, mostly in his studio, he does experimentation of his work. He candidly says, “Make mistakes and make more mistakes. Eventually, you’ll get there—to the things you exactly wanted to do, and meant to say.”     Cabangis at his studio, prepping up for Art Basel (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Cabangis works on keeping memories of things that are somehow lost, but are now found; of things controversial, now hidden; of things once prosperous, now stale, which has always been both a challenge and a struggle. “Creating, itself, is a struggle, and managing my time doing it is a challenge. It is a big responsibility to create pieces and to not just show it, but also to deliver ‘something’ to the public.”     Art as life decision, profession  “Aside from my father who is also a practicing artist, I made making art as my lifework because I’m too lazy to commute or go out of the house,” he frankly says. “I was able to make it to art school both at the University of Santo Tomas and UP College of Fine Arts. I chose UP because I am really not comfortable commuting. After graduation, I was hired by a company in Makati. I went to work on my first day and that was it!” he adds.  The long bus commute and traffic, as well as the work environment did not suit him. At that point after his first day at work, he confesses that he sought advice from one of his professors over a drink. “My professor just asked me one question, what did I major in? And I said, painting. Then I rested my case.”     “My professor just asked me one question, what did I major in? And I said, painting. Then I rested my case.” (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Zean Cabangis is a recipient of multiple prizes including Most Outstanding Thesis of 2006 (College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines); Gawad Chanselor Award for Academic Achievement (Shell Student’s Art Competition, Manila, 2004); Faber Castell Painting Competition (Finalist, 2008); Artist-in-Residence at the Southeast Asia Group Exchange Program, Tenggara, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2011); Ateneo Art Awards (Shortlisted, 2013-2014 and 2017); and 13 Artists Awards of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (Awardee, 2016).  Cabangis was an Isko all the way from UP Integrated School until he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at the College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines Diliman in 2007. He is active in both group and solo exhibitions here and abroad. Otherwise, he is somewhere out there biking.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP event stresses importance of intellectual property rights – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-event-stresses-importance-of-intellectual-property-rights/",
        "html": "UP event stresses importance of intellectual property rights UP event stresses importance of intellectual property rights April 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The University of the Philippines joined its partners in celebrating National IP Month at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Last year, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte declared April of every year as National Intellectual Property (IP) Month through Proclamation No. 190. In response, the University of the Philippines recently commemorated National IP Month with a celebration at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni with the theme, Yamang Isip: Itaguyod Tungo sa Kaunlaran.  This celebration took place from April 17 to 19, 2018 and drew luminaries from the country’s legal and creative fields who are passionate about the protection and promotion of intellectual property rights. The event opened with a message by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who spoke on the importance of IP protection in nurturing Filipino creativity.  The celebration was organized by the University in partnership with the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhil). It featured performances from the the UP Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-GaPi), the UP Singing Ambassadors and Dr. Ramon Acoymo from the UP College of Music, among others. These were interspersed with lectures on intellectual property in the different creative disciplines by guest facilitators.     The booth of Kontra-GaPi was one of several attractions during the celebration. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     IPAP board member and lawyer, Enrique Manuel, opened the event with a message on the overall importance of intellectual property protection. “Intellectual property is a key concern of everyone,” he stated, highlighting the fact that creative, scientific and business professionals could all stand to benefit from fostering intellectual property awareness.  “The reality is,” he added, “most IP owners are not aware of their rights and thus miss the opportunities these exclusive and reserve rights can provide.” He concluded by thanking UP and the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) led by its President Ramon Maronilla for their assistance in making the event possible.     Dancers from the UP College of Music joined Kontra-GaPi in helping promote the protection of intellectual property rights. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The importance of UP’s involvement was echoed by IPOPhil Director General Josephine R. Santiago, who, with her team, engaged in a small campaign for IP awareness before the event proper. “With the partners that we have right now like the University,” she said, “we will be able to increase awareness not only of intellectual property, but also be able to promote creativity and innovation for the country. And as we say that, we hope the effect on the economy will soon be felt.” (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tales from UP Diliman: Fact or Fiction? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tales-from-up-diliman-fact-or-fiction/",
        "html": "Tales from UP Diliman: Fact or Fiction? Tales from UP Diliman: Fact or Fiction? December 13, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    We’ve heard these stories before and perhaps even helped spread them—while we hung out on corridors, walked along the network of pathways across UP Diliman (UPD), or ate at the various kiosks and canteens scattered around campus.  The UP seal features a parrot. The model for the Oblation is the father of a late action star. The Diliman campus is located above a fault line. The Sunken Garden and the main library are slowly sinking every year. A student will not graduate on time, if at all, if he or she has a picture taken with the Oblation.     The creek from Philcoa goes into the campus, passes through the lagoon, is split into two around the area of the Main Library, and goes along the sides of the Sunken Garden. (Source: Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay)     Upperclassmen have passed on these tales to gullible, innocent freshmen. A classmate heard it from another classmate, who then told you, and you told another. You may still be a student or you may have graduated, thinking, wondering, if there is any truth to these urban legends.  Parrot on the UP seal  This is probably the first myth we hear when we enter UP and it usually provokes the question “Why would a parrot be on the UP seal?” But instead of asking why, perhaps a more important question would be: Is it really a parrot?     The winning seal designed by Galo B. Ocampo in 1971 was never approved for use as the official UP seal. (Photo from the UPD Archives)     The answer is no. It is, in fact, an eagle. Or to be specific, an American bald eagle. UP prides itself in being the national university, the hotbed of nationalist ideas. So why do we use a symbol of the United States of America on our university seal? The answer is simple: the Americans established UP. Like it or not, it’s a fact. But behind this simplistic explanation is a history of the UP seal—a seal that has been in use since the university’s early years.  The seal was approved during the 77th Board of Regents meeting on February 25, 1913. Its dimensions were re-emphasized in the Proposed Code for the University of the Philippines in 1941. On October 15, 2001, UP filed a trademark application for the UP logo with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (then IP Philippines, now IPOPHL).  Its use was nearly discontinued when former UP President Salvador P. Lopez issued a memorandum circular on November 13, 1971 opening a competition for the design of a new official seal, with the winner getting a certificate of appreciation.  “The present seal dates from 1908 when the University was reorganized as an extension, and the apex, of the American educational system in the Philippines,” Lopez said. When a new seal was designed for the country in 1946, a new seal should have been designed for UP as well, he argued. That it did not happen was an oversight and should be remedied.  Lopez said, “The eagle appears to be particularly inappropriate as the dominant element in the seal of a university.” The competition closed on December 10, 1971.  The winning design was created by then National Museum Director Galo B. Ocampo, who also belonged to the UP School of Fine Arts Class of 1934. His logo featured an inverted equilateral red triangle in the middle of a green circle. The “revolutionary” triangle with the base on top, Ocampo said, focuses importance on “the masses of our people in the structure of Philippine society.”  On each corner of the triangle is a star to represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Also inside the triangle is a sun that symbolizes “freedom for the individual, liberty for the nation, and independence for all.” Superimposed on the image of the sun is the Oblation, the “symbol of youth—hope of the Fatherland.” Around the green circle, where these images are emblazoned, the words “University of the Philippines” at the top and “1908” at the bottom are written in black on a background of white.     Ocampo’s seal was instead used in the University’s commemoration of the Philippine Centennial in 1998. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     So why was this new design not adopted? During the 818th meeting of the Board of Regents on March 23, 1972, its fate was supposed to be decided under the agenda item, “Matters recommended by the president.” The Board action: “Deferment for further study on motion of Regent [Tomas Saguitan] Fonacier duly seconded.”  Twenty-six years passed before the University used Ocampo’s logo, but not as the official seal. It was used in the celebration of UP’s 90th anniversary and the Philippine Centennial in 1998. UP commemorated these historic events with the theme, “One Hundred Years of Nationalism and 90 Years of Scholarship and Service to the Nation.” A marker of the Centennial Archival Collection on the third floor of the UPD Main Library actually has Ocampo’s logo, with the white background replaced by gold.  FPJ’s father is the Oblation model  “Fernando Poe, Sr.” is one of the most common names mentioned when asking about who the Oblation was modeled after.  He was a UP student around the time the Oblation was being created by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino, then a professor at the UP School of Fine Arts. No one knows for sure how the rumor started, but speculation about his involvement in the creation of the prominent UP landmark remains to this day. Try a Google search and you will come across some websites and blogs that still state this as truth. Or you can simply ask older alumni.     National Artist Guillermo Tolentino (middle) with Prof. Anastacio Caedo (right) and Esteban Caedo (left). Photo is reprinted with permission from Tolentino’s daughter, Dalisay Tolentino Mendez, through her son, Manuel Mendez. It first appeared in Tolentino by Prof. Rodolfo Paras Perez.     Well, according to the late UP College of Fine Arts Prof. Rodolfo Paras-Perez in his book Tolentino, the Oblation was modeled after Prof. Anastacio Caedo and Virgilio Raymundo. The former was Tolentino’s student assistant then and the latter, the artist’s brother-in-law. Tolentino combined Caedo’s physique and Raymundo’s proportions, and the monument we call Oble was born. Later on, Caedo himself created the Oblation statues in UP Manila (UPM) and UP Baguio.  But that’s not all. His former student, UP Professor Emeritus Grace Javier Alfonso, confirmed that she remembers him telling her to keep in mind that he was the model for the UP Oblation. Alfonso created the Oblation monuments in UP Bonifacio Global City; UP Cebu South Road Properties; UPD Extension Program in Clark, Pampanga; UPM Philippine General Hospital compound; UPM School of Health Sciences (SHS) in Baler, Aurora; UPM SHS in Koronadal, South Cotabato; UPM SHS in Palo, Leyte; and UP Open University Headquarters. She said that when she was first asked to create an Oblation statue, she kept checking and re-checking the facial features of the Oblation during casting. “It really looks like him,” she declared.  Diliman disaster: a fault line runs through it  This has long been going around.  With talks of “The Big One” hitting Metro Manila and the recent earthquakes in the Iran-Iraq border, South Korea, Costa Rica, and New Zealand, this urban legend won’t seem to die. It is that the fault line allegedly cuts into the heart of the UPD campus, across the Academic Oval. This mysterious and fear-inducing fault, believed by many to be the West Marikina Valley Fault, is also said to be the reason the UPD Sunken Garden is, well, sunken.  Enter Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay, a widely-consulted, often-interviewed expert from the UPD National Institute of Geological Sciences. When asked about the so-called fault line, he eagerly showed a presentation to illustrate his answer—that answer being no, there is no fault line beneath the Academic Oval, and therefore, no fault line under the Sunken Garden.  While a fault line is not along that location, Lagmay pointed out that there are faults running across the campus. Three of these were mapped in one of his presentation slides. None of them directly hit the Academic Oval. He also clarified that the West Marikina Valley Fault is actually between two and a half to three kilometers away from UPD.  But Lagmay offered a possible explanation as to how the myth started.  Geology students under Prof. Ernesto P. Sonido’s class were once tasked to survey the campus. One or more of his students, when pondering the Sunken Garden’s shape, came up with the idea that its shape could be explained by a fault line running under it. Why the idea continues to thrive cannot be explained.  As to why the Sunken Garden is sunken, Lagmay suspects it is due to the campus waterway system. In another presentation slide, he pointed out that the creek from Philcoa goes into the campus, passes through the lagoon, is split into two around the area of the Main Library, and goes along the sides of the Sunken Garden. His theory is that the creek that used to cut across the Sunken Garden was filled with soil and forced the water to divert from its original flow.     Three lineaments indicate possible fault lines in the UPD campus in this presentation slide by Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay. Of the three, only the one marked “2” is a “ground verified fault,” he said. But further studies need to be conducted to determine if it is active or not. It passes behind Kamia Residence Hall and beneath Narra Residence Hall. Lagmay clarified that the other two are referred to as “lineament features” because ground or field evidence for faulting has not yet been found. (Source: Prof. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay)     The sinking Sunken Garden  Another myth intertwined with the fault line story is that the Sunken Garden, along with the UPD Main Library, continues to sink at rates varying from one to ten centimeters every year.  How this urban legend started is a mystery. There are no studies to prove that the Sunken Garden and the library are in fact, sinking, relative to the rest of the campus. A more relevant fact, according to Lagmay, is that parts of Metro Manila are sinking. The maximum magnitude of subsidence is 6.1 centimeters per year, he said.  Photo with Oblation, no graduation  “Never have your picture taken with the Oblation while you are still a student at UP. You will not graduate on time or you will not graduate ever.”  An ominous statement declared with such conviction that it echoes inside your head. The only thing missing is the lightning flash followed by a clap of thunder. But there was a flash of light and you blinked. You just had your picture taken with the Oblation. Will you be able to fight the curse?  This urban legend is not actually exclusive to Diliman. After all, UP campuses across the country have Oblation monuments. Perhaps the most absurd myth on this list, this remains the most popular and most widely circulated.  The origins of this superstition are unknown and why they continue to this day is truly baffling. But blaming that photo with the Oblation is perhaps the weakest excuse for failing to graduate on time, if at all.  ——————-  This is an updated version of the original article published in the May 2011 issue of the UP Newsletter. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "All Is Fair in Rock and Roll – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-is-fair-in-rock-and-roll/",
        "html": "All Is Fair in Rock and Roll All Is Fair in Rock and Roll December 13, 2017 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario   The UP Fair 2017 in UP Diliman (Photo from the UP Diliman University Student Council)     These days, a rock concert is considered a luxury a regular Isko would have to save up for. Even late-night gigs in the local music scene charge door fees for two to three musical acts plus a bottle of beer. This is why thousands of music lovers eagerly await the annual UP Fair in Diliman, the February Fair in Los Baños and their relatively younger cousin, the UP Manila (UPM) Fiesta in—you guessed it—Manila. For a small fee or even none, fairgoers are treated to local band performances in the comfort of UP campuses.  Opening act  The February Fair in UP Los Baños (UPLB) started as a protest fair during the martial law era in the ‘70s, according to the UPLB University Student Council (USC), which is primarily in charge of organizing the event. It was originally held in September as a way of expressing dissent against the declaration of martial law and the worsening state of the country. This week-long celebration was spearheaded by several organizations in UPLB that eventually made their way into the leadership of the Council of Student Leaders, and then, the UPLB USC.     Scenes from the UP Manila Fiesta. (Photos from Shoot UP Manila)     In Diliman, what started as a simple “perya-like” event, the UP Fair, has evolved into a full-blown celebration of Philippine art, music, and culture—a platform for showcasing UP Diliman’s homegrown talents. Today, it carries with it advocacies as a means of generating awareness of national issues. The UP Diliman USC heads the organizing team of the UP Fair with student organizations serving as night handlers for every UP Fair night. Every year, the UP Fair attracts more than 10,000 people from within and outside the UP community.  In Padre Faura, the UP Manila Fiesta was launched by the UP Manila USC in 2014 as an attempt to make a splash on the music scene like the UP Fair and the UPLB Feb Fair. The cultural arm of the UPM USC, Ugnayan ng Nagkakaisang Artista (UNA), partnered with cultural organizations to organize the first UP Manila Fiesta featuring local talents as front acts as well as rising indie bands. With the help of the UP Manila Musicians Organization, the UP Manila Fiesta has reshaped its format and refocused its goals. Currently, members of Salinlahi, an organization of Philippine Arts majors, make up the executive team as well as volunteers of the UP Manila Fiesta.  True to its roots  The UPLB Feb Fair stayed true to its roots by incorporating relevant issues with pop culture, even after martial law was lifted. Program proposals, sponsorships, and event partnerships are proposed by various organizations, fraternities, sororities, alliances and formations even outside of UPLB to ensure that its audience gets the most out of this unique offering—a concert, a protest, a campout, and a celebration all at the same time (and did I mention it’s free?). To a regular fairgoer, it’s where you can have a date with your significant other, unwind by yourself, have fun with your college barkada, or come back as an alumnus to reminisce your days on campus, while calling for genuine social change.     A performer during the UP Fair in Diliman (Photo from the UP Diliman University Student Council)     A more intimate version of the UP Fair and UPLB Feb Fair is the weeklong UP Manila Fiesta. The goal is to rekindle the spirit of the Iskolar ng Bayan at the heart of Manila where it all began, as UP Manila is the oldest of UP campuses. The culture of resistance and persistence lives in the performances by cultural and homegrown talents, true to the mandate of dangal at husay na iniaalay sa sambayanan. This year’s UP Manila Fiesta will go back in time to highlight the horrors of the martial-law era and its growing threat during the current administration. With the theme Memory, its attendees are enjoined to oppose the wave of historical revisionism which is setting the stage for human rights violations.  Seven student organizations are hosting UP Fair 2018 in February. These include four “veteran” night handlers: UP Junior Marketing Association for Cosmos, UP Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants for Elements, and UP Economics Society with UP Underground Music Society for Roots, who are joined by two newcomers celebrating their golden and silver anniversaries: UP Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity for Rev, and UP Babaylan for Flames. The UP Advertising Core will once again join it as the UP Fair’s official promotions arm.     Scenes from the UP Manila Fiesta (Photos from Shoot UP Manila)     Each night handler has formed its advocacy team to ensure that each fair night will have a centerpiece campaign. In recent years, the UP Fair has raised funds for UP athletes and dormers, and this year, the primary beneficiary will be a local civic organization involved in the Marawi City rehabilitation. More than a fun night of musical performances, fairgoers may check out art and campaign installations, interactive game booths and food concessionaires.  Platforms for change  The UP Manila Fiesta will be UPM’s grandest event this academic year. It will also exhibit the art of graphic designers, dancers, and writers, providing a platform for Manila’s homegrown artists to be seen and heard and, ultimately, use their craft to generate genuine social change.  For the UP Fair, there will be no USC-sponsored night to kick off the week because all six slots have been filled by night handlers. As early as the midyear, consultations had been held with previous night handlers and a market analysis done to produce a bigger UP Fair in 2018. All the campaigns are centered on the Marawi conflict in relation to the national context of historical revisionism, fake news, and human rights violations. To the UPD USC, the dynamic art and music productions this February are necessary platforms to spread awareness and encourage action in achieving genuine change.        The UPLB Feb Fair with its Southern Tagalog Audience will banner the theme ARANGKADA as a celebration of recent victories in the movement and a protest against all anti-people policies imposed against the Filipinos. Its triumph is also a challenge to the Iskolar ng Bayan to truly serve the people. As in the past, entrance to the Feb Fair is free. It will be held in the UPLB Freedom Grounds.  ——————-  The author wishes to thank contributors to this article from the respective University Student Councils of each constituent unit: Isabelle Beatriz Ginez and Philippe Jefferson Galban (Diliman), Charmane Jay Maranan and John Joseph Ilagan (Los Baños), and Cid Ryan Manalo and Christiana Catu (Manila). Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-celebrating-the-up-spirit/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT December 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What UP traditions, festivals and celebrations do you enjoy/value most and why? Are they unique to UP or to specific campuses of UP? Are there new traditions, festivals, and celebrations in your campus which are now becoming popular among residents in your area?      Prof. Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature College of Arts and Letters UP Diliman     As a university that prides itself as a producer of high-caliber and holistic students, the University of the Philippines-Diliman has always believed that learning must not be confined within the four corners of the classroom. In fact, UP Diliman includes an Alternative Classroom Learning Experience (ACLE) in its academic calendar every semester. The ACLE is a one-day event wherein the organizations in UP Diliman come up with classroom-set up lectures of any topic (can be academic or not) which the students will be free to attend. It is one of those events that students look forward to as it serves as a breather for academic works and at the same time, it makes them learn something new—preferably, outside of their respective disciplines.  However, for the past three years, another alternative classroom has been set up on campus. This classroom, though, is not the typical type of classroom. It is not located inside a building but on the fields where temporary tents are built. The lecturers are not teachers, but people who belong to the national minorities wherein the topics of the lecture go around their collective experiences. This “classroom” is more formally called Lakbayan, spearheaded by UP Diliman, featuring members of national minorities who march to Manila all the way from their respective provinces to call for their right to ancestral land, for peace, and for self-determination. The main objective of Lakbayan is to listen to and learn about the collective experiences of the national minorities ranging from the systemic oppression that they face up to the militarization in their supposed territories. At the moment, several members of national minorities are still residing on campus because of martial law in Mindanao.  Despite being relatively new to UP Diliman as it only started three years ago, the Lakbayan is already becoming a tradition inside the campus. Students and even professors anticipate the Lakbayan because it offers first-hand experience of gaining knowledge that books and documentaries cannot wholly provide. It is a great initiative to hold such event in giving a voice and space to the national minorities because these are what have been taken away from them right in their very own homes. This tradition, therefore, is a huge step towards the mandate of UP Diliman to serve the people. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-celebrating-the-up-spirit-2/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: CELEBRATING THE UP SPIRIT December 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What UP traditions, festivals and celebrations do you enjoy/value most and why? Are they unique to UP or to specific campuses of UP? Are there new traditions, festivals, and celebrations in your campus which are now becoming popular among residents in your area?     Prof. Antonino Salvador Soria de Veyra, Director Learning Resource Center, UP Mindanao     I have always wondered how it was for the first batch of students in UP Mindanao 22 years ago. In their graduation yearbook, Siugda: Pioneering Batch (2000), the editors described the overwhelming task the 86 pioneering undergraduate students took on when they first set foot on the campus: “Left on our own, we knew we would be unique from the rest of the students, even from the UP students of the [other campuses]. There were no existing organizations. No traditional events. No distinct culture. These essential elements of a university were brought into reality by our innocent hands, as it was our task to turn the University’s dream into reality.”  As the first cohort of UP Mindanao students, their narrative begins with their awkward experiences during Freshmen Orientation. Their uneasiness soon turned into budding friendships as the students held their first bonfire in those first few weeks. This gathering was the precursor for what was later on called “Torch Night,” an annual event that symbolically marked the passing of the torch from the upperclassmen to the freshmen. Torch Night eventually featured a contest among the students of the different degree programs for the torch with the best design.  Friendly competition also highlighted the first Freshmen Night, with some students vying to be crowned Mr. and Ms. Freshmen Night. This event in later years became the Search for the Ultimate Isko/Iska, with students from the various programs fiercely contending for the title.  Other university events that continued from that first year to the present include the annual sports festival dubbed “Dula,” and the Christmas celebrations called “Kasadya.” The latter includes the “Parolan,” UP Mindanao’s version of the Lantern Parade, which draws entries from other government and non-government organizations competing for prizes and bragging rights.  With these events developing into intense contests, I wonder if these practices of socialization in the university could be conceived in other ways.  But then there are the annual concerts put up by the university’s resident companies—the Dance Ensemble and the Koro Kantahanay—as well as yearly events put up by the different course organizations like the senior Creative Writing majors’ culminating performance called “Sinews of Syllables” and the Dugong Anthro’s “Deviance Day” that elicits puzzled looks from the neighboring communities for the bizarrely-dressed student participants. And there is the Alpha Phi Omega-UP Mindanao chapter’s version of the Oblation Run which has gained some mileage from local media’s coverage of the event.  So, from the 86 pioneering students in 1996 to the peak in student population at 1,234 in 2015, a distinct UP Mindanao culture has evolved. But over the K-12 transition years, with no incoming freshmen for two straight school years, student leaders have had to redefine the celebration of Freshmen Night and Torch Night with no freshmen around. By the first semester of 2019, with only the sophomores and incoming freshmen around, I wonder what traditional rites of passage will be kept and what new rituals will be devised by the coming batches of UP Mindanao students. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UPLB of Their Younger Days – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-uplb-of-their-younger-days/",
        "html": "The UPLB of Their Younger Days The UPLB of Their Younger Days December 13, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       A year after its founding in 1908, the University of the Philippines established its first campus outside Manila. At the foot of Mt. Makiling, on grounds freshly cleared of jungle, and near rice fields fringing Laguna de Bai, five professors and 12 students, led by a Thomasite dean, Edwin Copeland, pioneered an agricultural school. They were joined by their forestry counterparts the following year.  Some forty years later, students would still see members of the first batches of students and American professors going back to the campus during Loyalty Day, UPLB’s biggest community event. The students would hold them in high regard, not only for the esteemed academic traditions established on campus, but in recognizing them for planting the seeds of a peculiar way of life for their then-small UP community.  Florendo Quebral, who entered UPLB in 1951, was one of those students. He admits to have enjoyed the legacy of rodeos, horse-riding ranchers and grand floats on parade, Halloween, barn dances, and the regular Saturday square and boogie dancing. A couple of years after Quebral arrived in the College, a young Romulo Davide from Cebu would be introduced to this same social scene.  All throughout the sixties, Mimi Cortez, a gregarious college freshman, would see not much difference, coming to UP from nearby San Pablo. She would dress up for the same Rodeo events as a cowgirl in a checkered blouse and balloon skirt, riding on a hay-strewn cart pulled by a tractor. There were new parties though, or names for such, as the newly-coined TGIFs at the Senior Social Garden. Also, she would spot new status symbols on campus which included Impalas and Harley Davidsons, lined outside the party venues.     Mimi Cortez, escorted by Larry Yapchiongco, is declared Miss September Affair. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Mimosa Cortez-Ocampo) Dr. Mimosa Cortez-Ocampo, UPLB alumni sharing memories     Thus, the UPLB social scene, like the rest of UP, continued to bustle with modernity of a distinctly imported variety. But like any foreign influence, modernity in the UPLB community had to contend with the overwhelming presence of the local living, reality, and people.  UPLB was a far cry from the America where those traditions originated. And most UPLB students came from diverse Philippine regional backgrounds. For Quebral, Davide, and Cortez, the parties served purposes other and deeper than a relief from boredom or from the rigors of academia. With social events, they had a way of connecting to other and larger circles despite their isolation from family and old ways of life. New circles meant a new independence, social skills, and with it, being part of a distinguishable UPLB way of life.  Davide recalls that early in the 1950s, nurses from the Philippine General Hospital and students from the Philippine Women’s University were invited to UPLB’s social balls, and he was excited to test his burgeoning dating instincts on these visitors. In those days, UPLB, particularly the College of Agriculture, had men far outnumbering the women, and competition among the males was fierce.     To save for this party dress, Mimi Cortez joined students at the Women’s Dorm cooking their food for a month. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Mimosa Cortez-Ocampo) Mimi Cortez in her terno for a rigodon de honor in 1966, where she got to be partnered with Prof. Cesar Mamaril of the Department of Soils, UP College of Agriculture. (Photos courtesy of Prof. Mimosa Cortez-Ocampo)     And so there was a need to prepare and dress up for the parties, and finding creative means to make good impressions on the ones they fancied. Davide uses the term “pasikatan,” which could mean sartorial, terpsichorean, and other arenas of oneupmanship.  The rigodon de honor holds a special place in Cortez’s heart because, in that formal dance with professors, she got to meet esteemed professors and be treated by them as a peer. During practice, she was thrilled to have them relate to her on first-name basis. Knowing her teachers up close inspired her to achieve more academically.     UPLB old campus     While students from same provinces and organizations tended to party together, the administration encouraged campus-wide social gatherings, which, given that the campus was still a two-college affair, were easy to manage. Everybody got to know everybody, and once the ice was broken, ensuing parties with other groups became even more attractive. Cortez said this was a major reason there were no “rumbles” during her college days.  The multisectoral party scene thrived this way. Cortez found herself at one time attending three parties in one night. But it was far from the wanton and decadent party scene of the West of the sixties. The women, most of them staying in the Women’s Dorm, had to be chaperoned by the dorm matron, who would hop from one party to another to look after her wards, bringing with her the other young wards. Moreover, social graces were part of the curriculum.  In the swirl of party nights at Baker Hall, or in Copeland Heights, or the posh ACCI auditorium, non-academics exuded a special attraction.  When the parties stretched well into the night, there were no jeepneys or carretelas to ride back to the dorms. Like barriofolk, the students then traveled in groups across a landscape of rough trails, forest, hills, and fields. The ladies brought a pair of chinelas to save them the agony of making the trek on high heels. And this was why when they were later sent to remote communities for extension work, the students knew how to deal with long walks late at night.  Locals from surrounding barrios took the students’ laundry and washed it on the nearby creek using palo-palos. Davide blames the wooden mallets for his missing buttons. He says that dormers also needed mosquito nets to sleep for the whole four years in college.     Mt. Makiling as viewed in Los Baños, Laguna     There were only a few eateries near “the grove” at the Gate. And student politics during Quebral’s time was big on the alleged poor quality of food being served in the dormitories. Most dormers had to cook their own food, many learning to cook for the first time aided by their more independent mates, with produce bought from the nearest market. Cortez found this a great way to save money for her next extra-curricular activities, which on top of the socials were mostly in campus performing arts.  During Quebral’s and Davide’s time, student council elections were associated with food, not just as a subject of protest. For after the announcement of results came the tradition of “the grove march” where the winners treated colleagues to a free lunch.  Behind the vibrant College social scene, much was improvised. The spirit of bayanihan was much in demand. Making floats for the Loyalty Day parade entailed working from scratch—sourcing and shaping bamboo for frames before wrapping them up with paper. Campus fairs, such as the September Affair and later February Fairs, popular during Cortez’ time, had no concessionaires for the booths. Students had to produce their own wares to sell or costume themselves crazy for fun booths. Cortez remembers a particularly hilarious day with her group’s “Dungeon of Horror.” Food for grand campus occasions such as Loyalty Day, where national political figures were invited, was cooked by the students of Home Technology, who included Cortez, who would also hope to be among the few selected to serve the meals to the guests.  Laguna nature became central in the students’ college lives, not for purposeless walkabouts but as inspiration. Quebral and Cortez, both coming from cities, were drawn to the campus by the environment, thinking it was perfect aid for study and meditation. Later, they would learn that it could also serve affairs of the heart. But while there was a fertility tree, there was also, at the grove, a chismis nook and a chismis tree, serving the purpose of today’s tambayan.     UPLB alumni sharing memories: Dr. Florendo Quebral (left) and Dr. Romulo Davide (right)     Going upstream in Molawin Creek up to the Flat Rocks and picnicking by the banks where they saw the tall, magnificent trees of Makiling became a traditional outing for students. As a plant pathologist, Quebral was naturally interested in trees, but Cortez of Home Technology, who later went into extension education, community development, and public affairs, turned tree-planting into a hobby.  Without a bustling town outside, nights were relatively dark; and moon and star light shone all the more. Students celebrated the sky. Quebral’s group, with maize-studying members bringing corn to eat, climbed Higamut hill where IRRI now stands, sat in a circle on the grass, ate, talked, and sang.  Usually in March, when the night sky was clear and the moon was full, students brought guitars, rode a trailer truck, and invited everyone to join them riding around campus singing songs about the moon. Davide compliments Quebral’s singing as member of “The Trailer Song Group.” And Quebral responds by singing:  “I see the moon and the moon sees me  The moon sees someone I want to see  God bless the moon and God bless me  God bless that someone I want to see…”  Settling into seniority, Quebral, Davide, and Cortez (now Cortez-Ocampo) don’t know which of these traditions survive, aside from Loyalty Day to celebrate the “UPLB spirit,” but they hope their younger counterparts have as much fun in Los Baños as they did in their time.  ——————-  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "There’s More Fun in UP Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/theres-more-fun-in-up-mindanao/",
        "html": "There’s More Fun in UP Mindanao There’s More Fun in UP Mindanao December 13, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Compared to other UP constituent universities, UP Mindanao is relatively young, but the members of the UP Mindanao Community have already created their own traditions and events that blend elements of Mindanaoan culture. Many of the traditional annual events are organized by the UP Mindanao University Student Council (USC) and student organizations, with the support of the Office of Student Affairs.  The University Convocation is organized by the administration and held at the Atrium during the first day of class, where the whole UP Mindanao community gathers to welcome freshmen, introduce the members of the administration, heads of colleges, faculty, staff and students. Student council officials are also sworn into office by the Chancellor.  Torch Night is usually held some weeks after the formal opening of classes. The upperclassmen, represented by the block leaders of the earlier freshmen batch, pass on a lit torch symbolizing responsibility and privilege as iskolar ng bayan to the current freshmen batch, represented by the freshmen block leaders of each degree program. The freshmen then pledge their oath of loyalty and responsibility to the university and their fellow students. This is accompanied by a competition of group presentations among freshmen.  Another yearly event is Freshmen Night, usually held a month after Torch Night, and which includes a dance competition and a pageant to search for the Ultimate UPMin Isko and Iska. The Freshmen Torch Night combines the symbolic passing on of degree presentation torches of Torch Night and the pageantry of Freshmen Night.  Dula, which means “play” in Cebuano, is a university-wide sportsfest usually held in the middle of the first semester, after the college-based sportsfests—Dula-dula for the College of Science and Mathematics and School of Management, and the Hampang for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Highlight of the sportsfest is the Cheerdance Competition, which draws attention from the media and from other universities.     Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao     Deviance Day, a celebration of UP Mindanao’s diversity of culture and ethnicity, began as a free concert hosted by the BA Social Sciences and BA Anthropology programs. Today, Deviance Day is organized by the Department of Social Sciences, CHSS, and the Dalub-aral na may Ugnayan, Galing at Organisadong Ningas na Ginagabayan ng Antropolohiya (DUGONG-ANTRO). For the entire day, participating students, faculty and staff dress up in “not-so-everyday” attire—some donning costumes representing characters from popular culture, some coming in formal attire or cross-dressing, or for the brave few, barely dressing at all. In the evening, a program featuring talent shows, presentations of best-dressed people during the day, and free concerts featuring bands in UP Mindanao would be held.  The highlight of the Christmas season in UP Mindanao is Kasadya, a Cebuano word meaning “joy” or “happiness.” The Kasadya celebration begins in December with the official lighting of the University Christmas Tree, constructed with lanterns from different student organizations. It also features the UPMin lantern parade and Pasiklaban, a skit contest for students and alumni sponsored by the UP Alumni Association-Davao.  February is an especially eventful time as UP Mindanao commemorates its foundation as a constituent university. In addition, the CHSS and CSM celebrate their foundation weeks during this month with their own events, such as the Pasundayag, an annual pageant featuring the tribes and costumes of Mindanao indigenous peoples, organized by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Student Council.     Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao     Specific degree programs and student orgs also hold their own events, such as the BA Communication Arts program and Communicators’ Guild, and CSM Night organized by the CSM Student Council. The residents of the Elias B. Lopez Hall also celebrate their Dorm Week during February with workshops, talk shows, quiz bees, the Open House, competitions for the cleanest and best-decorated rooms, and the popular Mistress of the Dorm beauty pageant wherein cross-dressing male dormers compete for the title.  Tatak UPMin is also another gender-bending beauty pageant featuring cross-dressing male and female students from the different student orgs, as well as a Battle of the Bands. The UPMin alumni also join the festivities with their annual alumni homecoming dubbed Panagtagbo, which means “gathering” in Cebuano, and features dance concerts and musical presentations by Alagad ni Oble, one of the first musical bands established in UP Mindanao.  The UPMin alumni also hold “Bayanihan Para Kay Oble,” introduced by the UP Alumni Association Davao (UPAA Davao) as a “beautification” activity for the Oblation Plaza and as a venue for fellowship among the alumni.  In terms of arts, music and sports, the UP Mindanao Siki ni Obli student organization has been holding the Oscar Mora Cup, an annual ladies football invitational tournament, for the last 18 years. On the other hand, the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble, the university’s resident dance company, holds its annual full-length dance-concert on the themes of “Kilos-Pinoy,” “Daloy,” “Galaw-Indak-Sayaw,” while the UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay, the resident chorale, holds its annual concert “Overture”. Both events used to be held in February, but were moved to other months following the academic calendar shift.  “Sinews for Syllables” is an annual performance of literary works by BA English students, where the works are read in excerpt, or performed in conjunction with dance, song, and cinematic art, while “Lit-Orgy” are readings of literary works that originated with BA English students but have moved to venues outside the University.  Finally, festivities in UP Mindanao are not held by the UPMin community just for the UPMin community, but for high school students as well. A number of student organizations organize events directed toward high schools as the students’ contribution in promoting UP Mindanao to prospective students:  The Inter-High School Statistics Quiz Bowl, organized by the Society of Math Majors, is held once a semester, participated in by students from private and public schools. “Math Mania” inter-high school competition has been undertaken by Society of Math Majors annually for more than ten years.     Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao     The Dugo Mo Buhay Ko annual bloodletting is organized by OSA every February in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross. Donors are students, employees, and nearby constituents of government agencies.  Tagbo is a two-day leadership training camp organized annually by the OSA for leaders of student organizations and upholds the principles of “servant-leadership.” This was started about eight years ago with the help of the Ayala Young Leaders Congress.  Speak UP is an annual regional speech competition for high schools in the Davao region. It is organized by Communicators Guild organization of BA Communication Arts students, and has branched out from solely oratorical and extemporaneous speaking to include radio script-writing. It has been held for more than ten years in Davao City and for the past five years has expanded its reach region-wide. “Tinukib”, on the other hand, is a design and scale-model workshop for high school students that has been held by the Architecture program and students for many years now.  Rockeumentary is an annual “battle of the bands” organized by the Kappa Epsilon student organization, originating ten years ago as a fund-raising event. It has expanded to include literary readings.     Photo by Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao     Is-Spell-Eng is a spelling contest organized by Omega Alpha student organization, also for high school students. It has been held annually for more than ten years.  Tagisan sa Agham Panlipunan is on its second city-wide hosting in 2017. It is organized by Dugong Anthro student organization for high schools in Davao City. It was also named UTUKAY (Patalinuhan).  For the past eight years, the USC has also been organizing UP Fiesta, an umbrella event held on the first week of the February anniversary celebration. It includes guided tours throughout the university for invited high school students, talent shows, and a market fair participated by several student organizations which lasts until the following week’s Orgs Fair, which is also another event where student organizations get to promote their activities to other students and organizations.  For graduating UPMin students, the Society of Agribusiness Economics holds INDORS (Industry Orientation Seminar) where industry personalities are invited to talk about their business organizations. The Department of Food Science also holds a similar event. Finally, the OSA also holds an annual Career Placement Orientation and Pre-Employment Seminar and Annual Jobs Fair for graduating students. It includes talks by alumni from different professions, sectors, and industries.  That’s a lot to do outside the classroom for a CU barely out of its teens by UP standards, but UP Mindanao is making it clear that it doesn’t have to wait at the back of the line to make fun things happen down in Davao.  ——————-  With inputs from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao Public Relations Officer. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Is this man the “Father of UP”? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/is-this-man-the-father-of-up/",
        "html": "Is this man the “Father of UP”? Is this man the “Father of UP”? December 14, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    Most Filipinos can at least acknowledge the influence of UP as a producer of trailblazers. The University’s own institutional history has given us cursory knowledge of the great personages who were some of the “firsts”, “fathers”, or “mothers” of their colleges, areas of study, or other organizations of national importance.  For the most part, these trailblazing figures ring a bell. Many graduates, for example, recognize the American pastor Murray Bartlett to be the first President of UP, while his successor Ignacio Villamor was the first Filipino to hold the position. Similarly, Guillermo Tolentino is known as the sculptor of UP’s most iconic symbol, The Oblation (which was not, for the record, modeled on Fernando Poe, Sr.’s physique).  These and other figures are recognized for their pivotal role in UP’s history. None of them, however, is considered the “Father of UP.” The fact that the term is so rarely, if ever, used can lead one to the impression that UP is indeed a “parent-less” institution—sprouting like Athena from the nation’s cranium to guide a people beginning to find their legs.  Philippine Studies scholar and Pangasinan expert, Dr. Maria Crisanta Nelmida-Flores, however, disagrees. Her studies into the history of the nation and her home province have led her to a figure that she says might be considered worthy of the title. His name is Juan Alvear.     Oil portrait found at the Pangasinan Governors Gallery, Capitol Building, Lingayen, Pangasinan. (Photo from Ms. Joy Napolitano, Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, Pangasinan)     Who exactly was Juan Alvear? Very few people, even in UP, really know. Flores herself, who happens to be a kababayan of Alvear from Pangasinan, first got wind of his connection with UP when asked in a graduate class by UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan the question: who really was the “Father of UP”?  Some of Tan’s clues were that he was a famous espiritista and a former Pangasinan congressman. Bells began ringing in her head, and Flores’s answer not only gained her Tan’s attention, but also sparked a growing interest in a historical figure who seems to defy easy classification.  “Based on my research, which was almost a decade ago, he was from San Fabian, Pangasinan,” Flores says of Alvear. “He has a statue there. As what? Well, for one he was a member of the Malolos Congress. He was also the founder of the School of Arts and Trades in Lingayen. There were a lot of schools that were founded by him.”  Traces of Juan Alvear as a member of the provincial elite can be found in selected histories of the province. The book Pangasinan, 1901-1986: A Political, Socioeconomic and Cultural History by Rosario M. Cortes, for instance, mentions Alvear’s rise to prominence. Once a Philippine revolutionary, Alvear became a member of the Partido Nacionalista together with the first Filipino governor of Pangasinan, Perfecto Sison, and other provincial elites.  Sison had been appointed governor in 1901 in the Dagupan Assembly by William Howard Taft and his peers as part of the Taft Commission’s effort to organize provincial governments under the sovereignty of the United States. Sison, however, was considered too nationalistic by American policymakers, and was defeated in subsequent elections by non-resident members under the Federal Party banner. The latter, Cortes says, was a party organized to advocate the annexation of the Philippines as an official state of the United States and was a dominant entity during the early period of American colonization.  The newly-formed Partido Nacional, on the other hand, advocated absolute independence. It was with this party that Juan Alvear, together with all of his fellow candidates from Pangasinan, won a seat as a delegate in the First Philippine Assembly in 1907 as representative of Pangasinan’s third district. As a member of the Lower House, Alvear would make higher education history.  “In fact,” Flores says, “many people do not know that Juan Alvear—because the Philippine Assembly was in 1907 and UP came into being in 1908—that he was the first one to propose that there should be a ‘national university.’ And my memory is a bit hazy, but the first (idea) before that was the need for a Philippine General Hospital. So the idea for both a national university and a national hospital came from Juan Alvear.”  The result of these proposals would eventually become Act No. 1688, passed in 1907, and Act No. 1870, passed a year after. These acts would respectively appropriate the sum of P780,000 for the construction of the PGH and establish the University of the Philippines—an institution to provide “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training.” The seeds of what we now know as the University of the Philippines System had been planted.  After his tenure in the House, Juan Alvear ran for the post of provincial governor and won in 1909. Details of his life after the governorship are sparse, and sources indicate he passed away in 1918. Today, he is remembered (if at all) as a major figure in Philippine Spiritism for having founded the first Spiritist Center in 1901 in San Fabian, and becoming a pivotal player in uniting spiritists nationwide through the Union Espiritista Cristiana de Filipinas, Inc. in 1909. His role as a patriot and an advocate of higher education, however, has been, for the most part, forgotten.  “(Chancellor Tan) actually said that he has a bust in UP Manila that is now beside the brooms and mops,” Flores says. Ironically, in spite of his role, Alvear is now a forgotten man. Resources about his life are sparse, and many of Flores’ own resources were lost during the Faculty Center of 2016. As to why his memory has faded so dramatically, she has the following opinion:  “I think it’s because we mostly operate on written history, and focus on the institution once it is already existing. Let’s say, UP had already been established, so who was the first head? And so on. But what happened pre-establishment, we haven’t gone much into that.”  Only more research might solve this most seminal of UP mysteries.  Flores herself said that she once attempted to dig deeper into his life before UP’s Centennial in 2008, but had limited success. “I had mentioned previously in our meetings that maybe it’s time someone looked into Juan Alvear as the Father of UP. I hope we can now.”  ——————-  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "History, Sports, and Arts in UP Visayas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/history-sports-and-arts-in-up-visayas/",
        "html": "History, Sports, and Arts in UP Visayas History, Sports, and Arts in UP Visayas December 14, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   During the UP Visayas’ celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the UP Presence in Iloilo held in February 20-24, 2017 (Photo from the UP Visayas Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/U.P.Visayas)     For UP Visayas, the celebration of its history is at the core of some of its most revered traditional events.  One of these is the week-long celebration of the Anniversary of the UP Presence in Iloilo. On December 18, 1947, responding to the desire of Ilonggos to have a UP education, the municipal board of Iloilo authorized a resolution for the opening of a branch of UP in Iloilo City on the site of what was then the Iloilo City Hall. In July 1947, the UP Iloilo College opened its doors, starting with a Lower Division for 3rd and 4th year high school students and an Upper Division for 1st and 2nd year college students. By 1954, the UP IloIlo College attained full-fledged college status and was renamed the UP College Iloilo, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including a complete high school.  This year, 2017, is the 70th Anniversary of the UP Presence in Iloilo, with the celebration held on February 20 at the UP Visayas Iloilo Campus, in front of the main entrance of the historic building that nurtured the fledgling UP Iloilo College and witnessed its growth into the three-campus-strong UP Visayas of today. Also to commemorate the anniversary this year, the UP Alumni Association-Iloilo Chapter, in cooperation with the UP Silak and Silab alumni, held the biggest “Run UP” ever in August 2017—a “UP 2 UP” Marathon that ran from UP Visayas in Miagao, Iloilo, to UP Visayas’ Iloilo City campus.     The TUKLAD trail run organized by Pretty Farm Boys in partnership with the Miagao LGU, the UPAA-lloilo Chapter, and the UPV held on April 30, 2017 inside UPV’s scenic Miagao campus. A scene from the Pasundayag 2017 held on February 24, 2017 in UPV Miagao     The flagship campus of UP Visayas, a 1.294-hectare slice of verdant paradise with a spectacular view of the sea on one side and a majestic line of mountains on the other, is located in the 278-year-old municipality of Miagao, Iloilo. To celebrate the partnership and spirit of cooperation between UP and the local government of Miagao, the UPV and Miagao Friendship Day has been held at the end of May since 2011—May because the UP Board of Regents (BOR) during its 114th meeting approved the establishment of an autonomous UP in the Visayas on May 31, 1979.  The development of the UPV Miagao campus was made possible through the Sixth Educational Loan of the Philippine Government approved by the World Bank in January 1980, and on February 29 of that same year, the groundbreaking of the UPV Miagao campus was held. Executive Order No. 628 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on October 30, 1980 operationalized UP Visayas, with its main campus in Miagao, and with the College of Fisheries as its flagship college. The UPV and Miagao Friendship Day has become an annual event during which the creativity and team-building of both institutions—UP Visayas and the Miagao local government—are showcased through ballgames, parlor games, dance performances, and so on.     A scene from the first day of the UPVTC Sportsfest 2014 Rocking the night away during the UPVTC Org Fair 2014     Other traditional UP Visayas events center around sports, such as the Annual Pahampang or Sporstfest, which includes the popular and most anticipated Cheering Competition. The Cheering Competition shows off the diversity of UPV students’ lives, interests, and creativity as they make their own songs and yells as well as conceptualize their presentation and design their own costumes. Culture and the arts are also celebrated through various literary-musical contests and talent shows. And of course, beauty, good humor, and good sportsmanship are also highlighted through another much-anticipated event, HASA, an annual beauty pageant hosted and sponsored by the Validus Amicitia Brotherhood, and usually held before the Pahampang. The beauty pageant features straight men wearing gowns and skimpy bikinis in a comical fashion.  For the UP Visayas Tacloban College, the UPVTC Student Council and other student organizations hold an annual Organizations’ Fair at the UP Tacloban Arts and Sciences (AS) Grounds. The Organizations’ Fair serves as an avenue for the different student organizations, fraternities, and sororities in the UPV Tacloban College to showcase their traditions, activities, accomplishments, and fields of interest, among others. The fair aims to foster unity among the various organizations, fraternities, sororities, and institutions, to reach out to the general public to work together towards progressive societal change, and to embody the UPV Tacloban community’s vision to work as a strong united body in shaping the community and nation’s future.        To ensure the holistic development of the UPVTC’s students beyond the classroom and academia, the UPVTC Student Council also holds an annual sportsfest, and has also recently pioneered the UPVTC-wide Lantern Parade around downtown Tacloban, complete with a competition for Best Hand-held Lanterns, Best Float, and Liveliest Group Award, and Christmas party featuring different local bands, a choral competition, and fireworks display.  ——————-  With inputs from Lyncen M. Fernandez, UP Visayas Information and Publications Office. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of Admissions calls on public to patiently wait for UPCA results – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-admissions-calls-on-public-to-patiently-wait-for-upca-results/",
        "html": "Office of Admissions calls on public to patiently wait for UPCA results Office of Admissions calls on public to patiently wait for UPCA results March 9, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Admissions of the University of the Philippines calls upon the public to wait patiently for updates on the results of applications for admissions for Academic Year 2022-2023.  The Office is currently processing the documentary requirements of over 100,000 applicants for admission to the University.  The Office will issue an update on the applications as soon as possible. Thank you very much. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of Admissions to release UPCA 2022 results on May 31 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-admissions-to-release-upca-2022-results-on-may-31/",
        "html": "Office of Admissions to release UPCA 2022 results on May 31 Office of Admissions to release UPCA 2022 results on May 31 May 26, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     For questions and clarifications, please contact the Office of Admissions by sending them an email message via this address: upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph. Messages can also be sent to their Office via their official Facebook page.  This announcement was originally posted on the Office of Admissions Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao alumni bands to hold free reunion concert – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-alumni-bands-to-hold-free-reunion-concert/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao alumni bands to hold free reunion concert UP Mindanao alumni bands to hold free reunion concert January 28, 2020 | Written by Rene Estremera       Two alumni bands of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao, Alagad in Oble and Early Morning, will hold a back-to-back reunion concert entitled “25 Songs for 25 Years” on 30 January 2020, 5PM, at the Atrium of the UP Mindanao Administration Building in Mintal, Davao City as an initial offering to usher in the 25th founding anniversary of the university in February. The concert is free and open to the public.  Alagad ni Oble was formed in 1998 and is considered to be the pioneering rock band in UP Mindanao. The band is composed of UP Mindanao alumni Roosevelt Itom (BS Biology 2002), Ian Cayunda (BS Biology 2002), Arthur Gonzales (BA Economics 2002), Milos Dagohoy (BS Food Technology 2003), and Wardy Puyod (BA Social Science 2000).  According to rhythm guitarist Puyod, “Our long lasting bond as music aficionados keeps the band together. This time, we want to play to a new crowd who also appreciate music from the 90s.” The band members are now professionals in business, banking, and agriculture. The band has been performing every year in the campus and has popularized a rock version of the university’s anthem “UP Naming Mahal.”  Early Morning is also a UP Mindanao alumni band fronted by Jet Israel (BA Communication Arts 2016) and Paulo Rizal (BA Communication Arts 2016), Aaron Jude Manalang (BS Architecture 2019), Ryan Laguna (BS Computer Science 2018), and Christian June Villadolid.  “The name Early Morning comes from the idea of ‘capturing uncertainty,’ a metaphor for beginnings and endings, for storytelling that is hopeful yet haunting” says the band’s bio-note.  The bands will play cover versions of contemporary Filipino pop-rock songs and original compositions. “We connected the bands to the university to come up with this concert as an opening salvo to the anniversary events,” said UP Mindanao Alumni Association president Krishna Balaga (BS Computer Science 2006).  This musical offering is a pre-anniversary activity before UP Mindanao officially kicks off its yearlong celebration with the theme “25 Years in Mindanao, for Mindanao and Beyond” on 20 February 2020.  ###  Contact:  Mr. Rene Estremera Public Relations Officer UP Mindanao Tel. 293-0310 Email: pro.upmindanao@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "De Vera now CHED chair – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/de-vera-now-ched-chair/",
        "html": "De Vera now CHED chair De Vera now CHED chair October 22, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Dr. J. Prospero de Vera III has been appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) until 21 July 2022, the agency announced on October 15.  Prior to this, De Vera had been designated by the president as CHED officer-in charge beginning 24 January 2018. Accordingly, he assumed chairmanship of the governing boards of all state universities and colleges, including UP.  De Vera is a professor at the UP Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance, where he has been teaching since 1992. He was vice president for public affairs of the UP System from 2011 until he was appointed CHED commissioner and adviser to the government negotiating panel with the National Democratic Front/Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army in 2016.  He is an alumnus of the University, having earned his Bachelor of Arts, major in History with a minor in Political Science, and his Doctor of Public Administration degrees from UP Diliman. He has a Master of Arts degree, major in Social Sciences with a minor in Political Science, from De La Salle University.  De Vera took Special Studies in Government and Politics at the California Studies Center, California State University-Sacramento and was a Fulbright-Hays visiting scholar at the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California (USC). At the USC, he specialized in higher education administration as well as higher education policy and organization. He later went to Johns Hopkins University as a senior Fulbright visiting professor at the Center for Communication Programs.  His curriculum vitae as of September 2016 can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8U4LJEpWMfxUngtTUhiOXJyWTg/view. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-44: Extension of Period of Application for Student Financial and Learning Assistance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/osfa-memorandum-no-rag-2020-44-extension-of-period-of-application-for-student-financial-and-learning-assistance/",
        "html": "OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-44: Extension of Period of Application for Student Financial and Learning Assistance OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-44: Extension of Period of Application for Student Financial and Learning Assistance November 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To accommodate students who could not submit SLAS Online applications due to Typhoon Ulysses, the 4th round of application will be extended to 17 November 2020. The new application period is as follows:  Learning Assistance Application Until 17 November 2020  Release of Results 18 November 2020  Submission of Appeals 18-22 November 2020  Undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students, may file applications during this period. Students applying for assistance through the SLAS Online must use their respective UP Email (@up.edu.ph email).  For your guidance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-49: 5th Round of Student Learning Assistance System Applications – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/osfa-memorandum-no-rag-2020-49-5th-round-of-student-learning-assistance-system-applications/",
        "html": "OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-49: 5th Round of Student Learning Assistance System Applications OSFA Memorandum No. RAG 2020-49: 5th Round of Student Learning Assistance System Applications December 1, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) received reports that some UP students were not able to submit SLAS application requirements due to the intermittent power supply and Internet in their area.  Given this, SLAS Online will accept applications beginning 28 November 2020 to accommodate eligible students who need financial assistance in AY 2020-2021. Details of the 5th round of applications for financial and learning assistance is as follows:  Learning Assistance Application: 28 November 2020 – 3 December 2020 Release of Results: 4 December  2020 Submission of Appeals: 4 – 9 December  2020  Undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students, may file applications during this period. Applicants who wish to appeal or have not completed their application may do so on the schedule provided. Students applying for assistance through the SLAS Online must use their respective UP Email (@up.edu.ph email).  CU Heads of Student Affairs Units are requested to disseminate the information to eligible students to allow the timely processing of financial and learning assistance.  For your guidance.  To apply online and for more information, visit slasonline.up.edu.ph.  Read the memo here: UPOSFA_OM_2020-49_26Nov2020    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Student Learning Assistance Online Applications for Continuing Students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-learning-assistance-online-applications-for-continuing-students/",
        "html": "Student Learning Assistance Online Applications for Continuing Students Student Learning Assistance Online Applications for Continuing Students September 6, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Student Development Services will open the Student Learning Assistance Online (SLAS Online) to accommodate UP students who require learning assistance in AY 2022-2023. The SLAS Online is a web-based program that serves as a portal for applicants who wish to apply to student financial assistance programs of the University.  Undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students, may file applications for the UP Grants-In-Aid Program (GIAP) and Remote Learning Assistance through the SLAS Online. Beneficiaries of Free Higher Education (RA 10931) may also apply for remote learning assistance.  The SLAS Online will accept applications from continuing students (2nd year and up) beginning 5 September 2022. Applicants must log in using their respective UP Email (@up.edu.ph). Details of the 1st round of applications for student learning assistance are as follows:  Learning Assistance Application Period           5-10 September 2022  Release of Results                                              11 September 2022  Submission of Appeals                                  11-15 September 2022  The Office will open the 2nd round of SLAS Online applications in mid-September for freshies and continuing students who could not apply in the 1st round.  Heads of CU Student Affairs Units are requested to disseminate the information to eligible students.  Students may contact the SFA Helpdesk of their campus should they encounter issues when filing applications to the SLAS Online.  For your guidance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Conversation with Mr. C, National Artist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-conversation-with-mr-c-national-artist/",
        "html": "A Conversation with Mr. C, National Artist A Conversation with Mr. C, National Artist January 14, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Ryan Cayabyab sits for a spell with the UP Forum. (Photo by Celeste Castilio, UP MPRO)     His music is ubiquitous. From pop hits that serve as the theme songs of many a love story to the soundtracks of commercial and indie films; from massive works of musical theatre, neo-opera, and sacred music to commercial jingles and opening themes to TV specials—there isn’t a Filipino alive who hasn’t heard, thrilled to, or jammed along with his music.  He has helped shape the Philippine music industry today, crossing the line between “serious” and pop music with ease, and mentoring some of the country’s most gifted musicians. He is known as The Maestro, or simply as Mr. C. This October, UP College of Music alumnus and former professor Raymundo Cipriano “Ryan” Pujante Cayabyab received another title, that of National Artist.  One morning before his newest award of recognition, Mr. C sat down for an interview with UP Forum, during which he shared some of his memories of UP; his views on UP’s impact on Philippine music; and a bit of inspiration for anyone seeking their path in life.     What was your childhood in UP like?  When my mother was teaching [at the UP College of Music], we lived inside UP. I grew up inside the UP Campus, in Area 1, went to UP Elementary School and UP High School, graduating in 1970. My first course was Business Administration, then I went to the UP College of Music, and I graduated around 10 years after I got into the UP College of Music.  Noong bata kami, lumalabas kami ng bahay sa December or January, at kapag nagsasalita kami, may usok yung bibig namin. Ganon kaginaw. Nagtatawanan na kami. “Oy, para tayong nagsi-sigarilyo.”  Iba naman yung usok na nalalanghap namin kapag may umiikot na DDT truck. Siguro every week or every two weeks, umiikot ang DDT truck na bumubuga ng DDT. Lahat ng bata sa campus, nandoon, lalabas na, hahabulin yung truck. Sobrang kapal ng smoke na binubuga, para kaming nasa alapaap. Ang feeling namin, kaya kami lahat may topak dahil doon, eh. [laughs]     What do you think makes you unique among the musicians in the country?  Lagi kong sinasabi, maraming mas magaling sa aking gumawa ng kanta sa Philippine music industry. Ang dami diyang mas magaling gumawa ng hit songs. The only reason napapahiwalay ako sa kanila is, ako lang ang merong diploma. Ako lang ang merong degree na binigay ng isang unibersidad. That’s it. Pero for me, it’s a big deal. Not because of the degree, but because of what I learned in the College of Music through the years.        What has been the impact of your UP education on you? How has UP contributed to Philippine music as a whole?  My first teacher was Eliseo Pajaro, in Composition. My second teacher was Lucio San Pedro, National Artist. My third teacher was Ramon Santos, National Artist. My fourth teacher was Francisco Feliciano, National Artist. I’ve been influenced by all of them. Not that I have discarded their ideas; their ideas remain. I picked up a lot of things from my teachers, but do I sound like any of them? Not really. I sound like me. But that’s also exactly what they taught us.  UP’s contribution is huge. The UP College of Music is known for compositional theory and research. Composition also means the training of new music composers. Ang dami nila; even in the choral world, the names that come out are from UP. So sa larangan ng music composition, malaki ang contribution ng UP. And then research. Wow, ang research ng UPCM, beginning with the huge work of Dr. Jose Maceda, National Artist.  In terms of performance, we have the best choirs. The Philippine Madrigal Singers, they’re basically UP-trained, and UP si [Madz founder] Prof. Andrea Veneracion, National Artist. And we have the UP Singing Ambassadors, the UP Concert Chorus—sterling ang choral tradition na galing sa UP. That’s why maraming UP composers ang nagsusulat ng choral music, because magagaling yung choirs.     How can UP help in promoting greater appreciation of OPMs among our audiences?  It is our responsibility to win them over. I believe in time, makikita nila…that there are other ways to express authentic feelings, which is why the indie movement is alive, even in music. Nagbago na ang business platform [due to technology]. Technology has created an open field. Anyone who has a smartphone can record, can shoot, put it on YouTube for everybody to see. Maganda kasi open, democratic, kaya pagalingan.  Uso na rin ang informal education, pero iba pa rin yung may institutional blessing. May stamp, and hindi sa biased ako, pero ang UP talaga ang most coveted stamp.  So how can that stamp help us? Actually, yung people yan. Yung UP alumni ang nagpapalaganap. Kasi alam mo kung sino ang nagpo-promote ng music? Mga UP alumni. Marami kasi end up as heads of institutions na nagpo-promote ng music. They understand; malawak ang kanilang pananaw. Naintindihan nila ang value ng music.     The reason you first took Business Administration was to be true to your mother’s deathbed wish for none of her children to have a career in music. This changed when then Senator Salvador Laurel noticed your talent when you were playing piano for his son, Cocoy Laurel, and gave you a scholarship to the College of Music. Is there an alternate universe in which you became Mr. Ryan Cayabyab, Accountant, instead?  A friend told me, kahit naman daw hindi nangyari yung nangyari sa akin—for example, hindi ko na-meet sina Senator Laurel—eventually I would find my way into it, because naniniwala ako na yun ang destined place ko. [laughs]  A while back I was saying, kahit ano ang mga balakid yung humarap sa iyo papunta dun sa gusto mo, eventually dun ka rin pupunta kasi that is your destined path. Naniniwala ako don. I really think sinundan ko lang yung nararamdaman ko na kailangan kong sundan. Napunta ako sa music kasi yun ang ikinasasaya ng kaluluwa ko, yung every time na ganon ang ginagawa ko, hanggang ngayon, masaya ako.  Somebody else also told me: Napili na ng Diyos ang landas mo. Pakinggan mo lang.     (Photo from Ryan Cayabyab)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Music’s “Non-Music” Man – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/musics-non-music-man/",
        "html": "Music’s “Non-Music” Man Music’s “Non-Music” Man January 14, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    I call it ‘non-music’ because it doesn’t fit the idea of what music is,” says National Artist for Music, composer, ethnomusicologist, and UP Professor Emeritus Ramon Pagayon Santos.  “It” is his area of research: non-Western indigenous expressive traditions that are part of the genre called “ethnic music.” Because “music,” he explains, is a Western concept defined by elements such as structure, counterpoint, harmony, texture, and form, among others, “it is not really music—not in the strictest sense.”     National Artist for Music Ramon Pagayon Santos at the UP Center for Ethnomusicology (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It was an incident at a Philippine music festival he organized as dean of the College of Music that prompted him to question why those ethnic forms of expression were considered music.  “I had invited three guitarists and a dancer from Batangas to participate. Imagine my surprise when two jeepney loads of people arrived!” During the performance, the others acted as bystanders who would react loudly and throw money at the performers. “That type of ‘music’ wasn’t meant for just listening because it wouldn’t have the intended effect. It needed the participation of the community. There was an experiential condition.”  There’s also the playing of the kwintangankayu of the Yakan, the bayok of the Maranao, and the badiw of the Ibaloi which are similarly experiential and dependent on the occasions during which they are played. Cultural expressions such as these “don’t follow what conventionally defines music.”     Knowing the rules and breaking them As an ethnomusicologist, Santos has been challenging the use of the term “music” to describe these forms of expression since the 1980s. But as a composer, Santos has been pushing against tradition for far longer—as early as his undergraduate days in the early 1960s.  He grew up with classical music around him. His mother and grandmother were pianists, so he learned solfège and how to play the piano. High school for Santos was in a seminary, where he “fell in love with schola cantorum.”  He wrote poetry and literature inspired his passion for music, even prompting him to create music for Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poems. Like his brother, Santos also painted. His parents even thought he would study painting in college, but he didn’t. He earned a degree in Composition and Conducting from UP instead.  He formed the Immaculate Conception Choir in Pasig before he even graduated, writing choir music and a whole Mass, and leading the choir in presenting operettas. He also joined the symphonic ode category of the Bonifacio Centennial National Composition Contest, where he was the only declared winner at second place. No first or third. “The first honorable mention was my teacher,” he recounts with a sheepish smile.  In UP, Santos discovered Edgard Varèse, a French composer recognized for using sound outside the confines of musical tradition. He was amazed by Jose Maceda, a visionary composer and member of the UP faculty who pioneered avant-garde music in the country and was later named National Artist for Music.  Santos credits Maceda, his “greatest idol in composition,” for inspiring him because his ideas were deeply rooted in Philippine culture and how “we feel and experience music.”  Dissonances then became part of Santos’ work. “I think my teacher thought it wouldn’t get me anywhere.” But his leanings toward unconventional compositions mixed with his interest in non-Western cultural expressions allowed him to forge a path in contemporary Philippine music.  His groundbreaking body of work—both in composition and in ethnomusicology—earned him the rank of National Artist in 2016.  Santos is quite happy that the number of composer-ethnomusicologists is increasing, although he admits that genuine Philippine music still has a long way to go.  “We always need to be conscious of the fact that we are not Westerners, that we should not merely follow Western trends. Our experiences are different. Our sentiments are different. Our culture is different. I hope that we can eventually have a name for what I call ‘non-music.’” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Writers Night 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-writers-night-2019/",
        "html": "UP Writers Night 2019 UP Writers Night 2019 November 19, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As part of its 41st anniversary, the LIKHAAN: UP Institute of Creative Writing (ICW) will be holding the UP Writers Night celebration, a yearly gathering that pays homage to both the country’s established and up-and-coming writers. The grand homecoming will feature three major events, all taking place on November 22, 2019 at the new UP College of Fine Arts Building, University of Philippines Diliman.  The celebration will begin with the awarding ceremony for the 19th Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award (MGBFBA), to be held from 2:30-4:00 PM at the Plenary Hall. The finalists for this year are: Francis Paolo Quina for Field of Play and Other Fictions; Marichelle Roque-Lutz for Keeping It Together; Christine Lao for Musical Chairs; Manuel Lahoz for Of Tyrants and Martyrs; Jude Ortega for Seeker of Spirits; Sarah Lumba for The Shoemaker’s Daughter; Glenn Diaz for The Quiet Ones; and Johanna Marie Lim for What Distance Tells Us. The judges are Charlson Ong, Marne Kilates, and Rica Bolipata-Santos.  Registration is at 4:30 p.m.. This will be followed by the launch of Likhaan Journal 13, the annual journal of contemporary Philippine literature published by the UP ICW. This year’s issue editor is Vladimeir Gonzales.  The Writers Night Homecoming program will feature recollections by former ICW directors and workshop alumni, as well as special performances by Baihana, Bayang Barrios, and Plagpul. Books and zines from different publishers and individuals will also be sold at the event.  Admission is free and everyone is invited, with special limited edition items to be given away to our guests.  Friends from media are invited and encouraged to participate, and provide coverage, if possible. For more information about the event, please e-mail, uplikhaan@gmail.com or check the Facebook event page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD hosts lecture on “rules-based order” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-hosts-lecture-on-rules-based-order/",
        "html": "UPD hosts lecture on “rules-based order” UPD hosts lecture on “rules-based order” December 7, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Will Australia defend the rules-based order?”  At a public lecture held at Palma Hall of the University of the Philippines Diliman on October 20, 2017, Professor Benjamin Schreer addressed this question as he discussed the “rules-based order” in the Asia-Pacific in relation to the rise of China as a global power. Schreer, the head of the Security and Strategic Studies department of Macquarie University in Australia, presented several scenarios and challenges in preserving the “rules-based order”, which he said is a key policy objective of the Australian government.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Schreer is an expert on Asia-Pacific strategic trends and Australian defense policy. He is also a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and a member of the editorial board of the Journal for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (JPICT) and of the Australian Journal of International Affairs.  The lecture was sponsored by the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman, and the Program for Strategic Studies of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS). (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  Click here for more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons beat down upon Growling Tigers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-beat-down-upon-growling-tigers/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons beat down upon Growling Tigers Fighting Maroons beat down upon Growling Tigers October 20, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Jun Manzo makes a hook shot in danger of being blocked by Zach Huang. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP and UST exchanged leads 17 times, before the Fighting Maroons succumbed to the Growling Tigers’ defense and stunning perimeter scoring in their second UAAP Season 82 match-up on October 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena. UP lost to UST again, 78-84, for a 6-4 win-loss record and, still, solo second standing after Ateneo de Manila University.  UST scored their first 15 points with three consecutive and two consecutive three-pointers by CJ Cansino and Sherwin Concepcion, respectively—a barrage overcome nonetheless by Kobe Paras, Jun Manzo, and David Murrell, who also succeeded in their three-pointers, and by Bright Akhuetie scoring inside. But UP’s 19-15 lead was wiped out by double three-pointers by Concepcion and Zac Huang. The first quarter ended at 22-23 in favor of UST.     Jun Manzo makes a successful lay-up past Brent Paraiso’s guarding. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Bright Akhuetie makes a basket. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UST began padding its lead early in the second quarter. It was almost midway through the quarter and the score was 27-36, the Tigers’ biggest lead, when Paras hurt his right shoulder from landing full-impact near the UP baseline after his drive was blocked by Soulemane Chabi Yo. Around a minute later, UST’s Mark Nonoy twisted his ankle after stepping on Juan Gomez de Liaño’s foot upon landing from a three-point attempt. Paras and Nonoy had to be sent to the dugout for medical attention, but both managed to return in the second half.     Kobe Paras is assisted toward the dugout after hurting his shoulder in a collision with Soulemane Chabi Yo. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO.     The rest of the second quarter was highlighted by Ricci Rivero scoring eight points for UP, the last six from two consecutive treys that countered the three-pointers by UST’s Renzo Subido and Concepcion. But it was not enough to conquer the lead. The quarter ended at 41-48.     David Murrell tries to get a shot past Soulemane Chabi Yo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Ricci Rivero makes a hook shot to evade Zach Huang. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The third quarter was an uphill but gainful offense for the Maroons as they scored 16 points over the Tigers’ 12. At the end, UST’s lead was down to three, 57-60.     Kobe Paras sinks his charity. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Ricci Rivero makes a basket. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The last quarter saw lead changes all over again. UP’s Javi Gomez de Liaño and UST’s Subido made the only three pointers halfway through the quarter, with the latter giving UST a four-point lead, 66-70. Paras answered with a basket, then Javi Gomez de Liaño sank a trey to give the Fighting Maroons a one-point lead at the turn of the last four minutes.  After four more lead changes, Paras’ three got the UP crowd on their feet, pushing the earlier one-point Maroon lead from Juan Gomez de Liaño’s inside shot. The score was 78-74 with a minute and forty left in the game.     The UP crowd rises on their feet as the Fighting Maroons gain a decisive lead. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Enthusiastic Fighting Maroons supporters near the bleachers. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO.     The celebration was short-lived, however, as a foul was called on Manzo, who was behind Subido when the latter slipped while crossing the half court to the UST side. Subido completed his charities. A three-pointer by UST’s Brent Paraiso followed a few seconds after the turn of the last minute, snatching the lead back for UST, 78-79. UP failed to convert on their ball possession, giving Subido the chance to deliver a coup de grace via another three-pointer with 26 seconds left in the game. With the score at 78-82, UP went for a three-pointer to close the gap but the play did not pan out as Paras’ ball skimmed the rim.  The Maroons were left in defense, fouling on Chabi Yo and Paraiso, who made one of two free throws each and ended the game at 78-84.     The Fighting Maroons in a huddle before their second match-up with the Growling Tigers. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Maroons prey on Falcons yet again – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/maroons-prey-on-falcons-yet-again/",
        "html": "Maroons prey on Falcons yet again Maroons prey on Falcons yet again October 22, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP center Bright Akhuetie and Adamson University forward Jerrick Ahanmisi comfort Adamson one-and-done player Val Chauca, after the Fighting Maroons shot down the Soaring Falcons again this season. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     They were down by 12 twice in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. And then it happened. That re-energized Fighting Maroon spirit emerged, eager to bounce back from a previous game’s defeat. That hunger for victory powerfully played out in a 21-5 run in the last seven minutes of the game.     Team above all: the UP Fighting Maroons pre-game huddle (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     For the second time this season, the UP Fighting Maroons clipped the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 81-77.     The UP crowd is on its feet after Jun Manzo’s basket gives UP the lead going into the last two minutes, 76-74. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Adamson started the game aggressively, gaining first possession and pummeling UP with an 11-2 run three minutes in. The Falcons were driven to sink their claws into the Maroons, who have had no success against the UP dribblers since last season’s semifinals, when the Maroons blanked their twice-to-beat advantage and secured the finals berth. That drive to defeat UP ended the first quarter with Adamson up by eight, 19-11.     Javi Gomez de Liaño goes for the jumper, coming from Bright Akhuetie’s long pass off Ricci Rivero’s block of Jerrick Ahanmisi. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Fighting Maroons shook off their sluggish start and worked harder, making 25 points in the second quarter against the Soaring Falcons’ 18. Jun Manzo started with a putback from his own miss, less than a minute into the quarter. Kobe Paras went from zero in the first quarter to nine in the second. Juan Gomez de Liaño made eight. Bright Akhuetie added six.     Rally for the lead in the second quarter: Bright Akhuetie intercepts Adamson ball. Jun Manzo catches it, passes to Juan Gomez de Liaño, who sets up this flawless jam by Kobe Paras. UP gets its first lead in the game, 29-28. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     On the Falcons side, Val Chauca continued his assault in the second quarter, contributing six more to his 11 in the first. But even with Jerrick Ahanmisi, Vince Magbuhos, Egie Mojica, and Joshua Yerro putting in the points to try and pad the Adamson lead, the San Marcelino squad only managed to step away with a one-point advantage over the Diliman team at the end of the first half, 37-36.     A display of mid-air grace and agility as Bright Akhuetie drives to the basket against Lenda Douanga. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Adamson knew it had to stretch its lead going into the second half, as UP has been known to rally and catch up. Similar to their performance in the first quarter, the Falcons proved to be the tougher team in the third. Despite only three triples to counter five from the Maroons, the Falcons banked ten two-pointers versus the Maroons’ three, raking in 29 points against 21. Free throw shooting was nil in the third quarter for both teams and in the end, Adamson led by nine, 66-57.     Simon says go, but Bright says no. Bright Akhuetie stops Simon Camacho’s shot in the paint. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Fighting Maroons knew they were not done yet and pushed to close the 12-point distance from the Soaring Falcons. Three treys courtesy of Gomez de Liaño, Ricci Rivero, and Manzo; three twos from Gomez de Liaño and Manzo again, with another from Paras; and two from the line from Noah Webb and Rivero, put the game in a deadlock at 74 with 3:27 remaining.     We got threes for you. Jun Manzo (left), Juan Gomez de Liaño (middle), and Kobe Paras (right) take and make the treys. All in all, Manzo made three shots from beyond the arc; Gomez de Liaño sank three; Paras got two; Ricci Rivero made two; and Jaydee Tungcab scored one. UP scored 11 three-pointers against Adamson’s nine. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     And just like UP’s kick-off to the second quarter, Manzo again pushed his offensive game, delivering a putback from his own miss and claiming a two-point lead for the Maroons. But quick-eyed Falcon Jeron Lastimosa saw an opening and got away from Gomez de Liaño, sinking a three-point basket with the game clock at 1:47 and taking back the Adamson lead, 77-76. Six seconds later, Gomez de Liaño crossed the half court, passed the ball to Bright Akhuetie, who gave it to Paras standing beyond the arc. He only gave it a second’s thought before letting the ball fly and sinking the three for a two-point UP lead,79-77, with 1:25 left in the game.     Steal the ball, run with it, and score the easy two. Jun Manzo knows the sequence and gets ready to fly for the clean layup. He was named Player of the Game with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It was Rivero’s big steal of the Adamson ball from the inbound pass of Ahanmisi to Chauca that sealed the deal for UP. Maroon possession saw Manzo receiving the ball from Rivero and passing it to Akhuetie who drove to the paint, getting a foul from Ahanmisi. Making his two charities, Akhuetie pushed the UP lead to four. The Maroons upped their defense, leaving the Falcons no other choice but to force difficult shots. With eight seconds remaining, an offensive foul was called on Lastimosa when the Falcon stuck his foot out taking a three-point jumper against Paras. While UP wasn’t able to add more points to its score, the buzzer ended the game with a Maroon win.  The Fighting Maroons tightened its hold on the second spot in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament with seven wins and four losses.     All cheers, no jeers. The Maroon crowd celebrates the UP victory. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons escape Bulldogs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-escape-bulldogs/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons escape Bulldogs Fighting Maroons escape Bulldogs October 25, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Kobe Paras on his way to being UP’s highest pointer once again. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Fighting Maroons gained enough lead in the first half to buffer itself from an NU Bulldogs barrage in the second, managing an 80-77 win in their UAAP second round match-up on October 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. UP inched closer to the Final Four as it solidified its second-place ranking after the Ateneo Blue Eagles.  Kobe Paras, Bright Akhuetie, Jun Manzo, and Juan Gomez de Liaño all scored in double digits: 19, 16, 14, and 11, but were collectively eclipsed by NU’s 24, 20, 12, and 10 courtesy of Dave Ildefonso, JV Gallego, Migs Oczon, and Shaun Ildefonso, respectively.     Jun Manzo’s fades away sideways. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Kobe Paras shoots from the inside. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Although UP proved to have the more rounded team,  with Ricci Rivero, Noah Webb, Javi Gomez de Llano, and Jerson Prado chipping in 8, 5, 4, and 3, respectively; as against the rest of the Bulldogs who only managed to add 11 points to the team score.  UP’s biggest lead came early in the second quarter with a three-pointer by Juan Gomez de Liaño bringing UP’s score up to 26 over NU’s 12.     From the audience, cheers for the Fighting Maroons. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     A Pep Squad flyer in a half-time performance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Bo Perasol and UP assistant coaches huddle with the team. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The Bulldogs prevailed in the third quarter. Oczon exploded with three straight threes, followed by Dave Ildefonso’s steal and shoot combo plus another basket. Ildefonso tied the game at 56 with another three-point shot early in the fourth quarter.  UP responded with two treys from Manzo and inside baskets from Akhuetie, Javi Gomez de Liaño, and Rivero, bringing UP up by seven, 74-67.     Team Captain Noah Webb does a lay-up. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Bright Akhuetie makes a basket. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     But the Bulldogs bit back harder. Gallego sank two baskets and Dave Ildefonso shot a three and a charity to make eight points that kept NU alive despite another Maroon trey from Paras. NU was only down by three with less than a minute left, 75-77.     Javi Gomez de Liaño delivers the ball to the hoop. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Ricci Rivero shoots the ball from the backboard. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The last 15 seconds saw alternating trips to the line. Manzo was first and went two for two. Then it was Shaun Ildefonso, who also made both charities. And it was back to Manzo again, who only sank one of two to bring the score to 80-77, with less than 10 seconds left. Gallego brought the ball to the NU court, where John Lloyd Clemente and Shaun Ildefonso were both positioned beyond the arc, but the latter just managed to bounce the ball off the rim.     Kobe Paras makes a shot from beyond the arc. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Shaun Ildefonso and James Spencer, and the rest of line-up of the two schools show sportsmanship at the end of the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Coach Bo Perasol: “For me, we just have to align ourselves, not because we’re lacking in cohesion or chemistry, but because… mabilis makahabol din sa amin. We need to address that.” Kobe Paras: “To be able to stay in the number two spot, we have to go all out in our last two games.” UP is going up against the DLSU Green Archers and the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Jun Manzo: “Masaya kami sa panalo ngayon pero ‘yung goal kasi namin ay pumasok sa Final Four and makuha uli ang kampyonato this season.” Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO      Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Maroons secure second seed advantage with win over Archers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/maroons-secure-second-seed-advantage-with-win-over-archers/",
        "html": "Maroons secure second seed advantage with win over Archers Maroons secure second seed advantage with win over Archers October 29, 2019 | Written by Jo. Lontoc   The maroon-wearing crowd is on fire from the get-go. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Fighting Maroons prevailed once again over the DLSU Green Archers, 71-68, on October 27 at the Ynares Sports Center, Antipolo, Rizal, in their second round matchup for the UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball elimination rounds. The Maroons were thus assured of the second seed and its twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinal with a 9-4 win-loss record.     Noah Webb scores. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The feat looked easy in the beginning with UP gaining its biggest lead, 16 points, at 27-11, early in the second quarter. But this was followed by a 21-0 rally by the Archers in the same quarter, which rendered the Maroons visibly rattled: Bright Akhuetie committed a three-second violation, and Juan Gomez de Liaño badly missed a three-pointer. Archer Brandon Bates was unguarded when he gave his team the lead, 29-27, through a layup, with 1:38 left in the quarter. This was followed by him emphatically blocking a Rivero one-hand dunk; then by Aljun Melecio sinking a three-pointer, giving the Archers their biggest lead at 32-27.     The Maroons laser-focus on the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP got its bearings back with Akhuetie breaking the Archer rally at the 0:54 mark, then sinking a charity and promptly following these up with a basket to tie the game at 32. The quarter ended with UP getting back the lead, 35-34, with a Jun Manzo three-pointer at 0:11.     Jaydee Tungcab gives UP its biggest lead with his lone goal. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP ended the third quarter with a 10-point lead, 55-45. But La Salle made a come-back in the fourth with a 9-0 run from its 57-62 deficit, beginning with two charities by Justine Baltazar and a basket by Encho Serrano. La Salle made a steal after Serrano’s failed charity, which Melecio tried to convert to a three-pointer, at which point he was fouled by Paras. Melecio sank all three on the line, giving La Salle a two-point advantage over UP, 64-62. He extended the lead to four with a bucket from the edge of the perimeter with 2:54 remaining in the game.     Ricci Rivero blind-passes to Noah Webb. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP responded with Manzo taking advantage of the Archers’ focus on Akhuetie, cutting to the shaded lane from the arc, and making a layup from Akhuetie’s assist. Akhuetie would tip the ball in from a shot by Rivero to lock the game again at 66, at the turn of the last two minutes. DLSU answered back with a Serrano basket making it through the much taller Paras, with 1:35 left in the fourth.     Ricci Rivero retaliates with a fast-break dunk. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     But UP was quick to convert on their next possession, tying the score again, 68 all, courtesy of Akhuetie. Regaining the ball back from a passing error by La Salle, UP secured the crucial lead, 70-68, with Paras driving the hammer down on a dunk assisted by Manzo, at 0:54, to the relief and jubilation of the Maroon-jampacked crowd.     Bright Akhuetie falls after a bucket. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     With the tight defense of UP at the perimeter, Melecio shot from beyond the arc but went short. This was followed by a frenzied exchange of possessions ending up in misses. DLSU was left with no other option but to foul on UP after UP’s rebound with just 11 seconds left, first on Manzo, then on Javi Gomez de Liaño, then on Akhuetie, finally earning penalty shots for Manzo on the fourth, at the 0:02 mark. Manzo would split his charities, giving UP the winning three-point lead. The two seconds gave a window for a Bates rebound, a pass to Baltazar then to Serrano, who was hard pressed on a clutch three-point attempt that was a tad too strong.     The UP community cheers Jun Manzo on for his last free throw in the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The victorious Maroons run over to the court in jubilation. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     With the 6-7 win-loss record, the Archers were left out of contention in the playoffs, handing the berth over to UST with its 8-6. UP will be going up against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their last game in the eliminations, the results of which would make the difference between a regular final four or a stepladder final four.     The playing of the UP Hymn restrains the emotions of the UP community for the moment. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The Maroon crowd bursts into cheers. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP closes elims with loss to Ateneo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-closes-elims-with-loss-to-ateneo/",
        "html": "UP closes elims with loss to Ateneo UP closes elims with loss to Ateneo November 7, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena stops Bright Akhuetie’s bucket attempt. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Fighting Maroons failed to snatch a win against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the elimination rounds of UAAP Season 82’s men’s basketball tournament. The score was 86-64 in favor of Ateneo in the last game of the second round on October 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Despite the loss, UP had already secured the number two spot with a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals by winning against De La Salle University in its previous outing.     Bright Akhuetie, three! The Season 81 MVP goes for and makes his first trey in Season 82. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP led at the end of the first quarter, 21-20. It started out as a back-and-forth of field goals between the Maroons and Eagles, with a pair of twos and a couple of threes from UP, and four twos and a trey from Ateneo. After 6.63 minutes of play, Blue only had a point over Maroon, 11-10. But UP had already incurred four fouls against Ateneo’s one.     Everyone is on the lookout for Ricci Rivero’s shot, which eventually falls through the net. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Ateneo’s Mike Nieto goes for Javi Gomez de Liaño’s hand. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     While UP continued sinking baskets from the field, adding nine points plus two from charities, it also raked in more fouls in the last 3.37 minutes. Ateneo sank all of its nine from the line, which made up the rest of its 20 points for the quarter.     Flying Maroon. Ricci Rivero takes to the air for the basket as Blue Eagle Gian Mamuyac matches his flight to go for the block. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     No dancers, just drummers, but still much love from the Maroon crowd. The UP Pep Squad beat makers take to center court during half time. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Blue Eagles stretched their lead to 13 at the end of the first half, 45-32, courtesy of 4-0, 7-0, and 12-0 runs, punctuated by a two with 27 seconds remaining. The Fighting Maroons’ 11 points in the second quarter were from Janjan Jaboneta’s basket and two free throws, David Murrell’s save in the paint, Kobe Paras’s three from Jun Manzo’s long inbound pass, and Bright Akhuetie’s inside bucket at 0:39.0 on the quarter clock.     Going up in the air without a care. The Fighting Maroons may be down by 15 points four minutes into the third quarter, but that doesn’t stop Kobe Paras from the highlight slam off a quick pass from Janjan Jaboneta, who earlier intercepted the ball between Troy Mallillin and Thirdy Ravena. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Juan for two. Juan Gomez de Liaño about to score UP’s first basket in the fourth quarter. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Ateneo started the second half again keeping UP at bay, adding 20 points and limiting the Maroons to 12. Of those UP points, six were courtesy of Akhuetie’s two field goals and two free throws, a basket and charity by Paras, and Juan Gomez de Liaño’s trey. The third quarter ended with the Blue Eagles up by 23, 65-44.     No contest. Ateneo Center Isaac Go puts his hands up as Maroon captain Noah Webb lays it in. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     No guard for this guard. Jun Manzo had all the space he needed to make this shot off an assist by Kobe Paras, who received the long pass from Juan Gomez de Liaño, from his brother Javi’s inbound. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Fighting Maroons got their first-quarter-field-goal-making groove back in the last quarter, this time sending only one Blue Eagle to the line. Albeit late in the game, UP’s fourth quarter hustle went toe-to-toe with Ateneo’s, banking 20 Maroon points against 21 Blue points. UP made eight two-pointers while Ateneo made seven, plus two triples. Ateneo also sent UP on six trips to the stripe for two technical fouls, a three-point play, and three regular fouls. The Maroons banked four of nine. It was not enough, however, to make up for their mid-game slump from the second to the third quarters.     Leading, tied, down by a single digit, or even by double digits—the UP crowd continues to cheer for their Fighting Maroons. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP will face UST in the semifinals on Sunday, November 10, 4:00pm, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.     Watch the game’s highlights here:   Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Men’s Basketball Team off to a do-or-die vs UST – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mens-basketball-team-off-to-a-do-or-die-vs-ust/",
        "html": "UP Men’s Basketball Team off to a do-or-die vs UST UP Men’s Basketball Team off to a do-or-die vs UST November 13, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Ricci Rivero is scoreless at the first half. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Fighting Maroons and the UST Growling Tigers are now on equal footing as both are one win away from securing the remaining UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball finals berth, after UST’s 89-69 win over UP in the first stepladder semifinals game on November 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.  UP, swallowing a three-game sweep by UST of their matches this season and losing their twice-to-beat advantage as second seed, was left with one last chance to beat UST on November  13 at the Mall of Asia Arena, for the best-of-three finals slot against the undefeated Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles.     UP gets first ball possession. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Team captain Noah Webb displays intensity. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Last Sunday UP never took the lead, and in the first quarter only managed to keep UST’s lead from going double-digit. The game’s last deadlock happened early in the first quarter at seven points apiece.     Ricci Rivero tries to score. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Kobe Paras tries to save the basket for the fallen Bright Akhuetie. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Juan Gomez de Liaño took the cudgels for the Maroons, scoring 20, his season’s best. Bright Akhuetie remained a top-scorer with 19; but season top-scorer Kobe Paras was reduced to a low nine, and point guard Jun Manzo, to zero.  Ricci Rivero was within his average at 12 points, making half of these in the last two minutes, when he returned to play after being substituted for scrapes on his right hand.     Jerson Prado is subbed for an injury early in the first quarter. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Bright Akhuetie gets a free hand. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UST’s Rhenz Abando, Soulemane Chabi Yo, Mark Nonoy, Sherwin Concepcion, and CJ Cansino all scored double-digit. Abando, Nonoy, and Concepcion sank half of their three-point attempts for a total 27 points of the team’s 33 from outside the perimeter, as against UP’s total of nine, all from Gomez de Liaño.     Ricci Rivero is guarded by Zach Huang. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Bright Akhuetie lays the ball up past Dave Ando. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UST led by 19 twice in the third quarter, 50-31 and 52-33. UP was able to cut the gap to just nine, three times in the last quarter, the last of which was at 72-63 with 3:12 left in the game. But UST hammered its way to a bigger lead with two consecutive treys by Concepcion, a block of Akhuetie, and a basket by Chabi Yo at the turn of the last two minutes, raising their lead to 80-63.     Soulemane Chabi Yo won’t let Kobe Paras’s shot through. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Juan Gomez de Liaño is 3/4 on the line. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Chabi Yo made three more baskets and Nonoy chipped in another three-pointer, rendering Rivero’s six points in the last two minutes for naught.     The Maroon crowd moments before the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The UP Pep Squad’s most applauded formation in their half-time performance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP head coach Bo Perasol offered no excuses during the post-game press conference.” The way we played in most of the quarters, there was just no way we could win against UST,” he said. “We couldn’t bring that kind of game to any team. We have to be a lot better.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMBT bags UAAP bronze – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmbt-bags-uaap-bronze/",
        "html": "UPMBT bags UAAP bronze UPMBT bags UAAP bronze November 27, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   #TeamAboveAll: The UP Fighting Maroons huddle before their second game against the UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP stepladder semifinals. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Fighting Maroons closed the men’s basketball tournament of UAAP Season 82 with a podium finish at third place. This after the UST Growling Tigers tore through UP’s second-seed twice-to-beat advantage in the stepladder semifinals to nab the finals berth. In its last UAAP match on November 13 at the MOA Arena, the Diliman squad lost to the team from España by three, 65-68.     Jun Manzo takes the three. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UST started and held the lead, even by as much as 12, until UP’s Jun Manzo tied the game at 57, with less than six minutes left in the last quarter. The Fighting Maroons got its first lead, courtesy of Juan Gomez de Liaño’s basket. That lead was taken two points further by Ricci Rivero’s free throws, 61-57.     Juan Gomez de Liaño goes for the jumper against CJ Cansino. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Then alternating fouls and baskets seesawed the UP lead from four to two to four. As the clock was approaching the last two minutes, Maroon captain Noah Webb fell to floor clutching his left knee after chasing down Mark Nonoy who had ball possession from across the court. No whistle was blown and the ball was still in play. He forced himself to get up and hopped on his right leg to get to the ball which was again in Nonoy’s hands. Webb was called for an unsportsmanlike foul, which Nonoy successfully converted, cutting down the UP lead to two, 63-61.     The game is stopped after an unsportsmanlike foul was called on an injured Noah Webb. Kobe Paras and Juan Gomez de Liaño react to the situation as staff from the Maroon bench and medics check on Webb. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Kobe Paras slashes and slams through the double defense of Rhenz Abando and Dave Ando. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Seconds later, Kobe Paras smashed the rim with a highlight off a pass from Javi Gomez de Liaño, to put the UP lead back up to four, 65-61. This was later pushed down to two again through Rhenz Abando’s layup with 1:15 left.     Jun Manzo is devastated after fouling out of the game. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Maroon crowd during Soulemane Chabi Yo’s free throw attempts in the dying seconds of the last quarter. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     But it was Tiger Renzo Subido’s three-pointer at the 24-second mark that turned back the Maroon lead, giving UST a narrow edge as the game clock winded down, 66-65. Two charities by Soulemane Chabi Yo at 4.4 seconds remaining clinched a three-point lead for UST, all the way to victory.     Jaybie Mantilla and Juan Gomez de Liaño deal with UP’s loss with bowed heads as Kobe Paras looks at the UST team singing its University Hymn. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     James Spencer and David Murrell console Juan Gomez de Liaño after UP lost to UST. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Season 82 marks the Fighting Maroons’ back-to-back final four appearances. They were at number three last year, going into the semifinal round, where they had to win against the second ranked Adamson Falcons twice. And win they did—snatching the finals spot, battling with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, and closing Season 81 with a silver finish.  Since the final four format was introduced in the UAAP in 1993, UP has only made two other appearances before last year: 1996 and 1997.     Jun Manzo and Jaydee Tungcab shed tears after their last game as UP Fighting Maroons. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Fighting Maroons who have played their last UAAP season for UP are Janjan Jaboneta, Pio Longa, Jaybie Mantilla, Jun Manzo, Jerson Prado, and Jaydee Tungcab. Prado and Manzo have signed on to play in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League with Iloilo United Royals and Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines, respectively.  Paras, meanwhile, was included in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Mythical Five, the awarding of which was held on November 20 at the MOA Arena.     Jaydee Tungcab and David Murrell carry Noah Webb off the court, with teammates Pio Longa, Janjan Jaboneta and James Spencer. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As for Webb’s injury, he was later diagnosed with a meniscus tear.  A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was initially suspected. “I’ll still need surgery but recovery time is only two to three months compared to [recovery from] an ACL tear, which is six to eight months,” he told this writer. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP community invited to be part of the ASEAN ITTP-COVID19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-community-invited-to-be-part-of-the-asean-ittp-covid19/",
        "html": "UP community invited to be part of the ASEAN ITTP-COVID19 UP community invited to be part of the ASEAN ITTP-COVID19 August 5, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines is one of the 27 partner-universities participating in the International Teleconference on Technology and Policy for Supporting Implementation of COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan in Southeast Asia (ITTP-COVID19) Conference Opening Ceremony and the subsequent seminars that will take place during the three-day teleconference, slated on August 6 to 8, 2021.  The ITTP-COVID19 is hosted by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). As ITTP-COVID19 General Chairman, Prof. Dr. –Ing. Eko Supriyanto said in his welcome message: “ITTP-COVID19 activities consist of ASEAN leaders sharing, parallel paper presentation, policy group discussion, product exhibition, and ASEAN tourism and culture exposure, which will be conducted virtually from 6th – 8th August 2021. It is organized by 27 top universities in Southeast Asia in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN University Network, government agencies, industries, and associations with the same objective of ensuring the success of COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in the Southeast Asian region. … ITTP-COVID19 provides a platform for academicians, governments, industry players, and non-governmental organizations to discuss research findings, research proposals, and experience in managing COVID-19 response and recovery plan in Southeast Asia.”  For the Opening Ceremony, the keynote speakers will be ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Mahiaddin bin Haji Md Yasin, and Indonesian President Ir. H. Joko Widodo, while the welcoming address will be given by ASEAN University Network Executive Director Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti.  The papers and products to be featured over the next three days fall under health and wellness, health and social sciences, tourism, education, technology and electronics, and other fields.  UP students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate in the ITTP-COVID19 teleconference. To register, click on the QR code in the poster or visit the ITTP-COVID19 website. For more details, download the event brochure. [Download brochure] "
    },
    {
        "title": "NCPAG alumna wins Best Paper Award in Hawai’i – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ncpag-alumna-wins-best-paper-award-in-hawaii/",
        "html": "NCPAG alumna wins Best Paper Award in Hawai’i NCPAG alumna wins Best Paper Award in Hawai’i November 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Maria Margarita R. Lavides, an alumna of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), bagged the Best Paper Award during the First International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Hilo on 27-28 October 2017.  Lavides is working on her PhD in Public Policy as a New Zealand ASEAN Scholar at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).  Her winning paper, entitled “The Exercise of Rights of Biracial Children in Angeles City, Philippines”, bested papers from U.S. and foreign universities.     Maria Margarita R. Lavides, an alumna of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG)     She was a Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) Scholar at the National University of Singapore, where she earned her Master in Public Policy degree in 2006.  She was Executive Director of Pearl S. Buck Foundation-Philippines, Inc. (PSBP) from 2012 to 2015.  Lavides earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA) degree, cum laude, from UP Diliman in 2001. She was ranked first among that year’s batch of 113 BAPA graduates.  The First International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies was organized by UH Hilo Department of Languages Chair Dr. Rodney C. Jubilado and Dr. Norman Q. Arancon from UH Hilo’s College of Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM), under the auspices of UH Hilo’s Filipino Studies Program.  According to Jubilado, the conference aims “to provide an excellent venue for the exchange and sharing of ideas, researches, studies, experiences, and other academic pursuits, endeavors and interests related to Filipinos and the Philippines.”  UP System Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Professor Jose Wendell P. Capili delivered the inaugural conference keynote address. UH Hilo CAFNRM Dean Bruce Matthews was plenary speaker. (MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Nowhere To Go But UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nowhere-to-go-but-up/",
        "html": "Nowhere To Go But UP Nowhere To Go But UP November 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Our boys finally did it. But the biggest battle has just begun.  For many years now, the UP Fighting Maroons and their losing record had been at the receiving end of lengthy sports analyses and even self-deprecating humor from the UP faithful. But prior to Season 81, the team had been improving its win-loss record despite being unable to climb to the top of the rankings in University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.  Season 81, however, has been a different story. Propelled by the unwavering faith of its fans from Baguio to Mindanao, alumni backing in funding and equipment, as well as the support of the UP administration, the UP Men’s Basketball Team finally scored some well-deserved victories against equally competitive opponents.  While the current season started slow for the Fighting Maroons with a three-game losing streak in the first round, Coach Bo Perasol remained positive and saw the defeats as learning experiences for the players. The second round of eliminations proved to be more fruitful for the Maroons as they clinched critical wins against UST, FEU, and DLSU to secure a third berth in the Final Four, the first since 1997. Bright Akhuetie was also awarded MVP honors, also a first since 1986.  After a nerve-wracking showdown with second-seed Adamson University, the underdog UP overcame the latter’s twice-to-beat advantage with conviction and composure emerging triumphant in two games, one in overtime. This is UP’s first UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals appearance in 32 years. The boys are now up against defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles.  Decades after shouting “UP Fight” from the sidelines, our team has slowly but surely heeded our call. It is time for us to return the favor and intensify the support for the upcoming games. Game 1 of the UAAP Finals will be held on Saturday, December 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena. We encourage everyone to cheer our UP Fighting Maroons live in their valiant campaign to make history. #UPFight! #AtinTo! (J. Mikhail Solitario, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "OSFA to accept 2nd round of learning assistance applications on September 2 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/osfa-to-accept-2nd-round-of-learning-assistance-applications-on-september-2/",
        "html": "OSFA to accept 2nd round of learning assistance applications on September 2 OSFA to accept 2nd round of learning assistance applications on September 2 August 31, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Student Financial Assistance has announced the 2nd round of applications for learning assistance in Academic Year 2021-2022.  The Student Learning Assistance System Online will accept applications for the UP Grants-in-aid Program (GIAP) from the university’s bonafide students. These include undergraduate students, including those enrolled in Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine. Beneficiaries of the Free Higher Education Act (RA 10931) may also file their applications.  Applicants must have UP mail accounts. For more information on the application process, please click this link: https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/#application  For questions and clarifications on the requirements and the application process, please contact the Student Financial Assistance Helpdesk in your campus.  UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Numbers: (+632) 8981.8500 local 4504, 4505, 4506 Email: sts.diliman@up.edu.ph; osg.upd@up.edu.ph  UP Diliman-Pampanga Telephone Number:(045) 499-9970/ (+6345) 599.6037 Email: epp.upd@up.edu.ph; armas.eppo@up.edu.ph  UP Los Baños Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.3209; 63 9992272816 Email: sts.losbanos@up.edu.ph; learningassistance_osg.uplb@up.edu.ph  UP Manila Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: 8814-1250 / 8814-1251 Email: sts.manila@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Iloilo & Miagao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6333) 513.7019; 337-6582 Email: sts.visayas@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Tacloban Telephone Number: (+6353) 832.3045 Email: osa.tac.upvisayas@up.edu.ph  UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6374) 446.5230 Email: osfa.upbaguio@up.edu.ph  UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6382) 293.1353 or or 09189184934 (smart) Email: osa.upmindanao@up.edu.ph  UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6332) 232.8185 local 115 Email: sts.cebu@up.edu.ph  UP Open University Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.6001 to 6006 local 344 Email: scholarships@upou.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "For the 3rd time: OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on September 20 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/for-the-3rd-time-osfa-to-accept-learning-assistance-applications-on-september-20/",
        "html": "For the 3rd time: OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on September 20 For the 3rd time: OSFA to accept learning assistance applications on September 20 September 10, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Student Financial Assistance will begin accepting applications for learning assistance on September 20. This is the third time that the office will entertain submitting applications for the first semester of Academic Year 2021-2022.  Applications from undergraduate students and those enrolled in Juris Doctor and Medicine may be filed for the UP Grants-in-aid Program (GIAP). Beneficiaries of the Free Higher Education Act (RA 10931) may also file their applications.  First-year students who have yet to acquire their UP mail accounts may also file applications through the SLAS Online website. They can log in using the same email address or username and password issued to them by the University for the UP College Admission portal.  Applicants must have UP mail accounts. For more information on the application process, please click this link: https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/#application  For questions and clarifications on the requirements and the application process, please contact the Student Financial Assistance Helpdesk in your campus.  UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Numbers: (+632) 8981.8500 local 4504, 4505, 4506 Email: sts.diliman@up.edu.ph; osg.upd@up.edu.ph  UP Diliman-Pampanga Telephone Number:(045) 499-9970/ (+6345) 599.6037 Email: epp.upd@up.edu.ph; armas.eppo@up.edu.ph  UP Los Baños Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.3209; 63 9992272816 Email: sts.losbanos@up.edu.ph; learningassistance_osg.uplb@up.edu.ph  UP Manila Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: 8814-1250 / 8814-1251 Email: sts.manila@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Iloilo & Miagao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6333) 513.7019; 337-6582 Email: sts.visayas@up.edu.ph  UP Visayas – Tacloban Telephone Number: (+6353) 832.3045 Email: osa.tac.upvisayas@up.edu.ph  UP Baguio Office of the Director for Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6374) 446.5230 Email: osfa.upbaguio@up.edu.ph  UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6382) 293.1353 or or 09189184934 (smart) Email: osa.upmindanao@up.edu.ph  UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6332) 232.8185 local 115 Email: sts.cebu@up.edu.ph  UP Open University Office of Student Affairs Telephone Number: (+6349) 536.6001 to 6006 local 344 Email: scholarships@upou.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Okada Manila donates P15M to UP-PGH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/okada-manila-donates-p15m-to-up-pgh/",
        "html": "Okada Manila donates P15M to UP-PGH Okada Manila donates P15M to UP-PGH August 15, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (third from left) receives the P15-million check donation to the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) from Okada Manila, represented by its board chairman, Justice Manuel Lazaro. With them are (from left) Dr. Rodney Dofitas, UP-PGH coordinator for linkages; Dr. Nelson Cabaluna, chairman of the UP-PGH Department of Surgery; and Okada Manila officials: President Kenji Sugiyama, Vice President for Corporate Planning Naoshi Nema, Vice President for Legal and Compliance Joemer Perez, Director for Corporate Management and Administration Sumire Kamura, and Corporate Secretary and board member Michelle Lazaro. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     New diagnostic equipment and advanced training for surgeons—these are in store for the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), following the P15-million donation from Okada Manila on August 8.  The amount provides for the purchase of a fluorescein reading device. According to Dr. Nelson Cabaluna, chairman of the UP-PGH Department of Surgery, this piece of equipment can be used in a wide range of procedures in various medical subspecialties.  The donation also includes grants for UP-PGH surgeons to go to Japan or Hungary and undergo further training in fluorescein-guided operations. The funds will also allow experts from the International University of Health and Welfare in Tokyo, Japan and the Japanese Society for Fluorescence-Guided Surgery to conduct training programs in the Philippines.  In his message, Justice Manuel Lazaro, board chairman of Okada Manila, revealed that the idea of donating to UP-PGH stemmed from one of his conversations with Hajime Tokuda, managing director and board member of Okada Manila, who said he wanted to “contribute to the health and welfare of the Filipino people.” It was then that Lazaro informed him about the University and UP-PGH.     Justice Manuel Lazaro, Okada Manila board chairman (left) and Okada Manila President Kenji Sugiyama (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Okada Manila President Kenji Sugiyama added that the donation was a gesture of gratitude to the Philippines. “We were given the opportunity to [do] business [here] as foreigners, so we must contribute and give something in return.”  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, Cabaluna, and Dr. Rodney Dofitas, UP-PGH coordinator for linkages, received the check from Okada Manila. They expressed the University’s gratitude and confidence that the donation can only yield positive results for medical practice and health care in the country. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "First Science, Technology, & Society Month launched in UPD – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-science-technology-society-month-launched-in-upd/",
        "html": "First Science, Technology, & Society Month launched in UPD First Science, Technology, & Society Month launched in UPD October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The first Science, Technology, and Society Month of UP Diliman opens with a ceremonial pouring of tapuy into a communal jar. Taking their turn are Prof. Alonzo Gabriel of the College of Home Economics, Prof. Perry Ong of the College of Science, and UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, after Undersecretary Rowena Guevara of the Department of Science and Technology and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan have theirs. (Photo by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     UP Diliman launched the first Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Month with the theme, “Bodies, Science, and Philippine Society”, on October 4, 2018 at the Palma Hall Lobby.  According to the organizer, the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UPD-OICA), the theme arose from UP Diliman’s Festival of Culture and the Arts last February, where the body was identified as an important device in knowledge production. “This time, the Philippine body is explored as a scientific concept grounded in a socio-historical milieu,” OICA said.  Science, Technology and Society (STS) is a course in the University that explores how the sciences and society interact.  According to Prof. Giovanni Tapang of the National Institute of Physics, who was the master of ceremonies of the opening program, the STS Month would celebrate the oneness of the natural and social sciences and the arts, as represented by UP Diliman’s former College of Arts and Sciences, which broke up to form three colleges 35 years ago. These are the College of Science, the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, and the College of Arts and Letters.     UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. (Photo by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     “We want to celebrate the opposite of the break-up. . . . These disciplines connect in many ways,” stressed UPD Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo.  UPD Chancellor Michael Tan, citing the Indonesian concept of mata hati, said the University aspires to produce graduates who are able to understand society because they see through the heart. The images of an eye and a heart are prominent in the Manansala mural titled “Arts and Sciences” at the Palma Hall lobby.  UPD-OICA Director Cecilia de la Paz said the month-long celebration aims for science to be immersed in society, giving, and with imagination for shaping the country’s future.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts Director Cecilia dela Paz. (Photos by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     The launch of the STS Month also saw the opening of “Agham para sa Bayan: An Exhibition of UPD S&T Achievements,” featuring 10 projects in UPD that can improve society. Exhibited are: the Philippine Microsatellite Diwata 1 & 2 Project; Gitara ni Juan, the use of indigenous wood for guitar-making; Visser, instrumentation for science education and research; Fish-I, using camera and video software for fish census; Automated Rapid Reef Assessment System, using physical video capture and stitching software; Learning English Application for Pinoys, software for senior high school students; Weather Manila, pinpointing local weather information; DREAM Phil-LiDAR, providing value-adding data for flood modeling and hazard maps; Community-led Integrated Non-cyanide, Non-mercury Gold Extraction Method; and, Mapa ng Loob, developing a Filipino personality inventory.     The exhibit booth of the PHL Microsat Project features replicas of Diwatas 1 & 2 and a demonstration of their capabilities, including communications with a station at the Advanced Science and Technology Institute. The UP Guitar Orchestra plays on guitars made from indigenous woods under the Gitara ni Juan Project. (Photos by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     Many activities have been lined up for the month: an international food science and nutrition symposium; a visual arts exhibition on the science of genetics; a colloquium on HIV/AIDS in Southeast Asia; a forum celebrating the bicentenary of Frankenstein; and, the many activities of the College of Science for its 35th anniversary. (View full program here)     Prof. Prospero Naval of UP Department of Computer Science’s Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence Group explains the Fish-I Project. The framework for its video-capture machines is at right. (Photos by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     The STS Month opening was also attended by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Guevara and DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute Director Joel Joseph Marciano Jr., UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, other UP Diliman officials, and deans and representatives of UPD colleges led by the dean of the host college, Maria Bernadette Abrera of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Prof. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. of UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute and the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute gives a brief on microsatellites built by UP scholars in partnership with Japanese universities to UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa and Prof. Alonzo Gabriel of the College of Home Economics. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement from Dr. Jose V. Abueva, former President of the University of the Philippines and founder and former President of Kalayaan College – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-from-dr-jose-v-abueva-former-president-of-the-university-of-the-philippines-and-founder-and-former-president-of-kalayaan-college/",
        "html": "Statement from Dr. Jose V. Abueva, former President of the University of the Philippines and founder and former President of Kalayaan College Statement from Dr. Jose V. Abueva, former President of the University of the Philippines and founder and former President of Kalayaan College January 20, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos and I had great respect for each other and for the institutions we represented. We had a deep understanding between us about the inalienable rights to freedom, democracy, justice and peace that lasted beyond our respective presidencies. There was a deep, mutual understanding of the need to uphold this agreement and do everything for the good of UP and the rights of its students, faculty and staff. This understanding was rooted in mutual trust, and mutual respect.  I am appalled and dismayed about this unilateral abrogation.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pusô and UP Cebu – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/puso-and-up-cebu/",
        "html": "Pusô and UP Cebu Pusô and UP Cebu October 18, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The short video makes its metaphor clear: Education is like pusô, an iconic Cebuano street food consisting of rice boiled in packets of woven coconut leaves. In the video, the values of hard work, perseverance, strength, faith and experience helps a young man earn his degree from UP Cebu, while his mother provides him support and pusô.  Titled “Puso 2 – University of the Philippines Cebu”, the video is itself a symbol of the spirit of UP Cebu—steeped in the culture of the region, full of UP Cebu’s heart and sense of community, and showing a mastery of both technology and art.  The video won the Most Creative Corporate Institution Video Award – Gold Prize during the 5th QS-Maple Professional Leaders in Education Conference and Exhibit in Doha, Qatar in May 2015. The win “puts UP Cebu on the map of academic institutions that lead in creative and persuasive visual communication,” says Prof. Gregg Lloren, the video’s creative director and assistant professor at the UP Cebu Arts and Humanities cluster (now the College of Communication, Art, and Design). Then UP Cebu Dean and now Chancellor Liza Corro was executive producer.  The school that lived  UP Cebu is no stranger to change or to struggle. In fact, in a PowerPoint presentation based on an article on UP Cebu’s history, author and UP Cebu history professor Dr. Madrileña de la Cerna includes a photo of Cebu College taken around the late ‘40s with the caption “The School that Refused to Die.” When it comes to perseverance, resilience and sheer tenacity, UP Cebu knows what’s up.     An old photo of Cebu College, UP, taken from Dr. de la Cerna’s presentation.     The Junior College of Liberal Arts in Cebu City was established on May 3, 1918, with classes at Warwick Barracks in front of Leon Kilat Street in Ermita District, near where Carbon market is now. The fledgling college soon faced challenges such as the lack of a permanent home, the effects of a global economic crisis, and opposition in Manila against the further expansion and continued existence of the college. But the will of the Cebuano people and the UP Cebu community prevailed, and the Junior College of Liberal Arts in Cebu City was granted a 13-hectare site in Lahug plus yearly funds by the Cebu Provincial Board.  In 1927, Prof. Teofilo Reyes of the UP College of Engineering finalized plans for the Lahug campus and oversaw the completion of a two-story building, which was inaugurated by UP President Rafael Palma in 1929. In 1936, the Junior College became a permanent branch of UP through Act No. 4244, enabling it to expand its role in the province by offering more courses leading to degrees in Commerce, Education, General Preparatory Law and Preparatory Medicine.  When war broke out, the College was forced to close on December 13, 1941. Its main building was used as an internment camp for American and British civilians and later as a stockade for condemned prisoners by Japanese forces.  In 1945, the campus was returned to UP, and classes were held at the buildings the Americans had built. The main building and athletic field, which were damaged during the war, were repaired through funds from the War Damage Commission.  A few years later, in 1950, the College was closed again when UP students protesting the actions of powerful Cebuano politicians and their armed goons during the presidential elections angered a Cebuano Senate President. As Dr. De la Cerna wrote: “Only the students of UP Cebu dared to lampoon these politicians in the editorial cartoons of their campus paper, The Junior Collegian, getting the ire of the powerful political lords of Cebu.”  After UP alumni campaigned for it, the College was reopened in 1963. The next decades saw turmoil within the College, followed by changes in 1986-1987 that placed UP Cebu under the UP in the Visayas. In 1990-1991, the entire collegial organization was restructured, with academic programs clustered into five disciplines, namely Management, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and the High School. In 2010, the UP Cebu College was granted autonomy by the BOR. Then in 2011, UP Cebu grew again as construction began for its new campus in a five-hectare lot of Cebu City’s South Road Properties, which is now home to the UP Professional Schools, offering degree programs such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Computer Science, Master of Education and Master of Science in Environmental Studies. Finally, on the 27th of October 2016, the UP Cebu was elevated as the 8th constituent university with the installation of the former Dean to Chancellor, Atty. Liza D. Corro.  Not bad for a tiny junior college that started out with 28 students and two faculty members.        The UP Cebu Library (Photo by Bong Arboleda)     The school of reinvention  UP Cebu has gone through war and upheavals, political and administrative opposition, uncertainty and tension, and has risen above it all. It has mastered the art of rebirth and reinvention, changing its name eleven times throughout its almost 100-year history—from the Junior College of Liberal Arts in 1918, to Cebu College in UP in 1947, to the UP Graduate School in Cebu in 1963, to the UP Visayas Cebu College in 1987, to the UP Cebu College in 2010, and finally to UP Cebu.  As the UP constituent unit born in the Queen City of the South, the campus wears both its history and the culture of the Central Visayas region proudly on its sleeve—most clearly evident in the campus’ iconic landmark, the Administration Building, in front of which the Oblation stands. The Administration Building was declared a historical landmark on December 2, 2010 by the National Historical Commission. The building is also featured prominently on UP Cebu’s logo, symbolizing both UP Cebu’s significance as the oldest campus outside Luzon and its resilient character, said Lloren.  As if reflecting UP Cebu’s spirit of resilience and reinvention, the campus has evolved through the years. Other buildings were constructed during the ‘70s and ‘80s, and infrastructure development escalated further since the first decade of the 21st century. The campus today is a green, tree-lined haven featuring buildings with modern architectural designs such as the Arts and Science Building, and modern facilities such as the UP Cebu Library, which served as the media center during the Visayas leg of 2016 Presidential Debate; the Performing Art Hall on top of the Library, which served as the venue of the historic presidential debate of 2016; the Open Field where sporting events and the annual UP Cebu Cookout are held, and which now includes a Jogger’s Path; benches and gazebos that serve as student tambayans; sculptures and art installations scattered everywhere; and the site often featured in photographs of UP Cebu, the UP Cebu signage and seal in front of the Oblation and Administration Building.     UP Cebu campus grounds (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The school that looks forward  With its history at its heart, UP’s youngest constituent unit has embraced the modern, the artistic and the high-tech, as befits its role as one of the country’s centers of excellence in design and information technology. For example, the Department of Trade and Industry inaugurated the first Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) in Cebu last year under the UP Cebu’s College of Communication, Art and Design. The Fablab is a service facility established for UP Cebu’s Fine Arts program. It aims to give arts and design students, professionals, entrepreneurs and the public access to advance prototyping, printing and related equipment, as well as training and workshop facilities.  Through the Cebu Business Incubator in IT (CeBuinIT), UP Cebu and the DOST aim to create an environment that would help startup tech enterprises become sustainable and commercially successful. UP Cebu is also one of the implementing agencies for the DOST’s PHIL LiDAR 2 program, which aims to produce high-resolution maps and data to be used for ongoing government development programs. The UP Cebu SRP campus is a model of modernity and environmental awareness, featuring a circular e-Library with 53 computer units and green building design. And as proof of UP Cebu’s strength in creative design and IT, the Shu-Te University of Taiwan will begin offering a Master of Arts in Applied Arts and Design (MAAAD) program for interested graduates or professionals in arts and design through UP Cebu this year.  As for the spirit of UP Cebu, Lloren says: “The campus is very much attached to its Cebuano heritage. Thus, we are proud to use the pusô to embody our ideals of resilience, hard work, nurturing spirit, and sharing. Our motto: Nurtured to Create, Inspired to Innovate, Destined to Serve. The first line represents our design thrust. The second represents IT. The third speaks of our mandate to serve the region and the country.”  UP Cebu has thrived despite the odds with the support of the UP community and the Cebuano people. And like the young man in Lloren’s video, UP Cebu stands at a height, looking outward and forward to the future.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Cookouts and Cosplay in UP Cebu – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cookouts-and-cosplay-in-up-cebu/",
        "html": "Cookouts and Cosplay in UP Cebu Cookouts and Cosplay in UP Cebu December 14, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Jive Monterozo, UPC-USC Chairperson, takes the lead for the UP Cebu University Student Council’s segment as they raise the call for this year’s UP Cookout. (Photos from the UP Cookout Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/UPCebuCookout/)     Many traditions across the UP constituent universities started out as a form of protest, and the UP Cebu Cookout is one such tradition. In 1987, the students of the then UP Cebu College gathered together on the campus grounds to protest against a repressive dean, and they literally cooked food as they discussed the issues that affected the university and the country.  The UP Cebu Cookout became a popular yearly activity produced by the BA Mass Communication students, with the University Student Council as executive producer. The cookout, which begins in the evening and ends at 6:00 a.m. the next day, serves to showcase the talents of UP students and Cebu-based bands and performers through four segments—dance (sayawan), song (kantahan), band performances (bandahan), and creative modeling (rampahan), as well as other art forms.     The #UPCookout2017 crowd last November 10–over 3,700 strong     More importantly, the UP Cebu Cookout serves to highlight specific issues affecting the university and the country. In 2014, for example, the issue was UP’s academic calendar shift; in 2015, the national elections; and in 2016, it was responsible social media usage. In 2017, the UP Cookout, held last November 10 at the UP Cebu grounds, carried the theme “Guns N Roses: Will you pull the trigger?” as it tackled the spreading violence in Philippine society.  The Cookout is not the only highly popular and much-anticipated event in UP Cebu. The UP Otakufest has become Cebu’s largest cosplay and hobbies convention, where fans of all hobbies, sci-fi and fantasy shows, cartoons, books, movies, games and so on—but mainly Japanese manga and anime—gather together to show their love for their fandoms, showcase their talents, and hobnob with fellow fans.           Organized by the UP Nichibunken, the UP Otakufest celebrated its tenth installment in February this year. Some signature activities held during the UP Otakufest include the Otakufest Cosplay Competition, an Asian Pop Dance Competition, Japanese Singing Contest, a mini-quiz show dubbed Quizbattle Royale as well as online gaming tournaments as a new addition to the lineup of activities.  Other traditional or yearly events organized by UP Cebu student orgs include the Mental Health Activities month (usually October) spearheaded by the UP Psychological Majors Association; the annual Statistics Month and Math Week, with its Inter-High School Math Olympiad as centerpiece, organized by the UP Math Majors’ Circle; and the Science Month celebration in April conducted by the UP Cebu Ecological Society.  The UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs also conducts an annual Leadership Training Seminar during the month of September or October, after the students have elected their leaders for both academic-based/co-curricular and non-academic-based/extracurricular activities-based student orgs. The OSA also comes up with an annual Open House to entice more high school students to study in UP Cebu, participated in by student organizations, usually in the last week of September or first week of October.  For advocacy work, the UP Cebu Gender and Development Office/SIDLAK, spearhead the celebration of Valentine’s Day in February, during which student orgs can put up booths or sell flowers and heart-shaped sweets that students can give to their significant others. With the help of the UP Cebu He for She and UP Pride the GDO, together with LGU and NGO partners, also commemorate One Billion Rising and March as women’s month, to fight discrimination and violence against women and children.     UP Cebu’s One Billion Rising     As a breather from all the academic and mental pressures of university life, UP Cebu also holds annual intramural games. The intramurals are organized by the PE Coordinator and Student Council leaders. For culture, on the other hand, the Arts and Culture Committee holds the annual celebration of “Gabii sa Kabilin” (A Night of Heritage), which showcases the history of UP Cebu and encourages people to visit museums, schools, and churches and other partners of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.  For the artistically inclined, UP Cebu holds the Jose Joya Arts Awards, an annual arts competition participated in by the Fine Arts Programme students, organized by the Fine Arts Students Organization. The annual competition is held in honor of National Artist and former UP College of Fine Arts Dean Jose Joya, who helped establish the oldest Fine Arts programme outside Luzon in UP Cebu.  Finally, during the Christmas season and after the first semester’s finals, UP Cebu holds the traditional “Pasko sa UP” with a lantern parade, participated in by the entire UP Cebu community. The “Pasko sa UP” signifies the season of unity and hope and sends out the message that whatever challenges may come, people from UP Cebu are resilient and ready to change for the better.  ——————-  With inputs from Prof. Ellen Grace M. Funesto, coordinator of the UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu affirms artistic relevance through exhibit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-affirms-artistic-relevance-through-exhibit/",
        "html": "UP Cebu affirms artistic relevance through exhibit UP Cebu affirms artistic relevance through exhibit May 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro and College of Communication, Art, and Design Dean Juanito Karl Roque cut the ribbon to the “Sentenaryo” art exhibit, with guests of honor Charlie Co and Manny Montelibano. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu, which has found a niche in the arts and creative design, showcases the visual art talent it has nurtured through the years and its contribution to the development of Visayan art and culture through an exhibit called “Sentenaryo: 100 Artworks by 100 Artists Celebrating 100 Years of Academic Excellence and Public Service”.     Participating artists in the “Sentenaryo” art exhibit from the pioneer batch of the UP Cebu Fine Arts Program with UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, College of Communication, Art, and Design Dean Juanito Karl Roque, and guests of honor Charlie Co and Manny Montelibano. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Participating artists in the “Sentenaryo” art exhibit from a younger batch of the UP Cebu Fine Arts Program with UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, College of Communication, Art, and Design Dean Juanito Karl Roque, and guests of honor Charlie Co and Manny Montelibano. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Curated by Prof. Jay Nathan Jore with the Fine Arts Program of the UP Cebu College of Communication, Art, and Design (CCAD) and the Jose T. Joya Gallery, the exhibit was launched on May 2, 2018, the eve of UP Cebu’s centennial day.  The gallery was jampacked with the featured Fine Arts Program graduates, including the pioneering 1975 batch, and faculty members, joined by guests of honor Charlie Co and Manny Montelibano, both Bacolod-based visual artists making great contributions to the arts outside Metro Manila.     The participating artists in UP Cebu’s “Sentenaryo” art exhibit. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Bacolod-based artist Charlie Co delivers an inspirational message during the launch of UP Cebu’s “Sentenaryo” art exhibit. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “The displayed works illustrate the breadth and depth of the Bisaya creative spirit: of Bisaya Realism that captures the luminance of the everyday, of portraitures that express the story of familiar and strange faces, of modernism that articulates hope and freedom, and of postmodernism that examines the present by looking at lessons of the past and looking forward to the possibilities of tomorrow,” the curatorial note stated.     Guests view the artworks featured in UP Cebu’s “Sentenaryo” art exhibit at the Jose T. Joya Gallery. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO) ​​​​​  “As UP Cebu’s story continues, UP Cebu Fine Arts reaffirms its role to be a keeper of dreams and a custodian of artistic imagination,” it adds.  With the guests of honor, UP Cebu Chancellor Corro and CCAD Dean Juanito Karl Roque cut the ribbon to the exhibit. A fellowship dinner of the artists and their friends followed. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu celebrates centennial day – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-celebrates-centennial-day/",
        "html": "UP Cebu celebrates centennial day UP Cebu celebrates centennial day May 22, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   New UP Cebu Oblation with former UP President Alfredo Pascual and university officials     May 3, 2018 was the culmination of UP Cebu’s centennial celebrations, which carried the theme “Unang Siglo: Halad sa Katawhan, of Academic Excellence and Public Service”. The day saw the unveiling of a “gratitude wall” for UP Cebu donors, the inauguration of the UP Presidents’ markers at the new Oblation Square, awarding ceremonies for constituents, and a grand centennial “cookout” out in the open.  UP Cebu unveiled the stone markers for all UP Presidents with former UP Presidents or their representatives attending. They were Presidents Alfredo Pascual, Francisco Nemenzo, and Engr. Jose Paolo Soriano for his father Emmanuel Soriano. Presidents Edgardo Angara and Emil Javier sent messages. Performances making use of multimedia and dinner in the Performing Arts Auditorium and Lobby, and the awarding of the Centennial Gawad Chancellor to outstanding constituents also marked the event.     UP Law Class ‘86, first donors to UP Cebu centennial fundraising, assist Chancellor Liza Corro in unveiling the gratitude wall.     Earlier in the day, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro unveiled the Gratitude Wall in the Administration Building, with UP Law Class ’86–the first to respond to the centennial fund-raising with a P1-million donation–assisting the chancellor. The program had Grace Javier Alfonso delivering an artist talk on her design of the newly installed Guillermo Tolentino’s Oblation. Likewise installed was a small amphitheater to replace the old plaza in front of the Administration Building.  The day ended with a grand centennial cookout out in the open, where UP Cebu officials and constituents enjoyed a picnic, concerts, fireworks, and an Oblation Run with their guests.  Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan, Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., UP Open University (UPOU) Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, former UPOU Chancellor Grace Javier Alfonso, UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, and former Assistant Vice President for Development Jaime Caro attended the day’s celebrations; as did Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and his wife Jobelle, Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, and Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña. They were joined by officers and members of the UP Cebu Alumni Association led by Atty. Ria Espina, and the UP College of Law Batch ’86.     Cultural multimedia performance led by UP Cebu Professor Ligaya Rabago-Visaya.     It has been 100 years since UP Cebu’s founding as a regional unit of UP Diliman on May 3, 1918, in the Warwick Barracks built for the American military at the port area of the then town of Cebu. It is thus the oldest UP campus outside Luzon. It was closed down a few times and then became part of UP Visayas. In 2008, it was the venue of the signing of the new UP Charter or RA 9500 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. UP Cebu was granted full autonomous status and converted into a constituent university (CU) on October 27, 2016, making it the youngest of the eight CUs of UP.  “It might be providential that the conversion of UP Cebu to a full CU had to happen at the eve of our centenary. We did not mind the waiting, considering all the generous support we were blessed with in recent years, consisting of both infrastructure and non-infrastructure, like the substantial and continuing research funding from different government agencies for the past five years, foremost of which comes from the Department of Science and Technology,” Liza Corro, UP Cebu College’s last dean and UP Cebu’s first chancellor, said. “There is a lot of construction still ongoing.”  She said the support inspires the CU to do better living up to a vision as lead university in research, creative design, ICT-driven innovations, responsible governance, and community service in Cebu and “the global world”.     UP Cebu high school students welcome guests to the evening events at UP Cebu performing arts auditorium     UP is a current Commission on Higher Education Center of Excellence for Information Technology and Center of Development for Environmental Sciences. It is also home to the Central Visayas Studies Center, a Lidar workstation, a creative digital media production facility, a fabrication laboratory, a technology business incubator, and entrepreneurial co-working spaces and resource center.  In the month before the culmination day, UP Cebu held centennial celebration activities in its Lahug and South Road campuses, conducted the Centennial Faculty Research Forum and an academe-industry forum on innovation in digital age, launched a roster of new government-funded research and development centers and projects in a new building, mounted a grand alumni homecoming, and opened an exhibit of 100 art works by UP Cebu alumni artists and friends at its Jose T. Joya Gallery.     The Centennial Gawad Chancellor Awardees     More photos of the centennial day can be viewed at https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/in-photos-up-cebu-unang-siglo-celebration/. Related stories are at https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-cebu-inaugurates-new-rd-centers-and-projects/ and https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-cebu-affirms-artistic-relevance-through-exhibit/. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu inaugurates new R&D centers and projects – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-inaugurates-new-rd-centers-and-projects/",
        "html": "UP Cebu inaugurates new R&D centers and projects UP Cebu inaugurates new R&D centers and projects May 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The newly-inaugurated Technology Innovation Center of UP Cebu. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu continues to elevate its research, development, and public service with the launch of new centers and projects, and of the new building to house them.  The launch on April 27, 2018, attended by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara, was part of the centennial celebrations of the campus, which was founded on May 3, 1918.     The UP Store on the ground floor of the new Technology Innovation Center of UP Cebu. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The new centers are: the Central Visayas Center for Environmental Informatics; the Center for Molecular Diagnostics and Research; the Cybersecurity Research, and Extension Center; and, the Students’ Teachers’ Innovation, Incubation for Technologies and Commercialization Hub (STiiTCH). STiiTCH is UP Cebu’s initiative to support and encourage the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region by unifying the different shared services facilities of the campus, such as: the Fabrication Laboratory (Fablab); the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office; the Creative Digital Media Production Center; the Co-Working Space; and, the Go-Negosyo Center.  The R&D projects consist: of Firecheck, an urban fire hazard mapping and fire spread modeling and geomapping; and, nutrient analysis of wild edible plants as food alternatives in disaster-prone areas in the Central and Eastern Visayas regions.     Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new DOST- and other government-funded research and development centers and projects of UP Cebu housed in the new Technology Innovation Center. Assisting them are DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara, UP Regent Angelo Jimenez, and UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili. (Photo by UP MPRO)     The new centers and projects are housed in the new three-storey Technology Innovation Center (TIC) building, which also features a store of UP Cebu fabrications.  The DOST, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the UP System provided funds for the establishment of the centers and projects.  “We are quite lucky because UP Cebu’s culture and environment matches the thrust of these DOST-granted researches from environment to cybersecurity. As a Center for Excellence in Information Technology and a Center for Development in Environmental Studies, the strength of UP Cebu will be highlighted,” Chancellor Liza Corro said during the launch. “A lot more research projects of our faculty, students and staff will be accommodated in this building, in the near future,” she added.     Department of Science and Technology Fortunato dela Peña and Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, and UP Regent Angelo Jimenez unveil the logos of new research and development centers and projects located in the new Technology Innovation Center of UP Cebu. (Photo by UP MPRO)     “We believe that these granted to us, are not just aimed to be science for the people but a science for change to provide sustainable and inclusive growth for the majority of our people,” Corro said, reiterating UP Cebu’s tagline: “Nurtured to Create, Inspired to Innovate and Destined to Serve”. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu graduates 405 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-graduates-405/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu graduates 405 IN PHOTOS: UP Cebu graduates 405 June 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Cebu holds its 81st commencement exercises at its Lahug campus open grounds on June 27, 2018, capping a centennial year as it graduates 405 students, 344 with a bachelor’s degree, 11 magna cum laude, and 74 cum laude.  Chancellor Liza Corro expresses confidence in the batch’s eagerness to “pay it forward,” ahead of any return service requirement.  Former Senate President and property magnate Manuel Villar Jr., commencement speaker, argues the case for entrepreneurship, which he says should be tried at least once, is an art form, and is key to attaining dignity for the self and for the country.  Valedictorian Sean Lojoya Policarpio (BS Biology) talks about dreams being “cries for change” and having one of his biggest dreams fulfilled in the University. “The lives of the Filipino people also hinge on our dreams,” he says. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     The UP Cebu faculty members (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu Deans Juanito Karl Roque, Ma. Rowena Mende, and Tiffany Adelaine Tan. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The UP System Executive Staff is represented by Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The UP Board of Regents members present are Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora, Student Regent Ma. Shari Niña Oliquino, Frederick Mikhail Farolan, Angelo Jimenez, and Francis Laurel. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The UP Cebu Mace is carried by Registrar May Christina Bugash. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro precedes the University Mace carried by Secretary of the University Roberto Lara, followed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, Commission on Higher Education OIC and UP Board of Regents Chair J. Prospero de Vera, and commencement speaker Manuel Villar Jr. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)      UP System officials, UP Cebu officials, commencement speaker Manuel Villar Jr., and company face the candidates for graduation while anticipating the start of ceremonies. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Manuel Villar Jr. talks about his journey from selling fish to studying in UP to being an employee to founding his own company. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Emphasizing the point of entrepreneurship not being all about money, Manuel Villar Jr. says those without it are the “perfect” ones to start up. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Manuel Villar Jr. receives a laser-cut miniature of the historic UP Cebu administration building from UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Ritchelita Galapate. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Sean Lojoya Policarpio, BS Biology magna cum laude, receives a special award and prize from Manuel Villar Jr. having attained the highest general weighted average among the UP Cebu graduates, to the loud cheering and applause of his batch. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The graduates joyously shift their “sablay” from right shoulder to left symbolizing the conferment of their degrees and titles. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     Sean Lojoya Policarpio, 2018 class valedictorian, says a scholar of the nation earns honor in serving the nation with excellence. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu graduates pledge loyalty to the University. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)        UP Cebu graduates sing the University Hymn. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)     The traditional lightning rally in UP commencement exercises caps UP Cebu’s 81st. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Start-up carves a niche in human resource solutions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/start-up-carves-a-niche-in-human-resource-solutions/",
        "html": "Start-up carves a niche in human resource solutions Start-up carves a niche in human resource solutions September 26, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    There’s always a great value added to customized products and services. “Customized” sounds good to the buyer—but not so if it costs an arm and a leg. Or the client can choose from ready-made boxes most suitable for his or her needs, which is convenient for the provider as well, but often results in pain when the box inevitably doesn’t quite fit. Or the two parties can listen to each other in crafting a product or service that could more fully satisfy both.  The makers of Payruler, “a fully customized as well as a comprehensive set of human resources (HR) software,” have sorted out this potential mess. Sounding like “payroll” as a marketing peg, “Payruler tailor-fits HR process automation for Philippine businesses,” says Jojo de Jesus. Together with his daughter, a young Computer Science graduate of UP Cebu, de Jesus heads Genii Hut Technologies, a start-up scaling up from incubation at the UP Cebu Business Incubator for Information Technology (UPCeBuInIT).     ‘We got you covered,’ Payruler posters say, ‘from applicant pooling, 360 performance evaluation, automated government-mandated forms, to last pay computation.’     Genii Hut, with Payruler as its banner product, set out to create technologies that would fit clients’ process automation needs, sparing the clients from making major process adjustments just so they could make use of limited automation technologies pervasive in the market.  “We build software that is not boxed, that the client has to fit in the box. We actually fit the box to the client,” De Jesus reiterates. “Whenever we have a demo, we ask, what’s your pain point right now?” Then they make necessary tweaks. “For our competitors, oh, that’s already a big deal,” De Jesus observes. “We capture that peculiarity of the business process that the clients want to automate. That has become second nature to us.”  Payruler has customizable modules for recruitment and human resources information, which includes assessment for regularization, and asset and training tracking. Its timekeeping allows for multiple job shifts and tracking of overtimes and leaves. Its payroll technology automates benefits and deductions. A module for reporting makes the information ready any time. A mobile app for IOS and Android allows employers to keep track of employees, approve leaves, and sign off on business matters while on the go. Through an Employee Self Service mobile app, employees can also time in during field work, check their payslips, leaves, loans, and others.     Jojo de Jesus receiving an award for Payruler during the StartUp Project Ph Pitch Challenge. (Photo from UP CeBuInIT Facebook)     “We sell, rent, and do the system. We sell it to big companies for them to use it themselves. For MSMEs, which can’t buy a million- or two million-peso system, they just rent monthly. For those really small, such as those with five to 10 employees, we actually do the payroll for them. They just send the time sheets to us. We do everything including reporting,” De Jesus said.  Payruler, the upstart-startup from UP Cebu, has been challenging established brands such as Oracle, SAP, Quickbooks, Sprout, Magellan, Titanium and a lot of big names in Manila and began making a dent in this market immediately after launching. Case in point: the Philippine Stock Exchange, which acquired Payruler in 2015, after a tedious selection process.     Presenting the product at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center, Singapore. (Photo from Payruler Facebook)     The company was established in 2014 with five people. It moved in to UP CeBuInIT a year after, where they hired two more and had their first three clients, including PSE. They initially had a cubicle and ended up using the whole room.  By word of mouth of its customized solutions, Payruler’s users have grown to around 51 since, including, to mention a few, Sky Logistics Group, a ground handler for airlines; Negros Navigation-ATS; Executive Boutique, a call center; and, TBWA, a global advertising company.     From a small cubicle at the UP CeBuInIT, the Payruler staff began sorting out the human resources of much bigger companies. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP Cebu has seen Genii hut grow and prove its business sense.  Being in UP Cebu also looped it into the culture of cutting-edge research and development of the academe. In handling human resources—and wages and benefits already reaching more than P9 billion—the system is recipient to a huge amount of data, which is huge scientific grist. This makes the start-up not only a business incubatee, but a possible partner of UP in finding what is best for human resources in the country.  This facet of research and development for the country also makes perfect business sense. New knowledge, especially where it was produced, is always a lead advantage in the industry.  Last year, Genii hut received a grant from the Department of Science and Technology for predictive analytics. Big data will be utilized to identify flags or indicators, such as those which can be used for hires, retention, training, and costs and asset management.     Payruler founder Jojo De Jesus and chief operations officer Timmy de Jesus with Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de La Peña during the 1st Philippine TBI Summit. (Photo from UP CeBuInIT Facebook)     “Opportunities just actually poured in when we located here,” says De Jesus. He also talks about being able to connect to networks of start-ups and organizations that support them, including the Asian Institute of Management, now the start-up’s cross-incubator. Genii hut’s collaboration with UP Cebu also resulted in a fellowship at the Royal Academy of Engineering for UP CeBuInIT.  With the DOST grant, the company is set to increase its 15-person staff, hopefully with researchers from the University. Currently, three of the 15 are from UP Cebu. They hold strategic positions and carry with them expertise in management, computer science, and mass communication.     Timmy De Jesus, Payruler chief operations officer, narrates the Payruler story during the First Philippine Technology Business Incubator Summit held in Cebu. (Photo from Payruler Facebook)     “We are a group of people from different fields. So, it was just a good mix of people coming together,” De Jesus, an industrial engineer, says. It also helped that their first two clients were large manpower and manpower logistics companies. De Jesus dreads the thought of his team being composed of all engineers. He himself did not know anything about HR. “We engineers are bound to just out-compute each other,” he jokes.  But to be open to and embrace peculiarities and differences is something which is probably not new to De Jesus, having come from 30 years of working in several capacities in the business circles of Cebu. Now, this is his team’s key to finding solutions.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pahayag ukol sa Pagkamatay ng UP student na si Kis Tryvl Ramos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pahayag-ukol-sa-pagkamatay-ng-up-student-na-si-kis-tryvl-ramos/",
        "html": "Pahayag ukol sa Pagkamatay ng UP student na si Kis Tryvl Ramos Pahayag ukol sa Pagkamatay ng UP student na si Kis Tryvl Ramos April 12, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Pahayag ukol sa Pagkamatay ng UP student na si Kis Tryvl Ramos  Labis na ikinalulungkot ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas ang balita ukol sa malagim na pagkamatay ng isa sa mga mag-aaral ng UP Cebu na si Kis Tryvl Ramos. Si Kis ay magtatapos na sana sa kanyang kurso nang mabaril siya noong Miyerkules ng gabi sa lugar na kanyang pinagtatrabahuan sa Cebu. Kasama niyang nasawi sa insidente ang isa sa kanyang mga employer na si John Michael Hermoso. Hanggang ngayon ay di pa rin natutukoy kung sino ang mga salarin.  Lubos ang aming pagdadalamhati sa pagkawala ng kanilang mga buhay… buhay na puno sana ng pangako at pangarap.  Mariin naming tinututulan at kinokondena ang trahedyang ito. Patuloy kaming umaasa sa paggaling at paghilom ng sugat ng iba pang mga biktima.  Nakikiisa ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa panawagan ng UP Cebu para sa katarungan. Ang buong Unibersidad ay hindi lamang nagluluksa, bagkus nananawagan ng hustisya para kay Kis at sa lahat ng mga biktima ng isang karumaldumal at walang kabuluhang  pagpatay.     Pamunuan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Abril 12, 2019        A Statement on the Death of UP Student, Kis Tryvl Ramos  We received tragic news that one of our graduating students in UP Cebu, Kis Tryvl Ramos, died in a shooting incident Wednesday evening at her place of work in Cebu City. She and one of her employers, John Michael Hermoso, perished at the hands of still unidentified persons.  We mourn the loss of these young lives that were full of promise. We condemn to the highest degree the violence that caused this tragedy. And we hope that those injured may recover and heal.  The University rallies behind UP Cebu’s call for justice. The whole UP community demands justice for Kis and all the victims of such a senseless and vicious act.     University of the Philippines Administration April 12, 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Got ideas to promote mental health in UP? Join the “Sandigan, Sandalan” Project competition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/got-ideas-to-promote-mental-health-in-up-join-the-sandigan-sandalan-project-competition/",
        "html": "Got ideas to promote mental health in UP? Join the “Sandigan, Sandalan” Project competition Got ideas to promote mental health in UP? Join the “Sandigan, Sandalan” Project competition August 4, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Recognizing the urgent need to promote mental health in the University of the Philippines (UP), the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OVPAA-OSFA) initiated several Mental Health Promotion Programs in 2021. The project is entitled “Sandigan, Sandalan Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health”.  One of the component projects of the “Sandigan, Sandalan” initiative is the Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects. The program is a UP System-wide search for innovative Mental Health Promotion ideas from eligible student organizations and groups. The Project is a venue to involve students in Mental Health Promotion by featuring student-led programs that other groups can replicate.  The search shall accept entries from accredited student organizations and recognized student groups about mental health promotion initiatives they implement in AY 2020-2021. Submissions will be in the form of a short video (less than 8 minutes) featuring the organization’s or group’s mental health promotion initiative, along with an accomplished official entry form with a description of the initiative featured in the video (not exceeding 1,000 words), a one-page profile about the student organization or group, and an accomplished certificate of originality.  Deadline for submission of entries is September 1, 2021. For more information, please download this flyer. [Sandigan, Sandalan Program Mechanics]           The top ten (10) entries will receive a cash incentive to support their advocacy and will be featured by UP in October 2021 to support the National Mental Health Week.  Interested groups and organizations may submit entries to the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) or the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) on their UP campus. For inquiries, please contact your respective Office of Student Affairs or email wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Romanian ambassador keen on academic ties with UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/romanian-ambassador-keen-on-academic-ties-with-up/",
        "html": "Romanian ambassador keen on academic ties with UP Romanian ambassador keen on academic ties with UP May 31, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Romanian Ambassador to the Philippines Raduta Dana Matache (4th from right) and Minister-Counsellor William Korbl (2nd from left) visited UP to meet with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (3rd from left) and other UP officials: Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Noel Christian Moratilla (extreme left), Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista (3rd from right), Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (2nd from right), and Professor Emeritus and TVUP Director Grace Alfonso (extreme right). Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  Romanian Ambassador to the Philippines Raduta Dana Matache and Minister-Counsellor William Korbl met with UP officials on May 24, 2022, in the Office of the UP President, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, to express her country’s interest in establishing academic ties with the University.  The Romanian delegation talked with UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Noel Christian Moratilla, and Professor Emeritus Grace Alfonso.  Matache earlier visited UP Los Baños to explore Philippine-Romanian interests in agriculture. She presented her credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Philippines on December 15, 2021, to President Rodrigo Duterte.  The ambassador spoke of specific proposals for collaboration made by the Politechnica University of Bucharest, including facilitating a partnership with other Romanian universities. She and the UP officials broached cooperation in cyber-security, film, music, nuclear science, and zoonoses.  Matache pointed out that academic exchange with Romania is pragmatic for Philippine counterparts due to cheaper costs but the same quality of life in Romania relative to other European countries. She said she wanted to arrange a visit by Concepcion to Romania in October when universities open.  Concepcion hopes to formalize collaborations between UP and Romanian educational institutions before his term ends in February 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The trees that line UP memories – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-trees-that-line-up-memories/",
        "html": "The trees that line UP memories The trees that line UP memories October 13, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    For an old campus such as UP Los Baños, established in 1909, an iconic tree could simply be any one of those trees that have survived the years since.  Even at its busy academic center, it is not lacking in trees that have been there since any one could remember: the “Fertility Tree” standing like a mother among its brood of acacias at the Freedom Park; or the royal palm trees that still tower over the street from the Carabao Park to Palma Bridge; or the pili trees after which the tree-lined avenue was named; or even perhaps the dao tree before the Student Union building.     The fire trees lane of UP Diliman. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Likewise, UP Visayas, having a pre-war building which used to be a city hall until it was converted for use by the university, could choose among those that have survived the transition.  UP Baguio is perhaps defined by what defines the city in general, the Benguet pine.  For other, perhaps newer, campuses, the choice could be more aspirational; that is, a tree to represent their future.  We could ask the campus chancellors to name the iconic trees of their campus, given these options. But the choice is not really as simple.  UP campuses are known tree havens. The system-wide master development plan has special provisions for trees and which trees. Going by the term, iconic trees could be as numerous as the different experiences or associations of constituents with trees on campus. And that entails a survey of all UP constituents who have ever lived.  We ended up asking for that tree which simply stood out in individual memory.  A tree of inspiration  “At the top of my head, it is the ubiquitous tambis fruit trees that I would like to honor in our campus with distinction,” writes Chancellor Liza Corro of UP Cebu.  There are two planted on both sides of the UP Cebu administration building. One is right outside the chancellor’s front window.  “These trees had been immortalized already in a lot of paintings and photographs,” she says. “Likewise, a poem had been written about the tambis trees and their fruits by a member of Tinta, a UP Cebu organization which is into writing poems and poem readings. This poem was read in one of UP Cebu’s celebrations of the Buwan ng Wika, which the administrative staff enjoyed and was really able to relate to.”     The tambis fruits. Photo by By Billie bb (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons The two tambis trees at the UP Cebu administration building. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     According to Corro, “When in season, the tambis fruits are scattered in front of the building, and the ground is colored with red fruits splattered on the grounds. Janitors patiently sweep the ground to clean up these fruits, which otherwise would be a feast for the ants and the birds.”  “Currently, on the right side of the Admin building is the billboard with the tarp bearing UP Cebu’s tagline: ‘Nurtured to Create, Inspired to Innovate and Destined to Serve.’ It had to be moved a little bit to ensure that the tambis trees are not covered.”  Corro realizes that the tambis trees and their fruits reflect the tagline. “Maintenance people nurture these trees, in the same manner they nurture UP Cebu’s staff who enjoy the juicy fruits when they are in season, some of whom would dare climb up the trees to gather the red juicy, scratch-free fruits.”  Established in 1918, UP Cebu stands alongside UPLB as one of UP’s oldest campuses. “UP Cebu’s tambis trees had long been witnesses to the unwavering service and protest rallies of UP Cebu constituents happening in the Oblation park,” Corro, the campus’s first chancellor, says.     Trees complete the facade with UP Los Baños’ Oblation by National Artist Napoleon Abueva. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A tree for preservation  Chancellor Carmencita Padilla of UP Manila, UP’s birthplace, chose a tree unknown to many UP Manila constituents although it has been there from the beginning.  The tree had not been in plain sight. “The hundred-year-old dita tree stood between two old buildings: the Science Centrum and the Sports and Wellness Center, both now demolished, behind the two-storey 100-year-old National Institutes of Health (NIH) building,” she says.  “It became the center of attraction when we started planning for the new NIH building.” At an estimated P1 billion, the new NIH building is one of UP’s biggest infrastructure projects. “The tree stood in the middle of the 4,000-square meter lot assigned to the building. The first thought was to cut it because we were informed that it would be costly to preserve the tree in the background of a building around it. But to our surprise, it was declared a Heritage Tree one year before we started working on the design,” she explains.  “Other thoughts entered our mind. Maybe it was a sick tree and needed to be cut. UP Los Baños Forestry retired professor Jose Sargento, a silviculturist, was consulted and he told us that it was a healthy tree and was good for another four decades with proper care and attention.’”  According to studies, the roots and branches need at least 20 meters around it to breathe. For the tree to survive the construction, technical and scientific expertise had to be provided to the design contractor.  “The thought of the life and death of a tree became a discussion point with the architects,” Padilla adds. “After several meetings, we included in our terms of reference for bidders for this NIH building the item that the dita tree was part of the design package and that the contractor would be fined if the tree dies. The approved design has the dita tree fronting the lobby of the 18-story building, expected to be completed by the end of 2019.”  Padilla hopes the tree will be an icon for urban ecology, “where nature and humanity are harmonized.”  Trees for the senses  “My favorite trees before I became chancellor was a kapok tree in one corner of the AS Parking lot, and a row of fire trees on the street next to it,” UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan says.     A towering kapok tree beside the AS Parking Lot. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     “As the summer set in around April, the kapok tree would bloom, its pods releasing cotton-like balls that look almost like snow when they fall to the ground. When the fire trees bloomed, it was a sight to behold as well, the street turning crimson. Together, the kapok and fire trees signaled, in the past, the end of the school year. In the new academic calendar, it remains a marker of the end of the second semester.”  He adds that there was “Just one drawback with the kapok: I suspect I share with others an allergy to the kapok, so it is indeed a sight to behold…and to sneeze at.”  Tan, whose previous columns on a national daily show his interest in trees, took the time to check if another tree he loved still existed:  “I actually was able to confirm the other tree that I loved. It’s kalingag or cinnamon, scientific name Cinnamomum mercadoi. It’s on the hill near the pond in front of AS 101. If you rub the leaves hard, or scratch the bark you’ll catch a faint whiff of cinnamon.     The kalingag tree by the Rizal park at AS. (Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     “I thought it would have been iconic because it has been there for years, and AS being such a hub for all students, it must have seen many generations of UP students, and all the activities in AS, from frat rumbles to rallies to the Oblation Run and to everyday lives of UP students,” he says.  The trees of becoming  For UP Mindanao’s Rene Estremera, the relatively young campus’s icons are in the process of becoming. “Being located at the foothills of Mt. Talomo and Mt. Apo mountain range, the campus is blessed with the heritage of an upland forest environment populated with boulders and trees, making the selection of a particular tree elusive,” he says.  According to Assistant Professors Cyrose Millado and Aileen Delima, both of the Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies, the 22-year-old UP Mindanao “may not yet have heritage trees but we have heritage boulders. Yes, huge boulders that have provided solace to students in moments of solitude or fellowship.”  Estremera mentions the rubia trees that line the one-kilometer Maguindanao Road leading to the College of Science and Mathematics, and a row of star-apple trees and a giant rambutan tree located by the main campus entrance, which “have provided fruits for picking or for very cheap prices” for students since the campus pioneer days.  “In the early years of campus development, when the University Avenue and Oblation Plaza were laid out, royal palms were brought in and planted in a circle around the Plaza. These palms have stood for almost twenty years. However, it is feared that they may expire soon, not being endemic to the Philippines and subject to disease.”  In contrast, the sago palm is indigenous. In 2006, UP Mindanao kicked off the UP Centennial celebration by planting this choice bio-resource. It is still being planted by researchers who are committed to continuing the sago research project, one of the first in UP Mindanao to be recognized nationally.     UP Mindanao’s Oblation Plaza is surrounded by royal palms, with to-og trees planted to replace them in the future. (Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao)     “In February 2013, Dean Reynaldo Abad pioneered the planting of Philippine rosewood or to-og seedlings along the University Avenue, the University Infirmary, the Kalimudan Student Center, the Administration Building complex, and the College of Science and Mathematics grounds,” Estremera reports. “The rosewood trees are expected to replace the role of the royal palms in endowing prestige to the University Avenue and Oblation Plaza.”  “The tree is an indigenous species abundant in the eastern half of Mindanao and is expected to be a very tall tree once they are fully grown,” Estremera says.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: PRIDE OF PLACE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-pride-of-place/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: PRIDE OF PLACE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: PRIDE OF PLACE October 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is or was your favorite place to hang out in UP (whether your own campus or elsewhere) and why?  On your campus, what place would you recommend for your visitors to see or to experience, and why?  What kind of place, facility or service would you like to see (or see more of) in your campus?     Prof. Maureen Anne Araneta College of Architecture UP Diliman     The park-like ambience of UP Diliman, as a veritable oasis in a busy metropolis—with its trees, distinctive buildings, green open spaces and numerous artwork—is a blessing that we cherish. However, it is also an ever-present reminder that something so precious is constantly under threat of despoliation. What we hope as the institutional permanence of the University partly stands on how well we can preserve the park-like qualities of the campus.  I am not being noncommittal when I say I have no single favorite place in UP Diliman. It is the totality of the campus environs which I find most meaningful. With this, all the more do I feel that we have the inherent responsibility to preserve its essential character while responding to the dynamic milieu that it serves for the rest of Quezon City. This is evidently a formidable task that only proper planning and dogged commitment can hope to fulfill. We must seek the help of our experts (which luckily the University has many of), we must engage the community (which is comprised of generations of faculty, staff and service personnel) and we must adhere to a proper campus plan which incorporates art and cultural resources, ecological diversity, proper land use, thorough maintenance and social well-being.  The meaningfulness of the campus environs that I speak of is best experienced by walking. I suggest starting the walk in the quiet circuit of the UPCA Complex, PAUW and the OUR-OA, onward along Velasquez Street to merge with the hidden pedestrian paths through the National Science Complex (with a momentary breather spent at the NSC Amphitheater), upwards along Regidor Street to walk past the Pagasa Observatory, CHE and Benitez Hall, and finally beneath the trees of the Academic Oval to end the walk at the Oblation Plaza in Quezon Hall. A long trek indeed, but it is well worth taking the time and foot power to experience first-hand the ambience that is unequivocally UP Diliman. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-pride-of-place-2/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE October 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is or was your favorite place to hang out in UP (whether your own campus or elsewhere) and why?  On your campus, what place would you recommend for your visitors to see or to experience, and why?  What kind of place, facility or service would you like to see (or see more of) in your campus?     Prof. Crina Escabarte-Tañongon College of Communication, Art and Design UP Cebu     My favorite hangout while an undergrad student in UP Diliman was in our org’s tambayan, the UP Journalism Club (UPJC) in the College of Mass Communication. The tambayan served as a refuge for a naive freshman like me who was transitioning to a UP culture. Coming from the province, my adjustment was as hard as my effort to speak the Tagalog way. Adding up to my language anxiety were my doubts over my intellectual capacity when compared to those of my classmates in GE classes from Pisay (Philippine Science High Schools) which for me was “above sea level.”  Like a migrant to a new place seeking a better life, I needed to cope with the demands of UP life to stay longer and finish on time. Surviving would have been more difficult without a support group in the form of an organization whose members shared the same goals and interests. I felt that my adjustment became smoother when I met and converged with people with whom I shared my joy and fears.  In the UPJC’s tambayan, we would vent our frustrations over the flood of red ink in our Journ 101 papers under Prof. Rachel Khan. We would run to and relieve ourselves in the tambayan after our tiptoeing and overwhelming silence in the class of Dean Luis Teodoro. The tambayan was the venue for our cutesy discourse on issues about women after attending the Women’s Studies Center class of Dr. Albina Fernandez. It was also in our tambayan where we expressed our collective kilig over our long-haired Film 100 professor, Dr. Roland Tolentino.  Subsumed under the UP culture was the unique “subculture” we constructed and reconstructed through our constant interactions with one another. This org culture would be modified when a new generation of members came in to construct their own culture out of their unique experience and identity as a batch. This formation of a unique subculture among journalism majors took place because UP recognized the need of its students to congregate and be in contact with one another.  Through our undergraduate years, our constant congregations and exchanges of ideas grounded in our tambayan were very meaningful to us, so much so that we feel nostalgic when reminded by this vivid image of the past.  For our visitors, I will show them one testament of Cebu’s vibrant creative culture: UP Cebu’s Jose Joya Little Art Gallery and Fablab.  The Jose Joya Little Art Gallery in UP Cebu is accessible through a leisurely walk through the College of Communication, Art, and Design (CCAD) office and classrooms. It was named after National Artist Jose Joya who helped the institution of a Fine Arts program in UP Cebu. Every day, I see beauty in all forms on the college walls: canvases bursting with colors, images textured in pain, human follies captured in mixed media. Unveiled in August 2016, the gallery had long been the venue of Fine Arts students and professors for their artworks where conversations from the artistic process to audience reception and to a more serious one about art’s place and role in our culture is a common affair. A conversation like this is a rarity in the larger public sphere where K-Pop craze and DIY eyebrow trimming are common staples. Such a phenomenon can be explained by our lack of public art spaces, so that the youth, no matter how remote and far their place is to the center or even if they are not in museums and the academe, can hang out with and access their friends’ narratives of our culture through different forms of artistic expression.  As the UP Cebu gallery is part of the school’s environment, students, teachers and employees have lived with it, and created and shared the meaning of its content. This place has undoubtedly created a dynamic art culture in UP Cebu since the founding of its program in 1975.  A few steps from the gallery is the UP Cebu Fablab (fabrication laboratory) which has also done its part in strengthening the creative culture not only in the school but also in Cebu’s creative industries. This is an urgent response to the need of creative people for a space to incubate their ideas and to mingle and learn with the like-minded.  UP Cebu Fablab is an incubator-like, technology-based laboratory which is open to design students, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the Cebu community who want to transform their ideas into concrete forms through advanced prototyping using 3D printers, laser cutters, printers and cutters, and milling machines among others.  Cebu, named as the country’s creative capital by the British Council, needs to sustain and keep the creative tradition going by supporting the conditions necessary for its stability. Through the fablab, designers are able to exercise their creative prowess, which ultimately will give them a sense of purpose and achieve their potential.  In a highly technological world in which human skills and labor have slowly been taken over by machines, we need to think of what will be left of us humans when technology becomes dominant in our lives. Creativity keeps the human soul whole. I believe that we must cultivate, and institutionalize creativity as it is the very source of our humanity.  UP, being a dynamic institution upholding the culture of service, must respond proactively to external forces, not only those in relation to economic, social, cultural challenges, but also to environmental ones. A number of universities abroad have long started building low carbon emission structures, redesigning the old ones to minimize their carbon impact and energy use, making more green spaces, trying out urban gardening, revising their academic curricula to integrate sustainability in teaching and actively involving themselves in sustainable development campaigns. While we have long known that climate change is real and that we are one of the countries identified as most vulnerable to it, we must remain calm but not keep on doing things in the same “business as usual” way. In building projects for example, solar-paneled roofs, two-way water filtration systems, rain catchment tanks and cisterns, more window openings and other eco-efficiency indicators do not appear in our blueprints. It seems that this urgent concern has not been recognized as a collective one, thus relegating it to environment science programs to do the worrying for us. As a government institution, we have not yet created a caring culture for the very life support system that sustains us: our planet.  The relevance of a culture to the community that created it lies in its responsiveness to the challenges of time. Culture is not static. It undergoes transformation as it responds to the need of the times. As the call for ‘change of mindset’ on resource consumption and production is most pressing, UP has to respond by developing sustainable infrastructure and greening not only its spaces but also its policies and academic curricula.  It would be a beautiful experience then to walk through the gallery of artworks and see prototypes of creative ideas in the incubation lab knowing that the infrastructure holding them is one that is eco-efficient. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-pride-of-place-4/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE October 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is or was your favorite place to hang out in UP (whether your own campus or elsewhere) and why?  On your campus, what place would you recommend for your visitors to see or to experience, and why?  What kind of place, facility or service would you like to see (or see more of) in your campus?     John Nico De Leon Computer Programmer Office of the College Secretary College of Arts and Sciences UP Manila     Being one of the fortunate members of UP Family, I really consider UP my second home. Aside from having my favorite spot—my workstation—I also love hanging out in the UP Diliman campus, and to walk and jog around the academic oval, which always gives me the opportunity to reduce stress, meet new friends, appreciate the natural beauty of UP, its wonderful academic structures, its amazing century-old trees, and most especially the open spaces that allow me to have the clearest view of the sky. Every time I am in UP Diliman, I have the chance to be with all the people who, like me, love a place bursting with activity and new discoveries in a place of beauty.  In UP Manila, there are many places I can recommend for visitors to see or experience. In the College of Arts and Sciences, the best place to visit is the UP Manila Theater, which is the best venue for orientations, discussions, and seminars, with its comfortable chairs, well-lit stage and good sound and ventilation system.  In my entire stay in UP as an employee and student, I have always hoped that someday this century-old health and science center will be one of the campuses that are globally competitive, with cutting-edge technology and service rendered in a very modernized /digitized way such as efficient online transactions with its clients (students in particular). This technological advance will certainly be convenient for both the staff and students.  I would also like to recommend a more-advanced information system at the lobby where students can digitally access class schedules, inquire about certain procedures, or simply ask for information aided by a system-generated data bank.  It would also be best if offices assigned to records keeping, such as the Office of the College Secretary, would have an archiving machine to digitally store student records. This will provide easier access to everyone.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-pride-of-place-3/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE October 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is or was your favorite place to hang out in UP (whether your own campus or elsewhere) and why?  On your campus, what place would you recommend for your visitors to see or to experience, and why?  What kind of place, facility or service would you like to see (or see more of) in your campus?     Luz Emano Administrative Assistant Office of the College Secretary College of Arts and Sciences UP Manila     My favorite hangout place is the Department of Behavioral Sciences. Its bright green walls radiate positive energy and provide a pleasant and welcoming ambience. The smell of freshly brewed coffee usually fills the room and awakens the senses. There is also a simple but fun activity corner that helps us loosen up a bit, like the Smile Bowl which asks what made you smile today. There is also Momo, the unicorn stuffed toy that comforts us with its soft and warm embrace. The differences in the personalities of individual faculty members and staff members who inhabit the place enliven everyone, but respect for each individual’s political, religious or even gender orientation or status in life is a revered norm.  For our visitors, I would recommend visiting and taking a photo of the College of Arts and Sciences Oblation Garden, a small but well maintained garden where the CAS oblation stands tall in the middle.  I would like to see healthier food choices in the student canteen, especially fresh salads and fresh fruits, fruit juices and fruit shakes. Health-conscious individuals or those with health problems either bring their own packed lunch or snack because most of the time, the food served at the canteen is not among the healthiest. Healthier meals on campus would obviously benefit the CAS community. A regular serving of healthier lunches such as healthier sandwiches, vegetables, and fish would also be great.  I would also like to see a student and faculty lounge. In CAS, it’s normal to see students sleeping in the hallways. The Rizal Hall lobby and hallways are usually occupied by students sitting on the floor studying, doing their group work or project, or just hanging around with their friends. We know that the lobby and hallways are not conducive places to study or take a short nap in, but students are left with no option but to hang out in these places. An air-conditioned student lounge with comfortable furniture would help our students and faculty gather, relax, and study in-between classes.  A computer center and shop for school supplies would also be a welcome addition. Currently, we have one photocopying station in CAS. But it is just limited to copying and printing. Since it caters to the whole CAS, the queue is almost always so long that students or faculty have to go outside the campus, cross Taft Avenue or PGH and look for a copy station. I hope CAS will have a computer center that offers computer rental services, as well as printing, copying, binding, while also selling school supplies such as the “UP blue book,” bond paper, pens, notebooks, to name a few so we don’t have to go outside the campus to buy these needed school supplies.  Wellness activities for CAS faculty and staff will surely make a lot of difference in our everyday routine. I hope the CAS administration together with the Department of Physical Education will offer free and regular sessions of aerobics, zumba, or yoga classes exclusively for CAS faculty and staff during official hours. A sportfest would also be great.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-pride-of-place-5/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION PRIDE OF PLACE October 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is or was your favorite place to hang out in UP (whether your own campus or elsewhere) and why?  On your campus, what place would you recommend for your visitors to see or to experience, and why?  What kind of place, facility or service would you like to see (or see more of) in your campus?  Juan Paolo A. Aquino University Extension Associate Media Liaison, Events & Visitors Program Office of Public Relations UP Los Baños     The DL Umali Freedom Park, or simply Freedom Park, is my favorite place in UPLB. It is a vast green field in the heart of the campus that serves as an open recreational field for UPLB constituents, residents of nearby communities, and visitors. Many people say that it is UPLB’s version of the Sunken Garden in UP Diliman, although Freedom Park is narrower and longer.  When I was still a student, after a long day of classes and extracurricular activities, my classmates and I would lie down on the park’s clean grass during night time to rest and relax. The open field of the Freedom Park is a perfect venue for stargazing.  At day time, the park is an ideal place for sports and outdoor activities like football, ultimate, jogging, and zumba dancing. Families and friends also hold picnics at the park. The benches that have been installed around the park in recent years also serve as ideal spots for chatting with friends or reading a book.  Freedom Park, aside from its leisure value, also symbolizes two important events in a UPLB student’s life. It is because the park is the venue of the annual “February Fair” and the UPLB Commencement Exercises.  As the UPLB’s visitor program coordinator for three years now, I have seen how visiting students, and others have been fascinated with the Museum of Natural History (MNH). This 41-year old museum has a diverse collection of preserved animals, plants, and microorganisms. Its creative, colorful, and interactive exhibits also showcase our bio-diverse environment.  I encourage future UPLB visitors, regardless of their age, to also experience the educational science tour at the MNH. From the UPLB campus proper, they would have to drive to what we call the Upper Campus. It can be reached a few meters after the welcome arch of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources. The Museum is within the vicinity of Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, a magnificent ecotourism destination in UPLB. In fact, after the visitors have toured the Museum, they can roam nearby and enjoy the fresh cool air of the area while walking underneath the century-old trees around.  Everyone is excited with the opening of the one-stop shop facility of UPLB that is being built. This is the most requested service by the majority of our visitors. Most of the visitors so value their visit to UPLB, they want to bring home something like a souvenir or a product of UPLB.  Personally, I also would like to see a place where UPLB visitors can be welcomed and given a bird’s-eyeview tour of UPLB showing the remarkable places in and the University as an academic community. One of the highlights of the museum would be a light and sound museum showing the events leading up to the Los Baños Raid and the Los Baños Raid itself. Not many people know that UPLB was the site of the historical liberation of an internment camp set up in this very campus in World War II. It would be an opportunity to tell visitors about this little-known event in WW II, about our people’s heroism and courage, and about what has been said as “one of the most daring military rescues of all time.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Saving Pieces of UP History – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/saving-pieces-of-up-history/",
        "html": "Saving Pieces of UP History Saving Pieces of UP History October 18, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Old, dark, and musty.  These characteristics come to mind when we think of archives. And the impression we have of the UP Diliman University Archives is no different. Who would even want to go there when going online would be much more convenient?  But tucked away in boxes, filed in folders and envelopes, are treasures that line rows upon rows of shelves at the top levels of Gonzalez Hall, the UPD Main Library. The Archives do not only contain printed matter, but memorabilia as well. There are things you won’t ever find online and for serious researchers, history buffs, or the just plain curious, archival materials are like manna from heaven.  Tangible memories, priceless value  The University Archives protect permanent University records, theses, dissertations, procedural documents, scholarly works, personal papers, UP publications, photographs, and items from UP personalities like medals, trophies, togas, artworks, and even furniture.     The University Archives section usually visited by researchers. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “I can’t put a monetary value on what we have here,” said University Archives Head Librarian Eimee Lagrama. “We’re talking about institutional memory and it’s not something we can simply put a price tag on.”  Materials at the Archives are tangible records of memory, documenting the history of a University community, recording UP’s development not just as an institution but capturing the intellectual ferment UP is known for.  For those who want to know if there are confidential materials, the answer is yes. And if you happen to be faced with such, the best course of action would be to consult the University’s legal office.  Ideal vs. real  Keeping priceless materials requires a lot of care in their preservation, maintenance, and management. In an ideal situation, Lagrama said that archives should be temperature-controlled, humidity-controlled, and secured in a structure that can withstand natural and man-made disasters. In addition, archivists should be armed with conservation skills and have “intellectual control over the collection,” which means knowing each material “down to the last item.”  She cited the British Library and the Getty Research Institute as having some of the best archives in the world. “They’re well-funded.” Locally, Lagrama said Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University are doing a good job of maintaining their archives because of the resources that are being poured into their upkeep.  A visit to the UPD University Archives will show that its conditions are far from ideal—tarpaulins covering shelves to shield them from leaking ceilings, cramped spaces, no protection from dust, and no humidity or temperature control—but its people clearly do the best they can.  “We just do passive preservation, so we try to keep the materials in a stable condition. Changes in temperature and humidity are bad for paper, which means it’s better to have no airconditioning at all than to have it turned on during office hours and turned off at the end of the workday.”     One of the storage areas where records are protected from leaks by plastic covers. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Its house, Gonzalez Hall, also leaves much to be desired. It’s looking its age, being one of the earliest structures erected in UPD from war reparation funds in the late 1940s. Lagrama revealed it “failed all the tests for structural integrity” and is now “the number one fire hazard building” on campus. She said that because of the sensitive structure, they have been moving heavy furniture to the lower levels and making use only of light materials for storage.  Despite its current state, Lagrama expressed hope that things will improve for the University Archives.  Future plans and wishes  Gonzalez Hall is due for a makeover and there are plans for this to be done in the coming years. Because it failed structural integrity tests, however, renovation would have to give way to retrofitting first, which means additional expense and a bigger budget.  “Before President Alfredo Pascual left office, he earmarked more than P200 million for renovation. We’ve also gotten commitments from Chancellor Michael Tan and President Danilo Concepcion. I hope things will get started by 2019 and completed after five or six years.”  More than fixing the existing physical structure, Lagrama also hopes that the University Archives will someday get its own building. “The Library and the Archives are growing entities and both need ample space.”     University Archives Head Librarian Eimee Lagrama. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Additional human resources wouldn’t hurt either. “For now, our staff complement is better because we’ve grown from a staff of six to fourteen. But more manpower is always welcome.” As for the staff’s development, Lagrama said she always encourages them to pursue graduate studies or take advanced training in conservation. She added that Prof. Chito Angeles, the University Librarian, is also looking into partnerships with foreign institutions for internship programs.  “I look forward to the day our archives become the ideal in the country—that we have the infrastructure, facilities, and resources to keep these materials safely and properly preserved, and available for future generations to see and learn from.”  For Lagrama and those who recognize the value of the University Archives, there is no better time than now to begin ensuring the kind of protection these treasures deserve—one that befits the national university of this country, whose history and life are inextricable from the development of the Filipino nation.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Time, Space and UP Manila – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/time-space-and-up-manila/",
        "html": "Time, Space and UP Manila Time, Space and UP Manila October 18, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In some places, relics of the past are often relegated to certain sites and visited from time to time. But for UP Manila, history and heritage are literally carved into the walls of its campus, which stands unique among UP’s 17 existing campuses in the way it blends past and present, academic excellence and public service, in one dynamic, seamless whole.  As Dr. Arlene A. Samaniego, UP Manila Vice-Chancellor for Administration, puts it, “The architectural and landscape designs of most heritage buildings of UP Manila indeed reflect distinct periods in the history of the University and of the City of Manila. As the original birthplace and cradle of UP, the Padre Faura campus is home to heritage buildings and artifacts that date back to the early 1900s and were witnesses to its early struggles and formative years.”     The Nurses Home. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Quoting the coffee-table book U.P. Manila: 100 Years of Heritage, Culture and Arts (2009): “The physical evolution of the original campus of the State University is a story that has two major layers—that of the new civic architecture introduced by Americans but eventually designed and built wholly by Filipinos, and that of education as a tool for economic and political growth. Both layers meld together to create what was and still is a key district of central Manila.”  A living history  Many of the buildings in UP Manila are the products of the first generation of modern Filipino architects who were trained in the US. The first buildings were designed by William Parsons in 1908. He completed the planning of the campus and melded it with the original Burnham master plan for Manila in 1905. Parsons also designed the buildings of the College of Medicine, the University Hall (now the Supreme Court), and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).  Students, faculty, staff, and patients walk daily through heritage buildings such as Rizal Hall; the College of Medicine; the PGH with its two heritage structures, the Cancer Institute and Nurses Home; the College of Public Health; the National Institutes of Health; and the Museum of a History of Ideas (formerly the old Infirmary and later occupied by the College of Dentistry, which moved to its own building in 2002).     Dr. Rizal’s “Triumph of Science Over Death standing in front of the UP College of Medicine’s Calderon Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)      The heritage buildings are not the only treasures within the campus. There are works of art scattered about, such as the concrete replica of Dr. Jose Rizal’s Triumph of Science Over Death, known colloquially as Triumph or Lady Med; the sculpture titled “Celebration of Life” by National Artist Napoleon Abueva; the murals of National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco in the PGH lobby, depicting the history of Philippine medicine; the mural titled History of Medicine by Jose Blanco at the PGH Lobby, created to commemorate the PGH’s 100th anniversary; and the mural at the NIH lobby by Salvador Juban of Angono, Rizal, portraying UP Manila scientists/researchers who have contributed to the advancement of Philippine medicine.  But by far the heart and soul of UP Manila, occupying 10 of the campus’ 14 hectares, is the PGH itself. As the country’s biggest modern tertiary hospital, the PGH serves more than half a million patients a year and trains thousands of health students and workers. The hospital is also a distinct landmark in the City of Manila, standing out with its classical and neo-classical design, history, and significance.     Three of National Artist Botong Francisco’s murals in the front lobby of the PGH. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Most of UP Manila’s heritage buildings were designed to resemble the PGH—huge pillars, high open ceilings, airy windows, graceful lines and curves, long corridors and open spaces that provide a contrast to the suffocating aura of illness and a welcome breathing space for the patients and their caregivers.  Taking up space  The UP Manila campus today is undeniably different from the other UP campuses. The city has grown all around it, and it is admittedly smaller, more cramped, and has fewer amenities and facilities than the other, bigger UP campuses. It is even often eclipsed by the PGH and the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the Department of Justice that are occupying some of its old buildings.     National Artist Napoleon Abueva’s “Celebration of Life”. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Space management is a challenge for the smallest UP campus, which is why there are few available places on campus left for social and cultural activities. In fact, a long-standing joke is that the nearby Robinsons Place Manila mall serves as the de facto canteen and student center for UP Manila constituents. Within the campus, though, some venues stand out, such as the Tipunan sa UP Manila; the PGH grounds and Oblation Plaza, the PGH Atrium, the UP Manila Social Hall; the student tambayans at the back of the college buildings; the tambayans of the student organizations; the newly renovated UP Manila Theater at the Rizal Hall; and the UP Manila Museum of a History of Ideas. The ongoing infrastructure and facilities development project will provide more areas for people to get together, including the new 18-story NIH building and the CPH building. The latter two facilities will have more and bigger spaces for faculty lounges and conference rooms, auditoriums, and other areas where members can formally and informally interact and indulge in social, artistic, and cultural activities.     The UP College of Arts and Sciences’ Rizal Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     But the true beauty of UP Manila lies not in what it looks like, but in what it does. As UP’s health sciences center, UP Manila is the only constituent university that offers degree programs in medicine, dentistry, public health, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, health professions education, and the only one of its kind in the world the ladderized curriculum in the health sciences from the School of Health Sciences in three campuses in Palo, Baler, and Koronadal. All research and community service done by its constituents are focused on health-related activities and advocacies. The impact of UP Manila on the health, policy, scientific and academic development of the country is immeasurable.  When asked a light-hearted question—if the campus of UP Manila were a single person, what kind of person would it be—Samaniego says: “If isko and iska represent the students to whom much is given and much is also expected, and Oble refers to all of us in the University who are thirsty to learn and give back, then UP Manila is the scientist-scholar, the health professional, and leader serving and contributing to the health and well-being of the communities, the nation, and the world.”  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "What’s Cooking on Campus – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/whats-cooking-on-campus/",
        "html": "What’s Cooking on Campus What’s Cooking on Campus October 18, 2017 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    On very rare occasions, the biggest challenge in the day of the average isko and iska is looking for a place to eat. This isn’t for a lack of choices within and off-campus, but because there’s too many—actually a surplus of food joints serving everything from snacks you can munch on in an Ikot jeep while running between classes, to more laidback and comfortable nooks where you can have a food trip with your GE classmates.     Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO     Apart from the noteworthy tapsilog in Rodic’s, or The Chocolate Kiss Café’s more posh offerings, there are a number of food hubs emerging from around the UP community. In case you’re looking for a new favorite spot, here are some.  Tinapay  Tinapay is run by Kuya Onz, a resident of San Antonio Street, Pook Dagohoy in UP Diliman. He opened the store in mid-2000 but closed it briefly recently and was missed terribly by its patrons, mostly dormers looking for a quick bite late at night. Customers will be greeted by funny signs flanking its simple menu of footlong sandwiches, aptly named “footlong” for one long sausage, “feetlong” for two, and “footres” for three sausages in one footlong bun. They also serve burgers but what makes these sandwiches truly unique are the generous toppings of egg, ham, cheese, and multi-colored sauces ranging from green, blue, and yellow—something that will pop out of your Instagram feed. The store is open from 6:00PM to 1:00AM but they are closed on weekends.     Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO     Buen Comer  For the more adventurous, a short tricycle ride from the campus will lead you to Buen Comer, a hole-in-the-wall joint which offers Filipino-Mexican fusion meals. The quaint, unassuming store opened its doors last year with a small metal van reminiscent of food trucks, and basic stools and tables inside. Its tasty dishes soon caught up through word of mouth and the store has now gotten itself a cult following from foodies in the Maginhawa area. This is no simple feat, as the Maginhawa-Malingap-Matalino quadrant is continuously sprouting food parks and shops catering to a vast array of culinary cravings. Buen Comer’s bestseller is its kare-kare burrito which, as the name suggests, is kare-kare rice with beef chunks wrapped in pita. You should also try nacho potato crisps, peri-peri chicken, steak and fries burrito and their limited edition pares burrito.     Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO     The Manininda  Of course, when you don’t have a lot of time and money, the landmark kiosks of the Samahan ng mga Manininda are your best friend. The unmistakable green iron booths bear the standard feast of fishballs, squid balls, kwek-kwek, pancit canton, and sandwiches. You may order separately or through their “combos” which usually include a meal and drinks. These kiosks are found all around campus but people frequent the ones near the College of Architecture, the College of Arts and Letters, Vinzons Hall, and the College of Human Kinetics.  Tomatokick  Oldtimers in UP always tell the younger students that the go-to drinking place is Sarah’s along C.P. Garcia Avenue. However, over the past decade, another watering hole has gained popularity among members of the UP community—students and professors alike. Previously located along Maginhawa Street (the old spot became campaign headquarters for a losing vice-presidential candidate), Tomatokick is now located on Malingap Street in UP Village. With its typical but tasty renditions of the usual pulutan paired with local beers and spirits, the restobar has also been a spot for cultural performances (Parokya ni Edgar even had a spontaneous gig last March), poetry reading and book launches, and even charitable fundraisers for conflict-ridden areas in the country. Tomatokick is now a hub not just for merrymaking but for meaningful endeavors as well.     Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO     The UP Mindanao campus was established in Barangay Mintal located 16 kilometers from the city center at the boundary of suburban and rural Davao City. The UP Mindanao campus itself is two-and-a-half kilometers from the highway.  The College of Science and Mathematics is known by the nickname “Kanluran.” It’s one kilometer farther uphill from the Administration Building and deeper into the forest. In early-2000, students patronized the “KFC” or Kanluran Food Court. These were tiny stalls along the main campus dirt road operated by informal settlers. They served affordable snacks like pancit palabok and sandwiches, banana-cue, and minatamis-na-saging, perfect for cash-strapped students.  For full meals, students relied on the small canteen of Manang Lydia Espiritu and her husband which was housed in a wooden mess hall-type canteen provided by the College. This canteen has been upgraded in recent years into a concrete dining room but with a smaller area. Manang Lydia continues to operate the canteen in “Kanluran” with her husband.  The other canteen on campus since early 2000 was one kilometer downhill near the administration building and operated by Marichu Mendez. Although housed in a “beach-house” type building made of plywood and screens, the canteen met the demand of the seasonal student market and operated seven days a week, being near the Elias B. Lopez Hall Dormitory, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Management. Ms. Mendez reportedly served food for free to students who were penniless.     Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO     UP Mindanao recently put up the Kalimudan (“Convergence”) Student Center, with concessionaires who provide snacks and full meals. The popular offerings here include fruit shake drinks and rice pastil which is boiled rice with strips of meat wrapped in banana leaf. Ms. Mendez continues to operate a canteen in the Kalimudan. Half-servings are available upon request of students who are saving money.  To meet the demand of constituents stuck in their offices, ambulant vendors Maribel Bustamante and Rodelia “Bibing” Niegas deliver food to them. Maribel provides popular dishes like law-uy vegetable stew with rice, and lumpia, while Bibing serves rice cakes like puto, biko, palitaw, and lumpiang kamote.  Seasonally, fruits are delivered from neighborhood farms to the campus. Durian and rambutan are some of the popular fruits that are sold for unbelievably low prices.  In the most exciting development for UP constituents, a new ice-cream producer has set its production facility in Bgy. Mintal. Donna Ice Cream is a new and constant presence at university birthday parties, with a gallon of ice-cream selling for only P300. UP Mindanao’s presence has clearly brought not only more food but more fun to Bgy. Mintal.  ——————–  With contributions from Mr. Rene Estremera and Assistant Professors Aileen Delima and Cyrose Millado of UP Mindanao. Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP High Class 1973 at ang “Iskolar ng Bayan”: Paano at Kailan Nagsimula ang Gamit Nito – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-high-class-1973-at-ang-iskolar-ng-bayan-paano-at-kailan-nagsimula-ang-gamit-nito/",
        "html": "UP High Class 1973 at ang “Iskolar ng Bayan”: Paano at Kailan Nagsimula ang Gamit Nito UP High Class 1973 at ang “Iskolar ng Bayan”: Paano at Kailan Nagsimula ang Gamit Nito May 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    2015: Mahaba ang pila sa LRT at MRT, siksikan sa bus, usad-pagong ang daloy ng trapiko sa EDSA mula Makati hanggang Philcoa. Mahuhuli na naman sa klase ang mga “iskolar ng bayan.” Kailan at paano nga ba nagsimulang gamitin ang katagang ito bilang pagtukoy sa mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP)?  1975: Isang “di malilimutang karanasan” ang araw-araw na pagbyahe ng isang estudyante ng UP Diliman mula Makati. “Matagal ka nang maghihintay ng bus tapos sangkaterbang tao ang nag-eeksudos o nag-eebakweyt papuntang Cubao,” ani ng estudyante. Kaya nang ki­nailangang magsulat ng isang sanaysay para sa “creative writing class” sa noon ay College of Arts and Sciences, isinulat ng naturang estudyante ang “Hiráp sa Sasakyan ang Iskolar ng Bayan.”  Ilang bahagi ng sanaysay:  Pag para ng bus, bababa ang dalawa, sasakay naman ang dalawampu. Sa malayo, parang mga langaw ang mga tao na nag-uunahan sa pag­dapo sa sugat ng isang batang taga Constitution Hill. . . . Sa wakas, kahit papano nakasabit ka rin. Mula sa estribo dahan-dahan kang sumis­ingit, “oops, sorry po.” Singit ka sa pagitan ng mga manggagawa, empleyado, mga estudiyante atbp. . . . Sa mala-sardinas na kondisyon ng loob ng bus, mangingiti ka kasi nakasakay ka na. . . . May problemang panibago . . . paano ang pagbabayad. Kasi hawak mo sa kaliwa ang “things” mo, ang kanan naman, nakakapit. Pero susubukan mo rin; kahit papano madudukot mo rin ang piso mong pang-one-way . . . . Kung sa tabi ka ng bintana nakaupo, susubukan mong lumanghap ng hangin, pero ‘yung hanging nala­langhap mo, may halong usok na itim at “pulbos ng gobyerno”. Bigla kang kakabahan, “Buo pa kaya ang bagâ ko?”  Sa isang chat, kamakailan, ikinwento niya na noong isinulat niya ang nasabing sanaysay, kalilipat lang nya sa kursong Philippine Studies. “Second year pa lang ako pero panahon ng martial law at ang expectation ko noon sa UP ay dapat may resistance, pero ito namang sinulat ko, wala namang kinalaman sa aktibismo, kung tutuusin,” dagdag niya.  “Pero isang bahagi ‘yun ng buhay-estudyante ng taga-UP noong panahon na ‘yon kaya isa itong reflection sa mga nangyayari noon.” Sa tingin nga niya eh “privileged” ang mag-aaral ng UP dahil pinag-aaral ng estado at tama lang na masabi niyang siya ay “iskolar ng bayan.”  “Ipakikita mo kasi kung saan ka nanggaling at kung saan ka papunta. May utang na loob ka sa kalidad ng edukasy­on na nakukuha mo at dahil sa pribelehiyong ibinigay sa ‘yo,” wika niya.  Sa unang sanaysay ginamit niya ang alyas na “P.P. Chugin” dahil sa klase ‘di dapat kilala ang may-akda kasi mga kak­lase ang susuri sa akda. Nang ito ay lumabas sa Philippine Collegian noong Agosto 26, 1975, Rodolfo de Leon ang ginamit niyang pen name. Rodolfo ang pangalan ng isa niyang kasamahang aktibista na napatay matapos sumanib sa NPA. De Leon naman ay apelyido ng isa pa ring kai­bigang aktibista.  Ayon kay Rizalina “Richie” Valencia, nang mabasa niya ang sanaysay ni Ollie (magkaklase sina Ollie at Richie sa creative writing class) naisip niyang gamitin ang “Iskolar ng Bayan” sa mga serye ng artikulo tungkol sa buhay-buhay ng mga mag-aaral sa Diliman.  Kaya noong Setyembre 3, 1975, nagkaroon ng buhay ang katauhan ng “Iskolar ng Bayan” nang ibinungad ni Richie sa kaniyang artikulo na “Ang estudyante raw sa UP, sabi nila, eh totoong palaisip at mapaghinala, isa sa mga pinakamakulit na tao sa mundo.”     UP student. (Photo by Arlyn VCD Romualdo, UP MPRO)     “Kahit anong bagay, maski siguro ang kalyo sa paa mo, ay kaniyang sinusuri, dinidikdik, at binibigyan ng kahulugan. Mag-iisip siya, magtatanong, makiki-debate, mag-iisip uli, magpapahalaga, at mag-iisip na naman hanggang sa makulta ang kaniyang utak,” ayon kay Richie sa kaniyang artikulong “Masyadong Makulit ang Iskolar ng Bayan.”  Nang mga panahong ‘yon mainit na isyu ang mung­kahing gawing National University of the Philippines ang UP at ang pagkakaroon ng “program specialization” dahil nga mayroon daw “shortage of technicians,” na siyang rekomendasyon ng Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE). Kasama rin sa mga rekomendasyon ang phase-out sa karamihan sa mga BA course maliban sa accounting, business economics at hotel and restaurant administration. Kabilang din ang pag-iisa ng UP High School at UP Preparatory School upang bumuo ng UP Comprehensive High School, kaalinsunod ng rekomendasyong bigyan ng vocational at technical na oryentasyon ang mga sekondaryong paaralan sa UP.  Dahil dito, naitanong ni Richie, “Nalilito na naman tuloy ang ating iskolar, baka naman daw ang lahat nang ito’y isang buong plano na i-undermine ang edukasyon sa UP?”  Ayon kay Richie, matapos nito ay nagtambalan sila ni Ed Vencio sa lumabas na mga artikulo tulad ng “Sunog sa Araw ang Iskolar ng Bayan” at “Gutom sa Pagkain ang Iskolar ng Bayan.”  May kasamang cartoon ang mga artikulo na guhit na­man ni Astrid Seguritan, UP High Class ‘73 din! Ito ang kahuli-hulihang batch o pangkat ng UP High School.  Matapos nito, nilapitan sila ng UP Repertory para gu­mawa ng isang komprehensibong piyesa na magagamit na pantomime para sa “Iskolar ng Bayan” tulad nang naisulat ni Jose Lacaba sa “Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsa­palaran ni Juan dela Cruz.”  Sina Richie at Ed, kapwa kabilang sa UP High Class ’73, ay mga feature writer noong panahon ni Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento Jr., editor-in-chief ng Philippine Collegian.  Kung ang Iskolar ng Bayan ay naging simbolo ng aktibismo ng mga mag-aaral ng UP, naging inspirasyon naman si Ditto sa pakikipaglaban para sa mga demokra­tikong karapatan bukod sa malayang pamamahayag ng mga mag-aaral. Sa isang editoryal ng Collegian, kaniyang isinulat na “kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung di tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?”  Ayon kay Ollie, ‘di na niya gaanong nasubaybayan ang mga artikulo nina Ed at Richie dahil nahuli siya noong Enero 1976 at naging political detainee hanggang Agosto noong taong ding ‘yon.  Ngunit natutuwa siya na ‘di lang sa UP ginagamit ang ka­nilang sinimulang Iskolar ng Bayan na simbolo ng mga mag-aaral sa UP System. Ginagamit na rin ito ng mga mag-aaral sa maraming mga state university at kolehiyo sa buong bansa.  “Tama lang ‘yon. Ang responsibilidad mo ay lumalawak na ‘di na lang sa gobyerno, ‘di na lang sa taxpayer, kundi sa buong bayan,” wika ni Oliver “Ollie” Teves, alyas P.P. Chugin, Rodolfo de Leon.  Maraming salamat,  Oliver “Ollie” Teves, UP High ’73, Rizalina “Richie” Va­lencia, UP High ‘73, Edgardo “Ed” Vencio, UP High ’73, at Astrid Seguritan, UP High ’73 at sa iba pang mga nag­sipagtapos sa UPHS, UP Prep, UP Elem, UPIS sa patuloy na pagpapayaman at pagpapayabong sa tunay na kahulu­gan ng Iskolar ng Bayan.  Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung di tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? (Joel C. Paredes) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Historical budget allotments for UP during PNoy’s term – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/historical-budget-allotments-for-up-during-pnoys-term/",
        "html": "Historical budget allotments for UP during PNoy’s term Historical budget allotments for UP during PNoy’s term July 1, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III stands among UP officials during UP Diliman’s 100th General Commencement Exercises held on April 17, 2011, during which the president was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     The Benigno Aquino III administration saw a robust period in the development history of UP.  In the period between June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016, the government allotted the biggest budgets for UP ever. It also got substantial grants from other national agencies. The UP budget started to increase in 2013 to P9.5 billion from P5.7 billion in 2012. By 2017, the budget had reached P13.5 billion.  These enabled the national university to build and refurbish infrastructure, fund world-class research projects and human resources development, and kick off its digital modernization.  The biggest percentage increase in the UP budget was the MOOE allocation, the budget for operating expenses, which jumped almost four times, from P0.7 billion in 2012 to P2.8 billion in 2016. The capital outlay amounted to over P12 billion for the period 2012-2016, including a supplemental release in 2012. “These were unprecedented achievements,” said Alfredo Pascual in his end-of-term report as UP President.  This period also saw the legislation and enactment of a law automatically qualifying public high school honor graduates for admission in UP. Salary standardization during this term also enabled the University to offer competitive salaries and benefits for Balik Scientists and PhDs, the term used to describe alumni who have achieved prominent stature abroad and who go back to the country to serve their alma mater.  Golden age of infrastructure and new research  Coinciding with the Philippine president’s term of office, UP President Alfredo Pascual’s administration from February 10, 2011 to February 9, 2017 was able to invest more than P9 billion in infrastructure resulting in over 100 new buildings and other structures, and 50 major renovations in the various campuses. At the UP Philippine General Hospital, some P3 billion was spent for modernizing hospital equipment.  “We set out to transform UP into a research intensive University, building new laboratories, and absorbing billions of pesos of research funding from partner departments of government. From UP’s own resources, we provided our faculty with close to a billion pesos to fund our Emerging Interdisciplinary Research program,” Pascual said.  From other agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the Commission on Higher Education, as of 2016, funding for University projects had reached P6.2 billion. These included various scientific projects across the UP System and 11 projects on information infrastructure development and health innovation, and translational medicine. Specifically, the projects included anti-malaria research, dengue detection, genomics capacity building, environmental monitoring, resilient village-based systems, and cost-effective printing fabrication.  Notable among the projects was the Philippine Genome Center, launched in 2011, which now serves a key role in the government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It received P340 million from UP’s capital outlay to build its headquarters and P1 billion for its research.  Over a billion pesos in capital outlay also went to the National Institutes of Health for its new, 18-story building, while it received the same amount for research for three years alone, from 2013 to 2015.  The P200 million budget for the new College of Medicine building and equipment was approved about the same time. About P950 million was made available for emerging interdisciplinary research, and P50 million for research grants to Balik PhDs. The administration was also able to set aside P80 million for infrastructure and P120 million for equipment for the UP Visayas Regional Research Center.  The UP System, with its Center for Integrative and Development Studies, had more than P50 million to allocate for another set of research focused on environment, employment, economic emancipation, and education.  Aside from public-funded infrastructure projects, UP also saw a number of privately funded buildings being erected, such as the P400 million UP-BGC, the P200 million UP Manila Public Health Building, and the P100 million UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters Theater.     Photos above and below: President Aquino delivers a speech during the International Conference on Public Administration and Governance hosted by the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, held on June 27, 2021 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. Sitting in the photo below (left to right) are Sen. Risa Hontiveros, UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma, Sen. Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV in his capacity as UP NCPAG Alumni Association President, UP President Alfredo Pascual, and UP NCPAG Dean Edna Co. Photo by the Malacañang Photo Bureau.     Faculty, researcher grants  According to Pascual, the full cost to the University of doctoral studies overseas could reach as much as P9 million per faculty member during that time, on top of the salary that the grantee kept, and the salary of his or her substitute. “In the last five years, we have awarded fellowship grants to 100 faculty members, translating to an average of 20 per year or double those in the previous administration,” Pascual reported.  More travel grants were awarded to faculty members and graduate students so that they could present their research papers in conferences abroad. “No longer tied down by quotas, we gave out over 330 grants since 2012 apart from those funded by individual colleges and universities.”  UP was able to have funds for new awards, the ONE UP Professorial Chair and Faculty Grant Awards, and to provide 800 professorial chairs and faculty grants at P120,000 and P96,000 a year, respectively, for three years starting January 2016. Close to 600 faculty members received the grants for their distinguished performance in any two of the following: teaching, research or creative work, and public service.  The Creative Work and Research Grant was raised to P450,000 to P650,000 for a 1.5-year project enhanced to reward exemplary teachers and researchers for prolific publishing, developing excellent educational materials, and effectively using these materials in their classes in UP.  Staff benefits  With greater financial flexibility, a result of greater government funding and intensified internal resource generation, UP was able to gain a total of P3.4 billion which it used to pay for faculty and staff benefits from 2011 to January 2017.  According to Pascual, this figure was considered the biggest increase ever in such benefits, which included the service recognition pay, retirement money, rice subsidy, grocery allowance, and incentive grants.  “To the tune of P258 million, the 2014 merit promotions were the highest amount ever given out by the University,” Pascual says. “It also benefited the most number of employees, with around 70 percent of UP faculty and staff approved for merit promotion. The promotion process started in July 2014,” he added.  Digital modernization  With increased financial resources, UP launched an ambitious digital modernization program called eUP, an integrated IT system designed to achieve administrative efficiency. The project included: substantial investments in hardware such as servers, computers, accessories; and, future-proof fiber optic networks, and internet bandwidth which support not just the information systems but also the academic requirements of faculty and students. It aimed to facilitate evidence-based decisions, information sharing, speedy service delivery, harmonized processes, enhanced productivity, and personnel well-being.  Information systems were initiated for: financial management; human resource development and management; student academics; supply, procurement, and campus management; and, executive planning.  The UP bandwidth increased from 140 mbps to 5,200 mbps system-wide.     Screenshot of President Aquino’s speech during UP Diliman’s 100th General Commencement Exercises held on April 17, 2011. Video by Radio Television Malacañang.     New pro-education, government policies  In 2014, Republic Act 10648 or the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014 was passed, assuring top graduates from public high schools automatic admission to state universities and colleges for the next six years starting school year 2015-2016. UP subscribed to this affirmative action that favors top graduates of public high schools, subject to meeting its admission requirements.  Public sector salaries were upgraded under Salary Standardization Law 3 and 4. This had a unique impact on UP as it helped the University recruit PhD holders from abroad. Higher salaries were offered on top of incentives of P500,000 for relocating to the Philippines, and a startup research grant of P2.5 million. As a result, UP was able to welcome back 41 “Balik-PhDs”.  President Benigno Aquino III called for a better disaster risk reduction management system in the country following a series of storms in 2011. In response, the Department of Science and Technology initiated Project NOAH or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazard, utilizing expertise from UP. With project head Mahar Lagmay of the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), the project was launched in the middle of 2012.  The project, a breakthrough in integrating science, engineering, and technology to manage disaster and disaster risks, would later be adopted by UP as a flagship program of the UP Resilience Institute. "
    },
    {
        "title": "TO RECLAIM OUR FUTURE: A Message from the President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/to-reclaim-our-future-a-message-from-the-president/",
        "html": "TO RECLAIM OUR FUTURE: A Message from the President TO RECLAIM OUR FUTURE: A Message from the President September 8, 2020 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion       My dear colleagues and fellow members of the UP Faculty:  Today, as our semester opens and we return to the vital task of educating our students, I wish first of all to greet every one of you a heartfelt welcome.  As all of us know, this will likely be the most difficult opening in our University’s history, except perhaps for January 2, 1942, when UP reopened its doors after the first bombs of the Pacific War had fallen, with no one knowing what to expect.  We seem once again to be at war, against an unseen and pernicious enemy that has already claimed too many lives among our people and in our ranks. There is hardly a Filipino family that has not been affected, directly or indirectly, by this terrible pandemic.  But we are resolved to fight back and not to let this enemy defeat us—not only our medical frontliners, who have heroically borne the brunt of this crisis, but all of us who have a sworn duty to serve the Filipino people even and especially in the direst of situations. We have decided to resume teaching—albeit remotely—because it is the least we can do to reclaim our future, our control over our lives. By teaching, we reassert our humanity, our faith in the ameliorative value of education.  I am aware of the many adjustments and sacrifices you have had to make just to be sure that you will be meeting your students online—today or next week—with some degree of confidence and enthusiasm.  The preparation and submission of course packs, the employment of remote learning, the adoption of new technology—all of these new and sudden impositions seem almost unfair given how difficult it has always been to teach properly and to teach well. In some cases, it will happen that our students will be more comfortable with computer screens than we are. Inevitably, there will be glitches, mistakes, and shortcomings in our networks, setups, and arrangements.  But let us also remember that our students are just as challenged and apprehensive as we are—and that, being younger and possibly far away from their campuses over the lockdown, they may lack the access to technology that many of us have. They expected to step onto the green lawns of their university, to enjoy the company of their friends, and to explore learning in our libraries and laboratories. Instead, like you, they will be facing many long hours in front of their computer or mobile screens, in what for some time will be the new definition of “college.”  To the least advantaged—student and teacher alike—we must extend our utmost patience, understanding, and spirit of cooperation so we can make good on our commitment to do our best to leave no one behind in this difficult hour. Wala po tayong pababayaan, walang maiiwanan.  Your University administration will do its best to generate the material resources we will need to do our work and to forge ahead. But all of us must draw on our deepest intellectual, emotional, and spiritual resources to cope with the challenges we face. As we care for our students, we care for our faculty and staff, and their well-being must be secured in all our policies and actions.  Let me end with words of my esteemed predecessor, President Rafael Palma:  “We should wish that our teachers in this University would be not mere hirelings pressed into service for the salaries that are given them and the lessons that they give, but faithful trustees or high priests of the science that they have pledged to espouse, of practicality, and of the spirit of self-effacement and devoted service to the nation and to the world. The University can do an infinite amount of good not only in molding the character of each citizen, but also in shaping the national character.”  As the national university, we have a special obligation to lead the nation by example. Let us lead with courage, conviction, and generosity of spirit, in the service of the Filipino people.  Mabuhay kayong lahat!        Naglilingkod,  Danilo L. Concepcion President "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to AFP allegations of “infiltration” of UP units by the CPP-NPA – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-responds-to-afp-allegations-of-infiltration-of-up-units-by-the-cpp-npa/",
        "html": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to AFP allegations of “infiltration” of UP units by the CPP-NPA UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to AFP allegations of “infiltration” of UP units by the CPP-NPA January 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    We in the University of the Philippines take exception to recent claims made by the Armed Forces of the Philippines that some UP colleges, units and offices have knowingly condoned their alleged “infiltration” by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.  The UP administration is unaware of and has received no specifics regarding these recent allegations and the circumstances surrounding them. We are, of course, willing to sit down with the authorities to discuss the facts of each case in the spirit of open dialogue, and to cooperate with them in going through the proper legal procedures for their resolution.  As it stands now, these allegations, lacking as yet any factual evidence, serve as unnecessary distractions for both UP and the AFP at a time when there are far greater crises, including a global pandemic, confronting us. At worst, these allegations pose a very real danger to the lives and safety of our students, faculty, staff and the members of the UP community. These dangers come not only from elements of the military and the police, but also from vigilantes who seek to take justice into their own hands.  The University of the Philippines is, has always been and will continue to remain a safe space for free thought and expression, intelligent criticism and dissent. This, too, is in accordance with the law of the land. While we will continue to work with the AFP, the PNP and other government agencies to achieve our common aspiration to improve the lives of the Filipino people, we will also continue to defend UP from all attacks and machinations against our academic freedom and to uphold the safety and freedom of all the members of our community.  Again we do not condone violence, terrorism, or coercion as a means of political action from whatever source or for whatever purpose. We call on the military and police leadership to engage with UP and other universities in a constructive dialogue on the issues involved in these allegations, to dispel their chilling effect and encourage trust and confidence in our uniformed services. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIDS forum explores new themes on Rizal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cids-forum-explores-new-themes-on-rizal/",
        "html": "UP CIDS forum explores new themes on Rizal UP CIDS forum explores new themes on Rizal July 18, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In commemoration of the 158th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the country’s national hero, the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Program on Alternative Development (AltDev) hosted a forum, “Rethinking Rizal for the 21st Century: Unexplored Themes and New Interpretations,” on June 19 at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Professors George Aseniero, PhD, Floro C. Quibuyen, PhD, and Lisandro E. Claudio, PhD, served as resource speakers.     Eduardo C. Tadem, PhD, convenor of the AltDev program. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     According to Prof. Eduardo C. Tadem, PhD, convenor of the AltDev program, the forum is part of UP’s explorations for new themes, perspectives, and interpretations on Rizal’s thoughts. He said the event aimed to uncover “hidden treasures,” open new venues for researches, and promote discussions on the country’s national hero.     Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UP Executive Vice President. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In his welcome remarks, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa emphasized the importance of studying Rizal and Philippine history. He said that Rizal’s views “had and continue to have profound influence on the Philippines’ and other Asian people’s national liberation movements and development paradigms.” He added that he will keep on supporting these initiatives for “scholarly research, commentaries, and dissemination, for more Filipinos, especially our younger generations of students,” to benefit from.     George Aseniero, PhD. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “Rizal on Imperialism”  Aseniero, whose grandfather was among Rizal’s students, presented his lecture, “The Game of the Great Powers: Rizal on Imperialism.”  Aseniero talked of how Rizal probably analyzed the geopolitical situation during the upsurge of both reformist and revolutionary movements for Philippine independence. Referring to today’s “inter-imperialist rivalry”, he said Rizal saw several nations being “engaged in the ‘Game of the Great Powers’” and that Rizal also wrote of the possibility of“la gran Republica Americana” joining the rivalry of powers with intentions of colonizing the Philippines.He addedthat Rizal’s forecasts for the next one hundred years, as written by Rizal in Filipinas dentro de cienanos (The Philippines a century hence) and published in the La Solidaridad,came true within just a decade.  Using Kondratiev wave theory, or long waves to illustrate patterns of growth and decline of the world economy, Aseniero described the world economy to be growing fast as a basis for the emergence of the Philippine middle class when Rizal was born. As the world economy was going down in the 1880s, he said the economic crisis led to political developments, and tensions between world powers also became evident.  According to Aseniero, Rizal eventually concluded that the US had “geostrategic interests in the Pacific.”Aseniero related US policies with prevailing conditions, as of the 1890s, citing US government’s declaration of “overpopulation” and US interests in the Pacific as their motives for developing naval superiority in a very short period of time.  Aseniero explained how Rizal saw the world being divided among the rivals, based on Rizal’s comments on the British empire, France, Germany, Holland, China, Japan, and the US, in relation to the balance of power.Insights gleaned from one of Rizal’s unfinished drafts, “La politica intercontinental,” revealed that the US was seen as a rival ofEngland; and,he noted how the developments in the 1890s indicated the rise of the US as a new hegemonic power. By this time, Aseniero said, Rizal was concerned with an inter-imperialist war, and “this explains his negative position on the Katipunan’s plan to revolt and the subsequent statements he made at his trial. It also frames his conceptualization of La Liga Filipina as a national federation of mutualist associations for the construction of Civil Society irrespective of the State,”Aseniero explained.     Floro C. Quibuyen, PhD. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “Revisiting Rizal’s Forgotten Borrador”  Quibuyen’s presentation, “The Future has an Ancient Heart: Revisiting Rizal’s Forgotten Borrador – Melanesia, Malasia, Polinesia,”focused on explaining the origins of Rizal’s vision of Filipinos discovering their “good old qualities…free, lovers of peace, jovial, cheerful, smiling, hospitable, and fearless.”  Quibuyen said that “Rizal’s forgotten notes, ‘Melanesia, Malasia, Polinesia,’” points to Filipinos’ pre-Sanskrit roots as a basis for this vision. According to Quibuyen, “Some 3,500 years ago, our seafaring ancestors sailed over 2,000 kilometers of the Pacific Ocean and settled a group of islands that Spanish colonizers later named Las Islas Marianas and its inhabitants, Chamorros. Through our ancestors, the Chamorros, we can imagine what we were like thousands of years before the arrival on our shores of Sanskrit and Chinese and Muslim traders—indeed long before the Spanish conquistadores and missionaries.”  In his presentation, Quibuyen also mentioned that “seafarers from the Philippines were the first in the history of mankind,” and that “this (today’s Philippines) is not the nation Rizal envisioned.”     Lisandro E. Claudio, PhD. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “Rizal as Postcolonial Liberal”  Claudio presented Rizal as being both a liberal and a radical. In his lecture, “The School of Suffering and the God of Liberty: Jose Rizal as Postcolonial Liberal,”he outlined the roots of Rizal’s liberalism and described the liberals as being the revolutionaries at the time, with Rizal articulating the goals of liberalism in his works and letters.  Claudio discussed Rizal’s notions of liberty and suffering. He said Rizal thought “one has to suffer pain to attain or deserve liberty,”and reiterated that “Filipino liberals learn through suffering.”  Claudio said that for Rizal, liberalism was a “plant that never dies.” He clarified that“19th century liberalism was not counter-revolutionary.” “Only in the 20th century did it become bureaucratic and tied to institutions of power,” he explained,“when liberalism became no longer insurgent.”     Floro C. Quibuyen, PhD, George Aseniero, PhD, and Lisandro E. Claudio, PhD, respond to questions raised by members of the audience. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Comments on present issues  During the open forum, the resource speakers were asked if Rizal could have observed present-day geopolitics, would he have been critical of Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea and of China’s rise as a world power.  Aseniero said,“Rizal would be very wary of China,” and added that China was not seen as a power during his time. Claudio said Rizal would probably be in solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong now. Quibuyen said Rizal would denounce China for it.     Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta. Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Writer, public servant, and beauty queen (Miss International 1964) Gemma Cruz-Araneta served as forum moderator. She and Herbosa are both related to Rizal as his great-grandniece and great-grandnephew, respectively.     Tanghalang Pilipino members. Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Tanghalang Pilipino members performed “Dalagang Bukid” and “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” in between the forum presentation and open forum. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Protect academic freedom”–UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to DND’s unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND Accord – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/protect-academic-freedom-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-responds-to-dnds-unilateral-abrogation-of-the-up-dnd-accord/",
        "html": "“Protect academic freedom”–UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to DND’s unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND Accord “Protect academic freedom”–UP President Danilo L. Concepcion responds to DND’s unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND Accord    19 January 2021     Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana Department of National Defense Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City     Dear Secretary Lorenzana,  I am acknowledging receipt of your letter of 15 January 2021 informing me of the unilateral abrogation by your office of the agreement signed on 30 June 1989 by then DND Secretary Fidel V. Ramos and then UP President Jose V. Abueva—an agreement that, you will recall, established certain norms and protocols governing relations between the University and military and police forces.  I must express our grave concern over this abrogation, as it is totally unnecessary and unwarranted, and may result in worsening rather than improving relations between our institutions, and detract from our common desire for peace, justice, and freedom in our society.  That agreement was forged with the formalities that attend the execution of agreements, imbued with the highest sense of fidelity of the parties. It was grounded in an atmosphere of mutual respect, which we were able to maintain for 30 years through the observance in good faith of its provisions. With few exceptions, protocols were observed and any problems or misunderstandings were amicably and reasonably resolved. The agreement never stood in the way of police and security forces conducting lawful operations within our campuses. Entry was always given when necessary to law enforcers within their mandate.  We regret that the agreement was abrogated unilaterally, without the prior consultation that would have addressed the concerns you raised in your letter. Instead of instilling confidence in our police and military, your decision can only sow more confusion and mistrust, given that you have not specified what it is that you exactly aim to do or put in place in lieu of the protections and courtesies afforded by the agreement.  Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to emphasize that we sought and secured that agreement not to evade or weaken the law, but to protect the climate of academic freedom—guaranteed by the Constitution—that makes intellectual inquiry and human and social advancement possible. We want to maintain UP as a safe haven for all beliefs and forms of democratic expression. In that, all the signatories to the agreement believed and bound themselves to uphold.  Our University community does not and cannot fear the fair and speedy enforcement of the law, and we value and appreciate the contributions of our uniformed services to our safety and security. We do not condone sedition, armed insurrection, or the use of violence for political ends.  At the same time, especially given our experience of martial law, we must reject any form or semblance of militarization on our campuses, which will have a chilling effect deleterious to academic freedom. This abrogation endangers the goodwill necessary for both of us to achieve our mission as responsible members of the same national family.  Our police and military authorities should have no fear of academic freedom. Indeed UP has bred rebels and nonconformists—as well as it has bred presidents, senators, congressmen, and business, civic, and even military leaders. All the world’s great universities have produced the same range of thinkers and doers. By and large, intellectual and political dissidents in UP have always been in the minority, but it is a critical minority that has historically been vital to the maintenance of a healthy democracy.  Left in peace, UP will continue to be a major contributor to the country’s development and to its national leadership in all fields. Its most recent international ranking—65th among the 489 universities in Asia evaluated by the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings—attests to the high quality of its achievements.  That performance, Mr. Secretary, is the result of its exercise of academic freedom—the freedom to think, to probe, to question, to find and propose better solutions.  May I urge you, therefore, to reconsider and revoke your abrogation, and request further that we meet to discuss your concerns in the shared spirit of peace, justice, and the pursuit of excellence.     Yours sincerely,  Danilo L. Concepcion President "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP responds to DND Sec. Lorenzana’s latest pronouncement on UP-DND dialogue – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-responds-to-dnd-sec-lorenzanas-latest-pronouncement-on-up-dnd-dialogue/",
        "html": "UP responds to DND Sec. Lorenzana’s latest pronouncement on UP-DND dialogue UP responds to DND Sec. Lorenzana’s latest pronouncement on UP-DND dialogue January 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    We in the University of the Philippines are pleased to hear that Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has decided to engage in a dialogue with us. All that we request is an agreement on the date and place where the dialogue will be held. We believe that with shared openness and respect, we can settle issues between our respective institutions. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Usapang KP: Mga Terror, Hindi Terrorista” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/usapang-kp-mga-terror-hindi-terrorista/",
        "html": "“Usapang KP: Mga Terror, Hindi Terrorista” “Usapang KP: Mga Terror, Hindi Terrorista” February 3, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines would like to invite you to join the fight for Academic Freedom!  Featuring UP alumni from all sectors and spheres of society with voices from other universities to reflect on academic freedom as an integral element for an environment that nurtures excellence and innovation.  Register now to be a part of this Freedom Project, the USAPANG KP (Kalayaan sa Pamantasan) Webinar Series at: https://tinyurl.com/UsapangKP  Webinar #1 “Usapang KP: Mga Terror, Hindi Terrorista” February 4, 2021 (Thursday) 1-3pm  Moderator: Malou Mangahas Co-Founder and Board Member, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Co-Convenor, Right to know, Right Now Coalition  Co-Moderator: Dr. Butch Dalisay UP Professor Emeritus (Creative Writing)  Panelists: Dr. Maria Serena Diokno UP Professor Emeritus (History)  Dr. Solita Monsod UP Professor Emeritus (Economics)  Dr. Gisela P. Concepcion UP Professor Emeritus (Marine Science)  Reactors: Atty. Theodore Te Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)  Dr. Giovanni Tapang Dean, UP College of Science  Atty. Soledad Deriquito-Mawis Dean, College of Law, Lyceum of the Philippines University "
    },
    {
        "title": "USAPANG KP “Mga Manggagamot ng Bayan: Okidoki!” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/usapang-kp-mga-manggagamot-ng-bayan-okidoki/",
        "html": "USAPANG KP “Mga Manggagamot ng Bayan: Okidoki!” USAPANG KP “Mga Manggagamot ng Bayan: Okidoki!” February 16, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines would like to invite you to join the fight for Academic Freedom in the Medical Field for Nation-Building!  Featuring UP alumni from all sectors and spheres of society with voices from other universities to reflect on academic freedom as an integral element for an environment that nurtures excellence, innovation, and altruism.  Register now to be a part of this Freedom Project, the USAPANG KP (Kalayaan sa Pamantasan) Webinar Series at: https://tinyurl.com/UsapangKP  Webinar #3 USAPANG KP “Mga Manggagamot ng Bayan: Okidoki!” February 18, 2021 (Thursday) 1-3pm  Moderator: Malou Mangahas Co-Founder and Board Member, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Co-Convenor, Right to Know, Right Now Coalition  Co-Moderator: Dr. Carol Pagaduan Araullo Chairperson, BAYAN Philippines  Panelists: Dr. Jaime Z. Galvez Tan Founder, Health Futures Foundation, Inc. Former Secretary, Department of Health 1995  Dr. Esperanza Cabral Former Secretary, Department of Health 2009-2010 Former Secretary, Department of Social Work and Development 2005-2009  Dr. Mike Justin A. Gianan Doctor to the Barrio Zamboanga Del Norte  Reactors: Dr. Susana M. Balingit Chair, Board of Trustees of Citizen’s Disaster Response Center Faculty, Graduate School of UERMMMC on Asian Health Studies  Dr. Jonathan David A. Flavier Co-Host, “Clinica Flavier” on CignalTV One-PH channel 1 Chairman, Cooperative Movement for Encouraging No Scalpel Vasectomy (CMEN)  Dr. Josefina A. Tuazon Former Dean, UP College of Nursing 2004-2010 University of the Philippines Manila  Joey Ochave President, RiteMed Phils., Inc. Trustee, Philippine Science High School Foundation, Inc. "
    },
    {
        "title": "USAPANG KP “Mga Abugado at Serbisyo Publiko: Wagas!” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/usapang-kp-mga-abugado-at-serbisyo-publiko-wagas/",
        "html": "USAPANG KP “Mga Abugado at Serbisyo Publiko: Wagas!” USAPANG KP “Mga Abugado at Serbisyo Publiko: Wagas!” February 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines would like to invite you to join the fight for Academic Freedom in Public Service for Nation-Building!  Featuring UP alumni from all sectors and spheres of society with voices from other universities to reflect on academic freedom as an integral element for an environment that nurtures excellence, innovation, and altruism.  Register now to be a part of this Freedom Project, the USAPANG KP (Kalayaan sa Pamantasan) Webinar Series at: https://tinyurl.com/UsapangKP  Webinar #4 USAPANG KP “Mga Abugado at Serbisyo Publiko: Wagas!” February 25, 2021 (Thursday) 1-3pm  Moderator: Malou Mangahas Co-Founder and Board Member, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Co-Convenor, Right to Know, Right Now Coalition  Co-Moderator: Atty. Raffy Aquino Free Legal Assistance Group  Panelists: Justice Antonio Carpio Supreme Court Justice (Ret)  Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan Public Servant  Atty. Grace Pulido Tan Former Commissioner, Commission on Audit  Reactors: Atty. Domingo Egon Cayosa National President and Chairman, Board of Governors, Integrated Bar of the Philippines  Atty Luie Tito Guia Former COMELEC Commissioner  Atty. Michael T. Tiu, Jr. Faculty, UP College of Law Senior Legal Associate, UP Institute of Human Rights "
    },
    {
        "title": "What is academic freedom and why the fuss? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-is-academic-freedom-and-why-the-fuss/",
        "html": "What is academic freedom and why the fuss? What is academic freedom and why the fuss? March 2, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Academic freedom. The term has been tossed around so much in recent weeks, on social media, in the news, on the streets, but what is it really? And why are people so determined to defend it?     Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Rad Agustin, UP MPRO.     The recent abrogation by the Department of National Defense (DND) of its 1989 Accord with the University thrust the subject of academic freedom into the larger public sphere. The subsequent red-tagging of UP alumni by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana later acknowledged as an “unpardonable gaffe” and which the AFP apologized for, only served to intensify public discussion.  To put things in perspective, UP organized Usapang KP (Kalayaan sa Pamantasan), an online discussion series that intends to dive into the nuances of academic freedom. Its first episode, “Mga Terror, Hindi Terrorista,” was streamed live on February 4 and focused on defining academic freedom and its significance to the life of a university.  Watch the replay of the webinar on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  The episode featured alumnae and revered professors emeriti, Dr. Solita Monsod (Economics) and Dr. Gisela Concepcion (Marine Science) as main speakers. Reactors were: fellow alumni Atty. Soledad Deriquito Mawis, Dean of the College of Law, Lyceum of the Philippines University; Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Dean of the College of Science, UP Diliman; and, Atty. Theodore Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group. It was moderated by Professor Emeritus Jose Dalisay Jr., and Malou Mangahas, Co-founder and Board Member, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.     Top row: Atty. Soledad Deriquito Mawis (reactor), Dr. Giovanni Tapang (reactor), and Malou Mangahas (moderator). Middle row: Dr. Gisela Concepcion (speaker), Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr. (moderator), and Atty. Theodore Te (reactor). Bottom row: Dr. Solita Monsod (speaker). Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     So what is academic freedom?  While the 1987 Philippine Constitution states in Article XIV, Section 5 (2) that “Academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning”, it does not define academic freedom.  The reason for this lack of definition can be found in the deliberations of the 1986 Constitutional Commission on September 9. Commissioner Adolf Azcuna said, “Since academic freedom is a dynamic concept and we want to expand the frontiers of freedom, especially in education, therefore, we will leave it to the courts to develop further the parameters of academic freedom. We just say that it shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning.”  US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter’s concurring opinion in Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957), widely acknowledged as having captured the essence of academic freedom, has found its way into Philippine jurisprudence. Monsod, Mawis, and Te cited Frankfurter’s opinion that academic freedom consists of the “four essential freedoms” of a university “to determine for itself on academic grounds who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.”     Dr. Gisela Concepcion says a form of freedom of expression for scientists is the publication of their research, where they subject themselves to the scrutiny of their peers. Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     For Concepcion, it is the freedom “to pursue knowledge without boundaries in an unencumbered and enabling environment.” Faculty members, she said, have earned the right to mentor and teach through years of study, research, and training that allowed them to gain expertise.  Academic freedom, she added, exists in an academic framework, a highly complex system that contains not only the functions of universities and their players, but also the factors that affect the successful execution of these functions toward the overarching goal of serving the nation and humanity. Concepcion said academic freedom is ensured by external support, including support from the government, which provides the encouraging atmosphere for teaching, learning, inquiry, and discussion to thrive and flourish.     Dr. Solita Monsod clarifies that neither academic freedom nor tenure protects incompetent teachers from losing their jobs. It does not protect faculty members “from colleague or student challenges to or disagreement with their education philosophies and practices” and it does not shield them “from sanctions for professional misconduct.” Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     Monsod, quoting UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, focused on academic freedom in UP, said that it is the “freedom to challenge orthodoxies and established ways of thinking and acting without fear of repression or punitive action. This freedom is essential for the life of the mind and for UP’s dual role as (a) knowledge producer and (b) social critic.”  However, she emphasized that academic freedom is not “unlimited”. Among others, it does not mean “a faculty member can harass, threaten, intimidate, ridicule, or impose his or her views on students.” It also “does not protect faculty members from non-university penalties if they break the law.”     Why is it important?  It is critical to a university’s role in clarifying and seeking truth, Tapang explained. Academic freedom allows an environment that is “most conducive to speculation, experimentation, and creation. . . . If we are unable to speak our mind with intellectual honesty, what else would the university be for us?” Borrowing Albert Einstein’s words, he added that “any restriction on academic freedom [hampers] the dissemination of knowledge among people and thereby impedes rational judgment and action.”     Dr. Giovanni Tapang agrees with Albert Einstein’s opinion that while everyone is involved in defending constitutional rights, intellectuals are “in a special position” since they have a “strong influence on the formation of public opinion.” Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     Monsod made reference to Britannica on the justification for academic freedom. That it “lies not in the comfort or convenience of teachers and students but in the benefits to society; i.e., the long-term interests of a society are best served when the educational process leads to the advancement of knowledge, and knowledge is best advanced when inquiry is free from restraints by the state, by the church or other institutions, or by special-interest groups.”     Atty. Theodore Te explains that academic freedom, as guaranteed by the 1987 Philippine Constitution in all institutions of higher learning, “is understood to cover everyone within that institution.” Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     Academic freedom is essential to any institution of higher learning because it is an “assertion of control over what we want to read, say, think, and how and who we want to think with, discuss with, express ourselves with,” Te stated.  Mawis concurred that academic freedom meant respect for universities to determine their academic governance, and emphasized that it was “consistent with law and jurisprudence.” She also cited Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe’s concurring opinion in Pimentel v. Medialdea, G.R. No. 230642 (2019), “Academic freedom is anchored on the recognition that academic institutions perform a social function, and its business is conducted for the common good; that is, it is a necessary tool for critical inquiry of truth and its free exposition. Thus, the guarantee of academic freedom is complementary to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the mind.”  Specific to UP, Concepcion, Mawis, and Te made reference to Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter of 2008, where Section 5 states, “The national university has the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom.” They emphasized “responsibility” as a clear mandate for UP to exercise its right to academic freedom.     “Teachers should be given a wide latitude to express their beliefs without fear of retribution. . . . Left, right, left of center, right of center, center. . . UP was the channel for free exchange of ideas and the confluence of disagreements, thoughts, and principles made me who I am today. . . . UP allowed me to decide on my own,” says Atty. Soledad Deriquito Mawis. Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     How do we protect and defend academic freedom?  “Stop taking it for granted,” Monsod said, adding that academic freedom “does not stand alone in support of the higher education system.” She cited Cary Nelson’s No University is an Island: Saving Academic Freedom, which states that academic freedom, shared governance, and tenure are the three legs in the footstool that supports higher education.  Monsod also proposed that professors emeriti lead in the establishment of a “Philippine Association of University Professors or Philippine Association of University Teachers” because unity in their ranks will create a formidable organization in guarding against threats to academic freedom, among other issues.  Tapang, meanwhile, echoed Einstein’s words on constitutional rights: “The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it.” He also said that “[there are] prevalent tools like Facebook. We have to speak online and on social media. Show that we are taking a stand.”  “UP has given us the tools, skills, attitude, disposition, critical thinking. Now we are called upon to apply these,” Te said.  Mawis added, “Be aware of what is happening. Know the facts. Analyze. Make a stand. Love the truth. We honor excellence by living the truth. We honor integrity. We honor the truth. We were wired that way, therefore we should act that way.”  “What is the proportion of [UP’s] contributions versus speculations [against it]? We need to communicate effectively the good that the University has done, even just in this time of pandemic,” Concepcion emphasized the positive outcomes of academic freedom.  Dalisay capped it off with “The best way to defend academic freedom is to use it. Express yourself. Wherever you are, the university is in you. You do not have to be in UP to exercise the spirit of academic freedom.”     Director Ana Tan of the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship, representing Dean Luis Dumlao of the Ateneo de Manila University John Gokongwei School of Management and Chair of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) Chair, reads Dumlao’s statement of support for Dr. Marie Lisa Dacanay, ISEA president and a UP alumna who was red-tagged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Dacanay was the first Asian to be awarded Social Innovation Thought Leader by the World Economic Forum and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in 2019. Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "USAPANG KP “Mga Siyentipiko at Pantas: HANEP!” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/usapang-kp-mga-siyentipiko-at-pantas-hanep/",
        "html": "USAPANG KP “Mga Siyentipiko at Pantas: HANEP!” USAPANG KP “Mga Siyentipiko at Pantas: HANEP!” March 2, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines would like to invite you to join the fight for Academic Freedom in the Sciences and Evidence-Based Scholarship for Nation-Building!  Featuring UP alumni from all sectors and spheres of society with voices from other universities to reflect on academic freedom as an integral element for an environment that nurtures excellence, innovation, and altruism.  Register now to be a part of this Freedom Project, the USAPANG KP (Kalayaan sa Pamantasan) Webinar Series at: https://tinyurl.com/UsapangKP  Webinar #5 USAPANG KP “Mga Siyentipiko at Pantas: HANEP!” March 4, 2021 (Thursday) 1-3pm  Moderator: Malou Mangahas Co-Founder and Board Member, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Co-Convenor, Right to Know, Right Now Coalition  Co-Moderator: Dr. Fidel Nemenzo Chancellor, UP Diliman  Panelists: Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay Director, UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (UP NOAH) Executive Director, UP Resilience Institute  Dr. Laura T. David Director, Marine Science Institute UP Diliman  Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales UP System Vice President for Finance First National Statistician in the Philippines  Reactors: Dr. Emmanuel C. Lallana Chief Executive, Ideacorp  Ramon J. Santiago Deputy Executive Director, Program Management Office for the Earthquake Resiliency of Greater Metro Manila Area, Office of the President  Goran Tomacruz Team Leader, Alamat UP Electro-chemical Engineering (LEE) "
    },
    {
        "title": "All UP Workers Union nagdiwang ng ika-30 anibersaryo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-up-workers-union-nagdiwang-ng-ika-30-anibersaryo/",
        "html": "All UP Workers Union nagdiwang ng ika-30 anibersaryo All UP Workers Union nagdiwang ng ika-30 anibersaryo October 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Ipinagdiriwang ng All UP Workers Union ang ika-30 anibersaryo nito sa temang “Patuloy na paglilingkod sa kawani at bayan.” (Kuha ni Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Ipinagdiriwang ng All UP Workers Union ang ika-30 anibersaryo nito sa temang “Patuloy na paglilingkod sa kawani at bayan.” Isang buong araw ng iba’t ibang aktibidad ang inilunsad kasama na ang parada ng mga miyembrong kawani sa buong Academic Oval noong ika-29 ng Setyembre sa kampus ng Diliman.  Ang Unyon ay itinatag noong Setyembre 29, 1987 batay sa prinsipyong isulong ang mga karapatan at interes ng mga sektor sa loob at labas ng pamantasan upang magkaroon ng ambag para sa pagkakaisa at kagalingan ng sektor ng mga manggagawa sa lipunang Pilipino.  Ayon sa pahayag ng Unyon, “sa pamamagitan ng mahigpit nating pagkakaisa at sama-samang pagkilos marami tayong nakamit na mga dagdag na benepisyo tulad ng rice subsidy, Service Recognition Pay, at marami pang iba. May mga istruktura rin at prosesong naipatupad, kasama ang UP Administration, sa nagbibigay ng ibayong karapatan sa mga kawani tulad ng pagbubuo at pagkilala sa representasyon ng unyon sa mga APC-PERC hanggang sa level ng mga kolehiyo, at pagkakaroon ng Grievance Machinery.”  Ang nasabing pagtitipon ay dinaluhan din ng opisyal ng Unibersidad partikular ang Bise President para sa Administrasyon na si Ginoong Nestor Yunque. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Alumni invited to celebrate UP’s foundation day with their very own UP alumni email account – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/alumni-invited-to-celebrate-ups-foundation-day-with-their-very-own-up-alumni-email-account/",
        "html": "Alumni invited to celebrate UP’s foundation day with their very own UP alumni email account Alumni invited to celebrate UP’s foundation day with their very own UP alumni email account June 8, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In celebration of its 114th Founding Anniversary, the University of the Philippines (UP) is stepping up its invitation to provide duly verified UP alumni with their own UP Alumni email account.  The University was founded on June 18, 1908, through Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly to fill the need to meet the increasing demands for instruction in the higher levels of learning and to provide professional studies in medicine, law, engineering, or applied sciences. The Act mandated UP to give “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and professional and technical training” to every qualified student regardless of “age, sex, nationality, religious belief, and political affiliation.” Act No. 1870, or the UP Charter, was amended with the signing of Republic Act No. 9500 or the new UP Charter in 2008, which established UP as the country’s national University in time for its centennial celebration.  According to the UP Office of Alumni Relations (OAR), this month of June marks “114 years of nation-building through shaping minds to become leaders in public service, pioneers in cutting-edge research, drivers in innovation, and trailblazers in arts and culture.”  The UP OAR encourages all UP alumni to be marked as a proud Iskolar ng Bayan and strengthen their connections with the University through the UP alumni email. UP alumni will receive the latest updates on UP events, programs, and special announcements straight to their inbox, including opportunities for donation or volunteerism.  The UP Alumni email account also offers a G Suite for Education account that allows alumni to use other Google services, such as Gmail, Google+, Google Drive, and Google Groups. They can also update their personal information in the UP Alumni Database using their @alum.up.edu.ph account.  For inquiries regarding this new email service, email helpdesk@up.edu.ph or call (02) 8376-3100. UP alumni can register for their own UP Alumni email account at https://alum.up.edu.ph/database/ or scan the QR code on the poster. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19’s impact on the planet in UP-CIFAL’s upcoming webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19s-impact-on-the-planet-in-up-cifals-upcoming-webinar/",
        "html": "COVID-19’s impact on the planet in UP-CIFAL’s upcoming webinar COVID-19’s impact on the planet in UP-CIFAL’s upcoming webinar June 10, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The global outbreak of COVID-19 reveals the fundamental tenets of the trade-off we consistently face: humans have unlimited needs, but the planet has a limited capacity to satisfy them.  To be able to balance both needs and resources, people must learn to transition to sustainable living practices. COVID-19 prompts changes in lifestyle, which can be a positive thing.  In the fifth installment of its webinar series, the University of the Philippines-International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders Philippines (UP-CIFAL) is focusing on “Nurture Nature: Impacts of COVID-19 to the Planet and the People.”  This webinar, which will be held on Wednesday, 10 June 2020, , 14:00 (Manila time), aims to discuss the relationship between a sustainable planet and environment as well as responsible consumption and production by people during a pandemic. Speakers include:Vice President and COO Mark Gamboa of the Centre for Neighborhood Studies Philippines;Executive Director Ramon San Pascual of Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia; Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Virginia Llorin; and national convenor Eah Antonio of 2030 Youth Force Philippines as moderator.  Please register here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Enforcing physical distancing to fight COVID-19 in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/enforcing-physical-distancing-to-fight-covid-19-in-upcoming-up-cifal-webinar/",
        "html": "Enforcing physical distancing to fight COVID-19 in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar Enforcing physical distancing to fight COVID-19 in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar June 30, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Physical distancing, more commonly known as “social distancing,” is one of the important strategies to fight COVID-19 by preventing the spread of the coronavirus through droplets when in close contact with other people. But how do you enforce physical distancing in a country whose capital city is one of the densest  in the world, and where the poorest communities live in cramped spaces where standing at arm’s length from others is near impossible?  The UP International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders Philippines (UP CIFAL Philippines), iAcademy, and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. will be discussing the issue of physical distancing in an upcoming webinar, “No Crowding, Please: COVID-19 and Physical Distancing”, to be held on July 3, 2020, Friday, 15:00 (Manila time).  The webinar will explore the local governance, human rights and technological aspects of physical distancing as a strategy to combat this pandemic. This online discussion also seeks to emphasize the roles of various sectors, such as the government, academe, and private sector for the effective implementation of physical distancing. Speakers will be:President and CEO Vanessa Tanco of iACADEMY; Carlos Conde, researcher for the Asia Division of the Human Rights Watch; and, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.  All are welcome to participate in the 7th installment of the UP CIFAL Philippines webinar series on July 3. Please register here: https://bit.ly/2ArDgVP.  INQUIRER.net is the official online media partner of this webinar. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Singing Ambassadors celebrate 38th anniversary in “The Reason We Sing” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-singing-ambassadors-celebrate-38th-anniversary-in-the-reason-we-sing/",
        "html": "UP Singing Ambassadors celebrate 38th anniversary in “The Reason We Sing” UP Singing Ambassadors celebrate 38th anniversary in “The Reason We Sing” June 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Join the UP Singing Ambassadors as they celebrate their 38th anniversary in “The Reason We Sing.”  Mark the dates:  June 11 (Mon) 7:30 PM at the RCBC Plaza June 13 (Wed) 7:30 PM at the Ayala Museum June 17 (Sun) 5 PM at the UP Bahay ng Alumni June 18 (Mon) 6:30 PM at the UP Film Center  Online ticket reservation: tinyurl.com/38thAnnivTickets  Ticket prices:  RCBC Plaza: PHP1000 | PHP500 | PHP300 Ayala Museum: PHP1000 | PHP500 UP Bahay ng Alumni: PHP750 | PHP500 | PHP300 UP Film Center: PHP1000| PHP500 | PHP300  Students get a 50% discount and Senior Citizens and PWDs get a 20% discount for regular tickets.  Contact AVIE at 0949-302-6211 or call 924-9378 for INQUIRIES.  For more info, visit https://www.upsingingambassadors.com or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/THEUPSINGINGAMBASSADORS    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB choir wins world grand prix – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-choir-wins-world-grand-prix/",
        "html": "UPLB choir wins world grand prix UPLB choir wins world grand prix August 3, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble, beating finalists from five other countries, won the grand prize at the 10th Orientale Concentus International Choral Festival on July 10, 2017 at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.  The 26-member choir earlier won in the mixed choir category and the sacred music category; and conductor Roijin Suarez received the Special Jury Prize for the Most Promising Young Conductor.  Organized by Singapore’s Ace 99 Cultural Company, the festival was open to non-professional choirs and amateurs.  The cover photo of the UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble’s Facebook page taken a moment after the group won the 10th Orientale Concentus International Choral Festival grand prize on July 10, 2017 at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore. Celebrating with the members are philanthropist Wong-Mah Jia Lan and festival officials and adjudicators.  The grand prix competitors were nominated from category winners or groups earning top five scores. The grand prix winner received a trophy and S$20,000.  The five-member international adjudicating team included Mark Anthony Carpio of the UP College of Music and of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.  Edward Vinluan of the UP Alumni Association in Singapore (UPAAS) said, in a heads-up to the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, that the UPAAS helped arrange the choir’s accommodation, rehearsal venues, and post-victory meeting with the Philippine ambassador to Singapore.  According to its Facebook page, the choral ensemble has conducted concert tours, and participated and won several awards in choral festivals in Germany, Belgium, Amsterdam, Australia, France, Spain, Indonesia, China, Japan, and Switzerland. At home, the ensemble is a National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) grand prix winner.  The UPLB Choral Ensemble was founded in 1991 by former members of the UP Rural High School Glee Club. It is now composed of UPLB students and alumni. On campus, it is recognized as a student cultural organization. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Academia Sinica host free bilateral workshop on protein engineering, drug discovery studies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-academia-sinica-host-free-bilateral-workshop-on-protein-engineering-drug-discovery-studies/",
        "html": "UP, Academia Sinica host free bilateral workshop on protein engineering, drug discovery studies UP, Academia Sinica host free bilateral workshop on protein engineering, drug discovery studies March 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Increasing the technical proficiency of our young scientists and graduate students benefits our University’s research efforts in drug discovery. Local opportunities to learn about current experimental techniques and methods relating to protein expression, purification, and characterization are lacking and often limited to small research laboratories.  The AS-Institute of Biological Chemistry (IBC) have established and distinguished research scientists , who have contributed significantly to the field of structural biology. Through extension work, IBC have conducted workshops in Taiwan to train current and future protein biochemists.  The workshop aims to bring the IBC’s workshops to UP. It is envisioned to improve the skills and knowledge of UP researchers in current methodologies in protein research. It will also provide the venue for scientific interactions/matching exercises between the two universities, which will initiate collaborative projects/exchanges and other future plans/activities.  For more information, email at upasbilateralworkshop@gmail.com.  To register, fill out the form here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "MOVE UP and spend a semester abroad – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/move-up-and-spend-a-semester-abroad/",
        "html": "MOVE UP and spend a semester abroad MOVE UP and spend a semester abroad February 8, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    There were many things that Lia Soliongco liked about her stint as an exchange student at the University of Trento in Trento, Italy. But one of her absolute favorites was her time spent in the dormitory kitchen. She said that beyond serving as a common area for cooking and dining, the kitchen became a bustling arena for cultural exchange.  “My floormates and I were so close and we had our own international dinners where you would cook food from your own place—and if you can’t cook, you could just bring something,” says the Voice major from the UP Diliman College of Music. “The guy I was in the same program with, he was also Filipino, and we would always share our food. Because my floormates were also curious—what is Filipino food?”  Lia’s opportunity to experience another country’s culture and teaching system is one not many get to have, even in UP. The UP Office of International Linkages (UP OIL), however, under Director Gil S. Jacinto, has been offering a program since 2014 to help UP students earn that same opportunity with potentially full financial support. The program is called the University of the Philippines Mobility for Vigor and Excellence (MOVE UP), and it’s open to all UP undergraduates after their freshman year who have been accepted into the student exchange program of a foreign partner university.     The UP College of Music’s Lia Soliongco. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     MOVE UP, Jacinto says, provides support for undergraduate students seriously looking to spend a semester abroad in one of UP’s global partner institutions. “If a student has excellent grades and applies in their second or third year for a posting abroad, the University can help that student cover the cost of travel, and even travel insurance. Students don’t have to pay tuition fees because we have reciprocal partnership agreements with these universities.”  For parents, saving up to help cover the remaining expenses of their children’s semesters abroad has never been easier, Jacinto adds, due to the free tuition law. Under RA 10931, the household of a child that used to be classified under Bracket A of what used to be the Socialized Tuition System (STS) can now save roughly P35,000 per semester for this purpose. But the support that the University is willing to offer to less financially fortunate students goes farther still.  “The exchange program doesn’t discriminate,” Jacinto explained. “MOVE UP provides support depending on your capacity to pay. If you  happen to be in what used to be STS brackets D and E, the University will pay for most of your needs for your stint abroad.” This means that MOVE UP scholars can potentially receive subsidies not only for insurance and airfare, but also for their accommodations and living expenses, as well.  The road less traveled  One of the bonuses Jacinto and his office want for every MOVE UP scholar is for their courses to be credited (or to be complementary) to a student’s current academic track, with the approval of his or her program adviser. This sense of complementarity, at least in essence, was one of the main reasons Lia decided to spend her semester in Trento, which offered the budding classical singer a chance to broaden her linguistic and cultural horizons.  For others, however, like Michelle Danne Desuyo, a BS Agricultural Chemistry student from UP Los Baños, academic life abroad was far less straightforward, but equally rewarding. Michelle, who was an exchange student at the University of Oviedo in Spain last year, found herself in the Faculty of Economics and Business. There, she took courses she hadn’t previously considered taking—Accounting, Human Resource Management, and the Economy of the European Union, among others.     BS Agricultural Chemistry student and University of Oviedo exchange student Michelle Danne Desuyo. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Every day I would allot the most time to my Economics course,” Michelle said. “Because the European Union has so many countries! And you need to know the histories of all those countries. I really needed to do things like study tutorials on YouTube on European history.” Luckily, she said her teachers were more than supportive. “I talked to my professor and told him that my major was not Economics. And he helped me and gave me the resources that I needed to read.  While the vastly different nature of her courses in Spain meant that none of them would be officially credited back home, Michelle said she would never exchange her experience for anything. “That’s where I got a sense of self-discovery, where I said, I can actually do this! And I got so many intangible benefits like friendships and memories. I wouldn’t have gotten these experiences if I just stayed in UPLB. Because of UP, I was given an opportunity to accomplish things I never thought I would accomplish.”  Ambassadors to the world  For Jacinto and his staff at the UP OIL, MOVE UP offers an opportunity for more students to experience a similar kind of growth—“intellectual, emotional and academic.” Not only does a semester abroad increase the marketability of students when they graduate, but it also helps them to become, in their own way, ambassadors of both UP and the nation to the world.  Lia’s time in Italy, although not without its challenges, gave her a vision of both the life she wanted for herself and a future that she wanted to give to her countrymen.  “There’s learning and growth because of the experience of living abroad, staying abroad. Making your own decisions. Experiencing other cultures while also sharing your own culture. It’s something you might not really learn if you just stay here in UP,” she says.     UP OIL Director and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil S. Jacinto. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “I had it in my mind that this is the life I want to live. Trento was so beautiful. You walk around and there’s no pollution. Water was free everywhere. There were parks where you could just sit and relax; and learn from watching people. You get the taste of the First World life.”  “But you know,” she adds, “I missed the Philippines. And the more I was there, the more I wished that we could have this back here. Not the culture, but the ease of life. Maybe one day I could live there, but I think my knowledge and experience would go to waste if I didn’t come back and contribute. What I can do when I graduate in the future is give back more to the country. We need it, and as a UP student, I think we owe it to our people.”  For more information on the guidelines and deadlines of MOVE UP, visit http://oil.up.edu.ph/?p=546. For a list of UP’s partner universities around the world, visit http://portal.oil.up.edu.ph/public/.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Theater for community and nation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/theater-for-community-and-nation/",
        "html": "Theater for community and nation Theater for community and nation June 19, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    At age 14, as a young theater enthusiast, Professor Glecy Atienza tried to convince high school principals to establish and maintain theater groups in their schools. During her lunch breaks, she would take a bus to Manila and speak to principals and convince school administrators to encourage students to experience theater by writing and performing.  Atienza started in high school as a member of UP High School’s Drama Club, a dream that she had since grade school. Coming from a family of actors and performers, she says that genetics must have led to her interest in the arts. She attended a workshop at the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) facilitated by Lino Brocka, who challenged the attendees to stay in theater.     Atienza shares her experience in running a community theater at the 2nd CUPSCon in UP BGC. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     After gathering enough support and participation from pilot schools such as UP High School, Philippine Science High School, Stella Maris College, Manuel Roxas High School, and Lourdes School, Glecy and her group were able to launch the first Dula-Daluyan Festival under the Metropolitan Teen Theater League which she chaired during the martial law years.  While in college, Glecy stayed with PETA, visiting communities during Lent and Christmas and training them to perform Lenten rites and Panunuluyan. Performances featured originally written works because these pieces reflected the experience of the writers and performers. Atienza relays how they were able to make their system sustainable by ensuring that the performers who graduated from their schools came back to become trainers. These individuals eventually banded together and founded the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Pang-Kultura sa Kamaynilaan at Karatig-Pook (Alyansa). The alliance of 31 performing groups in the National Capital Region pooled resources from solicitations and held a festival called “Gawing Ganap and Sining at Kultura sa Paaralan at Komunidad” at the Quezon Memorial Circle.  An offshoot of the Alyansa is Guro sa Sining, whose members have retained the orientation of civic-mindedness and immersion in the community. Being a member of the NCCA’s network, the group came up with “Agap, Iglap, Handa”, a forum theater project on disaster preparedness after earthquakes hit Bohol. The group’s pilot area was Pandacan and Sta. Mesa in Manila, where they taught community members what to do, where to go, and what to bring in the event of a disaster such as Metro Manila’s “The Big One.” The training resembled theater rehearsals where movements are practiced and coordinated.     Students of Manila Tytana Colleges perform a piece from “Misyon ng Kalikasan” (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Theater as social research  Community theater is not based on a geographic or locational community such as a residential area. It is now seen as an avenue or a platform where members of a community come together to work on a project.  Atienza recalls a play called “Taya” (formerly “Pataya, Patihaya”) which dealt with drugs, a recommendation of one of their members from Malabon. In 2002, Atienza conducted research but found in difficult to acquire knowledge because people feared discussing the subject openly. When the play was rewritten using local terms and context-based language, the reception was better. She still recognizes that tackling local issues will always carry some danger with it, precisely because it might actually involve the neighbors you constantly interact with, unlike the discussion of national issues which are perceived to be more detached.  To Atienza, theater involves all forms of art: song, movement, dance, literature and writing. She works with the idea of ”ganap” with theater’s live component, which necessitates community involvement through actual participation in the performance, being a member of the audience, or giving offstage assistance such as lending props, costumes, and materials for stage design.     A short performance on “Sino ba ang Titser” from the play “Titser ng Bayan” (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     In a way, members of the community felt like they contributed part to the theater performance without financial resources involved. The “kaganapan” of the play happens both onstage and behind the scenes. “There’s something about theater that other fields cannot offer. It is the live, interactive, participatory experience of creation,” Atienza says. In fact, theater has helped middle-performing students improve because of discipline and time management. Theater serves as a “laboratory of life” where participants can dissect issues and ask questions about the study of society, using tools of analysis and the body as the first instrument.  Within their network, she considers two plays, “Taya” and “Titser ng Bayan”, as their company’s mainstays. “You cannot join these shows without undergoing rigid training and recurring research on the situation. So if you know these plays, you’re definitely from the Alyansa,” she says. “It’s impossible that you emerge from these plays without learning something from the process.”  Moreover, these plays will always have songs because as practiced by Bienvenido Lumbera, one of Atienza’s mentors, plays are more relatable when accompanied by music. The songs are similar to dialogue and serve as points of reflection on the material for the audience. “You need to sing from the heart. Find your voice. Use these songs to make a statement,” Atienza advises her performers.     Epic heroes in Manila  After all these endeavors, Atienza has written a play with support from UP, “Epiko ng Bayani ng Maynila”, whose central theme asks why there are no epic heroes from Manila. She posits that every resident of Manila is a hero in his or her own right. She argues that every Filipino in Manila has his or her stories of adventure and triumph. The play draws inspiration from various Filipino epics but its main story revolves around the lives of theater artists and cultural workers in Metro Manila.  With a huge bulk of her life’s work spent outside the University, Atienza reflects, “I think it’s about time I went home.” Before she retires, she wants to give back by creating her own community theater in UP. One of these initiatives is a resource center called Mandala ng Araling Pilipino, which she offered to her home department in the College of Arts and Letters. The resource center will have a script bank and will develop linkages with communities to share knowledge on language and cultural studies.     The performing group composed of students and teachers (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     This year, a “truth-telling” festival is in the works, “Sa Totoo Lang”, whose output will be the establishment of community “truth centers” as alternative sources of local, functional information oriented towards creating and producing truth. These “truth centers” may not necessarily be run by the media recognized by Atienza, who has a radio show Wika ng Ina Mo.  Glecy Atienza reminds those who are passionate about theater that, “It’s important to remain creative because we want to remain living in our own nation. When we understand the value of the things around us, we see nationalism in a different light.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP experts sharpen skills, build friendships with Southern Taiwan colleagues – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-experts-sharpen-skills-build-friendships-with-southern-taiwan-colleagues/",
        "html": "UP experts sharpen skills, build friendships with Southern Taiwan colleagues UP experts sharpen skills, build friendships with Southern Taiwan colleagues August 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   44 delegates from Southern Taiwan sign up for the workshops, greeted by Prof. Delia Tomacruz (right). (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Two years after the first formal agreement was signed between the University of the Philippines and a university from Southern Taiwan, 44 delegates composed mostly of academics from Southern Taiwan met with their counterparts from the UP System on August 1, 2018 at the UP Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM). The event, “Briefing on the UP System International Linkages and the Envisioned Taiwan-Philippine University Collaborations”, featured thematic workshops where UP experts joined their Southern Taiwanese colleagues in discussions geared towards shaping future inter-university collaborations between those involved.  The Taiwanese delegation was composed of members from: Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economic Affairs, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Chang Jung Christian University, National Taitung University, Soochow University, National Chiayi University, National Chung Cheng University, National Chung Hsiung University, National Cheng Kung University, National Sun Yat-Sen University, AgriGaia Social Enterprise, Greatlink Travel Service Co., Ltd., Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, and the Kindness Chain Hotel.     Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu Te University briefs the group on the history of the UP-Southern Taiwan relationship. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Workshop themes were determined by their impact on regional poverty and inequality alleviation. These areas were: 1) Agriculture, Horticulture, Marine Technology, Aquaculture and Aquatic Products; 2) Public Health and Tropical Disease Preventions; 3) Disaster Prevention and Resilience Management, and Public Safety; and, 4) Technological Advancement and Social Entrepreneurship.  These dialogues presented opportunities for researchers across UP’s various campuses to get to know their Southern Taiwanese colleagues, and to jointly discuss how collaborations could arise from their respective strengths. According to Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu Te University, these conversations were part of an ongoing effort of “reshaping the past”, from a mindset where the Philippines and Taiwan were seen as developing in isolation, to one where both nations see each other as close friends and partners.     Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (left) together with guests from Southern Taiwan. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “The relationship between UP and the Southern Taiwan universities is by far among our strongest and most productive,” added UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa in his welcome remarks.  Having been part of previous discussions with the Southern Taiwanese University Alliance/Network (STUA/STUN), Herbosa cited some of the successes of UP’s academic cooperation with its Southern Taiwan counterparts, specifically in the areas of training and skills upgrading. Among these triumphs was the decision of 24 faculty members from across the UP System in 2017 to take all or part of their graduate education in Southern Taiwan. Of those already in Taiwan, 15 were reported to be PhD students.     The Southern Taiwanese delegation joins their colleagues from UP for a photo at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM). (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The fruits of the UP-Southern Taiwan relationship was further praised by UP Office of International Linkages (UP OIL) Director Gil S. Jacinto. In a presentation given on behalf of Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, Jacinto narrated how from its first active Agreement with Shu Te University in 2016, UP now boasts partnerships with 14 Southern Taiwanese Institutions.     Members of the delegation join their UP colleagues in the workshops. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Jacinto concluded by encouraging faculty members from all institutions to better utilize UP OIL’s projects to facilitate knowledge and personnel exchange between Taiwan and the Philippines. Chief among these are the UP Mobility for Vigor and Excellence (MOVE UP) program, which helps UP undergraduates spend a semester abroad; and the COOPERATE program, which gives financial support to graduate students undertaking research or creative work in a foreign university for their theses or dissertations. (Andre dP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)     More information can be found at the UP OIL website: http://oil.up.edu.ph          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Faculty Center to rise again – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/faculty-center-to-rise-again/",
        "html": "Faculty Center to rise again Faculty Center to rise again January 25, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   A front view (along Roxas St.) of the architect’s perspective of the new FC shows National Artist Napoleon Abueva’s sculpture, “Siyam na Diwata ng Sining,” figuring prominently in the complex’s design.     The architect’s perspective of the back (along Quirino St.) of the new FC shows the six-level parking building.     Three years after it was ravaged by fire, the Faculty Center (FC) is set to be reborn as a new and improved facility. It will be a cluster of structures that includes a nine-level faculty building, a six-level parking building, a single story hall, and an amphitheater.  A groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 25 to kick off the construction project.     Clockwise from top left: DPWH Secretary Mark Villar and UP President Danilo Concepcion sign the construction blueprints; the lowering of the time capsule; and the ceremonial groundbreaking. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, who underscored the significance of bringing the FC back, likened its rebirth to a phoenix rising from the ashes, “grander and more splendid.”  UP President Danilo Concepcion said the University expects the P675-million project to be finished on time, which is November next year. He added that UP holds the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to its promise of efficient project implementation. The agency is the University’s partner in the undertaking.  DPWH Secretary Mark Villar promised the “fast and efficient” implementation of the project, which he said is the FC that UP deserves.     From left to right: UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP President Danilo Concepcion, and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     According to the Office of the VP for Development (OVPD), the new FC will house offices, conference rooms, meeting spaces, lecture and multipurpose halls, libraries, galleries, and recreational areas like break rooms, lounges, and a café. It is expected to accommodate simultaneous events of varying group sizes.  The OVPD also revealed that the Claro M. Recto Conference Hall will remain a focal point in the new structure’s design. Similar to the previous FC, the upcoming building is expected to be a place of convergence and collaboration that inspires the exchange of ideas, artistic creation and development, collegial discussion, and academic discourse.        From left to right: College of Science Dean Perry Ong, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Maria Bernadette Abrera, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, UP President Danilo Concepcion, College of Arts and Letters Dean Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, and College of Engineering Dean Rizalinda De Leon (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) Watch: Faculty Center Groundbreaking Audio-Visual Presentation by TVUP, 25 January 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Southern Taiwan Universities collaborate for inclusive education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-southern-taiwan-universities-collaborate-for-inclusive-education/",
        "html": "UP and Southern Taiwan Universities collaborate for inclusive education UP and Southern Taiwan Universities collaborate for inclusive education October 18, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The “University of the Philippines (UP)-Southern Taiwan Universities (STUs) Dialogue” was held at the UP Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Campus on 29 September 2018, a month after the “UP System International Linkages and the Envisioned Taiwan-Philippines University Collaborations: Skills Upgrading and Training” was held, in continuation of the discussions between the officials and faculty of UP and STUs. During these meetings, representatives from participating universities presented their respective institution’s strengths in shaping future inter-university collaborations for a stronger regional development in Southeast Asia.     The Southern Taiwan delegation and UP officials pose for a photo in front of the UP Bonifacio Global City Campus Oblation. (Photo by UP OIL)     Representatives from the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST), National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), Chang Jung Christian University, National Chiayi University, Yuan Ze University, Shu-Te University, Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, and the Kindness Chain Hotel comprised the Taiwanese delegation. Representatives from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office Press Division and the Mandaluyong City Local Government also joined the event.     National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology President Dr. Ching-Yu Yang (left) and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (right). (Photo by UP OIL)     Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UP Executive Vice President, welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the STUs’ commitment in nurturing their relationship with UP and the Filipino people. Dr. Ching-Yu Yang, NKUST President, furthered that the STUs are more than willing to continue strengthening their partnership with UP for various academic collaborations.  The three thematic discussions on Academic Concerns and University Social Responsibility, Learning Commons, and International Executive Masters in Business Administration (IEMBA) Program were led by EVP Herbosa, UPTV Executive Director and former UP Open University Chancellor Professor Emeritus Grace Alfonso, and University of the Philippines Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga (UPDEPP) Director Grace Gorospe-Jamon, respectively.  Discussion highlights were later presented in the plenary session. For Academic Concerns and Social Responsibility, the participating universities intend to have more meaningful collaborative programs with UP. Since STUs are composed of more than ten universities, EVP Herbosa suggested that STUs e-mail their research or fields of interest to him so that he can match them with appropriate counterpart units within the UP System. Collaborations with STUs, for example, will be on faculty exchange, graduate degree programs, and English teaching in Taiwan. This could be initiated in the proposed “Weekend Kapihan” in Kaohsiung, a regular matching exercise that aims to come up with concrete proposals and will involve UP and STUs faculty members and researchers.     Former UPOU Chancellor and Professor Emeritus Grace Alfonso (center) with Southern Taiwan delegates in one of the discussions. (Photo by UP OIL)     Professor Emeritus Alfonso announced that the Learning Commons Center will be launched in partnership with National Kaohsiung University and the Open University of Kaohsiung during the upcoming International Conference on Distance e-Learning (ICODeL) on 26-28 November 2018 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The Learning Commons Center is a platform or place wherein everyone can meet, access information, and take courses. This will be set up in the Information Technology area near NUK and will benefit not just locals but more importantly, overseas workers (Filipino, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese, among others) in Taiwan.  Director Jamon-Gorospe said they were keen on implementing the IEMBA Program at UPDEPP. The courses will be taught in English and Mandarin.  Assistant Vice President Delia Tomacruz concluded the event by thanking all the participants of the activity. In her closing remarks, she emphasized that “only by working hand in hand can we shake and, hopefully, alleviate regional poverty and inequality.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD holds first Study Abroad Week – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-holds-first-study-abroad-week/",
        "html": "UPD holds first Study Abroad Week UPD holds first Study Abroad Week April 2, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The first day of the UP Diliman Study Abroad Week on March 26 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman (UPD) students flocked to the School of Statistics from March 26 to 29 for the first UPD Study Abroad Week.  They visited information booths and listened to resource persons talk about UP’s internationalization initiatives, discuss opportunities to study in other countries, and share experiences of foreign exchange students.  It was organized by the UPD Office of International Linkages (OIL Diliman).     Dr. Hiroshi Kawamura, director of the Office for International Academic Support, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University and Dr. Imee Martinez, director of the UP Diliman Office of International Linkages formally open UPD Study Abroad Week. (Photo by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     (From left) UP Diliman Office of International Linkages Director Imee Martinez, Hokkaido University Faculty of Science-Office for International Academic Support Director Hiroshi Kawamura, and Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines Deputy Head of Mission Jana Peterková deliver brief messages during the opening ceremony. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apart from OIL Diliman and the Office of International Linkages of the UP System, other exhibitors were: Hokkaido University, Japan; Japan Information and Culture Center; Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines; Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Manila; Education USA; Fulbright Philippines; Embassy of the Czech Republic, Philippines; Campus France; DAAD-German Academic Exchange Services; Consejeria de Educación, Embassy of Spain, Manila; IE University, Spain; and, UCAM Universidad Catolica de Murcia, Spain.     Scenes at UPD Study Abroad Week (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The four-day event featured talks on studying in: the USA; Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Thailand; and, European countries like the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Spain, among others.     Prof. Yukihiro Takahashi of Hokkaido University (HU) talks about the HU Nook in UP Diliman, the website of which was later launched (http://hokudai.upd.edu.ph/about/). The HU Nook is HU’s Philippine Liaison Office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     According to UPD Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor, while similar events have been mounted in previous years, those only lasted a day or two. She is hopeful this year’s four-day format will continue so that UPD students can have more time to visit and attend the event.     UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Academia Sinica host symposium on advances in biomedical applications – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-academia-sinica-host-symposium-on-advances-in-biomedical-applications/",
        "html": "UP, Academia Sinica host symposium on advances in biomedical applications UP, Academia Sinica host symposium on advances in biomedical applications March 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Increasing the technical proficiency of our young scientists and graduate students benefits our University’s research efforts in drug discovery. Local opportunities to learn about current experimental techniques and methods relating to protein expression, purification, and characterization are lacking and often limited to small research laboratories.  The AS-Institute of Biological Chemistry (IBC) have established and distinguished research scientists , who have contributed significantly to the field of structural biology. Through extension work, IBC have conducted workshops in Taiwan to train current and future protein biochemists.  The workshop aims to bring the IBC’s workshops to UP. It is envisioned to improve the skills and knowledge of UP researchers in current methodologies in protein research. It will also provide the venue for scientific interactions/matching exercises between the two universities, which will initiate collaborative projects/exchanges and other future plans/activities.  For more information, email at upasbilateralworkshop@gmail.com.  To register, fill out the form here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP still lone PH university in THE World University Rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-still-lone-ph-university-in-the-world-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP still lone PH university in THE World University Rankings UP still lone PH university in THE World University Rankings September 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines (UP) remains the lone Philippine university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.  UP is now in the 601-800 bracket of the THE World University Rankings 2018, which ranks the world’s top 1000 universities, released Wednesday, September 6.     TOP UNIVERSITY. The Oblation sculpture at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, July 20, 2017. (Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler)     In the 2017 rankings, the institution was in the “>800 bracket”, and was the only Philippine institution on the list.  The Times Higher Education World University Rankings based its scores on 13 performance indicators that cover teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook, the publication said. The Philippines’ national university got an overall score of 30.6 out of 100.  The global university ranking is topped by the University of Oxford, followed by the University of Cambridge. The California Institute of Technology, which topped the list in 2012 and 2016, is currently at third position, tied with Stanford University.     Data from THE World University Rankings 2018 (Photo from Rappler)     The National University of Singapore is still the top Asian university, and is now ranked 22nd alongside the University of Toronto.  This year’s rankings, the publication said, saw the continued rise of Chinese institutions, notably Peking and Tsinghua Universities into the top 30.  A total of 77 countries are represented in the ranking, THE World University Rankings said.  UP was also included in this year’s Asian University Rankings (rank 201-250) and the BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings (rank 201-250). (Rappler.com) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP leaps into THE Asia’s Top 200 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-leaps-into-the-asias-top-200/",
        "html": "UP leaps into THE Asia’s Top 200 UP leaps into THE Asia’s Top 200 February 7, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Riding on its research being cited by the world’s scholars, the University of the Philippines made a big jump in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings or the THE ranking of the top 359 universities of the region. The Philippine national university leaped from the 201st-250th ranked group in 2017 to the top 200, placing 156th, in 2018.  THE released the results of its 2018 Asia rankings on February 7, 2018.  UP is the only Philippine university to figure in the THE rankings, which is currently led by the National University of Singapore.  At the same time, in the THE World University Rankings or the THE ranking of the top 1,000 universities in the world, UP moved in overall ranking from the 801st-1,000th ranked universities up to the 601st-800th ranked universities. In the areas of clinical, pre-clinical and health, UP ranks higher, falling under the 201-250 ranked group.  UP is one of the top 3 Asian universities that moved the most in terms of citations of UP’s published research works by scholars from different parts of the world according to UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista. According to THE data, UP’s citations score rose from 13.5 in 2017 to 40 in 2018.  Breakdown of rankings data for University of the Philippines. Source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-philippines     The citations score is a measure of the research influence of the university. THE tries to capture the average number of times a university’s published work is cited by scholars globally, using bibliometric data from Elsevier over five years.  The citations score comprises 30 percent of the overall score, alongside teaching (25 percent), research (30 percent), international outlook (7.5 percent), and industry income (7.5 percent). From 2017, UP’s teaching score rose slightly from 23 to 23.4; and research, from 10.6 to 11.5.; although its international outlook and industry income scores fell several points.  Bautista cited information personally shared by representatives of Elsevier to the university a week ago, revealing that papers from UP are cited 14 percent more frequently than the world average. In medicine, they are cited 336 percent more frequently, according to the same source.  “We have not gone to details in terms of areas where we have more influence,” Bautista said. “For now we believe Elsevier when it says our citations are global as opposed to being confined to particular regions only.”  The most recent THE Asia University Rankings are published at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2018/regional-ranking. (Jo. Lontoc, MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP continues upward trend in world rankings; joins top 5 from Southeast Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-continues-upward-trend-in-world-rankings-joins-top-5-from-southeast-asia/",
        "html": "UP continues upward trend in world rankings; joins top 5 from Southeast Asia UP continues upward trend in world rankings; joins top 5 from Southeast Asia September 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines moved up once again in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Securing a place in the 501-600 bracket, it joined universities from Singapore and Malaysia in the top 5 from Southeast Asia.  UP has consistently made progress in the rankings since its entry in 2017. Before breaking into the top 600 for 2019, it climbed to 601-800 in 2018 from its inaugural 801-1,000 position. The continued rise in the rankings is an indication of the national university’s hard work and commitment to excellence in teaching, research and public service.  THE world rankings are based on the achievements of research-intensive universities across various core missions. Performance is gauged using thirteen metrics in five main areas: teaching (30 percent), research (30 percent), citations (30 percent), international outlook (7.5 percent) and industry income (2.5 percent).  An impressive score in citations–up by 30 points from last year–drove UP’s movement in the 2019 rankings. The high score means that in the past years, UP did not only become more productive but it also produced research that stood out and influenced the work of other scholars around the world. Close to 14 million scholarly publications including 25,000 academic journals indexed by Scopus between 2013 and 2017 were examined by analytics company Elsevier to help THE compare the research influence of institutions.  This was not the first time that citations played a big role in UP’s ranking. In 2018, UP leaped several places in the Asia University Rankings as its citation score went up from 13.5 to 40.  For 2019, UP also received higher scores in the areas of teaching, with academic prestige as a large component, industry income which gauged a university’s ability to help industry with innovation, inventions and consultancy, and research composed of research reputation, income and productivity. International outlook, or global connections as measured by the number of international staff, students and collaborations, went down by a few points.     UP’s performance in the 2019 THE World University Rankings. Source: Times Higher Education     UP, one of the two universities from the Philippines that figured in the rankings, remains the country’s top university.  UK and American universities constituted the top 10 worldwide, with the University of Oxford in first place, while Tsinghua University led the universities from Asia.  Publishing some of the most influential rankings used in the academic community, THE also releases the annual Emerging Economies Universities Rankings in which UP jumped from 201-250 to 166 in 2018.     (This article was originally published by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on September 26 and last updated on October 1, 2018: http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-continues-upward-trend-in-world-rankings/) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP soars to 70th among top universities from emerging economies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-soars-to-70th-among-top-universities-from-emerging-economies/",
        "html": "UP soars to 70th among top universities from emerging economies UP soars to 70th among top universities from emerging economies February 18, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       (UPDATED) The University of the Philippines is now at the top 70 notable universities from emerging economies in 2020.  This is according to the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings, where the University had steadily risen from the top 201-250 bracket in 2017, to the top 166 in 2018, and to the top 87 in 2019.  De La Salle University is the only other Philippine university in the 2020 rankings, figuring in for the second year.  As it did last year, China leads the rankings with its universities claiming the top four places. It is also the one represented best, with 81 institutions. India is still second with 56 institutions, while Brazil is third with 46.  THE used London’s Financial Times Stock Exchange Quality of Markets criteria in classifying economies as “advanced emerging, secondary emerging, or frontier.” These include: advanced emerging economies, Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, and Taiwan; secondary emerging markets, China, India, the Philippines, and Russia; and, frontier economies, Argentina, Malta, Romania, and Vietnam.  UP’s rise in the ranking is remarkable, given an increase in the number of eligible institutions, from 442 last year to 533 this year.  The rankings use the same 13 performance indicators as the THE World University Rankings (THE-WUR) to judge institutions, but recalibrate them “to reflect the development priorities of universities in emerging economies.”     Breakdown of University of the Philippines’ ranking in the 2020 Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings     Performance indicators are grouped into five areas. UP’s scores show its strength in citations, where it got 86.9 out of 100, up from 69.1 the previous year. Its next best score is in industry income: 39.4, up from 35.8; followed by international outlook: 38.1, down from 39.8, UP’s only dip in score. The University improved its score in teaching and research: 24.1 and 17.2 from 21.7 and 16.4, respectively.  Data for citations or research influence included citations from 2014 to 2019 of more than 23,400 academic journals indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database and all indexed publications between 2014 and 2018. Industry income or knowledge transfer looked at how much research income an institution earned from industry, scaled against the number of academic staff it employed. International outlook considered the proportion of international students, staff, and research journal authorship.  Teaching or the learning environment used data from an academic reputation survey and looked at staff-to-student ratio, doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio, doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio, and institutional income. Research also used the academic reputation survey, looked at research income scaled against the number of academic staff, and measured research productivity through the number of papers published in academic journals indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database per scholar.  In 2020, UP is at the top 500 of THE-WUR’s top 1,400 universities across 92 countries. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP ranking in Asia-Pacific rises – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ranking-in-asia-pacific-rises/",
        "html": "UP ranking in Asia-Pacific rises UP ranking in Asia-Pacific rises February 21, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific University Rankings 2019     The University of the Philippines moves up to the top 101-110 universities of the Asia-Pacific region, leaping from its place in the 151-160 bracket in 2018 and in the 201+ bracket in 2017, based on the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia-Pacific University Ranking released on February 20, 2019.  To come up with the ranking, THE analyzes universities across East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania using the same performance indicators as the THE World University Rankings 2019. This year, the ranking for Asia-Pacific universities features the top 300. UP and De La Salle University are the only universities in the Philippines that made it to the table.  THE’s Asia-Pacific ranking of UP reflects the latter’s rise in the World University Rankings from its place in the 800+ bracket in 2017, to the 601-800 bracket in 2018, and to 501-600 in 2019.  Based on the THE rankings for 2019, UP also ranks 87th among the top 442 universities from 43 emerging economies. Among the top 1,250 world universities, UP is in the 126-150 bracket for Clinical, Pre-Clinical and Health subjects; in the 501-600 bracket for both Life Sciences and Social Sciences; in the 601+ bracket for Engineering and Technology, and Computer Science; and in the 801+ bracket in Physical Sciences. In Asia, UP’s latest ranking was 156th, securing a high spot among the top 350 universities in 25 countries.  The THE university rankings cover research-intensive universities across their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook, using 13 calibrated performance indicators. THE is a London-based publication. Its calculation of the rankings has been subject to independent audit by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP climbs 30 points to 65th rank among top universities in Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-climbs-30-points-to-65th-rank-among-top-universities-in-asia/",
        "html": "UP climbs 30 points to 65th rank among top universities in Asia UP climbs 30 points to 65th rank among top universities in Asia June 3, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines climbed 30 points in the newly released 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, placing 65th this year out of 489 universities ranked. This represents a significant rise from last year’s 95th ranking.  This was announced by the Times Higher Education at the Virtual THE Live Asia webinar today.  The national university has been featured in the THE Asia University Rankings since 2017. It entered the top 100 for the first time in 2019, soaring 61 places from its 156th position in 2018. In 2017, UP belonged to the 201st-250th ranking group.     Breakdown of ranking for the University of the Philippines from 2020 Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings     The THE Asia University Rankings use the same criteria (Teaching, Research, Citations, International Outlook and Industry Income) as the World University Rankings. Based on the data analytics presented by Scopus, the citation score is seen to be the main driver for the overall score of the ranked universities. The improvement in UP’s ranking this year is due to its high scores in “Citation” (86.9 points) and “Industry Income” (39.4 points) criteria.  UP remains the highest ranked university from the Philippines.  You can view the 2020 THE Asia University Rankings here.     Related stories: UP achieves top 100 ranking in THE Asia UP soars to 70th among top universities from emerging economies "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Unsung heroes”: UP among 8 Asian universities shortlisted in new THE Awards Asia category for research excellence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/unsung-heroes-up-among-8-asian-universities-shortlisted-in-new-the-awards-asia-category-for-research-excellence/",
        "html": "“Unsung heroes”: UP among 8 Asian universities shortlisted in new THE Awards Asia category for research excellence “Unsung heroes”: UP among 8 Asian universities shortlisted in new THE Awards Asia category for research excellence June 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       From its jump to 65th rank in the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings—up 30 points from 95th in 2019—UP scores another win: being shortlisted for the 2020 THE Awards Asia THE DataPoints Merit Award category.  This was announced during the Virtual THE Live Asia webinar held on June 3, 10:00 a.m. London time, during which the 2020 THE ranking of Asian universities was released.  Shortlisted in this new category, UP is among eight Asian universities, out of a total of 489 universities that were ranked in the 2020 THE Asia University Rankings. According to the THE, the THE DataPoints Merit Award looks “at Asian universities that could be considered to be ‘unsung heroes’—those whose research excellence outpaces the recognition of their strength among the 10,000+ academics polled across the globe in our annual Reputation Survey.”  Universities were not required to send in submissions to be considered for this category. Instead, the shortlist was compiled after an analysis of world university data collected by the THE for its suite of rankings, revealing “aspects of university performance that are not necessarily obvious in our published rankings results.”  UP is the only university from Southeast Asia included in the shortlist for this category. The seven other universities shortlisted are: the American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Hunan University, China; King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia; Nankai University, China; Soochow University, China; Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), China; and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), China.  The 2020 Times Higher Education Awards Asia was launched in 2019 “to celebrate the achievements of universities across the continent, building on the success of THE’s long-running UK-focused awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of higher education,” according to the THE. The awards began with five categories last year, but has been expanded to ten categories this year.  UP broke into the top 100 universities in Asia for the first time last year (95th in 2019) after being ranked 156th in 2018, and 201-250 in 2017. The national university remains the highest ranked university in the country, with De La Salle University ranking within 301-350.  View the full list of the THE Asia University Rankings 2020 here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP climbs higher in world university rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-climbs-higher-in-world-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP climbs higher in world university rankings UP climbs higher in world university rankings June 19, 2019 | Written by Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs    The University of the Philippines (UP) further climbed international rankings, appearing in the top 33 percent of the 2020 QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings.  It placed 356th, up by 28 notches from last year, in the top 1,000 institutions from around the world. As with previous editions, UP held the top spot in the Philippines, ahead of three other Philippine universities that made the latest rankings. It is the only Philippine university among the 16 Southeast Asian institutions in the upper half of the list.  This is UP’s fourth climb in the QS world rankings and its highest standing since it moved into the rankings in 2014.        Source: 2020 QS World University Rankings Fact File     Universities are ranked by QS according to six indicators: academic reputation (40 percent), employer reputation (10 percent), faculty student ratio (20 percent), citations per faculty (20 percent), international faculty ratio (5 percent) and international student ratio (5 percent).  UP retained its best performance in faculty-student ratio where it ascended 52 spots to 234th. In employer reputation, it was ranked 240th. Academic reputation was another strong indicator for UP where it rose 18 places to reach 242nd. Ratings for academic and employer reputation are determined through annual surveys. In the 2020 edition, more than 94,000 responses from academics and around 45,000 responses from employers worldwide were collected and analyzed by QS.  UP recorded the lowest rankings in citations per faculty, international faculty ratio and international student ratio.     UP’s ranking by indicator. Source: 2020 QS World University Rankings Fact File     UP’s scores by indicator. The highest possible score is 100. Source: 2020 QS World University Rankings     QS also publishes the world university rankings by subject area, the regional rankings for Asia and the graduate employability rankings based on the world university rankings but with some refinements in the criteria. In the 2019 edition, UP placed 72nd among 503 institutions in Asia. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Toyota work together on a Philippine marine biodiversity game – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-toyota-work-together-on-a-philippine-marine-biodiversity-game/",
        "html": "UP and Toyota work together on a Philippine marine biodiversity game UP and Toyota work together on a Philippine marine biodiversity game July 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Anilao, Batangas is known as the nudibranch capital of the world. Divers love to photograph these tiny sea slugs and their extraordinary forms and colors. Shown in the picture is the nudibranch Chromodoris sp. Photo by Aletta Yñiguez, UP Puerto Galera Center.     As part of the University of the Philippines’ continuing partnership with Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. (TMPF), UP is developing a screen share game about different marine species of the Philippines to highlight the rich marine biodiversity in the country and the need for biodiversity conservation.  The global center of marine biodiversity is located in the Verde Island Passage (VIP), Philippines. The VIP is the body of water between Batangas and Mindoro, distinguished by having the highest concentration of coastal fishes, corals, crustaceans, molluscs, seagrasses, and mangroves. Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences make it a point to schedule an expedition to the VIP every year even during the pandemic, because they discover new species each and every time.  The VIP is also home to endangered and threatened species, including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, whale sharks, manta rays, dugongs, humphead wrasses, giant groupers, and giant clams. This makes it an ideal site for globally strengthening the conservation of endangered species.  The anticipated UP Puerto Galera Biodiversity Center will have a program focused on science communication and environmental education to protect the VIP. As one of its first projects, UP, in partnership with TMPF and local game design studio Balangay Entertainment, will be designing a screen share game to introduce our iconic marine species to Filipinos.  “We all know the animals from the African safari, but most of us have not been introduced to the species that live in our own oceans. Hopefully, through this game, people will get to know the animals and plants that live in our waters and discover pride in the beauty and richness of our biodiversity,” says Aletta Yñiguez, Chair of the UP Puerto Galera Center Committee and Associate Professor at the UP Marine Science Institute.     Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. (TMPF) donated to UP a check in the amount of PhP100,000 to supplement their initial support to develop the game. Seen in the photo above are: (from left to right) UP Puerto Galera Center Committee Chair Aletta Yñiguez, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager Ronald Gaspar, and Education and Outreach Program Officer Aya Cariño-Valdez. Photo from the UP Puerto Galera Center.     “Our partnership with UP fulfills our mutual objective of promoting harmony with nature towards biodiversity conservation. Awareness is the first step in protecting and conserving our endangered species,” says Ronald Gaspar, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager.  “Because of the pandemic, it’s been harder for us to connect with our loved ones. Through this game, we want to create fun experiences you can share with your friends and family. We hope that the players will get to know more about themselves, about each other, but most importantly, about the flora and fauna that live in the Philippine seas,” says Nico Valdez, game designer and president of Balangay Entertainment.  The design and development of the game is currently underway. The game is set to launch in October 2021.  For more information, please email Raising Initiatives and Consciousness for Healthy Oceans (RICH Oceans) Project Education and Outreach Program Officer Aya Cariño-Valdez at bcvaldez@msi.upd.edu.ph.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-abstracts-asean-university-network-2nd-international-health-promotion-conference/",
        "html": "CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference May 21, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines will host the 2nd International ASEAN University Network – Health Promotion Conference this 20-21 August 2019 in Manila. The conference, with its theme of “Moving Towards Healthy Universities in Asia,” aims to highlight the roles of universities in promoting healthy lifestyles and environments with the end-goal of empowering communities to embark on activities and programs that promote health. Success stories and challenges will be presented and strategies discussed in the context of local communities and universities.  The conference is open to participants both in the ASEAN region and all over the world. Everyone is invited to join this conference and become active in health promotion in their own communities!  Abstracts are invited on the themes of the conference which include:  Mental health Physical activity Health literacy Tobacco, alcohol, and narcotic/illicit drug use Healthy diet and food safety Reproductive health and sexual issues Health promotion: teaching and learning Role of university in national policy development and policy advocacy Research collaboration  Abstract submission deadline is extended until June 30, 2019. For more details visit https://aunhpnmnl2019.wixsite.com/conference. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP retains rank in top 500 world university rankings, leads in ASEAN in terms of global research influence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-retains-rank-in-top-500-world-university-rankings-leads-in-asean-in-terms-of-global-research-influence/",
        "html": "UP retains rank in top 500 world university rankings, leads in ASEAN in terms of global research influence UP retains rank in top 500 world university rankings, leads in ASEAN in terms of global research influence September 4, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The University of the Philippines (UP) retains its spot in a roster of the top 500 universities of the world. According to the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE-WUR), UP remains in the 401-500 bracket, after being assessed alongside 1,527 research-intensive universities.  The country’s national university maintained its overall rank despite the number of universities ranked this year increasing from last year’s 1,396. Overall, UP is ranked fifth among noted universities in Southeast Asia (SEA): National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), University of Malaya, and the University of Brunei Darussalam.  UP garnered its highest score in the criterion of citations or global research influence, which accounts for 30% of its total score. THE-WUR comes out with the citation score by capturing the average number of times a university’s published work is cited by scholars globally. This year, bibliometric data supplier Elsevier examined 86 million citations from 2015-2020 across 13.6 million journal articles, article reviews, conference proceedings, books and book chapters published from 2015-2019. [View the Times Higher Education World University Rankings report for the University of the Philippines here.]     Breakdown of ranking for the University of the Philippines. Source: Times Higher Education     According to the THE, citations are a way of measuring a university’s role in spreading new knowledge and ideas and its contribution to the sum of human knowledge.  The other performance indicators are grouped into the areas of teaching (30%), research (30%), international outlook (7.5%), and industry income (2.5%).  UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Carla Dimalanta notes that UP outranks universities in neighboring countries in terms of research citation. Its score of 86.7 outperforms the 81.5 of NUS and the 83 of NTU, the top two ranking universities in the ASEAN region. Singapore’s NUS and NTU are ranked 25 and 47, respectively, in the World University Rankings.  “Our citation score is still a high 86.7, albeit down by a not so significant 0.2 points,” UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista tells UP News. “It has been our strongest criterion, propelling UP to be among the top 500 universities in the world in the last 5 years. Interestingly, UP was among the top 10 universities in the world in terms of its citation score in the clinical, pre-clinical and health disciplines in 2020. Its score was higher than that of the top 10 universities in this field—the University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Imperial College of London, Stanford University, University of Toronto, John Hopkins University, UCL UK, Yale University and Columbia University,” Bautista explained. THE’s 2021 world university ranking by subject has not yet been released.  UP is the first Philippine university to figure in the THE-WUR and the only one to break into its top 500. The national university first figured in the THE-WUR in its 2017 rankings where it placed in the 801+ bracket. It climbed to the top 601-800 in the 2018 rankings and to the top 501-600 in the 2019 rankings. UP then broke through to the top 500, within the 401-500 bracket, in the 2020 rankings.  UP’s jump into the top 500 has been powered mostly by its outstanding score in research citations or “influence in spreading new knowledge and ideas”. Its score leaped from 69.1 out of 100 in the 2019 rankings to 86.9 in the 2020 rankings.  De La Salle University is the only other Philippine university figuring in the THE-WUR, breaking into the top 801-1,000 in the 2019 rankings, before slipping to 1,001+ in the 2020 and 2021 rankings.  According to the THE-WUR website, “The University of Oxford tops the rankings for the fifth consecutive year, while mainland China’s Tsinghua University becomes the first Asian university to break into the top 20 under the current methodology.”  THE publishes some of the most influential rankings used by the global academic community, which include the Asia University Rankings, Asia-Pacific University Rankings, Emerging Economies University Rankings, and the World University Rankings by Subject.  Aside from the Elsevier data, responses from 22,000 scholars around the world are also used by THE, specifically in determining the academic reputation of universities. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Concert Chorus wows audiences with music and environmentalist spirit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-concert-chorus-wows-audiences-with-music-and-environmentalist-spirit/",
        "html": "UP Concert Chorus wows audiences with music and environmentalist spirit UP Concert Chorus wows audiences with music and environmentalist spirit May 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Concert Chorus (UPCC), one of the country’s foremost internationally awarded choral groups and the University’s premier show choir, brought their Filipino audiences to their feet with stirring performances of foreign religious, inspirational, Broadway and pop music, and of original music and classic OPMs, during their concert at the UP Diliman Carillon Plaza on May 5. The concert was their farewell performance before they embark on their 2017 international concert tour dubbed “Musikalikasan”, as they take the message of music and environmentalism to Europe with them.  The concert at the Carillon Plaza was held under the aegis of the UP Alumni Association’s (UPAA) Carillon Concert Seasons, in partnership with the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity Chancery. This made the UPCC, also known as the Korus, the fifth internationally awarded UP performing group to perform in the series, following the UP Madrigal Singers, UP College of Music’s premier opera singers, the UP Arco String Orchestra, and the UP Jazz Ensemble.  The UPCC performs “I Believe” (Drake/Graham/Shirl/Stillman/arr. S.Beard & B.Beard) with Dr. Ramon “Montet” Acoymo as guest soloist during the first half of their Carillon Concert performance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  The UPCC, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, pioneered ChoreoCapella or choreographed a capella, and won the Grand Prix at the 6th International Krakow Choir Festival in Poland on June 14, 2015, besting 23 other choirs from all over Europe and the US. Led by its conductor and musical director, Prof. Janet “Jai” Sabas-Aracama, the UPCC took the message of zero waste and environmental protection for which UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awardee Ms. Luz Escalante-Sabas, mother of Prof. Aracama, has been an advocate. Ms. Sabas’s advocacy work, along with that of others like her, has helped lead to the signing of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.  Ms. Sabas was honored during the concert with an original song composed and arranged by Prof. Aracama that drew direct inspiration from her mother’s own words on taking care of the environment. In another song, Dr. Ramon G. Acoymo, one of the country’s premier classical singers and creative, artistic and music director for the Carillon Concert performance, joined the UPCC in another emotional number.  The UPCC performs their final number for the night, a medley of the most famous OPMs during the Metropop era (choral arr. Eman De Leon), with conductor/musical director Prof. Jai Sabas-Aracama joining the choir onstage. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO  Aside from launching the UPCC on its 2017 summer international tour, the UPAA sees the Carillon Concert Season as a way to generate support for the development, improvement and maintenance of the Carillon Tower and the surrounding Carillon Plaza. “We would like to make [this] a first-class venue for special events…at no expense to the alumni,” said UPAA President and UP Alumni Regent Ramon M. Maronilla in an interview before the Friday concert. He believes that special projects such as the musical performances being held at the Carillon Plaza will draw in sponsors and donations from UP alumni and friends.  “Abroad and here in the Philippines, if the UP alumni see that we are having a renaissance and reformation in our culture and the arts like this one—and we’re presenting this for free—maybe they will help us. And this should be a big booster in our alumni projects and programs for the benefit of everybody in the UP community,” Maronilla said.  As for the UP alumni in Europe and other countries who will be treated to the music and environmentalist spirit of the UPCC very soon, Maronilla thanks them for their full support for “Musikalikasan”, the UPCC, and for all the UP graduates who participate in international competitions and events, “especially coming from our College of Music, where we have the most talented and brilliant artists in all aspects of our cultural life. This is what we want to really promote. In our little way, whatever we can contribute [to the UP Community], we will do it.”  The 5th presentation in the UPAA Carillon Concert Season was also supported by the Offices of the UP President and the UP Diliman Chancellor, and the UP Theater under Director Josefina Estrella.  The UPCC demonstrates one way to recycle waste by using trash items and discarded water bottles as instruments during a song in the second act of the concert.. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP bags Anvil award for public service programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bags-anvil-award-for-public-service-programs/",
        "html": "UP bags Anvil award for public service programs UP bags Anvil award for public service programs March 1, 2021 | Written by Charles Jason C. Ramos and Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP bags a Silver Anvil Award in the 56th Anvil Awards. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     The University of the Philippines received a Silver Anvil in the 56th Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) in recognition of two of the University’s public service programs.  The Silver Anvil represents high standards met by the UP programs in the category of “public relations programs carried out on a sustained basis” for urban or rural community development.  These were the Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service (GPEPS) and the Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon), both conceptualized and implemented by the UP Padayon Public Service Office (PPSO) since 2015 with the support of the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs (OVPPA).  According to PRSP, there were 534 entries of public relations programs and tools, of which only 138 won Silver and Gold Anvils. The entries were screened by 65 Public Relations and Communication professionals, with each qualifier judged by a five-person multi-sectoral jury.  There were 85 other programs that won Silver Anvils this year, but UP’s programs were the only awardees from an academic institution.  This year’s awards theme was “PR for Good” or “purpose-driven and impactful initiatives that promote corporate integrity and the social good during crises and across platforms,” said Maria Luisa Sebastian, the 56th Anvil Awards chair.  “We congratulate all the winners. They serve as role models in our industry,” PRSP President Norman Agatep added.  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, PPSO Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and PPSO senior project assistant Charles Jason Ramos received the award on behalf of UP at the Gabi ng Parangal, held on February 19, 2021 via livestream.  GPEPS recognizes the best and innovative public service programs across UP to inspire support and replication of their best practices. Nineteen programs have been given the award and prize money that may be used to expand the program or initiate a new one. The awardees were subsequently showcased in CUPSCon, giving them the opportunity to be adopted by other higher education institutions (HEIs).  CUPSCon is a biennial conference that promotes public service and engagement by HEIs. It draws an average 300 participants from HEIs and government, non-government, and civil society organizations. Close to 400 papers have been presented in the three conferences held thus far, on such themes as: HEIs engaging society with expertise, compassion and social responsibility in HEI public service and extension; and, academe-community partnership.  PPSO administers the two programs as part of UP’s mandate as a public service university, which is also committed to uphold “honor and excellence”.  According to PPSO Director Yasol-Naval, the office continues “to develop UP’s public service framework and system for designing, linking, and sustaining relevant, pragmatic, strategic, timely, and pioneering public service programs.”  “The office is committed in coordinating and mobilizing the resources of the University for the prompt and efficient response to the demands of public service,” she added.     Awardees of the Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service pose with UP officials, guests, and staff. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     Participants of the Visayas leg of the first CUPSCon, held in UP Cebu, pose for a commemorative photo. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     Participants of the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference pose for a commemorative photo in UP Bonifacio Global City. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     Participants of the 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference held in UP Visayas pose for a photo. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran, and UP Visayas Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungod Director Rhodella Ibabao pose with the keynote speaker of the 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference, former National Economic and Development Authority chief Ernesto Pernia. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.     The UP Padayon Public Service Office staff with Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval. Photo from the UP Padayon Public Service Office."
    },
    {
        "title": "Writeshop for scholarly works on public service pioneered – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/writeshop-for-scholarly-works-on-public-service-pioneered/",
        "html": "Writeshop for scholarly works on public service pioneered Writeshop for scholarly works on public service pioneered November 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Through a workshop held on October 24 and 25, 2017 at the National Arts Center, Mt. Makiling, Laguna, the Padayon Public Service Office of the UP System prepared a batch of University personnel to write journal articles based on the public service programs they have been undertaking in the University.  Eight faculty, research, extension and professional staff members of UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and UP Open University went through workshop sessions on conceptual frameworks and quantitative methods of research that can best apply to their public service, so that they can come up with journal articles, either in English and Filipino, or both.     The participants of the Padayon writeshop: Vlademir Shuck of UP Mindanao, Fedelynn Jemena of UP Manila, Charina Maneja of UP Los Baños, Emely Amoloza of UP Open University, Celia Balbin of UP Diliman, Luisa Gelisan of UP Open University, Christine Joyce Mendoza of UP Los Baños, and Soledad Garibay of UP Visayas. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The workshop fellows were: Celia Balbin of the National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education Development in UP Diliman; Christine Joyce Mendoza and Charina Maneja of the College of Human Ecology of UP Los Baños; Fedelynn Jemena of Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office of UP Manila; Soledad Garibay of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of UP Visayas; Vlademir Shuck of the School of Management of UP Mindanao; and, Luisa Gelisan and Emely Amoloza of the UP Open University.  The participants are currently engaged in services ranging from teaching and environmental education and multimedia support for education, to community information management and development, agricultural systems management, and child protection in the hospital.  They are each expected to be able to submit an article to a peer-reviewed journal in six months. In the meantime, they will be presenting their public service programs in conferences organized by the University on public service and extension in higher education.  From UP Diliman, the resource speakers were journal editors: Dr. Rogelio Alicor Panao of the Department of Political Science; Dr. Manuel Sapitula of the Department of Sociology; Dr. Milagros Laurel of the Department of English and Comparative Literature; and, Dr. Vim Nadera of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature who is currently the director of the Philippine High School for the Arts.     Participants of the Padayon writeshop in a session with Dr. Milagros Laurel (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     After being run through the rigors of scholarly writing by Panao and Sapitula, the participants had a session with Laurel and Nadera on nuances of communication in the Philippines and the value of the “indio-genius” as expressed in language.  According to Padayon Public Service Office Director Ma. Crisanta Flores, the “writeshop” is being conducted for the first time. It was initiated by her immediate predecessor, Nelson Cainghog. With public service promoted as “a scholarly and interdisciplinary endeavor”, its acceptance as a role of the University of equal footing with teaching and research is likewise promoted, Flores said. UP as a public service university is thus mandated by its 2008 charter, she added.  Panao said scholarly publication will not only lend “institutional legitimacy” to public service programs in the University but will strengthen its public impact and help public policy-making for community development.  Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, speaking on behalf of Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr., added that UP is a member of AsiaEngage, a group of ASEAN universities advocating social and community engagement of universities. The UP Padayon Public Service Office is under Dalisay’s office. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Applications for the First Public Service Writing Fellowship – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-for-the-first-public-service-writing-fellowship/",
        "html": "Call for Applications for the First Public Service Writing Fellowship Call for Applications for the First Public Service Writing Fellowship July 31, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, through the Padayon Public Service Office has launched the first Public Service Writing Fellowship. As a public service university, University of the Philippines aims to promote and develop public service initiatives and projects across all UP constituent universities. As a research university, the university also aims to promote the production and development of knowledge for the improvement of the lives of Filipinos.  Combining the two mandates of the university, the Public Service Writing Fellowship aims to promote public service as a scholarly and interdisciplinary endeavor. It aims to encourage university faculty and staff to continue to write literature-grounded evaluation and documentation in the form of journal articles for publication based on the public service initiatives that they have developed and undertaken. Lastly, the fellowship aims to contribute to the existing pool of literature on public service to further develop public service as a field of research.  UP Padayon Public Service Writing Fellowship  Eight (8) fellows will be selected from each of the Constituent Universities under the UP System. For CUs without qualified applicants, their slots will be reallocated to others who qualify from other CUs. The fellowship is open to all regular faculty, staff and research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) in active service in the University of the Philippines System regardless of the status of employment whether permanent or temporary. Interested applicants may access the application package through this link http://bit.ly/PSWritingFellowship. Accomplished forms must be emailed to ovppa@up.edu.ph on or before 31 August 2017.  Successful fellows will each be given PhP 30,000.00. The fellows are expected to produce a 7,000-word journal article to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. The fellows are expected to attend the Writeshop on 24-25 October to be held at the National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education Development Conference room. Lastly, fellows are expected to present their works during the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon2) either during the Luzon leg on 9-10 November in UP Bonifacio Global City Campus or during the VisMin leg on 28-29 November in UP Cebu.  For inquiries, please contact the Secretariat via (632) 981-8630 or ovppa@up.edu.ph.                            "
    },
    {
        "title": "Summit addresses UP’s psychosocial wellness – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/summit-addresses-ups-psychosocial-wellness/",
        "html": "Summit addresses UP’s psychosocial wellness Summit addresses UP’s psychosocial wellness April 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Summit on Transforming UP into a Nurturing and Healthy University on April 19 and 20, 2018 at the UP Professional Schools Bonifacio Global City, Taguig brought together UP System and officials of constituent universities (CUs); staff of the Offices of Student Affairs, Gender, Guidance and Counseling; and psychosocial health experts to discuss a framework for psychosocial health in the University and work on action plans for the CUs.  UP President Danilo Concepcion fast-tracked the holding of the summit, through the Padayon Public Service Office under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs.     Participants from UP Manila with resource person Dr. Lourdes Ignacio, Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and technical working group member Dr. Anselmo Tronco discuss the action plan for their campus. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa representing Concepcion said, “UP must become a nurturing and supportive home. . . with avenues, places, offices, and trustworthy people [others] can turn to.”  “We at the UP System can generate policy that will harmonize the programs and initiatives being undertaken at the constituent university level, ensuring a common standard and baseline of support, even as each CU tailors policy into implementable measures appropriate to their context,” Herbosa added.  In pre-summit meetings, a technical working group (TWG) worked on a draft framework for an action plan and chancellors reported on their CU’s psychosocial environment. The TWG was composed of: UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla; Dr. Violeta Bautista, chief of the UP Diliman Task Force on Psychosocial Services; Dr. Anselmo Tronco, psychiatric chief of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital; Dean Sylvia Estrada-Claudio of the College of Social Work and Community Development; Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo; and Director Maria Crisanta Flores and Officer in Charge Frances Fatima Cabana of the Padayon Public Service Office.     UP officials, summit participants, resource persons, and organizers of “Transforming UP into a Nurturing and Healthy University.” (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Through the summit workshops, the participants validated the framework, with the CU representatives using it to assess their CUs and to provide them with the basis for their CU action plans. Mental health experts Dr. Dinah Nadera and Dr. Lourdes Ignacio provided ideas for transforming educational systems and lives. Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili served as facilitator.  At the end of the summit, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr. expressed optimism: “This summit began in a very different mood. It was dismay approaching despair over the series of bad news we keep getting about what’s going on with our students. I’m glad that we turned that around into something that today is much more affirmative. This would lead to positive action very soon.”  “All of us are willing to do what it takes to reach out to our students and to one another with empathy, understanding, and kindness. That is after all what a community does,” Herbosa said.     The summit allows the chancellors and their representatives to share ideas on transforming their CUs into nurturing and healthy campuses. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, in her opening remarks, said the conference theme “suggests that UP as a national university is committed not only to promote honor and excellence but also to preserve dignity, a basic principle of mental health care.”  “The commitment starts by recognizing that emotions are part and parcel of the human experience and largely influence how effective we are in playing our roles in society,” Bautista said. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Can electoral reform curb patronage politics? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/can-electoral-reform-curb-patronage-politics/",
        "html": "Can electoral reform curb patronage politics? Can electoral reform curb patronage politics? February 18, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Dr. Paul Hutchcroft (center, in blue) poses with members of the UP Department of Political Science’s UP sa Halalan Team. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Students and scholars of political science gathered at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Palma Hall in the morning of February 8, 2019 to listen to a lecture by Australia National University (ANU) Professor and Southeast Asia politics expert Paul Hutchcroft. The lecture, Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines, drew upon years of Hutchcroft’s  scholarship on the Philippines, as well as insights from a recently released book with the same title that he edited, published by Anvil with funding from the Asia Foundation.  The event was organized as part of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science’s UP sa Halalan Project. Taking the reins of the initiative launched by the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs in 2013, the department will be organizing lectures, fora and other similar events in cooperation with different organizations. Last December, the department co-sponsored the first Senatorial Forum with CNN Philippines, featuring seven candidates for the Philippine Senate in the 2019 General Elections.  Hutchcroft contended that electoral system reform, which he distinguished from shifts in systems of government and governance, provided the greatest opportunity to strengthen political institutions, especially political parties, in the country with the least amount of risk. Electoral systems, he explained, are formulas used by states around the world to “turn votes into seats”.     UP Department of Political Science Chair Dr. Maria Ela Atienza previews the lecture and briefs attendees about the UP sa Halalan Project. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The electoral arrangements of the 1987 Constitution, Hutchcroft said, have shaped political parties in the Philippines into “convenient vehicles of patronage”, rather than programmatic entities. Their unchecked proliferation and the lack of political cohesion that ensues are explained, he added, by: 1) the separate elections of president and vice president (who may come from two different parties); 2) the current multi-member plurality electoral system, which encourages intra-party competition; and, 3) the Philippine party list system, whose three-seat cap, he said, violated the principle of proportionality.  The weakness of political parties, according to Hutchcroft, disadvantaged the marginalized in particular, as they disproportionately relied on strong collective action in the political realm. And with more parties in the mix, all things being equal, it was harder for governments to be decisive and to adapt policies to changing development needs and opportunities. In these settings, service delivery becomes skewed by electoral considerations over development objectives, with politicians becoming increasingly creative in their efforts to fill their election war chests.     Dr. Hutchcroft explains the difference of electoral system reforms from other kinds of political reforms. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Despite the dim outlook, Hutchcroft affirmed his belief that cultural barriers were not necessarily insurmountable obstacles for creating strong, coherent political parties. He mentioned the closed-list proportional representation system, where parties themselves list and rank legislative candidates, as the “gold standard of building party cohesion” across various cultural and national contexts.  In this system, citizens vote for parties rather than candidates, who in turn win a number of seats proportional to the votes they receive. Not only does it provide a more proportional system of incentives for candidates, but it also gives parties the power to manage members who transgress their values and objectives.  “By changing the system of incentives by electoral system design,” Hutchcroft said, “you get to change how politics is done.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Raising Public Service Awareness in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/raising-public-service-awareness-in-up/",
        "html": "Raising Public Service Awareness in UP Raising Public Service Awareness in UP May 4, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    Republic Act 9500, also known as the UP Char­ter, mandates the University of the Philippines to “lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public, and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence.”  Public service is one of UP’s key responsibilities as the national university. But the actual performance of public service is one thing, while the act of co­ordinating, harmonizing, and standardizing public service initiatives among eight constituent units in 21 campuses is another feat altogether. This is where the Padayon Public Service Office (Padayon) enters the scene. Padayon is a Visayan word that means “to do promptly, and unceasingly”—an apt description of how UP must tirelessly and relentlessly serve the people.  These lofty goals will not be realized without an office at the UP System level to centralize efforts to monitor programs, provide technical assistance, and recommend policies to respond to the needs of UP’s various publics when it comes to volunteerism, community engage­ment, and sustainable development.  We spoke to Padayon’s project managers to discuss exist­ing initiatives and how these are implemented, as well as future plans to maintain and improve the public character of the University.     The project associates at work in the Padayon Public Service Office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Institutionalizing initiatives  In order to assess UP’s compliance with its mandate, a system for reporting public service initiatives is needed. This system is provided by the UP Informa­tion Technology Development Center (UP ITDC) through the Public Service Module of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) of the Univer­sity Information System. The template was devel­oped in partnership with the UP System Committee on Public Service Monitoring and Reporting.  The aim of the online module is to enable UP faculty, administrative staff, and research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) to report public service initiatives and to retrieve records from the cloud once needed for reports and promotion. The data on public service initiatives can also be used by the respective CUs and the UP System in formulating system-wide policies. The Handbook on Public Service Reporting aims to gather relevant university public service regulations in one easily accessible handbook and provide explanations and examples on the data required in the online module.  To complement this initiative, the UP Catalogue of Institutional Public Service serves as the direc­tory of all the extension services offered by UP units across the system, so that they may be accessible to the general public. As a publication of Padayon and the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, the listing aims to share and disseminate relevant information so that stakeholders and the community may avail of their services and may ac­cess them in a manner that will be helpful—not just for possible publicity and income generation, but also for lending a hand to those who would like to avail of professional services at a cost cheaper than those offered by private institutions. The listing has been uploaded in the Public Service website and the entries are downloadable in a searchable PDF format.  The Public Service Handbook and the UP Catalogue of Institutional Public Service will be useless without strengthening the capacity of members of the UP community to write and report on the said public service initiatives. To address this, the Public Service Writing Fellowship was crafted to promote public service as a scholarly and interdisciplinary endeavor. It aims to encourage university faculty and staff to continue to write literature-grounded evaluation and documentation in the form of journal articles for publication based on the public service initiatives that they have developed and undertaken.  The fellowship was awarded to one (1) Public Service fellow from each of the eight (8) CUs of the UP Sys­tem. The fellowship was open to all UP faculty, staff, and REPS who wish to write and publish their expe­riences and the results of the public service initiatives they have designed and undertaken in a scholarly outlet. The chosen fellows underwent a writeshop in order to further hone and develop their respective outputs.  The first writeshop was held last October 24-25, 2017 at the Executive House, National Arts Center, Mt. Makiling, Laguna. After the writeshop, success­ful fellows were given the chance to present their work in the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference in November of the same year.  Padayon also extends technical assistance to external stakeholders such as national government agencies, local government units, and civil society organiza­tions. One of these partnerships is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by UP with the Provincial Government of Palawan, City Govern­ment of Puerto Princesa, UP Alumni Association and its Palawan Chapter, and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.  The MOU establishes cooperation between the par­ties and sets up an avenue for UP as an academic institution to support the planning, policy- and decision-making, and crafting of sustainable develop­ment processes in Palawan. The end goal is the crea­tion of the Palawan Center for Sustainable Develop­ment in accordance with Republic Act 7611. The first phase involves a seminar on solid waste manage­ment through the UP College of Engineering, and the next involves a comprehensive land use plan with the School of Urban and Regional Planning as well as coastal planning with the Marine Science Institute.     A preview of the UP Catalogue of Institutional Public Service from the Public Service website (publicservice.up.edu.ph)     Challenges in contexts  Patricia Liganor, one of Padayon’s project associ­ates, notes that the execution of these projects is not without challenges. One is the need for UP to be in the lead even in data collection of its public service initiatives. Sometimes, there are gaps in compliance between constituent units, depending on the context and how these units assign values to the concept of public service reporting and monitoring. For example, some units see actual service inside the University as public service in itself, while others think there must be external stakeholders involved to constitute public service. Liganor foresees an empowered faculty and staff who dutifully maintain their public service pro­files without need of constant reminders.  Assigned to handle the Palawan partnership, Marielle Antonio believes that the project is in line with the vision of malasakit (compassion) because it directly benefits stakeholders. The center will involve the op­erationalization of a sustainability center.  Definitions and standards are also what hinder the faster rollout of the catalogue. Mimi Barretto recalls how they had to manually input the entries in the existing database and painstakingly sort them in clas­sifications or through labels or tags, by campus, by year, by type or kind of service, by beneficiary and the like. The meaning of the word “institutionalized” in relation to “individual” public service events has vary­ing values and treatment per campus and constituent unit.  At the end of the day, the project associates stand firm that public service must not be viewed as an addition­al burden on one’s teaching and extension load, but instead be seen as a worthwhile academic endeavor of faculty, staff, and REPS of the national university. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public Lecture: “Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-lecture-strong-patronage-weak-parties-the-case-for-electoral-system-redesign-in-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Public Lecture: “Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines” Public Lecture: “Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines” February 6, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Department of Political Science, UP sa Halalan, and the UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change (PSPC) invite you to “Strong Patronage, Weak Parties: The Case for Electoral System Redesign in the Philippines,” a public lecture by Dr. Paul Hutchcroft (Australian National University), on 8 February 2019 (Friday), 9:30 AM to 12:00 NN at Palma Hall 400, UP Diliman.  Dr. Paul Hutchcroft, a scholar of comparative and Southeast Asian politics who has written extensively on Philippine politics and political economy, will explore the comparative political dynamics of electoral reform processes and their implications for building a more policy-oriented (and less patronage-driven) Philippine electoral system and polity.  This lecture is part of UP sa Halalan 2019, a project of the University of the Philippines System and the UP Department of Political Science that seeks to promote a clean, honest, and empowering 2019 elections.  For inquiries, please email pspc.cids@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Nominations to the 2nd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-nominations-to-the-2nd-gawad-pangulo-award-for-excellence-in-public-service/",
        "html": "Call for Nominations to the 2nd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service Call for Nominations to the 2nd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service April 25, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines, through the Office of the UP Vice President for Public Affairs, has made the call for nominations to the second Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service.  Nominations should belong to the five clusters: Arts and Letters and Communications; Science and Technology; Social Sciences, Management, and Law; Health and Allied Sciences; and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, and Natural Resources Management. Awardees will receive prize money worth PhP 100,000.00.  Consistent with the message of President Danilo L. Concepcion during the turnover ceremony, the Award seeks to recognize outstanding public service initiatives of various units of the UP System that exhibit compassion (malasakit) to the different publics that we serve.  Nominations must be emailed to ovppa@up.edu.ph on or before 31 July 2017, together with a documentation of the initiative, a list of academic and official citations of the project, certification from project beneficiaries, and certification of proper liquidation of funds if the project is funded by government funds. The nomination package is available in the following link: http://bit.ly/2oKnMUp  The winners will be awarded on 5 December 2017, the UN International Volunteers Day.  For inquiries, please contact the Secretariat via (632) 981-8630, 0917 5718886 or ovppa@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP issues call for nominations to the 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-issues-call-for-nominations-to-the-4th-gawad-pangulo-award-for-excellence-in-public-service/",
        "html": "UP issues call for nominations to the 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service UP issues call for nominations to the 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service October 6, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines, through the Padayon Public Service Office, has made the Call for Nominations to the 4th Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service. With the theme, “Galing UP, Lingkod Bayan: Pagtugon sa Hamon ng Pandemya,” the award aims to recognize excellent and outstanding COVID-related public service initiatives facilitated and implemented by faculty and staff in all UP constituent universities.  For this year, fifteen (15) units will be conferred the award in a virtual ceremony on December 6, 2021 and receive a prize money of PhP 100,000.00 each.  Colleges, departments, institutes, and other units in UP are enjoined to submit their nominations by accomplishing and submitting a complete nomination form with the appropriate documentary attachments. Public service initiatives that have been implemented from March 1, 2020 until July 31, 2021, with tangible and substantive outputs based on the stated objectives and outcomes, may be nominated.  The nomination package, consisting of the award guidelines, selection criteria, and nomination form, may be downloaded at bit.ly/4thGawadPanguloPublicService. Nominations must be certified by the CU Member of the System Committee on Public Service Monitoring and Reporting, endorsed by the Chancellor, and sent in PDF format to padayon@up.edu.ph with the subject: Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service Nomination_<name of constituent university>. Nominations will be accepted until October 15, 2021.  For inquiries, please contact the Gawad Pangulo Secretariat via email at padayon@up.edu.ph. For updates, please visit the UP Padayon Facebook page and follow the office on Twitter.  This announcement was first published on the UP Padayon Public Service Office website.     "
    },
    {
        "title": "We Are Family! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/we-are-family/",
        "html": "We Are Family! We Are Family! November 16, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   2015 UPOU Family Day (Photo from UPOU Information Office)     We’re not just colleagues. We treat each other like family.” This is how Dr. Jean Saludadez, UP Open University (UPOU) Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, describes how UPOU employees relate to each other.  The community of roughly 200, based in the UPOU Los Baños headquarters and scattered across several learning centers in the Philippines, makes time to cultivate interpersonal relationships, which the UPOU administration actively supports.  “Our leadership has always had the heart for all who work here, whether faculty or staff, permanent or contractual,” says Human Resources Development Office chief Michael Lagaya, who has been with UPOU since 1998.     Celebrating milestones  It’s not uncommon for institutions to commemorate foundation day anniversaries. Celebrating growth and progress, they’re milestones for many organizations.  In UPOU, Foundation Day has two components—the formal anniversary program with “outsiders,” and the informal gathering of “insiders.” Institutional milestones are celebrated in the former, while the people behind the institution take center stage in the latter. It’s in that informal setting, an exclusive “for UPOU people” event, where its best workers are recognized.  The UPOU Service Awards, which began in 2000, recognize length of service in multiples of five years. UPOU was five years old at that time. Over the years, the Service Awards program has included honoring employees for other achievements.  The Gawad Chancellor rewards exemplary service by faculty, administrative staff, and research, extension, and professional staff (REPS). Research grants, professorial chairs, and other incentives are given those who have published scholarly works.  These are of course not unique to UPOU. What makes them different, especially in the area of scholarship, is that administrative staff members are included.     Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Jean Saludadez (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “We give both the academic and non-academic sectors the opportunity to undertake research. We don’t believe that scholarship can only come from faculty or research staff,” says Saludadez. In fact, some administrative staff members have traveled abroad to present their papers in conferences.     Family Day  By 2015, when UPOU marked its second decade of existence, the Service Awards had evolved into “Family Day.” Lagaya and Saludadez recall that the idea came up in one of their meetings for the celebration.  “It’s not just a label or a title. It’s the result of our reflection on UPOU’s 20 years. Our anniversary really is a celebration of our UPOU family—our teamwork, the work challenges we overcome together, the personal struggles we help each other through,” says Saludadez.  Just like family gatherings, the UPOU Family Day celebrates the accomplishments of its family members such as receiving awards, winning competitions, and earning degrees. This year, the event had a surprise award called “UPOU Face of the Year.” It was given to employees who best promoted institutional visibility and showcased UPOU’s “face” to the world, through social media and other online platforms, and even through UPOU souvenir items.  Family Day is like a well-attended reunion, says Saludadez.  “Our staff members from the learning centers all over the country fly out to attend Family Day. It’s that important to them.”  How important is Family Day to the administration?     Human Resources Development Office chief Michael Lagaya (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “It’s a must. Even if we are swamped with organizing other anniversary activities like conferences, exhibits, and competitions, we don’t skip Family Day,” Lagaya says.     Beyond the anniversary  In UPOU, the employees aren’t just family members for a day. Because of the size of its workforce, each is aware and often involved in another’s work. Like any family, there are shared responsibilities in which all are equally recognized for doing their part. Saludadez puts it this way: “If you’re part of the work, you’re part of the reward.”  Cooperation is encouraged in UPOU because it cultivates understanding of, and appreciation for, each other’s work.  “This is our way of making each and everyone realize that we all contribute to the University, that our work interconnects and unites us. When you strengthen connections that are work-related, personal relationships are enhanced as well,” she adds.     UPOU’s bike enthusiasts often go on rides together. (Photo from UPOU Information Office)     Lagaya relates that these bonds are manifest in the leisure activities their colleagues participate in, from shared interests like dancing and singing to hobbies like bicycling and sports.  “Especially during times of personal difficulty, you realize how much UPOU employees care about each other. They will help without being asked. They will organize activities that will benefit their co-workers who are in need.”     Bonding with colleagues includes playing volleyball. (Photo from UPOU Information Office)     The UPOU headquarters is also being developed as a home away from home for its employees. Everyone is looking forward to the completion of the Academic Residences, where there are spaces for both the long-term use and short visits by faculty, staff, and students from across the country and abroad.  “Even those in our headquarters are allotted rooms where they can rest because of overtime work when we have big events like conferences and the graduation,” Saludadez says.  UPOU actively takes care of its own, supplementing monetary benefits with psychic income. It does what it can with the resources available to harness the capabilities of its employees and provide them with opportunities for growth.  “Whatever form of support the University can give, we give to UPOU employees. As long as we can, we help. We try our best to make our people happy,” Saludadez concludes. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Spanish university firms up ties with UP for law education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/spanish-university-firms-up-ties-with-up-for-law-education/",
        "html": "Spanish university firms up ties with UP for law education Spanish university firms up ties with UP for law education June 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       A delegation from the University of Málaga and the University of Deusto visited UP on June 4, 2018 to strengthen a graduate academic exchange project in Law for the former and to explore ties for the latter. The delegation met with UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP College of Law representatives.     UP College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan (center) and UP and Ateneo de Manila University law professor, Ruben Balane (third from right), welcoming some of the University of Málaga (UM) and University of Deusto (UD) delegates led by UM School of Law Dean Juan Jose Hinojosa Torralvo (fourth from left) and UD School of Law Dean Gema Tomas Martinez (second from right). (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Concepcion signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the University of Málaga, represented by its School of Law Dean Juan Jose Hinojosa Torralvo, to supplement the academic exchange project with provisions for a Master of Law student exchange.  The University of Deusto was represented by its School of Law Dean Gema Tomas Martinez.     University of Málaga School of Law Dean Juan Jose Hinojosa Torralvo, University of Deusto School of Law Dean Gema Tomas Martinez, and UP President and former College of Law Dean Danilo Concepcion express enthusiasm over establishing relations among their schools. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP College of Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan welcomed the delegates, while UP legal educators Ruben Balane, Solomon Lumba, and Ryan Oliva attended the informal meeting and witnessed the MOA signing.  Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) School of Law Dean Sedfrey Candelaria was also present. ADMU is the other Philippine member university of the academic exchange project, which is under the Erasmus Programme.     UP President Danilo Concepcion signs the memorandum of agreement for student exchange, witnessed by University of Málaga School of Law Dean Juan Jose Hinojosa Torralvo, UP College of Law and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) School of Law faculty member Ruben Balane, and ADMU School of Law Dean Sedfrey Candelaria. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Concepcion said the UP College of Law will offer next year a Master of Law course at the UP Professional Schools-Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, which the delegates also visited.  “I’m looking forward to stronger relationships of our schools, and hopefully, with the University of Deusto, and some more Spanish schools,” Concepcion said. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-launches-edu-hack-podcast-series-2/",
        "html": "UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series May 5, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Image from the UPOU website     Flexibility and compassion. These were the key takeaways in the first episode of UP Open University’s (UPOU) podcast series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating through a Turbulent Educational Landscape” on April 28.  The discussion centered on answering the question, “How are Philippine Universities Responding to Disruptions in Education Brought About by COVID-19 Pandemic?”     Dr. Alexander Flor, Dean of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, moderating the first of UPOU’s podcast series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating through a Turbulent Educational Landscape”. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast     The panelists were UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, University of Batangas (UB) Vice President for Academic Affairs Abegayle Chua, and De La Salle University (DLSU) Association of Faculty and Educators President Antonio Contreras.  This year saw Southern Luzon and Metro Manila being hit with back-to-back crises, with the phreatomagmatic eruption of Taal Volcano in January and the COVID-19 pandemic in March. For the education sector, it meant multiple weeks-long class suspensions. While the institutions to which the panelists belonged had online learning systems in place, Chua said it best: “No one was prepared for this kind of lockdown.”     UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast     UPOU started shifting to online classes in 2001 and its classes were fully online by 2007, so Bandalaria said that the University initially assumed things would be business as usual. But she admitted the quarantine brought up issues beyond the usual open and distance e-learning operations. Anxiety, stress, accessibility, work-school scheduling, and health risks were some of the concerns raised by faculty, staff, and students alike.  Chua described the class and work suspensions due to Taal Volcano activity as the “dry run” for the COVID-19 quarantine. While web presence and blended learning were already in place at UB, the pandemic forced the institution to shift everything online. Chua, being an otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, throat or ENT) surgeon, knew “we could not go back to school” because of the health risks.     University of Batangas (UB) Vice President for Academic Affairs Abegayle Chua. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast     Sixteen years ago, DLSU already started adopting a learner-centered, outcomes-based approach and online platforms eventually replaced face-to-face sessions when classes were suspended. COVID-19 changed things drastically, but Contreras said, “We hit the ground running.”  “We anchored our response to this crisis on flexibility and compassion,” explained Bandalaria. “Now is not the time to be rigid,” according to Contreras. As for Chua, “Everything now is fluid [and] leniency is key at this time.”  The panelists were in agreement that higher education institutions need to monitor and adjust its actions according to changes in the COVID-19 situation—from government decisions to emerging concerns from their academic and surrounding communities.  UB has prepared scenarios for different end-of-quarantine periods and has anticipated its next term to be fully online. Chua said they have also studied the possibility of limited physical attendance for necessary laboratory work and preparations for those who will be taking licensure examinations.     De La Salle University (DLSU) Association of Faculty and Educators President Antonio Contreras. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast     DLSU has been providing internet connectivity support for its students and faculty, and has refunded the fees it collected for the use of its facilities. Contreras revealed that DLSU is working under the assumption that classes will resume on July 1, but fully online. Like UB, has started to look into managing courses with key activities that require physical presence. The private university has also foreseen a possible decrease in enrollment following the COVID-19 pandemic.  UPOU, because of its nature as an open and distance e-learning institution and its fully online classes, has thus far been exempted from class suspensions and other decisions on the academic year. To cater to the needs of its students, UPOU has made revisions to its academic calendar, adjusting academic year terms, registration schedules, and admission applications periods. The changes will be announced once approved. As it is primarily a graduate institution, UPOU has also anticipated a decrease in enrollment at the graduate level.  This episode of “Edu-Hack” may be viewed here.  For announcements on succeeding episodes of the podcast series, follow the UPOU Facebook account at https://web.facebook.com/UPOpenUniversity/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PDLC reaffirms UP’s support for community pantries – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pdlc-reaffirms-ups-support-for-community-pantries/",
        "html": "PDLC reaffirms UP’s support for community pantries PDLC reaffirms UP’s support for community pantries April 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion reaffirms his administration’s and the University’s support for the community pantries, which are now emerging within UP’s campuses and communities as a spontaneous response of University employees and community residents to the food and other basic needs of ordinary citizens.  “My wife Gaby and I have been personally involved in helping out these pantries and I would like to assure the University community that we find this initiative laudable, timely, and worthy of everyone’s support,” President Concepcion said. “These pantries address a real need, and do not carry any political colors except the red, white, and blue of Filipinos at their patriotic best. Helping the needy should be something to unite all Filipinos, especially the UP community.”  At the same time, President Concepcion reminded the organizers, supporters, and beneficiaries of community pantries to observe the necessary safety protocols, in light of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.  “We must take note of the legitimate concerns of our health authorities and local residents in terms of these protocols,” he added. “But with precautions, these pantries can bring out the best in us, and remind us of our sense of community despite the worst that this pandemic has wrought.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on House Resolution No. 2075 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-house-resolution-no-2075/",
        "html": "Statement on House Resolution No. 2075 Statement on House Resolution No. 2075 August 6, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP is a large community of scholars, researchers, and experts in multiple fields. By and large, members of the UP community are free and encouraged to conduct research and harness their expertise in the service of the Filipino people in any way they deem appropriate.  However, there is a difference between the endeavors of individual UP researchers and the projects and programs of official UP academic and research units, with the latter bearing the University’s name, symbol, and approval. Initiatives involving particular UP faculty and research staff members, such as the OCTA Research Team’s polling, research, and consultation activities, have no connection to UP and are not sponsored, endorsed, or organized by the University.  The University is currently taking steps to enhance protocols to protect its name, symbols, colors, and brand in public. Should questions about the UP credentials of individuals and groups arise, UP authorities are ready to verify such credentials should it be necessary. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold necrological tribute to former UP President Jose V. Abueva – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-necrological-tribute-to-former-up-president-jose-v-abueva/",
        "html": "UP to hold necrological tribute to former UP President Jose V. Abueva UP to hold necrological tribute to former UP President Jose V. Abueva August 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) will hold a necrological tribute to its former President, Dr. Jose V. Abueva, tomorrow, August 26, 2021, at 7:30 p.m.  Members of the UP community who worked with Dr. Abueva over the years will be sharing their stories about Dr. Abueva. Speakers include UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, former UP President and Professor Emeritus of Political Science Francisco Nemenzo, Department of Education Secretary and Professor Emeritus of Public Administration Leonor M. Briones, Professor Emeritus of Economics and former NEDA Secretary-General Ernesto M. Pernia, University Professor Emeritus of English Dr. Gémino H. Abad, University of the East President and former Commission on Higher Education Chair Ester Albano Garcia, and former UP Regent Angelo Jimenez. After the speakers, the Abueva family will give their response.  Dr. Abueva, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Political Science, served as the 16th President of the University of the Philippines from 1987 to 1993 and concurrently as chancellor of UP Diliman from 1990 to 1991. He was a prolific author, political science, and public administration scholar who advocated for constitutional reform to establish a Federal-Parliamentary Democracy. He was also a peace activist who campaigned for a non-killing society.  Dr. Abueva passed away on August 18 at the age of 93.  Join the rest of the UP community in honoring UP President Abueva via Zoom. Please click the link to join: https://up-edu.zoom.us/j/89040170782?pwd=Y040aGpFNU9yQU9qMWVWekRBT1Vtdz09  Webinar ID: 890 4017 0782 Passcode: JVAbueva  Aside from the University’s tribute, President Abueva’s family has also created an online memorial for him where his family call upon the public to join them in prayers for his eternal repose. Those interested may use the links below:  Zoom link: https://up-edu.zoom.us/j/82511751563?pwd=ZDI0QWFKRFRBZmF4VnBLQ082b0h1dz09  Meeting ID: 825 1175 1563 Passcode: JVAbueva  The family will be holding daily prayers for him, every 7:00 PM, from August 26 until his 40th day on September 26.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to continue providing teaching enhancement and academic support grants – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-continue-providing-teaching-enhancement-and-academic-support-grants/",
        "html": "UP to continue providing teaching enhancement and academic support grants UP to continue providing teaching enhancement and academic support grants October 26, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines (UP) administration will continue providing teaching enhancement and academic support grants for UP faculty, REPS (research, extension, and professional staff), administrative employees, and one-time device support for the first semester of AY 2021-2022.  This continuing grant of teaching enhancement and academic support was announced in a memo, Memorandum No. PDLC 21-19, released on October 22. According to the memo, courses will continue to be delivered remotely in the first semester of the academic year, just as they have been during the previous academic year. Alternative work arrangements for administrative staff and REPS will remain in effect for the same period, in light of the continuing community quarantine and the logistical constraints to mass vaccination and the achievement of herd immunity in the country against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.  The University, however, is preparing to transition to blended teaching and learning by the second semester of AY 2021-2022 and to new forms of alternative work arrangements in the next normal of living and working with the pandemic and other disruptions.     The guidelines for the grant of teaching enhancement and academic support and one-time device support are as follows:  For UP Faculty  * Teaching enhancement grant of Php1,500/month  * One-time Device Support of Php6,000  Conditions for eligibility:  * faculty member (permanent, temporary, UP contractual, substitute, including the newly hired) must have a teaching load at the time of grant  * in addition, for the one-time device support, the faculty member has not been officially issued any appropriate device, such as a laptop or desktop computer  Effectivity date: July 2021-June 2022     For REPS and Administrative Employees:  * Academic support of Php1500/month maximum–subject to the conditions for the Academic Support Rates for Administrative staff  Conditions for eligibility:  * The number of administrative staff to be listed as eligible and subsequently granted academic support must not exceed 60% of the total number of administrative employees per CU/UPSA (excluding UP PGH)  * REPS include those of permanent, temporary, UP contractual, casual, and substitute status  * Administrative employees likewise include those of permanent, temporary, UP contractual, casual, and substitute status  Effectivity date: June 2021-May 2022  For more details on the release of the Academic Support grant for administrative staff, click here to read the memo in full. [Memorandum No. PDLC 21-19] "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP experts to answer questions on COVID-19 mutations and variants – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-experts-to-answer-questions-on-covid-19-mutations-and-variants/",
        "html": "UP experts to answer questions on COVID-19 mutations and variants UP experts to answer questions on COVID-19 mutations and variants January 13, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Leading public health experts from the University of the Philippines will be answering questions about the latest COVID-19 threat in the webinar, “Are You Afraid of the COVID-19 Mutations and Variants: A Public Health Perspective”, to be streamed on January 15, 2021 at 12 noon.  Infectious disease expert Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria and public health expert Dr. Evalyn A. Roxas, with reactors Doctor to the Barrio Dr. Juan Javier F. Garchitorena and Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations President Maria Fatima Garcia-Lorenzo, will address such questions as: Will the recently available vaccines work against the new variants? Can more mutations be expected? And what is the impact of these on public health measures?  The webinar will tackle the new variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.7 lineage) emerging in the United Kingdom, which has an unusually large number of mutations. The variant has since been detected in numerous countries. Health experts observe that the variant seems to be more contagious, but does not appear to cause a disease that is more severe.  The webinar is the 36th of the Stop COVID Deaths webinar series for health professionals presented by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-Telehealth Center. It is a special edition organized in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Public Health and the UP Philippine General Hospital.  Those who wish to participate may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar36 "
    },
    {
        "title": "From giant shipworms to biofuels – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-giant-shipworms-to-biofuels/",
        "html": "From giant shipworms to biofuels From giant shipworms to biofuels July 28, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    This giant which lived inside long crusty tubes under the sea had eluded scientists for a very long time, earning the title of “Loch Ness Monster of mollusks” in a New Yorker scientific feature. Little was known of the shipworm with the scientific name Kuphus polythalamia. All modern-day scientists had were the empty skeletal pipes turning up in different parts of the world, and pre-War specimens that had turned into mush.  Early scientists had established that it was descended from the wood-burrowing and wood-consuming shipworms that locals called tamilok, which live in mangrove wood and whose bodies are much softer and nowhere near the giant shipworm’s size which recorded a length of five feet.  It was only when a local show known to feature strange cuisine, Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, broke the news in 2010 of people eating a strange creature for its meaty flesh and alleged curative powers that scientists got wind of where to look.A researcher in the Marine Natural Products Laboratory (MNPL) of the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI), Jem Lapitan, saw the video on TV and reported it to Dr. Gisela Concepcion, her supervisor, head of the MNPL and UP lead person in the project studying the tamilok and their symbiont bacteria, or bacteria in symbiotic relationship with them.  A preserved giant shipworm, a bivalve as indicated by the two valves before its mouth. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  After confirming the existence of giant tamiloks in the area with research collaborators in Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU), the UP researchers acted quickly. They braved the long flight to Sultan Kudarat, met their counterparts from SKSU led by Prof. Julie Albano, and endured a dangerous ride through risk areas to a coastal area where the giant tamilok were said to live.  Leading the team on the ground, Marvin Altamia, a research associate at the UP-MSI, already knew a lot about mollusks, especially tamilok. He conducts research for the Philippine Mollusk Symbiont International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (PMS-ICBG), which is led by marine microbiologist Margo Haygood of the University of Utah, and dr. Concepcion in UPMSI, in association with top scientists in marine microbiology, natural products chemistry, biochemistry, and evolutionary biology from the University of Utah, Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences-Philadelphia, and Northeastern Eastern University’s Ocean Genome Legacy (OGL).  Shipworms fall under these experts’ study. A shipworm belongs to the family of bivalve mollusks. Its two shells have been reduced to two raspy teeth just before its mouth, used to gnaw at wood and burrow in it. Its body is host to several bacteria in symbiotic relationship with it. Bacteria are responsible for producing enzymes necessary to break down wood for ingestion by the shipworm. Cellulose which constitutes wood and other plant materials is quite indigestible without enzymes from bacteria.  Because of their symbiont bacteria, shipworms were the bane of ship hulls which were made of wood in the old days. They earned the reputation of being the termites of the sea.  Arriving at the marine lagoon in Sultan Kudarat, the researchers found it full of decaying matter, mostly forest debris from land. The sediment reeked of rotten eggs, the usual smell of hydrogen sulfide. They found the giant shipworms not growing in wood but buried in thick pitch-black muck three meters from the surface of the lagoon. It was easy to see how scientists had missed it.  A giant shipworm was brought to Gisela’s laboratory, where Dan Distel of OGL and Gisela’s research staff chipped at the bigger but closed end of the calcareous tube, creating an opening to slide off the creature from the tube onto the table. The animal easily fell into notoriety as a science fiction horror creature feature. The black slimy body resembles that of a worm from hell. Its “head” is all mouth with two “beaks” for lips and its tail ends with a pair of siphons and stalk-looking “pallets”.  But the researchers found that the “monster” was really immobile and could not possibly swallow creatures whole. It could hardly eat, its mouth being located awkwardly at the closed bottom of the pipe.  Knowing how shipworms and clams in general thrive on symbiosis with bacteria in their bodies, Marvin knew that a lot of questions about the newly found creature would be answered by looking at its symbiont bacteria. After having seen the strange habitat of the giant shipworm and its distance from solid wood, he knew they were off to discover a new set of bacteria.  Guided and assisted by Gisela and foreign collaborators, particularly Margo and Dan, who are the world’s experts on shipworms, Marvin and the MSI research team proceeded with experiments.  The team took out flesh from the gills and other organs and cultured microorganisms found in the specimen. Knowing the giant shipworm’s rotten-egg-smelling home, the team used a dish with a sulfuric medium, and was able to isolate sulfur-processing bacteria. They found this to be dominant in the shipworm’s gills. The team’s hunch about the giant shipworm’s “chemoautotrophy” (or more specifically, what is known as “sulfur- or thio-autotrophy”) was spot on.  The Marine Natural Products Laboratory crew of the UP Marine Science Institute headed by Dr. Gisela Concepcion (seated, middle). Shown are: (left to right, standing) MJ Cleofas, Meljune Chicote, Victor Chua, Jose Miguel Robes, Iris Bea Ramiro, Marvin Altamia, Jortan Tun, Jessa Laude, Albebson Lim, Miguel Azcuna, Noel Lacerna, Renheart De Leon, Oliver Belleza, and Melfeb Chicote; and (left to right, seated) Emma Handy, Neda Barghi, Carrissa Shipman, Dr. Concepcion, Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes, Myra Ruth Picart, Malem Flores, Irene Pamisan, and Eliza Belen.  Through complicated and high-technology processes, they characterized the bacteria, and found its enzyme to be indeed a catalyst in hydrogen sulfide oxidation. The team looked at the bacteria’s genome, and amplified the genes associated with the sulfur-processing enzyme.  The team had of course suspected sulfur-processing symbiont bacteria all along. And they knew that in hydrothermal vents under the sea, tubeworms and mussels are host to bacteria that utilize hydrogen sulfide being spewed from under the earth. In processing the sulfide using its enzymes, the bacteria produce energy which the host animals use to fix carbon into organic compounds, which in turn nourish the host animals.  Hydrogen sulfide is the same compound produced by decaying organic matters in the sea. “It often results from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen gas, such as in swamps and sewers,” Gisela explains. “The lagoon was oxygen-less. Why? Trees, wood, and leaves fell to the lagoon and were broken down by microbes. Microbes consume oxygen as they break up organic matter.”  The muck in the lagoon contains broken-down, decaying pieces of wood.  In later tests, the team found bacteria from the shipworm and the hydrothermal mussels arranging themselves into a cluster, a behavior exhibited only by bacteria of the same family. This confirmed his suspicions relating the creatures at the coast to those in the ocean trenches.  With the findings, the PMS-ICBG proved that somehow during its evolution, the shipworm emerged from wood, and favored bacteria that process sulfur, which is abundant in the sea. Having discovered new symbionts to aid in its nourishment, the shipworm thrived in the harsh, oxygen-lacking environment of seabeds, not needing to devour food, but only growing a calcareous tube to protect its fragile body. Growing into a gigantic size, it was able to harbor more bacteria particularly in its overgrown gills, while its digestive system shrank to insignificance.  This family of bacteria was harnessed by the mussels and tubeworms (which are real worms) so that they could survive in and populate the deeper part of the sea, near boiling hydrothermal vents, where no living creature was expected to survive.  This discovery thus contributes to the study of evolution and to learning how life forms spread and survive between land and the deep blue sea, extending the “wooden-steps” theory. The details have been published by the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in a paper by Dan Distel et al. (www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1620470114).  But the study of the giant shipworm is also significant for the study of biofuels, which is a major component of the PMS-ICBG project. Enzymes used by cellulose-processing bacteria to break down wood to something digestible by animals for their energy needs, are prime candidates for producing biofuels out of abundant organic matter, e.g., waste materials from major crops, mostly constituted by cellulose. Could enzymes from the symbiont bacteria of giant shipworms, thriving on rotting matter, also be used to derive fuels?  A meter-long fresh specimen removed from its calcareous tube with a valve (v), siphon (s), and pallet (p) indicated. Photo from “Discovery of chemoautotrophic symbiosis in the giant shipworm Kuphus polythalamia (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) extends wooden-steps theory” by Dan Distel et al., published online at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 17, 2017 (www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1620470114)  Scientists also say symbiosis with bacteria entails a balance-maintaining mechanism, which defends itself against diseases and harmful infections that may disrupt the symbiosis. Scientists are now testing bacterial isolates from marine organisms against important microbial pathogens, including drug-resistant strains, in the country to produce antibiotics. Dr. Concepcion said they have had the most “hits” or anti-infective extracts from the bacterial isolates from shipworms.  Wherever the scientific investigations lead, some general conclusions stand out: bacteria are members of the ecosystem more significant than people think. Also, there are more and more ways of life being discovered from which we can learn to not only harness energy from the environment but also survive in harsh environments.  The alien-looking creatures with their posse of bacteria find their way in the strangest nooks of the earth like nobody else. And a “missing link” has just been found by scientists in the Philippines.                                  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Resilience begins at home – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/resilience-begins-at-home/",
        "html": "Resilience begins at home Resilience begins at home January 10, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu    Mandated to advance national development and also to help save people’s lives, the University of the Philippines established the UP Resilience Institute (RI) in July 2016, followed by its adoption of the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center in March 2017 as its core component.  By harnessing the expertise of academics and professionals in the fields of science and technology as well as the arts and humanities, these UP hubs are at the forefront of scientific research and extension work on natural hazards, climate change actions, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and the promotion of disaster resilience in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim.  The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world, and minding its many tantrums is the unenviable but vital job of UP’s top disaster scientist, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay. A faculty member of the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), Lagmay also concurrently heads the RI and the NOAH Center.  Dr. Lagmay obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UP and holds a PhD degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge. He is also an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).     UP RI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Lagmay speaks to Mayors, Municipal Planners, and Disaster Risk Reduction Officers during the National Rollout and Training-Workshop on the Formulation of the Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP). (Photo courtesy of the UP Resilience Institute.)     Our own backyard  One of the first projects of the RI and the NOAH Center aims to make all UP campuses and communities around the country resilient to climate change and geared for long-term development.  Lagmay explains that UP “must first do it in our own backyard, if we are to get all municipalities to prepare and plan ahead. We can’t preach what we don’t practice. The first step is to do the resilient campuses project so that it can be a model for campuses in the Philippines.” He says that the project uses climate change projections prescribed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific and intergovernmental body under the United Nations.  “We have to translate the projections of climate change into hazard maps that can be used by the UP campuses to plan ahead and to develop. Before we do it for the entire Philippines, we must do it in our backyard first. I’m not saying the campuses are not planned. I’m saying that campuses need to be more resilient and adaptive to the climate change impacts, building resilience, which is relatively a new concept,” Lagmay says.     On October 20, 2017, the UP Padayon Office hosted the UP RI and NOAH Center’s teleconference with representatives from UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Baguio, UPLB, UP Mindanao, UP Iloilo and UP Open University. (Photo courtesy of the UP Resilience Institute.)     Probabilistic hazard maps  According to Lagmay, the RI and NOAH have many projects lined up, aside from the resilient UP campuses project. Among these are the completion of climate flood maps for the entire Philippines for the years 2049-2079, and the landslide maps for 2049-2079, based on the representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5 as prescribed by the IPCC.  “We also are producing storm surge hazard maps with climate change projections. Basically, these are multi-scenario, multi-hazard maps. Collectively, they’re called probabilistic hazard maps that get us to understand better the risks involved in planning against hazard impacts. We also have a project on detecting CO2 using low-cost UV cameras, and another on solid waste management,” Lagmay adds.  “We are also proposing to study the interaction of the seas, land, and atmosphere. Because here in the Philippines and in other tropical areas, as well as areas near the equator, it’s very hard to predict weather, and largely that may be due to unknown factors related to the interaction of the sea, ocean, land and atmosphere. That needs to be understood,” he emphasizes.  Dr. Lagmay says that Senator Loren Lagarda wanted the UP Resilience Institute “to lead all the state universities and colleges in helping the Climate Change Commission get the local government units to complete their local climate change action plans.”     OpenStreetMap volunteers at the OpenStreetMap and Grab’s Mapping Party held at the Grab Headquarters in Makati on November 25, 2017. They helped in mapping the building footprints of the UP campuses around the country to aid in the UP Resilient Campuses Project of the UP RI. (Photo courtesy of the UP Resilience Institute.)     He looks forward to completing the abovementioned tasks. “It’s a huge task. But with all the previous projects that we have been engaged in over the past several years—like the 30 mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in 34 municipalities of Leyte and Samar, and the rebuild projects in Iloilo and Cagayan—we have learned a lot. And with the proper budget, we can cascade this knowledge through the different UP campuses to the state universities and colleges, so each state university and college can be an information and training hub for their locality.”  This setup will also leverage “the technical expertise of the different faculty members of all of these universities across different sectors: health, infrastructure, energy, environment, biodiversity, tourism, and many other sectors,” Lagmay explains.  Open and shared data  “Disaster risk is an unresolved problem of development. If the communities plan well, if they are smart in developing, putting the structures, the evacuation centers, critical facilities out of harm’s way, or if it’s in harm’s way, knowing what to do to address the problem, you are actually reducing disaster risk. So by reducing disaster risk you are becoming more adaptive and resilient through development planning,” he adds.  This will enable the development of communities nationwide, spurring economic growth and meeting the goals of sustainable development.  But this kind of whole-of-government approach will require open and shared data. “To be able to do all of those things, you need to open up data. You need everybody to have access. And all over the world, that’s where disaster prevention and mitigation are leading. We share to generate more knowledge that’s more powerful to address our problems. If you don’t share the data, if data is kept under control in certain offices, you may compromise opportunity, and that opportunity could be a chance to save lives.”     The Philippines’ South South collaboration on Climate Information and Services between the Climate Change Commission (CCC), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), UP RI, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) was launched on November 23, 2017 at the Sofitel Hotel during the Climate Change Consciousness week. In Photo: Assistant Secretary Evelyn Cruzada, Office of the Cabinet Secretary; Mayor Ronaldo Golez of Dumangas, Iloilo; CCC Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman; Mr. Oscar Lizardo, NOAH Center Information Chief; Ms. Rosalina De Guzman, Chief of the Climate Data section of PAGASA; and Dr. Bjoern Surborg of GIZ. (Photo courtesy of the UP Resilience Institute.)     According to Lagmay, NOAH data can be downloaded via the Internet “preferably by bulk download,” without any preconditions. “If it’s publicly funded, the people should be able to access and take advantage of that information. In time, with the work of NOAH and the UP Resilience Institute, with better education, we can learn to be able to share valuable data that saves people’s lives. That is one of the main goals of UP RI and NOAH,” he said.  He also urges the use of transdiciplinary tools to promote disaster and risk awareness. “Use music, use poetry, use the arts to raise awareness about disasters. Science must be embraced by the people. Because if it gets embraced, its value grows. There’s direct application. Benefits are seen. And for the field of disaster risk reduction, it will mean saving lives and getting communities to develop better, unhampered by natural hazard impacts,” Lagmay concludes.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP mobilizes in response to Mayon Volcano eruption – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mobilizes-in-response-to-mayon-volcano-eruption/",
        "html": "UP mobilizes in response to Mayon Volcano eruption UP mobilizes in response to Mayon Volcano eruption January 30, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines is mobilizing its resources to respond to the destruction caused by the ongoing eruption of Mayon Volcano in Albay.  Through its Resilience Institute (RI), UP sent three experts to Albay last January 24 to coordinate on-ground efforts and provide technical assistance to the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Local Climate Change Adaptation for Development, Inc.  UP’s top disaster scientist and RI executive director Dr. Mahar Lagmay is in charge of coordinating the university’s aid efforts. RI is working with different sectors of the university including the University Student Council, UP NOAH Center, Padayon Public Service Office, UP Vanguard, UP Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Office of Regent Spocky Farolan, among others.     Resilience Institute Executive Director Mahar Lagmay and Regent Spocky Farolan lead a coordination meeting with representatives from the UP MMDA Volunteer Corps, UP Vanguard, TVUP, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya, RAHA Volunteers, UP Diliman University Student Council, UP Diliman NSTP Office, and UP Manila PGH for the UP Mayon relief initiative. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP is now accepting donations—preferably canned sausages and corned beef, dried fish, and empty 5-gallon water containers with faucets—for affected families in Albay. These can be dropped off at Peralta Hall, Department of Military Science and Tactics (DMST) Grounds, Ylanan Street, UP Diliman, Quezon City, starting today, January 30, until Saturday, February 3, 2018.  Cash donations will also be accepted at this account:     UP Foundation, Inc.  Account Number: 102270018964  Unionbank Commonwealth Branch     For monitoring purposes, depositors are requested to send a photo or scanned copy of the deposit slip to padayon@up.edu.ph.  Volunteers may sign-up at http://bit.ly/UPMayon and a confirmation SMS will be sent.  Inquiries can be directed to the UP Resilience Institute via email at resilience.institute@up.edu.ph or via mobile at (0939) 390 4814 and (0975) 851 3046.  The UP Board of Regents, during its 1332nd meeting, formally authorized President Danilo L. Concepcion to mobilize the UP System in helping the communities affected by the eruption of Mount Mayon. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches DRRM handbook – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-drrm-handbook/",
        "html": "UP launches DRRM handbook UP launches DRRM handbook October 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines Padayon Public Service Office and the UP Resilience Institute (RI), together with the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), launched the first Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) handbook for academic institutions on October 24, 2018 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, CSWCD, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Titled “Sakunang Darating, Saklolo’y Tayo Rin”, the book was written and edited by UP’s DRRM experts from various academic disciplines, departments, and campuses.     Former UP President Alfredo Pascual (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Featuring the latest DRRM interventions and lessons gained by members of the University, the book will be useful not only to UP constituents but also to various academic institutions, government offices, organizations, and individuals, according to Professor and former UP President Alfredo Pascual.     Professor Ferdinand Llanes (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Prof. Ferdinand Llanes, editor of the book and founding director of the Padayon Public Service Office, said the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and evidence-based book presents valuable information and lessons based on the authors’ experiences; and that it aims to enhance the preparedness, resiliency, and capabilities of communities during an emergency or disaster situation.     Professor Alfredo Mahar Lagmay (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Prof. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the UP RI, said the book serves as “a guide in building a better, climate resilient, and disaster-free Philippines, with an empowered citizenry working towards genuine development”.     Professor Benito Pacheco (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In closing, Prof. Benito Pacheco, College of Engineering professor and former UPD Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, said DRRM should be taught holistically, more creatively, with a historical perspective, and to more people, not only in UP but to everyone.  (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)      UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (center) and the co-editors and authors of the book, “Sakunang Darating, Saklolo’y Tayo Rin”, witness the unveiling ceremony led by Professors Ferdinand Llanes and Alfredo Pascual. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Co-editors and authors of the book, “Sakunang Darating, Saklolo’y Tayo Rin” (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP joins Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on February 21 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-joins-nationwide-simultaneous-earthquake-drill-on-february-21/",
        "html": "UP joins Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on February 21 UP joins Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on February 21 February 15, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On February 21 (Thursday), the University of the Philippines System will participate in the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) to test the University’s evacuation procedures, communication protocol with the Emergency Operations Center, and the capacity to carry out its first response operations among its faculty, staff, and students as it has done in the past three years.  The drill will simulate a large magnitude earthquake and all constituent universities are encouraged to conduct related activities such as the sounding of an alarm, “duck, cover, and hold” exercise, evacuation and assembly in designated areas, reporting via Incident Command System, and other similar simulations. All units are requested to document their NSED activities and submit to the UP Resilience Institute as the office tasked by the Office of the UP President to coordinate the NSED.  Join the drill on February 21 and use the hashtag #UPShakeDrill to document your NSED activities.  UP Shake Drill Checklists, Guides and Other Reference Materials"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP holds summit on student volunteering and social responsibility – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-holds-summit-on-student-volunteering-and-social-responsibility/",
        "html": "UP holds summit on student volunteering and social responsibility UP holds summit on student volunteering and social responsibility November 24, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For the University of the Philippines (UP), volunteerism is crucial in nurturing civic engagement and strengthening community spirit among UP students and their partners. With COVID-19, students may now organize meaningful volunteering projects with safety and program concerns in place.  The UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Office of Student Financial Assistance, and Ugnayan ng Pahinungod organized the One for All: Summit on Student Volunteering and Social Responsibility on 25 October 2021. The summit determined policies, practices, and other actions that can support the meaningful and safe conduct of volunteering by UP students.  The different CU offices in charge of Student Affairs and Activities participated in the online event with the National Service Training Program (NSTP), National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC), and Ugnayan ng Pahinungod offices across eight CUs. The summit took stock of procedures, protocols, and practices that the CU offices implemented to encourage volunteering and assist student volunteers.  Discussions highlighted areas where Student Affairs, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, NSTP, and NSRC units can work together to nurture volunteerism among UP students even during COVID-19. With many offices supporting student volunteers, the summit presented an opportunity for future joint activities and conversations on student volunteerism and the vocation to serve. "
    },
    {
        "title": "E-AYVP Philippines 2021: ASEAN youth volunteers pursue online training during pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/e-ayvp-philippines-2021-asean-youth-volunteers-pursue-online-training-during-pandemic/",
        "html": "E-AYVP Philippines 2021: ASEAN youth volunteers pursue online training during pandemic E-AYVP Philippines 2021: ASEAN youth volunteers pursue online training during pandemic August 25, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu    The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the schooling of more than 1.6 billion students around the world. Schools remain closed and the youth in more than 33 countries are mandated to stay at home. Almost all learning activities involving the youth have shifted online.  In this light, the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) Secretariat at the University of the Philippines (UP), through the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód / Oblation Corps, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia) through the University Community Transformation Centre (UCTC), and the ASEAN University Network University Social Responsibility & Sustainability (AUN USR&S), in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia, have decided to pursue online trainings in hosting the E-AYVP Philippines 2021 from August 30 to September 17. This year, AYVP features ASEAN-focused webinars and masterclasses that aim to develop youth volunteers to become future leaders of ASEAN.  With the theme of “Strengthening the ASEAN Education Delivery Systems in Challenging Times”, this three-week programme will involve 100 or more youth, ages 18-30 and selected from ASEAN member countries plus three more: China, Japan, and Korea. The volunteers will be trained in skills related to addressing complex challenges faced by the education sector during the pandemic. E-AYVP Philippines 2021 likewise focuses on volunteerism as the youth’s means of engaging their own communities.  The AYVP, now in its ninth year of implementation, features over seven ASEAN-focused online webinars, six project management workshops and 22 masterclasses. Previous programmes were conducted physically in Malaysia (2013 & 2014, 2018 & 2019), Cambodia (2015), the Philippines (2016), and Indonesia (2017) and Malaysia.  E-AYVP Philippines 2021 will support innovative education-based community engagement in providing education services and empowering local communities, by working with government agencies, non-governmental agencies, private companies, social enterprises, and other organizations in the surrounding area. Expert resource persons include representatives from government and international organizations, faculty, and university officials. Topics include: best practices and lessons in addressing gender inequalities; empowering youth on the application of ICTs; enhancing social integration; and, many others related to promoting understanding and awareness of ASEAN identity and ‘unity in diversity’ among the youth.  This year’s e-AYVP Philippines will be using Zoom as the video conferencing application, and the University of the Philippines Open University’s MoDEL (https://model.upou.edu.ph/) Learning Management System (LMS) as the conference platform. Through the platform, the participants will have access to: e-AYVP Philippines 2021 announcements; information about the sessions; assignment and related readings, if any; evaluation forms for every session; copies of the session recordings; and, forums where they can interact with other participants outside of the Zoom session. Creating an account in the platform will also enable them to receive email reminders and other announcements.     Resource persons from the Philippines, including members of the UP community, slated to speak during the e-AYVP 2021. Screenshots from the e-AYVP 2021 information video.     For more information, visit the AYVP website. To register, visit the E-AYVP Online Registration website.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR PAPERS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-asean-university-network-2nd-international-health-promotion-conference/",
        "html": "CALL FOR PAPERS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference CALL FOR PAPERS: ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference February 19, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    ASEAN University Network 2nd International Health Promotion Conference Moving Towards Healthy Universities in Asia August 19-21, 2019 Manila, Philippines  The University of the Philippines hosts the 2nd International ASEAN University Network – Health Promotion Conference this Aug. 20-21, 2019 in Manila. The conference, with its theme of “Moving Towards Healthy Universities in Asia,” aims to highlight the roles of universities in promoting healthy lifestyles and environments with the end-goal of empowering communities to embark on activities and programs that promote health. Success stories and challenges will be presented and strategies discussed in the context of local communities and universities. The conference is open to participants both in the ASEAN region and all over the world. Everyone is invited to join this conference and become active in health promotion in their own communities!  Visit: https://aunhpnmnl2019.wixsite.com/conference For abstract submission: https://aunhpnmnl2019.wixsite.com/conference/abstract-submission For registration: https://aunhpnmnl2019.wixsite.com/conference/registration  Note: Registration fee and payment procedures are still being finalized. You may visit the website for updates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "U.P. to host Thailand’s Angthong College of Dramatic Arts performance on January 22 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/u-p-to-host-thailands-angthong-college-of-dramatic-arts-performance-on-january-22/",
        "html": "U.P. to host Thailand’s Angthong College of Dramatic Arts performance on January 22 U.P. to host Thailand’s Angthong College of Dramatic Arts performance on January 22 January 18, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines will host a free show by Thailand’s Angthong College of Dramatic Arts on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium, College of Music, U.P. Diliman, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. as part of the ongoing celebrations on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and the Philippines.  There will be three short performances by thirty five Thai dancers:  The Pursuit of Supanna Matcha the first number, is an episode from the Khon Thai Masked Dance Drama, in Ramakien or The Thai Ramayana.  The second number, Natnaree Sri Ayothaya is a tribute to the beauty of Thai women and the delicate style of Thai dancing.  Rum Wong, the troupe’s final number, is a slow round dance continuously moving in a circular manner. It incorporates graceful hand movements and simple footwork, and involves the participation of male and female dancers.        The cultural exchange has been made possible with the cooperation of the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, U.P. Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UP-OICA), U.P. College of Arts and Letters (CAL), U.P. College of Mass Communication (UPCMC), U.P. College of Music, and the Royal Thai Embassy, Manila. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[POSTPONED] UP to unveil restored Oblation Plaza – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-unveil-restored-oblation-plaza-postponed/",
        "html": "[POSTPONED] UP to unveil restored Oblation Plaza [POSTPONED] UP to unveil restored Oblation Plaza February 20, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    We regret to inform the public that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the unveiling of the newly-restored Oblation Plaza slated for Saturday, 23 February 2019, at 5:00 PM, has been postponed. The new schedule will be announced soon. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Laurel family presents gift of appreciation to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/laurel-family-presents-gift-of-appreciation-to-up/",
        "html": "Laurel family presents gift of appreciation to UP Laurel family presents gift of appreciation to UP July 5, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     The family of former Philippine President Jose P. Laurel, through G.A. Yupangco & Co., Inc., donated a digital grand piano to the University in appreciation of the contribution of its scholars and experts to the making of the biographical film, Laurel.  The piano has been placed at the lobby of the Plaridel Hall of the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication (UP CMC). Faculty and staff from the different departments of UP CMC collaborated in the writing, production, and release of the film.  The former president’s only living child, Potenciana Laurel-Yupangco, spearheaded the donation. Her late husband, Graciano Araullo Yupangco, established G.A. Yupangco & Co., Inc., which is now headed by their son, Philip. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: University of the Philippines School of Statistics Deanship – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-nominations-university-of-the-philippines-school-of-statistics-deanship/",
        "html": "CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: University of the Philippines School of Statistics Deanship CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: University of the Philippines School of Statistics Deanship August 2, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Search Committee for the UP School of Statistics Deanship shall receive nominations from August 1-7, 2019. Please submit the following documents both in printed form with original signatures and, when appropriate, as soft copies in USB drive:  Nominator/s’ signed nomination letter containing the justification for the nomination. The current contact details of the primary nominator should be included. Nominee’s summarized curriculum vitae in a maximum of three (3) pages. Nominee’s signed letter of acceptance of the nomination, stating willingness to serve as Dean of the UP School of Statistics Nominee’s vision and plans for the School  All letters/nominations shall be addressed to:  Dr. Michael L. Tan Chancellor, University of the Philippines Diliman Nomination- Deanship of the UP School of Statistics  through  Dr. Grace T. Cruz Chair, Search Committee for UP School of Statistics Deanship Room 236, West Wing, Palma Hall, Roxas Ave. corner Roces St., UP Diliman     Who May Nominate: UP School of Statistics faculty, REPS, administrative staff, students and alumni; others from outside the institution, interested candidates     Who May be Nominated: The nominee must possess the following basic qualifications:  Filipino citizenship Commitment to academic freedom and the values and ideals of the university Distinction or outstanding academic credentials in the nominee’s chosen field of expertise which should be along the lines of the School’s disciplines or fields Leadership qualities and administrative or managerial capability Willingness to serve Recognition of resource generation as pivotal role in the job  The nominee need not be a faculty at the time of her/his nomination. Should she/he be appointed, she/he must have a faculty appointment. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOILD sees UPCIS-Ferris University agreement as model for other UP units – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upoild-sees-upcis-ferris-university-agreement-as-model-for-other-up-units/",
        "html": "UPOILD sees UPCIS-Ferris University agreement as model for other UP units UPOILD sees UPCIS-Ferris University agreement as model for other UP units September 6, 2019 | Written by Wystan de la Peña    The cooperation agreement between the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS) and Yokohama’s Ferris University is a model for future schemes with other foreign educational institutions.     UPCIS Welcomes Ferris University guests on 20 August 2019, from left to right: Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Nikki Rae Rallos (UP Diliman), Koto Ransho (Ferris University), Jesse Leigh Morales (UP Diliman), Prof. Chiho Ogaya, Miho Sasaki, Moe Arai (Ferris University), and Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III (UP Diliman).     Prof. Imee Su Martinez, PhD, director of UP Diliman’s Office for International Linkages-Diliman (UPOILD), led UPOILD staff members Aura Carbonilla, International Programs Officer for Student Mobility, and Noelle Rivera, International Programs Officer for Administrative and Legal Matters, in making the observation during a courtesy call-cum-meeting with her counterparts from Ferris University.  Martinez met with Prof. Chiho Ogaya of the Department of Communication Studies, Miho Sasaki, Manager of International Office, and Moe Arai, Chief of International Office, to discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two universities.  Among other things, the meeting discussed the possibility of UP identifying select courses offered in English and a beginner Filipino language course that Japanese students can take in Diliman.  They also explored the need to insert a clause for automatic renewal in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the two universities. The MOA, signed in 2017, is up for renewal in 2021.  The MOA, which provides for students of both universities to visit or study for a year in the partner institution, has allowed select students from the UPCIS-offered GS 197 Special Topics class on Japanese Traditional Performance Practice and members of two Japanese traditional performance groups based at the UPCIS, the UPCIS Noh Ensemble and the UPCIS Bunraku Ensemble, to come to Ferris University every November. Ferris University students come to UP Diliman in February.     UPCIS Welcomes Ferris University guests at the Center by faculty and staff with UP Diliman students and office staff who have formerly participated in the Short-Stay Visit exchange program in Japan, standing, from left to right: Moe Arai (Ferris University), Leo Niel Jasper Sese, Nikki Rae Rallos, Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III, (UP Diliman) and Maria Fe Lafuente; seated, from left to right: Prof. Chiho Ogaya, Miho Sasaki, Koto Ransho (Ferris University), Jesse Leigh Morales and Prof. Wystan de la Pena (UP Diliman).     Grants from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) and UP’s Mobility for Vigor and Excellence (MOVE-UP) provide UP students with the financial subsidy for their visits to Ferris University.  During those visits, the two groups of students tour each other around their campuses, host meals for their visiting counterparts, and discuss contemporary problems confronting their countries and deliberate on possible solutions.  An important highlight of the UP students’ visit to Ferris University is a performance of an excerpt from a Noh play and a Bunraku dance performance before their counterparts, many of whom have yet to watch these two Japanese theater traditions.  In previous visits, Ferris University students expressed admiration for their UP counterparts’ desire to learn about Japanese theater traditions.  Noh is an ancient elite theater tradition in Japan that developed in the 14th century and Bunraku is the traditional puppet theater that began in the 17th century.  UP students receive Noh and Bunraku training from Japanese masters and culture-bearers, respectively, and from a group of Filipino teachers personally taught by these Japanese. During their visits to Japan, students devote part of their time in training sessions with the masters – those in Noh train in Tokyo, while those in Bunraku train on the island of Naoshima.  Ogaya and Umali initiated the idea of short-stay visits in 2009 when Ogaya was still teaching at the Yokohama National University (YNU). They continued the project in Ferris University when Ogaya transferred there. UPCIS has maintained its short-stay visit agreement with YNU.     Ferris University guests stand in front of the Oblation and Quezon hall, from left to right: Moe Arai, Miho Sasaki, and Prof. Chiho Ogaya.     This academic year, both universities are hosting their first exchange student from the partner institution. Jesse Leigh Morales (BA Comparative Literature) is set to leave in end-August for a year’s study at Ferris University. Koto Ransho (BA Global and Intercultural Studies) is currently enrolled in UPD as an exchange student.  Accompanying the visitors from Ferris University during their meeting with Martinez were Assistant Professor Sarah Raymundo, UPCIS Director, Amparo Adelina C. Umali III, UPCIS coordinator for East and Southeast Asia Studies, and the two exchange students.     Meeting at the UPOILD. From left to right (background): Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Aura Carbonilla, Noelle Rivera, Prof. Imee Martinez (UPOILD); (foreground): Moe Arai and Miho Sasaki (Ferris University).     Prior to the meeting with Martinez, the Ferris University guests, accompanied by UPCIS Director Prof. Raymundo, made a courtesy call on UPD Chancellor Michael Tan.     UPCIS pays a courtesy call to the UP Diliman Chancellor with Ferris University guests. From left to right: Chancellor Michael L. Tan (UP Diliman), Moe Arai, Miho Sasaki (Ferris University), and Prof. Sarah Raymundo (UP Diliman).     Earlier, Raymundo, Umali, and faculty affiliate Prof. Wystan de la Peña led representatives from different batches of UP students who participated in the short-visit program in hosting the three visiting Japanese in a Filipino lunch.     UPCIS hosts take their guests out for lunch, from left to right (foreground): Koto Ransho (Ferris University), Jesse Leigh Morales, Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Prof. Wystan de la Pena (UP Diliman); (background): Prof. Chiho Ogaya, Miho Sasaki, Moe Arai (Ferris University), and Prof. Amparo Adelina Umali, III (UP Diliman)."
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: 1st Lockton Philippines Legacy Awards Nationwide Action Research Competition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-entries-1st-lockton-philippines-legacy-awards-nationwide-action-research-competition/",
        "html": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: 1st Lockton Philippines Legacy Awards Nationwide Action Research Competition CALL FOR ENTRIES: 1st Lockton Philippines Legacy Awards Nationwide Action Research Competition September 18, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, Lockton Philippines is proud to launch the 1st Legacy Awards to recognize research initiatives that aim to protect the environment.  As one of the leading employee benefits, insurance, and risk management service providers in the country, Lockton Philippines remains committed to supporting initiatives that advance civic consciousness, sustainable practices, and environmental stewardship. The Legacy Awards aims to gather young, innovative change agents to develop action research proposals that promote the responsible and efficient use of resources and the collaboration among key stakeholders and communities. Aside from cash prizes, Lockton Philippines’ 1st Legacy Awards provides participating student teams the opportunity to see their research proposals come to life, if chosen to be adopted by one of Lockton’s Corporate Partners, thus, truly creating a positive impact on the environment.  University of the Philippines undergraduate students are invited to submit their action research proposals and become active contributors in the promotion of environmental risk management in the country.  See poster for more details:     For downloads:  Application Form Entry Kit Terms and Conditions "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fidel Nemenzo formally invested with UP Diliman chancellorship – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fidel-nemenzo-formally-invested-with-up-diliman-chancellorship/",
        "html": "Fidel Nemenzo formally invested with UP Diliman chancellorship Fidel Nemenzo formally invested with UP Diliman chancellorship June 18, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, along with the rest of the executive staff of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, was formally invested with leadership of the UP constituent university on June 7, 2021, after they took the reins from the administration of Dr. Michael Tan in March last year.  UP President and UP Board of Regents Co-Chair Danilo Concepcion led the investiture ceremonies, titled “Pagpapanday sa Panata at Pagsinta (Forging Vow and Love)”, that turned over symbols of office and authority, the University medallion and mace, to Nemenzo who was elected 11th chancellor of UP Diliman.     UP President Concepcion leads the investiture ceremonies for UP Diliman Chancellor Nemenzo, titled “Pagpapanday sa Panata at Pagsinta (Forging Vow and Love)”. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     After his acceptance, Nemenzo formally swore in his executive staff composed of: Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Maria Theresa Payongayong; Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline Pacia; Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Gonzalo Campoamor; Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido; Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Aleli Bawagan; and, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel Florendo.  Accompanying Nemenzo and serving as witnesses to his investiture were members of his family, Dr. Maria Victoria Raquiza and Julio Anton Mulawin Nemenzo.  In his investiture speech, he spoke of the anchor of his governance, his administration’s response to the pandemic, and his administration’s thrusts of academic excellence, operational efficiency, and the community’s health and well-being.  Having been nurtured by UP Diliman from his childhood to the present, he accepted the call to serve it as “pag-aalay” to the institution. “Everything that we have done in the past year and everything that we plan to do for the rest of my term are anchored on my vision for UP Diliman as a vibrant and diverse academic community, a partner in nation-building, and one which plays a role of social critic through evidence-based scholarship and moral courage,” Nemenzo said.     UPD Chancellor Nemenzo officially swears in his executive staff. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Pandemic response  Barely two weeks into his term, however, he was confronted by the COVID-19 lockdowns. One of his first responses was the formation of a multidisciplinary task force which meets once a week to plan, implement, and update the University’s pandemic response. The administration provided accommodation to its frontliners, strengthened the University Health Service, and provided free testing and facilities for quarantine, testing, and vaccination.  “Today I am proud to say that we have put into practice what I had envisioned for UP in the context of the pandemic: to make our University an academic center of excellence providing an interdisciplinary hub that works with government, industry, and civil society in protecting the UP Diliman community and our people’s health,” Nemenzo said.  With the sudden shift to remote learning, UP Diliman strengthened its University Virtual Learning Environment, crafted guidelines, and conducted webinars to help the students and faculty cope. “We saw this as an opportunity to reimagine our classrooms and learning spaces as social laboratories to innovate and test new ideas mindful of the principles of inclusivity and compassion. . . . This remains an ongoing challenge,” Nemenzo pointed     UP Diliman Chancellor Nemenzo delivers his investiture speech. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Academic excellence  Beyond the pandemic, a major thrust of the UP Diliman administration is the strengthening of the General Education Program. It aims “to equip students with imaginative and critical faculties that will enable them to deal with complexity and change and provide them the cultural and ethical moorings in this fast-changing world”.  Nemenzo spoke of launching a tri-college PhD program for Data Science and Analytics; and of establishing a Data Commons, which is a computing hub, data repository, and archives to serve the entire UP System.  He also envisioned greater collaboration with other state universities and colleges in developing disciplines such as space engineering.     UP President Concepcion join UPD Chancellor Nemenzo and his executive team onstage. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO     Operational efficiency  “Key to our efforts toward operational efficiency is the development and integration of various data management systems,” Nemenzo said. He announced the recent launch of a human resources information system called PUSO or Personnel Unified System Outlook and a similar system for finance offices.  He reported the launch of at least two online platforms for consultations between the administration and individual constituents.  To encourage research, creative work, and publications, his administration was working on easing the procurement process, and providing additional support staff, mechanisms, and incentives, he said.  “We have been training our staff to improve processes and procedures,” Nemenzo added.     UP officials sing the “UP Naming Mahal” at the close of the investiture ceremonies. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Health, environment, nation  Another major thrust of his administration is the health and wellbeing of the community. “I have created a task force that will integrate our University health and wellbeing services and programs from medical services to psychosocial support, from prevention to treatment, whether for the sick, the vulnerable, or for the well,” Nemenzo said.  “One of my priority programs for UP Diliman is to turn the campus into a safe, smart, resilient, sustainable campus,” he said. On environmental sustainability, Nemenzo spoke of the transformation of the campus into an incubator of environment-friendly practices.  For nation-building, he formed a multidisciplinary team “to hold policy dialogues and bring UP expertise to bear on the key policy areas that will shape the national conversation leading up to the 2022 national elections”.  He also reaffirmed his administration’s defense of academic freedom, an essential element, he said, for UP’s dual role of knowledge producer and social critic.  Prior to chancellorship, Nemenzo, a professor of Mathematics specializing in Number Theory, served as UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development. He was a student of UP Diliman from pre-school to college. Nemenzo is also known for having been a musician, an activist and a runner.     Chancellor Nemenzo and his family, UP NCPAG Associate Professor Marivic Raquiza, Ph.D., and UP School of Economics alumnus Anton Nemenzo. Photo by the UP Diliman Information Office.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lost Password ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?action=lostpassword",
        "html": "UP System Website  Please enter your username or email address. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.  Username or Email Address   Log in  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Taiwan HEIs continue exploring collaborations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-taiwan-heis-continue-exploring-collaborations/",
        "html": "UP, Taiwan HEIs continue exploring collaborations UP, Taiwan HEIs continue exploring collaborations February 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In continuing exploration of possible collaborations between southern Taiwan universities and the University of the Philippines, a Taiwanese delegation composed of university, government, and industry representatives met with top UP officials on February 4, 2018 at the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Southern Taiwan universities and the UP System began actively pursuing system-wide linkages in April 2016, under the administration of President Alfredo Pascual; and the most recent meeting signified a seamless continuation of the efforts into the administration of President Danilo Concepcion.  The Taiwanese delegation, led by Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Executive Director Eing-Ming Wu, chair professor of Shu-Te University, met with UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, who represented Concepcion, Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs for Internationalization Gil Jacinto.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa answer most of the delegation’s inquiries. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The delegates included representatives from Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Education, the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Chang Jung Christian University, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Chung Hsing University, National Kaohsiung Normal University, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, National Taitung University, Shiu Chien University, Shu-Te University, St. John’s University, Tamkang University, Tungfang Design University, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Center for Jewelry Company, the Formosa Social Development Institute, Hamastar Technology Co. Ltd, and Pretty Lady Co. Ltd.  Bautista highlighted the resurgence of academic exchange under mutual thrusts to internationalize and uplift regional human capital; and now, with industry expressing interest and efforts to directly impact on the economy through partnerships among universities, cities, and industry. The efforts will involve the Philippine National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association program. Visits to these Philippine agencies were next in the delegates’ itinerary.  In the short time since formal partnerships began in May 2016, 13 active memorandums of agreement have been forged between UP and southern Taiwan universities. Eight UP faculty members are now taking graduate studies in Taiwan. In UP Cebu, a Masters course is jointly delivered with Shu-Te University. In November 2017, academic cooperation between UP and the Taiwan Strategic Alliance for Colleges of Education and Humanity/National Taiwan University System was formalized.     The Taiwanese delegates, economic and cultural officials, and UP officials give the thumbs up sign for UP at the Oblation Plaza, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Among the proposals forwarded at the last meeting was the establishment of a one-stop shop to facilitate a more targeted matching of academic offerings and demands between Philippine and Taiwan universities; and pursuit of more twin, joint, dual-degree, or sandwich academic programs. Immediately, UP, CHED, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices in both countries can sit down for strategic planning to catalyze more and affordable academic exchange. Academic exchange could also include Philippine undergraduate students, who may have the budget for studies abroad in the wake of the legislated free tuition.  A Taiwanese industry representative cited the suitability of UP as a technology demonstration site. (Jo Lontoc, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s call for the midyear–“Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo!” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-call-for-the-midyear-isko-iska-break-muna-tayo/",
        "html": "UP’s call for the midyear–“Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo!” UP’s call for the midyear–“Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo!” August 12, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    After a long, tiring academic year of remote learning and none of the fun college life on campus they had before the pandemic, students across the University of the Philippines (UP) System deserve a break. But then, who says UP’s online events and activities can’t be fun and creative? UP students may now be able to cross the distance between the campuses and meet their peers.  For this mid-year break 2021, UP has launched the “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students”.  Through this initiative, students across all UP constituent universities and campuses sustain their creative and critical thinking skills and get to know one another during the midyear break, despite the pandemic.     Screenshot of the launch by UPMPRO.     The official virtual launch of the midyear-long event was held on August 11, and can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  Intended for the engagement and participation of students in all UP constituent units, the “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo” midyear event will feature online and interactive games and contests, online musical and artistic performances, speech competitions, digital video competitions, training webinars on wellness and mindfulness—for UP students, and by UP students.  “Kahit na nasa gitna tayo ng isang pandaigdigang krisis, ipagpapatuloy pa rin natin ang paglikha ng mga bagong karanasan habang pinananatili nating ligtas ang ating mga sarili at kapaligiran mula sa pandemyang ito [Even if we are in the middle of a global crisis, we will continue creating new experiences while keeping ourselves and our environment safe in this pandemic],” UP President Danilo Concepcion said during the launch. “Ikinagagalak kong anyayahan kayo na maging bahagi ng kauna-unahang UP System-wide na proyektong inaasahan nating magbubuklod sa mga miyembro ng ating klase, organisasyon, komunidad, kampus, at sa buong sangka-UP-han [It is my pleasure to invite you to be part of the first UP System-wide project that we hope will draw together the members of our classes, organizations, communities, campuses, and the entire UP community].”  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pemia, in her welcome remarks, expressed her hope that the “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students” would be the start of a new UP System-wide tradition.  The launching ceremony also featured the head organizers from four major competitions within the “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo” midyear event: Prof. Raul Navarro of the UP College of Music, who invited choirs across the UP System to participate in the 3rd Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition; Prof. Jocelyn Pinzon of the UP Cebu College of Communication, who invited UP students to cosplay as their favorite Philippine historical and folkloric characters and join the competition held as part of the quincentennial commemoration of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world and the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan; Prof. Mary Katherine Cabral of the UP College of Music, who plugged the Unibersipop Songwriting Competition 2021, which is open to all current UP students at any level; and, Sheila Samoza of the UP Kalipunan ng Mag-aaral sa Kasaysayan, Hinz Benedict Caaya of UPV Kamaragtas, and Carlos Joaquin R. Tabalon of UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan unan ng Mag-aaral sa Kasaysayan for Sabat it Katutubo: Makabagong Sining sa Makasaysayang Kaganapan, a digital poster-making competition open to all students, faculty and staff across the UP System, based on concepts emerging from the celebration of the quincentennial anniversary.     The student-representatives of UP Kalipunan ng Mag-aaral sa Kasaysayan, UPV Kamaragtas, and UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan unan ng Mag-aaral sa Kasaysayan announcing the Sabat it Katutubo: Makabagong Sining sa Makasaysayang Kaganapan digital poster-making contest. Screenshot of the launch by UPMPRO.     Finally, UP Special Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs Jonalou Labor and UP Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo reiterated the invitation to all UP students to participate in the University’s newest midyear event. The “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo” launch was capped by a stirring rendition of the “UP Naming Mahal” by the ConChords.  UP student organizations can submit proposals for their own ideas for events and competitions. All participants are UP students of all levels, from the high schools to the graduate level. Proposals can be submitted here.  UP students are also invited to keep informed on the contests, workshops, and events under the “Isko, Iska, Break Muna Tayo: Midyear Competitions and Workshops for UP Students”.     The ConChords do the “Unibersidad ng Pilipinas” cheer. Screenshot by UPMPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP joins nationwide earthquake drill – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-joins-nationwide-earthquake-drill/",
        "html": "UP joins nationwide earthquake drill UP joins nationwide earthquake drill February 26, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Occupants of Palma Hall Pavilions and nearby buildings simulate converging at the designated evacuation area on the site of the old Faculty Center. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     In all the campuses of UP in the country, designated open spaces were filled with people rushing out of buildings in a “duck, cover, and hold” scenario shortly after alarms sounded at 2:15 PM, February 21, 2019. A large magnitude earthquake had supposedly just struck.  In UP Diliman, a communications center was organized under a tent on the basketball court of the UP Diliman Police headquarters. Two tables, chairs, and a white board were immediately set up; while a group of officers posted themselves on site with two-way radios. Soon, they were receiving radio reports from more than 250 deployed SSB (Special Services Brigade) operatives, security guards, and other police officers, whose jobs required them to be equipped with the communications device. On the white board, the receiving officers tallied reports on the number of “evacuees” and “casualties” in what is called a command post exercise for communications. On that day, it reported around 11,000 drill participants from more than 70 buildings on the Diliman campus.     Police and security operatives at the Emergency Communications Center in the UP Diliman Police headquarters receive and tally radio reports from the different campus buildings. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     A task force member keeps tallies at the Emergency Communications Center in the UP Diliman Police headquarters for the campus-wide earthquake drill. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     In the UP Vanguard headquarters on the same campus, a contingent from the Campus Maintenance Office simulated a road blockage scenario. Several buildings simulated medical emergency response situations. Personnel from the UP Diliman Health Service responded in Melchor Hall.  Similar drills were performed in the rest of the UP System.     Emergency Response in cooperation with UP Los Baños University Police Force and Los Baños Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. Photo courtesy of UP Los Baños Office of Public Relations.     Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill at UP Visayas New Administration Building Miagao Campus. Photo courtesy of UP Visayas Information and Publications Office     UP thus joined the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). In UP Diliman, the drill was led by Chief Security Office (CSO) John Baroña.  Preparedness was reinforced by checklists, guides, and other reference materials provided to each participant unit by the UP Resilience Institute led by Dr. Mahar Lagmay. Using these materials, the institute coordinated the NSEDs in the UP System and would assess the preparedness of the UP System for disaster scenarios based on reports from the constituent universities.     Dr. Mahar Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute briefs members of the UP Medical Alumni Society in America on evacuating the Board of Regents Room on top of Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Earlier, the Office of the UP President, represented by Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, enjoined all constituent universities and the Philippine General Hospital to conduct the drill to simulate response to a large-magnitude earthquake. They were encouraged to conduct activities such as the sounding of an alarm, “duck, cover, and hold” exercises, evacuation and assembly in designated areas, reporting via Incident Command System, and other similar simulations.     Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia and Atty. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion practice “duck, cover, and hold” while attending an event in the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Alumni attending an event in the UP Board of Regents Room, UP Diliman evacuate the premises during the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     More photos:  Occupants of Palma Hall, UP Diliman simulate evacuation to a designated area at the AS Parking Lot. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Students and faculty members take a break from their classes to simulate evacuation during a large magnitude earthquake. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP Los Baños constituents participate in the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill. Photo courtesy of Mark Jayson E. Gloria, UP Los Baños Office of Public Relations"
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for PGH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-donations-personal-protective-equipment-for-pgh/",
        "html": "Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for PGH Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for PGH March 15, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMASA to assist UPLB Infirmary, PGH Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmasa-to-assist-uplb-infirmary-pgh-diliman/",
        "html": "UPMASA to assist UPLB Infirmary, PGH Diliman UPMASA to assist UPLB Infirmary, PGH Diliman May 21, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     When a delegation from the University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America (UPMASA) visited President Danilo L. Concepcion on February 21 at the Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, proposals of assistance for the improvement of facilities in the UP Los Baños Health Service or Infirmary, and support for the planned establishment of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in UP Diliman were discussed.  Concepcion expressed his desire to strengthen the UPLB Infirmary since it is the nearest government health facility in that part of Laguna that caters to thousands of patients, where minor surgical operations are also performed, especially for caesarean section (CS) births and other emergency cases. He lamented the worn out facilities for surgery, lack of equipment such as for CT scans, and limited accommodation for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients.  The doctors from UPMASA offered to help upgrade UPLB’s operating room. Donation of an operating microscope was also mentioned.  Concepcion updated the delegation on the planned establishment of a PGH-Diliman which has already been started, with the Php 50 million feasibility study to be done by the end of July this year. This is projected to be a Php 6 billion project, a 1,400-bed hospital, comparable with the country’s most modernized hospitals. Two more UP hospitals are also to be built, one in Clark, Pampanga and one in Los Baños, Laguna.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Concepcion pledged to support and expand the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the volunteer office of UP, to help students in provinces receive UP-quality education and for more people in marginalized areas to receive educational and medical services.  Dr. Eric S.M. Talens, director of the UP Manila Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, affirmed this by saying the office conducts at least one major mission every month, through a network of dedicated volunteers.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UPMASA members also discussed with Concepcion how UP can resolve the challenges they face in the process of sending donations from the US to UP. Concepcion said he will look into the issues involving these.  Concepcion was with Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa, Vice-President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, and Atty. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion. Talens was with fellow UPMASA members, namely: Val Dolorico, Gela Dolorico, Dulce Bautista Mangaser, Anacleto “Jun” Mangaser, Filo Dalope, Manny Dalope, Jean Dy, Manning Dy, Alex Faves, Anita Faves, Solita Canard, Mody Rivera, Manny Rivera, Ave Pino, Zeny Lat, Iman Lat, and Zacharias Asuncion.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UPMASA is comprised of graduates from the UP College of Medicine (UPCM) who have trained or worked in North America. It is one of the most outstanding organizations of UP alumni known for supporting UP Manila through scholarships, endowments, expertise, and conducting medical missions to marginalized communities in the Philippines. Recently, it supported the modernization of 500 beds and the needs of indigent patients of PGH, and raised funds for the construction of the new building and dormitory of UPCM in Manila. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CMC honors its best graduates in 2018 Glory Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cmc-honors-its-best-graduates-in-2018-glory-awards/",
        "html": "UP CMC honors its best graduates in 2018 Glory Awards UP CMC honors its best graduates in 2018 Glory Awards October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The 2018 Glory Awardees pose for a photograph. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The lives and careers of twelve distinguished alumni of the UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) were honored with the 2018 Glory Awards on October 6, 2018 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni. The recipients of the awards are chosen from alumni of the College who have made significant contributions in its four core disciplines: broadcasting, communication research, film, and journalism; or in allied communication fields.  The Glory Awards are named after the College’s first dean, Gloria D. Feliciano, who shepherded the program from 1965 to her retirement in 1985. Awardees are chosen by a panel of jurors composed of leading figures in the communication industry and are judged for their contributions to and impact on the domains of knowledge, leadership and social responsibility within their specializations.  The 2018 Awardees are, in no order: Pedro “Boo” Chanco, III of the Philippine Star; Dolores F. Cheng, founder of the Center for Possibilities Foundation; Cecilia Victoria “Ces” Drilon of the ABS-CBN Lifestyle Ecosystem Group; ABS-CBN Chief of Staff Florida “Linggit” Tan-Marasigan; Jose Ramon D. Olives, former Strategy and Business Development head of ABS-CBN; GMA Network Entertainment Group Senior Vice President Lilybeth G. Rasonable; GMA First Vice President for News Mary Grace Dela Peña-Reyes; Luz Rimban of the Asian Center for Journalism and VERA Files; Film Director and Producer Chito S. Roño; ABS-CBN Middle East Correspondent Michelle Fe “Maxxy” Santiago; ABS-CBN News Deputy Editor for Multimedia Fernando G. Sepe, Jr.; and, digital media and measurement expert, Beth Uyenco.     GMA 7’s Lilybeth Rasonable (in black) receives her award from the UP CMC Alumni Association’s Malou Choa-Fagar, UP CMC Dean Elena Pernia, UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Many of the awardees credited their alma mater for empowering them to become capable professionals. Lilybeth Rasonable, for instance, who is behind TV hits like My Husband’s Lover, said the University taught her to excel and “rise above the noise”. She said that it has been fulfilling to subsequently open the minds and hearts of GMA’s viewers, while also educating them through the LGBT-centered themes of the aforementioned show, and through historical or women-empowering soaps like Encantadia and Amaya.  This sentiment was echoed by Luz Rimban of VERA Files, who noted how her education, family and friends had helped her through tough times as a journalist. “Every day you live with bad news,” she said. “From crimes to catastrophes and corrupt politicians who, even when straight-faced, lie. And you know that they’re lying”.     Luz Rimban of VERA Files talks about the pleasures and challenges of being a journalist. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “So why are we here, why do we do this? “, Rimban asked. “In this day and age, in these dark moments, we are the eyes and the ears of the people. We are the voice of the powerless and the silenced. Let us be a light in these dark times”.  The Glory Awards also served as a tribute to the life of the late Maryo J. delos Reyes, a two-time CMC Alumni Association president. Some of the film and TV director’s favorite songs were performed by singer-actress Isabelle de Leon, actor Ruru Madrid, balladeer Steven Paysu and recording artist Raymond Lauchengco. (Andre Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pernia sworn in as VP for Public Affairs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pernia-sworn-in-as-vp-for-public-affairs/",
        "html": "Pernia sworn in as VP for Public Affairs Pernia sworn in as VP for Public Affairs January 25, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP President Danilo Concepcion swears in Dr. Elena Pernia as VP for Public Affairs. Joining her are her husband (rightmost), Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, their daughter-in-law Jonah de Lumen-Pernia, and their grandchildren Juan Lorenzo and Alexa Luna. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Diliman College of Mass Communication Dean Elena “Neny” Pernia took her oath as VP for Public Affairs on January 25 at the office of UP President Danilo Concepcion. She succeeds Dr. Jose Dalisay Jr., who retired on January 15. Pernia’s appointment as VP was effective January 16.     The new VP and her family pose for photos with the UP President after the oathtaking. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Pernia signs her oath of office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left to right: Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara, Executive VP Teodoro Herbosa, President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, NEDA Secretary Ernesto Pernia, VP for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo, VP for Development Elvira Zamora, and VP for Administration Nestor Yunque. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Pernia’s CMC colleagues join her after she took her oath of office. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Pernia is a member of the Department of Communication Research with a rank of Professor 12. She has over 20 years of experience in communication/media education, research, planning and evaluation.  Her highly distinguished academic career focuses on capacity-building of students, local governments, health professionals, and civil society organizations to design, implement, and evaluate their own communication programs.  She has authored several books, including Communication Research in the Philippines: Issues and Methods, which has become a standard textbook in research classes in several universities. Her research efforts cross various fields, including effectiveness of educational television programs, science communication, and news diversity.  Pernia was a board member of the Social Science Division of the National Research Council of the Philippines and the International Communication Association. She was also part of the editorial board of the Communications Review of the University for Asia and the Pacific. From June 2012 to June 2016, she was the Readers’ Advocate at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.  In 2015, Pernia received the Communication Excellence in Organization Award.     After the seriousness of an oathtaking ceremony, Pernia gamely smiles for the camera with her daughter-in-law Jonah and granddaughter Luna. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Pernia surrounded by well-wishers. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fsample-post-title-1%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO weaves music through a children’s story in an upcoming concert, “Kathang Likas” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-weaves-music-through-a-childrens-story-in-an-upcoming-concert-kathang-likas/",
        "html": "UPSO weaves music through a children’s story in an upcoming concert, “Kathang Likas” UPSO weaves music through a children’s story in an upcoming concert, “Kathang Likas” October 19, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This October, the University of the Philippines (UP) Symphony Orchestra reaches out to the young and the young at heart with a 45-minute animated production, “Kathang Likas.”  Featuring an original children’s story written by Charley Magalit, “Kathang Likas” takes us on an adventure with Lupa the Carabao, Dagat the Turtle, and Langit the Eagle. Charming illustrations by Nina Martinez, expertly animated by Neal Andrew Lim and set to music, tell the sad tale of the deteriorating habitats of Philippine endangered species. The lasting effects of this destruction will not only be felt by the animals but by our children and us. But hope is not all lost as the concert ends on a high note, sharing the things we can do to help reverse this situation.  Magalit, the production’s writer, director, and narrator is a versatile singer-actress, comfortably moving between musical theatre and opera. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of the Philippines College of Music in Diliman, where she majored in vocal performance and pedagogy. She worked for the Walt Disney Company Cruise Line and as a lead vocalist in Hong Kong Disneyland. While in Hong Kong, she also performed with the Hong Kong Opera Society as one of their soloists. She took her Masters in Music Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama under the University of London and graduated with distinction. Shortly after graduation, she made her debut during the national tour of “Cat in The Hat,” where she captivated different generations in the audience all over the United Kingdom. She was last seen on stage for the UK tour of “Amélie the Musical,” where she was the cover for the title role.  Skillfully performed by the UP Symphony Orchestra, the production’s wide range of featured music includes Peter Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, Francis Poulenc’s The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, Joey Ayala’s Manong Pawikan, Jose Estella’s Ang Maya, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. Each piece, virtually led by conductor Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo, was deftly woven into the storyline, creating a unique blend and flow of music.  “Kathang Likas” premieres on the orchestra’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page on Friday, October 29 at 7 pm, and will be available for viewing until November 6. While waiting, all kids (and kids at heart) are encouraged to color the Kathang Likas Coloring Pages and upload pictures of themselves on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #kathanglikas for a chance to be featured on the orchestra’s social media platforms! The orchestra also accepts all types of video questions from kids about music or the orchestra, more details of which can be found here.  Tagged as the orchestra for the people or Orkestra ng Bayan, the UP Symphony Orchestra was approved by the University of the Philippines Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018. The orchestra embodies the University’s commitment to excellence and is the brainchild of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Its main functions are to be a repertory orchestra for musicians, a laboratory orchestra for Filipino composers, and a training orchestra for young conductors. You may contact them at any of their social media platforms or at info.upsymphonyorchestra@up.edu.ph.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s ode to joy: The UP Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the UP Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-ode-to-joy-the-up-symphony-orchestra-performs-beethovens-ninth-symphony-for-the-up-community/",
        "html": "UP’s ode to joy: The UP Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the UP Community UP’s ode to joy: The UP Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the UP Community December 12, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The UP Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on December 7 at the Abelardo Hall in honor of the great composer’s 250th birth anniversary. A second performance—free for the UP Community—will be held on December 12 at the UP Amphitheater. Photo by the UP Symphony Orchestra from the UPSO’s Facebook page     In 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born and baptized in Bonn, in the Holy Roman Empire. He would grow up to become one of the greatest composers of all time.  In 2020, the world will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. In anticipation of this, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), under the musical direction of Prof. Josefino “Chino” Toledo, the chairperson of the Department of Composition and Theory, UP College of Music, held its run-up to Beethoven’s birth anniversary with “Canticles of Joy: Proclaiming the Joy of the Season with the Complete Monumental Beethoven Symphony No. 9 and the Works of Prokofiev and Alcala”, which was held on December 7, 2019 at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium.     The UPSO performing in “Canticles of Joy” in the Abelardo Hall Auditorium. Photo by the UP Symphony Orchestra from the UPSO’s Facebook page     “Canticles of Joy” was a massive production organized by the UPSO, the UP College of Music and the UP Office of the President. It is a fitting tribute to the composer who created the iconic symphony, also known as “Ode to Joy” after the poetic fourth and final movement. Aside from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the UPSO also performed “Troika” from Sergei Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite, and the Magi’s Journey (Composer’s Notes) by Nilo Alcala, then led the audience in singing four traditional Christmas carols after the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.  With members of the UPSO hailing from various UP constituent units, the production was a UP System-wide collaboration. Aside from the UPSO, the performers included four vocal soloists: soprano Angeli Benipayo, mezzo-soprano Michelle Mariposa, tenor Malvin Macasaet, and baritone Jeconiah Retulla; as well as four UP choirs in the chorus: the UP Madrigal Singers, led by conductor Prof. Mark Anthony Carpio; the UP Concert Chorus, led by Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama; the UP Singing Ambassadors, headed by Dr. Ed Manguiat; and the UP Staff Choral Society, headed by Mr. Chris M. Reyes. Joining the chorus were UP College of Music students from the chorus classes of Prof. Aracama, Prof. Carpio and Prof. Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng.     With the chorus in the back, the soloists perform for the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 [from left to right]: Jec Retulla, baritone; Malvin Macasaet, tenor ; Michelle Mariposa, mezzo-soprano; and Angeli Benipayo, soprano. Photo by the UP Symphony Orchestra from the UPSO’s Facebook page     And while “Canticles of Joy” had limited seating due to its venue, this performance of what could be considered Beethoven’s grandest opus will be offered for free to the UP community and the greater public in an open-air concert dubbed “Liwanag ng Pasko sa [Ka]Diliman: Musikang Handog ng Orkestra ng Bayan”. This free concert, organized by the UP Office of the President, the UP Diliman Office of the Chancellor and the UP College of Music, will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, 6:00 p.m., at the University Amphitheater. It will feature Jourdann Petalver as pianist and Lara Maigue as singer. In addition, the performing choirs, which will include the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, will serenade the audience with their own spot musical numbers.     Photo from the UPSO Facebook page     Ang Orkestra ng Bayan  The performance of this classical opus marks the UPSO’s second Christmas offering to the UP Community. Tagged as the Orkestra ng Bayan, the UPSO was established by the UP Board of Regents as the official UP System-wide orchestra in its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018.  “For us, the UPSO, this is going to be our first complete symphony performed,” Prof. Toledo said in an interview during rehearsals at Abelardo Hall for the “Canticles of Joy”. “The UPSO was started only a year ago, so it’s a rather young orchestra. In spite of that, we’re trying to do a big piece of work ,” he added. Of course, being a young orchestra does not mean the UPSO is short of talent, brilliance, and experience in handing complex musical works. “Challenge-wise, we’ve played more difficult pieces; so we’re used to performing complex musical works. But it’s always different. We’re going to perform a longer piece of work, so it’s a little harder in terms of the clean-up of lines, in terms of narrative. But in terms of complexity, we’ve performed many, more complex pieces before.”     The UPSO during rehearsals for “Canticles of Joy.” Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     For Prof. Toledo, the UPSO’s function is three-fold: “One is to promote Filipino music, especially composition that’s written by UP composers. And this is going to be a laboratory orchestra of young conductors, and a repertory orchestra of the musicians. The problem is, when musicians go to bigger orchestras, even here and abroad, they need to have a certain amount of training and repertoire familiarity, so I think we can provide that kind of solution to that very big gap.” The UPSO maintains a roster of 65 members exclusively from within the UP Community, including alumni, students, faculty and staff from all UP campuses. Aside from providing the training ground for both composers and musicians, the UPSO serves as a representative not only of the University, but also of the country on the worldwide stage. The UPSO aims to mount at least six major concerts in every season.  Ode to Joy  Since it was first performed on May 7, 1824, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been considered one of the best known works in common practice music, one of the greatest achievements in western music history, and one of the most often performed and recognizable symphonies in the world. “This is something that we don’t get to perform often,” said Prof. Mark Carpio.  “It’s also a rest from the annual performance of  Handel’s Messiah, so this is something new to the ears. And we believe it’s something that everybody should listen to at least once in their lives,” Carpio added.     The chorus waiting for their turn to sing during rehearsals for “Canticles of Joy.” Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is also significant in other ways. It is longer and more complex than any symphony to date, and requires a larger orchestra. It is also the first “choral symphony”, and Beethoven the first major composer to incorporate voices in the final movement, with four vocal soloists and a chorus singing the words of Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy”.  “It’s always challenging to make several choirs sing together, because when several choirs join together, it becomes a totally new choir,” said Carpio. “We have more than a hundred singers and we are only given a few rehearsals with the orchestra.”  Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama also considers the piece itself challenging. “It’s really so wide, and while we are all talented here in UP, we also have many young singers in the choirs, so their vocal ranges are being somewhat stretched. But they are very diligent in studying the pieces, so I think we will overcome,” she added with a smile.  UP College of Music Dean La Verne C. de la Peña notes that the musical performance is a labor of love for the musicians and production crew involved. “We are self-funded. Of course, the UP Symphony Orchestra is receiving funding from the UP System, but that’s only good for the musicians’ allowances.” Not included are the meals for the musicians, chorus members and production crew for every rehearsal, which Dean de la Peña considers the biggest challenge. Another challenge? “Looking for time to rehearse, because rehearsals and the performance also coincide with Hell Week, the Music students’ recitals and all that. So you can imagine how challenging it is for many of our students.” And because the Symphony also includes people from other campuses, some coming from UP Manila or as far away as UP Los Baños,  attending rehearsals means braving the horrendous Metro Manila traffic, going home late, then having to wake up early the next day to go to work or to class. “This is the life of a musician in our Community,” de la Peña remarked.     UP College of Music Dean Verne de la Peña giving a few words during “Canticles of Joy.” Photo by the UP Symphony Orchestra from the UPSO’s Facebook page     A joyful offering for Christmas  But for the performers and audience members alike, these sacrifices are well worth it the instant the majestic strains of Beethoven’s opus fill the air. As Carpio put it: “This work has a nickname, which is ‘Ode to Joy’, and it is about finding joy in everything that we do, and especially in uniting everyone.”  This December musical concert “is an annual offering that we do at the College of Music,” said Dean La de la Peña. “We used to present Handel’s Messiah, but now we’re trying a new thing because for one, it’s Beethoven’s 250th birth anniversary. The nice thing about Beethoven is, unlike the Messiah, which is really more sectarian, the message of ‘Ode to Joy’ is more inclusive, more universal.”     Photo from the UPSO Facebook page     “Canticles of Joy” is also the UP College of Music’s final offering for the Abelardo Hall Concert Series, or the AHA Concert Series, for 2019. “I think we had about six offerings for the first semester of 2019, and about six as well from January; so this closes the season,” Dean De la Peña said.  “Also, the UPSO is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Their very first concert was also last year around this time; so we’re very excited about how the UPSO has developed, and it’s really attracting a lot of audiences. All of the UPSO’s performances are always sold out, just like this concert is sold out.”  He invites everyone to come to the free, open-air concert, “Liwanang ng Pasko sa [Ka]Diliman”, on December 12, to be held the day before the UP Lantern Parade. “We did this last year, too. This is the new tradition we are establishing for the UP community: An open-air concert for the entire UP. We’re very excited about that as well.”  He also announced more productions from the Abelardo Hall Concert Series and from the UPSO in the coming year. “The UPSO has a lot of plans for next year. They have standing invitations to China and to the Middle East, and of course, we are going to the different UP campuses, to UP Mindanao in February and probably UP Baguio sometime after,” he said.  As for the AHA Concert Series, Dean De la Peña said that the UP College of Music can still do around six concerts for the second semester, from January to May 2020, before the much-needed renovations on the Abelardo Hall Auditorium begin in earnest. “So look forward to that,” he finished with a smile.     Maestro Chino Toledo rehearsing with the UP Symphony Orchestra for the December 12 performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, dubbed “Liwanag ng Pasko sa [Ka]Diliman: Musikang Handog ng Orkestra ng Bayan.” Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO and the UP Madz to honor those who have passed on in “Remembrances” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-and-the-up-madz-to-honor-those-who-have-passed-on-in-remembrances/",
        "html": "UPSO and the UP Madz to honor those who have passed on in “Remembrances” UPSO and the UP Madz to honor those who have passed on in “Remembrances” November 19, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office     Christmas is nearly upon us, but before we dive into the festivities of the season, we look back and remember the lives of those who have gone ahead, celebrating them whom we hold in our hearts.  To honor those who have passed on, especially during this pandemic, the University of the Philippines (UP) Symphony Orchestra and the UP Madrigal Singers come together on November 26, 2021, to perform the Philippine premiere of the monumental Camille Saint-Saëns’ Messe de Requiem, Op. 54. Soprano Bianca Lopez-Aguila, mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Jimenez, tenor Ervin Lumauag, and bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca will join them in offering this mass for the dead.  Saint-Saëns composed the Requiem in 1878 in memory of his dear friend and patron, Albert Libon. This performance of the UP Symphony Orchestra and the UP Madrigal Singers is relevant not only for being the first performance of this composition in the Philippines but also for marking the centennial death anniversary of the composer this year.  The UP Madrigal Singers  Recognized by the UNESCO as Artists for Peace for “putting their fame and influence to promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace,” the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers is one of the most awarded choral groups in the world, having won all the top prizes in most of the world’s prestigious choral competitions, including the Grand Prix in the 2016 Concurso Internazionale di Guido d’ Arezzo in Arezzo, Italy. They are the first choir in the world to win the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice (1997 and 2007) and the first Asian choir to be accorded the BrandLaureate Premiere Award by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (2012).  Founded in 1963 by National Artist for Music, Professor Andrea O. Veneracion, the UP Madrigal Singers, now under designated successor Mark Anthony Carpio, demonstrate that choral music can be socially relevant and transformational every day. They have continued to touch the hearts and souls of those who come to their performances and have carried on various programs to nurture and develop future generations of conductors and choral singers worldwide.  The soloists for the evening (left to right): Jacqueline Jimenez, Enrico Lagasca, Bianca Lopez-Aguila, Ervin Lumauag.  Soloists Lopez-Aguila, Jimenez, Lumauag, and Lagasca once shared a seat in the semi-circle the Madz is known for. As alumni of the choir, they continue sharing their soulful voices as soloists despite their successful individual careers within and outside the Philippines.  At its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents approved the foundation of the UP Symphony Orchestra. Tagged as the orchestra for the people or Orkestra ng Bayan, the orchestra embodies the University’s commitment to excellence and is the brainchild of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Its main functions are to be a repertory orchestra for musicians, a laboratory orchestra for Filipino composers, and a training orchestra for young conductors.  Ang Orkestra ng Bayan, the UP Symphony Orchestra.  “Remembrances” premieres on November 26, 2021 at 7pm on the orchestra Facebook page and YouTube channel and will be available until December 5, 2021.  You may contact the UP Symphony Orchestra at any of their social media platforms or via email: info.upsymphonyorchestra@up.edu.ph, and the UP Madrigal Singers thru their website PhilippineMadrigalSingers.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“CHOPIN: BEFORE and BEYOND” ends Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 1 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chopin-before-and-beyond-ends-abelardo-hall-concert-series-season-1/",
        "html": "“CHOPIN: BEFORE and BEYOND” ends Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 1 “CHOPIN: BEFORE and BEYOND” ends Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 1 June 7, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For Abelardo Hall Concert Series 2018 Season 1 finale, the U.P. College of Music proudly presents “CHOPIN: BEFORE and BEYOND” A Solo Concert Featuring Albert Tiu.  Described by American Record Guide as “an artist of uncommon abilities”, the Filipino pianist is also known for his innovative programming and eclectic repertoire. His recitals, billed “The Classical Elements” (Earth, Air, Water and Fire), “Chopin without Chopin” (music by Godowsky, Busoni and Rachmaninov influenced by Chopin), and “Bee Flat” (the two Sonatas in B-flat by Beethoven) are just a few examples of his inventive recital programs. His 2010 recording “Nocturnal Fantasies”, featuring Chopin and Skyrabin was hailed by Gramophone for “performances where heart and mind unite in a deeply affecting union”.  Catch the highly acclaimed classical pianist on June 29, 2018 (7PM) at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please contact Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "College of Music offers “Sessions with the UP Dance Company” on March 23-24 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/college-of-music-offers-sessions-with-the-up-dance-company-on-march-23-24/",
        "html": "College of Music offers “Sessions with the UP Dance Company” on March 23-24 College of Music offers “Sessions with the UP Dance Company” on March 23-24 March 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For its second offering in the Abelardo Hall Concert Series, Season 1, the UP College of Music presents SESSIONS WITH THE UP DANCE COMPANY with guests Kelly Peralejo, soprano; Patrick Roxas, guitar; and independent artist Bullet Dumas. Featuring the works of Elena Laniog, Herbert Alvarez, Flordeliza Punzalan, Sarah Samaniego, Que and Basilio  March 23, 7pm March 24, 3 pm & 7 pm UP Abelardo Hall Auditorium  Tickets at Php 500 and 250 50% discount for students, 20% discount for senior citizens *Bullet Dumas appears on March 24, 3 pm and 7 pm only.  For ticket reservations and inquiries, please call Ms. Faye at 981 8500 loc 2629 or at 926 0026       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series opens 2nd season with Mr. C – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abelardo-hall-concert-series-opens-2nd-season-with-mr-c/",
        "html": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series opens 2nd season with Mr. C Abelardo Hall Concert Series opens 2nd season with Mr. C August 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The public is invited to the Abelardo Hall Concert Series’ second season that showcases a diversity of talents from the UP College of Music.  In its opening salvo, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association proudly present: “Back Home with Mr. C and Friends” featuring Tony Maigue (flute), Kit Viguilla Navarro (soprano), Jonathan Badon (tenor), Giancarlo Gonzales (cello) and Ryan Cayabyab (music director and host) on September 1, 2018, at 7:00 PM.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please contact Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Abelardo Hall launches 2019 concert series with UP Symphony Orchestra, UP Madz – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abelardo-hall-launches-2019-concert-series-with-up-symphony-orchestra-up-madz/",
        "html": "Abelardo Hall launches 2019 concert series with UP Symphony Orchestra, UP Madz Abelardo Hall launches 2019 concert series with UP Symphony Orchestra, UP Madz February 20, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       First concert features pianist Pia Dino-Balasico, playwright-singer Rody Vera                                           “Resist!—Anthems of Struggle and Triumph” will be the fiery opening salvo of the 2019 Abelardo Hall Concert Series. The four-month-old University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) will make its Abelardo Hall debut on February 23 at 7:00 PM, together with the UP Madrigal Singers, pianist Pia Dino-Balasico, and playwright-singer Rody Vera. They will perform under the baton of UPSO musical director Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo.  The concert repertoire will sweep through works inspired by historic protests, revelry and rejoicing—from the aftermath of the French Revolution to 18th and 19th century independence movements. A highlight will be Filipino protest music remembering the 49th anniversary of defiant student mass actions known as the First Quarter Storm (FQS), which were ignited in the UP Diliman campus before spreading nationwide from January to March 1970. The featured composers include Ludwig Van Beethhoven, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Jan Sibelius, Ramon Santos, Juan Hernandez, and Chino Toledo.  UPSO is composed of 65 accomplished musicians recruited from the UP community. With funding from the University of the Philippines System, the orchestra will have several performances every year as the newest pillar of a vibrant cultural scene in the university.  The Abelardo Hall Concert Series, launched in 2018 by the UP College of Music under dean Verne de la Peña, has been enlivening the community north of Metro Manila through year-round, high-caliber productions held in 54-year-old Abelardo Hall Auditorium (AHA), a 500-seat venue known for its outstanding acoustic environment.  For the first of its two concert seasons in 2019, AHA will feature UPSO again in “Faith, Hope and Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music” on April 11. Also lined up are “Viva La Diva,” a special tribute to Maestra Fides Cuyugan-Asencio on March 23; and “Abelardo Rocks,” showcasing young indie bands nurtured in the UP College of Music. Tickets to any of the concerts are available at P500 and P250, with a 50% discount for students and 20% discount for senior citizens. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 2 offers Ripieno Ensemble in “Kundiman Redux” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abelardo-hall-concert-series-season-2-offers-ripieno-ensemble-in-kundiman-redux/",
        "html": "Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 2 offers Ripieno Ensemble in “Kundiman Redux” Abelardo Hall Concert Series Season 2 offers Ripieno Ensemble in “Kundiman Redux” September 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Abelardo Hall Concert Series, now on its 2nd season, comprises of monthly concerts that showcase the diversity of talents that are or have been part of the UP College of Music. The line up is a mix of genres and styles that is truly the mark of UP.  For season 2’s second offering, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Office of the Chancellor thru the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, proudly present: Ripieno Ensemble in “Kundiman Redux” on September 28, 2018, 7PM, featuring Joseph Emmanuel Hernandez (cello), Danelle May S.A. Dionisio (clarinet), John Owen Castro (flute), Sara T. Matsuura (piano), Pauline Arejola (soprano), Stefanie D. Quintin (soprano), Patricia Poblador (violin) and Alexander John L. Villanueva (conductor and artistic director). Bianca Bonifacio, a teacher who writes hope hidden in metaphors, and Sofia Paderes, a Fine Arts student who likes painting with words, will be performing with the group. On this rare occasion, Ripieno Ensemble will showcase an all-Filipino repertoire highlighted by kundiman art songs played on Nicanor Abelardo’s very own upright piano.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please contact Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629 or via email at abelardohall.music@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Singing Ambassadors to celebrate successful European tour with back to back concerts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-singing-ambassadors-to-celebrate-successful-european-tour-with-back-to-back-concerts/",
        "html": "UP Singing Ambassadors to celebrate successful European tour with back to back concerts UP Singing Ambassadors to celebrate successful European tour with back to back concerts September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    After spending three months performing and competing around Europe, the UPSA is set to come back and hold concerts on September 30 and October 1.  Do not miss the chance to hear an international repertoire from varied musical periods on their educational concert titled UPSAri-Sari: Musikasaysayan II, to be held at the UP Abelardo Hall Auditorium on September 30 at 6 pm.  This concert, in partnership with the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, is UPSA’s welcome gift to the new batch of Iskolar ng Bayan. The first 50 freshmen to sign-up in this through this link: tinyurl.com/UPSAri-Sari2Tickets will be given a free ticket!  Regular tickets are priced at 300 pesos. Students get a 50% discount, while senior citizens and PWDs get a 20% discount. Tickets can be reserved online through tinyurl.com/UPSAri-Sari2Tickets.  In remembrance of their late founding member, Mr. Rafael Isberto, who passed away in Germany during the tour, UPSA will hold a homecoming and tribute concert titled Tunay Na Ligaya in the UP Film Center on October 1 at 7 pm.  The concert, titled after Isberto’s favorite song, will feature selections from UPSA’s competition repertoire and some Western and Filipino favorites.  Tickets are priced at 300, 500, and 1000 pesos. Students get a 50% discount, while senior citizens and PWDs get a 20% discount. Tickets can be reserved online through tinyurl.com/TunayNaLigayaTickets.  During their European tour, UPSA garnered for the University and the country 3 Grand Prizes, 13 First Prizes, and several special awards from 4 different international choral competitions. They dedicate this win to all Filipinos, and hope to be welcomed back warmly by their kababayans in their upcoming concerts. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Faith, Hope and Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/faith-hope-and-devotion-lenten-reflections-in-music/",
        "html": "Faith, Hope and Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music Faith, Hope and Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music April 1, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Barely five months after the establishment by the UP Board of Regents as the official orchestra of the university, the UP Symphony Orchestra has been making waves and living up to their moniker as Orkestra ng Bayan. Under the leadership of the country’s premier conductor and composer, Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo, the UPSO has featured works of classical composers alongside protest songs and contemporary Filipino compositions never tackled by any of our local orchestras.  The UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, Inc., in cooperation with the Office of the University President and the Office of the Chancellor thru the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, proudly present: “Faith, Hope and Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music”. After the highly successful launching concert last February, the UP Symphony Orchestra returns to the Abelardo Hall Auditorium stage on Thursday, 11 April 2019 at 7 pm. Also featuring the chorus classes of the UP College of Music, the concert of religious and spiritual pieces will spotlight the works of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Maria Christine Muyco, George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, an apt prelude for the observance of Holy Week for the entire family.  Admission tickets are priced at P500 and P250 with special discounts for students (50%), the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please reserve at https://forms.gle/dWvLya8E1hxPwAik6 or contact Ms. Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Symphony Orchestra plays music for Lenten reflections – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-symphony-orchestra-plays-music-for-lenten-reflections/",
        "html": "UP Symphony Orchestra plays music for Lenten reflections UP Symphony Orchestra plays music for Lenten reflections April 16, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc     Video by the UP Media and Public Relations Office     The UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), together with UP chorus classes and vocal groups Auit and UP Madrigal Singers, breathed life to spiritually inspired compositions for its second concert offering in 2019, “Faith, Hope & Devotion: Lenten Reflections in Music,” held on April 11, 2019 in the Abelardo Hall Auditorium of the UP Diliman College of Music.  The set was composed of the reflective “Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn” of Johann Sebastian Bach and choruses from “Messiah Part Two” of George Frideric Handel, the introspective “Passage to Kublo” by UP professor Maria Christine Muyco, the cathartic and show-stopping “Francesca da Rimini” of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and the  “Russian Easter Overture” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, before it tapered off to an encore of a Manoling Francisco, SJ medley.     Prof. Chino Toledo and the UP Symphony Orchestra as seen from the center aisle. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The well attended and well applauded performance was conducted by UPSO Music Director and UP Artist III Josefino Chino Toledo.  The orchestra, which is the official orchestra of the UP System, came fresh from the success of its initial concert offering in 2019, “Resist! Anthems of Struggle and Triumph”, which it performed in UP Diliman and UP Los Baños to sold out audiences. It had its inaugural performance, “Ang Unang Pasko  ng UP Symphony Orchestra”, on December 13, 2018 at the UP Diliman Amphitheater.     In the audience were guests of honor, (from left) UP Regent Angelo Jimenez, Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, President Danilo Concepcion, Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion and National Artist for Music Ramon Santos. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The orchestra was established on August 30, 2018 and has since been hosted by the UP Diliman College of Music. It consists of sixty-five members comprised of twenty-four alumni, thirty-four students, six faculty members, and one staff member. The UPSO aims to mount at least six major concerts in a year.  Photo Gallery The concert begins with a cantata from the Baroque period. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Prof. Chino Toledo turns to the violin section. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Prof. Chino Toledo gestures to the brass section. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The pianist during a piano highlight of Tchaikovsky’s “Francesa da Rimini”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The violinists in front. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The male section of the choral ensemble and the orchestra’s double bassists, performing a “Messiah” chorus. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Prof. Chino Toledo returns to the violin section. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Abelardo Hall closes season with rock concert – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abelardo-hall-closes-season-with-rock-concert/",
        "html": "Abelardo Hall closes season with rock concert Abelardo Hall closes season with rock concert May 27, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In its 55 years, the Abelardo Hall Auditorium has become the premier training ground for countless Filipino musicians, many of whom went on to reap honors for the country.  Today, the auditorium continues to provide a convenient venue for recitals, concerts, and theater and dance presentations performed by students, faculty, alumni of the college, as well as visiting artists of national and international stature. It has also provided a perfect setting for numerous symposia, workshops, masterclasses, and seminars handled by acknowledged experts in the field, the field of music and dance.  The Abelardo Hall Concert Series, now on its second year, envisions the Abelardo Hall Auditorium as a center of culture not just for the university, but for the larger community. The Season comprises of monthly concerts that showcase the diversity of talents that are or have been part of the UP College of Music. The intended lineup is a mix of genres and styles that is truly the mark of UP.  For this Season’s grand finale, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Office of the Chancellor thru the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, proudly present: “Abelardo Rocks” featuring DJ Chynna Salazar, DJ Marla Añonuevo and the homegrown bands of the UP College of Music.  In what promises to be another unique and intense production on May 31, 2019, at 7:00 PM, Abelardo literally Rocks with performances from ConChords (Champion, A Capella Championship 2018 for both International and Over All Categories), Debonair District (a unique jazz quintet that adapts various Filipino and foreign repertoire to the jazz idiom), PinkMen (a psychedelic folk rock group that plays anything and everything in between from sad to funny stories), Sound Architects (a post-rock outfit that primarily make instrumental atmospheric music through intense dynamic contrasts and heavily layered textures of sound), and  Yomi no Kuni (a post-metal / progressive metal quartet with the desire to create and share music and the vision of breaking free from norms established by society).  Admission tickets are priced at P200 with special discounts for the elderly (20%), and people with disabilities (20%). For ticket reservations, please reserve here or contact Ms. Faye Manuzon at 926 0026 or 981 8500 loc. 2629. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Law Moot Court Team continues a tradition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-law-moot-court-team-continues-a-tradition/",
        "html": "UP Law Moot Court Team continues a tradition UP Law Moot Court Team continues a tradition August 13, 2019 | Written by University of the Philippines College of Law    The UP College of Law holds a laudable record in moot court competitions in international law that it regularly joins around the world. It won yet another competition, this time held 6-7 August 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.  The UP Law Moot Court team was declared Overall Champion of the Asia Cup 2019 International Law Moot Court Competition. It also bagged 3rd place for Best Memorial. The problem argued was a “Case Concerning the Maritime Operation “Sheer Cliff” and Certain Criminal Proceedings: Kingdom of Amphit (Applicant) vs. Republic of Rhea (Respondent).  Leslie Diane D. Torres won as Best Speaker for the Applicant while Marianne Angeli B. Estioco and Abelardo G. Henandez were declared 2nd and 3rd Best Speaker for the Respondent, respectively. Team members were Marianne Angeli B. Estioco (IV-D), Anton Miguel Sison (IV-E), Abelardo G. Hernandez (IV-E), Leslie Diane D. Torres (IV-D), with Professor Rommel J. Casis as Coach.  Team captain, Marianne Angeli B. Estioco messaged, “We are extremely glad to bring home the championship for the country and the University. This victory is a product of long hours of research and training, and we are truly grateful for the College’s support in our endeavors. We hope to continue to uphold UP’s long history of excellence in oral and written advocacy.”  Asia Cup 2019 competition had the widest participation since its inception, with seventy-two (72) teams participating from seventeen (17) jurisdictions. Of these, sixteen (16) teams qualified for the international rounds, and the UP College of Law was the Philippines’ sole representative in the competition. The team faced and emerged the winners over teams from South Korea, Malaysia, and Russia.  Since 2013, Asia Cup Competition for future international lawyers in Asia has been co-organized by the Japanese Society of International Law and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA). The Competition is open to students from Asian countries with the aim to disseminate understanding of international law, in the Asian region. It also intends to make a substantial contribution towards building a network among students in this academic field, from Asian countries.  This story was first published on the UP College of Law Facebook page under UP Law Moot Court Team continues a tradition. "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Look to history for inspiration’ – Concepcion to UP Baguio grads – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/look-to-history-for-inspiration-concepcion-to-up-baguio-grads/",
        "html": "‘Look to history for inspiration’ – Concepcion to UP Baguio grads ‘Look to history for inspiration’ – Concepcion to UP Baguio grads July 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President Danilo L. Concepcion addresses the graduating class. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     In his address to the UP Baguio graduating class of 2018, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion urged the graduates to look to Philippine history’s heroic figures as models in creating a better future.  Concepcion’s address marked the climax of UP Baguio’s graduation ceremonies, which were held at the CAP-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center, Camp John Hay, Baguio City on June 21, 2018. The graduates came from UP Baguio’s three major colleges: the College of Science, the College of Arts and Communication, and the College of Social Science. They took to the stage to receive their diplomas and took an oath to their alma mater and the country before their families, friends, and mentors.     UP Baguio graduates engage in the solemn ‘Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw’. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Concepcion’s message reconciled the negative impressions on the youth held by previous generations with their potential to solve the country’s problems through noble service. According to Concepcion, the tendency of older generations to view the youth as selfish and ungrateful (but not without reason) has been echoed across time, as with, for example Jose Rizal’s observations of how his many student compatriots in Madrid led idle and dissolute lives.  The President, however, added that he believed the overly skeptical dismissal of younger generations to be  lacking in merit. He gave the example of distinguished Filipinos throughout history, such as Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, as well as the Kalinga hero of the Martial Law period, Macli-ing Dulag, as individuals who, when they were young, managed to view their individual lives from within the context of broader societal struggles despite peril to themselves and to their loved ones.     Members of the UP Baguio Class of 2018 pose for a photograph. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Just as history produced and molded the individuals who would eventually change society in the past, Concepcion believed that the current UP Baguio graduating class also included individuals who would work towards creating a better world. In this effort, they would be aided by their UP education, which had shaped their minds to be inquisitive and critical (mapagtanong at mapanuri), both inside and outside the classroom.  Taking full advantage of this gift, however, required a deep and penetrating understanding of history. “Ang pagiging mulat sa kasaysayan at kaganapang panlipunan ang magtitiyak sa malalim na pagsusuri sa alinmang trending na kaisipan at mga usaping umiiral sa ating panahon.” (An understanding of history and society ensures a deeper analysis of any ‘trending’ idea or conversation in our times.) This understanding, he said, served as a foundation for our convictions, as well as a tool to remedy society’s ills.     UP President Danilo Concepcion (3rd from left) joins Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos and officials from UP Baguio in singing UP Naming Mahal. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Concepcion concluded his address by inspiring students to live out the essence of being a true iskolar ng bayan. “Sa halip na mabuhay nang makasarili, gamitin sana ninyo ang nag-iisang buhay na ito upang magmalasakit, at mabuhay nang makatuwiran at may katuwiran.” (Instead of living selfishly, may you become models of compassion, and live your lives justly and meaningfully.) (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Leonen to UPB grads: ‘Do we still have the passion and courage to do right by our people?’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/leonen-to-upb-grads-do-we-still-have-the-passion-and-courage-to-do-right-by-our-people/",
        "html": "Leonen to UPB grads: ‘Do we still have the passion and courage to do right by our people?’ Leonen to UPB grads: ‘Do we still have the passion and courage to do right by our people?’ July 8, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw, a UP Baguio graduation tradition symbolizing the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. The flame of a single candle is used to light other candles, and that light is passed on until all the candles held by the members of the graduating class have been lit. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Supreme Court of the Philippines Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen, commencement speaker of Pagtatapos 2019, contextualized his question by telling the UP Baguio (UPB) graduating class that, in the course of their careers, many professionals “lose appreciation of the social value of their profession.” He explained that “somewhere along the way, convenience takes the form of pragmatic silence. Expediency overwhelms conscience.”     Supreme Court of the Philippines Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Leonen urged the 423-strong UPB Class of 2019, “Be better than us. Make your existence more meaningful. Do not allow yourselves to be silenced. Do not be silent in the face of injustice. Do not succumb to the temptation of having more than just enough. Do not trade kindness with the false badges of success. When you come into power, discharge it for the public trust that it is. Do not temper principle with pragmatism. Do not hide behind comfortable acquiescence. Do not seek comfort at critical times. This will just disguise your complicity. Do not further enable and empower the status quo. Do not enrich yourself at the cost of others.”     UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos introduces Justice Marvic Leonen as the commencement speaker. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     To empower themselves and their communities “against the machinations of the powerful,” he asked the graduates to: read, analyze, understand, and be critical; engage others through conversation, not through digital media but face-to-face discussions; act on their beliefs; not look for and depend on heroes and heroines; and, have the courage to speak up.     Summa cum laude graduate, Kenworth Bryle Bal-iyang, speaks on behalf of the graduating class (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The lone summa cum laude graduate, Kenworth Bryle Bal-iyang, earlier delivered a message on behalf of the graduating class. In his address, he shared his reflections on what makes the Iskolar ng Bayan excellent: critical thinking and grit. And as they were about to go from being students to alumni, Bal-iyang told his fellow graduates that if fellow alumni “do not live up to [our] values of honor and excellence, it is up to us to remind them of their obligations to the nation.”     Magna cum laude graduate, Lil Abner Aquino, delivers a message during the Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Lil Abner Aquino, magna cum laude graduate of BA Language and Literature, spoke during the Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw, a UP Baguio graduation tradition symbolizing the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. The flame of a single candle is used to light other candles, which in turn light up more candles, until all the candles held by the members of the graduating class have been lit. Tanglaw is a Filipino word for torch or source of light or illumination.  Aquino emphasized that he and his fellow graduates will fight for a better society and for the Filipino nation’s progress. Selfless service, sacrifice, the offering of oneself to the country—those are what it means to genuinely be a source of light in society, he said.  Pagtatapos 2019 was held on June 24 at the CAP-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center, Camp John Hay.  Of the 423 graduates, 413 earned undergraduate degrees and 10 were conferred master’s degrees. Joining Bal-iyang in the honor roll were five magna cum laude graduates and 54 cum laude graduates. The breakdown of graduates per college was as follows: 124 from the College of Arts and Communication; 161 from the College of Science; and, 138 from the College of Social Sciences.  Here are other photos of Pagtatapos 2019.     Members of the graduating class assemble at the covered court behind the CAP-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Justice Leonen asks the graduates to stand and applaud the people who have supported them. (Photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Members of the UP Baguio Class of 2019 get ready to shift their UP Sablay from the right shoulder to the left as the University, through Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, confers upon them their degrees and titles. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The jubilation after the symbolic shifting of the UP Sablay. (Photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     The graduates get their diplomas. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The performance of Paggawisan Tako Am-in, a student organization of indigenous peoples in UP Baguio (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Baguio Class of 2019 takes the Oath of Loyalty to the University. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The graduates of UP Baguio mount a lightning rally at the end of the ceremony, with the singing of the University Hymn, “UP Naming Mahal.”     Happy chaos ensues after the graduation ceremony. (Photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     The UP Baguio graduates gamely pose for photos amid the flurry of activity around them. (Top photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO, bottom photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP receives two new professorial chairs in Engineering – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-receives-two-new-professorial-chairs-in-engineering/",
        "html": "UP receives two new professorial chairs in Engineering UP receives two new professorial chairs in Engineering January 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The donors of two professorial chairs in Engineering received a warm welcome at the University of the Philippines Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City on January 18, 2018. They also received Sundial Plaques as tokens of appreciation for their commitment and generous support to the University.  Representatives of the benefactor families, Dr. Antonio Tanchuling, Jr. for the Antonio and Lourdes Tanchuling Mining Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair; and Mrs. Rosario Halili-Quintos for the Juan, Jr. and Rosario Halili-Quintos Professorial Chair in Engineering; and Secretary Fortunato de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), delivered inspiring messages as they expressed their reasons for supporting UP.     Dr. Antonio Tanchuling, Jr. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion thanked the alumni for their endowments. He also recognized the officials of the UP College of Engineering (UP CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) for getting more support for UP’s education, research and development initiatives.  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; Executive Director Alfonso Aliga, Jr. of UPERDFI; Chairman Pedro H. Maniego, Jr. of UPERDFI; Dr. Aura C. Matias, treasurer of UPERDFI and former dean of the UP CoE; and Dr. Menandro S. Berana, associate dean for Instruction and Research of the UP CoE also expressed gratitude to the donors.  Berana said the number of CoE faculty with Masters and PhD degrees are increasing, and that 126 professorial chairs were awarded to faculty who applied last year. He assured everybody that the College would continue to produce research beneficial to Filipinos and that the faculty would continue to inculcate a culture of research among their students to produce new generations of researchers and scientists.  De la Peña said the DOST aims to strengthen the transfer and utilization of technologies developed through research and development, through the joint efforts of UP, UPERDFI, alumni, and the private sector. He also announced the contribution to a new incentive for students and faculty who are able to obtain an intellectual property approval or patent, the incentive initially pegged at P50,000 each year, for the next 10 years.  Tanchuling said his family decided to sponsor a professorial chair in honor of their parents, Antonio (BS Mining Engineering, 1952) and Lourdes (BS Pharmacy, 1952), who believed that education was a tool to combat poverty and to promote genuine concern for others, especially for the rank and file, the laborers and their families. They wanted their parents’ vision which included giving back to the community, sustainable mining, preservation of the environment, optimal use of natural resources, and love for country passed on to students, through the faculty, who contribute to the making of a just and better world.  Halili-Quintos said her family, through their company, Rosehall Management Consultants, aimed to help the College produce innovative research that would improve the people’s quality of life.     Mrs. Rosario Halili-Quintos (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Concepcion said professorial chairs encourage UP faculty to further excel in teaching, research work, and public service.  Last year, UP received the following professorial chairs in Engineering: the Vicente T. Paterno Mechanical Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair; the RASA Surveying and Realty Corporation Professorial Chair in Geodetic Engineering; the Hermenegildo B. Reyes Mechanical Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair; and, the Meneleo G. Carlos, Sr. Electrical Engineering Centennial Professorial Chair. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP civil engineering students’ environmentally friendly concrete wins championship in international competition in Quebec, Canada – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-civil-engineering-students-environmentally-friendly-concrete-wins-championship-in-international-competition-in-quebec-canada/",
        "html": "UP civil engineering students’ environmentally friendly concrete wins championship in international competition in Quebec, Canada UP civil engineering students’ environmentally friendly concrete wins championship in international competition in Quebec, Canada April 4, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Civil Engineering students raised the Philippine flag high as they were awarded first place in the Eco-Concrete Competition. L-R: Engr. Froilan Martillano (ACI Philippines director); Engr. Justin Seranilla (coach); student winners, Angelica Anne Munar, Alexis Declaro, Ryan Ramelo and Paulo Santos; Engr. Christian Orozco (coach and ACI Philippines vice president); Engr. Ramon Allado (ACI Philippines president)     Students from the Institute of Civil Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman won the championship in the Eco-concrete Competition at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Spring 2019 Convention in Quebec, Canada. The students used locally abundant Diliman tuff as partial replacement to cement and waste glass in making an environmentally friendly concrete. The students won over schools from North and South America, Europe and Asia.  The students were: Angelica Anne Munar, Ryan Ramelo, Paulo Santos and Alexis Declaro. They were advised by Asst. Prof. Justin Jesse Limbo Seranilla and Asst. Prof. Christian Orozco. The delegation to Canada was led by ACI Philippines Chapter President Ramon Allado joined by ACIP Director Froilan R. Martillano.  About the competition: The eco-concrete competition aims to promote the idea of environmental performance in concrete mix design as an important aspect of sustainability. Teams thus have the mission to develop an innovative concrete mixture, which will have the lowest possible environmental impacts while maintaining optimal mechanical and durability performances.  About ACI: the American Concrete Institute is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational & training programs, certification programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and materials. These share a commitment to pursuing the best use of concrete.     UP Diliman’s environmentally friendly concrete     About the Concrete Invention from UP Diliman: Rapid global urbanization boosts the demand for concrete at an unprecedented rate. This means that the environmental footprint of concrete production can no longer be ignored. The conventional concrete mix, which consists only of cement, gravel, sand, and water, must be revisited to achieve environmental sustainability in the decision-making process. This study compares a base-case scenario (BCS) concrete mixture consisting of gravel, sand, water, and Portland cement, with an alternative-case scenario (ACS) concrete mixture composed of recycled, co-product, and locally sourced raw materials that replaced conventional concrete materials. An average improvement of 23.9% was observed in the environmental performance of concrete using five parameters, namely, global warming, carcinogenic impact, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, and fossil fuel depletion. Concrete testing after 14 days of curing showed a compressive strength equal to 41.30 and 32.40 MPa for the BCS, and ACS, respectively. The BCS and ACS, after 14 days of curing, had a resistivity of 3.52 and 18.41 kΩ-cm. This study shows that an environmentally friendly, yet strong and durable concrete can be produced. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Chapel celebrates milestones at the turn of the New Year – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-chapel-celebrates-milestones-at-the-turn-of-the-new-year/",
        "html": "UP Chapel celebrates milestones at the turn of the New Year UP Chapel celebrates milestones at the turn of the New Year January 5, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The repainted exterior dome of the UP Chapel showing its original color. Photo from DMCI Homes.     The Parish Church of the Holy Sacrifice, the circular structure with the unique dome within the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus, celebrated milestones in 2020.  The first milestone was the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the completion and blessing of the Parish Church, more popularly known as the UP Chapel. It was blessed by the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, Rufino Cardinal Santos, on December 20, 1955 after the completion of its construction.  To celebrate this event, a special Thanksgiving Mass was held on December 20, with Most Rev. Honesto F. Ongtioco, Bishop of Cubao, presiding over the celebration and Very Rev. Primitivo Viray Jr., SJ, Provincial of the Society of Jesus, co-presiding. As this was also the 6th day of Simbang Gabi,  the Mass was livestreamed on the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice’s Facebook page.     Rehabilitation of the UP Chapel  Restored walls of the UP Chapel. Photo from DMCI Homes.     The second milestone was the completion of the repair, restoration and repainting of the UP Chapel by DMCI Homes, the real estate arm of DMCI Holdings through its wholly owned subsidiary DMCI Project Developers, Inc. (PDI).  DMCI Homes worked on rehabilitating the 65-year old national historical landmark and cultural treasure by repairing its old and worn-out parts and repainting its interior and its exterior facade. Work started in July 2020 and was completed in December.  For the chapel’s rehabilitation, DMCI Homes did a series of consultations with UP officials and UP Parish to address the immediate needs of the chapel and to ensure that its original state of beauty and elegance was maintained when the repairs were executed. The restoration of the UP Chapel was supposed to start in early 2020 but due to the pandemic, the restoration plan was pushed back to the latter part of the year.     Close-up of repainted roof and dome of the UP Chapel. Photo from DMCI Homes.     DMCI Homes led a team that facilitated the repair of masonry cracks, de-clogging of downspouts and drains, and the installation of new electrical fixtures. Repainting work was performed on the chapel’s iconic dome and roof, as well as on its walls, columns, eaves, under slabs, ceilings, and railings.  The murals depicting the Stations of the Cross, the marble altar, the floor mural, and the cross at the center of the chapel were left untouched during the rehabilitation.  In 2021, DMCI Homes will restore next the chapel’s ceiling or the underside of the dome as this was rescheduled to give way to the church activities during the 2020 Christmas season.     Railings along the UP Chapel were also repainted. Photo from DMCI Homes.     National Historical Landmark and Cultural Treasure  The UP Chapel had its beginnings in 1954 when Fr. John Patrick Delaney, S.J., who was the UP chaplain during the transfer of the University’s campus from Manila to Diliman in 1949, saw the need for a more permanent structure to replace the sawali-bamboo building that until then had been serving as the house of worship for the Catholics in the UP community.  Fr. Delaney came up with the concept for the UP Church and commissioned young, up-and-coming UP artists, engineers and an architect to build the structure. Architect Leandro Locsin designed the church according to Fr. Delaney’s vision of a Church centered on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, with the priest close to his parishioners in a spirit of oneness and communion—a Church whose doors would always be open to anyone seeking to talk to God.  Engr. Alfredo Juinio, who served as the structural engineer for the project, and Engr. David Consunji, founder of the DMCI Group of Companies, constructed it as the country’s first circular, concentrically arranged chapel with the altar at its center. It is also the first to have a thin shell concrete dome, supported by pillars located at the sides of the church; so there are no supports to block the space inside. The thin shell-dome was made possible through Engr. Consunji’s innovation in the mixing and delivery of concrete.  Inside the chapel, artist Arturo Luz designed the floor mural, titled the “River of Life”, executed in terazzo and radiating from the altar; while Napoleon Abueva created the giant wooden double-sided crucifix and the altar base. Finally, Vicente Manansala and Ang Kiukok painted the 15 murals of the Stations of the Cross.  In time, these five men—Locsin, Luz, Abueva, Manansala and Kiukok—would be named National Artists of the Philippines, making the UP Chapel the only structure in the country to feature the works of five National Artists. With its unique and timeless architectural design, the UP Chapel has been recognized as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and a Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.  With the newly completed restoration, DMCI Homes hopes to preserve the architectural, engineering, cultural, and religious significance of the UP Chapel for more people in the coming decades.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Alumni push for scientific research, agri dev’t – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/alumni-push-for-scientific-research-agri-devt/",
        "html": "Alumni push for scientific research, agri dev’t Alumni push for scientific research, agri dev’t August 31, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Alumni Council, the advisory body of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), passed resolutions on the pursuit of scientific research and the development of the agriculture sector in its meeting on August 17 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman.  The Council meets each year on the day before the general homecoming.     UP Alumni Association President and Alumni Regent Ramon Maronilla welcomes the members of the Alumni Council and calls the meeting to order. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     On scientific research and development, the Council agreed that the UPAA will do the following: urge the UP administration to prioritize scientific research and development in the curriculum; and, “exhort UP alumni in congress and the executive branch to legislate and implement laws that encourage and enhance scientific research and development in the country”.  To develop the agriculture sector, the Council resolved that the Association will encourage and help create non-government organizations (NGOs) that will promote agricultural management and productivity based on the Coalition for Agricultural Modernization in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMP) model.  It will aim to “raise awareness on the plight of the agricultural sector and to create public discourse on finding solutions to the problems through public symposia”. These solutions will then be endorsed to concerned government agencies for action.  The UPAA will also urge the legislative and executive branches of government to “prioritize the development of the agricultural sector to reduce poverty and attain food security” in order to satisfy the requirements of the country’s growing population.  These resolutions were based on the earlier presentations of the meeting’s main speakers, 2018 UPAA Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Engr. Filemon Berba Jr., and 2018 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. Ruben Villareal.     Engr. Filemon Berba Jr., 2018 UPAA Lifetime Achievement Awardee (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Ruben Villareal, 2018 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Berba’s “Science and Technology: Addressing Long-Term Inclusive Growth” highlighted the role of S&T in economic development. The former UP regent lamented the fact that the Department of Science and Technology had one of the lowest budget allocations and he advocated for better technology-based vocational courses.  Berba is a staunch advocate of S&T and is the president of the Philippine Foundation for S&T, a non-stock, non-profit private organization. He cited the Foundation’s Philippine Science Centrum and its travelling exhibit as great examples of ways of sparking interest in S&T among Filipinos.  Villareal, on the other hand, talked about CAMP, a non-stock, non-profit NGO where he serves as a board member. The former UP Los Baños chancellor said that the organization was a think tank that provided services such as policy recommendations and technical advice to improve the capabilities of the agriculture sector. One of its initiatives is the promotion of farming viable produce apart from rice, such as fruits and vegetables, which helps address food security and contributes to economic gains. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion shared news on infrastructure development in the University at the Alumni Council Meeting. Read the full story here: PDLC updates Alumni Council on infra projects "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni in America to hold grand reunion and convention – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-in-america-to-hold-grand-reunion-and-convention/",
        "html": "UP alumni in America to hold grand reunion and convention UP alumni in America to hold grand reunion and convention August 14, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) will hold its grand reunion and convention on August 30-September 2, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport.  The UPAAA Grand Reunion and Convention is a biennial event designed to bring together UP alumni in North America to work towards the common goal of supporting our beloved Alma Mater pursue its mission in providing excellent and affordable public education to the best and the brightest minds in the Philippines.  It is also an occasion for UP alumni to honor their achievers and loyal members, recapture memories of campus life at UP, renew old friendships and forge new ones. As such, the UPAAA exists to explore possibilities of strengthening the relationship between US-based alumni and UP in their mutual quest for academic excellence and national development.  To register, please visit: https://www.upaaagrandreunion.com/  For updates, follow UPAAA on Facebook at @OfficialUPAAA "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN PHOTOS: the 2019 UPAA awardees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-photos-the-2019-upaa-awardees/",
        "html": "IN PHOTOS: the 2019 UPAA awardees IN PHOTOS: the 2019 UPAA awardees September 4, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The UP Alumni Association handed out its awards during “Pandayan ng Bayan,” the General Alumni Homecoming on August 24 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman. The recipients were 33 individuals, 13 families, and an alumni chapter. The individual honorees consisted of the Most Distinguished Alumnus, four Lifetime Distinguished Achievement awardees, and 28 Distinguished Alumni in 25 fields.  On August 20, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion hosted “Salute to the 2019 UPAA Awardees” at SEAMEO INNOTECH.  Here are this year’s UPAA awardees.     Most Distinguished Alumnus: Ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     2019 UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award: Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato T. Dela Peña  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     2019 UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award: Dr. Amelia Mangay-Maglacas  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     2019 UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award: Former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Mabini F. Pablo  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     2019 UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award: Dr. Martesio C. Perez  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Agriculture and Rural Development): Emelinda Revestir-de la Cruz  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Agriculture Technology Development and Entrepreneurship): Dr. Catalino I. Flores  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Community Empowerment): Junel Ann P. Divinagracia  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Corporate Governance): Ferdinand K. Constantino  The awardee (middle) with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (left) and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (right) (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Corporate Social Responsibility): Dr. Eugenio P. Mende  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Culture and the Arts): Dr. Diadem Gonzales-Esmero  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Democratization and Governance): Dr. Temario C. Rivera  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Entrepreneurship and Employment Creation): Ronald Daniel R. Mascariñas  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Enterprise Development in Renewable Energy): Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Environmental Conservation and Advocacy): Dr. Elsa Palao-Manarpaac  The awardee (middle) with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (left) and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (right) (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Environmental Rehabilitation and Management): Dr. Resurreccion B. Sadaba  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Environmental Rehabilitation and Management): Prof. Benjamin M. Vallejo Jr.  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Food Science): Dr. Veronica C. Sabularse  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Health Sciences): Dr. Maria Antonia Esteban-Habana  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Law and Judiciary): Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen  A file photo of the awardee during Pagtatapos 2019, the UP Baguio graduation rites, where he was commencement speaker (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Legal Services): Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr.  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Marine Science): Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Poverty Alleviation and Human Development): Nestor M. Pestelos  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Public Health): Dr. Maria Paz Matimtiman S. Carlos  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Public Service and Good Governance): Dr. Felixberto U. Bustos Jr.  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Public Service and Good Governance): Dr. Joselito R. Chavez  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Public Service and Good Governance): Atty. Edgar E. Tarriela  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Renal Health and Transplantation): Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Research in Agriculture): Dr. Nelly Siababa-Aggangan  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Socialized Housing Development): Engr. Marcelino C. Mendoza  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Surgical Innovation): Dr. Ian S. Soriano  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Urban Development): Engr. Dante M. Abando  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards (Women’s Rights and Social Justice): Ana Maria Ronquillo-Nemenzo  The awardee (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Most Distinguished Service Award for an Alumni Chapter: UPAA Edmonton  UPAA Edmonton Secretary Kehrl Reyes (second from left) with (left to right) UPAA First Vice President Luis Rey I. Velasco, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Four Generations): Abello-Banzon Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Four Generations): Barrion-Alip Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Four Generations): De Leon-Cinco Family (Note: The family nor its representative was unable to attend “Salute to the 2019 UPAA Awardees” and the UP General Alumni Homecoming.)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Four Generations): Miñoza-Gatchalian Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Angeles Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Capucion Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): De Guzman Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Labadan-Cruz Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Lit-Sanchez Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Mariano Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Peralta Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Tayag-McTavish Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPAA Multi-Generation UP Alumni Family Awards (Three Generations): Tucay Family  (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Back-to-back events as alumni come home to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/back-to-back-events-as-alumni-come-home-to-up/",
        "html": "Back-to-back events as alumni come home to UP Back-to-back events as alumni come home to UP September 4, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The jam-packed Ang Bahay ng Alumni during this year’s Homecoming (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Pandayan ng Bayan” (The Country’s Forge)—this is the theme for this year’s alumni events.  The annual Alumni Council Meeting (ACM) was held on August 23 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, and, as traditionally practiced, UP graduates gathered in the annual General Alumni Homecoming in the same venue on August 24. Both events were organized by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA).  The ACM features resource speakers from the roster of UPAA awardees. Their presentations provide the bases for the Council resolutions that help guide UPAA initiatives.  This year, the speakers were Ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu, Most Distinguished Alumnus, and Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato T. Dela Peña, a recipient of the Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award. Espiritu talked about fighting corruption while Dela Peña discussed the country’s initiatives toward scientific development.     Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato T. Dela Peña at the Alumni Council Meeting (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As he did last year, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion took the opportunity during the ACM to provide a few updates on the numerous development projects of the University. These include: the soon to be finished Student Union Building; the completed restoration of the Oblation Plaza; the construction of Philippine General Hospital Diliman; the completion and utilization of the Epsilon Chi Wellness Center; the construction of the Shopping Center; faculty and staff housing plans; the renovation of dormitories; plans for a bigger Balay Atleta; the renovation and upgrading of infirmaries; and, the new UP ID, which he said may be made available to alumni in the future.     A perspective of the Student Union Building, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year (Screen grab from Upward, Onward, Forward: the UP President’s Report to the Alumni 2019 by TVUP)     Concepcion also shared the good news of UP’s climb in the London-based Times Higher Education list of top universities in Asia for 2019. UP went up 61 notches, breaking into the top 100 for the first time at 95th place from last year’s 156th, which also made it the fourth best university in Southeast Asia. He also said something that elicited the loudest cheer from the Council. Concepcion reminded them of what he said last year: that the UP men’s basketball team would become UAAP champions during his term.  The next day’s homecoming was a more relaxed, less serious gathering. It was divided into four parts. First was the opening, where the Alumni Council resolutions were presented and speeches were delivered by Concepcion and UPAA President and Alumni Regent Reynaldo C. Laserna.     In the left photo, UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna welcomes everyone to the Homecoming and in the right photo, UPAA Legal Counsel Raul R. Reyes present the Council resolutions to the alumni. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Huwag nating biguin ang sa atin ay umaasa ng lingap. Sana ay isama natin ang mga kapos-palad sa ating magandang kapalaran.” (Let us not fail those who have placed their faith in us, in hopes that we may uplift their lives. In our success, let us not leave our underprivileged fellowmen behind.)—UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the alumni (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The second part of the Homecoming program was the Alumni Awards ceremony and the third part was dinner.     The 2019 distinguished alumni and alumni chapter take the stage. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Soprano Myramae Meneses serenades the UPAA awardees. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “A UP education is a great gift and privilege. . . .The University gave us the skills, the knowledge, and wisdom that we needed to face our future; honed our talents towards achieving our dreams; and most importantly, provided us the values that we hold dear and that also formed our character: love of country, service to our countrymen, professionalism and pursuit of excellence, integrity, and a sense of justice and fairness.”—Ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu, UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus for 2019, in his response on behalf of the alumni awardees (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The fourth and final portion of the program was the alumni’s time to let loose with performances by Baihana, and the diamond, golden, ruby, and silver jubilarians.     Baihana’s “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with the UP Dance Company (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Diamond Jubilarians (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Golden Jubilarians (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Ruby Jubilarians (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Silver Jubilarians (Top photo by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo and bottom photo by Misael Bacani, both of UP MPRO)     The singing and dancing begin with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” In the left photo, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion serenades and dances with Atty. Gabriela Roldan Concepcion. In the middle photo, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa dances with a fellow Ruby Jubilarian. In the right photo, it is former UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Institutional (now International) Linkages Director Antoinette Bass-Hernandez and her husband, Leo, who is a Ruby Jubilarian. (Left photo by Misael Bacani and middle and right photos by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, both of UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum to tackle the consequences of social inequities in the time of pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-international-nursing-and-healthcare-forum-to-tackle-the-consequences-of-social-inequities-in-the-time-of-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum to tackle the consequences of social inequities in the time of pandemic UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum to tackle the consequences of social inequities in the time of pandemic August 20, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Image from the UPINHF, Inc.’s Facebook page     The COVID-19 pandemic has not only brought the world to a stand-still, but also served to throw in stark relief the existing inequalities plaguing society, starting with healthcare.  In its upcoming 2020 Summer Webinar on the “Consequences of Social Inequities in the COVID-19 Pandemic”, the UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum (UPINHF) will tackle how the global pandemic has impacted aspects of our daily lives, from social inequalities and health disparities, to its effects on data protection and the use of personal data, especially in healthcare. The 2020 UPINHF Summer Webinar will be conducted via Zoom: on Friday, August 21, at 6:00 p.m. PT and 9:00 p.m. ET, for the US and Canada; and on Saturday, August 22, at 9:00 a.m. for the Philippines.  The first speaker in the webinar is Ms. Dula F. Pacquiao, EdD, RN, CTN-A, TNS, a consultant with the Transcultural Nursing Education, Research and Practice, Professor Emerita of Rutgers University, and Transcultural Nursing Scholar Fellow of the NY Academy of Medicine. Her presentation aims to analyze how social inequities and health disparities interact in the COVID-19 pandemic. Patterns of morbidity and mortality are linked with social and structural inequity. Approaches for mitigating the impact of social inequities will be presented.  The second speaker is Philippine National Privacy Commission Chairman and the Philippines’ first Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro. He is also the current chair of the Global Privacy Assembly COVID19 Task Force, leading 134 data privacy authorities worldwide in responding to COVID 19. His presentation will focus on how the pandemic has intensified the use of personal data, especially in healthcare. The presentation will provide pragmatic steps on how to practice individual and organizational accountability in addressing the pandemic and to navigate the new normal with data protection and privacy in mind.  The UPINHF, Inc. is a health-centered international non-profit corporation whose mission is to transform healthcare by fostering inter-professional and multi-sectoral dialogue and collaboration in the advancement of professional practices, services, education and research. As a UP alumni organization, the UPINHF Inc. aims to advance the interest of UP alumni by providing opportunities to build bonds of camaraderie and unity and for its members to develop professionally. As a healthcare organization, it seeks to foster multi-sectoral exchanges among healthcare professionals and maintain the highest standards in healthcare practice. And as a charitable organization, the UPINHF, Inc. aims to develop and establish health and nursing missions, including immediate responses to epidemics or medical crises in the US and elsewhere, among others.  The UPINHF Committee on Awards, Citations, and Scholarships will also present the International Nurse Award during the event. UP College of Nursing Dean Sheila Bonito is this year’s award recipient.  The 2020 UPINHF, Inc. Summer Webinar has been designated to receive a maximum of 1.5 Contact Hours. Register here: https://www.upinhf.org/summer-webinar. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Submissions: Gemino H. Abad Awards for Poetry and Literary Criticism – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-submissions-gemino-h-abad-awards-for-poetry-and-literary-criticism/",
        "html": "Call for Submissions: Gemino H. Abad Awards for Poetry and Literary Criticism Call for Submissions: Gemino H. Abad Awards for Poetry and Literary Criticism February 14, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The period of submission is open for the Gemino H. Abad Awards for Poetry and for Literary Criticism. The competition is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students officially registered in any of the eight constituent universities of the UP System. The Awards are managed by the UP Diliman Department of English and Comparative Literature for and on behalf of the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  The guidelines and entry form may be downloaded from this page: http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/abad-awards. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-139: 16-21 November Recovery Period in the Aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ovpaa-memorandum-no-2020-139-16-21-november-recovery-period-in-the-aftermath-of-typhoon-ulysses/",
        "html": "OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-139: 16-21 November Recovery Period in the Aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-139: 16-21 November Recovery Period in the Aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses November 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Affairs Office    You may read the full memorandum here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar takes on the dark road of COVID-19 and mental health – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-stop-covid-deaths-virtual-grand-rounds-webinar-takes-on-the-dark-road-of-covid-19-and-mental-health/",
        "html": "UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar takes on the dark road of COVID-19 and mental health UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar takes on the dark road of COVID-19 and mental health September 15, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on the mental and psychosocial health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. The quarantines have caused and exacerbated feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety, fear, uncertainty and loss; and these all take their toll, creating a national health crisis on top of the COVID-19 crisis.  The 22nd installment of the UP webinar series,“STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, will present the case of a woman who survived COVID-19 in a community isolation facility, but misinterpreted the results of a rapid test and thought she had been re-infected. Missing her family and contemplating the prospect of another two weeks of isolation, she fell into a deep depression and attempted to take her life. Her story will be presented in the webinar,“Hindi Ko na Kayang Magka-COVID Ulit!: COVID-19 and Suicide”, which will be held on Friday, September 18, at 12:00 nn.  Mental health authorities have reported a dramatic increase in the average daily calls for help related to suicide since the start of the pandemic. Pandemic-related anxiety can be overwhelming. Suicide reports due to depression are manifestations of the serious negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases has called on church- and faith-based groups to reach out to individuals who are desperate and are losing hope.  Spirituality is an important component of the management of COVID-19.  Dr. Angelique Gelvezon, a resident physician at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will present the case; while Dr. Doris A. Mendoza, founding Dean of the Adventist University of the Philippines’ College of Medicine, will be guest speaker. Dr. Anselmo Tronco, Chair of the UP PGH Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will be the discussant; while reactors will be Dr. Antonio Miguel L. Dans, a clinical epidemiologist at the UP College of Medicine, and Fr. Rolando Agustin, the parish priest of the St. James The Great parish in Ayala, Alabang.  Grand rounds are an integral part of traditional medical education and inpatient care wherein doctors, pharmacist, residents and medical students gather to discuss the particular medical problems and the treatment of a particular patient. The webinar series,“STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”,is the very first online medicine grand rounds in the Philippines. The series is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP PGH.  Register now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar22. Watch the livestream on youtube.com/c/TVUPph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19, intubation and the risks to healthcare workers, subject of upcoming UP webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-intubation-and-the-risks-to-healthcare-workers-subject-of-upcoming-up-webinar/",
        "html": "COVID-19, intubation and the risks to healthcare workers, subject of upcoming UP webinar COVID-19, intubation and the risks to healthcare workers, subject of upcoming UP webinar September 22, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Anesthesiologists play a critical role in the hospital treatment and care of patients with severe COVID-19. One of their tasks is to perform endotracheal intubation (EI), a procedure done to help people who have difficulty breathing, which is one of the symptoms of COVID-19.  However, performing EI on COVID-positive patients who are suffering from a difficult airway, a clinical situation in which an anesthesiologist experiences difficulty with upper airway ventilation, EI or both, poses unique risks for the healthcare workers. For COVID-19 patients, current guidelines recommend that medical workers perform EI in difficult airway scenarios while the patient is awake, which puts them at risk of getting infected themselves when the patient coughs or expels aerosol particles during the process.  The case of two young, male COVID-positive patients who were rushed to the hospital due to difficulty in breathing and who needed awake EI performed on them, and how the anesthesiologist teams handled the risks, will be the subject of the 23rd installment of the University of the Philippines (UP) webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the very first online medical grand rounds in the Philippines. The webinar, “Merging Fear with Difficulty: Taking Charge of the Airway”, will be held on September 25, 2020 (Friday) 12:00 nn.  Dr. Marie Christelle S. Endencia, Chief Resident of the Department of Anesthesiology, UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will be the main presenter; while Dr. Ricardo L. Gallaga, Jr., Dean of the University of Saint La Salle College of Medicine in Bacolod City, will be guest speaker. Dr. Loreto A. Fellizar, a Professor and a former Chair of the UP PGH Department of Anesthesiology will be the discussant. Dr. Albert B. Albay, Jr., a consultant with the Division of Pulmonary Medicine of the UP-PGH Department of Medicine, and Mr. Peter M. Jimenez, a COVID-19 survivor, will be the reactors.  The UP webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, was organized by UP in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the  UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP-PGH.  Register now at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar23. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of trauma cases during a pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-online-medical-grand-rounds-to-focus-on-the-management-of-trauma-cases-during-a-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of trauma cases during a pandemic UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of trauma cases during a pandemic September 30, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and UP Philippine General Hospital, would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”—the very first online Medical Grand Rounds in the Philippines—is scheduled every Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 PM (Manila Time).  Registration slots are limited, so sign up now: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar24     About the Webinar   Bullet or Bug: Ilizarov Reconstruction in the COVID Era”  Presentor: Dr. Harjoland Lim Obenieta Resident, Department of Orthopedics UP Philippine General Hospital October 2, 2020 (Friday) 12nn  Guest Speaker: Dr. Ricardo L. Gallaga, Jr. Dean, College of Medicine University of Saint La Salle Bacolod City  Discussant: Dr. Cielo Balce Consultant, Division of Pediatric Orthopedics Department of Orthopedics UP Philippine General Hospital  Reactors: Dr. Michael Shaun Ritualo Dr. Christopher Constantino     Case Capsule  An 18 year-old is admitted for a swollen left knee and upper thigh, most likely from a stray bullet. Emergency intervention is needed, but with the COVID pandemic, additional precautions are required to perform a complex orthopedic surgical procedure to save the patient’s leg.  Injuries are the fourth leading cause of death for all ages in the Philippines. Recent reviews of intentional injuries resulting in trauma cases and death at the Philippine General Hospital show that 25% are due to gunshot wounds. While cases of crime have reportedly declined during the community quarantine, incidents still do occur posing new risks for trauma management.  Management of trauma cases during a pandemic requires a thorough adaptation of protocols during pre-hospital, in-hospital and post-hospital care to ensure protection against COVID-19. Patients who suffer from traumatic injury with orthopedic interventions may be immobilized for long periods of time. This case illustrates the challenges and innovations in care for trauma patients.  Register now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar24  Watch the livestream via TVUP’s YouTube Channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of cancer during a pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-online-medical-grand-rounds-to-focus-on-the-management-of-cancer-during-a-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of cancer during a pandemic UP online medical grand rounds to focus on the management of cancer during a pandemic October 15, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center in cooperation with UP Manila College of Medicine and UP Philippine General Hospital would like to invite you to join the Fight Against COVID-19!  The Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”–the very first Online Medical Grand Rounds in the Philippines–is scheduled every Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 PM (Manila Time).  Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar26.  Webinar #26: “Cancer na, COVID pa!” October 16, 2020 (Friday) 12nn  Dr. Juan Carlos R. Abon Fellow in Training, Hepatobiliary Surgery Philippine General Hospital  Guest Speaker: Dr. Manuel Francisco Roxas Director, Philippine College of Surgeons Cancer Commission Board of Regents, Philippine College of Surgeons  Discussant: Dr. Marc Paul J. Lopez Clinical Associate Professor, UP College of Medicine Training Officer, Division of Colorectal Surgery Philippine General Hospital  Reactors: Dr. Maria Sonia Salamat Medical Specialist III, Division of Infectious Diseases, Philippine General Hospital Clinical Associate Professor, UP College of Medicine  Mrs. Carmen Auste Mother of a Cancer Survivor Vice President, Cancer Coalition  This is a case of a 61-year old widow, who was diagnosed with colon cancer and due to worsening of symptoms sought medical and surgical care in the midst of the lockdown. Through her course of treatment, she develops COVID-19.  Cancer of the colon is considered one of the top 5 types of cancer in the Philippines. Despite its frequency, there is good prognosis if the disease is diagnosed early. Early diagnosis can be achieved through colonoscopy, or occult fecal blood tests – particularly for those with a strong family history of this type of cancer. For those cases discovered at Stage 1, the 5-year survival rate can be as high as 92%.  COVID-19 pushed many patients with cancer into severe hardship. For those with a diagnosis, like the patient in this case study – it meant delay in follow-up, scheduling of surgery and chemotherapy. On the other hand, it also caused fear, anxiety and frustration about the risks of seeking care in hospitals. Multiple burdens are foisted upon the patient: fear, anxiety, pain, progression of cancer, financial constraints. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar takes on the challenges of kidney disease and dialysis in a time of COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-takes-on-the-challenges-of-kidney-disease-and-dialysis-in-a-time-of-covid/",
        "html": "UP webinar takes on the challenges of kidney disease and dialysis in a time of COVID UP webinar takes on the challenges of kidney disease and dialysis in a time of COVID December 1, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       One Filipino dies from kidney failure every hour. There are close to 35,000 Filipinos who are undergoing dialysis and treatment for kidney disease in the country. Over the past decade, the number of new cases has increased by about 15% every year; and with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension as risk factors for kidney disease that could end up requiring a kidney transplant, dialysis is a temporizing measure.  However, the COVID-19 pandemic threw free-standing hemodialysis centers into a tailspin. Many dialysis centers had to shut down due to COVID-19 infections of patients and staff. Many hospital-based dialysis centers also started taking in fewer patients. The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) became the only place to go to for hundreds of patients who could not avail of dialysis, and it soon found itself overflowing with patients who needed dialysis but had no other place to go.  The 33rd installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series is a special edition, focusing on “Dialysis and COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities”, and on how the NKTI, the government’s premiere renal and transplant hospital, found short- and long-term solutions for the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar will also discuss how hospitals can best prepare themselves adequately for the next emerging infectious disease that may cause a global pandemic, and how a “whole of government approach” in addressing a dialysis population can effectively be implemented.  The webinar will be held on December 4, Friday, at 12:00 nn. Dr. Romina Danguilan, Deputy Executive Director for Education of Training, and Research Services and Head of the Hemodialysis Unit of the NKTI is the presenter, while Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete, NKTI Executive Director, will give the opening remarks. Finally, Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor, Professor of the UP College of Medicine and President of the Philippine Society of Nephrology, will be the reactor.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar33 "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-entries-pag-aalay-webxhibition-festival/",
        "html": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES: PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL July 8, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       CALL FOR ENTRIES: PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL Short videos to feature stories in the time of COVID-19  The University of the Philippines (UP) has issued an open call for entries to the PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL, an online video festival that will showcase stories of everyday Filipino heroes. The festival welcomes entries from all, amateur or professional, Filipino filmmakers, multimedia creators, and artists whose works capture stories of resilience, inner strength, and humanity of Filipinos.  The theme for this year’s festival is “Pag-aalay sa Panahon ng Pandemya”. The Festival will accept video entries that honor, remember, and immortalize Filipinos whose stories of selfless acts amid the COVID-19 pandemic reflect our values of heroism (bayanihan) and selfless offering or oblation (pag-aalay).  As UP President Danilo L. Concepcion put it, the pandemic is a civilization-shifting event that has affected global political, economic, social and cultural systems. “There is no better time for the university to lead a movement that will reaffirm our common humanity and redefine Filipino heroism, beginning with the short video transcending geographical boundaries through the online networks for cultural dialogue,” he said.  Throughout the Philippines and all over the world, especially during this time of COVID-19, there are everyday heroes whose selfless acts of courage and kindness show what kind of Filipinos we are, said Elena “Neny’ E. Pernia, UP professor and vice president for public affairs. “These heroes whose acts of pag-aalay are inspirations to all as we face difficult challenges brought about by the pandemic. If you or someone you know is that kind of hero, we invite you to share your story, in video format,” she added.  Participants may submit entries to any of the six categories: narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, virtual/augmented reality, and music video. Entries can be submitted to the TVUP, the university’s webcast network, via email at television@up.edu.ph starting on 1 July until 15 October 2020. Entries must have a total running time of 30 to 90 seconds, in a video format that can be easily uploaded to different social media platforms.  “Video entries must capture stories of everyday life and experiences that inspire hope and showcase Filipino fortitude,” said TVUP Director Dr. Grace “Gigi” Javier Alfonso, an internationally-acclaimed multimedia artist and UP professor emeritus for film. “The videos do not need to focus on UP or on the university system, but may feature health care workers,  entrepreneurs, provincial life, overseas Filipino workers, local government workers and volunteers, grocery workers, and even families,” she added.  All shortlisted videos will be featured on TVUP and streamed via TVUP’s Facebook page. The winners will be announced during the virtual Video Festival Awards Night on 30 November 2020 (Bonifacio Day). They will receive specially handcrafted “Pag-aalay” trophies by UP artist Dr. Alfonso, along with a modest token.  Participants are reminded to observe all government-ordered health and safety requirements, quarantine regulations, and other community restrictions in the production of their videos. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visayas to hold webinar on “The Boon and Bane of Social Media” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visayas-to-hold-webinar-on-the-boon-and-bane-of-social-media/",
        "html": "UP Visayas to hold webinar on “The Boon and Bane of Social Media” UP Visayas to hold webinar on “The Boon and Bane of Social Media” July 28, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       Social media usage has no doubt increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become a sanctuary of sorts for those with internet connectivity, especially in the Philippines, where many areas are still in various forms of quarantine. And there is perhaps no better time than the present to reacquaint ourselves with the pros and cons of social media use.  Those interested may participate in “The Boon and Bane of Social Media: A Webinar,” on August 5 at 8:30 AM. It is organized by the UP Visayas (UPV) Information and Publications Office.  Speakers and their presentations are College of Management Professor John Lorenz Belano, “Responsible Use of Social Media;” UPV Legal Counsel Nellie Jo Regalado, “Legal Implications in the Use of Social Media;” and College of Arts and Sciences Professor Jude Vincent Parcon, “Be a Positive Influencer in Social Media.”  To receive the meeting ID and password for the webinar, please pre-register using this form: https://forms.gle/4Audaxn9JGsnXDXX7. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visayas holds first ever virtual alumni homecoming – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visayas-holds-first-ever-virtual-alumni-homecoming/",
        "html": "UP Visayas holds first ever virtual alumni homecoming UP Visayas holds first ever virtual alumni homecoming October 6, 2020 | Written by GC T. Castro, UP Visayas OAR    Screenshots from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) held its first virtual alumni homecoming from August 19 to 31, 2020. The “2020 UPV Alumni Zoomcoming” was a series of online activities, live streaming events, and virtual reunions organized by the UPV Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) in cooperation with various alumni associations, colleges, and offices. The activities were participated in, attended, and viewed online by thousands of UP alumni throughout the world via Zoom and Facebook Live.     Photo from the UPV Office of Alumni Relations Facebook page.     The “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” was formally opened on the morning of August 28 with a mass sponsored by the UPV Scintilla Juris Fraternity and the Stella Juris Sorority, followed by the opening program. These were streamed live from the UPV Little Theater. This allowed alumni to attend the Thanksgiving Mass and opening program from the safety of their homes.  Presidents of the various alumni association (AA) chapters gave their messages in the opening program. Among them were: Mr. Artemio P. Pama, Jr of iAmUPHi Alumni Association; Mr. Allan Angelo L. Quimpo of UPAA Aklan Chapter; Mr. Nicolasito S. Calawag, UPAA Antique Chapter; Ms. Harriette Ong-Banzon, representing Mr. Victor A. Tanco, Sr. of UPAA Capiz Chapter; Dr. Gil Joseph F. Octaviano II, representing UPAA Negros Chapter; Judge Ateneones S. Bacale of UPV Tacloban College Alumni Association; and, Atty. Dennis J. Guevara of UPAA Iloilo Chapter. The officers commended the hard work of volunteer alumni during the pandemic and called for continued unity among the alumni and further service to the community.  UPV officials who gave messages along with a video “look-back” at the UPV campuses and colleges were: Prof. Martin G. Genodepa, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; Dr. Ramer P. Bautista, Dean of the School of Technology; Prof. Arthur P. Barrido, Jr., Dean of the College of Management; and, Prof. Severa Fe S. Katalbas, Dean of the College of Science and Technology.  The event highlighting the activities, “UPV Alumni Zoomcoming Virtual Reunion and Online Socials,” was held in the evening. Alumni were able to see each other by logging on to the virtual gathering, while others opted to watch the program’s live stream instead. The online reunion allowed alumni in attendance a fun, albeit short, kamustahan or catching up. Even those viewing the live stream sent greetings to their former classmates.  Alumni from various UPV performing groups provided additional entertainment. Among them were: the UPV Choristers Alumni; UP Khoryu Alumni; Ms. Abigail Leguera, a UPV Performa alumna; Mr. Malik Mariano, a UPV Rhapsody alumnus; and, Ms. Kate Fesalboni, a UP Teatro Amakan alumna. The celebrating jubilarian UP High School in Iloilo (UPHSI) Batch 80 also gave an audio-visual presentation.     Screenshot from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     UPV Chancellor, Dr. Ricardo P. Babaran, welcomed the guests, saying, “We hope that this first Zoomcoming reunion will still allow us all to relive memories of our years in UPV and sustain our longing to reconnect with old friends.” He reported on some of the latest changes, new additions, and improvements to UPV. This included the Oblation’s relocation to the front of the UPV Main Building in the city campus which faces the new Oblation Avenue towards the Delgado St. entrance, which, he said, makes the campus “more welcoming”. He mentioned the new UPHS building, an alumni project, and new infrastructure in the Miagao campus. He thanked the alumni for their continued support to the University.     AVP for Public Affairs and UP System OAR Director Ma. Angelica Abad. Screenshot from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and UP System Office of Alumni Relations Director Maria Angelica D. Abad greeted the alumni, especially the jubilarians, who were able to attend the “landmark” event. She called on the alumni, whom she considered “drivers in nation building, the pioneers in cutting-edge research, the trail blazers in arts and culture,” to continue to look back to the University and support the scholars especially with the upcoming transition to remote learning.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Screenshot from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion also welcomed the alumni to the “first-ever virtual reunion to be held in UP”. He commended UPV and its alumni’s various initiatives at this time of pandemic. “I am filled with gratitude, humility, and optimism because throughout this period I have seen the UP Visayas community, that includes you, our alumni, rise to your very best,” he said.     Screenshot from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     Justice Francis H. Jardeleza, retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, delivered the keynote address. He paid tribute to the alumni, from the early pioneers to the “movers and shakers”, who were instrumental in the improvements in UPV, from the restoration of the Main Building, to the renovation of the Little Theater and the construction of the Cinematheque and the Graduate and Continuing Education Building. He also lauded “regular” and anonymous donors, who remain supportive of activities that benefit scholars, among others.  Justice Jardeleza ended by announcing the donation of his class, the UPV High School Class of 1965, in the amount of P300,000, for the establishment of the Historical Preservation Initiative, which aims to help in the preservation of the Old High School Building and the Woman’s Club Building.  The event included the UPAA Iloilo Chapter’s recognition and appreciation of the COVID-19 initiatives done by various alumni and alumni groups in the region. These were individuals and organizations that have made a big impact on the pandemic response efforts.  Alumni jubilarians from the classes of 1965, 1980, 1990, 2000, and other alumni, including Senator Franklin Drilon, Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Ida Siason, officers of various UPAA Visayas chapters, UPV officials and personnel, among others, were also in attendance.     UPV OAR Director Prof. Benmar B. Panaguiton. Screenshot from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day” held on August 28.     UPV OAR Director Prof. Benmar B. Panaguiton formally closed the program. He said this year’s virtual homecoming was a response to the question, “Are we not having anything for the alumni during the homecoming this year?” With the vital role the alumni have taken on to respond to COVID-19, he knew the hosting of these virtual alumni activities by the University was a fitting tribute to them.  “The initial idea was just to have a Zoom meeting where everybody can meet,” which was why it was called a “Zoomcoming,” a virtual reunion. “Eventually it grew as ideas came in,” he added. In collaboration with alumni groups and associations, the colleges, and offices, more activities were added to the week-long homecoming.  In closing, he expressed gratitude to everyone who participated in the week-long online activities, and the various alumni and alumni groups who remain at the forefront of community service during quarantine.     The poster for the UPV e-Tyangge by UPV Bulig Barter. Image from the UPV Office of Alumni Relations Facebook page.     Apart from the main events, various pre-event and related activities were held from August 19 to 31. The “Zoomcoming Art Sale” by UPV Office of the Initiative for Culture and Arts, which kicked off on August 19, and the “e-Tyangge” by UPV Bulig Barter, “Baligyakag Iban Pa” on August 24, delighted their participants.  The e-Conversations webinar series, “Bayanihan sa Ti-on sang Pandemya”, was held on August 26 and 27. The series included the sessions: “Coping with the Black Swan Event”; “From Sports to PPEs: The Alumni Response to COVID-19”; “Surviving Quarantine”; and, “Into the Barricades: Hopes and Fears in the Frontlines”. Alumni from relevant fields were the speakers.  Regular homecoming day food festivals were revised to become compliant with health protocols.  On August 28, the “VArrio Fiesta Alumni Brunch”, sponsored by UPV Validus Amicitia Brotherhood, turned into a “limited edition” event. Only the UPV security force and campus maintenance personnel became this year’s guests. The “Golden Lunch” for retired UPV personnel, sponsored by UPV Silak Brotherhood & Silak Sisterhood, went “On Wheels”, with members personally delivering food items to the retirees. Both events were much appreciated by their intended recipients. In the afternoon, the UPV School of Technology continued their Alumni Bingo online. Players purchased cards via electronic means, and played in their own homes.     UPVTC’s Alumni Azoombly. Photo by Mr. Benmar Panaguiton from the UPV Tacloban College Facebook page.     Simultaneously, the UPV Tacloban College held the online “UP Tacloban Alumni Azoombly”. This was attended by a large number of alumni from Eastern Visayas.  On August 29, UPHSI alumni followed with the “GOLD: Goldies On Line Day”, organized by the iAmUPHi Alumni Association. Among the attendees were UPHSI officials, the iAmUPHi Board of Trustees, Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr., and Cong. Sharon Garin. Aside from entertainment and greetings, past and future projects for the UPHSI were also presented. One of their newly completed projects was the UPSHI Learning Resource Center of Excellence building.  The activities in the 2020 UPV Alumni Zoomcoming is the University’s simple offering to its alumni who were and still are unable to physically go back to their alma mater.  More screenshots from the UP Visayas “Alumni Zoomcoming Day”:    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s genome center holds international workshop on epidemiology of infectious diseases, 03-07 July 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-genome-center-holds-international-workshop-on-epidemiology-of-infectious-diseases-03-07-july-2017/",
        "html": "UP’s genome center holds international workshop on epidemiology of infectious diseases, 03-07 July 2017 UP’s genome center holds international workshop on epidemiology of infectious diseases, 03-07 July 2017 June 30, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Locally-based and UK-based scientists and researchers will share research studies, best practices in understanding epidemiology of infectious diseases, and how advanced tools like Next Generation sequencing and bioinformatics can aid in the detection, prevention and control of the diseases. The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) of the University of the Philippines System in partnership with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), United Kingdom is holding an international workshop on genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases.   It begins on Monday, July 3 at the Institute of Biology Auditorium in UP Diliman. Bringing together resource speakers from the country’s Department of Health, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the University of the Philippines; as well as from UK’s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Cambridge, and University of St. Andrews, this day will be filled with lectures and discussions on genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases, relating the role of genomics to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, particularly those relevant to the Philippines. The other days, which will be held at the Computational Science Research Center, will focus on genomic analyses with hands-on exercises. By the end of the Workshop, participants will be able to: (a) process raw sequence data into a set of informative variants, through mapping to a reference genome or using de novo or reference-free assembly approaches, (b) conduct transcriptomic and proteomic analysis in an integrated systems biology approach, and (c) perform downstream population genetic and association analysis.  The 5-day workshop ends on Friday, July 7 with lectures and discussions at the Institute of Biology Auditorium.  Institute of Biology UP Diliman location map  GEID Philippines 2017 was designed for PhD and MSc graduates or students (early career researchers) from the UK and the Philippines to promote collaborations that will enhance the use of tools in bioinformatics, population genetics and statistics in infectious diseases. This entire event was made possible through British Council’s Newton Fund Researcher Links Programme, co-funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (UK) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).   BACKGROUND  Infectious diseases, such as HIV-AIDS, malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis, account for 25% of global mortality and more than half of all deaths in children under the age of five years. The genetic epidemiology of these diseases can be complex, especially as they may involve several genomes, including the host, pathogen(s) and a vector. There is also a need to look beyond the genome to consider other ‘omes, such as the transcriptome, in a more systems biology framework.High throughput genotyping and sequencing technologies are providing insights into these genomes, metabolomes, transcriptomes and proteomes, thereby revolutionizing genetic epidemiological studies and biomedical research. The use of SNP chips in large-scale genome-wide studies of association and genetic selection has revolutionized the study of human disease susceptibility. Whole genome studies of pathogens using high throughput sequencing technologies is leading to the ability to track microbial evolution over time and space, and to identify variants correlated with phenotypes such as anti-microbial resistance. Further, RNA-Seq methodologies are being used to measure transcript abundance and differential gene expression across isolates.To take full advantage of new ‘omic technologies requires the ability to analyze large amounts of data using methods from bioinformatics, population genetics and statistics – the focus of this Workshop. Specifically, the Workshop offers hands-on experience in processing sequencing data to construct genomes, identifying genomic variants, and applying downstream methods such as phylogenetics. Further, the course covers transcriptomic and proteomic analysis in human and pathogen settings. High-profile examples, including malaria, TB and MRSA, will be used to illustrate these concepts, with a strong emphasis on how to implement the methods in practice, the majority of sessions being computer-based.  About the Philippine Genome Center The Philippine Genome Center is a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for the development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, preventive products, and improved crop, aquaculture and animal varieties. The Center is a duly-created, duly-established and duly-organized genomics-focused and multi-disciplinary research unit of UP as approved by the UP Board of Regents during its 1246th Meeting held on 31 July 2009. PGC is temporarily housed at the 2/F NIMBB Building, National Science Complex, Diliman Quezon City."
    },
    {
        "title": "Making resistance futile – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/making-resistance-futile/",
        "html": "Making resistance futile Making resistance futile May 8, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    More than a century ago, a scientist named A.L. Melander wrote an article in the Journal of Economic Entomology on a disturbing turn of events in his native Washington. The year was 1914, and then, as now, farmers and entomologists were locked in combat with pests like the San Jose scale—an insect similar to the cocolisap that would nearly overwhelm the Philippine coconut industry a hundred years later.  Since its introduction in the US in the 1870s, the scale had been responsible for eliminating thousands of acres of apple trees. The frontline chemical to control it back then was sulphur-lime, an insecticide made by reacting calcium hydroxide with sulphur. Melander himself described the mixture as “fast acting” in its lethal effects. After years of success, however, to his great shock, Melander found that the insects were going against script. Some of the scales just refused to die.  More specifically, in samples taken from two Washington cities, he found that while insects from Wenatchee that he sprayed all died within a week, while 90% of the scales from Washington’s Clarkston Valley that he treated remained alive. Remarkably, even after Melander increased the active ingredient by ten times, 74% of the latter still survived.  Melander’s recounting of this phenomenon would become the first article ever to document insecticide resistance. For many, it was an ecological alarm bell. Researchers would eventually confirm that insect pests like the scale could take advantage of the laws of natural selection to better withstand insecticides over generations through metabolic or behavioural adaptations.     Dr. Maria Anita Bautista in the laboratory. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Against such a fast-adapting problem, it is up to scientists and farmers to update their own toolkits. For years, UP entomologist Dr. Ma. Anita “Marianne” Bautista has worked hard to do just that. And now as the head of the Philippine Genome Center’s (PGC) Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry Program, she’s spending her time trying to help others.     Lucky charm  Eventually, with complementary advances in genetics and genomics, scientists began to look into the molecular basis of insecticide resistance. While Melander went into the textbooks for his work on the San Jose scale, Bautista, too, has done considerable work on an insect pest she considers her “lucky charm”—the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostela L.).  The UP Los Baños graduate of BS Agriculture, major in Entomology, first started working with the moth as part of her thesis. Even before doing the genomics work that would become her trademark, she was already deeply interested in controlling its numbers. “Because it is a pest,” she says. “Your cabbage, your kale, your pechay—it is a notorious pest of those crops.”     Diamondback moth (DBM) larvae grown on cabbage seedlings for insecticide resistance experiments. (Photo by Dr. Anita Bautista, UP-PGC)     Bautista, together with other scientists, had not only noticed that the moth and its voracious larvae were costing the world upwards of $2 billion annually, but that they had easily developed resistance to insecticides used on cruciferous crops. Her initial work on the moth as an undergraduate student led her to become a Monbukagakusho scholar, earning her PhD in Agricultural Science at Nagoya University. And it was there that she undertook her most popular research project to date.  While many of her peers at the time were looking into classical management systems to try and contain the pest, she wanted to see “at the level of the genes” what mechanisms were behind the moth’s resistance.     Drop by drop  The first question Bautista asked was: what genes and enzymes were responsible for the moth’s resistance? Zeroing in on resistance to the insecticide permethrin with professors Toshiharu Tanaka and Tadashi Miyata, she found a promising candidate in an enzyme called cytochrome P450.  “When the moth is exposed to insecticides, the tendency of the insect is to increase the expression of these enzymes,” she says . This means that the diamondback moths produces an increasing amount of cytochrome P450, which helps detoxify them from lethal chemicals. Most of these enzymes are found in the moth’s midgut and act via hydrolysis—breaking down permethrin with water and rendering it ineffective.     Droplet-feeding double stranded RNA to diamondback moth (DBM) larvae to knockdown cytochrome P450 gene. (Photo by Dr. Anita Bautista, UP-PGC)     The next important step was to find evidence that this relationship existed. Once a set of candidate genes were determined, Marianne and her colleagues used a technique that was novel at the time—RNA interference or RNAi. This entails injecting insects with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) corresponding to the target genes to inhibit their expression. These dsRNAs are spliced, and they target their respective messenger RNAs—molecules that convey information from DNA, thus preventing them from being translated into enzymes like cytochrome P450.  There was only one problem. At around 5 mm. long, diamondback moth larvae would likely not survive being injected with a typical syringe. So what Marianne did was droplet-feed them–a slow and laborious process. At that time, an unorthodox effort, this, however, would eventually pay dividends.  In what became a paper published in Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bautista and her colleagues found out that knocking down cytochrome P450 transcripts did reduce the permethrin resistance of diamondback moths. Moreover, her unique droplet-feeding approach to knocking down genes started to be adopted by others dealing with smaller insects. All Bautista’s work with her favorite pest insect finally hit paydirt.     Becoming a mentor  Solving such a thorny problem would open several doors for Bautista. For instance, it netted her an invitation to be a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University for a project to possibly make insects susceptible once more. Here, she would discover the power of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics, the two pillars of contemporary genomics research.  Staying in the US, however, was out of the question. Both Bautista’s family and her willingness to pay things forward led her back to the Philippines, and to the newly established PGC in 2013.     Dr. Bautsita poses with staff from the PGC and the PCARI Shared Genomics Core Laboratory. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Today, she is known as the resident transcriptomics expert at both the PGC and the UP National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UP-NIMBB). As the head of the PGC’s Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry Program, her focus now is on sharing the novel genomics techniques she learned with the country’s State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and beyond.  “I will continue to empower young scientists,” Bautista said, when asked about future plans. Her formative years studying insecticide resistance appeared to have drilled into her a more fundamental truth—that the future of science depends on nurturing the creativity of young researchers. “I think that’s how science should work. It’s really important that you become a mentor.”  The heart of this mission lies in Marianne’s belief that promoting genomics knowledge can help solve social, as well as scientific problems. One current project finds her studying another pest, mosquitoes like the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti. Using lessons from the diamondback moth, she now tries to find correlations between the diversity of these insects and the viruses they carry, as well as the land use of surrounding barangays. “The study is expected to provide benchmarks on the impact of land use change in dengue disease transmission, “ she says.  This is a problem where scientific expertise can immediately influence the policy debate. And that sounds like an irresistible next opportunity—even for an expert on resistance.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "PGC inaugurates building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pgc-inaugurates-building/",
        "html": "PGC inaugurates building PGC inaugurates building October 3, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Philippine Genome Center building (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) inaugurated its building on September 11, nine years after the Center was established by the UP Board of Regents in July 2009. According to UP President Danilo Concepcion, the structure is just the first phase and the second building behind it is still being completed.     CHED OIC J. Prospero de Vera III (leftmost) and former UP president, Dr. Emerlinda Roman (rightmost) lead the ribbon cutting ceremony at the entrance of the PGC building. With them are (from left) UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, Mrs. Carmen Pascual (representing immediate past UP president, Alfredo Pascual), PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma, immediate past UP vice president for academic affairs Gisela Concepcion, and UP President Danilo Concepcion. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     CHED OIC J. Prospero de Vera III (left) and UP President Danilo Concepcion unveil the marker at the lobby of the PGC building. Joining them are (from left) University of the East President and Chief Academic Officer Ester Garcia, Mrs. Carmen Pascual, Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Dr. Cynthia Saloma, Dr. Carmencita Padilla, Dr. Emerlinda Roman, former DOST undersecretary Amelia Guevara, and UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and Commission on Higher Education Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III, representing the agencies that have been giving tremendous support to the PGC, celebrated the occasion with the University.     (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Because of these partnerships, Concepcion pointed out that the PGC is the best testimonial to the spirit of “bayanihan,” the Filipino value of working as a united community to reach a goal or complete a task.  The five-level building contains facilities for DNA sequencing and bioinformatics as the Center conducts research in the following areas: health; agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and forestry; biodiversity and ethnicity; and, computational genomics and systems biology.        One of the products of PGC research is Biotek-M, a dengue detection kit which won a gold medal at the Salon International des Inventions de Genève (International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva) early this year. It is accurate, rapid, and affordable.  Concepcion and UP Manila (UPM) Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, who was the PGC executive director from 2011 to 2016, revealed during the program that the equipment cost more than the construction of the building.     Guests take a tour of the facilities. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In a tour of the facilities, PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma said that the equipment requires special conditions for their care and maintenance. Adhering to these requirements, in turn, ensures testing accuracy and data security.  The event acknowledged the five women who made the establishment of the PGC possible: Dr. Emerlinda Roman, who was then UP president, and the committee she tasked to study the feasibility of putting it up, led by Dr. Amelia Guevara, then UP vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Gisela Concepcion of the UP Diliman (UPD) Marine Science Institute; Dr. Padilla of the UPM College of Medicine; and, Dr. Saloma of the UPD National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.     The committee that paved the way for PGC’s establishment: from left to right, Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Dr. Amelia Guevara, Dr. Cynthia Saloma, and Dr. Carmencita Padilla. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Former UP president, Alfredo Pascual, who succeeded Roman and preceded Concepcion, recognized the impact and value of the PGC when he came in as university leader in 2011, prompting him to prioritize the initiative as part of his strategic plan.  Concepcion remarked that he sees the PGC as an important partner of the soon to be established UP Cancer Research Center, a key component of UP Philippine General Hospital-Diliman, one of his administration’s flagship projects.     Former UP presidents Alfredo Pascual and Emerlinda Roman (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Throughout the event, it was emphasized that the PGC was created not for the University, but for the country, the reason for its name. The Center’s motto, “Genomics for a better Philippines”, is also embodied in its activities, such as sequencing services, training programs and workshops, collaborative research, and programs for senior high school students, among others.  Both dela Peña and de Vera expressed their agencies’ continued support of the PGC, especially for the development of future scientists and the conduct of meaningful research to address society’s needs. (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Genomics on the Road – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/genomics-on-the-road/",
        "html": "Genomics on the Road Genomics on the Road May 4, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    We definitely want more people to be involved in genomics and bioinformatics,” says Dr. Maria Anita Bautista, head of the Philippine Genome Center’s (PGC) Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Program, “because there are many scientists from state universities and col­leges who want to improve their research. These scientists thought that the PGC was only for UP, but it’s not just for UP. The Department of Science and Technology shelled out funds for it so that the PGC could serve the Filipino community.”  The message that the national university’s equipment and expertise have always been there for Filipino scientists to use has been one that Bautista and her colleagues have been trying to put out. This sentiment is borne out by the PGC’s goal of training the country’s future experts in genomics and bioinformatics—a task that goes far beyond the borders of UP.  Getting the word out on what the PGC has to offer is no easy task. Since 2012, however, under current Execu­tive Director and former DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF) chief Cynthia P. Saloma, the PGC has literally been getting their show on the road. Through a series of roadshows, PGC staff are hitting the regions and their as­sociated SUCs to share both the PGC’s high-tech tools and the knowledge to use them.  Bautista herself did the rounds when she briefly became DSCF director in 2016. “During that time,” she says, “our task was to inform the Philippine scientific community that we already have these state-of-the-art tools that we can use. So if they want to get involved in genomics research, they don’t have to outsource. They can use the facility for their sequencing needs.”  The PGC is mandated to provide access to its advanced sequencing and bioinformatics services to strengthen the country’s academic and research infrastructure. Its DNA sequencing services include capillary sequencing (a tech­nique originally used by the Human Genome Project in the 1990s) and medium- and high-throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), along with nucleic acid extraction, quantification, and library preparation. On the bioinformatics end, the PGC also offers data processing and analytics services for NGS data, and high-computing services for those who want to do the analyses themselves.     A participant of the UP PGC 2017 Introduction on Next Generation Sequencing and Data Analysis. (Photo by the Philippine Genome Center, https://pgc.up.edu.ph/)     “I asked the staff to help me spread the word that there was a sequencing facility that they could use,” she says. “And if cost is an issue, our offer was, you could be trained. You could process your own samples and won’t be charged as high because you won’t be paying for manpower. So the goal really was to train scientists, students, and researchers. We just want to follow the PGC mandate.”  What exactly happens when the PGC goes on tour? “This is how we do it,” Bautista explains. “We have a series of lectures. First, we invite people. If the workshop is on agrigenomics, we ask at least three people working on three different commodities to do lectures. So for example one would speak on crops, one on insects, and one on shrimp or forestry. And then in the afternoon, we introduce the platforms that we have at the PGC.  “The first question usually is: can we use them? And we say, of course you can use them! And the next one is: may bayad po ba (is there a fee)? Yes, there is a fee, but it’s not high. Because our mandate is to let them know how to use the facility. We also have a lecturer on bioinformatics, so it’s typically a one-day workshop.”  Bautista adds that the good thing about the workshop is that it doesn’t end there. “The participants come back. They write to us and ask for in-house training. So it’s a promotional campaign to let them know what we can do for them.” In order to tailor the workshop to certain SUCs, the roster of speakers is chosen to fit the region. “We first look at what commodities they focus on and then we invite people.”  For example, when they go to Benguet up north, “We go to Central Luzon State University. PhilRice is there, and so is the Philippine Carabao Center. So we invite people to talk on the genomics of crops that grow in the north, like rice and corn. We will get people to talk on the genomics of the water buffalo or cows. That’s how we conduct the workshop.”  After successful stops recently in Iloilo and Benguet, as well as the addition of several first-of-their kind sequencers to the PGC’s Shared Genomics Core Facility, the PGC’s roadshow will pick up steam in 2018. “We would like to encourage other researchers to link up with us,” Bautista says. “We can also help them craft research proposals spe­cifically for their areas, in collaboration with the PGC, but with the SUCs as implementing agencies. Because that’s the purpose—that we extend our services beyond UP.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Infectious disease symposium brings together PH, UK Genomics experts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/infectious-disease-symposium-brings-together-ph-uk-genomics-experts/",
        "html": "Infectious disease symposium brings together PH, UK Genomics experts Infectious disease symposium brings together PH, UK Genomics experts November 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Philippine Genome Center Director Cynthia Saloma (2nd from left) with the afternoon session’s presenters (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Experts from across the world gathered at the UP Diliman Institute of Biology Auditorium and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) on November 5 and 8, 2018 for the multidisciplinary symposium , “Genomic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases 2018” (GEID 2018). The symposium brought together researchers from the Philippines and the United Kingdom to discuss how cutting-edge advances in ‘omics science can be applied by Filipinos to the study of infectious diseases and used in the service of the country.  ‘Omics refers to the collective technologies used to interpret, investigate the functions and interactions of the different molecules, such as DNA and RNA, that constitute an organism’s cells. The two segments of the workshop tackled unique dimensions of ‘omics applications, with Day 1 covering the broader applications of omics in studying infectious diseases and Day 2 tackling specific ‘omics applications in viral outbreaks, like Zika, and in the sequencing of parasite genomes.  The symposium was made possible through the partnership of the Philippine Genome Center with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the British Council’s Newton Fund and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).     Dr. Stephane Hue of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine talks about HIV genomics (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Sandwiched between the symposium’s two segments was a similarly themed workshop, which aimed to equip local researchers with sufficient knowledge on the relevance of ‘omics technologies in the surveillance, management and control of infectious diseases and their applications. It was attended by a mix of British and Philippine scholars and was open to the Philippine research and public health communities.  In his opening remarks, Dr. Benedict Maralit of the PGC’s DNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core Facility (DSBF) lauded the groundbreaking nature of the symposium, it being only the second to be held in the PGC’s newly inaugurated home. He also thanked the LSHTM, who featured a contingent led by Emerging Infectious Disease expert, Martin Hibberd, for helping to create a better, more forward-looking symposium.  According to Maralit, the expertise of the LSHTM has allowed the PGC to expand from its initial focus on genomics, to tackle also “transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics”. “That in itself is exciting,” he said, while noting how the PGC’s collaborations with international partners have helped it to expose even K-12 students to emerging technologies that can shape the country’s future.     Participants of GEID 2018 pose for a group photograph (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Speaking on behalf of UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Office for International Linkages (UP OIL) Director Gil Jacinto lauded how the symposium and workshop facilitated the exchange of values and good practices in research, especially between UP and LSHTM.  “It is our privilege to have been inspired and guided by experts who are outstanding in their fields and at the same time passionate about improving lives through high quality, meaningful research,” Jacinto said. (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 booster shots, what we know so far – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-talk-about-covid-19-booster-shots-what-we-know-so-far/",
        "html": "UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 booster shots, what we know so far UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 booster shots, what we know so far September 22, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  What do we know about “booster shots” against COVID-19 so far?  Join us this Friday, September 24 at 12nn, as we discuss “Ano nga ba ang COVID-19 Booster Shots?” This webinar hopes to clarify some of the questions about this heavily talked-about topic: Are all the vaccines providing adequate protection against all variants, especially Delta? Should people be getting additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines? What’s the science and evidence so far regarding booster shots?  The debate regarding if and when people should be receiving COVID-19 booster shots continues. This episode will also tackle the World Health Organization’s concerns about vaccine equity and why everyone in the world must have at least one vaccine before even considering extra doses.  The panel will be led by Dr. Nina Gloriani, former dean of UP College of Public Health and currently the Chair of the Vaccine Expert Committee. Dr. Marie Carmela Lapitan, professor at the UP NIH, will follow with her presentation on epidemiology. From a logistical perspective, the FDA Director-General, Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo, will discuss the regulatory processes for ensuring that an additional dose is safe and appropriate. Lastly, infectious disease specialist Dr. Sonia Salamat will share her views on boosters and COVID-19 variants. Dr. Charlotte Chiong, the UP College of Medicine Dean, will close the event with her synthesis and message.  Register here and catch the Livestream via TVUP’s official Facebook and YouTube accounts.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts and stay connected with your credible online community.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle spaces, hospital design amid COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-spaces-hospital-design-amid-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle spaces, hospital design amid COVID-19 UP webinar to tackle spaces, hospital design amid COVID-19 November 10, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Despite ongoing vaccination rollouts, strict observation of health protocols, and implementation of lockdowns now and then, one thing is for sure: COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, and we all must adapt to the constantly changing so-called ‘new normal’.  While health care workers continue to sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears to provide care for COVID-19 patients, we realize that other illnesses and conditions—cancer, pregnancies, and maternal care, physical injuries, and so on—need just as much medical attention and routine follow-ups as those with the virus.  The pandemic has forced us to be more creative and innovative when organizing hospital space, utilizing spare rooms and corners, and making the most out of health centers to continue serving COVID and non-COVID patients without risking the spread of infection for the latter.  This Friday’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series episode, titled “Hospital Design: Nakakatulong ba a Pandemya?” has invited three speakers who will be sharing their ideas, expertise, and on-the-ground experience.  UP PGH Director Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi will present the One-Ward Concept implemented in the UP PGH. Meanwhile, Dr. Dennis P. Serrano, Medical Director of the St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City, will provide the perspective from a private hospital. Lastly, renowned green architect Ma. Luisa Daya-Garcia will discuss the importance of green design not only for pandemics but for long-term sustainability and resilience against the backdrop of extreme weather conditions, floods, droughts, and other effects of increasing surface temperature and climate change.  The webinar, the 78th episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, will run from 12 pm to 2 pm. Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Stay connected for more timely and accurate information on COVID-19.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Stop COVID Deaths” sets tone for 2022 amid COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/stop-covid-deaths-sets-tone-for-2022-amid-covid/",
        "html": "“Stop COVID Deaths” sets tone for 2022 amid COVID “Stop COVID Deaths” sets tone for 2022 amid COVID December 7, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  As the year ends, we are all hoping for a better and safer ‘new normal.’ However, the looming fear of uncertainty is also due to the new Omicron variant and the ever-mutating COVID-19 virus.  In this unique UP “Stop COVID Deaths” year-ender episode, we ask: “Will We Ever Control COVID-19?” “How are we preparing for the coming year?” “What have we learned both from these last two years and other pandemics in the past?” This webinar hopes to set the tone and expectations from a public health perspective in 2022.  Special Envoy of the President for Global Health Initiatives and public health expert Dr. Susan Pineda Mercado will be the main speaker. She will reflect on what it will take to control COVID-19 using the lens of history—looking beyond just the biomedical solutions and injecting ecological, political, and social contexts that drive infections and inequalities in health.  Dr. Annette David, an active leader in the medical community of Guam, Dr. Enrique “Ike” Ona, former Secretary of Health, and Dr. Vivien Fe F. Fadrilan-Camacho, UP Manila Associate Dean for Research, will each share their take on what to expect this 2022.  In this concluding episode for the year, the entire UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series team would also like to thank our audiences and participants for a year of collaboration, ideation, and compassion.  Don’t forget to register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Going beyond the Summit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/going-beyond-the-summit/",
        "html": "Going beyond the Summit Going beyond the Summit July 12, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   UPM members were ready to take the ascent going to the Saulay campsite in Mt. Sicapoo. (Photo by Joyce Belle Dinglasan)     “Life begins kapag hindi ka na nag-iinarte,” so the UP Mountaineers say. What could this actually mean for the longest running mountaineering organization in the country?  Its forty years tell us how UP Mountaineers pioneered and sustained mountaineering as a consequential sport. More importantly, it showed how mountaineering is not just about literally reaching the summit, but going beyond it.     Mountaineering as a sport  Since 1977, the UP Mountaineers have counted over a thousand professionals and students as members, as the open organization has welcomed individuals in and outside the UP community. Its strength lies in its observance of two basic rules—punctuality and participation.  UP Mountaineers President Ed Magdaluyo defines mountaineering thus: “Primarily, like any other kind of sport, it requires one to be physically fit. In fact, during the application period, applicants go through a physical fitness program, which is later applied to levels of climb activities before attaining membership status. It’s also about setting the right attitude while performing those tedious physical activities,” the UP Mountaineer Batch 2013 adds.     UPM members at the base of Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. (Photo by Dennis Lopez)     The team made it to the Everest Base Camp, situated at 5,300+ meters above sea level at the heart of the Khumbu Valley in Nepal. (Photo by Dawa Lama)     UP Mountaineer Batch 2016 Donna Padilla emphasizes attitude and mental fitness as very important qualities to possess as a mountaineer. “Like any other sport, mountaineering requires a holistic kind of preparedness, which means equipping oneself with physical strength as well as mental toughness.”  “To those who are wondering, mountaineering is not an expensive sport. As long as you have a good pair of hiking shoes and proper clothing gear, you’re all set,” says Magdaluyo. “Other hiking gear is shared, especially among UP Mountaineers,” Padilla adds.     Superlative mountaineering  Magdaluyo, an associate professor at the Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials at the College of Engineering, says that mountaineering is a multisport.  “We have developed various physical fitness trainings and programs necessary for every climb we take. In turn, this exposure to high impact physical fitness, such as running and swimming, has turned members into trail runners, rock climbers, bikers, even triathletes.”  “I have been joining small groups of mountaineers in several hiking activities. But only when I signed up for the UP Mountaineers did I change how I value my every climb. It taught me to not only think about myself, but also to consider the surroundings, to become responsible in general,” College of Home Economics Food Technology major Padilla shares.  Of course, Romy Garduce’s Mt. Everest climb is one of the many shining moments of the UP Mountaineers, according to Magdaluyo. Besides that, the organization also takes pride in its unrivaled expertise in opening up new and emerging trails.     Green is Good: Mt. Apo reforestation effort of UP Mountaineers. (Photo by Romi Garduce)     Always practice the Leave No Trace Principle     Padilla and Magdaluyo also mention the mountaineering training programs that the organization has developed over years of hiking experience, from basic mountaineering courses to outdoor life support, and crisis and rescue response.  The recent success of the Akyat Convention held last May 18-19 with over 300 participants in attendance was a gratifying moment for these members. Magdaluyo describes this year’s convention theme—transformative learning beyond mountaineering—as a platform that provided discussions on pressing issues in four identified areas such as biodiversity, the digital age, ecotourism policies, and practices from various mountain terrains.  While the UP Mountaineers have achieved these milestones, there are also moments in its history that remind them of constant struggle, even the inevitability of death.  “It is a challenge to encourage students to join because they think that this endeavor is expensive and difficult to integrate with their studies. But as I have always said, UP Mountaineers is all about sharing and responsibility too,” Padilla explains.  “Every year, we have a special climb dedicated to the fallen members of the UP Mountaineers. Our memorial climb commemorates the lives of our fellows whom we have lost along the way. We usually conduct this at the same time as the induction climb of our new members,” says Magdaluyo.     Going beyond the sport  So, what does it mean, when the UP Mountaineers say, “Life begins kapag hindi ka na nag-iinarte?”  “Every climb yields a different view which you can never see in the lowlands. Of course, there’s the sea of clouds, but that’s temporary. It is more about your vulnerability and keeping yourself open to the enchantments of nature, the mountains. It is a different kind of fulfillment to reach the summit from a long, hard struggle in the trails, and rewarding yourself with good food at the top,” Magdaluyo explains.  Padilla adds that “every time I reach the summit, it is always a humbling experience for me as I see myself as just a part of the whole vastness of nature.”     Aside from hiking, UP Mountaineers members also venture into rock climbing for a different kind of thrill. (Photo from Bram Barrameda)     The statement also means to look past the self and go beyond the sport, according to Magdaluyo. As the current UP Mountaineers president, he is looking forward to numerous ongoing and new projects such as trail explorations, ecotourism training projects, and geotagging research.  He emphasizes the need for these training projects and collaborations with local government units to properly educate local guides as well as provide guidelines in implementing trail entry policies and security and environmental issues common to all hiking areas such as waste pollution and forest degradation.  Padilla, for her part, emphasizes the continuing education of the members as well as non-members of UP Mountaineers on responsible mountaineering. “If we are able to raise their awareness through education about responsible mountaineering, they will be able to have that drive to take care of nature. We desire to educate people to be mountaineers.”     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Meet the giant clam fam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/meet-the-giant-clam-fam/",
        "html": "Meet the giant clam fam Meet the giant clam fam June 22, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    It is impossible to miss those electric colors—shifting from olive green to brown or dark green to violet; those shining in brilliant shades of blue and green; or the ones freckling in mixed colors of yellow, green, and brown; and especially those looking regal in mottled patterns of yellow-brown, green or gray—when passing through the waters of Silaqui Island in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Their luminescence is matched by their gigantic size, which make them the darling giants of the North.  There are nine extant species of giant clams. Seven of these are found in the Philippines, four of which are home to University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute-Bolinao Marine Laboratory (BML). These giant clams are being cultured both at its onshore hatchery and ocean nursery.     A peek through UP Marine Science Institute-Bolinao Marine Laboratory’s ocean nursery at Silaqui Island in Bolinao, Pangasinan  (Video by Rubie Esmolo, UP MSI-BML and Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO)     Giant clam fam  The bands of olive green to brown or dark-green to violet clams are the Tridacna gigas, more commonly known as the true giant clams, because adults have such immense shells. In the Philippines, they’re called taklobo, a term which applies to most giant clam species, according to administrative aide Julio Curiano Jr. Particularly, these species of T. gigas are locally called bukà, with reference to the clam’s gaping habit, Curiano adds.  Hagdan-hagdan, the Filipino name for Tridacna squamosa, is the type of giant clam in mottled patterns of mixed yellow, green, and brown. Those in brilliant shades of blue and green in linear patterns are called Tridacna derasas. Another member of the BML’s clam fam is the Hippopus hippopus, locally called kukong-kabayo, in mottled patterns of yellow-brown, green, or gray.  The magnificent colors that these species produce are part of a process of symbiosis. Curiano explains that giant clams are symbiotic with zooxanthellae, particularly Symbiodinium microadriaticum. “Zooxanthellae are dinoflagellates that live within the clam’s mantle, where they are able to photosynthesize, reproduce, and grow in large numbers,” Curiano says. He adds that the presence of giant clams makes the ocean conducive for various fish species to reproduce, making it rich and abundant.     UP MSI-BML giant clams administrative aide Julio Curiano Jr. holds a Tridacna derasa straight out of the ocean nursery. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Giant clams are protandrous, meaning, they begin life as males. Curiano describes how these species are male from zero to seven years old. Thereafter, they are able to release both sperm and egg. He theorizes that since giant clams are sessile creatures—or fixed in one place—they have adapted to become hermaphrodites for their survival. The highest egg production recorded by the Marine Science Institute was 105 million eggs from a 61-cm clam.  However, giant clams are cultured at the BML in a different way from their natural spawning. Curiano says that his team takes 20 giant clams from various cohorts during the spawning phase. “We do away with inbreeding because it has a lesser chance of survival,” he adds.     The oldest and the largest  Curiano is a fisheries graduate from Samar. It was only through a job advertisement in a daily newspaper that he learned about giant clams when the BML opened its research aide post. He immediately applied for the post, and soon after, he was seeing these huge clams for the first time in 2006.  He recalls that it was in 1983 when Dr. Edgardo Gomez, in collaboration with Dr. Angel Alcala, surveyed the waters off Bolinao, and eventually discovered the depletion of the giant clams there. That same year, they acquired three juvenile giant clams all the way from the Solomon Islands. Since 1985, the BML has been able to increase the number of giant clams, as well as to distribute them to as far as the United Kingdom and Germany.  Two of the three giant clam pioneers from the Solomon Islands are still alive today, with a massive size of 98.3 centimeters, the largest giant clams recorded in the country. BML also holds the biggest kukong-kabayo (Hippopus hippopus) at 90.3 centimeters, with T. derasa growing as large as 93.6 centimeters; and hagdan-hagdan at 87.6 centimeters. These gentle giants have a lifespan of 50 to 60 years, according to Curiano.     Passing through Site 3 of UP MSI-BML ocean nursery where adult and juvenile giant clams are cultured.  (Video by Rubie Esmolo, UP MSI-BML and Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO)     The parent giant clams are 35 years old today. Currently, the BML watches over a total of 35,687 adult giant clams at its ocean nursery, and about 62,000 juveniles at the hatchery. Curiano explains that they grow these juveniles to about 3 centimeters at the onshore hatchery before they are released into the wild.     A giant clam marine reserve  On board the giant clam program are Rubie Esmolo and Vanessa Joy Diamante. Both are research assistants like Julio Curiano. They are also in charge of the BML’s research and extension programs.  “A marine reserve is set to be established soon in collaboration with BML and the local government unit of Bolinao,” Diamante says excitedly. “What the BML and the LGU of Bolinao want is to make this part of Bolinao a protected and ecotourism area. We got word from the LGU that the bill has already been passed calling Bolinao the giant clam capital of the Philippines. So, we are moving forward to our next goal, making the marine reserve happen.”     UP MSI-BML giant clams research assistant and extension programs coordinator Vanessa Joy Diamante (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     She adds, “The ordinance for establishing the marine reserve is on its way. As we await its public hearing, we are now working with the residents of Silaqui Island on forming a people’s organization that will prepare them as primary point persons of the marine reserve. This will be significant to the lives of the residents of the island as well as to BML, because it will provide us with the financial resources to sustain the training and maintenance of the giant clam nursery.”  Aside from maintaining the giant clam facility, Rubie Esmolo is focused on the upcoming extension activities of the BML. She points out the success of its public information seminar in March with law Prof. Jay Batongbacal on the protection and conservation of Philippine marine biodiversity, particularly at Benham Rise and the West Philippine Sea. Another activity was an open-house exhibit and the launch of the Adopt-a-Clam project in April.     UP MSI-BML giant clams research assistant and extension programs coordinator Rubie Esmolo (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The team takes pride with its successful participation in the 4th Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium in June, as well as with its several trainings, outreach and environmental programs showcasing the BML’s research initiatives. Esmolo, along with the rest of the team, is looking forward to a bigger and busier year ahead. The BML aims to promote the giant clam program more than ever to heighten the awareness of the public, as well as to strengthen its sustainability so people can enjoy their company for many more generations to come.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "In systems and in health – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-systems-and-in-health/",
        "html": "In systems and in health In systems and in health July 25, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    “Health is a very difficult agenda. In local politics today, no one will believe you when you define health as a campaign issue by giving out ‘free’ PhilHealth. That era is over. There are a lot of health issues that can be solved without doctors and just by governance,” says Del Carmen’s man of action, Mayor Alfredo M. Coro II.  What drove this UP Los Baños Computer Science alumnus, with a graduate degree in Technology Management from UP Diliman and years of ThinkPad technologies experience, to turn the sleepy town of Del Carmen on the island of Siargao in Surigao Del Norte into a dynamic municipality that leads the country in health management?     Mayor Alfredo M. Coro II talks about the Seal of Health Governance (SOHG) at Del Carmen’s police station after his team had successfully seized an illegal commercial fishing vessel in Surigao (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     For Coro, being a native of Del Carmen and at the same time an Isko immersed in public service was always a reason to come back. It was in 2009 when he was called to run for public office. It was an opportunity for him to apply his IT systems background to good governance, especially for something as abstract as health.     Health as a framework for governance  Del Carmen consists of four island barangays, nine coastal barangays, an upland barangay, and six inland barangays. It is the largest town on Siargao Island, with a population of about 20,000, mostly farmers, fisherfolk, senior citizens, government employees, and students. “We have the airport, the sea port and the state college. I have a city problem in a 5th class community,” Mayor Coro points out.  He looks at the town’s pressing issues as a matter of health. “By focusing on health, we are also able to address other issues in food security, environment, poverty, social and economic activities,” Coro says.     A part of Del Carmen’s sea port with a view of its lush mangrove forest (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “At first, we had no data. There was nothing until we started documenting things from one barangay to another,” he recounts. “The concept is for you to understand the complexity of health systems and develop a complex solution to the complex problem. And then, I heard about a health governance program conducted by Zuellig. I persevered and insisted and that our town be included in its two-year program in bridging leadership,” he continues.  He confesses that he had no idea what exactly to do until he took the second phase of the module where he was able to see the uniqueness of Del Carmen’s geography and its situation. The challenge was how to cascade a health system to a municipality that had varied concerns, needs, and physical and cultural characteristics for every barangay.  “That’s when we started looking into a health program with problems that even the LGU is part of. I myself had this idea that health was the doctor’s concern. But then we realized that there are so many health issues that are matters of governance,” he emphasizes.     The SOHG experience  The mayor, together with the MHO and RHU staff, developed a health governance program to list all the Department of Health (DOH) programs and local initiatives needed to address the priority health targets. “We have a barangay that has a high incidence of teenage pregnancy, others have zero. We have barangays that has Schistosomiasis, while others don’t. Given the varied situations, we cannot use a generic approach. We can address the health issue by finding a solution unique to every barangay,” he says.  Mayor Coro also stresses, “You can never be there for everyone. So, you have to capacitate the barangay leaders in identifying their concerns and how to develop their own innovations in addressing their concerns.”     The ‘Shore it up, clean up’ drive participated by residents of Del Carmen (Photo courtesy of the Rural Health Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte)     The Seal of Health Governance (SOHG) is simply a monitoring tool. It has a systems-thinking application to governance in the barangay level. There may be unique and individual health concerns in every barangay; however, there is still a common metric being monitored as non-negotiables, such as maternal deaths, immunization, and infant mortalities, formulated by the collective efforts of the LGU, midwives of BHWs, nurses, and barangay captains.  “As a barangay leader, you must be able to quantify how ‘healthy’ your barangay is, and this is expressed through this tool. After being able to establish this tool, we rolled out rewards and incentives. We launched the first set of awards in 2013 during the town’s fiesta. Out of 20 barangays, only 10 participated. The successful outcomes and reports from 2013 have encouraged a 100 percent participation in 2014,” Mayor Coro proudly says.     Toilet bowls being produced by residents of Barangay Antipolo in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte (Photo courtesy of the Rural Health Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte)     The lack of toilet bowls in Barangay Antipolo led the community to innovate its own locally made urinals. Another barangay zoomed in on clean and green. Meanwhile, one barangay was the first to set up a community-based drug rehabilitation program. “This is not yet in the books,” Mayor Coro says. “As soon as President Duterte declared the war on drugs, we immediately declared drugs a health issue. We asked the help of the UP Manila Community Medicine in teaching us, the LGU and the barangays in solving drug-related problems without anyone dying or getting into jail. We were able to prove it in just three months. No tokhang. We saw that it was possible, so we set it up in other barangays,” he continues.     Health wonders  Since health management is continuously improving in this side of the country, community health workers now have the opportunity to visit bedridden patients in their homes. They are also implementing the “white uniform visibility,” which means nurses are set to go to barangays on a daily basis. “We have senior citizens who only got to see a doctor for the first time. The behavior of the people of Del Carmen has greatly changed towards health,” Mayor Coro says.     Del Carmen’s purok evaluation (Photo courtesy of the Rural Health Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte)     Now that all barangays are actively and competitively participating in the SOHG, Del Carmen LGU faces a good problem in terms of providing incentives. The race to being a healthy barangay is not by being the best, but by improving on its own performance.     Twelve barangays of Del Carmen were awarded by the Department of Health-Caraga Region as Certified Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) during the 2018 Sanitation Forum in Butuan City. (Photo courtesy of the Rural Health Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte)     The LGU is expecting the release of the Seal of Health Code soon. It is a collection of ordinances and resolutions related to health. Rex Paitan, head of the Committee on Health, says that the vision is to achieve an efficient health system that will be a preventive and protective tool for the community by 2020.  Also on its way is the Siargao Cuban health system which is patterned after the polyclinics of Cuba. One of its pilot areas will include Siargao, particularly in Del Carmen as one of its inter-local health zones. This is expected to take shape in the next three months.     The Seal of Health Governance (SOHG) was recently awarded the “Outstanding Social Innovation in Health.” The award recognizes the program as an excellent model of social innovation in health that enables the delivery of a more inclusive, effective and affordable health service in the community. (Photo courtesy of the Rural Health Unit of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte)     “We are also addressing education, a health system for people with disabilities, mental management, and finally food security. I believe that food security is more complex than health,” Mayor Coro underscores. “If whatever we’re doing is not felt by the community, then whatever we have done is useless. That’s our measure of governance. That’s the bottom line,” he concludes.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Haven for Everyone – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-haven-for-everyone/",
        "html": "A Haven for Everyone A Haven for Everyone November 13, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   A look inside the UP Baguio campus. (Photo taken from UP Baguio Campus Masterplan, February 2018)     The University of the Philippines is the country’s national university—the home of thinkers who help shape the nation. It is also a compassionate and nurturing University committed to honor and excellence. The University environment has always been a welcoming place, a place to turn to for refuge, healing, and enrichment. Here is a look at the University as a haven, a sanctuary of and for the people.     UP Baguio: Quads, commons, hubs  The UP Baguio Campus Masterplan (February, 2018) is based on three major principles: 1) respect for nature and society; 2) ensuring long-term sustainable campus development; and 3) linking education to a “living laboratory” for sustainability.  The future quads, commons as well as cultural and learning hubs within its forest reserves are spaces that encourage movement, interaction, and productivity. “These address the issue of pedestrian and vehicular conflicts. The recreation particularly of the main quad from a parking lot into a central open space will provide a new circulation and gathering space for students on campus,” says the proposed campus plan.     UP Diliman: Peace sanctuary  UP Diliman is home to various academic and public activities. It also provides a public space for its local constituents as well as a peace sanctuary.  In 2017, UP Diliman and the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. (MISFI) entered into an agreement in “developing curricula in the University and MISFI recognizing the vital contributions of indigenous communities, the Moro and peoples of Mindanao to national development and nationhood, forming advocacy campaigns on defense of the rights of indigenous communities, the Moro and peoples of Mindanao among others,” according to Rius Valle, spokesperson of Save Our Schools (SOS) Network-Mindanao.     Lumad children gather during their regular flag-raising ceremony in UP Diliman. (Photo courtesy of Rius Valle)     MISFI is a network of 32 schools, offering basic and secondary education from preschool to junior high school in Regions 10, 11, 12 and 13, with the majority of its students coming from long-neglected lumad and Moro communities.  “The Save Our Schools (SOS) UP Diliman has launched a campaign of geotagging communities, schools, institutions, groups and individuals that have been named or have declared themselves as Peace Sanctuaries for the children of the lumad or the indigenous peoples in Mindanao. Geotagging means adding geographical information to digital image, data and social media applications. The campaign works by encouraging individuals, organizations, schools, colleges, units and institutions to declare spaces and communities as a refuge or sanctuaries for lumad children who are displaced or threatened by the ongoing martial law in Mindanao,” UPD Professor and spokesperson of Save Our Schools (SOS) Network-Diliman Sharon Briones explained.     UP Manila-PGH: Haven of hope and healing  The UP Manila-PGH Department of Pediatrics is a hub for collaborative and interdisciplinary research in health research. It has launched infrastructure projects prioritizing the delivery of quality patient care as well as providing an environment for recovery and healing. Among these projects is the Teddy Rey Healing Garden, which is an outdoor facility for pediatric patients as well as those with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. Right in the middle of the garden is the Dr. Artemio Jongco Gazebo, where patient-students of Silahis ng Kalusugan and their relatives gather after classes.     Children find enjoyment in their classes at Silahis ng Kalusugan (Photo courtesy of Cynthia Villamor, UP Manila-IPPAO)     The Silahis ng Kalusugan is a school for the chronically ill. “The school was founded by Dr. Perla Santos Ocampo on September 23, 1996 and remains the only one of its kind in the Philippines. She was then the chair of the Department of Pediatrics when she convinced a special education teacher from the Division of City Schools, Manila, Estelita Samson, to hold classes for admitted patients,” Emma Alesna-Llanto wrote in a recent article.     UP Los Baños: Premium on life  The College of Human Ecology (CHE) puts a premium on life and the whole cycle of human development. As an institution, CHE addresses the family and community concerns in terms of age and psychosocial conditions.  A report by Mary Franhet Esperidion, Daisy V. Pelegrina, and Mark Jayson E. Gloria notes that “CHE has helped children and the elderly. Indeed, human development is business that concerns everybody and should be everybody’s concern as well. And CHE, with its commitment to understand all its complexities, is helping the helpless through their vulnerabilities.”     Neurobics, or brain exercise highlights UPLB’s Elderly Program (EDP) of the 6th Senior Citizens Summit in September 2017. (Photo by Vandolph R. Maningas/UPLB OPR)     The Child Development Laboratory (CDL) teaches children to socialize through play. The Playshop promotes learning and friendships, and facilitates conscious parenting through play. CHE is also the first institution in the country to draw its attention to the elderly with the UPLB Elderly Development Program (UPLB EDP) by providing health and wellness services to senior citizens in nearby communities.     UP Visayas: A safe campus  “The UP Visayas Miag-ao campus has always been a safe place for its students, faculty and staff since it opened its doors to the public in 1989. One can still sleep with one’s doors unlocked at night although this is not encouraged,” Chair of the UPV Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Committee Mary Lyncen M. Fernandez says.  Meditation rooms in dormitories and a counseling office courtesy of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA); improvement of library spaces and services; establishment of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Office in Miag-ao and Iloilo campuses; the College Union building and building lobbies; and the 24-hour roving guards are just some of the ways through which the University has made UPV a campus that is truly a haven for its community.     Finding solace at UP Visayas’ reflection room (Photo courtesy of Lyncen Marañon, UP Visayas)     UP Mindanao: An atrium for all  Jo-An Garcia, an administrative staff member at UP Mindanao, considers the Atrium Administration building a safe and nurturing space on campus. “As a UP employee for the past 13 years, I consider the Atrium as the center of University life.”  “The Atrium is where University activities, such as the University Convocation and Commencement Exercise, are being held. Our Monday flag ceremony is held in this area, and every First Monday of the Month we hold a Kapihan where personnel and faculty administrators partake of small refreshments after attending the flag ceremony to allow both sectors time to interact on various concerns.  “It is also the venue of many fellowship activities organized by various sectors. Student organizations also hold regular activities such as quiz bees, debate competitions, sports fests, in this area. The UP Mindanao Alumni Homecoming called Panagtagbo is also held here. The wide space of the area can accommodate around 1000 seats. The Atrium has for its backdrop lush green trees and various plants giving the area a serene and peaceful ambiance. The cream-colored walls and the Bagobo-inspired tiles give it a homey look. It is also well lighted due to its skylight roof,” Garcia pointed out.     The UP Mindanao Atrium as the center of university life (Photo courtesy of Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao Public Relations Officer)     The stable Internet connection, water fountain, and comfort rooms have made the Atrium a place-to-be for most students, staff and faculty. Aside from the Atrium, UP Mindanao has the EBL Student Dormitory, Human Kinetics Center, University Library and the Kalimudan Student Center are also considered safe and nurturing spaces on campus.  The spatial and structural designs that make for a nurturing and safe University are based on the principles of freedom, openness, sensitivity, protection and enhancement, as the UP Development and Design Guidelines (2014) state.     The author would like to acknowledge and thank Jennifer Diaz-Guimpol (UP Baguio),Cynthia Villamor (UP Manila), Josephine Bo (UP Los Baños), Lyncen Fernandez (UP Visayas), Jo-an Garcia (UP Mindanao) and Rene Estremera (UP Mindanao) for their inputs and assistance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Film Scores Music to Your Eyes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/film-scores-music-to-your-eyes/",
        "html": "Film Scores Music to Your Eyes Film Scores Music to Your Eyes January 14, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    How did Shake, Rattle and Roll ever become a hit in 1984, and eventually one of Philippine cinema’s great movie franchises? How did its trilogy—Spirit-of-the-Glass, Frigidaire, and the Manananggal—define the Filipino’s collective memory of horror?  How did scenes in the film Heneral Luna rekindle our patriotic and nationalistic sensibilities? Or how did a line in the song “Bituing Walang Ningning” draw the Filipino audience to that showdown moment between Dorina and Lavinia in the movie of the same title?  Most moviegoers probably don’t know it, but it’s the music that gives depth to cinematic storytelling. It is essential to keeping the imaginative work afloat and to transforming dialogue and words into a field of image and sound.  Musical scoring may be underrated compared to directing, acting, and scriptwriting. But two of UP’s talents are at it in today’s Philippine cinema, and are paving the way for the bright future of musical scoring in the country.      TOFARM’s Best Musical Score for the film Tanabata’s Wife (2018)     Composing for the screen  UP Fine Arts alumni May-I Guia Padilla and Diwa de Leon have become staple names in the music scoring industry. It may be a puzzle how they wound up as music composers, given their visual arts backgrounds. But Padilla and de Leon both attribute their success to passion and a combination of talent and networking.  Both admit to initially hardly knowing anyone in the film industry. They started out small. Their first clients were film students who were also composing for radio and television, but whose works sometimes didn’t get to air.  With 30 original compositions, May-I Guia Padilla started composing at the young age of six. This year marks his breakthrough in the industry. “My major break in musical scoring is winning TOFARM’s Best Musical Score for the film Tanabata’s Wife. The goal was to compose a theme that moviegoers would leave the cinema singing, along with the film’s theme song. I feel that we have succeeded. This is our first win, and hopefully not the last.”  “We were also able to create a theme for every character in the film, which is not common in mainstream cinema. No offense, but theme songs are still seldom composed in mainstream movies today,” Padilla adds.  For Diwa de Leon, it was when he first saw Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and heard John Williams’ wonderful score in Betamax format as a child in the 1980s that implanted in him the idea of someday becoming a film composer.     Diwa de Leon sees the boom in the independent film festivals, such as those of Cinemalaya and Cinema One, as auguring well for film music composers. (Photo from Diwa de Leon)     “It was an easier journey for me because of my family’s musical background. National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon is my grandfather, and everyone, from my uncles and aunts to my cousins, has some musical inclination. But I’m the only one in my family’s generation who decided to make music a full-time career.”  A Makiling band member, de Leon made it through from his first big break with Survivor Philippines, to scoring his first full-length composition Kolorete during the Cinema One 2008 Digital Film Festival.  “I was asked to compose in the style of Filipino sarswela, a style I know so well, thanks to my family’s roots in traditional music. It won me my first ever film scoring award, the Cinema One 2008 Best Original Score Award.”     Setting the mood  Just how important is music scoring? De Leon says that “Music sets the mood and atmosphere in films. It represents its emotional and the internal state. A scene in a film that has no dialogue can still be made to tell a coherent story through music.”  “Music is also the only aspect of films that can transcend a film’s life. There’s a reason why some film soundtracks become big on their own. It is because music has an enduring quality. I cannot say the same for cinematography, production design or even directing.”  Padilla points out the need to have more venues and platforms for, and forums on scoring. He believes that there are many brilliant Filipino musicians. “We are aware of that artist’s dilemma of having to choose between practicality and passion. I was at that crossroads long ago, but here we are talking about my breakthrough, eighteen years later. So, I encourage film music enthusiasts to strive and trust their art. There’s the thriving support for Filipino artists and the indie scene. I can see growth and confidence in this field.”     May-i Guia Padilla takes pride of his first major break winning TOFARM’s Best Musical Score for the film Tanabata’s Wife. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     De Leon sees the boom in the independent film festivals, such as those of Cinemalaya and Cinema One, as auguring well for film music composers.  “My advice to aspiring film composers is for them to focus on the story. Film is a director’s vision. It is not the time and place to compose your next masterpiece. Your music exists to serve the vision of the script and the director. If you are okay with that, and have the ambition and the drive to succeed, then by all means, pursue a career in film music. It is a great opportunity to grow as a composer, to be versatile, and simply, to have fun,” concludes de Leon.  Listen to Diwa de Leon’s musical scores here: https://www.diwadeleon.com/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "MWSS commissions UP to conduct its customer satisfaction survey – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mwss-commissions-up-to-conduct-its-customer-satisfaction-survey/",
        "html": "MWSS commissions UP to conduct its customer satisfaction survey MWSS commissions UP to conduct its customer satisfaction survey August 14, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    University of the Philippines (UP) and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office penned a memorandum of agreement on August 6 expressing UP’s willingness to assist the MWSS Regulatory Office in its 2019 and 2020 customer satisfaction survey.  As stated in the agreement: “The MWSS Regulatory Office is required by the Governance Commission for Government Owned and Controlled Corporation (GCG) to conduct a third party bi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS) that will serve as basis for the GCG in measuring performance of the MWSS RO relating to customer satisfaction under the 2019 Performance Evaluation System.”     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and MWSS Chief Regulator Atty. Patrick Lester N. Ty during the MOA signing (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The agreement’s Terms of Reference further stipulates:  The technical assistance rendered by UP will be through the UP-Centre International de Formation des Autorites et Leaders (UP CIFAL) which “will focus on the assessment of the customers’ level of satisfaction on the service directly rendered by the concessionaires to their respective customers on the premise that satisfied customers reflect good regulation.”  In carrying out MWSS RO’s 2nd semester 2019 and 1st semester of 2020 Customer Satisfaction Survey, the main objective of the CSS is to determine the perception of its stakeholders, namely: Maynilad, Manila Water, and its customers with regard to its dealing with MWSS RO. “The conduct of the CSS aims to gather information on customers’ needs, expectations, and issues; and, to identify potential problems and challenges concerning these matters for the formulation of new, as well as the improvement/enhancement of existing policies and standards, so as to ensure that customers receive the highest quality service,” as explained in the Terms of Reference.     From left to right: UP CIFAL Project Director Edna E. A. Co, Ph.D., UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, MWSS Chief Regulator Atty. Patrick Lester N. Ty, and MWSS Department Manager for Customer Service and Monitoring Division Rosendo Alegre. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO).     Present during the signing of the agreement were: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; UP CIFAL Project Director Edna E. A. Co, Ph.D.; MWSS Chief Regulator Atty. Patrick Lester N. Ty; and MWSS Department Manager for Customer Service and Monitoring Division Rosendo Alegre. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tech, plant-based products shown at NIH conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tech-plant-based-products-shown-at-nih-conference/",
        "html": "Tech, plant-based products shown at NIH conference Tech, plant-based products shown at NIH conference May 31, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu    A vending machine for non-prescription drugs and other over-the-counter products; a device that helps lifeguards detect drowning victims; and a tracking system for Alzheimer’s patients.  These were among the innovative products showcased at the 21st anniversary conference of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) on February 28 at the Bayanihan Center, UNILAB Inc. complex, Pasig City.  With the theme, “Lab to Life: Translating Health Research for Filipinos,” the day-long conference included presentations and a poster exhibit of abstracts on these “future products” as laboratory-tested solutions that can be made commercially viable and available for development with prospective industrial partners.  Among the other technologies and plant-based products featured by the NIH were: virtual reality applications for phobia therapies; electronic medical record systems; and medicines derived from Tsaang gubat, Ulasimang bato, Yerba buena, and Akapulko herbs.  OTC Express  Research by members of the Adamson University’s Electronics Engineering Department features the OTC Express, a “microprocessor and microcontroller-based automated vending machine that monitors sales, transaction records, and product inventory remotely through a database.” According to the proponents of this innovation, the vending machine aims to dispense non-prescription medicines and toiletries, or over the counter (OTC) products, that are commonly purchased from drugstores. This makes commerce more convenient for both customers and operators. Customers will be able to save time since the machine allows flexible payments in coins, bills, and points earned through purchases using magnetic stripe cards; and they do not have to queue up at the cashier. On the other hand, operators can easily monitor products with the machine’s proximity sensors; and inventories are reported to them in real time, making restocking easier and eliminating periodic manual inspections.  Drowning Detection System  Another technology being offered by the Adamson EE department is a system for detecting body movements indicative of drowning. Proponents of this study cited drowning as one of the top causes of accidental deaths worldwide. Thus, to help lifeguards prevent drowning, they conceptualized the development of a wearable device and alarm system. According to the researchers, “there are specific near-drowning body movement patterns that could be detected and assessed.” The project shows the feasibility of developing a wearable device that detetcs an instinctive drowning response in the user using motion detection, and a receiving device that makes the system “capable of sensing, communicating, comparing and initiating an alarm”.  Tracking System for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease  Also from the Adamson University, a research project proposes “the development of a real-time tracking system for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.” Proponents of this study designed a wearable tracking device for patients in nursing homes. The tracking device is linked to a personal computer-based software application that notifies administrators or caregivers if a patient has wandered out of the facility. Using wireless GSM technology, the system “will be able to locate the exact position of the patient,” and can even interconnect the patients’ individual devices through mesh network data transfers among their wearable devices. The researchers cited data from the National Statistics Office  indicating that, as of 2007, there were 3.6 million persons aged 65 and above, majority (56.8%) of them women, with Alzheimer’s disease. They are the main beneficiaries of this product.     Sponsors’ booths and selected participants’ posters of research abstracts were set up at the lobby of the NIH conference venue. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The following innovations are currently handled by the UP Manila-Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (UPM-TTBDO):  YANIG: A Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Earthquake-related PTSD  The UPM-TTBDO describes YANIG as “a virtual reality application designed as an alternative way of exposing patients with earthquake-related post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to their stressors.” This application for Android mobile devices can simulate earthquakes with intensity levels ranging from 4 to 10 and allows the therapist to customize the parameters of the virtual environment and auditory cues to settings that are appropriate to the patient’s conditions.  VRETA: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Agoraphobia   VRETA is an application designed to supplement treatment for patients with Agoraphobia, the irrational fear of being in open or public spaces.  According to the proponents, the program provides “exposure therapy” using virtual environments, reduces the time and cost of finding a suitable public place, and can generate a progress report after each simulation. It also protects the person’s privacy. The website of the Mayo Clinic describes Agoraphobia as a type of anxiety disorder in which the patient fears and avoids places or situations that might cause him or her to panic and make the patient feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed. The patient fears an actual or anticipated situation, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being in a crowd. It is also “one of the most disabling phobias and one of the most challenging to treat”.  AVRET: Acrophobia Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment  AVRET is a program designed to help therapists treat patients with fear of heights. Like the YANIG and VRETA applications, AVRET provides a virtual environment that the therapist can customize for the patients, allow more privacy and less costs, minimize the risks posed by the outdoors, and generate progress reports after each simulation.  RxBox and CHITS  “RxBox is a multi-component program designed to provide better access to life-saving health services in isolated and disadvantaged communities nationwide.” It includes the continuous development of “a biomedical device, the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS—a pioneering electronic medical record system) and telemedicine, and their integration and eHealth training of rural health professionals”.  Around 160 government primary care facilities use RxBox. CHITS is a secure and interoperable EMR capable of transmitting electronic reports to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Around 180 public health centers are using CHITS.  File photos from the NIH-UP Manila showing the 2014 version of the RxBox.     Tsaang gubat for stomach problems  Tsaang gubat leaves. Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Health.     Tsaang gubat leaves are prepared and drunk as tea to relieve patients’ stomach problems and loose bowel movement. The National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants- Institute of Herbal Medicine (NIRPROMP – IHM) developed the Tsaang gubat tablet as a safe and effective medicine for relieving abdominal pain and for treating mild to severe gastrointestinal or biliary colics within 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  Tsaang gubat tablet is the only clinically proven herbal medicine in the Philippines to address gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and gallstones.     Ulasimang bato for treating hyperuricemia, gout  Ulasimang bato also known as pansit-pansitan leaves. Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Health.     Traditionally, Ulasimang bato or pansit-pansitan leaves have been used as a decoction to treat gout, arthritis and urinary tract infections. Clinical trials conducted by the NIRPROMP show that Ulasimang bato relieves the patients’ joint pains and decreases serum uric acid levels within 2 to 7 weeks of continuous oral intake. This product is available in 500 mg tablet form.     Yerba buena for pain  Yerba buena also known as mint leaves. Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Health.     Yerba buena, an aromatic herb also known as mint, spearmint or marshmint, has been drunk as a tea for headaches, toothaches and arthritis.” NIRPROMP’s clinical studies prove the Yerba buena tablet formulation to be safe and effective in relieving moderate to severe pain, including post-operative pain.     Akapulko for treating fungal skin infections  Akapulko leaves. Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Health.     Lastly, among the products featured in time for the NIH’s 21st anniversary, is the Akapulko lotion. NIRPROMP’s clinical tests prove this lotion to be safe and effective in treating Pityriasis (Tinea) versicolor or fungal skin infections.  Pharmaceutical companies are invited to produce, manufacture and distribute these products in the Philippine market.  The UPM-TTBDO may be reached via email: ttbdo@post.upm.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-5/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Pilar Ma. Celine P. Mesina BS Industrial Pharmacy College of Pharmacy UP Manila     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  My most memorable PE subject was my first PE, folk dance under Ma’am Dioquino. Folk dance requires dancing in pairs, but back then, my blockmates and I were not yet close friends and we were still shy, so dancing was awkward! Towards the end, it became group dances. I remember the girls were practicing Pandanggo sa Ilaw where we would put a glassful of water on top of our heads while changing from standing to lying on our bellies to rolling to the left and right. Imagine, there was spilled water everywhere! The boys were busy perfecting their hand-and-body coordination for Maglalatik, which was no joke! The dancers should have timing and grace. Our final exam was an intermission number for the annual dance recital where all PE dance classes showcased their moves and were up for winning in their categories. We had a great time, and guess what? After our performance, we had to clean up.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I like swimming and volleyball. Swimming relaxes my mind, just me and the water. Not only is it good for the heart and the lungs, but it also exercises your whole-body coordination minus the feel of sweating! Volleyball, on the other hand, emphasizes team effort and camaraderie. Everyone is an essential player and everyone must move to gain a point. Win or lose, it’s the friends you make at the end of the game and the skills to improve on for the next game that matter.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  UP should promote dancing! In UP Manila, folk dance, social dance, street dance, hip-hop, jazz, etc. are offered. During finals, a recital is hosted by the Department of Physical Education to showcase the talents of students through a friendly competition. After that, it’s DPE’s turn to showcase the faculty’s talents by showing us contemporary moves and the students are in awe, cheering for their professors. Although UP has representatives in street dance and cheer dance competitions, I think its dance classes should still be promoted.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  I know the athletes of the university are training hard, giving their all and doing their best in their respective sports to bring home the bacon and pride to UP. Aside from more training times, I guess moral support and cheers from our fellow iskos and iskas might go a long long way for our athletes. Let’s keep the fires of our athletes burning as we cheer “U-ni-bersidad ng Pilipinas!” as they go and fight to represent our university! "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-7/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Percival Balite Assistant Professor 1 Department of Human Kinetics College of Arts and Sciences UP Los Baños     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  It was PE 2 (wrestling) in UP Diliman in 2006. It was memorable for me because of its novelty. Our professor, Prof. Norberto Madrigal, was very well-versed in the sport, and his method of teaching was not only accommodating but was also patient. The class in itself, to me, was not just practical in engaging you physically and strategically; it also planted seeds for a budding competitive sport.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  At present, I am an assistant professor in the Department of Human Kinetics (DHK), CAS, UPLB. I teach football, futsal, weight training, and chess as HK12 activities (formerly known as PE 2). I also coach the UPLB Football Team. Other than the aforementioned activities, I also engage in various sports and forms of leisure, like ten-pin bowling, e-sports, darts, and camping, to name a few.  What I like most about sports is its ability to cultivate character, culture, camaraderie, and long-lasting friendships. Sports for recreation is also intrinsically fun, educational, and competitive.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  I believe that UP should be spearheading the promotion of all sports, and also, sports for all. For instance, the DHK will soon be offering a new HK12 activity, billiards. The department is also preparing to offer other new activities such as darts, sports climbing, and Ultimate Frisbee in the near future. Here in UPLB, we have thriving teams, such as swimming and athletics, which do not receive the same attention as the “bigger” sports—volleyball, basketball, and football.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  As a graduate of Sports Science and with an MS in Human Movement Science at the College of Human Kinetics (CHK) in UP Diliman, I know that this is currently being addressed and acted upon by Dean Ronualdo Dizer. The CHK and UP Diliman are in the process of building new facilities, such as an artificial-turf football field and a modern track and field area, that will help not only in the training of our current pool of athletes, but also in attracting elite coaches and high school sportsmen to enlist in the University. The same can be said for us here in UPLB. Besides a new baseball field, we now also have new tennis courts and weight training equipment. Plans for the improvement of our sports complex are also in the works, if not already in effect. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-sports-6/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on SPORTS July 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Katherine Adrielle R. Bersola BS Sports Science 2017 UP Diliman First Year Student, College of Medicine UP Manila     What was your most memorable PE subject and why?  Being a varsity athlete in the university, I did not have to take PE classes. However, we were required to take electives in my course, sports science. The most memorable one for me was basic weight training because I learned all about the different exercises that can be done in resistance training or in the gym, what muscles they target, how to do them properly, how to teach the exercises to others, and how to plan out a weight training program. I believe it was a very practical class which I could truly apply in life and in my sport.     What sports, games, or physical activity do you engage in? What about it do you like the most?  I engage in a lot of sports and physical activity, but those I really trained for and usually play are volleyball, basketball, taekwondo, and weight training. My favorite thing about these activities is the way I get to improve myself, not only physically, but in all aspects of life, while having fun and developing relationships with others. There is so much development, values, and life lessons gained when participating in sports.     Aside from basketball, volleyball, and football, what other sports or PE subjects do you think should UP offer or promote?  For sports and the UAAP, I think all the events should be promoted because all the athletes deserve the support and this can be a good way for the students to develop interest in different activities. For PE, I believe weight training should be promoted because of the current gym culture, especially in the youth. Also, it is practical, low-risk with the proper guidance, and accessible.     What do you think will it take for UP to become UAAP overall champion again?  I think greater support, in all types, coming from the school will go a long way for all the teams. Better facilities and equipment that will be available to all the teams, better recruitment programs for all sports because we all know how competitive the other schools are in the recruitment wars, I could go on and on about the problems the teams face. The world of sports is multifactorial and competitive teams need a lot, but I know that the heart and hunger to win is present in all our players. We just need a little help and inspiration. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-utak-at-puso/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso November 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Margarita de la Torre-de la Cruz Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics UPV Tacloban College     Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.  At about 9:00 a.m. on July 6, 2006, fire broke out in an area near the UPVTC campus where many of our over 1,100 undergraduate students are boarding. We were about to start our faculty meeting, but the campus suddenly became noisy with people shouting “fire!” Faculty, staff, and students started running out of their offices and classrooms. Some male faculty and staff went to help rescue our students, literally braving the fire. And when the smoke settled, we gathered our students—some students from other schools also joined in—and provided them accommodation in our old, vacated library building and free meals for several weeks.  Faculty, staff, students, alumni, local business, and government offices donated food, non-food items and even cash to help the students get back on their feet. I was coordinating the donations, and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and love for our students. In fact, our students did not feel abandoned and were the envy of students from other schools. They even joked that they felt they got more than what they had lost to the fire.     How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?  As an academic institution, UP’s main role is providing quality education that will enable students to apply their learning from the university to cope with life’s challenges, to better not only their lives but also to contribute to the development of others. This means that UP must offer a quality curriculum, one that develops competencies for lifelong learning and holistic development. It is not enough that students develop competencies in an area of inquiry; they should also develop skills, values, and attitudes related with content knowledge. The role of the faculty, staff, and the leadership of the university in inculcating values like integrity, compassion, leadership, stewardship, citizenship, etc., cannot be overemphasized. We are, after all, the role models of our students. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-utak-at-puso-2/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso November 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Prof. Ellen Grace M. Funesto Director, Office of Student Affairs UP Cebu        Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.  My most memorable story of compassion and kindness is how UP Cebu students and also the faculty help those who are in need. Some faculty of UP Cebu offer scholarships and assistance to financially challenged students anonymously—showing that they do not seek recognition but really are there to help. This is also a personal story for me then, as a student. As a government scholar, my stipend would be delayed for several months. Through these trying times however, my classmates were always there, ready to help. I will forever be grateful to these classmates, and will never forget their kindness.     How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?  One thing that UP can do to help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges is to remind their constituents to respect each other. No matter what position a person is in, whether you are the chancellor or a worker, you have to respect everyone. Each person has his or her own aspirations and struggles. Respect them, talk kindly, and listen. This should be practiced by all of UP’s constituents, and then life in the campus can be a little better, and UP might even be a safe haven for everyone. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-utak-at-puso-3/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso November 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Prof. Jerwin F. Agpaoa Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs UP Diliman        Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus:  Since Palma Hall does not have an elevator, I was particularly touched by the act of kindness and compassion of a group of security and custodial personnel who assisted a wheelchair-bound student, who suffers from muscle atrophy, by carrying him to his third-floor class in Palma Hall and carrying him back down to the ground floor after his class. This became routine for them for three semesters.     How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?  UP can help by providing forms of assistance that are reasonable and equitable. Given that everyone is not on equal footing, UP can help identify various needs so it can come up with responses and sustainable initiatives that can best address different levels of concern and ensure that its staff, faculty, and students thrive well. It would be good to have a survey of varying needs so policies can be crafted in response to these. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Dr. LaVerne David C. de la Peña – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-ups-legacy-of-music/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Dr. LaVerne David C. de la Peña The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Dr. LaVerne David C. de la Peña January 14, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       1. What musical event in UP do you look forward to or regularly attend? Why?  Being from the College of Music, it is hard for me to pick favorites, and I try to attend as many concerts as I can. I particularly enjoy shows that feature Asian and Philippine music because we are the only university that can offer these. I also like contemporary or new music concerts. But I love the various concerts that each of our departments organize, and I relish going to various student recitals because they give me a real sense of what we as an institution are producing. Most of all, I look forward to the Abelardo Hall Concert Series because of the way it reaches out to new audiences through diverse offerings.     2. Name one or two composers, performers (individual or group), or mentors from UP who have largely contributed to Philippine music. Discuss briefly his or her contributions.  Foremost on the list would be Nicanor Abelardo, after whom the college is named. Known mostly for his kundiman, Abelardo was way ahead of other Filipino composers when he began writing in the contemporary idiom. His music remains modern and relevant today. Jose Maceda, on the other hand, made us aware of our musical identity as Filipinos by documenting traditional music, writing about it and conceptualizing new compositional possibilities inspired by his research. He left us his collection, now safeguarded by the UP Center for Ethnomusicology and which continues to be a valuable resource on Philippine music. Finally, there is National Artist Ramon Santos who epitomizes the accomplished Filipino musician—a prolific composer, respected author, dynamic cultural worker and administrator, and inspiring teacher.     3. Aside from the current program offerings of the College of Music, what else do you think should the college offer or promote?  The UP College of Music has played a central role in shaping the country’s concert music tradition through the body of work produced by our venerated composers and the artistry of the performers we have raised since the early 20th century. We have also blazed the trail for scholarship and research in the discipline. However, we need to pay attention to the music that ordinary people encounter everyday outside the concert hall if we want to remain relevant. There should be spaces in our recital halls, classrooms and library shelves for popular music, and by “popular”, I don’t just mean pop, but people’s music. We also need to incubate music programs that relate to physical, mental and social well-being. Finally, we need to have more engagements with the scientific community in areas where we can produce new knowledge and applications. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-utak-at-puso-4/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on Utak at Puso November 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     Shergina Alicando Chair, University Student Council UP Cebu        Please share your most memorable story of kindness and compassion on campus.  UP Cebu is wealthy with stories of compassion, not just within the campus, but this richness of empathy and kindness flows to the community. In the most trying times, it is assumed that people become realists, securing themselves first before reaching out to others. In my three years’ stay in UP, I saw students dedicating their time and effort not to themselves but to others even if circumstances challenge them not to. Kindness is not foreign to UP Cebu. Instead, it is the fiber that holds UP Cebu together. Inside the campus, it is always good to see during Hell Week that students remain warm and polite to everyone they meet, because it proves how unconditional kindness and compassion are. I will forever be touched by how the students welcome, embrace, celebrate and fight for diversity. From the simplest act of donating their humblest possessions in donation drives for fire victims, typhoon survivors, and displaced communities to standing with and fighting alongside the masses, UP Cebu students are always reminded to give back to the people.     How can UP help students, faculty, and staff deal better with life’s difficult challenges?  Life, or the system rather, is already too oppressive, discriminatory and cruel in itself, thus the least we can do is to be kind. As a student representative, I am here to speak for the students. Being a student is never easy, especially if you have different baggage to carry. Thus, as it has always been reiterated by every student leader, UP could greatly help students if it genuinely listens to their demands and opens its eyes to their struggles.  Students are not unreasonable to demand superficial things. If they demand better school facilities, that is because it is necessary for their education. If the students are protesting, that is because there is a problem and it needs to be solved. We must remember that UP students come from all walks of life, and not all are privileged to have the resources for their education. It would surely take a lot of weight off the students’ burdens if they are provided a wide array of financial assistance programs, more accessible basic student services that are without fees, and mental health awareness programs.  While free tuition is a victory, it is not enough for students to overcome life’s obstacles. If the students have no financial resources to get through their days, have to pay fees just to access equipment and services, and are losing themselves in emotional and psychological struggles, free tuition is futile. The students are the largest stakeholders of this University, and it is about time that the University actually serves and upholds the students’ interest instead of leaving them unheard, alienated, and ridiculed. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Danielle Faye D. Garley – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-ups-legacy-of-music-danielle-faye-d-garley/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Danielle Faye D. Garley The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Danielle Faye D. Garley January 14, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       1. What musical event in UP do you look forward to or regularly attend? Why?  “Overture Concert”—an annual concert held by the UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay. The concert showcases the musical pieces that range from classical to cultural genres, and also introduces the new batch of official resident members in the said university choir.     2. Name one or two composers, performers (individual or group), or mentors from UP who have largely contributed to Philippine music. Discuss briefly his or her contributions.  Nico Alcala, an alumnus of UP Los Baños and the UP Diliman College of Music. He was affiliated with the Philippine Madrigal Singers as a resident composer and arranger. He is also a recipient of the Aaron Copland House Residency Award, among many other awards. Last November 15, 2016, his work “Mangá Pakalagián” was premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.     3. Aside from the current program offerings of the College of Music, what else, do you think, should the college offer or promote?  Perhaps a program or workshop that all other UP chorales from different campuses can also learn and benefit from the College of Music. The said college is in Diliman, making it difficult for aspiring singers and/or musicians from far-flung areas all over Philippines to come and learn from them. Part of their visions is to engage. This can help in fulfilling their vision. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Io Jularbal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-ups-legacy-of-music-prof-io-jularbal/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Io Jularbal The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Io Jularbal January 14, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       1. What musical event in UP do you look forward to or regularly attend? Why?  Two worth mentioning here in UP Baguio are, first, the Baguio Summer Arts Festival, which for 30 years now has offered various seminars on arts, music, and dance. The second is the UPB Pasiklaban. Both events have become the university’s way of giving back to the community, be it in providing free education on indigenous music and dance for young people who want to learn about their culture, or just simply for the sheer joy of sharing musical talents with a larger audience in the spirit of togetherness and celebration.     2. Name one or two composers, performers (individual or group), or mentors from UP who have largely contributed to Philippine music. Discuss briefly his or her contributions.  May I hit close to home on this one. UP Baguio is blessed with two individuals who have upheld and inspired a tradition of music for the community.  Dean Arellano “Toto” Colongon Jr. of the College of Social Sciences, since his days as a student up to his present stint as college dean, has composed numerous musical pieces and plays for the UPB community.  Prof. Bienvenido Tapang, affectionately known in the community as “Lolo Ben,” has been the University’s honorary choir master and musical events producer. His efforts have led to the development and improvement of the UPB Choir, Tinig Amianan, making the group one of the premier choirs in the North.     3. Aside from the current program offerings of the College of Music, what else,do you think, should the college offer or promote?  Music is all encompassing, especially for communities. The promotion of music from indigenous communities should be dealt with in such a way that these are not regarded as being frozen in time, as mere mementos of a musical past. They should instead be seen as active elements in the development of what Philippine Music is and will be. Be they songs about delivering vegetables on Halsema highway, or a young Kankanaey man’s laments for a lost love sung in a dimly lit karaoke bar—expressed neither in gong nor solibao but in overdriven guitars and drums—these still embody identity and a culture that is vibrant and alive. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Barangay Krus Na Ligas: Intersections of History – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-barangay-krus-na-ligas-intersections-of-history/",
        "html": "UP and Barangay Krus Na Ligas: Intersections of History UP and Barangay Krus Na Ligas: Intersections of History September 13, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    A land dispute that hundreds of years, a revolution and a world war failed to resolve has apparently been settled by the stroke of a pen. Long-time residents of Krus Na Ligas, once regarded as “illegal settlers’’ on property owned by the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, will soon become rightful owners of the land that their ancestors had occupied long before the city or the university even existed.  Last month, Republic Act No. 11454 was signed into law authorizing UP to sell 22.467 hectares of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas to the Quezon City government. This marks a significant turning point in a decades’ long dispute between the UP Diliman campus and Krus Na Ligas, a community adjacent to the university whose history goes back hundreds of years, and whose life today is distinct from yet intertwined with the national university’s flagship campus.     The Katipunan and the village of the cross-shaped ligas tree  According to various accounts, what is now Krus Na Ligas was once a large forested area west of Marikina surrounded by high hills; the people of Marikina simply called the area “Bundok.” Around the year 1700, some 30 families, who were until then living in a part of Marikina now known as Barangay Tanyong, migrated to the area to live off the land as farmers. These families bore such names such Tiburcio, Salvador, Cruz, Santos, Baluyot, Francisco, and Fulgencio. The community, which was under the territory of Marikina, became known as “Gulod,” and in time the farmlands of the settlers covered around 2,000 hectares. The residents erected a chapel made of bamboo and cogon, and built their homes around it.  How did it get its name Krus Na Ligas? Back in the Spanish period, according to one account, a Spanish soldier on a hunting expedition in the area asked a local what the name of the place was. The local thought the Spaniard was asking about the name of the tree he was pointing at. The tree in question, a ligas tree, was growing in a cross formation and considered sacred, so the local answered “Krus Na Ligas.”     The one remaining ligas tree or marking nut tree (Semecarpuscuneiformis blanco) growing beside one of the houses in Barangay Krus Na Ligas. An ancestor of this tree, whose branches grew in a cross formation, became the source and inspiration for the name of the community. Photos by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO, with help from former Krus Na Ligas Barangay Captain Julian B. Santos.     The community played an important role during the onset of the Philippine revolution in August 1896. Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan and regarded as the Father of the Philippine Revolution, is said to have established Krus Na Ligas and nearby Balara as a fortress or defensible site due to their strategic location.  An account by Atoy M. Navarro and Raymund Arthur Abejo published by the National Research Council of the Philippines and UP, said that on August 26, 1896, three days after the August 23 Cry of Pugad-lawin/Balintawak, a battle between the Spanish forces and the Katipuneros took place near Pasong Tamo. Afterward, Bonifacio and other Katipuneros retreated to Balara and Krus Na Ligas, then known as Gulod, to rest, eat and take shelter from the rain. Among those present, aside from Bonifacio, were Emilio Jacinto, Aguedo del Rosario, Enrique Pacheco, Cipriano Pacheco, Alfonso Pacheco, and possibly Guillermo Masangkay and Pio Valenzuela.  Katipuneros were said to have rested at a spot known as Hangyang Gipit, which was a path between two large hills in the area now known as Maginhawa Street in Teacher’s Village. The Katipuneros also stayed at a house in front of the church and the plaza. Bonifacio and the others used the time to plan their next moves in preparation for their August 29 attack on Manila, ultimately deciding to head to Malanday and Barangka in Marikina.     Former Krus Na Ligas Barangay Captain Julian B. Santos shows off one of his treasures: a framed note from one of the descendants of the Supremo, Andres Bonifacio. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     A hundred years later, a marker was installed on the façade of the old church of Krus Na Ligas by UP to commemorate the role that Krus Na Ligas played in Philippine history.     Titles of land and Spanish nobility  Another side of the Krus Na Ligas story begins with a Chinese trader from Binondo named Son Tua, who prospered from the galleon trade. Son Tua, who changed his name to Don Antonio Maria Tuason, led and organized the Battalion of the Royal Prince against the British forces that occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764 to prove his loyalty to Spain. As a reward, King Carlos III of Spain elevated the family to Spanish nobility, and awarded Don Tuason a large encomienda, a land grant which comprised vast areas of what is now Quezon City and the Marikina Valley.  Before his death in 1775, Don Antonio Tuason founded a mayorazgo or noble estate, and his eldest son, Don Vicente Dolores Tuason, became the first holder of the mayorazgo. Don Vicente soon acquired the Jesuit Hacienda de San Isidro de Mariquina, as well as the Hacienda de Maysilo in Tambobon (now Malabon). With the Hacienda de Nagtajan bought by his sister in Pandacan, and Don Vicente’s purchase of the Hacienda de Sta. Mesa formerly belonging to the Real Mesa de la Santa Misericordia and which included Sitio Diliman, the Tuasons became owners of four vast haciendas contiguous to one another.  The Tuasons managed to hold onto their mayorazgo until the 1890s. The Americans, however, did not recognize the concept of a noble estate. On May 3, 1914, the Tuasons registered their title to the land on the Mariquina Estate, which included Krus Na Ligas, at the Office of the Register of Deeds. Although Krus Na Ligas accounts indicate that on March 25, 1877, the Tiburcio family was granted a Titulo Posesorio to the land they lived on by the Spanish government, the Supreme Court in 1967 declared the family’s title invalid in favor of the Tuason title. The Tuason family eventually sold the title to the People’s Homesite and Housing Corporation (PHHC) and to UP.     A framed photograph of the original church building in Krus Na Ligas, which graces the home of Nanay Kika Salvador Dizon, a 92-year-old member of one of the original settler-families of Krus Na Ligas. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     The church at Krus Na Ligas acquired an Original Certificate of Title in 1913. However, this title did not include the farmlands of the Krus Na Ligas residents.     UP and the rise of President Quezon’s dream city  The University of the Philippines, founded in 1908, soon outgrew its original site in Manila. In 1935, plans for UP’s relocation to a larger site gained traction when Manuel L. Quezon, then the Senate president, became the first Commonwealth president. On December 14, 1937, President Quezon created the Committee on Education Policy to study UP’s relocation.  UP’s relocation meshed well with President Quezon’s dream of improving the living conditions of laborers and low-salaried employees, and to create a new city to replace Manila as the Philippines’ capital. To achieve this dream, Quezon created the People’s Homesite Corporation, the first government housing agency, which was a subsidiary of the National Development Corporation. In October 1938, the Board of Directors of the PHC approved a resolution to purchase “a tract of land consisting of 15,723,191 square meters” from the Diliman Estate of the Tuason Family, at five centavos per square meter. The Tuasons donated an additional 493 hectares to serve as UP’s new site.  President Quezon urged the National Assembly to legislate UP’s relocation. On June 3, 1939, the Assembly enacted Commonwealth Act No. 442, allowing the UP Board of Regents to proceed with UP’s relocation.  At the time, Krus Na Ligas was one of the rural barrios in the Diliman Estate, which also included Culiat, Balara, Pansol, Barangka, Quirino, Mahabang Gubat and Bago Bantay. When UP acquired the site and delineated the Diliman campus, it included within its boundaries a number of these barrios.     The parallel rise of UP, Quezon City and Krus Na Ligas  The Krus Na Ligas community gradually grew. In 1940, the Krus Na Ligas Elementary School was founded as an annex of the Balara Elementary School. In its first year, the school handled a first-grade class of 26 students. Without a school building, classes were held in the house of a Krus Na Ligas resident. According to Krus Na Ligas accounts, by 1948-1949 a census found that there were 163 families and a total of 815 people, including children, living in the barrio.     Former Krus Na Ligas Barangay Captain Julian B. Santos displays the framed photograph of Lt. Julian Francisco, a member of one of the Krus Na Ligas settler families, who fought the Japanese and died a hero’s death during World War II. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     An old photo of Krus Na Ligas residents and their children surrounding a downed Japanese fighter plane. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     The war devastated UP’s Manila campus, giving greater impetus for UP’s relocation. On July 17, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino signed Republic Act No. 333 amending Commonwealth Act No. 502, “An Act to Establish the Capital of the Philippines and the Permanent Seat of the National Government.” RA No. 333 authorized the Capital City Planning Commission to purchase all private estates in the delineated land, including the Diliman Estate. The full relocation of UP to Diliman was accomplished from December 16, 1948 to January 11, 1949, and on January 12, UP formally began classes on its new campus. In February 1949, UP celebrated its 40th anniversary with the transfer of the Oblation from Manila to Diliman.  According to the official monthly review of President Elpidio Quirino published in the Official Gazette, the President signed on March 1, 1949 the deed of sale transferring the eight parcels of land in the Mariquina estate now occupied by UP to the UP BOR. A token sum of one peso was paid by UP to the Philippine government.  The relocation of the campus to the Diliman site was a turning-point for Krus Na Ligas. Some residents found work in the new campus doing laundry or selling produce to campus residents. On the other hand, construction in the campus and in the housing projects in Quezon City brought in an influx of workers who settled in the nearby rural communities, including Krus Na Ligas and Old Balara. In 1951, a temporary school building was set up in Krus Na Ligas; in 1955, a regular health center was also constructed. In 1961, the first school building for the Krus Na Ligas Elementary School was built.     Former KNL Barangay Captain Julian Santos brings out his collection of old photographs of Krus Na Ligas back in the day—as rural agricultural lands farmed by the residents of the community, long before the buildings and subdivisions of Quezon City and the campus of UP Diliman came into being. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     Push and pull between UP and Krus Na Ligas  There have been conflicting claims over ownership of the lands covered by Krus Na Ligas and UP for decades. Families residing in Krus Na Ligas contested the Tuason family’s titles over the lands, which according to them put the legitimacy of the transfer of ownership of the lands to the PHHC and UP into question.  On August 16, 1967, in GR No. L-24114, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Transfer Certificate of Title 9462 and 1356 in the names of UP and the PHHC, which the Tiburcio family of Krus Na Ligas had challenged. Previously, the same court stated that the degree of registration issued in 1914 under the Torrens system to the Tuasons, who were the predecessors-in-interest to UP and the PHHC, became incontrovertible after one year. The question of ownership of the lands, according to the Supreme Court, was now a matter “settled definitely and conclusively by the courts, and must be deemed well beyond the reach of review.”  On April 18, 1975, UP President Onofre D. Corpuz announced his administration’s intention to transfer nine hectares of Barrio Krus Na Ligas to its bona fide residents on the basis of communal ownership. This sought to resolve a 26-year-old problem between UP and the residents of Krus Na Ligas. Dr. Corpuz stated: “My decision was based primarily on the recognition that the population of both the barrio and of the University community will continue to grow, and that the early solution of the land problem would avert any possible collision in the future. I also hold the opinion that it was never the intention of the University to dispossess people of their rightful ownership to the land and that the transfer of this land to them would be in keeping with the spirit of the government’s national housing program for the masses.”     Among Barangay Captain Santos’ photos is one of a bulldozer razing the farmlands of Krus Na Ligas farmers to make way for UP’s academic and housing buildings. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     UP’s continued expansion to provide for housing spaces for its academic community had negative impacts on the community of Krus Na Ligas. According to accounts by Krus Na Ligas residents, in 1972 UP had the houses of farmers who were living in Sitio Paltok and Sitio Libis torn down, and in 1977, UP destroyed some of the farmlands to construct the Pook Amorsolo housing project. Expansion projects undertaken by the government also adversely affected the livelihood of the Krus Na Ligas farmers. From 1976 to 1981, the Ministry of Human Settlements destroyed more farmlands to construct the UP Sikatuna BLISS Housing Project of Imelda Marcos, then first lady and Metro Manila governor. Camp General Caringal was also established in this area. As a result, the once 2,000 hectares of land that the Krus Na Ligas ancestors had farmed shrank to around 50 hectares.  In 1986, the UP BOR, through UP President Edgardo J. Angara, granted a Deed of Donation granting 15.8 hectares to the residents of Krus Na Ligas. This Deed of Donation was executed by UP as the donor and the Quezon City government as the donee. It bore several terms and conditions that were to be implemented within 18 months from the date of donation. However, because the conditions of the donation were not met, UP President Jose Abueva issued Administrative Order No. 21 on February 6, 1988 declaring the Deed of Donation revoked.  Krus Na Ligas residents continued to campaign for the preservation of their farmlands. From 1990 to 1991, Krus Na Ligas farmers applied to the Department of Agrarian Reform to have their farmlands covered by the 1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. However, UP successfully opposed the petition. Construction of a housing project for UP faculty and employees in the late 1991 in what was formerly the community of Daang Tubo sparked protests among the Krus Na Ligas residents and farmers.     Barangay Captain Santos shows photos of Krus Na Ligas farmers, including Santos’ father who is carrying the placard in the photo on left, and is sitting in the middle in the photo on right, marching to protest the loss of their farmlands. Photos by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     The complex relationship between UP and Krus Na Ligas  The relationship between UP and Barangay Krus Na Ligas from the 1990s onwards could be described as a complicated, at times uneasy, co-existence. The years 2003 to 2006 saw legal battles as Krus Na Ligas residents, who were to be the beneficiaries of the 15.8 hectares to be donated by UP to the Quezon City government, demanded the turnover of the title. This case was resolved in favor of UP as the donation was revoked by UP President Abueva since the Quezon City government was not able to fulfill some conditions in the deed of donation.  The historical lineage of Barangay Krus Na Ligas was recognized in 1998, when the National Historical Institute declared the Krus Na Ligas Church a historic site, together with the Plaza Sta. Ines, which was found to have been built in the early 18th century. That same year, the Krus Na Ligas church and Plaza Sta. Ines were also declared a historical site by the National Research Council of the Philippines and UP.     The Holy Cross Parish in Krus Na Ligas, which was formally established in 1997 with Fr. Arthur Opiniano as its first parish priest. According to the website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao, prior to 1997, the church in Krus Na Ligas was under the care of the Franciscan missionaries as one of the congregation’s mission areas. In 1998, the National Historical Institute declared the Holy Cross Parish and Plaza Sta. Ines, which according to historical evidence was built in the early 18th century, a historic site. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     In 2008, Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter was signed. It prohibited the sale of real property owned by the national university. In 2011, UP President Alfredo Pascual created a UP Legal Team as a counterpart to the Quezon City Task Force UP and Its Surrounding Communities. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista was cognizant of the aspects unique to Krus Na Ligas, such as that accounts indicate that the settlement dates back to the 1700s, preceding UP’s existence by hundreds of years, thus, the community cannot be simply demolished and resettled elsewhere. However, as Mayor Bautista pointed out in a letter to UP President Pascual, “the residents are also legally considered ‘informal settlers’ due to their lack of a title to the lands they are living on, and UP has not been able to make use of the land occupied by the community.” Krus Na Ligas presented a problem for the Quezon City government as well, because the residents could not be made to pay real property tax due to the lack of ownership documents over their property. Neither did they need to apply for building permits, even for the private structures they built, because they are legally under UP’s jurisdiction. Neither can the local government enforce order inside the community, because territorially, they are supposed to be within the security arrangement of UP. A solution that would mutually benefit all parties involved should therefore be sought.     Recourse to the law  In the succeeding years, discussions were held both within UP and between UP and the Quezon City government and the Krus Na Ligas community. In 2015, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. filed House Bill No. 5737 (HB No. 165 in the 17th Congress) declaring a portion of UP Diliman a disposable asset for housing and urban settlement based on the constitutional precepts of social justice. The bill would amend the UP Charter by declaring Krus Na Ligas as the only exception to the provision prohibiting the sale of the University’s real property subject to the provisions of Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992. UP sought clarification over what constituted the boundaries of Krus Na Ligas, and the appropriateness of RA No. 7279 as the basis for exempting Krus Na Ligas from RA No. 9500, given that existing data supplied by Krus Na Ligas barangay officials indicated the presence of at least 500 two-storey to four-storey residential buildings. Additionally, since many UP students, faculty and employees now live in Krus Na Ligas, the University has the responsibility to discuss the issue with its stakeholders and to see to their welfare.  On July 21, 2016, Senator Ralph G. Recto filed Senate Bill No. 864, and on October 24, 2017, Senator Vicente Sotto III filed Senate Bill No. 1606. Both bills sought to amend the UP Charter to authorize the sale of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas to its legitimate and qualified residents. UP President Danilo Concepcion, in a letter dated February 2018 addressed to Senator Francis Escudero, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, clarified UP’s stand on the issue: that the metes and bounds of the Krus na Ligas property that UP would be authorized to sell should be fixed by geodetic survey; that UP should be authorized to sell only to the Quezon City government at an acceptable, fair and reasonable price; that the sale of the Krus Na Ligas property should be considered perfected from the time all parties have agreed on the price and terms of sale; and that immediately after the law takes effect, the Quezon City government would construct a fence along the boundaries segregating Krus Na Ligas from UP. On May 20, 2019, UP, the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement held a joint public hearing to discuss SB No. 1606, SB No. 864 and HB No. 165.     Amending the UP Charter of 2008  Republic Act No. 11454, authored by Senate Pro-Tempore Recto, Senate President Sotto, and Senator Escudero, amends RA 9500 or the UP Charter, thus allowing UP to sell not more than 22.467 hectares of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas at a fair market price acceptable to UP. During his sponsorship speech of the Senate bill that eventually became RA 11454, Senator Escudero emphasized the fact that Barangay Krus Na Ligas is a historic community that had existed since at least the Spanish period, predating modern-day Quezon City, a fact that has documentary proof.  However, UP can only sell this land to the Quezon City government at the agreed-upon price, and only until UP has received the full payment will ownership of the land be transferred to the Quezon City government. Payment must be made within one year after the execution of the agreement between UP and Quezon City. The law further states that the authorization of UP to sell is automatically revoked if UP and the Quezon City government fail to agree on the terms and conditions of the sale within one year from the effectivity of the law, or if UP has not received the full payment one year after the execution of the agreement. All in all, the law must be implemented in full approximately two years from its effectivity.  The terms and conditions of the sale of the land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas would be agreed upon by both UP and the Quezon City government. Once the ownership of the land is transferred from UP to the Quezon City government, the latter is to immediately fence off the property of UP to separate it from the area sold under the law. The city government must also transfer the property to legitimate residents of Barangay Krus Na Ligas. This transfer, said Senator Escudero in his sponsorship speech, may be done via donation or a program carried out by the NHA.  According to the law, the Quezon City government shall create a Technical Working Group to determine the “legitimate residents” of Barangay Krus Na Ligas—those whose long-standing residence in the area can sufficiently be established by authenticated documentary and testimonial evidence, who are themselves or through their predecessors-in-interest have been in continuous possession and occupation of the same parcels of land as owner since time immemorial, or for a period not less than thirty years. The Quezon City government shall also assist UP in resettling all the other settlers found in the remaining property in UP that is adjacent to the parcels of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas.     Nanay Francisca “Kika” Salvador Dizon, who at 92 years old is one of the oldest residents of Barangay Krus Na Ligas and part of the original-settler families, recalls what it was like to be born in Krus Na Ligas, to come of age during the American period, to struggle through the war, and to fight to protect their land through the decades. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     Those who have been determined as “legitimate residents of Barangay Krus Na Ligas” are forbidden by the law to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of their lots or any right therein to anyone except their legal heirs. Otherwise, the transaction shall be rendered null and void, and the residents would lose their right to the land and forfeit the total amount of amortization they have paid. If the legitimate resident dies before full ownership of the land has been vested on him or her, his or her heirs shall assume both the full ownership of the land and its obligations. If the heirs somehow fail to assume the obligations, the land reverts to the Quezon City government for disposition.  To issue the necessary guidelines for the effective implementation of the law, an Interagency Committee would be created, to be headed by the Quezon City government and composed of representatives of UP, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Housing Authority.  While it is still a waiting game for Krus Na Ligas residents to fully acquire ownership of their lands as full implementation of the law may take two years from now, this is nothing compared to their decades’ long struggle to gain what is rightfully theirs.     (This story was written with the assistance of J. Mikhail Solitario, Frederick Dabu, Jeremi Elaijah Barretto and Peter Drapeza.)  References #Epalwatch: Stop construction on a historical site in Krus na Ligas, UP Diliman. (2012, October 28). Blogwatch.tv. Retrieved from https://blogwatch.tv/2012/10/epalwatch-stop-construction-on-a-historical-site-in-krus-na-ligas-up-diliman/ Andrade, Jeannette I. (2012, October 30). Anti-‘epal’ group rallies vs building of village hall on historic site. Inquirer.net. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/298092/anti-epal-group-rallies-vs-building-of-village-hall-on-historic-site Baldemor, Allyn V. (1992, January to March originally published; 2001 copyright). Pesanteng UP: Oo, Isko, may magsasaka sa kampus. Retrieved from http://www.geocities.ws/devastatingthree/AB1.html Camagay, Ma. Luisa T. (2019). The city with a soul. Quezon City: Camagay Publishing. Cuaki, Jerenze Christian B. (2018, March 28). LOOK: 10 Highlights of how art and heritage expert Sonny Tinio rediscovered Binondo. When in Manila. Retrieved from https://www.wheninmanila.com/look-10-highlights-of-how-art-and-heritage-expert-sonny-tinio-rediscovered-binondo/ Dandal, Elissa  Jane C. (2002). Tenure security and squatters’ investments: The Krus Na Ligas case. Undergraduate thesis submitted for the School of Economics, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Endriga, Jose N. (1985). Corpuz and Soriano’s Bifocal Administrations (1975-1981). In Alfonso, Oscar M. (Ed.), University of the Philippines: The first 75 years (1908-1983), (501-540). Quezon City: UP Press. Favila, Leonarda F. (1974, August). Cruz Na Ligas Elementary School: Its role in community development. Masteral thesis submitted to the UP College of Education. G.R. No. L-24114, August 16, 1967, http://www.chanrobles.com/cralaw/1967augustdecisions.php?id=323 G.R. No. L-26127, June 28, 1974, (Civil Case No. 3621), https://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1974/ Gonzales, Augusto M.R. III. (2010, June 2). The families of Old Binondo, Manila [weblog]. Remembrance of Things Awry. Retrieved from https://remembranceofthingsawry.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/the-families-of-old-binondo-manila/ Historical Background of the School. (n.d.). Schools Division Office Quezon City Cruz Na Ligas Elementary School. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/cruznaligaselementaryschoolqc/history Holy Cross Parish. (n.d., copyright 2017). Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao. Retrieved from https://dioceseofcubao.ph/parishes/holy-cross-parish Krus Na Ligas High School School Improvement Plan 2010-2013. (2011). Krus Na Ligas High School. Retrieved from https://krusnaligashighschool.webs.com/aboutus.htm Lagmay, Leticia A. (1983). Cruz-Na-Ligas: Early socialization in an urbanizing community. Diliman, Quezon City: UP Press. Navarro, Atoy M. &Abejo, Raymund Arthur. (date unknown). Balara at Krus na Ligas sa panahon ng himagsikan: Muogni Andres Bonifacio at ng Katipunan. Diliman, Quezon City: National Research Council of the Philippines and University of the Philippines. Pante, Michael D. (2017, February; published online 2017, January 26). Quezon’s City: Corruption and contradiction in Manila’s prewar suburbia, 1935–1941. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 48(1), pp. 91-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022463416000497 Pante, Michael D. (2018, November). “Far from isolation: The spatial politics of the relocation of the main campus of the University of the Philippines, 1930s-1970s.” Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 33(3), pp. 499-535. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Quezon City local government – background. (n.d.). Official Website of the Quezon City Local Government. Retrieved from https://quezoncity.gov.ph/index.php/about-the-city-government/background Quezon City travel tips and general information. (n.d.). Philippines Travel Guide. Retrieved from http://info.philtravelcenter.com/qc-history.php Quezon City. (n.d.). Philippine Cities. Retrieved from https://philippinescities.com/quezon-city/ Salamanca, Bonifacio. (1985). Bocobo fosters a vibrant nationalism (1934-1939). In O. A. Alfonso (Ed.), University of the Philippines: The first 75 years (1908-1983) (203-257). Quezon City: UP Press. Santiago, Luciano P.R. (1998). The last hacendera: Doña Teresa de la Paz, 1841-1890. Philippine Studies, 46(3), pp. 340–360. Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved from http://www.philippinestudies.net/files/journals/1/articles/1758/public/1758-1857-1-PB.pdf The Official Gazette, Commonwealth Act No. 502, https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1939/10/12/commonwealth-act-no-502/ The Official Gazette, http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1938/10/08/statement-president-quezon-on-purchase-of-the-diliman-estate-and-another-hacienda-october-8-1938/ The Official Gazette, Official Month in Review: March 1949, https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1949/03/01/official-month-in-review-march-1949/ The Official Gazette, Republic Act No. 333. (n.d.), https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1948/07/17/republic-act-no-333/ Today in Philippine History, July 17, 1948, President Quirino signed RA No. 333 making Quezon City the capital of the Philippine. (2012, July 16). Kahimyang.com. Retrieved from https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1236/today-in-philippine-history-july-17-1948-president-quirino-signed-ra-no-333-making-quezon-city-the-capital-of-the-philippines Ugat ng KNL: Saan matatagpuan ang Baryo Krus Na Ligas. (2003, May 3-4). Barangay Krus Na Ligas Newsletter, 1, pp. 1, 10-13. Veneracion, Jaime. (2009). Abueva’s innovations and experiments: Romancing with People Power. In Llanes, Ferdinand (Ed.), UP in the time of People Power (30-68). Diliman, Quezon City: UP Press. Interviews conducted Interview with Krus Na Ligas residents Nena Barcebal and Cristy Salvador, June 19 and 23, 2019 Interview with Krus Na Ligas Barangay Kagawad Wifredo R. Fulgencio at the Krus Na Ligas Barangay Office, June 20, 2019 Interview with former Krus Na Ligas Brangay Captain Julian B. Santos (2005-2007; 2007-2018) at his residence, June 24, 2019 Interview with Nanay Francisca “Kika” Dizon at her residence in Krus Na Ligas, June 24, 2019 Interview with Quezon City Planning Officer-in-Charge Arch. Pedro Perlas Rodriguez, Jr. at the Quezon City Planning and Development Office, 4th Floor Civic Center D, Quezon City Hall Complex, July 17, 2019 Interview with Quezon City Housing Officer Mr. Ramon Asprer at the Quezon CIty Housing and Community Development Office, 3rd Floor Civic Center C, Quezon City Hall Complex, July 17, 2019 Interview with UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs, Dr. Jose Ernie C. Lope, at his office, August 2, 2019 The UP Media and Public Relations Office would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help and support given by the UP System Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs, the Office of the Secretary of the University, the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, and the department chair and professors of the UP Departmento ng Kasaysayan in conducting research for this article. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP bids farewell to benefactor Henry Sy, Sr., 94 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bids-farewell-to-benefactor-henry-sy-sr-94/",
        "html": "UP bids farewell to benefactor Henry Sy, Sr., 94 UP bids farewell to benefactor Henry Sy, Sr., 94 January 28, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines joined the rest of the country in bidding farewell to business magnate, philanthropist and the “Father of modern Philippine retail”, Henry Sy, Sr., after whom the Henry Sy Sr. Hall at the UP Bonifacio Global City (UP BGC) campus is named.  Mr. Sy, named by Forbes as the richest person in the country, passed away on January 19, 2019 at the age of 94. At his interment on January 24 at The Heritage Park, Taguig, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Vice-President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia and UP Assistant Vice-President for Public Affairs Rica D. Abad were in attendance to pay their last respects to UP’s benefactor; while the UP Singing Ambassadors, led by Assistant Conductor Quintin Dwight de Luna, provided the liturgical music for the Mass and sang songs as a tribute to Mr. Sy.     The UP Singing Ambassadors singing the liturgical songs for the final Mass for Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Starting from a small shoe store in Manila that he founded in 1958, Mr. Sy developed SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) into one of the largest conglomerates in the country. Through SMIC, the business tycoon built and donated the P400 million, nine-story building in UP’s 17th campus, located in the bustling central business district in Taguig City. The building was turned over in 2016 by one of Mr. Sy’s children, SM Prime Holdings President Hans Sy to then UP President Alfredo Pascual. This was the first donation of Mr. Sy to the UP System, even if none of the SM founder’s children or grandchildren studied in UP.  “The building carries no less than my father’s name, whose prime advocacy is education,” Mr. Hans Sy said  at that time. “He worked hard and sacrificed so much early in his life just to be able to receive formal education. He wants the same for every Filipino.”     Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, at the UP Bonifacio Global City, UP’s 17th campus. Photo by UP MPRO.     Henry Sy Sr. Hall houses 29 classrooms, three laboratories, a learning commons, faculty lounges, an auditorium, a moot court or a venue for simulated court proceedings for law students, a multipurpose hall, discussion rooms, office spaces and an executive house, as well as a multi-level basement parking. It hosts professional programs accessible to working professionals in the area, administered by the different constituent universities of UP. Currently, the UP units offering programs in the campus are the UP Diliman College of Law, Virata School of Business and School of Statistics. The current executive director of the UP BGC is Dean Fides Cordero-Tan of the UP College of Law.  Mr. Henry Sy Sr. is survived by his wife, SM Foundation co-founder Felicidad Tan; their six children: SMIC Vice-Chair Teresita Sy-Coson; SM Prime Holdings Adviser to the Board of Directors Elizabeth T. Sy; SMIC Co-Vice Chairman and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Chairman Henry Sy, Jr.; Hans Sy; Vice Chairman of Supervalue Inc., Super Shopping Market Inc. and Sanford Marketing Corporation, and Director of China Banking Corporation Herbert Sy; and, SMIC Executive Director Harley Sy; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.     With the music of the UP Singing Ambassadors rising in the background, Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. is brought to his final resting place. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Firetrucks offer a water salute to honor Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. as he is laid to rest. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "CHR honors victims of martial law – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chr-honors-victims-of-martial-law/",
        "html": "CHR honors victims of martial law CHR honors victims of martial law October 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Former Senate President Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. speaks during “Never Again, Never Forget: A day of remembrance for democracy and freedom” held on September 21, 2018 at the CHR building in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In commemoration of the September 21 anniversary of the declaration of Marcos’s Martial Law, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) paid tribute to the heroes and victims who fought the dictatorship. Dubbed “Never Again, Never Forget: A day of remembrance for democracy and freedom”, the event was held on September 21, 2018 at the CHR building in UP Diliman, Quezon City, and highlighted “the recognition of the victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime who, with their sacrifices and heroism, helped the country restore its democracy”.  In addition to the thousands of claimants already approved for monetary reparations by the former Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB), another 125 cases were determined motu proprio by the board. The said honorees who chose to forego reparations were prominent leaders, activists and human rights advocates who will be included among the thousands to be memorialized in an archive, a museum, and a wall of remembrance. The CHR presented certificates of recognition to the following honorees or their representatives: Jacobo S. Amatong, Ceferino “Joker” Paz Arroyo Jr., Bishop Benjamin Barloso, Catalino “Lino” Brocka, David T. Bueno, Cesar C. Climaco, Jose “Butch” Y. Dalisay Jr., Jesus Flor Fernandez, Oscar Diamaro Francisco, Rosalinda Galang Reyes, Antonio “Tonyhil” Hilario, Sister Mary Bernard Jimenez, Haroun Al Rashid Lucman, Wright Molintas Jr., Horacio “Boy” Morales Jr., Nicasio “Nicky” Manalo Morales, Rogelio Concepcion Morales, Former Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, Jaime V. Ongpin, former Senate President Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., former Senator Lorenzo M. Tañada, former Senator Wigberto E. Tañada, Quintin G. Yuyitung, Rizal C.K. Yuyitung, Ma. Socorro “Cookie” Diokno, Jose W. Diokno, and former Vice President Teofisto T. Guingona Jr.     Former Senate President Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. and former Vice President Teofisto T. Guingona Jr. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose “Butch” Y. Dalisay Jr. and CHR Chairperson Jose Luis Martin C. Gascon. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     CHR Chairperson Jose Luis Martin C. Gascon said, “We must not forget the lessons of the past so we can guarantee that there will be no repetition of human rights violations and authoritarian abuses.”  Executive Director Carmelo Victor A. Crisanto of the Human Rights Violation Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC), said “We also hope that the memorial will remind current and future generations with regard to sufferings and sacrifices of victims of human rights abuses so they will not take for granted the freedom and democracy they are currently enjoying.”     (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Crisanto and CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann C. de Guia also presented commendations for: HRVCB Chairperson Lina C. Sarmiento; HRVCB members, Wilfred Asis, Galuasch G. Ballaho, Byron D. Bocar, Dexter B. Calizar, Glenda T. Litong, Jacqueline V. Mejia, Ricardo Moldez, Nasser Pangandaman Jr., Aurora Corazon A. Parong, and Erlinda N. Senturias; CHR chairperson and former board member, Jose Luis Martin Gascon; and, Board Secretary Gerardo G. Dia.  Earlier, the CHR inaugurated its new facilities and hosted a photo exhibit depicting extrajudicial killings and the social conditions prevalent then and now, “particularly the unprecedented scale of killings in the bloody campaign against illegal drugs”.  The honorees, their relatives, human rights advocates, and members of various civil society organizations joined the commemoration to affirm their commitment to freedom, democracy, and respect for the human rights of the Filipino people. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN MEMORIAM: November 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-memoriam-november-2017/",
        "html": "IN MEMORIAM: November 2017 IN MEMORIAM: November 2017 November 8, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Our In Memoriam page carries details of faculty, staff and others affiliated with the university for whom we have received obituaries. Please contact us via web.mpro@up.edu.ph if you have information you would like to be featured.   The University regrets to announce the death of UP School of Economics professor Ruperto P. Alonzo. RUPERTO P. ALONZO  Professor Alonzo served the University for 45 years, joining as Professorial Lecturer in July 1968 and retired in February 2013 as Professor 12. Prof. Alonzo served UPSE as Director of the Program in Development Economics, Director of the Public Affairs Office and Department Chair.  He also served UP as Vice President for Development (2005-2009) and Director of the Institute for Small  Scale Industries (2004-2009).  In 2016, Prof. Alonzo became a Professor Emeritus.  His body lies in repose at the Sta. Maria dela Strada Church, Katipunan Road, Quezon City. The UP School of Economics family is organizing a necrological service in his memory on Friday, 10 November 2017, 3:00 PM at the Sta. Maria dela Strada Chapel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A “house of peace” in UP: UP President Jose V. Abueva’s legacy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-house-of-peace-in-up-up-president-jose-v-abuevas-legacy/",
        "html": "A “house of peace” in UP: UP President Jose V. Abueva’s legacy A “house of peace” in UP: UP President Jose V. Abueva’s legacy August 18, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The story of the man that Dr. Jose Veloso Abueva would become—political scientist and public administration scholar, founder, and President of Kalayaan College, and Professor Emeritus and 16th President of the University of the Philippines—began with the story of a boy who survived an untold tragedy and went on to live his life advocating for peace.  Overcoming tragedy  The story is recounted in One by One (2004) by Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese Buddhist philosopher, educator, peace advocate, and honorary President of Soka Gakkai and founding President of the Soka Gakkai International. The book is a collection of essays. Ikeda reflects on his encounters with various world figures, scholars, and activists who have inspired him. The article, “Refusing to Hate”, tells of Dr. Abueva, then a teenaged boy during the last year of the Japanese occupation of the country in World War II. Their parents, Teodoro and Nena, known resistance fighters, were tortured and taken away from their children. While his brother Napoleon “Billy” stayed to look after their five other siblings, Jose, together with a cousin, set out in a boat to search for his parents. Eventually, he came upon the torn and bloodied remnants of their clothing near a hill, where Filipino resistance fighters had been reportedly executed. There, he gathered their remains and made the sad journey back to his orphaned siblings.  Others may have been consumed with anger and hate over the tragedy that had befallen their family. On the other hand, Dr. Abueva and his siblings rose above it, striving to support one another. In time, each Abueva sibling attained success and made their marks locally and internationally. For instance, his brother Napoleon became National Artist for Sculpture. Dr. Abueva excelled in the areas of education, development, and peace studies.  Rising from the ranks  Born on May 25, 1928, Abueva earned his Bachelor of Arts degree (Arts-Law), cum laude, from UP in 1951, his Master of Public Administration in 1954 and his Ph.D. in Political Science (minor in Sociology) in 1959 from the University of Michigan. He earned his UP Graduate Study Fellowships from the US Mutual Security Agency/Foreign Operations Administration, forerunners of USAID, the Agricultural Development Council, and the Rockefeller Foundation.  From 1950 to 1970, he crossed ranks from being graduate assistant and Instructor in Political Science and Sociology at the UP Diliman College of Liberal Arts to becoming Professor of Public Administration, serving as Assistant Dean for Academic Instruction and Research from 1963 to 1970 of the then UP College of Public Administration (UP CPA). He was founding editor of the UP CPA’s Philippine Journal of Public Administration, assisted UP President Carlos P. Romulo in the reorganization of UP as Faculty Coordinator, and became the first President of the UP Faculty Association and, later, Director of Local Government Research of the UP CPA. In the mid-1960s, he pioneered development-related studies in the University. He also established the Doctor of Public Administration Program at the UP CPA.  He also served in various government posts, including as Executive Director of the Joint Executive-Legislative Local Government Reform Commission from 1970 to 1971; as Secretary of the Constitutional Convention (elected by the Convention Delegates) from 1971-1973; and as Executive Secretary of the Metro Manila Councilors’ Assembly in 1973.  Service to the UNU  In a curious twist, he was recruited in 1977 by the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan. He served from 1977 to 1987. His work with the UN also included as Secretary of the UN University Council (Governing Board of the University), as Director of the UN University Office for North America, UN Headquarters in New York City, and Director of Planning and Evaluation for the UN University. As Ikeda shares in his essay:  “At the UNU, Dr. Abueva worked with a team of talented, dedicated, and multicultural scholars to advance UNU’s mission of coordinating research on such global issues as eliminating hunger, managing natural resources, and promoting social development. Throughout their stay in Japan, Dr. Abueva and his family made a conscious effort to make friends and be ambassadors of goodwill, learning the Japanese language and culture. ‘By living, learning and working in Japan, by fate or accident, we’d like to feel that we helped to achieve on a limited scale a reconciliation between Filipinos and Japanese,’ [Abueva writes].”  Socialized tuition and a Filipino language policy  Equitable development, nationalism, and peace became the hallmarks of Abueva’s administration when he became President of the University of the Philippines from 1987 to 1993, serving concurrently as Chancellor of UP Diliman from 1990 to 1991. Following the observation that enrollment in UP was declining among students from marginalized communities, he introduced the Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program (STFAP) in 1987. The program bracketed UP students and ensured that wealthy students paid higher tuition to subsidize more underprivileged scholars. He also institutionalized a Filipino language policy within the University, for which he was recognized in 1994-1995 with the Gawad Sikolohiyang Pilipino from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, the Gawad Cecilio K. Lopez from the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, and recognition from the UP Departmento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas. These two are among the cornerstones of his legacy as UP President.  As a dedicated educator, Abueva served the University as Professor of Political Science and Public Administration from 1993 to 1998 and Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Political Science from 1998 onwards. In 2000, he and several other UP faculty members established the Kalayaan College, becoming its first President. Kalayaan College, a private, four-year college now located in Quezon City and accredited by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education, follows UP’s curriculum. UP faculty comprises most of its founders and professors. As a reflection of Abueva’s own commitment to national development and peace, Kalayaan College’s core values are anchored on the 1987 Constitution: helping build “a just and humane society…”; helping build “democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace…”; learning for truth, professional competence, and leadership for the common good; and contributing to global peace and human development.  Advocating for federalism  As a political science and public administration scholar, Abueva remained in active service to the academe and the government, becoming a member of the Presidential Task Force on Education in 2007 under the Office of the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He advocated for federalism and parliamentary government in the country. He also served as Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Continuity and Change of the Philippine Political Science Association, as Trustee and Incorporator of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, as Chair of the Board of Advisers of the Citizen’s Movement for a Federal Philippines (CMFP), and as a member of the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA).  He received numerous awards and citations, including The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award in Political Science from the Philippine Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1962, the Most Outstanding Alumnus in the Social Sciences by the UP Alumni Association in 1976, the Award of Recognition by the US Big Ten Universities Alumni Associations, an honorary doctorate from the Soka University in Tokyo in 1991, and the Leadership Award from the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance during its 50th anniversary in 2002.  House of Peace at the heart of UP  For all his lifetime’s worth of stellar accomplishments as an academician, university administrator, and political scientist, one of Abueva’s most lasting legacies is the contributions he made for the cause of peace and global understanding. In May 1993, the UP Balay Internasyonal was inaugurated in UP Diliman—one of Abueva’s more significant projects. Among its facilities is the Balay Kalinaw (a Cebuano word meaning “peace”), also known as Ikeda Hall, designed by former UP Architecture Dean Mary Ann Arañas-Espina, in honor of Daisaku Ikeda.  Ikeda recounts the official opening of Balay Kalinaw in his essay, to which Abueva naturally invited him: “He [Abueva] also named the building the Ikeda Hall, saying he hoped it would be a symbol of friendship between the Philippines and Japan. In my remarks on that occasion… I declared my determination to devote my life, as an individual Japanese citizen, to the people of Asia… Dr. Abueva’s parents were among those who fell in the night without seeing the dawn of peace. I shared my belief that the same cry must have issued from his parents’ lives as they entrusted him with his mission.”  Abueva was moved by this—Ikeda recalls seeing him dabbing tears from his eyes. Then Abueva himself rose from his seat and quoted from a poem of his own:  “We want an end to killing and maiming caused by greed or creed, class or tribe because the poor are weak and the strong are unjust.”  “His voice rang through the House of Peace,” Ikeda wrote, “and it seemed to reach all the way to that hill he climbed so many years ago.”     Reference: Dr. Jose V. Abueva on WordPress https://joseabueva.wordpress.com/    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP formalizes partnerships for lifesaving solutions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-formalizes-partnerships-for-lifesaving-solutions/",
        "html": "UP formalizes partnerships for lifesaving solutions UP formalizes partnerships for lifesaving solutions September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (From left) Ms. Faye Andal, representative of Map the Philippines; Ms. Maria Regina E. Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs at ABS-CBN Corporation; Mr. Joel C. Aldor, president of the Grupo Kalinangan; President Ricardo F. De Leon of the Philippine Public Safety College; UP System Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy; UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; Mayor Michael Angelo Rivera of the Municipality of Padre Garcia, Batangas; Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez of the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija; Mayor Grande P. Gutierrez of the Municipality of Taysan, Batangas; and Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the UP Resilience Institute and director of the UP NOAH Center. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     As part of the efforts of the University of the Philippines to build a more disaster-free and climate-resilient nation, UP, through its Resilience Institute and the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, held a ceremonial signing of Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding (MOA/MOU) with seven private organizations and local government units (LGU) on Sept. 12, 2018 at the College of Science Auditorium in the National Science Complex, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Present during the event were: UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; UP System Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy; Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the UP Resilience Institute and director of the UP NOAH Center; Dean Perry S. Ong of the UP College of Science; Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez of the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija; Mayor Michael Angelo Rivera of the Municipality of Padre Garcia, Batangas; Mayor Grande P. Gutierrez of the Municipality of Taysan, Batangas; President Ricardo F. De Leon of the Philippine Public Safety College; Mr. Joel C. Aldor, president of the Grupo Kalinangan; Ms. Maria Regina E. Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs at ABS-CBN Corporation; Ms. Faye Andal, representative of Map the Philippines; and, officials and staff of their respective organizations or LGUs.  During the program, the officials each delivered their messages of commitment.     UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Herbosa said everyone should be “committed to promoting a culture of safety and preparedness, and of sustainability and resilience, in the face of emergency or disaster situations, in our own communities, so that we could do our part in reducing the hazards, mitigating the risks, and most importantly, to help save people’s lives.” He added that UP’s partnership with these organizations would “ultimately help strengthen and empower local communities to become genuinely sustainable, developed, and capable of administering lifesaving solutions in times of emergency or disaster.”     Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the UP Resilience Institute and director of the UP NOAH Center. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Lagmay said this event formalized the start of the many collaborative engagements that UP and its partner organizations and agencies would be conducting across the nation. (Fred Dabu, UP Media and Public Relations Office)     Dr. Ricardo F. De Leon, President of the Philippine Public Safety College. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Nestor L. Alvarez, Mayor of the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pioneer sociologist and former UP OAR Director Fe L. Rodriguez-Arcinas passes away – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pioneer-sociologist-and-former-up-oar-director-fe-l-rodriguez-arcinas-passes-away/",
        "html": "Pioneer sociologist and former UP OAR Director Fe L. Rodriguez-Arcinas passes away Pioneer sociologist and former UP OAR Director Fe L. Rodriguez-Arcinas passes away February 5, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Prof. Fe Arcinas (seated, rightmost) as one of the pioneering instructors of the UP Diliman Department of Sociology and Social Welfare. Photo from Professor Belen Tan-Gatue Medina  The University of the Philippines (UP) sadly announces the passing of UP sociology professor and former Director of the UP Office of Alumni Relations (UP OAR), Professor Fe L. Rodriguez-Arcinas, on February 3, 2022.  Prof. Rodriguez-Arcinas was a pioneer Instructor of the UP Diliman Department of Sociology and Social Welfare, established in 1952. She undertook groundbreaking studies in the socio-economic structures of the urban poor, including those residing in the UP Diliman campus in the 1950s. She went on to become UP Professor of Sociology.  Prof. Rodriguez-Arcinas took charge of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) in 1988 as Executive Director.  One of her students, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, recalls: “Professor Arcinas took any responsibility that fell on her lap very seriously, walked extra miles to carry them out, and persevered despite obstacles—whether it be leading the Philippine team in an international research project on labor contract migration, teaching her courses, or ensuring that the position of the department she led was understood by higher administration.”  UP Professor Emerita of Psychology Dr. Maria Cecilia Gastardo-Conaco, another former student, shared her recollections: “As starting UPD instructors in the mid-1970’s, I and my cohort perennially looked up to the senior faculty for role models and behavioral guidance. The Sociology Department, right beside the Psychology Department, was a convenient source of empowered, competent, and energetic female academic models to aspire for. Prof. Fe Arcinas was at the top of my list—knowledgeable without being arrogant, power exercised without the aggressiveness, hard work done without looking bedraggled. She was my ideal of grace and kindness in a stressful academic cooking pot, the soft touch that packed a punch. She also appeared to have achieved the precarious balance between the demands of work and family life, something I always struggled with. But seeing her successful equilibrium gave me hope. I have never been able to look as well put together as Mrs. Arcinas but I hope, to some extent, that I have been able to embody the kindness and generosity she always exuded in this competitive academic world of ours.”  Prof. Rodriguez-Arcinas was appointed Director of the Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) from 1989 to 1993. She beefed up its database and established the mailing list for the University’s publication for UP Alumni, the Carillon, and the OAR’s alumni directory. Those who worked under her in the OAR remember her as “strict but approachable, reasonable and fair.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Stop COVID Deaths’ to tackle COVID testing, updates – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/stop-covid-deaths-to-tackle-covid-testing-updates/",
        "html": "‘Stop COVID Deaths’ to tackle COVID testing, updates ‘Stop COVID Deaths’ to tackle COVID testing, updates November 17, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila-NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  During the early stages of the pandemic, all were fighting their way through the dark, as information was constantly changing, and protective gears were scarce. Testing, then, was crucial because it gave us an idea for a more targeted response. Fast-forward to today, when the country has gradually vaccinated most of the population, specific antigen test kits are now commercially available. We now ask: How has testing changed these past few months? How do we know which test to take and when to take it? What are the current updates on testing here in the Philippines?  This Friday, November 19, from 12 pm-2 pm, this special episode of the Stop COVID Deaths webinar series hopes to answer the questions above. Titled “COVID-19 Testing: May Nagbago Ba?”, the webinar will have as our main speaker, Dr. Raul V. Destura, who developed the very first Philippine COVID-19 test.  He will be followed by reactions from Dr. Christia Monina M. Nalupta, Director of the Blood Bank Services at the Philippine Red Cross, and Jessie Diatre, General Manager at the Lord’s Grace Medical Industrial Clinic Company. PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations. Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose will give the opening remarks.  Please register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "First PH monkeypox case: Everything we need to know – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-ph-monkeypox-case-everything-we-need-to-know/",
        "html": "First PH monkeypox case: Everything we need to know First PH monkeypox case: Everything we need to know August 3, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Last month, the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths” webinar covered monkeypox as it was emerging in non-endemic countries in Europe and the United States of America.  Since then, monkeypox cases have continued to rise, which prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare this a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. And just a few days ago, the first case of monkeypox in the Philippines was recorded.  The detected case was a 31-year-old Filipino with prior travel history to countries with documented monkeypox cases. As of this writing, the patient has been discharged and is under strict isolation and monitoring at home. This first known case on our shores set off warning bells for the public, and we are again in another race toward understanding the characteristics of this virus, its modes of transmission, and symptomatology.  Are we ready, should there be more cases of monkeypox in the Philippines? What type of protection and precaution should we be in place to reduce the risk of transmission? What are its common signs and symptoms? Do we have the proper means of testing and tracing monkeypox? Is vaccination against it available?  This Friday, August 5, from 12nn to 2 pm, UP, in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), the National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D, with presentations on current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this timely episode in the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” series, “MONKEYPOX, NANDITO NA: Are We Ready?” two infectious disease experts walk us through the ins and outs of this infection. US-based Dr. Franco A. Felizarta will provide the lowdown on monkeypox, including its origin, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment. On the other hand, Dr. Regina P. Berba, Chair of the Infection Control Unit at UP-PGH, will talk about how the hospital prepares for monkeypox cases. She will also provide insights into how this can be controlled within hospitals and health facilities.  Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. The series pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar takes a closer look at malnutrition and health security during COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-takes-a-closer-look-at-malnutrition-and-health-security-during-covid/",
        "html": "UP webinar takes a closer look at malnutrition and health security during COVID UP webinar takes a closer look at malnutrition and health security during COVID August 11, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Malnutrition in the Philippines has been a chronic, silent, and insidious threat to health and development. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic started, around 30 percent of children under five years old were stunted or not tall enough for their age. The Philippines is among the top ten countries with the highest number of stunted children globally.  The pandemic and the steady rise in prices and commodities have worsened the situation.  This Friday, August 12, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode, titled “NUTRISYON SA PANAHON NG PANDEMYA: Can 250 pesos a day feed a family? ” we take a closer look at nutrition, health, and food insecurity in the country. Why are food prices so high? How can the average family survive in an environment where good food is limited and unaffordable? What is the nutritional status of the Philippines today? We’ll tackle all this and more with our experts, Dr. Cecilia Cristina S. Acuin, one of the well-known specialists in nutrition and the Adjunct Associate Professor at UP Los Baños (UPLB) Institute of Human Nutrition and Food; and Ma. Eloisa E. Villaraza, RND, MSCN, and Vice President of the Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines (NDAP).  Join us as we explore ways of preventing hunger and promoting health. Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. Together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar unpacks the silent epidemic of deafness – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-unpacks-the-silent-epidemic-of-deafness/",
        "html": "UP webinar unpacks the silent epidemic of deafness UP webinar unpacks the silent epidemic of deafness August 25, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 430 million people, or 5 percent of the world’s population, require rehabilitation to address their hearing disability. In the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Medicine and Surgery reported that in 2020, the prevalence of moderate to severe hearing loss would be at an alarming 15 percent.  Apart from the disability, hearing loss can snowball and lead to various other negative side effects. It affects the learning and emotional development of children and young adults. It can lead to social isolation, loneliness, and stigma among adults. And among the elderly, more recent research reports that hearing loss is one of the top risk factors for dementia.  But why are more people becoming deaf in the first place? How can we tell if a person is becoming deaf? Can this be detected at an early age?  This Friday, August 26, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode titled, “THE SILENT EPIDEMIC OF DEAFNESS: Dumadami ba ang nabibingi?,” we take on a neglected and poorly understood epidemic that has been silently affecting millions of Filipinos.  Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine and one of the country’s leading experts, will discuss the landscape of deafness in the Philippines and how frontline workers can support efforts to help prevent it.  Philippine National Ear Institute Director Erasmo Gonzalo Llanes will also share practical tips on preventing hearing loss.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page. Join us this Friday as we unpack the barriers to addressing the epidemic of deafness.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss Europe’s COVID surge and what it means for us in the PH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-europes-covid-surge-and-what-it-means-for-us-in-the-ph/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss Europe’s COVID surge and what it means for us in the PH UP webinar to discuss Europe’s COVID surge and what it means for us in the PH June 29, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Recently, countries such as the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. Some studies show that two new Omicron sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, can evade the immune system and that neither previous infections nor vaccines provide robust protection.  A similar surge is emerging in the United States. All of these raise the fear of a new global wave of disease. Given the number of Filipino workers working overseas, we must stop, think, and prepare for what these surges could mean for us in the Philippines. Are we seeing the start of another surge? Should we be considering another wave of lockdowns and quarantines? How are the rollouts of the primary dose and second booster shots fairing?  This July 1, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This week’s episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is titled “COVID-19 Surge in Europe: Susunod ba tayo?”. The webinar will feature Dr. Martin Hibberd, a Professor in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He will talk about the magnitude of the problem in Europe and the interventions being put in place.  The second speaker will be UP-PGH’s Chair for the Hospital Infection Unit, Dr. Regina P. Berba, who has just arrived from London and will be providing her insights regarding the situation there.  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Senior Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and Chair of the UP-PGH Department of Emergency Medicine at UP-PGH, will react to these two discussions. At the same time, Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, UP-PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP PGH, will officially close the webinar.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s Youtube channel and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "What we know about “Long COVID” so far – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-we-know-about-long-covid-so-far/",
        "html": "What we know about “Long COVID” so far What we know about “Long COVID” so far September 8, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Some people experience symptoms of COVID-19 long after the virus has infected them. But what do we know about post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), or chronic COVID, better known as “long COVID”?  According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), “post-COVID conditions are found more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience post-COVID conditions, even people who had a mild illness or no symptoms from COVID-19.”  Moreover, long COVID continues to pose an additional risk to mental health. COVID-19 survivors risk depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive impairment or “brain fog.”   This Friday, September 9, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode, “SUFFERING IN SILENCE: Ang Banta ng ‘Long COVID’,” we will take a deep dive into long COVID, what it feels like, what we need to understand, and what we can do to help those who suffer in silence from the long-term effects of the virus.  We will get the perspective of award-winning journalist and COVID-19 survivor Bum Tenerio Jr. Likewise, Dr. Regina Berba, Head of the PGH Hospital Infection Control Unit, and Dr. Jubert Benedicto, Head of the CCU Management Action Team at UP PGH, will start an in-depth discussion on the topic.  Don’t miss this timely discussion by registering here. You can also catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar zeroes on the dire effects of climate change on health – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-zeroes-on-the-dire-effects-of-climate-change-on-health/",
        "html": "UP webinar zeroes on the dire effects of climate change on health UP webinar zeroes on the dire effects of climate change on health August 18, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    In 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) titled “Our Planet, Our Health.” The information was an urgent call for action to address poverty, food and agriculture, water, energy, urbanization, basic services, and transboundary and international issues if the world’s population were to be healthier.  Fast forward to 2022, the WHO has reused the theme for World Health Day on April 7 to remind everyone about the persisting negative effects of climate change on human health and survival, citing the 13 million deaths a year due to avoidable environmental causes. The WHO has described climate change as “the single biggest health threat facing humanity—and health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.”  Why should the health sector care about climate change? Which population groups are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change? How exactly do the effects of climate change impact human health? How should we start preparing for the worsening climate scenario?  This Friday, August 19, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode, titled “CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH: Bakit Natin Kailangan Alamin?” experts will discuss different angles and perspectives on the topic, including practical tips on the role of health care frontliners. Dr. Charles Primero D. Gundran, Chair of the Disaster Risk Management Subcommittee and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the College of Public Health in UP Manila, will set the tone with a big-picture introduction.  Dr. Erlidia F. Llamas-Clark, Chair of the Subcommittee on Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness, Environment, and Women’s Health Committee of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), will delve into the effects of climate change on pregnancy and fertility.  Dr. Ricardo Jose Quintos II, former Section Chief of Vascular Surgery at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) and past President of the Philippine Society for Vascular and Endovascular Surgeons, will also share his insights.  UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla will deliver the closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Executive Summary: Report of the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/executive-summary-report-of-the-pgh-dengue-investigative-task-force/",
        "html": "Executive Summary: Report of the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force Executive Summary: Report of the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force March 8, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Findings of the 14 Deaths with Prior Dengvaxia® Vaccination by the DOH-Commissioned Independent Evaluation Team of Physicians, the Philippine General Hospital Dengue Investigative Task Force (PGH DITF): An Interim Report      Executive Summary     Under the directives of the Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Francisco T. Duque and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi, the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force (PGH DITF) was organized by Dr. Juliet O. Sio-Aguilar, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, to serve as the independent body of expert physicians of PGH to evaluate the deaths of 14 children who were given one to three doses of the Dengvaxia® vaccine.     The DITF was instructed to thoroughly review each case to address the growing concern of the general public regarding the safety of the Dengvaxia® vaccine. The DITF was specifically tasked to determine the cause of death of each child and to assess if any possible association existed between the death and the vaccination.     The selection of members of the DITF was based on the following qualifications: the physician (1) must not be affiliated with any vaccine company, and (2) must not have administered the dengue vaccine to any patient. As a result of the stringent process of selection, the DITF formed consisted of 10 members: two (2) pediatric cardiologists, two (2) pediatric infectious disease specialists, one (1) pediatric emergency specialist, one (1) allergist/immunologist, one (1) pediatric gastroenterologist, one (1) pediatric nephrologist, one (1) neonatologist, and one (1) forensic pathologist. This 10-person team was complemented by four (4) other subspecialists whose expert opinions were solicited to clarify certain cases; these specialists were a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, a geneticist, and a rheumatologist. A team of three (3) pediatric residents served as the DITF’s secretariat.     In undertaking its task, the DITF identified the following terms of reference: definition of terms, mechanics and tools of evaluation, and process flow. The DITF then adapted the World Health Organization (WHO) Algorithm for Causality Assessment of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) as its evaluation tool.     The WHO Algorithm for Causality Assessment of AEFI[1] is a systematic, scientifically sound, and universally accepted process of assessing causality of events following any vaccination. Based on this tool, the outcomes may be categorized as follows:     A. Consistent with causal association to immunization  A1. Vaccine product-related  A2. Vaccine quality defect-related  A3. Immunization error-related  A4. Immunization anxiety-related     B. Indeterminate  B1. Consistent temporal relationship but insufficient evidence for vaccine causing the event  B2. Conflicting trends of consistency with causal association to immunization     C. Inconsistent with causal association to immunization (coincidental)  Presence of underlying or emerging condition; or other condition caused by exposure to something other than the vaccine     D. Unclassifiable (additional information to determine causality is needed)     Of the fourteen (14) cases evaluated, the results of the DITF’s evaluation are as follows:  Three (3) cases under Category A1: consistent with causal association to immunization that is vaccine product-related; two (2) of which implicated vaccine failure; Six (6) cases under Category B1: indeterminate only because of the consistent temporal relationship within a month of exposure of the vaccine but insufficient evidence for the vaccine causing the event; Three (3) cases under Category C: coincidental because there was inconsistent causal association to immunization; and Two (2) cases under Category D: unclassifiable due to inadequate information available.     The DITF recommends further investigations in order to clarify the nature of the association with vaccination or the cause of death for the following cases:  All three (3) A1 cases (Cases 1, 2, and 3) and two (2) indeterminate B1 cases (Cases 5 and 6) are recommended for further tissue evaluation for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) RNA of dengue virus, viral sequencing, and antibodies for the yellow fever and dengue viruses. Yellow fever- related tests are recommended as Dengvaxia® is a live attenuated vaccine using recombinant DNA technology created on the yellow fever (YF 17D) backbone. One (1) indeterminate B1 case (Case 9), one (1) coincidental case (case 13), and both unclassifiable cases (Cases 12 and 14) may be subjected to further investigations, such as an autopsy to determine the nature of their disease and the cause of death.     The results of this evaluation are to be forwarded to the Pharmacovigilance Team of the DOH for further investigation and/or signal detection for possible new causal association. Only then can the investigation of these cases be completed and the results considered final.     Overarching the DITF recommendations is the call to ensure that:  clear, specific, and appropriate information be given to the public on dengue infection – its clinical presentation, actions to be taken for suspect cases, and preventive measures; and all health practitioners do a thorough review of the existing treatment guidelines, particularly fluid management, in the care of such patients.     FACT SHEET:
ADVERSE EVENT FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION (AEFI) AND CAUSALITY ASSESSMENT     IS THERE A SYSTEM OR PROCESS FOR CHECKING WHETHER AN INCIDENT OR OUTCOME IS RELATED TO VACCINATION LIKE DENGVAXIA®?
  Yes, the World Health Organization has developed a systematic, standardized, global process for evaluating whether an incident or outcome is related to any vaccination. This is the WHO Causality Assessment of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI).     WHY WAS THE CAUSALITY ASSESSMENT FOR AEFI ESTABLISHED?  Immunization safety is an important aspect of vaccine development, just as the effectiveness of a vaccine is crucial. Unlike medicines or drugs, the expectations from vaccines (and vaccination) are much higher because these are given to healthy people. The reality is that the benefits of immunization are often not as obvious or visible and that it may even take months to years before an impact to the person and/or the society can be known. Thus, allegations that vaccines or the vaccination process cause adverse events must be addressed because this issue may have negatively influence immunization coverage.  It is thus the purpose of the WHO to guide the healthcare system to objectively analyze the events that occur surrounding the vaccination.     WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CAUSALITY?  Causality is simply the relationship between two events, where the second event is a consequence of the first. A direct cause is a factor in absence of which the effect would not occur (necessary cause). Sometimes, there are multiple factors that may precipitate the effect (event) or may function as co-factors so that the event occurs.     WHAT IS CAUSALITY ASSESSMENT?  Causality assessment usually will not prove or disprove an association between an event and the immunization. It is intended to assist in determining the level of certainty of such an association. A definite causal association or absence of association often cannot be established for an individual event.     WHAT IS AN ADVERSE EVENT FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION (AEFI)?  This refers to any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunization, and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the use of the vaccine. The adverse event may be any unfavorable or unintended sign, an abnormal laboratory finding, a symptom or a disease.     WHAT IS VACCINE FAILURE?  Vaccine failure refers to the development of the specific disease being prevented by the vaccine in a person who is appropriately and fully vaccinated, taking into account the incubation period of the disease and the normal delay for the protection to be acquired as a result of immunization. This may refer to both the vaccinee (or host)-related and vaccine-related factors.     WHAT IS VACCINE PHARMACOVIGILANCE?  This involves the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding, and communication of adverse events following vaccine- or immunization-related issues, and relating to the prevention of untoward effects of the vaccine or immunization. The goal is early detection of and the appropriate and timely response to AEFIs in order to minimize negative effects to the health of individuals and lessen the potential negative impact on immunization of the population.     WHAT IS A SAFETY SIGNAL?  A signal is an information (from one or multiple sources) which suggests a new and potentially causal association, or a new aspect of a known association between an intervention and an event, or set of related events, either adverse or beneficial, that is judged to be of sufficient likelihood to justify verificatory action.     WHY IS VACCINE PHARMACOVIGILANCE IMPORTANT?  There is a very high level of safety required for vaccines. The elements to consider when conducting vaccine pharmacovigilance include the following:  Vaccines are usually administered to healthy people, including infants. Vaccines may be administered to the vast majority of the population or of a birth cohort or to 
groups at high risk for disease complication. The age at the time of immunization may coincide with the emergence of certain age-related 
diseases. Immunization with certain vaccines is mandated in some countries. The benefits of immunization may not be immediately visible, particularly if the target disease 
incidence is low. Consideration of dechallenge and rechallenge differs for vaccines compared with other 
medicinal products. Vaccines are frequently administered only once or with long intervals, and serious AEFIs often prevent further vaccine administration. Dechallenge may not be possible with vaccines, given their long- term immunological effects. The administration of live vaccines can lead to disease caused by the attenuated organisms in vaccines or their contacts; this should be differentiated from coinciding natural infection. Vaccines are complex biological products, which may include multiple antigens, live organisms, adjuvants, and preservatives. Each component may have unique safety implications. Variability and (even small) changes in the manufacturing process may have impact on quality, protective effect, and safety. Batch information is of crucial importance. The need for vaccines is increasingly based on new production and administration technologies, with new adjuvants and alternative routes of administration, necessitating adapted safety monitoring systems. Effective communication regarding the safety of vaccines and immunization is challenging. Despite strong evidence that a serious adverse event is not related to immunization, perceptions of harm may persist and may potentially have a negative impact on immunization of the population.     References:  Fosberg, et al., Definition and Application of Terms for Vaccine Pharmacovigilance (Report of CIOMS/WHO Working Group on Vaccine Pharmacovigilance). WHO. 2012.  WHO. Causality Assessment of an AEFI: User Manual for the Revised WHO Classification. 2013.     Prepared by the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force (January 31, 2018)     [1] IMPORTANT: Please refer to the accompanying FACT SHEET ON AEFI and Causality Assessment for clarification of definitions.     : Executive Summary on Dengue Investigative Report by PGH DITF "
    },
    {
        "title": "Hepatitis among children caused by COVID? UP webinar explores the mystery – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/hepatitis-among-children-caused-by-covid-up-webinar-explores-the-mystery/",
        "html": "Hepatitis among children caused by COVID? UP webinar explores the mystery Hepatitis among children caused by COVID? UP webinar explores the mystery May 18, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Viral hepatitis is a significant cause of mortality globally, mainly due to Hepatitis B and C viruses. The primary intervention is childhood vaccination, given at birth and in three subsequent doses.  In mid-April 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported severe acute hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, of unknown origin among children below age 16. Initially, 163 cases were reported mainly from the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, the U.S.A., Denmark, Ireland, and other European countries. Since then, patients have been significantly increasing, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The worldwide report is now 450, including 11 deaths in Indonesia, Palestine, and the United States.  This form of hepatitis seems to be caused by the adenovirus, which rarely causes liver inflammation. Some posit that a percentage of these children who test positive for adenovirus previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.  Earlier data in the Philippines point to the endemicity of Hepatitis B and C, with a Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence of about 17% among adults in the early 2000s.  Will this new health issue come to our country? Are we prepared to manage these cases when our response to Hepatitis B and C leaves much to be desired?  The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), the UP National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D. – which stands for “Current COVID-19 problems, Other outbreaks, Viruses, Infections, and Disasters”, on Friday, May 20, from 12nn to 2 pm.  Titled “MYSTERIOUS HEPTATITIS: May kinalaman ba sa COVID-19?”, the latest episode of UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series lets us take a closer look at how a novel hepatitis-like disease could impact the current programs on hepatitis prevention and control, and how we can find ways to detect, test, treat, and manage this if it comes to our shores. We will also review what we know about hepatitis, the basics, vaccination, treatment, and referral.  Our experts for this webinar are: Dr. Juliet Sio-Aguilar, a pediatric gastroenterologist, former Professor of Pediatrics at UP Manila, and an active consultant at St. Luke’s Medical Center; and Dr. Eternity D. Labio, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist who is Head of the Liver Unit at the Makati Medical Center. Synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at the UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and T.V.U.P.’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Join us as we learn about the latest anti-viral drugs and how treatment plays a critical role in controlling the pandemic.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A dengue outbreak amid a pandemic? UP webinar tackles the questions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-dengue-outbreak-amid-a-pandemic-up-webinar-tackles-the-questions/",
        "html": "A dengue outbreak amid a pandemic? UP webinar tackles the questions A dengue outbreak amid a pandemic? UP webinar tackles the questions June 9, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Dengue is endemic in the Philippines. It used to appear in 2- to 3-year cycles, particularly at the start of the rainy season. Cases per year have ranged from 200,000 to 400,000 but have gradually dropped during the lockdown phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, two weeks ago, Cebu City reported an alarming rise in cases of dengue compared to last year. As of this writing, an outbreak is yet to be declared, but the Department of Health (DOH) sees this rise as a cause of concern, especially for Central Visayas.  Early diagnosis is crucial because the disease can become critical if not dealt with right away. Currently, the case fatality rate in Central Visayas is 0.8 percent, with Cebu having reported around 4,000 cases and 38 deaths.  This Friday, June 10, 12nn to 2pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against dengue and COVID.  What are the latest updates on dengue in the Philippines? What is the role that climate change can plays in the new and more aggressive behavior of the Aedes egypti mosquito? How can we help our communities understand the course of the disease and anticipate when symptoms are worsening? What does every healthcare front-liner need to know about a possible surge in dengue here in our country?  This week’s episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, titled “Dengue Alert sa Panahon ng Pandemya”, will seek to answer these questions about dengue amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  The webinar will feature three experts: Dr. Evalyn A. Roxas, Associate Professor of the Dept. of Microbiology at UP Manila and Clinical Associate Professor of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UP PGH; Dr. Belle M. Ranile, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist from Cebu City; and Dr. Zelig Javier, Division Head of the Environmental Health and Sanitation of the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) and former Dengue Coordinator of CCHD.  Don’t miss this timely episode by registering here. You may also catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel channel and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Forensics 2.0 comes to the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/forensics-2-0-comes-to-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Forensics 2.0 comes to the Philippines Forensics 2.0 comes to the Philippines January 12, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    In 2016, National Geographic ran a story on the case of Sierra Bouzigard, a 19-year-old from Louisiana, USA who was found beaten to death seven years prior. Although in the fatal struggle Bouzigard managed to get some of her attacker’s tissue under her nails, traditional methods of matching DNA to suspect failed to yield any result. Policemen were stumped.  With the collected DNA their only lead, the case analyst decided to take a chance and send the evidence to Parabon Nanolabs, a company specializing in “DNA phenotyping.” Using so-called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, pronounced “snips”), which are variations in a single building block of DNA, Parabon promised to conjure a rough likeness of the sample’s owner that would include certain physical features and probable ethno-geographic ancestry.  While the analysis of these characteristics is in its relative infancy and not without controversy, its use in the Bouzigard case highlighted the question of how much more science could contribute in the pursuit of justice. If a broader variety of DNA markers could be simultaneously analyzed to build on what current methods can accomplish, how much more sophisticated could our power to discriminate and investigate become?  The DNA Analysis Laboratory’s (DAL) Jazelyn Salvador. (Photo courtesy of the DAL)     That question is one of many that the DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Sciences Research Institute, UP Diliman (DNA Analysis Laboratory, NSRI-UPD) is currently trying to address. Using breakthrough technology called “Next Generation Sequencing” (NGS), University research associates Jazelyn M. Salvador and Dame Loveliness T. Apaga are now getting a first-hand glimpse of the answers.  The gold standard  The laboratory, headed overall by Dr. Maria Corazon A. De Ungria, is no stranger to breakthrough contributions. Its work was a major driver behind the approval by the Supreme Court of the 2007 Rules on DNA Evidence that set terms and guidelines for the conduct of DNA testing and its specific applications in Philippine courts.  The technology behind much of the team’s success to date is called capillary electrophoresis (CE). In creating a DNA profile for any individual using this method, members of the team look at what they call “short tandem repeats” (STRs). These are areas in the genome with sequences of nucleotides, made up of combinations of nitrogen bases: (G)uanine, (T)hymine, (A)denine and (C)ytosine. True to their name, STRs are sequences of these bases that repeat a certain number of times with successive repeats being located next to each other (i.e., TCGA-TCGA-TCGA…).  The laboratory typically examines a person’s DNA profile in 20 of these STR regions that are found across 22 so-called “autosomal” chromosomes, as well as in the X and Y, or human sex chromosomes. In a sample like blood or saliva, which has sufficient amounts of DNA, these pre-selected DNA regions or markers are amplified or “photocopied” via a process called the Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR.     Researchers Jessalyn Parco and Jan Vincent Beltran at the PCARI Shared Genomics Core Laboratory. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     “After amplification,” Jazelyn says, “fragments of DNA are separated by length via CE, where they migrate along an electric field through a tube separating anode from cathode. Because of their size, smaller fragments can migrate from start to end much faster.  Fragments, distinguished by the number of repeats using a reference set, are then detected by a laser via fluorescent tags. The result of this process is a person’s DNA profile. As more STR regions are analyzed, the probability that two unrelated individuals would have the same DNA profile on each DNA marker becomes increasingly remote.  Dame also spoke about how CE continues to be the gold standard for human identification. “The system is stable and accurate, and is relatively easy to use for forensic applications.” The technique, however, has its limits. Because of the relative length of STRs, creating a suitable profile may not always be possible, especially with degraded DNA. The latter situation is unfortunately all too common in disaster areas and in many crime scenes.  Next Generation Sequencing  “That’s the advantage of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), also known as Massively Parallel Sequencing,” Dame continues, referring to the newest technology being validated by the laboratory. “This technology enables a researcher to study and sequence several markers simultaneously, thereby significantly increasing the amount of information that can be mined from the sample.” In fact, NGS can be used to sequence an entire genome at a relatively shorter time compared to more traditional procedures.  The NGS project by the Laboratory funded by DOST-PCHRD has for the most part used Illumina’s MiSeq FGx Forensic Genomics System. Using this platform, billions of short, single-stranded templates of DNA are attached to a slide. Fluorescently-labeled nucleotides are added one by one to the templates, after which a photo is taken that captures light from color-coded bases. The process is repeated with these bases added one at a time until sequencing is complete.     UP Diliman researcher Jessalyn Parco using Illumina’s MiSeq FGx TM Forensic Genomics System. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jazelyn says this technique allowed the team to simultaneously analyze not only STRs, but also SNPs. In a paper published earlier this year, the team analyzed more than 200 markers from 143 unrelated Filipinos who volunteered to provide samples. These DNA markers included 28 autosomal STRs, 24 STRs from the Y chromosome and 7 from the X chromosome, providing supplementary information that can be vital in resolving complex kinship cases.  Moreover, they were also able to analyze 173 SNPs, including 22 phenotypic informative SNPs and 56 ancestry informative SNPs. “The purpose of ancestry SNPs is to determine the bio-geographic lineage of individuals,” explains Dame. “If you test an individual, these markers can predict whether one is likely to be Caucasian, East Asian, or from another group based on reference population datasets.”  “Phenotypic SNPs, on the other hand determine externally visible characteristics. These characteristics include eye color, skin color, and hair color,” Dame adds. Both SNPs, they say, might be extremely important in cases that involve people that have crossed national boundaries, as in the 2004 Madrid Bombing, and those who commit international crimes like human trafficking. In these situations, DNA may provide the lead to aid investigation in the absence of other clues.     The DNA Analysis Laboratory’s (DAL) Jazelyn Salvador. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     Asian-specific markers  Despite these findings, much work remains to be done before the technology can be used routinely in the Philippines. Since many of the markers used to create DNA panels originated from research that involved Europe and the US, the project aims to generate the “Southeast Asian reference population database” that will be more useful for local law enforcement agencies.  “We might find that many of the current DNA markers included in the panel are not useful for the Philippine population,” Jazelyn said. Citing the case of China, which manufactures DNA kits that better discriminate among the local population, she mentioned the possibility of creating kits that are both cheaper and better suited to the region. “What our population-based studies can do is maybe select the most useful markers and come up with something more applicable to the country.”     Dame Loveliness Apaga of the DNA Analysis Laboratory, UPD-NSRI. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     With the use of NGS, Jazelyn foresees an even larger role for DNA in forensic investigations. “Usually,” she said, “we use DNA to answer: Whom does this belong to? But with the discovery and existence of these SNPs, we can use Asian-specific ones to narrow the field, prior to pinpointing identities.”  Just a year after the Sierra Bouzigard story ran on National Geographic, officers arrested a suspect based on Parabon Nanolabs’ profile. As the DNA suggested (and contrary to police speculation), the man was not Hispanic, but Caucasian. He had fair skin and blue-green eyes. DNA later taken from an item he discarded finally matched the sample from under Bouzigard’s nails. Police believe they have their man.  Does this case represent the future of forensic analysis in the country? With a little more work, the answer seems to be “Yes.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Shaping the key to unlocking cancer – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/shaping-the-key-to-unlocking-cancer/",
        "html": "Shaping the key to unlocking cancer Shaping the key to unlocking cancer May 10, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    It could hold the key to unlocking cancer’s secrets, and the Philippines could soon help in shaping that key.  Ten years ago, Francis Collins and Anna Barker, at that time from the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute, respectively, wrote an article for Scientific American celebrating the launch of a milestone project in science and health research. Today, aspects of that research can be undertaken here at the University of the Philippines.  The project so loudly lauded by the pair was The Cancer Genome Atlas (note the acronym, TCGA) of the US National Institutes of Health.  Building on the technological and collaborative breakthroughs accomplished by the Human Genome Project, TCGA is a massive collection of multi-dimensional maps of notable genomic changes found in at least 33 types of cancers.  All 2.5 petabytes (1 PB=1,000,000 GB) of data on these cancers from 11,000 patients are now publicly available, thanks to the efforts of a vast network of research and technology teams. Researchers have established that cancer is primarily caused by mutations in specific genes to create a catalog of genetic mutations that, for instance, cause normal cells to turn malignant.  Through this analysis of each cancer cell’s complete set of genes, its genome, and how these changes within them interact on a broader scale, scientists attempt to improve cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.  An interdisciplinary environment  One key dimension that Collins and Barker revealed in their work is the highly multidisciplinary environment in genomics and cancer research, an environment of which the TCGA is both a promoter and a product.  Such global and eclectic projects naturally encourage players from traditionally distinct research areas to capture the complexity of biological phenomena using a unique set of scientific tools.  Increasingly, therefore, biologists and clinicians who had long manned the front lines of cancer and health research are finding themselves shoulder to shoulder with a different sort of ally.  Armed with algorithms, software, and statistical modeling techniques, this new class of researcher allows initiatives like the TCGA to share and make better sense of the hundreds of terabytes of genomics data being produced globally. These data sets, many believe, hide important secrets to preserving human health and to uncovering deep truths about the origins and future of life on the planet.  Enter the Filipino scientist. To take advantage of these exciting developments, the UP Board of Regents approved the creation of the Computational Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB) research program at the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in January 2017.  Marrying two fields  The reorganization of the PGC allowed its researchers to group genomics and systems biology—normally considered distinct areas of study—into a single R&D program. PGC Executive Director Baltazar D. Aguda, himself a systems biologist and cancer expert, explained what holds these different parts firmly together.  “Genomics is all about genomes,” Aguda said, referring to the genetic material of an organism, made up of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that some call the blueprint for creating an organism. Information in DNA is encoded in a sequence of four letters or bases, the aforementioned T, C, G, and A which stand for thymine, cytosine, guanine, and adenine.  Sequences of these letters run along every DNA strand in different arrangements and permutations, totaling around 3 billion for each person. The primary challenge of genomics lies in interpreting the meaning behind these four-letter sequences. Some of these sequences, less than 2% of them, are called genes, which contain the code for the creation of molecules called proteins.  And the rest? “What does the bulk of our DNA do?” asked Aguda. This, he said, was an open question, one that the men and women of the PGC are trying their hand at answering. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, PGC researchers are sequencing the DNA of a wide variety of organisms, from plants like coconuts to microorganisms like infectious bacteria.  While genomics attempts to uncover the secrets behind the fundamental units of life, systems biology views the components and space-time scales of organisms as one integrated and holistic system.  “If DNA sequences are not complex enough for you,” Aguda said, “think of networks of interactions among genes, proteins, cells and organs.” These networks and interactions are the fertile ground that systems biologists till for scientific insights.  Modeling and predicting   Unlike its “wet laboratory” counterparts, the CGSB is, as its name implies, an initiative built around computation. The language of life is read by these scholars via the Rosetta Stone of equations and computer models.  More specifically, computational genomics researchers use advanced mathematics and computer algorithms to decipher the meaning behind huge linear arrays of the T, C, G, and A found in DNA. Computational systems biologists, on the other hand, generate models to simulate how genes affect the development and behavior of biological systems (e.g., a particular organism).  When combined, the results of these models and analyses are then used to make scientific predictions that can then be verified by experimentation.  What would a research effort from the CGSB look like? Aguda mentioned the example of cancer genomics coupled with a systems biology modeling approach to predict combinations of cancer drug targets.  Recently, the PGC entered into a partnership with a local biotech company, Geosmart, to work with FIZ, a German genetics company. The members of this partnership are preparing to carry out a massive profiling of Philippine cancer patients.  CGSB will be involved in the analysis of gene expression (i.e. the process by which genetic instructions are used to synthesize gene products) data to discover modules of gene interactions, and predict which of these modules are strongly associated with tumor growth and development.  Once this is done, a systems biology approach can be taken to link these gene modules to molecular pathways, roughly a series of interactions among components in a cell that lead to certain products or changes. Dynamical models can then be created that simulate perturbations or changes that lead to cancer.  Ultimately, these steps will lead to suggestions of protein targets for new and more specific anti-cancer drugs.  Busiest of them all   While the CGSB may be a very young program, its members, led by its founding director, Jan Michael Yap of the UP Department of Computer Science, are all prepared to face the important challenges that they were trained to address.  According to Aguda, they have already pinpointed several computational genomicists and systems biologists around the country whom the group are planning to collaborate with.  These developments, when combined with the output emerging from massive mega-sequencing projects developing globally (like the TCGA and the Beijing Genomics Institute’s bid to sequence 10 million human genomes), as well as the huge sequence data-sets produced daily by the PGC itself, promise to keep the team busy for years to come.  Aguda and his colleagues look at these future challenges with excitement and optimism.  The predictions produced by the CGSB to guide the laboratory work are expected to cut down on discovery times dramatically. Moreover, Aguda envisions the CGSB to contribute several innovative algorithms and software for use by the global scientific community.  These are exciting times for genomics research in the country, and this project promises to be at the forefront of it all.  More importantly, however, this peculiar combination of “computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists, statisticians and engineers” will facilitate the PGC’s mission of helping our citizens face the challenges of the 21st century. From producing more sophisticated predictions of health risks to creating innovative food security solutions, these modelers of life’s basic functions are raring to make the act of living a safer and more fruitful experience for Filipinos everywhere.  For more information about the CGSB, as well as other programs of the PGC, please visit: http://www.philippinegenomecenter.org/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Privacy Matters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/privacy-matters/",
        "html": "Privacy Matters Privacy Matters June 30, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    While the right to privacy and invasion of privacy have been the topics of national conversations involving data leaks from celebrities or politicians, the idea of privacy itself remains abstract among many. In fact, words like “private” or “privatization” have loose Filipino translations, and there seems to be no exact term for “privacy” in our native language. Instead, we have vague impressions of privacy or its absence as we deal with the loss of personal space in cramped jeepneys, with gossiping neighbors or when oversharing in social media.     NPC Deputy Commissioner Dino Aguirre delivers the closing remarks at the Privacy Awareness Week 2019. Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. of the National Privacy Commission.     The Act and its Commission  In fact, when asked whether privacy has attained the status of being a household term, Deputy Commissioner Dino Aguirre of the National Privacy Commission says that appreciation of the concept of privacy is still largely limited to the academe, or those of a particular educational background or exposure. From his experience in interfacing with various stakeholders, Aguirre observes that the level of public awareness still needs a lot of work, which can be attributed mainly to culture. Even jurisprudence (e.g., Vivares v. St. Theresa’s College, GR No. 202666) has constantly confused types of privacy, often switching decisional privacy (i.e., the right to keep behavior on sensitive issues private, such as sexual preference, political activities, and religious practices) with locational or situational privacy (i.e., the right to move in spaces without being identified, tracked, or monitored) and informational privacy.  The work of the National Privacy Commission as the country’s privacy watchdog deals primarily with informational privacy, i.e., the right to secure personal data and information from individuals or organizations that are not authorized to access, handle, or distribute such information. The Commission’s central mandate is to implement and ensure compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10173). This important legislation aims to protect individuals by regulating the handling of data, and guarantees that the Philippines meets international standards on data protection.  Since the Data Privacy Act (DPA) was enacted into law with its corresponding implementing rules and regulations (IRR), the common notion of privacy being traditionally tied to location (private or public spaces) has evolved to become one of the fundamental human rights of the individual. Privacy now revolves around the individual’s level of control over his or her personal data or information. However, one of the more common misconceptions of the coverage of the DPA needs to be dispelled: it does not only apply to digital or online data, as it applies to data on paper as well. Compliance does not merely depend on investing on the latest technology on data security. Compliance actually takes into account the installation of proper policies, procedures, and processes in handling data. In relation to the coverage of the law, Aguirre emphasized, “It would help tremendously if we would be able to properly characterize the scope of the DPA to be limited to personal information.” Personal information pertains to any data that could directly or indirectly identify a person.  This year, the Commission saw a significant increase in the complaints that they received compared to last year, with complaints for the first half of 2019 surpassing the 2018 aggregate total. A huge number of complaints were classified as informal and were never followed up. To address this issue, the Commission employed an institutional approach by coming up with resource materials that make compliance easier to private companies, government agencies, and organizations so that they understand what the law requires. Sectoral associations were also tapped to gather issues that are unique to each sector. Before 2018 ended, a campaign focusing on data subjects was launched to emphasize the rights of individuals.     Participants listen to a lecture during Privacy Awareness Week 2019. Source: https://paw2019.privacy.gov.ph/#paw2018Section.     Data privacy in the academe  In an academic setting, there was an initial perception that data privacy and the freedom of information (FOI) would give rise to potential conflicts. “I don’t see them as two opposing concepts. People have to understand the policy behind them, which is open government,” says Aguirre. However, he also recognizes that an inaccurate understanding of the DPA could hamper efforts in implementing the FOI policy of the government, which is enshrined in Executive Order No. 2 of 2016.  The DPA lists personal information classified as sensitive and lays down obvious exceptions, such as information on salaries and positions of government officials, which are vital to public interest. One key feature of the DPA is that it focuses only on personal information, which means that documents that do not bear such information, such as government contracts, are not protected by the DPA. The Commission is constantly working with the Presidential Communications Operations Office, which is tasked with implementing the FOI policy of the administration, to clarify issues arising from the implementation of these two principles.  One of the more typical requests that the University receives involves the validation of educational records of its alumni by third parties for various reasons, ranging from employment to public office. The DPA lists educational records as sensitive personal information, along with race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, religious or political affiliation, as well as health records, genetic or sexual life, and social security numbers.  This means that as a general rule, the University cannot disclose information to persons other than the data subject, unless he or she gives consent, or if the disclosure meets journalistic, artistic, literary, or research exceptions. Under the DPA, there are other criteria for lawful processing of sensitive personal information, which includes fulfilment of a contract, legal obligation, vitally important interests such as life and health, public order and safety, and other legitimate interests that do not go against fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution.  Another issue that touches on data privacy is the release of personal information, such as names, degree programs, and respective campuses of successful qualifiers in the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT). When the Office of Admissions posted the full list of thousands of successful qualifiers, some camps raised concerns about a possible breach of data privacy. Aguirre does not agree that releasing the results en masse is a privacy violation per se, and posits that to a certain extent, a legitimate public interest to inform the successful qualifiers and their families overrides individual apprehension. “UP is a public institution supported by public funds, and a certain level of transparency is expected of the University,” he says.  Prospective students can expect that their submitted UPCAT applications may be further processed, including being published, as they are made aware of the manner by which the University has published the results. However, UP must re-examine this method in light of student organizations using the list of passers to create groups in social media platforms to promote their organization and recruit new members.  For the University and other academic institutions, Aguirre stresses the importance of paying special attention to concerns of particular members of its community, such as minors in the UP Integrated School, the UP Rural High School, the UP High Schools in Cebu and Iloilo, and other similar segments of the University System where students availing of scholarship agreements may become vulnerable to potential data privacy issues. Protocols must also be put in place for sensitive situations; for example, confidential disclosures made by students to their guidance counselors may expose them to possible health and safety risks.  “UP has to understand what sets it apart from all other firms and organizations. The prescriptions in the law apply to all data controllers and processors. UP must come up with this distinction to truly appreciate the uniqueness of the situation of academic institutions,” Aguirre concludes. He believes that these nuances will necessitate various approaches for UP to comply with the DPA.  The Commission’s website (privacy.gov.ph) characterizes a “digital evolution” where the “need for data is inevitable.” It also underlines the import of safeguarding the rights of data subjects while “ensuring the free flow of information, growth, and national development,” a context and environment where UP plays a critical role as the national and premier state university.     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni and varsity represent the country in the 30th SEA Games – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-and-varsity-represent-the-country-in-the-30th-sea-games/",
        "html": "UP alumni and varsity represent the country in the 30th SEA Games UP alumni and varsity represent the country in the 30th SEA Games December 9, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP alumni and UP Fighting Maroons varsity members are representing the country as athletes and coaches in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 2019).        Follow nowheretogobutUP on Facebook for sports news updates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The “non-music” man – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-non-music-man/",
        "html": "The “non-music” man The “non-music” man September 4, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    “It’s not really music. Not in the strictest sense.”  National Artist for Music, composer, ethnomusicologist, and UP University Professor Emeritus Ramon Pagayon Santos was referring to his area of research—non-Western indigenous expressive traditions included in the genre called “ethnic music.” Music, he said, is a Western concept defined by elements such as structure, counterpoint, harmony, texture, and form, among others.  “I prefer calling it ‘non-music’ because it doesn’t fit that idea.”  Santos began questioning the use of “music” to refer to such expressive practices because of an incident at a Philippine music festival he organized when he was dean of the College of Music.  “I had invited three guitarists and a dancer from Batangas to participate. Imagine my surprise when two jeepney loads arrived!” During the performance, he said the others acted as bystanders who would react loudly and throw money at the performers. “That type of ‘music’ wasn’t meant for just listening because it wouldn’t have the intended effect. It needed the participation of the ‘community.’ There was an experiential condition.”  The “non-music” man, Ramon Santos, in one of the Center for Ethnomusicology’s rooms at the UP Diliman College of Music. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  He also cited the kwintangan kayu of the Yakan, an instrument made of wooden logs set up after planting, which is played non-stop until the seeds have sprouted. “You can listen to it and enjoy it but its purpose really is to encourage the growth of what was planted. It doesn’t follow what conventionally defines music.” Other cultural expressions like the bayok of the Maranao and the badiw of the Ibaloi are similarly dependent on the occasions where these are performed.  Breaking out: from classical to experimental  Santos has been challenging the use of “music” as an ethnomusicologist since the 1980s. But as a composer, Santos has been pushing against tradition for far longer—as early as his undergraduate days in the early ‘60s.  There’s a popular saying about learning the rules first before breaking them. And that’s what Santos did.  His mother and grandmother were pianists, so “music was ordinary” to him. They were taught solfège and how to play the piano. When he went to San Jose Seminary for high school, he “fell in love with schola cantorum,” the singing of ecclesiastical chants. “My interest in music was intensified. I joined the choir and spent most of my leisure time listening to music.”  But music wasn’t his only interest. He wrote poetry and later realized that literature inspired his passion for music, even prompting him to create music for Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poems. Like his brother, Santos also painted. Such was his inclination that his parents thought he would study painting in college. But when asked, he told them his choice was Music. “Just like that!” he said, snapping his fingers, “I said I wanted to take Music.”  He was about to enroll at the University of Santo Tomas because it seemed like the logical choice after the seminary. If it hadn’t been for the long lines at enrollment, his father deciding to postpone it until the next day, and his sister who was a UP alumna asking why he was going to UST, Santos wouldn’t have gone to UP. So the next day, that fateful day in 1958, he went to UP and eventually earned his degree in Composition and Conducting.  Before he even graduated, he had already formed the Immaculate Conception Choir in Pasig, written choir music and a whole Mass, and led the choir in presenting operettas. He even joined the symphonic ode category of the Bonifacio Centennial National Composition Contest, where he was the only declared winner at second place. There was no first or third place awardee. “The first honorable mention was my teacher,” he said with a sheepish smile.  He was a regular at the library, always looking for new records to listen to. There he discovered Edgard Varèse, a French composer recognized for using sound outside the confines of musical tradition. “Wow! Is this music? If this was recorded, there must be something to it.”  “I was very happy with everything I was learning,” Santos says of his days as a Music major in UP. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  He was also amazed by Jose Maceda, a visionary composer and a member of the UP faculty who pioneered avant-garde music in the country. “He is my greatest idol in composition and I’m proud to say he recruited me then to play his pieces,” Santos said, before adding with a laugh, “which were very difficult!” He credits Maceda with inspiring him as a composer because his ideas were deeply rooted in Philippine culture and how “we feel and experience music.”  Dissonances had already become part of Santos’ work. “I think my teacher thought it wouldn’t get me anywhere.” But his leanings toward unconventional compositions mixed with his interest in non-western cultural expressions allowed him to forge a path in contemporary Philippine music. His groundbreaking body of work—both in composition and in ethnomusicology—would earn him the rank of National Artist in 2016.  The National Commission for Culture and the Arts describes his style as one with “open-ended structures of time and space, function as a compositional concept, environmental works, non-conventional instruments, the dialectics of control and non-control, and the incorporation of natural forces in the execution of sound-creating tasks.”  His latest project, “Likas-an” or “Nature-ing,” was performed in the Iloilo City campus of UP Visayas on August 25. “I composed that in 1978 using instruments that I made, like kantawayan, metal junk, whistle flutes, and sound coming from nails being pounded, for example.” His performers in 1978 were not musicians but administrative staff and the same was true for Iloilo. But because he believed the performance of his compositions must adapt to changing times, he made an additional composition for a choir in the recent “Likas-an.”  As for the future of ethnomusicology and composition in the country, Santos is quite happy that the number of composer-ethnomusicologists is increasing, although he admits genuine Philippine music still has a long way to go. “We always need to be conscious of the fact that we are not Westerners, that we should not merely follow Western trends. Our experiences are different. Our sentiments are different. Our culture is different. I hope that we can eventually have a name for what I call ‘non-music.’” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Who’s afraid of the Endocrine Witch? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/whos-afraid-of-the-endocrine-witch/",
        "html": "Who’s afraid of the Endocrine Witch? Who’s afraid of the Endocrine Witch? September 4, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    While her online supporter base knows her better as the Endocrine Witch (and her equally popular recent moniker, “Dok Bru,” short for “Doctor Bruha”), UP-PGH Endocrinologist Iris Thiele Isip-Tan has certainly become many things to many people in recent years.  The Endocrine Witch is the first ever Gawad Pangulo awardee for Progressive Teaching and Learning.  The wife and mother of two sons is best known to her official patients as an endocrinologist—an internist, or duktor ng lamang loob, in her terms, specializing in thyroid, diabetes, adrenal, and other hormone disorders. To her colleagues at the UP College of Medicine, she is a highly innovative teacher—the first-ever Gawad Pangulo Award winner for Progressive Teaching and Learning and an advocate of blended learning.  To many of her online followers, however, Iris still best known as perhaps the best online local source for educated views on endocrinology. Moreover, as the current head of the UP Manila Medical Informatics Unit and the Director of the UP Manila Interactive Learning Center, she is currently helping others utilize digital technology to improve the Philippine health landscape.  Iris’ moniker was famously adopted early on from the sisterhood of strict mentors in endocrinology who were themselves called “witches.” ” One of my mentors said, ‘You’re even proud to be called a witch.’ But then I told them that we already have characters like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, who go against the traditional concept. So that’s how it started.”  The right information  With several definitions of “health informatics” floating in cyberspace, Iris had to construct one for herself. “Health informatics is that field where we aim to get the right information to the right person at the right time,” she says. This overarching vision, though simple to some, has become a guiding philosophy for her, one which she can easily impart to the lay person.  There are few avenues in this doctor’s life that reflect this more than her Facebook page. Begun in 2012 as a complement to her official web pages (dokbru.endocrine-witch.net and endocrine-witch.net), it emerged to give her readers access to her content on “free data” packs. Despite not being able to give actual consultations online, Dr. Isip-Tan thought there was at least some information she could give out to help the public make better health decisions.  “I noticed in PGH that there were many illnesses that should not have worsened if only the people had the proper information,” she says. “So I said, OK, you can ask questions and I will answer, albeit with certain limitations.”  Doing this has surprisingly helped her in her clinical practice as well. “There were things that I thought I could explain well, but then I found that not all patients got what I said. So it had to be simpler.” Iris also committed herself years ago to using Filipino in her public social media communications to make her advice accessible to countrymen from all walks of life.  Lifelong learners  Dr. Isip-Tan’s passion for getting the right information out can also be seen in the classroom. She currently teaches HI 201, an introductory graduate course in health informatics. One notable requirement of hers is that her students create their own blogs for class.  “The primary reason I ask them to do this is because health informatics is not yet fully in the mainstream here. When you say you’re taking your Master’s in Health Informatics, people reply, ‘What’s that?’ So with the blogs, students can be able to leave a bit of an online footprint for health informatics in the country.”  Having blogs also allows her students to get comments from actual practitioners and graduates of the program. “That was the premise for applying for the Gawad Pangulo Award, that there was a social aspect to it,” she says. “Even the higher-year students are guiding the first-year ones.”  While some applicants to the program initially worry about their lack of experience in coding and quantitative methods, Iris says that these are things that can be mastered along the way. What she looks for in students is the willingness to take something on and learn on the spot.  “Every day you just learn new things… But as a doctor, you have made the commitment to be a lifelong learner. And that’s the same quality that I look for in my graduate students—that they are willing to learn and accept challenges.”  Spinning off  Despite the hectic demands of balancing three aspects of her professional life—being a physician, a professor, and a health informatics practitioner—Dr. Isip-Tan says she has a lot more planned. Beyond UP, she is also a founding member of #HealthXPH, a multidisciplinary collaboration to discuss and use emerging technologies and social media to change the Philippine health landscape.  Dr. Isip-Tan in one of her famous public lectures.  #HealthXPH began as an idea among doctors connected over social media to begin conversations (inspired by the famous ‘Doctors 2.0 & You‘ conference in Paris) on health. Together with friends like Dr. Gia Sison, Dr. Remo-tito Aguilar, and Dr. Narciso Tapia, Iris began this by hosting Twitter chats every Saturday evening for everyone interested in health topics.  With their growing following and with a little help from entities like the DOST-PCHRD, the group was eventually able to launch the first ever Healthcare and Social Media Summit in the country three years ago. The last event, which drew hundreds of participants, also produced an important spinoff. “MentalHealthPH came out of our second conference,” she says. “The young people behind it met during our brainstorming session. Now they have their own tweet-chat with the hashtag #usaptayo.”  With her busy schedule, she also plans to explore telemedicine, both as a service and as a necessity—provided, of course proper protocols are in place to protect her patients.  “Abroad, people are already exploring things like Skype to follow up people with diabetes,” she notes. “It’s not yet that common here, and I never thought I would eventually need to do it. But there is a need, considering the traffic these days. I also have patients from the Visayas and Mindanao who fly in and then all of a sudden I can’t make it to the clinic. I have to do something for them. And that’s also where I see the future of medicine is heading.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Swimming with the Dugongs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/swimming-with-the-dugongs/",
        "html": "Swimming with the Dugongs Swimming with the Dugongs October 5, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Marine mammals—such as whales, dolphins, dugongs—are descended from ancestors that lived entirely on land. Fleeing from terrestrial competition, they turned to the waters and the vast resources of its depths.  The Philippines is rife with marine mammals, a fact confirmed by stranding incidences—more than 800 recorded since 2005—exceeding the normal numbers in the region.  Professor Lemnuel Aragones is UP’s foremost expert on marine mammals and heads its only laboratory for marine mammal research. This research includes processing strandings. Though unfortunate and still largely unexplained, strandings provide the opportunity for closely studying marine mammals in their environment.  When not responding to or saving stranded marine mammals, or doing office, mentoring and laboratory work in UP and various training venues, or Skype-meeting with colleagues, Lem is farther offshore, swimming with grazing dugongs of Busuanga, Palawan, or spotting dolphins at Tañon Strait in central Visayas.  But Lem has not always been at sea. Like marine mammals, Lem saw his career make a decisive step from land to sea.     Lem after scuba diving in Mantalip Reef of southern Tañon Strait, a marine mammal hot spot, off Bindoy, Negros Oriental, to help an MS advisee with thesis research. Photo courtesy of the UPD-IESM Marine Mammal Research and Stranding Laboratory     By the river in Africa  As a child, Lem traveled across the globe with his father, who was a consultant of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. From 10 to 14 years old, he moved back and forth between the Philippines and Malawi, where his father taught at the Bunda College of Agriculture. He stayed at Lilongwe, the capital. Located in the Great East African Rift Valley, Lilongwe was strange land with a nature sanctuary in the middle, surrounding the Lilongwe River that drains to Lake Malawi.  Often, the car little Lem was riding in had to stop and let wild animals cross the road.  “Giraffes, elephants, zebras, and antelopes! So many!” the adult Lem excitedly recalls. But back then, he lived in a gated subdivision, guarded, and ferried in VIP vehicles. He watched from a car window. “Big animals have a certain majesty,” he says.  Malawi left him with a legacy of fascination. Returning to the Philippines, Lem was sold on a Zoology course in college. He would graduate in UP Los Baños in 1986 with a special project on bats and a non-thesis degree in Field Zoology. His graduation prize from his parents was a solo trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan.  Lem meets a duyong  Officially an adult, he was free. In Puerto Princesa, he jumped onto fishing boats and sailed off with the crew to remote islands. As the fishermen laid out the nets, Lem would put on his mask, snorkel, and fins, and swim alone in the open sea.  One day off San Vicente, Palawan, on a second dive near the coast, he saw billows of murk rising from the bottom. As he dove deeper, a gray mass began to move in the murk. It was bigger than he. Lem frantically swam toward the boat. “Help!” he shouted, grasping an outrigger. “Shark!”  The crew saw the dark figure peek at the surface before gliding back under. “Ay, that’s a duyong!” they said.  Lem would not be eaten. The animal was simply grazing on the seagrass on the bottom, stirring up sediments.  Even as a graduate of Zoology, Lem had not heard of duyong. Returning to Los Baños, his father advised him to consult the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Manila.  “We have dugong in the country,” the DENR officer said. The animal he saw was most likely it, but the officer could not give details. At that point, Lem vowed to study the big marine animal that had scared him so much. He ended up earning a master’s in Marine Science in UP Diliman.     Lem helping restrain a stranded dolphin being rehabilitated at the Subic Bay Freeport Area to rehydrate the animal through an “entubation” technique. Photo courtesy of the UPD-IESM Marine Mammal Research and Stranding Laboratory     Stranded, they tell a tale  Lem’s expertise on marine mammals was triggered as much by his “near-death” experience off San Vicente as by the deadly experience of dugongs stranded off Australia.  He was taking his PhD on tropical marine ecology at James Cook University and had to be stationed on the Queensland coast to study the feeding ecology of dugongs. Then a cyclone blew in, followed by reports of a massive marine mammal die-off. With a group led by top veterinarians, Lem was deployed as assistant to one of his PhD advisers and responded to the incident.  At one section of a vast white beach, Lem saw the dark cluster of dugong carcasses. They estimated the fatalities at nearly a hundred. He needed to assist in six necropsies a day. It meant gutting the carcasses and hauling away intestines. Inspecting entrails, he found traces of food only at the cloaca, the end of the digestive tract.  Checking the sea, they found the seagrasses wiped out.  Lem explains how the endless seaboard allows the dugongs no escape from cyclones and the devastation of feeding grounds. Smaller islands, such as in the Philippines, let sea animals go to the other side when storms blow in from the other, he says.  Still, the Philippine is rife with strandings.  Returning from Australia, Lem helped Ocean Adventure and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to create the country’s own stranding network in 2005. Under his leadership, the network now has 3,866 responders, 80 veterinarians, and several specially trained fisheries and LGU personnel. The Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network or PMMSN has become a model for neighboring countries.     Lem at the bow with Professor Helene Marsh, world-renowned dugong expert and his PhD adviser, recently off Calauit Island, Palawan, “acclimatizing” a dugong (partially seen) for underwater observation. Photo courtesy of the UPD-IESM Marine Mammal Research and Stranding Laboratory     From the strandings, research has been done on marine toxins, bacteria, pathogens, and parasites, giving clues to disease life cycles and ecological conditions. Studies of stranding sites have offered clues to environments affecting marine mammals, including seismic, acoustic, and dynamite impact.  The pioneer remains fascinated  Acknowledging his leading role in marine mammal research and protocol-setting in the Philippines, Southeast Asian colleagues elected Dr. Lemnuel Aragones president when they formed the Southeast Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network in 2013. Recently, the network expanded into the Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network, of which he remains president.  Up to his neck in work, he will not be revisiting Malawi anytime soon. But up to this day, Lem goes back to Palawan. He would go to Calauit, his study site during his master’s program. Along with dugong on the coast, Calauit offers a sanctuary for safari animals imported from Africa. That way, when not swimming with the dugongs of his present, Lem visits the animals of his childhood.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The warmth and wisdom of Nanay Mani – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-warmth-and-wisdom-of-nanay-mani/",
        "html": "The warmth and wisdom of Nanay Mani The warmth and wisdom of Nanay Mani November 10, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    At the side of the main entrance of UP Baguio, in a kiosk underneath one of the many pine trees that mark UP’s northernmost campus, is an institution perhaps as beloved among the members of the UP community as the Oblation itself: a peanut vendor famously known as Nanay Mani.  Nanay Mani, whose real name is Mrs. Lolita Lazaro, has been selling peanuts, biscuits, mangos and assorted fruits and snack foods to generations of UP students since 1968, when she was just in her mid-twenties. At that time, she and her husband, Juanito Lazaro, were newly married and had settled in Baguio City. He eventually found work in UP Baguio, and Nanay Mani, who has worked as a vendor since her childhood in Lingayen, Pangasinan, began selling peanuts and snack food in the schools and universities in Baguio City.        “For decades now, and in all the schools here. There is no school that I haven’t gone into to sell my wares, even the Philippine Military Academy during graduation. I’ve been in all of them,” she recalls.  But out of all those schools, UP Baguio is the one she loves best and where she chose to stay. “UP is different, because here no matter what your station in life is—even if you are just a vendor—they treat you with respect. In UP, even the children of senators are my children. If they see me walking down the street, they give me rides in their cars, even today. It’s different here. In UP, even if I’m just a peanut vendor, the kids love me.”  For fifty years, she has showered love and concern upon generations of UP students, not just as a seller of salted peanuts, sliced mango and singkamas at the cost of P5 to P20, but also as counselor, mother-figure, message board, bag deposit counter, provider of food and shelter, and a reliable source of help to those in dire financial straits, even acting as guarantor for loans.  “Whatever it is they need—for instance, they don’t have enough allowance or money for rides—I would give it to them. When they return, they give it back. Or they would say, ‘Nay, I haven’t eaten lunch yet, my allowance hasn’t come. Please give me money to buy lunch.’ I would give it. When the money comes, it is done.”        She has seen generations of students through their years of academic toiling, has watched them graduate and become successful alumni. Off the cuff, she mentions media personalities Angel Aquino and Joyce Bernal, and remembers UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos, former Chancellor Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos and Prof. Jessica Cariño from their teenage years. She recalls with a laugh, “Oh, they were good kids!”  From her kiosk where she stays from around 9 am to 6 pm, she has witnessed innumerable romantic relationships bloom on campus, and feels sad whenever a relationship ends. “I thought they would be together, then I find out that they’ve broken up. Of course I would be sad. ‘Manang, I get out of class at this hour. Have you seen him/her? Has he/she arrived?’ There were no cellphones back then, so I was their cellphone.”  Of course, the students confide their troubles to her, from their love lives to their academic lives. And when it comes to studies, she is quick to set them straight about their priorities. “Sometimes, there are students who can’t seem to finish college. I get angry. I get angry more often than their parents do. ‘What are you doing? How many more years will it take? Ten?’ I really scold them. ‘So, will you or will you not graduate?’ ‘Yes, Nay, we will.”  Fifty years of warm peanuts and even warmer affection and openhearted kindness have been reciprocated many times over. UP Baguio alumni here and abroad remember her fondly and shower her with gifts whenever they come home. She has been featured in TV programs such as ABS-CBN’s “Rated K,” thanks to alumni who want to give recognition to her. And in 2008, when the administration tried to enforce a rule that prohibited vending inside the campus, which would have kicked Nanay Mani out, the students themselves took action to protest the move.        “The students teased me once, saying, ‘Nay, what are you still doing here? They’re driving you out, but you’re still here?’ ‘Yes, but if they make me leave, I’ll leave,’ I told them. Then the next minute, there were these rallies and petition letters.” She adds with a smile, “The kids here love me.”  Nanay Mani, who has earned enough years for her to upgrade her title from “Manang” to “Nanay,” shares two of the most important life lessons she has learned: the importance of family, and the value of education. She and her husband have raised their children to become successful professionals, and they now have 27 grandchildren, one of whom is set to graduate from UP Manila. For her, family gives you a sense of purpose in life, and a reason to work hard and achieve your best.  “Of course, it’s important to be strong so you can make sure your family will lead good lives. That’s the number one priority for us: family. What good is your toiling and sacrificing if you don’t have family? For whom are you working hard and sacrificing? For whom are you living?”  And for her other children—the students of UP Baguio past, present and future—she counsels them to keep on learning, and to never take their privileged position as iskolar ng bayan for granted.  “I always tell the kids that while they have parents who support them, they must study for as long as they can. They are so lucky, I say. Because what else can their parents pass on to their children except education? It will never be lost. It will never be stolen. It is the gift of your mind.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Pinoy in plasma science – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-pinoy-in-plasma-science/",
        "html": "A Pinoy in plasma science A Pinoy in plasma science March 23, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Dr. Jong Vasquez in his office as chairperson of the Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “They’re always surprised that a Filipino is doing plasma research, especially in relation to materials.”  This is a common reaction to Magdaleno “Jong” Vasquez Jr. when he meets foreign scientists. They’re even more surprised, he says, when he tells them that he works on ion sources. “And I’m working on low-energy ion sources when most are working on high-energy.”     Jong points to his pasalubong for UP: an ion source he designed and built in Japan. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Why the astonishment from foreigners? It seems the Philippines is not big on research in plasma and vacuum science and technology and their allied fields with their wide range of applications. There are very few Filipinos in the country who undertake research in these areas; so for the rest of the scientific world, meeting someone like Jong would be a pleasant shock.  But he’s confident that things are picking up, that more are becoming interested in these fields. Jong has been doing what he can to promote these areas of study, starting with UP.     Pasalubong from Japan  It’s a traditional Filipino practice to bring back items from a place one has visited, to give to loved ones back home. Jong’s pasalubong—an improved, smaller version of an ion source he created for his doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Doshisha University—started the ball rolling in 2013.  He had already been teaching at the College of Engineering in UP Diliman (UPD) before he left for his doctoral studies and he had every intention of going back to the University when he was done. While Jong had earned his doctorate in 2011, he stayed for two more years in Japan, working in a company where his adviser, Dr. Motoi Wada, was a consultant. “It was like post-doc training.”     One of his students working on coco coir at the Plasma-Material Interactions Laboratory (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     To say that those two years were productive is an understatement. Jong was not only able to file two patents that were accepted in Japan and Korea, but he also worked on his pasalubong for UP during weekends. “It had to be small enough to fit into my luggage.”  When he came back to the Philippines, he filed an application for the University’s Balik PhD Program, a grant from the UP System that provides a P2.5 million startup fund to encourage foreign-trained PhD graduates to teach and do research in UP. But for some reason, the application papers got mixed up with documents for his faculty position. It took a while to fix, but he was able to finally get the grant in October 2014.  “Without that seed money, I wouldn’t have been able to put up the lab at the time that I did,” he says, referring to the Plasma-Material Interactions Laboratory (PMIL) at the Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (DMMME), where he is currently on his second term as department chairperson.     More funds, more research, more people  Even with the Balik PhD grant, Dr. Vasquez still looked for other funding sources to support research at PMIL. Before 2014 ended, he had gotten two more grants that totaled over P13 million. By the start of 2015, PMIL was a “working” facility, in the sense that experiments could be done.  “I just keep on applying for grants, especially for equipment outlay. Not necessarily to buy new ones, but to restore what would otherwise just sit and rot.” They’ve restored three so far and with added funds, may be able to repair more, according to him.     Some of the work done in the lab include the use of plasma on local and abundantly available materials like zeolite. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     To date, Jong has been able to get almost P100 million for PMIL. He also reveals that there were times he applied for grants that catered specifically to his students’ research topics just so they could continue their work.  When PMIL was established, there were only nine people doing research there. That number has quadrupled—not counting the 33 the lab has already graduated, and those from other UP units and from other schools who use PMIL.  Some of the work done in PMIL include the use of plasma on local and abundantly available materials, like zeolite, silica, bamboo, and coco coir for applications in biomedicine, environment protection, agriculture, and construction, among others. “Chemical treatment of materials has waste management issues. Plasma treatment just uses gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, which can easily be expelled.”     Beyond UP  The young Jong would never have thought he’d be where he is now. He never planned on taking up BS Chemical Engineering in UPD. “I gave in to my mom and dad and I was actually the first in my family to study outside of Cebu.” But it only took him a semester to adjust.  The young man who didn’t even plan on studying in UP eventually graduated, stayed to teach, and earned his master’s in Materials Science and Engineering here. And even with his stint in Japan, he still went back and continues giving back to the University by teaching and doing research, and mentoring budding scientists, and even by helping them get scholarships abroad.  But it doesn’t stop with UP.     Some of the students who conduct research in the lab (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Together with the plasma physics pioneer in the country, UP Professor Emeritus Henry Ramos, Dr. Vasquez formed the Vacuum Society of the Philippines (VSP) in 2015—the first of its kind in the ASEAN region.  As with any scientific organization, it aims to advance its fields of knowledge, further strengthen the country’s pool of experts, and ensure knowledge transfer to promote innovation. The VSP has already conducted two international symposia and recently concluded an event in Cebu, where members of vacuum societies abroad participated—all of which are creating more collaborations and expanding partnerships.  With everything that has happened since he returned to the Philippines almost five years ago, Jong Vasquez is hopeful things will continue to gain momentum. He looks forward to the time when the rest of the scientific world will no longer be surprised that a Filipino is working in the fields of plasma and vacuum science and technology. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A UP lawyer in the Palace – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-up-lawyer-in-the-palace/",
        "html": "A UP lawyer in the Palace A UP lawyer in the Palace February 9, 2018 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    “When I face an ordinary Filipino citizen, and he asks me who I am, I want to be able to tell him that I know what he’s going through and that we can help each other.” This is what keeps Attorney Hanna Keila Garcia serving in government despite criticism from some people, including family and friends.  Kei, as people fondly call her, has lived a life of conflicts and contradictions. While she had always seen herself eventually taking up Law, her undergraduate degree in Sociology made her ask whether this was the right step to take. Sociology forced her to to question a lot of things. It taught her that, most of the time, getting the right answers meant asking the right questions, too.  Twin tools  Initially, she saw the study of law as something rigid, with set ways, and not dynamic enough when it came to interpretations of the law. So instead of going straight to law school after graduation like some of her batchmates, she took a gap year and taught Sociology in a state university before finally taking up law. Now, she finds the twin training of sociology and law as helpful tools in her policy work as a staff member of the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration in Malacañang.  She has also devoted most of her life to public service, starting in student government as early as when she was in the third grade. While her batchmates in University of the Philippines College of Law focused on getting good grades in order to get recruited by big law firms as interns and eventually as associates, Kei knew from the very start that she wasn’t interested in joining the private sector, wanting to link her education with her advocacy. She continued teaching Sociology in all her years in UP Law, enriching her lessons with what she learned in Malcolm Hall.     At the Mabini Hall’s Executive Secretary Gallery with Attorney Hanna Keila Garcia (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Kei joined the Office of the President (OP) towards the end of the previous administration while waiting for the results of her bar examinations. With the start of the current administration in 2016, her immediate boss, Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong, himself a graduate of UP Law, offered her an opportunity to stay in the OP and continue to be part of his staff and of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES). Given a week to decide and with other offers to work in the offices of a senator and several representatives, she chose to stay in the Palace. “I honestly wanted more action, to be in the middle of things with great impact. I wanted to see how things were run, and to learn more about governance firsthand,” she says.  A seat in policy-making  Her normal workload includes regular monthly high-level policy meetings. Work in the Palace is naturally diverse, given its wide mandate and functions, so Kei appreciated how they were initially asked about their interests and advocacies. When she expressed interest in development work, she was assigned to represent the OES in policy meetings with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), particularly the Investment Coordination Committee and the Social Development Committee.  Apart from NEDA meetings, she has also had the opportunity to sit in Cabinet cluster meetings, such as the Economic Development Cluster and the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster. In these meetings, discussions on the formulation of policies take place. Her UP Law education greatly helps her in dealing with heated discussions with various senior representatives from other government agencies. Her experience as a law student has helped her in projects involving a certain level of policymaking, such as the drafting of a UP Diliman Students’ Magna Carta.  According to Kei, the current administration’s policy direction is infrastructure-heavy as seen in its “Build, Build, Build” program. Before projects like a subway system, airports, seaports, or railways are approved, technical aspects need to be ironed out. How many families will be displaced? Where will they be relocated? How much traffic will this cause? Are there right of way issues? Are these projects economically viable?  Loyal to the institution  While some issues generate controversy, Kei admits that one cannot win all the arguments. She declares, however, that “We are winning the battle for better infrastructure and faster implementation of infrastructure projects.” Her hope is that ten or twenty years down the road, when this infrastructure helps Filipinos gain social mobility not just physically but also economically, she can proudly say she had a hand in the projects when they were just on paper.  She reveals that one of her proudest moments at work was to be assigned to draft and evaluate the Executive Order (EO) on the Establishment of Smoke-Free Environments. She is happy to hear feedback from smokers and non-smokers alike on how the EO has been a deterrent to smoking simply because it makes smoking more difficult with restrictive measures. She stands by the EO and is confident that it will hold in court.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Of course, working in the Palace—an office both highly political and highly politicized—will always raise a few eyebrows. Kei, however, recalls a seminar conducted by the Civil Service Commission on public service ethics and accountability, from which she learned to know where one’s loyalty should lie. She is firm in her belief that government work is public service and that it is always important to keep in mind the constitutional principle that public office is a public trust.  In this light, one’s loyalty must always be with the institution and the people it seeks to serve. For many lawyers, it’s easy to say that an official act will violate a specific law. However, in her work in formulating, evaluating, and recommending policy, she has to take into consideration more than just possible legal implications. As such, she is often guided by questions like “How would this benefit Filipinos?” and “What would be the impact of this policy?”  Hope, not anger  “Many people don’t know how these kinds of evaluations are done because they have no experience in government work. If your principles are intact and you are true to your core, while some criticisms are definitely warranted and necessary, others just become noise,” she adds.  With her decision to stay in public service, she offers this piece of advice for those who are thinking of working in the government as well: “There are so many things to be angry about. It’s okay to be angry. But if you’re just angry, you might as well give up. I refuse to just be angry. I want to be hopeful as well. Through this journey, I want to be equipped enough so when the time comes and I find myself in a position where I am able to make a greater, more direct impact in the lives of Filipinos, in whatever capacity that may be, I can say that I have the right experience, knowledge, and motivation for the job. People who are motivated by goodwill and good faith, with the capacity and willingness to be equipped, are always a necessity in whatever administration.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni scientists and lawyer grace tawilis summit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-scientists-and-lawyer-grace-tawilis-summit/",
        "html": "UP alumni scientists and lawyer grace tawilis summit UP alumni scientists and lawyer grace tawilis summit March 6, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Philippine Society for Freshwater Science President and UP Diliman Professor Francis Magbanua (extreme left) awards certificates of recognition to NAST Academician Mudjeweekis Santos and Dr. Maria Theresa Mutia, both of NFRDI; Prof. Alicia Ely Pagulayan of UST; and Dr. Jonas Quilang of UPD, all UP alumni scientists, for contributing their latest research at the Tawilis Summit 2019 and sharing a common passion for Taal Lake and its threatened ecosystem. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     UP alumni scientists continue to lead research and provide data on saving Philippine freshwater ecosystems such as that which supports the tawilis, recently declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  For example, key resource speakers in the Tawilis Summit 2019 were: UP alumni scientists, Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos and Dr. Maria Theresa Mutia, who graduated from UP Baguio and UP Los Baños, respectively, and are now with the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute; Dr. Jonas Quilang of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology; and, UP Diliman alumna Dr. Alicia Ely Pagulayan, now with the University of Santo Tomas.  Hosted by the University of Santo Tomas, the summit was an immediate multisectoral response led by scientists to the IUCN red-listing of a Philippine endemic. It was held in the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, OP Building, España, Manila on February 19, 2019.     Dr. Rey Donne Papa of the UST Department of Biological Sciences, the host of the summit, traces his interest in Taal Lake before delivering a presentation on the latest limno-ecological findings in the lake. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     Saving the tawilis, found only in Taal Lake, has long been a rallying cry of freshwater scientists who advocate sustainable management and conservation of all Philippine freshwater bodies and their ecologies. As early as 2000, scientists such as Prof. Augustus Mamaril of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology had been raising red flags on the tawilis, with Mamaril even proposing its translocation to another Philippine freshwater body.  Spearheaded by the recently launched Philippine Society for Freshwater Sciences, led by its interim president, Dr. Francis Magbanua also of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, the recent tawilis summit was able to gather a sizeable number of government and non-government scientists and research staff, students, administrators, local government executives including two town mayors, and fishing and aquaculture organizations in the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL).     DENR Region IV Director Maria Paz Luna stresses scientific and consultative management: “There is nothing like speaking with the scientists directly. Without them helping us in the management plan, the status of Taal Lake would have been worse.” Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     UP Diliman alumna, Atty. Maria Paz Luna, currently chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region IV-A and of the multi-sectoral management of the TVPL, was present in the summit to get the latest scientific research and recommendations from the scientists and other stakeholders.  Luna gave an update on the TVPL management plan and her own recommendations to strengthen management and conservation initiatives in TVPL, including more research, which she found relatively lacking. She also joined roundtable discussions with stakeholder representatives.     NAST Academician and NFRDI’s Mudjekeewis Santos reiterates the science behind the findings of dwindling tawilis populations contributing to its red-listing by the IUCN. Looking on is the round-table discussion moderator and freshwater scientist, Dr. Roberto Pagulayan, former director of the UP Institute of Biology and now with the Angeles University Foundation.     Santos, Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and principal author of the assessment behind the inclusion of the tawilis in the IUCN Red List, talked about the rigorous and pro-active process of having a species classified for IUCN categories. Mutia, whose body of work dominated the scientific literature cited for the IUCN red-listing, discussed the latest tawilis fishery reserves and spawning grounds. Dr. Quilang, also author of IUCN assessment, presented the phylogeny of tawilis, making it a unique and fascinating species of Sardinella.     PSFS President Francis Magbanua notes an emerging consensus of scientists on the close season for tawilis fishing, and expresses continuing scientific enthusiasm to ascertain the causes of dwindling tawilis population, in a round-table discussion. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     The summit was also highlighted by updates from UST on limno-ecological or ecosystem studies on Taal Lake presented by Dr. Rey Donne Papa, revealing a multitude of unique life forms and phenomena. A presentation on another UST study on the reproductive biology of tawilis was delivered by Dr. Pagulayan.  At the end of the summit, PSFS, through Magbanua, supported and conferred scientific soundness on: the decision of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the DENR to impose a “close season” in March and April; the implementation of a recommended mesh-size for fishing; and, the establishment of sanctuaries. It also agreed with environment managers who called for the participation of local government units and fisherfolk organizations in a multi-sectoral enforcement of regulations, including those on aquaculture practices.     Agoncillo, Batangas Mayor Daniel Reyes raises a question for scientists, as Balete, Batangas Mayor Wilson Maralit looks on. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     An open forum provides an opportunity for a representative of the Taal Lake aquaculture industry to raise their concerns and contribute their local knowledge in the scientific discussions. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     PSFS also asked for regular, long-term monitoring of the lake by NFRDI and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in terms of “catch per unit effort” and water quality for yearly assessment of the effectiveness of management initiatives.  Magbanua said the society is planning a program to involve more higher educational institutions and to harness its honorary members in getting the tawilis off the IUCN red list by utilizing their multidisciplinary expertise.     The participants and organizers of Tawilis Summit 2019, after the closing ceremony, February 19, 2019 in the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom, Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila."
    },
    {
        "title": "Holding on to a dream – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/holding-on-to-a-dream/",
        "html": "Holding on to a dream Holding on to a dream May 4, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    It was a yearning she just couldn’t shake off. As a high school senior back in 1963, Virgie Garcia wanted to study painting and pursue a Fine Arts degree in UP Diliman. Fifty years later, she finally enrolled in the program.  The dream had evolved over the course of those five decades, but its essence never really changed. She still wanted to study Fine Arts in UP. But it wasn’t about getting the degree anymore. She just wanted to learn.     Passion for learning  When Virgie tells the story of how she had to forego the Fine Arts program for a BS in Education, there’s no regret in her voice. “I had to be realistic and practical. I needed to earn a degree that could land me a job after graduation.”  Back then, becoming a teacher was a much better option than becoming a starving artist—especially for someone whose father was a radio technician, whose mother was a dressmaker, and who was only the second of six children. It meant she needed to help support her family.  Virgie wasn’t completely devastated over the decision she had to make. She simply saw it as an opportunity to learn and enrich herself intellectually. And that appetite for knowledge remains to this day. “Even at my age, there’s still so much to know. I’m still curious and fascinated by so many things in the world.”  In her second year at UP, the teenager who wanted to be an artist but studied to be a teacher was so swayed by her interest in the natural sciences that she shifted to the BS Chemistry program. She graduated in 1969 and when the results of the licensure exams were released in 1970, she was number nine in the top-ten list of successful examinees.     Artist, art gallery owner, and art supply store owner Virgie Garcia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Climbing the corporate ladder  Fresh off university life, Virgie’s first job was in quality assurance at Johnson & Johnson, where she stayed for six months. She then moved on to the UP College of Medicine as a project researcher, also staying there for six months. “That was where I got the idea for my next job,” she says and continues with a laugh, “from one of the reagents we used!”  It was so random that she still couldn’t believe how well it turned out. Virgie saw the name of the company that produced that reagent and told herself to just apply for a job there. That company was Warner Chilcott (later Warner Lambert), where, for 25 years, she moved up the ranks—from a technician/analyst in quality assurance to production supervisor to managerial positions in procurement as well as production planning and inventory control.  In 1977, seven years into her stint at Warner Lambert, she began to pursue an MBA at the Ateneo de Manila University. While she’s a thesis short of her degree, she was successful at applying everything she had learned as her position in the company got higher.  In 1995, Virgie transferred to Century Pacific Food Inc., holding corporate managerial positions in procurement, production planning and inventory control, and warehouse and shipping.  “I never would have thought, growing up as I did in Sta. Mesa, studying in public elementary and high schools, that I would reach the positions that I had in the corporate world.”  She was later promoted to assistant vice president and had become such a valuable part of the company that they asked her to postpone her retirement when she turned 60 in 2007. After a few years, she again expressed her desire for retirement to pursue formal studies in Fine Arts. The company agreed to let her do the latter and in 2013, at age 66, she went back to UP while still with Century Pacific.     A painting of a flamenco dancer Virgie did for one of her classes at the College of Fine Arts (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Art in her heart  Throughout her life as an executive, she never really abandoned her childhood dream of painting. She had helped her siblings through school. Her two children had earned their degrees and were living on their own. She already had “more than enough money” to pursue her passion.  Virgie could afford art materials and tutors for one-on-one classes, but she felt those weren’t enough. She wanted the experience that she had missed out on. “I didn’t even need to get the degree, I just wanted to be in that traditional education setting, to be in classes at the College of Fine Arts (CFA), learning from teachers along with classmates.” Perhaps it was the generation she belonged to that made her place a higher value on traditional learning.  And she learned so much more than just painting from being back in the University. She saw the struggles of her classmates—from buying the materials to finish plates for class to finding venues that welcomed exhibitions from new and unknown artists to the uncertainties after graduation. “The idea of the struggling, starving artist, I’ve seen it here. Many times. It’s heartbreaking.”  So “Mommy,” as she is fondly called by classmates, college staff, and even some faculty members, knew she had to help in some way. Aside from granting scholarships to select FA students, she established Start 101—an art gallery with an art supply store. Located inside the campus, its proximity and competitive pricing makes it convenient not just for CFA students but for everyone who needs supplies and exhibit space.     Competitive pricing and proximity make Virgie’s art supply shop convenient for UP students. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Virgie’s advocacy is to not charge rental fees to students or new and budding artists who mount their shows at the gallery. While the store is able to sustain gallery operations, the gallery sometimes also earns from being a venue for art-related workshops such as those on art restoration, film, photography, and art therapy.  Sometimes, her assistance goes beyond budget-friendly prices and free rent. She lets UP students get supplies and pay when they can. “Teach them trust and they become trustworthy,” she says. She even gives away supplies to UP students who come to the store out of sheer desperation because “Mommy” was their last hope.  What was supposed to be a simple going-back-to-school stint five years ago to pursue her passion for painting had turned into a desire to help out her fellow Iskolar ng Bayan. She held on to her dream and has now become an instrument that enables others to get closer to achieving theirs.  “I don’t have an endless supply of money and I’m certainly not filthy rich, but I also can’t refuse a UP student in need. Start 101 is a struggling business, but I hope I can keep it afloat for those who need it.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UPMSI: A tradition of scientific exploration, public service and partnership with gov’t – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-upmsi-a-tradition-of-scientific-exploration-public-service-and-partnership-with-govt/",
        "html": "The UPMSI: A tradition of scientific exploration, public service and partnership with gov’t The UPMSI: A tradition of scientific exploration, public service and partnership with gov’t October 13, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), one of the seven academic institutes of the UP College of Science in Diliman, has been serving as the University’s coordinating base for marine research since its establishment as the Marine Sciences Center in 1974. Since its elevation to an Institute in 1985, the UPMSI has been offering graduate programs in marine biology, marine chemistry, physical oceanography, marine geology, and related disciplines, training some of the country’s top marine experts over the past decades.  In keeping with UP’s mandate to serve as a public service university, the UPMSI has been providing various forms of community and public service as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector and civil society. Some projects are aimed at rehabilitating seas and coastal sites in the country, including Manila Bay. Some of these seek to study and conserve the country’s lush marine biodiversity, such as the giant clams of the UPMSI’s Bolinao Marine Laboratory in Pangasinan, and the giant shipworms or tamilok in Sultan Kudarat. The UPMSI regularly conducts workshops, local and international conferences, and training courses. It also partners with coastal communities, people’s organizations, non-government organizations, local government units, and national government agencies in projects that directly address local and national needs, with funding from government, private groups or from international sources.  Some of the UPMSI’s initiatives have gained prominence in media. One of these is the exploration of marine life in the West Philippine Sea and Benham Rise, with the UPMSI leading teams of scientists and researchers from various UP units and government agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture and the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In addition, the UPMSI are also engaged in many other collaborations with the DENR, including: research into the resilience of fish, coral reefs, and other ecosystems; the development of a management system in key biodiversity areas; coastal land use planning and rehabilitation; and, studies on ocean transport and ecological connectivity. In fact, UPMSI scientists have been presenting the results of their investigations into the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Rise via the four-episode Philippine Seas: Webinar Series on the DENR BMB Facebook page.  In response to DENR Undersecretary Benny D. Antiporda’s remarks during a recent press conference regarding updates on Manila Bay, the UPMSI affirms its continued commitment to make available to the government the services of its researchers, scientists and experts, including the DENR, as needed to further the country’s development. Antiporda’s remarks were made in reaction to the UPMSI’s September 30 official statement that the crushed dolomite sand would not help solve the root of the environmental problems in Manila Bay.  However, with regard to Antiporda’s comment on working with the UPMSI as long as the services are “free”, adding that “every time we consult them, we pay so much money that people don’t know” and pegging this amount at the “hundreds of millions”, the UPMSI would like to clarify that the Institute provides the scientific advice and technical inputs of its experts for free, in accordance with UP’s mandate as national university. However, some questions and problems cannot be addressed without conducting research in the field or laboratory experiments so as to come up with science-based answers or to develop local capabilities.  The costs of scientific research and investigation, from the use of laboratories and research equipment and facilities, to support for research assistants, should be, as they actually are shouldered by the clients, as the UPMSI is not a line agency in the government’s executive branch. Moreover, all of the UPMSI’s research and development activities are project-based, with very specific fund disbursement guidelines and limitations. The internal Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds of UPMSI are limited to maintaining the laboratory facilities and field equipment in Diliman and the Bolinao Marine Laboratory.  UPMSI Director Dr. Laura T. David said in a statement: “Recognizing the need and the limited funds available, the University was given General Appropriations Act funding for the first time in 46 years so that UPMSI could conduct necessary marine scientific research in Philippine waters. Hence, for as long as the science inquiries of the national government agencies fall within planned marine scientific research, only minimal additional funding will be needed.”  Director David reiterates that “UPMSI has had many productive collaborations with DENR, and we recognize DENR’s expertise in a wide variety of fields.”  For the sake of protecting the country’s marine ecology for future generations of Filipinos, the working partnership between the DENR and other government agencies and the UPMSI will continue for many years to come. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sentinels of the sea – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sentinels-of-the-sea/",
        "html": "Sentinels of the sea Sentinels of the sea May 16, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   Smooth boat ride to the giant clam nursery at Silaqui Island. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     For some people in this unique office, a day at work means getting up at the break of dawn to sail off to a nearby reef, and spend the rest of the day on an island in the sun, the salt crusting on their arms. Some stay behind at headquarters, tending saltwater tanks where colorful marine creatures reside. On the waves or onshore, these workers have special skills meant to sustain life in our vast and resource-rich oceans.  These are the people of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute-Bolinao Marine Laboratory (BML). As in leading scientific research institutions in Southeast Asia, BML has these dedicated employees who have made BML the efficient and dynamic institution that it is today.     UP BML’s laboratory aides (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Unlike typical UP employees, they ride speed boats to work, and have the ocean or marine water tanks as their offices. They use dive suits as their uniforms and dive gear as their gadgets. They also employ interesting specialized tools at work other than the regular calculators and staplers.     BML’s sentinels  Renato Adolfo landed his first job at BML as a boatman. He then turned into a laboratory aide, spending most of his time focused on the hatchery laboratory. He primarily assists in all experiments assigned to him by various marine science scholars and researchers stationed at the research center. His latest task is with the ongoing giant clam project, from the spawning all the way to the settlement phase.  Handling the continuous sea cucumber and sea ranch projects, and the most recent invertebrate project under Prof. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez, is laboratory aide Tirso Catbagan. He is in charge of the spawning and restocking of sea cucumbers, as well as of managing a five-hectare sea ranch in coordination with a people’s organization in the area.  Alfonso Rubio Jr. keeps good company with every marine researcher or visitor at sea. Alfon is one of BML’s four boatmen who give smooth and safe rides to the giant clam nursery at Silaqui Island. Besides the boat rides, he heads the dive gear unit. He ensures the overall condition and maintenance of all diving apparatus, especially the boats and oxygen tanks which are refilled by BML’s own heavy-duty oxygen compressors.     Alfonso Rubio Jr., boatman and head of BML’s dive gear unit (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     BML’s longtime handyman is Christopher Diolazo. He takes care of both the electric and plumbing systems of the whole facility. Meanwhile, BML administrative officer Charina Caalim is the overall custodian of the research center. She manages all of BML’s engagements, support, and services from the use of the facility to project collaborations.  Brando Padilla is BML’s newest face, taking on an important task as a volunteer patroller at the giant clam nursery at Silaqui Island. Only this year, he decided to volunteer along with a few others who are all residents of the island to watch over the giant clams and protect them. At the same time, he is a regular member of Bolinao’s local government fishing patrol unit known as Bantay Dagat. He monitors the safety and fishing activities covering the fifteen-mile sea stretch from Silaqui Island to San Fernando, La Union’s boundary.     BML’s longtime handyman Christopher Diolazo (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Charina Caalim, BML’s administrative officer (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From watchers to trainers  Laboratory aides Renato and Tirso have been serving BML for 11 and 26 years, respectively. All these years have trained them in various aspects of marine research through their hands-on facilitation and assistance.     Renato Adolfo, laboratory aide (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Surprisingly, both laboratory aides were able to discuss in scientific and descriptive detail the developmental stages of some marine species they have focused on for years, such as sea cucumbers and giant clams. They were also able to formulate their own observations, recommendations, and suggestions, to include government policies concerning marine management and conservation which may be able to improve existing ones.     Tirso Catbagan, laboratory aide (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     They serve as trainers to various marine institutions such as SEAFDEC, and have also gone around the country as well as in Asia. “The years we spent here have really trained and shaped us,” Tirso gleefully emphasized. As non-UP contractuals, they still choose to stay at BML as they have breathed marine life for almost all of their lives. “I’ve grown old here and have come to love the job,” Renato said in recollection. They look forward to their work being valued and recognized, as they look forward to becoming regular employees in the University.  When asked what made them choose UP and why they stay for the longest of time at BML, Chris (30 years), Alfon and Charina (both at 13 years), and the recent BML volunteer Brando answered back in similar high spirits. They are happy to grow with BML and see how it has progressed and developed over the years. As Chris put it, “I was here even before this building was built. I installed the cables and the electricity, so I might as well stay on to make sure everything is okay.”     BML’s hatchery area (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Local, UP pride  Chris could have found a job abroad, just like others at BML who could have received more lucrative and attractive job offers. However, they stayed at BML and humbly worked hard. The one thing that binds them and makes them take pride in their work is that they are part of UP. They very well know that through their own efforts, they contribute to making the University sustain its honor and excellence. In the same way, they all take pride being locals of Bolinao, able to add to their hometown’s prestige, identity, and preservation.     Giant clam volunteer Brando Padilla from Silaqui Island (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Brando dreams big for his little sitio in Silaqui Island. “I want to make sure that the island remains safe for our marine resources. For that to happen, and this is why I’m volunteering, I need to pass on my knowledge to the next generation. I want my children to pursue my love for the sea by studying Marine Science.”  They take pride in being part of that continuing legacy of both UP and the local government of Bolinao in advancing marine research as well preserving the seas, while bringing this awareness closer to the public.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Poor condition of reefs in the West Philippine Sea reveals a need for regional efforts for better management and conservation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/poor-condition-of-reefs-in-the-west-philippine-sea-reveals-a-need-for-regional-efforts-for-better-management-and-conservation/",
        "html": "Poor condition of reefs in the West Philippine Sea reveals a need for regional efforts for better management and conservation Poor condition of reefs in the West Philippine Sea reveals a need for regional efforts for better management and conservation June 25, 2019 | Written by UP Marine Science Institute   Upper mesophotic coral ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea have low abundance and diversity of corals and fish. Photo credit: Edwin Dumalagan     A recent paper by University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute’s Timothy Quimpo and colleagues, published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (JMBA), revealed that coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have low abundance and diversity of corals and fish. Even the deeper areas of the reefs, the upper mesophotic coral ecosystems that are presumed to be buffered from disturbances, showed similar benthic and coral assemblage composition as the shallow water reefs, suggesting that both depths are vulnerable to disturbances.     UP Marine Science Institute researchers and Philippine Navy divers work together to conduct the surveys in the West Philippine Sea. Photo credit: Edwin Dumalagan     The West Philippine Sea (WPS) is a biodiversity hotspot and known source of fish and corals for reefs in surrounding countries. With the declining condition of WPS reefs, the abundance and diversity of fish and corals on other reefs could also be affected. This calls for regional efforts for better management and conservation of the area.     Timothy Quimpo and a Philippine Navy technical diver conducting a mesophotic reef survey. Photo credit: Edwin Dumalagan     The research team, composed of geologists, oceanographers, and coral reef ecologists, was formed under the Geo-Physical Coral Mapping project supported by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development. The team, headed by Dr. Fernando Siringan, Dr. Cesar Villanoy, and Dr. Patrick Cabaitan, aims to study upper mesophotic coral ecosystems throughout the Philippines.  The expeditions to the WPS were funded and supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau and Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Ongoing efforts of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and partners include understanding the diversity of other reef biota, including marine plants, fisheries, ocean productivity, and oceanographic processes in the WPS. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Official statement from the UP Marine Science Institute – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/official-statement-from-the-up-marine-science-institute/",
        "html": "Official statement from the UP Marine Science Institute Official statement from the UP Marine Science Institute October 15, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This is to clarify the statement made by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Benny Antiporda accusing the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) of charging the DENR half a billion pesos in consultation fees and being, in a word, “bayaran”.  Specifically, the correct amount is Php364,073,909.40 total for the last decade, spanning 10 collaborative projects between the UPMSI and the DENR as well as co-sponsorship support for a symposium. This is hardly the half a billion the Undersecretary has been claiming. It is simply the cost of the collaborative projects for which the DENR had the need for the experise of the UPMSI. As was stated before, the Php364 million supported the cost of scientific research and investigation, from the use of laboratories and research equipment and facilities, to field work, to support for research assistants. The funds also supported capacity-building of national government agencies and Higher Education Institutions personnel. These costs are typically shouldered by clients requesting the UPMSI’s services, as the Institute has no access to funds that would support the conduct of scientific inquiry on top of the research it is already doing. To reiterate, all of the UPMSI’s research and development activities are project-based, with very specific fund disbursement guidelines and limitations. The internal Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds of UPMSI are limited to maintaining the laboratory facilities and field equipment in Diliman and the Bolinao Marine Laboratory.  Moreover, the UPMSI welcomes being audited by the Commission on Audit at any time. This is only appropriate for any government office or agency, given the understanding that any funding received by the Institute is ultimately channeled into scientific projects meant to protect the Philippines’ marine ecology and to promote the development of the nation—as should be the case for any government office or agency.  The UPMSI recognizes the DENR as a long-standing partner in its quest to conduct research and render public service to the Filipino. Indeed, many UPMSI graduates have gone on to work for the DENR—UP graduates who remain committed to UP’s principles of honor and excellence. Hence, the UPMSI remains willing and open to extending its services to the DENR, no matter the passing opinions of the day. "
    },
    {
        "title": "This bioinformatician is teaching Filipinas to code – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/this-bioinformatician-is-teaching-filipinas-to-code/",
        "html": "This bioinformatician is teaching Filipinas to code This bioinformatician is teaching Filipinas to code June 13, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    A crowd of developers and engineers with laptops packed the small white room at the iAcademy in Makati City for the day’s workshop on data analysis and machine learning. The diverse audience contrasted with the fact that the event’s technical facilitators were all female. Casually dressed and with years of training behind them, the team featured UP molecular biologist Iris Diana Uy, who led participants last February through the meticulous process of slicing and merging arrays of data.  As Uy took the stage, the rest stood at attention, ready to assist. Donning a red baseball cap, computer scientist Issa Tingzon later showcased introductory exercises on finding correlations to help machines make predictions. Meanwhile, Clau Yagyagan and Marylette Roa assisted individually. Roa, in particular, who had never fancied herself a skilled communicator, navigated all corners of the room helping participants stay on the same page and resolving their coding errors with well-placed suggestions.  Roa, who works as a bioinformatician at the UP Marine Sciences Institute (UP MSI), says that what binds their group of experts together is a commitment to education and empowerment. As with fellow UP-trained researchers Uy and Tingzon, she is a member of Women Who Code Manila, the local network of a global community dedicated to inspire women to excel in technology careers.     UP bioinformatician and coding mentor Marylette Roa with the server of the Lluisma laboratory. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Through study groups, panel discussions, and other events, members of the group provide a space for women (and men, as well) to develop their skills and connect with current and aspiring coders across the country.  The shift from working strictly as a scientist to also being a part-time mentor was an opportunity that Roa fully embraced. Her path towards that role, however, while rewarding, was a journey in itself.     A bioinformatics pioneer  After graduating from the UP National Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UP NIMBB), Roa had her first professional coding stint as a pioneer member of the Philippine Genome Center’s (PGC) Core Facility for Bioinformatics, where Uy also was. “I just wanted to try it,” Roa says, who did disproportionately more “wet” laboratory work as an undergraduate compared to the data analysis that would become her forte. This post, in contrast, explicitly required her to use computer science and statistical techniques to solve biological problems.  It was at the PGC that Roa would work under her mentor, the molecular geneticist and bioinformatician, Arturo Lluisma. It was Lluisma, she says , who decided that the group would use the programming language Python—the language she would soon be teaching. During their capacity-building phase, which began in 2012, the young scientists both trained as well as trained themselves in the tools to analyze genomics data. Mingled in with this scientific training were more practical skills, such as server administration and talking to clients, which would likewise slot into Roa’s future mentoring toolkit.     Marylette Roa (left) with friend and fellow UP scientist Iris Diana Uy (right). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     While her skills in coding grew at the PGC and in a brief stint at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Roa did not yet arrive at her vocation as a mentor. What led her towards the coding community even before officially transferring to Lluisma’s MSI laboratory in 2017 was a desire that many women in technical fields likely experience—to have other women to talk to.  “It was a little weird,” Roa says, “because I was coding and doing data analysis, while my lab-mates were doing wet laboratory-style basic research.” While she could still count on her teammates and Uy for conversation, she felt the need to connect with more women doing her kind of technical work. “People who develop tools and software, who you could talk to about best practices in the field.”     The other side  All of this changed in 2016. While giving a bioinformatics workshop in Cebu for the PGC, both Roa and Uy also took the opportunity to attend that year’s PyCon Philippines being held in the city. The event, which is a non-profit conference bringing together users and fans of the Python programming language, providentially featured ‘Diversity’ as its theme that year.  Throwing caution to the wind, both Roa and Uy submitted a proposal to talk at the conference. For the first time since becoming colleagues, the academic pair talked genes and double helices to a large group of software engineers, programming enthusiasts and start-up founders.  “It was refreshing having them for an audience,” Roa says. “Just knowing the practices they used, their culture, their overall outlook. We were just very curious about the other side of the fence.”  The conference brought both Roa and Uy together with other female coders and technology leaders. Becoming permanent fixtures in that community, however, came a little later for both. For Roa, it was seeing an advertisement of Women Who Code Manila on TV, founded in 2017 by Director Michie Ang and Anj Cerbolles, that made her take the plunge and permanently join in on the fun.     Becoming a mentor  Roa’s initial motivation for joining the group was to have someone push her to practice coding consistently. After all, compared to those who develop software full-time, she was only required to do serious coding in the presence of genomic data sets. As a study group participant, however, she found herself gravitating towards helping beginners find their legs. That was when the suggestion came—why not become a mentor?  “Actually, that’s how many of us start out,” she says. With the more laidback learning atmosphere and the prevailing bayanihan culture of the groups, many ladies are motivated to share what they have and become leaders in their topics of expertise. “That’s what Michie [Ang] said before. It’s not always about being the best. It’s more often about commitment. And if you can commit, you can take the lead.”     Marylette Roa (2nd row, blue ID strap) with members of Women Who Code Manila at Pycon PH 2018. (Photo by Women Who Code Manila)     With her group currently featuring study groups in other languages and systems such as Javascript, Ruby, R, and PHP, it does seem that Roa’s hope of seeing a more diverse tech industry may be on the horizon. “It may just be my bias,” she says, “but I think more diversity here is good. Not just in terms of gender, but in terms of background, as well .”  Her journey as a mentor has certainly led her to encounter learners of all sorts.  “Some of them are veteran developers who just want to switch languages,” she says. Others are still students, whom Roa particularly enjoys teaching for their enthusiasm and potential. Others still are complete beginners who want to get their feet wet in a friendly coding environment.  Differences aside, however, Roa says that many newcomers stay for what she initially came for—the friendship. “I think, apart from learning something, what people enjoy is having new friends. The feeling that these are people that you can actually make something great with in the future, or who will invite you when something major happens in their lives. It’s that sense of community. And at the same time, you also get tested, because in my case, who ever thought that I would become a mentor?” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scientific findings on WPS and Philippine Rise featured in webinar series – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scientific-findings-on-wps-and-philippine-rise-featured-in-webinar-series/",
        "html": "Scientific findings on WPS and Philippine Rise featured in webinar series Scientific findings on WPS and Philippine Rise featured in webinar series September 29, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       University of the Philippines Marine Science experts are presenting the results of their investigations into the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and the Philippine Rise via the four-episode Philippine Seas: Webinar Series of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB).  The webinar series consists of livestreamed lectures on the WPS, with the themes of “Biodiversity and Ecological Connectivity” and “Challenges and Threats”, on September 23 and October 8 at 10 AM.  Lectures on the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve, with the themes of “Biodiversity and Oceanography” and “Fisheries and Management Programs”, will be livestreamed on October 12 and 14, also at 10 AM.  The public may visit the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Biodiversity Management Bureau Facebook page for the livestream, where they may also send questions and comments for Q&A segments with the experts and webinar attendees who, in turn, will be interacting via Zoom.  The UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) is at the forefront of research and expeditions in the Philippine Rise, formerly called the Benham Rise, and the WPS. The DENR and the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) led expeditions in the marine regions as part of their mandates.  The webinar series on the WPS will feature presentations on genetic diversity and population connectivity, new records of seaweed, state of coral reefs, plastic pollution, effects of reclamation and island building, and a 10-year management roadmap.  On the Philippine Rise, the presentations will be on ecological connectivity and benthic diversity, oceanographic processes, deep reefs as refuge for shallow reefs, the marine resource reserve as a protected area, abundance of tuna larvae, and future programs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao researchers win top prizes at health R&D expo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-researchers-win-top-prizes-at-health-rd-expo/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao researchers win top prizes at health R&D expo UP Mindanao researchers win top prizes at health R&D expo October 11, 2019 | Written by University of the Philippines Mindanao   The UP Mindanao delegation to the 9th Health Research and Development Expo (left-right): Shem Gempesaw, Associate Professor Aleyla de Cadiz, Marlon Enano, Zairel Crish Sarillana, Kathleen Matullano, Assistant Professor Kenette Jean Millondaga, Associate Professor Noreen Grace Fundador (Photo courtesy of Prof. Aleyla de Cadiz)     A professional researcher and undergraduate students of the University of the Philippines Mindanao received top awards during the 9th Health Research and Development Expo competitions organized by the Regional Health Research and Development Consortium-XI held on 3-4 October 2019 in Davao City.  For the Qualitative Research – Professional/Graduate category, Assistant Professor Kenette Jean Millondaga of the Department of Social Sciences won 1st place for her paper “Women and ‘madness’ in peasant communities in North Cotabato, Mindanao.” Professor Millondaga’s paper forms part of her study on traditional medical practices and women’s reproductive health in rural areas. This is the first time that the qualitative research category was included in the history of the expo.  For the Quantitative/Mixed Method – Undergraduate Category, two students received the first and third prizes: Marlon Enano (BS Biology 2019) and Zairel Crish Sarillana (BS Food Technology 2019), respectively. Enano’s paper entitled “Bioassay guided isolation of anti-lung cancer compounds from the leaves of DDHP-2095” is part of the UP Mindanao’s Discovery and Development of Health Products (DDHP) research project headed by Associate Professor Joel Hassan Tolentino (Department of Food Science and Chemistry) and Associate Professor Aleyla de Cadiz (Department of Biological Science and Environmental Studies). Sarillana’s paper entitled  “Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) pod husk extract and evaluation of their anti-microbial activities” explores new areas in the continuing research of her adviser, Associate Professor Noreen Grace Fundador (Department of Food Science and Chemistry), on the use of waste from local bioresources to assist in the formation of nanoparticles with anti-microbial properties.  This is the first time that the research competition adopted the 3-minute presentation format, where the presenter conveys the findings and significance of the research using common language to a mixed audience within a three-minute time limit.  RHRDC-XI chairperson Dr. Warlito Vicente and vice chairperson and Department of Science and Technology regional director Dr. Anthony Sales conferred the awards in the closing ceremonies held on 4 October 2019 at Grand Regal Hotel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IUCN red-listing of tawilis reveals advocacy of Philippine scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/iucn-red-listing-of-tawilis-reveals-advocacy-of-philippine-scientists/",
        "html": "IUCN red-listing of tawilis reveals advocacy of Philippine scientists IUCN red-listing of tawilis reveals advocacy of Philippine scientists May 16, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Sardinella tawilis, Bombon Sardine. Photo courtesy of Mudjekeewis Santos, NFRDI     The humble Tawilis is famous for being the only Sardinella fish to live entirely in freshwater, and it can only be found in Taal Lake. Surrounding towns and cities consider the tawilis a staple food, and tourists love them deep-fried and served with Batangas bulalo.  But all good things come to an end—and in this case, it was an abrupt one. A cursory Google search on tawilis as an endangered species yields a slew of news articles that echoed public panic in the wake of a reassessment of the fish’s status by the Switzerland-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2018.  Before then, news on the endangerment of the tawilis had been few and far between, even after multiple warnings from the scientific community.     A gathering of freshwater scientists, led by UP’s Dr. Francis Magbunua, and stakeholders of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape at UST in early 2019. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     Despite moderate progress being made via recently imposed fishing regulations, there has been pushback from people who depend on the lake for their livelihood.  In the brine-soaked hands of a handful of scientists lay the full story of the tawilis, as well as the key to its survival— tale of declining catch, pollution, wanton fishing, and careless human development.  The advocacy of scientists  “The catch was dwindling, and fish size was smaller and thin,” Augustus C. Mamaril of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, quotes general observations from the lakeside town as far back as the 1990s. He raised the alarm on the lake which has been a field demonstration and specimen collection site for his Biology class since the late 1980s.     The southern portion of Taal Lake and the stretch of land separating it from the sea. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     His motivations for proposing the translocation of tawilis to Lake Lanao in northern Mindanao in 1997 were scientific as well as sentimental: he was inspired by the all-out assistance extended by the late Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.  “Tawilis and practically all of the Taal biota, including a highly venomous marine snake, are the end product, or captives, of a violent volcanic eruption in geologically recent times,” Mamaril says. “The organisms are of marine origin. There was a time when sharks swam in Taal!”     UP’s Prof. Augustus Mamaril in an open forum of the 2nd Philippine Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystems at UP. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Maria Theresa Mercene-Mutia of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) points to declining catch, observed through at least 20 years’ worth of research dating back to the 1990s. Initial exploitation rates were contributed by studies published in 1996 by the Southern Tagalog Integrated Agricultural Research Center, led by Leah Villanueva.  Mutia, a UP Los Baños alumna, was a research assistant of the Taal Lake pioneer environmental scientist, Dr. Macrina Zafaralla, also of UP Los Baños. Mutia serendipitously found herself assigned to a biological station in Taal, Batangas, when she worked for BFAR in the early 1990s. Her immersive devotion to the study of the lake fisheries led to a love for the town, which she has since called home. Her work now forms the backbone of most studies on the tawilis.     Dr. Maria Theresa Mercene-Mutia, an authority in tawilis, during a presentation in the 2019 Tawilis Summit at UST. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     She is not alone in her work. Before 1991, the spawning characteristics  of tawilis were studied by a BFAR team headed by Simeona Aypa; and around 1999, aspects of its reproductive biology were further researched by Alicia Ely Joson-Pagulayan, a UP Diliman alumna currently with the University of Santo Tomas. In 2008, Rey Donne Papa of the University of Santo Tomas looked into the fish’s diet, which mostly consists of tiny floating zooplankton animals. Papa has put together a team of UST-based researchers to further research Taal zooplankton. In 2011, a team from the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, headed by Jonas Quilang and Brian Santos, did a DNA analysis of the tawilis.     Dr. Alicia Ely Joson-Pagulayan did a paper in UP in 1999 on the aspects of tawilis reproductive biology. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     All of these studies provided much-needed data for the environmental planners responsible for the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL). Sadly, despite numerous public consultations and symposia, the scientists’ recommendations fell on deaf ears.     Dr. Jonas Quilang from UP Visayas now with UP Diliman is one of the scientists who worked to establish the identity of tawilis among its marine relatives. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     The serendipity of red-listing  Then in 2017, their published works were used as the bases for the IUCN assessment that red-listed the tawilis. Mudjekeewis Santos, the principal author, said that the IUCN report merely reiterates the work and advocacy of the Filipino scientists.  Santos, a UP Baguio alumnus and a National Academy of Science and Technology Academician, belongs to the same institution as Mutia. The co-authors of the IUCN assessment include BFAR’s Francisco Torres, a Fisheries alumnus of UP Diliman, and Quilang of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology. They came together during the formation of the Philippine Aquatic Red-List Committee in early 2017.  “By law, we were late [in convening the committee] by seven years or eight years,” Santos adds.     Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, NAST Academician based in NFRDI and the country’s authority on the Clupeidae family, is a key figure in the IUCN assessment of tawilis. Photo courtesy of Mudjekeewis Santos     As the Philippine point person for Clupeidae, the family of sardines, Santos headed the assessment of its Philippine species. And this he coordinated with the IUCN global assessment group, which had also been set for sardines. He and his IUCN colleagues had earlier ascertained the marine origins of the tawilis.  The international and local initiatives came together at the 2017 conference in Siargao. The local assessment of the tawilis, being found nowhere else in the world, thus came to inform the global assessment. This prompted the IUCN to include the tawilis in its red list. It recognized “the very small extent of occurrence of tawilis as it is endemic to Taal Lake and evidence of population decline of up to 50 percent in the past 20 years due to numerous threats such as overfishing, pollution, invasive species, habitat degradation, among others,” Santos says.  The resulting public interest has prompted more attention in the national management of resources, but scientists realize this is simply not enough. Policy, implementation, and the cooperation of all stakeholders are essential to saving the species and its ecosystem.  Sustaining the science of conservation  A manager such as Atty. Maria Paz Luna of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region IV-A, a UP Diliman alumna who heads the TVPL, says interventions can only be credible through the support of scientific data and consultation with stakeholders.  “There is nothing like speaking with the scientists directly. Without them helping us in the management plan, the status of Taal Lake would have been worse,” Luna said in a conference as she asked for more studies.     Atty. Maria Paz Luna of DENR Region IV-A oversees the TVPL management, shown participating in a forum of the 2019 Tawilis Summit at UST. Photo by Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO     With the tawilis red-listing by the IUCN, other freshwater scientists have found a common rallying point. Francis Magbanua of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, the interim president of the Philippine Society for Freshwater Science (PSFS), said in its advocacy for Taal Lake and tawilis that these are just two of many threatened freshwater bodies and fauna in the country.  Its first summit after its two Symposia on Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystems was the Tawilis Summit 2019 in UST. The managers of TVPL, local government officials, the aquaculture and fishing industry representatives came to meet with scientists and researchers, giving each other feedback on what still needed to be known. Specific measures endorsed by the scientists were proposed.     A portion of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape seen from the North, with aquaculture visible in the middle and lower right. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “So many threats exist. Somehow they were lessened in recent years, but still the numbers have not yet shown any increase,” Mutia, the chief tawilis counter of the country, worriedly says.  The IUCN red-listing was a much needed boost to the humble tawilis’ plight; but until studies reveal a sustained revival of the fish population, scientists’ work is far from over. "
    },
    {
        "title": "71 earn rank of UP Scientist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/71-earn-rank-of-up-scientist/",
        "html": "71 earn rank of UP Scientist 71 earn rank of UP Scientist June 3, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UP Scientists with University officials (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Seventy-one faculty members and researchers from across the UP System received the rank of UP Scientist for the period 2018-2020. They were recognized during the UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) awarding ceremony on May 28 at the School of Statistics Auditorium, UP Diliman (UPD).  Forty-four were named UP Scientist I, 11 earned the rank of UP Scientist II, and 16 were awarded UP Scientist III.     The faculty members and researchers named UP Scientist I (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Scientist II awardees (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Recipients of the UP Scientist III rank (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Per constituent university, the breakdown is as follows: UPD, 41; UP Los Baños, 11; UP Manila, nine; UP Visayas, two; UP Open University, three; UP Mindanao, one; and UP Baguio, four.  The last award given was a posthumous recognition to Dr. Perry Ong, who passed away on March 2, almost halfway through his term as dean of the UPD College of Science. At the ceremony, it was noted that when Ong first received the UP SPS award for 2012-2014, he earned the highest rank of UP Scientist III. He earned the same rank for 2015-2017 and again for 2018-2020. He was Professor 11 at the UPD Institute of Biology.     Dr. Perry Ong (left photo) was awarded UP Scientist III for 2018-2020. In the right photo, his widow, Dr. Susan Aquino-Ong of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture, and their son Leandro, receive Ong’s posthumous recognition. With them, from left to right, are UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, and UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel Nemenzo. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP SPS award is valid for three years. Apart from the rank of UP Scientist, each awardee receives a monetary incentive: a UP Scientist I is given P150,000 per year; a UP Scientist II, P200,000 per year; and a UP Scientist III, P250,000 per year.  To view the full list of UP Scientists for 2018-2020, click here: https://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SPS-Batch-2018-2020.pdf. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-asian-journalism-research-conference-2019/",
        "html": "The Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 The Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 April 16, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   AJRC Speakers (from the left): UST Prof. Felipe Salvosa; Canadian Amb. John Holmes; CNN Philippines AVP Tress Reyes; ABS-CBN Jeff Canoy; NTU Edson Tandoc; UP CMC Assoc Dean Rachel Khan; Journalism Asst. Prof. Terry Congjuico     With the theme “Journalism in Crisis. Crisis in Journalism,” this year’s annual Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 (AJRC) highlighted the need to remain vigilant against so-called fake news, especially amidst disasters and conflict.  Morning plenary keynote speaker Edson Tandoc of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore said that one of his recent studies showed that most people were passive in their reaction to ‘fake news’. He said that to fail to take action against disinformation would translate to being complicit in the  spread of ‘fake news’.  Similarly, McLuhan fellow and ABS-CBN reporter Jeff Canoy said that even amidst covering Marawi, reporters had to battle disinformation, especially those that caused confusion and panic. He noted that covering a war zone was already difficult in itself but this became more so because reporters had to distinguish between reliable information and fake ones.  AJRC is the annual research conference for undergraduate students organized by the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC) Department of Journalism of the in collaboration with the Journalism Program of the University Santo Tomas. This year, the Penang-based Universiti Sains Malaysia served as their Asian partner.     On far left: CHED Technical Committee Journalism Chair Ben Domingo; UST Professor Felipe Salvosa From the right: Journalism professors Yvonne Chua, Kara David and Rachel Khan; Dean Armi Santiago; UP VP Elena Pernia; and, UP Manila Prof. Roland Simbulan.     In the afternoon, a research competition is held among Journalism students. This year’s winners of the Chit Estella Student Journalism Awards are:  Academic Research Category  Leian Adriatico, Angelie Payuyo and Julieanne Tabilog of Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) for their analysis of editorial cartoons by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines about extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration; Angelica Yang of the UP Diliman for her research on the quality of science journalism in the country;  Special Projects Category  AdMU’s Anna Luna and Loreben Tuquero for their multimedia report on the experiences and struggles faced by underage vagrants amid the Duterte administration’s anti-loitering crackdown;  Investigative Reporting Category  UP Diliman’s Agatha Gregorio, Nica Hanopol, and Angela Ng for their investigative report that found the university’s cops were allowing illegal gambling on campus.  The awards are given as a tribute to veteran journalist and UP Journalism Department professor Chit Estella-Simbulan, a VERA Files trustee who died in a road crash in 2011 along Commonwealth Avenue. On hand to give the award was Prof. Roland Simbulan of UP Manila, spouse of Chit Estella and UP CMC Dean Arminda Santiago.  The AJRC seeks to promote academic research in Journalism as well as print, broadcast and online in-depth projects. Moreover, AJRC provides a venue for students to share their work with fellow students in the region. The activity is in line with the Department’s thrust of fostering excellence in journalism practice and research as a CHED Center for Excellence. AJRC Academic partners include the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Trinity University of Asia.  The conference was made possible through sponsorships by the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (UP OVCRD); UP Office of Initiatives for Culture and the Arts (OICA); VERA Files; the Philippine Press Institute; the Roland Simbulan and Family; Jollibee Corporation and the Embassy of Canada-Manila. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bangko Sentral presents UP experts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bangko-sentral-presents-up-experts/",
        "html": "Bangko Sentral presents UP experts Bangko Sentral presents UP experts November 29, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   “The timely assessment of the movements of the variables are important to guide decision makers in formulating appropriate policies to mitigate, say, the impact of a shock,” says National Statistician and BSP Sterling Professor of Government and Official Statistics Dennis Mapa on “nowcasting” GDP and inflation rate. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) presented lectures from its five professorial chair holders in the University of the Philippines, through a public forum on November 18-19, 2019 at the Executive Business Center, BSP Complex, Manila.     BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno welcomes participants of the 2019 BSP-UP Professorial Chair Lectures. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The lectures tackled issues and trends in economics, statistics, and business: “nowcasting” GDP growth; integrating macroeconomic data in market risk estimation; building trust in financial services e-government; examining regulatory issues on tender offers and their effect on stockholders; and, determining rate of return in the privatized water sector.  The lectures are results of the research and expertise of the featured BSP Professorial Chair holders: BSP Sterling Professor of Government and Official Statistics Dennis Mapa; BSP UP Centennial Professor of Statistics Peter Julian Cayton; BSP UP Centennial Professorial Chair in Business Administration Erik Paolo Capistrano; BSP UP Centennial Professor of Accounting Arthur Cayanan; and, BSP UP Centennial Professor of Banking and Finance Joel Yu.     BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, BSP Monetary Board Member V. Bruce Tolentino (extreme left), and BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. (second from right) welcome the first lecturers in the series, Dennis Mapa and Peter Julian Cayton. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The 2019 BSP-UP Professorial Chair Lectures also featured a lecture by the former dean of the UP School of Statistics, Ana Maria Tabunda, who discussed how Filipinos navigate disruptions in the economy.     Economists, statisticians, business managers, and finance experts fill the BSP Executive Business Center for the BSP-UP Professorial Chair Lectures. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Discussants of the lectures were: Professor Emeritus Roberto Mariano of the University of Pennsylvania; President and CEO Conrado Bate of COL Financial Group; and, Director Benjamin Radoc of the Philippine Competition Commission.     An audience member asks a lecturer about a formula for the Mixed Frequency Vector AutoRegressive Model used in “nowcasting”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “The BSP recognizes the contributions of the academe in the delivery of its mandates on monetary and financial stability, and we expect to continually tap them going forward,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in his welcome remarks.     UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili delivers the opening remarks of UP President Danilo Concepcion for the 2019 BSP-UP Professorial Chair Lectures. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “Each one is working for the same end: strong, sustainable, and inclusive socio-economic growth and development , and better quality of life for all Filipinos,” UP President Danilo Concepcion said in his message read by Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili. "
    },
    {
        "title": "DZUP’s UP Nating Mahal wins Golden Dove – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dzups-up-nating-mahal-wins-golden-dove/",
        "html": "DZUP’s UP Nating Mahal wins Golden Dove DZUP’s UP Nating Mahal wins Golden Dove August 8, 2019 | Written by DZUP   DZUP’s UP Nating Mahal is Best Special Program (Radio) at the 27th KBP Golden Dove Awards     UP Nating Mahal, DZUP’s drama-talk radio program, bagged the Best Special Program (Radio) award at the recently concluded 27th KBP Golden Dove Awards, July 23.  Hosted by Dr. Elizabeth L. Enriquez of the UP Department of Broadcast Communication, UP Nating Mahal features moving stories from and about the UP community, and its ties to Philippine society.  The two-hour special featured Enriquez’s paper on the history of radio, titled “Iginiit na Himig sa Himpapawid: Musikang Filipino sa Radyo sa Panahon ng Kolonyalismong Amerikano.” It was aired on DZUP on April 17, 2018. The lecture concert aimed to simulate the radio production era during the Philippines’ American colonial period, where members of the audience were able to witness live musical performances from various singers. The songs were arranged by Benedic Velasco,  guitarist and Padayon Rondalla member, and sung by UP Broadcast Communication alumni and students Darien Bas, Jessamae Gabon, Christel Lagdameo, Hannah Paguila, and Terrence Tolentino, who gave their own renditions of Filipino 1920s classics.     IT’S A BIRD. DZUP Station Manager Asst. Prof. Jane O. Vinculado receives the Golden Dove Award of “UP Nating Mahal” for Best Special Program (Radio), July 23. She is joined by DZUP’s Program Director Chryl Bhefer Martinez, DZUP’s Webmaster Annicalou Tañaquin, and DZUP’s Assistant Program Director Hannah Melizza Paguila. (Photo by Krystelle Ymari Vergara/Joanna Ellina Reyes)     UP Nating Mahal airs every Tuesday, 6:00 to 7:00 pm.  DZUP, the official AM radio station of UP Diliman, was also named finalist for the Best AM Radio Station in Metro Manila. Its programs DZUP Balita, Tropang RadYo!, and Health Republic were also recognized as finalists for Best Newscast Program, Best Comedy Program, and Best Science and Technology Program, respectively.  To date, DZUP has received seven Golden Doves.  The Golden Dove, awarded by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), is conferred to individuals, groups, and stations who have outstanding performance, standards, and contributions to their respective fields. It aims to promote professionalism in broadcasting, as well as to elevate the standards of excellence and professionalism in the industry.  DZUP was also recognized in the 13th Gandingan Awards earlier this year.  This story was first published on the UP Diliman website under DZUP’s UP Nating Mahal wins Golden Dove. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP EIDR hosts Forum on Data Science and Society: Applications in Public Education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/forum-on-data-science-and-society-applications-in-public-education/",
        "html": "UP EIDR hosts Forum on Data Science and Society: Applications in Public Education UP EIDR hosts Forum on Data Science and Society: Applications in Public Education September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Deploying data analytics to investigate public education issues: The public is invited to attend the upcoming forum “Data Science and Society: Applications in Public Education” on September 27, 2018, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at University Hotel, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  This forum is FREE of charge, but there are limited seats available. Register via this link on or before September 21 (Friday) to reserve your slot: http://bit.ly/DataScienceAndSociety.  The Data Science and Society Program (Grant No. C 06-013) is among the initiatives of the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs under the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) Program. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Concepcion to UP Baguio Class of 2020: “Live the spirit of UP.” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/concepcion-to-up-baguio-class-of-2020-live-the-spirit-of-up/",
        "html": "Concepcion to UP Baguio Class of 2020: “Live the spirit of UP.” Concepcion to UP Baguio Class of 2020: “Live the spirit of UP.” August 4, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Screenshots from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020. The replay is available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     On July 24, 2020, a historic event took place as the University of the Philippines Baguio celebrated its Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2020, titled “Pagtatapos 2020”. Due to mass gathering restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the event was held virtually, streamed via UP Baguio’s official Facebook page at 11:00 AM that day.     Screenshots from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020, with replay available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     The online program began with a demonstration of the historic and cultural importance of the UP sablay, the University’s official academic costume. The paglilipat ng sablay or shifting of the sablay from one’s left to right shoulder is done before the conferment of a degree on a candidate during UP’s commencement exercises.  Making a difference was one of the central themes of the event, which was immediately made evident by a message from one of the representatives of UP Baguio’s Class of 2020, Paul Jeremiah D. Naraval. The BS Computer Science graduate cum laude opened the ceremonies by stating that making small but meaningful changes is a completely viable start for idealistic graduates of the University who dream of making an impact.     Representative of UP Baguio’s Class of 2020, Paul Jeremiah D. Naraval, who graduated with a BS Computer Science degree, cum laude, delivering his message. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020, with replay available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     “For us Com-Sci people,” he began, “we don’t expect that we can create a platform that can overtake Facebook in connecting people or Google in answering questions. We dream of it, but for now we can create a system that automatically computes an employee’s leave credits. It could be anything just to improve the state of others.”  This call to service was echoed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who also put into perspective just how special the graduating batch is for graduating under difficult circumstances. “Kayo ang katangi-tanging Batch 2020. Natatangi sapagkat nakapagtapos sa gitna ng pandemya,” (You are the one and only Batch 2020. Unique because you managed to graduate in the middle of a pandemic.) he said.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion addresses the graduates. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020, with replay available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     Despite the uncertainties of the times, Concepcion advised the graduates not to forget the quality and integrity of the training they received from the country’s only national university. “Ating tandaan na ang panahon ng krisis ay hindi lamang isang masamang panaginip. Ito rin ay isang mabuting pagkakataon upang tayo ay lalong magpunyagi, magpakahusay, at makapaglingkod sa bayan. Isabuhay natin ang diwang UP—ang pagkakaisa, ang paglilingkod ng buong husay at dangal; at patunayan nating walang hangganan ang pag-aambag ng ating Unibersidad at ng kanyang alumni sa paghahanap at paglalapat ng mga alternatibo at solusyon sa anumang suliranin.” (Let us remember that times of crisis are not merely bad dreams, but noble opportunities to strive, to attain expertise, and to serve the country. Let us live the spirit of UP—to stand united, to serve with excellence and honor; and let us be evidence that there are no limits to our University’s and its alumni’s search for alternatives and solutions to any problem.)  This rousing speech was followed by the presentation of graduates from UP Baguio’s three colleges by their respective deans. Prof. Jimmy Fong represented the College of Arts and Communication; Prof. Dymphna Javier represented the College of Science; and, Prof. Arellano A. Colongon, Jr. represented the College of Social Sciences. The entire Class of 2020 was then presented by UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo T. Rovillos to President Concepcion for the conferment of their titles.     UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos passes on words of wisdom as the light of knowledge is passed on by the deans of the three UP Baguio colleges during the Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020, with replay available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     After the graduates virtually gave their oaths to the University, UP Baguio held its historic Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw, where the flame of a single candle is used to light even more, smaller candles to symbolize the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. The program was punctuated by a final message from a student from the graduating class, this time delivered by Miguel Ulrick Rillorta, BA Communication, cum laude.  Rillorta highlighted the fact that in more ways than one, his graduating class took the path less traveled on the way to their degrees. “Breaking the mold does not mean failure or inadequacy,” he said. “I would like to believe that breaking the mold serves as a symbol of growth and change.”     The Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw concludes with the light passed on to a representative of Class 2020, Miguel Ulrick Rillorta, BA Communication, cum laude, who delivered his own message to his fellow graduates. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Baguio Pagtatapos 2020, with replay available at the UP Baguio Systems and Network Office’s YouTube channel.     Rillorta said that now more than ever, these difficult times call for what he called people of the broken mold.’ “We know what uncertainty feels like and we know how much it can get in the way of our day-to-day. If we are to maneuver through the coming uncertainties, we need to draw from the experiences that led us to this point. We need to be strong and proactive to be ready for all challenges to come. Most importantly, we need to stay hopeful and grounded through it all.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s ‘language warriors’ fight to equalize access to COVID-19 information – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-language-warriors-fight-to-equalize-access-to-covid-19-information/",
        "html": "UP’s ‘language warriors’ fight to equalize access to COVID-19 information UP’s ‘language warriors’ fight to equalize access to COVID-19 information August 17, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Photo from the Language Warriors PH Facebook group page.     It may seem a long time ago for many, but it was only on March 16, 2020 that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte first imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on the island of Luzon in response to reports of rising cases of COVID-19. As with many, the women and men of UP Diliman’s Department of Linguistics (DL) felt a heightened urge to provide any meaningful help possible to counter the dire situation.     “Team Ginhawa” or the people behind Language Warriors PH (LWPH) from the Department of Linguistics. Clockwise from top-left: Prof. Aldrin Lee, Prof. Jesus Federico Hernandez, Prof. Kristina Gallego, Prof. Mary Ann Gaitan-Bacolod, Prof. Elsie Marie Or, Prof. Vincent Christopher Santiago, Prof. Michael Manahan, Ms. Jurekah Chene Abrigo. (Volunteer faculty not in photo: Prof. April Perez, Prof. Divine Angeli Endriga, and Prof. Ria Rafael). Photo courtesy of LWPH, logo created by Elsie Marie Or.     We felt like we needed to come up with something that would contribute to the efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Prof. Kristina Gallego, a faculty member of DL and currently a PhD candidate at the Australian National University. Assessing how public health information was being disseminated while the virus was spreading, Gallego and her colleagues observed that a great majority of the material produced was communicated in only Filipino and English, to the detriment of many who did not use either language.  Noting the powerful role that language plays in any effort to contain the pandemic and the rise in community translators working on DOH-released information, DL officially launched Language Warriors PH (LWPH) in late March. Dubbed a “meta-translation initiative”, the project aims to connect the disparate community translation projects and “language warriors” across the country that are translating materials related to COVID-19 into the country’s estimated 180 or so languages.  Making connections  Building on recent BA Linguistics graduate Soleil Vinoya’s work done on explaining public hygiene in Philippine languages and tapping into existing networks already actively translating COVID-19 materials, the project members decided that rather than duplicating what was already being done, they could best help by bringing all these initiatives under one roof. “LWPH serves as a platform for these community translators to collaborate, share resources, and get informed about overall translation efforts in the country,” Gallego explained. All these are in service of the broader aim of relaying public health information in languages people use and understand.     A summary of the work done by LWPH volunteers with sources mostly coming from the Department of Health and the World Health Organization. Photo courtesy of LWPH.     One of the project’s most important aims is the creation of a repository of all translated material for easy access, monitoring and dissemination. The group provides frequent status reports on the state of these materials, as well as on individual translators and projects, while connecting the right people to translation jobs where they are needed most.  While Gallego admits that a more thorough study must be done on how equitable the access to government-produced COVID-19 materials has been, the group’s March to May 2020 data revealed that most materials produced on this and other important issues were produced through grassroots efforts. “This clearly shows that the local communities are aware of the need to provide information about the pandemic in the languages the people understand,” Gallego said. While LGUs typically provide information in major Philippine languages, smaller languages are usually left out.     Material from UPD PsycServ on mental health, which volunteers translated into a number of Philippine languages. Cases of anxiety and depression in the time of COVID-19 necessitates the move for translating material concerning more than physical health. Photo courtesy of LWPH.     “The communities where these languages are actually spoken are actually the most vulnerable to the pandemic,” Gallego said. “They don’t have access to basic medical facilities, no direct access to news and they lack institutional support in all directions.”  “In addition,” Gallego added, “the Filipino Deaf community is often left in the periphery. New outlets rarely provide FSL interpretations. As a result, some members of the Deaf community were not aware of the implementation of community quarantine procedures in the initial months of quarantine.” She credits one group, FSLACT4COVID, for partly addressing this problem by providing FSL interpretations of new broadcasts on their Facebook page.  The repository  The volunteers of LWPH, who come from a staggering array of backgrounds, have certainly been busy. The is reflected in the group’s material repository, which can be accessed via their Facebook page. As of their May 8, 2020 report, the group had done work in 70 languages, having translated 927 materials in 10 thematic domains, including physical and mental health.  Gallego cites the enthusiasm and activity of their volunteers as the secret behind the considerable material they amassed in such a short period. According to the report, the languages with the highest number of materials include Bikol Sentral (222), Tagalog (143), Hiligaynon (41), Ilocano (37), Cebuano (37), Chavacano de Zamboanga (36), Kapampangan (30), Maguindanaoan (26), Akeanon or Aklanon (26), and Surigaonon (24). Gallego warns, however, that despite its breadth, the repository should not be taken as representative of the collective translation efforts in the country due to difficulties in acquiring material to translate.     A chart tracking the languages with the highest numbers of translated materials by LWPH volunteers. Photo courtesy of LWPH.     Many of these languages have online communities, which connect language users and can serve as springboards for the propagation of translated materials. While Gallego admits this method of dissemination is not enough to completely serve the users that the project hopes to reach, she cites the work done by groups such as Mag Bikol Kita and the Surigaonon Studies Centerw ho share their materials to local communities and medical facilities. This step is important because smaller, more remote communities largely beyond the reach of the internet need the information the most.  The next battlefield  While the group’s brief existence has seen several considerable successes, especially in terms of producing materials, its members hope that its existence extends far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. And one part of ensuring that these efforts are made sustainable is through a retrospective look at its gains and losses. On that note, Gallego said that the next proximal step is doing an impact assessment to judge how meaningful the group’s efforts have been, especially in reaching its target users.     Translated material by the Surigaonon Studies Center in response to the call by the Department of Health. They are also one of the groups responsible for distributing material to communities. Photo courtesy of LWPH.     “Production of materials is one aspect of the overall aim to push for inclusive and equal access to information, but dissemination is an equally important part of the goal,” Gallego said. “This phase of the LWPH group would hopefully highlight the gaps in the current translation efforts and direct us to where to take the project.”  The larger overall battlefield for the group, however, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, is pushing for stronger state support for indigenous communities by ensuring that all relevant information concerning these communities and the country reaches everyone, a goal which she calls a “basic human right”. Gallego said that the findings from the project will be used to publish policy recommendations, which they will do in the future.  Through these actions, LWPH’s members hope that the Facebook group maintains its function as a space for language activists to work together and fight for the language rights of indigenous communities in the Philippines.  “I encourage people interested in language activism to join the Facebook group and participate in the activities we will be having in the future,” Gallego said. “Share posts, contribute to the discussions, and let your voices be heard!”     The trusty team of LWPH volunteers who collected material for the repository. Clockwise from top left: Manuel Tamayao, Soleil Vinoya, Joey Auxilian, Sander Ayala, Yeddah Piedad, Glenn Huerto, Shiela Tamparong. Photo courtesy of LWPH.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "“UPgrade”: Giving back to the UPD Main Library – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upgrade-giving-back-to-the-upd-main-library/",
        "html": "“UPgrade”: Giving back to the UPD Main Library “UPgrade”: Giving back to the UPD Main Library June 22, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu    The University Main Library, the stately building in the very heart of the academic oval of the University of the Philippines Diliman campus (UPD), has been a witness to many, many generations of Iskolar ng Bayan journeying through college and postgraduate studies.  The people who have passed through the “UP Main Libe’s” time-cherished reading rooms, archives, hallways, and corners have created their priceless collection of memories of the place: the serene quiet and studious stillness; the comfort of the sturdy narra tables and chairs; the sense of welcome found within the rows and rows of book-lined shelves; the treasure troves of knowledge open to UP students studying for class, doing research, socializing and engaging in various academic activities hosted there, ever since the University Library’s transfer to the Diliman campus during the term of University Librarian Gabriel Bernardo.  Aerial view of the UP Diliman Main Library (Gonzalez Hall).  Members of the UP community may leave a lasting legacy in the UP Diliman Main Library, named Gonzalez Hall after UP President Bienvenido Gonzalez, by supporting its renovation and restoration on the occasion of the University Library Centennial. Alumni and friends of the University can adopt a narra hardwood chair or table and help upgrade the UPD Main Library. The project will benefit not only the present and future generations of Iskolar ng Bayan but also researchers and students from other learning institutions and the general public.  “UPgrade,” the UP System’s project, allows donors to dedicate a chair or table to a loved one or an entire family, honor a memory of a favorite teacher, celebrate a milestone birthday or anniversary, or give proper recognition to their batch, barkada, fraternity/sorority, or student organization.  For a minimum donation of P10,000, the donor name(s) will be engraved on a brass plaque and placed on the restored narra hardwood chairs and tables. Here are the descriptions, corresponding amounts to be donated, and the number of furniture units to be upgraded:  Narra Chairs / P10,000 / 150 units; Single Carrel Desks / P10,000 / 30 units; and, the Long Narra Table (8-seater) / P100,000 / 15 units.  Examples of the UPD Main Library furniture awaiting adoption by UP alumni in their current state (left) and what they would look like after renovation (right)—the narra chair with armrest (top), the carrel desk (middle), and the long narra table (below). Photos by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  These rehabilitated and upgraded pieces of furniture will be strategically situated in the UPD Main Library’s ground floor public reading room in the North Wing. The said venue will also feature resplendent cathedral windows that aim to evoke a world-class ambiance and memories of the University’s repository of knowledge and culture.  Donors will also have access to the room-use books and references through a special library card and receive discounted rates for special events reservations.  Donations via credit card or bank transfer may be coursed through the Give to UP Portal at: https://giveto.up.edu.ph/. Through this unique initiative, UP alumni will also be encouraged to participate in University activities while their information is updated in the UP Alumni Database.  Please get in touch with the UP offices working together for the success of this fundraising project via giveto@up.edu.ph, padayon@up.edu.ph, or up.alumnioffice@up.edu.ph for more details on how you can leave an indelible mark that our students, faculty, REPS, admin, alumni, and the general public can truly benefit from. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Diwata-2, second PH microsatellite, set for launch – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/diwata-2-second-ph-microsatellite-set-for-launch/",
        "html": "Diwata-2, second PH microsatellite, set for launch Diwata-2, second PH microsatellite, set for launch October 26, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Diwata-2 is set to be launched on October 29, 2018 between 12:08 to 12:30 GMT+08 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan via H-IIA F40 rocket. It is the Philippines’ second microsatellite developed and built under the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-Microsat) Program, which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), monitored by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), and done through the collaboration between the University of the Philippines Diliman, the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), Hokkaido University and Tohoku University. It is one of five small satellites that are the secondary payloads which will be launched together with the satellites IBUKI-2 or also known as GOSAT-2 (JAXA’s Second Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite) and KhalifaSat, a remote sensing Earth observation satellite developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates.     Maintaining the momentum in satellite development  Diwata-2 will orbit at a higher altitude (~620km) for an increased lifespan and a sun-synchronous orbit, which will enable fixed revisit intervals that would make repeated environmental monitoring of specific areas possible. Like Diwata-1, it will also carry a Wide Field Camera (WFC), Middle Field Camera (MFC), High Precision Telescope (HPT) and Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) with Liquid Crystal Tunable Filter (LCTF). All these mission instruments have undergone rigorous ground calibration and testing to ensure that they will perform optimally at the new orbital conditions of Diwata-2. Major features that distinguish Diwata-2 from its predecessor include deployable solar panels for increased power generation output and an Enhanced Resolution Camera (ERC), for increasing the resolution of images taken by SMI. Furthermore, it will feature two locally made experimental modules: an Amateur Radio Unit for emergency communications and a Satellite Orientation Module for increased pointing accuracy and future satellite development initiatives.        Diwata-2 has undergone major iterations since planning and design began in 2016, right after Diwata-1 was released from the International Space Station (ISS). These include a simulation model, a mechanical test model, an engineering model, and finally, the flight model. On August 29, 2018, the Diwata-2 Flight Model was completed and handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) the following day. Both Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 are Earth-observing microsatellites capable of capturing images of Earth for environmental assessment. The satellite control, operation, and acquisition of experimental data will be done at the Philippine Earth Data Resource Observation Center (PEDRO), which is housed by DOST-ASTI.  More than building and launching satellites, the Philippines is also committed to starting a healthy and sustainable local ecosystem for space technology. The PHL-Microsat Program is succeeded by the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, which aims to build a local industrial base and enhance local space science and engineering expertise, which will ultimately prepare the country in the establishment of the Philippine Space Agency.  To reserve your slots for the live viewing of this historic launch at the GT Toyota Auditorium, UP Diliman, visit: https://bit.ly/2yU4hg3. Program starts at 11:00 AM. The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, visit phl-microsat.upd.edu.ph/updates and follow Facebook (facebook.com/PHLMicrosat/) and Twitter (@phlmicrosat). "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP breaks new ground with ‘smart farm’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-breaks-new-ground-with-smart-farm/",
        "html": "UP breaks new ground with ‘smart farm’ UP breaks new ground with ‘smart farm’ March 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   L-R: Institute of Biology Director Ernelea P. Cao; National Scientist and Professor Emeritus Edgardo D. Gomez; College of Science Dean Perry S. Ong; DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara; and Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa participate in the lowering of the time capsule (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines Institute of Biology and the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute marked the start of the construction of a nursery for indigenous and endemic plants through a groundbreaking ceremony at the UP DOST-ASTI Complex on March 2.  The soon-to-rise facility signifies the initial phase of a larger project which is the development of the Smart Plant Production in Controlled Environments (SPICE), a project of the UP Institute of Biology and Electronics Engineering Institute, with the support of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).  DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara revealed that “the nursery will be a standalone, smart farm.” Taking pride in that it is the first of its kind in the Philippines, Guevara added that “the project is a P128-million pioneering research, which will be a game changer–promoting urban farming and high technology plant conservation. Modern farming methods, such as vertical farming, micropropagation, cryopreservation, and hydrophonics, will be practiced in this nursery to grow native plants in an environment where the climate, the lighting, and the irrigation system can be monitored, controlled, and changed real-time through the use of electronics, sensors, and automation.”     DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In turn, such technology will yield efficient crop production and also take away the image of farming as a labor-intensive, backbreaking type of work, according to Guevara.  Also present in the ceremony were: National Scientist and Professor Emeritus Edgardo D. Gomez; Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; College of Science Dean Perry S. Ong; Institute of Biology Director Ernelea P. Cao; Deputy Director for Research and Extension of the Institute of Biology Jonathan A. Anticamara; project leader, and Institute of Biology Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica D. Rey; and Office of the Campus Architect Director Enrico B. Tabafunda.     (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)        College of Science Dean Ong stressed the importance of the nursery as it will ensure the protection of the country’s rich biodiversity. Meanwhile, Executive Vice President Herbosa also underscored the valuable effort of the project and its role in knowledge sharing and expertise promotion. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Looking beyond COVID, UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar to zero in on measles – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/looking-beyond-covid-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-to-zero-in-on-measles/",
        "html": "Looking beyond COVID, UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar to zero in on measles Looking beyond COVID, UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar to zero in on measles April 28, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  As we enter the third year of our online “Stop COVID Deaths” (S.C.D.) community webinar series, we transition to broader discussions on how the pandemic has affected health outcomes beyond COVID-19. We will still maintain the title “STOP COVID DEATHS” but will expand our talks to C for “current COVID-19 problems”; O for “other outbreaks”; V for “viruses”; I for “infections”; and D for “disasters”— or C.O.V.I.D for short.  The S.C.D. Series levels up to take a closer look at other emerging health problems in the community while keeping an eye out for COVID-19 developments in the Philippines and the rest of the world.  This week, using a virtual grand rounds format, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar will discuss the case of a healthy eight-year-old honor student who, a month before admission, had sudden episodes of falling forward and her legs jerking uncontrollably.  The episodes would happen once or twice a day. Two weeks before admission, the family noticed that the child could not remember things. She was also unable to concentrate on her studies. The condition later progressed to difficulty walking and losing her ability to control her bowel movements. What could this be?  The medical team ran numerous tests and checked her history. They discovered that the child did not receive vaccination for measles, contracted the disease, and remained asymptomatic until four years later.  Many tend to think of measles as a mild disease and that natural immunity will follow an infection. This case shows otherwise. Measles in an unvaccinated child may cause severe complications even years later, resulting in untreatable conditions.  This Friday’s episode aims to uncover how the country is doing with routine vaccination against measles with this case study. What complications could arise for children who missed their vaccinations in the past few years? Can they still get a measles shot if they missed it during the pandemic? Did the pandemic make it more challenging to sustain measles vaccination coverage?  Titled “Batang Biglang Hindi Makalakad: Siryosohin Natin ang Tigdas,” this week’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar will be held on April 29, 2022, from 12 to 2 pm, focusing on the case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in an unvaccinated child at the UP-PGH.  The main presenter will be Dr. Marie Abigail R. Lim, Chief Resident of the Department of Pediatrics at the UP-PGH. At the same time, the discussant is Dr. Sally Andrea D. Gaspi, Chief Fellow of the Division of Pediatric Neurology, also at UP-PGH. Dr. Marissa Lukban, Chair of the UP-PGH Department of Pediatrics, will also be sharing her insights and reactions.  Dr. Adolfo D. Solis, President of the Child Neurology Society, Philippines, Inc., will deliver the opening remarks. Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila, will provide the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and the Ins-and-Outs of the Data Privacy Act: Interview with DPO Atty. Gaby Fernandez – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-the-ins-and-outs-of-the-data-privacy-act-interview-with-dpo-atty-gaby-fernandez/",
        "html": "UP and the Ins-and-Outs of the Data Privacy Act: Interview with DPO Atty. Gaby Fernandez UP and the Ins-and-Outs of the Data Privacy Act: Interview with DPO Atty. Gaby Fernandez November 11, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Atty. Marcia Ruth Gabriela Fernandez, UP System Data Protection Officer (DPO), and the DPOs of the constituent universities have a complicated job: helping UP, an institution mandated under its Charter to teach, do research and generate and disseminate knowledge and provide public service, to navigate Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012.  Fernandez notes that a common misconception of the DPA is that consent of the data subject is needed to process information all the time. The law lists several conditions or cases, aside from consent, where personal information can be processed. Personal information may be processed (i.e., collected, used, stored, etc.) when needed to comply with a legal obligation, to protect the vital interests of the data subject to life and health, to respond to national emergency, and to fulfill the functions of public authority. Sensitive personal information (i.e., confidential education records, age, civil status, health information) may be processed, for example, when allowed by law. Regulatory enactments provide for the following: to protect such information, and the consent of the data subject is not required for such processing; to protect the life and health of the data subject or another person when the data subject cannot physically or legally express consent, and when needed for medical treatment subject to conditions; and, to protect lawful rights and interests of natural and legal persons in the exercise or defense of legal claims and where these are provided to public authority.  “It is possible for UP to invoke, in applicable cases, our mandate under the Constitution and the UP Charter to exercise the right and responsibility of academic freedom as our lawful basis for processing personal and sensitive personal information,” Fernandez said. The DPA itself also provides for exemptions from the applicability of the DPA such as when the processing of information is necessary in order to carry out the functions of public authority and personal information processed for journalistic, artistic, literary or research purposes. Still, the law itself is complex, and the UP community needs to know how to traverse it.     Photo by Jonathan M. Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP researchers and the DPA  With the penalty of imprisonment as well as hefty fines for the punishment of various acts or omissions involved, the DPA can feel like a sword hanging over the heads of UP researchers, especially for those in the social sciences, who often use approaches that may or may not involve written, electronic or recorded consent. Fernandez herself, before her appointment as DPO, pointed out in position papers she submitted to the National Privacy Commission (NPC) in her personal capacity the dysfunctional unintended consequences of a too narrow interpretation of the DPA that requires written, electronic or recorded consent in all instances from research participants for the processing of sensitive personal information. This could be used by groups or agencies with ulterior motives to force researchers to divulge their research participants’ personal data under threat of jail time and/or other penalties.  “That’s why I said, such an interpretation of the DPA could have a chilling effect,” Fernandez said. “We have to go back to the spirit, the purpose behind the law. The law recognizes that while the State has the duty to protect the right to privacy of individuals, the State must also promote the free flow of information by upholding other Constitutional rights and freedoms.”  There are laws and issuances that UP researchers can invoke to lawfully process sensitive personal information under Section 13b of the DPA. These include the Philippine Statistical Act, the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Act, and the National Ethical Guidelines on Health and Health Related Research (NEGHHR). The NEGHHR, which was issued pursuant to the PNHRS Act, provides for instances when research ethics committees (RECs) or research ethics boards (REBs) may waive the requirement of informed consent, as in the case of archival research or naturalistic observation, or alter some of the requirements of informed consent, such as waiving the requirement of a signed consent form.  Noting that the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board, which was established pursuant to the PNHRS Act, allows for several REBs or RECs in one academic unit, Fernandez recommended that constituent universities that have yet to establish REBs or RECs consider the creation of RECs at the college level, considering the diverse range of disciplines throughout the UP System. “It is really our duty, as the national university and as a research institution, to uphold research ethics, which requires among others the protection of the privacy of research participants and the establishment of research ethics committees or boards.”  UP students and the DPA  The UP System has a privacy notice (https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/university-of-the-philippines-up-privacy-notice-foi/) informing UP students on what personal and sensitive personal information will be collected from them, for what purpose, the legal basis for processing such information, as well as measures adopted by UP to safeguard the same. Students are asked to indicate on their Form-5s that they have read the notice, recognize the authority of UP to process such information, and give their consent.  The notice also informs students that UP will disclose their personal and sensitive personal information when required or allowed by applicable laws or with their consent. For example, the notice states that UP may disclose a student’s personal and sensitive personal information to their family or next of kin to promote the student’s best interests as required by law; when necessary to respond to an emergency, to uphold the student’s vitally important interests including her/his life and health or to prevent harm to her/him and/or others; or with the student’s consent. UP recognizes that there are cases where the student may be struggling with a serious condition or has become suicidal or his or her life is in jeopardy.     Photo by Abraham Q. Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP employees and the DPA  For UP employees, personal information not covered by the DPA under Section 4 include names, salary grades, and official job functions. UP processes employee information in order to make decisions regarding their respective appointments, promotions and other personnel actions, as well as to process their applications for grants, leaves, benefits and the like, pursuant to the UP Charter. UP is also duty-bound to process information of University personnel in order to comply with the requirements of other existing laws and regulations. For example, UP must process information pursuant to R.A. 6713, which requires the submission of Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), and comply with the GSIS, Philhealth, Pag-ibig, tax and other applicable laws and issuances.  UP alumni and the DPA  The UP System also has a privacy notice for UP alumni (https://alum.up.edu.ph/index.php/university-of-the-philippines-system-up-privacy-notice-for-alumni/), informing them that various UP offices and the UP Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) will be collecting their information and for what purpose. The UP Registrar’s Offices archive all student records in accordance with the National Archives of the Philippines Act of 2007, and provide relevant information to the OAR in order to enable UP to comply with its duty under the UP Charter to promote the participation of alumni. UP alumni may voluntarily update their records with the OAR through an alumni update form.  Fernandez also helped the UPAA draft their own consent form. The UPAA chapters and the UP alumni foundations can get in touch with the UPAA to get a copy of this consent form.  UP Webmail and the DPA  Fernandez urges all members of the UP community to use the Mail service (@up.edu.ph). “UP Mail is our official mail, and uses a two-step verification process to reduce the probability of accounts being hacked.” The goal is to have UP Mail serve as the sign-on system for the various online processing systems of UP to help prevent security incidents and personal data breaches.  “Aside from safeguarding their email communications, faculty, staff and students can get Microsoft Office 365 when they use their UP Webmail account,” she added with a smile (https://itdc.up.edu.ph/uis/microsoft-office-365-for-up).  The University’s duty to process personal and sensitive personal information in order to carry out its functions entails the responsibility of securing and protecting such information.  UP’s DPOs need the help and cooperation of all members of the UP community in order to uphold the right to data privacy.     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Coming Soon from UPOU: DPO Certification Course – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/coming-soon-from-upou-dpo-certification-course/",
        "html": "Coming Soon from UPOU: DPO Certification Course Coming Soon from UPOU: DPO Certification Course November 20, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     It has been three years since the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, were promulgated by the National Privacy Commission. Full compliance remains a goal to be accomplished by many organizations in the country.  One of the key players in the implementation of the law is the data protection officer (DPO), also called the compliance officer or data privacy officer, of organizations that control and process personal information. The appointment of a DPO by personal information controllers and personal information processors is a legal requirement. The DPO has the overwhelming task of ensuring compliance, mainly by: making sure data privacy policies and processes are in place; monitoring and assessing their efficiency and effectiveness; and, proposing necessary changes to improve implementation, among others.  This is why the UP Open University is set to offer a program that will train and certify DPOs. Currently being finalized, the 32-hour course will be conducted over a period of four days, with the participants taking a certification exam at the end. The program will begin with a diagnostic exam to assess the extent of the participants’ knowledge on data privacy, followed by two modules on general privacy concepts and the fundamentals of the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The next group of modules will be on the rights and obligations of data subjects and the offices that will process and control these subjects’ personal information; and, on the enforcement of the law, including penalties for violations. Establishing a privacy management program and managing data breach incidents are the next set of modules to be discussed. In the latter, participants will be given different data breach scenarios to handle. The last two modules will be on information security for government, which DPOs from private organizations may opt out of, and on information security management system.  The UPOU DPO certification course is part of its 2019 initiatives launched during its 24th anniversary celebration on March 1 in its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.  Visit the UPOU website for updates and inquiries on this program. Links to the official social media accounts of UPOU are in the homepage.  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "What is a struggling artist? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-is-a-struggling-artist/",
        "html": "What is a struggling artist? What is a struggling artist? June 25, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The Crab Mentality Invasion Acrylic and Textile Paint on Canvas 3.38 ft x 2.35 ft 2014 (Photo from wyndelle.wordpress.com)     First is the art. Wyndelle Remonde’s works are catchy. Comic. Contemporary.  They would have to be, to be exhibited alongside other urban and edgy works in the annual Moniker Art Fair, which took place in New York in May 2018; and the Coaster Show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in LA in mid-2017.  Then the appreciation intensifies with knowledge of how, from province and poverty, they came to be. The number one metanarrative of Remonde’s art actually and graphically recurs in his works, consisting of the head of the carabao, as in kayod-kalabaw; and an anatomical heart, puso.  These are very local icons presented to the world by the struggling artist, in jarring self-imagery within the world of his art.     A life of struggle  “I started using the symbol when I went back to school for a bachelor’s degree, for my thesis. I was a working student, supporting myself and my family. It was a very difficult time,” he says.  “There was Papa and my two younger siblings. Mama had died. My father was a casual government employee, until he got laid off. He became a tricycle driver. Mama, when she was alive, sold food at the school.”     Entry for the Joya Art Awards (Posted on March 17, 2014 wyndelle.wordpress.com)     Remonde earned money designing and selling shirts, doing commissioned work, joining art and design contests, penetrating Cebu’s pop-underground scene where his bizarre comic style found an audience.  All the while, he struggled to develop his works to become truly an art form and to be appreciated as such. “My style is a product of blood and tears. I came up with it after several years of working it out. That is why now, I do not compromise my style.”     Precocious years  The years began with a child in Argao town, Cebu, finding escape from life’s difficulties in cartoons, which he would himself draw with skills he derived from a self-taught father. His father’s realistic and pragmatic style must have left the young Wyndelle with the notion that his art was not as serious. It must have been a proud moment for him to be recognized in high school for his talent for cartooning, which found an outlet in the editorial page of the school paper.  Yet, while still in UP Cebu for a certificate course in Fine Arts Major in Painting, cartooning took a back seat, as UP gave him the opportunity to explore mediums and other styles. And of course, nobody in Painting school did cartoons, and he did not do cartoons in UP until he earned his certificate. But when he set out for the outside world, the opportunities offered by companies—graphic, animation, book illustration, and design—called for comics.     Nag Aalab na Puso Acrylic and Textile Paint on Paper 2.25 ft x 2 .32 ft 2017 (Photo from wyndelle.wordpress.com)     Five years of this in Cebu City finally enabled him to support a bachelor’s degree education, and he went back to UP all set on comics as the way to go. True to its character, UP gave him the freedom to pursue this style in his Fine Arts course Major in Studio Arts. And thus, Remonde’s art, new to the art world but one he always had from the beginning, was enriched, distinguished at the onset by a sense of social awareness typical of a life of struggle.  With UP’s academic freedom and a deeper knowledge of the world, he found the courage to stand by the interest he had had since childhood.     The cradle of his art  “In UP, I was free and encouraged to express what we felt and had in mind, in art or otherwise; and that freedom I still carry to this day,” Remonde says. Until now, he is free to regard issues with the humor and irony of a satirist, rendering many of his works counter-cultural. The works are rife with similarly bizarre, surreal, cartoonish imagery of the contemporary as viewed from his strange inner world, which does not necessarily alienate the masses, with whom he has identified with through the years.  “Yes, sir, Cebu is really on my mind when making art. Since I am from Cebu province, I want to take off from here and I want to contribute in developing the local art scene, which is smaller compared to Manila,” Remonde, who has also been exhibited in Manila galleries, says.     Remonde with his work at UP Cebu’s Sentenaryo exhibit. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “At the same time, I hope the world outside Cebu gets to see what we have going on here despite the smaller circle and fewer venues. We need to break out of these limitations so that we would not feel our art has nowhere else to go. Many have already succumbed to the limitations and stopped,” he adds.  Thus another struggle of the artist, located far from the center, has been to break into the center.  “I am lucky to be stubborn, and because I haven’t stopped, I have been noticed by Manila art circles and other galleries.”  And so, the journey continues. The carabao plods and the heart beats—for his family, his fellow Cebu youth artists, and his art.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "A journey in dance and in life – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-journey-in-dance-and-in-life/",
        "html": "A journey in dance and in life A journey in dance and in life October 8, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble performing Ugat, Sanga, Dahon atbp. (Music: Dasal at Katutubong Musika (Asin)) Choreography by R.Dy, K. Morales and J.Delgado     Ira Sisa A. Apara, a UP Mindanao BA Communication Arts graduate, has been dancing all her life. She joined dance groups and ensembles as a child; then her love for dance really took off in high school when her mother enrolled her in a jazz dance class.  As a self-proclaimed dance “fangirl,” she found other venues where she could learn other techniques and dance styles besides her jazz class. “Whenever I went to class at the dance school, I would observe the classes before ours or the dances of the other classes, like modern dance, hip hop, ballet,” Apara shares. “I kept watching dance videos on YouTube as well. And I would take notes, and I would try to recreate or mimic the moves on my own. Ultimately, I found my own groove, which I felt is really more in the neo-ethnic style.”  Her passion for neo-ethnic dance was enhanced when she entered UP Mindanao in 2012. At the time, she had only one goal: to join the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble (UPMinDE). “I remember it clearly. June 6 was our first day of class then a week or two weeks later, I auditioned for the UPMinDE. The Office of Student Affairs advised us freshmen not to join any orgs yet and to let ourselves adjust to UPMin life. But I was certain: I was going to join that ensemble. So I became a member from 2012 to 2016.”     A portion of the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble’s 2012 Concert, showing the Kappa Malong-malong.     19 years and counting  The UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble, founded by Prof. Alma Flor M. Brigole, is the resident dance company of UP Mindanao. The UPMinDE or the Ensemble focuses on exploring social commentaries, advocacies and experimental performances through neo-ethnic, contemporary dance and improvisation techniques. It holds yearly full-length dance-concerts, the most recent being “Baylanan” held on May 10, 2018, which celebrated the UPMinDE’s 19th anniversary as a resident company by portraying through dance a story inspired by the life and culture of the baylans or community healers, priests and priestesses.     During the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble’s 19th anniversary dance-concert, “Baylanan”, held last May 2018. (Photo from Ira Apra, UPMinDE)     Apara refined her skills throughout the four years she spent dancing, learning, teaching, training and choreographing with the UPMinDE. In 2016, the year she graduated, she became a finalist in the World Championship for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California. She was chosen for her interpretation of a Tausug version of the Pangalay, a traditional dance in Sulu.  Still, the lessons she learned over the course of her journey as a UPMinDE member go beyond dance. Over the years, the UPMinDE has overcome challenges that other UP performing groups have gone through at some point. The experience of overcoming these challenges has instilled within her and her fellow members qualities that prepared them for life, whether onstage or in the real world.     Initiative, resourcefulness, and teamwork  One challenge is functioning as a student-driven performing group in UP without an official coach, artistic director or adviser. UPMinDE has gone through times when they had no coach, sometimes lasting years. Apara recalls how hard it was: “It’s very difficult when a varsity team or school organization doesn’t have a coach or adviser. It’s hard to get a budget or to have your proposed events approved because there’s nobody to sign for them. There were times when we got suspended or couldn’t join competitions because having no coach or adviser was not allowed according to the rules.”  During those coach-less years, the UPMinDE’s members found ways to keep on doing what they had to do. “We trained on our own. Whatever techniques each of us learned, we just shared with one another. We just repeated the techniques and ultimately, we even managed to hold a concert.”     A scene from the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble’s 2016 performance entitled Pagsalop sa Adlaw. (Photo from Ira Apara, UPMinDE)     Respect for indigenous culture  The UPMinDE is known for its performances that showcase the dances and culture of indigenous people. However, the research that goes behind every piece is just as much a trademark of the Ensemble. This was discipline its founder, Prof. Brigole, instilled in the group.  The Ensemble’s research process includes visiting the communities and immersing themselves in the indigenous culture, learning the dances directly from the tribal members themselves. “Research really plays a big part, because we cannot perform something that is not well-thought of,” Apara says.  After Prof. Brigole left the group around the time of Apara’s freshman year, the UPMinDE shifted more toward modern dance and jazz. “The ethnic spirit was still there, though, so during that time, it was like the Western-style dances and the ethnic dances were kind of mashed up.”  This commitment to indigenous cultures, now combined with touches of the modern, was kept alive by Arch. Gloryrose Dy, herself a UPMinDE alumna, when she became UPMinDE’s coach and artistic director during Apara’s third year in college.     The new graduates of the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble graduating just this June 2018, with Coach Ira Apara in the middle. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     Passing on the torch  Seeing UPMinDE members develop and improve themselves, and seeing the Ensemble explore indigenous cultures and create something new, are things that Apara deeply appreciates, because she’s seen it from both sides. In May 2017, she visited the Ensemble again to give a workshop on contemporary dance. There, she learned that, due to certain circumstances, the group was again falling into that same predicament of having no coach.  “So I applied as coach. Because I was thinking that I should help, in a way, because I know how it felt. That’s why I came back, and I’ve been a coach for over one year now. And I’m still planning to continue,” she says.  Besides coaching the UPMinDE, Apara works as a PR officer in a young advertising agency, and on the occasions when she has to focus on work, she calls on the officers of the UPMinDE to take the lead during practice sessions. This way, she, like Arch. Dy before her, is continuing another long-time tradition of the UPMinDE—training the next generation of leaders.  Looking to the future, the UPMinDE has lined up certain projects, such as joining competitions outside the University, aside from their usual performances in UP Mindanao.  “We hope that this year, we can immerse ourselves in an indigenous community, because we will be getting new members and they have to know what the group is all about. They have to know that if you do an ethnic dance, you have to do it right. You have to know not just by the movement, but by the spirit, by heart, what that dance signifies. When the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble performs, especially the ethnic or neo-ethnic dances, we always make a stand that this is not just about entertaining you, it’s about educating you. This is what the lives of the indigenous peoples are about. This is a part of their culture—our culture—so you have to know it. There is a spirit to it. This is what life is,” Apara asserts.     UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble members posing with friends after a performance, circa 2014-2018. (Photo from Ira Apara, UPMinDE)     For more videos of the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble, subscribe to their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTCSNRcohmoXf0sXz2BsYQ.  You can also visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/upmindanceensemble/.  List of other videos, click the title to view:  UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble 2012 Concert (Asik) Dancer: Katrina Grace Tan  UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble 2012 Concert (Asik) Dancer: Katrina Grace Tan  Finale Dance of UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble during the “Galaw, Indak, Sayaw”, annual dance concert, April 30, 2015  Performed during the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble concert entitled “Galaw, Indak, Sayaw” April 30, 2015  Performed during the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble concert entitled “Galaw, Indak, Sayaw” April 30, 2015. Performed by Ira, Jeal and Keziah. Choreography by R.Dy  Performed during the UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble concert entitled “Galaw, Indak, Sayaw” April 30, 2015. Performed by Steph, Mauriel, Christopher, Isko, Eloise, Rojer. Choreography by K.Morales  “Liwanag” , a dance about hope in genuine friendship and empathy performed by Ira Aparra, Justine Lumingkit, Shane Largo, Choreography by K.Morales, 2015  Finale Dance of UP Mindanao Dance Ensemble during the “Galaw, Indak, Sayaw”, annual dance concert, April 30, 2015 "
    },
    {
        "title": "From computers to communities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-computers-to-communities/",
        "html": "From computers to communities From computers to communities January 10, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    One thousand three hundred kilometers from the airconditioned halls of the Batasang Pambansa is an open-air barangay gymnasium jampacked with hundreds of members from a Lumad community. This is where Chad Errol Booc, a volunteer teacher for high school students in the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV), has been staying for almost a week prior to the president’s state of the nation address (SONA). Their community fled the agricultural school, which is also a boarding school, due to continued threats from the military presence in their areas.     The sign welcomes guests to ALCADEV. It loosely translates to “Tuloy po kayo!” (Photo from Chad Booc)     ALCADEV was established in 2004 as an “alternative learning system especially designed to provide secondary education to indigent indigenous youth from the Manobo, Higaonon, Banwaon, Talandig, and Mamanwa” in the Surigao and Agusan provinces comprising CARAGA. Academic courses are taught in a way as to include vocational and technical skills, often rooted in agricultural traditions in their respective communities. The need for establishing schools arose when Lumad leaders realized how education could shield them from abuse. In the past, they were tricked into signing spurious contracts which gave away their ancestral land for a few cans of sardines. It was when the Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur was created, which then gave birth to ALCADEV.  Hailing from the College of Engineering in Diliman, Chad earned his Computer Science degree cum laude and was recognized for his undergraduate research project which he had presented in academic forums abroad. He was cut out for a corporate life just like most of his peers. But exactly five SONAs ago, he joined a rally for the first time and began seeing other realities and possibilities.  Chad became an activist and found himself in the middle of Manilakbayan 2015 on the eve of the killing of the ALCADEV executive director at that time. “I witnessed how the Lumad stood up as a tribe for self-governance and self-determination. The fact that they built and ran their own school without our help, even if we are deemed more educated because we finished college,” he recalls. This encounter inspired and challenged him at the same time; and after graduating, he veered off the corporate track and finally decided to volunteer in Mindanao in 2016.     During a solidarity program in commemoration of the September 1 Lianga massacre. (Photo from Chad Booc)     He chose ALCADEV because, prior to graduation, he had the chance to integrate with the community for several weeks. It was particularly difficult explaining the decision to his family. But through several Facebook posts and even more hours patiently sharing his firsthand struggles and adventures with his worried family, he finally made progress. His choice appealed to the humanitarian sensibilities of his parents, both active members of their church. Serving the oppressed and marginalized was a value they shared.     Agriculture as source code  The primary goal of ALCADEV is to empower and equip its students to be self-sufficient and self-reliant and to rear the next generation of leaders in their communities. They are trained to take on leadership roles in community-based work as future teachers, health workers, agriculturists, and local leaders. Some graduates of ALCADEV are now helping pilot their own agricultural schools in SOCSARGEN in solidarity. The “boarding school” format ensures a more holistic style of education. Chad remarks, “Agriculture is at the center of each learning area. For example, in English we teach translation of agricultural terms. In math, we learn how to compute for the most equitable distribution of yield from the plantations. We also teach basic farming so what they harvest is what we consume together here in ALCADEV.”     Chad poses with his students as they return to ALCADEV after weeks in evacuation. (Photo from Chad Booc)     Chad is currently handling Math classes for second- and third-year students and science classes for freshmen. On a typical school day, he wakes up at 5 or earlier to work on the farm with his students and to prepare for classes later that day. Morning sessions are usually spent on academic classes, while afternoons are for more leisurely activities, such as sports, games, and value education workshops.  “Our roles as teachers are not confined to teaching; we are sometimes advisers, even doctors or nurses when something happens to them,” Chad confides. “We also schedule engagements outside the comfort of our campus, such as when there are military attacks when we put on the hats of paralegals and human rights workers.” With Chad in ALCADEV are two other UP Diliman Psychology and Education graduates. He also handles the promotion arm of ALCADEV by establishing the school’s social media presence as a way to advance its advocacy and show outsiders what its around 150 students are accomplishing.     Debugging misconceptions  There are still many conflicting stories reaching Manila on the situation in Mindanao, particularly in Lumad schools like ALCADEV. But when asked what the biggest misconception about his vocation is, Chad replies, “I’m still taken aback when people tell me ‘Wow, what a big sacrifice you’re making!’ when I tell them I’m volunteer teaching in a Lumad school.” He realizes that what people perceive as a more burdened life has actually felt lighter.     Chad believes serving the people shouldn’t be romanticized as sacrifice. (Photo from Chad Booc)     “Now, I’m no longer alone in what I do because we perform all the tasks as a collective. I’m not chained to self-enrichment because I don’t have to worry about paying bills as a corporate slave in a cutthroat environment. In that set-up, one can easily lose a sense of purpose. What is all this work for? For whom?” He relates that his work gives him drive because he knows he directly contributes to furthering the cause of an aggrieved sector in society.  His advice to fresh graduates and fellow iskolars looking to volunteer? Go for it. Immerse and integrate with basic sectors, from Lumad, to peasants, farmers, workers. During his tenure, he is learning many useful skills such as basic journalism and documentation, community organizing, even public relations. He believes there is no point romanticizing what he does because it should not be viewed as a deviation, but rather the baseline of what a UP student must offer the people he or she serves.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "College of Fine Arts launches Israel-Philippines Ceramics Collaboration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/college-of-fine-arts-launches-israel-philippines-ceramics-collaboration/",
        "html": "College of Fine Arts launches Israel-Philippines Ceramics Collaboration College of Fine Arts launches Israel-Philippines Ceramics Collaboration April 2, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion     Video by the UP Media and Public Relations Office     Guests from the art worlds of Israel and the Philippines flocked to the UP College of Fine Arts (UP CFA) Corredor Gallery in UP Diliman for the opening of “Common Ground: A Ceramic Art Collaboration Between Israel and the Philippines” on March 28, 2019. The exhibit was a culmination of a weeklong series of ceramic art-centered activities led by Israeli guest artist Roy Maayan, who gave a series of talks and workshops as a lead-up to the launch.  The launch aimed to use clay as a medium to establish stronger cultural ties between Israel and the Philippines.  This spirit was echoed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion in his opening message. “There may be barriers in language,” he said, “but when it comes to art we speak one language.”     Guests from both Israel and the Philippines admire the ceramic artworks featured in ‘Common Ground’. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Concepcion also congratulated the proponents of the launch, led by Maayan and the UP College of Fine Arts Ceramic Studio under Prof. Ma. Rita B. Gudiño, for building bridges that brought the two cultures closer. The same general sentiment of bringing cultures and peoples together through art was echoed by  Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Rafael Harpaz and UP College of Fine Arts Dean Leonardo Rosete in their own messages. The three guests of honor later led the ribbon cutting ceremonies that opened “Common Ground”.  Starting on March 23, Maayan led Master classes, artist talks, and open studio sessions on creating ceramic art that were open to the public. These included sessions from forming, casting and decorating bisque fired artworks to soda finch kiln firing. These events are in line with the  UP CFA Ceramic Studio’s plan to institute a multidisciplinary Ceramic Arts Program as a new minor in the College of Fine Arts that aims to widen  the knowledge, skills, and conceptualization skills of students in the use of the medium.     The opening of ‘Common Ground’ brought artists and culture lovers from two countries to UP Diliman for a taste of ceramic art. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “Common Ground: A Ceramic Art Collaboration Between Israel and the Philippines” runs from March 29 to April 12, 2019. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Chinese Migration to the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chinese-migration-to-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Chinese Migration to the Philippines Chinese Migration to the Philippines May 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP-CIFAL Philippines will be holding a webinar presenting its research on the Chinese migration to the Philippines. This will also serve as a venue for people to express their insights and recommendations regarding the issues linked with Chinese migrants in the Philippines. This will be the first installment of our webinar series.  Register here: https://bit.ly/2zzKhDq       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President appoints experts to Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-appoints-experts-to-philippine-energy-research-and-policy-institute/",
        "html": "UP President appoints experts to Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute UP President appoints experts to Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute October 20, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (extreme left) administers the oath of the new PERPI Executive Board at the Executive House, UP Diliman. They are (from left to right) Dr. Renato E. Reside, Jr., Atty. Jose M. Layug, Jr., Engr. Andrea May Caguete, and Atty. Richie Ramos-Pilares.     University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo Concepcion appointed experts to the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute (PERPI).  The Institute was created under Republic Act No. 11572, signed into law on July 30, 2021. PERPI is an independent energy research institute attached to the University. It will study recent developments and scientific breakthroughs in energy. It will also identify key policy areas in the Philippines’ energy sector and formulate research-based policies and strategies for cost-effective and environmentally sound use of energy resources. Eventually, the Institute will promote and strengthen research efforts on sustainable, efficient, and indigenous energy resources. Under the law, the PERPI is an independent agency attached to the University of the Philippines, with its budget separate from UP.  PERPI was envisioned by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, the former Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and author of the law, to be the independent think tank for energy policy and sustainability in the Philippines. [https://powerphilippines.com/gatchalian-proposes-think-tank-for-energy-security-sustainability/] The Institute will spearhead the need to provide research to address policy gaps in the energy sector reforms that will directly benefit the consumers.  The Institute commenced its initial organization with the appointment of the members of the Executive Board of Directors and Executive Director. UP President Concepcion, as ex-officio Chair, administered the oath-taking of the Executive Board last September 17, 2022, at the Executive House in the UP Diliman campus.  The newly appointed members of the Executive Board, who are recognized energy experts from engineering, law, science, economics, and social science, with backgrounds from the academe, public, and private sector, are Atty. Jose M. Layug, Jr., who previously served as Department of Energy Undersecretary and Chair of the National Renewable Energy Board and is currently the President of the Developers of Renewable Energy for AdvanceMent, Inc. (DREAM), a professor at UP College of Law and Dean of the University of Makati School of Law; Atty. Richie Ramos-Pilares, who previously served as Assistant Secretary of the DOE and is currently the Corporate Secretary of DREAM and professor at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law; Dr. Renato E. Reside, Jr., now a Director of Research and Associate Professor at UP School of Economics and an expert in macroeconomics and investment in infrastructure; Engr. Melita V. Obillo, who previously served as DOE Director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau, Director of the Energy Planning and Policy Bureau, and an expert in downstream oil and gas; Assistant Professor Roderick Catriz, currently the Chair of UP Los Baños Electrical Engineering Department and Project Development Associate of the Office of the UPLB Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; and Engr. Andrea May Caguete, Manager of the Legal Department and currently the spokesperson of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines with expertise in trading operations of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.     The PERPI Executive Board, with UP President Concepcion as ex-officio Chair and the newly appointed Executive Director, Ms. Mia Camila Urbano-Africa (2nd from left).     Upon the PERPI Executive Board’s recommendation, Concepcion appointed Ms. Mia Camila Urbano-Africa, an energy sector professional with 15 years of experience, as Executive Director. Ms. Urbano-Africa has a Master’s degree in Petroleum Geoscience. She has worked previously at the DOE Petroleum Resources Development Division and with various petroleum companies in the private sector, most recently as Senior Geologist at PXP Energy Corporation. She was involved in exploring petroleum service contracts in the Philippines, specifically in the Northwest and South Palawan Basins, Cagayan Valley Basin, and the Sulu Sea Basin.  With these appointments, Concepcion declared that the Philippines will now have an institute of academics with a wide range of expertise covering all fields of energy and disciplines.     UP President Concepcion and the newly appointed PERPI Executive Board and Executive Director. PERPI Executive Director Africa is accompanied by her husband, Mr. Mark John S. Africa, and their three daughters."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP breaks into top 500 in world rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-climbs-up-the-the-world-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP breaks into top 500 in world rankings UP breaks into top 500 in world rankings September 12, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       London-based magazine Times Higher Education (THE) has placed the University of the Philippines in the world’s top 500 universities according to the 2020 THE World University Rankings.  The national university is listed in the 401-500 group of 1,396 ranked research universities.  This is UP’s fourth year in the rankings.  It was included for the first time in 2017 among the top 1,000. The succeeding rankings showed marked improvement for UP as it climbed to the top 800 in the 2018 edition and to the top 600 for 2019.  THE assesses research-intensive universities based on 13 performance indicators in five areas: teaching (30 percent), research (30 percent), citations (30 percent), international outlook (7.5 percent) and industry income (2.5 percent).  For 2020, UP has been ranked 159th in citations which places it in the top 11 percent of prestigious universities that have “influence in spreading new knowledge and ideas.” Its score in citations went up from last year’s 69.1 to 86.9. THE examines research influence by capturing the average number of times a university’s published work is cited by scholars globally. This year, bibliometric data supplier Elsevier examined 77.4 million citations to 12.8 million journal articles, article reviews, conference proceedings, books and book chapters published over five years. The data include more than 23,400 academic journals indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database and all indexed publications between 2014 and 2018. Citations to these publications made in the six years from 2014 to 2019 are also collected.     Rankings data for the University of the Philippines. Source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-philippines     UP also scored better in teaching (from 21.7 to 24.1), research (from 16.4 to 17.2) and industry income (from 35.8 to 39.4). A global academic reputation survey partly determines the scores for teaching and research.  UP, however, slipped in international outlook, with its score down from 39.5 to 37.9. International outlook considers the number of international students and staff as well as international collaboration.  Only two universities from the Philippines appeared in the latest table. UP is still the leading university in the country.  THE publishes some of the most influential rankings used by the global academic community which include the Asia University Rankings, Asia-Pacific University Rankings, Emerging Economies University Rankings, and the World University Rankings by Subject. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO to offer series of chamber performances in upcoming concert – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-to-offer-series-of-chamber-performances-in-upcoming-concert/",
        "html": "UPSO to offer series of chamber performances in upcoming concert UPSO to offer series of chamber performances in upcoming concert July 16, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Chamber music fans celebrate! If you enjoy the music of trios, quartets, and quintets, here’s a treat for you: The UP Symphony Orchestra will present a series of chamber performances by its members in their upcoming concert, Sketches.  Covering a wide range of emotions and sounds, the concert program includes a pleasant flute trio serenade by Saverio Mercandante, a playful string trio of Antonin Dvorak, and a passionate string quintet of George Onslow. The orchestra will also premiere an arrangement of Hector Berlioz’s Quaerens Me from his Requiem for viola ensemble, Edward Grieg’s Sarabande from Holberg Suite for cello and bass ensemble, and a surprise song of Ernani Cuenco for string quartet.  The concert will end with the entire orchestra reunited on the (virtual) stage, to perform the well-loved Mindanao Sketches by Col. Antonino Buenaventura.        Not all performing is done the same way. Performing along with only three people requires a kind of attention and skill different from performing embedded within a full 65-piece orchestra. Performing solo, on the other hand, is a whole different matter on its own. With this concert, the UP Symphony Orchestra aims to highlight its members’ volatility in performance, showcasing their skills not only as orchestra performers, but chamber musicians as well.  Sketches is the sixth and final installment of the orchestra’s ongoing third concert season which began last October 2020. Their virtual hour-length productions include a mix of archive videos from past performances, and new, remotely recorded works. But the group has no plans of slowing down after this release: Their fourth season immediately kicks off in August, starting an exciting, jam-packed lineup of concerts, guest artists, and more that should not be missed. Sign up for their newsletter at tiny.cc/upsomail to receive updates!  Catch the premiere of Sketches along with all previous and upcoming UPSO concerts on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The premiere is set for Friday July 23, 7pm, and will be available for viewing until July 31.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP Symphony Orchestra evokes the Filipino spirit in upcoming online concert – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-symphony-orchestra-evokes-the-filipino-spirit-in-upcoming-online-concert/",
        "html": "The UP Symphony Orchestra evokes the Filipino spirit in upcoming online concert The UP Symphony Orchestra evokes the Filipino spirit in upcoming online concert May 24, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       A playful ballet divertissement, nostalgic melodies, and experimental sounds—think orchestra with traditional Philippine instruments. This is just a glimpse of what can be expected from the UP Symphony Orchestra’s next online concert entitled Kayumangging Lahi.  Though seemingly a random mix of works, they are all tied together by a common thread: the celebration of Filipino creativity, talent, and culture. The concert will feature numbers borrowed from sarsuwelas (Jose Estella/Lucio San Pedro, and Bienvenido Lumbrera/Lucio San Pedro), well-loved serenades (Antonio Molina), and beloved works both old and new (Lucio San Pedro, Robin Estrada). The numbers all evoke the feeling of hearing music, reading words, or seeing art from our own country—the feeling of connecting with it on a very deep level that is hard to articulate. This concert is full of music that hits those precise feels for every Filipino.  The concert will also give a tip of the hat to the highly anticipated reopening of the Metropolitan Theater that is happening this year.     Photo by the UP Symphony Orchestra.     The UPSO proudly features its own members as soloists for this online production, namely its concertmaster Janine Samaniego, and trumpeter John Paulo Ramos. Viewers will also be treated to a performance of UP Tugtugang Musika Asyatika (UP TUGMA). This Independence month, the UPSO is taking the opportunity to celebrate our heritage, our talents, and our music.  Kayumangging Lahi is the fifth installment of the orchestra’s ongoing third concert season that began last October 2020. Their virtual hour-length productions include a mix of archive videos from past performances, and new, remotely recorded works. The season will conclude with a concert in July.  Watch the concert on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The premiere is set for Friday, June 18, 7pm, and will be available for viewing until June 25.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao to host international workshop on mathematical biology on 09-11 June – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-to-host-international-workshop-on-mathematical-biology-on-09-11-june/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao to host international workshop on mathematical biology on 09-11 June UP Mindanao to host international workshop on mathematical biology on 09-11 June June 7, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao will host the 4th International Workshop on Mathematical Biology or IWOMB 2021, to be held online via Zoom from 09 to 11 June 2021, with the theme “Strengthening Decision-Support Systems for Better Public Policy through Infectious Disease Modeling”.  Since its establishment in 2018, IWOMB has aimed to promote mathematical biology research in the Philippines and provide an opportunity for researchers to establish collaborations across the Philippines and abroad. IWOMB 2021 will gather Filipino and foreign experts working in mathematics and the life sciences such as population dynamics, ecology, development biology, biophysics, physiology, and epidemiology, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few.  The IWOMB 2021 keynote speakers are Dr. Tyll Krueger of Wroclaw University of Science and Technology on Day 1, and Dr. Jomar Rabajante of the UP Los Baños on Day 3. The plenary speakers for Day 1 are: Dr. Alastair Jamieson-Lane of the University of Oldenburg; Dr. Wolfgang Bock of Technische Universität Kaiserslautern; and Dr. Alejandra Herrera-Reyes of the University of Nottingham. For Day 2, the plenary speaker is Dr. Aurelio de los Reyes V of UP Diliman, while Dr. Youcef Mammeri of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne is plenary speaker for Day 3.  The IWOMB 2021 keynote and plenary talks on Day 1 and all of Day 3 will be open to the public via live-streaming on YouTube. Interested persons may access the free livestream at bit.ly/AMDABiDSSHealth. Upon clicking the URL, click the “subscribe” button, click the Notification Bell icon, which will open a drop-down menu, and click “All.” On the day of IWOMB, the subscriber will receive an email from YouTube containing the link to the livestream.  For more information, visit IWOMB 2021’s official website and the official IWOMB 2021 Facebook page.  A scientific poster presentation on Day 2 will feature three-minute talks by eight finalists who will communicate their scientific discoveries using popular language.  IWOMB 2021 is designed as a workshop or mini-course wherein selected participants are given lectures, learning materials and projects to be solved in workshop groups. The participants are expected to have learned and applied relevant mathematical modeling in solving biology-related problems by the end of the three-day event.  The scope and instructors of IWOMB Workshop Series #1 to #6 are: “Introduction to Numerical Methods for Stochastic Models” with Dr. Herrera-Reyes and Dr. Jamieson-Lane; “From Infection to Disease Spread – Multiscale Modeling” with Dr. Alexis Erich Almocera; “Seeing you every day! Understanding Disease Dynamics using Panel Regression Approach” with UP Mindanao’s Dr. Pedro Alviola IV and Mr. Zython Paul Lachica; “Optimizing Logistical Operations in Health Services: Application of Location-allocation Models” with Dr. Rhoda Namoco; “Introduction to Mathematical Epidemiology: Ordinary Differential Equations” with Dr. Stacey Smith and Mr. Abel Lucido; and “Spatiotemporal Pattern of Infectious Diseases” with Dr. Jayrold Arcede, Dr. Randy Caga-anan, and Dr. Mammeri.  The UP Mindanao Center for Applied Modeling, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics for Decision Support System in Health (AMDABiDSS-Health) is the lead organizer of IWOMB 2021. AMDABiDSS-Health is a newly-established research center in UP Mindanao focusing on deriving insights from patterns and correlations in health-related data using quantitative methods, data analytics, and applied mathematical modeling approaches. Its main objective is to create decision-support systems that will empower local government units and public health officials.  AMDABiDSS-Health may be contacted through nicer.upmin@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao debaters hailed champions in international tournament – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-debaters-hailed-champions-in-international-tournament/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao debaters hailed champions in international tournament UP Mindanao debaters hailed champions in international tournament September 2, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Mindanao Debate Society team emerged as champions in the first edition of The Novice Debate (TND) in an online competition on 15 and 16 August 2020. Frederick Omalza, an alumnus of the BS Biology program, and Michael John Galendez, a second-year BS Agribusiness Economics student, triumphed in a 5-2 split decision with convincing rebuttals to a motion for capable individuals to forgo non-essential activities in times of crisis.  “We argued that people in vulnerable situations need alternatives to avoid psychological degradation and for people to help in ways they can be most effective,” said Galendez.  The Omalza-Galendez duo survived rigorous elimination rounds and reached the semi-finals where they won by unanimous decision against a Malaysian team in their opposition to the motion for the United States to intervene in the India-China conflict.  “We argued that the US should not intervene because it has the potential to give a strategic excuse for the Chinese Communist Party to legitimize further military actions in the Himalayas,” said Galendez.  The UP Mindanao Debate Society has previously competed and placed in various regional and national debates and were champions in the Mindanao International Humanitarian Law Debates 2017. Omalza was awarded 4th Best Judge in the Taiwan Debate Open 2019.  TND was in British Parliamentary format and joined by 40 teams from debate institutions all over Asia. This year’s edition span motions in philosophy, law, international relations, crisis, pop culture, technology, and tourism. Novice debaters are ones who have not participated in major international debate tournaments. "
    },
    {
        "title": "National Artist Ryan Cayabyab leads 2021 UPAA awardees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/national-artist-ryan-cayabyab-leads-2021-upaa-awardees/",
        "html": "National Artist Ryan Cayabyab leads 2021 UPAA awardees National Artist Ryan Cayabyab leads 2021 UPAA awardees May 25, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, National Artist for Music [2nd from left], receives his UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus 2021 award from UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia [extreme left], UP Alumni Regent and UPAA President Reynaldo Laserna [2nd from right], and UPAA Board Member Romeo Nones [extreme right]. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). National Artist for Music Raymundo Cipriano “Ryan” Cayabyab was named 2021 Most Distinguished Alumnus by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA). Thirty-three other alumni, one organization, and five families received recognition for lifetime achievement, contribution to their fields, and service and loyalty to the University at a dinner ceremony on May 19, 2022, at the UP Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman.  Recognized for their lifetime achievements were nurse-educator Phoebe Cabotaje-Andes, Justice Francis Jardeleza, Architect Antonio Turalba, and an agriculturist-academician, Dr. Reynaldo Villareal.  Named distinguished alumni were: Henry Rhoel Aguda for banking innovation; Dr. Julie Caguiat for community development; Dr. Leonora Angeles for community planning; Cecilia Cayosa-Borromeo for corporate governance in banking and finance; Engr. Jose Maria Ochave for corporate governance in the pharmaceutical industry; Dr. Edgardo Manguiat for music; and Florencio Louis Antonio Quintos for theater.  The next batch of distinguished alumni awardees includes Dr. Eligia Clemente for educational innovation; Engr. Ramon Allado for engineering and construction management; Engr. Raymund Arnold Albert for entrepreneurship and employment creation; Prof. Herman Mendoza for environmental conservation and sustainable development; Atty. Generoso Calonge and Atty. Jaime Victor Ledda for foreign service; Ramon Eleuterio Alikpala for water governance; and Santa Rosa, Laguna Mayor Arlene Arcillas and Andrea Domingo for good governance.  The large hall in Ang Bahay ng Alumni comes alive once again as the UPAA honors this year’s jubilarians and crop of Distinguished Alumni awardees. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  The third batch consisted of Dr. Rodrigo Angelo Ong and Evelyn Calica-Mayuga for humanitarian services; Dr. Herbert Gaisano for medical health research; Dr. Abraham Rasul, Jr. for overseas health professional empowerment; Dr. Manuel Vallesteros for public health promotion; Sen. Pilar Juliana Cayetano for public service; Atty. Roberto Rafael Lucila for legal empowerment and development; and Eleanor Guerrero-Campbell for public service for the welfare of Filipino migrants and urban planning and innovation.  Mia Joy Oallares-Cawed is the awardee for legal development and empowerment in protecting women and children; Prof. Reynaldo Libunao Garcia for molecular biology; Dr. Armand Salvador Mijares for archaeology Engr. Francisco Arellano, for water conservation and sustainable development.  Ethel Rubio of UPAA-Greater Los Angeles and the UPAA in America Inc. are UPAA awardees for Distinguished Service. The Uson-Noel family is the four-generation UPAA awardee. The Cariño, Papasin-Tapang, Pineda-Romero, and Turalba families are recognized for producing three unbroken generations of UP alumni.  UP President Danilo Concepcion gives a virtual toast in honor of the UPAA Distinguished Alumni awardees. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). Malaki ang responsibilidad ng isang alumnus ng UP.” The 2021 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, Mr. C, delivers his address on behalf of his fellow awardees. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  The UPAA awards are traditionally held in conjunction with the organization’s annual general alumni homecoming. This year’s jubilarians were Batches ’96, ’81, ’71, and ’61. Because of the pandemic, their presentations were videotaped.  The first face-to-face awarding ceremony during the COVID-19 pandemic was also an opportunity to hand over the trophies and plaques to the 2020 UPAA awardees, the UP health front-liners represented by the UP constituent university chancellors. The UPAA decided to give an unprecedented collective award, the UPAA Most Distinguished Alumni Award, for their service in the face of the global pandemic.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, who hosted the event, sent a video message to the awardees. “This recognition from the UP Alumni Association is distinct. Your Alma Mater and your fellow alumni honor you for bringing pride and glory to UP and embodying the Tatak UP to the fullest,” he said.  Concepcion described the awardees as “heroes” and “exemplars.” “Our people, especially our UP students, need to see more demonstrations of the values to help them navigate this ‘new normal,” he pointed out.  Cayabyab described the award as “very special,” coming from the University where he lived since birth, the son of a College of Music faculty member and opera singer, studied from elementary to college, and taught for two decades.  “Malaki ang responsibilidad ng isang alumnus ng UP. . . .  Hindi po natatapos ang paglilingkod nating mga isko at iska sa bayan. Ang alam ko, titigil lamang ang paglikha ko ng musika kapag ako’y patay na,” Cayabyab stressed. He made a point about UP alumni knowing how to sort through the mass information, lies, and errors online. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons take down Soaring Falcons – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-take-down-soaring-falcons/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons take down Soaring Falcons Fighting Maroons take down Soaring Falcons September 17, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The Mall of Asia Arena watches the ball from Bright Akhuetie’s second free throw that would give UP the lead against Adamson in the last seconds of the game. This was the winning shot for the Fighting Maroons. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It was a nail-biter reminiscent of last season’s finals bid: the UP Fighting Maroons head to head with the Adamson University Soaring Falcons. Last year’s semifinals saw UP snatching the finals spot away from Adamson, knocking away its twice-to-beat advantage in what was arguably the two most exciting games of Season 81 of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.     Denied! Ricci Rivero rejects Jerom Lastimosa’s last attempt for the Soaring Falcons. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In their much anticipated first meeting in Season 82, UP’s Bright Akhuetie and prized recruit Kobe Paras rallied the Fighting Maroons to victory in overtime, 83-82.  Akhuetie filed his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 18 rebounds, while the debuting Paras successfully emerged from his baptism of fire with 20 markers and six boards. Save for Juan Gomez de Liaño’s one trip to the line, Akhuetie and Paras received the most charity chances. Both also clocked in the longest playing times among the UP squad this season, with Paras playing for 41:05 and Akhuetie for 34:38.     Top scorer in the match against Adamson, Kobe Paras celebrates the UP victory in his first game of the season. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The tight first quarter saw the Maroons ahead with the first lead change of the match happening in the last few minutes, ending with a two-point deficit for UP at 18-20. Six of those points were off David Murrell’s field goals, six from Paras’s basket and free throws, four from Akhuetie’s field goal and charities, and two courtesy of Jun Manzo’s basket.     Soaring Maroon? David Murrell flies to an early basket. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     No fear. Kobe Paras takes on the taller Lenda Douanga to sink a Maroon basket. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     But Adamson was hell-bent on widening the gap in the next quarter. One-and-done Falcon guard Val Chauca surely made his presence felt by banking 15 of his team’s 21 points: nine points from three treys, four from two inside the arc, and two from the line. UP struggled against Adamson’s 11-0 run in the second half of the quarter, with only one inside shot by Akhuetie and one of two free throws from Paras. The team from Diliman trailed by 16 at the end of the first half, 25-41.     Bright Akhuetie tries to snatch the ball off Lenda Douanga. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jaydee Tungcab on the way to make two for UP (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Pep Squad shows the “puso” in the UP mantra, “Utak at Puso” (mind and heart). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As if the double-digit damage to UP wasn’t enough, Adamson veteran Jerrick Ahanmisi shot two, less than 30 seconds into the third quarter, marking the biggest lead in the game at 18. But the Fighting Maroons weren’t about to take it lightly.     Fresh off the bench, James Spencer goes for three. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Whatever happened in the Maroon dugout during half-time was the much needed shot in the arm as UP retaliated with three runs after Ahanmisi’s basket: 9-0, 7-0, and 6-0, with the in-betweens accounting for only three Adamson points. Less than two minutes remaining, Falcon AP Manlapaz stopped UP’s run with a two-pointer, only to be answered by Paras’s inside shot. Adamson center Lenda Douanga sank another basket before Juan Gomez de Liaño’s trey sealed the deal for UP to end the third quarter with a two-point lead, 52-50.     Juan Gomez de Liaño drives to the basket as Jerrick Ahanmisi tries to step on the brakes in this fast break. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Noah Webb tries to get up after taking the shot as everyone waits for the ball to drop. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Double high-fives. UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Diaz (in maroon) and former Maroon captain Paul Desiderio celebrate after Juan Gomez de Liaño banks a three to give UP a two-point lead at the end of the third quarter. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Heart-stopping would be one of the best ways to describe the last quarter, with five deadlocks and six lead changes across the last ten minutes of regulation time. UP’s James Spencer kicked things off with a three-point shot a few seconds in and Adamson replied with a 7-0 run. With 22 seconds left and the team from Ermita up by three, Paras drove to the basket against three Falcons as fellow Maroon Javi Gomez de Liaño ran outside the arc. As if guided by a sixth sense, Paras executed a smooth no-look pass to the UP forward who was free to take the three-pointer. With 17.8 seconds remaining and 10 left in the shot clock, Gomez de Liaño’s trey slid into the ring to tie the game. With no answer from Adamson, the match went into overtime.     It’s one against four as Ricci Rivero rises above the Soaring Falcons to take the two. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Man on a mission. Focus is etched on Javi Gomez de Liaño’s face as he takes the three-pointer to tie the game for UP. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The first three minutes of the five-minute overtime saw UP behind by seven, 75-82, with only a two-pointer from Akhuetie against nine Falcon points. But Adamson began to unravel after its shot clock violation in the last two minutes. Akhuetie made his two charities. With less than a minute to go, Paras scored two. Manzo stole the ball from Ahanmisi with 39 seconds left and went for the layup, cutting down the Falcon lead to one.     “U-ni-ber-si-dad-ng-Pi-li-pi-nas,” chants the Maroon crowd. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Bright Akhuetie goes for the paint points two minutes into overtime. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Kobe Paras takes the ball to the basket from Juan Gomez de Liaño’s inbound pass to bring UP’s deficit down to three with 52 seconds left in the game clock. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jun Manzo lays it up after swiping the ball from Falcon Jerrick Ahanmisi across the court, with 39 seconds left to play. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     With Adamson in possession and looking to set up its play, Maroon Juan Gomez de Liaño intercepted a pass from Ahanmisi to Manlapaz and ran with it. A mad scramble in the dying seconds of overtime ended with Akhuetie getting fouled. Sinking both his free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining, he gave UP the one-point lead. Ricci Rivero then foiled Falcon Jerom Lastimosa’s attempt at a three by tipping the ball and securing UP’s win.  The UP Fighting Maroons will be facing the National University Bulldogs next, on September 18, 10:30am, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA sends out a call for nominations for UP Alumni Awards 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-sends-out-a-call-for-nominations-for-up-alumni-awards-2023/",
        "html": "UPAA sends out a call for nominations for UP Alumni Awards 2023 UPAA sends out a call for nominations for UP Alumni Awards 2023 January 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) has launched the search for nominees for the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards 2023. The awards are given to honor UP alumni who have pre-eminently distinguished themselves, based on the concept that “when the prestige of the alumni increases, the prestige of the institution is thereby increased.”  The awards ceremony for 2023 will be held on Saturday, August 19, at 4:30 p.m., at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City.  The UPAA grants awards to UP alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in their chosen fields of endeavor and have given outstanding contributions that bring about significant benefits to society and distinct honor to the University. Recognition is given to those with accomplishments that impact the communities in which they are or have been active, whether on the local, national, or international level.  The categories for nominations are:  UPAA Most Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Award – given to an alumnus/alumna who, in addition to qualifying for a UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award, also satisfies the criteria for the Most Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award described below; UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards – given to senior alumni who have achieved professional distinction and demonstrated meritorious service throughout their career; UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards – conferred on alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions in their chosen field of endeavor; UPAA Distinguished Service Awards – given to individual alumni and alumni chapters or groups who have rendered exceptional service in the pursuit of the goals of the University and the Association; UPAA Multigenerational UP Alumni Family Awards – bestowed on families who have produced, as of the end of 2019 and 2020, at least three successive generations of UP alumni.  The 2023 UPAA Awards Committee urges sectors and groups to identify alumni nominees who are everyday heroes or unsung achievers who make a difference through their quiet work in obscure areas of the country or foreign territories.  Nominations for the awards are accepted from any UP alumnus or alumni chapter until Friday, March 31, 2023.  For details, please get in touch with the UPAA Secretariat at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Magsaysay Ave, UP Diliman, Quezon City, tels. 7910-6390; 7587-8722; or email upaa.awards2023@gmail.com.  Conceived in 1933, the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards began with the UPAA Gold Medal of Merit and the Diploma of Honor. Until 1938, only two UP alumni were chosen annually to receive the awards.  The awards were suspended in 1939, and again in 1941 to 1946, due to World War II. However, in 1947, four UP alumni were posthumously awarded as war heroes.  As the University grew older, more and more UP alumni attained distinction. Thus, in 1957, the UPAA began giving awards in the different service categories, which today are the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards. In addition, as the UPAA’s activities multiplied and it began calling on the assistance of some of its members, the UPAA Service Award was created in 1968.  In 2020, the first year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the UPAA decided to give just one unprecedented collective award, the UPAA Most Distinguished Alumni Award, to all UP Health Frontliners all over the world, living and deceased, who heroically continued to serve in their various lines of work in the face of the hazards of contagion to their lives. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to launch official email service for its alumni – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-launch-official-email-service-for-its-alumni/",
        "html": "UP to launch official email service for its alumni UP to launch official email service for its alumni October 29, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) is proud of its vast academic community, especially its over 300,000 alumni. They include among their ranks outstanding leaders and professionals in the country and around the world who continue to make their mark in their respective fields.  UP is launching its Alumni Email Registration (AER), an online application platform on the UP System Office of Alumni Relations (UP OAR) website. The virtual launch of the AER, dubbed “Let’s KONEK: Taralets!” will be held on November 12, Friday, at 10:00 a.m. Manila standard time, via TVUP’s YouTube channel, and the official UP YouTube and Facebook page. The OAR hopes to bind this global UP community even more closely and keep communication lines between the University and its alumni.  The UP alumni email is a service created for bona fide UP alumni who have been verified by the UP OAR. UP alumni are provided with their very own UP alumni email account, @alum.up.edu.ph, which bears the mark of a proud Iskolar ng Bayan and reflects the alumni’s shared membership in the UP community.  In addition, the UP alumni email aims to serve as the gateway to many benefits in the University. It has unlimited storage and will be the vehicle for the latest information on University and UP alumni events and opportunities for donation or volunteerism straight to the inbox. The UP alumni email also guarantees that its account-holders receive the monthly Alumni eNewsletter. It will be the keystone in updating the alumni’s personal information in the UP Alumni Database.  The UP OAR clarifies that the email account may not be issued to anyone other than the UP alumnus/alumna requesting the service. Only one email account per alumnus/alumna is allowed. The OAR will request periodic status updates from UP alumni to confirm their continued relationship with the University.  Be part of the launch of this email service for UP alumni on November 12!       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP honors CHED chair – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-honors-ched-chair/",
        "html": "UP honors CHED chair UP honors CHED chair January 10, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University held a testimonial dinner in honor of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III on January 4 at the Executive House, UP Diliman.     The honoree, Commission on Higher Education Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III says he is privileged to be with friends “in our quest to make Filipinos’ lives better through education.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     De Vera, who is an alumnus, professor, and former UP System official, was recognized for his chairmanship of CHED and of the UP Board of Regents, “for consistently exhibiting the outstanding qualities required of the highest implementer of policies and laws on higher education.”  His “unwavering resolve to expedite the implementation” of Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act is a testament to de Vera’s character, the citation read.  De Vera’s “comprehensive understanding of the issues surrounding higher education,” which was attributed to his being a professor at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and his administrative experience in UP Diliman and the UP System, “enabled him to craft timely and relevant policies and reforms.”  He was acknowledged for “successfully steering UP’s Padayon Public Service Office in promoting synergy between academic institutions and the government” as VP for public affairs from 2011 to 2016.  And finally, de Vera was lauded “for his service as a scholar of the nation, displaying excellence in both national and international fronts of policy development, having served as adviser to the Government of the Philippines negotiating panel, president of the Association of Political Consultants in Asia, director of the Center for Policy and Executive Development, and executive director of the Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy at the [UP NCPAG], among many others.” (Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     From left, Atty. Benjamin Moraleda, de Vera’s classmate at Quezon City Science High School; Dr. Edna Co, the honoree’s colleague at UP NCPAG; CHED Commissioner Lilian De Las Llagas, who was also University and BOR secretary when de Vera was VP for public affairs of UP; and National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Lisa Grace Bersales, who served as VP for planning and finance and was de Vera’s colleague in former UP President Alfredo Pascual’s executive team. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     De Vera (left) receives the citation and tokens from UP President Danilo Concepcion. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Regent Angelo Jimenez leads the toast to de Vera. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-asian-journalism-research-conference-2019/",
        "html": "Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 Asian Journalism Research Conference 2019 March 29, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Department of Journalism of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication invites journalism and communication students to submit entries to the 2019 Asian Journalism Research Conference (AJRC 2019), scheduled on April 12, 2019 (Friday) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus.  The AJRC 2019 theme is: “JOURNALISM IN CRISIS, CRISIS IN JOURNALISM”  The conference will begin with a plenary session on this year’s theme. Invited speakers are:  Prof. Edson Tandoc of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Jeff Canoy of ABS-CBN, 2018 McLuhan Awardee and 2018 Palanca Awardee for Essay Tress Reyes of CNN Philippines Robert Jaworski Abano of Philippine Daily Inquirer  This will be followed by an undergraduate student research competition in three categories:  Academic Researches in Journalism (Journalism issues/theory) Investigative Reporting (original student work, in-depth print stories) Journalism Projects (original student long form journalism in print, broadcast or new media)  The AJRC seeks to promote academic research in Journalism as well as print, broadcast and online in-depth projects. Moreover, AJRC provides a venue for students to share their work with fellow students in the region. The activity is in line with the Department’s thrust of fostering excellence in journalism practice and research as a CHED Center for Excellence.  It is organized by the UP CMC Journalism Department in collaboration with the Universiti Sains Malaysia and the University of Santo Tomas Journalism Program. Academic partners include the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Trinity University of Asia. The conference is sponsored by the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (UP OVCRD), VERA Files, the Philippine Press Institute, Roland Simbulan and family, Jollibee Corporation and the Embassy of Canada in Manila.  For more information email up.journ.dept@mail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU’s space for lifelong learning in Kaohsiung – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upous-space-for-lifelong-learning-in-kaohsiung/",
        "html": "UPOU’s space for lifelong learning in Kaohsiung UPOU’s space for lifelong learning in Kaohsiung January 31, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Its name may be Philippines Learning Commons (PLC), but it isn’t just for Filipino workers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It’s for all overseas workers who wish to acquire knowledge, whether for personal development or career advancement. And yes, locals are welcome, too.  A result of the UP Open University’s (UPOU) partnership with the National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), the PLC was inaugurated in November 2018 at the main campus of NUK. It was a highlight of the UPOU-organized 3rd International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning, which was held abroad for the first time.     National University of Kaohsiung President Leon Shyue-Liang Wang during the inauguration of the Philippines Learning Commons in its main campus (Photo from https://www.nuk.edu.tw/files/16-1000-19661.php?Lang=zh-tw)     The initiative was also supported by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education, Manila Economic and Cultural Office, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan Ministry of Labor, Taiwan Ministry of Education, and Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Kaohsiung.  Two months prior to the inauguration, a soft launch was held at the UPOU headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, where NUK President Leon Shyue-Liang Wang captured the essence of collaboration in his statement: “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” At the inauguration program itself, he said the PLC sparked hope in people “who didn’t even dream of going to college before”.  That spark of hope is what UPOU intends to ignite by widening access to quality higher education, for those who need to work or take care of family, for those who can’t physically attend traditional universities, wherever they may be in the world. As the acknowledged leader in open learning and distance education in the Philippines, the UPOU adds another achievement with the PLC and UP, a milestone in its history.     Standing, from left: Director-General Cheng Tai-Yun, Kaohsiung-Pingtung-Penghu-Taitung Regional Branch, Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor; UP VP for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo; and National University of Kaohsiung President Leon Shyue-Liang Wang; Seated, from left: Director General Huang Chiu-Kuei, Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor and UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria (Photo from the UP Open University)     The latest University statistics from 2017 show that UPOU’s student population only accounts for almost seven percent of the UP System’s population of more than 53,547. It is not an impressive figure. But when one considers that UPOU has the second highest student enrollment on the graduate level across the UP System, then its strength as a provider of advanced and continuing education cannot be ignored.  Having global reach means UPOU is no stranger to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hoping to earn their degrees from UP. One of them is Joanne Gerio, who graduated with a Master of Development Communication degree in 2018. “How fortunate we are now to live in a world where learning is not only confined within the four walls of the classroom,” she said in her valedictory address.     The UP Open University (UPOU) caters to those who are unable to attend traditional universities because of familial and professional obligation or because of physical disability. Some of the University’s students and graduates are overseas Filipino workers. Here is the UPOU Class of 2018 during the graduation ceremony in September. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     And it is true. In today’s technology-driven world, anyone, not just OFWs, with internet access can avail of UPOU’s learning materials. They can even become UPOU students, whether through its degree programs or its massive open online courses. There is just a little something extra for those in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. With the PLC, lifelong learners not only have a technology-equipped educational facility, but also the space to converge and converse, where they can learn from quality resource materials and from each other.  And UPOU won’t remain the only Philippine institution involved in the PLC. As part of the national university system, it is not only expected to lead but to help build the capacities of other Philippine universities, public and private, so that higher education in the country is strengthened. According to UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, “This is in consideration of UPOU’s initiative and mandate to cascade our best practices and really include other Philippine universities to have their opportunity to serve and be part of this Philippines Learning Commons.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP co-hosts AUN 2nd International Health Promotion Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-co-hosts-aun-2nd-international-health-promotion-conference/",
        "html": "UP co-hosts AUN 2nd International Health Promotion Conference UP co-hosts AUN 2nd International Health Promotion Conference September 24, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Officials and participants of the ASEAN University Network-Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN) 2nd International Health Promotion Conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines (UP), together with the ASEAN University Network (AUN), co-hosted the AUN’s 2nd International Health Promotion Conference, with the theme, “Moving towards Healthy Universities in Asia”, on August 20-21 at the Novotel Manila, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.  With the aim of enhancing the development of health-promoting universities and the implementation of programs based on the “Healthy Universities Framework”, the conference culminated with the signing of the “Manila Declaration: Universities as Centers of Health and Wellness”, a vital and historic output of the conference, on August 21.  The AUN-Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN), a thematic network of the AUN, primarily aims to “create a platform for ASEAN higher education institutions for collaboration and networking among themselves and with other key stakeholders in order to enhance the health promotion efforts in the region”.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa, delivers the welcome message of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     AUN Executive Director Choltis Dhirathiti welcomes the participants of the 2nd International Health Promotion Conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, vice president for International Relations and Corporate Communication, Mahidol University, Thailand, delivers her welcome message. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHEd – Philippines) Chair J. Prospero de Vera III delivers his welcome message. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Welcome messages were delivered by: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, represented by UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa; AUN Executive Director Choltis Dhirathiti; Mahidol University (Thailand) Vice President Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti; and, Commission on Higher Education (CHEd – Philippines) Chair J. Prospero de Vera III at the opening ceremony on August 20.  Secretary of Health (Philippines) Francisco Duque III, delivered his keynote message on “Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Health through Healthy Universities” based on the experiences and accomplishments of the Department of Health and the Universal Health Care law.     Hon. Francisco Duque III, Secretary of Health, Philippines, delivers his keynote message, “Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Health through Healthy Universities: DOH Perspective”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Plenary and parallel discussion sessions were held, covering a broad range of topics on health-related research, programs, policymaking, institution and country-based experiences, best practices, and networking initiatives in health promotion; as well as addressing prevailing issues, such as mental health, non-communicable diseases, and others. There were a total of 48 poster presentations, 57 parallel oral presentations, and 10 plenary presentations by expert resource persons.     Conference participants view research posters outside the plenary hall. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Various topics were discussed in the parallel sessions. Photo by Jun Madrid.     Health promotion in universities in Asia  Coordinator for Formation and Ethics Guia Tan, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines); and AUN-HPN Executive Director Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn discussed health promotion in Asian universities.  Mahidol University (Thailand) Vice President for International Relations and Corporate Communication Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, former dean of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, and former Secretary of Health (Philippines), and Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla of UP Manila shared lessons and insights on teaching and learning health promotion.  The UP Dance Sport Society, Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, and De La Salle Innersoul student groups performed special numbers at the welcome dinner.     Coordinator for Formation and Ethics Guia Tan of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Ateneo de Manila University, discusses health promotion in Philippine universities. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     AUN-HPN Executive Director Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn discusses health promotion in universities in Asia. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Translating research to policy  The second day of the conference, August 21, marked the signing of the “Manila Declaration: Universities as Centers of Health and Wellness” and the continuation of the plenary and parallel session discussions.  Professor Hiroyasu Iso of the Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University (Japan), Vice Director Daisaku Nakatani  of the Center for Global Health, Osaka University (Japan), and Dr. Orratai Waleewong, researcher in the International Health Policy Program (IHPP), Ministry of Public Health (Thailand), at the plenary presented key lessons and experiences on translating health promotion research to policy.     Professor Hiroyasu Iso of the Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Global health promotion initiatives for universities  Health Promotion Technical Officer Riita-Maija Hämäläinen of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Senior Health Specialist Gerard Servais of the Asian Development Bank, Dr. Supaporn Sudnongbua of the Faculty of Public Health, Naresuan University, Thailand, and Dr. Mark Dooris, Chair of the United Kingdom Healthy Universities, and Professor of Health and Sustainability, and Director of Healthy and Sustainable Settings Unit, University of Central Lancashire, England, discussed specific health promotion programs and global initiatives focusing on universities.     Health Promotion Technical Officer Riita-Maija Hämäläinen, of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office discusses specific health promotion programs and global initiatives focusing on universities. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Senior Health Specialist Gerard Servais of the Asian Development Bank discusses specific health promotion programs and global initiatives focusing on universities. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Signing of the “Manila Declaration”  The “Manila Declaration for Healthy Universities” focuses on the role of universities as centers of health and wellness, in addition to their being centers of learning, research, and service. “Universities can also serve as hubs for health promotion, health literacy and culture, adoption of healthy lifestyles, and creation of safe and healthy teaching and learning environments,” the Declaration states.  The Declaration identifies globalization, changes in human behaviors and relationships, and impact on natural and social environments as factors “resulting in the rise of non-communicable, lifestyle and chronic diseases, injuries, mental health issues”, spread of diseases, and other challenges. With the AUN-HPN and the Healthy Universities Framework it formulates “to address these concerns early in our society’s youth”, member universities are primarily called upon to support and implement the said Framework “to contribute to human development and healthy societies of the future”.  The Declaration also emphasizes that addressing global health challenges calls for “the development of innovative approaches, methods and technologies” and “requires the collaboration, coordination, and collective actions of State and non-state actors, parties, and organizations”.  “As social, behavioral and natural scientists, health professionals, researchers, administrators, students and staff, we recognize and commit to our task and obligation of creating nurturing, healthy and safe universities and environments necessary for the promotion of the health and wellness of our constituents and the general population,” the Declaration states.     Dr. Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn and Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa lead the signing of the “Manila Declaration: Universities as Centers of Health and Wellness”. Photo by Jun Madrid.     Conference participants also sign their names on the tarpaulin poster to express their support of the “Manila Declaration: Universities as Centers of Health and Wellness”. Photo by Jun Madrid.     “Manila Declaration: Universities as Centers of Health and Wellness”. Photo by Jun Madrid.     Conference participants  More than 300 participants attended the conference, comprised of experts, researchers, academics, students, and officials of government agencies and non-governmental organizations who are working on health promotion. They came from 12 countries, namely:  Brunei (University of Brunei Darussalam); Cambodia (Royal University of Phnom Penh); United Kingdom (University of Central Lancashire); Hong Kong (BSR Asia Pacific Ltd.); Indonesia (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Airlangga); Japan (Okayama University Medical School, Osaka University, Shinshu University); Malaysia (University Kebangsaan Malaysia, University Putra Malaysia); Myanmar (Defense Services Medical Research Center, University of Economics); Singapore (National University of Singapore); Vietnam (Vietnam National University); Kingdom of Thailand (Mahidol University, Burapha University, Chiang Mai University, Chulalungkorn University, Naresuan University, Thammasat University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Mahasarakham University, Walailak University, Thai Health Promotion Board); and, the Philippines (UP System offices, UP Manila, UP-Philippine General Hospital, UP Diliman, UP Open University, UP Los Baños, Ateneo de Manila University, Central Mindanao University, Centro Escolar University, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, De La Salle University, Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila, Department of Health, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Far Eastern University, Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies, Mariveles Medical Hospital, Mariano Marcos State University, National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions, New Era University, Physicians for Peace Philippines, St. Paul University Manila, San Beda University, University of Santo Tomas College of Nursing, Western Mindanao State University, World Health Organization -Western Pacific Regional Office).  The Philippines, as host, had 269 registered participants. The country’s initial members of AUN are: UP, De La Salle University, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Thailand had the largest foreign delegation, with 55 participants.     Participants of the conference tour the UP Diliman campus. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "A Filipino in America: 1930s Pelikulang Filipino, Amerikanong Kolonialismo, at Negosiasyon ng Kolonyalidad – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pelikula-lektura-up-film-institute-philippine-cinema-centennial-lecture-series/",
        "html": "A Filipino in America: 1930s Pelikulang Filipino, Amerikanong Kolonialismo, at Negosiasyon ng Kolonyalidad A Filipino in America: 1930s Pelikulang Filipino, Amerikanong Kolonialismo, at Negosiasyon ng Kolonyalidad February 19, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Pelikula Lektura: UP Film Institute Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture Series supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines continues with the former Dean of the UP College of Mass Communication and the current director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing Dr. Rolando B. Tolentino—February 28, 2019 (Thursday) 9:30 AM at the UPFI Film Center – Cine Adarna in UP Diliman.  Admission is FREE and open to the public. Certificates will be awarded to non-UP Film Institute students and only upon request.  For interested participants, you may register at tinyurl.com/PelikulaLekturaRBT  LECTURE TITLE A Filipino in America: 1930s Pelikulang Filipino, Amerikanong Kolonialismo, at Negosiasyon ng Kolonyalidad (A Filipino in America: 1930s Filipino Films, American Colonialism, and the Negotiation of Coloniality)  ABSTRACT The 1930s marked a beginning in the Philippines to transition from a colony into an independent nation via the Tydings-McDuffie Act that provided for a ten-year commonwealth government beginning in 1935. This meant a trial self-rule initially through the Filipinization of the heads of government offices prior to the granting of independence by the U.S. Film provided a focal point in nation-formation, allowing for a coloniality under the supervision of the U.S. and an experimentation in colonial governance for the Philippine elite on the other hand, and the soft-selling of the official nation-formation through film’s evocation of a new media for middle-class decorum, national language policy, and ideological colonial subject transformation of the masses that patronized the movies on the other hand.  In this presentation, I map out the little available materials on the 1930s Filipino films as a successful commercial venture that saw the rise of the first generation studios, and the taking over of the Big Four studios in the late 1930s. The adaption of films provided for a newer popular culture of stars and genres, a devolution of the middle class experience in the expansion of stand-alone moviehouses nationwide, and the popularization of Tagalog as the national local language of choice of the Commonwealth government.  I look into two pioneering filmic texts–the film A Filipino in America (Doroteo Ines, 1938, 32:57 min.) and a critical essay “Ang Pelikulang Tagalog” (The Tagalog Film, 1938) by Teodoro Virrey—as discursive formation of the liminal colonial subject—one that remains colonial even as it transitions to independence and post-independence subjectivities. The texts represent the articulation of a local colonial subjectivity—a diasporic laboring subject in the film, and nationalist local subject in the critical essay—within the larger transitioning nation-formation and transformation of the 1930s era and beyond.  BIO Rolando B. Tolentino is faculty of the UP Film Institute and former dean of the UP College of Mass Communication. He is Director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing where he also serves as fellow. He has taught at the Osaka University, National University of Singapore, and University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include Philippine literature, popular culture, cinema and media, interfacing national and transnational issues. He writes and has published books on fiction and creative non-fiction. He is a member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics Group), Altermidya (People’s Alternative Media Network), and Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND-UP).  The Pelikula Lektura: UPFI Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture Series aims to highlight key historical events and phenomena in Philippine cinema in the last 100 years and reflect upon what history can teach us for the next 100 years of our journey. The lectures will be presented by the leading scholars and respected critics & artists in the roster of the UPFI faculty and lecturers. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP OSDS accepting applications for Student Learning Assistance Online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-osds-accepting-applications-for-student-learning-assistance-online/",
        "html": "UP OSDS accepting applications for Student Learning Assistance Online UP OSDS accepting applications for Student Learning Assistance Online November 7, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Office of Student Development Services has reopened the Student Learning Assistance Online (SLAS Online) to accommodate UP students who require learning assistance in AY 2022-2023. This is also to allow students affected by Typhoon Paeng to apply for financial aid.  Undergraduate students, including Juris Doctor and Doctor of Medicine students, may file applications for the UP Grants-In-Aid Program (GIAP) and Remote Learning Assistance through the SLAS Online. Beneficiaries of Free Higher Education (RA 10931) may also apply.  The SLASOnline will accept applications beginning on 3 November 2022.  Applicants must log in using their respective UP Email (@up.edu.ph). Details of the 3rd round of applications for student learning assistance are as follows:  Assistance Application Period                                          3 – 13 November 2022 Release of Results                                                                 14 November 2022 Submission of Appeals                                                   14 – 20 November 2022  Students are encouraged to contact the SFA Helpdesk of their campus should they encounter issues when filing applications to the SLAS Online.  Heads of CU Student Affairs Units are requested to disseminate the information to eligible students. For your guidance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tiamzon relishes return to form in win over Adamson – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tiamzon-relishes-return-to-form-in-win-over-adamson/",
        "html": "Tiamzon relishes return to form in win over Adamson Tiamzon relishes return to form in win over Adamson July 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net  Nicole Tiamzon has had a diminished role as an attacker with BanKo Perlas with other spikers like Ella De Jesus, Amy Ahomiro, and Amanda Villanueva in the lineup.  On Sunday, however, the former University of the Philippines stalwart had the opportunity to start the game.  And Tiamzon paid instant dividends with a team-high 14 points in their four-set win over Adamson University, 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21, in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.  “I guess I’ve been put into the game a little more frequent now and I’m exposed to the game more and to the situation itself,” said Tiamzon as they won their first match in three outings.  Tiamzon was absent in the Perlas Spikers’ first game in the conference and when she returned just in time for their second match she rode the bench the whole time.  And now that BanKo Perlas was able to win its first game, Tiamzon hopes they can build off from their victory and improve for the rest of the eliminations.  “This should be the start because it would be a waste of effort if we don’t capitalize on it,” said Tiamzon. “And I think we finally had the confidence and it’s like this was the first time that we won since last conference.” (Bong Lozada, Inquirer.net)  Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/255673/tiamzon-relishes-return-to-form-in-win-over-adamson "
    },
    {
        "title": "Underdogs, fight! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/underdogs-fight/",
        "html": "Underdogs, fight! Underdogs, fight! July 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   All smiles for the members of the UP men’s basketball team and coach Bo Perasol after signing a sponsorship agreement with 8990 Holdings chief Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio for their training in Las Vegas. (Photo from Inquirer.net)     Feeling like an underdog is not unusual. A lot of people must have probably felt neglected some time in their lives—that feeling when people underestimate you and they don’t see your true potential and think you are not valuable.  Yet, the process of proving them wrong is the sweetest victory that the underdogs can ever experience—enough to start a party by the bonfire.  This kind of grit is what property developer 8990 Holdings and the University of the Philippines men’s basketball team (UP Fighting Maroons) have in common. Being underdogs in their respective fields—the latter in collegiate basketball and the former in the housing industry—brought them together in this unique partnership.  Last June 24, 8990 Holdings president and chief executive Januario Jesus Gregorio “JJ” Atencio III signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with UP to sponsor the training of the men’s basketball team in Las Vegas in time for the upcoming University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80.  Interestingly enough, Atencio —a true-blue Atenista, but undeniably has a heart for the Maroons—agreed to sponsor the team’s training in one of the best training camps in the world. Although unwilling to disclose the specific amount, he humbly said it would cost him a few million pesos.  This is the training camp where NBA and NCAA teams in the US practice and where national teams would want to set foot in.  “This is going to be our first time to get them to go there,” Maroons coach Dolreich “Bo” Perasol said in an interview.  The underdogs  The training camp will be a big help for the Fighting Maroons—always the bottom dwellers in recent years. Last season, their five wins astounded many fans and alumni. From being at the bottom of the rank, the team was two wins away from making it to the final four.  8990 Holdings, on the other hand, is still considered an underdog in the housing industry in spite of its success. This is despite having been listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in the past seven years.  8990 Holdings is currently valued by the stock market at around P35 billion. This is just a drop in the bucket compared to property blue chips like Ayala Land, which has a market capitalization of around P595 billion, or SM Prime Holdings, which is now valued by the market at close to P1 trillion. 8990 Holdings is also valued at less than half of how much Vista Land is trading for (P77 billion) or less than a third of Megaworld Corp.’s valuation of P145 billion.  “Early on, we realized that success is not just a result, it’s a process. And so you got to enjoy the process of becoming champions in the same way that we are in the process of becoming champions in the industry where we are in,” Atencio told the team. 8990 Holdings President Januario Jesus Atencio (center) receives a Toym Imao sculpture as a symbol of appreciation from the UP community for sponsoring the UP men’s basketball team’s training in Las Vegas. From left: UP Fighting Maroons manager Dan Palami, Nowhere to go but UP Foundation founder Renan Dalisay, Atencio, UP President Danilo Concepcion, and Fighting Maroons coach Bo Perasol. (Photo from Inquirer.net) Not smart enough for UP?  “My parents are not from UP. My grandparents are not from UP … My mother told me, ‘You know what J? You’re not too smart to study there,’” Atencio recalled.  But he can always say he has that UP connection, having taken swimming classes there when he was nine years old.  Atencio said he found out about the financial need of the Fighting Maroons from his friends, Renen Dalisay of nowheretogobutUP Foundation and veteran fund manager and entrepreneur Kevin Khoe.  “One of the things that interests me with this sponsorship is this: You are the only team in the UAAP and in the NCAA that carries the name, not only just of the school, but also of the country,” Atencio told the UP team.  Deca Homes, 8990 Holdings’ banner project offering affordable housing, was similar to the UP community, Atencio said. It’s a community where people from all walks of life are present, he said.  Atencio said the basketball team’s potential, commitment and attitude were the reasons why he would root for them.  In return, 8990 Holdings wants to encourage the team to join basketball clinics for the homeowners of Deca and become the brand ambassadors of the project.  The Las Vegas dream  The team members are thrilled for having the chance of training in Las Vegas. Perasol said the training would be on July 22 until August 5.  “That’s a two-week training program. The training there is three times a day, so we have two sessions in the morning and one session in the afternoon. It’s [going to be] all about basketball,” Perasol said.  The team would also get a chance to train with an expert who has helped players get drafted in the NBA. Perasol said the experience would give them that world-class edge by the time they return for the fresh season.  Players Diego Dario and Gelo Vito are also hoping for a stronger and better team after their Las Vegas stint.  “The main reason for us in going to the US is to build chemistry within the team. We feel that it’s really important coming in to the season, knowing that they’re saying that we are contenders. Everything starts with team chemistry,” Vito said.  During the off-season, the Fighting Maroons participated in the FilOil Flying V Premier Cup, which the players said helped them get their act together.  Ibrahim Ouattara, the 6-foot-9 find from the Republic of Mali, has easily adapted to the Maroons’ style, thanks to the camaraderie within the team. He showed his exceptional skills in the court and posted a 22-point, 25-rebound double-double to lead UP in the FilOil semifinals game against San Beda.  At the very least, Ouattara said the training would help them be on par with other leading teams in the UAAP.  “I think it’s a pretty good thing because for a team to really be ready on a higher level like La Salle and Ateneo, you have to be ready not only with the resources but also with the performance in the court. There is work before that. Like this preparation for example, the team going to Vegas is going to help us to be better and to perform well,” Ouattara said.  Members of the team can only thank their supporters, including 8990 Holdings.  “We’re always grateful to anyone who helps the team and we’re looking forward [to the trip]. I think that’s going to help us be more competitive this coming season,” Dario said.  It only takes one person to believe in a team like the Fighting Maroons to become more motivated in their quest for success. Atencio may have once been a stranger to the UP community, but is now one of the biggest benefactors of the underdogs in the UAAP. (Caselda Cruz and Odelinne Jan Lina, Inquirer.net)  Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/232762/underdogs-fight "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s Charmed Season 81 Ends with Runners-Up Trophy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-charmed-season-81-ends-with-runners-up-trophy/",
        "html": "UP’s Charmed Season 81 Ends with Runners-Up Trophy UP’s Charmed Season 81 Ends with Runners-Up Trophy December 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          In a game that rallied the UP community to a degree rarely seen in the last 32 years, the UP Men’s Basketball Team settled for the runners-up trophy, falling to now back-to-back champions Ateneo Blue Eagles, 99-81 at the Araneta Coliseum on December 5, 2018. It was a passionate showing for the Fighting Maroons and their supporters, who stayed to cheer their boys on long after the contest had been decided.  Ateneo ace Thirdy Ravena, who was forced to shoot from the outside by good defense from Javi Gomez de Liaño, was simply too much for the Maroons. He scored 38 points, including two consecutive 3-pointers in the 4th quarter, which effectively put away any comeback hopes for UP. Fresh from a near-triple double performance in Game 1, Ravena’s point total is the highest in a UAAP Finals game since 2003.  Ange Kouwame, who, before the game, was named the first foreign-born Rookie of the Year in UAAP Men’s Basketball history, was unstoppable in the paint, outplaying the injured Season 81 MVP Bright Akhuetie en route to 22 points of his own, with 20 rebounds. Ateneo’s pick-and-roll plays, with Kouwame as the roll man, were a constant thorn in the side of the Maroons, as the 19-year old Ivorian feasted on smaller defenders off switches with easy dunks all evening.  Despite shooting woes, both from the field and from the line, the Fighting Maroons played intense basketball until the final whistle, led by a resurgent Paul Desiderio and Season 80 Rookie of the Year Juan Gomez de Liaño. They found themselves in an 11-point halftime hole, however, having shot just 35% from the field and getting outrebounded 30-18. These difficulties would persist in the second half, and Ateneo’s lead was never truly threatened from then on.  Desiderio bounced back from his Game 1 struggles to score 15 points, grab 7 rebounds and dish out 3 assists in his last game as a Fighting Maroon. Juan Gomez de Liaño valiantly led most of UP’s runs in the second half, finishing with a team high 24 points and 7 rebounds. Akhuetie, whose left knee brace became a source of controversy and delay before the game, finished with 19 points.  Despite the setback, the UP fans among the more than 23,000 Game 2 attendees, showed their appreciation for the team’s impressive showing throughout the season up until the singing of school hymns. It was the first time since 1986 since the Men’s Basketball Team last had a taste of the Finals, and the team never quit despite seemingly insurmountable odds. (Andre DP. Encarnacion, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ireland’s Ambassador to the Philippines visits UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/irelands-ambassador-to-the-philippines-visits-up/",
        "html": "Ireland’s Ambassador to the Philippines visits UP Ireland’s Ambassador to the Philippines visits UP August 8, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   From left to right: UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia; Assistant to the Ambassador Nicole Mempin; UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Evangeline C. Amor; Ambassador of Ireland William John Carlos; UP President Danilo Concepcion; UP Assistant Vice President and Office of International Linkages Director Imee S. Martinez; and UP OIL Senior Project Assistant Chynna Riego. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  His Excellency William John Carlos, Irish Ambassador to the Philippines, met with University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion and UP System officials in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, on Aug. 4, 2022, to discuss potential partnerships between UP and universities in Ireland.  The visit signals the start of academic collaboration between UP and Irish universities, such as University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and the National University of Ireland.  With Amb. Carlos and President Concepcion were: Nicole Mempin, Assistant to the Ambassador; Elena E. Pernia, UP Vice President for Public Affairs; Imee S. Martinez, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director, Office of International Linkages (OIL); Evangeline C. Amor, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Instruction and Curriculum); and, Chynna Riego, Senior Project Assistant, OIL.  UP President Concepcion and Ambassador Carlos discuss potential partnerships between UP and universities in Ireland. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UPPO launches online hub during hybrid conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uppo-launches-online-hub-during-hybrid-conference/",
        "html": "UPPO launches online hub during hybrid conference UPPO launches online hub during hybrid conference November 11, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   The UP System Procurement Office holds a conference for procurement officers across the UP System. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO).  The University of the Philippines System Procurement Office (UPPO), in cooperation with the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), held a conference on the procurement process at the University on October 28 at the International Center for Public Administration (ICPA), UP NCPAG, UP Diliman, Quezon City. The event also served as a venue for the launch of the website created by the UPPO for all its stakeholders.  UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo addresses the UPPO conference participants. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO).  Dubbed “Demystifying Procurement, Making the Right Choices,” the event was attended by administrative personnel from UP constituent units across the country. About 200 participants were physically present at the ICPA, and more than 160 joined online via Zoom. The UPPO enlivened the conference by conducting educational games in familiar formats: multiple choice, family feud, rearranging the letters to form words, and role-playing activities that imparted knowledge on different terms, stages, and members involved the procurement process.  The UP Procurement Hub, the website created by the UPPO for all its stakeholders (the UP constituent units, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members, BAC secretariat, and end-users), was launched in the afternoon. This website contains useful information such as procurement manuals, sample technical specifications based on previously awarded projects, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that provide users with workflow and detailed instructions.  Visit the UPPO website at www.upprocurement.wordpress.com.  According to Atty. Flor “Rissa” Ofilada, Director of the UPPO, the hub aims to “streamline and harmonize the procurement process, maximize the utilization of human and institutional resources, and create a collaborative and engaging environment for the office and the University.” She explained that the website contains information that can be accessed by the public and contents that are accessible only to authorized UP personnel. The website users are assisted through self-explanatory documents available in the hub while promoting economy and efficiency in government transactions.  The conference culminated with a cocktail party featuring performances by the UPPO Band.  The UPPO Band brings the jams to the UPPO conference. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP opens new training center for Fighting Maroons – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-opens-new-training-center-for-fighting-maroons/",
        "html": "UP opens new training center for Fighting Maroons UP opens new training center for Fighting Maroons February 1, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Members of the UP varsity teams, collectively called the UP Fighting Maroons and UP System officials pose with the thumbs-up sign at the start of the inaugural ceremony. UP officials at the center, from left to right: Vice-President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora, President-elect Angelo A. Jimenez, President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, CHK Dean Francis B. Diaz, Fighting Maroons manager Agaton O. Uvero, and NowheretogobutUP Foundation Inc. (ntgbUP) Chair Jed M. Eva III. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     The varsity teams of the University of the Philippines (UP), collectively called the “UP Fighting Maroons,” will have a new training center starting this year to hone their skills and pursue excellence in sports. Officials of the UP and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) led the inauguration of the UP Varsity Training Center (UP VTC) on January 25, 2023.  Located at the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) grounds at E. Jacinto Street corner Magsaysay Avenue in the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City, the center has a total floor area of 1,879.42 square meters. It offers a wide range of “state-of-the-art resources to help UP student-athletes reach their full potential.” Faculty and students can also use the center for academic purposes such as research and instruction.  The project, which had an allocated budget of Php130 million for the period 2019-2023, was completed with the support of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and the DPWH under the leadership of Sec. Mark A. Villar.  The CHK’s new facility provides UP athletes with the latest training and conditioning equipment. Team members can also use the conference rooms for meetings and the court for basketball and other indoor sports.  Construction of phase one of the training facility started in July 2019. Completion of phase three is scheduled for April 2023. The DPWH Quezon City 2nd District Engineering Office serves as an implementer. DEVEX Incorporated is the contractor for the project.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, UP President-elect Angelo A. Jimenez, UP Fighting Maroons manager Agaton O. Uvero, Department of Public Works and Highways – National Capital Region (DPWH – NCR) Assistant Regional Director Juby B. Cordon and UP CHK Dean Francis B. Diaz delivered messages of support for the student-athletes during the event.  AVP for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili served as program emcee.  This training center is the latest facility for UP athletes built and completed in the Diliman campus during the Concepcion administration, adding to the baseball field, football stadium, and the Epsilon Chi health and fitness center that opened in previous years.  The new UP Varsity Training Center. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). UP President Danilo L. Concepcion leads the ceremonial ribbon cutting and unveiling of the marker of the new UP Varsity Training Center located at the College of Human Kinetics ground at E. Jacinto Street corner Magsaysay Avenue in the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). UP President Danilo L. Concepcion leads the ceremonial ribbon cutting and unveiling of the marker of the new UP Varsity Training Center located at the College of Human Kinetics ground at E. Jacinto Street corner Magsaysay Avenue in the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO).      Photos showing some of the UP varsity teams’ new gym equipment being installed on the ground floor of the training center. Photos by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). UP President Danilo L. Concepcion delivers his inspirational message. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo thanks the UP System, College of Human Kinetics, and DPWH officials for completing the project for the varsity teams. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). Atty. Agaton O. Uvero, manager of the UP Men’s Basketball Team, urges the UP community and officials to continue supporting the varsity teams. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). Incoming UP President Angelo A. Jimenez pledges to continue supporting the CHK’s initiatives for its students, faculty and personnel, and the Fighting Maroons. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). DPWH – NCR Assistant Regional Director Juby B. Cordon delivers her message to UP’s athletes and the UP community. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). CHK Dean Francis “Kiko” Carlos B. Diaz thanks Senators Chiz Escudero and Mark Villar for their support for the UP and DPWH officials and the UP community. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO).  The UP Fighting Maroons’ multi-purpose court. Photos by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO). With UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UP College of Law professor Atty. Ma. Gabriela “Gaby” Roldan-Concepcion at the center. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mindanao-fractured-promises-continuing-challenges/",
        "html": "Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges March 6, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) is hosting the second installment of the Mindanao: Fractured Promises, Continuing Challenges forum series on March 13, 2020 (Friday), 1:00–5:00 PM, at the UP CIDS Conference Hall, Lower Ground Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.  This event is organized in cooperation with the Program on Alternative Development (AltDev), Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program (ACTRP), Decolonial Studies Program (DSP), Program on Escaping the Middle-Income Trap: Chains for Change (EMIT C4C), Islamic Studies Program (ISP), and Political Economy Program (PEP) of the UP CIDS.     About the Forum Series  The forum series aims to harness the research of the various UP CIDS programs conducting policy-oriented studies to examine some of the issues and concerns that define the Mindanao conundrum and arrive at recommendations addressed to the country’s decision-makers and other stakeholders.  The second forum will tackle political, historical, and educational issues with specific focus on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).     Speakers  PANEL 1: POLITICAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES IN MINDANAO  1:15 to 2:45 PM  Moderator: Aaron Abel T. Mallari (UP CIDS Decolonial Studies Program)  From ARMM to BARMM: Transition Plan and Implication  Julkipli M. Wadi  Professor, UP Institute of Islamic Studies  Decolonizing Polity Based on Muslim Thoughts: Reflections on BARMM  Nassef Manabilang Adiong, Ph.D.  Project Leader, UP CIDS Decolonial Studies Program  National Workshop and Conference on Philippine Muslim History (PMH)  Darwin J. Absari  Assistant Professor, UP Institute of Islamic Studies     PANEL 2: EDUCATION  3:15 to 4:45 PM  Moderator: Darwin J. Absari (UP Institute of Islamic Studies)  Sustainability Concerns of the Madrasah Education Program: Basis for Philippine Islamic and Madrasah Education Policy Review  Arlyne C. Marasigan, Ph.D.  Senior Researcher, UP CIDS Islamic Studies Program  Proposed Policy Review on BARMM Madaris Education  Yassen Ala  Co-founder, Youth Peace Hub and Philippine Collaboration for Inclusive Economies  Alternative Delivery Modes of Education in the BARMM  Marie Therese A. P. Bustos, Ph.D.  Convenor, UP CIDS Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program     Download the full concept note and schedule of the forums here.     Registration  The forum is free and open to the public, but pre-registration via bit.ly/cidsmindanao is required. (Note: The registration form is both for the February 20 and March 13 forums.)     Inquiries  For inquiries, kindly contact Ms. Liza Villanueva (Administrative Officer, UP CIDS Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program) at l.villanueva@actrc.org or at (02) 8981-8500 loc. 8682. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts delegates from Southern Taiwan Universities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-delegates-from-southern-taiwan-universities/",
        "html": "UP hosts delegates from Southern Taiwan Universities UP hosts delegates from Southern Taiwan Universities January 25, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Officials and faculty from the University of the Philippines, Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, and Southern Taiwan Universities. Photo by Jun Madrid.     University of the Philippines (UP) officials met with visiting officials and faculty from Southern Taiwan Universities and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung on Jan. 22, 2019 at the Tearoom of the UP College of Home Economics in Diliman, Quezon City.  The lunch meeting was held to start off a weeklong itinerary that aims to promote deeper friendships among the delegates of the collaborating institutions and organizations and to provide them with updates on continuing initiatives in pursuit of national and of Southeast Asian development.  Representatives from the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Shu-Te University, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, National University of Kaohsiung, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung Medical University, Chang Jung Christian University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Nanhua University, National Chung Hsing University, Yuan Ze University, Tung Fang Design University, Kainan University, 18H Coffee Co., Hua Hsi Chang Enterprise Co., KAGRO Biotech Co., Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, Formosa Social Innovation Development Institute, and The Greater Southern Branch of the Taiwan Yunus Foundation, together with officials from the UP System, UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Open University, UP Baguio, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) were briefed on activities conducted since the group’s first formal meetings were held a couple of years ago.  In his welcome message, UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa said, ”The meetings are continually bearing the desired fruits: academic partnerships, harnessing of identified strengths, and mutually beneficial upgrading of skills of our networks’ personnel.” Herbosa added that these international, inter-university and multi-sectoral dialogues “promote collaborations for academic, economic and technological developments beneficial to our region and most especially to our peoples.”     Dr. Yuan-Hsiang Chu, President of Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung. Photo by Jun Madrid.     Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association President Yuan-Hsiang Chu thanked UP for having been their “second home” since 2015, wherein the friendships among UP and Taiwan universities’ faculty as well as the Taiwanese delegation have also grown to include wider participation and more representatives from various sectors.  Professor Pearl Lin, President of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, acknowledged the officials’ dedication for making the collaborations possible. She also invited Filipino academics to make Taiwan their “second home” for visits and postgraduate studies.  Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu-Te University introduced the members of the Taiwanese delegation and gave an overview of their itinerary for the week. He expressed optimism for fostering a deeper relationship with the UP System.  Professor Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, UP System Vice President for Academic Affairs, introduced the officials of the Filipino universities present at the workshop. She added that all these initiatives started from friendships and common goals among faculty from the participating universities.     Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu-Te University. Photo by Jun Madrid.     The delegates were grouped according to their fields of specialization and interests, such as: management, health, open education, engineering, hospitality and tourism, social sciences, and natural sciences. Presentations on the Learning Commons sponsored by the National University of Kaohsiung, micro and social enterprises in Taiwan, faculty and student exchange programs, and postgraduate programs introduced the participants to new prospects for collaboration.  Professor Gil S. Jacinto, UP System Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director of the Office of International Linkages, provided a recap of the milestones achieved over a short period of time through UP’s partnership with Edu-Connect and Southern Taiwan Universities. He said the meeting led to more opportunities to link the academe with more sectors and opened participants to new prospects in the future.  Prof. Mary Delia G. Tomacruz, UP System Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (R&D Resource Management) facilitated the conduct of the event as the master of ceremonies.  The delegation is scheduled to meet in activities to be held from Jan. 22 to 27 with officials of: the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education (CHED); National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Department of Science and Technology (DOST); Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC); Association of Local Colleges and Universities (ALCU); University of Makati; University of Pasig City; Pasig City; Mandaluyong City; Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO); Batangas State University; Cavite State University (Indang); the Asian Development Bank (ADB); and, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO).  Participants aim to “explore international university-industry linkages, educational collaborations, university social responsibility projects, and research lab networking in the Manila Metropolitan and Calabarzon region”.  The weeklong visit was co-organized by the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association together with: MECO, Taiwan Association Inc., Taiwan Institute of Economic Research; and in collaboration with the UP System, PASUC, ALCU, ADB, NEDA, CHED, DOST, DTI, Mandaluyong City, and Pasig City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Filipino historian Dr. Samuel K. Tan passes away, 88 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/filipino-historian-dr-samuel-k-tan-passes-away-88/",
        "html": "Filipino historian Dr. Samuel K. Tan passes away, 88 Filipino historian Dr. Samuel K. Tan passes away, 88 January 7, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Dr. Samuel K. Tan. Photo from The Sulu Cultural and Historical Society on Facebook.  Renowned Filipino historian and academician, former Chair of the Department of History, University of the Philippines, and former Chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Dr. Samuel Kong Tan, passed away on January 6 at 88. He leaves behind a legacy of scholarly works, books, and writings exploring the History of the Philippines, especially of the Muslim South.  A proud son of the South with Chinese-Tausug-Sama parentage, Dr. Tan was born in Siasi, Sulu, on December 30, 1933. He was a consistently outstanding student, completing his elementary education at the Jolo Tong Jin School in 1949 and his secondary education at the Zamboanga City High School in 1953, both as valedictorian. He earned his AB degree in History at the Zamboanga A.E. College in 1963, graduating summa cum laude. He completed his MA in History from UP in 1967 and his Ph.D. in Social Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York, in 1973.  Dr. Tan taught at the UP Department of History from 1963 to 1994, training and mentoring generations of historians and history educators. He became Department Chair from 1977 to 1982. In 1994, he became Director and Convenor of the Mindanao Studies Program of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, which he held until 2002.  He also served as a Research Fellow and Consultant of the Tadhana Special Research Project under the Office of the Philippine President from 1974 to 1985. He was a Consultant for the Region IX Commission in 1976 and served as a consultant of Senator Santanina T. Rasul from 1987 to 1992; of Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) Administrator Almarin C. Tillah in 1999; and of Congressman Nur G. Jaafar from 2001 to 2002.  Dr. Tan served as Chairman-Executive Director of the National Historical Institute (NHI) and as Commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from 1997 to 1998; and Commissioner of the National Centennial Commission from 1997 to 1999. He was a Research Fellow, coordinator, and Consultant of the Regional Histories Project of the National Library from 1981 to 1983 and Consultant for History and Culture of the SPDA. He served as a lecturer in various academic institutions such as the National Defense College of the Philippines, the Development Academy of the Philippines, Sophia University, Silsilah Dialogue Institute, De la Salle University, and Mindanao State University.  Dr. Tan authored more than 20 books, including The Muslim Armed Struggle in the Philippines, 1900-1941 (1973); A History of the Philippines (1987); Decolonization and Filipino Muslim Identity (1989); Internationalization of the Bangsamoro Struggle (1993); The Critical Decade, 1921-1930 (1993); The Filipino-American War, 1899-1913 (2002); and the three-volume Surat Sug: Letters of the Sultanate of Sulu (2005) and The Muslim South and Beyond (2010). The Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS), through its President Bernadita Churchill, noted that “Tan’s writings long nurtured not only a spatial perspective and cultural sensibility, reflective of his familial roots deeply sown in Siasi, but also pioneered and sustained a new way of seeing and sensing the Muslim South as an integral part of the national narrative in modern Philippine history.”  Dr. Tan is a recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship (1970-1973). He also received the Chairman’s Award of Region IX Commission for outstanding achievements and service (1980),  the UP Professorial Chair for History (1988), the Fulbright Hays Research Grant (1984), the Ford-Rockefeller Grant (1993), the Chiang Ching Kua Foundation Research Grant (1995), the UP Alumni Association Outstanding Award for History (1998), the NHI Distinguished Service Award (1998), the NCCA Distinguished Commissioner Award (1999), and the Toyota Foundation Research Grant (2002). In 2020, the PNHS awarded Dr. Tan the Lifetime Achievement Award for History during its 40th National Conference on Local and National History for his life-long work on Philippine historical studies. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni named among the 2020 and 2021 Outstanding Government Workers by CSC – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-named-among-the-2020-and-2021-outstanding-government-workers-by-csc/",
        "html": "UP alumni named among the 2020 and 2021 Outstanding Government Workers by CSC UP alumni named among the 2020 and 2021 Outstanding Government Workers by CSC November 17, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Graphic by Peter Drapeza, UP MPRO.  Several UP alumni were among the 2020 and 2021 Search for the Outstanding Government Workers winners, an annual search administered by the Philippine Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Honor Awards Program. The honorees received their awards on November 15 via the Radio Television Malacanang’s Facebook page and YouTube channel and the Civil Service Commission’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.  According to the CSC’s website, the winners are chosen under three awards categories. The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award recognizes exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from an idea or performance that had a nationwide impact on public interest, security, and inheritance. The CSC Pagasa Award is given to an individual or group for outstanding contributions that directly benefit more than one government department. Finally, the Dangal ng Bayan Award is given to an individual for exemplary ethical behavior in observance of the code of conduct under Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.  Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardees  All of the 2020 winners of the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award are groups: the Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter Team of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI); the Bayawan Aquaculture Team of the City Government of Bayawan, Negros Oriental; and the National Retail Payment System (NRPS) Core Team of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which was recognized for creating a platform that allowed interoperability of all payment systems, resulting in better services for consumers and spurring the use of payment platforms such as PESONet and InstaPay, which hastened migration to online payments and provided broader financial inclusion for its digital-enabled system.  Two of these awarded teams count UP alumni as members. From the PNRI Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter Team: Gil Lantican Magsino, University Researcher IV, and Fernando B. Aurigue, Senior Science Research Specialist, graduated from the UPLB College of Agriculture and Graduate School. From the BSP NRPS Core Team: Anna Lissa T. Racines, Bank Officer V and graduate of the UP Diliman College of Business Administration (CBA); Atty. Bridget Rose Millan Mesina-Romero, Bank Officer V, is also a graduate of the UPD CBA and the College of Law. German S. Constantino, Jr., Bank Officer IV, likewise a graduate of the UPD CBA.  Among the individual 2021 recipients of this category of awards are the following UP researchers, faculty, and alumni:  Dr. Nelly Siababa Aggangan, University Researcher II/Scientist I of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UP Los Baños (UPLB); Flordeliza Hidalgo Bordey, Deputy Director of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, who graduated from the UP Diliman School of Economics; Angel Balisi Encarnacion, Agricultural Center Chief II/Scientist I of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, who graduated from the UP Visayas College of Fisheries; Dr. Gerardo Dizon Legaspi, Director of the UP Manila Philippine General Hospital; and, Dr. Rose Marie Rosete Liquete, Executive Director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, graduated from the UP Diliman College of Arts and Sciences and the UP Manila College of Medicine.  CSC Pagasa and Dangal ng Bayan Awardees  The UP alumni who are among the 2021 CSC Pagasa awardees are Prof. Ambrose Hans Guiyab Aggabao of Isabela State University, who earned his doctorate in Education degree from the UP College of Education; and Dr. Ester Battad Flores, Supervising Science Research Specialist/Scientist I of the Philippine Carabao Center, who graduated from the UPLB College of Veterinary Medicine.  Four groups also received the 2021 CSC Pagasa awards, with two of these groups counting UP alumni as members. The UP alumni who are members of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Team of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), one of the Pagasa awards recipients, are Dr. Romina R. Angangco-Danguilan, team leader and Deputy Executive Director of the NKTI, who graduated from the UP Manila College of Arts and Science and College of Medicine; Dr. Nerissa V. Mendoza-Gerial, Deputy Executive Director of the NKTI, who graduated from the UP Manila College of Public Health; and, Dr. Glenda Eleanor L. Pinga-Pamugas, NKTI Medical Specialist who took her pre-medicine course at the UP Diliman College of Science.  The other group-recipient of the CSC Pagasa award that counts UP alumni as members is the Technology Commercialization Team of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), Department of Science and Technology, Los Baños, Laguna. The team is composed of Noel A. Catibog, team leader and Chief Science Research Specialist at PCAARRD, who graduated from the UPLB College of Agriculture and Graduate School; Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, PCAARRD Executive Director who also graduated from the UPLB CA and Graduate School; and, Abigail B. Flores-Gueco, PCAARRD Senior Science Research Specialist who earned her degrees from the UPLB College of Economics and Management and Graduate School.  Completing the list, and recognized with the 2021 Dangal ng Bayan Award for his exemplary ethical behavior, is Dr. Jose Jonas Diño del Rosario, Medical Specialist and Coordinator for Public Affairs of the UP Philippine General Hospital.  With reports from Nelson Carandang and Lyzete Balinhawang, UP Office of Alumni Relations "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroons notch four straight wins in UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroons-notch-four-straight-wins-in-uaap-season-84-mens-basketball/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroons notch four straight wins in UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball UP Fighting Maroons notch four straight wins in UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball April 8, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP Fight: Members of the UP community cheer for the Fighting Maroons during the match with ADU. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons continue their winning streak, notching four more wins over National University’s Bulldogs, 80-70, on March 31; the University of the East’s Red Warriors, 81-66, on April 2; Adamson University’s Soaring Falcons, 73-71, on April 5; and the De La Salle University Green Archers, 61-59, on April 7.  With five straight wins and one loss against the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles, The UP Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) ranks 2nd in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’s (UAAP) Season 84’s Men’s Basketball Seniors Division Team Standings, below ADMU and followed by DLSU.  The basketball games under UAAP Season 84—the first to open since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the country into lockdown—are currently being held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and welcoming live audiences to the games starting April 4.  UP’s Ricci Rivero soared high during the game against NU. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  In the match against the NU Bulldogs, the UP Fighting Maroons came alive in the fourth period to win the game with a 10-point lead, with timely baskets from Zav Lucero, CJ Cansino, and Joel Cagulangan, and Ricci Rivero. Rivero, now one of the more senior members of the UP MBT, tallied 19 points, four assists, and two steals for the Maroons. Carl Tamayo chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds. Cagulangan unleashed nine points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Michael Malonzo led NU with 11 points, while Reyland Torres got 10 points, five rebounds, and four steals.  The Scores:  UP 80 – Rivero 19, Tamayo 13, Cagulangan 9, Fortea 8, Cansino 8, Spencer 6, Lucero 5, Diouf 4, Alarcon 4, Catapusan 2, Abadiano 2, Ramos 0, Lina 0.  NU 70 – Malonzo 11, Torres 10, Clemente 9, Mahinay 9, Felicilda 8, Ildefonso 7, Enriquez 4, Galinato 4, Tibayan 4, Joson 2, Manansala 2, Figueroa 0, Minerva 0, Yu 0.  Quarterscores: 20-25, 42-39, 55-53, 80-70.  In the heat of the match between a UP Fighting Maroon and a UE Red Warrior. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Opposite the UE Red Warriors, the UP MBT wrested a 17-point lead at the end of the 1st quarter. The team held on to it by a 26-point gap at the end of the 3rd quarter. UP Maroons’ Zav Lucero scored big again after finishing with 14 points and six rebounds, while Ricci Rivero also delivered 14 points, three rebounds, and three steals.  The Scores  UP 81 – Lucero 14, Rivero 14, Cansino 10, Tamayo 8, Diouf 7, Spencer 7, Calimag 6, Cagulangan 4, Abadiano 2, Webb 2, Eusebio 2, Lina 2, Catapusan 2, Fortea 1, Alarcon 0.  UE 66 – Escamis 16, Paranada K. 13, Pagsanjan 12, Catacutan 5, Lorenzana 5, Pascual 5, Guevarra 4, Tulabut 2, Sawat 2, Beltran 1, Cruz P. 1, Abatayo 0, Paranada N. 0, Cruz J. 0, Antiporda 0.  Quarters: 31-14, 50-32, 71-45, 81-66.  UP’s Joel Cagulangan pushing through a block by ADU. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  On Tuesday, April 5, Adamson University’s Jerom Lastimosa’s three-point jump shot went short, failing to chip away UP’s 3-point lead at the end of the 4th quarter. Zavier Lucero continued his stellar play for UP with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Malick Diouf played his best game with 16 points and 15 rebounds with three steals.  The Scores:  UP 73 – Lucero 20, Diouf 16, Tamayo 11, Rivero 10, Cansino 9, Cagulangan 3, Spencer 2, Abadiano 2, Fortea 0, Alarcon 0, Catapusan 0.  Adamson 71 – Lastimosa 18, Douanga 16, Zaldivar 14, Colonia 4, Magbuhos 4, Manzano 4, Hanapi 3, Sabandal 3, Jaymalin 3, Yerro 2, Barasi 0, Erolon 0.  Quarterscores: 13-22, 39-39, 55-53, 73-71.  UP’s Maodo Diouf drives through the Green Archers’ defense. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  UP’s match against the DLSU Green Archers was a nail-biter, with Zavier Lucero taking charge with 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead basket with 1:49 left. With the help of Joel Cagulangan, Lucero unleashed a 14-4 run to turn a 45-52 Fighting Maroons deficit to a 59-56 lead with 3:27 to go. The UP Fighting Maroons zoomed to 5-1, running their winning streak to four games while pulling the Green Archers down to 4-2 at the third spot.  The Scores:  UP 61 — Lucero 21, Tamayo 9, Cansino 9, Spencer 7, Diouf 7, Cagulangan 5, Fortea 3, Rivero 0, Alarcon 0, Abadiano 0.  LA SALLE 59 — Baltazar 13, Nelle 13, M. Phillips 9, Nonoy 9, Winston 7, Lojera 3, Galman 3, Nwankwo 2, Austria 0, B. Phillips 0, Cuajao 0.  Quarterscores: 17-17, 32-35, 43-48, 61-59.  The UP Fighting Maroons will be facing the Far Eastern University on Saturday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m.  Photos and reporting from the UAAP Media Group. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Hip hop star Apl.de.Ap delivers first two shipments of donated COVID-19 test kits to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/hip-hop-star-apl-de-ap-delivers-first-two-shipments-of-donated-covid-19-test-kits-to-up/",
        "html": "Hip hop star Apl.de.Ap delivers first two shipments of donated COVID-19 test kits to UP Hip hop star Apl.de.Ap delivers first two shipments of donated COVID-19 test kits to UP March 11, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Hip hop star Apl.de.Ap (in black, 2nd from right) opens up one of the boxes of COVID-19 test kits donated by his foundation and the UPAA of San Francisco to UP alongside UP President Concepcion (extreme right), UP PGH Director Legaspi (2nd from left), and Filipino-American businessman Dr. Larry L. Asera (in blue, extreme left). Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     The first two of five batches of COVID-19 test kits from the Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (ADAFI), the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco, Inc. (UPAASF), and UP alumnus and entrepreneur Yobie Benjamin have arrived at the University.  The Grammy-winning artist Apl.de.Ap, founding member of the hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, and chairman of ADAFI, officially turned over the donation to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP-PGH Director Gerardo D. Legaspi, and TVUP Executive Director Gigi Javier-Alfonso.  UP President Concepcion welcomes Apl.de.Ap and Dr. Asera to UP, with Ms. Lilibeth Defiesta-Asera of ADAFI and Power Doha International Freight Forwarding (2nd from right) looking on. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     The donation is the culmination of many months of massive efforts coordinated by US-based Mr. Ted Benito, Executive Director of the ADAFI, and Ms. Sonia Delen, ADAFI Board Director and immediate past president of the UPAASF.  The boxes containing DNA/RNA Shield™ Saliva Collection Kits, manufactured by Zymo Research Corporation, are currently housed in the newly constructed warehouse of the UP System Supply and Property Management Office in the Diliman campus. The boxes contain 131,000 COVID-19 test kits altogether, representing a partial shipment of the 227,722 test kits, worth US$2.85 million, donated to UP. The three remaining containers of test kits will arrive on or before March 18.  The first two of five batches of COVID-19 test kits donated by ADAFI and the UPAASF to UP have arrived at their new temporary home in a warehouse in UP Diliman. The kits will help ensure the safety of UP students and faculty returning to limited face-to-face classes on UP’s campuses. Photo by Celeste Llaneta (UP MPRO).     Opportunity to expand services  In his brief remarks, UP President Concepcion expressed his appreciation for the presence of Apl.de.Ap and the donation of the COVID-19 test kits. He officially accepted the gift during his meeting with UP alumni in San Francisco, California on December 10, 2021.  “Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts, from the Filipino people and UP,” he said.  UP President Concepcion thanks UP’s benefactors for the generous donation. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     UP PGH Director Legaspi also thanked Apl.de.Ap, Benjamin, ADAFI, and UPAASF for “giving us this opportunity to expand our services to our patients.”  “The plan is to expand this [COVID-testing service] to the whole UP community,” Legaspi said in his message during the turnover of the newly arrived first batch of testing kits. These kits will facilitate the immediate preparation of UP students for their gradual return to limited face-to-face instruction and practical academic work in laboratories and related facilities.  Related news: UP faculty discusses return to face-to-face classes this semester  Legaspi also commended the timeliness of the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 test kits since the UP PGH has just recently received certification from the Department of Health (DOH) to conduct saliva-based Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing. With this, the UP PGH has become one of few institutions, including the Philippine Red Cross and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, allowed by the DOH to conduct such testing.  “Saliva-testing has become a more convenient screening method for our patients as well as our students and faculty who will come in. It has also brought down the cost of testing from Php1200 to around Php300-400 per test, making it even more affordable and available to a lot of our constituents,” Legaspi said as he reiterated his gratitude for the donation.  UP PGH Director Legaspi expresses his deep appreciation before representatives from the UP community. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     Apl.de.Ap also gave a short message, thanking UP President Concepcion, UP PGH Director Legaspi, “for accommodating the test kits in a safe place.” He also thanked Yobie Benjamin, Ted Benito, Sonia Delen, UPAASF President Liza Gino, and Board Chairman Jim Cortes for helping make possible the massive gift to UP.  “I wish they could be here today but, unfortunately, they can’t be, so I’m here to deliver the goods. And now the first batch is here,” he said.  Other UP officials and staff members also attended the turnover ceremony. Filipino-American businessman Dr. Larry L. Asera and his wife, Ms. Lilibeth Defiesta-Asera, representing ADAFI and Power Doha International Freight Forwarding, which handled the transportation of the test kits, were also present.  Apl.de.Ap thanks the UP alumni and friends who helped make the donation possible. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     Taking the first step  During the reception hosted by President Concepcion at the UP Executive House, Apl.de.Ap responded to queries from the media. Asked about what celebrities can do to help people struggling with the pandemic and now the war in Eastern Europe, he replied: “Just spread the awareness of what’s going on. Try to help the people that are affected by the war that’s going on right now.”  “With all the social media and technology that we have, we could connect with people out there directly. You don’t have to follow organizations. You can do it yourself, just like what we’re doing right now. We’re in contact with people we know that could help. Just take the first step. Just spread the word of love, and raise awareness.”  “Connect with people out there directly. You can do it yourself. Just take the first step,” Apl.de.Ap advises celebrities looking for ways to help. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     When asked for a message to UP—from the UP alumni in the US who partnered with ADAFI to donate to the students and faculty who will benefit from the testing kits—he said: “I just want to say ‘maraming salamat’ to all of the UP community for always supporting us through music and all the other endeavors. I’m thankful for the reception and collaboration we’re doing for the test kits so that it’s available for them to cut costs. We’re here to collaborate and help.”  Earlier, ADAFI and UPAASF received support from Philippine Consul-General Neil Ferrer​​, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, the Philippine Consulate-General staff in San Francisco, and Philippine Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C., Jaime Ramon Torre Ascalon.​  Aside from Apl.de.ap, Benjamin, Delen, and Benito, UP alumni and friends Kevin Acebo, Dan Vo, Cathy Villarba, the UPAASF Board, Polly Cortez, Odette Keeley, Mae Dizon Perez, Fe Punzalan, Victor Villagracia, and Dr. Bambi Lorica, also helped with the shipment costs from the United States to the Philippines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Five out of 8 National Artists for 2022 are from UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/five-out-of-8-national-artists-for-2022-are-from-up/",
        "html": "Five out of 8 National Artists for 2022 are from UP Five out of 8 National Artists for 2022 are from UP June 15, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   From left to right: Gemino “Jimmy” Abad, Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Agnes Locsin, Antonio “Tony” O. Mabesa and Ricardo “Ricky” Lee.  Malacañang named eight new National Artists for 2022 on June 10. Of these eight, five are the University of the Philippines (UP) community members— Professors Emeriti, former faculty members, former students, and alumni.  The new National Artists from UP are: poet-critic Gemino Abad, National Artist for Literature, for providing future generations with a “comprehensive view of the landscape of Philippine poetry and fiction”; soprano Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, National Artist for Music, for contributing to a “Renaissance of classical musical theater in the country”; choreographer Agnes Locsin, National Artist for Dance, for spurring a “growing interest in neo-ethnic style among young artists”; actor-director Antonio “Tony” O. Mabesa, National Artist for Theater, for his contributions to the “growth and diversity of Philippine theater”; and, screenwriter Ricardo Lee, National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, whose filmography includes iconic films such as The Flor Contempacion Story and Sa Kuko ng Agila.  Gemino Abad, National Artist for Literature  Photo by JWP Capili (UP MPRO)  Poet and literary critic Gémino Henson Abad hailed from Cebu, Philippines, but later moved to Manila. In 1963, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in English, magna cum laude, from the UP College of Liberal Arts in Diliman, and his Masters of Arts and Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Chicago in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He taught English, comparative literature, and creative writing in UP Diliman for many years and served UP in various capacities, including as Secretary of the University, Secretary of the Board of Regents, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing.  Abad co-founded the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), which published Caracoa, a poetry journal in English. His other works include Fugitive Emphasis (poems, 1973); In Another Light (poems and critical essays, 1976); A Formal Approach to Lyric Poetry (critical theory, 1978); The Space Between (poems and critical essays, 1985); Poems and Parables (1988); Index to Filipino Poetry in English, 1905-1950 (with Edna Zapanta Manlapaz, 1988); and, State of Play (letter-essays and parables, 1990). He edited landmark anthologies of Filipino poetry in English, among them: Man of Earth (1989), A Native Clearing (1993), and, A Habit of Shores: Filipino Poetry and Verse from English, the ’60s to the ’90s (1999).  He was elevated to the rank of University Professor by UP Diliman, the highest honor awarded by the University to an exemplary retiring faculty member. He was a visiting professor at three foreign universities. Abad earned numerous awards, prizes, and literature and creative writing fellowships. He received: the Palanca Awards for Poetry, Philippines Free Press Awards for Literature; the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Award for Poetry; National Book Awards from the Manila Critics’ Circle; and the Asian Catholic Publishers Inc. Catholic Authors Award. In 2009, he became the first Filipino to receive the coveted Premio Feronia in Rome, Italy, in the foreign author category.  Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, National Artist for Music  Photo by JWP Capili (UP MPRO)  Fides Belza Cuyugan-Asensio, born on August 1, 1931, in Lucena, Philippines, is a Filipino coloratura soprano, actress, director, librettist, translator, and teacher. She earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees at the Philippine Women’s University, one in English, specializing in drama, in 1950, and the second in Music, major in voice and minor in piano, in 1951. Her graduation recital in 1951 earned her effusive praise from The Manila Times and, at that time, the foremost Filipino opera singer, Jovita Fuentes.  After graduation, Cuyugan-Asensio received a scholarship from the Curtis Institute of Music in Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1955 with an Artist’s Diploma, majoring in voice with special studies in stage movement and eurhythmics. She quickly became one of the leading performers and producers of opera in the country, making her operatic debut in 1955, singing as Adele in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. She has also performed in many world premieres of Filipino operas, such: as Ramon Santos’s Mapulang Bituin; Eliseo Pajaro’s Binhi ng Kalayaan; Lucrecia Kasilag’s Dularawan; and, as Sisa in Felipe de Leon’s Noli Me Tangere in 1957. She has also sung lead roles in Menotti’s The Telephone; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Verdi’s La Traviata; Britten’s Turn of the Screw; and Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodigue. and more. She also directed productions of several Filipino and Western operas.  She hosted musical TV shows and appeared in four films: Oro Plata Mata (1982), Niño (2011), Aparisyon (2012), and Mana (2014). In 1986, Asensio formed the Music Theater Foundation of the Philippines (MTFP). In 1988, she became Chair of the Voice and Music Theater Department in the UP College of Music, a position she held until she retired in 1997, after which the UP Board of Regents granted her the title of Professor Emeritus. She also served as the artistic director of the Opera Guild of the Philippines and, since 1987, MTFP president.  Agnes Locsin, National Artist for Dance  Photo by Dr. Michaelangelo Ebro Dakudao.  Born in Davao City on September 28, 1957, Agnes Dakudao Locsin finished elementary and secondary school at the Philippine Women’s University and graduated from the Ateneo de Davao University with a Bachelor’s degree in English. She earned her Master’s degree in dance from the Ohio State University in the US.  Locsin is known for developing the “neo-ethnic” Filipino dance choreography, which blends indigenous themes with Western classical and modern techniques, and includes immersion in indigenous communities where she interacts with and learns about their culture and traditions through dance. Among the works where she applied this choreography are: Encantada; La Revolucion Filipina; Sayaw, Sabel; and the four-part Alay sa Puno series. After earning her MA degree, she became the Artistic Director of the Locsin Dance Workshop in Davao City, which her mother founded. She also served as a faculty member of UP Diliman’s Dance Program and as the artistic director of the Ballet Philippines in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) from 1989 to 1999.  At the 2nd Tokyo International Choreography Competition (1994), Locsin was the winner of the Silver Medal and the recipient of the Prince Takamado Award from Japan’s Imperial Family.  Around the 2010s, Locsin began doing choreography for environmentally-themed works, such as Agila and the Puno series. She has received various awards, including the Gawad CCP Award Para sa Sining in 2013; the Alfonzo T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Arts for her book, Neo-ethnic Choreography: A Creative Process; and the Gador Award from the CCP. The Davao City government also gave her the Datu Bago Award for her contributions to dance and culture.  Tony Mabesa, National Artist for Theater  Photo by JWP Capili (UP MPRO).  Stage director, film and television actor, and theater professor Antonio “Tony” Ocampo Mabesa was born on January 27, 1935, in Los Baños, Laguna. He finished high school at the UP Rural High School and earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from UP Los Baños (UPLB) in 1956. In UPLB, he also became an Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity member. He earned his MFA in Theater from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1965 and an MA in Education from the University of Delaware in 1969, with further studies in dramatic literature at the University of Minnesota.  After earning his graduate degrees, Mabesa was offered a teaching position in the Department of Speech Communications and Theater Arts at UP Diliman. He pushed for establishing a Baccalaureate program devoted to Theater Arts, which began in 1978, and a Master of Arts in Theater Arts Program at UP Diliman. He founded Dulaang UP (DUP) in 1976 and the UP Playwright’s Theater in 1980. He directed and produced over 170 shows. He mentored many prominent artists in theatre, film, television, and the allied arts. UP Retired Professor of Theatre Arts Alexander C. Cortez, Tony and Obie-award winning designer Clint Ramos, playwright Nicolas Pichay, film and TV directors Dennis Marasigan, Rico Gutierrez, and Andoy Ranay, highly-acclaimed actors Shamaine Centenera, Irma Adlawan, Eugene Domingo, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Candy Pangilinan, Dolly de Leon, Harlene Bautista, JC Santos, and Neil Ryan Sese are just some of his students. In 1978, Mabesa served as Theater Director of the Manila Metropolitan Theater. In 2005, he founded the Angeles University Foundation Repertory Theater. He was named UP Professor Emeritus in 2002.  Mabesa was also a television and film actor. His acting credits include roles in GMA 7’s Villa Quintana (1995-1997), Lino Brocka’s Macho Dancer (1988), Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s Jose Rizal (1998), Regal Films’ Mano Po series (2002 -2008), and Joel Lamangan’s Vietnam Rose (2005). Lamangan’s Rainbow’s Sunset, where Mabesa co-starred with the late Eddie Garcia, won Mabesa the Best Supporting Actor Award during the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival and the Best Actor Award from the 52nd Worldfest Houston International Film Festival in Texas.  With a career in theater and the performing arts that spanned 70 years, Mabesa was considered one of the founders of Philippine university theater and one of the most prominent theater directors in the country. He was called the “Lion of the Theater” for his work.  Ricky Lee, National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts  Photo by JWP Capili (UP MPRO).  Born on March 19, 1947, in Daet, Camarines Norte, Ricardo Lee completed his elementary and secondary schooling in the same town. He was an English major at UP’s Department of English and Comparative Literature. Later, he taught screenwriting at the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman.  Lee was affiliated with Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA, or Pen for People’s Progress) along with National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera and a fellow screenwriter, poet, and journalist, Jose “Pete” Lacaba. In 1973, Lee co-wrote his first screenplay, Armando Garces’s Dragnet.  During his career spanning over four decades, Lee wrote numerous short stories, plays, essays, novels, teleplays, and screenplays. Two of his short stories won first prizes at the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature two years in a row (1970 and 1971). His screenplay, “Salome/Brutal,” won the 1981 Philippine National Book Awards for best screenplay. In 2011, he garnered the Special Prize for a Book Published by an Independent Publisher for Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata, from the National Book Development Board and Manila Critics Circle’s National Book Awards. His two stage plays, Pitik-Bulag sa Buwan ng Pebrero and DH (Domestic Helper), played to SRO crowds. He has written more than 150 produced scripts, earning him over fifty awards from the Philippine film industry.  He was a staff writer for the Pilipino Free Press in the 1970s. Until the 1990s, he wrote features and interviews for the Asia-Philippines Leader, Metro Magazine, Expressweek, TV Times, Malaya Midday, The National Midweek, Veritas, and Sunday Inquirer Magazine. In 2000, he was one of the recipients of the Centennial Honors for the Arts from the CCP and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for Tagalog fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. His books include: Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon, Pitik-Bulag Sa Buwan Ng Pebrero, Brutal/Salome, Moral, Para Kay B, and, Bukas May Pangarap. Salome has been translated into English, published by the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the US, and included in its textbook on film studies. He has also published a screenplay manual, Trip to Quiapo, a required text in many Communications courses in college.  In 2015, UP awarded Lee the 11th UP Gawad Plaridel for Film.  Nora Aunor: 10th UP Gawad Plaridel recipient and National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts  Photo from the UP Diliman website.  Aside from Lee, two others were conferred the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts for 2022: film director Marilou Diaz-Abaya and multi-awarded actress Nora Villamayor, more popularly known as Nora Aunor. In 2014, Aunor was the 10th recipient of the UP Gawad Plaridel, the highest award given by the University to an outstanding media practitioner, for her excellence in film and television.  Trailblazing fashion designer Salvacion Lim-Higgins, known as Slim, was named National Artist for Design (Fashion).  The announcement of the new National Artists came through Proclamation No. 1390, issued by Malacañang upon the joint recommendation of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) and the CCP. Instituted as the Order of National Artists of the Philippines or Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas was established under Proclamation No. 1001, signed in 1972, and is bestowed on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine art. Visual artist and former UP Fine Arts Dean Fernando Amorsolo is the first recipient of the National Artist award.  The Philippine government has recently conferred the National Artist award to 81 Filipinos. Of this number, UP counts 44 as members of its academic community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Nominations: DOST & NAST Awards 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-nominations-dost-nast-awards-2019/",
        "html": "Call for Nominations: DOST & NAST Awards 2019 Call for Nominations: DOST & NAST Awards 2019 October 9, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Philippines, the highest recognition body on science and technology in the country, is searching for nominees for the various NAST and DOST awards for 2019, namely:  NAST PHL Awards  Outstanding Young Scientists TWAS Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines (Chemistry) NAST Environmental Science Award NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists NAST Award for Outstanding Research in Tropical Medicine Geminiano T. De Ocampo Visionary Award for Medical Research Outstanding Book/Monograph Award Outstanding Scientific Paper Award  DOST Awards  NSTW Outstanding Science Administrator Award – Dioscoro L. Umali Medal NSTW Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award – Gregorio Y. Zara Medal NSTW Outstanding Research and Development Award For Basic Research – Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal For Applied Research – Julian A. Banzon Medal Magsaysay Future Engineers/Technologists Award (MFET)  The deadline for the submission of nominations for all awards is on November 29, 2018 except for MFET award which is due on July 31, 2019.  NAST PHL is also accepting abstracts for the Call for Papers for the Scientific Posters Session with the deadline of January 15, 2019. Attached are the announcements on the awards for your information.  Nomination Forms  Call for Papers for the Scientific Posters Session  Certificate of Originality "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP faculty and alumni reap NAST PHL awards at 41st Annual Scientific Meeting – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-faculty-and-alumni-reap-nast-phl-awards-at-41st-annual-scientific-meeting/",
        "html": "UP faculty and alumni reap NAST PHL awards at 41st Annual Scientific Meeting UP faculty and alumni reap NAST PHL awards at 41st Annual Scientific Meeting July 18, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UPLB scientists Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz and Dr. Juan M. Pulhin are the recent addition to the growing and elite pool of Academicians of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Photo from the UP Los Baños website, http://uplb.edu.ph/top-stories/uplb-scientists-researchers-reap-nast-honors/     Faculty, researchers and alumni of the University of the Philippines were recognized at the recent awarding ceremonies of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) 41st Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), held from July 10 to 11, 2019 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Ortigas.  During the presentation of NAST Awards held on the second day of the meeting, the following UP alumni were singled out:  Winner of the Outstanding Scientific Book Award was Ma. Florina Y. Orillos-Juanfor her book, Kasaysayan at Vulnerabilidad: Ang Lipunang Pilipino sa Harap ng Pananalanta ng Pesteng Balang.  Recipients of the Outstanding Scientific Paper awards were:  Khris June L. Callano, Visitacion C. Huelgas, and Merlyn R. Sedano-Mendiorofor “Cytogenetics of Solanumaethiopicum L., S. melongena L. and Their F1 Hybrids and the Mechanism of Hybrid Sterility and Breakdown”; Roel R. Suralta, Ma. Ysabera T. Batungbakal, Justine Camille T. Bello, Lance M. Caparas, Vincent H. Lagunilla, Katreen Mae D. Lucas, Joeffrey U. Patungan, Angela Joyce O. Siping, Jayvee A. Cruz, Maria Corazon J. Cabral and Jonathan M. Niones for “An Enhanced Root System Developmental Responses to Drought by Inoculation of Rhizobacteria (Streptomyces mutabilis) Contributed to the Improvement of Growth in Rice”; Gayvelline C. Calacal, Jazelyn M. Salvador, Minerva S. Sagum, Raquel D. Fortun, and Maria Corazon A. De Ungria for “Pathology and DNA Analysis of Exhumed Human Remains Three-years Post-mortem”; and, Benjamin Vallejo Jr., together with Jennifer Conejar-Espedido and Leanna Manubag for “The Ecology of an Incipient Marine Biological Invasion: The Charru Mussel Mytellacharruana d’ Orbignyi, 1846 (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in Manila Bay, Luzon, Philippines”.  The winner of the 2018 World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines is noted food scientist Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, who is a professor at the College of Home Economics.  The 2018 Magsaysay Future Engineers/Technologists Awardees are: UP Diliman’s Peter Nicholas Saquido Onglao in first place; UP Los Baños’s John Cristopher A. Danezin second place; and UP Diliman’s Renzes Anne Gaerelle M. Gualberto in third place.  The winners of the NAST Talent Search for Young Scientist were: a UPLB associate professor, Dr. Darwin B. Putungan,in first place; a UP Diliman Institute of Biology assistant professor, Dr. Lillian Jennifer V. Rodriguez,in second place; and UP Diliman Marine Science Institute’s Dr. Deo Florence L. Ondain third place.  Among those named Outstanding Young Scientists were: Dr. Patricia Ann A. Jaranilla-Sanchez of UPLB; Dr. Pia D. Bagamasbad of UP Diliman; Dr. Michael C. Velarde of UP Diliman; Dr. Raymond Francis R. Sarmiento and Dr. Nathaniel, Jr. S. Orillaza of UP Manila; Dr. Lilibeth A. Salvador-Reyes of UP Diliman; and, Dr. Rico C. Ancog of UPLB.  Members of the UP community also number among the newly elected NAST members, namely: former UPLB Chancellor Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz; a founding director of the UP Diliman Institute of Civil Engineering, Engr. Benito M. Pacheco; Dr. Rody G. Sy of the UP Manila Department of Internal Medicine; and, former Dean of the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources Dr. Juan M. Pulhin.  Filipino-American biologist, former journalist and Silver Professor of Biology at New York University, Dr. Michael D. Purugganan, and a nanotechnologist, a professor and an associate chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, Dr. Romel D.R. Gomez were newly elected Corresponding Members of the NAST.  The 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the NAST focused on the Philippines’ efforts on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on (Goal 4) quality education, (Goal 12) responsible consumption and production, and (Goal 14) life below water. At present, its president is Academician Rhodora V. Azanza. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP mourns the loss of National Scientist Barba, 82 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mourns-the-loss-of-national-scientist-barba-82/",
        "html": "UP mourns the loss of National Scientist Barba, 82 UP mourns the loss of National Scientist Barba, 82 October 13, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Image from the National Academy of Science and Technology website.  The University of the Philippines (UP) is mourning the death of National Scientist Ramon C. Barba at the age of 82 on October 10, 2021.  Dr. Barba was Senior Consultant to the UP Los Baños Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) when he was conferred the Order of National Scientist in horticulture by President Benigno Aquino III in 2014. A Professor at the UP College of Agriculture, he led UPLB’s tissue culture program gratis from 1975 to the late 1980s.  He obtained his high school diploma from UP Diliman in 1954 and his BS Agronomy from UPLB in 1958.  He returned to the Philippines in 1968 after graduate studies abroad and was appointed Assistant Professor in 1969. At that time, he invented a means to reliably induce mango flowering. This ensured fruit availability the whole year-round. It is considered the most significant breakthrough in the mango industry.  That “his technology of using potassium nitrate to stimulate flowering is a milestone in the study of tropical tree physiology,” is stated in his profile by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).  “He did not collect any royalty from the patent so that ordinary farmers can freely use the technology,” the NAST added.  Eventually, his research on tissue culture or micropropagation of bananas, sugarcane, cassava, and other crops improved their production schemes and protocols.  An Academician of the NAST since 2004, he was elevated to the Order of National Scientist for his achievements in plant physiology. He was cited for “his dedication, perseverance, innovativeness and positive attitude to work productively despite limited resources.”  “His willingness to share his discovery to the greatest number of beneficiaries is shown by his noble decision of not enforcing his patents so that anybody could freely use the technology,” the NAST said. “He is selflessly committed to serve the industry in disseminating the technology through lectures, seminars, and production guides without material reward,” it added.     In this video from the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO, Dr. Ramon Barba talks about the process of inducing the flowering of mango trees using Potassium Nitrate. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP start-up hubs win DOST-QBO awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-start-up-hubs-win-dost-qbo-awards/",
        "html": "UP start-up hubs win DOST-QBO awards UP start-up hubs win DOST-QBO awards May 7, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Technology business incubators (TBIs) in UP Diliman and UP Los Baños were grand champion and award-winners in the PH Startup Incubator Awards of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and QBO Innovation Hub, a public-private initiative for the development of start-ups.  The UP Sustaining Collaboration in an Advanced Learning Environment (UPSCALE) Innovation Hub in UP Diliman was declared the grand champion in the first PH Startup Incubator Awards held online and livestreamed on April 23, 2021. It also won “Best Incubator for Governance and Operations”.  UP Los Baños’s Startup Innovation and Business Opportunity Linkage (SIBOL) Labs bagged the “Best Incubator Community Program”.     Image from the QBO Philippines Facebook page      The awards were the culminating activity of a program of DOST-PCIEERD and the QBO Innovation Hub, called TBI 4.0, that began in 2019 to support the development of TBIs in the country. Twelve TBIs supported by the DOST, many affiliated with universities, participated in the program  The other awards and winners were: Best Incubator Infrastructure, Center for Technopreneurship and Innovation of Batangas State University; Best Incubator Startup Program, AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator of the Asian Institute of Management; Best Incubator for Growth & Sustainability and Extra Mile Incubator, Animo Labs of De La Salle University; and, Rising Star Incubator and People’s Choice for Best Incubator Team, iDEYA of Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).  UPSCALE began in 2018 with a core mission that included supporting spin-off companies from innovations generated from the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) Program, a consortium of eight universities with graduate engineering programs.     Ph Startup Incubator Awards_UPSCALE: Members of the UPSCALE Innovation Hub team, led by Project Leader Luis Sison (top row, middle), receive their awards in the virtual, livestreamed ceremony. Screenshot by QBO Philippines     UPSCALE’s championship was based on its excellent scores in growth, innovation and impact.  The “Best Incubator for Governance & Operations” Award recognized UPSCALE’s “outstanding progress in developing and implementing its organizational structure, operational system and organization-wide processes to function efficiently and amplify their impact on the startup ecosystem”.  UPLB’s SIBOL Labs, which began in 2019, is the TBI arm of the UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, aimed at nurturing the UPLB start-up ecosystem. It focuses on agri-technology, food engineering, biotechnology and information and communications technology.     Ph Startup Incubator Awards_Sibol Labs: Members of the UPLB SIBOL Labs, led by Project Leader Glenn Baticados (top row, middle), receive their awards in a virtual, livestreamed ceremony. Screenshot by QBO Philippines     The “Best Incubator Community Program” recognized SIBOL’s “valuable impact through fostering innovation, advancing startup awareness, and cultivating collaboration among key stakeholders to develop the local and national innovation ecosystem”.  Both UP TBIs are supported by the DOST-PCIEERD.     UPSCALE, with USAID Philippines STRIDE, gathers about 40 technology transfer officers, TBI staff and faculty researchers from 12 institutions in Metro Manila and UP Los Baños on November 8, 2019 at the UPSCALE Innovation Hub for the first Train the Trainers for Ideation Workshop in NCR to capacitate the trainers to plan and implement an Ideation Workshop in their own institutions. The ideation workshop aims to facilitate collaboration between academe and industry toward concrete partnerships. Photo and caption from the UPSCALE Innovation Hub Facebook page"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu showcases important scientific outputs and services – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-showcases-important-scientific-outputs-and-services/",
        "html": "UP Cebu showcases important scientific outputs and services UP Cebu showcases important scientific outputs and services May 7, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   A student research assistant at the media brunch exhibit presents UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia a wild tuber which UP Cebu is studying as an alternative carbohydrate source during disasters. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Key scientific capabilities and projects of UP Cebu, offering solutions to pressing threats and problems in the region, such as water-related disasters, fires, emerging vector-borne diseases, water scarcity, and internet vulnerability, were presented to local media on April 26, 2019 at the Performance Arts Hall on campus.  “Did you know that after the Naga landslide which was said to [have] one of the fastest search and retrieval operations in a disaster, UP Cebu’s LIDAR and CENVI were there?” UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro said in welcoming media representatives, as she referred to a UP Cebu environmental informatics team, whose quick mappings of the landslide site in the neighboring city right after the disaster facilitated search and retrieval operations.  “This was one of the best examples of science being applied in the real world. All our researches here are really more of solutions for real problems,” Corro emphasized.  The UP Cebu team, employing LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing method using light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth, was able to pinpoint the location of structures buried under the Naga City, Cebu landslide debris. It is one of the expertise of CENVI or the Central Visayas Center for Environmental Informatics of UP Cebu.     Van Owen Sesaldo of the UP Cebu Cybersecurity Project shows Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rica Abad an animated graphic representing global cyber attacks at the project booth in the media brunch exhibit. Behind them, UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro shows UP Vice President for Public Affairs (VPPA) Elena Pernia, Special Assistant to the VPPA Teresa Congjuico, and Jamie Lyn Loristo of the Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP program one of the 3D printers of the UP Cebu Fabrication Laboratory or Fablab.     The “media brunch” with UP Cebu officials and scientists was organized under a UP System-wide program, Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP (CoST-UP), headed by UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia.     A projection-mapping presentation by UP Cebu computer-aided designers is the central display of the exhibit showcasing UP Cebu’s relevant scientific outputs and services. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Other scientific projects presented at the media brunch were: the high-resolution flood-hazard mapping of Western Visayas using LIDAR; the mapping and assessment of possible water sources on the whole Cebu island; urban fire-hazard mapping and fire-spread modeling; biodiversity and eco-epidemiology of flea and tick diseases in the region; and, the research and promotion of cybersecurity.     Four of the five UP Cebu presenters of scientific projects form a panel for an open forum after their presentations: Computer Science instructor, Ryan Ciriaco Dulaca of Cebu Water Source Mapping and Assessment; Firecheck project leader, Aileen Joan Vicente, Richie Eve Ragas of Biodiversity and Eco-Epidemiology of Vector-Borne Diseases in the Central Visayas Region, and UP Cebu Cybersecurity Project leader, Van Owen Sesaldo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Aside from the presentations, media also saw an exhibit of UP Cebu programs for: nationwide resource assessment using LIDAR; improvising camera drones; geo-mapping and nutrient analysis of wild edible plants as food alternatives in disaster-prone areas in the region; digital fabrication; and, technology business incubation.  “Good science journalism can make complex, technical ideas accessible to a lay person,” Pernia said. She proposed and now heads CoST-UP, which “aims to mainstream UP’s science and technology advances into public consciousness and the nation’s development policy”.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia and Special Assistant to the Vice President for External Communication and Government Relations Teresa Congjuico, both of the Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP program, view the presentations of UP Cebu scientific projects together with regional media representatives. Beside them are presenters: UP Cebu Philippines-LIDAR 1 project leader Jonnifer Sinogaya and Firecheck project leader Aileen Joan Vicente. Behind them is UP Cebu Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richelita Galapate. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The UP Cebu leg of its media brunch series was attended by representatives from: the Philippine Information Agency, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Department of Science and Technology, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Economic and Development Authority. The media outlets represented were Sunstar, Freeman, Manila Bulletin, DYAR, Cebu Citizens Press Council, ABS-CBN, Superbalita Cebu, PTV, dySS, RGMA, and Philippine Daily Inquirer-Visayas. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tribute to slain UP Cebu graduate becomes reminder for UP Cebu Class 2019 to serve – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tribute-to-slain-up-cebu-graduate-becomes-reminder-for-up-cebu-class-2019-to-serve/",
        "html": "Tribute to slain UP Cebu graduate becomes reminder for UP Cebu Class 2019 to serve Tribute to slain UP Cebu graduate becomes reminder for UP Cebu Class 2019 to serve July 9, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The entrance of colors during UP Cebu’s 82nd Commencement Exercises held in the afternoon of June 28, 2019 at the UP Cebu campus. Standing in front (2nd from left) is UP Cebu Class of 2019’s valedictorian Juan Carlos Tabacon Roldan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Among the 383 members of UP Cebu Class of 2019 who marched onstage to receive their diplomas at UP Cebu’s 82nd Commencement Exercises held at the campus in the afternoon of June 28, 2019, one stood out because of her absence.  Ms. Kis Tryvl Cabasag Ramos, who would have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology alongside the rest of her batchmates, was fatally shot on April 11 along with two of her workmates and the café proprietor at a coffee shop on F. Ramos Street in Cebu City where she worked.  Two months later, her parents, Mrs. Elvira Ramos and Mr. Juan Reynaldo Ramos, who himself graduated from the UP Diliman Institute of Social Work and Community Development, marched onto the stage to receive the diploma on their daughter’s behalf, amid bittersweet cheers and applause from her fellow graduates, UP Cebu officials and faculty, and the audience.     A tribute to Ms. Kis Tryvl Cabasag Ramos, BA Psychology 2019, by UP Cebu’s official student publication, Tug-ani. Graphic republished with permission from Tug-ani.     Later in his speech on behalf of the graduates, BS Computer Science, magna cum laude graduate, and Class of 2019 valedictorian Juan Carlos “Jace” Tabacon Roldan gave a touching tribute to Kis, a former student leader and writer for UP Cebu’s official student publication, Tug-ani: “I would like to acknowledge one who had yearned and fought and shone despite the tyranny she had bravely stood against: our friend and kauban, Kis Tryvl Ramos, who is with us in militant spirit today. She had had a chance to touch the souls of many in this University, and she deserves a seat alongside us, just as much as the rest.”     Magna cum laude graduate and UP Cebu Class of 2019 valedictorian Juan Carlos “Jace” Tabacon Roldan delivers his valedictory speech. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Roldan urged his fellow UP graduates to continue to work and fight for the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed minorities, especially after they have learned how to foster righteous indignation and cultivate an understanding of society in UP. “We have been asked to make the profitable choice. . . but the logic in the gears of the iskolar ng bayan is not predicated upon the blind search for more. The algorithm or blueprint for being iskolar ng bayan does not dictate making choices simply towards seeking prestige in the fields of industry or in the academe. Being iskolar ng bayan is in the realization that the struggle in here is a part of the struggle out there and making the correct choice to fight alongside it.”  Read full transcript of Roldan’s speech     UP Cebu Chancellor Liza D. Corro reminds Class of 2019 that we in UP are—to quote UP Cebu’s slogan—destined to serve. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Cebu Chancellor Liza D. Corro prefaced Roldan’s call to the graduates in her opening remarks by referring to UP Cebu’s slogan, nurtured to create, inspired to innovate, destined to serve, printed across the backdrop of the stage. “It is just fitting that before you start going out to the real world, you all remind yourselves that we in UP are a sui generis. Many may not understand why there are rallies in UP, even during commencement. Actually, what we do here is not so much for others to know but it is more of a reminder to all of you, our dear graduates, and to us in UP, that service is what we are destined for.”  UP Cebu Class of 2019 produced 70 honor graduates. Five were magna cum laude graduates and 64, cum laude graduates, while one graduate student who earned a Master of Education degree was recognized Most Outstanding Graduate.  Gracing the occasion as commencement speaker was Executive Vice President Maria Luisa Aboitiz Booth of Mehitabel, Inc., which is one of the Philippines’ most prominent members of the furniture-making industry and one of Cebu’s most enduring institutions.  Booth shared four simple truths and guiding principles that she thought would be helpful to them, truths she learned, not when she graduated from college or law school in the US, but during the course of her life.     Executive Vice President Maria Luisa Aboitiz Booth of Mehitabel, Inc. shares her four life principles with UP Cebu’s Class of 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The first principle is that the straight path is not always the only path or the right path. “You must give yourself room in your life to change directions, to adopt new ways of doing old things and to learn from your mistakes and your bad decisions, because trust me, you will make mistakes and you will make some bad decisions. It’s okay,” she said.  The second principle is not to be afraid to take the road less traveled, as it might make all the difference in their lives. The third is a quote from the 19th century French novelist, Marie-Joseph “Eugène” Sue:  the hand that gives gathers. “Most of us would like to earn a good living, be rich, drive fancy cars. That is human nature after all. However, those who selfishly acquire property and goods without regard to the damage they are doing to the world and without using their gifts to improve the lives of others are destined to live unhappy lives,” Booth said.  And the last piece of advice Booth gave the graduates: “Try to be a shepherd. Don’t be a wolf. Look for those who can benefit from your knowledge and experience, and help to protect them and guide them. Always try to use your skills for the betterment of those around you and you will never have regrets.”     More photos  Photos above and below: Before the start of the processional, UP Cebu graduates take photos and selfies in front of the UP Cebu Administration Building to commemorate the occasion. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Cebu graduates listen during the ceremony, with BA in Mass Communication cum laude graduate Czar Dabon sitting in the middle showcasing his stunning eye makeup. Later, the graduates cheered when he unfurled a rainbow flag in honor of Pride Month as he climbed onstage to receive his diploma. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Cebu valedictorian Juan Carlos Tabacon Roldan raises his fist to call for the continuation of the iskolar ng bayan’s fight for the Filipino masses. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     His fellow graduates respond in kind. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     Near the closing of the commencement exercises, activists exhort the graduating class to continue the fight for true democracy, justice and equality. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu FireCheck develops CoVcheck – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-firecheck-develops-covcheck/",
        "html": "UP Cebu FireCheck develops CoVcheck UP Cebu FireCheck develops CoVcheck April 20, 2020 | Written by V. Guerrero, UP Cebu News       The FireCheck Project team and the University of the Philippines Cebu have developed CoVcheck, a web-based application that allows the local government to collect data from its constituents about cases or potential cases of infection. By doing so, the concerned agencies – health units, disaster management offices among others, may be able to respond to the community’s needs as soon as necessary. On top of that, with the collected data, the local government can plan and execute localized, ad hoc measures to control or contain transmission or support the affected communities. The application shall also serve as a hub for disseminating information to concerned communities and several other future interactions with response units.  The platform includes the following functions:  Reporting of Potential Infection (Self or others) —  The residents will have a way of reporting to the local government if they, a relative or a neighbor, are potentially infected by COVID19. By doing so, the local government will have an overview of the potential mass of infection and identify mitigating actions to reduce risk or mobility in certain locations. In addition, the immediate response through medication or other means may be designated whenever and wherever it will be needed. By default, residents are encouraged to stay in their homes. With the need to go to designated hospitals in the city center for testing and/or medical consultation, the potential for transmission is increased.  Self-assessment —  Users will be able to assess themselves if they already need medical attention or not. This function hopes to reduce the number of patients who unnecessarily go to the hospitals to be checked. The risk of getting infected or infecting others may be reduced.  Announcements and Help Guides —  There is a proliferation of misinformation in social media about how to manage or respond to the disease. The application will provide the user sources of curated information and helpful guidance about what to do amid the health crisis. Important announcements from the local government can also be coursed through the application.  Viewing of Reports (Summary and Details) —  The local government and concerned agencies will be provided with detailed and summarized views of the collected data in real-time using heat maps, graphs or similar reports. Similarly, the concerned agencies will be alerted if severe cases are reported. The details of persons of interest can also be viewed.  Other users can also view the summary of validated data so that they can refrain from getting infected or impose house quarantine in their household. It is envisioned that with critical masses projected in the reports, the local government can direct their mitigation efforts in those areas.  Management of Self-Reports (Update, Delete or Respond) —  The local government will be allowed to retrieve and update the reports collected such as when the status of the constituent progresses or a specific response has been activated.  We are exerting as much effort in leveraging data science — as we did in Metro Cebu on tackling urban fires, and in Naga City, Cebu during the landslide operations in the year 2018 — to aid our local government in coming up with smarter, targeted and well-informed decisions in managing the health crisis.  Ania na ang CoVcheck, Sugbo! CoVcheck web app is now live at: https://covcheck.upcebu.edu.ph/     How to get CoVchecked!  FireCheck gives video tutorials on how to use CoVcheck! Check it out below!  Ania na ang CoVcheck, Sugbo! CoVcheck web app is now live at: https://covcheck.upcebu.edu.ph/  Ug malipayon namong ipahibawo nga sugod karong adlawa, mag-CoVcheck na ang siyudad sa Mandaue ug Naga, Cebu. Inubanan sa hiniusang pwersa sa mga local strategic planners and decision makers ug kooperasyon sa matag miyembro sa komunidad, atong mapahinayan ang pagkuyanap sa CoVID-19.  Alang sa atong Barangay Health Emergency Response Team ug City Health Office, simple lamang ang pag respond sa mga pending nga reports o cases. Tan-awa ang video aron ikaw magiyahan sa pag-respond. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Initial statement of UP Cebu Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/initial-statement-of-up-cebu-chancellor/",
        "html": "Initial statement of UP Cebu Chancellor Initial statement of UP Cebu Chancellor June 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Cebu administration is deeply disturbed by the incident this morning of police dispersing and arresting peaceful protesters within the vicinity of the campus.  We always act to ensure public safety and order within our premises amid the pandemic, while respecting the right to protest. Previous protest actions by our students in the same vicinity had always remained peaceful and orderly for many years until today.  The UP Cebu administration has always maintained maximum tolerance when it comes to protest movements of our constituents, especially where it is in relation to their freedom of expression. I personally respect and have consistently expressed support to student’s basic rights. We also however recognize the prevailing restrictions in light of the GCQ rules prohibiting mass gatherings.  It is most unfortunate that what happened today, with the presence and action of the police anti-riot contingent, heightened rather than allayed the risks to the safety of the people involved.  As we gather more facts on the ground about the incident, we are coordinating with UP System officials on the legal and other important aspects of the matter, especially with respect to the 1989 UP-DND Peace Accord.  In any case, we are deeply disappointed that none of the police officers tried to coordinate with UP Cebu in regard to handling the situation which we hope could have led to a more sound and sensible resolution in light of prevailing restrictions under the general community quarantine.  I would like to emphasize that our guards did not assist in the dispersal of the then ongoing protest, contrary to stories going around, nor did they block the students from entering the campus. On the contrary, our guards blocked the police from entering the campus and even chased them out when they jumped into our walls trying to chase the student protesters. Our guards also assisted the students by bringing them into safety inside a campus building.  We will continue to ensure the safety of our constituents and provide humanitarian assistance to our students and alumni who are affected by this unfortunate incident.  May God bless us all!  Thank you.  Chancellor Liza D. Corro UP Cebu "
    },
    {
        "title": "A princess for her people: UP remembers former Regent Bai Fatima Palileo Sinsuat – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-princess-for-her-people-up-remembers-former-regent-bai-fatima-palileo-sinsuat/",
        "html": "A princess for her people: UP remembers former Regent Bai Fatima Palileo Sinsuat A princess for her people: UP remembers former Regent Bai Fatima Palileo Sinsuat February 5, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Image from the PRC Cotabato City – Maguindanao Molecular Laboratory Facebook page  The University of the Philippines (UP) and the country mourns the loss of former UP Regent and Chair of the Board of the Philippine Red Cross Cotabato Chapter, Bai Fatima Palileo Sinsuat, who passed away on the morning of February 4, 2022, according to a text from her niece.  A humanitarian and a Filipino princess who was truly royal in both her heritage and actions, Bai Fatima Palileo Sinsuat time and time again helped Filipinos through various projects and organizations that she had both created and led.  She was the daughter of the late Datu Blah Sinsuat. Even at a young age, she was an actual princess because she had the power to help Filipinos with her unique status and devoted her life to doing so. She helped organize labor with her father, and, in 1986, all dockworkers in Cotabato City port became members of an organization she created and led, the Progressive Labor Union (PLU).  A true civic leader, she took part in various organizations with the ultimate goal of serving the public. She served as mayor of Upi, Maguindanao from 1980 to 1986 and was eventually appointed Head of the ARMM Board of Investments. Later, she was appointed as a member of the UP Board of Regents, the University’s highest governing body, by Philippine President Joseph Estrada, and remained a Regent for three terms. She was also the first Muslim woman in the last 30 years to be elected to the national board of the Philippine National Red Cross and, most recently, as the Chairman of the Board of Red Cross in the Cotabato Chapter.  The year 2003 marked her most significant achievement as a social worker. Sinsuat was awarded the National Outstanding Volunteer Award (NOVA) in Malacañang Palace for her blood donation advocacy in the Philippine Red Cross in Cotabato City and initiation of the Organization of International Humanitarian Law Core Group of PRC for the protection of the civilian population in times of armed conflict.  Sinsuat never stopped offering kindness and compassion to every Filipino through various projects that aided them. A true royal, this princess has always looked out for the safety and well-being of her people. An actual modern-day princess who went beyond the expectations for past royals with her humanitarian work while serving as a beacon of encouragement for Filipinos to someday surpass her ideals in making the world a better place for all countrymen. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“No data breach happened” in UP Cebu—finding from investigation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/no-data-breach-happened-in-up-cebu-finding-from-investigation/",
        "html": "“No data breach happened” in UP Cebu—finding from investigation “No data breach happened” in UP Cebu—finding from investigation June 12, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       “No personal and technical data breach happened.”  This is the finding of the University of the Philippines Cebu Data Protection Officer (DPO) following an investigation in response to reports of an alleged data breach in the local student evaluation on teaching (SET) system, which led to a list of names and SET login credentials of students from the UP Cebu College of Communication, Art and Design being posted on Scribd.com.  In his report to Chancellor Liza D. Corro dated June 9, 2020, UP Cebu DPO Mr. Van Owen M. Sesaldo wrote that the SET, which is used by students to evaluate faculty members handling their courses, is hosted on a local server administered by the UP Cebu Information Technology Center.  “We immediately conducted a technical check on the server and the connected network equipment. We found that there were no indications of compromise, implying that no unauthorized access occurred,” Sesaldo said in his report.  More importantly, he added, the SET does not provide any other personal information to any authenticated user. It only shows the name of the faculty member to be evaluated and empty evaluation forms. Hence, this does not put students mentioned in the list under grave threat.  “In sum, no personal and technical data breach happened,” Sesaldo concluded. “Being enrolled in UP, their names have already been made public even upon passing the UPCAT. As far as the SET login credentials are concerned, these will be replaced in the coming evaluation period.”  The SET is different from the Student Academic Information System (SAIS), which handles the academic and financial data of all UP students, including UP Cebu students. The SAIS is hosted by a server that is managed and maintained by the UP System Information Technology Development Center (UP ITDC).  Upon confirming with the UP ITDC, the DPO for the UP System, Atty. Marcia Ruth Gabriela Fernandez, found that there was no data breach of SAIS or of UP Cebu’s student records.  In a letter to National Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro and NPC Deputy Commissioners Leandro Angelo Y. Aguirre and John Henry Du Naga dated June 10, 2020, Atty. Fernandez noted that the University has taken additional measures to safeguard the rights of UPCAT applicants by now requiring usernames and passwords to access UPCAT results. Moreover, although having detected no breaches in the University’s databases, the UP System Data Protection Officer has already called on the NPC for help in further safeguarding the privacy and online safety of the members of the UP community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Remembering FVR: UP joins the nation in mourning the death of the country’s 12th President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/remembering-fvr-up-joins-the-nation-in-mourning-the-death-of-the-countrys-12th-president/",
        "html": "Remembering FVR: UP joins the nation in mourning the death of the country’s 12th President Remembering FVR: UP joins the nation in mourning the death of the country’s 12th President August 3, 2022 | Written by Francisco V. Gargantiel II       The University of the Philippines (UP) mourns the death of former President Fidel Valdez Ramos, who passed away on July 31, 2022, at 94.  Fidel Ramos was born on March 18,1928, in Lingayen, Pangasinan. He finished his elementary education at a Lingayen public school; from 1940 to 1941 studied at the UP High School in Manila, which, together with the UP Preparatory School and the UP Elementary School, eventually became the UP Integrated School in Diliman today. Ramos continued his secondary education at the High School Department of Mapúa Institute of Technology, and in 1945, he graduated from high school at the Centro Escolar University Integrated School.  Afterward, Ramos went to the United States after receiving an appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Military Engineering in 1950. Ramos also earned a Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, USA, in 1951, and later placed 8th overall in the Civil Engineering Board Exam of 1953. He also earned a Master of National Security Administration degree from the National Defense College of the Philippines and a Master of Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1980.  From 1951 to 1952, Ramos was a member of the Philippines’ 20th Battalion Combat Team of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) that fought in the Korean War, where he served as an Infantry Reconnaissance Platoon Leader. He was also in the Vietnam War as a non-combat civil military engineer and Chief of Staff of the Philippine Civil Action Group (PHILCAG) from 1966 to 1968. In 1972, he served as Chief of the Philippine Constabulary, then a major service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), when President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. In 1975, all civic and municipal police forces in the country were integrated, becoming the Integrated National Police under the control and supervision of the Philippine Constabulary, with Ramos as its first ex-officio concurrent Director-General.  In 1981, Ramos was named AFP Vice-Chief of Staff and promoted to the rank of a three-star general. In 1983, after General Fabian Ver was implicated in the assassination of former opposition Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., Ramos became acting AFP Chief of Staff until Ver’s reinstatement in 1985. In February 1986, allegations of fraud committed during snap elections triggered the non-violent People Power Revolution. Ramos defected and followed then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile into Camp Crame and shifted his allegiance to Corazon Aquino, Senator Aquino’s widow. The latter later became the country’s first female President. President Aquino then appointed Ramos as Chief of Staff of the AFP, and in 1988 as Secretary of National Defense and Chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council. In 1992, Ramos was elected President of the Philippines, narrowly beating Agrarian Reform Secretary Miriam Defensor Santiago.  As President of the Philippines (1992-1998), Fidel V. Ramos’s leadership brought in a period of political stability and rapid economic growth and expansion. His policies and programs aimed to foster national reconciliation and unity and paved the way for major peace agreements with Muslim separatists, communists, and military rebels. These developments resulted in renewed investor confidence in the Philippine economy. Ramos also pushed for the deregulation of key industries and the liberalization of the economy by encouraging the privatization of public entities, including the monetization of public infrastructure through the expanded Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) law.  During 1993-1997, the Philippine economy underwent a dramatic recovery. Gross National Product averaged 5 percent annually, and the total inflow of foreign exchange into the country outpaced the combined periods of the rule of both Pres. Marcos and Pres. Aquino. The average income of the Filipino family also grew higher during Ramos’s administration than in the preceding two decades. Consequently, Ramos implemented a comprehensive Social Reform Agenda (SRA) that addressed long-standing problems—poverty, health, education and skills training, housing, environmental protection, agrarian reform, jobs and livelihood, access to equal opportunity, and the welfare of children and the youth, the elderly and the disabled.  In 1997, Ramos and Moro National Liberation Front Chair Nur Misuari was awarded the coveted 1997 UNESCO Peace Prize for forging the peace agreement between military rebels and the MNLF southern secessionists. The award marks a first for both the Philippines and for Asians.  Ramos continued to find ways to help his country even after his presidency. He founded the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, a non-partisan and nonprofit organization promoting peace and development in the Philippines and the larger Asia-Pacific region. Then in 1998, Ramos founded the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) together with Bob Hawke and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Ministers of Australia and Japan, respectively. The BFA is a premier forum for government, business, and academia leaders in Asia and other continents who are committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.  In 2004, Ramos was a Founding  Member of the Global Leadership Foundation. He was also a member of and was associated with the following:  Founding Member of the Policy Advisory Commission, World Intellectual Property Organization (PAC-WIPO) Advisory Group Member of the UN University for Peace Trustee of the International Crisis Group (ICG) Honorary Director of the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation  Ramos received several military awards, including the Philippine Legion of Honor in 1988 and 1991; the Distinguished Conduct Star in 1991; the Distinguished Service Star in 1966, 1967, and 1981; the Philippine Military Merit Medal in 1952; and the U.S. Military Academy Distinguished Graduate Award and Legion of Merit in 1990. He was one of the Filipinos awarded the French Legion of Honor Grand Croix, a prestigious order created by Napoleon Bonaparte to honor anyone, regardless of religion or nationality, who upholds liberty and equality. The order is the oldest and highest-ranking medal of honor in France.  He also received numerous international awards, including the 1997 Aristides Calvani Award; the Rizal Pro Patria from the Order of the Knights of Rizal; and the Rotary International Award of Honor.  Ramos received 28 honorary doctorate degrees in his lifetime, including a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, from the University of the Philippines, presented by then UP President, Dr. Jose V. Abueva.  UP and its academic community offers their condolences to both the families and close friends of Fidel Valdez Ramos. His achievements during his presidency have left a meaningful long-term impact on the Philippines. This country and its compatriots are grateful for its contributions to the progressive growth of the Philippines. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Construction underway on UP New Clark City – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/construction-underway-on-up-new-clark-city/",
        "html": "Construction underway on UP New Clark City Construction underway on UP New Clark City December 12, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP System, BCDA, and DPWH officials lay the time capsule for the first building of the UP New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, to be constructed. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO).     In a year, the first building of the University of the Philippines New Clark City (UP-NCC) in Capas, Tarlac, will have risen.  UP, in partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the implementing agency, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), held the time capsule laying ceremony for the first phase of the UP-NCC complex on November 5, 2022.  The structure is now being built on three hectares of 76 hectares allotted for UP, bound by the NCC-MacArthur-SCTEX Access Road on the south and the National Government and Administrative Center access road. Phase 1 involves building an approximately 4,500 square meter building.  Construction begins on UP-New Clark City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO) BCDA Chair Lorenzana and UP President Concepcion inspecting the time capsule. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO)  According to the program’s master of ceremonies, UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Maria Angelica Abad, UP-NCC is expected to become a hub for education, research, training, and collaboration focusing on sustainable development. Currently, UP’s presence in NCC is provided by the UP Philippine General Hospital Polyclinic Phase 1 building, which was inaugurated in late 2019 in time for the Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines.  BCDA Chair Delfin Lorenzana, BCDA Senior Vice President for Business Development and Operations Joshua Bingcang, UP President Danilo Concepcion, and DPWH Region III Assistant Director Denise Maria Ayag representing DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan led the burial of the time capsule, which encased the plans for the structure, a copy of the Carillon magazine, and a  copy of a newspaper of the day. UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, Arthur Santos of DPWH Region III Planning and Design, and contractor Ronald Talens were also present.  According to Concepcion and Zamora, UP-NCC is designed to be the main headquarters of the UP Open University and satellite sites of the UP Manila PGH, the National Institutes of Health and the College of Medicine, and the UP Diliman College of Engineering. With the area only 20 minutes from the airport and planned as the telecommunications hub of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, it would be ideal for UP’s medical emergency services, telesurgery, and internationalization efforts.  “We should bring the school to the people and not people to the school,” Lorenzana said, citing the accessibility of UP NCC to clients from Central and Northern Luzon.  Bingcang expressed BCDA’s gratitude to UP for being one of the first partners in the development of the NCC, knowing that educational institutions attract locators and are known economic drivers of the growth of a community.  From left to right: BCDA Senior Vice President for Business Development and Operations Joshua Bingcang, BCDA Chair Delfin Lorenzana, DPWH Region III Assistant Director Denise Maria Ayag, and UP President Danilo Concepcion. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UPMPRO)  “I am very happy that I am leaving my post assured and confident about the growth of UP New Clark City. It is one of the projects I will proudly hand over to my successor on February 9, 2023,” Concepcion said.  Officials sign their names on the documents to be preserved inside the time capsule. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UPMPRO) With the groundbreaking ceremony out of the way, construction of the new UP -NCC has started. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO, UP officials visit Southern Taiwan HEIs for arts and culture cooperation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-up-officials-visit-southern-taiwan-heis-for-arts-and-culture-cooperation/",
        "html": "UPSO, UP officials visit Southern Taiwan HEIs for arts and culture cooperation UPSO, UP officials visit Southern Taiwan HEIs for arts and culture cooperation January 6, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       A top-level delegation from the University of the Philippines (UP) is meeting with counterparts from Southern Taiwan academe to formalize new academic cooperation and gain insight on “navigating and framing integrative university development and governance.”  UP officials, headed by President Danilo L. Concepcion, arrived in Kaohsiung City on January 6, 2023, to meet with Southern Taiwan, higher educational institution officials at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) in Nanzih and Jiangong.  On January 10, a memorandum of academic cooperation (MAC) will be signed between UP and Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association led by NKUST President Ching-Yu Yang. Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, a non-government organization based in Kaohsiung City, is a university alliance that seeks linkages with Southeast Asian universities. The MAC signing precedes a conference on academic networking and partnership between UP and Southern Taiwan university officials and representatives.  UP and NKUST are members of the Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU) network.  The UP Symphony Orchestra celebrates with music  The UP delegation will accompany the UP Symphony Orchestra, which will hold “Concerts of Goodwill” in the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and the International Concert Hall of NKUST-Nanzih on January 8 and 9, respectively. The UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) is the official system-wide orchestra of the University. Created in 2018, the UPSO consists of 65 alumni, students, faculty, and administrative staff of the University of the Philippines, under the direction of Maestro Josefino “Chino” Toledo of the UP College of Music.  For its first international concerts, the UPSO is set to perform Western, Taiwanese, and Philippine folk and classical works, including Dvorak Symphony 9 or the “New World Symphony,” in celebration of a new era of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. According to the UPSO, their program for their concert performances in Taiwan “celebrates the sounds of both cultures, with ‘Chinese Festival’ by Hsu Tsang-Houei and Maestro Chino Toledo’s ‘Kantus: Tagabawa,’ which is inspired by the chanting tradition of the Bagobo-Tagabawa people of southern Philippines.”  For its concert in NKUST-Nanzih on January 9, the UPSO will perform ‘Festive Overture and Pomp and Circumstance’ to celebrate the hope and joy of the New Year. As a tribute to overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan, the UPSO will also play ‘Overture to Philippine Folksongs’ and ‘Lahing Kayumanggi,’ written by Philippine National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro, to honor the Filipino race.  UP officials said there had earlier been an initial understanding of art and cultural exchange between UPSO, established in 2018, and the Shu-Te University Chamber Ensemble.  The academic partnership between Taiwan universities and UP  In recent years, UP and Taiwan universities have been exchanging visits in active pursuit of cooperation. UP currently has active partnerships with the Chinese Cultural University, Taipei Medical University, National Central University, National Pingtung University, National Chung Cheng University, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Chung Hsing University, and the National University of Kaohsiung.  UP hopes to activate partnerships with: Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Open University of Kaohsiung, National University of Tainan, National Kaohsiung Marine University, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, National Kaohsiung Normal University, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Hamastar Technology Co., Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, and Academia Sinica.  The Philippines’ national university is also renewing or processing linkages and partnerships with the Southern Taiwan University Alliance, Shu-Te University, National Sun Yat-Sen University, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Kaohsiung Normal University, National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan Ocean University, and the National Taiwan University System. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Manila keeps 100% passing rate, 3 grads top August 2019 Pharmacy board exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-manila-keeps-100-passing-rate-3-grads-top-august-2019-pharmacy-board-exam/",
        "html": "UP Manila keeps 100% passing rate, 3 grads top August 2019 Pharmacy board exam UP Manila keeps 100% passing rate, 3 grads top August 2019 Pharmacy board exam September 6, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu       All thirteen (13) examinees from the University of the Philippines Manila – College of Pharmacy successfully passed the Pharmacist Licensure Examination held last month, with three of them making it into the Top Ten list of passers.  UP’s board topnotchers were: Janelle Samantha See, occupying the top spot with a rating of 92.58 percent; Jemimah Gyra Escote, at third place with a rating of 90.9 percent; and, Zadkiel Velasquez, at tenth place with a rating of 90.1 percent.  Completing the list of UP’s successful examinees were: John Patrick Bulaong, Harold Joshua De Guzman, Clarvin Dela Cruz, Marielle Josette Divino, Judeth Ann Julao, Francis Cedric Magalued, Trissia Marie Ordoñez, Jeanne Pauline Panopio, Marie Celine Isabel Sombillo, and Mara Lois Tan.  With a passing rate of 69.5 percent, 3,097 out of 4,455 examinees passed the said licensure exam administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga from August 3 to 4, 2019. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao gets 100% passing rate at Chemical Technician licensure exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-gets-100-passing-rate-at-chemical-technician-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao gets 100% passing rate at Chemical Technician licensure exam UP Mindanao gets 100% passing rate at Chemical Technician licensure exam October 21, 2019 | Written by Rene Estremera       The University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao registered a 100% passing rate during the October 2019 Licensure Examination for Chemical Technicians. Last 14 October 2019, all twenty graduates of UP Mindanao’s BS Food Technology program who took the exam received the good news as the Professional Regulation Commission released the results. The national passing rate is 81%, with 2,298 passers out of 2,834 takers in the country.  New passer Zairel Sarillana who graduated just this year said the work of a chemical technician involves instrumentation and laboratory analysis for industries in food processing, agriculture, and other industries. “A registered chemical technician is required to have taken at least 30 units in chemistry, and students in the BS Food Technology program meet this qualification. Now, I can have more options to choose from,” she said.  Fellow passer Femaleen Bacerra said, “A license as chemical technician provides me a career opportunity to work in the field of certifying food and drugs. I want to do laboratory research and data gathering in the field.”  Republic Act 10657 or the Chemistry Profession Act of 2015 stipulates that personnel who do work in laboratories should have a license as a chemist or as a chemical technician.  The BS Food Technology program and the MS Food Science program of UP Mindanao develops scientists, educators, and entrepreneurs for the food industry and other sectors in Mindanao with their expertise in food safety, product research and development, and good manufacturing practices.  “Those graduates exercised their own discretion to take review classes, take the exam, and earn a professional license,” said Assistant Professor Rovi Gem Villame, information committee chair of the Department of Food Science and Chemistry. “We in the department are very proud of their achievement,” she added. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman students acclaimed in BPI-DOST Science Awards 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-students-acclaimed-in-bpi-dost-science-awards-2017/",
        "html": "UP Diliman students acclaimed in BPI-DOST Science Awards 2017 UP Diliman students acclaimed in BPI-DOST Science Awards 2017 May 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Three senior students of UP Diliman, winners of the BPI-DOST Science Awards 2017, received their awards on April 19 at the College of Science Auditorium in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Recognized during the ceremonies were: Jaime Lorenzo N. Dinglasan (BS Biology), for his research on milkfish bacteria; Orville M. Feliciano (BS Electronics and Communications Engineering), for his research on stereolithography; and, Philip Caesar M. Flores (BS Physics), for his research on quantum and classical clocks.  Officials of UP Diliman and BPI Foundation, and the thesis advisers of the awardees, delivered inspiring messages that highlighted the importance of science, research and technology developments in nation-building. UPD Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Benito M. Pacheco, UPD College of Science Dean Jose Maria P. Balmaceda, UPD College of Engineering Dean Rizalinda L. De Leon, and BPI Foundation Executive Director Fidelina A. Corcuera presented the awards and recognition plaques.  The BPI-DOST Science Awards, started in 1989 by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation, Inc., with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), recognizes exceptional science and engineering students from partner-universities nationwide.  For more photos of the even, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP units highlight women’s health and wellness for development in lectures – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-units-highlight-womens-health-and-wellness-for-development-in-lectures/",
        "html": "UP units highlight women’s health and wellness for development in lectures UP units highlight women’s health and wellness for development in lectures April 8, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Participants and resource speakers alike follow along with a physical therapist from the University Health Service as she demonstrates some simple exercises office workers can do at their work stations. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Women’s health and wellness was the focus of an afternoon of lectures dubbed “3K: Kababaihan, Kalusugan, Kaunlaran! Women’s Health as a Priority Agenda,” organized by the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) in collaboration with the UP College of Social Work and Community Development’s Doctor of Social Development Program (UPCSWCD-DSD) and the UP Diliman University Health Services. The lectures were held on March 28 at the UPCWGS Conference Room.  Addressing a crowded room of University women were three speakers: Ms. Ruth Agnes L. Manalo, a resident nutritionist and dietitian of the University Health Service; Dr. Ferdiliza Dandah Garcia of the UP Manila College of Allied Medical Professions; and, Dr. Meredith del Pilar-Labarda of the UP Manila School of Health Sciences.     UHS resident dietician and nutritionist Ruth Manalo (standing, right) enumerates the rules of healthy eating, especially for women. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Ms. Manalo presented a list of good eating habits for women in order to maintain a long, healthy life, including: eating a wide, balanced variety of foods; steering clear of fad diets; and, eating generous portions of fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods, as well as appropriate amounts of food rich in protein, carbohydrate and calcium every day.     UPM-CAMP’s Dr. Ferdiliza Dandah Garcia describes the common aches and pains women are prone to at work, and how physical activity and exercise can counteract these. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Garcia, on her part, discussed common health problems women face at work, such as back pains, headaches and other ailments. She stressed the importance of getting enough physical activity, such as ten minutes of movement every two hours for office workers who spend most of the time sitting down. A physical therapist from the UHS assisted by demonstrating some simple exercises any office worker can do to prevent body aches.     The audience giving the exercises for office-workers a try. To try these exercises yourself, check this link or simply do an Internet search. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Finally, Dr. Labarda gave an overview of the health problems that women risk having. Of these, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis make up the leading causes of death and disability among women, especially aging Filipino women. As did the previous speakers, she stressed the importance of self-care and lifestyle medicine for women, consisting of: healthy eating habits; engaging in adequate physical activity and exercise (at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise three times a week); getting enough sleep (at least seven to nine hours of sleep for adults); cultivating meaningful relationships; and, connecting to one’s sense of spirituality.     UPM-SHS’ Dr. Meredith del Pilar-Labarda synthesizing the main points of the previous speakers and reminding the audience of the importance of self-care and lifestyle medicine. Photo by Jun Madrid, U PMPRO.     Prof. Excelsa Tongson, the UPCWGS deputy director of the Training, Outreach and Extension Program and UPCSWCD-DSD Director Ma. Theresa V. Tungpalan delivered the welcome address and special messages, respectively, while Dr. Maria Daniella R. Bantilles, head of the Public Health Unit of the UHS, gave the closing remarks.     From left to right: UHS Public Health Unit head Dr. Maria Daniella R. Bantilles, UPCWGS deputy director of the Training, Outreach and Extension Program Excelsa Tongson, UPCSWCD-DSD Director Ma. Theresa V. Tungpalan, Dr. Labarda, Ms. Manalo and Dr. Garcia. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Consultative Workshop for the Gender Mainstreaming Program for Students and Student Organizations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/consultative-workshop-for-the-gender-mainstreaming-program-for-students-and-student-organizations/",
        "html": "Consultative Workshop for the Gender Mainstreaming Program for Students and Student Organizations Consultative Workshop for the Gender Mainstreaming Program for Students and Student Organizations April 24, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines, with the newly constituted Technical Working Group on Gender Sensitivity and Equality at the helm of the Gender Mainstreaming Program for students and student organizations, is organizing the initial phase that will focus on consolidating past and ongoing efforts in addressing gender-related issues and concerns, including psychosocial interventions. The Consultative Workshop will cover reports from the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP CWGS) and Gender Offices, Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment, and Office of Student Affairs and will engage these units to share their experiences, success stories, and challenges. It will also gather recommendations on how to further gender sensitivity and responsiveness among students and student organizations within the CUs.  The Consultative Workshop will be held on April 29-30, 2019, 8:00am to 5:00pm, at Room 301 (Toribio Teodoro Room), Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI), UP Diliman.  For inquiries about the Consultative Workshop, kindly contact UP Padayon Public Service Office via (02) 981-8500 loc 4256 or thru email at padayon@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCWGS launches Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Fellowship Program’s 2nd year – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcwgs-launches-angat-bayi-womens-political-empowerment-fellowship-programs-2nd-year/",
        "html": "UPCWGS launches Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Fellowship Program’s 2nd year UPCWGS launches Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Fellowship Program’s 2nd year February 24, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The Angat Bayi 2020-2021 Fellows, together with UP officials and officials and staff of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, sing along with Noel Cabangon during the opening ceremony and welcome reception for the Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Fellowship Program’s second year. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies (UPCWGS), the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc., and the Angat Buhay: Partnerships Against Poverty program of the Office of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, with the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives of the Embassy of Canada, launched the second Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Program.  The Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Program, which was piloted in 2018, is a comprehensive women’s political empowerment program that aims to contribute to the full, meaningful, and effective political participation of women towards a people-centered, rights-based, gender-responsive, participatory, empowering and sustainable development agenda.  The opening ceremony and welcome reception for the Angat Bayi program’s Fellows for 2020-2021 was held on February 19, 2020, at the Quezon City Reception House in New Manila. As with the first batch of 2018-2019, the Angat Bayi’s Fellows include women leaders from various levels of local governments and from various cities, municipals and provinces across the different regions of the Philippines. Under the program, they will undergo four days of intensive training in feminist and gender transformative leadership, including online courses, sessions with feminist leadership mentors, and insight-sharing from fellow women political leaders and past Angat Bayi Fellows.     The 2020-2021Angat Bayi Fellows with Mr. Mucci of the Canadian Embassy, Vice President Leni Robredo (sitting, 3rd from right), and UPCWGS Director Nathalie Africa-Verceles. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Aside from the 21 new Angat Bayi Fellows, attendees included: UP System and UP Diliman officials; officials, former directors, researchers and staff of the UPCWGS; members of Vice President Robredo’s media and Angat Buhay project team; and, members of the media.  In her welcome message, UPCWGS Director and Angat Bayi Project Leader Dr. Nathalie Africa-Verceles explained the origins of the Angat Bayi program in UPCWGS’ gender consultant Maya Tamayo’s research on the country’s need for more progressive women leaders and the difficulty women face in running and getting elected into office. Through the UPCWGS, Tamayo’s dream became a full-fledged women’s political empowerment project through the support of the Canadian Embassy, the Office of the Vice President, and Certified-edu.net, which hosts the program’s online courses.     UPCWGS Director Nathalie Africa-Verceles. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     “We in UP, just like yourselves, are impelled to serve the people. Angat Bayi represents how we can effectively synergize theoretical perspectives and action. Collectively, we strive to work out how we can best deliver the development that our country desperately needs,” Verceles said.  UP officials who offered messages of solidarity, encouragement and inspiration for the 2020-2021 Angat Bayi Fellows included: UP Executive Vice-President Teodoro J. Herbosa, representing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; UP Vice-President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista, whose speech was delivered by Director Verceles; and,  Dr. Gonzalo A. Campoamor, the director of the Research Dissemination Office of the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, representing incoming UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo. Mr. Warren Mucci, Counselor for Political and Public Affairs of the Embassy of Canada, also expressed his government’s continuing support of the program, citing the Canadian government’s key foreign policy to advance gender equality from the national level to the grassroots level.     UP Executive Vice President Ted Herbosa. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Diliman OVCRD Director Gonzalo A. Campoamor. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Mr. Warren Mucci, Counselor for Political and Public Affairs of the Embassy of Canada. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Vice President Robredo delivered the keynote message, noting that the job of a progressive feminist political leader was to promote interest in gender equality among their constituents. “Paano natin malo-localize? Paano natin mata-translate yong ating paniniwala in a way that yung pinakamaliit nating mga kasama, mararamdaman nila iyong importansya noong pinag-uusapan natin? Iyon ang challenge sa ating mga local officials. [How do we localize it? How do we translate our beliefs in a way that the least among our constituents will understand the significance of what we are saying? That’s the challenge for us local officials.]”     Vice President Leni Robredo. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Robredo also emphasized the need to tackle the poverty, which is the root problem of the issues besetting women. “That’s what we’re doing under our Angat Buhay program. We find ways where we can help the poorest of the poor to be economically empowered,” she added.     From left to right: former UP Asian Studies Dean and former UPCWGS Director Carolyn Sobritchea; Mr. Warren Mucci; Vice President Robredo; and, UPCWGS Director Verceles. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The Angat Bayi Fellows for 2020-2021 are: City Councilor Rhaetia Marie “Sunshine” Carlos Abcede-Llaga of Lucena City, Quezon Province; City Councilor Aileen, Rhoda Itchon Acal of Candon City, Ilocos Sur; Municipal Councilor Louella Marie R. Agcaoili of San Mateo, Isabela; Municipal Mayor Ma. Rosario C. Avestruz of Cuta, Barugo, Leyte; Municipal Vice Mayor Precious Joy D. Baguio of Batuan, Bohol; Municipal Councilor Ma. Karen A. Baldonado-Guillermo of Andres Bonifacio, Diffun, Quirino; City Councilor Kristine Jane P. Barison of General Trias City, Cavite; Provincial Board Member Mila Perpetua A. Catabay-Lauigan of Tuguegarao, Cagayan; Municipal Councilor Gecelle Meñez Fainsan of Odiongan, Romblon; Municipal Mayor Trina Alejandra Que Firmalo-Fabic of Odiongan, Romblon; Municipal Councilor Mardella Matba of Languyan, Tawi-Tawi ; Municipal Councilor Vanessa Lyn Uy Mercader of Las Navas, Northern Samar; Municipal Mayor Fely of Tubahon, Dinagat IslandsPedrablanca; Provincial Board Member Thea Faith Tinsay Reyes of Roxas City, Capiz; Provincial Board Member Abegail Vendiola Sable of Corden, Isabela; Municipal Councilor Mayfair “Maya Bongco” Sibug of Orani, Bataan ; Municipal Councilor Rowena Verona Sumagaysay Silvederio of Santa Barbara, Iloilo; Provincial Board Member Rosary Gracia Perez Tababa of Urdaneta City, Pangasinan; Municipal Vice Mayor Marissa Velitario-Hao of Nabua, Camarines Sur; Board Member Margielou Orange D. Verzosa-Humilde of the 1st District of Pangasinan; and, City Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon of Baguio City, Benguet.     Vice President Robredo being presented a certificate of appreciation by Dr. Sobritchea (left) and Director Verceles (right). Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Sobritchea introducing Vice President Robredo. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Interior Design students present renovated Kalinga Day Care Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-interior-design-students-present-renovated-kalinga-day-care-center/",
        "html": "UP Interior Design students present renovated Kalinga Day Care Center UP Interior Design students present renovated Kalinga Day Care Center January 31, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Dr. Nathalie Verceles, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, Dr. Sylvia Guerrero, Justice Marvic Leonen, Prof. Hanna Faustino, Dr. Excelsa Tongson, and BS Interior Design students pose for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     To highlight the importance of having a gender responsive early childhood care and development (ECCD) program for women’s empowerment and gender equality, and in fulfillment of the role of interior designers to address practical concerns of Filipinos, BS Interior Design students of the University of the Philippines College of Home Economics (UP CHE), together with the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP CWGS) and the UP CHE faculty, sponsors of the renovation project, and guests, marked the opening of the newly renovated Kalinga Day Care Center (KDCC) in UP Diliman, Quezon City, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and guided tour of the facility on January 10, 2020.  UP’s Atty. Gaby Concepcion and Justice Marvic Leonen; Dr. Sylvia Guerrero, Dr. Nathalie Verceles, and Dr. Excelsa Tongson of UP CWGS; and, Dr. Adelaida Mayo, Prof. Hanna Faustino, and Prof. Pamela Aquino of UP CHE led the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to open the improved KDCC facility to its constituents.     BS Interior Design students receive the appreciation letter written by the KDCC kids. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Interior designer and faculty adviser Pamela Aquino introduced the ten BS ID students responsible for renovating KDCC’s reception area, teachers’ room, recreation area, kitchen, storage, and toilet: Dana Sangalang (project head); Erielle Ekong (quality control & site coordinator); Gaille Marquez (secretariat & procurement); Clement Ignacio (design head); Rizza Tabios (procurement & quality control); Steffi Yuquimpo (finance head & design co-head); Mikee Arevalo (CAD operator & procurement); Catherine Asejo (site coordinator & quality control); Angela Titular (externals & publicity co-head); and, Sophia Teaño (externals & publicity co-head). New furnishing and two additional spaces, the dining area and the breastfeeding room were also provided to KDCC through the project.  Prof. Tongson turned over to Prof. Aquino and the students the letter of appreciation written by the children enrolled in KDCC.  Prof. Tongson provided a background on how the KDCC started, and encouraged everybody to take a look at the KDCC whole-day and half-day programs and to put up their own day care centers in public or private offices. She explained that the day care primarily caters to the needs of the children of UP employees and students so that they, as parents, may be able to pursue their interests and participate in nation building.  The KDCC opened in 1998 and is fully managed by the UP CWGS as a non-formal, non-structured alternative learning environment which aims to provide a comfortable, gender-fair, and safe environment for children from ages 1 to 5 years old, and to promote a positive self-concept in children. KDCC also provides parents, guardians and caregivers or yayas with gender-responsive seminars on childhood care and development, laws, and other women’s and gender related issues.  According to the BS ID students who completed the project, “the opportunity to renovate KDCC was brought about by ID 179: Special Project in Interior Design.” This course is taken by graduating BS ID students to engage them in a real-world scenario or provide them a glimpse of what they may expect of professional life. It involves the class in meticulous planning, designing, execution, and post-evaluation of the project for a chosen beneficiary.  UP CHE Department of Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design (CTID) Chairperson Faustino provided more details on the project. She said ID students used to hold exhibits in malls to showcase their skills until the start of 2000. The ID 179 course was redesigned by senior faculty members, Dr. Adelaida Mayo and Dr. Raquel Florendo, and the students embraced ID as “a discipline that addresses very significant issues and concerns in our society” by dedicating their projects to help their chosen beneficiaries.  “ID in Home Economics aims to focus on basic needs and practical concerns of individuals and families in everyday life. How we apply it must translate to the enhancement of the wellbeing of individuals and families. For many years, ID of UP has helped many institutions through renovating interior spaces. Through this course, ID 179, we have already touched many lives and many institutions, from public libraries, school for the blind, socialized housing, hospitals, dormitories, and many more. Institutions such as Mabuhay Deseret Foundation, Bahay Biyaya, and ECPAT Philippines Inc. are among our most recent ID 179 projects,” Faustino said.  “Realize that the true beauty of the space occurred the moment that you shared your lives to others, listening, learning and understanding where their needs come from. Thank you for advancing the role to give back to society, but I hope that this would not be the last time. I hope that you will consider this as a regular habit in your life. Always put others first. This will bring honor to our nation, as well as hope,” Faustino told the students.  The renovation project was also sponsored by: Hulma Manila Custom Fabrication, Inc.; Global Visions Events & Marketing Network, Inc.; Saxum et Sal, Inc.; Kuysen Enterprises, Inc.; Universal Robina Corporation; Splash Corporation; Creamline Ice Cream; Aztec Secret Health & Beauty; San Miguel PureFoods, Inc.; Rebisco; Del Monte Foods, Inc.; Magnolia; and, individual donors who supported the fundraising efforts of the class.     Renovated Spaces  Photo above shows the kitchen area before renovation, which was converted into a cozy-looking dining area after renovation, as seen in photo below. Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020.     The reception area in the photo above has become brighter and more spacious after renovation (photo below). Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020.     Bright colors and intriguing shapes transform the KDCC’s recreation area (see photo above for “before” renovation) into an even more kid-friendly space (see photo below for “after” renovation). Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020.     The doorway and stairs at one side of the recreation (see photo above for “before” renovation) now features brighter colors and tree-artwork for the bulletin board (see photo below for “after” renovation). Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020.     Even small spaces (see photo above for “before” renovation) can be made to appear to be brighter and roomier (see photo below for “after” renovation). Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020.     A somewhat neglected space such as a storage room (see photo above for “before” renovation) can be transformed into a functional and attractive kitchen (see photo below for “after” renovation). Photo from UP BS Interior Design Class of 2020."
    },
    {
        "title": "Women’s Day 2020 in UPD emphasizes health, freedom, and well-being – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/womens-day-2020-in-upd-emphasizes-health-freedom-and-well-being/",
        "html": "Women’s Day 2020 in UPD emphasizes health, freedom, and well-being Women’s Day 2020 in UPD emphasizes health, freedom, and well-being March 6, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Members of the UP Diliman community dance the “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO) led a multisectoral gathering of the University’s advocates of women and gender rights in a program at the Quezon Hall on March 6, 2020, as part of the series of activities scheduled in celebration of National Women’s Month in UP and to mark the UP Diliman community’s commemoration of International Women’s Day.  With the theme “KKK 2020: Isulong ang Kalusugan, Kalayaan at Kaginhawaan ng Kababaihan at ng Bayan!”, the program became a festive venue for strengthening commitment to continue the struggle for women empowerment and gender equality, human rights, social justice, and national development, and for highlighting the need to further advance Filipino women’s and people’s overall quality of health, freedom, and well-being through education, policy interventions, and collective or mass actions.  Participants of the event included members of the UP System and UP Diliman administration, UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), UP Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System, Office of the Staff Regent, University Registrar, University Library, Human Resources Development Office (HRDO), University Health Service, Barangay UP Campus, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, College of Arts and Letters, College of Music, College of Fine Arts, College of Mass Communication, UP Film Institute, School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS), National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED), UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI), All UP Workers Union, All UP Academic Employees Union, All UP Workers Alliance, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) UP, University Student Council, UPD National Service Training Program, UPD Gabriela Youth, Save Our Schools Network, Babaylan, and Kabataan Partylist.  Solidarity messages were delivered by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, represented by Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rica D. Abad; UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo; UPDGO Coordinator Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel; UPCWGS Director Nathalie A. Verceles; UP Staff Regent Mylah R. Pedrano; and the leaders of unions and organizations in the University.  Kontra-GaPi, HallyUP, Kilusan Step Sisters, UP LIRIKA, UP Repertory Company, UP SAMASKOM, Pasada band, and others rendered inspiring performances, such as songs, dances and skits, during the event.     Members of Kontra-GaPi (Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino), the resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the UPD College of Arts and Letters, open the program held at the Quezon Hall with a “ritwal panalangin” in celebration of Women’s Month. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP System and UP Diliman administration officials join the program led by the UPDGO. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel, coordinator of the UP Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO). Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs (Alumni Relations and Events Management) Rica D. Abad. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, UP Diliman Chancellor. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Nathalie A. Verceles, director of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS). Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Staff Regent Mylah R. Pedrano. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     College of Arts and Letters faculty and CONTEND UP member Francezca C. Kwe. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies to launch DAKILA online training platform – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-center-for-womens-and-gender-studies-to-launch-dakila-online-training-platform/",
        "html": "UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies to launch DAKILA online training platform UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies to launch DAKILA online training platform June 2, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) is inviting everyone to the grand launching of DAKILA (DAta, Knowledge, and Information LAuncher) online training platform on June 12, 2020, 10 AM, via Zoom.  The launch will showcase the DAKILA online learning platform, how it looks, and how it works. Participants in the launch will also be given the chance to share insights and ask questions.  To register, please go to this site.  In related news, the UPCWGS’ Training, Outreach and Extension Program Unit will be offering their gender responsive training courses online. The UPCWGS also conducts outreach activities and training and technical assistance to groups outside the University.  For inquiries about UPCWGS’ online gender responsive training courses, please contact Vince Hermoso through his email address, fmhermoso1@up.edu.ph, or through his mobile number, (0995)342-2151.  Please keep following the UPCWGS on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD Vice Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo selected as new UP Diliman Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-vice-chancellor-fidel-nemenzo-selected-as-new-up-diliman-chancellor/",
        "html": "UPD Vice Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo selected as new UP Diliman Chancellor UPD Vice Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo selected as new UP Diliman Chancellor February 3, 2020 | Written by Celeste Llaneta and Jo. Lontoc   After the UP president’s announcement of his chancellorship, Fidel Nemenzo (right) raises his fist, together with outgoing UPD Chancellor Michael Tan, on the Quezon Hall bridge before a multisectoral mobilization supporting him. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo Concepcion, co-chair of the UP Board of Regents (BOR), announced the selection of Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, current UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, as UPD chancellor 2020-2023, before a multisectoral mobilization at Quezon Hall, UPD awaiting the BOR decision on February 3, 2020.  Nemenzo is the tenth UPD chancellor, succeeding Dr. Michael L. Tan.  Nemenzo’s selection as the chancellor of the national university’s flagship campus was the result of a thorough and at times contentious selection process conducted by a multisectoral search committee. His selection as chancellor was confirmed by the BOR during its 1350th meeting on February 3, 2020.     UP President Danilo Concepcion announces the BOR confirmation of Fidel Nemenzo as the next chancellor of UP Diliman. Looking on are Staff Regent Mylah Pedrano and Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     He addressed the crowd right after the UP president’s announcement. “Ang tagumpay ngayon ay tagumpay nating lahat. Alam kong narito kayo hindi para ipaglaban ako, [kundi] para ipaglaban ang UP. Narito kayo para sa academic freedom, demokratikong pamamahala, para madinig ang boses ng ating komunidad sa mga importanteng desisyon ng BOR [Today’s victory is the victory of us all. I know you are here not to fight for me but to fight for UP. You are here for academic freedom, democratic governance, and for the voice of the community to be heard in important decisions of the BOR],” Nemenzo said.  “Inaasahan ko ang inyong pakikilahok at pagkakaisa sa mga darating na hamon at pagsubok na sama-sama nating haharapin. Taus-pusong pasasalamat sa inyong lahat! Mabuhay ang UP! [I look forward to your participation and unity amid the challenges we will all meet head on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Long live UP!]” he added.     A jubilant student sector cheers Fidel Nemenzo. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In his vision paper presented during the chancellorship selection process, Nemenzo declared that he would re-imagine UP Diliman as a “modern research university with a public mission”, and an “academic center of excellence” that is inclusive, diverse, inter-disciplinary and public service-oriented. He pledged to continue to cultivate UP Diliman’s spirit of critical inquiry and academic excellence “guided by a strong moral compass”. He is committed to safeguarding academic freedom in UP Diliman. He has also vowed to be guided by the principles of democratic governance, administrative and operational efficiency, and sustainability and resiliency.     Fidel Nemenzo addresses the mutisectoral mobilization at Quezon Hall. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Nemenzo graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from UP Diliman in 1985, and earned his Master and Doctor of Science in Mathematics degrees from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, in 1992 and 1998, respectively.  He has been teaching in the UP Institute of Mathematics since 1992, and has served as: Deputy-Director for Academic Affairs in the Institute of Mathematics; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the UP College of Science; OIC Director of the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries; and, from 2014 to the present, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development.     Fidel Nemenzo is interviewed by students at the Oblation Plaza. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     His areas of research are number theory, elliptic curves and coding theory. Among the awards he has received are the Achievement Award in mathematics from the National Research Council of the Philippines and the UP Diliman Gawad Chancellor Para sa Pinakamahusay na Guro. He was the president of both the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Society of the Philippines, and has held research and teaching posts in Singapore, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Munich and Phnom Penh. In 2019, Nemenzo was elected to the Governing Board of the National Research Council of the Philippines, and is Chair of its Mathematics Division.     Senate Committee on Higher Education Chair Joel Villanueva congratulates Fidel Nemenzo at the Quezon Hall lobby. Looking on are Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan and UP President Danilo Concepcion. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     House Committee on Higher Education Chair Mark Go asks the UP community to rally behind the newly elected UP Diliman chancellor. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fup-mindanao-swimmers-triumph-in-araw-ng-dabaw%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "New CMO complex constructed by mid-2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-cmo-complex-constructed-by-mid-2022/",
        "html": "New CMO complex constructed by mid-2022 New CMO complex constructed by mid-2022 March 11, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Laying the time capsule for the UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office’s soon-to-be new home [from left to right]: UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora; Dr. Rene R. Escalante, member of the Board of Trustees of the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) and Chair of the National Historical Commission; HRVVMC Executive Director Carmelo Crisanto; UP President Danilo Concepcion, with UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo behind him; UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel B. Florendo; and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo Concepcion led, on March 3, 2022, the time capsule laying for the new UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office Complex (UPD-CMO), consisting of buildings, workshops, and a yard.  The complex is a joint project between UP and the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commission (HRVVMC), which is funding the project as part of a memorandum of agreement for the construction of an HRVV Memorial / Museum / Library / Archive / Compendium—proposed to be called the Freedom Museum—in UP Diliman.  The Freedom Museum will rise on CMO’s old site. CMO relocates to a new, more spacious complex beside the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.  The upcoming UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office Complex. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     UP President Concepcion delivers his opening remarks. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  “Ipinagmamalaki ko ang malawakang pagsasaayos, modernisasyon, pagpapalawig, at pagpapanatili ng ganda at kasaysayan ng pisikal na kalagayan ng ating mga kampus. Ginawa natin ang mga ito para sa ating mga estudyante, guro, mananaliksik, mga manggagamot, mga kawani, at para sa mas malawak nating pamayanan. Hindi naman maaaring maiwan ang mga kasamahan nating mahusay na nangangalaga sa ating pangalawang tahanan (I take pride in the comprehensive upgrade, modernization, expansion, and aesthetic and historical preservation of the physical state of our campuses. We are doing these for our students, the faculty, researchers, doctors, administrative staff, and the larger community. We must not forget our colleagues who are well taking care of our second home),” Concepcion said in his opening remarks.”  UP Diliman Chancellor Nemenzo says the UPDCMO’s dream of having a permanent home is one step closer. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  Alam kong palipat-lipat ang CMO at matagal nang nangangarap ng isang permanenteng tahanan (I know how CMO has transferred from one place to another and long dreamed of a permanent home),” UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo said in his closing remarks. He recalled seeing the old Physical Plant Office, the forerunner of the CMO, near the playground during his childhood.  “Napapanahon na magkaroon ng panibagong building ang CMO at mabigyan ng pansin ang mga pangangailangan nito, dahil isa ito sa mga gulugod ng kampus (The time is right to have a new CMO building and its needs addressed, as it is part of the campus backbone),” CMO Acting Director Perlita Raña said in an interview after the capsule-laying ceremony. “Nitong pandemya, nalaman natin na esensyal siya na gawain. Hindi ito huminto sa pagseserbisyo, kasama ng Health Service. (During the pandemic, we come to realize just how essential its work is. It continued to serve, together with the Health Service.)”  HRVVMC Board Member Rene Escalante addresses the UP Diliman community. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  “Next naman sana in line ay mga bagong sasakyan (We hope new vehicles are next in line),” Raña added.  The CMO is responsible for the physical upkeep of the university: its buildings and offices, dormitories and housing units, roads, sewers and drainage systems, parks and gardens, nurseries, and the Arboretum. It performs hauling activities, fabrication, and installation of street signs.  The HRVVMC has a mandate to establish a museum in honor of human rights violation victims during the Marcos regime. UP and HRVVMC agreed to collaborate on the project during the administration of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual. Meanwhile, the UP System administration under President Concepcion administration initiated the relocation of CMO to its new site.  “Ang mga gagamit ng museo ay doon na lamang papasok sa CP Garcia… At meron din namang kaming isang gallery dito na puwede nilang idamay sa kanilang pagbisita… Dalawa ang magiging pakinabang nila: kasaysayan at kultura (Visitors of the museum can easily access it via CP Garcia. … And we have another gallery which they can also visit. … They will benefit in terms of both history and culture),” Concepcion said.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "7-Story Student Union Building and upgraded Vinzons Hall in UPD inaugurated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/7-story-student-union-building-and-upgraded-vinzons-hall-in-upd-inaugurated/",
        "html": "7-Story Student Union Building and upgraded Vinzons Hall in UPD inaugurated 7-Story Student Union Building and upgraded Vinzons Hall in UPD inaugurated March 21, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP Diliman’s new, seven-story Student Union Building, visible from Katipunan Road, will house TVUP, the offices of the UPD University Student Council, the Philippine Collegian, the Office of Student Projects and Activities (OSPA) , the University Food Services, and UP student organizations. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     Two world-class infrastructures to be used as safe spaces for academic activities and services in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman were inaugurated on February 9: the new seven-story Student Union Building and the renovated Vinzons Hall. Officials of UP and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), under the leadership of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, former DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, and DPWH Undersecretary for NCR Rafael C. Yabut, who represented DPWH Secretary Roger G. Mercado, graced the event.  Concepcion said the Student Union Building is an ideal venue for student activities. It would become the home of TVUP, the University Student Council, the Philippine Collegian, the Office of Student Projects and Activities (OSPA), the University Food Service, and UP-based student organizations.     At the inauguration ceremony (sitting, left to right): DPWH Undersecretary for NCR Rafael Yabut; former DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     The rehabilitated Vinzons Hall, on the other hand, will house units under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), which includes the Office of Student Projects and Activities (OSPA), the Office for Student Ethics (OSE), the Office of Scholarships and Grants (OSG), the Office of Counselling and Guidance (OCG).  Vinzons Hall’s renovation ensures its structural integrity, safety, and efficient use of space. The makeover also includes an upgrade of its electrical, plumbing, and security systems.  A scenic elevator and security cameras were also installed.     UP President Concepcion calls the new Student Union Building and newly renovated Vinzons Hall a product of UP’s collective desire to improve learning spaces for UP students. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     President Concepcion added that Vinzons Hall and the old student union building housed G. Miranda Bookstore, where UP students bought textbooks and school supplies when he was still a student. Government scholars received their monthly allowance at the old Philippine National Bank (PNB) branch in the area. For him, the inauguration of the two buildings ushers in a new beginning for today’s UP students.  “We build upon the strong foundations set by our predecessors because it is what our constituents deserve,” Concepcion said. “Ang pagpapasinaya natin ngayon ay bunga ng ating kolektibong hangarin na pagbutihin pa ang mga espasyong hihikayat sa husay at galing ng ating mga estudyante tungo sa paglilingkod sa bayan [This inauguration is the product of our collective desire to improve the spaces that will nurture the skills and talents of our students and harness these toward service to the country],” he concluded.     UP Diliman Chancellor Nemenzo thanks the DPWH and the UP System for pushing for the construction and renovation of the buildings. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo thanked the DPWH and Pres. Concepcion for all their efforts. He said the Vinzons Hall and the Student Union Building would continue to serve among the epicenters of student activities and symbols of the University.  Former DPWH Secretary Villar said a world-class institution like UP deserves world-class infrastructure. He is proud and happy to have been part of these projects. He supports President Concepcion’s vision for UP to become a top university globally, not just in Asia.     Former DPWH Sec. Villar expresses his pride and happiness over being part of creating “world-class infrastructure” for a “world-class institution.” Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil R. Sonido said they were excited to come home to these buildings. She said, “The past years of remote learning emphasized how much the learning environment and spaces contribute to the formation and education of our students. When we build for our students, we enable so many experiences, opportunities, relations, the incubation of new ideas and initiatives that serve the people.” She concluded her message by saying that they expected the new and next normal for students to be a better one.     UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido said the UPD community was “excited to come home to these buildings.” Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     After the officials delivered their messages, they unveiled the buildings’ commemorative markers. They also toured the Student Union Building and the Vinzons Hall.  UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil R. Sonido, UPD Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel B. Florendo, UP Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora, TVUP Director Grace J. Alfonso, Atty.  Gaby R. Concepcion from the UP College of Law, , and UP Assistant Vice Presidents for Public Affairs Ma. Angelica D. Abad and Jose Wendell P. Capili also attended the ceremony.     DPWH Undersecretary for NCR Yabut delivered his remarks on behalf of DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     DPWH Undersecretary Yabut and former Sec. Villar were accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations (NCR) Wilfredo S. Mallari and Quezon City District Engineers Loida S. Busa, Eduardo V. Santos, and Art Corpus.     Additional photos from the inauguration of UP Diliman’s new Student Union Building and newly renovated Vinzons Hall below.     The historic and rehabilitated Vinzons Hall (1958) will house UPD offices for student services and facilities. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). The entryway to the newly renovated Vinzons Hall, with the bust of student activist Wenceslao Vinzons still in its honored place. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). UP President Concepcion and former DPWH Sec. Villar cut the ribbon to formally open the new building, with UP and DPWH officials looking on. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). UP President Concepcion and former DPWH Secretary Villar unveil the SUB’s commemorative marker. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). The large hall at the SUB will be home to the University Food Service cafeteria. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). The open space between the Student Union Building (left) and Vinzons Hall (right), with the new scenic elevator. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "NHCP turns over Upsilon marker to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nhcp-turns-over-upsilon-marker-to-up/",
        "html": "NHCP turns over Upsilon marker to UP NHCP turns over Upsilon marker to UP December 1, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP President Danilo Concepcion (2nd from left) stands beside the Upsilon Sigma Phi marker newly installed by the National Historical Commission. Beside him are USPAAI President Ed Sunico (extreme left) and National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Rene Escalante. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO)     On the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled the “Upsilon Sigma Phi” historical marker and turned it over to the University of the Philippines (UP) on November 19, 2022, at the UP Promenade in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The site is located near the main library on the UP Diliman campus.  NHCP Chairman Rene R. Escalante and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion officiated the ceremony. Among those who witnessed the event were NHCP OIC-Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo, Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association President Ed Sunico, and fraternity members.  According to Sunico, they are grateful for the NHCP’s recognition of the fraternity’s contributions since the Upsilon’s founders more than a century ago envisioned gathering young men who would become leaders in different fields and help shape the “intertwined” history of the University and the nation  “The fraternity continues the vision of its founders in helping create a climate conducive to learning and progress in the UP, to economic stability and political maturity in the Republic of the Philippines,” Sunico said.  Escalante remarked that the turnover was originally requested from NHCP in 2017 in time for their 100th anniversary. Since the NHCP required more supporting documents on the fraternity’s history, the schedule had to be moved.  The government, through Proclamation Order No. 539 issued in July 2018, already recognized the fraternity for its “significant contributions to numerous civic and humanitarian causes, as well as the dedication and commitment of its members to public service and nation-building.” The said proclamation also declared 2018 the “Year for the Celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the Upsilon Sigma Phi.”  In his message, Escalante narrated how the Upsilon Sigma Phi was established by 14 UP students in the original campus in Ermita, Manila, more than a century ago. He said the founders aimed to serve fellow students and to engage in discussions on national issues and that on November 19, 1920, the fraternity was formally organized. Justiniano R. Asuncion was elected as its president. He added that the fraternity continues to contribute positively to society and history.  On behalf of UP, Concepcion accepted the historical marker entrusted to UP. He pledged to take care of it as a symbol of the University and the fraternity. Concepcion is also a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi.  From left to right: Sunico, Escalante, Concepcion and National Historical Commission Office of the Executive Director OIC Carminda Arevalo hold up the newly signed certificates of transfer of the Upsilon Sigma Phi marker. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Announcement of the Office of Admissions on UPCA 2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcement-of-the-office-of-admissions-on-upca-2022/",
        "html": "Announcement of the Office of Admissions on UPCA 2022 Announcement of the Office of Admissions on UPCA 2022 May 13, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Office of Admissions and Office of the University Registrar building, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo from the Office of Admissions Facebook page.   This is NOT yet the announcement of results for UP College Application 2022.  As stated in the General Information Bulletin, the University Councils (UCs) of the University of the Philippines (UP) System approved an additional assessment by academic units to qualify for admission in some degree programs, if deemed necessary.  The UP Office of Admissions is now in the final stage of assessing applications after the evaluation of more than 100,000 High School Records. Shortlisted applicants in degree programs requiring additional assessment will be notified by the concerned academic unit for the additional requirements.  You shall be contacted by phone or email regarding the additional screening if needed in your application. Note that not all applicants will be contacted, only those in the shortlist of specific degree programs. If you do not receive a notification, please wait for May 31, 2022 to know the final result of your application. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s pride: 2017 National Book Awards winners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-pride-2017-national-book-awards-winners/",
        "html": "UP’s pride: 2017 National Book Awards winners UP’s pride: 2017 National Book Awards winners November 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University takes pride in the accomplishments of its faculty, alumni, and the UP Press in this year’s National Book Awards.  Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili, who teaches at the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Arts and Letters, won for Migrations and Mediations: The Emergence of Southeast Asian Diaspora Writers in Australia, 1972-2007, in the Literary Criticism/Literary History category.        Susumaton: Oral Narratives of Leyte by UP Visayas Tacloban College Professor Emeritus Merlie M. Alunan won Anthology in Waray.  Francis C. Macansantos, who passed away in July, was awarded in the Poetry in English category for Snail Fever: Poems of Two Decades. He used to teach at UP Baguio.        Among the winners, 14 are graduates of UP.  In the Literary Division, Catherine Torres (UPD, ‘02) won Short Fiction in English for Mariposa Gang and Other Stories. Alvin B. Yapan (UPD, ‘10) won Short Fiction in Filipino for Sangkatauhan, Sangkahayupan: Mga Kuwento. Marcos Martial Law Never Again by Raissa Robles (UPD, ‘78) won Non-Fiction Prose in English. Poetry in Filipino went to Rowena P. Festin (UPD, 2012) for Banayad: Mga Tula.        Victor N. Sugbo (UPD, ’74, ’76, ’83, ’92) won Poetry in Waray for Taburos Han Dagat. Remembering/Rethinking EDSA by JPaul S. Manzanilla (UPD, ’02, ’11) and Caroline S. Hau (UPD, ’90) won Anthology (Bilingual). Anthology in Filipino went to Christine S. Bellen (UPD, ’92, ’95, ’03) for Batang Rizal at iba pang dula. Maria Cecilia Locsin-Nava (UPD, ’91) won the Translation category for Shri-Bishaya, a Hiligaynon novel by Ramon Muzones she translated into English.        In the Non-Literary Division, Francisco J. Lara Jr. (UPD, ’79) won for Out of the Shadows: Violent Conflict and the Real Economy of Mindanao in the Social Sciences category. He co-edited the book with Steven Schoofs. Pinoy Manners: A Modern Guide to Delicadeza for All Generations won the Leisure category. It was written by Joy Lumawig-Buensalido (UPD, ’71, ’79).  Pocholo Gonzales (UPD, ’99) won for Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent: Mga Sikreto sa Likod ng Dubbing, Voice-over at Voice Acting in the Professions category. EIGA: Cinema in the Philippines During World War II by Nick Deocampo (UPD, ’81) won the Art category. Finally, Karl Fredrick M. Castro (UPD, ’08) won Book Design for Colonial Manila, 1909-1912: Three Dutch Travel Accounts edited and translated by Otto van den Muijzenberg.        The UP Press published the winning books of Capili, Macansantos, Festin, and Sugbo, as well as Peryodismo sa Bingit: Mga Naratibong Ulat sa Panahon ng Digmaan at Krisis by former Philippine Collegian features editor Kenneth Roland A. Guda. (Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Book on traditional Filipino medicine offers “usable past” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/book-on-traditional-filipino-medicine-offers-usable-past/",
        "html": "Book on traditional Filipino medicine offers “usable past” Book on traditional Filipino medicine offers “usable past” October 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The book “Traditional Medicine in the Colonial Philippines: 16th to the 19th Century” by Ma. Mercedes Planta, PhD, presents “various medicinal plants that Filipino traditional medical practitioners or herbolarios have been prescribing since the precolonial period.” Through the book, the author invites readers to harness from the “usable past” the potentials of the knowledge and practices studied and recorded by the Spanish missionaries in the country during the 17th to the 19th century.  (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     On September 27, experts from different fields shared their thoughts on the merits of Planta’s book at the 3rd Interdisciplinary Book Forum. The forum was hosted by the UP Press and the UP Institute of Creative Writing (UP ICW) at the Pavilion 1131, Palma Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Ma. Luisa Camagay, PhD, of the UP Department of History, Victor Paz, PhD, of the UP Archeological Studies Program, and Salvador Caoili, MD, of the UP Manila College of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, served as forum discussants. Planta, a faculty member of the UP Department of History, responded to questions raised during the open forum. UP ICW Director Roland Tolentino, PhD, gave the closing remarks. UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., PhD, served as moderator.  According to Camagay and Paz, the book offered readers and researchers material for broader discussions and modern studies about herbal and non-herbal Filipino traditional medicines, practices, and its practitioners.  Camagay said there were still voluminous documents stored in archives here and abroad that needed to be accessed, translated, and studied. She added that discussions on the dynamics among the missionaries or priests, government, herbolarios, midwives, hilots, and natives, as well as the development of the public health system during colonial times, could be written by Planta in the future as these were also interesting topics related to the book.  Paz said young researchers could use the book as a reference when they are able to gather more documents from the archives and study the artifacts from archeological sites. He added that the persistence of traditional medicine and healers might also be due to the continuing lack of infrastructure that provide health care, the “modern” and of licensed practitioners and institutions such as hospitals that were established by the colonizers; and that these “old” traditions survived because the colonizers had no replacement for them, unlike the old spaces for worship, the caves, that were replaced by the colonizers with stone churches.     Dr. Victor Paz of the UP Archeological Studies Program (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Caoili said the book was very readable, accessible, and rich in information and insight. It “helps us find a common ground” where specialists could “share in this bigger space,” he said. He said herbal medicines are essentially food plants that traditional healers were able to use way before the colonizers arrived. He added that the book served as a springboard for additional researches and interdisciplinary endeavors on herbal and traditional medicines.  Dalisay expressed the hope that the faculty, and forums such as this, further inspire young students to pursue their fields of interests and produce beneficial researches.  Among the questions raised at the open forum were on the health conditions of the natives before colonial times, health-related concepts and practices from the 16th to 19th centuries, and the “correct dosages” for the prescribed herbs.  According to Planta, the book focuses on herbal medicines that have been used and recorded during the colonial times and how these can still be used at present. The discussants also explored the concept of “hiyang”, as the “correct dosages” for the prescribed herbs depended on the traditional practitioner or herbolario and the specific conditions of the person being treated.  The Interdisciplinary Book Forum, made possible through a UP Emerging Inter-Disciplinary Research (EIDR) grant, is held every semester. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)   Click here to view more photos of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Press officially opens UP Town Center outlet – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-press-officially-opens-up-town-center-outlet/",
        "html": "UP Press officially opens UP Town Center outlet UP Press officially opens UP Town Center outlet February 22, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   UPper Shelf got its grand opening at the UP Town Center last February 15. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Fans of books written by UP’s creative and academic minds can now find their favorite titles in the UP Town Center on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City where the University of the Philippines Press held a  grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for UPper Shelf, its first off-campus commercial outlet on February 15, 2019. Located on the  second floor of the mall behind the restaurants, Chocolate Kiss and Rodic’s, UPper Shelf aims to introduce the creative works of UP’s best to a broader audience.  The ribbon-cutting was done by UP Press Director J. Neil Garcia together with UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. The event, according to Garcia, was, in part, an opportunity to thank all those who worked hard on the project, among whom were UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, former UP President Alfredo E. Pascual and his administration, and members of the UP Office for Design Planning and Initiatives.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Press Director J. Neil Garcia, and UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista cut the ribbon. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “The bottom line is,” Garcia said, “that we’re all so happy that of all our merchandise that our country’s one and only national university could choose to showcase in a nice and pleasant store in a nice and pleasant mall like this one, it’s our books that have been accorded such a distinct and enviable privilege.”  Apart from being a bookstore, Garcia said that UPper Shelf would play another role that he believed a university press should consider more in the present time–creating and fostering a “social life” for its books. He said that books “might as well not have been written if they do not get to ‘live’, which is to say, if they are not read, engaged with and hopefully loved by as many people as possible.” He hoped, therefore, that the store could become a space for book-related events such as poetry readings, book club meetings, book signings, and others.     Poet and UP College of Arts and Letters faculty member Paolo Manalo. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     To commemorate the opening, some of UP’s best poets read their poems published in the two-volume anthology, The Achieve of, the Mastery, edited by University Professor Emeritus Gemino Abad. They included Isabella Banzon, Paolo Manalo, Garcia, and Abad himself. Award-winning tenor and Philippine Madrigal Singers soloist Ervin Lumauag also entertained the audience with two sets of performances. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR PAPERS: 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-3rd-colleges-and-universities-public-service-conference/",
        "html": "CALL FOR PAPERS: 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference CALL FOR PAPERS: 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference June 3, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines, through the Padayon Public Service Office of the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs (OVPPA), will host the 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon 3) this October 16-18, 2019 in UP Visayas City Campus Auditorium, Iloilo City.  We are cordially inviting faculty members, department heads, and research staff of SUCs and HEIs, as well as representatives from government institutions and civil society organizations including NGOs to participate in the conference.  CUPSCon aims to provide an effective platform which harnesses teaching and research for extension and public service, provides a venue for scholarly discussions on lessons and best practices for continuous improvement of public service initiatives, and documents innovative initiatives that highlight the social responsibility and commitment to public service of higher education institutions (HEIs). This year, the conference forwards the advancement of public service through academe-community partnership. CUPSCon 3 shall feature plenary and parallel sessions as well as poster presentations on the various public service initiatives not only of SUCs and HEIs, but also of government institutions, and civil society organizations including NGOs to establish possible partnerships between the SUCs and HEIs and the community in delivering relevant, strategic and sustainable public service.  For further inquiries, you may contact Ms. Marielle Antonio through email at cupscon@up.edu.ph, or via phone at (02) 981-8500 loc 4257 or 981 8630. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts reception for CoE donors – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-reception-for-coe-donors/",
        "html": "UP hosts reception for CoE donors UP hosts reception for CoE donors June 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, together with officials of the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI), hosted a reception for the donors or benefactors of the CoE at the UP Board Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman campus in Quezon City on June 5, 2018.  The donors received Sundial Plaques and UP alumni pins as tokens of appreciation for their untiring commitment and support to the University. The donors were: the DM Consunji Group, for the DMCI Homes Computational Laboratory for Structural Engineering, at the Institute of Civil Engineering; the OceanaGold Philippines, Inc., for the upgrade and modernization of the Mining and Metallurgical Laboratories at the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; and, the WITCO Construction and Development Corporation, owned and managed by Mr. Mark Villanueva, for establishing the Prof. Emeritus Dr. Meliton U. Ordillas, Jr. Professorial Chair in Metallurgical Engineering.  In her opening remarks, CoE Dean Rizalinda L. De Leon said that the CoE has about 6,000 students, 800 of whom graduate every year. She added that the professorial chairs and support provided by their donors help improve the quality of UP education since these provide incentives for faculty to do more research and publish more papers, help modernize facilities and laboratories, and also inspire the students to excel.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion thanks the donors and officials of the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) for the new facilities and professorial chairs. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Concepcion, speaking on behalf of UP, expressed gratitude for the continuing support of fellow alumni and UP’s partnerships with industries. Citing the CoE as the biggest college in UP Diliman, with the largest number of students and faculty, Concepcion affirmed that these donations, in the form of labs, facilities and professorial chairs, are beneficial to many generations of UP students and teachers. He also said that UP alumni can also consider other forms of support for poor but deserving students.  Concepcion added that UP faculty need to be provided with competitive compensation comparable to those of their counterparts in other colleges and universities. He said that he is hoping UP can continue having better facilities through the alumni’s support and that they can further support the faculty for their post-graduate studies and advanced researches. He also added that these incentives help produce better graduates. “Nagrereport ako para hindi kayo magsawa, at patunayan sa inyo na nagagamit at hindi nasasayang ang mga ibinibigay ninyo,” he said.  Representatives of the donor groups also delivered inspirational messages: Mr. Mark Villanueva, for the Dr. Meliton U. Ordillas, Jr. Professorial Chair; Ms. Dinky Consunji-Laperal, for the DMCI Homes Computational Laboratory for Structural Engineering; and, Mr. Hilbert Cardenas of OceanaGold, for the upgrade and modernization of the Mining and Metallurgical Laboratories at the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.  Dr. Meliton Ordillas, Jr., in honor of whom the professorial chair was named, expressed his appreciation of the donation. He shared his story of how he started out in 1960 as a faculty member of Mechanical Engineering, with a humble salary of Php 2,490 per annum. He took up Metallurgical Engineering and continued teaching in UP. He added that in 1965, through a grant, the College was able to send him and others in the faculty to study abroad; and by the 1970s, when the CoE was upgrading its faculty, all of the grantees came back to UP. “I hope that other alumni will follow Mark’s example (of donating a professorial chair),” Ordillas concluded. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Donors pose with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and officials of the UP CoE and the UPERDFI. (Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Bus donated by former UP Regent turned over to UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bus-donated-by-former-up-regent-turned-over-to-up/",
        "html": "Bus donated by former UP Regent turned over to UP Bus donated by former UP Regent turned over to UP February 6, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Varsity teams and athletes in UP Diliman have a new way to get to and from games with the donation of a brand-new bus by former UP Regent and current Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Peru in the Philippines, Dr. Francis C. Chua, and the BA Foundation, Inc.     The symbolic key to the newly donated bus for the UP varsity teams is formally passed on from Amb. Chua (3rd from right) and DTI Sec. Ramon Lopez (4th from right) to UP President Concepcion (5th from right) and one of the UP athletes. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The signing of the deed of donation by PCCI Agriculture Committee Chair Roberto Amores (left), UP President Concepcion (center), and Amb. Chua (right), with Dr. Beatrice Ang (standing) witnessing. Photo from Amb. Betty Chua.     The turnover ceremony for the donated bus to UP was held in the afternoon of February 3 at the UP Oblation Plaza, with Fr. Ari C. Dy, SJ, president of Xavier School, performing the blessing. Special guests who also contributed to the donation of not only a bus but also 4,000 surgical masks to UP were some batchmates and friends of Amb. Chua from the UP College of Engineering and Xavier School, including Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez and Undersecretary Rowell Barba, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCI) Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberto C. Amores.  Receiving the donation on behalf of UP were UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, and Dean Francis Carlos B. Diaz of the College of Human Kinetics. In attendance were former UP Presidents Emerlinda Roman and Alfredo Pascual; UP Regents Francis Laurel, Angelo Jimenez, Frederick Mikhail Farolan; Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan; incoming UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo; and, the members of the UP Men’s Basketball Team and the varsity teams for volleyball, swimming, table tennis and others.     UP President Concepcion on behalf of UP expresses his thanks for the donation. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Amb. Betty Chua (extreme left), Amb. Francis Chua (2nd from left), UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan (3rd from left), DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez (center), former UP President Alfredo Pascual (2nd from right) and Mr. Roberto Amores (extreme right) listen to Concepcion’s welcome remarks. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In his welcome remarks, Concepcion marked the historical significance of the day, which was also the same day that the new chancellor of UP Diliman was selected by the Board of Regents. He thanked Amb. Chua for his donation, noting that UP’s new bus can compare with the  buses of the athletes in other UAAP-member universities. “At may susunod pa. In-announce kaninang hapon ni Regent Laurel na kung may bus na kayo, baka kailangan ninyo ng coaster. Coaster naman. (In addition, Regent Laurel announced this afternoon that, since we already have a bus, what we need now is a coaster),” Concepcion added, referring to Regent Laurel’s own pledge to UP.  “Sa aking pagkakatanda, huli tayong nag-champion in 1986,” Concepcion went on. “Pero magcha-champion tayo during my term. At kapag ganito ang suporta na pinapakita sa atin ng ating mga alumni at mga kaibigan, sa palagay ko hindi na tatagal at magna-number one na tayo sa UAAP.” (From what I can remember, we won the championship back in 1986. But we will be champions again during my term. And if this is how our alumni and friends support us, I believe it won’t be long until we are number one in the UAAP.)     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UPD College of Human Kinetics Dean Kiko Diaz. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP alumnus and DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Chancellor Tan and CHK Dean Diaz also thanked Amb. Chua for his generous donation in support of the UP varsity athletes, as well as the coaches and managers of the various teams. For his part, DTI Sec. Lopez expressed his and fellow UP alumnus, DTI Usec. Barba’s hope that the new bus will motivate and inspire the athletes.  For his part, Amb. Chua expressed his own gratitude to the people who helped with the donation, including former UP President Pascual; Senior Executive Vice-President Johnny Sy of the Philippine Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce (PSRICC), who went all the way to China to purchase the bus from tourist bus manufacturer King Long; and, Mr. Roberto Amores, who helped coordinate the donation. Moreover, Amb. Chua also pledged to donate more surgical masks, and reported that he will soon be donating a 1-story building for cultural development to UP. He was given a token of appreciation from his alma mater, the UP College of Engineering.     Amb. Chua pledges to donate, aside from the bus, 100,000 surgical masks to the UP Community, as well as a building that will serve as a cultural development hub. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Amb. Francis Chua graduated from the UP College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1972. Aside from being a former member of the UP Board of Regents, he is also a member of the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. and a trustee of the UP Foundation. He is the Founding Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Philippines (ICCP), Chairman Emeritus of the PCCI, Founding Chairman of the PSRICC, and Honorary President of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII). He has served as President of the PCCI, the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands and FFCCCII. In 2007, he was appointed Special Envoy for Trade and Investments by the Philippine President, and has served as the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Peru in the Philippines since 2006.     UP varsity teams take turns having their photo taken in front of their new bus. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Inside the Office of the President, during the turnover of 4,000 surgical masks for the UP Community. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The bus, just before the turnover ceremony started. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.     Xavier School’s Fr. Ari Dy blessing the new bus. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The interior of the new bus. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fup-unions-score-wins-for-up-faculty-reps-staff%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP honors benefactors with Gawad Oblation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-honors-benefactors-with-gawad-oblation/",
        "html": "UP honors benefactors with Gawad Oblation UP honors benefactors with Gawad Oblation January 19, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   All the recipients of the 2nd UP Gawad Oblation join UP President Danilo Concepcion (front, 9th from left) and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (front, 8th from left) onstage at Ang Bahay ng Alumni. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     Thirty-eight individuals and institutions received the University of the Philippines (UP) Gawad Oblation for their support of the University in the past six years.  UP President Danilo Concepcion and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia handed specially designed medals to the awardees or their representatives in a dinner ceremony at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on January 17, 2023.  According to the citations read by the master of ceremonies, UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, the awardees readily responded to the needs of the University, helping it to: expand services to internal and external publics, surmount and act on the pandemic and disasters; construct, upgrade, and preserve facilities; acquire equipment; manage utilities; and, support academic, artistic, and athletic excellence.  The first batch of UP Gawad Oblation awardees was called onstage to present their medals. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  Batch One of the awardees consisted of: Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corp.; Juanerio Jesus Atencio of Januarius Holdings, Inc.; Lilia Ronquillo Bautista of Organo Philippines; Virgilio Bautista of the University of Baguio; Picasso Chen of the Kindness Hotel Chain of Taiwan; Francis Chua of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.; Napoleon Concepcion of UP Alumni Association-Davao; Polly Cortez of the Friends of the UP Foundation in America; Renan Dalisay of NoWhereToGoButUP Foundation, Inc.;  Arthur Defensor of Iloilo Province; Sonia Delen of the Bank of America-Global Leasing; Agnes Devanadera of the Clark Development Corp.; and, Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Finance.  The second batch of UP Gawad Oblation awardees with UP President Concepcion and UP VP for Public Affairs Pernia. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  Batch Two consists of Ray Espinosa of Meralco; Ignacio Gimenez of Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc.; Vincent Henry Go of Top Breed; John Patrick Gregorio of the Philippine Olympic Committee; Michael Peiyung Hsu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office; Francis Laurel of YKK Philippines and Toyota Batangas City and Camarines Sur; Rod Libunao of Chevron Philippines; Benjamin Magalong of Baguio City; Ronald Mascariñas of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc.; Venus Navalta of IPG Media Brand; Manuel Pangilinan of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; Robina Gokongwei Pe of Robinson’s Retail Holdings; and, Emeritus Professor Ernesto Pernia, former National Economic and Development Authority Secretary-General.  The third batch of UP Gawad Oblation awardees takes their turn onstage. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  Batch Three consisted of: Jonvic Remulla of Cavite Province; Agaton Uvero of Grupo Uvero, Inc.; Orlando Vea of Maya Philippines; Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways; Timothy Eing Ming Wu of Shu-Te University-Kaohsiung and Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association; Susan Yap of Tarlac Province; Huawei Philippines; the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc.; Palawan Express; Wilcon Builders; the Zuellig Family; and, the Zuellig Family Foundation.  “UP awards the Oblation Medal to those who passionately give to the University their talents and expertise, material support, financial resources, and their time, all of which are precious gifts selflessly given for the benefit of the UP community and the public,” Concepcion said in his welcome remarks.  UP President Concepcion welcomes the Gawad Oblation awardees, recognized for giving “to the University their talents and expertise, material support, financial resources, and their time, all of which are precious gifts selflessly given for the benefit of the UP community and the public.” Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  “Our hands together enabled the University in recent years to deliver extraordinary public service in various ways. You have provided UP with the more than usual means and resources,” Pernia, UP vice president, added through her closing remarks.  The award is named after UP’s symbol, The Oblation, a sculptural rendition by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino of the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios.” For UP, the Oblation is said to signify the offering of oneself in service. The Gawad Oblation medal was designed by Leo Abaya of the UP College of Fine Arts to articulate The Oblation’s symbolism.  The dinner ceremony featured musical numbers from strings musician Solaiman Jamisolamin and the UP Singing Ambassadors.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni win National Children’s Book Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/23-up-alumni-win-national-childrens-book-awards/",
        "html": "UP alumni win National Children’s Book Awards UP alumni win National Children’s Book Awards August 16, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo     Twenty-two alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) won in all three categories of the recently announced 7th National Children’s Book Awards.  The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) honors are given by the National Book Development Board every other year. According to the PBBY, the awards recognize “the best books published for children and young adults in the previous two years” and “encourage parents and caregivers to spend more time reading with their children while recommending the best-published works.” The 7th National Children’s Book Award winners were announced on July 19.  In the Best Reads Category, 2020-2021, the following eleven UP alumni were awarded:  Beth Parrocha (Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1984), illustrator of Bulul and Ako ay may Kiki; Gigo Alampay (BS Economics, 1985 and Bachelor of Laws, 1991), author of Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy and Youthink: Fight Fake News; Liza Flores (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication, 1996), illustrator of Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy and Youthink: Fight Fake News; Abi Goy (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication, cum laude, 1996), illustrator of Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy and Youthink: Fight Fake News; Mon Sy (BA Comparative Literature, summa cum laude, 2016), author of Kakatok-katok sa Bahay ni Benok; Gabriela Dans Lee (BA English Studies, cum laude, 2005), author of Cely’s Crocodile: The Art and Story of Araceli Limcaco Dans; Adrian Panadero (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication, magna cum laude, 2014), illustrator of Cely’s Crocodile: The Art and Story of Araceli Limcaco Dans; Philip Ignacio (BA Development Studies, 1995), author of Alandal; Maloi Malibiran-Salumbides (BA Communication, Broadcast Communication, 1993), author of Tinola ni Nanay; and, Felix Mago Miguel (Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1992), illustrator of Tinola ni Nanay.  Ten UP alumni won honors in the Kids’ Choice Awards: Chapter Books Category. They were:  Denise Nicole P. Tolentino (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication, 2003), author and illustrator of The Quick and Careful Adventures of Muni; Alyssa M. Peleo-Alampay, Ph.D. (BS Geology, 1985 and MS Geology, 1990), author of I am the Change in Climate Change; Jacqueline Franquelli (BA Broadcast Communication, 1999), author of Anak ng Tinapay; Daniel Tingcungco (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication, cum laude, 2009), illustrator of Anak ng Tinapay; Danielle Florendo (Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2018), illustrator of Maselan ang Tanong ng Batang si Usman; Bambi Eloriaga-Amago (BA Journalism, cum laude, 1997), author of Doobiedoo Asks; Cat S. (Certificate of Fine Arts in Visual Communication, 2001), creator of Little Wolf; Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo (Ph.D. Comparative Literature, 1993), author of Catch a Falling Star (Filipino Edition); Chuckberry J. Pascual (BA Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino, cum laude, 2003; MA Philippine Studies, 2008; and PhD Filipino, 2015), translator of Catch a Falling Star (Filipino Edition); and, Ana Digi (BA Comparative Literature, cum laude, 2000), author of Sinta.  Finally, the two UP alumni who were recognized in the Kids’ Choice Awards: Picture Books Category were:  Meanne Mabesa Mijares (BS Education, English, 1994), author of Cassy’s Chair; and, Jacqueline Tiu (BA English, 1993), author of Nang Matutong Magbasa si Mariano.  With reports from the Office of Alumni Relations, UP System. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni named 2022 Outstanding Young Scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-named-2022-outstanding-young-scientists/",
        "html": "UP alumni named 2022 Outstanding Young Scientists UP alumni named 2022 Outstanding Young Scientists July 27, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Seven of this year’s 11 Outstanding Young Scientists named by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) are alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP). Four are on the faculty, and one is a researcher at the University. The awarding ceremony was held on July 14 during the Academy’s 44th Annual Scientific Meeting at the Manila Hotel.  UP had honorees in five of the six award categories.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  For Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Darlon V. Lantican, a university researcher at the UP Los Baños (UPLB) Institute of Plant Breeding, was recognized for contributing to the advancement of “Philippine agriculture research on major crop species, and their interacting pest and pathogens, through the utilization of genomics and bioinformatics research tools.” His work provides the necessary information to “address crop production threats, ” strengthening the country’s food systems as it deals with ongoing and future effects of climate change. Dr. Lantican earned his BS in Agricultural Biotechnology in 2012 and an MS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in 2018 from UPLB.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  In the same category, another UPLB alumnus, Dr. Roscinto Ian C. Lumbres of the Benguet State University College of Forestry, was cited for his pioneering research initiatives on the “growth modeling” of Pinus kesiya (Benguet pine), a unique forest ecosystem in the Philippines. Lumbres was also recognized for his works on biodiversity and carbon stock assessment of unique forest ecosystems to protect our biodiversity better and mitigate climate change through forest protection.” Dr. Lumbres graduated with a BS Forestry degree in 2006 and is a lecturer at the UP Baguio, Department of Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Forest Resources Management from Kongju National University, South Korea, in 2003.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  One of the two recipients in the Engineering Sciences and Technology category was Dr. Arnel B. Beltran of the De La Salle University Gokongwei College of Engineering, a BS Chemical Engineering graduate of UPLB (2005). Beltran was cited for his pioneering work on “membrane science and technology, material engineering and water, and wastewater research. His studies led to several research publications and innovation projects which respond to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) on the provision of water and sanitation for all.” Dr. Beltran received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology in 2012 from Myongji University, South Korea.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  Dr. Ronnie E. Baticulon, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the UP Philippine General Hospital and an Anatomy professor at the UP Manila (UPM) College of Medicine (UPCM), was one of the two awardees in the Health Category. The NAST recognized his “outstanding contributions in global neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, and medical education.” His research projects “aim to estimate the burden of neurosurgical diseases and identify barriers to neurosurgical care worldwide.” Together with his clinical practice, his body of work is guided by his “aspiration to be able to provide essential neurosurgical care to all Filipinos who need it, particularly the underserved.” Baticulon is also a Palanca award-winning author. His book, Some Days You Can’t Save Them All, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards. Dr. Baticulon was an Oblation Scholar admitted to UPCM’s seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) Program in 2001, earning his BS Basic Medical Sciences degree cum laude in 2005 and his MD cum laude in 2008.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  The lone awardee in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences category was Dr. Allan Christopher C. Yago of the UP Diliman (UPD) Institute of Chemistry. He was cited for his work on “local research and development of chemical and biochemical sensors for the detection of contaminants in food and biomolecules for health applications” and for the establishment of the Sensor Materials Development and Electrochemical Analysis Laboratory in UPD, which “has trained students in the areas of sensors and electrochemical analysis.” Dr. Yago earned his degrees, BS Chemistry, cum laude, in 2005; MS Chemistry in 2010; and Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2014 from UPD.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  This year’s honorees in the Social Sciences are also from UP. Dr. Michael Ralph M. Abrigo, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS), was honored for contributing significantly to “the study of the welfare implications of population change, to the use of quasi-experimental techniques to evaluate government interventions, and to the development of statistical tools for the use of other researchers.” In addition, his “suite of general-use statistical application programs implementing homogenous panel vector autoregression has allowed wider use of the technique in many different settings, including in economics, political science, and psychology.” Dr. Abrigo graduated from UP Manila (UPM) [Ed: the first reference, spell it out. UP Mindanao?] in 2008 with a BA Development Studies degree, magna cum laude. In 2012, he earned his Master of Statistics degree from UP Diliman (UPD), and in 2016, he received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Image from the NAST Facebook page.  Dr. Paul Gideon D. Lasco, MD, a UPD senior lecturer of Anthropology and UP College of Medicine (UPCM) affiliate faculty, was the other Outstanding Young Scientist for Social Sciences. He was honored for his work “in bridging the social sciences and medicine, in applying his research methods and perspectives to relevant medical and social issues in the Philippines, and for effectively communicating scientific knowledge—both from the broader research community and from his work—to the Filipino public.” In addition, he “has published critical analyses of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced the concepts of ‘medical populism’ and ‘pharmaceutical messianism’ to global public health.” Dr. Lasco is also a research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Development Studies Program. He was admitted to the UP INTARMED Program in 2003, earning his BS in Basic Medical Sciences degree in 2007 and an MD in 2010. He also became the first graduate of UPCM’s MS Medical Anthropology degree program in 2014. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam in 2017.  According to the NAST, the Outstanding Young Scientist must not have reached the age of 41 during the year of the award and must have made outstanding contributions to fields in Agricultural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Technology, Health Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The recipients received a trophy, a monetary prize of P150,000, and a P1 million research grant from the Department of Science and Technology for an approved proposal.  With reports from the UP Office of Alumni Relations.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss updates on 2nd COVID booster – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-updates-on-2nd-covid-booster/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss updates on 2nd COVID booster UP webinar to discuss updates on 2nd COVID booster May 12, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Three weeks ago, the Department of Health (DOH) approved the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) to give a fourth dose or second booster of the COVID-19 vaccines AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Sinopharm to the immunocompromised population for ages 18 years old and above. These include those receiving cancer treatment, immunosuppressants, and those with advanced or untreated HIV infection, among others.   Recently, the clamor from the healthcare workers, senior citizens, and overseas foreign workers has spurred the discussion to expand the giving of this second booster to this vulnerable group. Are the vaccines enough to cover both second booster and primary series doses? What’s the latest update on the vaccination coverage in our country? Are there new studies showing the efficacy and need for second boosters?  This Friday, May 13, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  In the upcoming episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths webinar series titled “ISA PA NGA: Kailangan ba talaga ng 2nd COVID-19 booster?” two leading experts in immunology will discuss the latest on COVID-19 booster doses and the rapidly evolving evidence surrounding these.  Dr. Marysia Recto will discuss the Clinical Evidence for recommending the second booster dose for the different populations.  Dr. Jenifer Otadoy-Agustin will discuss the immunologic side effects with a review of adverse events following immunization in the Philippines.  Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH, will provide the synthesis and deliver the closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Join us to learn about the latest anti-viral drugs and how treatment plays a critical role in controlling the pandemic.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "This doc sees dead people – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/this-doc-sees-dead-people/",
        "html": "This doc sees dead people This doc sees dead people July 28, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    She always cleaned the fish her mother Amelia bought. It was a chore she loved doing. Little did the young Raquel Barros Del Rosario know she was preparing for a future as Dr. Raquel B. Del Rosario-Fortun, the first Filipino woman forensic pathologist.  “Evisceration! That’s what it was,” she said with a knowing smile, connecting that childhood task with disemboweling bodies during autopsies. She had always wanted to become a doctor despite coming from a clan of lawyers and admitted that her father Benjamin was “a bit disappointed.”  It was her doting aunt, Dr. Lourdes Del Rosario, who inspired Raquel. Her photo is the only one on Raquel’s desk at the Department of Pathology chairperson’s office, UP Manila College of Medicine (UPCM). “Because of her, I associated fun with being a doctor.” Even going with her to a hospital in Tondo, Raquel wasn’t fazed. “That hospital smell didn’t bother me. I saw all these doctors in white coats like her, respected by everyone. I thought it was so cool.”  Dr. Raquel Fortun in her office as UP Manila Department of Pathology chair (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  Dreams vs. reality  Going into college, she wanted something that could be a pre-med degree but could also guarantee employment if she couldn’t pursue medicine because it was expensive.  She enrolled in the UP Diliman (UPD) BS Psychology program in 1979 after graduating from the UP Integrated School. Three years on, she felt certain she wanted to be a doctor. She “wanted to shift to a pre-med program focused on the sciences like Biology or Zoology,” but chose to be more practical and finished psychology.  Raquel wasn’t accepted to UPCM, so she went to the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) College of Medicine, graduating in 1987 and completing post-internship in 1988. She began residency training in anatomic and clinical pathology in 1989 at UPCM, where she was also made instructor.  The medicine-law mix  While the pull of medicine was stronger, law was also Raquel’s interest. She saw the possibility of mixing both through Dr. Pedro Solis, a lawyer-doctor and her UERM Legal Medicine professor.  She took and passed the law aptitude exam of the UPD College of Law (UP Law) twice, in 1989 and 1993. UPCM just advised against the pursuit in 1989 because it was her first year of residency. “Passing twice, I thought I might have an aptitude for law after all.”  Raquel laughed when recounting her law experience. “I quit! After 10 days, maybe 2 weeks, I just quit! This is so embarrassing, but that’s what happened. Law wasn’t for me.” She found it “too abstract, the opposite of medicine’s tangible and concrete.” She may have quit, but more than ten years later, she was invited by UP Law to teach. “I believe some eyebrows were raised, that I, a non-lawyer, was teaching a course at UP Law.”  She learned about forensic pathology from one of her seniors at the department. “I realized it was probably what I was looking for: the field of medicine, particularly pathology, applied to law. The tangible applied to the abstract.”  Raquel went to Seattle, Washington in 1994 to train at the King County Medical Examiner’s (ME) Office. “My first day there, I fell in love with forensic pathology. That was it. I knew it was the field I was meant to be in.” She had the stomach for it, too—dead bodies, whether fresh or decomposing, with maggots or reduced to skeletal remains.     Heartaches and headaches  She vividly remembers the day she left. It was a Sunday. She and her husband Vincent, an obstetrician-gynecologist, left their three-year-old daughter Lisa playing at her paternal grandmother’s place. Raquel cried so hard the night before that she almost didn’t want to leave. “It was very difficult.”  When she wasn’t examining bodies and collecting evidence at the ME’s office, Raquel would feel terribly homesick. She racked up a massive bill on overseas calls in her first month and was forced to cut down—ten minutes on Saturdays.  She thought things would be easier when she returned. “It was like my daughter didn’t know who I was. That hurt.” Raquel feared her one-year absence may have caused trauma on Lisa. “What have I done?” she asked herself many times.  Professionally, she was full of enthusiasm because of everything she had learned. “But there was no solid practice for a forensic pathologist here. I’ve seen the ideal and I wanted us to be at par with international standards.” That desire for improvement, however, wasn’t welcomed by some in the medical field and government.  “We didn’t have a death investigation system here that was fully state-funded and independent from law enforcement. We didn’t have medical examiners or coroners, and medical investigators. We still don’t. Have I cried over this? Yes, out of sheer frustration at how death investigations were being done.”  Raquel continued teaching. Over the years, she has been asked to consult on cases, some of them high profile and controversial: the Ozone Disco fire, the Dacer-Corbito case, the Asian Spirit tragedy, the Maguindanao massacre, and the death of Ted Failon’s wife, Trina Etong. Her popularity as an expert grew, but so did the number of her enemies. “Evidence doesn’t take sides. It is what it is. If you don’t like what it tells you, that’s not my fault. I just call it as I see it. That’s how the science works.”  She clarified that she never claimed to be an all-around forensic expert. “Forensics involves a lot of disciplines. Mine is forensic pathology. Although my training has exposed me to other forensic aspects of death investigation, I always defer to experts in other forensic fields. I know my limitations.”  She calls this her “real” office as UP faculty member for almost two decades (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  Choosing to stay  Forensic pathology is a lucrative field and Raquel could be earning so much more if she worked abroad, in full practice, and did part-time teaching. “My fate is here, teaching full-time as a UP professor and doing cases on the side,” she said. “I’m ten years from retirement.”  She has tried working outside, where the monthly pay was twice her teacher’s annual salary. “But I wasn’t happy. I realized it wasn’t about the money. UP has an environment that’s hard to find elsewhere. I am free to speak my mind. The students are very intelligent. The interaction with my colleagues is great.”  As for the future of forensic experts and forensic pathology in the Philippines, she hopes that coming generations will have an easier time; that funds for material and human resources would be given to support a UPM forensic pathology fellowship program; that the UP Board of Regents-approved establishment of the Forensic Science Institute in 1999 would materialize; and that a death investigation system fully supported by the state, independent of law enforcement, free from politics, unbiased, and unafraid to expose the truth would finally exist.  Until then, Raquel will just do the usual:  Try to beat the morning rush. Drink coffee in the car when she arrives too early and too afraid to enter the dark building, even with a guard on duty. Do administrative work. Teach. Maybe do an autopsy. Stay in her real office—the one with creaky wooden floors, a huge collection of crime novels, shelves full of skull/skeleton figures, and that old and frayed yet comfortable couch. Endure evening traffic.  On weekends, garden or buy plants. Listen to her CDs. Perhaps be the “HandyMa” and visit her favorite hardware stores for do-it-yourself projects. Along with Lisa, take care of her mother and do household chores.  And at any given time, tweet as @Doc4Dead.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Nowhere to go but the baryo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nowhere-to-go-but-the-baryo/",
        "html": "Nowhere to go but the baryo Nowhere to go but the baryo July 28, 2017 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    So what’s a tall 26-year-old bachelor doing in the scenic but remote municipality of San Isidro, Bohol, a town of rice fields, banana and coconut groves, 32 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City?  Adrian Sampang is no stranger to the town’s 9,800 people, being the only doctor-to-the-barrio (DTTB) assigned in the community for the past eight months.  Shortly after his graduation, the young Kapampangan passed the medical board examination in September 2016, then went straight to the DTTB program of the Department of Health, along with 81 doctors from various medical schools who signed a two-year contract in November 2016.  From the baryo  A probinsyano himself, Adrian had lived a simple life growing up in Lubao, Pampanga. “I thought I had my life planned out for me—go to a local college on a local scholarship, then spend the rest of my life working in an office. I’m lucky that I got these awards and scholarships from elementary all the way to high school, but I never planned my future,” he says.  However, his exposure to the health situation in the Philippines is rooted in his childhood. “I often got sick because I had asthma. I saw the bad situation in the district hospital – crowded, inefficient, long lines, dilapidated facilities. I didn’t want to be a doctor after that. It was my first actual experience seeking medical attention,” he says.  Dr. Sampang with his barangay health workers during their visit to the last of 3 GIDA Barangays in Barangay Candungao. (Photo from Dr. Adrian Sampang)  A UP education  Back in 2006, his mom filled up his UPCAT form. Since Nursing was the trendy program then, his mom made it his first choice, and Behavioral Science his second. He called it luck passing the latter course.  “I might have not gone to med school if I had passed Nursing,” he recalls. He became an active member of seven organizations, including the Student Council for ASAP-Katipunan. His program, which delved into the social sciences especially Anthropology, took him closer to the realities of Philippine society.  “As any Iskolar ng Bayan knows, a UP education is very different. They make sure that you at least get exposed to these social issues, then it is up to you to explore them more,” he adds. “We went to farmers and urban poor communities. Actually, my internship was with the Philippine Human Rights Information Center, a non-government organization. We did research on human rights abuses such as militarization in the countryside and on mining. We joined protest rallies. Once, we stayed with a community of sugarcane farmers in Batangas for a week to discuss their health situation,” he says.  Secretly, he applied for a scholarship in med school. He passed and finished his studies, the first UP graduate in his family to do so. He was part of the first batch affected by the University’s calendar shift, which put interns at the Philippine General Hospital preparing for the medical board examinations on a tight schedule.  “If you’ve been through the UP-PGH internship, you get the most interesting, the rarest, and most hopeless cases sometimes. That’s where you see the gaps in the health system—like late referrals, where basically they really just don’t have the money to get themselves treated. And if ever they finally do have the money, perhaps with the help of some politician or by selling their properties, even a carabao, it is too late, and there’s only palliative care left to do. But don’t get me wrong, there’s a system and funding coursed through DOH for the indigent. However, with expensive medical treatment, this budget gets easily spent,” he recounts.  To the baryo  “My perspective, especially coming from my social sciences background, has taught me that there’s a need to give back. In a way, I’m indebted to the Filipino people,” Dr. Sampang declares.  He explains that DTTB is basically focused on primary and community care. Different from hospital care, it uses a preventive rather than curative approach. It means that before diseases even set in, the doctor has to make sure that the community has a healthy population. “Actually, if there’s one thing that needs to be addressed, it’s primary care. We have no proper health-seeking behavior primarily because of poverty, and that’s one of the things I’m trying to correct.”  He functions not only as a health doctor, but also as an administrator, being the Medical Health Officer of Barangay San Isidro, with the power to select the necessary programs and their implementation. “Of course, I choose the ones that are high-impact and the most practical to do, the most relevant for the community. You are given the power to decide where the budget would go. So, you can configure what you want to do for the community. Health education is another intervention necessary in a community setting,” he emphasizes.  Dr. Adrian Sampang summing up a week of completed visits to all 12 barangays in San Isidro, Bohol. (Instagram photo from Dr. Adrian Sampang)  Today, the young doctor is focused on the ongoing construction of a rural health unit (RHU) in his municipality, which is one of his legacy projects. There has been a lack of the RHU since the Bohol earthquake in 2013. “I will leave them a functioning RHU especially equipped with a birthing station for delivery,” he says.  His work is also committed to permanently place efficient barangay health stations (BHS) and emergency response systems in key areas of the municipality.  Dr. Sampang is currently completing his Master’s class in public health systems development. He wishes that whatever he has learned from this will guide his community work, with special focus on teenage pregnancy. He is also hopeful that more young Filipino doctors will take this road to the baryo as there are still many far-flung communities that have not had doctors for years.  “I have always kept that mission-vision of UP Manila, to serve quality health care directed to the underserved community, as my personal mission. My journey that is a story I can share with my own family. I want to leave a mark so that, even without me, San Isidro will have an efficient and sustainable health system. People should be empowered and educated, most especially about their health,” he says.  He has yet to figure out his future. But right now, Dr. Sampang is just focused on his community. “Money really isn’t the reward. It’s the thank yous that I get from patients. It is the feeling of accomplishment that I was able to help,” he says.  His advice to others, he admits, is a cliché, but a good one. “Follow your heart to whatever makes it happy. I’m happy with the path I’ve chosen. You’ll get that gut feel that it’s the right thing to do. It took me several leaps of faith that led me to where I am today. I didn’t plan anything. I just went for it and it felt right. Life isn’t really that easy, but just make sure that you make the best of what’s given to you, and have fun along the way.”          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB recognizes its outstanding admin, research and teaching personnel – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-recognizes-its-outstanding-admin-research-and-teaching-personnel/",
        "html": "UPLB recognizes its outstanding admin, research and teaching personnel UPLB recognizes its outstanding admin, research and teaching personnel March 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Members of the UP Filipiniana Dance Troupe wowed audiences with their intermission performance. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Members of the UP Los Baños community packed the historic Charles Fuller Baker Hall on March 6, 2018 to celebrate its 109th Foundation Day. While the celebration was an opportunity to reflect on UPLB’s vital role in research in public service, it also served as a venue to honor the administrative, research and teaching personnel who distinguished themselves through excellent service.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion himself led the awarding ceremonies, together with UPLB officials led by Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Jr. In his keynote speech, Concepcion highlighted UPLB’s role as a leading institution in teaching and research, particularly in agriculture, a field “central to human existence”.     President Concepcion praises the craftsmanship and stage design at Baker Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     So important was the UPLB’s contribution to national well-being, Concepcion said, that it remained, through its College of Agriculture, one of the rare higher education institutions that did not close during World War II. UPLB’s importance was also highlighted by the amount of resources invested by the national government to its assistance and rehabilitation in the post-war period.  “UPLB remains relevant to this day,” Concepcion noted. “In fact not just relevant, but most relevant. Not just because of its niche areas, but because it continues to adapt to the changing needs and demands of our people and the rest of humanity.”  Concepcion attributed UPLB’s continued importance to the outstanding knowledge creation and public service by its faculty, alumni and staff. He said that the most important contribution of UPLB’s graduates was public service, which included not only their service to the country and its people, but to humanity as a whole, as well.  Recipients of the Outstanding Administrative Staff Awards included: Adora De Castro of BIOTECH, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA); Divina Padua of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), OVCAA; and, Jenette Lory Tamayo-Estabillo of the OSA, OVCAA.     UP Officials pose with UPLB awardees. (Photo by Jun Madrid)     Recipients of the Outstanding Researcher, Extention Personnel and Program/Team Awards included: Jason Albia of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics(IMSP) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS); Eldrin DLR Arguelles of BIOTECH, OVCAA; Karen Quilloy of the College of Economics and Management (CEM); Antonio Lalusin of the College of Agricultural and Food Sciences (CAFS); Dinah Pura Depositario of the CEM; Glenn Baticados of the CEM; the Fruit and Shoot Borer Resistant Eggplant Research Team of the CAFS; and, the National Crop Protection Center Quick Response Team of the CAFS.  Recipients of the Outstanding Teacher Awards included: Michell Grace Parasa of the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM); Katrina Joy Abriol-Santos of the CAS; and, Benjamina Paula Flor of the College of Development Communication (CDC). (Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Padayon continuing the public service tradition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-padayon-continuing-the-public-service-tradition/",
        "html": "UP Padayon continuing the public service tradition UP Padayon continuing the public service tradition May 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP Padayon Team, headed by Dr. Marot Flores (2nd from the top left), with other staff members of the UP Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines’ history of public service antedates the UP Charter of 2008, which declares UP as a “public service university.” The UP Charter of 2008 (RA 9500) mandates that UP as the national university shall “lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society, while maintaining its standards of excellence.”  In postwar Philippines, the University of the Philippines was already engaged in community work by serving the poor and the needy, especially the victims of World War II. In 1966, then UP President Carlos P. Romulo (1962-68), in a speech before the University Council, called for the nationalization of knowledge and pushed for Filipino scholarship to benefit fellow Filipinos.  But it was during the creation of the UP Pahinun­god in 1993 when the university took an active role in voluntarism. Pahinungod is a Visayan term which means “offering” or dedication to a noble purpose. The UP Pahinungod under President Emil Q. Javier (1993-1999) envisaged a generation of UP students and graduates who would offer their talents and dedicate themselves to voluntarism as responsible citizens of the nation. But the UP Pahinungod System Office did not last long and was devolved to the different Constituent Universities.     A scene from the Padayon Workshop held on October 24, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In 2012, the UP Padayon Public Service Office under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs was established by President Alfredo E. Pascual (2011-2017). Its first Director, Dr. Ferdinand Llanes, described the new office as having a “much broader parameter for public service [than Pahinungod], which includes initiatives of both volunteer and non-volunteer in nature (research extension, second- ment to state agencies, medical internships, training projects, and so forth, and so on).” Under the directorship of Llanes, Padayon’s central goal was to “generate and mobilize expertise in the service of the nation” which he considered part of what is otherwise known in the Asian region as a “scholarship of engagement.”  From “community engagement” in postwar Philippines to “a scholarship of engagement” in the new millennium, it is not surprising to find numerous and various forms of public service in the university. A significant number of public service initiatives across CUs however, are not documented, reported and tracked. The next UP Padayon Director, Nelson Cainghog, therefore embarked on a project to standardize and systematize public service reporting through the UP Handbook Online Project.  For the first time, there is now a unified mechanism for reporting public service across the different CUs. In collaboration with the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) Team of ITDC under the Office of the Vice President for Development, the UP Public Service Handbook (for individual input) can now be utilized starting March 2018, making the submission and approval of public service reports more convenient and efficient. Phase 2 (for institutional input) of the Handbook is underway and will become operational within the year.  Under the new administration of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (2017), UP Padayon is taking on a more proactive role in public service. The task is to address problems within the university as well as to respond to national emergencies while at the same time coordinating and consolidating all efforts and initiatives from different sectors and stakeholders working on public service in the university.     UPV students and staff prepare relief goods to be delivered to communities stricken by Super-Typhoon Yolanda. (Photo from UP Visayas)     UP Padayon has been coordinating initiatives to provide quality food service to the underprivileged Iskolar ng Bayan to ensure that their nutrition needs are met to complement the quality of education they receive from the university.  The annual Gawad Pangulo which UP Padayon organizes attests to the continuing tradition and practice of public service in the university. In this is­sue of the FORUM, we present the Gawad Pangulo awardees for public service and their projects. They include the contributions of Professor Emeritus Romulo Davide of UPLB in restoring the dignity of farmers through the Farmer-Scientists Training Program; UP Baguio’s Summer Arts Program pro­viding workshops for cultural workers in the Cordil­lera region; UPOU’s Teacher Development Program through eLearning; UPD’s College of Home Eco­nomics Program of Transforming Interior Spaces of the Home and Upgrading Lives of the Aged; the Community-based Rehabilitation Wheelchair Service Program of the College of Allied Medical Professions; and the UP Cebu Business Incubator for Information Technology (UP Cebu InIT). A roadshow on genomic and informatics headed by the Philippine Genome Center is also included in this issue.  UP public service projects, programs and initia­tives are numerous and cannot all be considered for the Gawad Pangulo. But these can be shared in the Colleges Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCON) which UP Padayon also organizes. CUPSCON 2, held last 9-10 November at the UP BGC (for the Luzon leg) and 28-29 November at UP Cebu (for the VizMin leg), gathered more than a hundred extension specialists, public service work­ers, volunteers and advocates all over the country. CUPSCON is the best forum to share best practices, challenges and successes of public service endeavors as well as the best opportunity to link up with other institutions.     Dr. Milagros Laurel of the UP Diliman Department of English and Comparative Literature speaks during the Padayon Workshop held on October 24, 2017. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     From the postwar years to the 21st century, UP has continued its mission to serve the needy, the margin­alized and the vulnerable. Tracing its beginnings to UP Pahinungod in the 1990s, UP Padayon in 2012 affirms the public service function and role of the University of the Philippines.  Padayon, a Visayan word which means “to do promptly, hastily, unceasingly” as planned and as worked out (Abuyen Dictionary, 2005) describes aptly the new character of UP Padayon as an of­fice that responds quickly and proactively to the problems and challenges of a university and a society caught in the midst of climatic and radical changes in the environment and everyday life.  In Bahasa Sug (Taosug), “dayong” refers to a big paddle for rowing big boats. As a noun infinitive, “pagdayong” means a collective effort of row­ing, moving or propelling a big boat towards the same direction. Given the various volunteer groups, extension specialists, cultural workers and public servants of eight constituent universi­ties, the UP Padayon System Office shall steer all efforts, initiatives and responses across CUs toward public service for the Filipino nation. Padayon!  All these initiatives, projects and programs on public service should not only be reported but featured and discussed in academic journals and other reputable publications. UP Padayon launched its 1st Fellowship & Writeshop Grant for faculty, REPS and staff last 24-25 October 2017 at the CCP Executive House in Mt. Makiling. The objective was to equip faculty, REPS and staff with writing skills to produce scholarly articles on public service. (Ma. Crisanta Nelmida-Flores, Director, Padayon Public Service Office) "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-public-service/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE May 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Beyond teaching and research, how can universities and colleges serve the public better?     Lenore Polotan-De la Cruz: Director, Office of Extension Coordination Associate Professor, Department of Community Development, College of Social Work and Community Development UP Diliman     A key premise behind UP’s mandate as a public service university is that service is not only a function (like teaching and research) but is an overriding ideal and core value that guides our work as faculty, REPS, staff and students. Public service connects us to social realities. We just have to look at communities around us, including our own, to realize the magni­tude and diversity of societal issues that we can help address by seeking better ways of putting our knowledge and exper­tise in the service of these communities.  At the Department of Community Development, the Field Instruction Program (FIP) is an integral part of the academic training of our graduate and undergraduate students. It has proven to be an effective vehicle for both learning and service through which students under the close supervision of faculty members live in marginalized communities and engage community members in address­ing real-life issues and problems using the knowledge and skills in CD learned in the classroom. In particular, students and faculty assist communities and vulnerable groups in organizing and organizational strengthening, community education and training activities, mobilization and advocacy, and in coming up with more effective programs for people-centered development. The FIP has continually provided our faculty tremendous op­portunities for community extension and research which in turn enhance our teaching.  My current role as OEC Director has provided me a wider picture of how UP Diliman has lived to its public service mandate. More than half of its faculty members, REPs and staff are involved in public service initiatives in various capacities, and in various programs that address a rich diversity of social issues and concerns. Many of these initiatives are undertaken through partnerships and the collaborative approach—among different units and disciplines within UP Diliman and other CUs, with partner communi­ties, local government units, national gov­ernment agencies, civil society organiza­tions, UP alumni, and the private sector.  Since 2016, the Parangal (now Gawad Tsanselor) sa Natatanging Programang Pang-Ekstensiyon has been revived to recognize exemplary extension programs in UP Diliman. The awardees to date include: the Geography Field School (Department of Geography, CSSP) and the KaSaMa Teachers Online Commu­nity (NISMED, College of Education) for 2016; the UP MSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory Training and Education Program (Marine Science Institute) and the Microbiological Research Services Laboratory Extension Program (Natural Sciences Research Institute) for 2017. All these programs are solid proof of UP’s significant contributions to public service.     Tell us about one or two public service programs or best practices undertaken by your constituent unit (CU). What problems or challenges have you en­countered in doing public service? How did you solve or address them?  UP Diliman as the flagship campus of the UP System has made significant progress towards further institutionalizing the public service and extension work of fac­ulty and staff through improved policies, programs and incentives. These include providing incentives and grants to en­courage them to undertake various forms of community and volunteer service, direct social action as well as scholarly and technical advice to government, civil society and the private sector. We are now seeing an incremental increase in faculty and staff applying for Extension Load Credit, Extension Grants and reporting their public service involvements. How­ever, much work still needs to be done on different fronts.  Management support for extension work remains a challenge since only a few units have established extension offices with full staff support and with fully developed procedures for approving and monitoring extension initiatives based on unit-agreed extension agenda. There is also need for a more robust reporting system that can capture the full picture of public service initiatives in the whole university.  The challenge of integrating exten­sion work, research and teaching in the academic life of faculty members is also crucial in fully realizing the transformative intent of scholarship. The bias in favor of journal publications tends to privilege only one tradition of academic scholar­ship. Extension and its knowledge prod­ucts that are more practical and accessible to the broader publics need to be given the value they deserve.     Suggest one or two ways of further improving the public service program in your CU and locality.  I would like to see more documentation and dissemination of our public service experiences and lessons in various formats and media that are relevant to the con­texts, mandate, tradition, and publics of the different units in the university. Such documentation should include system­atic evaluation and measurement of our impact, and critical analysis of the effects of these initiatives on the lives of commu­nities and beneficiaries. I would also like to see more inter- and multi-disciplinary collaborations on extension and public service programs amongst different col­leges. This can be realized through deeper interactions with various sectors within and outside the university. Finally, I look forward to a higher valuation of public service and community engagement as a moral duty amongst all university con­stituents. All these will help ensure that extension and public service remain at the core of our mission as a university, even as we strive to maintain standards of excel­lence in teaching and research. "
    },
    {
        "title": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-public-service-2/",
        "html": "THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE THE UP FORUM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC SERVICE May 4, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Beyond teaching and research, how can universities and colleges serve the public better?     Joane V. Serrano, PhD: Director, Information, Office Multimedia Center UP Open University     The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has always believed that public service cuts across its teaching and research functions. In its 23 years of existence, UPOU has tried to integrate public service in its core functions and major activities. UPOU is uniquely posi­tioned to serve the public better through its thrust and mandate of widening access to quality education, especially to sectors that are not normally reached by other constituent units of the UP System.  To surface the importance of public service, UPOU established openUP—one of its flagship programs that focuses on widening access to continuing profes­sional education; providing digital opportunities to communities; providing venues for discussion of relevant issues in the society; and providing technical assistance to higher educational institu­tions (HEIs), local government, people’s organizations and civil society. With the enactment of Republic Act 10650 (Open Distance Learning Act), UPOU has been given a crucial task of assisting relevant national agencies, HEIs and technical and vocational institutions in developing their distance education programs through training, technical assistance, research and other academic programs.     Tell us about one or two public service programs or best practices under taken by your constituent unit (CU).  The UPOU has a number of public ser­vice initiatives. Let me just mention two programs which are unique to UPOU:  Massive Open Distance e-Learning (MODeL). UPOU’s platform for Mas­sive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs are online courses which are open to the public for free. In the Philip­pines, UPOU pioneered the offering of MOOCs through MODeL. UPOU of­fered its first MOOC in 2013—Introduc­tion to Mobile Application Development Using Android Platform—which received a Merit Award in the PR Programs Merit on a Sustained Basis (Education/Literacy Category) at the 49th Anvil Awards in 2014. The course aimed to equip students with the necessary skills and know-how to deploy android application for an­droid phone and tablets. It was devel­oped and offered in collaboration with SMART Communications, Inc. Since then, UPOU has developed a number of MOOCs with the aim of making education more open and accessible, and in promoting lifelong learning. Courses offered are clustered under the follow­ing categories: ASEAN Studies; Child Rights Protection and Promotion; DE Readiness; eFilipiniana; eService Manage­ment Program; Interlocal Cooperation; ODEL Teacher Accreditation; Sustainable Development; and Technology for Teach­ing and Learning. UPOU MOOCs can be accessed through http://model.upou. edu.ph. UPOU Commons. The UPOU Commons is a repository of UPOU-produced Open Educational Resources (OER). OERs are educational resources with open licenses, available for free, online and can be used by anyone. UPOU is a staunch advocate of OERs as it believes that OERs that are well-designed and implemented can help achieve SDG 4 which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Through the UPOU Commons, the public can access learning resources that have been developed and produced by UPOU. These resources feature experts on content such as science, mathematics, technology, sociology, communication, arts, etc. who are not just from UPOU but from other UP units and academic institutions. OERs from UPOU Commons can be used by teachers and students to improve teaching and learning. Examples of these OERs are on Technology for Teaching and Learning which have been funded by UNESCO and produced for teachers to improve their competencies on information and communications technology (ICT). UPOU OERs can be accessed through http://networks.upou. edu.ph/category/commons-video/.  Through programs like these, UPOU attempts to remove barriers (such as geography, time, economics, gender and age) that have traditionally restricted learners to avail of and access quality education.     What problems or challenges have you encountered in doing public service? How did you solve or address them?  From my point of view, one of the major challenges that UPOU faces when it comes to doing public service is the lack of manpower. Being a small university with a very wide reach has become a major challenge for each faculty and staff of UPOU.  Despite this major challenge, UPOU is able to overcome it through collaboration and partnership. By engaging its affiliates, alumni and students and other partners and networks, UPOU is able to deliver its commitment to make quality education more open and accessible, and to promote lifelong learning.     Suggest one or two ways of further improving the public service program in your CU and locality.  To further improve UPOU’s public ser­vice program, the following can be done:  – Increase engagement with the commu­nities it serves, including rural commu­nities, by sharing with them innovative teaching and learning technologies  – Include students in co-creation and use of OERs  – Strengthen collaboration with all sectors of society  – Improve the dissemination and promo­tion of MOOCs and OERs to increase participation and involvement of the public "
    },
    {
        "title": "Final Call for Nominations to the 3rd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/final-call-for-nominations-to-the-3rd-gawad-pangulo-award-for-excellence-in-public-service/",
        "html": "Final Call for Nominations to the 3rd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service Final Call for Nominations to the 3rd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service October 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The call for nominations to the 3rd Gawad Pangulo: Award for Excellence in Public Service has been extended to October 26, 2018. The award continues to give due recognition to exemplary public service initiatives across the UP System that exhibit compassion in delivering programs and services to the different publics that the University serves.  Nominations should belong to five clusters: Arts and Letters, and Communications; Science and Technology; Social Sciences, Management, and Law; Health and Allied Sciences; and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, and Natural Resources Management. Eight awardees will receive a prize money worth PhP100,000.00.  The nominations must be emailed to padayon@up.edu.ph on or before October 26, 2018 and must include a documentation of the project, a list of academic and/or official citations, certification from program beneficiaries, and certification of proper liquidation of funds (if government-funded). The nomination package may be downloaded from https://tinyurl.com/yd3ajtmr.  Physical copies of the nomination package may also be sent to the address below. Packages must be dated on or before the deadline.  2/F, Rm. 208, Vidal Tan Hall, ITDC Bldg. Quirino Ave., cor. Velasquez St. University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101  For inquiries, please contact the Secretariat via telephone at (02) 981-8500 loc 4256 or thru email at padayon@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP bolsters partnerships with UK and Spain universities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bolsters-partnerships-with-uk-and-spain-universities/",
        "html": "UP bolsters partnerships with UK and Spain universities UP bolsters partnerships with UK and Spain universities June 5, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and other officials meet with members of The Academy of UoL and the second cohort of participants of the TAPHEP Project being implemented by UPLB. UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. and UPLB OIL Director Anna Floresca F. Firmalino lead the project. (Photo by UPLB OPR)     University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo A. Jimenez led the delegation that visited the University of Liverpool (UoL) in the United Kingdom to renew a partnership, and explore a new phase for another with the Universidad de Malaga (UMA) in Spain on May 5-10.  In Liverpool, President Jimenez signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UoL and UPLB, renewing the partnership they first established in 2017 that has led to cooperation on the Program for Relevant and Responsible Postgraduate Research Project and the proposal for a Dual PhD program focused on the One Health concept.  UPLB is also currently implementing the Transformative Academic Practice for Higher Education in the Philippines (TAPHEP) project in cooperation with UoL, UP Open University, and 18 other public and private higher education institutions in the country.  Celebratory smiles after the MOU signing. Seated from left to right are: UoL Professor Steven Edwards, CHED IAS Director Lily Freida M. Milla, UoL Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Postgraduate Affairs and International Partnerships Graham Kemp, UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., and UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo DP. Cubillan. Standing from left to right are British Council Philippines Country Director Lotus Postrado, UoL Professor James Stewart, UPLB International Affairs Director Anna Floresca F. Firmalino, and UoL International Office Director Christine Bateman.(Photo by UPLB OPR)     The second cohort of TAPHEP participants arrived earlier in Liverpool to take part in workshops with The Academy of UoL, the unit implementing the Postgraduate Certificate Academic Practice, a teaching qualification program for university lecturers and similar professionals.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and other officials meet with members of The Academy of UoL and the second cohort of participants of the TAPHEP Project being implemented by UPLB. UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. and UPLB OIL Director Anna Floresca F. Firmalino lead the project.  In Spain, President Jimenez met with UMA Rector Jose Angel Bueno and his executive and management team members.  Meetings with UMA faculty from several colleges, as well as visits to various institutes of the university, were undertaken.  In a meeting with the Faculty of Law of UMA , discussions were also held regarding the proposal for a new phase of the CALESA Project being implemented by the UP College of Law in cooperation with UMA and several other Philippine law schools,  CALESA or Capacity Building for Legal and Social Advancement is a project of the European Commission coordinated by UMA with other international partner institutions in higher education.  In the Philippines, it focuses on the development of law and legal education. The UP Law Center is a partner institute of UMA in the implementation of CALESA.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez leads the UP delegation in their meetings with UMA Rector Jose Angel Bueno (6th from left) and his vice rectors. (Photo by UPLB OPR)  Article and photos by the UP Los Baños Office of Public Relations. Read more news releases about UPLB here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP signs MOU with China’s Guiyang Institute of Humanities and Technology – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-signs-mou-with-chinas-guiyang-institute-of-humanities-and-technology/",
        "html": "UP signs MOU with China’s Guiyang Institute of Humanities and Technology UP signs MOU with China’s Guiyang Institute of Humanities and Technology September 25, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP President Angelo Jimenez (4th from left) and President Wang Fengyou of Guiyang Institute of Humanities and Technology (3rd from right) raise clenched fists, symbolizing the UP community’s spirit of solidarity. Also in the photo is CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III (2nd from right) who led the Philippine Delegation of Higher Education Institutions in the China-ASEAN Belt and Road Nations University Presidents Forum during the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW).     During the 2023 China–ASEAN Education Cooperation Week held at Guiyang, Ghuizou Province in China, from August 27- September 2, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was officially signed between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Guiyang Institute of Humanities and Technology (GYIHT).  GYIHT is an administratively independent full-time institute of higher learning in new mechanism founded in 2001. It consists of 16 executive departments and seven teaching departments. With over 16,000 students spread across 40 undergraduate programs, GYIHT specializes in the disciplines of law, education, literature, art, science, engineering, and management. At present, the institute has more than 800 full-time teachers, 70% of whom have a master’s degree or higher and some are cultural experts of the Chinese government.  The MoU establishes a basis upon which GYIHT and UP may explore areas of cooperation. In this regard, the parties have agreed to:  Initiate joint projects involving international collaborative research and to share expertise and joint development of research; Facilitate academic development exchanges between the higher learning institutions, including mutual visits by faculty members to pursue research, teaching, and to participate in seminars, conferences, and workshops among others; Facilitate study visits and student exchange by postgraduate and undergraduate students where appropriate to enhance students’ learning experiences. Facilitate internship by undergraduate students where appropriate. To encourage faculty members of one higher learning institution who meet admission entry of the other institution to pursue master and doctoral studies at the other HEI. To initiate joint supervision for master and doctoral programs. During the signing ceremony, UP was represented by President Angelo Jimenez, while GYIHT, by President Wang Fengyou. Witnesses at the signing ceremony include CHED Chairman Prospero deVera III, Consul General Flerida Ann Camille Mayo, UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Lagmay and UP Open University Vice Chancellor Jean Saludadez."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visayas gears for Antique Extension – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visayas-gears-for-antique-extension/",
        "html": "UP Visayas gears for Antique Extension UP Visayas gears for Antique Extension September 9, 2020 | Written by UP Visayas Information and Publications Office   Image by the UPV IPO     The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) is gearing for the implementation of continuing education programs in the province of Antique in line with the UP Extension campus this 2020 in the town of Pandan.  UPV Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran, who is closely coordinating with the office of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, Lone District Representative of the Province of Antique, said that the initial offerings for the extension program will focus on sustainability and policy trainings, including governance.     To be located in Brgy. Nauring, Pandan, Antique, approximately 2.10 km. away from the Pandan town proper, the UPV extension campus building will stand on the 500-square meter lot offered as a donation to UP by the Bautista family of the said town. Image from Google Maps.     “The proposed UP Extension Campus in Antique is envisioned by the UP System to cater to HEIs, SUCs, universities in Antique and neighboring areas. The basic facilities of the building in Pandan will catalyze engagements among CUs in the UP System, local academic institutions and LGU partners. It is envisioned to offer undergraduate program and graduate programs in the future to democratize admission to the University of the Philippines,” Babaran said.     Image by the UPV IPO     To be located in Brgy. Nauring, Pandan, Antique, approximately 2.10 km. away from the Pandan town proper, the extension campus building will stand on the 500-square meter lot offered as a donation to UP by the Bautista family of the said town. The three-story building has a budget of Php50M from the 2019 GAA. It will have a library, classrooms, laboratories and living quarters for faculty. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development under Vice Chancellor Martin Genodepa is in charge of construction which will begin in October, upon completion of the architectural and engineering plans. ASM Francisco Construction and Development Corporation, a Luzon-based construction company, won the bid to design and build the project.  The UPV Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development conducted a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) to determine training needs of key stakeholders in the province of Antique.  Results showed that financial literacy/ financial management, project sustainability, policy training (including governance) are necessary trainings to be conducted.  Training programs approved for implementation for AY 2020-2021 include: 1) Development of Training Module for Sugar Production from Nipa Sap; 2) Development of Flexible Learning Materials for Fisheries Higher Education Institution in Antique; and, 3) Upgrading Food Safety Awareness and Competence of Sanitary Inspectors and Food Business Operators in Antique Province.     Original article by the UPV IPO first published in the UP Visayas website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP marine scientist makes history as the 1st Filipino to reach the 3rd deepest point on Earth – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-marine-scientist-makes-history-as-the-1st-filipino-to-reach-the-3rd-deepest-point-on-earth/",
        "html": "UP marine scientist makes history as the 1st Filipino to reach the 3rd deepest point on Earth UP marine scientist makes history as the 1st Filipino to reach the 3rd deepest point on Earth March 23, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Before the descent at 6:30AM on March 23. Photo courtesy of Mr. Joselito Dela Cruz Membrot of DSSV Pressure Drop, shared on the UPMSI Facebook page.     Dr. Deo Florence L. Onda, a microbial oceanographer who is Associate Professor and Deputy Director for Research of the Marine Science Institute (MSI) in the University of the Philippines Diliman, makes history as the first and only Filipino and one of the first two human beings to make the first manned descent into Emden Deep, the third deepest point on Earth.  The Emden Deep is located in the Philippine trench and is approximately 34,100 feet or 10,400 meters. On March 23, the explorers made touchdown at 10,045 meters deep. Watch the historic moment here.  According to a press release by the UPMSI, Dr. Onda was invited by the private organization Caladan Oceanic to join the Emden Deep Expedition, to be held from March 22 to 28, 2021. The expedition is being carried out on board the DSSV Pressure Drop, described as the only marine vessel in the world designed to endure such missions and to carry humans to the deepest parts of the world’s oceans.  Dr. Onda joins an American undersea explorer, Victor Vescovo, who according to the UP MSI, is “the current record holder of the deepest manned descent in the Marianas Trench in 2019” and is the “main sponsor of Caladan Oceanic, which . . . has been setting records for deepest manned descents in the world’s deepest trenches, with the most recent one in the Marianas in 2019”.  Dr. Onda and his companions started the voyage from the port of Guam to the Philippine Trench. This activity has been fully coordinated with the Philippine Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and is considered a non-Marine Scientific Research (MSR) activity.  According to the UPMSI press release: “Part of the goal is to wave the Philippine Flag in the Emden Deep during its record-setting voyage, highlighting that it is an integral part of our nation’s heritage. Dr. Onda, as the sole Filipino researcher representing the country, will also be given a unique opportunity to be exposed to state-of-the-art vessels capable of deep-sea activities, which can enrich our experiences and knowledge as the Philippines builds its own National Academic Research Fleet (NARFleet), an ongoing national project funded by the Philippine Government. This endeavor can spark interest and passion for many other young Filipinos who would want to make a career in the sciences and bring more attention to the protection, preservation, and conservation of the Philippine marine environment.”  Dr. Onda and Mr. Vescovo are joined by a capable crew and expedition team that includes several Filipino members.     Dr. Deo Florence Onda and Mr. Victor Vescovo of the Caladan Oceanic are set to make the first dive in history to the 3rd deepest spot on earth (Emden Deep in the Philippine Trench). Photo from the UPMSI’s Facebook page.     Dr. Deo Florence Onda, UP microbial oceanographer, and Mr. Victor Vescovo, American undersea explorer, check in from the bottom of Emden Deep during their historic first crewed descent into the third deepest point on Earth. Watch the video on Dr. Onda’s Facebook page.     Video Player     Dr. Onda is connected with the UPMSI’s Microbial Oceanography Laboratory, and is known for his research on host-symbiont interactions, microbial biogeography, diversity, dynamics and trophic interactions, and consequences of changing conditions. He has participated in a number of scientific expeditions, such as the Joint Ocean Ice Studies and Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project. He received multiple grants from different institutions and programmes for his research, along with internships and further trainings abroad.  For more information, please send inquiries to ddr@msi.upd.edu.ph/ (632) 922-3962, (632) 981-8500 local 2902, or email Mr. Rob McCallum (rob@eyos-expeditions.com), the expedition leader of the Caladan Expedition.  Follow updates on this historic exploration through the following websites and social media links, using the hashtag #IntoTheEmdenDeep:  The UP Marine Science Institute’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/upmarinescienceinstitute  The UP Marine Science Institute’s website http://www.msi.upd.edu.ph/  Caladan Oceanic’s official website https://caladanoceanic.com/  The DSSV Pressure Drop Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Dssvpressuredrop/  Dr. Onda’s Instagram site, savedeocean https://www.instagram.com/savedeocean/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Breakthrough: Extinct giant rodents discovered in the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/breakthrough-extinct-giant-rodents-discovered-in-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Breakthrough: Extinct giant rodents discovered in the Philippines Breakthrough: Extinct giant rodents discovered in the Philippines April 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Fig. 1. Artist’s conception of the three extinct cloud rats, based on their living relatives. From the top, Crateromys, Carpomys, and Batomys. Drawing by Velizar Simeonovski, Field Museum of Natural History.     Three giant cloud rat species were discovered to have lived in the Philippines simultaneously as the oldest human species (Homo luzonensis) found in the country. But two of the rodents went extinct only after 2,000 years ago.  A team from the University of the Philippines (UP), the Philippine National Museum, and the Field Museum of Natural History of the USA have since 2017 studied fossil remains sifted from the earth in several caves in northern Luzon from which they discovered the three extinct species unique to the Philippines.  The discovery was recently published in the Journal of Mammalogy. Read the full article here.     Fig. 2. Collage of fossil cloud rat teeth. Upper molars of Crateromys new species on the left. Lower mandibles on the right: top, Carpomys new species. Middle, Batomys new species. Bottom, Crateromys new species. Photos by Lauren Nassef, Field Museum of Natural History.     Fig. 3. Lower molar teeth of the new giant cloud rat, Carpomys new species (left), compared with the two living species of Carpomys (middle) plus their close relative, Musseromys (right). Photos by Lauren Nassef, Field Museum of Natural History.     “These are three previously unknown species from an unusual group of rodents, locally known as buot or bugkun, and known in English as giant cloud rats, that live only in the Philippines,” says Dr. Janine Ochoa, Assistant Professor of Anthropology of UP Diliman and lead author of the journal paper.  According to the co-author, Dr. Lawrence Heaney, Negaunee Curator of Mammals at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago: “The two that became extinct [more recently] were giants among rodents, both weighing about a kilogram. They were big enough that it might have been worthwhile to hunt and eat them.”  “These giant rats and their relatives are members of an ancient branch on the tree of life that arrived from the Asian mainland about 14 million years ago and live only in the Philippines,” says co-author Marian Reyes, a zooarcheologist at the National Museum of the Philippines.  She describes the buot typically as living in trees and eating leaves, buds, and seeds. She also says that all of them have furry or fluffy tails and striking fur colors.  The scientific names of the three new species of fossil cloud rats were chosen using vernacular terms from Philippine languages. The largest of the fossil cloud rats is Carpomys dakal, named so because it is much larger compared to the known living species in the same genus, Carpomys melanurus and Carpomys phaeurus. Dakal means big or large in several languages in northern Luzon, including in the Itawes, Ibanag and Agta languages. The second fossil species, Crateromys ballik, is slightly smaller than the living Crateromys species on Luzon, Crateromys schadenbergi. Ballik means small in the Dupaningan Agta language. The third species, Batomys cagayanensis, is named after the place where the archaeological sites are located, the Cagayan region of northeastern Luzon.  At a crossroads with humans  According to the researchers, the newly recorded fossil species came from Callao Cave and several adjacent smaller caves in Peñablanca, Cagayan Province. Some specimens of all three of the new fossil rodents occurred in the same deep layer in the Callao Cave where the Homo luzonensis, an endemic human species, was discovered in 2019 to have lived about 67,000 years ago.     Fig. 4. Callao Cave interior. Photo by Patricia Cabrera.     Fig. 5. Callao Cave excavation. Photo by Armand Mijares.     One of the new fossil rodents is known from only two specimens from that ancient layer, but the other two are represented by specimens from that early date up to about 2,000 years ago.  “Our records demonstrate that these giant rodents were able to survive the profound climatic changes from the Ice Age to current humid tropics that have impacted the earth over tens of millennia. The question is, what might have caused their final extinction?” asks Prof. Philip Piper, a co-author based at the Australian National University asks.  “A clue might be in that the last recorded occurrence of two of the species is around 2,000 years ago or shortly after. This is after the first arrival of agricultural societies and the introduction of animals like domestic dogs, pigs, and macaque monkeys in Luzon,” co-author Dr. Armand Mijares of the UP Diliman Archaeological Studies Program, who headed the excavations of Callao Cave, says.  “While we can’t say for certain based on our current information, this implies that humans likely played some role in their extinction,” Mijares argues.     Fig. 6. Dr. Armand Mijares in excavation pit, Callao Cave. Photo by Dawn Satumbaga.     Ancient Philippine biodiversity  According to Ochoa, the extinct mammals previously known from Luzon were all quite large. They included two types of elephants, a species of rhinoceros, a giant hog, and relatives of the living dwarf water buffalo called the tamaraw.  “There has been virtually no information about fossils of smaller-sized mammals,” she points out. “The reason is probably that research had focused on open-air sites where the large fossil mammal faunas were known to have been preserved, rather than the careful sieving of cave deposits that preserve a broader size-range of vertebrates including the teeth and bones of rodents,” Ochoa explains.  “Some of these fossils were actually excavated decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s, and they were in the museum, waiting for someone to have time to do a detailed study,” says Reyes. “When we began to analyze the fossil material, we were expecting fossil records for known living species.”  “To our surprise, we found that we were dealing with not just one but three buot or giant cloud rat species that were previously unknown,” Reyes adds.  “Our previous studies have demonstrated that the Philippines has the greatest concentration of unique species of mammals of any country, most of which are small animals, less than 200 grams, that live in the tropical forest,” Heaney adds. “These recently extinct fossil species only show that biodiversity was even greater in the very recent past.”     Article by Dr. Janine Ochoa (jochoa@up.edu.ph), Dr. Armand Mijares (mandy24_us@yahoo.com), and Dr. Lawrence Heaney (lheaney@fieldmuseum.org). For inquiries, please email the authors. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold forum on Manila Bay rehab efforts of UP experts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-forum-on-manila-bay-rehab-efforts-of-up-experts/",
        "html": "UP to hold forum on Manila Bay rehab efforts of UP experts UP to hold forum on Manila Bay rehab efforts of UP experts September 17, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As a result of the series of consultations with UP experts and scientists who have done research, or are currently involved in the Manila Bay Rehabilitation project, the UP Padayon Public Service Office of the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, in cooperation with the UP Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, will host a forum entitled #ThatsMyBay: A Forum on UP Initiatives in Keeping Manila Bay Alive. This will be held on September 23, 2019 from 8:00AM- 12:00NN at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology Auditorium, UP Diliman.  Prof. Rex Victor O. Cruz of UP Los Baños, Prof. Benjamin M. Vallejo, Jr., Prof. Rene N. Rollon, Prof. Laura T. David, and Prof. Giovanni A. Tapang of UP Diliman, Prof. Melody Anne B. Ocampo of UP Manila, and Prof. Mahar A. Lagmay of UP Resilience Institute will share their research on Manila Bay’s current state and on how everyone could contribute in its rehabilitation, sustainability, and resilience together with a response from the DENR Manila Bay Coordinating Office Deputy Executive Director Jacob M. Meimban, Jr.  This forum is open to the UP community, faculty, students, staff, media, and the general public.  For further inquiries, you may contact Patricia Liganor through email at padayon@up.edu.ph, via phone at (02) 9818500 loc 4257 or 9818630. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Advisory on UP’s humanitarian and public service efforts for those affected by recent Mindanao earthquakes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/advisory-on-ups-humanitarian-and-public-service-efforts-for-those-affected-by-recent-mindanao-earthquakes/",
        "html": "Advisory on UP’s humanitarian and public service efforts for those affected by recent Mindanao earthquakes Advisory on UP’s humanitarian and public service efforts for those affected by recent Mindanao earthquakes November 13, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    The University of the Philippines is committed in sending its group of geology experts from the UP Resilience Institute today to conduct a needs assessment in light of the Mindanao earthquakes last October 29 and 31 with magnitudes 6.6 and 6.5, respectively.   In coordination with NDRRMC, the Provincial Government of North Cotabato, and UP Mindanao, UP geologists will be followed by a team of engineers for structural assessment of severely affected areas of Makilala, Mahilom and Kidapawan in North Cotabato. Another team from UP will also visit the affected sites to render psychosocial services.  Cash donations are needed immediately to send these teams of experts and facilitate technical response in these sites. For UP alumni and friends who are willing to help, we would like to request that previous and future cash donations be deposited to the UP Foundation, Inc. (UPFI). Indicated below are the bank accounts of UPFI:  Payee: UP FOUNDATION, INC. Address: Room 102, Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center), Magsaysay Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1102  For local donors Bank: Union Bank of the Philippines Branch: Commonwealth Branch Savings Account No.: 102270018964  For international donors Bank: Philippine National Bank Branch: UP Campus Savings Account No.: 108660029835 PNB Swift Code: PNBmPHmm   Daghang salamat! Padayon! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP sends resilience experts to quake-stricken Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/earlier-up-sends-resilience-experts-to-quake-stricken-mindanao/",
        "html": "UP sends resilience experts to quake-stricken Mindanao UP sends resilience experts to quake-stricken Mindanao November 8, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Update on UP’s assistance to earthquake-hit communities in Mindanao (as of November 11, 2019)     A team of UP engineers headed by UP Diliman College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand Manegdeg arrived at Kidapawan City, Cotabato on Saturday, November 9, to provide structural damage assessment. This is in response to the local government’s request to UP for assistance.  In photos: Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)                       Update on UP’s assistance to earthquake-hit communities in Mindanao (as of November 8, 2019)     Experts from the UP Resilience Institute and UP Mindanao Earthquake Task Force have been sent to visit the hard-hit barangays of Makilala, Cotabato for geological assessment in light of the Mindanao earthquakes last October 29 and 31. This is in response to Acting Vice-Governor Shirlyn D. Macasarte-Villanueva’s request to UP for assistance on geological surveys, structural damage assessment, and psychosocial support for trauma victims.  The team, headed by UPRI executive director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, is composed of Prof. Genaro Cuaresma, Iris Yvette A. Cesista, Ma. Criselda B. Baldago, John Agustin P. Escudero, Audrei Anne B. Ybañez, Richard L. Ybañez, Dr. Mario Aurelio, Yvonne Doyongan, and UP Mindanao Earthquake Task Force Chair and Pahinungod Director Michael Gatela.  On November 8, 2019, the team had a briefing session and coordination meeting with the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council and other stakeholders at the Governor’s office.  A team of UP engineering experts is scheduled to arrive on Saturday, November 9, 2010 to provide structural damage assessment. Another team from UP will also visit the affected sites to render psychosocial services.  On November 4, 2019, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro B. Herbosa issued a memorandum constituting the Mindanao Earthquake Response Team of UP headed by Vice President for Public Affairs Dr. Elena E. Pernia.  (Photos are from Barangays Sto. Niño, Malasila, and Buenavida of the Municipality of Makilala, Cotabato courtesy of Mahar Lagmay, Gene Cuaresma, Michael Gatela and Audrei Ybañez.)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP faculty discusses return to face-to-face classes this semester – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-faculty-discusses-return-to-face-to-face-classes-this-semester/",
        "html": "UP faculty discusses return to face-to-face classes this semester UP faculty discusses return to face-to-face classes this semester March 8, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    A subcommittee of the University of the Philippines Presidential Advisory Council (UP PAC) expounded on guidelines for the safe return to face-to-face classes in the wake of the pandemic during an online UP System-wide faculty summit on February 28, 2022.  The summit resulted from Memorandum 2021-169 from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) on December 16, 2021, with the subject: “Guidelines on the gradual re-opening of UP campuses beginning Second Semester AY 2021-2022”.  The memorandum confirmed that UP residential campuses are gradually re-opening for the Second Semester of AY 2021-2022, “specifically for courses in the curriculum for which face-to-face classes or activities are necessary to achieve the stipulated learning outcomes.”  Photos of UP Diliman’s Palma Hall before (top) and during the pandemic (bottom). With the coming 2nd semester of AY 2021-2022, the University is calibrating guidelines for the gradual return to limited face-to-face classes across the UP System and at least some of UP’s students to Palma Hall and UP’s other academic buildings. Photos by Misael Bacani (top) and Bong Arboleda (bottom), UPMPRO.  UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr., chair of the PAC Sub-Committee for the University’s Preparations for Face-to-Face Classes, said that face-to-face classes allowed under COVID Alert Level 3 or lower, the subcommittee had recommended limited practice of face-to-face courses of “the shortest duration possible.”  Camacho said the top priority is given to graduating students who must do field or laboratory work for their thesis or dissertation, followed by students in their last academic year who are required to train for their licensure examinations. Next are students in their penultimate year before graduation who need skills training in the laboratory, field, studio, etc. The last priority is for students in any academic year who need skills training in the laboratory, field, studio, etc.  UPLB Chancellor and head of the UP PAC Sub-Committee for the University’s Preparations for Face-to-Face Classes Jose Camacho, Jr. presents some general guidelines for the gradual re-opening of all of UP’s campuses. Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) took the screenshot during the UP System-wide Faculty Summit on the Gradual Re-opening of Campuses held on February 28, 2022, via Zoom.  According to the OVPAA memorandum, “the rest of the courses will continue to be delivered remotely, mixing synchronous (online) and asynchronous learning, guided by the course learning outcomes.”  “The faculty shall continue to prepare course packs—detailed course guide, learning resources, activity/study guide—for all courses to be offered in the Second Semester AY 2021-2022,” the memorandum added.  The PAC subcommittee said that for the face-to-face classes, a student-shifting cycle in facilities should be in place, which would allow a “fallow” time of at least 15 minutes between uses by separate groups of students. Before this, they should have determined the allowable capacity for each facility; and given such, decided if sections or classes would be split.  The campuses should also be working on:  Spaces for internet connectivity of students A daily health monitoring system and curfew times, as well as a system on physical requirements, screening, and travel Instructions on public health control and protocols for posting, as well as guidelines for conduct of on-campus students, guests, and the public in accessing UP facilities; and Guides and plans for general use of facilities, on-site activities, and food concessionaires  National guidelines  Based on guidelines from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on returning to face-to-face classes, previewed during a December 1, 2021 press conference, UP and other higher educational institutions (HEIs) under Alert Levels 1 to 3 needed only to conduct a self-assessment on their readiness to re-open campuses for limited face-to-face classes, submit a copy of the checklist to their respective regional offices with a Notarized Affidavit of Undertaking, and obtain a clearance from the local government unit.  The CHED also reiterated the provision in the earlier CHED-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-001, released on February 10, 2021, stating that students participating in face-to-face classes must be registered in the HEI/health facility with PhilHealth or equivalent medical insurance that covers COVID-related expenses. Only fully vaccinated students, faculty members, and HEI personnel would be allowed to participate in the classes.  UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Maria Theresa Payongayong orients the summit participants on the various CHED-DOH joint memoranda on the return of students to face-to-face classes. Screenshot taken by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO), during the UP System-wide Faculty Summit on the Gradual Re-opening of Campuses held on February 28, 2022, via Zoom.  The more recent CHED-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-004 released on December 15, 2021, was presented by UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Maria Theresa Payongayong. The circular added that minimum public health standards must be observed, and HEIs must facilitate health responses for students getting infected. Prerequisites include the establishment of crisis management committees and cyclical student-shifting systems.  Based on these guidelines, UP constituent universities gave updates on their experiences and plans for face-to-face classes.  Forward-looking frameworks  The faculty summit also presented frameworks of education that the UP President and the OVPAA said should guide UP’s academic roadmaps beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. On these bases, they presented possible scenarios for blended learning.  President Danilo Concepcion envisioned a transformation in the implementation of degree programs to a blended mode of learning, focused on thinking skills, with courses that would be more relevant and suitable to the circumstances of students. He broached the idea of going from semestral to quarterly, or for shorter periods of study and fewer loads. The University might also want to consider revising rules on underloads, waiving maximum residency rules, and finding alternatives to written exams for evaluation.  UP President Danilo Concepcion presents new ideas for transitioning to blended modes of learning. Screenshot taken by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO), during the UP System-wide Faculty Summit on the Gradual Re-opening of Campuses held on February 28, 2022, via Zoom.  During her presentation, “Landscape of Higher Education Beyond Pandemic (Contours of the UP Academic Roadmaps)”, VPAA Cynthia Rose Bautista’s expressed hope that UP was finally on the road to the next normal, if not already adjusting to the new normal.  Expounding on relevance and suitability, she talked about universities providing “micro-credentials”, which would include digital badges, nanodegrees, and micro-masters, and which would be stackable. She also mentioned allowing double majors before or after graduation, and the development of associate degrees.  UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista describes how universities around the world are providing stackable “micro-credentials”, including digital badges, nanodegrees, and micro-masters. Screenshot taken by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO), during the UP System-wide Faculty Summit on the Gradual Re-opening of Campuses held on February 28, 2022, via Zoom.  She enumerated modes of course delivery for consideration: blended learning, hybrid learning, a flipped classroom, problem-based learning, work-based learning, and competency-based learning. Bautista also referred to building capacities by “intensive learning” through “less intense” structures of study.  She emphasized that there would be no imposition of a one-size-fits-all type of teaching, but rather basing it on scientific concepts such as those propounded by The ABCs of How We Learn.  Faculty, student surveys  The faculty summit also featured highlights of surveys on the faculty and students conducted from November 29 to December 10, 2021, and from December 1 to 9, 2021, respectively, with respondents comprised of 3,429 faculty members and 33,349 students. These were presented by Assistant Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor (Instruction and Curriculum) and Richard Philip Gonzalo (Student Affairs).  UP Assistant Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor (top) and Richard Gonzalo (bottom) present the results of the surveys of UP faculty and students. Screenshots taken by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO), during the UP System-wide Faculty Summit on the Gradual Re-opening of Campuses held on February 28, 2022, via Zoom.  The surveys assessed the sectors’ experience of remote learning during the pandemic and their readiness for face-to-face classes. The surveys revealed that: 98% of faculty respondents and 95% of student respondents were fully vaccinated. The majority or 61% of student respondents, however, were not covered by PhilHealth, and 78%, were not by any other health insurance.  Half of 3,218 faculty respondents said they were willing to return to campus, but 28% were willing only if students were vaccinated and regularly tested. A total of 68% of student respondents said they were not willing to participate in face-to-face classes if classmates were not vaccinated. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CIFAL webinar takes on repatriation of migrant workers in a time of global pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cifal-webinar-takes-on-repatriation-of-migrant-workers-in-a-time-of-global-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP CIFAL webinar takes on repatriation of migrant workers in a time of global pandemic UP CIFAL webinar takes on repatriation of migrant workers in a time of global pandemic May 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP CIFAL webinar takes on repatriation of migrant workers in a time of global pandemic     The COVID-19 has greatly affected global migration as governments and migrants in migrant-sending and -receiving countries are facing challenges in mobility and governance. In the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, repatriation of migrant workers is currently being implemented to help suppress the pandemic as the majority of the GCC population are comprised of migrants.  Learn about the issues on repatriation of migrant workers in the time of a global pandemic in the upcoming webinar by the University of the Philippines-International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in the Philippines (UP CIFAL Philippines), “COVID-19 AS A MOBILITY CRISIS: Repatriation of Migrants from the Gulf States.” The webinar, the second in a series, aims to examine the Gulf countries’ differential repatriation logics, measures, and its implications to migration governance, along with the impacts of the pandemic to the Philippine-Gulf migration corridor. The online discussion intends to gain insights on migration and the well-being of migrants including the future of labor migration.  Keynote speaker is Rights Corridor Managing Director Froilan Malit, Jr., with Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola and LBS Recruitment Solutions President Loreto Soriano as reactors.  The “COVID-19 AS A MOBILITY CRISIS: Repatriation of Migrants from the Gulf States” is set on Friday, May 29, 2020 (Manila time).  Register here:  https://bit.ly/2WEYzLR "
    },
    {
        "title": "Response to media inquiries on government’s probe into the UP-Ayala Land Technohub lease agreement – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/response-to-media-inquiries-on-governments-probe-into-the-up-ayala-land-technohub-lease-agreement/",
        "html": "Response to media inquiries on government’s probe into the UP-Ayala Land Technohub lease agreement Response to media inquiries on government’s probe into the UP-Ayala Land Technohub lease agreement January 21, 2020 | Posted by Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) welcomes the inquiry by the national government into its lease contract with Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) on the UP-Ayala Land Technohub, and will fully cooperate in such an investigation. The UP-Ayala Land Technohub is a build-operate-transfer, revenue-sharing development project entered into by UP with ALI in October 2006.     Elena E. Pernia, PhD Vice President for Public Affairs "
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fexample-post-2%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fexample-post%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "Log In ‹ University of the Philippines — WordPress",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fup.edu.ph%2Fexample-post-3%2F",
        "html": "UP System Website  Username or Email Address   Password   Remember Me  ← Go to University of the Philippines"
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP budget in the NEP 2022 explained – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-budget-in-the-nep-2022-explained/",
        "html": "The UP budget in the NEP 2022 explained The UP budget in the NEP 2022 explained September 10, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In the recently presented National Expenditure Program (NEP) for Fiscal Year 2022, the University of the Philippines (UP) has been given a total budget of P20.174B. According to the UP Office of the Vice President for Planning and Finance (UP OVPPF), this represents a decrease of 6%, amounting to P1.329 billion, compared to its allotment in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2021 of P21.503B.  The decreases in the UP budget are seen mainly in its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), which went down by 11%, and in its Capital Outlay (CO) by 70%. On the other hand, Personal Services (PS) saw an increase of 6% or P780M. This is generally attributed to the rise in basic salary due to the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).     From the “Highlights of the NEP 2022 of the University of the Philippines System” produced by the UP OVPPF     Funding for the PGC and PGH  The CO is appropriations for goods and services whose benefits would extend beyond the fiscal year. Many Locally Funded Projects involving capital outlay in the GAA 2021 are no longer given budget in the NEP 2022. The new CO projects included in the NEP 2022, totaling P601M, are the construction of the Food Processing Research and Development Center Building and rehabilitation of the Dairy Building of Dairy Training Research Institute (DTRI), both in UP Los Baños, and equipment for the second phase of the Philippine Genomic Information and Resource Hub, under the UP System.  The budget allotted for the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) in the NEP 2022, on the other hand, is P5.666B, which is an 18% decrease from the GAA 2021’s P6.872B. As with the rest of the UP System, there is an increase of P127.7M or 5% in the PS for the UP PGH due to the SSL’s rise in salary. The UP PGH’s MOOE faces a decrease of 4% or P130M due to various initiatives provided for in the GAA 2021 no longer being included in the NEP 2022.     From the “Highlights of the NEP 2022 of the University of the Philippines System” produced by the UP OVPPF     The UP PGH also received no CO or Equipment Outlay (EO) provisions in the NEP 2022. None of the PGH’s buildings and equipment named in UP’s budget proposal (BP) for 2022 made it to the NEP 2022.  Locally Funded Projects not included  The UP System and some UP constituent universities also proposed several Capital Outlay projects, including buildings and equipment, in its submitted BP that were not considered in the NEP 2022. Among these projects are:  the construction of phase 2 of Balay Atleta, phase 2 of the Academic Commons, the UP Gymnasium, and the Shopping Center in UP Diliman; the rehabilitation and modernization of the UP Diliman Main Library and other academic facilities; the construction of the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management Building, the Microbial Bank of the UPLB Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, and rehabilitation of other facilities in UPLB; the extension of the UP Manila College of Allied Medical Profession Building and the continuation of the construction of the National Institutes of Health Building in UP Manila, as well as the construction of a dorm at School of Health Sciences-Baler; the construction of phase 4 of the School of Technology Building, phase 2 of the Main Library, and the Water Sports and Training Facility in UP Visayas; the construction of phase 2 of the Learning Commons Annex and phase 1 of the Sports Development Center in UP Cebu; the upgrading and modernization of various academic and administrative facilities in UP Mindanao; the construction of the proposed four-level College of Arts and Communications building in UP Baguio; the rehabilitation of classrooms and public restrooms, and the upgrading of various computing, network, ICT, and academic support equipment and facilities across the UP System.  The three UP budgets  The NEP 2022 represents areas of negotiation in budget legislation. Following the issuance of a National Budget Call by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the University consolidates the various budget proposals of all the units and constituent universities under it into a UP Budget Proposal (BP), which will be approved by the UP Board of Regents.  The UP BP then goes before a technical panel of the DBM in budget hearings, where UP is given a chance to defend its proposal. Following reviews and recommendations by the DBM’s bureaus and Executive Review Board, the UP BP is consolidated into the National Expenditure Program, which is presented by the DBM to the President and the Cabinet for further refinements or reprioritization, before being submitted to Congress for budget legislation. After the NEP is approved by Congress and signed into law by the President, it becomes the General Appropriations Act of that fiscal year.  The UP administration clarifies that efforts are continuing to secure more significant subsidies for the University, the country’s national university, and an essential component in the national government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "20% of UP students affected by Typhoon Odette – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/20-of-up-students-affected-by-typhoon-odette/",
        "html": "20% of UP students affected by Typhoon Odette 20% of UP students affected by Typhoon Odette February 11, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    An estimated 20% of students of the University of the Philippines (UP) are still affected by the aftermath of Typhoon Odette, according to the UP Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).  Many of these students live in four regions identified to be at high risk for the effects of typhoons: Regions VI, VII, VIII, and CARAGA. Roughly 17.2% of the University’s student population live in these regions, devastated by Typhoon Odette, which hit the country on December 16 and caused severe and widespread damage throughout central and southern Philippines.  Regions IV-B and X, considered moderate to high-risk regions where some provinces were also severely affected by Typhoon Odette, are called home by around 2.8% of UP’s student population.  Following the Typhoon, in Memorandum RAG 2021–53 dated December 20, 2021, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo asked concerned units across the UP System to reach out to affected students. These units advised students to file applications, especially those with no records in the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS). The University will document students needing support and fast-track financial aid processing. Gonzalo also urged the Student Affairs offices to meet with their respective scholarship committees to find ways to expedite the processing of financial assistance of those affected. Anticipating that some of the grantees will be in areas where banks have temporarily ceased operations due to the Typhoon, he encouraged Student Affairs units to explore alternative means of sending financial assistance to shorten the time for support to reach the students.  As of January 4, 2022, the University has 851 documented financially vulnerable students. One hundred and seventy-five (175) belong to households earning an annual income of less than P80,000. These students receive a monthly stipend of P5,000. However, there are 676 students from families earning P80,000 to P250,000 annually. These students may be struggling with the effects of the Typhoon. The OSFA expects these 676 students will file appeals for a monthly stipend.  With the widespread effect of the Typhoon, the University anticipates more undergraduate students filing applications in the SLAS during the restoration of internet connections in typhoon-affected areas, and Student Affairs units can reach out to these affected students.  In the aftermath of Typhoon Odette, the OSFA has met different stakeholders to find ways to expand the support to students. Meetings were held with the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and UP Padayon Public Service Office to mobilize volunteers and donors. Meanwhile, OSFA reported that the UP CU Student Affairs units have already started partnerships with their respective University Student Councils, Pahinungod offices, and alumni groups to organize campus-based fundraising activities.  The OSFA acknowledged the limitations of their data as the SLAS database only covers undergraduate, College of Law, and College of Medicine students. Some 33% of UP’s student body consists of graduate students. There is also a need to refine their data further. Currently, the University does not have comprehensive documentation on the complex situation of affected students, such as how many of them need learning assistance and what kind. Some reportedly need shelter, while some need financial resources to rebuild their homes and replace their learning devices. CU Student Affairs units have filed crisis reports to OSFA to update the number of students in need of help and those who will need support to continue their studies.  To expand the support to affected students, the office proposed establishing “Adopt-a-Student” programs in all CUs. These can provide support to those rendered as ineligible in the SLAS. Learning assistance options, such as gadget replacement, are also being arranged. Mental health will be a priority concern to ensure students can cope with their challenges. The OSFA will be working with students, alumni, and other groups who may support the operation of learning hubs and explore the provision of temporary living quarters so that students affected may continue their studies.  Given these activities, the University has launched Tabang sa Iskolar ng Bayan, A Fundraising Project for Students Affected by Typhoon Odette as a System-wide initiative to solicit donations. Donors can support specific beneficiary CUs and CU units. UP is asking its alumni, alumni groups, and friends to help the University heed the call of its Iskolar ng Bayan. On top of this raging pandemic, they are burdened deeply by the devastation of Typhoon Odette.  For members of the UP community, especially UP alumni, who are interested in helping support UP students impacted by the recent natural disaster, the University is accepting donations to augment the financial assistance for the students. Prospective donors may deposit their donations through the following official bank accounts:  Banco de Oro/BDO Account Name: UP Foundation Inc Peso Account Number: 0036-1014-7118  Bank of the Philippine Islands/BPI Account Name: UP Foundation Inc Peso Account Number: 003083-7423-12  UnionBank of the Philippines Account Name: UP Foundation Inc Peso Account Number: 1022 7002 9111  For donors who will need a Certificate of Donation (BIR Form 2322), kindly use the following bank details:  Landbank of the Philippines Account Name: University of the Philippines System Peso Account Number: 3072 1007 50 Dollar Account Number: 3074 0017 92  To help the University monitor the donations and ensure that your support reaches our students in need, please send a screenshot of the transaction receipt to padayon@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP heralds construction of new CAL building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-heralds-construction-of-new-cal-building/",
        "html": "UP heralds construction of new CAL building UP heralds construction of new CAL building December 7, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu    Officials of the University of the Philippines (UP) System, the UP Diliman, the College of Arts and Letters (CAL), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and contractors, faculty, staff, and guests witnessed the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new CAL Building on December 2, 2021.  Once completed and functional, the building will serve as the new home of the CAL faculty, staff, and students. A fire gutted down Bulwagang Rizal (Faculty Center), the old CAL building, in 2016. The 10-story building, with a basement, two-level mezzanine, and roof deck, will be built beside the Vargas Museum and along TM Kalaw Street in the UP Diliman campus.     Delivering words of thanks and inspiration during the CAL Building ceremonial groundbreaking (clockwise from top left): UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, DPWH Asec. Eric A. Ayapana, UPD CAL Dean Jimmuel Naval, and DPWH-NCR Regional Director Nomer Canlas. Photos by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Leading the ceremony were UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, CAL Dean Jimmuel C. Naval, Prof. Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete (former CAL Dean), DPWH Asec. Eric A. Ayapana, and DPWH – National Capital Region Regional Director Nomer P. Canlas, who buried the time capsule and delivered messages during the program.  In his speech, UP Pres. Concepcion highlighted the importance of having a new home for the CAL. He thanked Senator Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero and DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar for fully supporting and allocating funds for the planned construction during their respective terms of office. Concepcion also said the CAL Building, if completed on time and according to UP’s specifications, can serve as the contractors’ legacy project.  DPWH Director Canlas assured that the building, costing more than PhP556M, will be finished on time from this year until 2024. CAL Dean Naval expressed gratitude for this home-to-be of the University’s poets, writers, academics, and artists.     DPWH-NCR Regional Director Canlas signs a certificate for the time capsule commemorating the event while UP President Concepcion looks on. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO     The new CAL Building will showcase modern classrooms, writing laboratories, and audio rooms. A new mini-theatre will enable CAL’s resident artists to feature experimental and mainstream plays and films. The building will also have a triangular plaza with public performances and activities. It will also have spaces, such as lounges and the wellness room, where faculty and students can freely exchange ideas, engage in discourses, and relax in an environment conducive to learning. CAL students will also have their own Activity Center for organizational and inter-organizational meetings and activities.     Former Ballet Philippines artistic director Paul Alexander Morales performs one of his creative works during the ceremonial groundbreaking.     Paul Alexander Morales, former artistic director of Ballet Philippines, filmmaker, and playwright, performed one of his creative works titled “Timothy’s Project.” Prof. Jovy M. Peregrino of the CAL’s Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts served as emcee.  The historic event was live-streamed by TVUP, UP’s Internet TV Network. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold Town Hall for students to discuss impact of remote learning – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-town-hall-for-students-to-discuss-impact-of-remote-learning/",
        "html": "UP to hold Town Hall for students to discuss impact of remote learning UP to hold Town Hall for students to discuss impact of remote learning September 15, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) will hold a virtual Town Hall Session titled “Birtual na Pagpupulong bilang Paghahanda sa Pagpaplanong Pang-Akademiko sa 2021” on 20 September 2021 (1:00 PM to 4:00 PM) via Zoom.  The event is a venue for UP students and the UP administration to take stock of the remote learning experience from academic year 2020 to 2021; to discuss the impact of remote learning on UP students; and to highlight areas to be considered in preparing the Academic Roadmap of the University.  UP students may register through this link: https://up-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_35XNwP2aQFqhYs0w1K_uGg  For inquiries, please contact the event organizers at wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP bares acad policies for 1st sem/trimester, AY 2021-2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bares-acad-policies-for-1st-sem-trimester-ay-2021-2022/",
        "html": "UP bares acad policies for 1st sem/trimester, AY 2021-2022 UP bares acad policies for 1st sem/trimester, AY 2021-2022 September 15, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    In this ongoing pandemic, compassion for teachers and learners remains a guiding principle behind the University’s academic policies. While the goal of uninterrupted instruction and learning remains paramount and learning to overcome adversity is integral to the training of UP students to lead in a disruptive and uncertain future, the goal of learning continuity takes excellent consideration of the realities and difficulties the UP community are experiencing during these uncertain times.  The Oblation at the UP Open University Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna. UP MPRO File Photo.  The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) issued OVPAA Memorandum No. 2021-122 on September 6, enumerating the academic policies for the first semester/trimester of Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022.  The regular academic load of 12 units is still in effect. UP continues to implement its no-fail policy, except for students found guilty of intellectual dishonesty.  No grade of “4” or “5” shall be given, but students may receive an incomplete or be dropped from their courses. Dropping, however, is not an option to be taken lightly by faculty members. The University requires them to “exercise utmost prudence” in dropping students. The annotation “due to COVID-19 pandemic” will accompany the “DRP” and “INC” in the students’ transcripts of record.  Faculty members are asked to be flexible in meeting deadlines on a case-to-case basis, especially in cases where the student’s inability stems from “difficult circumstances.” Attendance in synchronous classes should also not be required because of differences in connectivity capabilities. Recordings of these classes and assessments or graded activities are done during class time should be made available to those who are unable to attend.  UP reiterates that faculty should be available for consultation ten hours per week during regular office hours. Their schedules must be indicated in their course guides. Faculty are encouraged to reach out to their students and be reminded to give feedback and respond to student messages. Faculty members who perceive students to be struggling with their workload should urge them to consult their advisers and/or teachers in the courses concerned.  Similar to previous semesters, students and teachers will be given a week-long “reading break.” Despite what the term implies, students and teachers may use this time to simply rest and take a breather from classwork. The memo emphasizes that this week should contain no course deadlines, no synchronous classes, and no asynchronous class activities and assessments.  The following rules and policies are also suspended in the first semester/trimester of this academic year: Maximum Residence Rule or MRR, degree program retention rules, and academic delinquency rules—warning, probation, dismissal, and permanent disqualification.  Unlike in AY 2020-2021, when the deadlines for Leave of Absence and the dropping of courses were moved to the end of classes, the deadlines for LOA and dropping will follow the AY 2021-2022 academic calendar.  To read the full OVPPA memo, click here: [OVPAA Memorandum No. 2021-91]. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts forum on Philippines’ role in ASEAN – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-forum-on-philippines-role-in-asean/",
        "html": "UP hosts forum on Philippines’ role in ASEAN UP hosts forum on Philippines’ role in ASEAN February 21, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO     The University of the Philippines Asian Center and CIFAL Philippines, in partnership with the King Prajadhipok’s Institute of Thailand, held a forum, “Roles and Positions of the Philippines in the ASEAN and the Global Community”, on February 8, 2018 at the UP Asian Center Seminar Room, GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), served as keynote speaker. Buensuceso discussed ASEAN’s processes and mechanisms, and the Philippines’ and the ASEAN members’ national and regional positions in international multilateral forums. As a leader of the country’s delegations in many conferences and negotiations, she advocates the rights of Filipino migrant workers and the country’s positions on maritime security and cooperation, women empowerment, climate change, biodiversity, and other important issues.     Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO     The forum also featured discussions and presentations by: Ms. Myrene Sabina C. Bedaño, Chief of the Regional Relations and Arrangements Division of the Bureau of International Trade Relations under the Department of Trade and Industry; Dean Joefe B. Santarita of the UP Asian Center; Dr. Suthipand Chirathivat, Representative of the King Prajadhipok’s Institute and Executive Director of the ASEAN Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; and, Director Edna E.A. Co, of UP CIFAL Philippines and a professor at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG). Bedaño presented information on Philippine economic activities and relations with major trade partners. Santarita’s discussion focused on Philippine migration policies, experiences, and roles in the ASEAN. Chirathivat and Co provided additional insights and a recap of the forum’s highlights. Co added that the mechanisms and processes for reaching agreements, in spite of the diversity among ASEAN nations’ interests and culture, can promote cooperation for members of the association to serve as generators or centers of growth in both regional and the global economic arenas. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Student services units buckle up for gender mainstreaming – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-services-units-buckle-up-for-gender-mainstreaming/",
        "html": "Student services units buckle up for gender mainstreaming Student services units buckle up for gender mainstreaming May 7, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Representatives of offices dispensing student services meet in UP Diliman for the gender mainstreaming consultative workshop. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The UP System consulted UP offices that deal directly with students and student organizations in the first phase of a “gender mainstreaming” effort for the entire University.  In a workshop organized by the UP Padayon Public Service Office (PPSO) on April 29 and 30, 2019 at the UP Diliman (UPD) Institute of Small Scale Industries, the UP Technical Working (TWG) on Gender Sensitivity and Equality consulted with the constituent unit (CU) offices of student affairs, the registrar, gender, housing, health service, counseling and guidance, anti-sexual harassment, and student councils.     Padayon Public Service Office Director and TWG on Gender Sensitivity and Equality Chair Jeanette Yasol-Naval orients the participants on the tasks at hand for the summit. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Instituted by UP President Danilo Concepcion, the TWG is chaired by Jeanette Yasol-Naval of the PPSO, with the following members: Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo; UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (CWGS) Director Nathalie Africa-Verceles; CWGS Deputy Director for Training and Outreach Excelsa Tongson; UPD Registrar Ma. Theresa Payongayong; UPD Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment (OASH) Coordinator Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel; UPD Gender Office Coordinator Teresa Paula de Luna; and, UPD Asian Center’s Maria Dulce Natividad.  Currently, the CWGS is at the helm of implementing the Gender Guidelines and Anti-Sexual Harassment (ASH) Code of the University, and the development of programs and the coordination of efforts at gender mainstreaming, according to Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista in a message read by TWG member Verceles.  Yasol-Naval said, “The TWG was primarily tasked to further craft programs and recommend policies that will continue promoting gender sensitivity and responsiveness among students and student organizations.”  “We are now in the initial phase, which is the consultative workshop. The second one is the system-wide training of trainers on gender mainstreaming. The third one is the GST [gender sensitivity training] caravan where we will bring the training to the constituent universities,” Yasol-Naval added.     The members of the TWG on Gender Sensitivity and Equality conduct a meeting during the last break-out sessions. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The summit, “Gender Mainstreaming Program for Students and Student Organizations: A Consultative Workshop”, was able to draft the following resolutions for adoption by the TWG as part of its recommendation report:  Ensure BOR approval for all gender offices/centers in all CUs; Conduct system-wide regular capacity-building workshops among faculty, students, staff reaching out to other UP workers and organizations; Craft standardized protocols, referral systems and processes related to student services and programs across CUs; Provide adequate staff complement for Offices of Anti-Sexual Harassment and Gender Offices personnel across CUs; Set standards in functional staffing for the delivery of quality services, including proper administrative load credit and reenergizing leaves; Institutionalize ways to recognize student organizations that initiate and participate in gender sensitivity programs; Create programs to address sexual and reproductive health, and mental health concerns in all campuses; Implement preventive and responsive protocols related to student services and programs; Institute required courses on women, gender and sexuality; Monitor and evaluate ASH Code and Gender Guidelines implementation; Create a System committee comprised of OASH coordinators to evaluate and review the ASH Code with particular attention to jurisdiction issues; Engage and include CU budget and accounting officers in gender-related programs and projects; Expand student financial assistance programs of the University; Immediately conduct training of trainers among staff of offices that deliver student services; Institutionalize GST in the University (make it a System-wide policy); and, Build all-gender comfort rooms, child minding stations, maternal/paternal/parental and child-care facilities, wellness hubs, and other inclusive facilities.     Participants are divided into office clusters to gather gender concerns encountered in their delivery of services to students. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Participants of break-out sessions, by constituent unit, discuss a plan of action. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “UP stands firm in its commitment to the highest ideals of honor and excellence, to the practice of gender equity, and the promotion of rights for all,” said Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa in welcoming the workshop participants on behalf of Concepcion. “Our administration is ready to invest in and support the output and recommendations that will emerge from this summit,” he added. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Cebu’s fab fablab – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cebus-fab-fablab/",
        "html": "Cebu’s fab fablab Cebu’s fab fablab January 5, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP Cebu Fablab is visited by students of the Professional Academy of the Philippines, who get a demonstration of 3D printing. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     There’s a growing space in the world for a growing community of “makers.” Makers are those who transform the virtual into actual physical objects. They “make” in a network of laboratories specifically equipped for rapid fabrication, thus, “fablabs.”  A new member of this global network, and among very few fablabs in the Philippines, the UP Cebu FabLab has made its presence felt since opening in September 2016. A project of the University and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), it is doing what it set out to do: people the booming industries of Cebu with digital creatives able to convert their designs into solid reality.  UP Cebu Fablab enables those creatives with fablab basic services: laser cutting, desktop and large CNC (computer numerical control) milling, 3D printing, large-format printing, and vinyl cutting. It has two conference rooms with Wi-fi: one equipped with 15 computer units with 3D modeling and design software.     Students of the Professional Academy of the Philippines get a demonstration of CNC milling at the UP Cebu Fablab. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     On top of these physical features is the laboratory’s young but already cherished tradition of openness. “I know for sure there are some companies who have machines like these: the typical tarpaulin printer machine, laser cutters, and this CNC. But they are privately owned. What we provide here is democratic access to these machines,” UP Cebu Fablab manager Jay Nathan Jore says.  “And it’s a kind of a one-stop shop,” he adds, as he emphasizes the training the facility also provides on fabrication and the use of the machines.  One is hard put to call it a “laboratory.” Jore would rather call it “makerspace,” a “communal space” open to makers in the region where there had been none.  One comes in and is greeted cordially by teachers, staff, and a cardboard T-Rex as tall as a human. A shelf presents rows of curios and collectibles. At the farther end of the main hall is a quirky lounge set and a CNC-shaped conference table. Beside it, an arcade game console is ready to be played. All are prototypes fabricated in-house. Walk-in guests get a rush of ideas and possibilities.     The UP Cebu Fablab team headed by Prof. Jay Nathan Jore (seated). (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     They comprise the majority of the clientele: enthusiasts from outside UP, and micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region. The 30-percent student clientele mostly come from other universities, to include medical students 3D-printing brain, parts of the spinal column, and teeth for visualization.  “We are one center that can bring students from different universities—competing universities—together and to work together. In one weekend there were students from San Carlos, from San Jose Recoletos, from others, who all wanted to have something done in the Fablab. It was fun seeing them together,” Jore says, adding that students are given discounts on the already cheap rates.  “People would come: entrepreneurs one day, artists and designers the next, and engineers or architects on another. We know these engagements would germinate things we could not by ourselves [in UP Cebu].”     A UP Cebu Fablab workshop features IoT technology. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     The Fablab has served 350 individuals as of October 2017, germinating 25 to 30 product prototypes a month. These include scale models of buildings, trophies, electronics, and prize-winning entries to design contests by UP Cebu students. Apparel, fashion accessories, shoes and bags developed by UP Cebu students from scrap and salvaged wood in the Fablab won this year’s “Green Fashion Revolution.”  For Jore, engagement is an essential feature of a fablab, and that which characterizes UP Cebu Fablab and the people it attracts. He noted this in a burgeoning group of “tinkerers, makers, and breakers” which the Fablab formed out of its online subscribers, eyeballing upon the initiative of an Australian volunteer. No longer virtual, the group comes up with a 15-person turnout every Thursday night, indulging their maker enthusiasm together, learning more about fabrication and brewing ideas for projects.  As a government-subsidized facility, the Fablab has been helping the Cebu provincial government directly. DTI refers enterprises to it for product design consultation. The Fablab is also integral to Cebu DTI’s One-Town-One-Product program.     A volunteer from Australia facilitates the first ever THINK. MAKE. BREAK. session at the UP Cebu Fablab. Participants from diverse backgrounds and expertise come together to learn from each other about becoming a “maker”. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     “Aside from being the workspace for the program, what happens now is that our Product Design graduates from UP, who were trained in the Fablab, were hired by DTI to do prototyping, designing, research and development for products of the towns. We have them here and they use the machines,” Jore says.  He shows an example of the label and packaging design for Argao’s specialty food items, torta and tablea, which reminds him of “DOST wanting us to study creating a center for packaging,” in which Fablab appears to be developing a specialty.  “Another important thing the Fablab has done was organizing side by side with DTI Cebu the Slingshot Philippines Makers Edition in February this year,” Jore adds. “We brought together all fablabs in the Philippines. Together with Fablab Bohol (based in Bohol Island State University) and Fablab Mindanao (based in the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology), we were able to propose the establishment of the Philippine Fablab Network to provide a support system for all the fablabs in the Philippines. We hope to encourage more fablabs to open in the Philippines,” Jore says.     Summer workshop sessions at the UP Cebu Fablab include Arduino, Robotics, Iot and Wearables. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     He also hopes to upgrade the UP Cebu Fablab to keep up with the growing community. “We only have one 3D printer. We need to acquire at least three more. And we need to acquire another kind of laser cutter to cut through hard metal and stones, because this one could only cut through wood, plastics, and soft metal. . . . And sewing machines, soldering and other jewelry equipment. We need to cover ceramics and glass.”  With these, UP Cebu Fablab can better respond to the public.  “We provide a public service,” Jore reiterates. This public includes future designers as young as senior high school students. The Fablab must continue extending its services, even as the community gravitates to this special Cebu hub on its own.  The more followers UP Cebu Fablab has, the more secure will Cebu’s place be as the birthing ground of innovations, which begin with fabricated prototypes. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Experts discuss screening people for COViD-19 vaccination – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/experts-discuss-screening-people-for-covid-19-vaccination/",
        "html": "Experts discuss screening people for COViD-19 vaccination Experts discuss screening people for COViD-19 vaccination February 3, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Doctors from the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) offer expert advice on screening people for COViD-19 vaccinations in the 39th edition of UP’s “Stop CoViD Deaths” webinar series to be streamed on February 5, 2021 at 12 noon.  Titled “Who Should Not be Vaccinated for CoViD-19?”, the webinar will discuss contraindications for COViD-19 vaccination and implications for people with underlying diseases, previous infections, and of certain age groups, among others.  The main resource speakers are: Dr. Regina Berba of the UP College of Medicine, head of the PGH Hospital Infection Control Unit; and, Dr. Shelley Ann De la Vega, director of the UPM National Institutes of Health Institute on Aging. Dr. Inday Dans, pediatrician and clinical epidemiologist at PGH, will share her views on what is known about vaccination for children.  The webinar series is presented by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-Telehealth Center for health professionals. The latest edition It is a special edition organized in cooperation with the UP-PGH.  It will also feature remarks by: UP Executive Vice President Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, a special adviser of the National Task Force on CoViD-19; and UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, a leading pediatrician.  Those who wish to participate may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar39    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fire and a pandemic: The UP-PGH response – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fire-and-a-pandemic-the-up-pgh-response/",
        "html": "Fire and a pandemic: The UP-PGH response Fire and a pandemic: The UP-PGH response May 19, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       It was past midnight, within the first hour of May 16, when a fire broke out on the third floor of the biggest COVID-19 referral hospital in the country. Hospital staff was alert, calm, and quick in selflessly putting patients out of harm’s way.  The University of the Philippines’ Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) successfully evacuated its patients and health care workers with a zero casualty count from the traumatizing fire. Nearby hospitals stepped up to take in displaced patients.  What happened at the UP-PGH during those hours of fear and uncertainty? How did its people deal with an emergency on top of a public health crisis?  Learn about the UP-PGH’s disaster preparedness in the middle of a pandemic in the 53rd episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, “May Sunog! Ligtas na Paglikas sa Panahon ng COVID-19”, on May 21, 12nn Philippine time, via Zoom.  Listen to Dr. Rodney Dofitas, a senior surgeon, who heads manpower support in the UP-PGH COVID Crisis Team and who was present at the time of the incident, recount the events of that early morning fire—from the deployment of the hospital’s evacuation response, to working in coordination with firefighters and setting up the incident command system.  Crucial decisions and strategies to emerge stronger from this event will be discussed by Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, UP-PGH Director.  Learn about the hospital’s disaster preparedness plans and drills from Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, UP Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Head.  Get insights from the reactors: Dr. Regina Berba, Head of the UP-PGH Infection Control Unit, on infection control risks in emergencies; Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Dfor Health Operations of the UP-PGH, on the evacuation of children with cancer; and, Dr. Jonas del Rosario, UP-PGH spokesperson, on communication and working with media.  To register for the webinar, go to bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar53. If the Zoom registration can no longer be accommodated, the webinar’s livestream may be viewed via TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[Video] Talunin Natin ang COVID-19! Bayanihan Na! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/video-talunin-natin-ang-covid-19-bayanihan-na/",
        "html": "[Video] Talunin Natin ang COVID-19! Bayanihan Na! [Video] Talunin Natin ang COVID-19! Bayanihan Na! April 13, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    As the country faces down a global pandemic, the University of the Philippines remains steadfast in the midst of battle. But to continue the fight, the national university needs your support.  A short video produced by TVUP, an Internet television (webcast) network operated by UP, highlights a few of the many ways that the UP communities in all its eight constituent units are doing their part to win the fight against COVID-19. Some of UP’s COVID-related endeavors featured in the video include: the UP-Philippine General Hospital being designated as a COVID-19 referral center; UP scientists from the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and the Philippine Genome Center producing affordable and efficient COVID-19 test kits; the opening of a 24/7 UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Na! Operations Center (Hotline no. 155-200) to respond to questions about the viral disease and to facilitate donations to the UP-PGH’s frontliners; the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team’s web portal featuring an interactive map showing the viral outbreak across the country, among others.  Watch the video here, and please consider giving to UP to support the University’s and the country’s fight against COVID-19.  Iskolar ng bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban para sa taumbayan!    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to explain “long COVID” reinfection – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-explain-long-covid-reinfection/",
        "html": "UP webinar to explain “long COVID” reinfection UP webinar to explain “long COVID” reinfection March 1, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    COVID-19 cases have been gradually dipping day by day; however, we are still seeing scenarios of reinfection, especially with our front liners who are repeatedly exposed to the virus. Moreover, “long COVID” or post-COVID conditions, described as recurring, returning, or even new symptoms even after recovery are also being observed.  These raise a lot of questions that the Stop COVID Deaths webinar aims to answer. How often can reinfection occur? Is a reinfection less severe than the previous infection?  Which of the different variants cause greater risk for reinfection? What are the symptoms of “Long COVID”?  How long can “Long COVID” last? Can “Long COVID” be fatal?  The University of the Philippines, in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  In this special episode titled, “COVID-19 Na Naman?! Repeat COVID-19 and Long-term Effects,” experts as well as medical front liners who have had multiple reinfections will share their knowledge and first-hand experience as patients.  The panel includes Dr. Regina P. Berba, Head of the PGH Infection Control Unit; Dr. Camilo C. Roa, Jr., Professor of Medicine, also at UP PGH; and UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo.  PGH Director, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, who has also survived repeat infections, will open the webinar on behalf of frontliners. Meanwhile, the synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Hospital Operations at PGH.  Join the UP this Friday, March 4, 2022, from 12 to 2pm in this online discussion. Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. Together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM’s Dr. Carmencita Padilla conferred the Order of National Scientist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upms-dr-carmencita-padilla-conferred-the-order-of-national-scientist/",
        "html": "UPM’s Dr. Carmencita Padilla conferred the Order of National Scientist UPM’s Dr. Carmencita Padilla conferred the Order of National Scientist September 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla. File photo from the UP Media and Public Relations Office.  The University of the Philippines (UP) and its academic community congratulate Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, outgoing UP Manila Chancellor and Outstanding Alumna, on being conferred the Order of National Scientist by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., in a ceremony held on August 31, 2023, at the Malacañang Palace. Dr. Padilla was honored especially for her pioneering work as a world renowned clinical geneticist and on newborn screening in the Philippines, and for the establishment of the UP Philippine Genome Center (UP PCG).  Administered by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the Order of National Scientist Award (Orden ng Gawad ng Pambansang Alagad ng Agham) is the highest national recognition given to a scientist in the Philippines. It is conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the NAST.  Currently, there are 43 distinguished Filipinos who hold the title of National Scientists of the Philippines, with Dr. Padilla as the 43rd as well as the 40th who are UP alumni. She is also the 10th from UP Manila, and the third UP Manila Chancellor to be conferred the title. Dr. Padilla is the first National Scientist to have expertise in the field of medical genetics, as well as the only living female National Scientist in the health sciences.  Dr. Padilla is recognized for her significant contribution to the field of clinical genetics in the Philippines. Her notable studies were conducted on the prevalence and cost-benefits analysis of a national program for newborn screening to prevent mental retardation and death from certain congenital disorders detectable at birth. It is due to her research that newborn screening is being implemented in over 7,400 health facilities in the Philippines to date, saving countless babies from mental retardation and death.  Dr. Padilla also made very important contributions in the field of genomics with the establishment of the UP PGC as a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for the development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, DNA forensics, preventive products, and for the improvement of crop varieties in the country. She served as the Executive Director of the UP PGC from 2011 to 2016, during which she oversaw the critical growth phases of the institution that eventually played a major role in the national government’s public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.  She also led the establishment of various medical and laboratory facilities, such as: the Genetic Laboratories at the UP Manila National Institute of Health (UPM NIH); the Cytogenetics Laboratories that was originally at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) in 1991 and eventually moved to the UPM NIH in 1997; the Newborn Screening Center (1997); the Molecular Genetics Laboratory (2001); the Biochemistry Laboratory (2001); the Micro Array Laboratory (2010); and the Hemoglobinopathy Laboratory (2014). All of these laboratories cater to patients of the UP PGH and other hospitals around the country.  Dr. Padilla has been a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines (NAST PHL) since 2008 as an Academician in the Health Sciences Division.  The University proudly celebrates this special award for one of its distinguished UP alumni, acknowledging Dr. Padilla not only for her contribution in genetics, her field of expertise, but also for inspiring many Filipinos to strive for excellence in their respective fields and careers while also being able to give back to the Filipino community. Dr. Padilla remains an exemplar of “a woman for others”, one who has played a vital role in the country’s progressive growth. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Padayon forges network of experts, students for Manila Bay’s rehabilitation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-padayon-forges-network-of-experts-students-for-manila-bays-rehabilitation/",
        "html": "UP Padayon forges network of experts, students for Manila Bay’s rehabilitation UP Padayon forges network of experts, students for Manila Bay’s rehabilitation July 29, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    The University of the Philippines, through the Padayon Public Service Office or UP Padayon, is working for the advancement of the Manila Bay rehabilitation.  The academic as well as public service initiatives of the various colleges across the UP system have aided key national government agencies in the bid to make Manila Bay sustainable. UP Padayon has forged a network of resources that will further mainstream the contributions of UP’s academic, research and public service efforts toward Manila Bay’s rehabilitation.  “This consolidation is necessary as it enables us to see the comprehensiveness of UP’s involvement in addressing Manila Bay’s systemic rehabilitation,” Padayon Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval said.     From left to right: Patricia Liganor (UP Padayon), Grace Maglunog (NSTP Diliman), Vianne Delfinado (NSTP Diliman), Mr. Charles Mijares (Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary), Prof. Ben Vallejo Jr. (UPD STS Coordinator), Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval (UP Padayon), Director Mahar Lagmay (UP Resilience Institute),), Director Arlyn Macapinlac (NSTP Diliman), and Mr. Elmar Aniciete (DMST). (Photo by Patricia Liganor, UP Padayon)     From community to scholarship engagement  Since April, the UP Diliman National Service Training Program (NSTP) has partnered with the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) in conducting an awareness campaign, “Sikhay Lingkod 2: A Summit on Volunteerism,” which featured grassroots initiatives and advocacies, especially in maritime and environmental protection, as well as the Manila Bay clean-up drive.     Representatives of UP Padayon, UPRI, STS Diliman, NSTP Diliman, DMST, and PCGA discuss the past efforts of each unit for the Manila Bay rehabilitation and how UP can engage its students in this endeavor. (Photo by Patricia Liganor, UP Padayon)     UP Padayon Director Yasol-Naval stressed that UP’s engagement in Manila Bay’s rehabilitation goes beyond clean-up, and has underlined the fact that “UP’s participation could be in the form of sharing of expertise, and scholarly and technical assistance, which may come from the different disciplines of science, social science, urban regional planning, mass communication, law, among others, in developing a holistic approach in rehabilitating Manila Bay.”     Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan Office at Pasig City. (Photo by Patricia Liganor, UP Padayon)     Coordination meetings have been initiated by UP Padayon with key UP experts who are actively involved with the Manila Bay rehabilitation. The team from UP Los Baños, for example, is comprised of former UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor O. Cruz, Ph.D., as the head, and Prof. Ricardo M. Sandalo and Prof. Leonardo M. Florece, Ph.D., who form the core of the leading local consultants of the 13-month Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan project conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).  “The challenge is how to come up with a master plan that is reasonably acceptable to everyone. And the overall goal of the master development plan is to ensure that Manila Bay is sustainable and resilient,” Cruz said.     UP Padayon with Stephanie S. Cabigao of UP MPRO meet with Ms. Kristyl Pardo, Prof. Ricardo Sandalo, Prof. Leonardo Florece, and Prof. Rex Victor Cruz to discuss UPLB’s efforts to save Manila Bay. (Photo by Patricia Liganor, UP Padayon)     Another example of the University’s institutional collaboration and engagement in the Manila Bay rehabilitation project is the tri-campus effort of UP Diliman, UP Manila and UP Los Baños, as shared by UP Diliman College of Science Dean Laura T. David during a meeting with UP Padayon.  Towards a sustainable and resilient Manila Bay  The Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan project is almost done with its first, planning phase. “The second phase, which is the action-planning phase, will now put flesh to the identified primary measures such as improving water quality, solid waste management as well as conditions of informal settlements, sustainable fisheries, among others. There are different programs for continuous research and monitoring that are lined up, and I think this is where UP’s engagement is vital,” said Cruz.  Meanwhile, David offered the results of the tri-campus research efforts through data-sharing with national and local government agencies involved in the rehabilitation project. David stressed the importance of data-sharing to see and appreciate how much of Manila Bay’s good assets remain.  “We aim to surface the science behind the rehabilitation process as palpably as possible, until we can claim that Manila Bay is safe in terms of its appearance and even scent, and that we are able to swim in it, more so to harvest food from it,” David added.     Director Yasol-Naval meets with UP Diliman College of Science OIC-Dean Laura David regarding the meeting of UP Diliman, UP Manila, and UP Los Baños on the Manila Bay Rehabilitation. (Photo by Patricia Liganor, UP Padayon)     In these series of coordination meetings, UP Padayon committed to aligning the various University efforts and facilitating significant endeavors, such as the creation of a research and development agenda and mobilization of research funding for the Manila Bay rehabilitation programs lined up. A public forum is also set in September to encourage more participation from students, scholars and experts. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Int’l Archaeologists to hold Conference on Homo luzonensis & Hominin record of Southeast Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/intl-archaeologists-to-hold-conference-on-homo-luzonensis-hominin-record-of-southeast-asia/",
        "html": "Int’l Archaeologists to hold Conference on Homo luzonensis & Hominin record of Southeast Asia Int’l Archaeologists to hold Conference on Homo luzonensis & Hominin record of Southeast Asia January 29, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       International and local archaeologists will convene in an international conference on the Homo luzonensis and Hominin record of Southeast Asia on February 3 to 4 at the College of Science Auditorium, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City; and on February 5 to 6, at Hotel Buntun, Tuguegarao City. This event is organized by the Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Diliman, with the support of the University of the Philippines System, the Wenner Gren Foundation, the National Museum of the Philippines, the Provincial Government of Cagayan, the Local Government of Quezon City, and the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity.  This conference will center on archaeological findings from Callao Cave, Peñablanca, Cagayan Valley obtained during previous archaeological excavations. Among the significant artefacts analyzed were a foot bone and human teeth of the newly discovered species of hominin, Homo luzonensis. This adds to the paleoanthropological record of Homo floresiensis from the island of Flores, Indonesia first reported in 2004, and the Late Pleistocene hominin record of East and Southeast Asia. These archaeological findings have laid enough basis to re-examine existing knowledge on human evolution, migration, colonization and the interaction of human species in prehistoric Southeast Asia.  This conference will have nine sessions featuring internationally-acclaimed archaeologists who were invited to present individual discussions on the following topics:  Palaeoanthropology of luzonensis; Evolutionary history and archaeological record of floresiensis; Hominin dispersal and evolution on islands; The origins and timing of dispersal of hominins in Southeast Asia; The archaeological background of Callao Cave; and The Pleistocene archaeological record of the Philippines. The use bio-chemistry in Paleoanthropology  To pre-register to this conference, you may fill this up: https://forms.gle/PsRWHVu3EkWHf6A66  Deadline is on or before January 31, 2020 (Friday). Because of the limited number of seats, we will be prioritizing those who are able to attend both days of the conference. You will receive an email for confirmation of your slot.  Please note the following: Snacks will be served. Book of abstracts, IDs and certificate will be provided.  Conference Invite Dates: February 3 to 4 2020  Event Address: UP College of Science Auditorium P. Velasquez Street, Quezon City, NCR 1101     INVITATION TO COVER EVENT:  This event has very limited seating capacity and is BY INVITATION ONLY. Please confirm your attendance by sending an email to homoluzonensisconference2020@gmail.com for more information. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Int’l conference hosted by UP and PhilHealth to deal with innovation and transformation of medical education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/intl-conference-hosted-by-up-and-philhealth-to-deal-with-innovation-and-transformation-of-medical-education/",
        "html": "Int’l conference hosted by UP and PhilHealth to deal with innovation and transformation of medical education Int’l conference hosted by UP and PhilHealth to deal with innovation and transformation of medical education November 19, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu       The training of future medical doctors needs to become more innovative and sustained especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the transforming landscape of education, medical schools around the world are now using telehealth platforms and simulation laboratories. All these changes are necessary so that students in the first four years of medical schooling, as well as educators, will continue to adapt and hone their skills in the art and science of healing.  The training of future medical doctors needs to become more innovative and sustained especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the transforming landscape of education, medical schools around the world are now using telehealth platforms and simulation laboratories. All these changes are necessary so that students in the first four years of medical schooling, as well as educators, will continue to adapt and hone their skills in the art and science of healing.  As part of the STOP COVID DEATHS webinar series of the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the “Virtual International Conference on Medical Education in the Pandemic – Part 2: Innovation and Transformation of Medical Education” will be held on Friday, November 20, from 12nn to 2pm.  Among the issues and corresponding solutions to be discussed in the conference are restricted interactions among faculty, fellow students, and patients during the pandemic. Even with such restrictions and suspension of face-to-face classes, medical students must continue to undergo rigorous, experiential, and interactive training. Changes in the curriculum, technology-based methods, and other innovations are being applied and anticipated. While students are becoming more engaged in research, educators are looking at more opportunities for them to serve patients in low-transmission areas so that they will become adequately prepared as humane, ethical, and excellent practitioners and specialists in the future.  Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the College of Medicine of UP Manila; Dr. Shin Chan Soo, Dean of the College of Medicine of the Seoul National University; and, Dr. Rajeev Kumar, Associate Dean for Academics of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, will serve as presenters.  Terence Lapeñas of the Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) – Philippines and Regional Chairperson to AMSA-International; and, Ferdinand Nykko Bautista, National Medical Interns Chapter Chair of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) Student Network, will serve as reactors.  Dr. Ramon Arcadio, Executive Director of the APMC, will deliver the opening remarks. Dr. Roderico Ofrin, Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) India, will deliver the welcome message at the conference.  This special online event is organized by UP, in partnership with PhilHealth and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UPCM and the UP-PGH.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar31. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Communication Research Department leads Second Communication Research International Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-communication-research-department-leads-second-communication-research-international-conference/",
        "html": "UP Communication Research Department leads Second Communication Research International Conference UP Communication Research Department leads Second Communication Research International Conference September 9, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Department of Communication Research of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication is holding the 2nd Communication Research International Conference (CRIC) at the Film Center of UP Diliman on 17 and 18 October 2019.  CRIC 2019 provides a venue for students, faculty, and media professionals across the country to share and disseminate their studies in the field of communication and media. First organized by the Department of Communication Research in 2016, CRIC is the geographic expansion of the National Communication Research Conference, which started in 2012, and the Communication Research Student Conference, which began in 2008.  This year’s theme, “Crossroads and Off-roads in Online Worlds,” explores how the expansion of online communities within and across borders help mainstream or marginalize various ideas, issues, and sectors. The conference thus examines how mediated and non-mediated human communication adopts, appropriates, or disrupts digital inclusions and exclusions. The conference involves plenary sessions with invited speakers and parallel sessions featuring competitive papers. Details are available at https://www.facebook.com/upcmcCRIC/.  The conference is open to everyone, including those who will not present a paper. The registration fee covers the book of abstracts, conference badge, and certificate of participation. To register, and for other registration details, interested parties can visit http://www.bit.ly/cric2019registration. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fact or fake? ‘Stop COVID Deaths’ hosts game show type webinar on COVID-19 infodemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fact-or-fake-stop-covid-deaths-hosts-game-show-type-webinar-on-covid-19-infodemic/",
        "html": "Fact or fake? ‘Stop COVID Deaths’ hosts game show type webinar on COVID-19 infodemic Fact or fake? ‘Stop COVID Deaths’ hosts game show type webinar on COVID-19 infodemic October 21, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines, in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and the World Health Organization have also warned citizens of a simultaneous “infodemic”—too much information, including false or misleading information, in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.  Wrong information can influence one’s behavior, cause panic, seed doubt, and even worsen the transmission of the virus. COVID-19 is the first pandemic heavily tied upon the internet and social media, so steps must be taken in order to control disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, or what we normally know as ‘fake news’.  How do we know if what we’re reading about COVID-19 is fact or fake? Are there red flags to better distinguish what’s real from not? What steps should we consider before sharing these information and updates to our followers and loved ones?  This Friday, October 22, from 12pm-2pm, join us for a game show-style “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series episode. Titled, “Fact or Fake: Be COVID-19 Social Media Smart!,” speakers who are proficient in communication and digital media will present some of the COVID-19 pieces they’ve encountered, and the audience will vote on whether they’re authentic or not. The speakers will also share tips on how to fact-check and be smarter with the things we share online.  The panel includes Roby Alampay (founder and chairman, Puma Public Productions), Dr. Jason Ligot (international health promotion specialist and Director for Development Communication, Organic Intelligence), Dr. Albert Domingo (health systems specialist), Joy Flavier-Alampay (Executive Director, Asia Society Philippines), and Ceej Tantengco (Head of Communications, PumaPodcast).  UP System Vice President for Public Affairs, Dr. Elena Pernia and UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Carmencita Padilla, will officially open and close the event.  Register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippine College Radio Congress 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-college-radio-congress-2019/",
        "html": "Philippine College Radio Congress 2019 Philippine College Radio Congress 2019 November 13, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Media and communication students, faculty, scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts from various parts of the country are set to gather at the annual Philippine College Radio Congress, happening on November 26-28, 2019 at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.  Now on its fourth year, PCRC 2019, with the theme “Back to Basics,” aims to re-inculcate the fundamental principles and skills that a responsible, knowledgeable, and equipped media practitioner should possess in a rapidly evolving and innovating world.  The Congress will feature lectures on broadcast ethics, history, management, as well as creative and hands-on sessions on voice acting, college radio newsroom, and acoustics and recording. Master classes on teaching ethics and on OBE-dizing communication and media curriculum have also been designed for teachers and educators who will be attending this year’s Congress.  PCRC is an annual national academic congress that discusses about current trends, new knowledge and skills, and developing technologies in media. PCRC has offered various lectures, hands-on workshops, fora, and interactive activities by practitioners in the industry and the academe since its inaugural year in 2016. The Congress is organized by the UP Department of Broadcast Communication, CHED Center of Excellence in Broadcasting, and DZUP 1602, the official AM radio station of UP Diliman.  The Congress was initially conceptualized to be a platform where participants may be able to share and strengthen their advocacy on community building, education, and information dissemination with other higher education institutions from all over the Philippines. The holding of the first PCRC in 2016 led to the immediate realization of a need to organize and form an association of college radios and media schools which can maximize the potential and capacities of radio as a continuously evolving instrument that can provoke change.  PCRC 2019 is co-presented by the UP Office of the President, UP Diliman Office of the Chancellor, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and Manila Broadcasting Company, and is endorsed by CHED.  Register now at dzup.org/pcrc2019!  For queries and other information, visit the official PCRC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/philippinecollegeradiocongress.  You may also contact Mr. Gian Librojo at (+632) 8-981-8500 local 2683 or at philippinecollegeradiocongress@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Dangerous Precedent Against a Free Press – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-dangerous-precedent-against-a-free-press/",
        "html": "A Dangerous Precedent Against a Free Press A Dangerous Precedent Against a Free Press June 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication Press Statement 15 June 2020  While the case purports to be a personal one involving a media institution and an “aggrieved” citizen, the UP College of Mass Communication sees this event as a direct threat to freedom of the press. Why?  The trial court judgment of guilt and imprisonment for libel for Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and UP-CMC alumnus and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos Jr. is a bladed weapon against all journalists — and to all who use the internet to expose corruption and wrongdoing of public officials and public figures.  The Rappler article of May 2012 all of a sudden became punishable under the Cyberlaw enacted in September 2012, ex post facto. The libel complaint was filed in 2018, six years after the article’s publication and unprecedentedly entertained by the judge and given due course on the theory of the prosecution that the correction of a typo error in 2014 constituted “re-publication”, thereby foisting a new theory dubbed as “continuing publication”.  The judge’s decision, if not corrected by the Supreme Court, has –in one fell swoop– eliminated the one-year prescriptive period of libel and created a new, strange abomination: the theory of “continuing publication”. The State can prosecute even after ten, twelve or more years after publication or posting. It is a concept of eternal threat of punishment without any limit in time and cyberspace.  This is not a threat to media alone. More important, it is a bladed weapon poised to cut and bleed out any journalist, any writer, or any Filipino social media user, who posts criticisms of public acts of corruption and incompetence on the internet. It is a threat that should be thwarted with increasing courage and limitless fortitude to question, to investigate, and to expose abuse of power.  We call on our fellow Filipinos to uphold press freedom and our fellow media practitioners to continue to be brave watchdogs of society.  #FreePress #CourageOn #DefendPressFreedom  This was originally published on the UP Diliman website: CMC Statement on the Ressa, Santos libel conviction  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Math + culture for indigenous peoples – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/math-culture-for-indigenous-people/",
        "html": "Math + culture for indigenous peoples Math + culture for indigenous peoples October 5, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    How do we take Mathematics out of classrooms and into the real world of work, tradition, and everyday life? Making abstract mathematical concepts as real and concrete to mathematics learners has always been a challenge. This is certainly the case too for Indigenous students.  One possible answer is ethnomathematics, the study of the intersection of mathematics and culture, which is now finding its way int the Philippine government’s Indigenous Peoples’ Education (IPEd) program.  Brazilian mathematician Ubiratan D’Ambrosio conceptualized ethnomathematics as ethno [culture] + mathema [explaining, understanding] + tics [techné, arts, techniques]—“the art or technique of explaining, knowing, and understanding diverse cultural contexts.” Ethnomathematics as a field of study began in the latter part of the 1980s. A decade or so earlier, movements toward teaching basic education among culturally diverse peoples began to grow globally.  “It’s a worldwide movement born out of the realization that IPs have been marginalized for so many years, including within our educational systems,” explains Dr. Wilfredo V. Alangui, math professor at the UP Baguio College of Science. Through colonization, the IPs’ knowledge systems were supplanted by Western knowledge systems. This included Mathematics, which—despite being called “the universal language” and “the door and key of the sciences” that makes it seem removed from things like cultural bias—is a Western, mostly Eurocentric, strain.     Dr. Wilfredo V. Alangui, professor of Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, College of Science, UP Baguio, sitting underneath a photo gallery of indigenous people in his office. (Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO)     In his paper, “There’s a Theory Behind What We’re Doing! Ethnomathematics and Indigenous Peoples’ Education in the Philippines,” which he presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education at the University of Hamburg in July 2016, Willy noted that in the Philippines, IPEd initiatives have been taken by the Department of Education (DepEd), civil society groups, IP organizations and other community-based efforts since the 1970s. Then in 2011, the DepEd issued Department Order 62, adopting the National Indigenous Peoples Education Policy Framework and creating the Indigenous Peoples Education Office (IPsEO) in 2012.  The need for schools for indigenous students is dire, as IP communities are often located in remote areas far from any public schools. And too often IP children face discrimination in these schools. Alangui has heard stories about Mangyan children in Occidental Mindoro making long journeys to the closest public school riding on the roof of a jeepney, only to have their teacher call them “stupid” and “ignorant” during school assemblies. Is it any wonder then that IP students lose any motivation to continue schooling and settle for an early marriage and a life spent merely surviving?  There are breakthroughs, however. Dr. Alangui and Dr. Ma. Theresa de Villa, an education professor at UP Diliman and the UP Open University, did a research for the Department of Education – Indigenous Peoples’ Education Office where they visited 16 schools, gathering information on their experiences and processes in implementing IP education so as to generate insights on developing an IP curriculum framework. The schools revealed varying approaches in the handling of indigenous knowledge systems and practices, ranging from the insertion of cultural elements in specific subjects, such as counting in indigenous languages and using localized math problems, to an IP curriculum where emphasis is given to teaching IP competencies more than DepEd prescribed competencies. This research resulted to the 2015 issuance by the Department of Education of D.O. 32 providing for a framework for the development of an IP curriculum.  Among the partner schools of the study, one in particular stood out: The Paaralang Mangyan na Angkop sa Kulturang Aalagaan (Pamana Ka), an indigenous school built in 1999 by and for the Mangyan community in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, with the help of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM).  At Pamana Ka, IP education is done right. Pamana Ka, for example, has an IP curriculum they call “Banig ng Buhay” that is anchored on the life of the Mangyan community, where lessons in different subjects are developed around a yearly calendar of activities approved by the community elders. For instance, the school has an annual activity called Tukawan, which is guided and led by the elders. In this week-long activity which happens in March, they bring the children to the forest to teach them important activities like hunting, fishing, harvesting honey, other indigenous resource management practices, including Mangyan games, while incorporating lessons in Biology, Chemistry, Social Studies, Music and Art. (Incidentally, Alangui noted that many some of the teachers who initially volunteered in Pamana Ka in the mid-1990s are products of the UP Los Baños Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and they continue to help the school in various ways.)  The same treatment is given to Mathematics, admittedly a difficult subject to teach. At Pamana Ka, Math comes to life in the Mangyan traditions. For instance, a lesson on fractions begins with a discussion on the honey-harvesting practices in each student’s community and ends with a reflection on the values of sharing and fairness.     One of the framed photographs of indigenous people gracing Dr. Alangui’s office at the UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center. The photo, titled “Lakay Bosaing, Lakay Golokan & Lakay Pecdasen (Dangtey)”, was taken by Joachim Voss in 1980. (Photo by Celeste Castillo Llaneta, UP MPRO)     Pamana Ka teachers find ways to teach mathematics concepts that start with things familiar to the Mangyan student. For example, the Mangyan’s practice of harvesting cassava tubers by counting the number of cracks on the ground around the cassava plant becomes an entry point to discuss variables and algebraic expressions—the the number of cracks on the ground are known values (constants), and the number of tubers under each crack is an unknown variable).  Teachers take advantage of the knowledge of crossing rivers to discuss the Pythagorean theorem: Mangyan do not cross the river in a straight line. They start from point A on the other side of the river, and wade and move at an angle with the current until they arrive at point B across the river. In short, they cross the river along the hypotenuse or the longest side of (an imaginary) right triangle. And patterns and sequences abound in the Mangyan world, for example, in steps that need to be followed in the performance of a ritual, or in preparing the land for the gahak or kaingin. And Pamana Ka math teachers utilize these realities in Mangyan life to teach number sequences.  In short, Mathematics is not just a bunch of abstract equations, but a real part of the Mangyans’ daily lives. And since every lesson begins and ends with a reiteration of their values, their understanding of their own culture is not only respected but enhanced as well.  “Pamana Ka changed everything for [the students].” When Willy asked how shifting from a mainstream school to Pamana Ka changed their lives, the students replied that it restored their self-esteem and their motivation to study. The Pamana Ka style of culturally responsive education returned their dreams to them.  “So it’s important for us to have IP schools that have this clear orientation of helping our indigenous students. This is why I’m so involved. I have a commitment to that school because as I see it, if we are looking for a model for IPEd, we should all go to Pamana Ka,” Alangui says. The DepEd agrees, which is why Pamana Ka became an immersion school on IP education for teachers and administrators from other regions at the start of the implementation of IPEd.  Ethnomathematics may help in ways that go beyond merely passing Math class. “The hope is that students both IP and non-IP don’t become alienated from Mathematics, but for them to see that math means something to their lives. And then, if they become curious enough, they can pursue math in the university, and even earn a graduate degree. These are possibilities opened up by making them see, realize and experience the connection of Mathematics in their lives as IPs.”  At least this is what ethnomathematics is trying to do. Because Math isn’t separate from culture. Math is culture. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/constitutional-performance-assessment-in-the-time-of-a-pandemic-the-1987-constitution-and-the-philippines-covid-19-response-2/",
        "html": "Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response August 4, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       WEBINAR Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response August 6, 2020 • 3:00 PM (Philippine time) • via Zoom and YouTube  The House of Representatives and the Department of the Interior and Local Government are keen on beginning charter change discussions while the country is mitigating the effects of COVID-19. But what changes does the 1987 Constitution actually need? And how has the pandemic exacerbated key constitutional issues?  The UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), together with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), presents “Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response,” a webinar happening on 06 August 2020 (Thursday), 3:00 PM (Philippine time).  The webinar is free and open to the public, but online registration via bit.ly/31akD28 is required. The webinar will also be streamed live on YouTube at bit.ly/2PlJU3R.     Panelists:  • Maria Ela Atienza, Ph.D. Professor, UP Department of Political Science  • Aries Arugay, Ph.D. Professor, UP Department of Political Science  • Jean Encinas-Franco, Ph.D. Associate Professor, UP Department of Political Science  • Jan Robert Go Assistant Professor, UP Department of Political Science  •Rogelio Alicor Panao, Ph.D. Associate Professor, UP Department of Political Science     Moderator:  • Amanda Cats-Baril Constitution Building Processes Adviser for Asia and the Pacific International IDEA "
    },
    {
        "title": "Joint Statement on the UP-DILG-PNP Meeting – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/joint-statement-on-the-up-dilg-pnp-meeting/",
        "html": "Joint Statement on the UP-DILG-PNP Meeting Joint Statement on the UP-DILG-PNP Meeting February 5, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP officials met today, 05 February, at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, with officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to discuss the 1992 agreement between UP and the DILG.   During the meeting, the DILG and the PNP affirmed their recognition of the value of academic freedom as well as peace and security in the University of the Philippines. The DILG then presented their list of concerns pertaining to provisions in the 1992 agreement, which included the need to review and update the agreement to present conditions. The DILG assured UP that the review of the agreement will not in any way diminish basic rights and the freedom of speech and assembly in UP, which are protected and enshrined in the Constitution. For its part, UP agreed that a review is in order and they will present its own observations regarding the points raised by the DILG and PNP in subsequent meetings.  Further, the parties agree to abide by the rule of law.  The three parties declared their willingness to form a Technical Working Group (TWG) to study the 28-year-old agreement and, depending on the TWG’s findings and recommendations, to mutually decide whether to amend some of the provisions of the UP-DILG agreement, or to draft a new accord altogether.  The UP officials at the meeting were: President Danilo L. Concepcion, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, UP Diliman (UPD) Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Aleli B. Bawagan, and Director of the UPD Public Safety and Security Office John S. Baroña.  From the DILG, attendees were Undersecretary for Peace and Order and OIC Bernardo C. Florece, Jr.; Undersecretary for Plans, Public Affairs and Communications Jonathan E. Malaya; and Assistant Secretary for Peace and Order Manuel B. Felix. From the PNP, in attendance were Chief of Directorial Staff PLt. Gen. Joselito M. Vera Cruz, and Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director PBGen. Danilo P. Macerin. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pinoy choirs receive top honors in Singaporean competitions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pinoy-choirs-receive-top-honors-in-singaporean-competitions/",
        "html": "Pinoy choirs receive top honors in Singaporean competitions Pinoy choirs receive top honors in Singaporean competitions July 21, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Two Filipino choirs — one from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the other from  De La Salle University-Dasmariñas — received top prizes in separate Singaporean choral competitions in the past month.  Despite competing in the contest for the first time and being the only Filipino choir, the Minstrels of St. La Salle took home one gold and two silver awards from the 4th Singapore International Choral Festival held from July 12 to 15.  Live from The Esplanade Concert Hall in Marina Bay, the Minstrels took home the gold in the Mixed Voices Open category and a silver award each from the Folklore and Musica Sacra categories.  Choir member Justin Sese told Heraldo Filipino, DLSU-D’s student publication, that winning top prizes in their first international competition outside the country was for the Philippines as much as it was for the Minstrels and the DLSU-D Chorale.  “We (Minstrels of St. La Salle and DLSU-D Chorale) thank all the people who supported us sa journey namin, thank you Lord and para ito sa Korong Pilipino!” he said.  Photo by Heraldo Filipino / Singapore International Choral Festival  Meanwhile, the UPLB Chorale became the Grand Prix Champion in the 10th Orientale Concentus held from July 7 to 10 at the School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA) Esplanade Concert Hall.  UPLB advanced to the storied competition after a qualifier on June 9 and became the champions on the finale on the 11th.  The choir also won the Mixed Choir A2 and Sacred Music Categories while conductor Roijin Zuarez won the Special Prize for the Most Promising Young Conductor.  UPLB’s achievements were even lauded by the Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio Morales, who held an appreciation dinner for the choir and the supporters of the scholarship program of the UP Alumni Association Singapore (UPAAS). (Rie Takumi, GMA News)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB undergoes EU SHARE institutional assessment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-undergoes-eu-share-institutional-assessment/",
        "html": "UPLB undergoes EU SHARE institutional assessment UPLB undergoes EU SHARE institutional assessment February 12, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (Photo from https://uplb.edu.ph/component/k2/916-uplb-undergoes-eu-share-institutional-assessment)     UPLB has reached another milestone in its goal to become a globally competitive graduate and research university.  On Feb. 5-6, the University took part in the institutional assessment of the European Union Support for Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (EU SHARE). EU SHARE aims to strengthen the Region’s higher education system and collaboration and hopes to build a scholarship scheme in ASEAN similar to Europe’s Erasmus. UPLB is the only public university in the country to participate in the said assessment.  The two-day activity was conducted to enhance UPLB’s capacity to keep track of its internal quality assurance (QA) system and raise points and recommendations to improve it. Assessors from different countries interviewed students, faculty, staff, and officials. UPLB, on the other hand, presented its self-assessment report to the assessors.     (Photo accessed from https://www.facebook.com/pg/UPLBOfficial/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155600805793995)     Dr. Alyssa Alampay, UP assistant vice president for academic affairs, in her special message, commended UPLB “for taking the QA challenge” during the opening program at the REDREC Auditorium.  Dr. Alampay reiterated the confidence of the UP System in UPLB’s readiness to participate in the assessment. She encouraged UPLB constituents to look at the assessment as a learning experience. “It’s not about the score; it’s about the process and learning from that process,” she said.  Meanwhile, Prof. Chavalit Wongse-ek from Mahidol University, who spoke on behalf of the EU SHARE assessors, encouraged UPLB to live up to its commitment in pursuing quality education through the assessment. “Quality is not an accident, it needs intense effort,” he said.  Other assessors were Dr. Agus Setiabudi of the Indonesia University of Education, Dr. Jacques Lanares of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and Dr. Oliver Vettori  from Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria.  Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., who officially opened and closed the event, expressed his hopes that the assessment would help uncover “blind spots” in the University’s performance. This way, it would be able to reform its strategies towards its main goal and increase efforts in food security and public service in the next two years. He also recognized the assessment as an opportunity for UPLB to reflect on building a regional higher education space in the ASEAN region via QA systems.     (Photo accessed from https://www.facebook.com/pg/UPLBOfficial/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155600805793995)     In his concluding statement, Chancellor Sanchez encouraged UPLB to uphold its culture of honor and excellence. “The assessment might be over but the real work is cut out for us. With the EU SHARE assessment, we have gained insights on how we can strategically invest in our vision for the University.” (Jessa Jael S. Arana , UPLB)  This story was first published on https://uplb.edu.ph/component/k2/916-uplb-undergoes-eu-share-institutional-assessment, “UPLB undergoes EU SHARE institutional assessment.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Promoting rice and white corn combination as a staple for Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/promoting-rice-and-white-corn-combination-as-a-staple-for-filipinos/",
        "html": "Promoting rice and white corn combination as a staple for Filipinos Promoting rice and white corn combination as a staple for Filipinos February 2, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Rice is a major staple food in the Philippines. But while the Philippines is one of the biggest rice producers in the world, it continues to import rice as the million metric tons of palay produced by the country cannot keep up with actual demand and consumption.  To ease dependence on imported rice, the government is implementing measures to increase domestic rice production. But researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños believe that these supply strategies should be complemented by remedies from the demand side to achieve rice self-sufficiency. One solution is promoting the consumption of alternative staples that will help reduce rice intake. A relatively cheap and nutritious alternative is white corn grits. But because it is an option that a majority of Filipinos, being much accustomed to rice, may find difficult to consider, the researchers are looking at rice-corn grits mix as a healthier and more acceptable alternative.  The study found a general willingness among rice farmers to try rice-corn mixture, but most of them will consider taste, price, aroma and texture. Interestingly, the younger the farmers, the more willing they are to try rice-corn mixture. Education also plays a crucial part in the farmer’s decision making as it can influence the management practices and the technologies to be adopted in the farms.     Harvested IPB Var 6 white quality protein maize (Photo credit: Josefina Dizon et al.)     Joint to issues on rice sufficiency are health problems associated with rice consumption. The prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes are increasing at alarming rates in the country due, among others, to the traditional diet of white rice (Tan, 2016). In 2016, the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism even branded the Philippines a “diabetes hotspot” with over 3.5 million Filipinos with diagnosed cases.  Rice-corn mixture is a good substitute to white rice. Corn has a low glycemic index and so making it part of a standard diet can help address the rising incidence of diabetes in the country. In studying the effects of rice and corn mix consumption on three- to five- year old malnourished Filipino children, researchers also saw that improvements in mean body weight were highest among children who were given a 50:50 rice-QPM corn mix as opposed to those treated solely with rice or with a 70:30 rice-corn mixture. QPM stands for quality protein maize, a variety of white corn with high levels of essential amino acids that other corn varieties, even rice, do not have.     Cooked 70:30 rice and white corn combination (Photo credit: Josefina Dizon et al.)     Finally, the introduction of the rice-corn mix as a staple has economic benefits. For several years, the average yield of white corn in the Philippines stagnated due to a limited market, in contrast to yellow corn which has a big demand as feeds for hogs and poultry. With the increased market for white corn as food, it is expected that demand for high yielding and quality open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and hybrids will also follow. Instead of depending on available low yielding traditional varieties, farmers can shift to the more productive OPVs or hybrids. This should translate to a better economic situation of farmers in the Philippines.  (“Promoting rice and white corn combination as food staple for Filipinos” is an Emerging Interdisciplinary Research project supported by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This article was written jointly with the research team led by Dr. Josefina Dizon.)  This story was first published on ovpaa.up.edu.ph, “Promoting rice and white corn combination as a staple for Filipinos.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Society for Human Ecology (SHE) XXII International Conference 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/society-for-human-ecology-she-xxii-international-conference-2017/",
        "html": "Society for Human Ecology (SHE) XXII International Conference 2017 Society for Human Ecology (SHE) XXII International Conference 2017 October 13, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines Los Baños is pleased to announce the upcoming XXII SHE 2017 International Conference on November 28 to December 1, 2017. This will be the first time that the Society for Human Ecology international conference will be held in the ASEAN region where past SHE conferences were held in USA, Australia, and United Kingdom. This year, the College of Human Ecology of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in partnership with the Society for Human Ecology (SHE), and the International Organization for Human Ecology will host the said conference.  The conference theme is “Envisioning Pathways to Just and Sustainable Futures: Celebrating diversity, Pursuing Integration, and Developing Livable Communities.” It will showcase the myriad of global practices, initiatives, and possibilities that contributes to shaping a more sustainable world. The conference aims to bring together global and regional practitioners, researchers, policy makers, experts, and academics in an event to discuss contemporary research and practices in promoting a just and sustainable future. It also aims to strengthen partnership among human ecology institutions in the region and abroad through the creation of an alliance or network of Human Ecology Institutions (HEIs) in Asia and closely link it with the International Society for Human Ecology (SHE). The conference will have paper presentations, organized sessions, and workshops that tackles four major thematic areas:  Health, Aging, and Demographic Change Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Food and Water Systems Communities in Transition: Implications for rural resilience, biodiversity and tourism        The main message of the Conference will be delivered by distinguished speakers lead by the Keynote address of His Excellency Deputy Secretary General Vongthep Arthakaivalvakatee of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Plenary speakers covering the conference themes will include Mr. Ranell Dedicatoria (Sustainable Cities and Landscapes) from ICLEI Southeast Asia – Local Governments for Sustainability, Dr. Stacy Jupiter (Sustainable Food and Water Systems ) Director at Wildlife Conservation Society, Ms. Gina Lopez (Communities in Transition) Environmental Advocate and former DENR Secretary of the Philippines, and Dr. Tony Capon (Health and Aging) Inaugural Professor of Planetary Health at University of Sydney.  The venue for the Conference is the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), one of the main conference partners, which is within the University of the Philippines Los Baños Campus. It is located about 66 kilometers south of Manila and is nestled at the foot of the majestic Mt. Makiling. Hosting a community of research and academic institutions such as SEARCA, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB), Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice), the UPLB campus boast of vibrant yet peaceful and serene community life.  Inquiries on conference registration, travel accommodations, and other concerns may be addressed through:  Email: sheconference2017@up.edu.ph  Mobile: +63 917 8858441: or +63 949 104 3275  Telefax: +63 49 536 2682  Website: www.societyforhumanecology.org "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB celebrates 100th Loyalty Day – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-celebrates-100th-loyalty-day/",
        "html": "UPLB celebrates 100th Loyalty Day UPLB celebrates 100th Loyalty Day October 11, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Alumni flock to a stately-decorated Baker Memorial Hall for the UPLB grand alumni homecoming. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP Los Baños celebrated the 100th anniversary of the day 193 students and 27 faculty members comprising the majority of the UP College of Agriculture enlisted with the Philippine National Guard to help the Allies fight World War I. The campus has named the day its Loyalty Day, celebrated since 1921.  It has become a most anticipated event for UPLB administration, faculty, staff, and students when they can reconnect with the alumni and reunite in the spirit of voluntarism and public service. This year, the Loyalty Day theme was “100 years of Uplifting Peoples’ Lives and Beyond”.     The steps of DL Umali Hall are festooned in preparation for a grand Loyalty Day Parade. Speaking in Baker Hall, Chancellor Fernando Sanchez welcomes alumni back on campus. Photos by Jo. Lontoc and Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     From October 8 to 12,  the UPLB community and the alumni joined each other in holding a flower and garden show at the Seniors Social Garden, a prelude celebration in Tanauan City, a fun run at the Grandstand, and a trade fair at the Alumni Plaza; and on the centennial day, October 10, in marching for the Loyalty Day parade around campus, and gathering once again for luncheon, raffle of prizes, and a cultural night inside Baker Hall.     UP Los Baños golden and diamond jubilarians of the centennial of Loyalty Day on stage with UP System, campus, and alumni relations officials. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Seventy-five trophies were handed out in Baker Memorial Hall on October 9 during the UPLB Alumni Association (UPLBAA) Awards to distinguished alumni and alumni families; and medallions were awarded to members of Classes ’58 and ’68, the diamond and golden jubilarians  for the centennial Loyalty Day. Those from classes ending in 8 and 3 are the jubilarians this year.  The awardees were led by former UP President Emil Javier, who received the UPLBAA Presidential Award. The Outstanding Golden Jubilarians were Cleofas Cervancia, Javier Mateo, Thelma Romero-Paris, Aphiphan Pookpakdi, Nazario Racoma, and Reynaldo Villareal. The families recognized were the Aguiero, Arca-Alejar, Fandialan, Faustino, Mendoza, and Payawal families.     (Clockwise, from top left) Alumni from the Fandialan family, the wife of posthumously-awarded Distinguished Alumnus for Youth Development Telesforo Vea assisted by College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Dean Elpidio Agbisit Jr., former UP President and UPLB Alumni Association (UPLBAA) Presidential Awardee Emil Javier, and Distinguished Alumna for Public Service Haidelyn Arevalo receive trophies and certificates from Chancellor Fernando Sanchez and UPLBAA President Leo Ballesfin. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     “I’m sure I speak for all the awardees tonight that there is a common thread in our careers and life stories: excellence, integrity, and service. I would emphasize service, in keeping with the centenary of Loyalty Day,” Javier said in response. “Among the graduates of UP Los Baños, the spirit of voluntarism is strong,” he stressed.  The UPLB grand alumni homecoming and awards were capped with a barn dance, also in Baker Hall.     The Outstanding Golden Jubilarian Awardees with UPLB Alumni Association President Leo Ballesfin and UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez. Sanchez, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Regent Francis Laurel, former UP President Emil Javier, and UPLB Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs and Distinguished Alumni Awardee Serlie Jamias share a table right before the awarding. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     A highlight of the Loyalty Day centennial is the Art in Biodiversity exhibit in the Sining Makiling Gallery at DL Umali Hall, which will run until December 19, 2018, featuring 100 outstanding works of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by 100 artists.  At the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the stage play “Loyalty Day”–about five student council members preparing for the 100th Loyalty Day celebration–written by UP Artist Layeta Bucoy and directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, ran from October 9 to 12. It was a collaborative production of the Upsilon Sigma Phi, COMA 200a class, and the Department of Social Sciences of CAS. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     Some pieces from the Art in Biodiversity exhibit. Photo by Jo. Lontoc"
    },
    {
        "title": "Ensouling the Iskolar ng Bayan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ensouling-the-iskolar-ng-bayan/",
        "html": "Ensouling the Iskolar ng Bayan Ensouling the Iskolar ng Bayan April 4, 2018 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   An old photo of Pahinungod volunteers going out into the fields to learn from the people they wish to serve. (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     Seeing signs of diminishing social responsibility among students in the early 1990s, UP instituted a program to encourage volunteer service to underserved communities. The underlying belief was that UP’s soul resided in connecting to the people, i.e., public service that went beyond mere fulfillment of requirements to something more integral and committed.  In the University, public service has been a cherished tradition, so much so that news of UP possibly losing its soul caused much consternation and forced a System-led intervention. Thus began the continuing journey of the Pahinungod and the Padayon running well into the new millennium.  But more than promoting altruism or maintaining tradition, scholars say the effort to uphold public service in the University is essential and not just value added to the University’s teaching, learning, and research and development function.     A tool of instruction  In a recent study, UP Los Baños researchers noted that “There is a need for research that investigates the instructional effects of volunteer work that simulates and extends the learning-teaching environment using extension (i.e. field work, community engagement) modalities. Such research can elevate its status as a deliberate tool of instruction and likewise, guide its programming and management in this direction.”     Glenn Lubuguin in his early years with the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     Drawing on scientific data, Glenn Lubuguin of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod explained that “We learn from volunteerism and public services the same way communities learn from us. In other words, we get as much, if not more, than what we give. As an institution, we make UP better every time we help make communities better.”  Lubuguin has been studying participants of University-led public service initiatives and has gained much from their individual insights.  However, his studies manifest the need to scientifically establish a connection of community service to the mental development of the volunteers as “scholars of the nation.” It is the University contributing to culture-specific, localized knowledge-making on volunteerism and the Iskolar ng Bayan.  In 2012, Lubuguin finished the study “Perceived Effects of Volunteer Experience on Values and Skills Development among UPLB Pahinungod Volunteers.” It drew on the experience of 74 volunteers who participated in six Pahinungod programs.     A Pahinungod volunteer immersing with a family in Nakar, Quezon, in 2014, tries out the family transport. (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     The study highlighted positive values developed among volunteers, but Lubuguin noted that these had yet to be connected to improved leadership or management style or application in larger socio-political fields.  “For instance, firsthand experiences in underserved communities amplify volunteers’ appreciation of social inequalities and government inefficiency and consequently increased cynicism for public institutions that may not be healthy for active citizenship,” Lubuguin said.  He observed that constructive values like interdependence, cooperation, receptivity, merging, and compromise learned from community engagement often conflict with Western leadership styles which value self-assertion and independence.     A Pahinungod volunteer does not set herself apart from the children she helps learn. (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     Researchers came up with another study, mindful of the need to align volunteerism with UP goals. They went into a more structured, qualitative study on the development of mental constructs before and after the performance of public service, involving UP volunteers and other state colleges and universities (SUCs). This resulted in the paper “Emergent Constructs among Volunteers of Selected Southern Tagalog SUCs” by Lubuguin, Dr. Pamela Custodio, and Jose Limbay Lahi Espaldon.  The study involved 22 reflection papers and three debriefing sessions of 21 participants from Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and three focus-group discussions among selected volunteers of UP Los Baños, Southern Luzon State University in Quezon, and Batangas State University.     A change in constructs  Notable were changes in the volunteers’ constructs of “community,” “self,” “poverty,” and “helping.” “Self” constructs were redefined based on a new notion of “community.” The construct of “community” now included notions of collective action and sharing of life’s goals. “Community” became a dynamically inclusive entity. “Otherness” or “oneness” no longer depended on shared culture or geography but on one’s ability to relate to individual and group aspirations.     Pahinungod volunteers experience planting rice during a community exposure and site visit. (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     A new oneness with the community appeared to enable long-term commitment. “The [islanders] were synonymous to the waters there—calm and free. Soon I found myself comfortable in the waters,” a volunteer said after immersion in remote Ambil Island, Occidental Mindoro. “I knew that like the shark, I had to keep on swimming and venture into deeper water. I had to leave because I would return. And when I did, I had grown wiser.”  “Helping” emerged from being an act of benevolence to an act that requires values and skills on the part of the helper, and on the part of the helped, a presumed set of values and potentials.  “When I think about it, our country needs gradual healing which could start by understanding the difficult lives of others,” said a volunteer who lived with ginger farmers in Padre Burgos, Quezon.  “I gained precious insights from the lifeways of community members. I realized that their indigenous knowledge and cultural practices support environmental sustainability,” said a 59-year-old professor volunteer after immersion in Padre Burgos, Quezon.     Pahinungod volunteers socialize with and learn from people of all ages in the community. (Photo courtesy of UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod)     “Poverty” was reconfigured from a problem mainly associated with individual responsibility to a more complex and structural problem–something which, however, did not diminish people’s capacity to share. “People there had so little, but they had so much to give. They do not care so much about money,” noted the volunteer from Ambil.  The University will do well to continue studying these realizations, the scholars say, and how if indeed the volunteers—future leaders of the country—will be the better for these.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Villar receives honorary degree, addresses UPLB Class of 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/villar-receives-honorary-degree-addresses-uplb-class-of-2018/",
        "html": "Villar receives honorary degree, addresses UPLB Class of 2018 Villar receives honorary degree, addresses UPLB Class of 2018 June 27, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Members of UP Los Baños Class of 2018 applaud as the program for the 46th Commencement Exercises of UPLB begins. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Senator Cynthia A. Villar received the title of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) and served as the guest of honor and speaker at the 46th commencement exercises of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on June 23, 2018 at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park in UPLB, Los Baños, Laguna.  Villar’s conferment of honorary degree was witnessed by: her husband, former Senator Manuel Villar, children Camille, Manuel Paolo, and Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar; and, members of the UP Board of Regents, namely, Commission on Higher Education OIC J. Prospero E. de Vera, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP Faculty Regent Patricia B. Arinto, UP Staff Regent Analiza S. Fulvodora, UP Alumni Regent Ramon M. Maronilla, UP Student Regent Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino, UP Regent Frederick Mikhail I. Farolan, UP Regent Angelo A. Jimenez, UP Regent Francis C. Laurel; and other UP System officials and UPLB officials.  Villar’s message for UPLB’s new graduates focused on the youth’s role in ensuring food security and improving agricultural productivity. According to her, Filipinos must enhance their skills and capabilities through education and utilize modern technology for sustainable food production, efficient distribution, and global competitiveness as well. In the Senate, she serves as chair of the Committees on Agrarian Reform, Agriculture and Food, and Environment and Natural Resources.  BS Agriculture (summa cum laude) graduate Paul Joshua C. Marquez spoke on behalf of UPLB’s 2,450 graduates, of whom 258 graduated with honors. He affirmed that he would pursue a career path primarily in the service of Filipino farmers. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Pre-program photo (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The 46th Commencement Exercises of UPLB starts with the Processional of UP officials and entry of the University Colors and the Philippine Flag. (Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion confers the degrees and titles earned by the UPLB graduates of 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III, chairperson of the UP Board of Regents, and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion lead the conferment of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) to and the hooding ceremony for Senator Cynthia A. Villar. They are assisted by former Senator Manuel Villar and other UP officials. (Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     UP officials and members of the Villar family pose with Senator Cynthia A. Villar (center) after the conferment of her honorary degree at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park in UPLB on June 23, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Senator Cynthia A. Villar delivers her commencement address at the UPLB graduation rites held at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park in UPLB on June 23, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Senator Cynthia A. Villar delivers her commencement address at the UPLB graduation rites held at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park in UPLB on June 23, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     A UPLB graduate receiving her diploma from Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. at the 46th UPLB graduation rites held at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park on June 23, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB and Kyoto University discuss shared future in international conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kyoto-university-and-uplb-discuss-shared-future-in-international-conference/",
        "html": "UPLB and Kyoto University discuss shared future in international conference UPLB and Kyoto University discuss shared future in international conference February 6, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Japanese participants of the 13th Kyoto University Southeast Asia Network Forum pose with officials from UP Los Baños. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Alumni and representatives of both the University of the Philippines and Kyoto University joined their fellow leaders from the public and private sectors at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on January 29, 2019 to attend the 13th Kyoto University Southeast Asia Network Forum. This international conference was co-sponsored by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and Kyoto University, with Japanese-trained UP alumni at the forefront.  According to UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista, the conference, with the theme, “Creating Partnerships, Enhancing Innovation for our Common Future,” aimed to foster a vision of a shared future for Japan and the Philippines, “characterized by social cohesion, economic resilience, sustainable growth and development, and greater motivation for creativity and innovation.”  To this end, the conference featured a distinguished roster of speakers led by Dr. Kazutoshi Mori, Professor of Biophysics at Kyoto University. His lecture on the history of his research on the unfolded protein response, launched a series of plenary presentations that ranged from genomics to indigenous perspectives that aimed to inspire better research and build partnerships to solve problems common to both nations.     Dr. Kazutoshi Mori (center), Professor of Biophysics at Kyoto University, is recognized by UPLB, led by its Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, himself an alumnus of a Japanese university (the Tokyo Institute of Agriculture) expressed his gratitude to his mentors for generously sharing their experience and wisdom with him and his fellow graduates. This history of mentorship and cooperation between UP and Kyoto University was also echoed by Kyoto University Executive Vice President Kayo Inaba, who detailed how the Memorandum of Academic Cooperation signed by both universities in 2015 had vastly expanded the exchanges of students, faculty and information between both institutions.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, in his inspirational message, noted that UPLB had the largest number of Japanese-trained scholars among all of UP’s constituent universities. Recalling a speech he gave on campus at the beginning of his term, Concepcion said that he encouraged UPLB’s researchers to do academic research “more aggressively” and in the tradition of the schools that they graduated from.  “It is my dream,” he added, “that during my term as UP president, UP will get a nomination for the Nobel Prize. And this is the reason why Kyoto University is here [to help us].” Concepcion also stressed the need to “plant the seeds” for UP and Kyoto University’s partnership to grow, as well as to find sustainable solutions to benefit future generations together.     National Institutes of Health Executive Director Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz talks about Genomic Medicine in the Philippines     The conference was well attended not only by representatives from UP, but also those from other state universities and colleges (SUCs), government agencies and private companies. Among those in attendance were Consul General Atsushi Kuwabara of the Embassy of Japan, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and representatives from Mindanao State University, Central Bicol State University, Tarlac Agricultural University, Ifugao State University, University of St. La Salle Bacolod, Partido State University, the University of Santo Tomas, and Far Eastern University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Primary Care benefits for all UP faculty and staff – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sample-post-title-1/",
        "html": "Primary Care benefits for all UP faculty and staff Primary Care benefits for all UP faculty and staff April 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    New primary care benefits may now be availed of at the University Health Service (UHS) in UP Diliman. These health care benefits are given as part of a pilot study, “Philippine Studies in Primary Care”, which was launched on October 2016 to run for a year until September 30, 2017, unless otherwise extended. Jointly funded by UP System and Philhealth, the study aims to test the effectiveness of a primary care health delivery system in a corporate setting. “Our target beneficiaries are employees, which in the pilot study would refer to university staff of various categories.  Since they are part of the mandated clientele of the University Health Service, the health benefit package and the Primary Care health delivery system under study are in that sense, within a ‘corporate setting’,” according to UHS Acting Director Jesusa Catabui.  If found effective, the system may be adopted on a national scale and may be made the basis of an appropriate Outpatient Benefit Package by Philhealth, as well.  In an interview, UHS Acting Director Jesusa Catabui explained the significance of primary care and its important aspects.     Primary Care defined  “Primary Care is a health care system that provides for comprehensive first contact care by trained providers, which in the UHS setting, are its staff physicians.  As primary care providers, they should be well trained to diagnose and treat patients through a wide range of diseases, and to judiciously refer patients for specialty care when needed.  Even after referring patients to medical specialists, they should be able to coordinate and provide for continuing patient care,” Dr. Catabui explained.  According to her, the ideal is to have a primary care provider for each Filipino family that will assist them in navigating through the health care system, and avoiding unnecessary expensive tests or a fragmented medical care.     Primary Care beneficiaries  Although all mandated clients of the University Health Service are entitled to certain health privileges, only the University staff and their dependents (as defined by Philhealth) may avail of the added benefit package under the study.  Eligible clients include: faculty members and their dependents, and bona fide non-faculty University staff, whether permanent, UP or non-UP contractual employees, together with their dependents as well.   Outsourced University personnel such as our security guards and custodial workers, and students are not included in the study.  Aside from free consultation, each eligible patient may avail of free medicines and laboratory tests up to a total of PHP 2000 in one year, as long as: these are prescribed by their primary care provider; the medicines are available at UHS Pharmacy; or the tests are being done at our hospital, according to Dr. Catabui.  For example, a non-UP contractual employee can now bring his/her sick spouse, any of his/her 6 children below 21 years of age,  or either of his/her parents aged 60 and above, and himself, in the event any of  them get sick. Eeach is entitled to the benefits mentioned above.  On the other hand, Dr. Catabui added, of course it is better that nobody in the family gets sick at all.  They get to enjoy the benefits of good health and Philhealth money is spent on those who really need it.     Electronic Medical Records (EMR)  In order to track Philhealth expenses for each eligible client who come for consultation, it is vital that patient medical records be now in electronic form.  Outpatients consulting at the University Health Service for non-urgent illness will have to line up first at the Records Section for data entry, after which they proceed to the triage nurse where their vital signs, such as body temperature or blood pressure, are taken and recorded on the computer.  At the same time, the system queues them to an available doctor assigned at the General Out Patient Department (OPD) for final assessment and treatment.  Prescriptions and requests for necessary laboratory tests including ECG and X-ray examinations are electronically generated and then presented to the billing section or to the pharmacist, as the case may be.  The customized EMR system also allows for the accurate generation of reports and secure and efficient records management.     Primary Care on a national scale  “Hopefully, depending on the results of the study, primary care may be adopted nationwide for more accessible and affordable health care services.  Proper training and giving enough incentives to our primary care providers are also vital for such a system to work,” Catabui concluded. (Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman’s Infirmary upgraded – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-dilimans-infirmary-upgraded/",
        "html": "UP Diliman’s Infirmary upgraded UP Diliman’s Infirmary upgraded February 2, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP System, UP Diliman, and DPWH officials cut the ribbon to formally inaugurate the renovated and expanded UP Diliman University Health Service, more popularly known as the Infirmary. Front row, left to right: UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion, UPHS Director Myrissa Melinda Lacuna-Alip, UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy. Second row, left to right: DPWH QC District Engineer Ramon Devanadera, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, UP-PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     The University of the Philippines (UP) inaugurated a renovated and expanded health service facility on its Diliman campus on January 27, 2023.  The UP Diliman Health Service (UPD-HS), more popularly known as the Infirmary, is now on its way to becoming what UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo called a “model primary health care facility” for UP constituents and the community after undergoing major improvements since 2019.  UP President Concepcion and UPD Chancellor Nemenzo unveil the marker while DPWH QC District Engineer Devanadera and UPHS Director Alip look on. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     The Radiology Department, Pharmacy, and Admitting Office were among the upgraded units and relocated to more appropriate locations. Specialists’ clinics, gyms, and physical therapy rooms now augment the existing doctors’ clinics. The main lobby is now a spacious hall accommodating more students during enrolment. The new Emergency Room is situated near the road for ease of access; landscaping and site development has been done to improve access for vehicles and pedestrians.  A three-story building is currently being constructed to house the administrative offices, an in‐patient ward, more operating rooms, the dietary department, laboratories, supply rooms, and parking spaces.  Construction work, which began under former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, is funded and undertaken by the DPWH.  In the new, spacious main lobby of the UPD UHS. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     DPWH Quezon City District Engineer Ramon Devanadera, UP System officials led by President Danilo Concepcion, UP Diliman officials led by Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP Manila (UPM) Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UPM-Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi, and UPHS Director Myrissa Melinda Lacuna-Alip led the inaugural ceremony.  According to Concepcion, the project was a means to achieve his administration’s goal of filling all the slots for first-year students, which the University could not do without additional facilities. First-year students are required to undergo a thorough medical exam during enrolment.  UPHS Director Alip (left) take UP President Concepcion and Atty. Concepcion and the other guests on a guided tour of the newly renovated UPD UHS. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     Together with the PGH—under which the health services of UP Manila, UP Los Baños, and UP Diliman are supposed to operate, based on an administrative order by Concepcion—the UPD-HS is also acquiring new equipment, which includes a Mammotome breast biopsy device for the early detection of breast cancer.  “We are increasing the number of specialist consultants and clinics for them,” Concepcion added. “Correspondingly, we need to upgrade laboratory services for tests that the specialists will prescribe.” He said the administration is looking at a public-private partnership for a laboratory facility to be located in the building being constructed.  “We also need to think about bringing back surgical operations and upgrading the operating room facility for minor surgical procedures,” Concepcion said. He added PGH surgeons could perform these.  “The inauguration of the UPD-HS is a sign that the health of the community is one of the university’s top priorities,” Nemenzo said. He pointed out that the improvements at the UPD-HS align with the “vision of a model primary care facility in the university and community implementing universal health care.”     One of the new operating rooms. . Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO). The relocated emergency room. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO). A garden in the middle of the UHS complex. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Nurturing Wisdom through the Liberal Arts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nurturing-wisdom-through-the-liberal-arts/",
        "html": "Nurturing Wisdom through the Liberal Arts Nurturing Wisdom through the Liberal Arts May 28, 2019 | Written by Silvino V. Epistola   A poster from an exhibit during the June 18, 2011 UP College of Liberal Arts Centennial Celebration. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Finally, for many Filipinos, education has become much too old-fashioned to fit in today’s scheme of things. Even those who hold college degrees now say that education has lost its efficacy, but as many would hasten to add, this is so only because now it is not 1950 but 2000. Old-time education is simply no longer attuned to the rapid pace of our technological times.  Since the 1960s, the University of the Philippines, for one, has been changing. The old College of Liberal Arts was split three ways into the University College, which was given the new General Education Program; the College of Arts and Sciences, which would offer the Bachelor Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs; and the Graduate School, which would run the highly specialized Master of Arts degree programs.  The resulting arrangement was logical. But someone should have taken into account the careerism endemic in the faculty. For instance, it did not look good career-wise for a faculty member not to belong to the Graduate School. Certainly no professor would accept an appointment in the University College, for this could mean standing on the lowest rung of the faculty hierarchy till one’s retirement. To solve the impasse, the UP Regents abolished the University College and the Graduate School and allowed another three-way split, after the usual heated faculty debates.  To this day, the various undergraduate and graduate arts and sciences degree programs are administered each by the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Science and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.  Did this mean that the old College of Liberal Arts was restored to life through a different name? Sadly, no! As some realized even then, the operative part of the title, College of Arts and Sciences, was not “College” but “Arts and Sciences” with emphasis on “and.” What waylaid the mind was the idea that the arts and sciences were component subjects of the College of Liberal Arts as well as that of the College of Arts and Sciences. Hence the mistaken notion that the College of Arts and Sciences restored the College of Liberal Arts to life.  We also have forgotten the meaning of “liberal arts.” Actually, all we understood is the separateness of the arts and sciences. For this reason, those working in the sciences regard the arts as so much superfluous baggage, and those working in the arts think that the sciences are an oppressive imposition on their spirit.     The poster exhibit at the lobby of Palma Hall showing the history and evolution of the UP College of Liberal Arts during the June 18, 2011 UP College of Liberal Arts Centennial Celebration. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Today, President Francisco Nemenzo, the man who brings back the Liberal Arts to UP, presides over its Commencement Exercises, his first. He will confer the degrees which had been earned by graduates whose minds are still dominated by the notion of the separate cultures of the arts and sciences. His hope is that this will be the last Commencement Exercises in which degrees are conferred a graduating class alienated from the unity of the arts and sciences.  All this, of course, lies in President Nemenzo’s dream of making the UP a university that would have the knowledge to make nuclear bombs and the wisdom not to use them. The important thing, then, is wisdom. As he put it in a speech not too long ago, “Only an authentic university has the appropriate organization, scope of learning and academic freedom to nurture wisdom.”  A university cannot teach students everything about anything, but it can teach them to teach themselves. In its heyday, the UP had a full-blown Liberal Arts Program to do just that. Today, a 40-year-old General Education Program is continuously being revitalized to produce a UP graduate who understands the unity of the arts and sciences well enough to teach himself not only what he wants to learn, but also to learn, as Alvin Toffler puts it, “to make decisions and to relate to other people.”  Prof. Silvino V. Epistola was a professor first at the UP Department of English, before moving on to teach Asian studies and philosophies at the UP Asian Center and UP Department of Philosophy. He was also an award-winning fictionist and essayist.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum May-June 2000 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Two UP researchers make history as 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/two-up-researchers-make-history-as-2019-metrobank-foundation-outstanding-filipinos/",
        "html": "Two UP researchers make history as 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Two UP researchers make history as 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos September 12, 2019 | Written by UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs       Dr. Eva Cutiongco-dela Paz of UP Manila and Dr. Ricardo T. Jose of UP Diliman have been named 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos for the teacher category.  This is the first time that UP had more than one awardee in the same year.  Cutiongco-dela Paz was former vice chancellor for research of UP Manila and the current executive director of the National Institutes of Health. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from UP and further trained in molecular genetics at the International Center for Medical Research at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine and in clinical genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children of the University of Toronto. She is currently the genomics health program director of the Philippine Genome Center. Her mother won the award in 1981 and the mother-daughter win is a first for the prestigious award.  Jose is a professor at the Department of History of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy at UP Diliman and former director of the Third World Studies Center. He received his BA and MA in history from UP Diliman and his PhD in history/area studies from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He is the country’s leading scholar on World War II in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific. He also specializes in Japan-Philippine relations and the American colonial rule in the Philippines.  The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Award is given annually to four teachers, three soldiers and three police officers who are exemplary public servants and active agents of positive change and influence in their communities. The winners are chosen by different sectors of society in a rigorous process of selection.  This was originally posted on the OVPAA website at Two UP researchers make history as 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: Essential Truths 72-86—An Infographic Design Competition – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-entries-essential-truths-72-86-an-infographic-design-competition/",
        "html": "CALL FOR ENTRIES: Essential Truths 72-86—An Infographic Design Competition CALL FOR ENTRIES: Essential Truths 72-86—An Infographic Design Competition October 1, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This year, the UP Department of History and the UP College of Fine Arts in partnership with Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) will be having an Infographic Design Competition focusing on the essential truths of the Martial Law Years. The contest aims to feature skills and talents of the students in making socially relevant infographic designs. In recognition of the need to reach out to the students and the youth, the submitted works will be displayed in the Freedom Memorial Museum. For this year’s competition, the participants are expected to submit an information graphic design focusing on the essential truth on declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines in 1972.  Deadline of submission is on October 28, 2019.  For more information about the competition, please visit: Essential Truths 72-86—An Infographic Design Competition.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scholars present research on law and order during Spanish times – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scholars-present-research-on-law-and-order-during-spanish-times/",
        "html": "Scholars present research on law and order during Spanish times Scholars present research on law and order during Spanish times October 11, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   A fully-packed auditorium, mostly with students of history, greets conference speakers. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Twenty-three works of research and two keynote lectures were presented at the 17th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Conference on October 3 and 4, 2019, shedding light on law and order during Spanish times.  The annual conference held this year in the National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education Auditorium in UP Diliman had the theme, “The Pursuit of Colonial Oder: Interrogating Crime, Law, and Justice in Spanish Philippines”.  Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen and Prof. Florentino Rodao of Universidad Complutense de Madrid were the keynote lecturers. They shared  their ideas on decolonizing law and social order.     Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen appreciates the space given him to “step back to reflect upon the praxis that we as judges and justices engage in”, with a paper, “Reflections on the Postcolonial Constructions of Legal Text: An Invitation to a more Heterodoxical Interpretation as a Challenge to the Hegemony in the Academe”. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Leonen spoke of: lingering legal fictions subordinating groups of people in the way they have been made “caricatures”; legal education contributing to a trend of “disempowering pragmatism”’ and, colonial vestiges in the Philippine legal system, among others.     Prof. Florentino Rodao of Universidad Complutense de Madrid takes the opportunity to invite scholars to an international Philippine Studies conference in Alicante, Spain in the next year, before presenting his study on “race of the Philippines”. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Rodao traced how Spain’s view of race had shifted until Spanish settlers began using biological determinism in the 19th century to stake their role in society, consequently fueling nationalism among Filipinos and anticolonialism among the locally born Spanish.  The conference, which is open to scholars from the country and abroad, is organized by the UP Department of History, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), and the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines.     Top officials of the organizing agencies: the University of the Philippines; the National Historical Commission of the Philippines; and, the Spanish Embassy to the Philippines, together with the keynote speakers, faculty members of the UP Diliman Department of History, and guests from the Instituto Cervantes. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The participants were welcomed by UP President Danilo Concepcion, who gave a message along with Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas Sanchez, NHCP Chair Rene Escalante, and UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Maria Bernadette Abrera.  Concepcion made mention of the 17 years of the conference elevating the conference to the status of institution.     UP President Danilo Concepcion speaks about Spain’s “systematized and unified” laws for its colonial dominion over its colonies, adding depth and breadth to the study of laws at present. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas Sanchez mentions his personal connection to the Philippines and his friends calling him “El Filipino”. He stressed the importance of a balanced study of the effects of the Spanish rule of law. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Maria Bernadette Abrera speaks of the conference celebrating its own historical landmarks from its 17 years, and going beyond the “former caricatures and platitudes” in Philippine-Spanish relations. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Rene Escalante highlights the importance of the theme–the arrival of the Spaniards being integral in the development and practice of law in the Philippines. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Danilo Concepcion pays tribute to Dr. Aileen SP Baviera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-danilo-concepcion-pays-tribute-to-dr-aileen-sp-baviera/",
        "html": "UP President Danilo Concepcion pays tribute to Dr. Aileen SP Baviera UP President Danilo Concepcion pays tribute to Dr. Aileen SP Baviera March 22, 2020 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    Dear members of the UP community:  With heavy hearts, we bid farewell to a stalwart member of our community, UP political science professor and former dean of the UP Asian Center, Dr. Aileen SP Baviera. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to her bereaved family, friends and colleagues.  Early in the morning of March 21, Dr. Baviera succumbed to severe pneumonia related to COVID-19, which she contracted during a recent trip to France. Upon her arrival in Manila on March 12, Dr. Baviera went straight to San Lazaro Hospital where she was immediately confined and where she remained under quarantine until her passing.  As far as we know, Dr. Baviera is the first UP casualty of COVID-19.  As one of our foremost experts in Philippine foreign policy, international relations, and Asian and China studies, Dr. Baviera was a well-known figure in national and international academic circles and in the Philippine media. She conducted policy research and worked with other experts in the country on the issues of Southeast Asian relations, Philippine relations with China, and national security matters. Her legacy lies not just in the many lessons and writings she has left behind, but in our citizenry’s awareness of our responsibility to seek to understand cultures beyond ours, to build cooperative ties with our fellow Asian countries, and above all, to continue upholding Philippine sovereignty.  To quote from a 2019 essay by Dr. Baviera, which Rappler has recently reprinted: “If one has to take a side, one must take the side of the Filipino people. The Philippines will have only us Filipinos to defend our interests and to promote our welfare.”  Paalam at salamat po, Dr. Aileen. Rest assured, we in UP will continue your work.     Nakikiramay,  Danilo L. Concepcion President University of the Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19s-impact-on-the-tourism-industry-in-upcoming-up-cifal-webinar/",
        "html": "COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry in upcoming UP CIFAL webinar August 12, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruptions in the world’s airline, travel and tourism industries. Given that the tourism sector is a major source of employment, government revenue and foreign exchange earnings, these disruptions will cause a significant contraction in our country’s GDP and contribute to rising unemployment and the economic recession.  In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders) Philippines, or UP-CIFAL Philippines, will tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19 to the tourism sector in its webinar, “The Future of Tourism in the Time of COVID-19”, to be held on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. (Manila time).  Co-organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in partnership with the UP Asian Institute of Tourism (UP AIT) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, the webinar will explore possible solutions towards the responsible recovery of the industry and sustainability of tourism. It offers a venue by which stakeholders such as academics, government agencies, private institutions, and citizen groups could explore ways to address and strengthen the capacity to shift towards a more sustainable tourism.  Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is guest speaker. Panelists are: Global Sustainable Tourism Council Chief Executive Officer Randy Durband; DoT Assistant Secretary Roberto P. Alabado III; UP AIT Assistant Professor Richard Philip Gonzalo; UN World Tourism Organization Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness Chief Sandra Carvao; and Philippine Farm Tourism Development Association President Josephine Costales. Dr. Ramon Benedicto Alampay, Associate Professor at the UP AIT, will serve as moderator.  Register now at https://bit.ly/covid_tourism. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Gawad Plaridel 2019 awardee Bonifacio Ilagan—in the spirit of Plaridel – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/gawad-plaridel-2019-awardee-bonifacio-ilagan-in-the-spirit-of-plaridel/",
        "html": "Gawad Plaridel 2019 awardee Bonifacio Ilagan—in the spirit of Plaridel Gawad Plaridel 2019 awardee Bonifacio Ilagan—in the spirit of Plaridel November 26, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Gawad Plaridel 2019 awardee in the transmedia category Bonifacio P. Ilagan delivers his Plaridel Lecture at the UP Film Institute, UP Diliman, following his conferment of the award. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Multi-awarded screenwriter, filmmaker, playwright, writer and editor, Bonifacio Parabuac Ilagan, added a new entry to his long list of accomplishments when he was awarded the 2019 Gawad Plaridel award on November 20, 2019.  After being presented the award, Ilagan also delivered the 2019 Plaridel lecture in a ceremony held at the UP Film Institute in Diliman. It was attended by University of the Philippines (UP) System, UP Diliman and UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) officials, students from the UP CMC and other UP units, fellow Gawad Plaridel awardees, and guests from media organizations and other universities.  As the citation for his award stated, Ilagan was presented the Gawad Plaridel “for his socially-conscious works in theater, film and television, which have garnered recognition from the Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts, Gawad Balagtas, the UP Creative Writing Center, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, CCP Playwriting Contest, Palihang Aurelio V. Tolentino. Catholic Mass Media Awards, Film Academy of the Philippines, Star Awards, and the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences.” He was also cited for his passionate commitment to the promotion of a progressive social agenda through his works on various media platforms, for his brave leadership of activist organizations, and for his dedication to advancing art and media that are liberated and liberative for the last 50 years.     Mr. Bonifacio P. Ilagan (3rd from left) receives the Gawad Plaridel trophy and citation from (from left) UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP College of Mass Communication Dean Arminda Santiago, and UP Professor Emeritus Nicanor Tiongson, who read out the citation during the awarding. Photos by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The Gawad Plaridel is an annual award given by the UP System and the UP College of Mass Communication to outstanding media practitioners who have excelled in media (print, film, radio, television, and new media) and have performed with the highest level of professional integrity in the interest of public service. Mr. Ilagan was given the award in recognition of his lifetime achievement in the transmedia category, that is, as a Filipino media practitioner who has achieved excellence in at least two media platforms. He is the fifteenth recipient of the Gawad Plaridel and the second for the transmedia category, the first being Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, more popularly known as “Nora Aunor”, who was given the award in 2014.  In the footsteps of The Propagandist  A Martial Law survivor, lifelong activist and human rights advocate, Ilagan opened his Plaridel lecture by dedicating it to the memory of the Filipino heroes and martyrs who fought and died to defend democracy, freedom and human rights. “Ang Gawad Plaridel para sa akin ay isang hamon upang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang simulain,” he said.  He observed that propaganda can be a tool wielded by both those seeking to stifle freedom and those fighting to protect it. He noted that national hero Marcelo H. Del Pilar, who was editor of the reformist paper, La Solidaridad, from 1889 to 1895 and who helped crystallize nationalist sentiments and ignite libertarian ideas through his writings, had been given the label “The Propagandist”.  “Pero take note: ng kalayaan, hindi ng repression, ng liwanag, hindi ng dilim, ng demokrasya, hindi ng autokrasiya,” Ilagan added. The Gawad Plaridel is named after Del Pilar’s nom de plume, Plaridel.     Mr. Boni Ilagan recounts his experiences as a transmedia practitioner, Martial Law survivor, and cultural activist fighting for human rights during his Plaridel Lecture. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Ilagan recounted his personal experience of the events of the so-called Second Propaganda Movement, the tumultuous period from the 1960s to the early 1970s that led to the First Quarter Storm, the Diliman Commune and the widespread activist movement against a fascist, increasingly authoritarian government.  “The portal that opened to me in the arts and the media was theater, and it happened during the life-changing tempest of my youth,” Ilagan recalled. He entered UP in 1968 as a political science student at the UP College of Arts and Sciences, and joined Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero’s UP Mobile Theater. He then later joined the Student Cultural Association of UP. After the First Quarter Storm, he became the chairperson of the Diliman Kabataang Makabayan, and organized a cultural group that eventually became Panday-Sining, one of at least four Manila-based street theater troupes that performed plays which hailed workers, peasants and the proletarian rebellion. He left UP Diliman to join the underground resistance movement in 1971, a year before President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation 1081 declaring martial law.  Along with journalist Jose Ma. “Pete” Lacaba, a fellow Gawad Plaridel awardee for print, Ilagan was arrested in 1974, brought to Camp Crame and tortured. He was conditionally released from prison in 1976. He reenrolled in UP, and wrote his first play, the liturgical Pagsambang Bayan, which dramatized the wanton human rights violations of the Marcoses. Pagsambang Bayan was dedicated to the memory of his younger sister, Rizalina, an agriculture student in UP Los Baños, who was abducted in 1976 by a special military intelligence operative team along with nine other activists in Southern Tagalog.They later came to be known as the Southern Tagalog 10.  Ilagan continued to deepen his theater collaboration and to write subversive propaganda following Pagsambang Bayan. He also worked as a reporter for the TV Times magazine and as executive editor of The Review Philippines magazine. He worked for the RPN 9 TV network as script writer for public affairs shows, documentaries, soap operas and specials. He also had a chance to be a director. Two earlier works he did for television were the docu-drama series on Filipino freedom fighters called Alab ng Lahi, and Bisperas ng Kasaysayan, a 13-episode fictional story on the revolt of the masses. He also ventured into film with multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan, and co-wrote The Flor Contemplacion Story with screenwriter Ricardo Lee, another fellow Gawad Plaridel Awardee for film. His other screenplays include Dukot, which focuses on extrajudicial killings and political abductions, and Sigwa, about the First Quarter Storm and Martial Law, which won him the FAMAS award for Best Story and Best Screenplay in 2011.  “All through the years, I knew I had had to be a propagandist whose task was to seize opportunities when they came along in the pursuit of a commitment far beyond the personal,” Ilagan said. “The difficult task did not appear as daunting when one was bursting to communicate to people, to say what ought to be said precisely when it was prohibited to say so.”  He stressed that there is a need for propagandists like him to continue speaking up today. “Tyranny has resurrected, proclaiming authority over the land. History is being turned upside down, because the evils of the past have returned. To claim that the arts and media should be separated from and be free of politics is to perpetuate the oppressive and the exploitative cycle inflicted by an elite against the people. It is to discourage critical thinking at the very least and to abet the stifling of freedoms.”  He finished by declaring: “Never again to Martial Law!”     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan on Mr. Boni Ilagan: “He will continue to be our model for being a transmedia practitioner.” Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Commemorating the First Quarter Storm  In his opening remarks, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan said that Ilagan’s first media platform “were the streets of Manila and of UP Diliman.” “We see him as the true transmedia practitioner through the years, exploring all these different platforms even as those platforms were developing. Boni will continue to be our model for being a transmedia practitioner.”  Tan also added that the conferment of the Gawad Plaridel to “one of our greatest cultural activists” was timely, since UP Diliman will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the First Quarter Storm from January to February n 2020. Tan also reaffirmed UP’s tradition of activism in all forms and in all media. “We call on the generations of activists who joined us here. Here we proclaim that activism is part of UP.”     UP Vice President for Public Affairs and former UP CMC Dean Elena Pernia affirms full support of the UP System for the Gawad Plaridel awarde. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Delivering UP President Danilo L. Concepcion’s message, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia affirmed the full support of the UP Office of the President for the UP CMC in its annual search for exemplars whose professionalism has contributed invaluably to the growth of Philippine media. For her part, Pernia, a faculty member and former dean of the UP CMC, expressed her belief that the UP CMC should maintain its leadership in communication and media education. “The Gawad Plaridel is one way of raising the standards of communication and media performance. I personally have a stake in the continued prize of the UP CMC and in this Gawad Plaridel. I am happy to announce that the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs will adopt the Gawad Plaridel awards as one of its key projects, most possibly under its program on bringing UP closer to the people,” she said.     UP CMC Dean Arminda Santiago reminds the audience that the 2019 Gawad Plaridel awardee serves as a role model not only for media professionals and students of Media Communication, but for citizens of our country. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Finally, UP CMC Dean Arminda V. Santiago reminded the audience of the role that Gawad Plaridel awardees play: “The Gawad Plaridel is an award that honors outstanding Filipino media professionals’ lifetime achievements, and we recognize their passion and the outcomes of this passion that contributes to the greater good. It promotes the value of being a socially responsible media professional who is critical and vigilant. Thus, the recipient of the 2019 GP serves as a role model, not only for media professionals, our students of Communication in Media, but the citizens of our country.”     UP Broadcast Communication professor Jane Vinculado and UP Communication Research professor Jonalou Labor served as emcees for the awarding ceremony. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The UP Concert Chorus, conducted by Prof. Jai Sabas-Aracama, performs a special number after Mr. Ilagan’s Plaridel Lecture. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Gawad Plaridel Awardee 2019 Bonifacio Ilagan (center) gets his photo taken with his grandson who is a UP Integrated School student and his long-time friend and fellow Gawad Plaridel awardee and Martial Law survivor Pete Lacaba, and UP and UP CMC officials and staff after the awarding ceremonies. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Resilience Institute gets own home – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-resilience-institute-gets-own-home/",
        "html": "UP Resilience Institute gets own home UP Resilience Institute gets own home October 1, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       A perspective of the UP Resilience Institute building (Image from the Office of the Vice President for Development)     Three years after its establishment by the UP Board of Regents (BOR), the Resilience Institute at the University of the Philippines for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (UP Resilience Institute or UPRI) has finally broken ground for the construction of its own building on September 25.  Replacing Villadolid Hall along Lakandula St. in UP Diliman, the P400-million structure is expected to be finished by 2021. It will be the tallest building on campus at ten stories.     Top photo: Showing the materials to be placed inside the time capsule are, from left, UP President Danilo Concepcion, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda, and CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III. With them are UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay (far left) and UP Regent Angelo Jimenez (far right). Partially hidden at the back is Commissioner Noel Antonio Gaerlan of the Climate Change Commission. Bottom photo: The time capsule is lowered by UP President Danilo Concepcion (far left) and Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda beside him. They are joined by, from left, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, and UP Diliman Archaeological Studies Program Director Mary Grace Barretto-Tesoro. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     It will bring under one roof UPRI’s core component, the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, and the Institute’s other programs: Research and Creative Work, Knowledge Sharing, Education, and Institution Building—all of which are currently scattered across locations within and outside UP Diliman. The UPRI building will also house the Archaeological Studies Program.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan hopes the UPRI will also do research on disasters other than those caused by the weather but which also result in “walang pasok” (class and/or office suspension). He also revealed that the campus will start a ban on single-use plastics soon. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay expresses his gratitude to key government and UP officials on behalf of the Institute. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     DPWH Secretary Mark Villar emphasizes the importance of knowledge and research on disaster resilience in the face of climate change. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The NOAH Center was formerly Project NOAH of the Department of Science and Technology. It was adopted by the University and re-established as the NOAH Center in March 2017 through EO PDLC 17-03 issued by UP President Danilo Concepcion, when the project’s operations were concluded the previous month. In June 2017, UPRI was re-launched with the NOAH Center as its core program.     Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda says resilience studies are based on science and naturally reside in the sanctuary of the academe. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo Concepcion vows no large trees will be cut in the course of infrastructure development in UP campuses. Smaller trees will be saved and transferred to other locations where they will be allowed to grow. Earlier, Concepcion read the message of former Senator and now House Deputy Speaker and Antique Representative Loren Legarda, where she pledged her continued support for similar initiatives—whether in legislation or other means. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP BOR approved the Institute’s functions and programs as follows:  Research and Creative Work: undertake policy research, action research, and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research or creative work aimed at producing and applying new knowledge, knowledge solution, or knowhow on reducing and managing natural disaster-risks in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim region with utmost consideration of local cultural and social factors; Knowledge Sharing: disseminate research findings, creative works and innovations in academic forums, professional conferences, communities of practice, and industrial conventions, to regional, national and local public authorities who are mandated to improve the resilience to natural hazards, to the private sector, to the mass media and social media, and to the general public; Education: establish non-degree educational programs and support degree programs within the UP System as a comprehensive network center and hub for the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary theme of disaster risk reduction and management or disaster risk management, including intercultural understanding across the nation and the region; and Institution Building: improve the capability of the UP System as an agent of change to formulate and implement advanced academic programs or courses and undertake leading researches or creative works on disaster resilience in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim region, and undertake appropriate training events in support of disaster risk reduction and management initiatives and institutions of the university, local, national, and regional stakeholders.     Signing the materials for the time capsule are, clockwise from top left, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda, and CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by government officials such as Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, Commission on Higher Education Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, Albay Second District Representative and House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Jose Maria Salceda, Commissioner Noel Antonio Gaerlan of the Climate Change Commission, and Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, among others. DPWH, through the Quezon City Second District Engineering Office, is implementing the construction project.     Before the groundbreaking ceremony begins: from left, Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda, UP President Danilo Concepcion, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, and CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP and government officials pose for a group photo after the event. From left, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay, Albay Second District Representative Jose Maria Salceda, UP President Danilo Concepcion, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, Commissioner Noel Antonio Gaerlan of the Climate Change Commission, and UP Diliman Archaeological Studies Program Director Mary Grace Barretto-Tesoro. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Ombudsman, CHED eye anti-corruption programs for youth sector – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ombudsman-ched-eye-anti-corruption-programs-for-youth-sector/",
        "html": "UP, Ombudsman, CHED eye anti-corruption programs for youth sector UP, Ombudsman, CHED eye anti-corruption programs for youth sector October 3, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   CHED Chair J. Prospero de Vera III, UP President Danilo Concepcion, and Ombudsman Samuel Martires sign a memorandum of understanding for programs against corruption. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines (UP), the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on September 26, 2019 at the UP Board of Regents Room, Diliman, Quezon City, committing themselves to create anti-corruption programs, especially for the youth sector.  On top of the list of projects are: television programs including teleseryes; new media and other video productions; information and General Education materials on ethics and accountability; and, an elective course, “Ethics and Accountability in the Public Service”.     CHED Chair J. Prospero de Vera III, UP President Danilo Concepcion, and Ombudsman Samuel Martires present signed copies of the memorandum of understanding. With them are: UP Vice President Elena Pernia, Professor Emeritus Grace Javier Alfonso, Regent Frederick Mikhail Farolan, CHED Commissioner Ronald Adamat, Special Prosecutor Edilberto Sandoval, UP Faculty Regent Ramon Guillermo, UP Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan, UP Regent Francis Laurel, and UP Staff Regent Mylah Pedrano (hidden). Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The MOU was signed by UP President Danilo Concepcion, CHED Chair J. Prospero de Vera III, and Ombudsman Samuel Martires. Also present were: Acting Overall Deputy Ombudsman Edilberto Sandoval; CHED Commissioner Ronald Adamat; and UP officials.  “CHED welcomes and commends this worthy initiative of Ombudsman [Samuel] Martires to target young people and build the foundation of an ethical and moral future for the country,” CHED Chair de Vera III said. “We commit the full support of the Commission and will mobilize the close to 2,000 public and private universities starting today,” he added.     CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III talks about academic initiatives to be undertaken by the Commission under the MOU. Listening are UP President Danilo Concepcion and Ombudsman Samuel Martires. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     CHED will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with TVUP for the production of video materials consistent with the MOU, de Vera III announced.  “Dito [sa UP] ay hinuhubog ang isip ng mga estudyante upang sila ay magkaroon ng malalim na pagmamahal sa bayan. Ito pong ating gagawin ngayong hapon ay isang gawain para sa ating pagmamahal sa bayan [Here we shape the minds of students toward a profound love of country. Our activity this afternoon is a means for our love of country],” Concepcion said. “Kinakailangan po ang ating bayan ay pamunuan ng mga taong may pagmamahal sa bayan [Our country needs to be led by people who have love of country].”     UP President Danilo Concepcion welcomes representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Higher Education. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     “Hindi natin masusugpo ang katiwalian kung tayo ay magkukulong lamang [We cannot eradicate corruption if we simply put people behind bars],” he added. “Kinakailangan nating baguhin ang pag-iisip ng lipunan [We need to change the way society thinks]. Mass media is very powerful in changing outlooks, mindsets,” Concepcion said during the press conference after the MOU signing, relating his observation of teleseryes being very influential among the youth.     Ombudsman Samuel Martires expresses his thanks to the CHED and UP for their enthusiasm in signing up to the Ombudsman initiative. Listening are UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Master of Ceremony Jose Wendell Capili, CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III, and UP President Danilo Concepcion. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "New UP Regent takes oath – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-up-regent-takes-oath/",
        "html": "New UP Regent takes oath New UP Regent takes oath March 3, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Regent Maria Arlissa Aguiluz on the Quezon Hall bridgeway. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Maria Arlissa Aguiluz, a professor of Prosthodontics, took her oath of office as UP Regent before President Rodrigo Duterte on February 6, 2020 in Malacañang.  Appointed by the Palace for a term of two years, Regent Aguiluz replaced lawyer Frederick Mikhail “Spocky” Farolan, who served as UP Regent since November 11, 2016.  Aguiluz was Student Council chair and a graduate of the UP Manila College of Dentistry (UPCD); and was in the top 5 in the licensure board exam results for Dentistry.  A former head of the Prosthodontics Section, she recently chaired the Department of Basic Health Sciences, Ethics Review Board, and Committee on Revitalized General Education Program, all of UPCD. She is currently Assistant Professor 7 at the UP Manila Department of Clinical Health Sciences, and taking up Master of Science in Bioethics in UP Manila and UP Diliman.  In 2015, she received a Service Award for 20 years of continuous service to UP Manila.  She is a member and former executive director of the Philippine Dental Association. She is also a member and former president of the Kapisanan ng mga Dentista sa Bulakan.  Aguiluz has authored several published works, and has been a training coordinator and a resource speaker on Dentistry, Prosthodontics, and Dental Jurisprudence. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to elect new faculty regent in December – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-elect-new-faculty-regent-in-december/",
        "html": "UP to elect new faculty regent in December UP to elect new faculty regent in December November 18, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines will elect a new faculty regent in December 2020, according to the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA).  In the running for the position are Professors Aimee Lynn B. Dupo of the Institute of Biological Sciences and Virgilio P. Sison of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, both of UP Los Baños. Of the initial top five nominees for faculty regent who made it through the nomination round, Prof. Dupo and Prof. Sison are the ones who accepted the nomination.  The chancellors of the UP constituent universities (CUs) have been tasked to disseminate the candidates’ curriculum vitae and plans of action, while the CU decides on the dates and time of elections within the time period to be set by the OVPAA. [View: Prof. Dupo’s curriculum vitae and plan of action; Prof. Sison’s curriculum vitae and plan of action]  The election period was earlier set from November 16 to 21, 2020 but postponed to December 2020 following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses. “We will announce in a separate memo the new schedule for the election in the CUs, in consultation with the Academic Affairs Committee,” Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista stated in a memo yesterday, November 16, 2020.  In the wake of COVID-19, an electronic system called the Faculty Regent Election Voting System of FREVS will be implemented in cooperation with the Information Technology Development Center. Those in the list of eligible voters will be able to vote on the online platform at frevs.up.edu.ph through their up.edu.ph mail accounts.  The faculty regent is one of four sectoral representative regents in the Board of Regents (BOR), the highest governing body of the University, consisting of 11 regents including the chair, who is the Commission on Higher Education chair, and the co-chair, who is the president of the University.  The faculty and staff regents are nominated and elected by their respective sectors for two-year terms, the student regent for a one-year term; while the president of the UP Alumni Association sits as the alumni regent. Prof. Ramon Guillermo of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature of the UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters is the incumbent faculty regent.  The other members are the chairs of the higher education committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and three distinguished members of the professions appointed by Malacañang. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB biology professor Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo is new UP Faculty Regent – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-biology-professor-aimee-lynn-barrion-dupo-is-new-up-faculty-regent/",
        "html": "UPLB biology professor Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo is new UP Faculty Regent UPLB biology professor Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo is new UP Faculty Regent January 13, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo of the UP Los Baños Institute of Biological Sciences is the new Faculty Regent for 2021-2022, as proclaimed by the UP Board of Regents.  Dr. Barrion-Dupo garnered the most number of votes in the electronic election for Faculty Regent held across all the UP constituent units and certified by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Her two-year term as Regent begins on January 1, 2021 and ends on December 31, 2022. She succeeds Dr. Ramon Guillermo of UP Diliman. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Creating a Nurturing and Healthy Diliman through PsycServ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/creating-a-nurturing-and-healthy-diliman-through-psycserv/",
        "html": "Creating a Nurturing and Healthy Diliman through PsycServ Creating a Nurturing and Healthy Diliman through PsycServ November 13, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    For many freshmen, the privilege of being a UP student is an incomparable experience. Every year, thousands of hopefuls make a pilgrimage to their campuses of choice in the hope of eventually donning the iconic maroon-and-green. And for those who manage to get through, the promise of a new life is cause enough for optimism and celebration.  As with all great things, however, there is a another side to this charge. Just ask Dr. Violeta Bautista, head of UP Diliman’s (UPD) Clinical Psychology program. More than most, she has gotten to know first-hand the hidden fears and doubts that beset even the best UP applicants.     Dr. Violeta Bautista of the UP Department of Psychology. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Years ago, while working as a consultant for the UP Health Service, Bautista and her colleagues noticed that a number of their interviewees hinted at looming psychological problems. When the institution revised its interview schedule and questionnaire to include items measuring the risk of students’ vulnerability to psychosocial issues, their fears were substantiated.  A good number of the applicants were evaluated as being at an elevated risk. For these individuals, getting medically cleared for enrollment required seeing a qualified mental health professional.  With the help of her interns, Bautista worked hard to meet this need, while also acting as the head of UP Diliman’s Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG). It was during this stint that she was approached by UPD Chancellor Michael Tan with the mission to create an office completely devoted to giving psychosocial support and psychotherapy.  He asked, “Bolet, is it OK with you to help in establishing a new office?” The Chancellor himself had been hearing accounts of complicated mental health problems sometimes even manifesting as psychiatric conditions. “And of course that is beyond the realm of guidance and counseling,” Bautista said.  With that mandate, the UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) was born, beginning small-scale operations in September 2017.     Firm foundations  While PsycServ is a project formed to address contemporary needs, the seeds of expertise that power it were put into place years ago. When Typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda struck the country in 2009 and 2013, members of the Department of Psychology trained field workers to provide psychological first aid, while counseling and giving therapy to the traumatized. They were also part of moves to establish a CSSP Wellness Center, which would allow the team members to exercise a more direct community service role.  Soon after, however, the team, which also include Dr. Anna Cristina Tuazon and Dr. Divine Love Salvador as clinical advisers, were receiving requests of a different sort. Students were being referred to them who had nowhere else to go. Many were suffering from anxiety and depression. Something needed to be done.     Dr. Bautista and Psycserv work hard to make Diliman a safe and nurturing campus. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     To address this, PsycServ currently offers an impressive roster of services to all members of the UP community. The most central of these is a free set of eight therapy sessions for clients with psychiatric conditions or so-called ‘complex problems of living’—cases that are not necessarily psychiatric in nature yet, but might require professional assistance. These problems might include anything from work and relationship stress to more serious, chronic conditions. PsycServ personnel are also trained in crisis management, which could be required in cases, for instance, of community members threatening to harm others or themselves.  Finally, in the unfortunate event of a suicide, PsycServ personnel also deliver postvention to support the bereaved. “There are those cases that never reach us,” Bautista said. “So we provide postvention services so they don’t suffer the consequences of knowing what happened.”  “Some feel guilty about not being able to do anything about what happened,” she said. “Or feeling that if that could happen to someone and he or she was so accomplished, what more me?” Even those who witnessed a failed suicide or who are bearing the stress of supporting a friend with problems might need professional help to process these events. All of these services are offered to members of the UP Diliman community, be they student, faculty or staff member.     A growing demand  While waiting for their official launch as an office, the committed personnel behind PsycServ operate on a shoestring budget. Everyday operations are conducted by what Bautista dubbed their ‘Psychological Support Specialists’ (PSS), a team of eight part-time personnel with Clinical training. Of these, four have earned their licenses, while the others practice under supervision.  Even with this dedicated eight-person core, the demand can be overwhelming.  “So far we have taken care of around 450 students,” Bautista said. “And around 35% of them have suicidal ideations.” She noted with relief how lucky she was that her PSS people are as hardworking as they are, especially since some cases have them going far beyond their part-time hours.  “Because when you have clients who threaten harm, they call you even on weekends. And the PSS goes to them, talks to them, papakalmahin. Because that is a high-risk situation. We take them to the UP Health Service, because that’s a safe place to be in. You have nurses and security guards to watch over you 24/7.”  Despite psychological and psychiatric problems lately being more visible, especially with the passage of the Mental Health Act, Bautista believes that the other side of the equation is just as important. As much as those with problems might need help, efforts must also be made to keep the healthy ones healthy.     A sneak peek into PsycServ’s counselling room at Lagmay Hall. (Photo by Jun Madrid UP MPRO)     “We only have statistics of those who come here, but based on data by the DOH, we have maybe 15-20% of our population with psychiatric conditions. Malaki iyon! The low estimate is 7-10% but that’s still considerable.”  Translating that into the Diliman population, a tentative assumption leaves us with around 80-85% of students who are relatively OK. “The challenge is to keep them well, so we need evidence-based, psychologically informed wellness programs.”  Recently, PsycServ launched a group mindfulness workshop, which could help those with and without psychological problems to face life’s challenges with a better toolkit. They have also been quietly holding workshops with faculty and officials from UPD’s different colleges on how to become a ‘lifeline’. These session teach those who are most in contact with students how to provide psychological first aid, respond to crisis situations, identify those who might need help, and make the proper referrals.  All of these efforts converge with what Bautista sees as a welcome growth in national awareness about mental health. In addition to the Mental Health Act, she cites the recently held Summit on Transforming UP into a Nurturing and Healthy University last April 2018 as a sign that the mental health conversation in universities is taking a needed step forward.  “That’s why your puso at isip theme is so consistent with what UP wants and what PsycServ wants. And that is to not only nurture the intellect and competencies of our students, but to support the processes that turn them into whole persons”.  PsycServ is located at Room 209B in UP Diliman’s Lagmay Hall. You may also reach them via telephone number 981-8500, loc. 2496, or mobile number 0916-757-3157. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Seven UP researchers named among 2020 Outstanding Young Scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/seven-up-researchers-named-among-2020-outstanding-young-scientists/",
        "html": "Seven UP researchers named among 2020 Outstanding Young Scientists Seven UP researchers named among 2020 Outstanding Young Scientists June 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Of the 12 scientists and researchers who were given the 2020 Outstanding Young Scientist Awards (OYS) by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), seven are from the University of the Philippines.  The OYS Awards are given annually by NAST to young Filipino scientists under 41 years old who have made significant contributions to science and technology. According to the NAST website, a total of 12 OYS Awards are available annually, split among the following divisions: Biological Sciences; Chemical, Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Engineering Sciences and Technology; Health Sciences; and Social Sciences. NAST is the country’s highest recognition and scientific advisory body for science and technology.  The seven new Outstanding Young Scientists from UP are: Dr. Jaime Alfonso M. Aherrera (UP Manila); Dr. Aries A. Arugay (UP Diliman); Dr. Marlon T. Conato (UP Diliman); Dr. Remil L. Galay (UP Los Baños); Dr. Francis Norman C. Paraan (UP Diliman); Dr. Betchaida D. Payot (UP Diliman); and, Dr. Rodney H. Perez (UP Los Baños).  They were chosen based on: the quality and number of scientific works and publications; contributions to the advancement of science in general and in the Philippines; and, contributions to the well-being of the Philippine economy and culture.  Dr. Jaime Alfonso M. Aherrera (UP Manila)  Aherrera is a researcher and a physician who specializes in interventional cardiology, adult cardiology and internal medicine. He completed his training at the UP Philippine General Hospital.  Dr. Aries A. Arugay (UP Diliman)  Arugay’s research interests focus on political polarization, regional civil society, performative populism and regime instability in democratic regimes. He is a professor at the UP Diliman Department of Political Science and a fellow of the Strategic Studies Program of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies.  Dr. Marlon T. Conato (UP Diliman)  Conato is an associate professor at the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry. He specializes in solid state chemistry, inorganic chemistry and material science. His publications center on metal-organic frameworks, zeolites, microporous crystals, polymer nanocomposites and inorganic catalysts.  Dr. Remil L. Galay (UP Los Baños)  Galay, an associate professor at the UP Los Baños College of Veterinary Medicine, currently works on ticks and tick-borne diseases. His work has led to discoveries on animal parasitic diseases, a significant contribution to his area of research.  Dr. Francis Norman C. Paraan (UP Diliman)  Paraan, an associate professor at the UP Diliman National Institute of Physics, carries out research in areas such as entanglement, parallel computing and stochastic processes. He has made valuable editorial contributions to the fields of computational and theoretical physics.  Dr. Betchaida D. Payot (UP Diliman)  Payot is an associate professor at UP Diliman National Institute of Geological Sciences. She is known for her research in igneous petrology and geochemistry.  Dr. Rodney H. Perez (UP Los Baños)  Perez studies peptides, antimicrobials, protein purification and food biotechnology. He is a university researcher at the UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and the chief editor of the Journal of Science and Technology.  Galay, Paraan, and Payot are recipients of the Balik PhD grant implemented by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Original article from the website of the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "From genotype shift to HIV epidemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/from-genotype-shift-to-hiv-epidemic/",
        "html": "From genotype shift to HIV epidemic From genotype shift to HIV epidemic April 6, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu    Reports indicate that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections in the Philippines have reached epidemic proportions.  Source: Department of Health (2018). HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines: January 2018. Department of Health, Epidemiology Bureau, Manila, Philippines. Available at: http://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/Philippines_HIV_January_AIDSreg2018.pdf [Accessed April 6, 2018].     The HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) revealed that 1,021 new HIV-infected individuals were reported in January 2018, of which 17% of the newly diagnosed already showed signs of advanced HIV infection. With patients’ ages ranging from 3 to 61 years old, more than half of the newly tested were 25 to 34 years old, and 29 percent were 15 to 24 years old.     Source: Department of Health (2018). HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines: January 2018. Department of Health, Epidemiology Bureau, Manila, Philippines. Available at: http://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/Philippines_HIV_January_AIDSreg2018.pdf [Accessed April 6, 2018].     According to the same report, “About one-third (327 individuals) was from the National Capital Region. 87% (885 individuals) of newly diagnosed infections was among males who have sex with males. Other modes of transmission were needle sharing among injecting drug users (18 individuals) and mother-to-child transmission (two individuals).”     Dealing with the HIV epidemic  Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvaña, director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), University of the Philippines Manila, said that although the prevalence of HIV infections has gone down by 25 percent in most parts of the world, HIV in the Philippines has gone up by more than 25 percent in the last ten years.     TED Fellow Dr. Edsel Salvaña describes the aggressive HIV subtype AE that’s currently plaguing his home of the Philippines—and warns us about what might become a global epidemic.     “It is now the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world,” Salvaña said during the scientific conference hosted by the NIH at the Bayanihan Center, Pasig City on March 14. He explained that the majority of infections from 2006 to present was locally transmitted, and that the epidemic is attributed to a shift in HIV genotype, “from subtype B to what looks like a more aggressive subtype CRFo1_AE (AE, for short), which is not a new subtype, but is more common in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.” This genotype shift was discovered through research at the NIH.  “It’s now a local epidemic, and the trajectory is quite alarming. In 2000, we only had one new case every three days. In 2007, only one case a day. In 2009, we had two new cases a day. Now, we have 31 cases a day,” Salvaña said. There have been 10,111 reported cases from January to November 2017, or more than 50,000 since 1984 when the first case of HIV in the Philippines was reported.  According to Salvaña, there has been “a 30-fold increase in the past decade. Nearly 85 percent of those cases were newly diagnosed in the last five years. If we compare the new cases from 2001-2015, the number of cases worldwide has gone down by 32 percent, but in the Philippines, it has gone up by 4,800 percent, to the point that we now have the fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the world, in terms of percentage.”  The subtype AE is more aggressive and more transmissible, as illustrated by Salvaña. “This is partially responsible for the explosion of cases in the Philippines. Before the year 2000, about 71 percent were subtype B (the subtype that is more common in the US and Europe), and now it’s 75 percent subtype AE and about 22 percent subtype B. The most common subtype in the world is C, which represents about 50 percent of cases in the world, and most of that is in Africa. Whereas subtype B, the most studied subtype, only represents about 12 percent of the world’s HIV population,” he said.  Salvaña further said that an explosive epidemic in the Philippines because of a genotype shift could have global implications. He added that subtype AE infections were also emerging in other countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, and that the problem might become more complicated due to drug resistance.     NIH’s role vs. HIV  Dr. Salvaña said the NIH provides important scientific evidence for policy and helps us understand, “and potentially defeat the HIV epidemic.” He added that “NIH is currently doing research on the molecular epidemiology and emergence of drug-resistant HIV. We have collaborated with the Department of Health (DOH) in determining rates of drug resistance to antiretrovirals.”  “Research geared towards supporting policy has always been the guiding principle for our HIV work in NIH. We looked at prevalence of HIV in special populations and described the changing molecular epidemiology of HIV in the Philippines, leading us to discover that the shift in HIV genotype is a major factor in the current epidemic. In addition, we were the first to do a systematic study on the emergence of drug resistance on treatment, and we are currently doing work on transmission of HIV drug resistance which is essential to long-term planning for HIV control and elimination efforts,” Salvaña reiterated.  The research efforts of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology focus on the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of the top causes of sickness and death in the country. The NIH offers a variety of cutting-edge services, among them HIV drug resistance testing, genotyping, and research on other disease-causing bacteria and viruses.     Get tested, get proper treatment  “This is no longer something to be scared of,” Salvaña said, as he encouraged people to get tested for HIV. He said earlier diagnosis means better response to medication, and longer life.  Antiretroviral Therapy increases the survival rate in HIV patients. “With treatment, you can live a long and full life. After an unprecedented global effort in research and aid, effective medication was discovered. Turning point came with the discovery of protease inhibitors, and the use of HAART, or High Active Antiretroviral Therapy). Our HAART is a combination of three drugs. The people who use it don’t die of HIV. Most of the data generated on the effect of Antiretroviral Therapy is abroad, but we do have local data here at the NIH. If you are diagnosed with full-blown AIDS, you are six times more likely to die. So you really want to get diagnosed early,” Salvaña said.  “Being on treatment reduces risk of transmission by 96 %. New data suggests that if your viral load is suppressed, which we expect after six months of taking your treatment, your risk of transmitting HIV is zero. Undetectable equals untransmissible. Treatment restores your health for you to be able to do the things you used to do. You do not put your loved ones at further risk,” concluded Dr. Salvaña.     Learn more about HIV here:     HIV (NIH Forum December 2013)  http://nih.upm.edu.ph/health/hiv-nih-forum-december-2013     TVUP | University of the Philippines’ Internet TV Network – KALUSUGAN AY KARAPATAN Episode 4: HIV/AIDS  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9hLURKXfkw     The changing molecular epidemiology of HIV in the Philippines  http://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(17)30154-6/fulltext     IDWeek presenter highlights global implications of HIV treatment resistance in Philippines  http://sciencespeaksblog.org/2017/10/10/idweek-presenter-highlights-global-implications-of-hiv-treatment-resistance-in-philippines/     HIV Transmitted Drug Resistance in the Philippines: The Case for Baseline Genotyping and Drug Resistance Testing (poster)  https://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2017/webprogram/Paper65222.html     High Tenofovir Failure Rates in an Emerging, Non-B Subtype HIV Epidemic (poster)  https://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2017/webprogram/Paper64286.html     TED Fellow Edsel Salvana describes the aggressive HIV subtype AE that’s currently plaguing his home country, the Philippines — and warns us about what might become a global epidemic.  https://www.ted.com/talks/edsel_salvana_the_dangerous_evolution_of_hiv     Facebook page maintained by the National HIV/AIDS & STI Surveillance and Strategic Information Unit of the Philippines  https://www.facebook.com/hivepicenter     World Health Organization – HIV/AIDS Department  http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/en/     WHO: “Treat all” to end AIDS  http://www.who.int/hiv/mediacentre/news/arv-2016-launch/en/       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO celebrates Independence Day, UPMBT’s championship with 1st live concert in 2 years – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-celebrates-independence-day-upmbts-championship-with-1st-live-concert-in-2-years/",
        "html": "UPSO celebrates Independence Day, UPMBT’s championship with 1st live concert in 2 years UPSO celebrates Independence Day, UPMBT’s championship with 1st live concert in 2 years June 3, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On June 12, 6:30 pm, at the Amphitheater in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), together with the Office of the UP President, will hold its first face-to-face concert in over two years.  Titled “BAGONG MUNDO: MGA BAYANI AT KAMPEON,” the live concert will acknowledge the “new world” we see as we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and look back at the heroes that we lost along the way. The concert will also commemorate the Philippine Independence Day and celebrate the UP Men’s Basketball historic championship win in Season 84 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) tournaments.  The UPSO concert will feature the Philippines’ premier soprano, Lara Maigue, and tenor, Ervin Lumauag—both graduates of the UP College of Music—and special appearances by the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the UP Singing Ambassadors. Photos from the UPSO.  The UPSO concert will feature soprano Lara Maigue, and tenor Ervin Lumauag, both UP College of Music graduates. It will include special appearances of the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers, known affectionately as The Madz, and the UP Singing Ambassadors (UPSA).  Works to be performed include the finale of Antonin Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony, Lucio San Pedro’s Lahing Kayumanggi, Leopoldo Silos’s Lagi Kitang Naaalala, Giacomo Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, and much more.  The concert is free and open to the public, with limited seating. Audience members are required to wear their face masks and observe social distancing. Vaccine cards may be checked.  After two years of the pandemic, we are all emerging from our isolated quarantines to a new world with new rules and standards of etiquette, but always with the same utak, puso, at diwa that has always defined the University of the Philippines. Join us in celebrating the promise and possibilities of the “next normal” with the music of the UPSO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Araw ng mga PUSO, kasama ang UPSA at UPSO ♥ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/araw-ng-mga-puso-kasama-ang-upsa-at-upso-%e2%99%a5/",
        "html": "Araw ng mga PUSO, kasama ang UPSA at UPSO ♥ Araw ng mga PUSO, kasama ang UPSA at UPSO ♥ February 3, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The month of love has arrived, and what better way to celebrate it than with music?  This February 14, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) and the UP Singing Ambassadors (UPSA) collaborate in “Puso,” a Valentine’s Day concert that reminds us that not only is love tender, but it is also strong and brave.  The concert will open with the boisterous drinking song Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici (Brindisi) from “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi before quickly relaxing into the lyrical, more solemn Intermezzo from “Cavalleria Rusticana” of Pietro Mascagni. A happy, playful folk song Katakataka will pick up the mood before once again quieting down into a series of tender, well-loved love songs: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s If I Loved You from “Carousel,” Hymne à l’amour by Marguerite Monnot, and I Believe (Quodlibet with Bach/Gounod Ave Maria) by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, and Al Stillman, with orchestration by Josefino Chino Toledo.  Sergei Prokofiev will come next to give a jolt of surprise and energy with scenes from his ballet Romeo and Juliet. The final number, Balikbayan da Box, will be a medley of iconic 90’s Filipino pop songs that considers a backward scenario: what if we are the ones sending boxes to our loved ones abroad? What could we put inside to remind them of the sounds and feelings of home?  Joining the UPSO in concert is the world-renowned choral group, the UP Singing Ambassadors. The UPSA has gone a long way from its humble beginnings in 1980. It earned eight Grand Prizes, 36 First Prizes, and other awards for the country and the University in 20 international choral competitions in Italy, France, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Wales, and Switzerland. They have showcased Filipino culture through songs, customs, indigenous weaves, and dances in several goodwill performances in Europe, Asia, Australia, UAE, Africa, and the USA.  The UP Symphony Orchestra. Photo from UPSO.  UPSA accepts students and new graduates from different colleges in the University. It is also engaged in socio-civic activities for the less privileged, the elderly, the sick, and disaster victims, who constantly receive its musical generosity. Dr. Ed Lumbera Manguiat is UPSA’s award-winning founder and musical director.  The UP Singing Ambassadors. Photo from UPSA.  Catch the premiere of “Puso” on February 14, 7 pm on the UP Symphony Orchestra’s Facebook Page and YouTube channel. The concert will be available for viewing until February 23, 2022. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong – an UPSO concert in honor of two UP Presidents – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/singkaban-at-balanghai-pasasalamat-at-pagsalubong-an-upso-concert-in-honor-of-two-up-presidents/",
        "html": "Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong – an UPSO concert in honor of two UP Presidents Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong – an UPSO concert in honor of two UP Presidents February 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In gratitude to outgoing University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion and to welcome incoming UP President Angelo “Jijil” A. Jimenez, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) presents “Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong, Musikang Alay ng Orkestra ng Bayan.”  The concert title is inspired by the design of UP College of Fine Arts Professor Toym Imao. The singkaban and balanghai are visual metaphors for a portal that welcomes and sends off our UP community leaders. Singkaban is a bamboo arch installation folk-art tradition from President Concepcion’s home province. At the same time, the balanghai is an ancient sea vessel associated with Butuan, the hometown of incoming President Jimenez.  The UPSO at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), Kaohsiung, Tawan. Photo from the UPSO.     The concert program features a repertoire similarly crafted in part by both presidents. It will include Vincenzo Bellini’s Casta Diva, Giacomo Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro, Pietro Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, and The Swan from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.  The orchestra will also perform Bernard Green’s Overture on Philippine Folk Songs, Chino Toledo’s arrangements of Mga Kantang Bisaya, Rosas Pandan, and Cebuano Love Songs, as well as Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and Lucio San Pedro’s Jubilate.  For the occasion, the orchestra will be joined by soprano Kay Balajadia-Liggayu, soprano Anya Evangelista, and tenor Malvin Macasaet.  Guest performers, from left to right: Kay Balajadia-Liggayu, soprano; Anya Evangelista, soprano; and Malvin Macasaet, tenor. Photos from the UPSO.     Tagged as the orchestra for the people or Orkestra ng Bayan, UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra for the university.  They maintain a roster of 65 members exclusively from the alumni, students, faculty, and staff of all UP campuses. They have been under the direction of Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo since their inception in August 2018.  UPSO recently completed a small campus tour with performances in UP Baguio, Diliman, and Mindanao in December of 2022. They are also fresh from their successful first international performance held at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at the beginning of this year.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "(Re)Connection: An Online Blended Performance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/reconnection-an-online-blended-performance/",
        "html": "(Re)Connection: An Online Blended Performance (Re)Connection: An Online Blended Performance October 13, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Watch “(Re)Connection”, an online blended performance featuring the works of Brahms, Beethoven, Barber, Chaminade, and more, on October 16 at 7:00 PM (Manila time).  The online concert will be streamed on the Abelardo Hall Concert Series Facebook page and YouTube channel. Admission is free, but donations will be greatly appreciated. Funds raised will be for the benefit of the UP College of Music students in their remote learning requirements.  Donations can be made via:  PayPal: upmusicalumni@gmail.com Bank of the Philippine Islands: Acct. Name: (BPI) C/A 3081-1197- 07 Gcash: UPCMAA Inc +63966-762-0832  For inquiries, please email upmusicalumni@gmail.com. Register at bit.ly/upsoreconnection. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Concert and installation commemorate FQS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/concert-and-installation-commemorate-fqs/",
        "html": "Concert and installation commemorate FQS Concert and installation commemorate FQS February 12, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   A symbolic theatrical performance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Performances of the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), University choral groups, and several militant artists on a set-up dominated by an art installation brought the spirit of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) to life on February 7, 2020 on the historic AS Steps of UP Diliman’s Palma Hall.  The event, “FQS: Konsyertong Bayan sa Ika-50 Taon”, was written by Bonifacio Ilagan and directed by Chris Millado, with musical direction by UPSO Conductor Josefino Chino Toledo. It featured an art installation of Toym Imao, called “Nagbabadyang Unos”, inspired by the barricades of the UP Diliman Commune of 1971, and upon which flowers were offered for dead activists by University officials and National Artists from UP.     The UP Symphony Orchestra and University choral groups, during a rainy evening performance. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Toym Imao’s “Nagbabadyang Unos” at the lobby of Palma Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Jun Madrid     A crowd composed of FQS and Diliman Commune veterans, University constituents, and the general public converged for the evening concert, shielding themselves from the rain with jackets and umbrellas, but staying glued to their seats and places for the entirety of the show.  The numbers were linked together by spiels by Bonifacio Ilagan and atmospheric soundscape from the FQS recreated by Teresa Barrozo, beginning and ending with orchestral variations and community singing of “UP Naming Mahal”.     Musikang Bayan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UPSO Conductor Josefino Chino Toledo, with performer Rody Vera and student actors waving banners to the audience. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     A section of the choir. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The featured songs were “Baligtad na ang Mundo”, “Di Pangkaraniwan”, and  “Anak ng Bayan”, all performed  by the band, Musikang Bayan. These were followed by “Awit ni Bobby”, “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa”, “Jocelynang Baliuag”, “Tagpi-tagping Kundimang Hibik ng Bayan”, “Sulong Gerilyero”, “The Internationale”, “Kalatas ng Manggagawa” (excerpt), an FQS medley, “Alamat ng Lahi”, “Bella Ciao”, and a “Bayan Kong Hirang” medley. These were performed by the vocal groups AUIT Vocal Chamber Ensemble, the UP Singing Ambassadors, the UP Staff Chorale, and the UP Cherubim and Seraphim; and vocal soloists Greg de Leon, Becky Demetillo, Stefanie Quintin-Avila, Malvin Macasaet, Upeng Fernandez, Rody Vera, and Michelle Mariposa.     In the “eye” of “Nagbabadyang Unos”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Sculpture below the eye of “Nagbabadyang Unos”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Dance and theatrical performances were rendered by selected students from the UP Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts; Sarah Samaniego, Leong Sil Rose Panuelos, and Louise Grace Nightingale Meneses of the UP Dance Co.; Panday Sining, Alay Sining, and the UP Repertory Company.  Lester Demetilo and Dodgie Fernandez provided guitar accompaniment, and Janine Samaniego of the UPSO played “The Internationale” on the violin. Joel Lamangan and Monique Wilson recited the names of the FQS heroes and martyrs, while the UPSO played Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”.     Bonifacio Ilagan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Rody Vera, accompanied by the UP Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Upeng Fernandez and Dodgie Fernandez, leading the crowd in a marching song. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Messages were delivered by UP President Danilo Concepcion, outgoing UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and incoming Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo near the end of the program.  “Gaya nang naganap limang dekada na ang nakaraan, hinaharap din ng ating administrasyon ang mga hamon ng panahon sa pamamagitan ng pagtatatag ng mga institusyon at polisiyang sisigurong walang makalilimot sa ating kasaysayan bilang isang pamantasan, isang pamayanan, at isang bayan [Like what happened five decades ago, our administration faces challenges of the times, by establishing institutions and policies that will ensure no one forgets our history as a university, a community, and a nation],”Concepcion said.  He cited UP’s annual Day of Remembrance in September and the ground-breaking for a martial law memorial on campus as examples.     Actors recreating street protests of FQS. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Actors recre”Kalantas ng Manggagawa” moment. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPROating street protests of FQS. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The concert was an offering of the Offices of the UP President and of the UP Diliman Chancellor, organized through the UP Diliman Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts and Surian ng Sining, in cooperation with the College of Music and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.     UP President Danilo Concepcion recites an excerpt from a poem by Jose Rizal exhorting remembrance of those fallen during the night. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Incoming UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Student actors performing amid rains. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Celebrate the sounds of the Christmas season with the UP Symphony Orchestra at home! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/celebrate-the-sounds-of-the-christmas-season-with-the-up-symphony-orchestra-at-home/",
        "html": "Celebrate the sounds of the Christmas season with the UP Symphony Orchestra at home! Celebrate the sounds of the Christmas season with the UP Symphony Orchestra at home! December 15, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On October 16, the UP Symphony Orchestra kicked off their online concert series with their first online blended performance, (Re)Connection. It was dubbed “blended” due to the concert being in a format that combined newly, remotely recorded works and existing archive videos from previous concerts.        This Friday December 18 at 7pm, catch “Ang Paghihintay: Bago MagPasko Kasama ng UPSO”, the second concert of their ongoing series. The concert will feature works of Wagner, Prokofiev, Toledo, Alcala, and Shostakovich, and will speak of the feeling of anticipation we are all experiencing—anticipation not only for Christmas, but for the return to “normalcy”.  The orchestra will be joined by the 2019 National Music Competition for Young Artists winner, mezzo-soprano Michelle Mariposa. The concert will be streamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. It will be available until December 22.        But what is Christmas without some community singing and all those traditional holiday songs? Following shortly after their first December concert for the year, UPSO’s annual traditional community Christmas concert arrives on the virtual stage. Taking advantage of the online platform, “Pasko na! Pasko na!” includes choirs from UP campuses all over the country. Sing carols and other holiday classics along with our choirs from Luzon (the UP Madrigal Singers, the UP Medicine Choir), the Visayas (UP Cebu Serenata, UP Iloilo High Harana), and Mindanao (UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay). And like the community concerts of Christmases past, each choir will be given their time in the spotlight in a solo spot number.  The concert will be available starting December 23, 7pm until January 2, 2021, again streamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.  For updates, you may register for the concerts’ respective Facebook events, or follow them on Instagram or Facebook. You may also subscribe to the orchestra’s email newsletter at tiny.cc/upsomail.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Song and dance come together in UPSO’s concert, “Distant Dances” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/song-and-dance-come-together-in-upsos-concert-distant-dances/",
        "html": "Song and dance come together in UPSO’s concert, “Distant Dances” Song and dance come together in UPSO’s concert, “Distant Dances” August 24, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What originally began as a necessary adjustment has become a new medium for the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO). Ten months and six online performances later, the group is excited to launch its fourth concert season and second series of virtual concerts with bigger, more collaborative productions lined up.  Beginning on August 27, 2021 with “Distant Dances,” the orchestra will perform together with mezzo-soprano Pauline Tan and the UP Dance Company.        Ms. Pauline Tan, mezzo soprano. Photo from the UPSO.  Pauline Tan is a Filipino mezzo-soprano whose deep love for poetry and song has taken her across the globe to pursue a career in music. An alumna of the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program, Pauline hopes to keep working with artists and organizations that share her vision of bringing more diversity and compassion in the arts. In the fall, Pauline will be joining the Chicago Opera Theater as a Resident Young Artist, following her artistic compass and taking part in non-standard adaptations of familiar operas as well as premieres of new works by living BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) composers.     Meanwhile, founded by Mr. Basilio Villacruz in 1987, the UP Dance Company was set up for the apprenticeship and professional training of UP dance major students. They take pride in having mounted many original performances over the decades, and constantly work towards both the promotion of traditional Philippine dance culture and of newer and more experimental expressions of the art form. Currently, Prof. Angela Lawenko Baguilat leads the company as Executive Director and Faculty Adviser.     The UP Dance Company. Photo from the UPSO.     The program features movement-influenced and programmatic music including Antonin Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, Felipe de Leon’s Manila Sketches, Gustav Holst’s Japanese Suite, George Bizet’s Habanera from “Carmen,” and a traditional Pandangguhan originally arranged for rondalla by Leopoldo Silas with lyrics by Levi Celerio, and rearranged for orchestra by Josefino “Chino” Toledo, conductor and music director of UPSO. The concert will stay true to the group’s established “online blended” format of mixing archive videos from past performances, and new, remotely recorded works.  Catch the premiere of “Distant Dances” along with all previous and upcoming UPSO concerts on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The premiere is set for Friday August 27, 7:00 pm, and will be available for viewing until September 3.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Across the Big Ocean”: The UP Symphony Orchestra marks Magellan’s journey around the world through music – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/across-the-big-ocean-the-up-symphony-orchestra-marks-magellans-journey-around-the-world-through-music/",
        "html": "“Across the Big Ocean”: The UP Symphony Orchestra marks Magellan’s journey around the world through music “Across the Big Ocean”: The UP Symphony Orchestra marks Magellan’s journey around the world through music March 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       On March 16, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan arrived on Philippines shores. This year, the world commemorates the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world and the role that the Philippines played in this historic event.  In solidarity with the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines and the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman’s Arts and Culture Month celebrations on the same theme, the UP Symphony Orchestra presents “Across the Big Ocean: A Quincentennial Celebration of March Sixteen Fifteen Hundred Twenty-One”. Through music, the official orchestra of the University will trace Magellan’s journey around the world and give their audience the opportunity to lose themselves in another era.  Adding to the excitement of the performance are UPSO’s featured guest artists, including renowned performer soprano, Bianca Lopez-Aguila, UP College of Music pianist, Prof. Pia Diño Balasico, and comedian-musician tenor, Itchie Boy Montilla.  This is the fourth installment of the orchestra’s ongoing online blended concerts series, which began last October. Their virtual hour-long performances include a mix of archived videos from past performances, and new, remotely recorded works. The series will include two more performances scheduled for release in late May and late July.  “Across the Big Ocean” will be streamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The premiere is set for Friday March 26, 7pm, and will be available for viewing until March 31st.  Be part of this once-in-500-years celebration! See you there! "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lantern Parade at UP Diliman goes for sea and sky – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lantern-parade-at-up-diliman-goes-for-sea-and-sky/",
        "html": "Lantern Parade at UP Diliman goes for sea and sky Lantern Parade at UP Diliman goes for sea and sky December 17, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The winning lantern of the College of Arts and Letters. Photo by Jun Madrid     For six hours and through intermittent rains later in the night, the UP Diliman Lantern Parade, the biggest in the UP System, once again brought the community together for Christmas 2019. It went around the two-kilometer Academic Oval starting at the Oblation Plaza, winding up at the Quezon Hall Amphitheater, and culminating in a grand fire-dancing and fireworks display.     Participants from the UP System Administration. Photo by Jun Madrid     Participants from the UP System Administration. Photo by Jun Madrid     The traditional UP Lantern Parade was held in campus on December 13, 2019 with the theme of inspiring everyone to soar high, “Pumailanlang”, or “to surpass the suffering and difficulties faced by the country”. Lantern contest hall-of-famer College of Fine Arts mounted a show highlighting issues of Philippine seas.     Participants from the UP Diliman administration. Photo by Jun Madrid     Participants from the UP Diliman administration. Photo by Jun Madrid     The College of Arts and Letters emerged as the winner, among 26 “Pumailanlang” entries, with its “flying creative”. Second and third places went to the composite bird and tableau lantern of the College of Social Work and Community Development, and the Philippine Eagle lantern of the College of Science, respectively. The lanterns of the College of Music depicting a hatching egg, and the College of Home Economics depicting a bird of indigenous weaves won honorable mentions.     The lantern of the College of Social Work and Community Development. Photo by Jun Madrid     The lantern of the College of Science. Photo by Jun Madrid     The lantern of the College of Home Economics. Photo by Jun Madrid     The lantern of the College of Music. Photo by Jun Madrid     For the hall-of-famers group, the tentacled lantern depicting corporate greed won from among the College of Fine Arts creations. The “esprit de corps” lantern and coral baby lantern won second and third places, respectively.     Paymayas don UP headbands. Photo by Jun Madrid     Lumad youth follow the union’s float. Photo by Jun Madrid     DZUP station manager and Tropang RadYo host Prof. Jane Vinculado and Trending Na! host Prof. Junel Labor were the masters of ceremony. The UP Concert Chorus, the UP Singing Ambassadors, and the UP Choncords led community singing of carols; and the Legato Performing Arts Group provided a fire-dancing spectacle.     The winning College of Fine Arts lantern. Photo by Jun Madrid     A winning College of Fine Arts lantern. Photo by Jun Madrid     A winning College of Fine Arts lantern. Photo by Jun Madrid     In his message, Chancellor Michael Tan said the College of Fine Arts choice of presenting Philippine marine issues was appropriate as a tribute to National Scientist and University Professor Emeritus Edgardo Gomez, who passed away recently. Tan reiterated a sub-theme of the celebrations, “liwanag lalo sa panahon ng kadiliman”, and wished the University a 20/20 vision for the future.     Legato performers. Photo by Jun Madrid     Legato performers. Photo by Jun Madrid     UP President Danilo Concepcion enumerated benefits due to qualified UP employees and contractuals for the holidays, which include the 2018 performance-based bonus, service recognition incentive, performance enhancement incentive, and collective negotiation agreement incentive.  He also announced the promotion of non-UP contractuals who have served for not less than five years to UP contractuals in the beginning of 2020.        Lantern parades are held in all UP constituent universities, with administrative offices, academic units, organizations, and community groups getting creative on their lanterns and presentations. It began in 1922, inspired by the tradition of folk trekking together in early morning darkness to attend the misa de gallo. Institutionalized by UP President Jorge Bocobo in 1934 “so that students can have a frolicsome activity before the year ends”, it has evolved in different campuses to reflect their people and milieu. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ICONOGRAPHY: Homage to the Shapers of Philippine Music – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/iconography-homage-to-the-shapers-of-philippine-music/",
        "html": "ICONOGRAPHY: Homage to the Shapers of Philippine Music ICONOGRAPHY: Homage to the Shapers of Philippine Music September 5, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To commemorate the UP College of Music’s 103rd Founding Anniversary, the UP College of Music and the UP College of Music Alumni Association, Inc. proudly present two shows for its founding month. It will aptly greet the month with ICONOGRAPHY: Homage to the Shapers of Philippine Music on Saturday, September 7, 2019 and close it with KÁROLY, JENÖ AND FRANZ on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.  While KÁROLY, JENÖ AND FRANZ feature the enduring chamber music of Takácks, Goldmark and Liszt, ICONOGRAPHY, on the other hand, will promote the musical legacy of National Artists for Music Jose Maceda, Francisco Feliciano, Lucio San Pedro, Andrea Veneracion, Ramon Santos and Ryan Cayabyab. Both shows will promptly start at 7pm and will be held at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium.  Since its completion in 1963, the Abelardo Hall Auditorium has become the premier training ground for countless Filipino musicians. A convenient venue for recitals, concerts, theater and dance performances flawlessly executed by students, faculty and alumni, the Abelardo Hall Auditorium has also provided a perfect setting for numerous symposia, workshops, masterclasses, and seminars handily facilitated by acknowledged experts in the field of music and dance.  Now on its second year, the Abelardo Hall Concert Series envisions the Abelardo Hall Auditorium as a center of culture not just for the university, but for the larger community. Season 2 comprises of six (6) monthly concerts that showcase the diversity of talents in various areas of music specialization. The lineup is a mix of genres and styles that is truly the mark of UP.  See poster for ticket prices and details.        Follow the Abelardo Hall Concert Series on Facebook for updates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO celebrates the start of a new academic year with “Simula: Handog sa Mag-aaral” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-celebrates-the-start-of-a-new-academic-year-with-simula-handog-sa-mag-aaral/",
        "html": "UPSO celebrates the start of a new academic year with “Simula: Handog sa Mag-aaral” UPSO celebrates the start of a new academic year with “Simula: Handog sa Mag-aaral” September 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Mixed emotions mark the beginning of each academic year—excitement, anxiety, hope, and joy. A new year of remote and blended learning is no different.  The UP Manila Classical Ensemble.  The University of the Philippines’ (UP) official system-wide orchestra, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), will take all of these emotions and transform them into a musical journey for audiences in their next online concert “Simula: Handog sa Mag-aaral.”  In this celebration dedicated to UP students, UPSO performs with students from three different UP campuses.  Hailing from UP Los Baños, Harmonya is a string ensemble composed of students from all the different colleges of UPLB. They are dedicated to the ardent pursuit of excellence in music and explore all classical and contemporary genres.  UPSO will also be joined by the UP Manila Classical Ensemble. Throughout its seven-year existence, the organization has mounted numerous concerts, charity events, and learning workshops that aim to harness the musical talents of UP Manila students. The Ensemble takes pride in its members’ diverse backgrounds, welcoming musicians and non-performers from various majors of the UP Manila, the country’s Health Sciences Center.  Also performing in the concert are two incoming sophomore students from the UP College of Music. Soprano Christy Lagapa is pursuing a degree in Voice Performance under the tutelage of Prof. Katherine Molina and last 2017, was a semi-finalist of The Voice Teens Philippines competition. Baritone Nathan Mangune is currently a trainee of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and is completing his own Voice Performance degree under Prof. Ma. Cecilia Valena.        The concert program includes Gustav Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, Lucio San Pedro’s Jubilate March, Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No. 4, Christine Muyco’s Passage to Kublo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Non Piu Andrai from the Marriage of Figaro, and Cesar Franck’s Panis Angelicus. Read and learn more about the program and guest artists on the souvenir program.  “Simula: Handog sa Mag-aaral” will premiere on September 24, 2021 at 7:00 pm on the UPSO’s Facebook Page and YouTube channel, free of charge. Invite your family and friends to the performance as we kick off the school year together!  Mga Iskolar ng Bayan, mula sa UPSO, welcome to UP!       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP opens AY 2021-2022, hopes for blended learning in 2nd sem – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-opens-ay-2021-2022-hopes-for-blended-learning-in-2nd-sem/",
        "html": "UP opens AY 2021-2022, hopes for blended learning in 2nd sem UP opens AY 2021-2022, hopes for blended learning in 2nd sem September 22, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Clockwise from top left: UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Office of Student Affairs Director Richard Gonzalo, and Student Regent Renee Louise Co Screenshots from event livestream taken by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO  The University of the Philippines (UP) hopes for a blended learning environment for its students in the second semester of Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022. This, as it formally opened the school year on September 16 with an online welcome assembly.  The norm for the first semester and trimester is still remote teaching and learning. Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista clarified that does not mean purely online. Instead, it is a mix of online and other remote means of delivering education, such as course packs in flash drives or printed form.  The uncertainties of the pandemic—health protocols, changing restrictions, and vaccination rollout—could tip the scales of UP education in one of two ways going into the second semester or trimester. Either the University remains in remote mode or goes into blended mode, where limited face-to-face classes complement digital, not necessarily online, teaching and learning.  The Student Affairs System (SAS) continues to deliver student support services. In his presentation, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Office of Student Affairs Director Richard Gonzalo enumerated the three primary considerations in the remote delivery of services: the home as the immediate learning environment, the digital divide, and mental health concerns.     Current UP students talk about their experiences in remote learning. Screenshots from event livestream taken by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     These realities guide the implementation of SAS’ four umbrella initiatives: Student Financial Assistance, Student Learning Assistance, Mental Health Promotion, and Student Activities and Organizations.  In his message to new and returning UP students, President Danilo Concepcion reiterated the University’s continued commitment to do all possible to help its students. He also enjoined everyone to unite as one community in navigating UP’s journey into the next normal—not a return to pre-pandemic UP life, but not just an extension of current UP life.  Student Regent Renee Louise Co closed the program by urging her fellow Iskolar ng Bayan to fight for medical solutions, the safe reopening of classes, employment and livelihood, and human rights and national sovereignty. She also asked them to register and vote in the upcoming national elections.     Professor Janet Aracama (middle) conducts the UP Concert Chorus performance in the online program. Screenshot from event livestream taken by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     View the recorded UP Systemwide opening of AY 2021-2022 here.  Read the academic policies for the first semester/trimester of AY 2021-2022 here.  To avail of Student Learning Assistance, visit https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/. You may click on the “SFA Helpdesk” link on the SLAS website for contact information of specific constituent universities or campuses.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Aurea Carmina: The UP Cherubim and Seraphim at 50 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aurea-carmina-the-up-cherubim-and-seraphim-at-50/",
        "html": "Aurea Carmina: The UP Cherubim and Seraphim at 50 Aurea Carmina: The UP Cherubim and Seraphim at 50 September 1, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Four decades of UPCS sing together at the group’s 45th anniversary concert in Abelardo Hall. Photo from the UPCS.     The UP Cherubim and Seraphim (UPCS), official children’s choir of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, is celebrating 50 years of joyful singing with a virtual concert, “Aurea Carmina” (Golden Songs), to be premiered on its official Facebook page @UP Cherubim & Seraphim on September 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.  Founded in 1971 by Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera of the UP College of Music, the group has championed the development of a unique Filipino repertoire for children by regularly commissioning new works, drawing on this archive, and sharing this repertoire with children all over the country. The golden anniversary concert will feature songs by Lucio San Pedro (“Sa Mahal Kong Bayan”), Felipe Padilla de Leon (“Maligayang Bati”), Eudenice Palaruan (“Sa Dakong Sikatan”), Joey Ayala (“Manong Pawikan”), and Ryan Cayabyab (“Nais Ko” and “Bata ang Bukas”) in fresh new choral arrangements by Krina Cayabyab, Nhick Pacis, Phoebe Roa Pacleb and UPCS alumna, Annie Roque-Nepomuceno.  The choir consists of 28 talented young artists ranging in age from 7-16 and drawn from the UP Integrated School and other institutions from the communities surrounding UP, the national University. It is currently led by Elena Rivera Mirano (Director Emeritus) and Alyssa Liyana Dioquino (Associate Conductor), with Celinda Guevarra and Michelle Nicolasora as pianists.  They will be joined by five decades of singers coming from the ranks of the group’s alumni. Special guest performers include Joey Ayala, Ryan Cayabyab, Lynn Sherman (also an alumna of the group), Solinda Bautista, Vikoy Bautista, Felicitas Cabildo, Luisa Dioquino, Phoebe Roa Pacleb, and Robin Rivera, instrumentalists.  The concert is brought to you through the generous sponsorship of the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA). Visit the UP Cherubim and Seraphim’s official website for more information.  The pioneer batch of the UP Cherubim & Seraphim with founder, Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera, at Rizal Park (1974). Photo from the UPCS.     The first batch of the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, with founder Prof. Flora Zarco Rivera, returning from the group’s first Southeast Asian tour in 1978. Photo from the UPCS.     The group poses in front of the Oblation in the 1980s, a tradition for official groups of UP Diliman. Photo from the UPCS.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP celebrates the holidays as one community with a concert featuring the UPSO, UP choruses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-celebrates-the-holidays-as-one-community-with-a-concert-featuring-the-upso-up-choruses/",
        "html": "UP celebrates the holidays as one community with a concert featuring the UPSO, UP choruses UP celebrates the holidays as one community with a concert featuring the UPSO, UP choruses December 21, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    ‘Tis the season to be jolly—as one community together!  In a concert that unites all eight constituent units (CUs) in the University of the Philippines (UP) System, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) presents “Tanging Araw Nating Pinakamimithi,” premiering on Wednesday, 12.22.21 at 7 pm.  Since its official launch in 2018, the UPSO has hosted free annual Christmas concerts for the UP community. These concerts have always been a time to feature and celebrate performing groups in various UP campuses but were typically only accessible to those who could travel to the Diliman campus in Quezon City. In 2020, however, after shifting to online, blended performances, the orchestra expanded its reach and included the UP community throughout the entire country in their celebrations.  The UP Manila Chorale is only one of the many choruses across the UP System to perform in the UPSO’s 2021 Christmas concert. Photo from the UPSO.     This year, the orchestra will perform with the UP Madrigal Singers, the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Dance Company, and the UP Engineering Choir from the Diliman campus; the UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble from the Los Baños campus; the UP Manila Chorale and UP MedChoir from the Manila campus; the UP Serenata from UP Cebu; the UP High School in Iloilo Harana Choir of the UP Visayas campus; and the UP Mindanao Koro Kantahanay.  The campus participants are UP Baguio Chancellor Corazon L. Abansi; UP Open University Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria; UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr.; UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Camposano; and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. If you are curious about what these leaders of our campuses and the UP System will be doing, you will have to watch the concert to find out.  For the first time in its history, the orchestra is proud to feature every UP constituent unit together in one concert—arguably the first show featuring performances from all campuses across the UP System.  The Kuwerdas Filipinas Symphonic Rondalla. Photo from the UPSO.     But wait, there’s more! This holiday concert will feature not one but two symphony groups! Joining the UPSO on the virtual stage is the Kuwerdas Filipinas Symphonic Rondalla. A result of more than 15 years of international rondalla festivals in the country, the Kuwerdas Filipinas Symphonic Rondalla was set to launch in 2020 when all plans were put on a halt by the pandemic.  Times have been challenging and may continue to be so, but if we stand together and have some fun while doing it, this “new” normal will soon transition into a “better” normal.  “Tanging Araw Nating Pinakamimithi” premieres on the palindromic 12.22.21 at 7 pm on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Co begins term as 38th UP Student Regent – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/co-begins-term-as-38th-up-student-regent/",
        "html": "Co begins term as 38th UP Student Regent Co begins term as 38th UP Student Regent January 21, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu   New UP Student Regent Renee Louise Co. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.     Renee Louise Co, a University of the Philippines College of Law student, took her oath of office as the 38th Student Regent (SR) on 20 January 2021 in the Board of Regents (BOR) room at Quezon Hall in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The ceremony was officiated by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and was witnessed by Co’s father and sisters, outgoing SR Isaac Punzalan, the staff of the office of the Secretary of the University, and student journalists. As a member of the BOR, the SR aims to uphold and defend students’ rights, represent the students’ collective stand in governance and policy-making in the University, and maintain linkages with students in every UP campus.  Earlier this month, Co was selected by the 50th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC), a body composed of all student councils of the UP System, from a roster of nominees that included Siegfred Severino and Francesca Adrienne Kapunan. The selection process went through deliberations in college-wide, university-wide, and system-wide stages.  Co earned a BA Political Science degree from the UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, served as the editor of the CSSP student publication, is the chairperson of Kabataan Partylist – UP Diliman and the co-convenor of UP Rises Against Tyranny and Dictatorship (UPRISE).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to confer honorary degree on former Justice Antonio Carpio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-confer-honorary-degree-on-former-justice-antonio-carpio/",
        "html": "UP to confer honorary degree on former Justice Antonio Carpio UP to confer honorary degree on former Justice Antonio Carpio December 3, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) will hold a ceremony to confer a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, degree upon UP College of Law alumnus and retired Justice of the Supreme Court Hon. Antonio T. Carpio on 10 December 2020, Thursday, at 4:00 p.m. The ceremony will be held at Malcolm Hall, College of Law, UP Diliman, with a limited number of seats for invited guests in compliance with IATF policies.  The ceremony will also be live streamed on TVUP’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/TVUPph. A special video presentation will follow.  Justice Carpio was sworn in as a member of the Supreme Court by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on October 26, 2001, and served honorably until his retirement in 2019.  The degree of Doctor of Laws, which the University will be conferring upon Justice Carpio, is the highest academic recognition of an individual’s contributions to the advancement of a field in a particular discipline through one’s extraordinary accomplishments. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alum CA Justice Jhosep Lopez moves to highest PH court – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alum-ca-justice-jhosep-lopez-moves-to-highest-ph-court/",
        "html": "UP alum CA Justice Jhosep Lopez moves to highest PH court UP alum CA Justice Jhosep Lopez moves to highest PH court January 28, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo from SC Public Information Office     Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Jhosep Ylarde Lopez was appointed to the Supreme Court (SC) by President Rodrigo Duterte on January 25, following the early retirement of SC Associate Justice Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla in November last year.  He was sworn in as the 190th SC Associate Justice by SC Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta on January 26 at the En Banc Session Hall. CA Presiding Justice Remedios A. Salazar-Fernando was also at the oath-taking ceremony.  Lopez graduated cum laude in 1983 with an AB Political Science degree from the then UP College of Arts and Sciences. He worked as a research assistant at the then newly-established UP Law Center Institute of Judicial Administration (now Institute for the Administration of Justice) while he pursued his Law degree at the UP College of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Laws in 1988. He took his Masters degree in Public Governance at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), graduating in 2006.  He was appointed as CA Associate Justice in May 2012 and would have marked nine years as such this year.  Prior to his stint in the CA, Lopez was Manila City Prosecutor from 2006 to 2012. He was elected councilor of Manila’s 3rd District for four terms, from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2006. In his first two terms, he was the chief legal consultant of then Mayor Lito Atienza. From 1993 to 2006, he was a partner at the Lopez Rasul Maliwanag Baybay Palaran Law Offices.  He was chief legal counsel of the Philippine Senate for a year before he ran for public office. And prior to the Senate, Lopez was chief legal officer of UP-Philippine General Hospital. This, after serving as UP Diliman legal counsel at the Office of Legal Affairs, where he began his career in public service and the legal profession after passing the Bar Examinations in 1989.  Lopez is also an educator. He is a senior lecturer at the UP College of Law. He also teaches at PLM College of Law and New Era University College of Law.  He is expected to serve as SC Associate Justice until his mandatory retirement on 08 February 2033, his 70th birthday. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Former UP Law dean and international law luminary Merlin Magallona passes on – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/former-up-law-dean-and-international-law-luminary-merlin-magallona-passes-on/",
        "html": "Former UP Law dean and international law luminary Merlin Magallona passes on Former UP Law dean and international law luminary Merlin Magallona passes on January 2, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Former UP College of Law Dean Merlin M. Magallona. UP Media and Public Relations Office file photo.  A “Filipino luminary in the field of international law,” “a pillar of the Philippines’ international legal academy,” and “one of the best Supreme Court justices we, unfortunately, did not have,” not to mention “one of the staunchest legal defenders of our country’s territorial sovereignty.”  These are only some of the accolades from colleagues, former students, and friends to Prof. Merlin M. Magallona, University of the Philippines (UP) Professor of International Law and former Dean of the UP College of Law. Dean Magallona passed away on the evening of January 1. He was 87.  He earned his Bachelor of Laws from the UP College of Law. He spent decades teaching international law to generations of UP Law students, who have since become renowned scholars and leading practitioners of international law themselves.  He served as Dean of the UP College of Law from 1995 to 1999, as Associate Dean from 1991 to 1995, and as Director of the UP Law Center’s Institute of International Legal Studies from 2000 to 2001. He was a participant in the Tokyo External Session of The Hague Academy in 1968 and a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University in 1969. In 1994, he was Visiting Research Fellow at the Graduate School of International Development of Nagoya University in 1994.  In 1999, the Judicial and Bar Council nominated Dean Magallona for the position of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He was chair of the Department of International and Human Rights Law of the Academic Council of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) of the Supreme Court. He is also a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Permanent Court of Arbitrators.  In 2001, he was appointed an Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, which he served until his resignation in July 2002. He served as a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Legal Education from 1999 to 2003. Twice, he served as counsel for the Republic of the Philippines in the oral arguments before the International Court of Justice. First, he handled the case of Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons (Advisory Opinion, 1995), and second, the case Concerning Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan (Indonesia v. Malaysia), in which the Philippines intervened in 2001.  Dean Magallona was a member of the Expert Group on the Legal Aspects of the New International Economic Order established by the UN Institute on Training and Research in 1992, and also listed as an Expert in Human Rights of the UN Human Rights Commission. From 1999 to 2000, he served as a member of the arbitral tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France.  In 2002, he represented the Philippines in the Working Group of the UN Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court in Rome in 1998. He headed the Philippine Delegation to the meeting of the ICC Preparatory Committee in 2002. In 2004, the Supreme Court appointed him as an amicus curie in the controversial Fernando Poe citizenship case. He was part of the organizing committee and the Executive Council of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) in 2004 and is a member of the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the International Honor Society for the Social Sciences, Pi Gamma Mu.  Dean Magallona was a prolific author of books, papers, and publications on international law. His published book-length works include Globalization and Sovereignty: The Republic in Crisis (2017); Legal Education: The Search for its Strategic Center in Filipino Cultural Development (2016); The Philippines in the International Law of the Sea (2015); Philippine Constitution and International Law (2013); Dictionary of Contemporary International Law (2011); Supreme Court and International Law: Problems and Approaches in International Law (UP Law Center, 2010); Fundamentals of Public International Law (2005); A Primer on the Relation of Philippine Law and International Law (2000); International Issues in Philippine Perspective (1998); A Primer on the Law of the Sea (1997); A Primer on the Law of Treaties (1997); Japan in the New State of World Capitalism: Problems in Law and Development in Philippine-Japanese Relations (1995); and The Dismantling of the Philippine State (1994).  He often served as a resource person for issues such as constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. He was renowned for his advocacy in upholding the Philippines’ territorial sovereignty against the incursions of foreign powers such as China.  In the landmark case, Magallona vs. the Executive Secretary 2011, Dean Magallona, Akybayan Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros, Prof. Harry C. Roque Jr., and UP College of Law students as petitioners, took on then Executive Sec. Eduardo Ermita, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, and other executive officials of the national government questioning the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 9522, or “An Act to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines.”  Then Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio penned the unanimous decision in Magallona v. Executive Secretary upholding the amendment to the country’s archipelagic baselines to conform to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He shared in an opinion article published in Rappler on December 12, 2020.  “This case opened my eyes—that we could defend and preserve our sovereign rights in the WPS through the Rule of Law by questioning before an UNCLOS tribunal the validity of China’s historic claim under its nine-dash line. We had, however, to first put our house in order by bringing our archipelagic baselines into conformity with UNCLOS so that we could go to an UNCLOS tribunal with clean hands.”  Dean Merlin Magallona’s legacy lives on in his former students, colleagues, and fellow advocates for nationalistic international law, who continue the fight to protect and preserve Philippine sovereignty in the global arena. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PhilSA, UPD, DOST-ASTI aim to launch biggest PH satellite in 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philsa-upd-dost-asti-aim-to-launch-biggest-ph-satellite-in-2023/",
        "html": "PhilSA, UPD, DOST-ASTI aim to launch biggest PH satellite in 2023 PhilSA, UPD, DOST-ASTI aim to launch biggest PH satellite in 2023 June 21, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu   3D render of the MULA satellite. Image courtesy of SSTL, from the STAMINA4Space Program website     The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) aims to complete and launch into space the country’s biggest, 130-kilograms, commercial-grade satellite by 2023. Dubbed as the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment, or MULA, this Earth Observation satellite will be used in capturing operational-quality-images of approximately 100,000 km2 of land area daily as part of government’s information gathering on the country’s natural resources.  According to Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, the MULA project is being developed by the DOST-funded Advanced Satellite and Know-how Transfer for the Philippines (ASP) Project, and is being implemented by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), in coordination with the PhilSA. The satellite is being designed and manufactured together with British company Surrey Space Technology Ltd (SSTL).  MULA’s TrueColour camera can capture high resolution images needed for disaster management, land use and land cover change mapping, crop monitoring, and forestry management. The satellite will also be equipped with the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) for ship and aircraft detection and tracking.  “Equipped with the acquired technical know-how and capabilities through our experiences in building DIWATA and MAYA satellites, we are now moving forward with our first operational and industrial quality satellite aimed towards providing a wide range of socio-economic benefits for the country,” said PhilSA Deputy Director-General and ASP Project Leader, Dr. Gay Jane Perez, who is also Associate Professor of and Deputy Director for Research and Extension of the UP Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology. “With its capability to capture higher resolution images, we will be able to better monitor terrestrial ecosystems, as well as our land and marine resources to ensure both agricultural productivity and environmental integrity. We will also be able to assess environmental conditions to be more proactive in disaster management and mitigation,” she added.  Dr. Perez said further that while MULA will be the first of the country’s next generation satellites, the project helps Filipinos develop expertise in space science and technologies that cater to the needs of our nation. Since December 2020, more than 30 Filipino engineers have remotely attended a small satellite system design course conducted by SSTL, while nine of them are undergoing full immersion for the design and manufacture process in the UK.  Engr. John Leur Labrador, MULA Project Manager and Electronics and Communications Engineering cum laude graduate from UP, added that the spacecraft can be imagined as “a Filipino astronaut tasked to take images of our natural resources while monitoring aircraft and ship activity in our country.”  “We use the satellites to generate images and other data to support evidence-based policies for better governance, leading to productive communities and inclusive development. This is in line with PhilSA’s mission of value addition and creation from space that supports societal benefit and economic development,” concluded Dr. Joel Marciano, Jr., PhilSA Director-General, who is also a faculty member of the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute.  The Philippine Space Agency was established on August 8, 2019, when Republic Act 11363 or the “Philippine Space Act” was signed into law. PhilSA builds on the foundation created by the development, launch, and operation of Earth Observation microsatellites Diwata-1 and Diwata-2, and CubeSats Maya-1, Maya-2 and the upcoming Maya satellites under STAMINA4Space (formerly “The Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite” or “PHL-Microsat” Program), together with Japanese university partners. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, CICC to launch professional course on digital governance and cybersecurity for gov’t officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cicc-to-launch-professional-course-on-digital-governance-and-cybersecurity-for-govt-officials/",
        "html": "UP, CICC to launch professional course on digital governance and cybersecurity for gov’t officials UP, CICC to launch professional course on digital governance and cybersecurity for gov’t officials March 5, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       With people’s lives, communications and business and personal transactions moving increasingly online, cybersecurity has become a necessity, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns keeping most people indoors and dependent on the Internet and technology.  The University of the Philippines, through the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (UP-CIFAL), the UP College of Law and the UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga, has partnered with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) under the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to offer a Professional Course on Digital Governance and Cybersecurity. The virtual launch of the new professional course will be held on Tuesday, 9 March 2021, at 9:30 a.m.  The Professional Course on Digital Governance and Cybersecurity was created through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between UP and the CICC on 13 October 2020. Under the MOA, the three UP institutions and the CICC collaborated on creating a professional course to strengthen the capacity of key leaders and personnel of the CICC.  The course offers a universal framework to address the emerging concerns of 21st century governance and cybersecurity, which are manifested at global, national and local levels. The course aims to provide learners with: an appreciation and understanding of modern information and system technology; the complex domains of cybersecurity; and, the methods and approaches of various sectors, namely, government, private sector, and civil society in addressing cyber risks and challenges. It is designed to equip learners with knowledge and skills to tackle the challenges of cybercrime, which is imperative to guarantee and protect the rule of law, the right of the individual, sectors, and states, and to promote justice and robust institutions anchored on responsible freedom and sustainability.  The Professional Course on Digital Governance and Cybersecurity will be initially offered to select government officials, and cascaded later on to other agencies, including local government units. It will be delivered through modules, and under each module are topics on various themes and issues, with: Module 1 focusing on “Philippine Governance in the Cyber Age”; Module 2, on “Digitization, Digitalization, and Digital Transformation: Whole Ecosystem Approach”; Module 3, on “Key Issues in Cybersecurity: The Philippine Context”; Module 4, on “Cybersecurity as Transnational Concern”; Module 5, on “Promoting the Rule of Law, Justice and Strong Institutions”; and, Module 6, on “Case Analysis and Solution-Seeking Measures or Policies”.  Register for the virtual launch of the new professional course here: https://tinyurl.com/CybersecurityCourseLaunching "
    },
    {
        "title": "Making it in the marketplace – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/making-it-in-the-marketplace/",
        "html": "Making it in the marketplace Making it in the marketplace May 3, 2018 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In that most technical of colleges in UP Diliman, the College of Engineering, is an advanced course with a different flavor.  The course is a fusion—part technology and innovation class, part crash course in marketing and business, and part personality and motivational workshop. However, unlike a traditional thesis course in Engineering that would result in a technology prototype, or a traditional entrepreneurship course in Business Administration that would produce a business plan, students here have to hurdle a real-life challenge in the world of industry: to successfully pitch a tech-business venture to a panel of Filipino and foreign industry leaders, technopreneurs, and potential capital investors. In short, students would have to prove that they and their venture have what it takes to make it in the marketplace.  The course was designed, improved and facilitated by a UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering professor and the director of the UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, Dr. Luis G. Sison based on his MS-level course IE 298. With the course title, “Higher Education Institutional Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship” (HIRIT), it aims to help students accelerate technology translation and startup formation by teaching the basic tools and skills for identifying and pursuing market opportunities, and by giving students the chance to network with technopreneurs, investors, and industry partners.  In December 2015, HIRIT won for Sison the UP Gawad Pangulo for Progressive Teaching and Learning. A year later, it won two silver medals for the Asia category and for the Teaching Delivery category in the third Reimagine Education Awards, a global competition for transformative initiatives across the educational sector.     Dr. Luis Sison at his technopreneurship class at the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     R&D with economic impact  The course had its start in the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT), a consortium of eight universities that offers masters and doctoral degrees in various engineering fields.  “When the consortium was formed, there were concerns about the government making a lot of investments in R&D, and those investments not being translated into economic impact,” Sison recalls. “So they required all ERDT scholars to take a technopreneurship class.”  In 2009-2010, Visiting Professor Matthew Bristow handled the new course, which first-year ERDT scholars took during the summer term. The next year, Prof. Bristow was joined by Sison and fellow UP Engineering professor, Nestor Rañeses. The year after that, Sison and another UP faculty member took over the course.     Growth mindset and deliberate practice  The drive behind the evolution of the course can be seen in its introduction, which you can watch on the UP OVPAA YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HS68IRj3TM&t=261s). In it, Sison lays down the basic principles of the course, which feature some distinctly non-engineering concepts.  Dr. Sison lays down one of the ground rules in the technopreneurship introductory lecture video : “Everyone here in the class has to participate. There is no such thing as an observer in this class. You’re here, you join a team, you pitch a venture, you work on your venture.” Yes, even sit-in students who are not technically enrolled.     The first principle is that of the “growth mindset” as opposed to the “fixed mindset.” These terms were coined by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. With a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are fixed traits. They believe that talent alone, without effort, creates success. On the other hand, with a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. According to Dweck, the most successful and motivated people are those who have a growth mindset.  The other principle is that of deliberate practice, referring to a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. In his video, Sison breaks down the components of deliberate practice into: 1) setting increasingly harder goals for yourself; 2) recognizing that it takes hard work; and, 3) learning from a coach or mentor and seeking and responding to continuous feedback.  Product-market fit  Students’ performance in the technopreneurship class is measured by how well they perform on the last and most critical day: demo day. That is, how well their pitches are received by the panelists, and how well they are able to respond to the panelists’ questions. The panelists then rate the ventures with a “yes”, “no” or “maybe”, and the teams are awarded points based on that.  The end-goal is for students to get market validation, or what is called product-market fit, for their venture. “Does your product address a solution that the end-users, the customers, are willing to pay for? That is the goal, and students are allowed to iterate both the technology, the business model, and even the target market until they’ve achieved that goal,” explains Sison.  The class is divided into teams, and throughout the semester, the teams go through at least four cycles of this iteration. “One rule is that you’re allowed to pivot as many times as necessary until you find product-market fit,” Sison points out. Students are allowed to change their products and ventures in response to market feedback, as long as they make it to demo day.  In fact, the only thing not allowed is not trying. After all, the world of innovation is one of risk-taking, of testing idea after idea, and of recognizing that every failure is a chance to learn.     Practicing what we preach  This same mindset, according to Sison, has powered the evolution of the technopreneurship course over the years. “We have to practice what we preach. That means being open to feedback, reacting on that feedback, and taking it seriously instead of personally.”  This feedback came from the panelists’ responses and how many venture teams scored a “yes” or a “maybe” from the panelists after demo day. “At the beginning, it really sucked,” Sison admits. “We got a lot of nos and just a few maybes. It was a real-world test. It’s hard validation for the course, not just academic evaluation.”  The work the students do pays off not just in a passing grade, but in the form of actual startups and business ventures. As of 2016, notable class ventures have earned a total of over P170 million in public and private funding. These include those funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), namely,Tanglaw, SmartSurface, HeartSmart and Jolt, the latter two co-funded through the UK Newton Fund Leaders in Innovation fellowship. One, HeLe, is funded by the Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) and has the Philippine National Ear Institute as clinical collaborator. Others are in various stages of pilot testing and pilot requests.     Dr. Luis G. Sison has compiled his lessons and processes from the technopreneurship course in a workbook, “Tech to Go: A Student’s Guide to Bringing Technology to the Market,” which will soon hit the shelves.     Continuous evolution  After its Reimagine Education Awards win, the course has since been adopted by the DOST as a program to support the development of other incubators, with UP supplying the DOST with the training content and processes. The course is also set to expand as part of a project by the Commission on Higher Education involving a core of 10 universities.  “We’re training other faculty in the process, not just in UP but also in other universities,” says Sison. “We were chosen as one of the five of the first batch of innovation hubs around the country, and we’re the lead for the NCR. So our engagement is nationwide.”  Dr. Luis G. Sison has compiled his lessons and processes from the technopreneurship course in a workbook, Tech to Go: A Student’s Guide to Bringing Technology to the Market, which will soon hit the shelves.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "NIH anniversary highlights innovative research, products and solutions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nih-anniversary-highlights-innovative-research-products-and-solutions/",
        "html": "NIH anniversary highlights innovative research, products and solutions NIH anniversary highlights innovative research, products and solutions March 1, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Participants from various educational and research institutions, government agencies, corporations and organizations attend the 21st anniversary scientific conference of the National Institutes of Health-UP Manila on February 28, 2019. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The 21st anniversary conference of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), held in partnership with the UP Manila Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), focused on the objective of turning health research into innovative products, policies and solutions for the benefit of society. It was held on February 28 at the Bayanihan Center, UNILAB Inc. complex, Pasig City.  Keynote and plenary speakers during the day-long scientific conference discussed the many processes, factors, lessons and examples concerning the theme, “Lab to Life: Translating Health Research for Filipinos”. Their presentations encouraged meaningful collaboration among research institutions and study groups from various disciplines, government agencies and corporations in order to impact national policies, protect intellectual properties of researchers and institutions, improve existing products and services, and promote advancements or new solutions that are commercially viable through innovations in research and technology transfer.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla urged the participants to keep translating research into life-saving policies, devices, or products, given the many challenges faced, especially in the field of health. Noticing that the top diseases in the country have been the same for more than six decades, she said that closer partnerships with corporations and entrepreneurs, as well as related government agencies, such as the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), are needed.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion congratulates the NIH and encourages its researchers to aim for a nomination to the Nobel Prize. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     (L-R) Dr. Catherine Lynn T. Silao, the overall chairperson of the NIH 21st Anniversary Organizing Committee; NIH Executive Director Eva Maria Cutiongco-de La Paz; UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; and, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion assured the NIH of his administration’s full support, adding that a more vibrant and interdisciplinary collaboration between industry, academe, government and UP alumni around the world would yield more and better research output that can immediately be utilized to solve the woes of Filipinos. He said UP alumni, especially those who had become research chiefs abroad, could provide the country with the needed assistance and expertise. He also encouraged the NIH, with the help of partner government agencies, to aim for a Nobel Prize nomination.     Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, Undersecretary for Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara delivered the keynote message at the event. She discussed the current state of Filipino health science research and innovation, the National Unified Health Research Agenda 2017-2022, and the Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda 2017-2022 as pathways leading to the realization of a decent and comfortable life for every Filipino in the future. One of the main points she raised was the focusing of the efforts of Research and Development to have social and economic impact to improve the people’s quality of life. These include managing research initiatives and logistics for: diagnostics, drug discovery and development, functional foods, nutrition and food safety, hospital equipment and biomedical devices, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, information and communication technology, and molecular technologies for health.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The officials then proceeded to the Bayanihan lobby for the ceremonial opening of the poster exhibits.  Plenary discussions on translational research and technology transfer by Dr. David Simmons, a counsellor from the World Intellectual Property Organization, and Carmen G. Peralta, a consultant from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, followed.  The panel discussions held in the afternoon featured thematic lectures to further educate and inspire the participants of the  day-long conference.  The first panel discussion was by: Dr. Nilo T. Bugtai, head of the Biomedical Devices Innovation and e-Health Research Group of the De La Salle University (DLSU); Michael Jorge N. Peralta of the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation of the University of Santo Tomas (UST); and, Ace C. Acosta, commercialisation manager of Slipstream Commercialisation and Innovation Liberation Front. Their presentations explained key factors and processes in the creation of socially beneficial ideas and inventions.  The second set of panelists talked about the importance of partnerships with industry experts in developing, optimizing and marketing products. Sharing the lessons they learned from working together with representatives from the health industry and the academe were: Jose Maria Ochave, senior vice president for the Business Development Group of United Laboratories and president of Ritemed Philippines; Prof. Bienvenido S. Balotro of the Department of Industrial Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, UP Manila; and, Dr. Lorraine Hermosura-Faeldon, chief medical officer and co-founder of Valea Health.  Patricia San Jose, technology transfer officer of TTBDO UP Manila, and Jerry G. Ligaya, director of the Technology Licensing Office of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), emphasized protecting patents and intellectual property rights first before publishing research output.  The next set of panelists, made up of: Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, executive director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD)-DOST; Jasper P. Araña, technology transfer officer of the Innovation and Technology Support Office of Adamson University; Gia Santos, CEO and co-founder of Valea Health; and, Dr. Erna C. Arollado, director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of NIH, presented some of the biomedical technologies, products and innovations their institutions were developing for the public. Among these are: researches on surgical robotics, advanced medical tools, Internet of Medical Things (IOMT), behavioral change technology, drug delivery, and herbal and non-invasive treatments for diseases. Many of these were also exhibited as the subjects of research abstracts and teaser posters at the lobby.  The fifth and last panel discussion provided participants with inspiration and examples for creating or developing enabling environments for innovative works. Maria Christina L. Ibañez, Innovation Resource manager of the Miriam Innovation Center, presented how her college prepares their students, from basic to higher education levels, to excel in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). Dr. Ricardo DT Quintos II, a professor at the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, UP Manila, encouraged the public to create a culture of innovation, to look for better ways of doing tasks or helping people, and for the University to become capable of managing the intellectual capital being generated through continuous research and development.  Dr. Gonzalo Serafica, a DOST balik-scientist, Science and Technology Ecosystem Builder, and a consultant of UP, DLSU, and USAID STRIDE (United States Agency for International Development-Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development program), shared lessons gained from his experiences as a scientist and entrepreneur. He also discussed how research is successfully translated and commercialized for the benefit of society. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[INFOGRAPHIC] Tips for UPCAT 2020 examinees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/infographic-tips-for-upcat-2020-examinees/",
        "html": "[INFOGRAPHIC] Tips for UPCAT 2020 examinees [INFOGRAPHIC] Tips for UPCAT 2020 examinees October 3, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    What is UPCAT?  UPCAT stands for University of the Philippines College Admission Test, a way of gaining admission into the baccalaureate programs of UP. This year it will be administered on October 5 and 6 in testing centers across the country. This year’s exam is called UPCAT 2020 because it is for admission into Academic Year 2020-2021.  Last year, there were a total of 140,593 applicants for UPCAT 2019, though only 101,134 were eligible. Out of the eligible applicants, 90,408 took the exams. Thirteen percent or 11,821 were qualified for admission.     Taking the UPCAT  Text by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo and inforgraphic design by Peter Drapeza, UP Media and Public Relations Office. Source: UP Office of Admissions website     1. Check your test permit. Make sure you have filled in all data required. Read and follow the instructions given by the Office of Admissions.  2. Visit your testing hall in advance so you get there easier when UPCAT day comes. Avoid the frantic search. You don’t want to waste time and end up being late for the test even if you arrived early. For those who will take the test in UP Diliman, you were given maps and you can check out https://upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/UPD-Map-2018.pdf to get more info.  3. Prepare the things that you should bring for the exam.  a. Bring your test permit with UP dry seal, complete information, and signature.  b. Bring and submit documents required of you. The UP Office of Admissions marks these as deficiencies on your test permit. Keep these documents ready and when asked, submit them.  c. Bring good quality pencils—not too light but not too dark. No part of the test will ever require you to use any other kind of writing instrument. No pens of any kind. Just good quality pencils.  d. Bring a snack and drink. You can eat at any time during the test because there are no breaks. But please don’t bring something that might soil the test materials and food so odorous or noisy to unwrap that it distracts your fellow examinees.  e. Be ready with a jacket or sweater in case it gets cold.  f. Don’t bring scratch paper. We’ll provide this for you. The scratch paper we issue is the only paper you must use. You can always ask for additional sheets, so there’s really no need for you to bring scratch paper.  4. Condition yourself to be calm and focused. Make sure you get a good night’s rest and a proper, but not heavy, meal before the exam. Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight or may cause discomfort. If you feel anxious, take slow, deep breaths to relax.  5. Be early. Arrive at your testing hall before 6:30 AM for the morning session and before 12:00 NN for the afternoon session.  6. You are not allowed to use mobile phones, cameras, nor calculating devices during the test. Put your mobile phones on silent mode, with the vibration function turned off. These are self-explanatory.  7. Understand and follow instructions. Read carefully before answering. You can ask examiners or proctors only to clarify instructions and not about any test item you don’t understand. You can also inform them of irregularities like missing or duplicate items or pages in the test booklet. Make sure you’re filling out the answer sheet correctly and completely. Check to see if you’ve written all needed data and shaded the right ovals properly. Take note of skipped items and go back to them when you still have time.  8. Finally, don’t cheat. Don’t even try. Don’t even think about it. Unless you want to say goodbye to the UPCAT and the chance to be admitted to UP.     UPCAT Results  Check the UPCAT website for announcements on the availability of UPCAT results by April 2020. You will need the same email account that you used for application to view your application results. If you qualify for admission to UP, register according to the instructions provided by the college or unit to which you have been accepted. "
    },
    {
        "title": "IN MEMORIAM: August 2017 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-memoriam-august-2017/",
        "html": "IN MEMORIAM: August 2017 IN MEMORIAM: August 2017 August 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Our In Memoriam page carries details of faculty, staff and others affiliated with the university for whom we have received obituaries. Please contact us via web.mpro@up.edu.ph if you have information you would like to be featured.   The University regrets to announce the deaths of the following members of the UP community:  ANANIAS B. AURELIO  Retired UP Assistant Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Ananias B. Aurelio has passed away. Long before computers and search engines, Mr. Aurelio remembered significant dates, policies, personalities and landmarks in the university. He is the father of UP Journalism alumna Julie M. Aurelio of The Philippine Daily Inquirer.     ROGER D. POSADAS  Former UP Diliman Chancellor Roger D. Posadas earned his BS Physics degree from UP Diliman in 1964, and his PhD in Relativity Physics from the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) in 1970. Dr. Posadas was UP Diliman Chancellor from 1993 to 1996. Previously, he was UPD College of Science Dean from 1983 to 1993, and Physics Department Chair from 1980 to 1992.  He conceptualized and initiated the development of the UP Science Complex, spearheaded the establishment of the College of Science in UP Diliman, and instituted the Philippines’ first PhD Program in Physics. He also formulated a 5-year development plan for the Department of Physics that paved the way for its designation by the national government as a national center of excellence called the National Institute of Physics. He taught in UP Diliman for more than 50 years.  BALTAZAR D. AGUDA  Dr. Baltazar Aguda was also a Research Professor in the University of the Philippines. He earned his BS Agricultural Chemistry degree from UP Los Baños and his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alberta (Canada). Dr. Aguda was a multidisciplinary scientist who started his scientific career as a theoretical-physical chemist investigating the nonlinear dynamics of complex biochemical reaction systems, developing methods for predicting interaction network instabilities and the construction of predictive computational models. He and his co-workers published mechanistic models of other cellular processes associated with hallmarks of cancer, and in 2008, his book Models of Cellular Regulation was published by Oxford University Press.  Dr. Aguda held faculty positions in Canada (Laurentian University) and the USA (Boston University School of Medicine. He delivered lectures at Harvard University (USA), Caltech (USA), Weizmann Institute (Israel), University of Cambridge (UK), and Humboldt University (Germany).  MARIA LILIA F. REALUBIT  Dr. Maria Lilia Fuentebella Realubit is a retired professor of the University of the Philippines College of Arts and Letters (Department of English and Comparative Literature), and a recipient of Masirang na Bituon kan Kabikolan (Lifetime Achievement Award) in the first Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon (Tomas Arejola Prize for Bikolano Literature) in 2004. She is the founder of Kabulig Bikol and Bikol Heritage Society, Inc.  As a prominent Bikolano writer, her writings include an English translation of Mariano Goyena del Prado’s cultural work “Ibalon: Ethnohistory of the Bikol Region” (Ibalon: Monografia historica de la region bicolana) (1983); “Bikols of the Philippines” (1984); “Bikol Dramatic Tradition” (1989); “Haliya Anthology of Bikol Poets and Poems” (2004); “Bikol Literary History” (2004); and “Jose T. Fuentebella: Nationalist and Statesman” (2004). In February 2011, she published “Bikol Poetry Galore At Last A Report,” a critique of modern rawitdawit (Bikol poetic narrative).  PIO P. FRAGO  Former Director of the Human Resource Development Office and Professorial Lecturer of the National College of Public Administration, Pio Perez Frago (AB, 1958, LLB, 1963, CGM, MPA, 1978) died of cancer last August 14, 2017 at the age of 78.  Pio Frago was considered as an institution by the community for having served in UP under several presidents, from Dr. Vicente Sinco  (late 1950s) to Dr. Jose V. Abueva (early 1990s).  Known for his cheerful disposition, Atty. Frago, as fondly called by many, had a solution to every concern. Many sought his legal, as well, as personal advice due to his encyclopedic memory, vast experience and compassionate heart. He was survived by his wife, Erlinda and two daughters, Perlita and Maria Carina. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT Advisory – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-advisory/",
        "html": "UPCAT Advisory UPCAT Advisory June 1, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines is advising UPCAT applicants who shared their UPCAT Online credentials—usernames and passwords—to unauthorized third parties to immediately change the usernames and/or passwords to their other accounts in order to safeguard their data privacy rights. When practicable, users should activate a two-step verification or other modes of multifactor authentication in order to protect their accounts.  Please DO NOT SHARE your username and password to anyone. Your personal information must be protected at all times.  Please visit the UPCAT main website upcat.up.edu.ph and click the Application Status button to view your results.  For UPCAT-related inquiries, you may send an email to upcatresults@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A pioneer at heart: UP Professor Emeritus Virginia “Betty” Flor-Agbayani, 96 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-pioneer-at-heart-up-professor-emeritus-virginia-betty-flor-agbayani-96/",
        "html": "A pioneer at heart: UP Professor Emeritus Virginia “Betty” Flor-Agbayani, 96 A pioneer at heart: UP Professor Emeritus Virginia “Betty” Flor-Agbayani, 96 November 7, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          Prof. Virginia “Betty” Flor-Agbayani at the UP Alumni Association in America 2011 Homecoming     One chapter in UP Diliman: Home and Campus (UP Press, 2010) describes how Professor Emeritus Virginia “Betty” Flor-Agbayani, then an instructor at the UP School of Fine Arts, looked upon the site of the new UP Diliman campus, which in 1949 was a vast frontier land overgrown with cogon grass, with only two concrete buildings and the Sierra Madre mountains as backdrop, and declared it beautiful, “like a cathedral without walls”.  Prof. Flor-Agbayani was one of the UP pioneers who made the exodus from the 10-hectare campus on Padre Faura St. to the new UP campus in Diliman. Following a fire that razed one of the houses in Area 2—houses on campus were made of sawali at the time—UP President Bienvenido Gonzalez asked Prof. Agbayani how UP could help the residents. She replied, “Sir, permanent housing.”  The UP budget, however, had no provision for faculty or staff housing at the time. Later, “sensing that Agbayani was really a pioneer at heart” according to the book, UP President Vidal Tan approached Agbayani and her husband, Mariano Leano, and asked whether she was willing to “volunteer” to build her own home, using their own money. They agreed, and the Agbayanis built their first home, the first permanent house in the Diliman campus in the site known as Area 1.     Artist, educator, pioneer  “Pioneering” is a word that was associated with Prof. Flor-Agbayani throughout her life and career until her passing on October 22, 2018 in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 96. Born on May 20, 1922 and hailing from Batac, Ilocos Norte, Prof. Flor-Agbayani graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the UP School of Fine Arts in 1947. During her college years, she became Junior Council and Student Council representative, was president of Pallete and the Brush Association, chairperson of the Fine Art’s Woman’s Club, and a member of Phi Alpha. She was a staff artist of the Philippine Collegian from 1946-1947, and an associate editor and a staff artist of the 1947 Philippinensian.   After graduating in 1947, Prof. Flor-Agbayani worked as an instructor at the UP School of Fine Arts, and was instrumental in the transition of the School of Fine Arts to the College of Fine Arts in 1970. In 1975, she became the country’s first woman to be given the Fine Arts full professor rank.     Prof. Betty Flor-Agbayani’s “Baguio Cathedral” (1970).     She served as the chairman of the Studio Arts Department, and was College Secretary, Graduate Program Coordinator, Officer-in-Charge, and then Associate Dean of the UP College of Fine Arts, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses and mentored many of the country’s master artists and National Artists. After retirement, she was conferred the title of Professor Emeritus, and continued to lecture and conduct graduate program activities.     Prof. Betty Flor-Agbayani (1st from left) with National Artists Larry Alcala (4th from left) and Napoleon Abueva (4th from right). Source: Artists and Models Ball Souvenir Program 1980.     Her passion for art education in the country also led her to teach at and nurture budding artists from the Philippine High School for the Arts, where she served as Director by appointment of the Philippine President.     The Grand Dame of Philippine Art Education  She was known, nationally and internationally, as “The Grand Dame of Philippine Art Education” for her pioneering efforts and innovative approaches in the inclusion of art education at the primary and secondary levels, and in the development and nurturing of numerous world-class artists from the Philippine High School for the Arts and the UP College of Fine Arts.  She was also an Arts and Archeology consultant to several international government and professional organizations. She was a British Council Fellow and Scholar, served as Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Projects in Archeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA), and as World Councilor for Southeast Asia and the Pacific region of the International Society for Education through Art (INSEA). An award-winning scholar, Prof. Flor-Agbayani also spoke frequently at national and international venues, and even after her retirement, continued to present papers and lectures on Philippine history, art and culture in universities and civic organizations in the United States.  Prof. Flor-Agbayani’s influences upon the history and development of Philippine and international art and Philippine art education are immeasurable, and a source of pride for UP and the country. But for the UP Community, her pioneering spirit will live on in the campus she helped shape. According to the UP Diliman: Home and Campus, Prof. Flor-Agbayani was proud “to say that she was glad that she was able to show her loyalty to the University when UP needed everybody’s help in order for it to be able to stand on its own feet. And proud that she was around to contribute and be a witness to all the changes that the University has gone through. But most of all, she was very grateful that while faces and personalities had come and gone, she was there to celebrate and welcome the dawn of another UP century.”  Prof. Flor-Agbayani is survived by five children: Anna Victoria Agbayani Resurreccion; and Marianne, John Patrick, Cana-Mari, and Franz John Agbayani; son-in-law Rey Resurreccion; grandson Carl Francis Agbayani and his wife, Marie. Her daughter, Ida Agbayani, died in 1999. (Celeste Ann Castillo, UP MPRO)     Prof. Betty Flor-Agbayani’s “Red Barn” (1980)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Farewell to Virginia Moreno, The High Priestess of Philippine Poetry – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/farewell-to-virginia-moreno-the-high-priestess-of-philippine-poetry/",
        "html": "Farewell to Virginia Moreno, The High Priestess of Philippine Poetry Farewell to Virginia Moreno, The High Priestess of Philippine Poetry August 15, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Filipino poet, playwright and cultural icon Virginia R. Moreno at her tribute to National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, which included an exhibit dedicated to Joaquin, and the video screening of Joaquin’s Portrait of an Artist as Filipino (film adaptation, 1965), directed by National Artist for Film and Theater Lamberto Avellana, UP Film Center, 19 May 2018. Photo from JW Capili.  She became known among her fellow poets, writers, and literary icons as “The High Priestess” and “The Empress Dowager of Philippine Poetry.” Lofty titles, true, but in the case of Filipino writer, poet, playwright, educator, and founding Director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Film Center, Professor Virginia Reyes Moreno, the monikers are well-deserved.  Professor Moreno, sister to Asia’s Fashion Czar Jose “Pitoy” Moreno, also a UP alumnus, passed away on August 14, 2021, with news about her death at the age of 98 reported on social media.  Born in Tondo, Manila, on April 24, 1923, Moreno lived a storied life, with her work spanning literary genres, from poetry to theater to cinema. She earned her degrees at UP Diliman, where she was literary editor of the Philippine Collegian, and the Kansas Institute of International Education, as a Rockefeller fellow in creative writing. In 1969, Moreno studied at the British Film Institute in London under a British Council grant. In 1973, she was a Writer-in-Residence at the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. She also co-directed the documentary The Imaginative Community: 7 Poets in Iowa.  Throughout Moreno’s career, she mentored generations of Filipino writers, visual artists, academic scholars, teachers, curators and filmmakers, who remember her as a feisty and lovable professor of English and Humanities. She was the leading proponent for establishing the Humanities Center in UP Diliman, which evolved into Bulwagang Rizal or the UP Faculty Center (destroyed by a fire in 2016). In 1959, she co-founded the UP Department of Humanities, now the UP Department of Art Studies. She became the first executive director of the UP Film Institute’s Film Center in 1976, a post she held until 1991.  Her play, Straw Patriot (1956), was translated into Filipino by Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez in 1967 as Bayaning Huwad. In 1969, The Onyx Wolf, also known as La Lobra Negra and Itim Asu, won the National Historical Playwriting Contest. The Cultural Center of the Philippines turned the play into a ballet performance a year later, with National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes performing as the lead.  Moreno’s first poetry collection, Batik Maker and Other Poems, garnered the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Poetry (First Prize) in 1972. The book is also notable because of the care and craftwork that went into it. As described in the website of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Library of Women’s Writings  “Of the 13 handcrafted copies made for its 1975 CCP-launching, 5 vanished altogether, spirited away by those possessed by its lush dreamwork and haunting strains. Bookmaker Hilario S. Francia meticulously crafted and stitched each copy of the book. In the famous broken-sword motif of Javanese royalty, Moreno herself chose the batik-cloth cover and flew it in from Jakarta. Her brother, Jose Moreno, supplied the Kyoto rice paper for its pages, bought from one of his Osaka sojourns. (National Artist for Music) Lucrecia Kasilag deployed her gamelan orchestra for the occasion. Seasoned actors Vic Silayan and Lolita Rodriguez, along with Moreno’s diplomat friends, recited the poems in three languages—in the lyrical English master text, in the elegant French translation, and in Larry Francia’s masterful Filipino.”  In 1984, Moreno won the Southeast Asia (SEA) Write Award, recognizing the impact of her literary excellence and cultural leadership in the ASEAN region. In 1991, she was conferred the Chroslais dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Government. She also served as chair of the UNESCO Culture Committee of the Philippines. Until she passed away, she was President of J. Moreno Foundation, Inc.  Moreno’s literary legacy will live on among the writers, artists, playwrights, and filmmakers—Filipino and foreign alike—who have been touched by the bold and creative spirit of “The High Priestess of Philippine Poetry.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dating propesor at CSC Chairperson Karina David, pumanaw sa edad na 73 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dating-propesor-at-csc-chairperson-karina-david-pumanaw-sa-edad-na-73/",
        "html": "Dating propesor at CSC Chairperson Karina David, pumanaw sa edad na 73 Dating propesor at CSC Chairperson Karina David, pumanaw sa edad na 73 May 8, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Larawan ni Karina David. Mula kay Kara David.     Pumanaw na ang dating Chairperson ng Civil Service Commission na si Karina Constantino-David. Si David ay isang propesor sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas at dating tagapangulo ng Department of Community Development. Siya ay nagsilbi sa gobyerno sa loob ng mahigit isang dekada sa ilalim ng iba’t ibang administrasyon. Naging undersecretary siya ng DSWD mula 1986 hanggang 1988; naging pinuno ng Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) mula 1998 hanggang 2000; naging pinuno ng Civil Service Commission mula 2001 hanggang 2008; at, nagsilbi bilang miyembro ng Board of Trustees ng GSIS mula 2010 hanggang 2016.  Bukod sa pagiging isang tapat na public servant, si David ay naging aktibo rin sa pag-oorganisa ng mga komunidad at maralitang taga-lungsod sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang non-government organization na HASIK. Kilala rin siya bilang isa sa mga unang nagsulong ng karapatan ng mga kababaihan sa Pilipinas. Isa siya sa mga nagtatag ng grupong Every Woman na lumalaban para sa pantay na pagtrato at pagtingin sa mga kababaihan. Tagapagtaguyod rin siya ng Child Protection Network na tumutulong naman sa mga batang biktima ng karahasan at pang-aabuso.  Hindi lang sa larangan ng akademiya at serbisyo-publiko nakilala si David. Siya rin ay aktibo sa larangan ng sining at musika. Isa siyang batikang kompositor at gitarista at naging bahagi ng musical duo na Inang Laya.  Si Karina ay asawa ng mamamahayag na si Propesor Randy David; ina nina CP, Kara, Nadya, at Jika; at lola nina Julia, Jacinta, Xavi, Alonso, at Lila. Si Karina ay nagmula sa pamilya ng mga makabayang historyador na sina Renato Constantino at Letizia Roxas-Constantino.  Si David ay pumanaw sa edad na 73, noong Martes ng gabi sa Philippine Heart Center.  Sa ngayon, wala pang detalye ng kaniyang burol at libing. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to start accepting applications for first-year students on Jan. 7 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-start-accepting-applications-for-first-year-students-on-jan-7/",
        "html": "UP to start accepting applications for first-year students on Jan. 7 UP to start accepting applications for first-year students on Jan. 7 December 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines will begin accepting applications for first-year students for Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022 on 7 January 2021, via an online portal especially for admissions applications.  First-year applicants to UP for AY 2021-2022 will not undergo the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT). This decision follows the unanimous vote by the University Councils (UCs) of all the UP constituent universities not to administer the UPCAT for AY 2021-2022 in light of health and logistical issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. [Related: No UPCAT 2021, UP admissions system undergoing modification]  Instead of the UPCAT, the University Councils, the highest academic policymaking body of the constituent universities in the UP System, approved a modified freshmen admissions system specific to AY 2021-2022. This includes an additional assessment of incoming first-year students by academic units to qualify for a degree program, if deemed necessary. Applicants will be notified of such assessment or other additional requirements after the evaluation of their high school records.  The online submission of all application forms is likewise meant to minimize exposure to the novel coronavirus. The steps to applying as a first-year student to UP for AY 2021-2022 are as follows:  •   Applicants shall accomplish Form 1 (Personal Data Sheet) electronically and upload their photo and electronic signature.  •   High schools shall be requested to log on to the Grades Submission link to accomplish Form 2 (High School Records) on behalf of the applicants. An online survey was sent earlier to high schools using their registered email addresses in the records of the UP Office of Admissions (OAdms).  •   If a high school has not received the email of the UP OAdms, applicants from that school must inform the Office of the school’s current official email address via dataproc.oadms@up.edu.ph to facilitate communications between the UP OAdms and the high school.  Admission to UP is highly competitive, and admission for AY 2021-2022 will be no different, even without the UPCAT. Degree programs in UP have limited slots for incoming first-year students. Therefore, to select incoming first-year students who qualify for a degree program, UP must strictly assess the applicants’ high school grades.  There is no minimum grade requirement to be able to apply as a first-year student of UP. However, submission of application DOES NOT MEAN automatic admission.  Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to use secure email accounts preferably with two-step verification to better protect their right to data privacy.  While UP encourages online accomplishment and submission, it is cognizant of technological limitations and will continue to coordinate with concerned high schools for alternative modes of submission.  Details on how to accomplish the forms shall be posted in the online portal. The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, 15 February 2021.  For those interested in applying for admission to the University of the Philippines for AY 2021-2022, the link to the online portal will be available on or before 7 January 2021.  For concerns regarding the online submission of application, and to prevent the spread of misinformation, the University would like to remind the general public to get their information only from the UP Office of Admissions at:  Landline: (02) 8981-8500 local 3827 / 3828 / 3830 / 3831  Cellphone: +63 918 904 9195  E-mail: upcatapplications@up.edu.ph  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions    "
    },
    {
        "title": "No UPCAT 2021, UP admissions system undergoing modification – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/no-upcat-2021-up-admissions-system-undergoing-modification/",
        "html": "No UPCAT 2021, UP admissions system undergoing modification No UPCAT 2021, UP admissions system undergoing modification November 10, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   File photo / Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The University Councils (UCs) of the eight constituent universities (CUs) of the University of the Philippines System, as the highest academic bodies of the CUs, unanimously decided that there will be no UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the intake of first year students in Academic Year 2021-2022. The results of the Special UC Meetings of UP Diliman and UP Manila and of the referendums of the other CUs were submitted to the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) on October 28, in time for an update on UPCAT in the 1355th meeting of the UP Board of Regents (BOR) on October 29.  As stated in a memorandum issued by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on 30 October 2020, the University Councils of the CUs “unanimously voted NOT to administer UPCAT in light of logistical issues in the paper-and-pencil testing of about 100,000 17-year old applicants.” Taking into account the uncertain trajectory and uneven spread of COVID-19 in different parts of the Philippines, majority of the UC members did not deem it feasible to administer the usual UPCAT involving around 1,600 testing personnel deployed to 94 testing centers throughout the archipelago. According to the same memorandum, majority of the UC members did not consider an online UPCAT examination feasible either. This is primarily due to the length of the exam and variety of items that would require a consistently strong Internet connection to download within the time allotted for examinees to answer.  The University Councils are vested with the power to “fix the requirements for admission to any college or unit, graduation and grant of honors subject to minimum system-wide requirements”, according to Sections 16 and 17 of Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter of 2008. For this reason, proposed changes in the University’s admission policy must be approved by the University Council of each UP constituent university, which consists of the chancellor as chairperson and all faculty members holding the rank of assistant professor and higher as members.  The BOR, for its part, noted during its October 29 meeting the report presented by the Office of Admissions (OAdms) and the OVPAA, as well as the choice of all University Councils in the UP System to forego administering the UPCAT for AY 2021-2022. The BOR also instructed the OAdms to come up with a modified freshmen admissions system specific to AY 2021-2022 by February 2021 in light of the pandemic. This includes the use of big data analytics to arrive at a UP admission score model, which the OAdms, together with other concerned offices, is currently developing, as well as the determination by academic units of an additional layer of screening for particular programs, if deemed necessary.  The OAdms had presented five options for UP admissions to the eight University Councils, the System Academic Affairs Committee, University Executive Committee, and the President’s Advisory Council even while it was simultaneously taking stock of the availability of the  UPCAT testing centers and the volunteer testing personnel in the event the UC decided to administer UPCAT 2021.  Had there been no pandemic, UPCAT 2021 would have been administered on 10-11 October 2020.  The submission of UPCAT application Form 1 (Personal Data Sheet) and Form 2 (High School Records) is still required, although these forms have been modified to account for stricter data privacy, efficiency, and the health and safety risks in this pandemic. While UP encourages online accomplishment and submission, it is cognizant of technological limitations and will accept manually accomplished forms.  Following the decision of the University Councils, OAdms has set the start of the application period in December 2020. The exact date will be announced.  For those interested in applying for admission to the University of the Philippines for AY 2021-2022, please watch for further announcements from the OAdms.  To prevent the spread of misinformation, the University would also like to remind the general public to get their information regarding the UPCAT and admissions into UP only from the Office of Admissions’ website and Facebook page, and the UP System website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPRI convenes DRR and climate change experts from all CUs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upri-convenes-drr-and-climate-change-experts-from-all-cus/",
        "html": "UPRI convenes DRR and climate change experts from all CUs UPRI convenes DRR and climate change experts from all CUs March 19, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Participants exchange ideas on the role of UP in policymaking for disaster risk reduction and climate action. From left to right: Dr. Lagmay (UP Diliman), Dean Jonnifer Sinogaya (UP Cebu) and Dr. Genaro Cuaresma (UP Los Baños).     Selected faculty members from all eight constituent universities (CUs) of the University of the Philippines gathered together on February 27, 2019 to exchange notes and take stock of their experiences in providing policy advice to the government in the areas of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change. The “Scoping Workshop on the Role of Academia in Policymaking for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Action” was organized by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), with support from the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA).  Held at Microtel Technohub in Quezon City, the event marked the first-ever system-wide convention of fellows under the UPRI umbrella. A total of 37 faculty members from UP’s major campuses, including the UP Open University, attended the workshop, representing various disciplines in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, and management.  Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, UPRI Executive Director and Professor at the UP-National Institute of Geological Sciences, formally opened the workshop with an update on the current status of UPRI as a distinct unit under the Office of the President. He explained that the Institute itself is a product of three independent initiatives that eventually converged under one roof in 2017, namely: the Resilience Institute conceived by then UPD Vice Chancellor Dr. Benito Pacheco; the RESILIENCE website project spearheaded by then UP Vice President for Public Affairs and now Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera; and, Project NOAH under Dr. Lagmay.  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Dr. Elena E. Pernia, also a former dean of the UP College of Mass Communications, welcomed the participants on behalf of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Dr. Rajib Shaw, highly regarded DRR and climate change adaptation scholar who concurrently chairs the UNISDR Science and Technology Advisor Group, delivered the keynote speech through a video message, where he underscored the critical role of the academe in global climate action and resilience. Professor Pacheco of the UP Institute of Civil Engineering and former executive director of UPRI, also gave an inspirational talk, highlighting transdisciplinary collaboration as the backbone of a “network-emergent serendipity” made possible through UPRI.     Dr. Rajib Shaw shares his insights with the participants     The workshop proper kicked off with a network mapping exercise in the morning, followed by small parallel group discussions in the afternoon. The network map provided a snapshot of past and ongoing linkages between and among faculty members of the various UP campuses. Meanwhile, the group discussions delved on the issues and challenges that the participants have encountered in providing DRR and climate change advice to the government. Ways forward to strengthen academe-government engagement in policymaking for DRR and climate action were also discussed.     Small group discussion on academe-government policy engagement     Participants of the scoping workshop identify their involvement in selected government agencies     The one-day activity concluded with a closing message from Dean Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza of the UP-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG). It formally ended with a ceremonial pledging of commitment from participating UPRI fellows to remain steadfast in advancing the University’s advocacy and efforts towards strengthening the capacity of UP, the nation and the region to withstand adversities and build sustainable and resilient communities.  Professor Kristoffer Berse of UP-NCPAG served as overall facilitator and lead convenor of the workshop. The activity was undertaken as part of Dr. Berse’s INGSA project under UPRI, in association with the UP-NCPAG and the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk.  Plans are in the pipeline to hold separate strategic planning sessions with the rest of UPRI fellows in UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Mindanao, UP Visayas, and UP Open University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches online portal for first-year applicants for AY 2021-2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-online-portal-for-first-year-applicants-for-ay-2021-2022/",
        "html": "UP launches online portal for first-year applicants for AY 2021-2022 UP launches online portal for first-year applicants for AY 2021-2022 January 7, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Applicants for first-year admission at the University of the Philippines (UP) for Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022 can now access the online portal upadmissionsonline.up.edu.ph to submit their applications.  Before accessing the UP online admissions portal, applicants are enjoined to visit upcollegeadmissions.up.edu.ph for preparatory information and instructions as well as the latest announcements. After the applicants have read the pertinent information on this website, they will be directed to the online application portal.  Online submission of applications  For safety reasons and in compliance with the IATF’s community quarantine guidelines, the UP Office of Admissions (OAdms) is implementing a No Walk-In Policy. Instead, all applicants are strongly encouraged to apply via the online portal. However, while UP encourages online accomplishment and submission, it is cognizant of technological limitations and will continue to coordinate with concerned high schools for alternative modes of submission.  To minimize exposure to the coronavirus, however, all forms shall be submitted online. Applicants shall accomplish Form 1 (Personal Data Sheet) electronically and upload their photo and electronic signature. The names of the applicants will be sent to their high schools for batch processing of grade submission starting January 18, 2021. High schools shall be notified and then be requested to log on to the Grades Submission link to accomplish Form 2 (High School Records) on behalf of the applicants.  The online admissions applications for UP are being done in light of the unanimous decision by the UP System’s University Councils (UCs) that there will be no UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for AY 2021-2022 applicants due to health and logistical issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UCs further approved an additional assessment by academic units to qualify for a degree program, if deemed necessary. Applicants will be notified of such assessment or other additional requirements after the evaluation of their High School Records.  General information on admissions  The UP OAdms has made a General Information Bulletin on Freshman Admissions (AY 2021-2022) available on both the website and the online portal.  Admission into UP is very selective due to high demand. While they come from very diverse backgrounds, applicants to UP are all ranked according to indicators of academic preparedness for university life.  In the absence of the UPCAT, a composite of the final grades in Grade 8, 9, 10 and first semester of Grade 11 shall be the basis to determine the UP admission grade (UPG). Specific degree programs may request for additional requirements to qualify for admission, if deemed necessary. To implement the policy of democratic access, UP also considers socio-economic and geographic factors in its admission process.  Selection for admission to a campus is based on the applicant’s UPG, campus quota, and/or cut-off grade. A successful applicant can receive an offer of admission to only one of his/her UP campus of choice.  The successful applicants for a given campus are ranked according to grade predictors and quotas of their chosen degree programs. Some degree programs are more competitive due to their high demand. Applicants should choose only degree programs they are interested in. If an applicant is not successful in his/her first choice of campus, the process continues in order of priority of his/her remaining choices.  Filipino public high school graduates who are in the top ten of their graduating class may apply for freshman automatic admission for AY 2021-2022, as provided by Republic Act No. 10648 or the Iskolar ng Bayan Law of 2014. The law also requires that applicants comply with other admission requirements of the University and enroll in a UP campus that is in the same region as their high school.  For more details and instructions, please visit upcollegeadmissions.up.edu.ph.  For assistance and concerns regarding the online submission of application, and to prevent the spread of misinformation, the University would like to remind the general public to get their information only from the UP Office of Admissions at:       Landline: (02) 8981-8500 local 3827 / 3828 / 3830 / 3831       Cellphone: +63 918 904 9195       Facebook Messenger Helpdesk (8:00 am – 11:00 pm): facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions       E-mail: upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP NCPAG prof bags VAM Award – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ncpag-prof-bags-vam-award/",
        "html": "UP NCPAG prof bags VAM Award UP NCPAG prof bags VAM Award March 8, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dr. Berse receives the award with his wife and daughter. Joining them were former and current PPSC and PSPA officers, (from left to right) Dr. Lourdes Portus, Dr. Amaryllis Torres, Dr. Perante-Calina, Dr. Cynthia Zayas, Dr. Alex Brillantes, Jr., and Dr. Danilo Reyes. Photo from PSSC Facebook page.     Dr. Kristoffer B. Berse of the University of the Philippines (UP) National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) was conferred the prestigious 2019 Virginia A. Miralao (VAM) Excellence in Research Award by the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) for his publication entitled “Cities as aid agencies: preliminary prospects and cautionary signposts from post-disaster interurban cooperation in Asia.” The VAM Award was established in 2010 to recognize the best article, book chapter or book written by a promising young scholar from among the member professions of the PPSC, a long-standing umbrella organization of professional social science associations in the Philippines.  Dr. Berse’s winning entry was a book chapter in “Crossing Borders: Governing Environmental Disasters in a Global Urban Age in Asia and the Pacific” co-edited by Michelle Miller, Michael Douglass and Matthias Garschagen (Springer, 2018). The PSSC selected his work for “bringing to light a new dimension in the ongoing discussion of disaster risk reduction and management concerns…. [as it] gave an excellent analysis of the effectiveness of local government ‘aid’ in post-disaster situations as opposed to national, cross-country or multilateral aid.”  The awarding ceremony took place on February 23, 2019 at the Philippine Social Science Center in Quezon City. Dr. Berse received a modest cash prize and commemorative trophy designed by Toym Imao.     Dr. Berse (3rd from left) receiving the VAM trophy from Dr. Amaryllis Torres, PSSC Executive Director, and Dr. Dr. Perante-Calina, PSPA President. Photo from PSSC Facebook page.     It was the first time that the VAM Award was given to a public administration scholar. The Philippine Society for Public Administration (PSPA) under the leadership of Dr. Alex Brillantes, Jr. and Dr. Lizan Perante-Calina formally nominated Dr. Berse and his work. Previous VAM winners from UP include Marco Stefan Lagman and Dr. Kristian Saguin from the Department of Geography and Dr. Arnisson Andre C. Ortega of the UP Population Institute.  In 2018, Dr. Berse was selected as one of six inaugural Research Associates of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) and as Young Scientist of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR). Dr. Berse is currently Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator at UP-NCPAG, where he also holds the Rafael M. Salas Professorial Chair in Public Administration. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Attention High Schools with Students Applying to UP for AY 2021-2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/attention-high-schools-with-students-applying-to-up-for-ay-2021-2022/",
        "html": "Attention High Schools with Students Applying to UP for AY 2021-2022 Attention High Schools with Students Applying to UP for AY 2021-2022 March 1, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The deadline for the online submission of Form 2 is extended to 31 March 2021.  The UP Office of Admissions has initiated contact with high schools since 16 February 2021. Schools that have not received any notification or have changed their registered email address are advised to contact dataproc.oadms@up.edu.ph.  For inquiries, concerns and assistance, please proceed to our Online Helpdesk found in the UP Office of Admissions FB page (https://www.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions/). The Helpdesk is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. "
    },
    {
        "title": "NCPAG forum assesses performance of Duterte Administration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ncpag-forum-assesses-performance-of-duterte-administration/",
        "html": "NCPAG forum assesses performance of Duterte Administration NCPAG forum assesses performance of Duterte Administration September 11, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo by Bong Arboleda.     As part of the academe’s role of conscientization, monitoring, and assessing the policies and performance of government, the Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED) of the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) of the University of the Philippines (UP) held a forum at the NCPAG Audio-Visual Room in the afternoon of September 3, 2019.  UP NCPAG faculty members, Dr. Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza, Dr. Enrico L. Basilio, and CPED Director Ebinezer R. Florano presented their reflections on the priority agenda stated by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, and discussed their assessments on the country’s social, economic and political dimensions, respectively.     (L-R) Dr. Reginald G. Ugaddan, Dr. Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza, Dr. Ebinezer R. Florano, and Dr. Enrico L. Basilio. Photo by Bong Arboleda.     Social Sector  Raquiza presented data showing the state of poverty, inequality, health, and education in the country, as she discussed the expected role of government in ensuring “that all members of society are able to attain a certain standard of living and have access to opportunities to improve their lives.” She emphasized that government should improve the people’s well-being, promote equality, and contribute to social cohesion.  Raquiza reported that Filipinos in the agriculture sector, farmers, fisherfolk, low-income earners, and those in urban poor communities benefit the least, even from the growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). “They languish in the low-value, low-productive, even precarious, labor market marked by poverty-level wages. They have little access to social protection, and they are exposed to hazardous working conditions,” she said. “Agriculture is in dire straits, . . . historically declining, and this decline continued under this administration,” she added.     Dr. Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza. Photo by Bong Arboleda.     Raquiza concluded that poverty incidence generally stayed the same, with the gains of observed economic growth not being equitably shared with the majority of the population.  She noted there is still high inequality, and that there has been no major breakthrough in the past 30 years. She recommended “more redistributive measures, especially in fiscal policy and measures.” She added that “access to quality education and quality healthcare remain a challenge for the majority,” and that these require “significant improvements”. “Given significant levels of poverty and inequality across various dimensions, there is need to increase focus on social equity,” she said.  Economic Sector  Basilio’s discussion focused on economic indicators and trends. He noted an above six percent GDP growth rate for the Philippines in the past 3 years, with construction, finance, real estate, manufacturing, trade, and services among the industries and sectors having the highest average growth rate from 2012 to the present.  However, he added that the country’s trade gap is widening, wherein there are more imports than exports, leading to a ballooning trade deficit and a declining import cover. He also reviewed the present drivers of economic growth, key legislations, and sources of revenues, such as the series of tax reform measures.     Dr. Enrico L. Basilio. Photo by Bong Arboleda.     Basilio said that the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” plan is still Luzon-centric, with 79% of the projects to be done in Luzon, 7% in the Visayas and 14% in Mindanao. He added that self-rated poverty went down, with more people thinking things improved, and that the growth rate should be pegged at ten to 12% for a period of ten years for most people to gain from the trickle-down effect.  In conclusion, he said, “progress in achieving the 10-point socioeconomic agenda is advancing strongly.”  Political Sector  Florano examined the public policy aspect in his reflections on public policymaking in the Duterte Administration. He identified key points in the social, economic, political, and public administration sectors mentioned by President Duterte during the 4th SONA. Cited for enacting 133 laws, including priority measures, he also credited this administration for being “more productive than the first two years” of the previous administration, adding that 39 of these were national laws, comprising 29%, while 94 were local laws, comprising 71%.  Florano explained that policies and intentions should be communicated clearly for the benefit of the citizens. However, he noted that there was “so much confusion on government policy” in the last three years since there are lingering questions regarding public pronouncements and implementation of policies and laws. Issues concerning the West Philippine Sea, respect for women, anti-crime and the drug war, corruption, and new cabinet-level agencies, among others, became highly controversial or were marked with inconsistencies or vagueness due to actions and statements coming from the president and members of the administration.     Dr. Ebinezer R. Florano. Photo by Bong Arboleda.     Florano posed questions on the “true public policy” vis-à-vis the intentions and actions of the administration on such critical national issues. He proposed further “academic studies to answer and understand research questions related to public policymaking”, to reveal the “true public policy”, and to help increase effectiveness and efficiency in governance.  “Ideally, public policies should be authoritative, based on law, and actions and intentions should be in sync,” Florano said. “There should be clear communication of public policies for better delivery of public services. There should be no room for misinterpretations,” he concluded.     Dr. Reginald G. Ugaddan. Photo by Bong Arboleda.     Dr. Reginald G. Ugaddan gave a recap of the presentations. Prof. Simeon A. Ilago, officer-in- charge of NCPAG, delivered the closing remarks. Ms. Danica Joy C. Navidad served as emcee for the forum. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CALL FOR PAPERS: The First Philippine Public Policy Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-the-first-philippine-public-policy-conference/",
        "html": "CALL FOR PAPERS: The First Philippine Public Policy Conference CALL FOR PAPERS: The First Philippine Public Policy Conference April 30, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Center of Policy and Executive Development (CPED) of the University of the Philippines-Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), together with the Philippine Public Policy Network (PPPN), will organize the two-day Inaugural Conference and Organizational Meeting on 21-22 November 2019 to be held at the International Center for Public Administration, UP NCPAG. Likewise, CPED will receive and review abstracts of conference papers until May 15, 2019.  The scope of discussions captures the theme of the conference, “Towards Adaptive Public Policy-Making in Anxious Times”. The same call for papers is being sent out by PPPN Interim President and UP NCPAG Dean Ma. Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, Ph.D., to practitioners, policymakers, academics, and students. Dean Mendoza envisions the conference as a platform for multi-disciplinary discussion, collaboration, and learning to discuss public policy challenges in a rapidly changing global environment brought about by the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution and the shift of geo-political forces.  For which reason, conference papers should delve on current issues, such as programs on poverty, inflation, Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, federalism, war on drugs, among others, that influence policy as a discipline, an evaluative measure, and an innovation.  Abstracts of the conference papers will be accepted until May 15, 2019.  The PPPN will also hold its first organizational meeting during the two-day event. The PPPN commits to become the country-based network of public policy scholars under the umbrella of the Asia-Pacific Public Policy Network (AP-PPN).  At the core of the initiative is CPED’s direct coordination with institutions and organizations to participate in the conference and constitute a dynamic “marketplace of ideas” where public policy converges stakeholders to embody policymaking that responds to issues, processes, and implementation.  CPED welcomes interested participants to contact Ms. JJ Somera at 920-1353 or pppncon2019@gmail.com, particularly on the format of abstracts of conference papers and registration details.  Updates on the Philippine Public Policy Network (PPPN) Inaugural Conference and First Organizational Meeting will be posted on the CPED and NCPAG Facebook pages.  For more details, please download the aide-memoire. "
    },
    {
        "title": "EROPA 2019 conference explores the future of Public Administration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eropa-2019-conference-explores-the-future-of-public-administration/",
        "html": "EROPA 2019 conference explores the future of Public Administration EROPA 2019 conference explores the future of Public Administration October 2, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Professor Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza, Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, and Professor Pan Suk Kim in the first plenary session of the conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Delegates of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) coming from Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam, India, China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines gathered for the EROPA 2019 General Assembly and Conference to discuss vital issues affecting the Asia and the Pacific region, elect officers of the organization, and adopt resolutions and plans for upcoming activities. This was held at the International Center for Public Administration (ICPA) of the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City on September 22 to 27.  With the main theme, “The Future of Public Administration: Rethinking Resilience, Equity, and Sustainability in the Region”, the conference featured plenary discussions, paper presentations, and parallel sessions on four sub-themes, namely: Social Equity and Well-Being; Environmental Sustainability; Public Finance and the Good Life; and, The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Development.  Participants were engaged in scholarly and timely discussions on a very broad range of topics which covered: food and water security, agrarian reform, labor, education, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, bureaucracy, civil society, disaster risk reduction and management, climate change, and many others connected with meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations’ agenda for international development.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion welcomes the delegates of the EROPA 2019 General Assembly and Conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, EROPA Secretary-General Orlando S. Mercado, and NCPAG Officer-in-Charge Simeon A. Ilago welcomed the delegates in the opening ceremony on September 23. Ilago encouraged the delegates to “rethink, learn and unlearn, discover and rediscover, frame and reframe ideas and actions that will help shape the future of the study and practice of Public Administration.” Concepcion affirmed that the conference “complements and fulfills the mandate of both the academe and of EROPA.” He added that addressing the problem of climate change “would require serious transformation in how we manage our affairs and our resources, in addition to the already challenging complexities brought about by globalization, changes in technologies, and human activities.”  Mercado shared insights from his experiences as a former Philippine senator and reminded the participants to look closer at the details in trying to find solutions to the issues, or in seeing the “gorillas” likely being overlooked.     EROPA Secretary-General Orlando S. Mercado addresses the participants in the opening ceremony of the EROPA 2019 General Assembly and Conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The first plenary session featured presentations by Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, senior adviser of the Khazanah Research Institute, Malaysia, and Professor Pan Suk Kim of the College of Business and Governance, Yonsei University, Korea, on “the future of Public Administration”. An open forum followed, moderated by UP NCPAG Professor Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza. Sundaram urged the audience “to address the problems that we have inherited” in his discussion on good governance. He said that: “we should think about developmental governance”; face global warming with idea of a “global green new deal”; “reduce climate change while raising living standards for all people”; and, “strengthen stakeholders” in implementing a school feeding program to solve hunger and malnutrition. “As public administrators you have the potential to make sure that our governments’ collective commitment to the SDGs enable us to improve the conditions of living for the vast majority of our people,” concluded Sundaram.  Kim highlighted the shifting of discourse from Western to Asian, the need for connectivity, and the use of technology. “We have to improve Asian public administration. . .  We have to have our own theory,” he said. This is through “Asianization” or localization, so that “we can interpret our own problems in our own ways”, he added. “We can learn a lot from each other so we can transform Asian public administration to more creative innovation. We need to develop our own indigenous or localized or Asian way. We need to promote innovative culture. Innovative culture is having innovation in every workplace,” concluded Kim.     Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) President Cecilia Garrucho talks about theater and leadership in the 2nd plenary session. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In the 2nd plenary session, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) President Cecilia Garrucho gave a presentation on the history and experiences of PETA where she highlighted how theater helps to transform people and communities for the better, through their vision of having a “theater for the people”, cultivating commitment and leadership, and immersion to learn the needs of those whom they work with.  The plenary session on “Social Equity and Well-Being” featured as resource speakers: Sungkyunkwan University (Korea) Professor Rosa Minhyo Cho; UNICEF (Philippines) Chief of Social Policy Anjanette Saguisag; and, Department of Education (Philippines) Secretary Leonor M. Briones.  Director Bruno Carrasco of the Public Management, Financial Sector, and Trade Division of the Asian Development Bank, and Professor Michael Mah-Hui Lim (Malaysia) served as resource speakers for the plenary session on “Public Finance and the Good Life”.  For the plenary session on the “Fourth Industrial Revolution and Development”, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, STRIDE Program Chief of Party Richard Abendan, and Professor Yuan He of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) served as resource speakers.  UP Resilience Institute Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Lagmay and Professor Agus Pramusinto of the Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia) served as resource speakers for the plenary session on “Resilience and Environmental Sustainability”.     Philippines Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala is elected president of the EROPA 27th General Assembly. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Professor Heungsuk Choi of Korea University, Deputy Director General Ernesto Perez of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Philippines), and Civil Service Commission (Philippines) Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala served as resource speakers for the plenary session on “Special Panel on Competition, Regulation, and Public Sector Reform”.  Heads of state member delegations and new EROPA officers also delivered their messages at the conference.     Officers and delegates of the EROPA 2019 General Assembly and Conference. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     EROPA, an international organization of states, groups and individuals in Asia and the Pacific, was formally constituted at the first meeting of its General Assembly held in the Philippines in December 1960: to “advance the economic and social development of the region through the promotion of the study, practice and status of public administration and management”; and, to “provide a forum to exchange information and ideas on innovative approaches to efficient, effective and ethical public service”. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar celebrates 2nd anniversary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-celebrates-2nd-anniversary/",
        "html": "UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar celebrates 2nd anniversary UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar celebrates 2nd anniversary April 20, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    When COVID-19 hit, it left nations scrambling in the dark. No one knew what the new viral disease was, how fast it spread, and how deadly it could be.  As an immediate response, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), launched the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series. The series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series, which pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management.  This Friday, April 22, from 12 pm to 2 pm, the university celebrates the pioneering series’ second anniversary. The special episode, titled “Giting at Tapang sa Panahon ng Pandemya: Reflecting on COVID-19 Lessons,” will reflect on these two long years full of ups and downs.  What has the pandemic highlighted, and what did we learn from it? Did our health services become better organized? Did we find ways of financing the tremendous demands on goods and services? Did we train our doctors and nurses well during the pandemic? Were we able to turn this crisis into an opportunity to create reforms in health care systems?  The special episode will feature a roundtable discussion among four leaders who exemplified restraint and commitment at the height of the pandemic. They are front-liners, patients, and researchers who will share their learnings, innovations, and stories that inspired them to persevere and inspire others.  Dr. Albert Francis E. Domingo, recently appointed as Concurrent Director III of the Department of Health (DOH) Communication Office and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, comes with the perspective of the generation on deck—the next cohort of leaders who took to the field and worked with local governments to organize the country’s COVID-19 response on the ground.  National Scientist Dr. Ernesto Domingo, who first organized the Universal Health Care (UHC) study group in 2008, will reflect on the past 12 years after conceptualizing this policy shift.  Dr. Gerardo ‘Gap’ Legaspi, UP-PGH Director, led the transformation of the UP-PGH into a COVID-19 referral center. At the height of the pandemic, he contracted COVID more than once, rescued people and equipment during a fire, and organized and reorganized the UP-PGH wards during three surges—he will talk about an elegant and simple way to organize healthcare delivery services beyond the pandemic.  Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine who brought vision and outside-the-box administrative interventions, will also share her insights on the mental health of doctors-in-training during the pandemic.  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, National Adviser of the COVID-19 Response Task Force, will deliver the opening remarks. He will reflect on the national response, its challenges, pitfalls, and the approaches that worked as we move forward.  Finally, UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla will deliver the synthesis, and closing remarks, whose invaluable support and unwavering commitment to the webinar cemented its success.  The webinar also aims to commemorate all our front-liner heroes who have fallen during this pandemic, whose sacrifices have enabled the country to persevere during the darkest times.  To join us in this celebration and reflection on lessons learned and recommendations for moving forward, register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar96.  Audiences may also catch our weekly live tweets and streams through the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "NUS officials visit UP to strengthen academic partnership – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nus-officials-visit-up-to-strengthen-academic-partnership/",
        "html": "NUS officials visit UP to strengthen academic partnership NUS officials visit UP to strengthen academic partnership February 21, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     National University of Singapore (NUS) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials discussed prospects for stronger academic collaboration between the two universities during the meeting held in the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, on February 19, 2019. The NUS delegation aimed to “learn about UP’s plans on research, innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization, which could be building blocks that will facilitate the flow of ideas, talent and access to markets, and funding opportunities between Singapore and the Philippines.”  The NUS officials also visited the UPSCALE Innovation Hub at the National Engineering Center, College of Engineering, UP Diliman, and listened to presentations on some of the research initiatives being developed at the Hub.     University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion welcomes the officials of the National University of Singapore (NUS). Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion provided the NUS officials with an overview of UP’s constituent universities, academic programs, and faculty, staff and student constituencies in UP campuses across the nation.  He also mentioned that since there is still no formal memorandum of understanding to effectively start academic collaboration between NUS and UP, the officials should immediately consider this.  NUS President Tan Eng Chye introduced his university to the UP officials, citing a large constituency of about 38,000 students (28,000 undergraduate students and 10,000 graduate students), 1,600 faculty in research, 5,000 administrative staff, 4,000 research personnel and close to 300,000 alumni. He added that they hope the number of Filipino alumni from the NUS would increase.     National University of Singapore (NUS) President Tan Eng Chye. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Chye talked about the more than 20 years of focus of NUS on innovation and enterprise and its enhanced collaboration with industries. He said the NUS aims to establish an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network, a network of innovator hubs via universities located in the big cities in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and East Timor, to harness the tremendous potentials seen in Southeast Asia. Universities develop entrepreneurs, incubate start-ups, translate research, and facilitate the flow of ideas, talent and access to markets and funding opportunities, he explained further.  The NUS officials also discussed how they conduct their student exchange program or mutual exchange internships in Singapore, establish the platforms for start-ups, and connect with companies and investors that help start-ups to succeed.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla noted that UP’s partnership with the NUS can serve as a platform for UP products and innovations to reach ASEAN countries.     UP and NUS officials listen to presentations on UP’s innovative products during the NUS delegation’s visit to the UPSCALE Innovation Hub at the National Engineering Center, College of Engineering, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Technopreneurs from UP talk of their innovative products during the NUS delegation’s visit to the UPSCALE Innovation Hub at the National Engineering Center, College of Engineering, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The NUS delegation consisted of: President Tan Eng Chye; Vice President (University and Global Relations) Andrew Wee; Dr. Lily Chan, CEO of NUS Enterprise; Prof. Wong Poh Kam, director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre and director of NUS Overseas College; Mr. Jonathan Chang, NUS Enterprise; Prof. Eduardo Araral, co-director of the Institute of Water Policy and an associate professor in  Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; Mr. Banderlipe Mc Ronald I. Simbajon, manager of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; Director Bernard Toh of the  Office of Alumni Relations; Mr. Ng Shan Jun, senior executive  of the Office of Alumni Relations; Director Edi Fung of the  NUS Development Office; and, Mr. Andy Loo, senior associate director of the NUS Development Office.     NUS and UP officials visit the UPSCALE Innovation Hub at the National Engineering Center, College of Engineering, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The UP delegation consisted of: President Danilo L. Concepcion; Regent Angelo A. Jimenez; Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose B. Bautista; Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia; Prof. Gil S. Jacinto, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs (International Linkages); Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili;  Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rica D. Abad, and also the director of the Office of Alumni Relations; Prof. Aura C. Matias, chairperson of the UP System TWG on Technology Entrepreneurship; Chancellor Michael L. Tan of UP Diliman; Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla of UP Manila; Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel R. Nemenzo, UP Diliman; Executive Director Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz of the National Institutes of Health; Executive Director Cynthia P. Saloma of the Philippine Genome Center; Director Adeline A. Pacia of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, UP Diliman; Director Lourdes Marie S. Tejero  of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, UP Manila; Prof. Jose Marie Abilay, Business Development manager of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, UP Los Baños; Director Concepcion P. Ponce  of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, UP Visayas; Dean Jose V. Camacho Jr.  of the Graduate School, UP Los Baños; and, UPSCALE Manager Jhaze Asuncion. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MBB alumna wins 2nd prize in Swedish Forskar Grand Prix – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mbb-alumna-wins-2nd-prize-in-swedish-forskar-grand-prix/",
        "html": "UP MBB alumna wins 2nd prize in Swedish Forskar Grand Prix UP MBB alumna wins 2nd prize in Swedish Forskar Grand Prix November 26, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    A University of the Philippines molecular biology and biotechnology graduate is making waves in the research world in Sweden.  Ms. Sophia Raine C. Hernandez, currently a Ph.D. student at the Umeå University in Sweden and working with the Bushell Lab at the Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, won second prize in the final heat of the Forskar Grand Prix (Researchers’ Grand Prix) held on November 25 in Stockholm. The title of her winning presentation? “Tackling Malaria by Looking at the Biology of Parasites.”     According to its English website, the Forskar Grand Prix is “a competition in which researchers in Sweden compete to find out who is best at presenting their research in just four minutes.” Participants qualify to compete in the final heat by winning in regional heats and two online heats. During the Grand Prix, seven finalists emerged. Among them, Hernandez qualified in the regional heat of Umeå, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and Umeå University/Curiosum Science Centre that took place in November 2020.  At last, in Stockholm, the finalists compete to determine who receives the honor of taking home the title. Communication and media researcher Michael Bossetta of Lund University won the championship, while Louise Karlsson of Halmstad University took third place as a researcher in stress-related diseases.  The scientist-superhero vs. malaria  Hernandez opened her presentation by admitting that she dreamed of becoming a superhero as a child. But when she grew up, she chose to become a scientist instead, since scientists, much like superheroes, work to protect humans from an array of villains. Only the villains, in this case, are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.  For Hernandez, her arch-nemesis would be the parasite Plasmodium, which causes malaria, one of the most severe public health problems worldwide. Malaria causes around half a million deaths each year and disproportionally affects developing countries. Knowing this, Hernandez made it her quest to defeat this super-villain of disease using science—by developing tools to study the essential genes of the parasites to try to get a better understanding of the parasite’s biology and provide valuable information to the development of ways to target the parasite such as therapeutics and vaccine design.  Watch Ms. Hernandez give her winning presentation here: https://youtu.be/aC7lwq4Wb2E?t=1604     Hernandez earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BS MBB), cum laude, from the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in UP Diliman.  In 2018, she and fellow UP MBB graduate Andrea Ong received the Sanger Prize, an outreach competition for undergraduate students who live in and study in low or middle-income countries. They joined the Wellcome Sanger Institute while they were both in their final year of undergraduate studies at UP.  UP NIMBB associate professor Dr. Denise Noelle Mirano-Bascos, Hernandez’s thesis adviser in UP, describes Hernandez in an email interview as “a student who was passionate about being a researcher.” Hernandez joined Dr. Bascos’ laboratory in her third year, then went on a student internship to the laboratory of Dr. Joseph DeRisi of the University of California-San Francisco for one summer.  “She finished her thesis in my lab on the sex-specific immune response of mice to immunization with malaria proteins and did a lot of good work,” Dr. Bascos recalled. Hernandez then became an instructor at the UP NIMBB for one year before going abroad for her graduate studies.  “Her supervisors at her internships enjoyed having her in their lab because she is very hardworking, reliable, and skilled in the laboratory. She is also very resourceful and independent. It doesn’t hurt either that she has such a wonderful personality and is so easy to get along with,” Dr. Bascos went on, sharing that Hernandez may have gotten her passion for scientific research from her mother, Dr. Christine Hernandez, associate professor of the UP Institute of Chemistry.  Dr. Richelle Duque Björvang, winner of the online heat  Ms. Hernandez was not the only UP alumna who impressed online audiences and an expert jury on how they presented their research in as engaging, educational, and easy-to-understand away as possible in just four minutes.  Ms. Richelle G. Duque Björvang also a BS MBB graduate of UP Diliman, magna cum laude, a graduate of the UP College of Medicine, and currently a Ph.D. student in the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, was one of the two finalists who emerged from this year’s online heat, Researchers’ Grand Prix Digital.  Held in September, the online heat had several thousand people rating the presentations of different contestants. When the online votes were combined with an expert jury, Louise Karlsson and Richelle Duque Björvang emerged as the winners. Karlsson would later go on to place third in the Forskar Grand Prix.  Björvang’s research delved into the relationship between exposure to chemicals and women’s fertility. According to the Forskar Grand Prix website, she is also looking forward to the experts’ feedback to help her become better at communicating her research, and considered the competition a “good platform for me to raise awareness on how chemicals affect women’s health.”  With reports from the UP OAR "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ricardo P. Babaran installed as 10th chancellor of UPV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ricardo-p-babaran-installed-as-10th-chancellor-of-upv/",
        "html": "Ricardo P. Babaran installed as 10th chancellor of UPV Ricardo P. Babaran installed as 10th chancellor of UPV August 30, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dr. Ricardo P. Babaran was formally installed as the 10th chancellor of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) on August 29 at the UPV Little Theater, Iloilo City Campus. He has assumed office on November 1, 2017 and is serving a three-year term.     Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran receives the mace from President Danilo L. Concepcion.     President Danilo L. Concepcion affixes the medallion on Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran along with CHED-OIC and UP BOR Chair Prospero De Vera.     Babaran is a faculty member of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences where he also earned his BS Fisheries degree. He graduated with the MS Engineering degree from the University of Washington and earned his Ph.D. in Fisheries Science at Kagoshima University in Japan.  Among others, the Chancellor has started steering the University towards the following agenda:  • strengthening academic programs; • strengthening institutional synergy with similar institutions for agriculture, and fisheries research and sustainability; • strengthening international institutional linkages; • integrating health and wellness agenda into the university’s operational policies to address apparently high incidence of cancer cases and other diseases among faculty and staff ; • laying the groundwork for supporting the emerging bid of UPV Tacloban College to become the 9th constituent university of UP; and • facilitating the construction and renovation of structures in UPV’s three campuses.     Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran (7th from right) with the UP Board of Regents and UP officials     CHED-OIC Prospero De Vera and UP President Danilo Concepcion led the investiture rites which was attended by the members of the UP Board of Regents, UP officials, SUC Presidents, government officials, faculty, staff, students, alumni, fishers; and various stakeholders. (With reports from Lyncen M. Fernandez, UPV Information and Publications Office) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MBB summa cum laude wins 2017 Sanger Institute Prize in Cambridge UK – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mbb-summa-cum-laude-wins-2017-sanger-institute-prize-in-cambridge-uk/",
        "html": "UP MBB summa cum laude wins 2017 Sanger Institute Prize in Cambridge UK UP MBB summa cum laude wins 2017 Sanger Institute Prize in Cambridge UK July 19, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Ryan Timothy Yu, who recently graduated summa cum laude (BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) from the University of the Philippines Diliman, was chosen winner of the 2017 Sanger Institute Prize in Cambridge, United Kingdom.  The Sanger Prize is an annual international competition open to undergraduates from low- to upper-middle-income countries. Mr. Yu was declared winner by the Sanger Prize trustees after a two-step screening process, the last one of which entailed submission of a lengthy essay on single molecule sequencing that is formatted following the style of the high-impact scientific journal Nature Reviews.  As part of his prize, Ryan gets to choose a laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (Genome Campus) in Cambridge, UK, in which to do a 3-month internship. All his expenses, including visa costs, flights, accommodation and reasonable living expenses will be paid for by the Sanger Institute.  The 2015 winner of the prize was also from the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in UP Diliman –  Liezel Tamon, herself a summa cum laude graduate and is now doing her MSc/PhD at the Max Planck Research School for Molecular Biology in Goettingen, Germany. Both Ryan and Liezel come from the Disease Molecular Biology and Epigenetics Laboratory (DMBEL).  Ryan Timothy Yu wins the 2017 Cambridge Sanger Institute Prize (Photo by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and UP Diliman Information Office)  Mr. Yu has presented his 2-year research on NRAS mutations in colorectal cancer in three international conferences, namely: the 13th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG) in Kyoto, the 2016 International Conference of the Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (ICKSMCB) in Seoul, and the 25th International Conference of the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila.  Table (clockwise from front): Mia Baquirin-Reisland, Aileen Uy, Isabelle Viola, Dr. Rey Garcia, Krizelle Mae Alcantara, Dr. Dennis Sacdalan, Charles John Uy, Jana Quismundo, Andrea Ong, Kim Quililan, Aeiou Martija, Lech Havel Tizon. Back Table (clockwise from left): Sarah Coralde, Jonathan Chan, Ryan Timothy Yu, Daniel Paul Uy, Tiffany Ong, Joshua Malapit, JM Sytangco, Carmela Cruz, Kent Canlas, Kenneth Roquid, Sidney Chua, Carlo Cristobal, Charles Christopher Bataclan, Arman Ghodsinia, J-Ann Marie Lego.(Photo by Dr. Rey Garcia)  The prize caps a successful academic year for DMBEL which has won a total of ten awards for the university in one year: Sanger Institute Prize (Ryan Timothy Yu), 25th FAOBMB Youth Science Forum (first place, Arman Ghodsinia), four Sigma-Aldrich Excellent Poster Awards in different categories at the 2016 ICKSMCB (Krizelle Mae Alcantara, Kenneth Anthony Roquid, Carmela Rieline Cruz and Daniel Paul Uy), two Best Poster Awards at the 25th FAOBMB (jointly for co-authors Marian Abigaile Manongdo, Charles Christopher Bataclan, Kenneth Anthony Roquid and Jose Lorenzo Ferrer), Philippine representative to the 2016 Novartis International Biocamp in Switzerland (Joshua Reginald Malapit), and Philippine representative to Global Biotech Revolution’s  2017 GapSummit in Washington, D.C. (Fidel Emmanuel Serrano). (Frances Fatima M. Cabana, MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Kalinangang UP, Kalinangang Bayan: 115th Foundation Day of the University of the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kalinangang-up-kalinangang-bayan-115th-foundation-day-of-the-university-of-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Kalinangang UP, Kalinangang Bayan: 115th Foundation Day of the University of the Philippines Kalinangang UP, Kalinangang Bayan: 115th Foundation Day of the University of the Philippines June 18, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines celebrates its 115th Foundation Day Anniversary today, June 18, 2023.  With over a century of service to the nation, the University has among its alumni the leaders of the country and servants of the people in education, research, politics, business, sports, culture, and the arts.  This music video pays tribute to the immeasurable contribution of the University’s artists to the shaping of the soul of the country as well as the nourishment of its mind and spirit.  Mabuhay ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas! Patuloy na naglilingkod sa Sambayanan! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA staging “MarAwit… Awit para sa Marawi” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-staging-marawit-awit-para-sa-marawi/",
        "html": "UPAA staging “MarAwit… Awit para sa Marawi” UPAA staging “MarAwit… Awit para sa Marawi” February 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Sigma Rho Fraternity Alumni Council, is staging a concert entitled “MarAwit… Awit para sa Marawi” on February 27, 2018 (Tuesday), 6:00 p.m., at Cine Adarna of the UP Film Institute in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The project is intended to raise funds towards the education of the afflicted children of Marawi City in the wake of its recently ended occupation by Maute Group-ISIS rebels.  The MarAwit concert will highlight the three most awarded and internationally acclaimed choral groups of the University and the country, namely:  –          The U.P. Concert Chorus  –          The U.P. Madrigal Singers  –          The U.P. Singing Ambassadors  Ticket prices are P3,000, P2,000, and P1,000 – available at the UPAA Secretariat at Rm. 211, 2nd Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City; Tels. 920-6868 and 920-6871; email: upalumn@yahoo.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Three UP alumni named among the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/three-up-alumni-named-among-the-2021-metrobank-foundation-outstanding-filipinos/",
        "html": "Three UP alumni named among the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos Three UP alumni named among the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos August 11, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Three University of the Philippines alumni, two educators and one soldier, are among the ten 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos. The ten awardees were introduced at a virtual press conference held on August 6.  The two UP alumni who received the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Teachers are: Dr. Iris Thiele Isip-Tan, who graduated from the UP Diliman College of Science and the UP Manila College of Medicine, where she teaches now; and, Dr. Maria Minerva V. Patawaran-Calimag, who earned her Master of Science in Epidemiology (Clinical Epidemiology) from the UP College of Medicine and is currently a professor at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.  Colonel Augusto N. Padua, on the other hand, is one of the recipients of the 2021 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Award for Soldiers. He earned his Master of Management degree from the UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga and is currently Executive Officer, Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Operations, A-3, of the Philippine Air Force.  According to the Metrobank Foundation website, the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos is “a career-service award for Filipino exemplars in the academe, military, and police sectors”. The four teachers, three soldiers, and three police officers chosen will each be awarded a cash prize of PhP 1 million, a golden medallion, and “The Flame” trophy during the conferment ceremonies on September 2 as part of Metrobank’s 59th anniversary celebration.  “As a community held together by hope especially during these turbulent times, may we derive inspiration from the awardees’ example,” Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña is quoted as saying. “The entire nation continues to be at a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation is still evolving. During this extended period of unease, we are fortunate to be inspired by the dedication of public servants and front liners who are steadfast in their mission.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA, IPO celebrate National Intellectual Property Month – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-ipo-celebrate-national-intellectual-property-month/",
        "html": "UPAA, IPO celebrate National Intellectual Property Month UPAA, IPO celebrate National Intellectual Property Month April 6, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Since 2017, April has been celebrated as the National Intellectual Property Month by virtue of Proclamation No. 190 signed last April 4, 2017 in view of international celebrations on intellectual property such as the World Book and Copyright Day and the World Intellectual Property Day.  In this light, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association is inviting everyone to attend a series of events organized in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines.  The three-day celebration from April 17-19 with the theme Itaguyod ang Yamang Isip Tungo sa Kaunlaran will feature an exhibition of Philippine indigenous works, contemporary visual arts, publications and live performances in music and dance. The event will be held at the UP Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman.  Full lineup of events for the week-long celebration of the Intellectual Property Rights Month organized by the UP Alumni Association with the Intellectual Property Office     For more information, contact the UP Alumni Association Secretariat at 920 6868 and 920 6871 or email them at upalumn@yahoo.com.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA honors UP health frontliners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-honors-up-health-frontliners/",
        "html": "UPAA honors UP health frontliners UPAA honors UP health frontliners December 21, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP-PGH health frontliners. A screenshot from the Livestream of the UPAA 2020 Awards Ceremony on the TVUP YouTube channel.  The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) chose to give only one distinction during its 2020 Distinguished Alumni Awards. UPAA honored all health frontliners from UP for “their heroic service to the Filipino nation in its hour of direst need, the coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the world in 2020 and which continues to this day.”  In a virtual program on December 11, 2021, Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi represented the 4,600 employees of the hospital. The Philippine Nurses Association President Melbert Reyes responded, representing UP’s allied medical practitioners. UPLB Artist-in-Residence Luis Enano “Junyee” Yee Jr. designed this year’s UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award trophy, with UP Professor Emeritus Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. writing the citation.  Legaspi said PGH had treated more than 7,300 moderate to severe cases as a COVID-19 referral center.  UP PGH Director Gap Legaspi accepted the award on behalf of the UP health frontliners. A screenshot from the Livestream of the UPAA 2020 Awards Ceremony on the TVUP YouTube.  “Having only this award for 2020 is intended to highlight the immeasurable value of their achievement during this severe national crisis and their commitment to the UP tradition of excellence and service even at great personal risk,” UPAA Board Secretary Pacita Gavino said.  The citation recognized the awardees “for giving freely of their expertise in whatever capacity and to their utmost ability to alleviate the suffering of their fellow human beings at great personal risk and cost above and beyond the call of duty.” It added that “No finer example of honor and excellence can be found than the patriotic dedication and professional competence that these thousands of UP health frontliners all over the world exhibited during the crisis.”  UPAA President Reynaldo Laserna and UP President Danilo Concepcion. Screenshots from the livestream of the UPAA 2020 Awards Ceremony on the TVUP YouTube channel  The awards ceremony featured tributes to the awardees by UPAA President and UP Regent Reynaldo Laserna, UPAA 2nd Vice President Romy Nones, UP President Danilo Concepcion; and the UP Symphony Orchestra performing with the UP Madrigal Singers, UP Concert Chorus, UP Staff Chorale, Auit Vocal Ensemble, and other artists from UP.  The Department of Science and Technology Bamboo Rondalla performed the national anthem, and UPAA Treasurer Director Amroussi Rasul recited doxologies. UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili was the master of ceremonies. TVUP produced the program under the direction of Prof. Grace Javier Alfonso.  The UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards used to be the highlight of the annual UPAA Grand Alumni Homecoming and Reunion, which has been postponed in the wake of the pandemic. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban Celebrates Literature Month – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-celebrates-literature-month/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban Celebrates Literature Month UP Tacloban Celebrates Literature Month April 7, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) celebrates Literature Month 2021 with the theme “Quinientos Katuig nga Pagsurat han Filipino nga Kalibutan.”  The month-long celebration coincides with the quincentenary of the first circumnavigation of the world. Included in the schedule of events are literary discourses, a dramatic performance, and a storytelling session.        Tsika-LIT, the first feature, is a continuation of the literary conversations started as part of UP Tacloban’s celebration of National Arts Month (February). The Tsika-LIT episode for Literature Month will feature students from the BA Communication Arts (BACA) program discussing selected poems. It will be broadcasted via Bátì UP Tacloban, the college’s community internet radio.  Next is a conversation about the idea of “history as literature” with insights drawn from the MA thesis of Assistant Professor Efmer E. Agustin. This third “Mana-bana” episode of Bátì UP Tacloban, entitled “The Marvelous: History and Literature”, is part of the conversation series Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura, one of Bátì’s essential programs.  On the third week of April, the celebration will spotlight an experimental mediatized verbatim theatre performance. “XXX-sakto nga mga Pulong,” directed by Assistant Professor Popo T. Amascual engages with the elements of a theatrical form to expose stories of online harassment. This show will involve students’ talents taking the Theatre Arts strand of the BACA program.  Rounding out the Literature Month celebration is “Susumaton,” a pre-recorded storytelling by the students of the Literature 170 (Waray Literature) class of Assistant Professor Jessa A. Amarille. The presentation illuminates the importance of oral narratives, including local myths, legends, and folk tales, which the students retrieved and documented themselves.  The official social media account of the Division of Humanities will serve as the primary platform for this series of events. As we continue to navigate these trying times, celebrating the arts is certainly one way to keep us afloat.  Article by PT Amascual. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban launches Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura (History, Heritage, Culture) Conversation Series – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-launches-kaagi-kabilin-kultura-history-heritage-culture-conversation-series/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban launches Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura (History, Heritage, Culture) Conversation Series UP Tacloban launches Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura (History, Heritage, Culture) Conversation Series April 13, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On 16 March 2021, UP Visayas Tacloban College launched the Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura (History, Heritage, Culture) Conversation Series through its community internet radio Bátì UP Tacloban with “Reflections on Eastern Visayas in the Quincentennial Commemorations,” a conversation between Dr. Rolando Borrinaga, a prominent historian of Eastern Visayas, and UP Tacloban faculty member Mars Edwenson Briones. The series is part of UP Tacloban’s participation in the Quincentennial Commemorations of the Philippine leg in the first circumnavigation of the world, the victory at Mactan, and the birth of Christianity in the Philippines.     Watch the replay of this episode on Bátì UP Tacloban’s Facebook page.     Dr. Borrinaga ruminated on the first encounter between Filipino natives and Spaniards in Homonhon Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, and the events following this encounter. The conversation was streamed exactly 500 years after Ferdinand Magellan’s first sighting of Samar island. The following day, on 17 March 1521, Magellan’s expedition disembarked at Homonhon, setting foot on Philippine soil for the first time.  Dr. Borrinaga has contributed to the Quincentennial Commemorations through his research and “revisionist papers” on the encounter in Homonhon, which he said has been obfuscated by errors and a hoax. Dr. Borrinaga’s studies show that that the first Easter Sunday mass in the Philippines happened in western and not in southeastern Limasawa. The Mojares panel has upheld this finding and endorsed his recommendation to adopt western Limasawa as the site of the first Easter Sunday mass in the country.  Dr. Borrinaga also explained the theme of the Quincentennial Commemorations, which is “Victory and Humanity.” The word “victory” refers to Lapulapu’s triumph in the Battle of Mactan while the word “humanity” refers to the Filipino natives’ compassion and magnanimity towards the ailing and famished crew of Magellan in Homonhon. Dr. Borrinaga fleshed out Spanish historian Antonio Pigafetta’s account of this encounter with the explanation that the natives generously offered coconuts and honey, which were abundant in the island, to Magellan and his crew to restore their health. The conversation with Dr. Borrinaga also explored early Spanish cartography of Eastern Visayas, toponyms, and some of their phonetic and spelling changes through time.        The second episode of the Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura Conversation Series airs on 15 April 2021 with UP Tacloban faculty member Asst. Professor Efmer E. Agustin as the featured scholar. The title of the episode is “The Marvelous: History and Literature.” It is one the activities in UP Tacloban’s 2021 National Literature Month celebration, which is led by the Division of Humanities and which bears the theme “Quinientos Katuig nga Pagsurat han Filipino nga Kalibutan” (500 Years of Writing the Filipino World). Drawing on the writings of the 17th century Jesuit missionary and historian Father Francisco Ignacio Alcina, the conversation with Prof. Agustin will explore the literary aspects of writing history, which could encourage a more critical and contemplative approach to history and historiography.  The first and second episodes of the Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura Conversation Series are in the form of mana-bánà or speculations about themes or ideas in and about Philippine history, heritage, and culture. In June 2021, Bátì UP Tacloban will add another episode to the series this time in the form of a roundtable discussion among local scholars, religious leaders, and cultural workers about the Santo Niño de Tacloban, whose feast is annually celebrated on June 30. The episode will also serve as the launching of the online exhibition “Santo Niño, Bendísyuni: Images and Narratives of the Holy Child in Eastern Visayas.” Featuring photos and oral narratives about Santo Niño sculptures from different parts of the region, the exhibition is also part of UP Tacloban’s contribution to the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.  The launching episode of the Kaagi, Kabilin, Kultura (History, Heritage, Culture) Conversation Series is available online at https://www.facebook.com/BatiUPTacloban/videos/491725412212462    "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/are-the-covid-19-vaccines-safe/",
        "html": "“Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?” “Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?” January 26, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu       While the development and deployment of new vaccines for the management of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, offer protection primarily for health frontliners and high-risk populations, concerns over the safety and efficacy of these vaccines should be addressed by all stakeholders, especially since clinical trials are still on-going. Correct information on the different vaccines, processes for ensuring safety, how immunity is attained by people in different environments, what side effects and adverse reactions may be expected, and other related issues, should be discussed by health experts to foster public confidence on the science at work.  The upcoming webinar, “Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?”, to be held on Friday, 29 January 2021, 12 noon, will tackle the benefits of vaccination for health workers as well as their families and patients. Since they are among the first ones who will receive the vaccine, they must be assured of their safety, efficacy and protection, as well as that of their families, patients, and co-workers.  Dr. Antonio Dans of the UP College of Medicine and the Philippine General Hospital will discuss processes for ensuring safety; while Dr. Eric Tayag of the Department of Health will explain the benefits of inoculation. Dr. Anna Ong Lim, infectious disease expert from UP PGH, will present her reactions on the topics under deliberation.  Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, UP Executive Vice President and Special Adviser for the National Task Force on COVID-19, and Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila, will also join this special online event.  The webinar series, “Stop Covid Deaths”, is organized by UP in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Heatlth-National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP PGH.  To participate in this webinar, sign up at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar38. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Where are we in COVID-19 vaccination? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/where-are-we-in-covid-19-vaccination/",
        "html": "Where are we in COVID-19 vaccination? Where are we in COVID-19 vaccination? January 20, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       Less than a year after COVID-19 spread across the globe, vaccines for emergency use against the disease have been rolled out in some countries. The urgency to inoculate drove the development of these vaccines at an unusual speed.  But where is the Philippines in the global race for COVID-19 vaccination?  Unauthorized inoculations have been reported and divulged. COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination have elicited numerous opinions from experts and the public, from pricing to supply, from delivery to deployment, from storage to local use. Social platforms continue to be peppered with strongly worded, heated discussions on issues surrounding COVID-19 vaccines and their use.  Ultimately, there is one government agency we should all be looking to for answers. And that is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency tasked to authorize and regulate vaccine use in the Philippines.  At this time of pandemic, the FDA is also in the unenviable position of having to allay fears and apprehensions, and deal with the pressure of speeding up its approval processes, while still upholding scientific standards for safety and effectiveness.  Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo, FDA Director General and Department of Health Undersecretary, will be on the hot seat to talk about the official status of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.  Listen to him in the 37th Stop COVID Deaths webinar, “Are We Ready for the COVID-19 Vaccines?” as he walks us through vaccine approval and the varying scenarios for use in different sectors.  The online event happens on January 22 at noon via Zoom. Register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar37 to get updates from the FDA chief himself on the different COVID-19 vaccines that have been applied for emergency use in the Philippines.  Reactors to Domingo’s presentation will be: Dr. Franco Felizarta, a UP alumnus and an infectious disease and internal medicine specialist in California, USA who has received the COVID-19 vaccine; Ayala Healthcare President and CEO Paolo Maximo Borromeo; and, veteran journalist Roby Alampay, also a co-anchor on One News’ The Chiefs and founder and CEO of PumaPodcast. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP opens college applications for AY 2022-2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-opens-college-applications-for-ay-2022-2023/",
        "html": "UP opens college applications for AY 2022-2023 UP opens college applications for AY 2022-2023 October 26, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     The University of the Philippines College Application 2022 (UPCA2022) is now open.  Please visit the UP Office of Admissions’ website to access the Application Portal. Applicants are required to read the General Information Bulletin before filing their application.  Deadline for submission of all application documents is November 30, 2021. "
    },
    {
        "title": "University Councils deliberate on suspending UPCAT for the 2023 intake – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-councils-deliberate-on-suspending-upcat-for-the-2023-intake/",
        "html": "University Councils deliberate on suspending UPCAT for the 2023 intake University Councils deliberate on suspending UPCAT for the 2023 intake August 12, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Quezon Hall. UP Diliman. UP Media and Public Relations Office file photo.  UP’s University Councils are now deliberating on the possible suspension of the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for AY 2023-2024.  In a special meeting held on August 3, 2022, the members of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC) of the University of the Philippines (UP), which includes the Chancellors of UP’s eight constituent universities, agreed to discuss in their respective University Council meetings the proposal of the Office of Admissions to suspend the administration of the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for first-year admission in Academic Year 2023-2024.  According to Office of Admissions Director Francisco De Los Reyes, the proposal to suspend UPCAT for this year is in light of concerns about the public health situation. In addition, the University is facing the logistical challenges of ensuring the safety and well-being of the more than 100,000 applicants and around 1,600 personnel who will administer the test nationwide.  To date, deliberations on the suspension of the UPCAT for this year are ongoing in the eight UP constituent units—Baguio, Cebu, Diliman, Los Baños, Manila, Mindanao, Open University, and the Visayas. The University will make further UPCAT-related announcements after the UC discussions.  Aside from the Chancellors, the UP President’s Advisory Council members include the UP President and Vice Presidents of the UP System, the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, the Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the Executive Director of the UP Bonifacio Global City Campus.  The University Council, on the other hand, is the highest policy-making body of each UP constituent university within the UP System. It comprises the Chancellor, professors, associate professors, and assistant professors of each UP constituent unit. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP announces no UPCAT yet for AY 2022-2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-announces-no-upcat-yet-for-ay-2022-2023/",
        "html": "UP announces no UPCAT yet for AY 2022-2023 UP announces no UPCAT yet for AY 2022-2023 December 7, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Oblation at the UP Cebu South Road Properties. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  For the second year in a row, the University of the Philippines (UP) will not be administering its UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT) for AY 2022-2023. This is according to Memorandum No. OVPAA 2021-158 released by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on November 18, 2021.  The memo states that due to the “immense logistical challenge of administering UPCAT in the UP campuses and 95 testing centers throughout the archipelago while the trajectory of the pandemic remains uncertain,” the UP Office of Admissions made a motion to once again suspend the UPCAT for first-year student intake for the next academic year.  The University Councils across the UP System voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion. According to the UP Faculty Manual, the University Councils are the highest policy-making body of each UP constituent university (CU) composed of the Chancellor, professors, associate professors, and assistant professors of each CU.  For AY 2022-2023, the admissions model used by the UP Office of Admissions’ for the first-year student intake of AY 2021-2022 will be used.  According to the memo: “In light of this decision, the Admissions Scoring Model, which the Office of Admissions’ data scientists developed” and refined by “a working group of experts designated by their respective CUs” and that “the University Councils overwhelmingly approved in 2020, will continue to be used with some fine-tuning in the preprocessing and transmutation of grades that enter the model.”  Download and read the memo here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP explains the current admissions system – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-explains-the-current-admissions-system/",
        "html": "UP explains the current admissions system UP explains the current admissions system August 31, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The Office of Admissions in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman. UP MPRO File Photo.     While forgoing its college admissions test in light of the public health situation, the University of the Philippines (UP) assured the public its ad hoc admissions system is more closely analyzing the applicants’ high school performance so that “excellence and equity” are not compromised in accepting new students.  Excellence refers to choosing the best students for UP education. In contrast, equity refers to democratic access or “leveling the playing field” so that students’ profile reflects the socio-economic and geographic profile of the country.  Recently, several sectors have expressed apprehension over UP forgoing the test component of the UP college admissions system in favor of high school grades. Various sources, including a proposed Senate resolution, have asserted that the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT) is standardized among all aspirants and serves to level the playing field. High school grades, however, are affected by several factors, including different grading systems in different types of high school, teachers’ and schools’ standards, among others.  As an August 26, 2022 Senate press release said: “It is not the student-applicant’s fault that the high schools they attended do not have the habit of giving relatively higher grades. Without UPCAT, we are killing the dreams of these highly qualified students without giving them a chance.”  Prof. Franciso de los Reyes, data scientist and UP Office of Admissions director, said that both the old and the ad hoc system of UP admissions have always utilized high school grades as a basis for determining an applicant’s qualification for acceptance to the University. In the old system used in pre-pandemic times, the UPCAT was a component alongside the applicants’ high school general weighted average (GWA). Both are considered when generating the applicant’s UPG.  UPG refers to the University Predicted Grade, or the measure by which UP sets the cutoff between qualifiers and non-qualifiers. It is a prediction of how they would perform in UP.  As de los Reyes pointed out, in both the old admissions system with the UPCAT and the ad hoc admission system utilized during the COVID era, the applicants’ grades submitted by their high schools are transmuted and standardized into a figure that, based on previous records from the schools, cancels out factors such as grade inflation.  “Even during normal times, UP cancels out the difference in grading systems among high schools and regions,” he said. “It corrects the difference of grades between more austere schools and those that may have inflated grades. It deals with biases in grading through a system of transmutation and standardization,” he explained.  “These are biases UP can detect and rectify aided by its long experience of dealing with different kinds of high schools as it administered the admissions process through the years,” de los Reyes pointed out.  He emphasized that the shift to the ad hoc system in response to the pandemic was not a simple matter of removing the test part of the admissions system. While the UPCAT could not be administered for Academic Year (AY) 2022-2023, applicants’ high school performance would be considered through an admission score model that goes beyond obtaining the usual GWA for the computation of the UPG—an admission score model that was approved by the University Councils of the various UP constituent units.  “This is a model that went back to the high school records of 90,000 of UP’s past applicants down to each subject, and studied how these related to how they eventually performed in college,” de los Reyes said. “Using lessons from this study, we now utilize patterns and combinations of specific high school grades and other data instead of the UPCAT to come up with the UPG.”  Data science and intensive analysis conducted by UP data scientists inform each step of UP’s admission system. According to de los Reyes, a closer study of high school grades is enough to measure what the UPCAT is meant to—aptitude per subject—by scrutinizing the student-applicant’s performance in the different subjects and issues from year to year.  “As always, the UPG is then considered and weighed alongside the applicant’s kind of high school, their socio-economic status, and geographic location,” de los Reyes added.  He reported that the UP admissions system is constantly undergoing refinement. “The effect of the pandemic will have to be factored into UP’s admission system. Remote learning, suddenly imposed upon teachers and students, would have an impact on teaching, learning, and student performance that would vary immensely across different strata of society and affect the student’s chances at UP admission,” he pointed out.  According to UP, the shift to the ad hoc admissions system was studied by a multidisciplinary committee in 2020, which has a core group of 40 data scientists. It took the committee six months, beginning in November, to formulate and run the chosen model. The University Councils of each UP constituent unit finally approved the model in May 2021 on the strength of the scientific rigor and vetting that went into its development. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Return of the UPCAT in 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/return-of-the-upcat-in-2023/",
        "html": "Return of the UPCAT in 2023 Return of the UPCAT in 2023 September 22, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Oblation at the Oblation Plaza, UP Diliman. UP MPRO File Photo.     UP to hold UPCAT for first-year student intake in AY 2024-2025  The University of the Philippines (UP) will hold the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) in 2023 for first-year admission in Academic Year 2024-2025. This will be the first time the UPCAT will be held since 2020.  This was decided during a meeting on September 14, 2022, of UP’s President’s Advisory Council (PAC), which includes the President and the Vice Presidents of the UP System, the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, the Chancellors of UP’s eight constituent universities, the Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the Executive Director of the UP Bonifacio Global City Campus.  UPCAT 2024 will be held face-to-face on June 3 and 4, 2023, in almost a hundred testing centers nationwide. Those qualified to apply are current grade 11 students who are expected to graduate from senior high school at the end of AY 2023-2024. Successful applicants will be admitted in the First Semester of AY 2024-2025.  The application for UPCAT 2024 will open in March 2023. The early opening of applications for UPCAT 2024 and the holding of the UPCAT in June will ensure the timely release of results in light of the anticipated large increase in applications.  The University Councils (UCs), comprised of the Chancellor, professors, associate professors, and assistant professors of each UP constituent university, will meet to refine the details of the administration of UPCAT 2024.  In the meantime, the application period for the UP College Admission (UPCA) for AY 2023-2024 is ongoing. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) is back! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-college-admission-test-upcat-is-back/",
        "html": "The UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) is back! The UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) is back! February 15, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Admissions of the University of the Philippines has released an announcement on the conduct of the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024. Please read the announcement below.  For questions and clarifications, you may send a message to the Office of Admissions via this email address: upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph. You may also get in touch with them via their official Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Attention UP First-Year Applicants for AY 2021-2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/attention-up-first-year-applicants-for-ay-2021-2022/",
        "html": "Attention UP First-Year Applicants for AY 2021-2022 Attention UP First-Year Applicants for AY 2021-2022 February 15, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The online application portal for Form 1 will close at 11:59 p.m. tonight, 15 February 2021. The online portal for Form 2 submission will be live from 16 February to 5 March 2021.  The UP Office of Admissions is now initiating contact with the high schools, which is being done in batches. Applicants are advised to occasionally visit the portal to see if their school has already submitted their grades.  After the deadline of Form 2 submission on 5 March, the applicant will receive their Forms 1 and 2 as well as the acknowledgment receipt in PDF format.  For questions and concerns as well as additional information about application process, please message the UPCAT-U.P. System Facebook page.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Deadline for high schools to submit Form 2 for admission to UP extended to 15 April – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/deadline-for-high-schools-to-submit-form-2-for-admission-to-up-extended-to-15-april/",
        "html": "Deadline for high schools to submit Form 2 for admission to UP extended to 15 April Deadline for high schools to submit Form 2 for admission to UP extended to 15 April March 29, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines Office of Admissions (UP OAdms) has extended the deadline for the online submission of Form 2 by high schools with students applying to UP from 31 March to 15 April 2021.  This will be the ultimate deadline in order for the University to proceed with the processing of applications in time for the opening of Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022.  Slower rate of online submissions  The extension of the deadline for the online submission of Form 2 was made in light of the notices and requests from many high schools to further extend the period for the submission of the grades of their students applying to UP.  On top of the already considerable job of collating and submitting the grades of their student-applicants, high schools are also dealing with the impact of COVID-19. This has resulted in a slower rate of submissions due to modified work arrangements. The declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) over the National Capital Region (NCR) and four other provinces due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, and the localized lockdowns elsewhere in the country, are further contributing to the delays in data integration and quality check.  Among the 108,350 who applied for first-year admission to UP for the coming academic year, an estimated 32,200 Form 2 submissions are yet to come in. This is in spite of intensified efforts on the part of UP to assist the high schools by providing more Helpdesk volunteers and more Data Control personnel proactively reaching out to high schools to offer assistance, as well as the additional help given by the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinugod’s systemwide network.  Modified timeline  The UP OAdms’ newly modified timeline sets the final deadline of all UP first-year application requirements (both Form 1 and Form 2) on 15 April. Given the adjustments in the admissions process, the UP OAdms sets the most realistic time of release of qualified UP applicants on or before 15 July 2021.  As before, high schools that have not received any notification, have changed their registered email address, or are having difficulty with online submission are advised to contact dataproc.oadms@up.edu.ph as soon as possible.  Any inquiries, concerns and requests for assistance may also be coursed through the Online Helpdesk found in the UP Office of Admissions FB page. The Helpdesk is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP college application results for AY 2021-2022 to be released on 15 July – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-application-results-for-ay-2021-2022-to-be-released-on-15-july/",
        "html": "UP college application results for AY 2021-2022 to be released on 15 July UP college application results for AY 2021-2022 to be released on 15 July June 3, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For those applying as first-year students at the University of the Philippines for Academic Year 2021-2022, the results of the UP college application will be released on 15 July 2021.  Applicants must log on to the application portal to view the results of their applications. Qualified applicants must confirm their slot through the portal on or before 30 July 2021.  Inquiries, concerns and requests for assistance may also be coursed through the Online Helpdesk found in the UP Office of Admissions FB Page.  The Helpdesk is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP in final stage of assessing applications for AY 2021-22; some shortlisted applicants to be notified for additional requirements – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-in-final-stage-of-assessing-applications-for-ay-2021-22-some-shortlisted-applicants-to-be-notified-for-additional-requirements/",
        "html": "UP in final stage of assessing applications for AY 2021-22; some shortlisted applicants to be notified for additional requirements UP in final stage of assessing applications for AY 2021-22; some shortlisted applicants to be notified for additional requirements June 25, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) Office of Admissions is now in the final stage of assessing applications after evaluating more than 100,000 high school records. Shortlisted applicants in certain degree programs requiring additional assessment will be notified by the concerned academic unit for the additional requirements. As stated in the General Information Bulletin, the University Councils of the UP System unanimously approved an additional assessment by academic units to qualify for admission in some degree programs, if deemed necessary.  This is NOT yet the announcement of results for UP College Application 2021.  Shortlisted applicants shall be contacted by phone or email regarding the additional screening if needed in their application. Note that not all applicants will be contacted, only those in the shortlist of specific degree programs.  For applicants who do not receive a notification, please wait for July 15, 2021 to know the final result of your application. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Time slots set for accessing UP admission results on July 15 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/time-slots-set-for-accessing-up-admission-results-on-july-15/",
        "html": "Time slots set for accessing UP admission results on July 15 Time slots set for accessing UP admission results on July 15 July 12, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The results of applications for admission to the University of the Philippines (UP) for AY 2021-2022 will be released on July 15, 2021.  To manage online traffic, the UP Office of Admissions is encouraging applicants to visit the application portal according to the time slot corresponding to the first letter of their surname.  Time First letter of surname 8:00am – 10:59am A to F 11:00am – 1:59pm G to M 2:00pm – 4:59pm N to S 5:00pm – 7:59pm T to Z 8:00pm – 7:59am A to Z (free for all)  Applicants will need the username and password they used during the application period.  For applicants who changed their registered email, please notify the UP Office of Admissions of the changes through upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph or through the FB Online Helpdesk. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP college applicants reminded of UPG cutoff for appeals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-applicants-reminded-of-upg-cutoff-for-appeals/",
        "html": "UP college applicants reminded of UPG cutoff for appeals UP college applicants reminded of UPG cutoff for appeals July 19, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) Office of Admissions is reminding applicants for Academic Year 2021-2022 of the following UPG cutoffs for appeals per campus:  Campus                           UPG cutoff for Appeals UP Baguio                                    2.700 UP Cebu                                       2.700 UP Pampanga                              2.549 UP Diliman                      will not accept appeals UP IloIlo                                       2.700 UP Los Banos                               2.800 UP Manila                                    2.580 UP Tacloban                                 2.749 UP Mindanao                               2.800 Open U                                        2.800  Interested applicants are encouraged to file their appeal to the Office of the University Registrar of the target campus/constituent university. The email addresses are as follows:  UP Baguio – our.upbaguio@up.edu.ph UP Cebu – our.upcebu@up.edu.ph UP Diliman – our@upd.edu.ph / our.diliman@up.edu.ph UP Los Baños – our.uplb@up.edu.ph UP Manila – upm-our@up.edu.ph UP Mindanao – registrar.upmindanao@up.edu.ph UP Open University – registrar@upou.edu.ph UP Visayas – our.upvisayas@up.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tips on employment relations in telework, working from home & COVID-19 in webinar on December 3 and 4 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tips-on-employment-relations-in-telework-working-from-home-covid-19-in-webinar-on-december-3-and-4/",
        "html": "Tips on employment relations in telework, working from home & COVID-19 in webinar on December 3 and 4 Tips on employment relations in telework, working from home & COVID-19 in webinar on December 3 and 4 November 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Since COVID-19 has been running rampant across the world, many employees have withdrawn to their homes to work in order to help contain the virus. Teleworking enables them to fulfil work duties while avoiding personal contact with colleagues and preventing the spread of the disease. Although teleworking has long since been a common practice on a part-time or an occasional basis for some, shifting to working full-time in a home office poses a different challenge.  To shed some light upon the issues and challenges of working, teleworking and labor and employment relations in “the new normal”, the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) is organizing the 10th Asian Regional Congress of the International Labor and Employment Relations Association (ILERA), which will be held on line via Zoom on 3-4 December 2020.  This virtual conference on labor and employment relations in Asia assembles a distinguished panel of esteemed scholars who could help navigate the portal of new possibilities in the future of work and employment relations. Experts will share what is known so far about the architecture of emerging employment relations, with the view that the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a portal or a gateway to a new world that includes a more humane, innovative world of work and employment relations.  Interested participants may register at conference’s official website.  The program can be viewed here: for Day 1 and Day 2  The 10th ILERA Asian Regional Congress is sponsored by the International Labor and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) Executive Committee, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the UP Diliman Office of International Linkages, and the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.  For more information, visit the official website of the 10th ILERA Asian Regional Congress. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Intersections of infections: HIV amid the COVID pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/intersections-of-infections-hiv-amid-the-covid-pandemic/",
        "html": "Intersections of infections: HIV amid the COVID pandemic Intersections of infections: HIV amid the COVID pandemic September 14, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune cells, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. If left untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.  HIV is a major global public health issue, having claimed 40.1 million lives since 1981. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines had one of the highest rates of increase in HIV in the world.  What happened during the pandemic? Were HIV patients able to receive treatment and care during the lockdowns? Who is most at risk for HIV?  This Friday, September 16, from 12 noon to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This week’s “Stop COVID Deaths” episode, “HIV sa Panahon ng COVID-19”, will try to find the reasons behind the alarming spike of HIV cases in the country and focus on prevention and the role of front liners in reducing stigma around the disease.  These will all be discussed by a panel of experts: Dr. Sybil Lizanne R. Bravo, Division Chief of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Associate Professor with the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UP College of Medicine; Dr. Kate Leyritana, Medical Director of the Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines; Dr. Ricardo Manalastas, Jr., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UP Manila; and, Teresita Marie P. Bagasao, Project Director of Meeting Targets and Achieving Epidemic Control (EpiC)-HIV.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar features case of pregnant COVID-19 patient – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-features-case-of-pregnant-covid-19-patient/",
        "html": "UP webinar features case of pregnant COVID-19 patient UP webinar features case of pregnant COVID-19 patient November 26, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Experts will discuss the case of “A Pregnant COVID Survivor with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Post-Caesarian Section” in the 32nd in a webinar series presented by the University of the Philippines for health professionals dealing with COVID-19.  To be held on November 27, 2020, 12:00 nn to 2 PM, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar, and 14th of the first online medical grand rounds in the Philippines, will have as main resource persons Dr. Marvic Gabitan, a fellow of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) Department of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Dr. Judith Montero, a fellow of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UPM-PGH) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division of Infectious Diseases.  Dr. Maria Angela Bandola, a UPM-PGH Obstetrics Infectious Disease specialist, and Dr. Dennis Teo, an LCP Pulmonary Critical Care specialist, will be the discussants.  They will focus on the case of a 30-year-old nurse, at her 34th week of pregnancy, who was exposed to a COVID-19 patient, delivered the baby prematurely, and then developed sepsis.  “Based on what we know at this time, pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people,” the experts say. “Additionally, pregnant women with COVID-19 might be at increased risk for other adverse outcomes, such as preterm birth,” they add.  “Understanding the risk posed by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women can inform clinical practice, teaching, training, and public health communication,” according to the webinar brief. “Team approaches are needed when managing pregnant women who may have COVID exposure,” it added.  UP spearheads the webinar series in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the UPM National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UPM College of Medicine and the UPM-PGH.  Registration slots to the webinar are limited. Interested parties must sign up at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar32. "
    },
    {
        "title": "How is the Philippines responding to the Delta variant? UP Webinar asks – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-is-the-philippines-responding-to-the-delta-variant-up-webinar-asks/",
        "html": "How is the Philippines responding to the Delta variant? UP Webinar asks How is the Philippines responding to the Delta variant? UP Webinar asks July 22, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       With recent logs of more Delta variant or B.1.617.2 cases plaguing neighboring countries, fear and anxiety have yet to be quelled surrounding this variant that is known to be 50 percent more contagious than all the others and dubbed as “more aggressive and fatal”.  Considering this, the country may need to re-impose stricter guidelines and measures in order to contain its spread. As a follow-up to the previous episode, we shift gears and ask: How is the country’s health care system preparing for this? What is happening in the localities in the Philippines where this is reported? What are hospitals and health facilities doing to protect frontline workers? Are we looking at another possible surge?  Ultimately, are we ready? This is what this week’s installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, “READY NA BA TAYO? A Conversation on the COVID-19 Delta Variant”, will tackle.  Seven doctors from all over the country where new Delta variant cases have been reported will be presenting: Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama, Jr., Undersecretary of the Field Implementation and Coordination Team in Visayas and Mindanao; Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, head of the Biomolecular Laboratories at the Philippine Red Cross; Dr. Julius M. Drilon, Medical Center Chief of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod; Dr. Regina P. Berba, head of the Hospital Infection Control Unit at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH); and Dr. Vincent M. Balanag, Jr., Executive Director of the Lung Center of the Philippines.  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, will open the webinar, while UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will deliver her closing remarks as well as her synthesis.  You may register through this link bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar62.  The webinar may also be viewed on TVUP’s Youtube Channel  See you at 12NN on Friday, July 23, 2021. Stay informed and together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to investigate breakthrough COVID infections – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-investigate-breakthrough-covid-infections/",
        "html": "UP webinar to investigate breakthrough COVID infections UP webinar to investigate breakthrough COVID infections August 25, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    It has been proven that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 reduces the risk of hospitalization, severe illness, and even death. But we also cannot deny the fact that it doesn’t completely stop the virus from infecting us. The Delta variant has rapidly overtaken all other variants of concern. And with the rise of COVID-19 cases these past few weeks despite lockdowns and other government efforts, it is imperative to talk about breakthrough infections and how to ultimately stop them.  The University of the Philippines, in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  This Friday, August 27, at 12:00 noon, the episode will tackle “Breakthrough Infections: Bakunado na Ako, Bakit COVID (+) Ako Ngayon?” What are the risk factors that contribute to breakthrough infections? Are breakthrough infections among the vaccinated like infections among the unvaccinated? How can frontliners who are fully vaccinated continue to protect themselves from infection?  All these questions and more will be answered by the panelists: Dr. Regina P. Berba, Head of the Hospital Infection Control Unit at the Philippine General Hospital; Dr. Benilda B. Galvez, Retired Manager of the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Department of the Lung Center of the Philippines; and, Atty. Maria Anthonette C. Velasco, Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine Tourism Promotion Board.  Dr. Eric Tayag, Director for Knowledge Management Information Systems from Department of Health, will give the opening remarks while Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, Dean of the College of Medicine, will give the closing remarks.        Register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar67     Article by Deina Blancaflor "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Baguio research journal website launched – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-baguio-research-journal-website-launched/",
        "html": "UP Baguio research journal website launched UP Baguio research journal website launched June 1, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Visit UP Baguio’s The Cordillera Review website at www.thecordillerareview.upb.edu.ph.     The Cordillera Studies Center (CSC) of the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) launched in a virtual program online the website of its official research journal, The Cordillera Review (TCR), 17 May 2021.  Published through the Cordillera Studies Center (CSC), the TCR is a multidisciplinary refereed journal dedicated to studies on Philippine culture and society, with emphasis on research pertaining to the Cordillera region and Northern Luzon, Philippines. Dubbed as the Journal of Philippine Culture and Society, its first issue was released in March 2009 with Prof. Delfin Tolentino, Jr. as editor-in-chief.  With the newly-launched TCR website, the journal becomes an open-access electronic journal. According to CSC Director Dr. Ruth Tindaan, the launching is part of the reconfiguration of the TCR from print to an online-access journal that has been in the works within the center. This shift also transformed the publication into having an international editorial board. Pointing out the relevance of the project being timely especially with the implications to access to research materials brought about by the pandemic, Tindaan also emphasized the importance of widely disseminating scholarly works published in the TCR.  In the launching program, UPB Chancellor Dr. Corazon Abansi acknowledged the efforts and resources invested since the previous administration that made the TCR shift possible. The chancellor also stressed the goal of the TCR website of providing support to the academic and research community and a positive experience for all readers of the journal.  “This move also comes with the not insignificant benefit of reducing our environmental footprint,” Abansi added.  The website currently offers free-download access to the past issues of the TCR as well as functions for free sharing on social media to foster what Abansi pointed out as an opportunity to “transform from mere consumption to engagement”. This resonates with what Tindaan mentioned as among the aims of the TCR online to encourage opportunities of interaction among researchers and scholars through the platform.  Published biannually, the TCR welcomes submissions of studies and papers that contribute to the discourses on indigenous societies and Philippine culture in general. Information including the submission guidelines are available on the website at thecordillerareview.upb.edu.ph. Print copies of the previous TCR issues are still available from the CSC and its official online spaces.  Article by the UP Baguio Public Affairs/JL Lazaga & RN Gueco. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVIDIZATION 101: COVID-19 Updates in Baguio City and Potential Vaccines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covidization-101-covid-19-updates-in-baguio-city-and-potential-vaccines/",
        "html": "COVIDIZATION 101: COVID-19 Updates in Baguio City and Potential Vaccines COVIDIZATION 101: COVID-19 Updates in Baguio City and Potential Vaccines August 10, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Good news has been coming out of Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region, whose local government has been commended recently by a World Health Organization delegation for their local COVID-19 response and contact tracing strategy. Will there be more good news from the City of Pines about potential COVID-19 vaccines? Find out in the upcoming public webinar on “COVIDIZATION 101: A webinar on COVID-19 Update in Baguio City and Potential Vaccines,” with Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, head of the Baguio HSO Epidemiology Surveillance Unit, as guest speaker. The webinar, which is organized by the UP Baguio College of Science Lecture Series Committee and the UP Biology Society, will be held via Zoom on August 12, 2020 at 10:30 a.m.  Please pre-register via: https://up-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iA1rCliFQrOsk6B0AZcFog.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Abansi steps in as 3rd UPB chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/abansi-steps-in-as-3rd-upb-chancellor/",
        "html": "Abansi steps in as 3rd UPB chancellor Abansi steps in as 3rd UPB chancellor April 19, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       Dr. Corazon Abansi of the UP Baguio (UPB) Institute of Management (IM) has started her three-year term as the third UPB chancellor on April 14. She will serve until 13 April 2024. Prior to her appointment, she was Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of her predecessor, Dr. Raymundo Rovillos.  While UPB has been a constituent university for a little over 18 years, Abansi is only its third chancellor, as both Rovillos and UPB’s first chancellor, Dr. Priscilla Supnet Macansantos, served three consecutive terms. The UP Board of Regents approved Abansi’s selection to the constituent university’s top post in its 1359th meeting on March 25.  “Our vision of a resilient university is about adapting and thriving in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous circumstances,” Abansi stated in her vision paper, “Sëbang: Forging New and Old Pathways for a Resilient UP Baguio”. In an explanatory note, she said, “Sëbang is an Ibaloi term for the pathway a person creates towards the forest to hunt or construct farms on mountain slopes. In this vision paper for the Next Chancellor of UP Baguio (14 April 2021 to 13 April 2024), Sëbang connotes a pathway to construct a culturally rooted academic institution.”  She used the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, how it has “exposed gaps in our operations and forced us to deviate from our standard policies and usual processes”, to plan UPB’s direction in the next three years, even though many things are unknown, uncertain, and unpredictable about the post-pandemic future.  “Ours is a wake-up call to adapt and innovate, and frame challenges into opportunities to discover pathways to renew our pact with the faculty, students, staff, alumni, partners and the greater public,” Abansi said.  Abansi enumerated four pathways she intends to pursue: effective teaching and learning; multidisciplinary research and creative works; strong extension and public service; and, competent administration.  In the pathway to effective teaching and learning, she said that remote teaching and learning has moved from being an “emergency strategy” to an “organizational reality”. New ways of teaching and learning, therefore, must be inclusive and participatory. “Variants such as fully online, blended, or flexible learning will move across options throughout a student’s life and university years, and will continue on to the foreseeable future,” she said.  Abansi added that: the capabilities of the University Library and the Learning Resource Center will continue to be upgraded; academic programs will be reviewed, strengthened, and instituted; and, professional development of faculty will move toward “effective pedagogical methods in a remote learning scenario”.  In the pathway to multidisciplinary research and creative works, she welcomed the collective agreement among the colleges to propose the establishment of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension. She also said that apart from the Cordillera Research Center, her administration “will mobilize the Science Research Center and Innovation Hub. . . [as] a nexus that connects all the dots from thought to product, from imagination to reality, and from science to the community.”  To ensure the continued conduct of ethical research, “we will sustain the momentum of the Research Ethics Committee and look forward to the crafting of our own Code for Responsible Conduct of Research and the convening of our Research Ethics Review Committee or Board,” she stated.  The pathway to strong extension and public service will see the creation of the Social Innovation Laboratory and Business Inclusion or SILBI Center, one of the key components of the Innovation Hub. “This center will complete the downstream-upstream connections in the value chain and will build the capability of the community through short/certificate courses and training programs in entrepreneurship and in support of the creative industry,” Abansi explained.  She listed four major components in the pathway to competent administration: (1) digital infrastructure, where technology will continue to be leveraged as a tool to address the needs in administration, teaching, and learning, including the deployment of mental health services; (2) physical infrastructure, where “existing buildings and physical structures will be revisited to align use and maintenance programs given limited or zero residential students”; (3) administrative staff, REPS, and other support staff, where continuing professional development is essential, contractual employees will be prioritized in vacancies of regular items, and benefits of outsourced personnel that provide security and utility service will be given in accordance with existing laws; and, (4) management and leadership, which entails a review of the organization since its elevation to constituent university status in 2002 to adapt to evolving needs.  Abansi earned her BS in Agricultural Economics, major in Finance from UP Los Baños (UPLB) in 1980. Nine years later, she graduated with an MS in Agriculture Economics, major in Marketing, also from UPLB. In 1994, she finished another master’s degree, this time an MA in Economics, major in Environmental Economics from UP Diliman. She went back to UPLB and earned her PhD in Agricultural Economics, major in Natural Resource Economics in 1997.  In UPB, she served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 2015 to 2021, Director of Student Affairs from 2012 to 2015, and IM Director from 2011 to 2012. Before joining UPB, Abansi served as De La Salle University Lipa’s Vice-Chancellor for Academics and Research. In 2016, she was one of the recipients of CMO Asia’s Excellence Awards.  She was conferred the rank and title of UP Scientist I in 2018, held the One UP Professorial Chair for two consecutive terms from 2015 to 2017 and 2018 to 2021, and received multiple International Publication Awards as a productive UPB scholar. Abansi emphasized the importance of collaboration and multidisciplinarity and it is evident in her research work, not only with UP colleagues, but also with faculty and researchers from other universities. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Muling Pagsibol: Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Annual Report 2019-2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/muling-pagsibol-ugnayan-ng-pahinungod-annual-report-2019-2020/",
        "html": "Muling Pagsibol: Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Annual Report 2019-2020 Muling Pagsibol: Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Annual Report 2019-2020 October 20, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    ANG MULING PAGSIBOL. The Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/ Oblation Corps (UP/OC) releases its annual report to mark its first year of revitalization under the administration of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion.  Eighteen years after its systemwide devolution, Pahinungód was given a new lease on life in six UP constituent units– UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Diliman, UP Mindanao, UP Open University, and UP Visayas. These new Pahinungód offices join the 26-year-old Ugnayan ng Pahinungód offices in UP Manila and UP Los Baños as they celebrate another year of public service to the nation.  Read the annual report here.  Here are some highlights from Pahinungód’s first year. #MagPahinungod    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Music for the City of Pines: UP Symphony Orchestra in Baguio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/music-for-the-city-of-pines-up-symphony-orchestra-in-baguio/",
        "html": "Music for the City of Pines: UP Symphony Orchestra in Baguio Music for the City of Pines: UP Symphony Orchestra in Baguio November 18, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       On December 2, 2022, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) will make its debut performance at the summer capital of the Philippines.  Tagged as the orchestra for the people or Orkestra ng Bayan, UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra for the University.  They maintain a roster of 65 members exclusively from the alumni, students, faculty, and staff of all UP campuses. They have been under the direction of Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo since their inception in August 2018.  From left: soprano Kay Balajadia, tenor Glenn Gaerlan, and flutist Raymond Sarreal. Photos from UP Symphony Orchestra.     In celebration of the city, UPSO will be joined by local Baguio talents: soprano Kay Balajadia and the “Pavarotti of Baguio,” tenor Glenn Gaerlan. The orchestra will also feature its very own principal flute player, Raymond Sarreal, as a soloist.  The concert program will include Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Ramon Tapales’ Philippine Suite, Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No. 4, Cécile Chaminade’s Flute Concertino, plus a selection of popular tunes and holiday music to spread the joy and cheer of the season.  UPSO’s performance is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the elevation of UP Baguio as the 7th constituent unit of the UP System. It also comes at the tail end of the investiture ceremonies of UP Baguio’s chancellor, Dr. Corazon L. Abansi, scheduled on the morning of the same day. Dr. Abansi formally began her term on April 14, 2021, but had to delay her investiture due to pandemic concerns.  Catch UPSO at the Baguio Convention Center on Friday, December 2, 2022, at 5 pm! The concert is free, with limited seating available. Contact Elena at 0977-809-2139 for tickets and more information. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and PhilHealth to host first Virtual International Conference on medical education in the time of the pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-philhealth-to-host-first-virtual-international-conference-on-medical-education-in-the-time-of-the-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP and PhilHealth to host first Virtual International Conference on medical education in the time of the pandemic UP and PhilHealth to host first Virtual International Conference on medical education in the time of the pandemic October 8, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), is intensifying its role in the fight against COVID-19 through the first Virtual International Conference on Medical Education in the Time of the Pandemic. This webinar is scheduled on October 9, 2020, Friday, and interested parties may register via bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar25.  Part 1 of the conference-webinar aims to examine the capabilities of the country and the world in health service delivery and the training of doctors and other health professionals during the pandemic. When each one in healthcare facilities is tasked to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all necessary precautions are taken, contributing to delays and difficulties in both COVID and non-COVID related cases. Services for other medical and surgical conditions may also go unserved. The pandemic also highlights the importance of producing more medical professionals who are able to serve more patients.  Presentors during the conference-webinar are: Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations of the UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH); Prof. Alfred Kow Wei Chieh, Assistant Dean of Education of the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Medicine; and, Prof. Shahrul Bahyah, Postgraduate Training for Internal Medicine, and COVID Coordinator for the University of Malaya. They will shed light on how medical training institutions are dealing with the challenges brought about by the pandemic as it disrupted the training of health professionals and services in hospitals.  Conference reactors include: Dr. Vincent De Leon, Chief Resident of the Department of Radiation Oncology of The Medical City in Ortigas, and President of the Medical City Fellows and Residents Organization; Dr. Madonna L. Aujero, Resident at the Department of ENT-HNS of the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, Philippines; and, Dr. Edward Christopher Dee, from the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.  Also joining the conference to deliver important messages to the participants are: Hon. Jose Y. Cueto, Jr., of the Philippine Regulatory Commission; Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila; and Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of UP College of Medicine.  This historic conference is part of the Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series jointly produced by UP, PhilHealth, and UP Manila National Institutes of Health National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP College of Medicine and UP-PGH. Past webinars may be viewed in the YouTube channel of TVUP, UP’s Internet television (webcast) network. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eng’g alumni keep on supporting future engineers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/engg-alumni-keep-on-supporting-future-engineers/",
        "html": "Eng’g alumni keep on supporting future engineers Eng’g alumni keep on supporting future engineers October 24, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Alumni donors and officers of the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI). Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     At the reception hosted by University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion, together with officials of the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE) and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI), alumni of the CoE who donated professorial chairs and new books to support the nation’s future engineers expressed their commitment and gratitude to the University. The donors received Sundial Plaques as tokens of appreciation from UP. The event was held at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City on October 22, 2019.  UPERDFI Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr. acknowledged the donors for providing an additional six professorial chairs for CoE, the second batch the College received for the year: CleanTech Global Renewables, Inc. Professorial Chair in Renewable Energy; Legazpi Premium Development Corporation Professorial Chair in Engineering; Fortunato Tanseco de la Peña Professorial Chair in Productivity Engineering; Renato M. Tanseco Chair in Mechanical Engineering; Ma. Divina Cruz Casillan Professorial Chair in Chemical Engineering; and, Dr. Ruben A. Garcia Professorial Chair in Energy Engineering; as well as  funds for the production, marketing and promotion of ES 101 textbooks written by UP Institute of Civil Engineering faculty.  CoE Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg said the event marks an auspicious start for his term as the new dean. He said 126 of the total CoE faculty members have been awarded professorial chairs for academic year 2017-2018, and 145 for 2019. He added that the College already has 199 professors eligible to apply for professorial chairs. “We continue to seek help for donations for thesis, research grants, and scholarships. Your gifts to the college will bear fruit. . . (para sa) teknolohiyang makakatulong sa mas maraming Pilipino, para sa mas maunlad na bansa (by making technology serve more Filipinos, towards the goal of attaining a more developed nation),” he said.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion thanks the donors and shares inspiring stories of how UP alumni associations abroad also provide support to their alma mater. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP Pres. Concepcion commended the alumni donors for their unwavering support, especially since UP is the nation’s leading research university.  He encouraged the alumni to reach out to fellows abroad, to form alumni associations, to continue supporting the University through donations, to teach short but intensive courses in UP, and to help in the internationalization efforts of the University.     Legazpi Premium Development Corporation President Jose Go Rañola. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Jose Go Rañola, the president of the Legazpi Premium Development Corporation and an advocate for blind people, said he wants to encourage engineering students in providing assistive technology in the Philippines.     Automated Technology Philippines, Inc. (ATECPHIL) President Vincent O. Abella. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Vincent O. Abella, the president of the Automated Technology Philippines, Inc. (ATECPHIL), honored the company’s founder and chairman, Renato “Rene” M. Tanseco  (Mechanical Engineering Class of 1959) with the donation of the class. Abella hopes “that future engineers will have a successful career and contribute to building the nation.”  A donor and a chair honoree, Renato “Rene” M. Tanseco, said he named a professorial chair after his cousin, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato “Boy” Tanseco de la Peña.     Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato “Boy” Tanseco de la Peña. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     De la Peña, who earned a  Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1969, an MS in Industrial Engineering in 1976, and a PhD honoris causa in 2018, warmly acknowledged his “Kuya Rene’s” gift to the College as a “unique honor”. “I assure you that we will continue to support UP,” he said.  De la Peña also serves as adviser of the UPERDFI.     Engr. Marcelo M. Casillan, Jr. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Marcelo M. Casillan, Jr., a UPERDFI adviser, Tanseco’s classmate in ME ’59, and long-time patron to the College, donated two professorial chairs: one in honor of his departed wife, Ma. Divina Cruz  (BS Chemical Engineering 1960, MS ChE 1968; and the other, in memory of Dr. Ruben A. Garcia who served as CoE dean from 1985 to 1991. “For the love of UP, we really have to give back our blessings,” Casillan said. A representative of the Garcia family added that they, too, are grateful for the opportunity to help the nation’s future engineers.     Engr. Renato “Rene” R. Bello. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Renato “Rene” R. Bello (Industrial Engineering Class of 1975) and Carmen Viola Fernando Seriña, donated funds for the production of the new ES 101 book set. Rosario “Chato” Calderon, also a previous donor for projects and of a professorial chair, provided funds for the marketing and promotion of the books. Bello affirmed that this is their way of giving back to the University, providing inspiration to the youth, and contributing to the nation.     Dr. Iris Ann Martinez of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, UP College of Engineering. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Dr. Iris Ann Martinez, a CoE faculty member and a representative of the professorial chair awardees, expressed her gratitude to the University and the alumni donors for their untiring support. She said such incentives for faculty to pursue researches in their fields of interest and expertise truly benefit their students, UP, and the nation. “I hope dumami pa kayo, kasi marami pang colleagues na ma-iinspire at makakagawa ng research nila (that more of our alumni support the University so that many more of our colleagues will be inspired and pursue their research activities),” she added. The event also provides awardees an opportunity to meet and thank those who were able to inspire them, the College, and the UPERDFI, she explained.  In closing, UPERDFI President Frederick Jonathan A. Trinidad reiterated the indispensable role of UP alumni in supporting the Iskolar ng Bayan, the nation’s future engineers, the CoE, as well as the internationalization efforts of UP.     Alumni donors, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UP College of Engineering (CoE) Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Alumni donors, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, UP College of Engineering (CoE) Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg, and UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) officers. Photo by Bong Arboleda."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP College of Engineering Team inspects North Cotabato structures for safety – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-of-engineering-team-inspects-north-cotabato-structures-for-safety/",
        "html": "UP College of Engineering Team inspects North Cotabato structures for safety UP College of Engineering Team inspects North Cotabato structures for safety November 19, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)     A team of engineers from the UP College of Engineering (UP-CoE) further assured the safety of people gravely affected by the recent Mindanao earthquakes by conducting structural assessment of vital buildings in North Cotabato Province and the hard-hit Municipality of Makilala.     Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)     Headed by the UP College of Engineering Dean, in coordination with the provincial and municipal local government units, the UP-CoE Team inspected twenty (20) vital public and private structures from November 9 to 11, 2019 to ascertain whether they could be re-occupied, or their access restricted or declared off limits.  These included government buildings, gymnasiums, evacuation centers, office buildings, hotels, commercial establishments, condominiums, and a bridge. The municipal building of Makilala was declared off limits after serious damage was detected on the columns in the basement.     Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)     The UP-CoE Team is composed of: Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg; Civil Engineers Jaime Hernandez Jr., Eric Augustus Tingatinga, Jihan Pacer, and Julius Baniqued; and Geodetic Engineer Christian Candido, all of whom worked hand in hand with North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmy Lou T. Mendoza, Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, and three local engineers.  Structural damage assessment was one of three immediate needs spelled out by Cotabato Province in a November 6, 2019 letter to UP seeking assistance following the series of earthquakes on October 29 and 31, 2019. Ascertaining safety of structures would rationalize evacuation, according to the LGUs.     Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)     The UP College of Engineering had been organizing a team of volunteer engineers for Mindanao since October 31. The UP-CoE Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE) and Building Research Service (BRS) have traditionally deployed volunteer engineers in response to disasters, the last one being the Bohol earthquake. When the Cotabato LGU request came, they were ready to be deployed to the area in coordination with the UP Resilience Institute.  Currently, University efforts to assist affected LGUs are coordinated by a Mindanao Earthquake Response Team (MERT-UP).  Aside from the UP-CoE Team, UP had also sent a team of geology experts, and, as of press time, is preparing the deployment of a combined psycho-social and medical response team from UP Manila, UP Visayas, and UP Diliman.     Dean Manegdeg and UP Institute of Civil Engineering’s Dr. Jaime Hernandez Jr. leading the team assessing commercial establishments in Kidapawan City. (Photos courtesy of Eric Augustus Tingatinga)     MERT-UP has issued calls for financial donations to support the logistical and subsistence needs of the teams, and the needs of communities best addressed by the University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Repainting of UP Chapel’s dome interior completed in time for Holy Week – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/repainting-of-up-chapels-dome-interior-completed-in-time-for-holy-week/",
        "html": "Repainting of UP Chapel’s dome interior completed in time for Holy Week Repainting of UP Chapel’s dome interior completed in time for Holy Week March 26, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The restoration of the UP Chapel was supposed to start early last year, but due to the pandemic the restoration plan was pushed back to the latter part of 2020. Photo from the DMCI Homes.     Repair and repainting of the Parish Church of the Holy Sacrifice, more popularly known as the University of the Philippines (UP) Chapel in the Diliman campus—a recognized National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure—has been completed in time for the observance of Holy Week.  Following its repair and repainting of the chapel’s exterior dome, structures and facades last year, Quadruple A developer DMCI Homes has also completed the repainting of the church’s interior ceiling. The chapel’s dome interior repainting was done with the help of JBLS Trading & Construction Aesthetics, and Boysen Philippines, which donated the paint materials.     About 138 gallons of paint were used to repaint the entirety of the chapel’s interior dome. Photo from DMCI Homes.     Prior to the actual repainting, scaffolding construction and scraping of the dome’s interior were initially done in January. DMCI Homes proceeded to repaint the dome’s interior mid-February this year after getting approval of the paint color to be used from UP officials and the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.  While the repainting was ongoing, masses were still held at the UP Chapel’s grounds for parishioners to attend.  DMCI Homes, the property arm of DMCI Holdings, has been working on rehabilitating the 65-year-old chapel since July 2020. The restoration of the UP Chapel was done through a series of consultations with UP officials in an effort to bring back the 65-year-old cultural treasure’s original state of beauty.  Before 2020 ended, DMCI Homes facilitated the following repairs in the chapel: repair of masonry cracks; de-clogging of downspouts and drains; installation of new electrical fixtures; and, exterior repainting on the chapel’s iconic dome and roof, as well as of its walls, columns, eaves, under slabs, ceilings, and railings.  The murals depicting the Stations of the Cross, the marble altar, the floor mural, and the cross at the center of the chapel—all handiworks of national artists—were left untouched during the rehabilitation.     Work on the church’s exterior dome, structures and facades started in July 2020 and was completed last December. Photo from DMCI Homes.     The UP Chapel was designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin and built by Engr. David M. Consunji, an alumnus of the UP College of Engineering. Consunji is acknowledged as the grandfather of construction in the Philippines and the founder of the DMCI Group of Companies.  Due to its unique and timeless design, the UP Chapel is considered an important architectural landmark, as it is the first circular chapel in the country with the altar in its center for a more personal and engaging community worship experience. It is also the first structure in the country to feature a remarkable thin-shell concrete dome, made possible through Engr. Consunji’s innovation in the mixing and delivery of concrete. It is the only structure in the country to feature the works of five national artists.  With the interior dome finally repainted, the restoration of the chapel to its original glory is finally complete and people from all walks of life can enjoy and appreciate the chapel’s one-of-a-kind beauty for many years.  Take a virtual tour of the newly renovated national historical landmark via qrco.de/UPChapel.  Article courtesy of Mr. JC Ruiz, DMCI Homes "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP receives new Professorial Chairs in Engineering – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-receives-new-professorial-chairs-in-engineering/",
        "html": "UP receives new Professorial Chairs in Engineering UP receives new Professorial Chairs in Engineering February 18, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   PLDT Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Smart Communications Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     With the help of the University of the Philippines Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI), UP received two new professorial chairs during the signing of the deeds of donation for the Manuel V. Pangilinan Professorial Chair in Engineering and the PLDT-Smart Foundation Professorial Chair in the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City on February 12, 2020.  A deed of donation from the PLDT-Smart Foundation signed in 2019 was also renewed. The event was attended by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, PLDT Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Smart Communications Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and top officials of PLDT, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Maynilad, One Meralco Foundation, UP College of Engineering, and UPERDFI.  In his message to the donors, Concepcion explained that the professorial chairs are truly beneficial to UP faculty and students, with the University as the premier learning environment for the nation’s future engineers and leaders of vital industries. he said, “Malaking bagay po ito at nagpapasalamat kami sa inyo. Maraming salamat po sa inyo!”     PLDT Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Smart Communications Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan conveys his gratitude for being able to help the University and the nation. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Pangilinan, who is a renowned businessman and sports patron, revealed that he is no stranger to UP, since his grandfather had encouraged him to study in UP and his father was in UP Los Baños. He said that their group of companies has been supporting UP in various ways, from the time of UP Presidents Dodong Nemenzo and Emerlinda Roman up to the present. He added that businesses and industries have the obligation to help the academe, and to nurture dialogues and expand relationships that aim to clarify the roles of these sectors in the changing global and domestic landscapes.  “It’s our privilege and gratitude for allowing us to help UP in whatever way we can,” he said.     UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     According to UPERDFI Executive Director Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr., the group of companies where Pangilinan holds leadership positions is presently sponsoring 14 professorial chairs in Engineering: five are from Maynilad; one from Meralco; one from the Meralco Millennium Foundation, in honor of Manuel Lopez; one from MIESCOR, in honor of Cesar Nuguid; one from PLDT SMART Foundation; two from Philex Mining Corporation; one from Maynilad Contractors, called Maynilad UP Centennial Chair; and, the two new donations. This is 7% of the UP College of Engineering’s 196 professorial chairs.  Professorial chairs are awarded to faculty members and serve as incentives for the recipients to further excel in teaching and to pursue researches related to their fields of interest and expertise. As a symbol of appreciation and distinction, UP gives the donor a Sundial Plaque, an elegantly framed artwork depicting the meters-high concrete sundial that stands in the UP College of Engineering compound.     Top officials of UP, UPERDFI, PLDT, and PLDT-Smart Foundation affix their signatures to the deeds of donation for the Manuel V. Pangilinan Professorial Chair in Engineering and the PLDT-Smart Foundation Professorial Chair in Engineering. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Top officials of UP, UPERDFI, PLDT, and PLDT-Smart Foundation affix their signatures to the deeds of donation for the Manuel V. Pangilinan Professorial Chair in Engineering and the PLDT-Smart Foundation Professorial Chair in Engineering. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion presents the Sundial Plaque to PLDT Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan. They are flanked by PLDT, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Maynilad, One Meralco Foundation, UP College of Engineering, and UPERDFI officials. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     (L-R) PLDT Head of Public Affairs Ramon R. Isberto; PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther O. Santos; PLDT Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Smart Communications Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan; UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; UP College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg; and UPERDFI President Rico A. Trinidad. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Surviving the ‘Big One’ with Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/surviving-the-big-one-with-diwata-2s-amateur-radio-unit/",
        "html": "Surviving the ‘Big One’ with Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit Surviving the ‘Big One’ with Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit May 14, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       Last month, the Philippines experienced two strong earthquakes in Luzon and Leyte —each measuring at least 6.0 in magnitude—reviving anxieties about the “Big One,’’ an extremely powerful quake that experts predict could hit with devastating effect during our lifetime.  A catastrophic event of such magnitude struck Haiti in 2010, when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake with an epicenter near the capital of Port-au-Prince quickly took the lives of hundreds of thousands. Compounding rescue efforts, the quake also devastated the country’s communication infrastructure.  In that desperate time, an unexpected group of people heroically acted as bridges between emergency responders and survivors. Amateur radio operators or ‘hams’ tuned into the appropriate frequencies and, with the help of satellites, acted as the eyes and ears of the rescue teams. Once a mere backup system, the amateur radio band became a lifeline, handling most emergency communications in the immediate aftermath of the quake.  It is easy to imagine how communication in the Philippines, despite a population of 60 million social media users, could be similarly crippled should the ‘Big One’ strike. Luckily, not only does the country have a close-knit community of amateur radio enthusiasts ready to assist, but we also now have a satellite that can facilitate their communication to any place in the archipelago.  The innovation responsible for this is Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit (ARU), which was formally unveiled on April 26. Described by its makers as something of a “walkie-talkie in space,” the ARU allows radio operators to communicate with anyone anywhere in the country.  Recently, the UP MPRO had a conversation with three STAMINA4Space engineers behind Diwata-2’s ARU. Izrael Zenar Bautista, Lorenzo Sabug, Jr., and Mary Ann Zabanal-Constante had worked persistently to fit what could become the country’s last line of communication into the microsatellite’s 56-kilogram frame.  Bautista, currently a PhD student at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), said the ARU is primarily responsible for Diwata-2’s functionality as a communications satellite. More than any other item in its payload, it is the ARU that allows people to converse over vast distances.     STAMINA4Space engineers communicate via Diwata-2’s amateur radio unit (ARU). Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The unit was born out of a need to improve an already great thing. After Diwata-1 was launched in 2016, the team was already thinking of ways to make its successor better. The engineers were specifically looking to bring the technology closer to ordinary citizens. Bautista said he believes that the ARU democratizes the use of Diwata-2, because even regular citizens with inexpensive equipment can use it.  “That’s because the frequency is free for all to use,” he said. “Theoretically, anyone can use it.” This is especially true for amateur radio enthusiasts, many of whom prefer to “homebrew” or self-construct rather than buy their equipment.  “You just need to have the right equipment in order to participate,” Bautista added.  The two primary functions of Diwata-2’s ARU are to be an FM voice repeater (FMVR) and an Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) message repeater. The voice repeater, allows people to wirelessly converse through voice, with the satellite facilitating the communication.  “Actually, with the altitude of Diwata-2,” Bautista added, “you can talk to someone from anywhere in the Philippines. You don’t need to spend for load or the internet; you just need a radio and an antenna.”  The APRS message repeater, on the other hand, acts more like a text message. It allows you to receive messages sent by fellow amateur radio enthusiasts via the ARU. Not only can you now send messages to first responders in the event of a major disaster; you can also transmit temperature, weather information and GPS data to others.  Step-by-step  Diwata-2’s ARU makes use of two radio signals familiar to amateur radio operators worldwide—ultra-high frequency (UHF, 437.500 MHz); and, very-high frequency (VHF, 145.900 MHz). According to Lorenzo Sabug Jr., this familiarity is a benefit.  “This means that hams who have accessed other amateur radio satellites only have to do what they’re used to in order to access Diwata-2. And there are so many affordable handheld transmitters that we can tune to UHF and VHF frequencies that make communicating with satellites much more cost-effective.”  Sabug noted that there are three steps that an amateur radio operator should follow in order to connect to Diwata-2’s ARU. The first is tracking the satellite as it passes overhead.  “We have available orbit tracker apps for mobile phones or PCs. We can track when Diwata-2 is passing over and its direction in the sky,” he said. One should then tune their equipment to 145.900 MHz to receive transmissions from Diwata-2 or 437.500 MHz to transmit messages to others.     UP and STAMINA4Space research engineers Izrael Zenar Bautista (3rd from left) and Lorenzo Sabug, Jr. (rightmost) with UP EEEI Associate Professor Marc Caesar Talampas and DOST-ASTI Director Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     He noted that Diwata-2 typically passes at around noon and in the middle of the night, which makes it easier for amateur operators to anticipate it. From these we get an idea when Diwata-2 is coming and where it’s coming from so we can point our antennas in the right direction.  Indeed, that pointing is the second necessary step. Taking a directional antenna, a radio operator should physically track Diwata-2’s movement with it as it moves. Lastly, an operator should always follow ham radio etiquette, ensuring that others have already finished their transmissions before making their own. Ideally every user should have an opportunity to use Diwata-2 for their emergency response needs.  Aside from its coverage and accessibility, another advantage of Diwata-2 is its virtual immunity from the effects of earthbound calamities. Orbiting at an altitude of more than 600 km., Diwata-2 is higher than any raincloud and is unreachable by tremors or waves that can knock out telephone lines or cellular towers. This makes it a conduit of communication that we can reliably use despite massive devastation on the ground.  Balikbayan Box  Getting a radio unit with so many functions to fit within a tiny satellite was one of the challenges the team had to overcome. Few know this better than Mary Ann Zabanal-Constante who worked on the ARU’s antenna deployment. “I compare Diwata-2 to a balikbayan box,” she said, “where we try to fit all the important things in so our people can get their money’s worth when we finally send it out.”  “To put it simply, a careful study of design and optimization was required from creating the circuit boards, to the enclosure, to the antennas, to Diwata-2 itself to fit all those components in,” Constante said.     Details of Diwata-2’s amateur radio unit with handwritten messages by its makers. Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Sabug, Jr., STAMINA4Space and UP EEEI.     Completing the ARU was both a national and a practical success. Not only did we now have a working unit built by Filipino experts, but the STAMINA4Space team also touched base with industry partners who can produce the components needed to build more satellites. Constante aims to eventually produce a catalogue of locally built satellite components that have “flight heritage” or have been proven to work in space. The resulting reduction in overhead costs would mean more and better satellites, not to mention better ARUs, which can be locally built by our engineers.  For now, however, Constante and the rest of the STAMINA4Space engineers are inviting all interested individuals to keep using Diwata-2’s existing ARU. “We hope you keep using it, and we hope it can continue to serve even more of our people.” Our nation may never be fully ready to cope with disasters like the ‘Big One’, but with more satellites and with amateur radio units patrolling our skies, Filipinos will at least have a fighting chance.  Track Diwata-2’s arrival by following its Twitter account.  To learn more about amateur radio in the country, visit the Philippine Amateur Radio Association website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Filipino space scientists and engineers gain new home in ULyS3ES – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/filipino-space-scientists-and-engineers-gain-new-home-in-ulys3es/",
        "html": "Filipino space scientists and engineers gain new home in ULyS3ES Filipino space scientists and engineers gain new home in ULyS3ES September 16, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta     Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office     Space science and technology in the Philippines gains a new home in UP Diliman with the inauguration of the University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems, or ULyS3ES for short, in the UP College of Engineering’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) in Diliman last August 31.     DOST and UP officials perform the high-tech ribbon-cutting ceremony during the inauguration of the University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems, or ULyS3ES, at the UP Diliman College of Engineering’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) last August 31. From left to right are: UP College of Science Dean Giovanni A. Tapang, UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel R. Nemenzo, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan, DOST-ASTI Acting Director Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, and DOST-Science Education Institute Director Josette T. Biyo. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     ULyS3ES-1 and ULyS3ES-2  The ULyS3ES consists of two buildings in the UPD-EEEI complex, dubbed Building 1 and Building 2. ULyS3ES is “an interdisciplinary facility that serves as a pioneering academic hub for research and development (R&D) and instruction innovations in space technology in the Philippines.” Through this new two-building laboratory, engineers and researchers will “collaborate on the development of small satellites through relevant mission planning and the corresponding design, implementation and test of satellite bus and payload systems.”  Building 1 of ULyS3ES (ULyS3ES-1) features office and research spaces that are designed to foster close interactions and open collaboration among the disciplines that contribute to space science and technology, including electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, environmental science, and space studies. Building 1 also includes administrative and faculty spaces, shared spaces for researchers, a conference and meeting area, and an exhibit area in the lobby. The research laboratory in ULyS3ES-1 includes equipment for functional testing of small satellite components and integrated systems, “clean booths” for small satellite assembly, a thermal-vacuum chamber for space environment testing of nanosatellites as well as rapid prototyping equipment. It also houses the Engineering Model of the 50kh microsatellite, Diwata-2, and a Flight Model (FM) of the 1 kg nanosatellite, Maya-1. These satellite models are functional replicas of the actual satellites that were deployed in space, and are used as test beds for further experimentation, research and instruction.     DOST and UP officials tour the facilities of ULyS3ES Building 1, speaking to Filipino students studying space science and technology abroad via teleconference. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Building 2 or ULyS3ES-2, located behind Building 1, includes a conference room, classroom and reconfigurable work space, including a “clean booth” for nanosatellite assembly. It also hosts testing facilities for small satellite components and systems, including a Full Anechoic Chamber (FAC), as well as a temperature and humidity test chamber. The FAC, located in its lobby, is a facility for measuring antenna radiation patterns over a frequency range of 600 MHz to 26.5 GHz (extendable to 40 GHz). The radiation patterns show the directional distribution of energy radiated by the antenna; they can therefore give an idea of the antenna performance in providing wireless range and coverage. The temperature and humidity test chamber, on the other hand, is used to mimic conditions that products might reasonably experience in their eventual working environment.  From “University Laboratory” to ULyS3ES  Present at the inauguration ceremony were officials from: the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI); the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD); the DOST Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI); the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, which is the Philippine government’s space technology program succeeding the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-Microsat) program; and, the Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships (STEP-UP) Project. Also present were: officials from UP Diliman, the UP College of Engineering and the College of Science, and the UP EEEI; officials and representatives from private industry partners, the Aerospace Industry Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Navy; members of the University Space Engineering Consortium of the Philippines (UNISEC-Philippines); and, representatives from academe and the media attended.     Dr. Marciano speaks about the origins of the acronym for the University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In his welcome message, Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., the acting director of DOST-ASTI, program leader of STAMINA4Space and a professor at the UP EEEI, explained the inspiration behind the acronym ULyS3ES, which was not, he said, Ulysses, or in the original Greek (Odysseus), the mythological warrior whose exploits are told in Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey. Instead, the acronym came from the name “University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems” itself.  “The name came about by a rather strong notion in our heads about what we set out to do. We were really just trying to build a university laboratory,” Dr. Marciano said. “As a university laboratory, it embodies and hopes to fulfill the vital role of the academia in advancing and pushing the boundaries of knowledge in space technology and cascading its benefits to society.” After picking the letters “U”, “L” and “Y” from the words “University Laboratory”, he added that “the rest of the letters were not hard to flesh out.”  Nevertheless, he said that the new laboratory might as well have been inspired by Odysseus, too, as he compared space technology to an epic adventure beset by many challenges, much as Odysseus faced throughout his journey. And similar to Odysseus and his crew, Filipino scholars who are sent abroad to study and work on space science and technology also yearn to come home and find an application for their training and hard work. That academic home is ULyS3ES, Dr. Marciano stressed. “So also the Filipinos who have received training abroad, stayed overseas and established themselves there, now have a reason to come back home to the Philippines. ULyS3ES welcomes them all.”  Dr. Marciano to head the Philippine Space Agency     UP EEEI Director Michael Angelo Pedrasa. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Michael Angelo Pedrasa, Director of the UP EEEI, cited the ULyS3ES as a significant contribution to the UP EEEI’s vision to become the National Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineering. “As the national institute, we should be internationally recognized for achieving national impact and global significance. This has become one of our ways of getting international recognition.“ Through the STAMINA4Space program, he said, the UP EEEI is now a member of the University Space Engineering Consortium or UNISEC-Global, an international nonprofit body whose primary objective is to help create a world where space science and technology is used in every country for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of humankind.     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan cited the Greek mythology roots of the acronym ULyS3ES as a reflection of the well-rounded education that UP offers through its general education system. The establishment of ULyS3ES also brings to the fore the breadth of UP’s research work, which he says extends to all spheres: lupa or terrestrial research; laot or research in marine science; and now, langit as well, with ULyS3ES and the STAMINA4Space program. He expressed a wish that “the College of Engineering and ULyS3ES will fire up the imaginations not just of engineers but also the College of Science and all the other colleges as well,” including those from the arts and humanities and from the social sciences.     DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     For his part, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña stated that the DOST is “proud of this laboratory,“ and of the country’s space technology development program, which was given a total budget of around P10 billion of which P7.5 billion has been spent since the space technology development program was started in 2013. The signing of Republic Act No. 11363 or the Philippine Space Act into law last August 8 established the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), as well as a Philippine Space Council under the Office of the Philippine President. Secretary de la Peña suggested that the DOST and UP should have a joint strategy to steer the future of the PhilSA in accordance with national goals. In relation to that, the DOST Secretary announced that Dr. Marciano would head the PhilSA as its first director-general, an announcement DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara later reiterated.  The inauguration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a guided tour of ULyS3ES Buildings 1 and 2 and their facilities, work spaces and equipment. In the last part of the program, former UP College of Engineering Dean Rizalinda L. De Leon, PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit, UP Diliman Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development Fidel R. Nemenzo, DOST Usec. Guevara, and STeP-UP Project Leader Paul Jason Co delivered messages congratulating the STAMINA4Space team of engineers and scientists, and the DOST on the successful inauguration of ULyS3ES. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP EEEI Hosts 1st Technology Fair – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-eeei-hosts-1st-technology-fair/",
        "html": "UP EEEI Hosts 1st Technology Fair UP EEEI Hosts 1st Technology Fair April 24, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UP EEEI) and Nokia Manila Technology Center, in cooperation with Analog Devices, Inc., Artesyn Embedded Technologies, First Philec, Inc., PHINMA Energy, and Samsung R&D Philippines, will be hosting the 1st EEE Technology Fair, on Wednesday, 24 May 2017, 8:00AM-5:00 PM, at the University of the Philippines Bonifacio Global City.  With “Enhanced Industry-Academe Collaboration to Support a Culture of Innovation” as theme, the fair aims to engage state universities and colleges, government agencies, and industry partners in advancing the Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering fields in the Philippines by setting the platform for collaboration.  UP EEEI will showcase its research projects and recognize the groundbreaking efforts of its faculty members, researchers, and students.  Industry partners and government agencies will also lay down the mechanisms for research collaboration and other forms of partnership.  For more information, visit the fair website: http://www.eee.upd.edu.ph/eee-tech-fair-2017-0 or contact Ms. Kristine Cruz through email: kristine.cruz@eee.upd.edu.ph or by phone: 981-9500 loc. 3300 / 925-2957. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Former DOH Sec Cabral tackles “Heart Matters” in PAUW-UP lecture-forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/former-doh-sec-cabral-tackles-heart-matters-in-pauw-up-lecture-forum/",
        "html": "Former DOH Sec Cabral tackles “Heart Matters” in PAUW-UP lecture-forum Former DOH Sec Cabral tackles “Heart Matters” in PAUW-UP lecture-forum March 7, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Former DOH Secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral answering questions about heart and health matters during PAUW-UP’s lecture series while PAUW-UP president Atty. Gaby Concepcion (in black, extreme left) and other PAUW-UP board members look on. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The proper care for the heart was the subject of a lecture-forum organized by the Philippine Association of University Women-UP chapter (PAUW-UP), with Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral, former Secretary of the Department of Health, former director of the Philippine Heart Center and UP College of Medicine alumna, as guest speaker. The lecture-forum on “Heart Matters” was held on February 27, 2019 in the Tea Room of the UP College of Home Economics.  In lieu of a formal speech, Dr. Cabral fielded questions from an audience consisting of UP faculty and retired faculty members as well as administrative staff on medical concerns regarding the heart and health in general. Most of the questions significantly affect women and senior citizens.     Dr. Esperanza Cabral answering questions from her audience during PAUW-UP’s lecture series. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Some of the questions she answered during the discussion were the following:  Q. How often should people, particularly women, have a heart check-up with a doctor?  Cabral: It varies. For people like us, early detection is important; so we should get regular check-ups with our doctors. Even if you are feeling well, you should go for a checkup with your doctor, maybe every six months. If you do not feel well, that is certainly time for you to see your doctor.  Q. For women who are undergoing menopause, doctors sometimes prescribe estrogen pills. Are these safe?  Cabral: All drugs have side effects. If they tell you that something is a drug but has no side effect, don’t believe it.  For people who go into menopause, estrogen pills can be prescribed to relieve the symptoms associated with menopause. Now as I said, all medicines have side effects, including estrogen. There is a very slight increase in the incidence of breast cancer associated with estrogen, but it is very slight. Let’s say 10 out of every 100 women will develop breast cancer. If you take estrogen, then it becomes 11 out of 100 women who will develop breast cancer. But it still means that even if you are taking estrogen, 89 of 100 women will not develop breast cancer, compared to 90 out of 100 of women not taking estrogen who will develop breast cancer. It’s a decision that you and your doctor will have to make for you.  Q. What kind of exercise should we do and what kind of food are we supposed to eat to help make our heart healthy?  Cabral: When it comes to both physical activity and diet, you need to use your common sense. We should move as much as our body allows us to move at our age. Just move. Dance, or play the piano, or walk. Gentle exercises that you can tolerate.  When it comes to diet, there is nothing better than a well-balanced diet. Don’t believe these things like high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrates or high-carb diets. Don’t listen to the fads; they change from one day to the next. Just eat a balanced diet, and if you want to lose weight, eat less.     PAUW-UP’s lecture series on “Heart Matters” at the Tea Room of the UP College of Home Economics, with Dr. Esperanza Cabral (standing) as guest speaker. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Q. Is it okay to take herbal and food supplements? Do these have side effects?  Cabral: They have plenty of side effects. And they are not going to cure anything. One of the things that I did when I was DOH Secretary was to translate into Filipino the term “no approved therapeutic claims”: “Ito ay hindi gamot, at hindi dapat gawing gamot para sa anumang sakit.” These supplements did not go through the process of investigation, so the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration cannot guarantee that they can cure anything.  Now if it is just garlic or ginger pills or things we eat on a regular basis, you can go ahead and take them if you want to. But there are many herbal and food supplements that have harmful effects, including cancer and kidney failure. Regular medicines can do that, too, but at least we know and can be warned about them. There has been plenty of research done on the harmful effects of herbal and food supplements. Your doctor can tell you these things; so you need to rely on your doctor.  Q. What are the warning signs of an impending stroke or heart attack?  Cabral: These warning signs are late in coming. When you see a warning sign, it’s too late already. You should instead prevent these warning signs by keeping the blood pressure under control, not smoking, eating a balanced diet, and exercising as much as you can tolerate. Just live a healthy life; that is the best way of preventing strokes and heart attacks.  In her remarks after Dr. Cabral’s talk, PAUW-UP Chapter president, Atty. Ma. Gabriela R. Concepcion, stated that the PAUW-UP aims to “make our presence more felt on campus, and this is one way: to be of service to the community by having discussions and intimate conversations on matters that are important to us.” The lecture-forum featuring Dr. Cabral is the first in a series to be organized by PAUW-UP this year.     PAUW-UP Board Members with guest speaker Dr. Esperanza Cabral (in red, sitting) in the middle. Sitting, from left to right: Dr. Sylvia H. Guerrero, board member; Dr. Elizabeth Diaz, vice-president; Atty. Gaby Concepcion, president; Prof. Carmelita Ramirez, PRO; Dr. Belen Medina, board member. Standing, from left to right: Prof. Ma. Vanessa L. Oyson, assistant secretary; Prof. Rosella Jean Puno, treasurer; Dr. Aurora Zuñiga, board member; Dr. Elvira Verano, auditor. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Amb. Edgardo Espiritu receives honorary UP doctorate, advocates against judicial corruption – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/amb-edgardo-espiritu-receives-honorary-up-doctorate-advocates-against-judicial-corruption/",
        "html": "Amb. Edgardo Espiritu receives honorary UP doctorate, advocates against judicial corruption Amb. Edgardo Espiritu receives honorary UP doctorate, advocates against judicial corruption December 3, 2020 | Written by Andre dP. Encarnacion   Slide showcasing Amb. Espiritu’s legacy through the years. Watch the replay of the virtual conferment ceremony here.     A graduate of the UP College of Law in 1958, Amb. Espiritu was honored for his achievements and unimpeachable character in the areas of banking and finance, economics, public service, and entrepreneurship. The degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa is the highest academic recognition of an individual’s contributions to the advancement of a field in a particular discipline through one’s extraordinary accomplishments.  As a public official, Amb. Espiritu’s most high profile role was as Secretary of the Department of Finance in 1998, when he pushed for anti-corruption measures and crafted policies that helped the country get through the Asian Financial Crisis. As an industry captain, he previously headed banking giants Metrobank, the Philippine National Bank and Westmont Bank, among others. He also served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Iceland. Finally, he was a member of the UP Board of Regents and the longest serving president of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA); his tenure saw the beginning and completion of iconic University structures such as the Ang Bahay ng Alumni.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion quotes Amb. Espiritu by calling UP “the anvil upon which we are molded to become instruments for attaining the common good and the betterment of the nation.” Watch the replay of the virtual conferment ceremony here.     In his opening remarks, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion quoted Amb. Espiritu’s own message to the UP Alumni Council in 2019, where he called the University “the anvil upon which we are molded to become instruments for attaining the common good and the betterment of the nation.”  “Truly,” Concepcion added, “it is difficult to think of an individual who has been shaped both by the classroom and by life into an embodiment of honor, excellence, and compassion more than Amb. Edgardo B. Espiritu.”     Amb. Espiritu delivers his address. Watch the replay of the virtual conferment ceremony here.     In his own message, Espiritu called for a renewed fight against corruption, which he called a “national problem” that requires all sectors to combat. And while most corruption initiatives in the country are aimed at the Executive and the Legislative branches of government, he believes that a proper reform of the Judiciary will also be key to curbing uneven dispensations of justice between those with power and those without.  “A judiciary that dispenses, and is perceived to dispense fair and impartial justice, for instance in adjudicating contracts, is a requirement for attracting investors, both local and foreign, and is therefore a key ingredient for economic growth,” Espiritu said.     Amb. Espiritu. Watch the replay of the virtual conferment ceremony here.     To accomplish this, he proposed measures such as promoting greater fiscal and administrative independence for the Judiciary to prevent judges and others from falling prey to both unscrupulous politicians and powerful influences in the private sector. A key intervention here, Espiritu said, would be to improve the compensation and incentives for judges, prosecutors, and court personnel. Moreover, he prescribed a merit-based rather than a politically influenced process of nomination, appointment, and promotion for the aforementioned.  Despite already having a considerable infrastructure to combat corruption, Espiritu said he still believed that the most important alliance that any coalition against corruption should have is with the youth. “We must enlist the support of all sectors in society in this fight, particularly the young,” he noted, “through our schools; through progressive academic curriculums, particularly those that seek to hone future lawyers in the virtues of fairness, honesty, and love of the law; through civil society initiatives; through media and the virtual world.”     Amb. Espiritu and his family. Watch the replay of the virtual conferment ceremony here.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA’s e-Kapihan ng Bayan to tackle COVID-19’s impact on education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaas-e-kapihan-ng-bayan-to-tackle-covid-19s-impact-on-education/",
        "html": "UPAA’s e-Kapihan ng Bayan to tackle COVID-19’s impact on education UPAA’s e-Kapihan ng Bayan to tackle COVID-19’s impact on education October 12, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Alumni Association (UPAA) is hosting another “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” via Zoom on 27 October 2020, Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. (Manila time). The discussion will focus on a topic that is gravely affecting the youth of our country and how we are coping—“COVID-19: Its Impact on Education”.  Undersecretary Annalyn M. Sevilla, spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd), will be the resource speaker. She will share the DepEd’s plans and actions on how to keep the standard of Philippine education at an estimable level despite the prevailing “new normal” conditions. The usual lively discussion is expected in the open forum.  Those interested are invited to register with the UPAA Secretariat at tels. 920-6868; 920-6871; mobile 0917-8372098; or email upalumniasso@gmail.com to get the Zoom meeting ID and their personal participant’s passwords. Or contact Mr. Romeo S.A. Carlos, UPAA Executive Director, at mobile no. (0921) 285-5332.  Open to all UP alumni, faculty, and students, as well as the general public, the “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is a public service project of the UPAA that aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to the nation’s development. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding the national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA’s eKapihan on the impact, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaas-ekapihan-on-the-impact-prevention-and-treatment-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "UPAA’s eKapihan on the impact, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 UPAA’s eKapihan on the impact, prevention and treatment of COVID-19 August 20, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Photo from the UP Alumni page maintained by the UP Office of Alumni Relations.     The COVID-19 pandemic is truly the global crisis of our times. The virus has taken an especially harsh toll on the Philippines, with more than 100,000 recorded infections and thousands of deaths to date. Its effects not only have gravity in medical or public health circles but have taken a distinctly socio-economic and psychological character as well; with ways of relating and doing business with one another being profoundly changed in our country for the foreseeable future.  Being better equipped to deal with these dangers means understanding what they are, how to avoid them, and what you can do when faced with them. This is why the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) is hosting an “eKapihan ng Bayan sa UP” via Zoom video conferencing on August 25, 2020.  The resource speaker will be Dr. Gerardo B. Abenes, DVM, MVSc, PhD. His presentation, “Understanding COVID-19: Its Prevention and Treatment”, is on the global pandemic and its economic impact on the Philippines. Dr. Abenes will share his thoughts on the issue profoundly affecting the lives of all Filipinos at present. The usual lively discussion is expected in the open forum.  Interested parties are invited to register with the UPAA Secretariat at Tel. #s 920-6868, 920-6871; Mobile 0917-8372098; or email upalumniasso@gmail.com to get the Zoom meeting ID and your personal participant’s password.  The “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is a public service project of the UPAA that aims to serve as a vehicle for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to the Filipino people’s advancement as a nation. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 vaccines to be tackled in UPAA eKapihan via Zoom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-vaccines-to-be-tackled-in-upaa-ekapihan-via-zoom/",
        "html": "COVID-19 vaccines to be tackled in UPAA eKapihan via Zoom COVID-19 vaccines to be tackled in UPAA eKapihan via Zoom February 8, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Alumni Association (UPAA) is hosting another “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” via Zoom on 23 February 2021, Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. (Manila time). The discussion will focus on a topic that is gravely affecting our country and how we can better cope with it: “COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines”—their availability, comparative efficacies, and affordability. A lively discussion is expected in the open forum.  The resource speaker will be Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana, Director, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, National Institute of Health, University of the Philippines Manila, and Adjunct Professor for Global Health, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Salvana is also a member of the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) technical working group on new coronavirus variants.  Those interested are invited to register with the UPAA Secretariat at Tels. 920-6868; 920-6871; Mobile 0917-8372098; or e-mail upalumniasso@gmail.com to get the Zoom meeting ID and their personal participant’s passwords. You may also contact UPAA Executive Director Romeo S.A. Carlos at mobile number (0921) 285-5332.  Open to all UP alumni, faculty, and students, as well as the general public, the e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP is a public service project of the UPAA, which aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to our development as a nation. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding the national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. supports UP’s fight for academic freedom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-association-in-america-inc-supports-ups-fight-for-academic-freedom/",
        "html": "UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. supports UP’s fight for academic freedom UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. supports UP’s fight for academic freedom February 17, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    January 26, 2021  U.P. Alumni Association in America, Inc. Letter of Support  Dear President Danilo Concepcion, faculty and students:  On behalf of the UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. (UPAAA, Inc.), we express our strong support for your stand in preserving the integrity and independence of the University as the bastion of academic freedom in the country. Our vision clearly articulates the values of  UPAAA, Inc. as “ a strong broad-based organization of alumni of the University of the Philippines in the service and support of the Alma mater, the UP alumni, the UP system and the community in pursuit of common goals.”  Recent developments have prompted us to highlight once more what the University stands for and its role as the nation’s premier educational institution of learning. UP is a microcosm of the larger community but has a significant role in nation-building. It is, and has been, the breeding ground for progressive and creative ideas and free expression represented by the iconic statue of the Oblation. The university has produced leaders in the community and country who have contributed in a large part to the progress of our native land. Stifling academic freedom denigrates the immense promise of the youth to contribute to the future of the country.  As a foreign-based nation-wide organization of UP alumni striving to unify UP alumni in the United States and other countries, we provide the anchor upon which alumni living in foreign lands from the diaspora of the past, can look for unity and collaboration. It is therefore with alarm that we see the insidious threat to the independence and leadership of the University in promoting academic freedom in other institutions of learning all over the country. We need the UP youth to go boldly into the future to shape our nation as leaders that the country needs them to be. We need the faculty to continue molding these young minds in the tradition of our heroes of the past and become leaders of tomorrow.  We recognize that unlawful behavior is never tolerated by the university and has adhered to the observance of the laws. But it also has the obligation to protect the rights of the students, faculty and everyone within the jurisdiction of the university. When these rights are violated without due process, democracy in the country is gradually eroded. Holding the threat of punishment or fear over the heads of students and the university as a whole becomes a cloud that suppresses growth of academic vibrancy.  In pursuit of honor and excellence, UPAAA, Inc. remains truly yours,     Daisy M. Rodriguez, RN,BSN,MN,MPA National President, UPAAA,Inc.  Dr. Jovenia Celo, MD Executive Vice President "
    },
    {
        "title": "Celia Diaz Laurel draws final curtain at 93 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/celia-diaz-laurel-draws-final-curtain-at-93/",
        "html": "Celia Diaz Laurel draws final curtain at 93 Celia Diaz Laurel draws final curtain at 93 July 15, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts,”  — William Shakespeare, As You Like It  A celebrated thespian indeed, Celia Diaz Laurel, played many parts on stage, acting in 74 plays from 1947 to 1992. But she was also more than an actress. She was a production, set, and costume designer, with 83 productions in her belt.  Outside the world of theater, but still in the realm of the arts, she had multiple roles as well: painter, author, philanthropist, and advocate. It was the same in her personal life. She was “mommy”, “lola”, “tita”, “Nenita” and “Nitay” to her family, relatives and friends.  To many, she was the Celia Diaz Laurel. And she bade farewell to her many roles on 12 July 2021 when she succumbed to complications from a stroke. She was 93.  Born on 29 May 1928 in Talisay, Negros Occidental to Anselmo Sison Diaz and Concepcion Gonzalez Franco, Maria Luz Celia Teresita was the youngest of six children. Her family moved to Manila when she was five. She studied at the Assumption Convent, where she was first exposed to stage performance. But it was in UP, where she would further harness her talent.     Celia Diaz Laurel as primary school student at the Assumption Convent (left) and as a member of the UP Swimming Team (right). Photos courtesy of the Celia Diaz Laurel Official Facebook page and the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library Archives.     In 1947, she entered the Fine Arts (FA) program of the University, where she learned from future National Artists Maestros Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino. In the same year, she became a member of the UP Dramatic Club. It was then under the helm of its newly appointed director, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, who was himself also later named National Artist.  Throughout her college life, Celia was able to successfully balance her roles as: FA student; theater actress in the UP Dramatic Club, Manila Community Players, and Dramatic Philippines; and, UP Swimming Team member. She was even able to nurture a blossoming relationship with a law student named Salvador Roman “Doy” Hidalgo Laurel, whom she married in 1950, and who would later become a senator and then a vice president of the Philippines. Doy and Celia, already parents of two, graduated from UP in 1952.     Celia Diaz Laurel as Kinume in Repertory Philippines’ staging of Rashomon in 1970 (left) and as a recipient of the UP Alumni Association Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award in 2015 (right). Left photo courtesy of the Celia Diaz Laurel Official Facebook page and the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library Archives; right photo from UPMPRO.     They left for the US that same year, placing daughters Susana and Celine in the care of Celia’s mother. With Doy taking his Master of Laws at Yale University, Celia decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in the same university as well. But her love of the stage pushed her in a different direction and she transferred to Yale’s post-graduate Drama program, acting in six productions there. When Celia had gotten pregnant, they decided she would deliver the baby in the Philippines. She gave birth to their third child and first son, Victor, just a few days after she had arrived. Doy remained in the US to finish his master’s but it was not long before he, too, was back home. It had only taken him 10 months to finish the program.     Celia Diaz Laurel (middle) takes over her husband’s senatorial campaign in 1967 after he figured in a vehicular accident. Photos courtesy of the Celia Diaz Laurel Official Facebook page and the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library Archives.     As their family grew, blessed with five more children, David, Lorenzo, Stella, Kristipi, and Marissa, and as Doy’s political career soared, Celia proved herself to be a superwoman. She continued to be an accomplished actress with the UP Dramatic Club, Dramatic Philippines, and Repertory Philippines, where she was in 53 productions. Even as she moved on to theater production design, she also painted, wrote poetry, authored books, did advocacy and philanthropic work. On the home front, she was a supportive wife, a doting mother, and a loving grandmother. Celia, the matriarch of the Diaz Laurel family, was strength amid grief with the loss of Doy, Kristipi, and Stella.     Senator Salvador “Doy” H. Laurel and his family in 1968. Photo courtesy of the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library Archives.     For her life’s outstanding work, Celia received the 2015 UP Alumni Association Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award, the 2016 Natatanging Gawad Buhay for Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group, and the 2016 Max Soliven Lifetime Achievement Award from PeopleAsia.  Such an achiever Celia was that she even launched a book, My Lives Behind the Proscenium, on her 93rd birthday, less than two months before she passed.     Celia Diaz Laurel’s book, My Lives Behind the Proscenium, was launched on 29 May 2021, her 93rd birthday. Photo courtesy of the Celia Diaz Laurel Official Facebook page and the Salvador H. Laurel Museum and Library Archives.     Yes, all the world is a stage and Celia was but a player. But what an amazing player! She had her entrance and exit. In her lifetime, she played many parts. And she was successful and meaningful in each one. She is survived by her six remaining children, Susana, Celine, Victor, David, Lorenzo, and Marissa, and 19 grandchildren. Her family says her 93 years on this earth was “a life so beautifully lived [it] deserves to be etched into our memory forever.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP mobilizes experts to address Abra earthquake – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/article-up-mobilizes-experts-to-address-abra-earthquake/",
        "html": "UP mobilizes experts to address Abra earthquake UP mobilizes experts to address Abra earthquake August 1, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Monitoring aftershocks following the M7.0 Abra earthquake is done using instruments deployed by citizen scientists from all over the Philippines under a program of the UP Diliman College of Science and UPRI for earthquake research and education. Photo from the UPRI’s “UP System Quick Response Status Report on the Recent M7.0 Earthquake that Hit Luzon”, July 28, 2022.  The magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Luzon on July 27 and had devastating effects, especially in the province of Abra, where the quake’s epicenter was located. The University of the Philippines (UP) immediately sprang into action. It has deployed its experts and has begun securing the immediate release of its quick response funds, mobilizing University organizations to help provide aid and relief to affected communities.  The July 28 status report of UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay stated that Dr. Mauro A. Aurelio of the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences was “en route to Abra as the advance party of the University to locate the faults where the M7.0 earthquake occurred and document its impacts.” The UPRI-Institution Building Office has been tasked to conduct “initial reconnaissance” and prepare a preliminary assessment of the affected areas. The Institute has also been coordinating with the UP Foundation for the release of available funds to support quick response activities. On top of these, UPRI experts have been tapped as media resource persons on the Abra earthquake and general issues on disasters, disaster risks, and disaster management.  The UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, also headed by Dr. Lagmay, has taken the lead in the processing and analyzing satellite imagery of all affected localities.  A team from UP Manila (UPM), including the UP Philippine General Hospital and UPM Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, has been organizing a medical mission sent to Abra communities. The initiative is led by Dr. Eric S.M. Talens, UPM Pahinungod director, and former UPM Disaster Response Team chief.  The UPRI, along with the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, and UP Vanguard, is Nowhere to go. Still, UP Foundation and Sama-Sama Tulong-Tulong are working together for relief operations. One hundred family dome tents donated as humanitarian aid to UPRI by SOS Attitude France and Rotary Philippines will be given to priority localities upon arrival from Europe. Former Regent Spocky Farolan has been coordinating with the Abra provincial government to harmonize actions for communities in immediate need of aid and relief.  Shelter tents were donated to families affected by the strong winds of Typhoon Odette. Photo from the UPRI’s “UP System Quick Response Status Report on the Recent M7.0 Earthquake that Hit Luzon”, July 28, 2022.  UP’s Abra earthquake mobilization follows its Tropical Storm Agaton activities in Leyte. The storm-induced landslides and a “landslide-tsunami” overwhelmed multiple barangays in April this year. Two of those barangays, Pilar and Malaguicay in Abuyog, Leyte, were visited last week by the UP team. The group, composed of faculty and researchers from UPRI and UP Visayas Tacloban College, conducted field surveys in the said localities. While there, the team also advised barangay leaders on how to monitor potential landslides that may affect their community.  A field of debris in a coastal community was overwhelmed by a landslide tsunami. Photo from the UPRI’s “UP System Quick Response Status Report on the Recent M7.0 Earthquake that Hit Luzon”, July 28, 2022.  Before Tropical Storm Agaton, UP assisted those affected by Typhoon Odette in December last year. In January 2022, shelter tents were given to those who lost their homes in Limasawa, Cebu, and Pitogo, Bohol. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Chief Presidential Legal Counsel discusses Martial Law 2017 in UPAA forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chief-presidential-legal-counsel-discusses-martial-law-2017-in-upaa-forum/",
        "html": "Chief Presidential Legal Counsel discusses Martial Law 2017 in UPAA forum Chief Presidential Legal Counsel discusses Martial Law 2017 in UPAA forum July 31, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo, guest speaker at the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP”, explained the reasons for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. Panelo said Duterte’s martial law aimed to crush terrorist and drug groups and networks. He also shared his thoughts on establishing a “constitutional dictatorship”, wherein, to address the problems of the state, dictatorial powers were to be exercised by the president, yet these powers would be limited by the constitution. The Kapihan was held on July 18 at the UPAA Board Room of Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  In the open forum, Panelo answered questions from the audience. Several issues were raised, such as: the scope and duration of martial law in Mindanao; apprehension about a possible extension of military rule; rights violations committed by government troops; relief and rehabilitation efforts; and, the overall welfare of the evacuees who were most affected by the Marawi crisis.  Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo explains the need for declaring Martial Law in Mindanao. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)  Panelo, an alumnus of UP Diliman and the UP College of Law, served as legal counsel of several high profile and controversial personalities, such as: Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., Senator Bong Revilla, former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, and the family of former President Ferdinand Marcos.  Facilitators of the forum were: Atty. Ramon M. Maronilla, UPAA president; Atty. Bienvenido I. Somera, Jr., UPAA Legal Counsel; Atty. Domingo C. Palarca, UPAA director; Atty. Oscar P. Palabyab, UPAA 1st vice president; Atty. Reynaldo C. Laserna, UPAA 2nd vice president; Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UPAA 3rd vice president; and Atty. Pastor Marcelo M. Reyes, Jr., UPAA Public Issues Committee chair. The “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is the UPAA’s regular public forum for nationally relevant issues. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "PIDS to build a new home in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pids-to-build-a-new-home-in-up/",
        "html": "PIDS to build a new home in UP PIDS to build a new home in UP January 29, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Foreground, from left to right: PIDS President Celia Reyes, PIDS Chairman of the Board and Socioeconomic Secretary Ernesto Pernia, and UP President Danilo Concepcion lower the time capsule into the ground on the site of the future PIDS building in UP Diliman. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     A groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 27 to mark the site of a new office building for the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) along Commonwealth Avenue in the University of the Philippines. Diliman campus. The construction of the seven-story building that will serve as the permanent home for the PIDS signifies a new milestone in the partnership between the Philippine government’s primary socioeconomic policy think-tank and the national university.     The time capsule is buried in the site of the future PIDS building. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Attending the groundbreaking were officials from the PIDS, including: NEDA Director-General, Chairman of the Board of PIDS, and Socioeconomic Secretary Ernesto del Mar Pernia; PIDS President Celia M. Reyes; former PIDS Presidents Josef Yap and Filologo L. Pante Jr.; the founding director of NEDA and UP Economics Professor Emeritus Gerardo Sicat; former Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla and former UP President Alfredo E. Pascual, both PIDS Board Members; and, research fellows and staff members of the PIDS. Also present were representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Budget and Management, and the Commission on Audit.  UP officials who attended included: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; Vice-President for Development Elvira A. Zamora; Vice-President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose B. Bautista; Vice-President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia; and Assistant Vice-President for Public Affairs Maria Angelica D. Abad, among others.     Sec. Pernia, PIDS President Reyes and UP President Concepcion sign the building plans that were later inserted into the time capsule. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In her welcome remarks, Dr. Reyes thanked President Concepcion for welcoming the PIDS into UP.  “We are looking forward to long years of harmonious relationship and more productive interaction with the University in terms of collaborative research,” she said.  Secretary Pernia highlighted the reputation of the PIDS as a government-related research institute that has been included among the the world’s top think-tanks. “By the end of next year and early 2022 at the latest, the PIDS will be moving here into their new home,” he announced.     Dr. Celia Reyes, current president and first female president of the PIDS. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Socioeconomic Secretary and Chairman of the Board of the PIDS Ernesto Pernia. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Gerardo Sicat, considered the founding father of the PIDS, recalled the history of the institute, which he had originally envisioned as a research institute under the UP School of Economics (UPSE). After the idea was set aside by then UPSE Dean Jose Encarnacion, Sicat reconceptualized the PIDS as an institution for national economic development research, which had to harness economists and social scientists, contribute to the flowering of good debate on national economic issues, and be supported by the national government.     NEDA founding director, PIDS “founding father” and UP Professor Emeritus Dr. Gerardo Sicat. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     For his part, UP President Concepcion reaffirmed the partnership between UP and the PIDS, especially in terms of research. He added that the construction of the new PIDS building would benefit not only the PIDS, but UP as well. “We have so many plans in order to implement this partnership,” he said, noting that one of these plans was the creation of a degree program through a collaboration between PIDS and UP, similar to the Masters in Economic Regulations program being offered by some universities abroad. “Titignan natin how we can structure it, pero baka pwede tayong gumawa ng degree program using the expertise, talents and facilities of the PIDS.” (We will see how we can structure it, but perhaps we can create a degree program using the expertise, talents and facilities of the PIDS.)     UP President Concepcion gives his remarks while PIDS Research Information Department Manager Dr. Sheila Siar, who emceed the event, and former PIDS president Dr. Filologo L. Pante, Jr. look on. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     He added that in light of the rapidly shrinking green and open spaces in the Diliman campus, the UP administration has instituted a policy that buildings must maximize vertical space. Noting that the soon-to-rise PIDS building is seven stories high, he added: “Titignan natin sa ating partnership na baka naman mapataas pa natin yung gusali. Sana ay magawan natin ng paraan na madagdagan pa ng at least two floors itong building nang sa ganon ay magamit naman ng UP.” (We will look into our partnership and see if we can make the building higher and add at least two more floors to the building for UP to use.)     UP President Concepcion, PIDS President Reyes, and Sec. Pernia hold up copies of the blueprint and design of the future PIDS building. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Construction of the PIDS new building in UP Diliman will be funded from the General Appropriations Act for FY 2020, and will be implemented by the DPWH. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Molecular epidemiologist explains vaccine effect for the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/molecular-epidemiologist-explains-vaccine-effect-for-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Molecular epidemiologist explains vaccine effect for the Philippines Molecular epidemiologist explains vaccine effect for the Philippines March 1, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Molecular epidemiologist Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana was positive on the safety and benefit of the vaccines with emergency use authorizations (EUAs) in the Philippines’ fight against COVID-19, and on the manageability of COVID-19 cases in the country as the vaccines were being rolled out.  Speaking on February 23, 2021 as the resource person for the online forum, eKapihan, organized by the UP Alumni Association, Salvana warned, however, that the figures on both COVID-19 cases and those from clinical trials of the vaccines, on which he based his talk, were subject to change, as both were on-going events.  Vaccine effect  Salvana also said that based on clinical trials thus far, none of the vaccines available for emergency use can totally prevent viral transmission; but although they may not be able to “kill the lion”, they can “turn it into a kitten”, that is, prevent hospitalization from severe cases, thus easing the burden on the health care system, and prevent death.  Salvana compared Pfizer, Astra, and Sinovac, the three vaccines with EUAs in the country, and Moderna with each other. He noted that Sinovac, based on its Brazil “stress-test” on health workers, understandably lagged in terms of protecting recipients from developing symptoms; but it was still at par with Astra and Moderna in preventing by 100 percent deaths or cases that would necessitate hospitalization.     A screenshot of a slide from Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana’s presentation at the UPAA’s eKapihan on February 23, 2021. Screenshot by Jo. Lontoc, UPMPRO.     “What is urgently needed? The vaccines to prevent deaths and severe disease among the vulnerable is the most important right now, until we can get to the point when we can block transmission and get herd immunity,” Salvana said. He referred to the frontliners, the elderly, and the chronically ill as the vulnerable populations.  “The data for children are not given for now. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to work [on them], but there are still clinical trials ongoing that can better define how we can use these vaccines,” Salvana pointed out. “Do not give for now,” he said, referring to children.  Salvana stressed that vaccine development for COVID-19 started 17 years ago from the original SARS outbreak.  He added that 208 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been given, “and not a single person [had] been proven to have died from it.” But caution must be taken on pregnant, immunocompromised, those with severe allergies, and the “frail elderly”. They should consult their doctors first.  Pandemic manageability  Salvana expressed optimism regarding the pandemic outlook in the Philippines. “If we stick to minimum health standards, our cases number will actually remain manageable.”     A screenshot of a slide from Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana’s presentation at the UPAA’s eKapihan on February 23, 2021. Screenshot by Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     To illustrate, he said there should have been a major surge at the end of January and the first couple of weeks of February following the last holidays, when a lot of people came out.  “Thankfully [the surge] didn’t happen which tells me people are starting to learn to live with the virus,” Salvana said. “All we really did see was a little bump up and it was outside Metro Manila.”  “Looking at what’s going on right now, the curve remains relatively flat, which makes me hopeful that we’re gonna be able to keep this trend until we get everyone vaccinated,” he concluded.  “The case fatality rate is better than worldwide—2 percent versus 3 percent. Our deaths are relatively low. We’re the 110th in the world in terms of deaths per million—109 per million compared to the US which has 15 times our death rate per million or 1,446 [per million], 1,294 [per million] in France,” Salvana said.  According to him, “The positivity rate [from tests] has been going down. It’s consistently about 5-6 percent.” Case management is also improving leading to higher survival rates, he said.  “Our number of cases is actually pretty good compared to other countries,” Salvana pointed out.  Because of these, he said the economy can remain open as the vaccines are being rolled out. If there are localized surges, he recommended proactive contact tracing and localized lockdowns.     A screenshot of a slide from Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana’s presentation at the UPAA’s eKapihan on February 23, 2021. Screenshot by Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     State of variants  He also stressed the importance of genetic surveillance being conducted by the UP Philippine Genome Center to track any new variant, contain it immediately, and make sure they are not spreading further.  Talking about the variants, feared for increased transmissibility: “We’re not sure of sustained community transmission yet. It seems like we caught them early.  “If you look at Israel, they went from 40 percent UK variant to 80 percent UK variant in one month. Now we have about 2 percent of our samples that we are looking at is UK variant. That hasn’t changed much. So it means like we’re doing a good job of keeping the UK variant under control.”  He noted that Pfizer and Moderna still had “enough antibody diversity to overcome the sustained mutation.”  Even so, he added, “There is no evidence right now that these mutations in isolation in these viruses that we see in the Philippines are actually increasing their virulence or if there’s gonna be any effect on vaccines.”  In his synthesis, Salvana said: “Now, with the vaccines that we have and more in the pipeline, and a faster roll-out, maybe in a year, we will have a semblance of normalcy.”  However, since there was not enough vaccine from just one producer, he recommended the use of all scientifically proven vaccines as soon as possible to save lives.  Salvana is Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health and Adjunct Professor for Global Health of the University of Pittsburgh.     A screenshot of a slide from Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana’s presentation at the UPAA’s eKapihan on February 23, 2021. Screenshot by Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Deadline of submission of entries to search for UP mental health advocacy project extended – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/deadline-of-submission-of-entries-to-search-for-up-mental-health-advocacy-project-extended/",
        "html": "Deadline of submission of entries to search for UP mental health advocacy project extended Deadline of submission of entries to search for UP mental health advocacy project extended September 2, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The deadline of submission of entries to the search for UP Students Mental Health Advocacy Projects has been extended from September 1, 2021 to September 5, 2021. This was announced by the University of the Philippines’ Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (UP OVPAA) and the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).  Mental health (MH) advocates play critical roles in responding to the mental health concerns and coping needs of UP students. To help create a network of advocates for a healthy and nurturing UP, the UP OVPAA and the OSFA launched the Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health, with the Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects as one of its component projects.  The Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects is a UP System-wide search for innovative mental health promotion ideas from eligible student organizations and groups. The project is a way of involving students in the promotion of mental health.  For inquiries, please contact wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle COVID-19, mental health as suicide cases spike – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-covid-19-mental-health-as-suicide-cases-spike/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle COVID-19, mental health as suicide cases spike UP webinar to tackle COVID-19, mental health as suicide cases spike October 6, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Trigger Warning: mention of suicide  The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The COVID-19 pandemic has not only taken a toll on the economy, tourism, and everyone’s physical health but also, and more importantly, each person’s mental well-being. Global studies have shown the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression, especially among vulnerable youth. As the country nears its two-year mark in the battle against COVID and cases still refuse to cease, the Philippines is no exception.  This Friday, October 8, from 12pm-2pm, join us for a timely “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series episode. Titled “COVID-19 and Mental Health of Youth,” speakers will discuss this alarming spike in anxiety, depression, and suicide among the youth.  They will also talk about how frontliners and everyone else can respond when faced with such cases, even possibly in a loved one.  How are the Filipino youth coping? What can healthcare workers do when faced with young people manifesting signs of psychosocial stress? What are the common factors of distress, and how can we address them? All this and more will be answered throughout the webinar.  Dr. Michelle Ong, Ph.D., from the UP Diliman Department of Psychology will open the event. She will be followed by Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry at UP PGH, Dr. Cornelio G. Banaag Jr., who is also known as the Father of Child Psychiatry in the Philippines. Dr. Lourdes Medina, a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma therapy, and Ms. Dina Paterno, President and Co-Founder of Beacon International School, will share their own perspectives on the topic. UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla will deliver a closing synthesis.  You definitely don’t want to miss this episode. Register here and follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA Kapihan features lecture on judicial independence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-kapihan-features-lecture-on-judicial-independence/",
        "html": "UPAA Kapihan features lecture on judicial independence UPAA Kapihan features lecture on judicial independence July 23, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Atty. Ramon M. Maronilla, UP alumni regent and president of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), delivers the welcome remarks for the “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” on July 17, 2018. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP”, a public event hosted by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) and held at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City on July 17, 2018, featured a lively discussion on “Reviewing Judicial Independence” with Hon. Mario Victor “Marvic” F. Leonen, associate justice of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines, as resource speaker.     Atty. Bienvenido I. Somera, Jr., legal counsel of the UPAA, introduces Hon. Mario Victor “Marvic” F. Leonen as the guest speaker of the “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP”. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Despite the suspension of work and classes due to heavy rains that afternoon, the event was attended by students and faculty of UP Diliman, UP College of Law, Malabon University, members of the UPAA Board of Directors, and UP alumni.  The event started with an ecumenical invocation led by Dr. Pacita C. Gavino, secretary of the UPAA, which was followed by welcome remarks given by Atty. Ramon M. Maronilla, president of the UPAA. Atty. Bienvenido I. Somera, Jr., legal counsel of the UPAA, then introduced Leonen as guest speaker.     Hon. Mario Victor “Marvic” F. Leonen, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, gives a lecture on judicial independence. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Leonen, who also served as dean of the UP College of Law before being appointed to the SC, delivered a lecture on the historical development of the study of law and the role of the judiciary in the country. He explained the importance of the judiciary, the rule of law, and also of the participation of public institutions, such as the academe, media, and the courts, among others, in ferreting out truth and justice.     Hon. Mario Victor “Marvic” F. Leonen, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, gives a lecture on judicial independence. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     According to Leonen, law was transmitted within a social context and was studied with social sensitivity. It should be progressive, and should always be about doing justice. He discussed how judges arrived at decisions while maintaining the independence and integrity of the courts. He also invited the public to be involved in the deliberation of candidates for the SC, to write letters to the members of the SC about issues of national significance, and to become critical and responsible citizens.     Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” open forum. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Atty. Reynaldo C. Laserna, UPAA 2nd vice president, delivered the closing remarks. Atty. Domingo C. Palarca, UPAA Director, served as moderator. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Chosen Projects: UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects organized by Student Organizations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-chosen-projects-up-student-mental-health-advocacy-projects-organized-by-student-organizations/",
        "html": "The Chosen Projects: UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects organized by Student Organizations The Chosen Projects: UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects organized by Student Organizations October 14, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For the University of the Philippines (UP), mental health (MH) and psychosocial wellbeing is a top priority, now more so than ever. Since last year, Since last year, UP students and faculty have had to adjust to the abrupt shift to remote and online teaching and learning. At the same time, they have to confront the stress and anxiety of coping with a global health crisis, the pain of loss, and financial and economic worries, on top of the usual pressures of academic life in UP and other family and personal issues. Many UP students find themselves struggling alone, and sometimes the burden can be too much.  Fully aware of the critical need for mental health awareness and promotion, the UP System Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) initiated several mental health promotion programs in 2021. One such program is the “Sandigan, Sandalan Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health.” A component project under the “Sandigan, Sandalan” initiative is the Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects, a UP System-wide search for innovative mental health promotion ideas from eligible student organizations and groups.  The project allows for the involvement of UP students in mental health promotion by featuring student-led programs that other groups can replicate. As of October, 10 entries for these programs have been submitted to the OSFA:  UP Behavioral Science Society October 2020 Mental  Health Month Celebration, BehSci x Mental Health: Information Campaign Series on Mental Health, Mars, Musta Ka Na?: Discussions on Mental Health Amidst the Pandemic  The October 2020 Mental Health Celebration by the UP Behavioral Science Society is a month-long project focusing on mental health awareness and promotion. As part of its year-long promotion of behavioral science concepts and their relevance and ubiquity in society, the organization launched a four-part information campaign series on mental health for MH month. It discussed body image issues and how Filipino values affect mental health, ultimately providing a more holistic view of mental health through the integration of psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The release included films that did not feed into the common misconceptions and social stigmas related to mental health. The series was launched with a Facebook post, “Debunking Mental Health Myths,” which aimed to present a more accurate picture of mental health and issues. The post reached 9,700 Facebook users, and 1,000 users liked, commented on, and shared the post.     UPLB DALUYONG: Bridging the Gaps of Isolation in these Trying Times  The objectives of the Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Teknolohiyang Panlipunan-UP Los Baños (UPLB) has always included the promotion of camaraderie and the holistic development of its residents. However, with the ongoing pandemic, the organization has had to adjust its activities to maintain and strengthen the members’ relationships despite the geographical distance present at these times. Thankfully, online platforms have helped connect and create an environment that is easily accessible for the organization members. To replicate the feeling of physical classes, the organization has created a Discord server that mimics the org tambayan, the lobby of UPLB College of Human Ecology (CHE). The members of the organization have focused on being present in each other’s lives by incorporating games and activities that promote camaraderie and cooperation among the members through web-based platforms. Through these activities, the residents are provided with opportunities to bond and communicate. With the current setup faced by students, several adjustments have been made to ensure that the members feel secure and comfortable in the organization they belong to. Despite the lack of physical interaction, STP-UPLB has created a safe space for the members of its organization.     AKAP: Psychological First Aid Workshop  The UP Medical Students for Social Responsibility (UPMSSR) and the Asian Medical Students’ Association – Philippines (AMSA-Phil) are continuing and expanding the annual psychological first-aid (PFA) workshop, dubbed “AKAP: Psychological First Aid Workshop,” to transition into training trainers with PFA knowledge and skills, with a vision to eventually train enough participants to be able to establish a mental health helpline operated by AMSA-Phil members. Currently, AMSA-Phil is meeting with other stakeholders such as the Alliance of Philippine Medical Colleges to host an event tackling Disaster Medicine and MH. The two-day event hosted discussions on mental health, PFA, its role in MH care, and its applications last June 24 and 26. The event aimed to equip medical students with PFA skills to build resilience, support, and hope during the pandemic. The UPMSSR will also host a capacity-building workshop on improving safe spaces and organizational culture alongside this.     Halcyon Headlines  The UP Halcyon, a UP Visayas-org, relaunched “Halcyon Headlines.” It is a social media initiative supporting the PagAtiman donation drive, which aimed to provide food packs to pedicab drivers in Tacloban City. The relaunch of the initiative was done through social media platforms and with the help of partner organizations, namely, Positive Youth Development Network (PYDN) through the Young House Heroes Initiative (YHHI) Hingyap PH. “Halcyon Headlines” will primarily benefit people who are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. One specific mental health topic or issue each month serves as the sole focus of the online publication. “Halcyon Headlines” will explain the common symptoms of academic burnout among students and feature personal testimonies on such experiences. “Halcyon Headlines” will also incorporate suggestions on how to help others deal with these issues and provide tips on how to counter psychological distress during and upon patient recovery.     Isip Mo Sagip Ko; Bookmark This: You Matter–Bookmark Donation Drive  The idea behind “Isip Mo, Sagip Ko” was pioneered by several members of Partido sang Mainuswagon nga Bumultho (PMB) of UP Visayas. The first phase of “Isip Mo, Sagip Ko” was organized in September 2018. “Isip Mo Sagip Ko” aims to eradicate the stigma and stereotyping of mental health in provinces; provide psychosocial support and an entertainment platform while promoting mental health awareness through games and interactive activities; and organize a series of webinars featuring mental health experts. It also encourages participants to share their experiences. The project continued until January 2019 for the second phase of its implementation.  In line with the PMB’s celebration of its 39th anniversary, a face-to-face version of “Bookmark This: You Matter Bookmark Donation Drive” was launched in partnership with the local government of Due and the Due Municipal Health Office. Resident PMB members showcased their creativity by designing bookmarks following the theme #MentalHealthMatters. These bookmarks were then published online for public consumption. “Bookmark This: You Matter” aims to inform communities about the importance of mental health in our daily lives, especially in a learning setup that can make us feel disconnected from one another. At the same time, it raises the call for accessible and functional mental health facilities for immediate communities.     Student Chapter Inc. ACcoMpany  The Association for Computing Machinery, UP Diliman Student Chapter, upholds as a core value the wellbeing of its constituents, which includes ensuring support for the members’ mental health. The organization’s initiative, “ACcoMpany,” aims to promote and support its members’ mental health journey with a holistic approach. “ACcoMpany” is so named as to make the members feel that the organization is standing by them and is here to support them throughout their journey. Activities range from teaching other members about their interests (e.g., teaching about financial literacy, photography, designing with Notion) to venting sessions where members have heartfelt talks about their troubles. “AClaiM” has an awarding ceremony at the end of each semester that recognizes members for their exceptional performance, both academic and extracurricular, and aims to give them a sense of self-fulfillment.     Tahanan: Tayo-tayo para sa Pamilyang Pilipino  The UP Diliman Family Life and Child Development Circle (FLCD Circle) Playdates started some time ago to promote the role of play in children’s development and wellbeing. The FLCD Circle shared activity and recipe guides, songs, and movies that the family can do and engage in as recreational activities to cope with the home quarantine. The organization takes on the effects of quarantine on the children’s mental health. It shows how to listen, communicate, and support them better as family members. Similar to the previous “Tahanan: Tayo-Tayo para sa Pamilyang Pilipino” discussions, the FLCD Circle, will launch a webinar for parents, teachers, social workers, and others working with and taking care of children. Through the webinar, the FLCD Circle strives to open the discussion on the complex topic of mental health, especially for children and families, and allow participants to be heard and raise questions to mental health professionals.     Mental Health Mondays–UP Diliman  In a global health crisis, mental health issues have drastically increased due to the lack of physical, emotional, and even spiritual connection among our peers. With this, the UP Diliman Philippine Association of Nutrition – Alpha Chapter (PAN-Alpha) was able to release at least nine infographic materials on different types of food that individuals can consume to help alleviate mental health issues. Hence, PAN-Alpha proudly presents “Mental Health Matters” with a “Mental Health Mondays” theme. This project promotes mental health issues specifically in connection with nutrition through nutritional psychiatry, a field that aims to develop comprehensive, cohesive, and scientifically rigorous evidence-based to support a shift in thinking around the role of diet and nutrition in mental health.     UP Mental Health Month   The UP Mental Health Month of the UP Diliman University Student Council, UP Buklod-Isip, UP PUGAD Sayk, BUKLOD CSSP, and COPE UP or UP Mental Health Month Team champions a series of projects and initiatives on mental health’s different aspects or facets. The past campaigns focused on bringing awareness to mental health, promoting ways to take care of students’ mental health, and encouraging discussions on mental health. Last year’s “UP Mental Health Month” put forward an MH campaign relevant to the times through social media postings and interactive events. Six initiatives and projects were lined up during last year’s campaign: ‘Bigay-Gabay,’ a guide on the accessible and available mental health resources and services; ‘Kaya ‘To, Kaya Mo,’ motivational posts that encouraged interactions from the audience; ‘Mars, Alam Mo Ba?’, a “pause and play project” that tackled issues and debunked myths on mental health concerning the online setting; ‘Usap Tayo?’, a webinar discussion on socio-political issues surrounding mental health; ‘Chillax,’ a series of mindfulness workshops; and ‘Gig N’ Take,’ the culminating event filled with performances from local bands and artists who advocate for mental health. This year’s campaign aims to respond to the more systematic aspects of mental health in the country, focusing on the individual and the political, cultural, and social structures concerning mental health. As the campaign expands its scope, it also aims to grow its target audience by catering to other UP campuses and other communities within the country.     Kaakbay: Psychological First Aid and the Importance of Mental Health Care during COVID-19  Focusing its efforts on alleviating the suffering of the UP community and considering that an individual’s wellbeing must include both physical and psychological health, the Diliman-based UP Red Cross Youth (UP RCY) launched “Kaakbay: a webinar on Psychological First Aid and the Importance of Mental Health Care during COVID-19” on October 24, 2020. “Kaakbay” was conceptualized when UP RCY offered a virtual learning opportunity open to all since the first-aid training it specializes in is traditionally done in a physical setting. A segment of the webinar, “Psychological First Aid Methods,” emphasizes the presence of innate coping mechanisms in each individual and how PFA is a mode of support for severe distress. The webinar’s themes of self-care and resilience are very much in line with the UP RCY’s mission and vision as an organization. Their experience in Kaakbay has inspired the organization to grow as a psychosocial support system more eligible to serve others. With the three phases of training, integration, and implementation, the organization can actively contribute to the demand for mental health support. To supplement the training from Pahinungod, RCY will reach out to other experts for consultation on mental health information and methods for psychological first aid.  Sandigan at Sandalan para sa UP  UP students and student organizations are helping promote mental health awareness and de-stigmatize mental health needs through empathy, understanding, creativity, and resourcefulness. This is the core of the UP System’s “Sandigan, Sandalan Training, and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health” Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects.  To view the series of video presentation of Mental Health Projects kindly click on this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/WvqlhWAQZgU     #UPCares # UPMentalHealthMonth #SandiganSandalan #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthPromotion #Selflove #UPFight #StaySafeandHealthy "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar spotlights COVID-19 impacts on mental health – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-spotlights-covid-19-impacts-on-mental-health/",
        "html": "UP webinar spotlights COVID-19 impacts on mental health UP webinar spotlights COVID-19 impacts on mental health March 9, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Trigger warning: mentions of suicide  On top of COVID-19 variants, surges, and lockdowns, a “silent pandemic” has yet to be addressed and mitigated.  Depression, anxiety, and even suicide cases increased worldwide. Fear of infection, loss of jobs and income, stress due to lockdowns, worry over things beyond one’s control, and other triggers have affected children, parents, seniors, and health care workers alike.  What do we know about the rising tide of mental health problems brought by the pandemic? What are the common symptoms of depression and anxiety? How can we live a mentally healthier life despite everything going on around us? How can we help individuals at risk for mental health problems?  In partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the University of the Philippines would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19 and its effects on individuals and communities.  In this special Stop COVID Deaths episode, experts will share their perspectives on the big picture of COVID 19 and psychological well-being. Titled “THE RISING TIDE: Mental Health Outcomes of the Pandemic, the discussions will cover the increasing mental health problems around the world, as well as specific university programs and initiatives which may overwhelm rising mental health cases.  Dr. Evangeline dela Fuente, Chair of the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at UP College of Medicine; and Dr. Blesile Suzette S. Mantaring, Director of the Office of Student Affairs at UP Manila, will be the main discussants of the event.  Dr. Violeta V. Bautista, Director of PsycServ and Chair of the Clinical Psychology Program at UP Diliman, will open the discussions for the episode. While Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Hospital Operations of UP PGH, will sum up the essential points covered during the program.  Join us this Friday, March 11, 2022, from 12 to 2 pm, by registering here. You may also catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  Let’s all learn how we can be positive agents of change to respond to mental health needs and reduce the stigma of mental health conditions.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. Together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP releases Episode 3 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia,” with a focus on mental well-being – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-releases-episode-3-of-byaheng-blended-ni-zia-with-a-focus-on-mental-well-being/",
        "html": "UP releases Episode 3 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia,” with a focus on mental well-being UP releases Episode 3 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia,” with a focus on mental well-being October 26, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For the University of the Philippines (UP), taking care of the mental health of its students and other academic community members is paramount. UP students have to transition to blended learning from two years of remote learning, on top of academic pressures and the strain of dealing with a pandemic.  To help UP students adjust and thrive in the new blended mode of learning and to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this October, the UP Office of Student Development Services (OSDS) has released Episode 3 in its four-part video series, “Byaheng Blended ni Zia,” with a special focus on “Mental Well-being.” This video provides practical ways to manage school anxiety and access professional help.  In addition, the UP OSDS has also published a Directory of Mental Health Service Providers in all of UP’s constituent units. This Directory offers contact information on mental health service providers across the UP System who can help students with mental health concerns, students diagnosed with mental health conditions, and students seeking psychosocial rehabilitation.  Download the Directory of Mental Health Services Providers here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP students invited to join 2 webinars on issues affecting mental health – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-students-invited-to-join-2-webinars-on-issues-affecting-mental-health/",
        "html": "UP students invited to join 2 webinars on issues affecting mental health UP students invited to join 2 webinars on issues affecting mental health February 20, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Troubled by love and relationship issues during the time of COVID-19? Stressed over the lack of learning resources online for remote learning on top of everything else?  The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs is presenting two webinars on Monday, 22 February, on these two important issues affecting students’ mental and psychosocial health.     Photo from the UPD OVCSA Facebook page     The first webinar talks about “Hangga’t Andito Ka: Celebration of Love and Life”. It will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The webinar features as resource speaker Don Anagaran III, a UP Film Institute, College of Mass Communication student. He will discuss relationship issues, concerns and thriving amidst all the difficulties and trials in life. Despite all odds, there will always be a reason and purpose to celebrate life and to flourish in love.  Please register for this webinar here: bit.ly/OCGSELF3.     Photo from the UPD OVCSA Facebook page     The last installment of the webinar series on “Surviving LDR(L): Long Distance/Remote Learning”, dubbed “Akala Mo Lang Wala! Pero Meron! Meron! Meron!: Information and Digital Literacy”, will be held at 3:00 p.m. This webinar aims to offer helpful tips and hacks for students when it comes to searching for academic resources online to support their remote learning. Resource speakers are: Assistant Professor Yhna Therese Santos from the UPD School of Library and Information Studies; Assistant Professor Elenita Que from the UPD College of Education; and, and Bea Camille Cortez from the UPD College of Fine Arts.  Register for this webinar at bit.ly/SLDRLWeb4Reg.  For more information and more helpful webinars, visit the UPD OVCSA Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar takes on the case of “A Special Infant with COVID” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-takes-on-the-case-of-a-special-infant-with-covid/",
        "html": "UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar takes on the case of “A Special Infant with COVID” UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar takes on the case of “A Special Infant with COVID” October 22, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is much more challenging for people with underlying health issues and compromised immune systems. This vulnerable demographic includes not only senior adults and people with co-morbidities but newborn infants with congenital defects as well.  Congenital defects rank among the 20 leading causes of death for all ages in the Philippines and the third leading cause of death among newborns. The factors that impact a child’s congenital development, both genetic and environmental, highlight the importance of pre-natal care and nutrition of females of reproductive age. Saving the life of a child with a congenital defect requires immediate diagnosis and surgery, both of which are made even riskier in the context of a pandemic.  The 27th installment in the UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, the very first online medical grand rounds in the Philippines, will focus on the case of “A Special Infant with COVID”—a 12-day old infant with pneumonia and multiple congenital abnormalities, including a Chiari malformation, which is a defect wherein the spinal cord meets the brain and can result in problems in the brain and/or in the spinal cord.  This webinar is scheduled on Friday, October 23, from 12nn to 2pm. Dr. Lady Scarlett Sedano, neurosurgery resident of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), will be the presentor, while Dr. Ronnie Baticulon, consultant at the UP-PGH Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neuroscience, and associate professor of anatomy at the UP College of Medicine (UPCM), will be the discussant. The reactors are: Dr. Maynila Domingo, consultant at the Section of Perinatology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UP-PGH, and clinical associate professor of the UPCM; Dr. Ma. Liza Antoinette Maniquis-Gonzales, professor of pediatrics at the UP-PGH and UPCM Associate Dean for Faculty and Students; and Dr. Loudella V. Calotes-Castillo, pediatric neurology consultant specializing in neuromuscular diseases.  The UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UPCM and the UP-PGH.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar27 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Experts address COVID-19 vaccine safety issues for people with allergies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/experts-address-covid-19-vaccine-safety-issues-for-people-with-allergies/",
        "html": "Experts address COVID-19 vaccine safety issues for people with allergies Experts address COVID-19 vaccine safety issues for people with allergies February 24, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu       You are invited to listen to the country’s top experts as they discuss the latest scientific findings on COVID-19 vaccines and possible physiological reactions among people with health concerns.  In the next University of the Philippines webinar, “May Mga Allergy Ako: COVID-19 Vaccine- SAFE BA?”, to be held on Friday, 26 February 2021, 12 noon, Dr. Marysia Stella T. Recto will talk about COVID-19 vaccines in relation to allergies and other reactions. Recto is the immediate past president of the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (PSAAI), and Professor of Adult Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the UP-Philippine General Hospital,  This webinar aims to explain possible but rare reactions to administered vaccine, and how health workers will manage any reaction, as well as provide answers to questions raised by participants. The experts will also expound on: who should not be given COVID-19 vaccines, patients who need further evaluation, and special groups who can receive the vaccine.  Dr. Rommel Lobo, President of PSAAI, and Dr. Elena E. Pernia, UP System VP for Public Affairs, will open the webinar with special messages. Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine, will also share her insights during the webinar.  Dr. Leilanie Apostol-Nicodemus, Professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UP-PGH, and Karen Davila, broadcast journalist of Headstart on ANC will serve as webinar reactors.  The Stop COVID Deaths webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP PGH.  To participate in this webinar, sign up at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar42. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar addresses public’s vaccination concerns – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-addresses-publics-vaccination-concerns/",
        "html": "UP webinar addresses public’s vaccination concerns UP webinar addresses public’s vaccination concerns May 12, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Answering questions about vaccination from the public will be the focus of the latest edition of the University of the Philippines webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths”, livestreamed on May 14, 2021, at 12 noon.  Titled “Nalilito pa rin ako: FAQs on COVID-19 Vaccination”, the webinar will feature as main resource person, epidemiologist and public health expert Dr. Enrique Tayag, Director IV of the Department of Health (DOH) Knowledge Management and Information Technology Systems.  Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, a member of the DOH Technical Advisory Group and Associate Professor at the UP College of Medicine, and Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, will be the panel discussants.  The webinar will also feature inputs from Dr. Nina Gloriani, Lead of the Vaccine Expert Panel and former Dean of the UP College of Public Health, who will deliver the opening remarks. UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong will deliver the closing remarks and synthesis of the discussions.  Together with regular webinar facilitators: Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, an international public health expert, and UP National Telehealth Center Director Raymond Francis Sarmiento, the experts will answer questions from the audience, usually composed of health workers from all over the world.  The webinar aims to address “vaccine hesitancy” among the public, which experts say presents a barrier to achieving better control of the spread of COVID-19. They observe: many senior citizens questioning the need for vaccination when they are compelled to stay at home; others not knowing where to go for vaccination; the general public debating about vaccine brands and their safety; some who have received one shot wanting to switch to another brand; and, many more fearing possibilities of allergies and adverse reactions.  Those who wish to participate in the webinar may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar52. If registration reaches full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP at http://tvup.ph  and http://www.youtube.com/tvupph.  Certificates of attendance will be issued to those who have attended at least 50% of the webinar duration.  The webinar is the 52nd in the weekly series produced by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to focus on home care for mild COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-focus-on-home-care-for-mild-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to focus on home care for mild COVID-19 UP webinar to focus on home care for mild COVID-19 April 28, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The number of new COVID-19 cases may have dropped following the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), but these numbers are still at high levels. Many cases of COVID-19—around 69 % of all cases, according to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group—are mild and can be managed at home.  What are the COVID-19 home management steps that family members need to know? What should be done when more than one member of the family has COVID-19? What should patients do to take care of themselves? And what are the danger signals to watch out for that would indicate that hospitalization might be needed?  The 50th installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will focus on home care for mild COVID-19. Watch the special-edition webinar, “Sa Bahay Na Lang: Home Care for Mild COVID-19”, on Friday, 30 April, at 12:00.  The webinar will also highlight how the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) COVID TeleGabay Project and The Medical City COVID Home Care Program are reaching thousands of patients who prefer to stay home when they test positive for COVID-19, to be presented by Dr. Jonas del Rosario of the UP-PGH and Dr. Amiel Dela Cruz of TMC.  Reactor is former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, who will also share how other organizations are supporting families and health workers on the ground. Opening remarks will be delivered by UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, and closing remarks by UP College of Medicine Dean, Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong.  Register for the Zoom webinar here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar50.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar discusses management of COVID cases in families – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-discusses-management-of-covid-cases-in-families/",
        "html": "UP webinar discusses management of COVID cases in families UP webinar discusses management of COVID cases in families May 26, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Medical experts will discuss COVID-19 infection of healthy young adults which escalate into severe illness, and management of multiple infections in households in the 54th edition of the University of the Philippines webinar series “Stop COVID Deaths” to be livestreamed on May 28, 2021, at 12 noon.  The webinar, “COVID sa Pamilya: Hindi pala Ligtas ang Malusog at Nakababata”, will point out that not only seniors and persons with pre-existing illnesses become severely ill from COVID-19. It will highlight the critical importance of vaccination of all eligible ages in households.  Dr. Grace Astudillo, fellow in training for infectious diseases at the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), will present the case of a 36-year-old healthy male, who was infected with SARSCov2 and developed severe COVID within 28 days of the positive test result.  Dr. Ralph Villalobos, Consultant of the UP-PGH Division of Pulmonary Medicine, will discuss clinical management of such a case. Dr. Anna Guia Limpoco, Board Member of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, will give a perspective on COVID-19 management, taking into account the mixed and intergenerational households of the Philippines.  The webinar will also feature inputs from Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, UP-PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations, who will deliver the opening remarks. UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong will deliver the closing remarks and synthesis of the discussions.  The webinars feature Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, an international public health expert, and UP National Telehealth Center Director Raymond Francis Sarmiento, as regular facilitators.  Those who wish to participate in the webinar may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar54. If registration reaches full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP at http://tvup.ph and http://www.youtube.com/tvupph.  Certificates of attendance will be issued to those who have attended at least 50% of the webinar duration.  The webinar is the 54th in the weekly series produced by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital. The series aims to tap into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of COVID-19 cases. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP announces additional flexible academic measures for the remainder of the semester – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-announces-additional-flexible-academic-measures-for-the-remainder-of-the-semester/",
        "html": "UP announces additional flexible academic measures for the remainder of the semester UP announces additional flexible academic measures for the remainder of the semester November 26, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Recognizing the extreme challenges of switching to remote teaching and learning in the middle of a pandemic, and economic and technological limitations made worse by the spate of typhoons that battered the country, the University of the Philippines has announced additional flexible academic measures for the remainder of the first semester of AY 2020-2021. This includes the extension of the deadline for the submission of grades to give students more time to accomplish academic requirements and faculty to grade them, and a policy of no failing grades to be given to students this semester.   After due deliberation on the situation of faculty and students in the wake of the typhoons, and in the spirit of balancing divergent positions and interests of faculty and students in the wider context of Philippine higher education, the UP Administration—specifically President’s Advisory Council (PAC), composed of the UP System Executive Committee, Chancellors, and the Philippine General Hospital and UP Bonifacio Global City Directors—upon the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee consisting of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Assistant Vice-Presidents for Academic Affairs and Vice-Chancellors for Academic Affairs of UP’s constituent units—endorsed the guidelines for the remainder of the first semester AY 2020-2021 and the proposed modification of the academic calendar for the second semester AY 2020-2021 and midyear 2021. The academic guidelines were laid down in Memorandum No. 2020-143 issued by the UP System Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) on 26 November 2020.  The UP Board of Regents, in its 1356th meeting on the same day, approved the PAC-endorsed guidelines and modified academic calendar with an additional condition for the conduct of bridging activities.     Guidelines for the remainder of the semester  The first semester for AY 2020-2021 will end as scheduled, with 9 December as the last day of classes, and final examinations to be held from 11 to 18 December. However, the deadline for the submission of grades is moved from 8 January to 22 January 2021 to give students more time to complete requirements and the faculty more time to grade them.   Moreover, the grades for the first semester AY 2020-2021 will be numeric. The reason for the numeric grades is that, unlike in the second semester of the previous academic year when the University was caught unprepared by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, students have been provided course packs to enable independent learning even when formal classes are not possible. Many students also need grades for scholarships, licensure examinations, future studies, and employment requirements.   However, a grade of 4.0 or conditional failure, or a failing grade of 5.0 shall not be given this semester. Faculty members are also not allowed to give a forced drop (DRP) to students on the basis of non-attendance of synchronous classes or non-communication within the semester, for instance, during scheduled consultations. Instead, students will be given an INC.   This change effectively suspends the rule on attendance that states: “When the number of hours lost by student’s absence reaches 20 percent of the hours of recitation, lecture, laboratory, or any other scheduled work in one subject, s/he shall be dropped from the subject; . . . If the majority of the absences is excused, a student shall not be given a grade of 5.00 upon being thus dropped (often referred to as ‘forced drop’); but if the majority of the absences are not excused, the student shall be given a grade of 5.00 upon being thus dropped.”  Faculty members are encouraged to help students affected by the typhoons and the pandemic to comply with the requirements in time for the 22 January deadline for the submission of grades. Students with missing or incomplete requirements by 22 January shall be given a grade of INC. Suspended is the rule that states that a student whose class standing is not “passing” and who fails to complete requirements or take the final exam automatically receives a grade of 5.0. Instead, students will be allowed to complete their requirements within the prescribed period within one academic year, after which they shall be given a final grade. Students who fail to complete an INC within the prescribed period must re-enroll in the course or its equivalent.   Faculty members are enjoined to continue calibrating their course requirements with the current conditions in mind. Course requirements may be further reduced to the essentials of a course, and no additional course requirements should be specified. Faculty members may conduct bridging academic activities before the extended deadline for the submission of grades, provided the students in their course agree to these.      Suspended academic rules and modified academic calendar  The UP Administration also issued a reminder in the memo that, in addition to the suspended rules on class attendance and INCs above, the following academic rules remain suspended with the approval of the BOR:  1. The deadline for dropping and filing of leave of absence is suspended. 2. A 12-unit course load will be considered a regular load for undergraduate students. 3. The First Semester AY 2020-2021 will not be counted towards MRR. This is because it is the first time for students to do remote learning and they will still calibrate the course load that they can manage, especially for graduate students who are working from home and for other students who have a workload outside of their school work. 4. A student enrolled in a course this semester that is a prerequisite to another shall be allowed to enroll in the latter course for credit in the subsequent semester, despite having no grade yet for the prerequisite course given the extension of the deadline for submission of grades to 22 January 2021. 5. The following rules on scholastic delinquency are suspended for the first semester AY 2020-2021:   a. Warning b. Probation c. Dismissal d. Permanent Disqualification  In light of the postponement of the submission of grades and the time needed to prepare course guides and resource materials, the UP BOR approved the following modified academic calendar for the second semester of AY 2020-2021 and midyear 2021.  Second Semester AY 2020-2021  Start of Classes: 1 March 2021 Reading/Wellness Break: 29 April – 5 May 2021 Reading/Wellness Breaks for the split-sem schedule: 25 – 27 March 2021; 20 – 22 May 2021 End of Classes: 11 June 2021  2021 Midyear  Start of Classes: 5 July 2021 Reading/Wellness Break:  29 – 31 July 2021 End of Classes: 20 August 2021 Finals Period: 23 – 26 August 2021     Extremely difficult semester  The OVPAA memo described the unprecedented difficulties faced by UP students and faculty this semester, given the public health crisis and the impacts of natural disasters on the UP community. Academic units had to redesign programs, balance student demand for course slots with the faculty’s appeal for smaller classes, and rush requests for funds to cover resources for remote teaching and learning. Faculty members have had to cope with an inordinate amount of work, from designing learning activities and planning course requirements, selecting course materials, to preparing course packs with course and study guides and resource materials for uploading in the CUs’ Learning Management System, or for printing and delivery to students with poor connectivity. Some faculty members face the same technological challenges that students have to deal with, and some also have to juggle the added workload with their family care and domestic duties.  Students have also had to grapple with an overwhelming amount of readings and requirements in the four or five courses they have to attend remotely. Additionally, they have had to adjust to the different time frame and rhythm of independent and remote learning without much preparation, while studying in homes and environments that may have poor Internet connectivity, occasional power outages, and may not be conducive to learning.  These difficulties, which were revealed in a “Kumustahan” and in surveys conducted by the CUs prior to the typhoons, prompted the UP System to call for a review of course content and requirements, as well as a reading break from synchronous classes and the submission of course requirements. With the typhoons exacerbating the situation for many members of the UP community, both the UP System and CU administrations called for even greater compassion and flexibility on the part of the faculty and for an iterative reconfiguration of course content and requirements for the remaining weeks of the semester.  Read the OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-143 here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries”: New webinar series will introduce new online resources for UP faculty and staff – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/discovering-connections-connecting-discoveries-new-webinar-series-will-introduce-new-online-resources-for-up-faculty-and-staff/",
        "html": "“Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries”: New webinar series will introduce new online resources for UP faculty and staff “Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries”: New webinar series will introduce new online resources for UP faculty and staff February 18, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A new webinar series dubbed “Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries” will introduce University of the Philippines (UP) faculty and staff to the new online resources of the UP System. The webinar series will run from 22 to 26 February, as announced by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  The schedule of the upcoming webinar series, along with their registration links, is as follows:        22 February, Monday  8:30 – 10:00 a.m. – OpenAthens: Your One-Stop Site for Online Database Access Facilitator: John Christopherson LT. Fredeluces, College Librarian, UPD University Library https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfu2oqzsuHtT8WpjWm9FUnQjG99WrLgRi  10:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Getting Started with Gale Reference Complete Facilitator: Ms. Sarah Diane Enriquez, Solutions Specialists, CE Logic, Inc. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd-ugrz4iG9CYlwG7-TSRQB1hoBPakTx  1:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Jumpstarting Your Research with JOVE Unlimited Facilitator: Dr. Maaike Pols, Scientific Advisor, JoVE https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkc-GvrTItEtxNwvU3kYiGy1KAUVqL6yYH  3:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Empowering Knowledge with Elsevier Tools Facilitator: Mr. Johan Jang, Customer Consultant, Elsevier SEA Facilitator: Mr. Alexander van Servellen, Senior Consultant, Research Intelligence Elsevier SEA https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqc-GpqTsrHdd2aHGn5jZ1PWe_es8EQVsO     23 February, Tuesday  9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Everything You Need to Know About EBSCO Academic Search Complete Facilitator: Mr. Bonneth Siguisabal, Information Consultant, EBSCO International, Inc. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtd-mtqTIuGtSYQ3hpmpcrgXmB_mdNQnc2  1:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Productive Research with ProQuest Facilitator: Ms. Kurinji Malar Kaliappan, Customer Experience Training and Consulting Partner, ProQuest Information and Learning Ltd. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMldeigqzMtG9AWjqtf8ux-5Ogm7YfORYtK  3:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Cambridge Core: The Home of Academic Content Facilitator: Ms. Caroline Kerbyson, Training and Systems Manager, Cambridge University Press https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sf-igqj8jH9R1heCLoNvZUBJztLQOuGc        24 February, Wednesday  9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Engaging Research with Emerald Premier E-Journal Facilitator: Ms. Sarah Diane Enriquez, Solutions Specialists, CE Logic, Inc. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqceGrqzsoHdB0Etobp4ZPSy0cfRxWjKEl  1:30 – 3:00 p.m. – Philippine E-Journals: A Treasure Trove of Resources Facilitator: Ms. Sarah Diane Enriquez, Solutions Specialists, CE Logic, Inc. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrfuqpqj4vG9T0dmHXyxEkYvKj0G_K7gxI     26 February, Friday  8:30 – 10:00 a.m. – Scholarly Content with Springer Nature Journals Facilitator: Ms. Odessa Maceda, Licensing Manager, Philippines Springer Nature https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocOipqjguEtI6tWorUIPxdeo-CdjK_1uD  10:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Maximizing Your Research with Project MUSE Facilitator: Ms. Cassandra Seow, SEA Representative for Project MUSE https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdOqvpjsjHdRTR9KReZsOVRcl1PaWQm1F  1:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Teaching and Research with Taylor and Francis Online Facilitator: Ms. Quinie Lim, Senior Marketing Executive, Taylor & Francis Group https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tdeytrzMtEtDQ8MWFkUWVw1GV1xu0GfUD  3:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Transitioning to a New Normal in Education with JSTOR Facilitator: Ms. Sarah Diane Enriquez, Solutions Specialists, CE Logic, Inc. https://up-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtd-itpjMjE9Si-tNRfZ3GSY1xQy4vu1iZ  Download the schedule of the webinar series in PDF format here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP advocates Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching and Learning Environment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-advocates-mental-health-promotion-in-the-teaching-and-learning-environment/",
        "html": "UP advocates Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching and Learning Environment UP advocates Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching and Learning Environment May 14, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In this pandemic, college mental health focal persons will play critical roles in responding to students’ mental health (MH) concerns and coping needs. In the University of the Philippines, college mental health focal persons are UP faculty members and Student Affairs staff who can advocate MH care in classes and other teaching-learning contexts. At least 240 participants have registered in the 2nd semester AY 2020-2021.  The UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OVPAA-OSFA) started the Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy programs for Mental Health in March 2021 to provide practical knowledge on Mental Health Promotion. The Training Program on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment is now in its 3rd Batch run for the 2nd semester AY 2020-2021.  The training team is led by Asst. Prof. Maria Angela Mabale, MA, RN (College of Nursing, UP Manila), and Mr. Airon Andrew Bonifacio, RND (College of Home Economics, UP Diliman). The program resource persons include Rowalt Alibudbud, MD (College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University); Victoria Patricia De La Llana, MD (College of Medicine, UP Manila); Raymond John Naguit, MD (Youth for Mental Health Coalition); Eleanor Caballo, RGC (College of Arts and Science, UP Manila); and Blesile Mantaring, MD (Office of Student Affairs, UP Manila).  In the previous batches, the training team emphasized the value of mental health in the University setting. According to Dr. Alibudbud, MH promotion leads to academic excellence because it enhances the capability of people to perform at their best leading to academic excellence.           In class management, the team emphasized that MH promotion in remote learning requires rethinking the design of classes. While faculty members are focused on shifting to online delivery of knowledge and assessment, mental health promotion in teaching and learning should bring us back to what makes teaching and learning productive endeavors for students. Dr. Alibudbud emphasized that the teacher-student interaction in classes is a relationship. He reiterates the importance of building trust and empathy to nurture this relationship. Dr. Dela Llana highlighted that UP teachers are given a unique and special opportunity to be significant in the life journey of our students to help them find a semblance of meaning, relief, and connections in classrooms.  Dealing with psychosocial concerns and problematic behavior is a crucial component of MH promotion in class management. The training team introduced systematic ways of handling students to assist participants in incorporating MH care in these situations. Ms. Carballo shared approaches on how to become an effective bridge for UP students struggling with psychosocial concerns. Dr. Mantaring described the value of a network of personnel who can support UP students in UP Manila. According to Dr. Naguit, the logic behind many of the recommendations provided in the training program is to translate compassion into concrete action steps. Speaking as a teacher and mental health service provider, Dr. Dela Llana highlighted that the last thing we want to do is make students feel that their emotions are wrong or that their feelings do not matter to us.        Acknowledging that UP faculty members themselves also face mental health concerns, Asst. Prof. Mabale highlighted the evolving nature of MH promotion in teaching contexts. During the community forums with participants and resource persons, Mr. Bonifacio emphasized that if we are to become advocates of mental health, we should also be able to apply MH concepts, such as self-care, to our respective situations. The experience will require exploring and learning. According to Asst. Prof. Mabale, advocating MH in remote learning could be viewed as a challenge to rediscover new ways of coping as well as new ways of taking care of ourselves.        The 3rd run of the Training Program on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment began on 11 May 2021 to accommodate the college mental health focal persons from all constituent universities of UP. This program is UP’s way to build a community of college mental focal persons with the capacity to advocate mental health care in the University.  Should you have inquiries, you may contact the OVPAA-OSFA at wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sandigan, Sandalan training and advocacy program for mental health to be held in June – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sandigan-sandalan-training-and-advocacy-program-for-mental-health-to-be-held-in-june/",
        "html": "Sandigan, Sandalan training and advocacy program for mental health to be held in June Sandigan, Sandalan training and advocacy program for mental health to be held in June June 8, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In this pandemic, mental health (MH) advocates play a crucial role in creating a nurturing community in the University of the Philippines (UP). MH advocates are UP faculty members, Student Affairs personnel, and students who can champion MH promotion in the different teaching-learning environments. Together with MH professionals, MH advocates comprise the University’s Mental Health and Wellness Network that can respond to the MH concerns and coping needs of UP students.  To strengthen this network, the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OVPAA-OSFA) is once again organizing the Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health for the month of June. Training sessions have been scheduled on June 7, 14, 21 and 28.  One of the components of the Sandigan, Sandalan is the Peer Support Training on Mental Health Promotion for UP students. Student MH advocates or kaSandalan are nominated members of student councils, student organizations, and student groups who can champion MH care among their peers.  To be effective advocates, kaSandalan should be aware of the importance of MH promotion and actions to create a nurturing environment with their peers. The Peer Support Training is an online program on MH promotion and community forums where participants can interact with other advocates and invited MH experts. The program covers: (1) general mental health information; (2) ways on how students can help their peers; (3) promotion of safe and resilient school environments; and, (4) participation in MH advocacy in the University.  The training team is led by Dan Paolo Yema (College of Arts and Sciences, UP Los Baños) and Maria Rowena Beatriz Inzon (Office of Student Activities, UP Los Baños). The program resource persons include: Dr. Rowalt Alibudbud (College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University); Dr. Victoria Patricia De La Llana (College of Medicine, UP Manila); Dr. Raymond John Naguit (Youth for Mental Health Coalition); Eleanor Caballo, RGC (College of Arts and Science, UP Manila); and, Dr. Blesile Mantaring (Office of Student Affairs, UP Manila).  The Sandigan, Sandalan program started on 31 May 2021.  For inquiries, please contact the OVPAA-OSFA at wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP System Town Hall Session for AY 2020-2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-system-town-hall-session-for-ay-2020-2021/",
        "html": "The UP System Town Hall Session for AY 2020-2021 The UP System Town Hall Session for AY 2020-2021 February 21, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs presents Town Hall, an online session to inform UP students regarding preparations for the Academic Year 2020-2021, and an opportunity for the Academic and Student Affairs personnel to address pressing concerns of students in remote learning mode on February 23, 2021, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, via Zoom.  Kindly register through this link: https://up-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0pWoBXtkQlOoSkQ2OPjRKw  Registration before February 22, 2021, 6:00 pm is highly encouraged.  For inquiries, you may contact UP OVPAA-OSFA: wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP uses THE rankings feedback to pursue directions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-uses-the-rankings-feedback-to-pursue-directions/",
        "html": "UP uses THE rankings feedback to pursue directions UP uses THE rankings feedback to pursue directions September 10, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Graduating students in UP Baguio raise their right hands while reciting the alumni pledge. UP MPRO 2019 file photo.  The University of the Philippines took stock of its performance in the last Times Higher Education-World University Rankings (THE-WUR) edition to understand the setbacks in the rankings and address them accordingly as the country’s flagship university.  UP slipped from the 401st-500th bracket of the top 1,526 universities in the 2021 THE-WUR edition to the 601st-800th bracket of the top 1,662 universities in the 2022 edition because of lower scores in the criteria of teaching, international outlook, and citation, which are three of five primary criteria.  UP remains among the top ASEAN universities and the highest-ranking Philippine university. Globally, UP’s THE ranking is bracketed alongside other distinguished universities such as the University of Alabama, University of Houston, Keio University, Kobe University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, University of Maryland-Baltimore, Université du Québec, University of Rome, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (THE, 2021).  In terms of teaching, where out of 100, UP’s score dipped from 23.5 to 22.6, the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) said it was affected by a decrease in the number of graduates. This, the office said, can be attributed to the implementation of the Department of Education’s K-12 program.  Based on its assessment, UP will recover its teaching or learning environment score only after the 2023 THE-WUR, with a usual number of graduates. This will be combined with the efforts to increase the ratio of PhDs to academic staff, its staff to student ratio, and the institutional income.  UP’s international outlook score, which went from 33.4 to 33.1, was due to restrictions in hiring foreign faculty and enrolling foreign undergraduate students, the OVPAA added.        The University thus remains in pursuit of contractual appointment of foreigners as regular faculty with the same teaching, research, and publication requirements as Filipinos. It is also working to institutionalize cross-appointments. In addition, UP is expecting more foreign students as it organizes Asia Pacific Rim University’s (APRU) student mobility programs in October 2022.  UP said its citation score decreased from 86.7 to 74.3, despite an overall increase in publications over the years, because of the time lag between publication and citation. The OVPAA added that data for publications from international collaboration, which bears more weight than national collaborations and single authorships in the citation score, were still unavailable for submission to THE for its 2022 rankings. Despite the lower citation score, UP managed to stay at number four in ASEAN in citation scores after securing the number one spot in the previous year.  UP’s encouragement of more international collaborative research should address the lower citation score. This kind of research correlates with high citation scores in THE. The OVPAA said that this notwithstanding, the University is conscious of avoiding the pitfalls of past collaborative projects. UP hopes to sustain the increase in publications in general arising from its research.  Research is a significant criterion where UP improved its score, from 16 to 17.5. The University also improved in terms of industry income, from 39.5 to 41.7. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP student orgs present mental health advocacy projects for World Mental Health Day – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-student-orgs-present-mental-health-advocacy-projects-for-world-mental-health-day/",
        "html": "UP student orgs present mental health advocacy projects for World Mental Health Day UP student orgs present mental health advocacy projects for World Mental Health Day October 8, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    With the stress, anxiety, and chaos of living in the 21st century, the issue of mental health has never been more critical. And especially in this pandemic, populations and communities are facing difficulties in terms of mental health investment and making mental health services open and accessible to many.  The University of the Philippines (UP) joins the global celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 10 as declared by the World Health Organization. This year’s celebration takes on the slogan “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality,” in recognition of the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels and to find new ways of providing mental health care to the people.  In keeping as well with Proclamation No. 452, which designates every second week of October as National Mental Health Week, the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) launched the “Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health.” One of the component projects of the “Sandigan, Sandalan” initiative is the Search for UP Student Mental Health Advocacy Projects, a UP System-wide search for innovative mental health (MH) promotion ideas from eligible student organizations and groups.        This project also aims to transform students into active partners for mental health promotion in the University, thus helping to create a network of advocates for a healthy and nurturing UP. The end result of the search is the top 10 mental health advocacy projects organized by student organizations across the UP System:  UP Behavioral Science Society: October 2020 Mental Health Month Celebration, BehSci x Mental Health: Information Campaign Series on Mental Health Mars, Musta Ka Na?: Discussions on Mental Health Amidst the Pandemic; Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Teknolohiyang Panlipunan UPLB DALUYONG: Bridging the Gaps of Isolation in these Trying Times; UP Medical Student for Social Responsibility AKAP: Psychological First Aid Workshop; UP Halycon- Halcyon Headlines; UPV- Partido sang Mainuswagon nga Bumulutho: Isip Mo Sagip Ko; Bookmark This: You Matter Bookmark Donation Drive; Association for Computing Machinery – UP Diliman Student Chapter Inc. Student Chapter Inc.: ACcoMpany; Family Life and Child Development Circle-Tahanan: Tayo-tayo para sa Pamilyang Pilipino; Philippine Association of Nutrition – Alpha Chapter: Mental Health Mondays; UP Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (UP Buklod-Isip), UP Psychology Society (UP PsychSoc), UP Psychological Understanding for Growth and Distinction Society (UP PUGAD Sayk), UP Diliman University Student Council, BUKLOD CSSP, and COPE UP – UP Mental Health Month UP Red Cross Youth – Kaakbay: Psychological First Aid and the Importance of Mental Health Care during COVID-19.  Click here to view the series of video presentations of mental health projects and find out how UP students can help promote mental health in the University.     #MentalHealthMonth #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAdvocates #SandiganSandalan #UPCares #WeCare "
    },
    {
        "title": "Book on pandemic surgery to be virtually launched at 29th UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/book-on-pandemic-surgery-to-be-virtually-launched-at-29th-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar/",
        "html": "Book on pandemic surgery to be virtually launched at 29th UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar Book on pandemic surgery to be virtually launched at 29th UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar November 3, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       For its 29th installment, the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series is doing something special: holding the very first Virtual National Book Launch on Pandemic Surgery.  The book to be launched virtually on November 6, Friday, at 12:00 noon is Pandemic Surgery: An Integrated Ethics and Technical Reference. It was conceived as a complementary volume to the earlier published handbook containing procedural guidelines for staff of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH).  This book on pandemic surgery aims to provide the conceptual basis for the corresponding structural and procedural adjustments in surgical care during a pandemic. The material was developed and written by faculty and residents of the Department of Surgery of the UP College of Medicine (UPCM); and it was extensively reviewed by practicing surgeons, academics, and advocates. It is meant to be of value to surgical administrators, clinicians, and trainees at the UP-PGH, as well as in most other local institutions.  While the coverage is extensive, the provided material, for purposes of conciseness and relevance, is admittedly not exhaustive. The editors are aware that a lot remains unknown regarding SARS-CoV-2 as well as the actual effectiveness of COVID-19 measures.  The ebook can be downloaded here:  bit.ly/PandemicSurgeryBook  Presentors at this special virtual book-launch edition of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series are: Dr. Alvin Caballes, Professor at the Department of Surgery and Chief of the Social Medicine Unit, UPCM; and, Dr. Marie Carmela Lapitan, likewise Professor at the UPCM Department of Surgery. Reactors at the event are: Dr. Roy Trinidad, President of the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) Panay Chapter; and Dr. Rhoel de Leon, past President of the PCS Northern Mindanao Chapter.  Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of UPCM, will deliver the welcome remarks; while Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, UP-PGH Director will give the opening remarks. Dr. Jose Antonio Salud, PCS President, will deliver the closing remarks.  The UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series is produced by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP-PGH. This special edition of the webinar series is co-sponsored by the Philippine College of Surgeons.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar29 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to focus on oral cancer treatment in the time of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-focus-on-oral-cancer-treatment-in-the-time-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to focus on oral cancer treatment in the time of COVID-19 UP webinar to focus on oral cancer treatment in the time of COVID-19 December 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Oral cancer is the 8th leading type of cancer in the Philippines. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2018, oral cancer deaths make up 0.51% of the total deaths in the country.  Lip cancer, a specific type of oral cancer, develops from abnormal cells that grow out of control and form lesions or tumors on the lips, creating thin, flat cells that line the lips, mouth, tongue, cheeks, sinuses, throat, hard and soft palates. Lip cancer is notorious as a rapidly growing type of tumor of the head and neck, if it is not diagnosed and treated early.  Certain lifestyle choices can increase the risk of developing lip cancer, including tobacco use, heavy alcohol intake, and excessive sun exposure. Treatment includes performing a biopsy and imaging tests, followed by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. To begin with, these options are already difficult and often inaccessible for poor patients, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made receiving oral cancer treatment even more challenging.  The 35th installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS”, which will be held on Friday, December 18 at 12:00 noon, will focus on the case of a “Farmer with Rapidly Growing Lip Tumor”. Farmers are at high risk of developing oral cancer due to constant exposure to the sun for prolonged periods of time. In this case, an 81-year old female farmer from Mindanao noticed a patchy discoloration on her face that quickly progressed into a tumor around her lips. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she was unable to consult a doctor. The tumor has rapidly worsened, and she is finally seen to by a physician in the Doctors to the Barrios program.  Dr. Mike Gianan, a Doctor to the Barrio working in Zamboanga Del Norte, will explain the details of the case, while Dr. Christine Joy Arquiza, Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will be the discussant. Dr. Nodel Nodora, Technical Officer of the WHO-Western Pacific Region Office will be the reactor. Opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Anthony Cordero, Director of the UP Manila Community Health Development Program, while UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla will give the closing remarks.  The “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP College of Medicine and the UP-PGH.     Register now: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar35 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Blazing a trail in the digital landscape – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/blazing-a-trail-in-the-digital-landscape/",
        "html": "Blazing a trail in the digital landscape Blazing a trail in the digital landscape May 28, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    UP Open University (UPOU) Networks is the first of its kind in the country, perhaps even in Southeast Asia. It’s certainly the first among member institutions in the Asian Association of Open Universities.  UPOU Networks is an online repository of multimedia learning materials, both open and proprietary, produced by the University. And in this day and age, when the Internet releases tons of data faster than you can say “information superhighway,” wouldn’t you like to learn from a reliable source?     Examples of UP-produced open educational resources found inside the UPOU Commons, which is only one of four sections inside UPOU Networks     Creating content, sharing knowledge  Describing the uniqueness of UPOU Networks, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria says that “This is not just an index or listing of links to learning materials, which is quite common. This is a collection of UP-created content which we are disseminating online and sharing with everyone.”  For UPOU Information Office Director Joane Serrano, who was also director of the UPOU Multimedia Center until recently, the initiative allows the University to further contribute to the collective knowledge and content coming from the Global South. “We’re mostly consumers of learning objects from the Global North, especially open educational resources (OERs). This needs to be challenged. We need to work toward a level playing field,” Serrano says. The Center is involved in the production of most materials in UPOU Networks.  So what does one get from UPOU Networks?  Accessing networks.upou.edu.ph brings you a variety of content. UPOU Live is where lectures, symposia, research presentations, seminars, and other University events are broadcast in real time. UPOU On Record is a collection of podcasts and other audio materials. UPOU Commons is where OERs are housed under a Creative Commons license. UPOU Mix contains learning objects in various formats and on different topics.     Pushing for genuine openness  The UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 is “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has identified OERs as strategic in improving access to quality education.  UPOU, whose leadership in open and distance e-learning has been recognized by law through the Open and Distance Learning Act, fully supports these global initiatives by pioneering the OER movement in the country. “Not many people in the Philippines know about OERs, which is why the University needs to work even harder for this revolutionary education movement to take root and prosper,” Serrano continues.     From left to right, some members of the UPOU Multimedia Center, the office behind UPOU Networks: University Researcher Luisa Gelisan, Information Systems Researcher Edison Sevillo, and Director Joane Serrano (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Admittedly, there’s some resistance from those who feel OERs run contrary to the protection of intellectual property rights. This perceived conflict seems to be one of the biggest challenges facing the progress of the OER movement in the country. And universities need to strike a balance between both if they wish to remain relevant in the global pursuit of quality education for all.  As for UPOU, it will continue to create and advocate the use of OERs not only to educate but to enrich knowledge through sharing, collaboration, and creation.     Moving for greater accessibility  Accessibility continues to be one of the main issues surrounding quality education. There’s a digital divide between the technology-rich and technology-poor. And even within the group with digital technology is the issue of inclusive access. Can everyone “read” your content? Can everyone navigate your website or mobile application with ease?  Early this year, UPOU embarked on a mission to widen access to its resources through its Universal and Inclusive Accessibility Program, which covers “all aspects of [its] academic and administrative functions and services.” It aims to adhere to UNESCO’s Guidelines on the Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities in Open and Distance Learning.  For UPOU Networks, this means improvements in readability across different devices and browsers as well as varying availability of computer peripherals.     UPOU Networks houses the learning materials of the e-Service Management Program, a massive open online course offered by UPOU.     Edison Sevillo, an information systems researcher at the UPOU Multimedia Center, explains that readability requires design flexibility, where a website conforms to the size of the screen, whether it is a computer monitor, a tablet, or a smartphone. “We must also be logical and methodical in creating a smooth flow of tabbing sequences for those who don’t have or use a mouse or whose track pad isn’t working,” Sevillo says. He adds that among other accessibility solutions, they are also exploring text-to-speech options for those who are visually impaired.  The UPOU Networks mobile application was recently released as another initiative to further promote access to the online repository of learning materials. “It really needed to be user-friendly with just a few clicks or taps and fewer swipes, etc.,” Sevillo says.  UP led open and distance education in the country with the establishment of UPOU in 1995. Over the last two decades, technological advancements have changed how information is shared and retrieved, and how teaching and learning are done.  And UP isn’t only keeping pace. With UPOU Networks, it’s making a distinct mark on Philippine education in the digital age. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU sharing educational resources and courses for free since 2010 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-sharing-educational-resources-and-courses-for-free-since-2010/",
        "html": "UPOU sharing educational resources and courses for free since 2010 UPOU sharing educational resources and courses for free since 2010 October 2, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As the country’s leading academic institution in open learning and distance education, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) adheres to the philosophy of open education and has been a staunch advocate of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and open access courses.  As early as 2012, the UPOU has crafted its OER policies and has put in place strategies to promote, support, contribute and integrate OER values in its institutional processes and practices.  OERs, as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2012, are “teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. Open licensing is built within the existing framework of intellectual property rights as defined by relevant international conventions and respects the authorship of the work.” OERs play a pivotal role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and specifically Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which calls on the international community to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”  Recognizing the transformative potential of OERs in achieving SDG 4, UPOU continues to  produce free educational resources in various formats. These free educational resources are housed in the UPOU Commons under the UPOU Networks, an online repository of all UPOU-produced multimedia resources. Through the UPOU Networks, the university is able to provide free access to a plethora of knowledge in various multimedia formats such as publications, videos, animations, web-streamed lectures, presentations, seminars, university events, and podcasts. The UPOU Networks is now the university’s window to the world where communal interaction happens both in real-time during scheduled webinars and asynchronously through recorded multimedia materials. This is in line with UPOU’s thrust as a Public Service university, its vision for “Pamantasang Bukas Para sa Magandang Bukas,” and its mandate in Republic Act 10650 (Open and Distance Learning Act) as the lead institution to promote best practices for open and distance learning in the country. Since 2010, there are at least 700 learning resources uploaded on the UPOU Networks. The UPOU Networks can be accessed via https://networks.upou.edu.ph/.        Additionally, UPOU started exploring Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as early as 2011 and offered its first MOOC in 2013. With this, UPOU was the first university in the Philippines to offer not just OERs but also MOOCs, which are free online courses intended for unlimited participation. More than accommodating thousands in enrollment, UPOU has emphasized the “openness” of these courses. UPOU recognizes the potential of MOOCs to meet the demands of a changing educational landscape, to reach a wider audience, to make education more open and accessible, and to promote lifelong learning.  UPOU has been developing and offering a number of MOOCs through its platform, the Massive Open Distance e-Learning (MODeL, https://model.upou.edu.ph). These courses have allowed UPOU to cater to lifelong learners, career shifters, out-of-school youth, alternative learning system students, and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). From 2013, there have been more than 80 courses offered via the UPOU MODeL, and has accommodated almost 70,000 learners.        As the pioneer and the first university in the Philippines to offer fully online courses, UPOU has been a keen advocate on the use of technology-enhanced learning to deliver its courses to a wide range of learners, especially to learners not normally reached by a University of the Philippines (UP) campus and the conventional educational system. It encourages and supports the creation of open educational and training materials for its academic programs and community extension work. With these values, it recognized the use of OERs and offering of MOOCs as key to its mandate to promote lifelong learning and provide access to quality education through the use of distance education materials and technologies.  Creating, using, and promoting OERs and offering MOOCs are just two of the programs UPOU implements to advocate not only access but also equity in quality education. UPOU has unique brands of public service aimed to widen access to continuing professional education, provide digital opportunities to local communities, foster critical discussion of relevant issues in the community and society, and provide technical assistance to higher education institutions (HEIs), local governments, people’s organizations, and civil society.  Written by Joane V. Serrano, PhD "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU hosts conversations on cognitive innovation and multidisciplinary research training – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-hosts-conversations-on-cognitive-innovation-and-multidisciplinary-research-training/",
        "html": "UPOU hosts conversations on cognitive innovation and multidisciplinary research training UPOU hosts conversations on cognitive innovation and multidisciplinary research training September 25, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines Open University  (UPOU) invites the UP community to its Research Conversations: “Where do new ideas come from? Cognitive Innovation and Multidisciplinary Research Training” with Prof. Sue Denham, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience in University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.  The activity will be held at the Audio Visual Room of the DICT Building in UP Diliman, and online via http://networks.upou.edu.ph/ on 15 November 2018, 9AM.  Sue Denham is a professor in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, a former Director of the Cognition Institute and co-ordinator of Cognitive Innovation (CogNovo), is an expert in neural and cognitive models of perception, especially multi-stability in auditory perceptual organisation. Prof. Denham’s talk is part of the Research Conversations series at UP Open University, presented by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.  RSVP for food and seating here.  Watch the talk live at UPOU Networks    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU webinar on preparing for new normal set – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-webinar-on-preparing-for-new-normal-set/",
        "html": "UPOU webinar on preparing for new normal set UPOU webinar on preparing for new normal set May 26, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UPOU webinar on preparing for new normal set     With the gradual easing of restrictions across the country, everyone has been bracing for the new way of life. Minimum health standards have to be complied with: physical distancing, regular disinfection and decontamination, good hygiene, and wearing of facial masks.  All these to ensure physical health amid the threat of COVID-19. But what about psychosocial health?  Experts on mental and emotional well-being have been giving tips on how to cope with extended periods of isolation, but as society transitions into the new normal, the need to prepare oneself for post-quarantine life has also emerged.  In “Capacitating Oneself for the New Normal,” Dr. Emely Dicolen and Prof. Finaflor Taylan of the Social Work Program of the UP Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) will talk about “Appreciative Resilience in Times of Crisis” and “Gender Perspective and Psychosocial Support and Well-being,” respectively.  This is the upcoming episode of the UPOU’s “Let’s Talk it Over” webinar series and was organized by the Social Work Program of FMDS.  The event will be streamed online on May 27 via UPOU Networks. Go to networks.upou.edu.ph to register for the web streaming. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU to hold “Being and Becoming Adaptable Parents and Teachers” webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-to-hold-being-and-becoming-adaptable-parents-and-teachers-webinar/",
        "html": "UPOU to hold “Being and Becoming Adaptable Parents and Teachers” webinar UPOU to hold “Being and Becoming Adaptable Parents and Teachers” webinar July 27, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       If you are parents or teachers of K-12 students who feel apprehensive about the planned shift in education delivery due to the pandemic, UP Open University’s (UPOU) webinar may help you cope with the upcoming changes in teaching and learning.  “Being and Becoming Adaptable Parents and Teachers” will be streamed live on UPOU Networks on July 30, 10:00 AM. It is part of the University’s webinar series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating a Turbulent Educational Landscape”.  Resource speakers include: Dr. Rachel Red-Amparo, teacher and founder of Brainworks School; UP Los Baños Professor Kate Palma de Jesus, a homeschooling mom; and, Balaiwari founder and Chief Playmaker Gian Carlo de Jesus, a homeschooling dad. It will be moderated by UPOU Faculty of Education Professor J. Aleta Villanueva.  To participate in the livestream event, register at https://networks.upou.edu.ph/podcast/.  "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Dagdag Stress sa COVID-19: May Dagdag Suweldo ba ang Frontliners?” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dagdag-stress-sa-covid-19-may-dagdag-suweldo-ba-ang-frontliners/",
        "html": "“Dagdag Stress sa COVID-19: May Dagdag Suweldo ba ang Frontliners?” “Dagdag Stress sa COVID-19: May Dagdag Suweldo ba ang Frontliners?” March 3, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       After eleven months of fighting a global pandemic, our health frontliners are suffering from stress, fatigue and burnout from working long hours under extraordinarily challenging conditions.  Filipino health workers in other parts of the world have been hailed for their heroism and perseverance where others have given up. Both within and outside of the country, frontline Filipino health workers have suffered severe illness and death. And yet, compensation packages for health workers have remained the same.  The 43rd installment of the University of the Philippines’ webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths”, is a special edition that aims to answer the question of “Dagdag Stress sa COVID-19: May Dagdag Suweldo ba ang Frontliners?”  The webinar will focus on how to solve the urgent and critical need to maintain the health of Filipino health workers; and to compensate them well for their selfless and courageous service in the face of a shortage of health human resources and the embarrassingly and relatively low wages given to frontline workers in the Philippines, when compared to neighboring countries in the ASEAN and the rest of the world. It will be held on Friday, March 5, 2021, at 12nn.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar43  Resource speakers during the webinar will talk about compensation packages for health care workers, not just for the pandemic but for current and future needs to achieve universal health coverage. Dr. Ernesto Pernia, UP Professor Emeritus and former Secretary, National Economic and Development Authority, will serve as the main presenter. The reactors will be: Dr. Carlo Panelo, Professor at the UP College of Medicine Department of Clinical Epidemiology; Dr. Carlos Naval, a private practitioner at the Galileo SurgiCenter; and, Dr. Rafael Marfori, Assistant Program Leader of the Philippine Primary Care Studies.  Opening remarks will be delivered by UP Vice President for Finance Dr. Lisa Bersales, while UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla will give the closing remarks.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“How Will Health Workers Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19?” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-will-health-workers-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19/",
        "html": "“How Will Health Workers Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19?” “How Will Health Workers Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19?” February 10, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu       Join the next University of the Philippines (UP) webinar on “How Will Health Workers Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19?” on Friday, 12 February 2021, 12 noon, as hospital administrators and medical experts explain how healthcare and frontline workers in hospitals across the archipelago will be vaccinated and protected against COVID-19. Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), will share plans for vaccination among staff. Dr. Lito Acuin, Hospital Chief of the Asian Medical Center, will discuss what they will do in private hospitals. And Dr. Christina Padolina, City Health Officer of Navotas City, will talk about local governments’ plans for rolling out the vaccine for health workers at the primary and secondary levels. The resource speakers will provide us with details on how the required two doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered in public and private hospitals, health centers, and related facilities. They will also present other preparations for vaccine roll-out, including transportation and cold chain requirements for continuous vaccination of their staff.  Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine, and Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila, will also share their insights during the webinar.  The “Stop Covid Deaths” webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health – National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP PGH.  To participate in this webinar, sign up at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar40. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A surge in COVID-19 cases? UP webinar takes on the important questions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-surge-in-covid-19-cases-up-webinar-takes-on-the-important-questions/",
        "html": "A surge in COVID-19 cases? UP webinar takes on the important questions A surge in COVID-19 cases? UP webinar takes on the important questions March 11, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Over the past week, there has been an increase in the numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19. On March 9, the country’s COVID-19 case count breached the 600,000 mark, with Octa Research fellow Dr. Guido David saying that COVID-19 cases in virus epicenter Metro Manila are climbing faster than expected and reports from hospitals showing an increase in admissions.  What do these increases in case numbers mean and why are they happening now? And with these increases happening while vaccination programs are being rolled out in hospitals and health workers getting their shots, are frontliners safer now that there is a vaccine? How is the vaccination program doing in the face of the case number increases?  The 44th installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is a National Virtual Town Hall Meeting for Hospitals. The webinar, titled “IS THERE A SURGE? May COVID-19 Vaccine Na, May Maiiba Ba?”, will take a closer look at the increasing number of cases and how hospitals are coping. It will be held on Friday, March 12, 2021, at 12 noon.  The main presentation will be given by Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). Reactors include Dr. Vincent Balanag, Executive Director of the Philippine Lung Center; Dr. Fritz Famaran, Chief of Hospital of the Jose Rodriguez Hospital; and Dr. Nina Berba, infectious disease specialist from the UP College of Medicine and PGH. Opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, UP System Executive Vice President and Special Adviser of the National Task Force on COVID-19, while the closing remarks will be given by Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila.  Register for this special edition of the UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar series here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar44    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Hope and heroes in U.P.’s online video festival – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/hope-and-heroes-in-u-p-s-online-video-festival/",
        "html": "Hope and heroes in U.P.’s online video festival Hope and heroes in U.P.’s online video festival October 21, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Short videos on everyday heroism and hope in the days of face masks and social distancing are the focus of PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL. The University of the Philippines is now accepting entries to the online video series in the categories of narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, virtual/augmented reality, and music video.  Winners will be presented “Pag-aalay” trophies which were specially handcrafted by multi-talented U.P. artist and UPTV Director Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso. The trophy presents two silver hands offering a world enveloped in katakataka leaves, the same plant sculpted at the base of the U.P. Oblation.  Also known as wonder plant and miracle leaf, katakataka is a hardy plant that thrives nearly everywhere it is thrown. On the trophy it symbolizes patriotism, with the Philippines engraved among its leaves.  The trophy and cash prizes in each category will be awarded in a virtual Video Festival Awards Night later this year: P15,000 for the first prize, P10,000 for second prize, P7,000 for third prize, along with a special Chooks-To-Go People’s Choice Award.  The festival is seeking entries that capture the changing times and the selfless acts and offerings of hope that go with them. The short videos do not necessarily have to focus on the university system, but may look at different people and their lives through the pandemic.  “Committing these stories and experiences to film is not only to honor the subject’s heroism but also instill hope and determination in the filmmaker and the audiences it will reach. The global pandemic is a shared experience which no one can come out of unaffected,” said UP President Danilo L. Concepcion.  With the theme “Pag-aalay sa Panahon ng Pandemya,” the festival will have shortlisted videos featured on TVUP and streamed via TVUP’s Facebook page.  Entries must have a total running time of 30 to 90 seconds, in a video format that can be easily uploaded to different social media platforms. Videos with duly accomplished Festival entry forms available on the TVUP Facebook Page can be submitted via email at television@up.edu.ph from now until 15 December 2020.  PAG-AALAY is open to all Filipino filmmakers, amateur or professional, and to multimedia creators and artists. For complete submission guidelines, visit TVUP Facebook Page.  Participants must observe all government-ordered health and safety requirements, quarantine regulations, and other community restrictions in the production of their videos.  The PAG-AALAY webXHIBITION & FESTIVAL is brought to you by the University of the Philippines, Chooks-To-Go, UP College of Mass Communication, UP College of Music, UP College of Mass Communication Foundation, Inc., and TVUP. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 frontliners, kamusta na kayo? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-frontliners-kamusta-na-kayo/",
        "html": "COVID-19 frontliners, kamusta na kayo? COVID-19 frontliners, kamusta na kayo? April 21, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    On Friday, 23 April, the University of the Philippines (UP) marks the one-year anniversary of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series.  The weekly series, which is held in partnership with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), aims to overcome fear, promote good practices, and quickly disseminate to all health practitioners and facilities whatever is the evolving knowledge on management and treatment of COVID-19 based on the experience of the country’s leading clinicians, medical specialists and world-class experts in various fields.  At the time of the series’ first webinar, close to 24 frontline doctors and nurses had already died from COVID-19. Today, over a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have racked up 945,000 cases of COVID-19, with over 16,000 deaths and over 141,000 currently active cases in the Philippines. More than a million overseas Filipino workers have returned, with more than 15,000 testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Over a year later, the situation appears even grimmer than when it first began.  For Filipino medical and healthcare frontliners, it has been over a year of relentless battling against the virus, of caring for patients, and risking their own health and well-being and even their lives. At no other point in time in recent human history have medical and health frontliners been subjected to the trauma of multiple deaths on a daily basis, the inability to comfort or touch patients or their family members, and loss within their own circle of co-workers, if not death in their families.  For its 49th episode, the Stop COVID Deaths webinar series now asks: As our medical and healthcare frontliners move forward and persevere, how are they doing in terms of their own well-being?  In this webinar, UP PGH Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Dr. Anselmo Tronco, will lead the discussion on how frontliners seek and continue to find meaning in serving patients despite the adverse conditions they face. COVID-19 survivor and UP PGH spokesperson, Dr. Jonas del Rosario, will share his personal journey through COVID-19 and back, and how he has coped with the grief of losing both his parents to the pandemic. Mr. Ardie Lopez, who composed the anthem of the webinar (that recently won an award) will speak on his own expression of faith and hope in these difficult times.  The webinar will be opened by Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla giving the closing remarks.  Registration slots are limited to this special edition of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series; so, sign up now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar49    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Prizes up for short videos on heroism and hope in time of pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/prizes-up-for-short-videos-on-heroism-and-hope-in-time-of-pandemic/",
        "html": "Prizes up for short videos on heroism and hope in time of pandemic Prizes up for short videos on heroism and hope in time of pandemic January 15, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The University of the Philippines is launching an online festival of short videos on the theme “Pag-aalay sa Panahon ng Pandemya” or everyday heroism and hope in a time of COVID-19, and calling on filmmakers to submit entries before January 30, 2021.  Entries to the “Pag-aalay: Webxhibition and Festival” are eligible for P15,000, P10,000, and P7,000 prizes, and a special Chooks-To-Go People’s Choice Award, all with trophies, to be awarded in a virtual awards night in February 2021.  The videos, which must run from 30 to 90 seconds, may fall under narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, virtual/augmented reality, or music video categories.  They should be upload-able to different social media platforms. Shortlisted videos will be featured on TVUP, the Internet television network of UP, and streamed via TVUP’s Facebook page.  The entries must be emailed to television@up.edu.ph, together with an accomplished festival entry form, which can be downloaded here: 2021 Video Festival Entry Form    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Help! Ayaw magpabakuna ni Lolo at Lola – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/help-ayaw-magpabakuna-ni-lolo-at-lola/",
        "html": "Help! Ayaw magpabakuna ni Lolo at Lola Help! Ayaw magpabakuna ni Lolo at Lola June 2, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines continues, but recent evidence shows that only 11% of senior citizens choose to get vaccinated, despite the availability of vaccines. Why is the turnout so low? Is it fear of the side-effects? Is it the prospect of waiting in line for hours in the heat? How do we make it easy and convenient for Filipino senior citizens to get protection against COVID-19?  The 55th episode of University of the Philippines’ “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, “HELP! Ayaw magpabakuna ni Lolo at Lola”, will dig deeper into vaccine hesitancy among senior citizens. The webinar will be held on Friday, 4 June 2021, at 12:00 noon. Those interested to watch may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar55  In this webinar, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Special Adviser to the National Task Force on COVID-19, will share the latest data on the low engagement of seniors in vaccination programs. Dr. Shelley Ann F. De la Vega, gerontologist and head of the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health’s (UPM-NIH) Institute on Aging, will talk about the inconveniences and struggles that seniors endure to get vaccinated. Dr. Enrique T. Ona, Jr., former Department of Health secretary, will provide some reflections on how the system can be improved, while Dr. Lilian De Las Llagas, Commissioner on Higher Education, will provide the public health perspective on how coverage of senior citizens can be improved.  In order to provide more insights on why most Filipino senior citizens refuse to be vaccinated, the audience is encouraged to share their experiences on vaccination of seniors in their households.  The UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the UPM-NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to welcome its students in a virtual ceremony – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-welcome-its-students-in-a-virtual-ceremony/",
        "html": "UP to welcome its students in a virtual ceremony UP to welcome its students in a virtual ceremony September 15, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    It’s the start of a brand-new academic year at the University of the Philippines (UP), and it’s back to a semester of remote teaching and learning for a majority of UP students and faculty.  Of course, with the new academic year come new possibilities, new opportunities to learn, and new friendships to be made, and AY 2021-2022 is no exception. To welcome its new first-year students and to welcome back its continuing students, the University of the Philippines will hold a System-wide assembly tomorrow, September 16, at 10:00 a.m.  New and returning UP students will be officially greeted by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, Student Regent Renee Louise Co, Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo. Students from all across the UP System will give video messages of inspiration plus lessons on how they survived the past year of remote learning amid community quarantines. There will also be a musical performance by the UP Concert Chorus.  The UP System Welcome Assembly will be live-streamed via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel. All UP students from Baguio to Mindanao are invited to attend.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Vaccine rollout discussed in UP COVID forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/vaccine-rollout-discussed-in-up-covid-forum/",
        "html": "Vaccine rollout discussed in UP COVID forum Vaccine rollout discussed in UP COVID forum March 17, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Dr. Enrique Tayag of the Department of Health (DOH) is the featured resource person in the University of the Philippines (UP) webinar on the vaccine roll-out, “COVID-19 Vaccines: Naiinip Ka Na Ba?”, to be livestreamed on March 19, 2021 at 12 nn.  With UP professor and DOH Technical Advisory Group member, Dr. Anna Ong Lim, and Dr. Gloria Baltazar, Director of the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center as reactors, Tayag, a government epidemiologist who is currently Director of the DOH Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service, will discuss what the public can reasonably expect from the government’s vaccination roll-out program.  Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, UP Executive Vice President and National Task Force on COVID-19 Special Adviser, and UP College of Medicine Dean Dr. Charlotte Chiong will also deliver experts’ remarks.  The webinar aims to answer questions such as: How many Filipinos can be expected to be vaccinated this year? What is the projected time of vaccination for health workers and seniors? When will the general public start receiving vaccines? When will vaccines become commercially available? What are the roles of the local government unit and the private sector? What countries into vaccine production seem to be willing to collaborate with the Philippines to provide more supply at the earliest possible time?  The webinar is the 45th in the series of weekly webinars titled “Stop COVID Deaths”, produced by UP in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital.  Those who wish to participate may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar45.  If registration is already at full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP at http://tvup.ph and http://www.youtube.com/tvupph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold Systemwide Welcome Ceremony for the opening of academic year 2020-2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-systemwide-welcome-ceremony-for-the-opening-of-academic-year-2020-2021/",
        "html": "UP to hold Systemwide Welcome Ceremony for the opening of academic year 2020-2021 UP to hold Systemwide Welcome Ceremony for the opening of academic year 2020-2021 September 6, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines invites you to the welcome ceremony for the opening of Academic Year 2020-2021 on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 9:00 AM (Manila Time) via Zoom and YouTube.  If you wish to participate via Zoom, please register at bit.ly/Students-Welcome-Webinar. You may also engage through YouTube livestream at https://youtu.be/FOD5RbUMfN0.  New and returning students are encouraged to join this first UP Systemwide Welcome Ceremony.  The University of the Philippines has chosen to prioritize everyone’s safety with the implementation of remote welcome ceremonies and orientation programs. We recognize this is a deviation from the norm, but we are committed to providing a robust onboarding experience with this new approach. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss the country’s outlook in the next 12 months under COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-the-countrys-outlook-in-the-next-12-months-under-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss the country’s outlook in the next 12 months under COVID-19 UP webinar to discuss the country’s outlook in the next 12 months under COVID-19 April 7, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Record increases in case numbers, crowded hospitals, new restrictions on movement, higher levels of fear and frustration.  A month ago, it seemed as if things were improving for the country. Now, with soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases and the reinstitution of enhanced community quarantine protocols in the National Capital Region and four other provinces, as well as localized lockdowns in certain areas, it suddenly feels as if we are back to square one.  What does the trend data tell us about the pandemic? What do we know about the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at the national and local levels? Will it get worse before it gets better? What about the economy? What can we expect in the coming months? How should families prepare for what is ahead? How should health workers prepare for what lies ahead?  These are the questions the upcoming 47th episode of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will attempt to answer. The next webinar will focus on “COVID-19 in the Philippines: What are the Scenarios for the Next 12 Months?”, and will open with a UP Economics professor, Dr. Toby Melissa Monsod, presenting a perspective on the economy. The main presenter is Dr. John Q. Wong, lead epidemiologist of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF); and reactors are an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Cybele Lara Abad from the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and a pulmonologist, Dr. Aileen David Wang of the UP College of Medicine.  This special edition “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar will be held on 9 April 2021, Friday, 12:00 noon. Register now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar47  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UP-PGH. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to focus on the LGU’s role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-focus-on-the-lgus-role-in-the-covid-19-vaccine-rollouts/",
        "html": "UP webinar to focus on the LGU’s role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts UP webinar to focus on the LGU’s role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts June 9, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       More vaccines have arrived; move vaccines are coming. But while there is reason to be optimistic, the question remains: Are Filipinos prepared for this?  When it comes to informing citizens where to go to register for vaccination schedules and how to prepare for vaccinations, local government units (LGUs) play the biggest role. LGUs manage the supply chain as well as the information campaign to generate demand for the vaccines.  In “Is my LGU Prepared for Vaccine Roll-out? Part 2”, the 56th installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, Dr. Peter Julian A. Cayton of the UP Pandemic Response Team and Associate Professor of the UP School of Statistics will present the stories behind the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out and implementation statistics.  Representing the local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR) are Mayor Francis Javier M. Zamora of San Juan City and Dr. Christia S. Padolina of Navotas City. Mayor Maria Ofelia O. Alcantara of Tolosa, Leyte and Dr. Mariano Antonio T. Banzon of Balanga, Bataan, on the other hand, will give a picture of how things are going outside the NCR. Finally, the private sector outlook and the importance of strategic communication will be offered by Ms. Margot B. Torres, Chair of the Task Group on Strategic Communications with Task Force T3 and the Managing Director of McDonald’s Philippines.  This special edition episode in UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital.  Watch the episode on Friday, June 11, 2021, 12:00 noon. Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar56 "
    },
    {
        "title": "TVUP to launch on CIGNAL TV Channel 101 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tvup-to-launch-on-cignal-tv-channel-101/",
        "html": "TVUP to launch on CIGNAL TV Channel 101 TVUP to launch on CIGNAL TV Channel 101 September 30, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    TVUP, the television network operated by the University of the Philippines (UP), will officially launch on CIGNAL TV Channel 101 on October 11, 2022.  Since its inception as an internet television network in November 2016, iTVUP was organized as a public digital library of open educational resources (OERs) that could be easily accessed and freely shared among students and teachers nationally and internationally.  Even then, UP recognized the value of iTVUP to produce supplementary learning materials for students and faculty of UP, state colleges and universities (SUCs), private higher educational institutions (HEls), and the general public.  In June 2022, a partnership between UP and Cignal TV Inc. established TVUP as a broadcast satellite channel available on Cignal 101. With this partnership, TVUP has been expanding its operations by producing quality productions, such as documentaries, magazine shows, lectures, game shows, animations, teleseryes, info-tainment shows, and other shows for the benefit not only of UP students and faculty but also of the general public.  TVUP is a testament to UP’s character as the national university, a teaching, research, public service, and global/regional university, shared freely with all state universities and colleges, private and public.  According to UP President L. Danilo Concepcion, TVUP’s availability as a digital channel was a “perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people.” He added that, through TVUP on Cignal 101, UP’s knowledge resources could be extended to as many Filipinos as possible, “whether these are students looking to enrich their lessons or ordinary citizens who wish to gain more knowledge and develop skills.”  TVUP exists as a public space to inspire innovation, creativity, critical thinking and understanding, and respect for diversity of cultures. Its lineup of high-quality programs showcases scientific breakthroughs, Philippine culture, and society, national issues and concerns, etc.  With almost 600 video productions, TVUP is an important medium in implementing a blended learning environment. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle workplace safety amid COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-workplace-safety-amid-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle workplace safety amid COVID-19 UP webinar to tackle workplace safety amid COVID-19 October 27, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), and co-sponsored by the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine, Inc., would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  With the economy gradually reopening and workers slowly shifting back to physical office work hours, safety remains a concern. This Friday, October 29, from 12nn to 2pm, join us for another special episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, where we will discuss “WORK BUBBLES: Ligtas ba sa COVID-19 ang ating mga Workers?”  What specific measures are needed to provide optimum protection for our workers? How can the workplace be made safer? How can we prevent the virus from spreading as we travel to and from work? We will also take a closer look at workers’ psychosocial and mental well-being—what has been done and what more can we do to recover from the economic hardship brought about by COVID-19.  Dr. Joselito Gapas, an expert in occupational health and safety from the First Philippine Holdings Corporation, will be the main speaker. He will present a case study about workers’ safety.  Meanwhile, Dr. Gigi Alampay of the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (CORD) will share the latest research on workers’ mental health.  We will also hear reactions from Dr. Rosalie V. Rivera from Shell Companies in the Philippines and Dr. Paul Michael R. Hernandez from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health of the UP Manila College of Public Health.  Dr. Anna Sofia Victoria Fajardo, Vice President of Philippine College of Occupational Medicine, Inc., and Dr. Stella Marie Jose, UP PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations, will open and close the event.  Interested participants may freely register here for exclusive Zoom access. However, you may also catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for applications: International Workshop in ‘Omics in Infectious Diseases – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-applications-international-workshop-in-omics-in-infectious-diseases/",
        "html": "Call for applications: International Workshop in ‘Omics in Infectious Diseases Call for applications: International Workshop in ‘Omics in Infectious Diseases October 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP’s Philippine Genome Center in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) through the funding support of DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), and British Council’s Newton Fund Program is once again organizing an international workshop on infectious diseases this time with focus in ‘Omics technology.  The applications of ‘Omics technologies in health is huge, and improving local capability in this area is the rationale behind this international workshop. While it is important to build on the Philippines’ capability in this area, the workshop in its entirety is meant to increase the level of awareness and correct misconceptions regarding the relevant technology requirements in order to pursue “omics” research in the Philippines.  The workshop happening on November 5-9 in UP Diliman will consist two symposia on ID ‘omics and control, flanking a hands-on analytical/computational short course in ‘omics data generation and analysis.  The five-day workshop aims to: (i) inform policy makers, public health workers, clinicians and biomedical researchers on the potential of ‘omics technology in performing ID surveillance and control, assisting in the rapid detection of drug resistance strains, and informing clinical disease management, including next generation diagnostics (ii) equip researchers and field epidemiologists with the analytical tools to perform genomic surveillance and analyses locally, and to harness the Philippine-wide networks that the PGC, University of the Philippines (UP) and LSHTM can support to perform regional ID surveillance (iii) develop an effective regional network for ID genomic surveillance in Philippines, centered on the genomic capacity of the PGC and by harnessing the expertise available in LSHTM (iv) build capacity in the basic tools of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and other ‘omics analysis that can be applied to multiple areas of research across a wide range of organisms, including the evaluation of host-pathogen interactions and specific host or pathogen responses (v) provide hands-on experience with the generation and analysis of ‘omics data, including the application of portable sequencing and processing of the resulting big data. Advanced users are allowed to develop more advanced analysis pipelines.  ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA • Participants may range from MSc graduates and research assistants with extensive research experience, to PhD graduates and early-career researchers with a maximum of 10 years post-PhD research experience. • Participants must have a research or recognized institution post (research contract/fellowship) at a recognized institution in either the UK or the Philippines  TO REGISTER, click https://bit.ly/geid2app before 8 October 2018. • For applicants in the UK, applications may be sent to Taane.Clark@lshtm.ac.uk. • A confirmation email will be sent to registrants on October 12, 2018. • The thirty (30) shortlisted participants for the hands-on workshop are expected to attend all sessions and are required to bring a hard drive or USB with at least 8 GB usable memory. • Those who will not be selected to participate in the hands-on workshop are welcome to attend the scientific symposia on Day 1 (November 5) and Day 4 (PM session) at the Institute of Biology Auditorium, and will feature keynote talks on the use of –omics technology for disease control and management, the role of the PGC and its links to public health. • Workshop proper [Day 2-Day 4 (AM session)] on analytical/computational short courses covering the analysis of raw ‘omics data, integration, and correlation with disease outcomes will be held at the Philippine Genome Center Training Rooms.  POSTER SESSION Attendees of the symposium and workshop participants are also encouraged to participate in the poster session to be held on November 6, 2018. Abstracts relating to the genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and bioinformatics analysis of infectious diseases must be sent to geid2.0abstracts@gmail.com no later than October 8, 2018 (Monday). Confirmation emails will be sent by October 12, 2018. Guidelines: • Abstract must be written in English with the font Arial, size 11 pt, single-spaced, and justified on MS Word. • Title of the paper must be in bold capital letters and centered • Name(s) of the author(s) must be below the title and underlined. • Abstract should contain an introduction, objectives, major findings, and conclusion, and should have no more than 300 words. • Poster should be 2” x 3” feet and contain the abstract, introduction, objectives, methods, major findings, and conclusion.  EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Wherever possible, gender balance and diversity will be sought in the selection of candidates, and extra support to enable participation of Early Career Researchers with special needs will be given.  SUPPORT The British Council and the Philippine’s Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) will cover the costs related to workshop participation, including: travel, accommodation, and meals. Although this cost will not be covered by the British Council or DOST, participants are encouraged to purchase an adequate travel and medical insurance. The British Council accepts no responsibility for any problems which may occur when the participants are in-country.  For queries or clarifications, please call 981-8500 local 4703 and or email pgc@up.edu.ph  Visit the www.pgc.up.edu.ph or follow @phgenome on Facebook and Twitter to know more about us. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP welcomes students to AY 2020-2021, unveils initiatives – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-welcomes-students-to-ay-2020-2021-unveils-initiatives/",
        "html": "UP welcomes students to AY 2020-2021, unveils initiatives UP welcomes students to AY 2020-2021, unveils initiatives September 17, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     All UP constituents, students, faculty, administrators, and staff, are dealing with the “uncertain” and “unusual” situation forced by the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching, learning, and operations.  This was acknowledged by the officials of the University of the Philippines in its online welcome ceremony for students on September 9, the day before the first semester of Academic Year 2020-2021 officially started. UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan all said the event was certainly not the welcome new and returning students expected.     Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Concepcion called this semester a “testament to our ability as Filipinos to overcome hardships”. He asked the UP community for understanding and cooperation as everyone grapples with new methods and processes. There will be mistakes and inadequacies, and some necessities may not be given or addressed immediately, but Concepcion emphasized that “as long as we are united in our belief that the pandemic must not succeed in crippling education and intellectual development, the torch of knowledge will triumph over our fears and worries.”  To freshmen, in particular, he asked them to accept the new normal as a historic challenge, one that would be the mark of their generation as students who continued to study and learn despite a pandemic. In the end, Concepcion reiterated the importance of keeping health and safety as top priorities and that while the University’s buildings may be closed, UP as an institution remains open to its constituents.     Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Bautista, meanwhile, said COVID-19 “thrust universities worldwide into uncharted territory.” Remote learning would be the norm for UP at this time, she added, clarifying that remote learning does not exclusively mean online learning. It means holding no physical meetings, possibly employing ICT, and being synchronous/real-time or asynchronous.  Course packs in digital or printed format will be the “primary means of delivering course content”. She described course packs for remote learning as more comprehensive than course packs for face-to-face classes, because these include study guides. Some faculty members will be providing course packs at the beginning of the semester while some will be giving these at intervals.     Slides from UP VP for Academic Affairs Bautista’s presentation during the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     “This semester will definitely be far from ideal,” Bautista admitted. “If we were still unable to predict problems that arose even under the best circumstances of a regular semester, we will definitely be unable to anticipate many more unprecedented problems as we shift to remote learning, but we will learn from these problems, find solutions to them iteratively, and build on these solutions for a better planned second semester.”  She further revealed that UP recognized the imperfections of this semester and “continues to suspend rules on academic standing.” This semester will not be counted as part of the maximum residence rule for students and their regular load of 15 units has been reduced to 12 units.  Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo, who is also the director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, gave a brief orientation on the reconfiguration of the UP Student Affairs System (SAS) as well as its new programs in response to remote learning.  Factors considered in the reconfiguration include: independent learning with limited interaction with peers and personnel; the home as a new learning environment which may not be fully conducive; digital divide; socioeconomic circumstances of households; effects of remote learning on mental health and psychosocial well-being; venues for connecting and expressing freedoms; and, protection of students’ rights.     Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The new SAS programs to be rolled out are: the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS); the UP Student Mental Health and Wellness Network; Peer Learning Groups (PLGs); and, the Student Helpdesk.  The SLAS expands Student Financial Assistance Online, which was created in 2014 to accept applications for tuition subsidy and allowance. It will gather information on financial capacity, connectivity situation and options, and other learning assistance requirements to allow students to continue their studies. [Apply for gadgets and internet subsidy via UP’s Student Learning Assistance System Online]  Undergraduates from low income households, including those enrolled at the UP Diliman College of Law and UP Manila College of Medicine, shall each receive an internet connection subsidy worth P1,500 per month through a telecommunications company of their choice. Based on updated application information, those from the “most vulnerable” shall be offered gadgets on top of the internet connectivity allowance. This is in line with the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan Fundraising and Resource Generation Campaign that was launched in July to support the remote learning needs of around 5,600 UP students from financially-challenged households. [Support the remote learning needs of our Iskolar ng Bayan]  The UP Student Mental Health and Wellness Network aims to increase the availability of mental health service providers in the different UP campuses who can “provide service and facilitate referral, treatment, and other interventions”. Toward the creation of this network, Student Affairs offices from across the UP System will submit information on accredited organizations and individuals that offer mental health and psychosocial services. A harmonized process is intended for the efficient facilitation of referals within and across UP constituent universities.  The University acknowledges the critical role peers play in instruction and learning. PLGs will consist of students guided by faculty facilitators to provide tutorial services, peer counseling, and other support activities. The PLGs are “envisioned to address students’ concerns on self-paced learning and contribute to the overall mental health and well-being [of students] by enjoining [their peers] to be active agents in coping activities”.  The Student Helpdesk will be “a one-stop center for seeking advice on academic matters, emergency concerns, and even legal concerns, even when they are at home”. It will be managed using a triage system, referring students to appropriate units and groups that can directly address their needs, and giving information on application processes for learning support and financial aid, among others.  Apart from these programs, Gonzalo reiterated the following: merit-based scholarship awards and incentives will continue to be given; campus learning resource centers remain operational; the process of recognizing student organizations is still in place; counseling and guidance services are available; and, financial assistance programs such as scholarships, grants, tuition loans, student and graduate assistantships, and donor-funded initiatives, will continue to accept applications. He added that most student housing facilities will be closed during the first semester for the University to formulate protocols and prepare for “when the pandemic subsides”.     Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Punzalan, representing the students in the UP Board of Regents, the University’s highest governing body, described this year as being “historic”, not only because of the pandemic but also because the current situation “shows how ready we are to come together to protect our right to education and offer our intellect and talent to our countrymen.” He enumerated to his fellow Iskolar ng Bayan some of the things that they need to fight for and protect: health, accessible education, academic freedom, and the freedom to know and be involved. “Our voices will never be silent,” he declared.  He was optimistic that the next time students see each other, “we will be cheering ‘UP fight’ together while watching sporting events, going on food trips around the campus, studying and hanging out with our classmates and fellow organization members, and participating in demonstrations to fight for our rights.” Punzalan ended by asking his constituents to “find hope in ourselves, in our fellow students, and in our community as One UP. Be the light in the midst of darkness.”     Screenshot of the UP Systemwide Opening of AY 2020-2021 Online Welcome Ceremony. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia formally closed the online welcome ceremony. “We have been called to be creative and confident, patient and understanding, but most of all, committed to do our best in addressing educational challenges.” To UP students in particular, she gave this reminder: “The phrase ‘para sa bayan’ (for the country) is not empty rhetoric, but a guide to how one must live.”  The program also included productions by TVUP: “Upward, Onward, Forward”, a backgrounder video on the University; and,“Husay at Galing”, a music video of the song originally composed by Ferdinand Jarin with musical arrangement and instrumentation by Pordalab. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Davao City-UP Sports Complex football field passes FIFA certification – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/davao-city-up-sports-complex-football-field-passes-fifa-certification/",
        "html": "Davao City-UP Sports Complex football field passes FIFA certification Davao City-UP Sports Complex football field passes FIFA certification April 24, 2019 | Written by Rene A. Estremera   The Davao City-UP Sports Complex Football Field with a glimpse of Mt. Apo in the background. Courtesy of UP Mindanao Public Relations Office.     The Football Field at the Davao City-University of the Philippines (UP) Sports Complex was issued a Field Certificate by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for having passed the test that was conducted on 5 February 2019 according to their quality program for Football Turf.  The certificate, signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accredits the Football Field, located inside the UP Mindanao campus in Davao City, to host international football (soccer) games from 17 April 2019 until 16 April 2022.  Prof. Erwin Protacio, chairperson of the UP Mindanao Department of Human Kinetics and a member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine Football Federation, said, “The FIFA accreditation was a requirement in the football field construction contract so that we have quality assurance. The test was done by a third party expert who is accredited by the FIFA. The field has the standard size for international competitions, an even playing surface, and consistent length of its artificial grass, which are features that tend to bring out the best from the players.” He further added, “I believe this is the first time in Palarong Pambansa that a FIFA-certified field will be used. The secondary school football games will be played here and the new playing field lights can allow evening games. For international matches in the future, we need to upgrade the lights for high density TV and provide perimeter fences.”     A copy of the FIFA field certificate     At the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between UP and the City of Davao on 10 January 2019, UP President Danilo Concepcion had already committed to exploring the establishment of a College of Human Kinetics in UP Mindanao. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, on the same occasion, also expressed her vision of transforming Davao City into a premier sports-tourism destination.  Protacio added, “With the structures in the Sports Complex, we hope to attract prospective students to our proposed degree programs related to sports. Hopefully we can recruit the best athletes who will become national players, licensed coaches, sports trainers/teachers, and sports administrators.”  Following the Field Test in February, the Football Field was used in March for the UP Mindanao Mindanao Men’s Football Cup and the tryout of the Under-15 Girls National Team, which brought 82 players to test the field in competition conditions. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Former UPV student tops PMA’s “Masaligan” Class of 2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/former-upv-student-tops-pmas-masaligan-class-of-2021/",
        "html": "Former UPV student tops PMA’s “Masaligan” Class of 2021 Former UPV student tops PMA’s “Masaligan” Class of 2021 May 6, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A 25-year old former student of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UP Visayas), Cadet 1CL Janrey Cabanero Artus, graduated summa cum laude from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) this year. Since its establishment in 1939, the PMA has produced top military graduates who became leaders in the country’s armed forces and police.     Image from ABS-CBN. Watch Cadet 1CL Artus’ video profile on the PMA’s Facebook page.     Artus, who hails from San Enrique, Negros Occidental, is the valedictorian of the 164-strong “Masaligan” (MAndirigmang SAmahan na Lakas at SandIGAN ng Bayan) Class of 2021. He was a student in the BS Chemical Engineering Program of the School of Technology, UP Visayas, enrolled from the first semester 2012-2013 to the first semester of 2016-2017. In an informal sharing, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Camposano recalled Artus as a “good and responsible student” and “always one of the students who score high in exams”.     Image from ABS-CBN. Watch Cadet 1CL Sastado’s video profile on the PMA’s Facebook page.     Two other former UP students also ranked among the top 10 of the PMA “Masaligan” Class of 2021. At Rank 7 is Cadet 1CL Harold Mars Alicpala Sastado of Batangas City. Sastado is an alumnus of UP Los Baños, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, cum laude.     Image from ABS-CBN. Watch Cadet 1CL Lim’s video profile on the PMA’s Facebook page.     And in Rank 10 is Cadet 1CL Shirly Fatima Eguia Lim of Tacloban City. She is one of four women who ranked among the top 10 in the PMA “Masaligan” Class of 2021. A former Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholar, Lim was a chemical engineering student at UP Visayas. She also graduated cum laude from the PMA this year.     With reports from ABS-CBN and Rappler "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President leads project launchings at the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-leads-project-launchings-at-the-up-visayas-iloilo-city-campus/",
        "html": "UP President leads project launchings at the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus UP President leads project launchings at the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus March 18, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP System officials, UP Visayas officials and guests at the inauguration of the Oblation Plaza at the UP Visayas Iloilo City campus. Photo from UPV-IPO.  President Danilo Concepcion visited UP Visayas to launch and inaugurate several projects at the Iloilo City campus, initiated under his administration on March 16, 2022. President Concepcion was joined by his wife, Atty. Gabriela Concepcion, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rica Abad and Dr. Grace Alfonso of TVUP.  One of the UP Visayas’ prominent alumni, Senator Franklin Drilon, attended the events with officers and members of the UP Alumni Association Iloilo Chapter and the iAmUPHi Alumni Group. Chancellor Clement Camposano led the UPV officials, including his vice-chancellors: Dr. Philip Ian Padilla, Dr. Rhodella Ibabao, Dr. Harold Monteclaro, and Prof. John Lorenz Belanio, as well as the faculty and staff in the series of events scheduled on the day.  A Turn-over of the UPHSI Multipurpose Building, Phases 1 and 2, and the Launching of the Handumanan Project, which will pursue the Adaptive Reuse of the Old High School Building and the Women’s Club Building, was held at the UPV Little Theater with the UPV alumni Iloilo represented by Assoc. Justice Francis Jardeleza, as well as members of UPAA-Iloilo Chapter, UPV officials, faculty, and staff. In his message, Sen. Drilon recounted his early days on the campus and his aspirations to enhance these cherished structures of the UP High School.  An Artist’s Reception at the Lantip Gallery featured “From Lin-ay to Hangaway” Voices of Ilonggo Women Artists at the UPV Main Building followed. The exhibit features artworks of Women in Prison, which coincides with the Women’s Month Celebration. The Panapton Gallery and the Ed Defensor Wing of the UPV Main Building Museum Complex maintained by the Office of Initiative in Culture and the Arts were also opened for viewing.  The Inauguration of the University Avenue organized by the Office of Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development came after, which showcased Indigenous Dance and Ambahan of the Panay Bukidnon and a performance from a tribe from the Iloilo Dinagyang. The event also became a venue for celebration for the whole community.  In between these events, UP Visayas Officials also presented to President Concepcion UPV Proposed Infrastructure Projects for concept approval and locational clearance and the Proposed UPV Academic and Extension Campus in Pueblo de Panay in Roxas City. This took place at the OICA Conference Room, UPV Main Building. (Ms. Anna Razel Ramirez, UPV-IPO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman’s bulletin on stranded construction workers on campus – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-dilimans-bulletin-on-stranded-construction-workers-on-campus/",
        "html": "UP Diliman’s bulletin on stranded construction workers on campus UP Diliman’s bulletin on stranded construction workers on campus April 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UPD-Bulletin-2020-17  May mga kumakalat na balita ngayon sa social media tungkol sa grupo ng mga stranded na construction worker sa loob ng kampus ng UPD na diumano ay napilitan nang kumain ng mga ligaw na hayop at prutas mula sa mga puno sa kampus dahil sa labis na pagkagutom.  Direktang kinausap ng Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development (OVCPD) ang mga trabahador at nadiskubreng hindi naman sila kinakapos sa pagkain, sa halip ay nabigyan na ng P4,000 na ayuda noong Marso 17 at P2,000 noong Abril 14 ng kanilang employer. Ininspeksiyon din ng OVCPD ang kanilang supply room na naglalaman ng tatlong sakong bigas (25 kilo ang bawat isa) at mga delata mula sa All UP Workers Union at iba pang organisasyon sa loob ng kampus.  Ayon sa mga trabahador, nagulat na lang sila noong nag-viral ang ulat, dahil ang mga larawan ay kuha ng grupo ng mga tao na pumunta sa site upang mamahagi ng relief goods, ngunit hindi sila ininterbyu o tinanong tungkol sa kanilang sitwasyon. Para sa buong balita, mag-email lamang sa OVCPD sa ovcpd.upd@up.edu.ph.  Makaaasa kayong ginagawa ng UPD COVID-19 Task Force ang lahat upang matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng lahat ng sektor sa UP Diliman.  Sa panahong ito ng walang-katiyakan dulot ng pandemya, walang lugar sa pagkabalisa at fake news. Ang mga ahensiya ng media ay dapat na maging responsable sa pagbabalita at ang mga mamamayan ay dapat beripikahin muna ang mga balita bago ito i-share sa social media.  Kung nais ninyong tumulong sa pamamagitan ng cash donation, i-deposito lamang ito sa mga sumusunod na account:  GCash and Paymaya: 09167654695 Paypal: paypal.me/tieronesantos BPI: 9239 4326 43/Marco Giorgione A. Dava GoGetFunding: https://gogetfunding.com/fundraiser-for-upds-maninindas-and-jeepney-drivers/  Paki-email ang kopya ng deposit slip/online transaction kay sa ovcpd.upd@up.edu.ph. Banggitin din kung ano ang mga item (alkohol, bigas, de lata) na nais ninyong maibili mula sa inyong donasyon "
    },
    {
        "title": "PGC holds 1st National Genomics Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pgc-holds-1st-national-genomics-conference/",
        "html": "PGC holds 1st National Genomics Conference PGC holds 1st National Genomics Conference October 24, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The speakers and participants of the 1st National Genomics Conference (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) conducted its 1st National Genomics Conference on October 10 to showcase its research programs and further encourage collaboration among Filipino scientists to beef up omics research in the country. The daylong event was also part of the Center’s year-long tenth anniversary celebration.     Senior Bioinformatics Specialist Carlo Lapid (left) talks to conference participants about the bioinformatics capabilities of the PGC. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In the morning, PGC research programs on coconut genomics, conus exeogenomics, cardiovascular genetics, diabetes genetics, and colorectal cancer were presented.  The leader of the Coconut Genomics Program, Dr. Hayde Galvez, presented “Improvement of Coconut Varieties through Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding for a Competitive and Sustainable Philippine Coconut industry (Genomics-Assisted Molecular Breeding).”     Dr. Hayde Galvez, leader of the PGC Coconut Genomics Program (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Arturo Lluisma, the leader of the Conus Exeogenomics Progam, talked about the potential of conopeptide genomic data in drug discovery and other applications, as well as the use of computational structural biology approaches in drug discovery workflows.     Dr. Arturo Lluisma, head of the PGC Conus Exeogenomics Progam (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Lunas na Sakto para sa Puso ng Pilipino: Personalized Medicine in Cardiovascular Health Care” was the presentation of Dr. Rody Sy, a project leader in the Cardiovascular Genetics Program. The aim of personalized medicine is “the right drug, at the right dose, for the right Filipino.” He said that while studies on genetic markers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and response to drugs across varying populations have shown “inter-ethnic variability,” there is “insufficient pharmacogenetic and genetic susceptibility data among Filipinos.” Sy added that by studying genetic markers, treatments costs may decrease, and ineffective chronic therapy may be diminished because of guided treatment.     Dr. Rody Sy, a project leader in the PGC Cardiovascular Genetics Program (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Molecular Diabetes Study Group Project Leader Dr. Jose Nevado’s “Sweet Genes Are Made of This: Let’s talk about diabetes!” was presented under the Diabetes Genetics Program. Similar to Sy in his talk on CVD, Nevado also lamented the lack of genetic studies on Filipinos for risk of diabetes. The group has narrowed down “six significant gene variations of interest after statistical tests” from the initial 355 gene variations linked to the disease, which was trimmed to 274 variations after quality assurance tests, and later further cut down to 29 variations after genetic tests.     Molecular Diabetes Study Group Project Leader Dr. Jose Nevado (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A project leader in the Colorectal Cancer Program, Dr. Reynaldo Garcia, then discussed “Novel mutations in EGFR pathway genes of Filipino colorectal cancer patients present distinct and overlapping oncogenic phenotypes.”     A project leader in the PGC Colorectal Cancer Program, Dr. Reynaldo Garcia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Apart from the select research programs, the Conference also featured two products which were developed with assistance from the PGC and other agencies. One was Biotek-M Dengue Aqua Kit, a portable dengue diagnostic kit, with the project leader, Dr. Raul Destura, of UP Manila; and the other was PhilGeneStrips, a field-ready test kit for the detection of shrimp pathogens, with Dr. Erwin Enriquez and Dr. Nina Rojas of Ateneo de Manila University.     Dr. Raul Destura of UP Manila talks about Biotek-M Dengue Aqua Kit. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Erwin Enriquez and Dr. Nina Rojas of Ateneo de Manila University demonstrate the use of PhilGeneStrips. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In the afternoon session, Dr. Cynthia Saloma, the PGC executive director, revealed the Center’s expansion to the Visayas and Mindanao via satellite facilities in the Miagao campus of UP Visayas and in the UP Mindanao campus. Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols is the project leader of the PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility, while Dr. Lyre Anni Murao is the project leader of the PGC-Mindanao Satellite Facility.     From left, Dr. Cynthia Saloma, PGC executive director; Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, project leader of the PGC-Mindanao Satellite Facility; and Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols, project leader of the PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The establishment of the PGC’s Protein, Proteomics and Metabolomics Core Facility was reported by the program leader, Dr. Neil Andrew Bascos; while the development of a laboratory information management system for biorepository for the PGC Biobank and Biorepository Core Facility was discussed by the project leader, Dr. Elena Catap. PGC’s research and development program also presented its goals for the next five years on social responsibility, genomics appreciation, operational efficiency, social entrepreneurship, and linkages.     In the left photo is PGC Biobank and Biorepository Core Facility project leader, Dr. Elena Catap and in the right photo is PGC Proteomics and Metabolomics Core Facility program leader, Dr. Neil Andrew Bascos (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Asao Fujiyama of the National Institute of Genetics, Japan delivers his keynote address at day’s end. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The event was capped off by the keynote address of Dr. Asao Fujiyama of the National Institute of Genetics, Japan. Fujiyama’s address, “The Road of Genomes,” which he also called in his presentation a congratulatory address to the PGC, included an enumeration of major events and breakthroughs in DNA sequencing from 1997 to 2017. He also pointed out that “technology advances drive science,” and gave examples of technologies that have allowed a deeper pursuit of certain fields, such as the telescope for astronomy or sequencing machines for genomics. Fujiyama ended his speech by reiterating the goal of genomics, which is the “understanding of life forms through the identification of genomic elements.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippine Genome Center: Call for Donations for Protective Personal Equipment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-genome-center-call-for-donations-for-protective-personal-equipment/",
        "html": "Philippine Genome Center: Call for Donations for Protective Personal Equipment Philippine Genome Center: Call for Donations for Protective Personal Equipment March 25, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       To address inquiries on how to help and/or provide assistance during the COVID-19 National Health Emergency:  The Philippine Genome Center of the University of the Philippines was tasked to handle the sequencing of COVID-19 samples for the next two (2) weeks, in coordination with the health workers from UP Manila National Institutes of Health, to provide our scientists with crucial scientific information to mitigate the spread of the disease.  In our effort to continually protect the PGC skeletal work force during this national health emergency, we are accepting PPE donations, such as N95 masks, surgical masks, disposable impermeable laboratory gowns and caps, face shields, and shoe covers to replenish our supplies and at the same time share these donations to the NIH, PGH, and UP Health Service.  Thank you very much for your support.     *Featured image courtesy of Philippine Genome Center – UP Mindanao "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 variants and country’s readiness for each, discussed by UP experts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-variants-and-countrys-readiness-for-each-discussed-by-up-experts/",
        "html": "COVID-19 variants and country’s readiness for each, discussed by UP experts COVID-19 variants and country’s readiness for each, discussed by UP experts February 17, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Experts from the University of the Philippines will discuss the presence of COVID-19 variants in the country and the implications of each for testing and clinical management of patients, as special topics in the University’s Stop COVID-19 Deaths Webinar No. 41, titled “COVID-19 Variants of Concern in the Philippines: Are We Ready?”, to be streamed on February 19, 2021, from 12 noon to 2 PM.  Dr. Eva Cutiongco-De la Paz, Program Director for Health of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), will report on the presence, dominance, and location of the variants in the Philippines. PGC, a research unit of UP, has been the seat of genetic surveillance of the COVID-19 virus or SARSCov2 and its mutations in the country.  A microbiologist and infectious disease specialist, Dr. Raul Destura, creator of the first Philippine test kit for SARSCov2, will talk of the implications for testing of the UK, South Africa, and Brazil variants. Dr. Jubert Benedicto, the head of the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Critical Care Unit-Management Action Team, will discuss research findings on the treatment against the new variants.  The organizers say that the special edition webinars of the series aim to keep the health sector informed, adapted, and adjusted to the evolution of SARSCov2 in the country. The Stop COVID Deaths series taps into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers in order to protect the health system against COVID-19 by bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of cases in the Philippines.  The series is organized by the University in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP-PGH.  Those who wish to participate may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar41. If registration is already at full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP at http://tvup.ph and http://www.youtube.com/tvupph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar on Lambda variant: What we know so far – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-on-lambda-variant-what-we-know-so-far/",
        "html": "UP webinar on Lambda variant: What we know so far UP webinar on Lambda variant: What we know so far August 18, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines, in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The 66th webinar of the Stop COVID Deaths series, “Lambda Naman Ngayon! Variants and Vaccines”, will be held this Friday, August 20, 2021 from 12nn to 2pm. The webinar will focus on this new variant of interest, the Lambda variant, which is making waves across news sites. Should we be concerned? What do we need to do differently? With the limited information we have so far on Lambda’s virulence and infectivity, it’s important to get hold of all the facts as early as right now.  Dr. Cynthia Saloma, Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center, will lay out the facts on the Lambda variant. Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Special Adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19, will provide an update on vaccination implementation; while Felix Lopez, Vice President of People of Cebu Pacific, will talk about the work in the private sector, specifically Cebu Pacific Airlines, which is responsible for transporting vaccines. On the other hand, Dr. Noel Bernardo of the Philippine Red Cross will share the work of the foremost humanitarian organization in the country.     Opening remarks will be given by UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, while Dean Charlotte M. Chiong of the College of Medicine will give her closing synthesis.  Register here bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar66.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Senior citizens and safety during Alert Level 1 to be tackled in UP webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/senior-citizens-and-safety-during-alert-level-1-to-be-tackled-in-up-webinar/",
        "html": "Senior citizens and safety during Alert Level 1 to be tackled in UP webinar Senior citizens and safety during Alert Level 1 to be tackled in UP webinar March 16, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    When the COVID-19 pandemic started, the hardest-hit sectors were frontliners and senior citizens. Authorities implemented extraordinary precautions for the elderly, who were twice as vulnerable to the virus. They were at the highest risk for infection, hospitalization, and death from the get-go.  Making things worse is that senior citizens were not allowed to go out during lockdowns. This drastic change in daily routine and the lack of social interaction have also affected their mental health. Most seniors have described the experience as a lonely journey full of stress, anxiety, and silent suffering.  But as restrictions slowly ease and now that the country is at Alert Level 1, how safe is it for them to go out? Have most of the country’s senior citizens been fully vaccinated and boosted already? As for those who have not yet been vaccinated, are they at risk of contracting the virus?  This Friday, March 18, 2022, from 12 to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UPM NIH), National Telehealth Center, and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  In this particular “Stop COVID Deaths” episode, titled “ALERT LEVEL 1: Puwede na ba lumabas ang mga senior?”, Dr. Shelley Ann dela Vega, Director of the Institute on Aging at UPM NIH, and Dr. Nina Gloriani, Chairperson of the Vaccine Expert Panel-Technical Working Group for COVID-19 Vaccines, will do a deep dive on the status and vaccination levels of senior citizens, and weigh the risks and benefits of going out for seniors. UP-PGH Director for Health Operations Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose will also deliver her synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  “Stop COVID Deaths” is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical online seminar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "First Edu-Connect visit in 2020 highlights “bayanihan” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/first-edu-connect-visit-in-2020-highlights-bayanihan/",
        "html": "First Edu-Connect visit in 2020 highlights “bayanihan” First Edu-Connect visit in 2020 highlights “bayanihan” March 3, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Officials and faculty from the University of the Philippines and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association delegation. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     To strengthen collaboration between the University of the Philippines (UP) and universities in Taiwan, UP hosted a “homecoming” visit or meeting, the first for this year, at the Balay Kalinaw, UP Diliman, for top officials and delegates from UP and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association on February 5, 2020.  According to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Executive Director Eing-Ming Wu, the visit was a “homecoming” since representatives from the two delegations had already been conducting workshops and meetings in the Philippines and in Taiwan in the past years.     University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Concepcion said the aim of these meetings was to provide opportunities for discussing academic partnerships, faculty advancement, and academe-industry linkages, among others, that seek to address the two nations’ social issues, to alleviate poverty and inequality, and to stimulate development in the region. He said UP’s relationship with Edu-Connect and their partners “are becoming among the strongest and the most fruitful.”     Dr. Eing-Ming Wu, Chair Professor of Shu-Te University and Executive Director of Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Wu further said that they were inspired by the Filipinos’ “bayanihan spirit” in pursuing teamwork and partnerships to achieve common goals.  Meetings in previous years included representatives from: key Philippine government agencies, such as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA); local government units; the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC); the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO); and, other Philippine State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).     Edu-Connect and UP delegates discuss possible academic partnerships and international exchange programs for students and faculty. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Concepcion noted that the meetings held in 2018 and 2019 covered vital topics and possible collaboration in education, research, and development in fields such as agriculture, aquaculture, public health, resilience, technological advancement, social entrepreneurship, learning commons, and post-graduate programs, among many others. “We are enriching our shared and unique expertise in these fields through mutual learning and cooperation. We can be proud of what we have done and established, so far,” he said. These meetings led to the establishment of the Taiwan-Philippine Academic Network Platform, the UP-Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fellowship Center, the hosting of the 2018 International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning (ICODEL), and the Learning Commons Center.     Edu-Connect and UP delegates discuss possible academic partnerships and international exchange programs for students and faculty. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The first inter-university and multi-sectoral meetings and workshops held in 2019 focused on the themes: Exploring International University-Industry Linkages; Educational Collaborations; University Social Responsibility Projects; and, Research Lab Networkings in the Manila Metropolitan and Calabarzon regions. By midyear, the Edu-Connect delegation also went to the Manila Metropolitan and the Cordillera regions, to focus on: Austronesian Studies and Indigenous Affairs; Indigenous Innovation and Ecotourism; Regional Development with Business Intelligence and Entrepreneurship Education; Smart Highland Agriculture and Technology Development Training; English Learning and Social Immersion Programs for University Students Development; and others.     Edu-Connect and UP delegates discuss possible academic partnerships and international exchange programs for students and faculty. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Ru-Jer Wang, president of the National Taichung University of Education; Dr. Herchang Ay, president of St. John’s University; and, Dr. Shun-Hsiang Weng, president of Meiho University, also gave inspiring messages during the program.  Thematic discussions about possible collaboration between UP and Edu-Connect members were then held within their respective subgroups on: Arts and Letters, Agriculture, Business, Engineering, International linkages, and Science.     Professor Gil S. Jacinto, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director of the Office of International Linkages of the UP System. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Headed by Concepcion, the UP delegation was comprised of: Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Gil S. Jacinto; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (R&D Resource Management) Mary Delia G. Tomacruz; UP Mindanao Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nilo Oponda; UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters Dean Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete; College of Science Dean Giovanni A. Tapang; Virata School of Business Dean Joel L. Tan-Torres; UP Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Science Associate Dean Adeliza A. Dorado; UP Diliman College of Engineering Asst. Prof. Roderaid Ibanez; Office of International Linkages-Diliman International Programs Associate Victoria Fajardo; and, UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga (UPDEPP) Director Edna Estifania A. Co.  The Edu-Connect delegation was comprised of top officials of: National Taichung University of Education, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, St. John’s University, National Taipei University of Business, National Chung Hsing University, National University of Kaohsiung, National Chiayi University, National Tsing Hua University, National Taitung University, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, I-Shou University, Meiho University, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Green Power Agriculture Technology Co., Rainbow Family Life Education Association, Blessed & Blessing Church in Tainan, Chef Teng Restaurant Group, City Union Marketing Co., i-Pass Corporation, Brogent Global Inc., Mayushan Foods Co., GreatLink Travel Services Co., and MECO-EduConnect Start Up Training Network in Asia. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fire at the frontlines: UP PGH staff step up to save lives, awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu for their bravery and heroism – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fire-at-the-frontlines-up-pgh-staff-step-up-to-save-lives-awarded-the-order-of-lapu-lapu-for-their-bravery-and-heroism/",
        "html": "Fire at the frontlines: UP PGH staff step up to save lives, awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu for their bravery and heroism Fire at the frontlines: UP PGH staff step up to save lives, awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu for their bravery and heroism June 11, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UP-PGH medical staff and personnel, including UP-PGH Director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, who led the evacuation of patients during a fire at said hospital last May 16, pose for a photo during their conferment of the Order of Lapu-Lapu. Photo from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).     In this COVID-19 crisis, hospital workers are critical to humanity’s health and survival. When a disaster strikes on top of an already overwhelming public health crisis, the pressure of a zero-casualty goal weighs even heavier on doctors, nurses, aides, utility workers, security personnel, and responders.  The May 16 fire at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), the largest COVID-19 referral facility, tested the mettle of its employees and proved they were ready and willing to go beyond the call of duty. It was their genuine desire to save lives that spurred them to think fast and remain calm. These effectively diffused panic and encouraged cooperation from patients and watchers to evacuate in an orderly manner.     A baby who underwent heart surgery was one of the infants evacuated during the fire at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on early Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of Heart Response/Fire and Rescue Alert Responders, from the Philippine Star’s Facebook page, dated May 16.     Six hours after patients were evacuated due to the PGH Fire. Many patients are still not allowed to go back to their rooms due to heavy smoke. Around 60-80 pay patients were temporarily transferred to PGH’s new ER. Photo by Camille Elemia, from Rappler’s Facebook page, dated May 16.     The heart of heroism and the spirit of service exemplified by its employees, and UP PGH’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (DRRMP), with pandemic protocols in place, ensured that no one died from the blaze that broke out past midnight.  Stepping up and stepping in  Dr. Rodney Dofitas, who heads manpower support in the UP PGH COVID-19 Crisis Team, happened to be in the hospital when the fire started in the Operating Room Sterilization Area (ORSA) on the third floor of the Central Block.  No, he was not on duty at the time. He had been with his aunt who sadly passed away a few hours before the fire. He was in the elevator when, upon the door opening at the third floor, he heard loud voices. When he went out to investigate, he saw smoke spilling out onto the hallway outside ORSA. The Crisis Team had to be informed, but his phone was barely hanging on to battery life.     Dr. Rodney B. Dofitas, Head of the Manpower Support, PGH COVID Crisis Team (below), speaks during the May 23 episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar. Watch the episode on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     A quick charge and messages sent to the Team, Dofitas knew he had to take charge until UP PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi arrived. He also knew where to find someone crucial to managing the emergency because Dofitas had seen him hours before.  Safety Officer Joel Santiago was in his hospital bed when Dofitas returned to his room. Only, it was not like his visit earlier that evening. Dressed in his hospital gown, Santiago did not hesitate to get up, put on pants and boots, and go into action.  Dofitas and Santiago worked with the firefighters on the scene.           Screenshots from Dr. Dofitas’ presentation during the May 23 episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar. Watch the episode on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     In another part of the hospital, at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nurse Kathrina Bianca Macababbad was bathing the babies in her care when she was alerted to the fire on the floor below. Wasting no time, she fought back her fear and with fellow nurses, started the priority evacuation of the 35 babies in NICU.  The healthier ones, those who were breathing on their own and could be transported in emergency vests, were brought down first. Refusing to leave any baby behind, she and nurse Jomar Mallari rushed back and forth from the ground to the fourth floors to rescue babies on mechanical ventilators, then babies who were intubated.  All babies were saved.  Dofitas, Santiago, Macababbad, and Mallari, along with UP PGH residents, Dr. Earle Ceo Abrenica and Dr. Alexandra Lee; Safety Officer Ramil Ranoa; NICU nurses Esmeralda Ninto and Phoebe Rose Malabanan; and, nurse and volunteer firefighter Quintin Bagay Jr., were conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 2 for their heroism. The Order of Lapu-Lapu is conferred upon those who accomplished extraordinary acts of service and exceptional contributions to the country.  Collective effort  While they received the recognition, the UP Manila (UPM) and UP PGH leadership emphasized that it was everyone at the hospital that helped avert what could have been a more disastrous fire had it claimed lives.  UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla said that in her 43-year stay at UPM and UP PGH, there have been three fire incidents, including the one that happened on May 16. All three took place at night, evacuation had to be undertaken, and all were zero-casualty incidents. Every evacuation carried out by responders and personnel, she said, “is an offering of their lives,” and she expressed gratitude to and lauded the brave and selfless actions of UP PGH staff and the firefighters.     UP PGH Director Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi (below) speaks during the May 23 episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar. Watch the episode on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     “The best asset of UP-PGH is its people,” Legaspi emphasized. The hospital director declared he was “indebted to [all] the personnel” because it was their collective action, their bayanihan, that saved everyone. Bayanihan was also at work after the fire. UP PGH received a deluge of support, from other hospitals taking in PGH patients to providing industrial fans and equipment that helped dissipate smoke inside the building, from donating respirators and masks to food and drink, and even money.  People first, property second. These were Legaspi’s priority concerns when he arrived at the hospital less than an hour after he received news of the fire. He scoured all levels of the Central Block to check that everyone had been evacuated before working with responders and hospital personnel to move equipment out of danger. He estimated the damage at around P50 million.     Screenshots from Dr. Dofitas’ presentation during the May 23 episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar. Watch the episode on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Dofitas added that it was the cooperation between UP PGH personnel, responders, patients, and watchers, all following the hospital’s preparedness plan, which ensured that no one perished in the fire and that damage was limited to property.  “We knew what to do because we had regular drills,” Santiago said. This, on top of an updated disaster risk management plan that incorporated the health safety protocols of the pandemic. Appropriate evacuation areas had been identified. COVID-19 patients were separated from non-COVID-19 cases.  Bagay concurred with Santiago. “It was just a matter of following the protocols in place.”  Dr. Regina Berba, head of the UP PGH Hospital Infection Control Unit, revealed that no resulting infections from the evacuation have yet been reported.  Institutional preparedness  Willingness to act and help in times of disaster can only do so much without guidance on what needs to be done in an efficient manner. In fact, individual actions without adherence to plans in place, the “doing what I think is right” mindset, adds chaos to an already volatile situation, according to Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, head of UPM DRRM.     Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, head of UPM DRRM, shows a strategic map of the UP-PGH during the May 23 episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar. Watch the episode on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     This is where the Incident Command System (ICS) comes in. It plays a key role in managing emergency events and disasters. It is the unified system that makes sure the DRRMP is implemented effectively. “The ICS is used for command, control and coordination in managing an incident, and whose main purposes are for the safety of the responders and other personnel involved in the incident, achievement of tactical objectives, and efficient and optimal use of resources,” explained Genaro Cuaresma, UP Resilience Institute Director for Institution Building.  He praised UP PGH’s DRRMP and ICS that “resulted in the presence of mind, timely response, and appropriate courses of action done by all personnel during the time of the incident, which averted a major disaster in the country’s leading government hospital.” It would not have been possible if they had not been capable and properly trained to handle such an event.  “The immediate and orderly evacuation of the patients in the affected areas gave the Emergency Response Team time to evacuate and salvage expensive medical equipment in the ORSA and adjacent areas,” Cuaresma added.  “UP PGH’s preparedness is worth emulating. . . . Like UP PGH, [other] institutions should conduct regular emergency drills which should be taken seriously. . . . Disaster preparedness is a continuing cycle of: (1) hazards and risks assessment; (2) building a plan; (3) capacity building; (4) testing and evaluating; and, (5) improving the plan. As such, an institution’s DRRMP, ICS, response protocols, and ERT readiness, among others, should be tested regularly.”  As UP PGH responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also fully capable of handling an emergency because it has the necessary tools, systems, and strategies in place. In any emergency or disaster, hospitals and health care facilities are one of the most important structures for survival; so there is no such thing as “overpreparedness” as Padilla called it.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ana Patricia Non to talk about community pantries in upcoming UPAA e-Kapihan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ana-patricia-non-to-talk-about-community-pantries-in-upcoming-upaa-e-kapihan/",
        "html": "Ana Patricia Non to talk about community pantries in upcoming UPAA e-Kapihan Ana Patricia Non to talk about community pantries in upcoming UPAA e-Kapihan June 17, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from the Ana Patricia Non (community pantry group) Facebook group page     Since entrepreneur and University of the Philippines (UP) Fine Arts alumna Ana Patricia Non started the first community pantry on Maginhawa Street in Teacher’s Village, community pantries have sprung up everywhere across the country as symbols of the bayanihan spirit of Filipinos. Still, many others continue to express interest in setting up their own community pantries in their own localities.  In an upcoming “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” to be hosted by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), Ms. Non, the originator and benefactor behind the original free-food-for-the-poor project called the Maginhawa Community Pantry, will discuss the whys, whats, and hows of her altruistic brainchild, which has since been cloned in other parts of the city and the country.  This “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” will be held online via Zoom on 22 June 2021, Tuesday, 10:00-11:00 a.m. (Manila time).  Those interested are invited to register with the UPAA Secretariat at tels. 920-6868; 920-6871; mobile 0917-8372098; or e-mail upalumniasso@gmail.com to get the Zoom meeting ID and their personal participant’s passwords.  The UPAA “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is open to all UP alumni, faculty, and students, as well as the general public.  The “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is a public service project of the UPAA which aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to our development as a nation. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding the national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s first Stop COVID Deaths webinar for 2022 targets the Omicron wave – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-first-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-for-2022-targets-the-omicron-wave/",
        "html": "UP’s first Stop COVID Deaths webinar for 2022 targets the Omicron wave UP’s first Stop COVID Deaths webinar for 2022 targets the Omicron wave January 11, 2022 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The new wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping the globe is caused mainly by the new Omicron variant. For the Philippines, an exponential increase in cases with a high positivity rate has been a cause of concern. Omicron is hospitalizing many people. Some patients are in intensive care. Experts predict that a surge is forthcoming during the next two weeks.  As the holiday season seems to have created opportunities for the spread of Delta and Omicron, frontline health workers must be ahead of the curve in terms of information. The percentage of cases that Omicron causes are still unknown, and there are indications that there are still cases of Delta spreading. However, Omicron may have been causing a steep rise in patients during the past few days. People are testing positive despite complete vaccination.  This first episode of the University of the Philippines (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series for 2022 will have familiar speakers to open this year’s crucial discussion on the Omicron surge. Dr. Franco Felizarta, an infectious disease specialist from the US, will provide the latest information and everything we need to know about the variant based on scientific studies. Dr. John Wong, a senior epidemiologist of Epimeterics, will speak on the epidemiology of the current surge and projections. Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, a consultant for pediatrics at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will address homecare for COVID-19.  Please register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community.  We start this year with high hopes to again consolidate our ranks and find ways to serve those who need us the most. Welcome back to our “Stop COVID Deaths” 2022 webinar series. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar revisits hospital struggles amid COVID surge – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-revisits-hospital-struggles-amid-covid-surge/",
        "html": "UP webinar revisits hospital struggles amid COVID surge UP webinar revisits hospital struggles amid COVID surge January 26, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  With the exponential spike in COVID-19 cases this month, hospitals are once again overwhelmed and understaffed. But while certain wards are allowed to close, the emergency room is the one part of a health facility that should always be up and running. The question is, how do we prevent emergency rooms from shutting down?  Moving forward, emergency rooms and pre-hospital services around the country must rethink how they are organized. While frontliners must be protected, medical facilities should also treat COVID and non-COVID 19 patients effectively and efficiently.  This episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is co-sponsored by the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine, featuring three hospital emergency room heads: Dr. April B. Llaneta from the UP PGH; Dr. Maria Veronica E. Datinguinoo from the East Avenue Medical Center; and Dr. Lourdes D. Jimenez from The Medical City. Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, the new head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UP PGH, will respond following the presentations.  Dr. Richard Henry S. Santos, President of the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine, will deliver the opening remarks. UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will provide the synthesis.  This episode will air live on Friday, January 28, 2022, from 12 PM to 2 PM. Please register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. Together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID and disasters: PH health care post-Odette – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-and-disasters-ph-health-care-post-odette/",
        "html": "COVID and disasters: PH health care post-Odette COVID and disasters: PH health care post-Odette February 3, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Last December 16 to 17, the strongest typhoon of 2021, Typhoon Odette (Rai), hit the Philippines. Odette’s rapid intensification in just 24 hours made it difficult for authorities to prepare and evacuate. The typhoon affected 11 out of 17 regions and ravaged more than 36 million homes, leaving nine million Filipinos displaced and scrambling.  Odette happened simultaneously in the early stages of the Omicron surge. Today, there are at least 150,000 people still living in evacuation centers. A majority still have no access to water and electricity. Two hundred and twenty health facilities were also damaged, making access to primary care, mental health programs, and even COVID-19 vaccination rollouts difficult.  On top of this, Omicron is gradually gaining a foothold outside the National Capital Region. How, then, can our health workforce prepare for the double whammy of COVID-19 surges amid super typhoons? As the third most disaster-prone country in the world, what are the long-term preparations and adjustments needed to protect us and our healthcare frontliners? How do we save everyone from disease outbreaks in massive evacuation centers?  In this episode of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, titled “COVID-19 Na, May Bagyo Pa! Paano Na?”, we will take a step back and look at the impact of Typhoon Odette with consideration of the risks of the current Omicron surge. Join us this Friday, February 4, from 12 pm to 2 pm to hear the discussions of the Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary for Visayas and Mindanao, Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama, Jr.  Dr. Mariella S. Castillo of UNICEF will also talk about displacement and its impact on children. Finally, Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran from UP Manila will discuss public health policy, preparedness, and response implications for typhoons and infectious disease outbreaks.  Former UP PGH Director and DOH Undersecretary Dr. Johnny Nañagas will deliver the opening remarks. UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla will provide the closing synthesis.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The Stop COVID Deaths Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. Together, let’s stop COVID deaths! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss the possibility of war, what it means for us – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-the-possibility-of-war-what-it-means-for-us/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss the possibility of war, what it means for us UP webinar to discuss the possibility of war, what it means for us February 23, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila-NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  History teaches us that wars and plagues often go together. With the brewing tension between Ukraine and Russia, the world waits and watches how events between them will unfold. However, this conflict could also have adverse effects worldwide. How should countries prepare for this amid our battles with the pandemic? How are we preparing and ensuring the safety of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)?  The Philippines is far from economic recovery because of COVID-19. The possibility of war will further hurt us. We may have to repatriate many of our OFWs. How should we ensure the safe passage of our OFWs without risking the spread of the virus? How do we prepare the health sector for this? Can we negotiate these developments without causing fear and panic?  In this special UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar, titled, “Giyera sa Panahon ng Pandemya: Apektado Ba Tayo?”, we take a break from clinical discussions and zoom out to look at the bigger global security picture and how that could affect us in the middle of a pandemic. The episode will air on Friday, February 25, 2022, from 12 pm to 2 pm.  We will hear perspectives from Dr. Antonio G.M. La Viña, UP Law Professorial Lecturer on constitutional law, Former Dean of the Ateneo School of Government, and Former Environment Undersecretary. Dr. Juan Ma. Pablo Nañagas, former PGH Director and Health Undersecretary, and Dr. Daniel Lising, Global Health Expert of the UP College of Law, will also be speakers in this program.  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Senior Adviser of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UP PGH, will deliver the opening remarks.  Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, UP Manila Chancellor, will give the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and join us as we explore more updates about health and the pandemic as we come to a better understanding of current global events vis-à-vis COVID-19.  The UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar discusses COVID-19 effects after infection – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-discusses-covid-19-effects-after-infection/",
        "html": "UP webinar discusses COVID-19 effects after infection UP webinar discusses COVID-19 effects after infection June 16, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       Medical experts will discuss the possible long-term effects of COVID-19 infection in the 57th edition of the University of the Philippines (UP) webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths”, to be livestreamed on June 18, 2021, at 12 noon.  The webinar, “Gagaling pa ba Ako, Doc?: Mga Pangmatagalang Komplikasyon ng COVID-19 (Will I Ever be Cured, Doc? Long-Term Complications of COVID-19)”, will be based on a case study from the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), one of the country’s COVID-19 referral centers.  “More than a year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now know that some patients have new, recurring, or ongoing symptoms and clinical findings more than four weeks after infection,” the webinar organizers said.  “Under the broad heading of ‘post-COVID conditions’, longer term effects can occur even in those with mild or asymptomatic infections,” they added.  The webinar is the 57th in the weekly series produced by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center (UPM-NIH-NTC) and in cooperation with the UP-PGH. The series aims to tap into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of COVID-19 cases.  This week, a case study will be presented by Dr. Ian Gabrielle Hipol and discussed by Dr. Marishiel Samonte, both from the Department of Family and Community Medicine of UP-PGH. Reactors include Dr. Leonora Fernandez from the Division of Pulmonary Medicine; Dr. Sharon Ignacio from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Dr. Sedric John Factor from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.  The webinar will also feature inputs from UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, who will deliver the opening remarks, and UPM-NIH-NTC Adjunct Faculty Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, who will deliver the closing remarks and synthesis of the discussions.  Those who wish to participate in the webinar may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar57.  If registration reaches full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP’s website and YouTube channel.  Certificates of attendance will be issued to those who have attended at least 50% of the webinar duration. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Can children get COVID? UP webinar explores the topic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/can-children-get-covid-up-webinar-explores-the-topic/",
        "html": "Can children get COVID? UP webinar explores the topic Can children get COVID? UP webinar explores the topic June 30, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Can children get COVID?  In the early part of the pandemic, it was believed that COVID-19 and its moderate and severe forms were mainly a risk for adults, particularly adults with comorbidities like heart disease, diabetes or diseases of the immune system.  The upcoming 59th episode of the University of the Philippines (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, an episode co-sponsored by the Philippine Pediatric Society and its regional chapters, will take a closer look at Philippine data on COVID19 and children, its risks, symptoms and management. The webinar is slated for Friday, 2 July 2021, at 12:00 noon.  To participate in the webinar, register here. The webinar will also be aired on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  Data suggests that fewer children get infected compared to adults, and that children exhibit primarily mild symptoms or are even asymptomatic. However, reports from other parts of the world point to how some children can get severely ill from COVID-19. They might require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe. In rare cases, they might die.  Researchers from India have recently reported a rare but serious medical condition associated with COVID-19 in children called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). According to the report, this condition usually develops four to six weeks after children and teenagers have recovered from COVID-19. Babies under a year old and children with certain underlying conditions may be more likely to have severe illness from COVID-19.  This Friday’s webinar will present data from studies done at the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to be presented by Dr. Maria Liza Antoinette M. Gonzales. A teen from the United States, Millie Velasquez Walker, who has had COVID and still has lingering symptoms, will join the panel. Another teenager, Patrick De Guzman from the Philippines, will offer the perspective from Manila. The Department of Education, through Undersecretary Diosdado M. San Antonio, will share its perspective on the topic.  Opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Joselyn Eusebio, President of the Philippine Pediatric Society, and closing remarks by Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Manila. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Three people, one ventilator: UP webinar takes on COVID-19 crisis-level hospital care – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/three-people-one-ventilator-up-webinar-takes-on-covid-19-crisis-level-hospital-care/",
        "html": "Three people, one ventilator: UP webinar takes on COVID-19 crisis-level hospital care Three people, one ventilator: UP webinar takes on COVID-19 crisis-level hospital care June 23, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In a pandemic, scarcity of resources is a given. Historically, pandemics are characterized by shortages of human, financial, material and infrastructure resources. For the COVID-19 pandemic, even developed countries with a tremendous amount of resources for staff, equipment, drugs and medicines have experienced shortages, huge gaps in service delivery and severe distress among patients and providers because of ethical and moral dilemmas as to who should be prioritized in crisis situations.  For instance, what happens in the health facility when three people need a ventilator and only one is available?  This question can be a matter of life and death. Should the decision be made by patients? What is the role of the family? Is it for the doctor and the medical team to decide? Are there guidelines to help decide on who gets access to a bed, a drug or a ventilator?  The 58th installment of the University of the Philippines webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths”, “Who gets the last ventilator? COVID-19 Crisis-Level Hospital Care”, is a virtual grand rounds that will discuss this critical issue by using the ventilator as a proxy for any life-saving intervention. The webinar will be held on 25 June 2021, Friday, at 12:00 noon.  Sign up for registration slots at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar58, or watch the webinar on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  While the Philippines has not experienced a shortage of ventilators, preparedness for a surge requires taking a closer look at our challenges in relation to scarce resources for life-saving interventions. Among the questions to be faced are: Do we just need more supplies? Do we need a system for sharing of supplies across regions? Do we need guidance on how to manage and monitor limited supplies within institutions, across health facilities and centrally across the country?  Main presenter for this week’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar is Dr. Leonora Fernandez, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). The panel of reactors include: Maria Fatima Lorenzo, President of the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations; Dr. Ralph Elvi Villalobos, consultant with the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at the UP-PGH; Atty. James Dennis Gumpal, head of the UP Manila Legal Office; and, Prof. Leonardo De Castro of the Department of Philosophy, UP Diliman.  Opening remarks will be by Dr. Marita Reyes, head of HTAC, former Chancellor of UP Manila and former Dean of the UP College of Medicine, with synthesis and closing remarks by Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is produced by the University of the Philippines in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP-PGH. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar takes on public transport in the time of COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-takes-on-public-transport-in-the-time-of-covid/",
        "html": "UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar takes on public transport in the time of COVID UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar takes on public transport in the time of COVID October 13, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Efficient transportation has always been an issue in the Philippines. It is no surprise that it has also been gravely affected during this pandemic. The main concern is how to safely transport workers, emergency cases, and most especially, frontliners in their day-to-day jobs. We are not likely to go back to pre-COVID times soon, so we must adapt and find ways to stay safe as we go about the business of living and making a living.  This Friday, October 15, from 12pm-2pm, we shall discuss all this in the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar episode, “Travel in the Time of COVID-19”. With the highly transmissible Delta Variant, especially in closed spaces, will public transport be safe? Likewise, is there enough ventilation in LRTs and MRTs? What kind of precautions should we be taking to stay safe while traveling?  The webinar will discuss taking public transportation every day and traveling to farther places by plane, land, and sea. What are the requirements when moving from one province to another? Is there enough information, training, and capacity in the transport system to ensure no risk of contracting and further spreading the virus?  Our main speaker, Hon. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Secretary of the Department of Tourism, will enlighten us about the topic. She will discuss current measures that are being undertaken to protect both our domestic and international tourism industries.  Alongside Hon. Romulo-Puyat are three panel reactors: Engr. Gerald Jo Denoga, Assistant Dean for Research of the UP College of Engineering in Diliman, Prof. Richard Gonzalo, Assistant Vice President of the UP System and Professor at the UP Asian Institute of Tourism, and Cielo Villaluna, Philippine Airlines (PAL) spokesperson. UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla will give the closing remarks.  Sign up here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It has pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management.  Register here and follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Webinar: Everything we know about COVID-19 ‘booster shots’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-everything-we-know-about-covid-19-booster-shots/",
        "html": "UP Webinar: Everything we know about COVID-19 ‘booster shots’ UP Webinar: Everything we know about COVID-19 ‘booster shots’ November 4, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID-19.  This Friday, November 5, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will tackle one of the most talked-about topics regarding COVID-19 and vaccines: booster shots. Titled “COVID-19 Boosters Na, Mix-and-Match Ba?” this special episode will discuss all the latest updates regarding the rollout of booster shots here in the Philippines.  With only 24.96 percent of the country’s total population fully vaccinated, how will the booster shots rollout look like? Do we have enough vaccines for primary and booster doses? What’s the difference between a “booster shot” and the third shot of vaccine? What does the science tell us about mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccine brands?  We will hear updates from our speakers, Dr. Eric Domingo, Undersecretary for Health and Director-General of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Dr. Marie Carmela Lapitan, UP Professor of Clinical Epidemiology; and Dr. Christia Padolina, City Health Officer of Navotas.  Through his opening remarks, Dr. Ted Herbosa, Special Advisor to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, will provide the “big picture” scenario. At the same time, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla will close the event with her synthesis.  Please register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s public service conference highlights Bayanihan, compassion, hope, and trust during the pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-public-service-conference-highlights-bayanihan-compassion-hope-and-trust-during-the-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP’s public service conference highlights Bayanihan, compassion, hope, and trust during the pandemic UP’s public service conference highlights Bayanihan, compassion, hope, and trust during the pandemic November 24, 2021 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Can the most significant global public health crisis lead to a reawakening of the greatest human values of altruism, compassion, and trust? According to the speakers at the University of the Philippines’ (UP) 4th Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon), yes, it can.  The UP Padayon Public Service Office held this year’s CUPSCon on October 21, 2021, via online platforms. The purpose of this conference was to share information with the attendees on the best practices and challenges that come with public service and the direction where future public service is heading.     Screenshot by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     This year’s theme was “Public Service in Time of COVID: The Role of Academic-Community Partnership in Addressing the Challenges of a Global Pandemic,” which aimed to highlight how the partnerships between academe and other institutions have played a pivotal role in combating and handling the global COVID-19 pandemic and showcasing the various engagements of academe with multiple sectors such as government, civil society, communities, and industries in its pursuit of public service.  In her welcome address, UP Vice President for Public Affairs, Elena E. Pernia noted that within the past 18 months since the beginning of the pandemic, the Filipino public has gone through five forms of emotions: anxiety, empathy, anger, hope, and boredom, with anxiety and empathy being the two most dominant emotions. Different factors played a large part in creating anxiety among Filipinos, such as the government’s handling of the pandemic, information on the virus, and the rising number of positive cases.     UP VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia presents a graphic showing five human emotions expressed by the Filipino public in social media during the pandemic, with anxiety (dark blue) and empathy (light blue) being the most predominant. Screenshot by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     “Despite these negative feelings, our struggles with COVID-19 have awakened our innate ability to empathize and to become compassionate,” Pernia said. Various examples of Filipinos exhibiting compassion include donations to frontline workers from prominent individuals and companies, which have gained massive traction from the online community.  “Bayanihan is a beautiful Filipino term and an even more meaningful response at this time of the pandemic. Bayanihan, that Filipino spirit that encapsulates solidarity, cooperation, partnership, and compassion becomes manifest as various sectors think together in spontaneous magnanimity, to volunteer their services and to provide funds, consumable goods, various health equipment, and supplies, innovative solutions, and even quarantine facilities and testing center.” Pernia finished by talking about this year’s CUPSCon highlights, the resilience and stories of human kindness that helped Filipinos in their daily lives combating the COVID-19 pandemic.     UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval introduced the keynote speaker, UP PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi. Screenshot by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     Dr. Gerardo P. Legaspi, Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), spoke on his experiences with the UP PGH during the COVID pandemic. He said that the future was looking bright for the hospital before the pandemic. However, once the coronavirus began to spread, both the hospital’s patients and staff members experienced fear of and uncertainty with this new contagious disease, to the point where they had to suspend their services as a safety measure temporarily. Dr. Legaspi also mentioned that while there were doubts once they converted the hospital into a COVID center, it did not take long until people from different communities and organizations came together to cooperate.     UP PGH Director Legaspi shared the experiences of the UP PGH staff during the pandemic. Screenshot by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     According to Dr. Legaspi, this pandemic has proven no more valuable resource than human resources. He said that with help from many people, they managed the fear from the pandemic, kept up to date with the latest information on the virus, and kept both their frontline workers and patients feel safe and comfortable through PPE, housing, and transport. What started initially as a war against COVID-19 blossomed became a cooperative partnership, a source of pride and inspiration. And it wasn’t just his staff that came together but various communities that offered their support, such as the UP System, Big Business, NGOs, other hospitals, and many other influential individuals.  Dr. Legaspi said that hope was an essential factor that led to the creation of all these partnerships. “I think at that time when it was very chaotic, and there was no clear plan in what was going to be done, maybe the PGH offered a glimmer of hope of some organization or some scientific reasoning for what is being done. And just maybe, that the healthcare workers continue to report working in the hospital that everything will be alright,” he said. He mentioned that the next vital factor in helping secure and maintain their relationship was trust. “Trust is what brings forth continuous partnerships and continuous relationships with our benefactors.”     UP PGH Dir. Legaspi articulates the contexts and commitments of medical frontliners during the pandemic. Screenshot by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     Dr. Legaspi ended his talk by comparing his UP PGH trainees’ experience with his own from the EDSA Revolution in 1986 when it came to the massive disruption in their daily lives and the uncertainty and fear around them. Just as he learned so much when he was on the field, his trainees were able to learn very much as well. They should be proud to claim that they were there during these challenging times by providing support and continuing to support them after the pandemic.  Watch the CUPSCon virtual plenary here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP makes clinical trials of VCO vs COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-makes-clinical-trials-of-vco-vs-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP makes clinical trials of VCO vs COVID-19 UP makes clinical trials of VCO vs COVID-19 July 2, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Photo from the UP PGH Facebook page.     The UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is not only the country’s biggest and premiere tertiary referral hospital, it is also a University hospital, which is a critical facility for training and research in the service of the country’s public health sector. The PGH being designated by the Department of Health as a COVID-19 tertiary referral center in March 2020 was an affirmation of the government’s regard of the institution for fighting the pandemic.  Since then, PGH has been accepting the most serious cases of COVID-19 infections, while not sacrificing its mandate as a general hospital for the masses. It has shared experience and learnings in the clinical management of the disease, primarily through a weekly public webinar. With its proven expertise, the hospital has been allowed compassionate use of convalescent plasma treatment, which has shown promising results for treating serious COVID-19 infections.  UP-PGH is also now the venue of a pioneering study by the University of the Philippines, “Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients”, in collaboration with the Philippine Coconut Authority and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCHRD). The principal investigators are Marissa Alejandria, MD and Leslie Michelle Dalmacio, PhD, both of UP Manila.  The research aims to verify the safety and efficacy of a VCO dosage as a therapy to supplement the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, aged 18 years old and above, admitted at the PGH. Involving more than 75 participants, it began in October 2020. The patients are administered a certain dose of VCO orally.  Patients are observed as regards to primary outcomes such as: recovery or resolution of symptoms and duration of hospital stay; the duration by which symptoms progress to a point where patient may need intensive care unit admission or use of ventilation machine after onset of VCO administration; and, a series of blood test outcomes. The time it takes after the VCO administration until a negative result from an RT-PCR test is also monitored.  The PGH clinical trials come in the heels of earlier research pointing to VCO antimicrobial properties, benefits to the immune system, and relief of inflammatory conditions and other symptoms in mild and suspect COVID-19 cases.  Dr. Fabian Dayrit, Ateneo de Manila University chemistry professor and President of the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines, had led in-vitro research supported by DOST-PCHRD that showed compounds from VCO decrease coronavirus count by 60-90 percent when there is low viral load. The results were announced in October last year, with emphasis on VCO’s capability to boost the body’s immune response against COVID-19.  In an article by the Institute of Food Technologists, Dayrit explains that ingesting VCO results in the body’s production of the compounds he studied, monolaurin and lauric acid. “Together, monolaurin and lauric acid have the physicochemical property of being able to destroy the membrane of lipid-coated viruses,” according to the article.  “What is needed now are clinical trials to validate this and to recommend the amount of intake,” Dayrit says in the article.  Dayrit’s work, published through a paper co-authored with Dr. Mary Newport, was followed by a study by the DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute using results of the tests done on 57 people at a community hospital and quarantine facility in Laguna.  A press release from the Institute says that five of 29 patients, probable and suspect COVID-19 cases, who were served meals with VCO manifested diminishing signs and symptoms as early as the second day. The patients who were served meals with VCO showed no COVID-19 related symptoms at Day 18, while symptoms persisted in some patients who were served the same meals without VCO until Day 23. The overall conclusion was VCO helped reduce the severity of symptoms of patients with mild COVID-19 and those suspected of infection.  Administering VCO to more serious patients in the hospital setting was the next logical step, according to experts. “Indeed, we look forward to the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct for the treatment of COVID-19,” Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the PCHRD, said in a council’s press release.     The UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Photo from the UPLB Biotech-Nat’l Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology FB page.     UP has been at the forefront of VCO studies with the UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or BIOTECH being a part of the technical working group for the revision of the Philippine National Standard for VCO in 2006. This wasaccording to a status report in 2007 by National Scientist Bienvenido Juliano, of UP Los Baños. At about the same time, the UP Manila National Institutes of Health commissioned a literature review on public health and epidemiological research needs and issues regarding coconut oil and cardiovascular diseases.  A couple of years earlier, Dr. Conrado Dayrit of the UP Manila College of Medicine had “started testing the dietary oil on HIV-positive patients and this bold initiative drew the nation’s interest and woke up a sleeping industry on the healing potential of VCO,” said DOST’s Fortunato dela Peña in a 2007 National Academy of Science and Technology monograph.     Main Reference: Virgin Coconut Oil as Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients-Tabular View-ClinicalTrials.gov. (2021). Clinicaltrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT04849637?view=record, accessed June 30, 2021. Other References:  Juliano, Bienvenido O. “Overview and Rationale”. Virgin Coconut Oil: State of the Art, edited by NS Bienvenido O. Juliano. NAST Monograph Series 14 2007. https://www.nast.ph/images/pdf%20files/Publications/Monograph%20Series/NAST%20Monograph%20Series%2014.pdf, accessed June 30, 2021. Fortunato de la Peña-Posts. (2021). Facebook.com. https://web.facebook.com/dostSecFTP/posts/1549041775247381/, accessed June 30, 2021. De la Peña, Fortunato O. “Message”. Ibid. The Potential of Coconut Oil and its Derivatives as Effective and Safe Antiviral Agents Against the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV-2019). (2020, January 31). Ateneo de Manila University. http://ateneo.edu/ls/sose/sose/news/research/potential-coconut-oil-and-its-derivatives-effective-and-safe-antiviral, accessed June 30, 2021. Researchers think coconut oil may help treat COVID-19 patients-IFT.org. (2020, April 20). Ift.org. https://www.ift.org/iftnext/2020/april/researchers-think-coconut-oil-may-help-treat-covid-19-patients, accessed June 30, 2021. Gumaru, M. (2020). Virgin coconut oil (VCO) study results on COVID-19 suspect and probable cases released by DOST-FNRI. FNRI Website. https://fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/programs-and-projects/news-and-announcement/800-virgin-coconut-oil-vco-study-results-on-covid-19-suspect-and-probable-cases-released-by-dost-fnri, accessed June 30, 2021. Christine Jane Gonzalez. (2020). VCO a potential antiviral agent against COVID-19-Filipino research. PCHRD Website. https://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6599-vco-a-potential-antiviral-agent-against-covid-19-filipino-research, accessed June 30, 2021. Thaddeus, D., & Gauiran, V. (n.d.). Treatment for Emerging Infections: Convalescent Plasma and COVID-19. https://home.nbbnets.net/nvbsp-v2/downloadables/lectures/NVBSP-WEBINAR_DeonneGauiran_TreatmentForEmergingInfections.pdf, accessed June 30, 2021. VCO trials on serious COVID-19 cases, patients with comorbidities pushed. (2021). CNN. https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/4/16/virgin-coconut-oil-COVID-19-patients.html, accessed June 30, 2021. Ma. Cristina Arayata. (2020, August 5). VCO clinical trial in PGH might start this week: DOST chief. @Pnagovph; Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1111130, accessed June 30, 2021."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to talk about domestic abuse during COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-talk-about-domestic-abuse-during-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar to talk about domestic abuse during COVID-19 UP webinar to talk about domestic abuse during COVID-19 November 24, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Trigger warning: mentions of violence, abuse  The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), would like you to join the fight against COVID-19.  “Wear your masks, practice proper hygiene, and only go out when necessary.” These have been the health protocols and guidelines we have been following ever since the start of the pandemic. Especially in the early stages where vaccines were not available yet, people limited themselves from going out, hence the multiple quarantines and lockdowns across the globe. However, along with this deadly virus emerged a so-called “shadow pandemic,” or the alarming rise in domestic violence and abuse against women and children.  “In the case of COVID-19, isolation, restricted movement, and stay-at-home measures to contain the spread of the infection have a particularly acute impact on women. The chances of women and their children being exposed to violence dramatically increased. Family members spend more time in close contact, and household stress intensifies. The risk grows even greater when families also have to cope with potential economic or job losses,” the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes.  This particular episode of the Stop COVID Deaths webinar series will discuss this very problem. Titled “Stay Safe, Stay Home Daw: Domestic Violence and Abuse during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the webinar will focus on how we, as frontliners, can help address this pressing issue. The webinar will be from 12 pm to 2 pm on Friday, November 26.  Dr. Bernadette Madrid, a multi-awarded pediatrician who initiated the Child Protection Unit at UP PGH and the thought leader in child abuse as a public health problem in the Philippines, will present data, contexts, challenges, and long-term effects child abuse against the backdrop of COVID-19.  You will also hear from Dr. Vanessa-Maria F. Torres-Ticzon, training officer of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at PGH, who will discuss abuse and teenage pregnancy among girls ages 10 to 14. Dr. Lyra Ruth Chua, past president of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and head of the Task Force on Gender-based Violence, will present the importance of a multidisciplinary team and training conducted throughout the country through women and children’s protection units around the country. Atty. Katrina Legarda, a renowned lawyer for women’s rights, will discuss the legal dimensions of this growing problem.  UP PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Please register for the webinar here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Join us in spreading the word about this shadow pandemic, and together, let’s all stop COVID deaths.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP expanding the PGH to serve more Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-expanding-the-pgh-to-serve-more-filipinos/",
        "html": "UP expanding the PGH to serve more Filipinos UP expanding the PGH to serve more Filipinos March 14, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Perspective of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Complex in Manila. Illustration from the Public-Private Partnership Center.     The University of the Philippines (UP) is one step closer to providing ordinary Filipinos greater access to its brand of world-class and affordable tertiary hospital care and comprehensive cancer care through two upcoming projects: the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) Cancer Center and the UP PGH Diliman.  On March 10, 2022, the proposals for the two major infrastructure projects were elevated by the Investment Coordination Committee-Technical Working Group (ICC-TWG) to the ICC Technical Board (ICC-TB) for re-endorsement to the ICC Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC). The ICC-CC is the highest decision-making body in the Executive Branch that approves major capital projects.  Hopes are high for the ICC-CC’s elevation of these priority health projects to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board. Once the NEDA Board approves the projects, the bidding for private sector partners will begin.  High-quality and affordable cancer care for poor Filipinos  Cancer affects all age groups and all bodily systems and is now the second leading cause of mortality in the country after diseases of the heart and the vascular system. The UP Manila National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Human Genetics study showed that 189 of every 100,000 Filipinos have cancer. In comparison, four Filipinos die of cancer every hour, or 96 cancer patients every day. In 2020, over 150,000 new cases and 90,000 deaths were recorded[1]. During the first half of 2021, over 27,000 deaths from cancer were recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority or 9% of the total deaths during this period.  The UP Philippine General Hospital in UP Manila, Ermita. Photo from the UP PGH Facebook page.     The UP-PGH Cancer Center is the University’s response to cancer care’s growing challenge and complexity. It will be a 200 to 300-bed dedicated cancer center within the University’s Manila campus in Ermita. With at least half of all beds exclusively serving underprivileged Filipinos, the new facility will offer advanced, integrated, and affordable oncology care services to those who cannot otherwise access the kind of treatments available in private hospitals.  The UP-PGH Cancer Center will be structured as a 30-year Build Transfer Operate (“BTO”) arrangement under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. The private partner will design, finance, construct and commission a new standalone hospital building with a dedicated 150-bed area for charity patients and a 50-150 bed area for paying patients. The UP-PGH will provide all clinical services free of charge for charity patients, while the private sector will offer clinical services to paying patients. The private partner will also provide all major equipment, including replacement equipment, and undertake maintenance and management of the facilities and non-clinical services such as cleaning, catering, laundry, and security for the entire hospital under a 30-year PPP concession.  The UP-PGH in northern Metro Manila  The UP PGH is the largest government tertiary hospital in the country and the only national referral center for tertiary care. From its 10-hectare site in the UP Manila campus, and with its 1,100 beds and 400 private beds, the UP PGH provides direct and high-quality medical and healthcare to more than 600,000 patients every year, including thousands indigent Filipinos from all over the country.  But with the growing population of Metro Manila alone, 13.4 million as of 2020 and counting, the UP PGH has been constrained by its limited space and capacity from serving more patients and reaching more communities, especially the underserved communities in northern Metro Manila as well as in nearby provinces. The proposed UP PGH Diliman, to be built on a 4.2-hectare area in the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City, near the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, is envisioned to fill that gap, making world-class hospital care accessible to more Filipinos, especially the poor.  The UP PGH Diliman will be a 700-bed public tertiary hospital accessible to the poor. It aims to complement and enhance the capacity and services of the original UP PGH in Manila. Drawing on the University’s knowledge and research capacities in many disciplines, from the STEM fields to the social sciences to the arts and humanities, the UP PGH Diliman hopes to be the top research hospital in the country. It will complement and enhance the network of health facilities and specialized hospitals in the Quezon City area.  The UP PGH Diliman will include, among others, an outpatient department building, a main hospital building, a central podium/administration building, a College of Medicine and Research Laboratory building, and a parking building. It will offer the following specialty services:  Genomics and Genomic Research Neurovascular Surgery and Neurosciences Oncology and Wellness Center Hospice and Palliative Care Primary Care in a Multispecialty Outpatient Facility Integrative Medicine Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal Center Biomechanical Devices and Equipment Center Sports Medicine Hematology Infertility and Difficult Pregnancy Geriatrics and Home Care Disaster Risk and Reduction Special Services—Toxicology  The first two services will also provide much-needed research on diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Rare Neurological Diseases (RND).  For the UP-PGH Diliman Project, the private sector partner or concessionaire will take on the task of designing, engineering, constructing, and commissioning the buildings and procuring and installing the medical and non-medical equipment. The private sector partner will also operate and maintain all non-clinical services, including facility maintenance, cleaning, laundry, catering, and security. On the other hand, the UP PGH will be responsible for providing the clinical, teaching, and research services and assume the costs of the clinical workforce, drugs, and consumables. The concessionaire’s contract length for the UP-PGH Diliman Project is 25 years.  PPPs for healthcare  The UP Oblation in front of the UP PGH. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP Media and Public Relations Office).  The UP PGH Cancer Center and the UP PGH Diliman are Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. Through these projects, the Philippine health sector may develop a precedent for private-sector cooperation and coordination in providing cancer care for the population and, more broadly, for guided private-sector support of and participation in the public healthcare agenda. For most of the past decades, health investments in the public sector have not kept pace with population growth, and much of the sector’s growth was in the private health sector. Despite this, compared to their private counterparts, public servants in health are expected to serve a more significant and poorer fraction of the population in more challenging locations and with fewer colleagues. They also contend with inflexible and often laborious administrative burdens that hamper the work of specialty health care. Many government hospitals use outsourcing to meet their needs more responsively while also freeing up their human resources to focus on value-adding health care services for indigent patients. Back-of-the-house functions like janitorial, maintenance, and security services; critical systems like hospital information and communication technology; and advanced, highly clinical applications like hemodialysis units and laboratories are usually outsourced.  The PPP structure was chosen for the two infrastructure projects after an intensive study found it the most cost-effective and efficient way to implement the projects, with a lower financial impact on the University than public procurement. Without the need for phased government financing, PPP also has a faster timeline for completion. The PPPs will not be privatized. UP remains the owner and operator. The University retains control of the  private partner activities through contractual means, including the Minimum Performance Specifications and Standards (MPSS) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  Through agencies such as the DOH and the PPP Center, the national government has been encouraging the use of PPP as a possible delivery mechanism where the government can partner with the private sector in delivering quality and cost-efficient health services. Hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure are a vital necessity for the country during the pandemic and in a future where climate change, natural disasters, and new, potential diseases threaten the welfare of the people.  Through the UP PGH Cancer Center and UP PGH Diliman projects, UP creates a model for state universities and colleges (SUCs) and other government agencies to conceptualize and implement their health infrastructure and services, all to ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of all Filipinos from all walks of life.  [1] Source: Globocan (2020) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Airborne or aerosol: UP webinar answers the debate on COVID-19 transmission – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/airborne-or-aerosol-up-webinar-answers-the-debate-on-covid-19-transmission/",
        "html": "Airborne or aerosol: UP webinar answers the debate on COVID-19 transmission Airborne or aerosol: UP webinar answers the debate on COVID-19 transmission July 7, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       How exactly is COVID-19 transmitted?  For the answer, watch the 60th episode in the University of the Philippines (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, which will be held on Friday, 9 July 2021, at 12:00 noon.  The debate on the exact mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is typical for new viruses that require close examination. Apart from the fields of biology and medicine, information on the transmission of microbes benefits from the perspectives of engineers who can measure viral particles and recreate how these can move in the air; physicists who study the properties and behavior of particles; as well as infectious disease specialists who can link all this information to human behavior that creates risk of infection.  We know that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through droplets. We know that certain hospital procedures can aerosolize the virus and make it airborne, which is why hospitals take airborne precautions. The question is, in the community, the workplace, homes and eventually in schools, are there situations where smaller particles can float in the air and still cause infection even after a person who sneezed or coughed has left the room? How long can the virus remain viable (i.e. capable of reproducing) in the air or on surfaces? What are the situations that have the highest risks in community transmission? How can we protect ourselves?  Other questions are: Do we need to stay farther from each other to keep social distance? Completely refrain from eating indoors? How do we properly ventilate our offices, our homes and our schools?  These questions and many more on the risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission will be discussed in the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” 60th webinar. The main presenter is Prof. Gerald Jo C. Denoga, a Mechanical Engineering professor and Associate Dean for Research of the UP Diliman College of Engineering. Reactors are: Dr. Regina P. Berba, Head of the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Hospital Infection Control Unit; and, Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ, a physicist and former President of the Ateneo de Manila University, with the special participation of veteran health broadcast journalist Niña Corpuz who will make a presentation on how to communicate health risks to the public.  Opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Elena E. Pernia, UP Vice President for Public Affairs, and closing remarks, by Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine.  Register here, or watch the livestream on TVUP’s Youtube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar focuses on COVID-19 in PH provinces – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-focuses-on-covid-19-in-ph-provinces/",
        "html": "UP webinar focuses on COVID-19 in PH provinces UP webinar focuses on COVID-19 in PH provinces September 15, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  This Friday, September 17, at 12 noon, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will zero in on what’s happening in the provinces. While efforts are mostly focused on the NCR+ bubble, there’s no denying that COVID-19 cases are still steadily rising in the rural areas where hospitals are just as congested, if not more so.  The “COVID-19 Outbreak sa Probinsya” episode will take a look at the situation on the ground in different provinces. What are the major challenges in vaccination, testing, treatment, and care? What are the innovations from the field? How are hospitals dealing with the lack of supply of RT-PCR tests, oxygen tanks, and ICU beds? And ultimately, how are frontliners in the provinces coping?  The opening remarks will be given by Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo of UP Diliman. We will be hearing first hand from healthcare workers on the ground: Dr. Rio Magpantay, Regional Director of the Department of Health, will report on Region 2. Dr. Bryan Albert Lim of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital will represent Cebu City. An infectious disease specialist, Dr. Leonell Albert Quintos, will discuss the situation in Central Mindanao. And Dr. Fahra Tan-Omar, Chief of Sulu Provincial Hospital, will share what’s happening in Jolo. The webinar will close with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla’s synthesis and message.  Register here and stay connected with your credible online community.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Official Statement on the Postponement of the 23rd Commencement Exercises of UP Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/official-statement-on-the-postponement-of-the-23rd-commencement-exercises-of-up-mindanao/",
        "html": "Official Statement on the Postponement of the 23rd Commencement Exercises of UP Mindanao Official Statement on the Postponement of the 23rd Commencement Exercises of UP Mindanao July 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For the last twenty-five years, the University of the Philippines Mindanao has made it its mission to mold learners into leaders. And every year, it is with great pride that we send off our graduates in their sablay during the commencement exercises so they can find their place in the world guided by “Honor and Excellence.”  However, the declaration of a national health emergency due to COVID-19 has disrupted our operations. In response, UP decided to cut short the previous semester and give students the option to defer complying with the adjusted course requirements until next year.  We wanted to celebrate the achievements of this year’s graduates through a virtual graduation. But, the rising number of positive cases in the city, affecting even Brgy. Mintal, has slowed down production work for the said virtual event originally planned for streaming on July 30.  With this in mind, the University has decided to postpone holding the 23rd Commencement Exercises for next year. We understand that some might feel disappointed, but we ask for your kind understanding as we prioritize the health and wellbeing of all our constituents.  Note that the names of the graduating students who have completed their requirements in June 2020 were endorsed by the University Council to the UP Board of Regents for final approval of graduation as of 2nd Semester AY 2019-2020.  To the Class of 2020: Congratulations! See you next year!  Sabay-sabay sumablay sa 2021! "
    },
    {
        "title": "The challenge of rehabilitation for COVID survivors in UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-challenge-of-rehabilitation-for-covid-survivors-in-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar/",
        "html": "The challenge of rehabilitation for COVID survivors in UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar The challenge of rehabilitation for COVID survivors in UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar June 30, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Out of the over 36,000 cases of COVID-19 in the country as of the latest count, almost 10,000 have recovered. But for many of the patients who manage to survive severe COVID-19, rehabilitation is only the next stage of the fight.  COVID-19 patients who were placed in intensive care units may have rehabilitation needs related to the effects of intubation and ventilation as well as prolonged immobilization and isolation from loved ones. Some of these effects include impaired lung function, physical deconditioning and weakness, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, mental health issues like depression, delirium and cognitive impairment, and the need for continuing psychosocial support.  Those with other underlying diseases or older persons may have greater needs. Rehabilitation plays a critical role in early discharge and in preventing relapse and readmission. Rehabilitation services for survivors need to be a part of pandemic preparedness and planning as care for the patients does not end upon discharge from the hospital.  The University of the Philippines in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center is presenting the 11th installment of the webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” this Friday, July 3, at 12 n.n., focusing on “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID-19”.  Dr. Celso F. Bate, physiatrist at The Medical City and VRP Medical Center, will be discussing interventions based on frontline practice, as well as options for the continuation of rehabilitation through inpatient, outpatient, home-based or telehealth services.  The UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is held every Friday from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Registration slots are limited, so sign up now: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar11. "
    },
    {
        "title": "New UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar to focus on the doctor as COVID-19 patient – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-to-focus-on-the-doctor-as-covid-19-patient/",
        "html": "New UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar to focus on the doctor as COVID-19 patient New UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar to focus on the doctor as COVID-19 patient July 30, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       By now it is common knowledge that among the very first COVID-19 deaths in the Philippines were doctors. Estimates from April 2020 indicate that 22 doctors had already died from the disease.  Last March 15, a 69-year old male with a history of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea made his way to the emergency room. He was experiencing fever and myalgia and expressed concerns about possible exposure to COVID-19 at a conference held earlier that month in Clark City.  Nasal and throat swabs were taken for SARS-Cov-2 (what we commonly now know as COVID-19), in addition to a CBC and a chest X-ray, both of which came out normal. The bad news came the next day–our patient’s swab tests tested positive and he was immediately admitted. The patient noticed himself feeling out of breath, a condition known as ‘exertional dsypnea’, and his symptoms worsened to the point where the medical staff had to reach a decision whether or not to intubate him and supply oxygen through a mechanical ventilator.  This snippet might fit the profile and experience of a typical at-risk patient for COVID-19, except that the patient in question was renowned cardiologist Dr. Rody Sy. In this case, Dr. Sy was a patient that understood his dire situation and the pivotal decisions made on his behalf that could spell the difference between life and death.  The experiences and tragedies that befell the country’s medical professionals have provided the silver lining of being very instructive to those in the medical community like Dr. Sy, who can make interventions to prevent them. Why were doctors getting infected? Why were they not getting better? And what strategies would work best to aid one’s survival from a severe COVID-19 infection?  In this episode of Virtual Grand Rounds of the University of the Philippines-Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Webinar Series on STOP COVID DEATHS, titled ‘The Doctor as Patient: The Journey of Dr. Rody Sy’.we will join him in taking a closer look at the therapeutic and diagnostic dilemmas during the early stages of COVID-19 in the Philippines, what we have learned since then, and how we can better understand the perspective of the patient, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  The very first UP-PhilHealth “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” will be held on July 31, 2020 (Friday) 12nn. Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar15. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mensahe para sa mga Magsisipagtapos 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mensahe-para-sa-mga-magsisipagtapos-2020/",
        "html": "Mensahe para sa mga Magsisipagtapos 2020 Mensahe para sa mga Magsisipagtapos 2020 September 7, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office     Video at edit ng TVUP     Binabati ko kayo, mga mahal kong iskolar ng bayan, sa inyong pagtatapos mula sa UP Nating Mahal. Kayo ay nabibilang sa katangi-tanging Batch 2020. Natatangi sapagkat kayo ay nagsipagtapos sa panahon ng isang pandemya. Na kahit pa napaikli ng pandemyang ito ang inyong paglagi at pag-aaral sa loob ng ating pamantasan ay buong husay at tapang ninyong hinarap ang lahat ng hamon ng pagkakataon at matagumpay kayong nakaraos sa mga kursong inyo ngayong tinapos.  Totoo nga na kakaiba ang mga seremonya ng pagtatapos sa ating bansa ngayon. Subalit hindi man ninyo naranasan ang mga kaabang-abang na tradisyon tulad ng pagsusuot ng ating Sablay, paggawad ng mga titulo at karangalan, paglahok sa mga lightning rally, at iba pa, kayo naman ay mga tunay pa rin na mga gradweyt at ngayon ay alumni na ng UP. Taos-puso pa rin nating ipinagdiriwang ang okasyong ito, gaya ng mga nagdaang araw ng pagtatapos, at pinasasalamatan natin ang lahat ng ating mga nakasama sa makabuluhang paglalakbay na ito.  Sa mga nakalipas na buwan, natutunan natin kung paano harapin ang isang kakaibang sitwasyon sa kasaysayan ng ating daigdig at lipunan, ang pagharap sa sakit na COVID-19. Bagamat hindi pa lubos na natatapos ang mga panganib na sanhi ng nasabing sakit, ating tandaan na hindi biro ang paghubog, pagsasanay at paghahandang ibinahagi sa inyo ng UP upang mapagtagumpayan ninyong sama-sama ang anumang hamong inyong kakaharapin.  Ating tandaan na ang panahon ng krisis ay hindi lamang isang masamang panaginip. Ito rin ay isang mabuting pagkakataon upang tayo ay lalong magpunyagi, magpakahusay at makapaglingkod sa bayan. Isabuhay natin ang diwa ng UP, ang pagkakaisa, ang paglilingkod nang buong husay at dangal, at patunayan natin na walang hangganan ang pagaambag ng ating Unibersidad at ng kanyang mga alumni sa paghahanap at paglalapat ng mga epektibong alternatibo at solusyon sa anumang suliranin.        Sa tulong ng inyong mga propesor, kamag-aral, kasama sa kolehiyo at mga organisasyong kinabibilangan, naibigay ng UP ang lahat ng aralin at kasanayan, sa loob ng higit na maikling panahon at sa pamamagitan ng kakaibang pamamaraan ng pagtuturo. Dapat nating mapagtanto na ang tunay at higit na makabuluhang larangan ng pagkatuto ay nasa labas ng ating pamantasan.  Kayo, ang Batch 2020, ang unang henerasyon ng mga nagsipagtapos na iskolar ng bayan sa panahon ng pandemyang COVID-19. Inaasahan kong kayo ay mangunguna sa pagbabangon sa ating bayan mula sa lusak ng trahedyang ito. Gamitin sana ninyo nang wasto ang karunungang Tatak UP. Buong giting at husay nawa ninyong gampanan ang pagiging mabuting Pilipino, na may utak at puso para sa kapwa at para sa bayan. Muli, binabati ko kayo sa makasaysayan at makabuluhang okasyong ito. Gabayan nawa kayo ng Poong Maykapal.     Danilo L. Concepcion Pangulo Unibersidad ng Pilipinas "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP online grand rounds to focus on COVID-19’s impact on the gastrointestinal tract – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-online-grand-rounds-to-focus-on-covid-19s-impact-on-the-gastrointestinal-tract/",
        "html": "UP online grand rounds to focus on COVID-19’s impact on the gastrointestinal tract UP online grand rounds to focus on COVID-19’s impact on the gastrointestinal tract September 10, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       While COVID-19 is well-known for its impact on the respiratory system, research has shown that SARS-CoV-2 can also harm the gastrointestinal tract.  The 21st installment in the UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” will focus on one such case: a patient with a history of Crohn’s disease who showed symptoms of gastric distress and partial gut obstruction but whose diagnosis was delayed, and who is also suspected to be COVID-positive. The webinar, “Barado at Sarado:  Gut Obstruction During the Time COVID-19?”, will be held on Friday, September 11, 2020, at 12:00 n.n.  Dr. Brent Viray, Senior Resident at the UP Philippine General Hospital’s (UP PGH) Department of Surgery, will be presenter for this particular case, while Dr. Hermogenes Monroy, Chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery, UP PGH Department of Surgery will be the discussant. Dr. Orlando Ocampo, Head of the PGH COVID Response Task Force and Chief of the Trauma Division of the UP PGH, and Ms. Cecilia G. Peña, Deputy Director for Nursing of the UP PGH, will be the reactors.  Grand rounds are an integral part of traditional medical education and inpatient care wherein doctors, pharmacist, residents and medical students gather to discuss the particular medical problems and the treatment of a particular patient. The webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” are the very first online medicine grand rounds in the Philippines. The series is organized by the University of the Philippinesin partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, in cooperation with the UP Manila College of Medicine and the UP PGH.  Register now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar21. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Six UPCMC alumni named 2020 Glory awardees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/six-upcmc-alumni-named-2020-glory-awardees/",
        "html": "Six UPCMC alumni named 2020 Glory awardees Six UPCMC alumni named 2020 Glory awardees October 7, 2020 | Written by Oscar Gomez    Two journalists, an arts community advocate, a development communicator, an education innovator, and a producer-writer of hit television shows are this year’s six outstanding alumni of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UPCMC) who will receive the coveted Glory award.  The “Glory” honors UPCMC alumni who did not only produce excellent work consistently but also made an impact in mass communication and society.  Selected by a jury of their peers, the 2020 Glory awardees are Karen Davila (broadcast journalism), Dr. Rey de la Cruz (special education), Deo Endrinal (television arts), Dr. Monina Movido-Escalada (development communication), Lutgardo Labad (arts & culture advocacy), and Criselda Yabes (literary journalism).  UPCMC Alumni Association president Malou Choa Fagar announced that due to the continuing public health crisis, the Glory awards presentation on November 14 will take place in a virtual environment.  The Glory Awards were inspired by the legacy of honor and excellence of Dr. Gloria Feliciano, the founding dean of UP mass communication programs, who served from 1965 to 1985. UPCMC produced some of the best practitioners in broadcasting, film, journalism, and communication research in the past 55 years. Many alumni also shone in allied fields like marketing communication, social advocacy, public relations, and the performing arts.  The seven distinguished jurors of the 2020 Glory Awards were UPCMC dean and film professor Dr. Arminda Santiago; UPCMC communication research department chairperson Dr. Julienne Thesa Baldo-Cubelo; PR expert and former UP vice president for public affairs Tessa Jazmines; broadcast news veteran Jose “Jing” Magsaysay, who also represents the family of Dean Feliciano; writer-director and 2019 Glory awardee Floy Quintos; noted film and TV director, writer and educator Jose Javier Reyes; and 2018 Glory awardee Luz Rimban, executive director of the Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.     THE 2020 AWARDEES  Broadcast journalist Karen Davila is a veteran news anchor and correspondent of ABS-CBN. Her long-running daily Q&A show Headstart on ANC puts newsmakers on the proverbial hot seat to illuminate current and controversial issues. Davila began her career as a writer-presenter of documentaries for The Probe Team and was part of the ABS-CBN investigative journalism series The Correspondents. She also moderated presidential debates and the televised sessions of the World Economic Forum-East Asia Summit. She bagged international prizes for her in-depth reporting about children and street drugs, children in jail, and the Marcopper Mining environmental disaster. Davila also won the TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men) and TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) awards and was the Rotary Club of Manila’s Journalist of the Year in 2004. Recently her popular program about successful micro and small entrepreneurs, My Puhunan, was cancelled as a result of the non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s congressional franchise. Nonetheless she is continuing to present inspirational stories of hope and resilience (particularly during the pandemic) on her own social media pages.     Author and special education expert Rey de la Cruz is also a Palanca award-winning playwright, pioneering alternative filmmaker, gender-equality advocate, and developer of innovative teaching strategies. Peer-reviewed journals and conferences recognized his research showing the effects of creative drama on social and oral-language skills of children with learning disabilities. Drawing from his versatile range of disciplines, De la Cruz originated and disseminated the classroom use of the ancient Philippine board game sungka in teaching social and math skills engagingly, for which he received a diversity award from the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children-Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. He was an adjunct professor in Chicago State University where he taught special-education courses to undergraduate and graduate students. In recognition of his exemplary achievement in the education field, the Illinois State University College of Education inducted him into its Alumni Hall of Fame.     As head of ABS-CBN’s content production unit Dreamscape Entertainment, Deo Endrinal is one of television’s top ”showrunners” who has overall creative authority and management responsibility for TV shows. He started as a writer and producer for GMA Network (Martin After Dark and Lunch Date), TV5 (Pops) and ABS-CBN, his home network for the past three decades. Some of the most successful ABS-CBN programs from the 1990s up to the present bear his imprint—from Showbiz Lingo, The Buzz, Today with Kris, Game Ka Na Ba?, Mula Sa Puso, ASAP and recent hits May Bukas Pa, Tayong Dalawa, Walang Hanggan, On The Wings of Love, Kadenang Ginto, The General’s Daughter, and Ang Probinsyano. Since 2018 Endrinal has been producing movies for the digital platform iWant such as Glorious, Bagman, Call Me Tita, and the recent Love Lockdown, which experimented on new ways of filming in a pandemic. He orchestrated the movie’s efficient production under strict physical distancing protocols. The denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise pushed the network to find a new home on Youtube and Facebook, where Endrinal helped Kapamilya Online Live garner millions of subscribers in record time and where he continues to introduce new content.     Monina Movido-Escalada is an internationally acclaimed development communicator and a professor emeritus at the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte. She rose from a research assistant to assistant professor of broadcast communication in UP Diliman in the 1970s. In the past three decades, her research pursued a deeper and better understanding of farmers’ management and decision-making practices. The findings enabled her to develop learning strategies that include entertainment-education approaches using radio soap operas, for example. Her research design, monitoring, evaluation and scaling up initiatives resulted in favorable behavior change in the way farmers manage their resources. Escalada has been honored by the World Bank, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the UN Environmental Program, and the governments of Vietnam and Japan for her agricultural innovations. She also won the St. Andrews Prize for Environment, the United Kingdom’s only international prize for environmental achievement.     Lutgardo Labad has stood at the vanguard of Philippine arts and culture advocacy for almost half a century. He is a multi-awarded theater artist, teacher, cultural worker, and arts & heritage promoter. Labad was instrumental in developing the creative arts and theatre curriculum of the Philippine Educational Theater Association. As PETA’s pedagogy and artistic director for 25 years, he conducted workshops for disadvantaged provincial communities, the urban poor, and the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.“Gardy” is probably best known as a musical scorer. He has worked on 85 films, winning nine awards for scoring the cinema classics of National Artists Lino Brocka, Eddie Romero and UPCMC distinguished alumnus Maryo de los Reyes such as Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974), Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976) Pakawalan Mo Ako (1982), Bilangin Ang Mga Bituin sa Langit (1990), Magnifico (2004), and Naglalayag (2004). After resettling in his home province of Bohol in 1994, Gardy organized community theater groups across the Visayas to make them integral to sustainable development thrusts, especially in ecological and cultural tourism. He received the Galing Pook award for best local government unit cultural program and was honored by Philstage with a lifetime achievement award in theater in2019. He used to chair the dramatic arts committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He is also the international staging director and impresario of the world-famous Loboc Children’s Choir.     Criselda Yabes is a veteran freelance journalist and award-winning author of 10 books. Her long-form journalism written in engaging literary style has been the trademark of her craft, just like how she immerses herself for lengthy periods in her subjects and locales. Yabes released her newest book last August 31 (National Heroes Day) entitled The Battle of Marawi, her gripping account of the five-month urban warfare between Philippine government forces and radical Islamist rebels in 2017. She began her journalism career reporting on the restored democracy, restive military, and raging insurgencies of the 1980s. That period inspired her first book, The Boys from the Barracks: The Philippine Military after EDSA, in which she traced the history of dissent within the military through intimate portraits of the soldiers who took part in several uprisings. Yabes remarkably won the top writing laurels in two different categories of the UP Centennial Literary Prize in 2008—one for her creative non-fiction book, Sarena’s Story: The Loss of a Kingdom, about the fall of the Sulu Sultanate, and another for a book under fiction, Below the Crying Mountain, a weave of love stories set against the backdrop of the Moro rebellion that broke out in the 1970s. “Below the Crying Mountain” was the only Filipino-written novel nominated for the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize in 2010. It was re-published by Penguin Books Southeast Asia in 2019. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH HOTLINE 155-200 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-hotline-155-200/",
        "html": "UP-PGH HOTLINE 155-200 UP-PGH HOTLINE 155-200 April 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       TUMAWAG sa 155-200 para sa mga katanungan at pag-aalala ukol sa COVID-19 at iba pang karamdaman.  May ubo at lagnat ako, meron na ba akong COVID-19? Masakit ang lalamunan ko at mabigat ang pakiramdam, ano ang gagawin? Nahihilo, mataas ang BP, may diarrhea at gastrointestinal bleeding, saan ako pupunta? Mayroong may COVID-19 sa barangay/hospital namin. Mahahawa ba kami? Tingin ko ako ay COVID+, ano ang aming gagawin at saan kami pupunta? May medical emergency kami, sa PGH ba ang punta namin? May frontliner sa lugar namin. Dapat ba mag-alala kami? Gusto kong mag-donate ng pagkain at kagamitan. Sino ang tatawagan ko? Bukas po 24/7 para sa mga katanungan ukol sa COVID-19 at iba pang karamdaman, paano mag-boluntir, at mag-donate.     Ang HOTLINE ay toll-free sa Pilipinas. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP confers honorary degree on former University President Alfredo E. Pascual – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-confers-honorary-degree-on-former-university-president-alfredo-e-pascual/",
        "html": "UP confers honorary degree on former University President Alfredo E. Pascual UP confers honorary degree on former University President Alfredo E. Pascual September 7, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Former UP President Alfredo Pascual addressing the UP Manila Class of 2020. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Manila commencement exercises.     Former UP President and a business leader, Alfredo E. Pascual, was awarded the honorary Doctor of Laws at the University of the Philippines Manila’s first virtual 111th Commencement Exercises, which was held on Sunday, September 6, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., with replay available on the UP Manila Commencement YouTube channel.  Mr. Pascual congratulated the more than 800 members of UP Manila Class of 2020 on their historic achievement, as well as the faculty, staff and administrators of UP Manila for their quick and decisive actions to help the country battle the COVID-19 pandemic.  He noted that, even before the pandemic, the rapid technological changes brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or FIRe for short, have brought about disruptions in society, work and labor, and the economy at an unprecedented scale, scope and speed. “We now live in a VUCA world, meaning volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. This kind of environment is a challenge for many but you, our young graduates can cope. I know you can. You have time on your side, and ability to adapt yourselves to the emerging changes. More importantly, you have the opportunity to become active players in rebuilding our country post-COVID,” he said.  He also compared the UP sablay to the fabric of Filipino society, woven from people’s aspirations, struggles and victories. He exhorted the UP graduates to live a life of service to the country by taking on leadership roles in their chosen fields and weaving meaningful change and transformation. To become good leaders, he added, UP graduates must have humility, integrity, courage, agility, and resilience.     Former UP President Alfredo Pascual exhorts the new graduates to live a life of service by becoming good leaders. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Manila commencement exercises.     “As I have said before, we from UP must succeed not because we have a reputation to keep but because we have a country to serve,” he finished with the words were his well-known call during his administration as UP President.  Mr. Pascual served as the 20th president of the University of the Philippines from 2011-2017, distinguishing his term with a range of impactful initiatives and reforms that earned him a special citation from the Board of Regents.  His strategic vision of ONE UP unified the UP System with its eight constituent universities (CUs) across 17 campuses nationwide.     Former UP President Alfredo E. Pascual being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at UP Manila’s very first virtual 111th Commencement Exercises, with current UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (left) looking on. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Manila commencement exercises.     Facilities and infrastructure were significantly improved with the addition of over 100 new buildings and structures, plus 50 major renovations in various campuses. Investments also went to modernizing equipment in the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital, the Philippine Genome Center, and the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health building. Funds were also allocated for the rehabilitation of facilities for the performing arts and creative works in different campuses.  He also sought to internationalize the University, subjecting its systems and curricular programs to international evaluations. By the end of his term, UP entered the Times Higher Education list as one of the top research universities in Asia. The University has since continued to rise in this and other global rankings of educational institutions.  His administration’s focus on serving the country has meant enhanced public service capabilities through a University public service office, the internet-based TVUP, and the UP Resilience Institute. His Green UP movement has resulted in improved environmental sustainability.     UP President Danilo Concepcion presenting former UP President Alfredo Pascual with his third degree from UP. Screenshot from the livestream of the UP Manila commencement exercises.     Mr. Pascual earned his BS Chemistry degree, cum laude, and his MBA in UP. He has since worked as an international development banker, corporate governance advocate and management educator.  He is currently involved with the Technical Advisory Group on Climate Change and the Environment in the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization, and with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Multi-Sector Governance Council, to name a few. He is also an Independent Director of Concepcion Industrial Corporation.  Mr. Pascual received the honorary degree from the UP Board of Regents upon the recommendation of the President of UP and Committee on Honorary Degrees. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle COVID-19 and its impact on the Philippine healthcare system – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-covid-19-and-its-impact-on-the-philippine-healthcare-system/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle COVID-19 and its impact on the Philippine healthcare system UP webinar to tackle COVID-19 and its impact on the Philippine healthcare system May 4, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region and contiguous areas has had profound effects on our health care systems. Hospitals are barely able to accommodate COVID and non-COVID patients. Local government units are unable to keep up with the pace of testing and contact tracing needed, and communities that are going hungry with the extended quarantines.  In this episode of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) shares its lessons learned from a surge in early March 2021 that shut down certain parts of the hospital. The webinar will include a discussion on the important role that genetic sequencing has played in affirming and prioritizing contact tracing, isolation, and education of individuals who may have been exposed to patients who contracted any of the new variants. The role of telemedicine in decongesting the crowded hospitals of Metro Manila is presented.  The 51st installment in the webinar series, which recently marked its first-year anniversary, is titled “SOS: Save Our Systems from the COVID-19 Surge”. It will be held on Friday, May 7, 2021, at 12:00 noon.  Dr. Nina Berba, head of infectious disease control at the UP-PGH, will be the main presenter. Reactors are Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, UP-PGH Director; Dr. Eva Cutiongco de la Paz, UP Manila National Institutes of Health Executive Director; Dr. Raymond Sarmiento, Director of the UP Manila National TeleHealth Center, National Institutes of Health; and, Dr. Sito Nunez, Chief of East Avenue Memorial Medical Center.  Register for this special edition of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar51 "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Philippines’ vaccine questions to be answered in UP webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-philippines-vaccine-questions-to-be-answered-in-up-webinar/",
        "html": "The Philippines’ vaccine questions to be answered in UP webinar The Philippines’ vaccine questions to be answered in UP webinar December 9, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       There have been rapid developments in the race for a vaccine for COVID-19 of late. Currently, there are more than 100 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world, with three to four vaccines ahead and positioned for limited use in certain countries that have manufacturing capacity.  In the Philippines, questions have arisen stemming from the latest news on COVID-19 vaccines. Will we would have access to leading vaccines that would be used in the US and the UK? What is the mechanism for making sure that all countries will have access to the vaccines? Will the leading vaccines end the pandemic? Is the Philippines prepared to deploy a vaccine against COVID-19? What are the logistical requirements for vaccination against COVID-19, and what is the game plan?  The 34th installment of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series is another special edition, this time focusing on “Updates on Vaccination Against COVID-19”. It will be held on December 11, 2020, Friday, at 12:00 noon.  Invited to discuss vaccine development, clinical trials and the Philippine roadmap for vaccination against COVID-19 are: Dr. Nina Gloriani, lead expert in the Vaccine Expert Panel and former Dean of the UP College of Public Health; and Dr. Jodor Lim, lead expert in the Clinical Trials for Vaccines, and a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases of the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., chair of the COVID-19 National Incident Command and the Vaccine Czar, is the reactor.  Dr. Eva Cutiongco Dela Paz, Executive Director of the UP Manila National Institutes of Health, will be delivering the opening remarks, while Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the UP College of Medicine, will give the closing remarks.  The UP “STOP COVID DEATHS” webinar series is organized by UP in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with the UP College of Medicine and the UP PGH.     Registration here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar34 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Alumni email registration launched – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/alumni-email-registration-launched/",
        "html": "Alumni email registration launched Alumni email registration launched November 24, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The University of the Philippines (UP) officially launched its alumni email registration on November 12 in a virtual ceremony titled “Let’s Konek: Taralets!” The Office of Alumni Relations, in partnership with the Information Technology Development Center, spearheads the project. Both are UP System offices.  “UP has been and will always be your home. A home that is not bound by physical space but instead defined by a thought, a feeling, an experience that has transformed you forever. It is an affinity and love for an institution and its community—your community—that gives you Tatak UP.”—UP President Danilo Concepcion, addressing UP alumni. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  UP President Danilo Concepcion remarked that the long-planned @alum.up.edu.ph email provision to University alumni was finally pushing through after some delays. Addressing the alumni, he said, “Providing you with an email account bearing the initials of your alma mater is one way of showing you our gratitude and appreciation for all that you have given to UP.”  Concepcion added that the gesture might be simple, but he knew it would be meaningful to UP’s hundreds of thousands of alumni. To date, there are more than 300,000 living UP alumni worldwide, and they comprise the largest group of University constituents.  In her message, VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia talked about UP alumni life stages as a guide for the University to establish and strengthen its relationship with its graduates. She explained that these consider what they might want or need from their alma mater at certain stages of their life as UP alumni and are in line with their circumstances and capacity.  “It is but right that the University gifts its alumni with an exclusive and prestigious email address that shows their continuing affiliation with the University.”—VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Those who are about to graduate may be part of a “Senior Class Gift” campaign. One to 15 years after graduation, those employed and/or have reached middle management levels in their careers may be part of what she called the “Small Gifts, Big Hearts” initiative.  Alumni elevated to senior management positions, roughly 30 years or more after graduating, may give a “Leadership Gift” to UP. Those about to retire or have retired, especially with multi-generational alumni in their families, may consider donating a “Legacy Gift.”  Assistant VP for Public Affairs (Alumni Relations and Events Management) Maria Angelica Abad expressed her joy at the alumni’s warm reception of the email account project. It reciprocates the University’s desire to strengthen ties. The alumni email provides news and updates as well as open opportunities for donations and volunteerism. More than that, it is a way for alumni to reach out to UP because, as Abad told them, “We also want to hear from you.”  “The UP alumni email marks you as a proud Iskolar ng Bayan. It is your umbilical cord to this institution.” AVP Maria Angelica Abad to UP alumni. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  She enjoined alumni to register for their email accounts and reminded alumni who were previously issued student email accounts that those will be disabled months after graduation with due notice.  As a consultant to the UP President on alumni matters, UP alumna and recently retired Corporate Affairs Field Manager of Chevron Corporation Marian Catedral-King also shared her thoughts on building the relationship between universities and their graduates. She said that she had not cared that UP did not reach out to her for ten years after she graduated. After all, it was very early in her career, and the thought of giving back, while it crossed her mind, was not something she could pursue just yet.  “Finally, your Isko and Iska can be brought home again.” UP alumna Marian Catedral-King on establishing the UP alumni email account as a way to reach out to alumni. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Another 20 years later, she revealed that she did care a bit about the absence of communication from UP because she was already “in a better position to give back.” And she did. She said other organizations that reached out to her made their needs known to her and were accessible. “But, no, I never gave to UP.”  In the United States, Catedral-King was struck by the loyalty and attachment of her colleagues to their universities. She learned that their “touch points” with their alma maters were “regular and consistent,” which she never had with UP, which is why the UP alumni email account is a significant step toward strengthening these touchpoints. “No UP graduate should be left behind,” she said. This project shows that “the Iskolar ng Bayan is needed, wanted, and loved.”  “The UP alumni email account is much like long-lost or distant children being reunited with their forlorn mother.” Alumni Regent Reynaldo Laserna. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Closing off the formal launch of the UP alumni email registration, UP Alumni Regent and UP Alumni Association President Reynaldo Laserna said that the email account is a highly appreciated gesture from UP as it “uniquely and instantly identifies the email sender as an alumnus [or alumna].” He added that the “great prestige and pride that come with it [is something] all UP alumni, without exception, hold most dear in their hearts.”  AVP Jose Wendell Capili hosted the official launch of the UP alumni email registration. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO The event featured a recorded performance by Soprano and UP alumna Ma. Cristina Viguilla-Navarro accompanied by the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO). UP alumnus Robert Schroder is the founder and conductor of FASO. Screenshot from event livestream by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO  To register for the UP alumni email account, go to https://alum.up.edu.ph/database/. Only applications from bonafide and verified alumni will be processed. You may also learn how to apply for your UP Alumni Email by watching this animated video explainer.  Screenshot of the UP alumni email registration website  Watch the livestream of the launch on the UP System’s FB page or TVUP’s Youtube channel.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for Philippine Genome Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-donations-personal-protective-equipment-for-philippine-genome-center/",
        "html": "Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for Philippine Genome Center Call for Donations: Personal Protective Equipment for Philippine Genome Center March 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   To Those Asking on How they Can Help in the COVID-19 National Health Emergency:  The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) laboratories of the University of the Philippines are tasked to handle the sequencing of COVID-19 samples for the next two (2) weeks, in coordination with the health workers from UP Manila National Institutes of Health, to provide our scientists with crucial scientific information to mitigate the spread of the disease.  In our effort to continually protect the PGC skeletal work force during this national health emergency, we will accept PPE donations, such as N95 masks, surgical masks, disposable impermeable laboratory gowns and caps, face shields, and shoe covers to replenish our supplies. You may drop off your donations from Monday to Friday at 8am to 5pm at the lobby of the PGC Building located at A. Ma. Regidor St., National Science Complex, UP Diliman Campus, Quezon City.  You may also contact Mr. Carlo Lapid at 89818500 local 4706 or  Mobile No. 09178458581. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAASF and Apl.de.Ap Foundation International donate collection kits for COVID-19 testing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaasf-and-apl-de-ap-foundation-international-donate-collection-kits-for-covid-19-testing/",
        "html": "UPAASF and Apl.de.Ap Foundation International donate collection kits for COVID-19 testing UPAASF and Apl.de.Ap Foundation International donate collection kits for COVID-19 testing December 22, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   During the press conference held for the turnover of COVID-19 testing kits, valued at $2.85 million, from the UPAA of San Francisco and the Apl.de.Ap Foundation International to the UP Philippine General Hospital. From left to right: UP alumnus and entrepreneur Yobie Benjamin; UPAASF past president and Apl.de.ap Foundation International Director Sonia Delen; Grammy Award-winning rap artist and founding member of Black Eyed Peas, Apl.de.Ap; UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; and UPAA of San Francisco President Liza Gino. Screenshot from the video taken by Rey Photomo.  University of the Philippines (UP) alumnus and entrepreneur, Yobie Benjamin, with the assistance of Zymo Research Corp. founder and CEO, Dr. Larry Jia, and in partnership with Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (ADAFI) and the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco, Inc. (UPAASF), donated 227,722 Zymo Research DNA/RNA Shield™ Saliva Collection Kits to the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). The UPAASF also acknowledged the support of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.  UP President Danilo Concepcion accepted the gift on the University’s behalf on December 10 in California, USA.  The donation worth US$2.85 million will be used mainly for the testing of UP students in preparation for their eventual return, albeit limited, to in-person instruction and practical academic work in laboratories and related facilities.  Later in the evening, during the holiday celebration dinner, plaques of appreciation are presented to the donors—screenshot from the video taken of the event by Rey Photomo.  In one of the preliminary discussions about the donation, UP-PGH Director, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, welcomed the initiative as saliva collection is less invasive than nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabbing, especially during circumstances where sample collections are needed regularly and frequently. Apart from being compatible with the RT-PCR testing protocols of UP-PGH, the collection kits are ideal for the Philippine climate, as they do not require refrigeration.  According to UPAASF’s immediate past president and ADAFI board director Sonia Delen, “preparations are underway to transport these 9 tons of collection kits, to arrive by January 2022.”  The ceremonial turnover of the donation was the highlight of UPAASF’s holiday celebration, which included a reunion dinner, the oath-taking of its new officers, and the presentation of plaques of appreciation to Zymo Research Corporation and ADAFI, and achievement awards to Benjamin and UPAASF. Apl.de.Ap received the citation on behalf of his foundation; Benjamin, on behalf of Jia and Zymo Research Corp.; and UPAASF President Liza Gino on behalf of the alumni organization.  Philippine Consul General in San Francisco and UP alumnus Neil Frank Ferrer graced the event. He described the donation as a “timely gift, not only to UP-PGH but also to the Filipino people.” He added that it will help UP’s medical professionals and students “continue to take a brave and effective stand in the front lines of this global pandemic.”  In her message, Gino said the kits “represent hope and creating opportunities.” She also asked her fellow alumni to perform “small acts of kindness that can easily bloom into something incredible when we do things together.”  Concepcion, meanwhile, assured UPAASF that the University would not succumb to the challenges of the pandemic. Instead, UP will continue developing professionals and experts to help the Filipino people recover and allow the Filipino nation to emerge from this crisis. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Webinar on COVID-19 crisis management: practical experiences from Asia-Pacific – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-crisis-management-practical-experiences-from-asia-pacific/",
        "html": "Webinar on COVID-19 crisis management: practical experiences from Asia-Pacific Webinar on COVID-19 crisis management: practical experiences from Asia-Pacific April 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The COVID-19 pandemic debuted in Asia—but so have early indications of containment, new protocols, and the resumption of economic activity. Even though, the risk of another outbreak remains, economic-activity indicators in China indicate that urban activities are returning to pre-outbreak levels.  Asia is home to 60 percent of the world’s population—and to around 35 percent of the world’s poorest people. Asia’s emerging areas face unprecedented risks. However, Asia has come through crises before and emerged stronger from them, by applying the key lessons learned from their past experiences.  In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this webinar on Thursday, 16 April 2020, 16:00 (Manila time), will bring together experts from Shanghai, Jeju, Manila and Newcastle to share their views on the crisis from various perspectives on public health policy, economic impact, cybersecurity threats, and communication management and aims to address the most important questions pertaining to these topics. Particularly, experts from CIFAL’s Asia-Pacific network, including University of the Philippines-International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) Philippines Director Edna Co, will serve as panelists to discuss the different public policies being implemented in the crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).     Click here to register.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP signs MOU with Russian university via Zoom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-signs-mou-with-russian-university-via-zoom/",
        "html": "UP signs MOU with Russian university via Zoom UP signs MOU with Russian university via Zoom October 27, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (sitting) and the contingent from UP. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO)  With shared goals of building stronger relations and exploring more areas of cooperation for both Filipino and Russian scholars, University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Acting Vice President for International Relations Evgeny E. Vlasov of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on 21 October 2022 via the Zoom communications platform.  The MOU signing signals the deepening of UP and FEFU relations that were earlier formalized in 2015. The event also highlights videoconferencing as the next normal in strengthening academic partnerships among universities across the planet.     The contingent from Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UP. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO)  Present during the signing ceremony with Vlasov at the FEFU campus in Vladivostok, Russia, were: Nikita S. Smirnov, Deputy Vice President for International Relations; Andrey A. Deryabin, Deputy Vice President for International Relations; Anastasia U. Gridnev, Leading Specialist, Center for International Promotion, Tourism and Protocol; Vladislav V. Moiseytsev,  Specialist, Department for Analytical Support of International Activities; and, Aleksander G. Tkachev, Specialist, Center for International Promotion, Tourism and Protocol.     President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Kevin Roque (UP MPRO)     Aside from President Concepcion, Dr. Imee Su Martinez, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director, Office of International Linkages (OIL), Dr. Noel Christian A. Moratilla, UP OIL Deputy Director, UP OIL staff members Chynna Louise Riego, Patrick Owen C. Tuaño, Ivan Kurt M. Monasterial, and Roma Niña C. Samson; and a team from the UP Media and Public Relations Office (MPRO) witnessed the virtual occasion at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman.  FEFU, comprised of nine schools offering over 150 educational programs, is recognized as a global leader in science and innovation. The university is now celebrating its 123rd year. It traced its origins in 1899 when the Oriental Institute was founded.  As one of the leading federal universities of Russia, FEFU is internationally recognized for earning its place among the Top 3 Round University Ranking (RUR) in Medical Science in Russia, Top 20 Best Universities in Russia, Top 100 QS BRICS University Rankings, and Top 500 QS University Rankings. It is the only Representative of Russia in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). "
    },
    {
        "title": "Groundbreaking held for new home of Islamic scholarship in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/groundbreaking-held-for-new-home-of-islamic-scholarship-in-up/",
        "html": "Groundbreaking held for new home of Islamic scholarship in UP Groundbreaking held for new home of Islamic scholarship in UP March 29, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   UP President Danilo Concepcion (6th from right) stands with UPD Institute of Islamic Center Dean Julkipli Wadi (5th from right) and other UP officials and officials of the DPWH after burying the time capsule for the soon to rise UPD IIS Complex. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     March saw another milestone for the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus with the groundbreaking ceremony for its newest construction project: the UP Diliman Institute of Islamic Studies (UPD IIS) Complex.  The dream of a new home for UPD IIS  The new, soon-to-rise UP Diliman Institute of Islamic Studies Complex, to be located along C. Arellano Street, between the UP School of Economics and the GT Toyota Asian Center, realizes a long-awaited dream of the IIS faculty, staff, REPs, and students—to have a home of their own in UP Diliman.  UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora (left) and UPD IIS OIC-Dean Wadi (right) sign their names on the documents to be placed in the time capsule in the company of UP President Concepcion (center), UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo (3rd from left), and other UP and DPWH officials. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     This dream was expedited after Romulo Hall, which used to house the UPD IIS, was declared unsafe due to its deteriorating structure. As a result, the UPD IIS held classes and relocated its offices and library around several academic buildings on campus in the years that followed: the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), the School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR), the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP, the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP), and, the Institute of Small-Scale Industries (ISSI).  UP Diliman Chancellor Nemenzo recounts the history of the UPD IIS. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  The upcoming UPD IIS Complex will house classrooms, administrative and research offices, and the library. It will also have student and faculty lounges, a dining hall, guest rooms, a multi-purpose hall, a mini-auditorium, a museum, and a prayer room. The Complex will feature a shared area or commons called “The Muslim World Today,” where UP academics, researchers, and students can interact with Islamic Studies scholars, resource persons, and diplomats from different Muslim counties and communities. The public may also appreciate UPD IIS’s rich collection of Islamic art, history, and culture in the area. Hopefully, the new Complex may bring into new heights UP as the premier institution of higher learning engaged in the study of Islam as faith, tradition, and civilization, in line with UP’s vision of promoting excellence, honor, service, and harmony among its Muslim and non-Muslim students.  Importance of scholarship on Islamic culture  UP President Danilo L. Concepción, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Acting Secretary Roger G. Mercado, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, and UPD IIS OIC_Dean Prof. Julkipli M. Wadi led the groundbreaking ceremony for UPD IIS’s future home on March 1, 2022.  After welcoming the attendees, UPD Chancellor Nemenzo traced the origins of the UPD ISS, dating back to its foundation in 1979. “By building a new home for our Institute of Islamic Studies, we are conveying the message that it is important to have a scholarship of Islamic culture.”  UP President Concepcion commends the “endurance and hard work” of the UPD IIS community despite their lack of a home of their own. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  He also stressed the importance of such scholarship in shaping our country and region. “We are proud to have an Institute of Islamic studies because of the central role of Islam in the region,” he said.  UP President Concepción shared how it took a decade to construct the IIS building, how it was a combination of both timing and effort on the part of everyone involved, and how this project was made possible through collaboration with the DPWH.  “The UP-DPWH partnership did not only result in the Department’s commitment to better project implementation but also its generosity in funding the University’s infrastructure development,” Concepcion said.  Concepcion also acknowledged the endurance and hard work that the UPD IIS community demonstrated through the years. “Alam kong hindi naging madali para sa inyo sa IIS ang kawalan ng sariling tahanan. Ngunit kahanga-hanga ang inyong pagpupunyagi sa kabila ng kakulangang ito. Kaunting tiis pa po. [I know being deprived of your own home hasn’t been easy for you in the IIS. But your perseverance despite this lack has been admirable. Just hang on a little bit longer.]”  A highlight of the groundbreaking ceremony is Indah Hanna Wadi’s performance of pangalay. Pangalay is a traditional Tausug dance characterized by elaborate body postures and gestures and the dancer’s graceful arm and hand movement, amplified by metal claws. Afterward, the time capsule was buried to preserve the momentous occasion’s memories and mark the beginning of a prosperous future for the UPD IIS. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Notice to UPCAT applicants – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/notice-to-upcat-applicants/",
        "html": "Notice to UPCAT applicants Notice to UPCAT applicants June 1, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The UPCAT 2020 results are now available and can be viewed online. Please visit the UPCAT main website upcat.up.edu.ph and click the Application Status button to view your results.  The University of the Philippines is committed to upholding the data privacy rights of all individuals. Never share your usernames and passwords to unauthorized third parties. UP is aware that people have the unfortunate habit of recycling usernames and passwords. Providing the same to unauthorized persons will make individuals vulnerable to identity fraud and other similar crimes, and can lead to personal data breaches.  Please DO NOT SHARE your username and password to anyone. Your personal information must be protected at all times.  For inquiries, you may send an email to upcatresults@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Malasakit ng UP sa Panahon ng Kalamidad – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/malasakit-ng-up-sa-panahon-ng-kalamidad/",
        "html": "Malasakit ng UP sa Panahon ng Kalamidad Malasakit ng UP sa Panahon ng Kalamidad November 18, 2020 | Written by UP Padayon Public Service Office       Sa diwa ng pagmamalasakit at pagdadamayan, kagyat na naglunsad ng iba’t ibang relief operations ang komunidad ng UP para sa ating mga kababayang lubhang naapektuhan ng pananalasa ng mga nagdaang bagyo. Upang pag-ibayuhin ang pagtulong para sa pagbangon ng ating komunidad at mga kababayan, itinakda ng UP System Administration ang Nobyembre 16-21, 2020 bilang “RECOVERY PERIOD”, panahon upang maipagpatuloy ang mga sinimulang donation drives, paghahanda ng mga relief goods at pagdadala ng mga ito sa mga evacuation centers, gayundin ang pagtulong para sa rehabilitasyon ng mga apektadong komunidad.  Hinihikayat ang lahat na makibahagi sa mga gawain at tumalima sa health protocols habang lumalahok sa mga gawaing ito upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng COVID-19. Para sa listahan ng mga relief efforts ng buong UP System, bisitahin ang link na ito.  Maaaring basahin ang OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-139 dito. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on salaries and employee benefits – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-on-salaries-and-employee-benefits/",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on salaries and employee benefits Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on salaries and employee benefits March 23, 2020 | Written by Danilo L. Concepcion    March 23, 2020     Dear members of the UP community:  As I said in a previous letter, we find ourselves in extraordinarily challenging times, facing down a pandemic and an enhanced community quarantine meant to contain this pandemic. Unfortunately, some of the hardest hit economically by the order to work from home are our administrative staff and non-UP contractual personnel.  In order to help our UP employees and non-UP contractual personnel get through this difficult period, we are working with our partners in government and within the University to come up with a set of measures to provide our UP personnel some financial relief.  One such measure is the early release of the 13th month pay as soon as possible, which we are coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management. We are looking for available funds to grant all qualified employees and workforce of the University an emergency allowance.  We are also releasing today the Rice Allowance and the Annual Incentive Grant, amounts equivalent to the minimum of the first tranches, as indicated in the guidelines issued last week.  We are also aware that not all of our UP personnel are working from home. The University is currently operating on a skeleton staff: our heroic medical workers such as in the University Health Service and the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the personnel providing essential services for UP. A Risk Allowance will be given to these employees, equivalent to hazard pay.  The salaries of regular and UP contractual personnel for the period March 16-31, 2020 shall be released today, March 23, 2020, while the salaries for the period April 1-15, 2020 will be released on April 7, 2020. The compensation of non-UP contractual personnel, including project-based, job order, and contract of service (COS) personnel, are assured during the period of suspension and will be released on or before March 31, 2020 and on or before April 15, 2020.  These measures are expected to be enacted by the end of this week.  Our administrative staff and non-UP contractual workers are the strength of the University. Without them, UP would be unable to function, let alone fulfill its mandate as our national university. We will therefore do all we can to provide safety nets to enable them to support themselves and their families as they continue to serve both UP and the country.     Naglilingkod,  Danilo L. Concepcion President University of the Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion pays tribute to the “Mother of DevCom”, Dr. Nora C. Quebral – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-pays-tribute-to-the-mother-of-devcom-dr-nora-c-quebral/",
        "html": "UP President Danilo L. Concepcion pays tribute to the “Mother of DevCom”, Dr. Nora C. Quebral UP President Danilo L. Concepcion pays tribute to the “Mother of DevCom”, Dr. Nora C. Quebral October 28, 2020 | Written by Office of the President       Today, we mourn the passing of one of the greatest pioneers the University of the Philippines has produced. At the same time, we honor and celebrate the life she lived and the immense legacy she leaves behind.  Dr. Nora Cruz Quebral has been known by a number of titles throughout her life. She was a UP Professor Emeritus of the UP Los Baños College of Development Communication (CDC), which under her watch has grown from a service unit established under the UP College of Agriculture in 1954, to the Department of Agricultural Information and Communication in 1962, which was renamed the Department of Development Communication in 1971, to the Institute of Development Communication in 1987, and finally, a full-fledged college in 1998. She served the growing institution as chairperson for three separate terms spanning 17 years, from 1966 to 1985. As former UP CDC Dean Maria Celeste H. Cadiz wrote in 2007: “The history of the UPLB College of Development Communication is in a large part the history of Nora’s career in the academe, along with that of the development communication program and its practice at Los Baños.”  The institution and the generations of students she mentored who are now recognized educators and practitioners of development communication themselves, who continue to nurture the new crop of UP graduates who will lead in the field with honor and excellence—they are the living testament to Dr. Nora’s unparalleled dedication to her vocation.  As a trailblazer in an entire discipline, Dr. Quebral was also often called the “mother of development communication”. It was her 1971 paper entitled “Development Communication in the Agricultural Context” that defined the discipline. She later expanded on this, describing development communication as “the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of the human potential”. She developed the concept that is popularly called the “Los Baños school of thought”. The continuing growth and evolution of development communication within the myriad sociocultural and economic realities around the country and the world are a fitting tribute to her vision and insight.  But perhaps her most treasured moniker would be the simplest one: “NCQ”. This was what she was called by her peers, colleagues, students, and friends. Her brilliance had been evident since her youth, when she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from UP Diliman, then earned her MS in agricultural journalism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as US International Cooperation Agency and Philippine National Economic Council scholar, and then received her PhD in communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as Rockefeller Foundation scholar in 1966. Dr. Nora worked as a secretary at the Claims Service of the US Army while she was still a student, then after graduating as a debate stenographer of the Labor Management Advisory Board. In 1952, she served as copyeditor of the journal Philippine Agriculturist published by the UP College of Agriculture and later as a UP faculty member in 1960. And it was here that she found her home.  She also founded the Nora C. Quebral Development Communication Centre, Inc. and later served as a consultant and expert in development communication. In 2007, she received the first Hildegard Award for Women in Media and Communication.  Dr. Quebral lived her life as a beacon, illuminating the path for the many who would come after her, building institutions and mentoring generations. It can be said for few of us that our light would only continue to shine more brightly after our passing, our legacy a flame passed on from torch to torch, evolving with the passing years. Dr. Nora C. Quebral was one such life.  Mula sa UP na inyong minahal, maraming salamat po at paalam, NCQ.     DANILO L. CONCEPCION  President "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar gives the low-down on monkeypox – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-gives-the-low-down-on-monkeypox/",
        "html": "UP webinar gives the low-down on monkeypox UP webinar gives the low-down on monkeypox June 1, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    In mid-May, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 12 countries had cases of the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox is not new. The virus has been endemic in several African countries for years already. What may be new and alarming is that monkeypox cases are emerging in non-endemic countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Interestingly, these cases have no known travel links as well.  How, then, is the disease transmitted? What are its signs and symptoms? How is it different from smallpox and chickenpox? How can we prevent monkeypox from coming to our shores?  This June 3, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D.  Titled “Monkeypox: Dapat bang matakot?” the episode will answer all our questions about these recent monkeypox cases and discuss everything we know about them so far. Dr. Enrique A. Tayag, Director of the Department of Health-Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service IV (DOH-KMITS), will share the timeline of the disease and what its spread means to front liners.  Dr. Joseph Adrian Buensalido, an infectious disease expert and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at UP-PGH, will discuss diagnosis, differentials, clinical management, and treatment.  Lastly, Dr. Merrill Van Yu, Adult Infectious Diseases Fellow from UP-PGH, will focus on hospital-based measures and preparations to protect health workers and the public alike.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and T.V.U.P.’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Let us not let fear get in our ability to learn facts and prepare for any eventuality, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Statement from the President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-statement-from-the-president/",
        "html": "A Statement from the President A Statement from the President December 2, 2018 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    A Facebook post made by a Regent of the University of the Philippines has been making the rounds of social media, advocating the use of violence against members of the men’s basketball team of the Ateneo de Manila University.  While this regent has deleted the post and has apologized for its contents, claiming that they were made in jest, I wish to make it clear the University of the Philippines takes these statements seriously and dissociates itself from the post and from the actuations of this regent, matters which I intend to take up with the Board of Regents.  They do not in any way represent the values of the University, and the high esteem in which it holds sportsmanship, fair play, and civility in athletics as well as in other aspects of our academic and social life. Let the UAAP championship resume in the noblest of spirits and intentions. UP Fight! One Big Fight! Mabuhay ang pagkakaisa at diwa ng Katipunan!  DANILO L. CONCEPCION President 02 December 2018 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Groundbreaking of the new UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority Plaza held – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-celebrates-the-groundbreaking-of-the-sigma-delta-phi-sorority-by-francisco-v-gargantiel-ii/",
        "html": "Groundbreaking of the new UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority Plaza held Groundbreaking of the new UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority Plaza held October 28, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       A new plaza will soon rise in the UP Diliman campus—featuring a modern sculpture titled “Tagapag-Ugnay by UP Fine Arts alumna Melanie Libatique—courtesy of the UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority (DSP) Alumnae Association to commemorate its 90th anniversary in 2023. Image provided by Ms. Melanie Libatique.  October 17, 2022, was the official groundbreaking of a new plaza soon to rise in the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Diliman campus, spearheaded by the UP Sigma Delta Phi (SDP) Sorority Alumnae Association in cooperation with the UP Office of the President. The new plaza will feature a modern sculpture titled “Tagapag-Ugnay,” designed by Sigma Deltan Melanie Chanco Libatique, a BFA Sculpture magna cum laude graduate from the UP College of Fine Arts.  The SDP Plaza is a legacy project of UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority and will be located at Lakandula corner T.M. Kalaw Streets in UP Diliman. This project will be completed in February 2023 for Sigma Delta’s 90th-anniversary celebration, which will revolve around the SDP Plaza and flow into a street fair called “Balikada” (Balik Dekada sa UP). Visitors will be able to experience the sights and sounds of nine decades of campus life from the 1930s to the present through exhibits, music, food, and the era’s history.  Images provided by Ms. Melanie Libatique.  The new, three-piece modernist sculpture “Tagapag-Ugnay” represents and honors women’s constant challenges, innate strengths, and triumphs merited and meritorious as they sustain a cultural union of the physical and the metaphysical. It lauds the feminine among ancient Philippine divinities such as the Goddess of the morning Hanan, the Goddess of stars, Tala, IIdianale, the Goddess of labor and good deeds, and the Goddess of cultivated land, Ikapati. According to the project concept paper, “Tagapag-ugnay” expresses transcendence from the world’s vagaries and the triumph of diverse roles from the hand that rocks the cradle to a status of respect and equality in the community, the nation, and the world. “Tagapag-ugnay” evokes sisterhood and Sigma Delta Phi.  UP President Danilo Concepcion (in light-colored shirt) inspecting the mockup of the sculpture, “Tapagag-Ugnay,” to be installed in the new SDP Plaza. Photo from Ms. Melanie Libatique.  Many important guests attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the SFP Plaza, including UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, Monalisa M. Lacanlale, and Marife Zamora. Along with giving speeches, the UP and UPSDP officials, together with SDP Plaza and statue designer Melanie Libatique, took part in burying the time capsule. UP is proud to continue celebrating local art and looks forward to seeing what new creations will be made with future generations that will heavily impact the Philippines and Filipinos everywhere.  Photos of the UP System, UP Diliman, and UP Sigma Delta Phi Alumnae Association officials who attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new plaza. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP  MPRO) Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP  MPRO)  UP Sigma Delta Phi was founded in 1933 and became well-known through the years for its artistic productions featuring prominent campus personalities. The UPSDP counts among its alumnae notable people such as Celia Diaz Laurel, Maureen Tiongco, and Dee Marquez, artists such as Araceli Limcaco Dans, Cota Deles Yabut, and Ofelia Gelvezon Tequi, economist Solita “Winnie” Monsod, architect Tina Turalba; writer Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, and the late activist Nelia Sancho. All of these women went from participating in sorority activities to the larger stage beyond Diliman, gaining recognition in their respective fields. A new batch of Sigma Delta Phi alumnae will receive Mariang Maya awards for distinguished achievement during the culmination of the February 2023 celebrations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dementia in the time of the pandemic, and what we can do for our senior citizens – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dementia-in-the-time-of-the-pandemic-and-what-we-can-do-for-our-senior-citizens/",
        "html": "Dementia in the time of the pandemic, and what we can do for our senior citizens Dementia in the time of the pandemic, and what we can do for our senior citizens June 15, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    There are an estimated 10 million senior citizens in the Philippines, which may double by 2040. Within this sizable population, a growing number suffer from dementia.  Worsening the situation is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to impact older people both physically and mentally. Seniors are at the highest risk for infection, complications, and even death. Their limited movement and inability to go out and frequently socialize also contribute to the “deconditioning” of their minds and bodies.  How can we properly care for our elderly? What are the early signs and symptoms of dementia? How can healthcare front-liners guide families and caregivers in handling seniors with dementia while ensuring their quality of life is maintained?  This June 17, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), the National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this week’s episode of the UP “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, “Demensya sa Panahon ng Pandemya,” two experts will shed light on everything we need to know about dementia. The speakers are leading gerontologists, Dr. Shelley De La Vega, Director of the Institute of Aging at the NTC, UP Manila, and Dr. Evangeline Dela Fuente, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of the College of Medicine, UP Manila.  Dr. Stella Marie Jose, UP PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations, will give the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and T.V.U.P.’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages. Together, let’s learn about dementia for the sake of our family members who suffer from the disease.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Another surge? UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 updates, rising cases – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/another-surge-up-webinar-to-talk-about-covid-19-updates-rising-cases/",
        "html": "Another surge? UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 updates, rising cases Another surge? UP webinar to talk about COVID-19 updates, rising cases July 13, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    COVID-19 infections are once again increasing around the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) points to waning immunity from vaccination and the emergence of new sub-variants Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 as the main reasons for the spike in cases.  Although data shows fewer people have been hospitalized, and most infections are mild, this is not the same for everyone. Senior citizens and immunocompromised populations have always been at the highest risk for COVID and its complications. Recent reviews show that a higher number of severe COVID-19 cases and deaths are found in a “U-shape” of extreme ages among seniors and those under six.  The vaccination rollout for children below age six only started a few months ago. While it was established that the benefits of vaccinating against COVID greatly outweigh the risks, we still do not know much about the apparent dangers of the disease should these children get infected.  What is the course of COVID-19 in children below six years old? What is the prevalence of severe COVID in them? As these children may be unable to verbalize their experience, what are early signs that they may be infected? Where are we on the vaccination rollout for the under-six age group?  This July 15, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths webinar series, titled “DUMADAMI ANG KASO: Sino ang nagkaka-severe COVID. Ngayon?” we take a closer look at the latest surge and which groups are at higher risk for hospitalization and death.  Dr. John Q. Wong, Co-Founder and Senior Technical Adviser at EpiMetrics, Inc., will present the results of a two-year review of COVID-19 data from the Philippines.  Dr. Marissa M. Alejandra, President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease (PISMID) and a Professor at the Clinical Epidemiology Unit at UP-NIH, will provide a general update on the increase in cases, including more information on the new sub-variants, and a discussion on treatment and prevention of spread.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. The pandemic is far from over, and with the waning immunity from primary vaccine doses one to two years ago, we continue to push for booster shots to strengthen our walls of immunity. Please stay connected with your credible online community, so we hope to see you this Friday!  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "To boost or not to boost? UP webinar to focus on COVID boosters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/to-boost-or-not-to-boost-up-webinar-to-focus-on-covid-boosters/",
        "html": "To boost or not to boost? UP webinar to focus on COVID boosters To boost or not to boost? UP webinar to focus on COVID boosters July 6, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    While almost 70 percent of the Philippine population have completed their primary COVID-19 doses, not even half of that number has gotten jabbed for both first and second booster shots.  How do we encourage more people to get boosted against COVID-19? Do we need to get booster shots in the first place? How urgent is it for us to get boosted? Do we have enough vaccines to cover the vulnerable for first and second boosters?  This July 8, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This week’s episode will discuss the science behind boosters for COVID-19 and the process used for coming up with recommendations by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC). The webinar will revisit this new group organized under the Universal Health Care Law, its role and purpose, and how it has worked with other agencies during this pandemic.  Dr. Marita V. Tolentino-Reyes, Former UP Manila Chancellor and current head of HTAC, will present an overview of boosters and their role in the waning immunity for COVID-19.  Dr. Limuel Anthony B. Abrogena, Chair of the Subcommittee on Prevention and Promotive Health Services at HTAC, will discuss their recommendations for different groups and all the processes.  Lastly, Dr. Anna Melissa S. Guerrero, Department of Health (DOH) Director for Regulations, will discuss the operational challenges and possible solutions for bringing all localities to higher vaccination levels.  The webinar will end with the synthesis of Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. See you on Friday!  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID vax and kidney disease: UP webinar takes on the pluses and risks – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-vax-and-kidney-disease-up-webinar-takes-on-the-pluses-and-risks/",
        "html": "COVID vax and kidney disease: UP webinar takes on the pluses and risks COVID vax and kidney disease: UP webinar takes on the pluses and risks June 22, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    COVID-19 has put an additional strain on patients with kidney disease. Earlier in the pandemic, there was limited access to dialysis centers, which led to many patients missing their crucial dialysis schedules. Also, as immunocompromised patients, the risks of COVID complications are far higher for them.  With the introduction of the vaccination program, a new hope for normalcy and protection has been restored. Most experts agree that the vaccine’s benefits for people with kidney disease at any stage—including those on dialysis or those who had undergone a kidney transplant—are much greater than the risks. Some studies even point to highly high short-term mortality from COVID, higher than 20 percent.  However, questions still linger in the minds of patients, families, and even front-line workers: Do patients with kidney disease have the same level of protection from the vaccines compared to those without? Are additional precautions needed when administering vaccines to patients with chronic renal disease? Can transplant patients receive the COVID-19 vaccine?  This Friday, June 24, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, and other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series—titled “Epektibo ba ang COVID-19 Vaccine sa mga may Sakit sa Kidney?” —will take a closer look at COVID-19 vaccination for patients with kidney disease, including those who have had a kidney transplant.  The main speaker is Dr. Romina Danguilan, Head of the Hemodialysis Unit and current Deputy Executive Director for Education, Training, and Research Services at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI). She will provide an overview of chronic renal disease in the country and discuss the challenges of the pandemic for dialysis centers. She will also share the recent research findings on vaccine effectiveness among transplant patients at the NKTI.  Dr. Cybele R. Abad, Clinical Associate Professor at the UP-PGH and an expert on Infectious Diseases, will talk about breakthrough infections of COVID-19 among vaccinated kidney transplant patients.  UP-PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s Youtube channel and Facebook page. Together, let’s equip ourselves with knowledge on COVID-19 and kidney disease to correctly guide families in their decision-making.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "How UP tackles teaching, learning in the health sciences in the ‘new normal’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-up-tackles-leaching-learning-in-the-health-sciences-in-the-new-normal/",
        "html": "How UP tackles teaching, learning in the health sciences in the ‘new normal’ How UP tackles teaching, learning in the health sciences in the ‘new normal’ July 20, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    There is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our lives. From how we travel, dress and protect ourselves, and learn—we have had to gradually adapt to this so-called “new normal” as we try to carry on with our routines safely.  While our frontliners and healthcare workers bravely continue their life-saving work through this pandemic, we must keep producing a new generation of skilled healthcare professionals.  This Friday, July 22, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this week’s episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “Ang Pagtuturo ng Medisina, Nursing, at Dentistry sa New Normal,” we will take a closer look at how education remains of primary importance to the health sciences center of the Philippines.  The UP Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry have implemented ways of training students without compromising their skills and safety. This collaborative roadmap for internship, residency, and overall medical, nursing, and dental education are all in line with the guidelines set in the Commission on Higher Education-Department of Health (CHED-DOH) joint memorandum circular.  UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte M. Chiong, UP College of Nursing Dean Shiela R. Bonito, and UP College of Dentistry Dean Danilo L. Magtanong will share how they have adopted the most innovative strategies to teach health care professionals-in-training.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will formally close the event with a synthesis and message.  Register for this webinar here. Catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions: Disaster risk management during COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/floods-earthquakes-and-volcanic-eruptions-disaster-risk-management-during-covid/",
        "html": "Floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions: Disaster risk management during COVID Floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions: Disaster risk management during COVID July 27, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The Philippines has always been a hotspot for typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Hours ago, a magnitude-7 earthquake struck Luzon, prompting evacuations and disrupting transportation. The tremor was recorded at 8:43 am and originated in Abra. Earlier, Banaue and other northern parts of Luzon were hit by heavy rains, which prompted flash floods and landslides.  Given the increasing effects of climate change and the country’s archipelagic structure, we need to predict, prepare, and practice disaster risk and reduction management.  Which parts of the country are most prone to flooding, landslides, and other disasters? How can the health sector better protect its facilities and frontline workers? What can we do as a community to prepare for catastrophic events, especially during this pandemic?  This Friday, July 29, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) and the National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invites you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D: current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this week’s episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, “Baha, Landslide, at COVID-19”, Dr. Mahar A. Lagmay, a disaster risk expert, will walk us through the basic principles of risk mapping and identification. Dr. Rio L. Magpantay, Department of Health (DOH) Regional Director for the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), will talk about his personal experience during the recent Banaue flash floods and landslides tackle the role of health workers in complex disasters. Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, UP-PGH Deputy Director for Health Operations, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Don’t miss this important episode. Register here. Catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Free Clinic for UP Athletes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-free-clinic-for-up-athletes/",
        "html": "A Free Clinic for UP Athletes A Free Clinic for UP Athletes July 12, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu   In field training coverage. (Photo from the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic)  The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman has a dedicated team of professionals that provides the UP Fighting Maroons—the collegiate varsity teams of UP Diliman—the health care they need, before and during University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) tournaments.  Directly under the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK), the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic (UP SPTC) is the only accredited facility that primarily provides free medical consultation, physical therapy services, first aid and paramedical assistance, and rehabilitation programs to all UP enlisted athletes. The clinic also offers local and international certification courses, trainings and seminars for physical therapy student interns and professionals in the field of sports and orthopedics. These services are also available to the University’s students, faculty, administrative personnel, and the general public.     Therapy in the field  According to UP SPTC Director Maria Angela L. Borras, the clinic was originally a joint project of the CHK and the then UP School of Allied Medical Professions (now College of Allied Medical Professions in UP Manila). But it was only about a decade ago when the varsity physiotherapist then for the Maroons, Anthony Caguioa, reopened the facility and accepted student interns from UP Manila to be trained in sports, says Borras.  When Borras took over the job in 2011, the UP SPTC was formally set up as an organization headed by the CHK dean. “Clinical supervisors, who are licensed PTs, were welcomed as consultants. The CHK provided an in-house physiatrist for medical consultation, and with a good number of PTs available, the clinic started to operate regularly during weekdays, from 8 am to 5 pm,” she says.     Medical consultation. (Photo from the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic)  “In 2012, the clinic developed a system that partnered student interns with licensed therapists, which allowed training and game coverage for all UP Fighting Maroons varsity teams, specifically for UAAP games. Therapy sessions have been done in the field to provide return-to-sports intervention and careful monitoring of the reintegration of recovering athletes to the team and sports,” continues Borras.  According to Borras, the milestones of the clinic include “providing post-graduate seminars and certification courses for licensed PTs and other sports professionals (2014); hosting an international certification course for Kinesiology Taping and Instrument Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization techniques (2015); Commission on Higher Education accreditation as an internship facility (2016); graduates from UP SPTC serving as physiotherapists for both professional and non-professional athletic teams; licensed PTs who underwent post graduate training specialization working for teams here and outside the country; hosting international certification courses which cut the expenses for our local practitioners; staff serving for the Rio Summer Olympics (2016), FIFA Medical Emergency course, Anti-Doping course for healthcare professionals by Stanford University, and this year’s Russia World Cup; and, staff pursuing their master’s degree.”     Personnel, equipment, and other services  The UP SPTC aims to “give excellent physical therapy services for injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance enhancement of the UP Diliman Varsity Teams;” and “be a role model for all sports physical therapy clinics in the country,” among its other goals mentioned earlier. And to fulfill these aims, the clinic operates under the leadership of CHK Dean Ronualdo Dizer and in coordination with Prof. Oscar Santelices, chair of the Varsity Athletics Admission System (VAAS).     Athlete’s clinic-based rehabilitation session. (Photo from the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic)     Dr. Alberto Magpily serves as the resident physiatrist. According to Borras, the resident physiatrist and visiting orthopedic doctors from the UP Philippine General Hospital are in charge of “medical consultations and referrals for ancillary procedures and physical therapy intervention or other services, as needed.”  The varsity physiotherapist, tasked with ensuring that the teams are “provided with necessary care, training, game, and clinic based rehabilitation” is Ma. Crisanta Prieto. Borras, as the director of the facility, adds that she handles “external matters involving the clinic, such as partnerships with other universities, seminars and workshops, and other non-patient related events.” Borras explains that they, together with other physical therapists, serve as consultants, and as clinical and field supervisors who guide and assess students’ performance during their affiliation period.  Borras says that the clinic, located at the Ylanan Gymnasium of the CHK, makes use of equipment such as “therapeutic modalities like ultrasound and TENS, a traction machine, a LASER machine, and exercise machines for strengthening and endurance.” She adds that “the clinic also offers specialized services like instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, stationary and gliding cups, kinesiology taping, and wellness programs for weight loss or competition preparation for recreational athletes.”     The clinic’s UP spirit  With only one physiotherapist in charge of all the members of the varsity teams of UP Diliman, of each and every athlete of the UP Fighting Maroons, and clinic personnel having no security of tenure as consultants under non-UP contracts that are renewed every six months, the UP SPTC harnesses the UP spirit of honor and excellence, and dedication and grit, to provide its services, fulfill its goals, and thrive.     Interns’ lecture sessions done at the start of their internship rotation to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills upon duty assignments. (Photo from the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic)     “Everyone else looking after the interns—10 to 12 students—and all the varsity teams, are compensated on consultancy basis. They enjoy no benefits and no papers despite their service to the University,” Borras reveals. “Our varsity physiotherapist is under a non-UP contract which is renewed every six months. Since the consultants and the varsity physiotherapist are not compensated and given benefits accordingly, dedication to the institution leads them to working multiple jobs to keep up with individual needs. Whenever a consultant is offered a more sustainable opportunity, the clinic has no power to make a counter-offer and ends up losing staff almost every academic year,” she adds.  “The majority of the clientele of the clinic are the athletes, and since they are provided for free, the services, seminars and workshops, have been utilized to raise funds to compensate the consultants. Student-interns are also providing minimal affiliation fees and non-athletes are charged minimally as well. But these funds are not fixed and are limited to the number of enrollees for every year and on a periodic basis, and to the number of non-athletes referred to the center. In the end, the system, facility, and the services are always in limbo until job security for the personnel is provided,” explains Borras.     Live healthy  In closing, Borras invites everyone to live a healthy life.  “‘Exercise is medicine’ has never been more relevant than at present when common mortality causes are modifiable conditions and non-communicable diseases. As an advocate of movement and believer of adding more years to life, the clinic welcomes everyone to take charge of their health through seeking the services of professionals” she says.     In field game coverage. (Photo from the UP Sports Physical Therapy Clinic)     “One does not need to get injured, be diagnosed with a disease, or be pressured by society before commencing to live a healthy lifestyle. Alongside the advocacy for movement, the Clinic aims to train more proficient and passionate individuals who will share their knowledge and skills with athletes and non-athletes, and UP and non-UP members alike,” concludes Borras.  The clinic can be contacted via sportsptclinic@gmail.com for health and wellness concerns or sports-related services.     Read the online UP Forum April-June 2018 Vol. 19 No. 2 issue in full here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Nittaidai students to teach Physical Education in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nittaidai-students-to-teach-physical-education-in-up/",
        "html": "Nittaidai students to teach Physical Education in UP Nittaidai students to teach Physical Education in UP February 26, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   UP President Danilo L. Concepcion meets with students from the Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU/Nittaidai). Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO’     On February 21, 2019, two faculty members and nine students from the Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU/Nittaidai) took part in the signing ceremonies of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between NSSU and the University of the Philippines. Held at the Office of the University President in UP Diliman’s Quezon Hall, the Japanese contingent was warmly received by UP officials led by President Danilo L Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz.  The MOA laid the grounds for the creation of a supervised training program involving the students of NSSU and UP. Starting this academic year 2019-2020, students from the NSSU will be visiting UP, in particular the UP Integrated School (UPIS), to teach Physical Education to its students for a total of 30 to 40 hours.  The NSSU is highly acclaimed in Japan for producing several successful athletes and coaches who have gone on to win medals in the Olympics and other international competitions. They have brought home 128 gold, silver and bronze medals, accounting for around a quarter of the nation’s total medal haul.     Officials from UP Diliman led by UP CHK Dean Francis Carlos Diaz (center, in white) and UPD OIL Director Imee Su Martinez (3rd from left) meet with NSSU faculty and students. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The group from NSSU was led by professors Eiko Kaneda and Kazuyuki Yamaguchi, who represented NSSU President Koji Gushiken at the signing. The nine students who witnessed the ceremonies are part of the MABUHAY program of the UP Diliman Office of International Linkages (UPD OIL), a two-week interdisciplinary program that exposes foreign students to Philippine language and culture.  In addition to cultural trips around Metro Manila, the students from NSSU had the opportunity to attend and observe PE classes in UP, as well as train with varsity teams of sports like baseball, tennis and women’s basketball. They were also able to watch a number of UAAP Season 81 games involving the softball and men’s volleyball teams.     Officials from both UP Diliman and NSSU pose with President Concepcion after the signing. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     According to President Concepcion, having the students from NSSU training with UP athletes will unite both parties in sportsmanship, despite UP’s relatively inferior facilities. “Though you belong to different worlds,” Concepcion said, “somehow your presence here serves as a bridge. You are bridging the gap between the peoples of our two countries and making us closer.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "The #SafeCampusTo: UP Fight against VAW campaign – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-safecampusto-up-fight-against-vaw-campaign/",
        "html": "The #SafeCampusTo: UP Fight against VAW campaign The #SafeCampusTo: UP Fight against VAW campaign March 27, 2019 | Written by Vince Hermoso       In its efforts to realize a vision of the campus as a safe space, the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) has collaborated with the UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) and the UP Pep Squad in a campaign denouncing all forms of sexism, misogyny, and violence against women (VAW).  With its goal of making the University of the Philippines the nation’s role model for other colleges and universities, the UPCWGS, together with the College of Human Kinetics (CHK), the UP MBT, and the UP Pep Squad launched the #SafeCampusTo: UP Fight Against VAW campaign on March 23, Saturday at 10 am at the UP Diliman Quezon Hall steps.  “Atin ‘to” was the rallying cry of Paul “Kapitan” Desiderio that turned into a chant accompanying the UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team as they secured a spot in the UAAP Season 81 finals – a historic event the UP community had waited 32 years for. The Pep Squad ng Bayan, the UP Pep Squad, has a long record of exhibiting “Utak at Puso” with a record of 20 podium finishes in the UAAP Cheerdance competition and is known for incorporating social advocacies in its performances. Its unforgettable 2014 Equality routine promoted empowerment and equality across all genders.     Dean Francis “Kiko” Carlos B. Diaz (in maroon shirt) of the CHK with the members of the UP Men’s Basketball Team and the UP Pep Squad at the launch of #SafeCampusTo: UP Fight Against VAW on March 23 at the Quezon Hall Steps, UP Diliman     The UPCWGS held collaborative seminar workshops on gender sensitivity, sexual harassment, and VAW with the UP MBT and the UP Pep Squad as part of its celebration of National Women’s Month. The members of the two varsity teams were then asked to craft their own messages of support. These messages will be used in banners that will be displayed along the UP University Avenue and the UP Academic Oval.  Dr. Eloi Hernandez, one of the convenors of the campaign, emphasized that, “The need to convene the entire UP System to discuss these matters and to come up with a strong platform towards anti-sexual harassment and anti-violence against women is a must.”  Bright Akhuete of the UP Basketball team asserted, “No means No. That’s plain and simple. There is a need to respect the rights of the women and the rights of the LGBTQI community, not just inside UP, but also within our own homes and communities. Respect for diversity in gender leads to a violence-free community.”  “We need to start cultivating a culture where [people]…. should be more aware of the diversity and complexity of… gender. Awareness leads to understanding. Understanding leads to respect. Respect leads to collaborative efforts in creating a safe space for everyone,” said Mika Sales and Maegan Cabrera from the UP Varsity Pep Squad.  Also pledging his support, Dean Kiko Diaz of the UP College of Human Kinetics professed, “Definitely, we in the College of Human Kinetics will support and continue to support all efforts to protect women and any gender against all forms of violence and bullying… We have many female varsity athletes in the college, particularly those who are performing, being subjected to cat calling. We cannot condone those kinds of acts.”  For Dr. Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Director of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, this campaign serves as “a strong reiteration of the long-standing commitment of the University of the Philippines to campuses that are safe from any form of gender-based violence and a way of urging all members of the UP community to unite and work together to end VAW.” (Vince Hermoso, UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies)  Related: UPD launches “Sayaw ng Paghihimagsik” on International Women’s Day 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHK to train UNISA students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/chk-to-train-unisa-students/",
        "html": "CHK to train UNISA students CHK to train UNISA students May 7, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The first batch of Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science majors from the University of South Australia (UniSA) School of Health Sciences to undergo the internship program by the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Human Kinetics with UniSA and UPD officials, faculty, and staff (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP Diliman (UPD) College of Human Kinetics (CHK) has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the University of South Australia (UniSA) to conduct an internship program for UniSA sports science majors. The agreement was signed on April 25.     Seated from left: UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics (CHK) Dean Francis Carlos Diaz and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan sign copies of the memorandum of agreement as Prof. Kevin Norton and Mike Hartland of the University of South Australia (UniSA) look on. With them in this photo are CHK faculty members and UniSA students. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The program consists of 40 hours of training over a period of ten days. It will be conducted in April of each year until Academic Year 2020-2021. The first batch of UniSA interns witnessed the formalization of the program through the memorandum signing at the office of UPD Chancellor Michael Tan.  CHK Dean Francis Carlos Diaz revealed that the current program is just the initial phase of the College’s partnership with UniSA. “I am optimistic about the outcome of this program,” he said, adding that CHK looked forward to eventually sending their sports science majors for training in UniSA.     Top photo: UP President Danilo Concepcion talks to the delegation from the University of South Australia (UniSA). Bottom photo: UP President Danilo Concepcion (seated, middle) with UP Diliman officials and faculty, and UniSA faculty members and students (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB Choral Ensemble’s 30th Anniversary Celebration: Empowering Communities, One Song at a Time – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-choral-ensembles-30th-anniversary-celebration-empowering-communities-one-song-at-a-time/",
        "html": "UPLB Choral Ensemble’s 30th Anniversary Celebration: Empowering Communities, One Song at a Time UPLB Choral Ensemble’s 30th Anniversary Celebration: Empowering Communities, One Song at a Time September 30, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Beautiful choral music, a celebration of history, and service to the community all combine in the University of the Philippines Los Baños Choral Ensemble’s (UPLBCE) upcoming concert, Iridescence: The 30th Anniversary Celebration. The month-long virtual concert series will begin on October 1, Friday, 7:00 p.m. with an opening ceremony, and will be held every Saturday of the month of October, also at 7:00 p.m.  The UPLBCE, one of the University’s most renowned performing groups, began when several UP Rural High School Glee Club performers decided to pursue their love of choral singing throughout their college years. Thirty years later, the UPLBCE continues to honor this legacy of song and service by empowering communities, one song at a time.  Through Iridescence: The 30th Anniversary Celebration, the UPLBCE shifts the spotlight to reveal and honor the people who have supported them and served as “luminous iridescent lights” throughout the years. The UP community and the general public are invited to be part of the choir’s anniversary concert performances, which will be devoted to “all our friends, fans, family, members, mentors, and partners who have inspired, encouraged and helped the choir bring out our iridescence for the past three decades,” as the group’s press release stated.  In keeping with their objective of empowering communities through choral music, for their October 16 performance, the UPLBCE is partnering with the initiatives of the UP System’s Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan (Kaagapay UP) under the aegis of the UP Padayon Public Service Office. The Kaagapay UP is a fund-raising campaign whose goal is to provide more than 5,600 UP students with laptop computers, gadgets and Internet connectivity to help them complete their UP education through remote learning. Other beneficiaries of the concert are UPLB Agapay, the disaster response task force that serves the UPLB community, and Stairway Foundation, Inc., which strives to reach and protect abused and neglected children.  The schedule of UPLBCE’s anniversary celebration performances are as follows:  October 1, 2021 – Opening Ceremony  This week officially marks the start of UPLBCE’s 30th anniversary celebration. Get to know the group’s history and what to expect for the month-long event.  October 9, 2021 – Empowering our Friends and Families  Acknowledging the UPLBCE’s families and friends who have supported the group throughout their journey, as well as those individuals and institutions who have assisted the group towards achieving its goals.  October 16, 2021 – Empowering International Relations  A fundraising concert featuring the UPLBCE’s performances from previous competitions; with special participation of our fellow choirs from Asia and Europe. This will be for the benefit of Kaagapay UP, Agapay UPLB and Stairway Foundation.  October 23, 2021 – Empowering Artists  Giving the spotlight to the different artists and partner organizations who have grown with the choir over the years, and who have also supported the group in its endeavors through their artistic contributions.  October 30, 2021 – Moving Forward  This week will be the culminating activity for the month-long anniversary celebration. It will feature the members and the present conductor of the UPLBCE, and their dreams for the group moving forward. The live stream will also serve as the premiere for the UPLBCE’s latest virtual choir performances, together with UPLBCE’s alumni and current singers.  For more information about the UPLBCE’s month-long celebration, download the primer here. [UPLB Choral Ensemble Iridescence (Event Primer)] You may also visit their Facebook page or contact the UPLBCE’s Marketing and Sponsorship Head, Earl Joseph Fria, at mktgspon30th.uplbchoralensemble@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan FAQs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kaagapay-sa-pag-aaral-ng-mga-iskolar-ng-bayan-faqs/",
        "html": "Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan FAQs Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan FAQs August 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Support the Iskolar ng Bayan and give them the opportunity to acquire the tools necessary in the shift to remote learning. Become a Kaagapay today! Visit https://kaagapay.up.edu.ph for more details.  Are you a donor or a student who would like to know more about the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan (#KaagapayUP) fundraising program? The Kaagapay Secretariat brings you the responses to Frequently Asked Questions. Padayon!  For further concerns, send us an email through kaagapay@up.edu.ph or contact us via Viber (0916 723 1200) or Telegram (@KaagapayUP).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kaagapay-sa-pag-aaral-ng-iskolar-ng-bayan/",
        "html": "Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan July 21, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Our students need your help.  COVID-19 has changed the way we live, the way we work, and the way we teach and learn. We need to be flexible and adapt, but most are finding it hard because of the technological requirements these uncertain and rapidly evolving times have imposed upon us.  Because of this crisis, more than 5,600 UP students are in danger of not being able to continue their education. They cannot afford the technology and tools that have now become integral to learning. Around 1,600 of them have no resources at all. For at least 4,000 more, sustained use of technologies is no longer feasible because the pandemic has rendered their households financially vulnerable.  The University requests your support in enabling these Iskolar ng Bayan to move forward and ultimately reach their goal of graduating.  We are asking you to be their kaagapay.   No other Filipino word best describes the role you will be playing in the lives of our students. Ka-, a prefix that means to be a part of something, and agapay, which means support or assistance. To be a kaagapayis to stand by them and with them, sharing their burden to ease their struggles.  Through our fundraising and resource generation campaign, Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan or #KaagapayUP, your generosity will equip financially-challenged students with the computers or laptops and internet connectivity they need to pursue their degrees.  You may donate pre-owned or brand new laptops and computers with the minimum specifications via designated drop-off centers in UP campuses.  You may give monetary gifts in cash, check, or electronic funds, through over-the-counter or digital transactions using our secured payment gateways via http://kaagapay.up.edu.ph.  With your donations, our students will receive the computers or laptops and internet connectivity they need toward earning their degrees.  For details, you may get in touch with the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph.  Be the helping hand that empowers our students to achieve their dreams and go on to make meaningful contributions to society and humanity.  Maging kaagapay sa pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as Someone from the UP Kaagapay Project – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/security-advisory-phishing-attempts-posing-as-someone-from-the-up-kaagapay-project/",
        "html": "SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as Someone from the UP Kaagapay Project SECURITY ADVISORY: Phishing Attempts Posing as Someone from the UP Kaagapay Project September 9, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Please be informed that there have been reports of phishing attempts through emails posing as someone from the UP Kaagapay Project. The email masquerades as coming from “admin@up.edu.ph”.  The email might contain the attached file “HUMINGI NG PARA SA ALOK 09-09-2020·pdf.zip.exe.” DO NOT click this file or any other files and links provided in said email. Please DELETE this email IMMEDIATELY.  We would like to remind once more our users that the University will never ask for your username, password, or any other access credentials.  Please be extremely careful when accessing websites or corresponding through email, social media, and other online platforms. If you encounter suspicious websites, emails, and posts on social media sites, please immediately inform our Helpdesk at helpdesk@up.edu.ph.  For your guidance and information. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches portal to facilitate donations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-portal-to-facilitate-donations/",
        "html": "UP launches portal to facilitate donations UP launches portal to facilitate donations October 5, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Visit the Padayon Public Service Office website to view the Give to UP Online Donation Portal.  The University of the Philippines (UP) is launching a portal to facilitate online donations and promote calls for donations of UP-sanctioned programs.  Developed through the Padayon Public Service Office (PPSO) under the UP System Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, the Give to UP Donation Portal at https://giveto.up.edu.ph carries links to webpages, online donation channels, and donation packages for campaigns and programs across the UP constituent universities (CUs) that the public can support.  UP fundraising campaigns and programs that the public can help support. Image from a report from the UP Padayon Public Service Office.  One of the featured campaigns and programs is the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan of the PPSO, organized to assist financially challenged students to cope with remote learning needs occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has gathered donations for gadgets and internet connectivity and, with the help of the UP Office for Student Financial Assistance, has benefited 403 students thus far across the CUs.           Beneficiaries of the UP Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan campaign. Images from a report from the UP Padayon Public Service Office. Distribution of gadget assistance to different students in the Constituent Units through the Kaagapay program. Image from a report from the UP Padayon Public Service Office  Through the portal, donors can also support PGC (Philippine Genome Center) Para sa Bayan, UP Fights COVID-19!, various programs for scholarships, professorial chairs, faculty grants, research, infrastructure, and facilities, athletics, and public service. Webpages for each are provided in the portal.  The website can be accessed through links prominently featured in the websites of the UP System, the Padayon Public Service Office, and the UP Alumni. Donation channels include credit cards, online bank transfers, and e-wallets. "
    },
    {
        "title": "More UP students aided for remote learning – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/more-up-students-aided-for-remote-learning/",
        "html": "More UP students aided for remote learning More UP students aided for remote learning February 16, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Thousands of UP students have been granted remote learning assistance in the course of the pandemic, according to reports from the UP System’s Padayon Public Service Office (PPSO) and the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). Many more will benefit from the expansion or continuation of their programs this year.  Based on the February 2022 report from the PPSO on the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan program (#KaagapayUP), at least 1,647 students have been granted either gadgets or internet connectivity, or both since 2020 through the program which utilized P8,713,152.25 in donations. A balance of P4,053,693.07 and of $17,131.91 have been earmarked for program expansion this year.  Figures from the OSFA showed that it provided 980 students with internet connectivity and gadgets or their cash equivalent in the Academic Year (AY) 2020-2021, and 339 students from October to December of AY 2021-2022. Remote learning assistance in the form of only internet connectivity was granted to 746 students in AY 2020-2021, and to 357 students from October to December of AY 2021-2022.     Slide from the UP Padayon Public Service Office’s February 2022 report on the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan program.     Based on available data, the figures total to almost 4,000 grants of remote learning assistance to financially challenged students since the pandemic struck in 2020. UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia estimated that of its roughly 60,000 students, there were around 1,600 financially challenged students who would not have had the resources to acquire computers and stable internet access. She added that there were some 4,000 students from households categorized “vulnerable”, whose incomes could not fully support these needs because of the pandemic.  Launched as UP transitioned into remote learning mode in response to the pandemic in 2020, the KaagapayUP fundraising campaign has been conducted by the UP System and each constituent university (CU). Figures from only up to June 2021 are available from the local campaigns.  Information on donating to the program, administered by the PPSO, can be accessed at https://kaagapay.up.edu.ph.  KaagapayUP disburses the funds based on requests from the CUs.  The mechanism for applying for remote learning assistance and other forms of assistance from the OSFA is available at its Student Learning Assistance System Online, which can be accessed at https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroons conquer NU Bulldogs for a back-to-back win – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroons-conquers-nu-bulldogs-for-a-back-to-back-win/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroons conquer NU Bulldogs for a back-to-back win UP Fighting Maroons conquer NU Bulldogs for a back-to-back win September 24, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    It’s another nail-biter, one-point lead win for the UP Fighting Maroons against the winless NU Bulldogs, just days after Adamson’s Soaring Falcons suffered the same fate in the previous game. The Mall of Asia Arena filled with a majority of maroon-wearing audience bore witness to this back-to-back victory on September 18 that moves the UP Men’s Basketball Team to the second spot in the men’s basketball first round standings.     Fighting Maroon Ricci Rivero charges against Bulldogs’ strong defense. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP fought a hard game to defeat NU, as the Bulldogs were determined to bag its first win by starting off the first quarter with a 5-point lead. Coming back in the second quarter in a more aggressive play, the Fighting Maroons scored 44 points, an 8-point lead ahead of the Bulldogs’ 36 points with the help of UP Forward Javi Gomez De Liaño firing consistent 3-pointers in the quarter. And in the third quarter, the Fighting Maroons maintained an 8-point lead with 67 points against 59 points by NU’s Bulldogs.     Unstoppable Bright Akhuetie shoots two for the bucket. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Until the game reached the fourth quarter, NU’s Dave Ildefonso redeemed the team from UP’s continued 10-point lead by closing in a one-point deficit at 74-71, with 3:27 left in the final stretch. The next ball maneuvers got even more intense with a shooting streak coming from Akhuetie and Paras making UP maintain the lead with 78-71.     UP Pep Squad flexing form and creativity during halftime. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     A nail-biter finish was just in order when NU’s Enzo Joson and Dave Ildefonso responded with their sure-fire buckets to close the gap with only 4 points behind, 78-74 at 32.3 seconds. Akhuetie’s free throw recovery of his missed charities against Ildefonso’s freebies and solid three-pointer all led to a heart stopper one-point lead by the Fighting Maroons, 80-79 with 11.6 ticks left.  The game clincher was the foul called out on Ildefonso that sent UP Forward David Murrell to the free throw line. However, he missed his 2-point free throw opportunity. As NU favored the last draw to the goal, John Lloyd Clemente failed to cash in the bucket. Akhuetie swiftly charged for ball possession as the buzzer called off the game.     Video Player  Fighting Maroons’ new hotshot and player of the game Kobe Paras firing his power dunk. Video by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     Just a day before his birthday, UP’s hotshot Kobe Paras made a back-to-back win for the Fighting Maroons, performing better than his first run, with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two highlight dunks.     Akhuetie’s free throw clincher, sending the Fighting Maroons to a back-to-back win. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Other top scorers of the game were UP’s MVP Bright Akhuetie who delivered 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Javi Gomez De Liaño with 17 points and two rebounds.     Loud and proud: The UP Fighting Maroons together with the UP community singing UP Naming Mahal as the game brings to a close. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Loud and proud: Atty. Gabby Concepcion sings UP Naming Mahal with raised fist with the UP community. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     At the post-game’s press conference, UP Fighting Maroons Coach Bo Perasol emphasized their need to break the one-point victory habit. “We need to learn how to close out games as a team, but that’s the process,” he said. “I know we can, there were just lapses but we are going to learn from that.”     UPMBT Coach Bo Perasol with the player of the game Kobe Paras during the post-game press conference. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "#Atin82 for UP Men’s Basketball Team is powered by ardent sponsors – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/atin82-for-up-mens-basketball-team-is-powered-by-ardent-sponsors/",
        "html": "#Atin82 for UP Men’s Basketball Team is powered by ardent sponsors #Atin82 for UP Men’s Basketball Team is powered by ardent sponsors September 4, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    The UP Men’s Basketball Team has once again become a UAAP basketball team bet. Sliding into a fresh season, the team is powered by not only a solid player line up, but also its ardent sponsors, such as the asset management company, Januarius Holdings Inc.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (3rd from left) awards the iconic Oblation trophy to one of UPMBT’s staunch supporters Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio (middle), founder and CEO of Januarius Holdings Inc. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     In a renewal of partnership held on August 22 at the UP Executive House, the UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) and Januarius Holdings Inc. (JHI) signed a memorandum of agreement. The signing was graced by UPMBT Team Manager and Chairman of NOWHERETOGOBUTUP Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero; Cocoy Mercado, Executive Committee member of NOWHERETOGOBUTUP Foundation, Inc.; Rina Tan; and, Head Coach Dolreich Perasol. UP Officials were represented by President Danilo Concepcion; UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz; Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili III; and, Atty. Gabriela Concepcion. Attending from Januarius Holdings Inc. party were its founder and CEO, Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio, and Januarius COO Marcy Valenzuela.     Coming together, the UPMBT with Mr. Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio, Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero and UP President Danilo Concepcion during the signing of the memorandum of agreement. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     “I asked for a genie; instead an angel was given to us,” Renan Dalisay, founder of NOWHERETOGOBUTUP Foundation, confessed. He referred to JJ Atencio backing his full support of the UPMBT for this season.  Despite being an alumnus of the Ateneo de Manila University, Atencio identifies with the story of the UPMBT, and saw the potential of UP in finally getting the title this season. “Third time’s a charm, so we win it all,” he expressed during the signing.  In his short message, Fighting Maroon Kobe Paras signified the team’s gratitude for the unwavering support of its ardent supporters which is vital for the team’s progress, especially in earning the championship title. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Padayon Public Service stages #ThatsMyBay, highlights UP initiatives towards Manila Bay rehab – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/padayon-public-service-stages-thatsmybay-highlights-up-initiatives-towards-manila-bay-rehab/",
        "html": "Padayon Public Service stages #ThatsMyBay, highlights UP initiatives towards Manila Bay rehab Padayon Public Service stages #ThatsMyBay, highlights UP initiatives towards Manila Bay rehab October 2, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    “Coincidentally it is 157 years ago today , September 23, 1762, that the British flotilla landed in Manila Bay, marking the start of the British invasion of the Philippines. These days, there is another kind of battle waging once again in Manila Bay – a struggle to clean up and rehabilitate it. This new battle is an offshoot of a 1999 lawsuit, launched by a group of concerned citizens and law students on behalf of Mother Nature against the government. In 2008, after more than a decade of equal battle, the Supreme Court decided in favor of Mother Nature, directing the DENR and 12 other government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and restore the bay and make it fit for swimming, skin diving and all other forms of contact recreation,” UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia stated as she opened the public forum, #ThatsMyBay, in her welcoming remarks.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia opens the public forum #ThatsMyBay. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “A whole society approach is necessary to achieve, as the Supreme Court stated, for the return of Manila Bay to its former glory—a remarkable natural endowment that is a source of food, employment, income, transportation, recreation, beauty, culture, and history,” Pernia added.  The forum was one of the series of activities organized by UP Padayon Public Service Office headed by its Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval to showcase its commitment to align the various University efforts and facilitate significant endeavors, such as the creation of a research and development agenda and the mobilization of research funding in relation to the programs lined up for the Manila Bay rehabilitation.  Science experts, government officials, and professors and students packed the forum at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology Auditorium in UP Diliman. It featured UP initiatives to keep Manila Bay sustainable.     UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval underscored the unit’s commitment in aligning various University efforts to different significant societal improvement and progress such as the Manila Bay rehabilitation. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The UP Padayon Public Service Office gathered UP experts involved in Manila Bay’s rehabilitation and restoration projects. UP’s very own former UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor O. Cruz, a leading consultant of the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan project conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), provided an overview of the project’s status and progress. “It is a work in progress and is very much under the process of fine tuning,” Cruz said. “As we refine the master plan’s first version, we hope to finish it in October in time for the operational plan,” Cruz reported.     Former UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor O. Cruz, a leading consultant of the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan project conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The strategic goals of the master plan project have been based on an integrative and holistic approach that is ecosystem-, science- and participatory-based. With its strategic goals, the project aims: to promote inclusive growth; to improve informal settlers conditions; to engage in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation; to improve the water quality system; and, to protect the ecosystem in Manila Bay.  Giving an overview of the UP tri-campus efforts on the Manila Bay rehabilitation, Director Laura T. David of the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute stressed the importance of data-sharing. “We aim to achieve in surfacing the science behind the rehabilitation process as palpable as possible.” David also emphasized that ultimately, these scientific studies must be understood by the general public, as she enumerated four common stages through which they may be able to evaluate Manila Bay’s rehabilitation progress, such as “see”, “smell” “swim”, and “eat”.     Prof. Benjamin M. Vallejo, Jr. Ph.D. presents his study on “Manila Bay’s Biodiversity”. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “The Battle of Manila Bay Lingers on: A Mesocosm of the Nationwide Efforts to Conserve Our Philippine Coastal Ecosystems” a study by Prof. Rene N. Rollon, Ph.D. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Prof. Melody Anne B. Ocampo, MSc of UP Manila shares her study on “Marine Fouling Community on Manila Bay” Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Sharing their marine and biodiversity researches on Manila Bay’s ecosystem were: Dr. Benjamin M. Vallejo Jr. and Dr. Rene Rollon, both from UP Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology; and, Prof. Melody Anne B. Ocampo of UP Manila Department of Biology. Presenting the collaboration of disaster risk response and internet-powered climate monitoring sensors were Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute and College of Science Dean Giovanni A. Tapang. Representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, particularly from its Manila Bay Coordinating Office and Coastal Marine Division, also participated in the forum.     UP Resilience Institute Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay, Ph.D. presented his study “Manila Bay Watersheds” and its relation to disaster risk and reduction. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     College of Science Dean Giovanni A. Tapang presents his research output known as “Project CATFish,” a low-cost climate sensors for monitoring bodies of water such as the Manila Bay. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval and staff, together with Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, and the forum presenters and guests. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Watch the full forum session here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroons take over UE Red Warriors in a winning streak – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroons-takes-over-ue-red-warriors-in-a-winning-streak/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroons take over UE Red Warriors in a winning streak UP Fighting Maroons take over UE Red Warriors in a winning streak September 25, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   For a group of alphas, there’s nowhere to go but to become a team of Fighting Maroons in a huddle before settling to another win against the UE Red Warriors. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     It’s a winning streak for the Fighting Maroons. The victory against UE is a break to the one-point lead cycle of wins for the UP Men’s Basketball Team. Fresh out of a win against the NU Bulldogs, the UP Men’s Basketball Team was back at it again, sweeping UE’s Red Warriors at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, Rizal on Saturday, September 21.     An easy start for the team at the first quarter of the game, Fighting Maroons earning an eight-point lead with 23 against 15. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     At the jump ball, manning the Fighting Maroons were Jun Manzo, Kobe Paras, Bright Akhuetie, Javier Gomez de Liaño and Jaydee Tungcab. It was an easy start for the team on the first quarter of the game with a dynamic rotation of players earning an eight-point lead with 23 against 15.     UP’s Kobe Paras powers up for a 2-point shot. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     The second quarter consisted of a heavy rotation of players for the Fighting Maroons. A highlight of this period was Paras’ power block. At 1:38 on the clock, UP led the quarter with 35 points ahead of UE’s 25 points.     Player of the game Bright Akhuetie charging for a 2-point shot. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     Akhuetie’s sure fire bucket points and free throws put up for UP to close the quarter in its biggest lead of the game by 12 points with 39 to 27.  In the third quarter, the 12-point lead of the Fighting Maroons was brought to a stagnating state. Meanwhile, the UE Red Warriors stepped up to compensate for the 12-point deficit. Picking up the momentum was the consistent triple shot play by Jojo Antiporda.  It was also Alex Diakhite’s layup that survived the team’s fate in the quarter. The Red Warriors came close with 42 points, only 4 points behind the Fighting Maroons’ 46 points.     In the game’s critical moment, Fighting Maroon Kobe Paras faces the crowd, encouraging the UP audience to lift the team’s spirit by cheering on as loud as they can. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     Maroon standout: an alumnus cheers on in clenched fist and a #UPFight placard. Photo by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     The closest lead of the game was in the final quarter with only 1:54 minutes remaining, 57 points for UP, one point ahead of UE’s 56 points. The clincher for the Fighting Maroons was the sure fire free throws early on in the last quarter, finalized by Jaydee Tungcab’s left corner 3-point shot, leaving the Red Warriors 6 points behind in a final score of 62-56.     Video Player Silent worker Jun Manzo’s great passes make good scoring for the Fighting Maroons such as the solid pass to Javi Gomez de Liaño for a 2-point shot. Video by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     Akhuetie prevailed with his best stats of 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. UP’s winning streak in a takeover against UE was also powered by Javi Gomez de Liaño 15, Paras 12, Rivero 7, Tungcab 4, Ju. Gomez de Liano 3, Manzo 3, Webb 2.  It was pointed out by Fighting Maroons Coach Bo Perasol during the post-game press conference that another factor of UP’s win was minimizing scoring opportunities for UE’s Rey Suerte. “Our intention was really to limit his output. We wanted to clamp down on Rey Suerte, but the others did step up,” said Perasol.     Clean pass, clean shot: Manzo’s killer pass to Akhuetie’s smooth 2-pointer. Video by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO.     UP rises second (4-1) in the first round of standings. When asked about the preparation of the team against DLSU as they battle it out on Wednesday, September 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Perasol quickly answered back, “We all know the kind of personnel that they have. Susubukan naming mag-improve pa rin, from our previous games which is this game. And I hope that we can be better to make sure that we can have the chance against a powerhouse team like La Salle.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, CSC draw hundreds of applicants at the government job fair – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-csc-draw-hundreds-of-applicants-at-the-government-job-fair/",
        "html": "UP, CSC draw hundreds of applicants at the government job fair UP, CSC draw hundreds of applicants at the government job fair October 3, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   Various government agencies set up their respective job application booths at the UP GT Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The Civil Service Commission National Capital Region (CSC-NCR) held a one-day government job fair at the UP GT Toyota Asian Center Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City on September 24.  The job fair is a nationwide search for the next generation of government employees and is part of the series of activities in celebration of Civil Service Commission’s 119th anniversary. CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala welcomed the officials and staff of participating government agencies as well as the hundreds of hopeful applicants.     Early bird applicants check out the job listings posted outside the UP GT Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     With their anniversary theme, “Upholding Integrity and Building a High-Trust Society”, CSC aims to continue holding activities that inspire and motivate individuals, build teams and networks, promote solidarity among government workers, and uphold public service values.     Hopeful applicants going through the application process one form at a time. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “We expect the best applicants. We have a lot of openings, and we expect a lot of people coming in that UP can choose from. Secondly, our own personnel will be able to know that there are openings in other agencies that they might want to explore and apply, too, especially job order [workers], also our non-UP contractual since we cannot offer them items yet as this opens up opportunities for them. As much as we want to keep them, we cannot stop them from getting more opportunities knowing that there are other government institutions,” said UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, who attended the opening of the event.     The staff of the UP Vice President for Administration and Human Resources Development Office with Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque (third from right) manning the UP application booth. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “I expect a young generation of applicants since UP is in the education sector; and also we have not only the administrative, but also the research and teaching function that I think serve as our edge to other government agency offerings,” Yunque added.  Participating agencies aside from the University of the Philippines System and Diliman include: the  Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Department of Education, the Department of Health, Rizal Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, National Center for Mental Health, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Metro Manila Development Authority, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Deposit Insurance Company, Philippine Health Insurance Company, and Securities and Exchange Commission.  The CSC, in partnership with JobStreet.com, will hold the Online Career Fair for Government from October 21 to 25, 2019. Interested applicants may visit the CSC website and its Facebook page for updates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Maroons redeem winning spot at Red Warriors’ expense – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-maroons-redeem-winning-spot-at-red-warriors-expense/",
        "html": "Fighting Maroons redeem winning spot at Red Warriors’ expense Fighting Maroons redeem winning spot at Red Warriors’ expense October 16, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   Making every point worth celebrating, solid Fighting Maroons audience cheers on until the game ended at 78-75. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The rematch between the Fighting Maroons and the Red Warriors was a maintained intense game as much as in the previous round, at the Mall of Asia arena on October 12 for UAAP Season 82’s round 2. The UE squad was a hard team to beat. However, the UP Men’s Basketball Team returned to the court with consistent offensive play and better defense. It was a redemption game for the Fighting Maroons, as well as a return of the momentum especially to Jun Manzo and Ricci Rivero, as they overcame the Red Warriors in a 3-point lead victory coming from a two-time loss.     Manzo drives hard to well-deserved bucket points. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Solid offense and sure fire three- and two-pointers by Jun Manzo, Kobe Paras and Bright Akhuetie respectively defined the first quarter of the game. Leading the team in the first run of the game were Manzo, Akhuetie, Paras, Jaydee Tungcab, and Jaybie Mantilla. The smart ball passes and tight play coordination resulted in UP’s biggest lead of the game, and ruled the early part of the match with 27 points against 10.     Manzo makes an early three-point shoot in the game. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The second quarter was manned by brothers Javi and Juan Gomez de Liaño, Noah Webb, Ricci Rivero, and Jerson Prado. Establishing the first score of the quarter, Rivero delivered his 3-point shot at the line. However, the Red Warriors stepped up with Rey Suerte’s consistent shots that inched the team’s way to a tie with the Fighting Maroons at 41 points in the last minute of the quarter. Reclaiming the leg were Manzo’s signature shot—a teardrop that made a 3-point difference for UP leading the game in the last two seconds, ending the quarter in favor of the Fighting Maroons, 46 against 41.     MVP Akhuetie charges to earn two points for the bucket. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In the third quarter, the Fighting Maroons maintained their tough offense with Manzo, Ju. Gomez de Liaño, Paras, Akhuetie, and Tungcab at work, concluding the quarter with a 15-point lead by UP, 65 points against UE’s 50 points.  It was another edge-of-the-seat moment in the last minute of the game. As the Red Warriors inched their way close to the lead score, they picked-up the play ultimately at 3:12 minutes left on the clock with only a two-point deficit, 67-69. But the quarter was saved by Paras’ 3-point shot at 2:18 minutes making a 72-67 lead. And Paras’ play by his strong ball pass to Javi for two made a 74-67 lead with 1:51 left on the clock. Also, Akhuetie’s 2-point shot, a saved opportunity from Rivero’s failed attempt, brought the lead to 76-69 with 1:10 minutes remaining.  Down the line, it was a series of free-throw exchanges, between UE’s Chris Conner, Alex Diakhite, and UP’s Manzo and Ja. Gomez de Liaño. The game ended with the Fighting Maroons’ return in the winning column with 78-75.     Fighting to victory, the UP Men’s Basketball Team conquers UE’s Red Warriors for the second time. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     At the post-game press conference, the men of the game, Manzo and Akhuetie, were brought to the table by assistant coach Ricky Dandan. “We were able to bounce back. In the perfect basketball world, we would have wanted a more convincing one, but we’ll take this of course because we’ve come from back-to-back losses,” Dandan said. “We still have to work hard for the upcoming game against UST, and we will practice as early as tomorrow,” he added.     Men of the hour, Jun Manzo, Bright Akhuetie and assistant coach Ricky Dandan, answer questions at the post-game press conference after their win against UE. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     A productive weekend game it was with the Fighting Maroons garnering 78 points from: Akhuetie 18, Manzo 17, Paras 14, Ja. Gomez de Liano 10, Rivero 10, Ju. Gomez de Liano 4, Mantilla 3, Tungcab 2.     Exiting the post-game press con, Akhuetie gives up on his pained ankle, and tries to sit it out for a while in the hallway, as Manzo stays by his side. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     A little later, to the rescue is the UPMBT rushing and making a human stretcher out of themselves to take Akhuetie back to the dug-out room. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The win over UE is significant for the Fighting Maroons, despite the absence of Fighting Maroons Coach Bo Perasol, to prove their worth in keeping their solo second standing (6-3). They are out to prove it once more, together with Coach Perasol fresh from a two-game suspension, and this time around to conquer UST’s Growling Tigers on Wednesday, October 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fun run marks Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s 26th year celebration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fun-run-marks-ugnayan-ng-pahinungods-26th-year-celebration/",
        "html": "Fun run marks Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s 26th year celebration Fun run marks Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s 26th year celebration October 25, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    At daybreak on October 20, the UP community and friends gathered at UP Diliman’s Palma Hall steps to mark the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s new chapter, as it celebrated it’s 26th inception anniversary through a fun run.     Pahinungód directors, staff, volunteers and participants are all ready at gun start. Photo by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     The fun run commemorated and helped relaunch Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s revitalized volunteer program, according to Ugnayan ng Pahinungód System Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay. More than a hundred registrants coming from various UP constituent universities, such as Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Visayas and Open University, participated in the 4.4 kilometer-race around the Academic Oval. A Zumba dance class was also offered during the event. The top three finishers were Isidro Perpetua, Jovie Villaganas and Kristoffer Troy Sison who earned the first, second and third places, respectively.  “Kasabay ng ating pagtakbo ang pagbuhay nating muli sa Ugnayan ng Pahinungód bilang isang tanggapan ng UP System. Ako ay labis na natutuwa sa suportang ibinigay ninyo ngayon. Ito ay isang pagsasama-samang walang katumbas, na ang ibig sabihin ay buhay na buhay ang malasakit nating mga taga-UP,” UP President Danilo L. Concepcion said.     Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Fun Run 2019 top three runners with UP President Danilo Concepcion, Atty. Gabriela “Gaby” Roldan-Concepcion, and the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód directors. Photo by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     The Ugnayan ng Pahinungód, also known as Oblation Corps, started over two decades ago. It was an offshoot of and a response to a study conducted by Dr. Maria Luisa Doronila and Dr. Ledivina Cariño that looked into how much value UP students ascribed to social commitment. Following the study was the creation of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/Oblation Corps on February 28, 1994, making it as the country’s first university-based formal volunteer service program.  The event was attended by Ugnayan ng Pahinungód’s directors, among them were UP System Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, UP Diliman Director Jocelyn Caragay, UP Manila Director Eric Talens, UP Open University Director Rhonna Marie Vereña, UP Visayas Director Ruben Gamala, as well as UP faculty, non-teaching staff, students and other members of the UP community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bakunahan sa UPD at UPLB – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bakunahan-sa-upd-at-uplb/",
        "html": "Bakunahan sa UPD at UPLB Bakunahan sa UPD at UPLB May 21, 2021 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, in partnership with the Quezon City Local Government Unit, opened a vaccination hub at the UP College of Human Kinetics gymnasium, dubbed the “Bakunahan sa UP Diliman”. When the vaccination hub called for volunteers to act as medical and non-medical frontliners, members of the UP community responded to the call.  The hub’s initial operations ran for a week, starting on April 26 when it held a simulation run and vaccination for its medical and non-medical frontliner volunteers, and continued from April 28 to May 5, 2021.     The QC LGU, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte, poses with the UP Task Force COVID heads Prof. Dulce Natividad and Dr. Alfred Tengonciang at the Bakunahan sa Diliman site during an inspection. Photo by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     The first batch of vaccines rolled out to the UP Diliman vaccination hub catered to 817 vaccines. Following the Department of Health’s (DOH) COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization Framework, individuals who were given priority for the vaccines and received the jab were in the A1 to A3 categories: senior citizens; persons with comorbidities; and, non-medical frontliners and UP employees who physically report to work for essential services, such as maintenance personnel and security guards.     Senior citizens line up to receive their first jab at the Bakunahan sa Diliman. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     The 4-step process  Dr. Alfred Tengonciang, one of the overall supervisors of the Quezon City-UP College of Human Kinetics Vaccination Hub (QC-UP CHK), explained that there is a DOH Interim Omnibus for the deployment of the vaccine. He added that for the QC-UP CHK vaccination site, the system in place is quite different.     Volunteers prepare the master list of A2 vaccines scheduled for the day. Photo by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     IT volunteers serve A2 vaccinees at the registration station. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     As registration is the first step in the whole vaccination process, the hub expanded the registration station to prevent people from bundling up as they fall in line. The registration station consists of: the help desk; the orientation that is part counseling, part health education, and part assistance offered to vaccinees in filling in the forms; and, the data encoding.  The second step in the process takes place in the screening station where the vaccinees have their vital signs checked by volunteer medical frontliners, after which they are then cleared to be vaccinated by volunteer doctors.. The vaccination station comes after screening, wherein vaccinees receive the first dose of the Sinovac vaccine. In the last step, vaccinees undergo post-vaccination observation in the monitoring station.     Medical interns from UP Manila record the vital signs of vaccines at the screening station. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     Medical personnel volunteer as vaccinators at the Bakunahan sa UP Diliman. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     “If people are moving in all of the stations, they will feel and see that the system is making progress at the different stations. The design of the vaccination system makes the flow at the hub smoother and easier,” Dr. Tengonciang said, adding that with a smoothly working system in place, the vaccination team is looking at increasing the capacity of its operations in the succeeding days.  UP community effort  The volunteers who man and maintain the QC-UP CHK vaccination hub include administrative staff, REPS, and faculty from the UP System, UP Diliman, and UP Manila.     A vaccinator’s tool set at the vaccination station. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     Dr. Maria Dulce Natividad, Chairperson of the Special Committee of the UPD COVID-19 Task Force, explained that in early 2021, UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo was already engaged in talks with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte regarding the procurement of vaccines for the UP community.  The QC-UP CHK vaccination hub is a huge undertaking, especially considering that the Task Force had only two weeks to prepare and set up the vaccination site. Setting up the hub was made easier through the vaccine surveys initially sent out to the potential vaccinees, and through the voluntary effort of the UP community to make sure that a safe and efficient operation was put into place.     One of the maintenance personnel frequently disinfects seats and tables at the vaccination hub. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     “UP has a mandate to render public service. Given the resources made available for UP, we urgently need to respond by providing accessible vaccination to all. We really wanted the initiative to be a community effort so that people can participate in it, and not only UP for UP. What we want is to get everybody on board and be part of this initiative. We are working together to help take care of public health,” Natividad said.     The Bakunahan sa UP Diliman Volunteers, composed of UP’s administrative staff, REPS, faculty, and medical and essential personnel, deliver safe and efficient vaccinations to the UP community. Photo by Stephanie Cabigao, UP MPRO.     For the second batch of vaccine rollout scheduled on the second week of May, the volunteers of the QC-UP CHK vaccination hub will serve retired employees and dependents of active UP employees who are in the A2 and A3 categories of the DOH priority of vaccines.     Copeland Gym as UPLB’s vaccination hub     Members of the UHS COVID-19 Vaccination Team accommodate A2 vaccinees at the registration area of the UPLB Copeland Gym. Photo by the UPLB University Health Service Facebook Page     The UP Los Baños (UPLB) administration immediately responded to the call to serve as a vaccination hub after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Union of the Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) called for partnerships for resiliency, rehabilitation, and national recovery in the fight against COVID-19, according to a press release by the CHED.     QR Code scanning is used as part of the registration for the vaccinees. Photo by the UPLB University Health Service Facebook Page     “We responded to CHED’s commitment with the ULAP to have the facilities of higher education institutions (HEIs) as vaccination centers for the country’s expanded immunization program. UPLB, through the guidance of our UP President Danilo Concepcion, was very supportive of the initiative,” UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. said in a CHED statement.     The UHS COVID-19 Vaccination Team. Photo by the UPLB University Health Service Facebook Page     The UPLB vaccination hub is serving citizens from two municipalities in Laguna. According to the UPLB University Health Service, the hub has partnered with the Los Baños Municipal Health Office led by Municipal Health Officer Dr. Alvin Isidoro. The UHS COVID-19 Vaccination Team is composed of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP leads public service conference, underscores academe-community partnership – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-leads-public-service-conference-underscores-academe-community-partnership/",
        "html": "UP leads public service conference, underscores academe-community partnership UP leads public service conference, underscores academe-community partnership October 28, 2019 | Written by Stephanie S. Cabigao    The UP Padayon Public Service Office organized its 3rd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCON 3) which opened on October 16 at the UP Visayas auditorium in Iloilo City. The three-day conference took up the theme, “Public service through academe-community partnership: Addressing challenges on health, environment, gender, culture & education, and other key issues”.  Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval of UP Padayon revealed that new to the conference is the opportunity given to NGOs, LGUs, and civic society organizations to participate in the conference and encourage collaboration in addressing public service issues.     Welcoming the participants, presenters, guests and government officials to the host UP campus is Chancellor Ricardo Babaran. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Taken up on the first day of the conference were topics that delve into: mainstreaming gender-related issues through different modes of public service; building competencies towards youth empowerment; fostering social responsibility among the youth; empowering students through service learning; honing local leaders through academe-government partnership; promoting disaster preparedness in various sectors; enriching teaching and research through public service; the role of the academe in achieving sustainable livelihood; the role of CSOs in community development; media in public service; public service for health promotion; and, the use of technology in public service.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia emphasizes the relevance of this year’s conference as a potential platform to establish partnerships to make research works more strategic, efficient and truly sustainable to communities. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Dr. Ernesto Pernia, former Lead Economist at the Asian Development Bank and now Socio-economic Planning Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), was the keynote speaker. He discussed advancing public service through academe-community partnership. “We want the academe to be part of our journey in delivering relevant, strategic and sustainable public service. We should treat communities as partners in research and development activities so that they can contribute to translating indigenous knowledge into appropriate policies and effective actions on the ground. The promotion of structure partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and stakeholders in the communities, business, and industry is also emphasized in the Philippine Development Plan with the integration of formal research and innovation efforts with informal grassroots knowledge and innovation,” Pernia emphasized.     Delivering the keynote speech is National Economic and Development Authority Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. He underscores that research works and platforms such as CUPSCON deliver their primary role in uplifting poverty in the country. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     L-R: Rhodella A. Ibabao of the UPV Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungod; UP Padayon Director Jeanette L. Yasol-Naval; UP Visayas Chancellor Ricardo Babaran; NEDA Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia; and, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia at the CUPSCON 3 in UP Visayas. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The second day of the conference was led by the plenary speaker Dr. Ma. Crisanta Nelmida-Flores. Former UP Padayon Director Flores took into account her public service experience in discussing “Measuring Outcomes and Impact of Public Service”. She underscored how “measuring and evaluating the impact of public services rendered by HEIs and its academic volunteers need utmost attention due to the diversity and complexity of social phenomena. Approaches, policies, quantitative analysis, tangible qualities and other social outcomes can be tools for evaluation and measurement of a given program. But looking at the perspective of the target beneficiaries and community instead of relying only on the program’s sustainability can develop new theories of change for greater impact and success.”     Former UP Padayon Director Ma. Crisanta Nelmida-Flores lectures on “Measuring Outcomes and Impact of Public Service”. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The topics on the second day of the conference included: expanding public service through international engagement; capacitating teachers through provision of training programs; strengthening disaster resilience through research; strengthening the community through entrepreneurship; integrating service-learning in the pedagogy of higher education institutions; academe at the service of the government; academe’s crisis response and disaster intervention; community empowerment and poverty alleviation through skills training; public service in food security; technical assistance as public service; women empowerment through livelihood programs; and, culture, heritage, and community-based tourism.     With over a hundred research submissions, the CUPSCON 3 participants packed the UP Visayas auditorium. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     One of the series of parallel sessions during the CUPSCON 3 in UP Visayas. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     On the third day of the conference, the plenary speaker was Dr. Divine Love Salvador, an associate professor from the Department of Psychology, UP Diliman. She said: “There is increasing consensus that research and practice must be integrated for public service to be effective, ethical, relevant, and ultimately beneficial. However, this is easier said than done; and there are a few resources to help public service individuals and institutions navigate the challenges of integrating research and practice. This lecture presents these challenges, ways to address them, and guidelines on crafting programs that reflect an integrated research-and-practice agenda.”     Plenary speaker Dr. Divine Love Salvador discusses the challenges of an integrated research-and-practice agenda. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Wrapping up the last day of the conference were research presentations that focused on: research as public service; capacitating HEIs through collaborative modes of public service; empowering communities through social enterprise; and, assessing opportunities and best practices for extension in HEIs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-academic-information-systemcomputer-registration-system/#",
        "html": "Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System    The University of the Philippines uses the Computerized Registration System (CRS) and the Student Academic Information System (SAIS). Each constituent university has its own system which allows students to check if the courses they plan to take for the semester are available.   UP Diliman uses the CRS. To access the system, please click here. UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Open University, UP Baguio and UP Cebu use the SAIS. To log-on the system, please click here. UP Visayas also uses a CRS system similar to UP Diliman. To log-in, please click here. UP Mindanao has a Student Records System, which is similar to the UP Diliman CRS. To access the system, please click here.    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Socialized Tuition System Academic Calendars   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Socialized Tuition System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/socialized-tuition-system/#",
        "html": "Socialized Tuition System     What is STS?  In the University of the Philippines (UP), all students receive financial support from the National Government since the full tuition is much lower than the cost of education in the University. Given that students in UP come from all walks of life, there are those who may not be able to afford paying the full tuition. So UP created the Socialized Tuition System (STS) which provides tuition discount at rates that are based on the assessment of the paying capacity of the household to which a student belongs. This assessment looks at the income as well as the socio-economic characteristics of the household. The current STS was approved by the UP Board of Regents on 13 December 2013.    Who can apply?  To qualify for tuition discounts from STS, the student must: 1. Be a Filipino; 2. Be a bonafide undergraduate student. Except for students of Law and Medicine, the applicant must not have a bachelor’s degree. For new students, the applicant must have an admission slip; 3. Never have been adjudged guilty of any offense that carries a penalty of more than 30 days suspension; and 4. Be in need of financial assistance as determined by the University    Application Process  1. Visit https://sts.up.edu.ph/ and log in using your Student Number and 5-digit PIN. 2. Indicate your intent to apply and your consent to the terms and conditions of STS. 3. Complete your Student Profile with information about yourself and your parents/guardian and siblings. 4. Answer the Household Characteristics questionnaire. 5. Accomplish the Household Income form. 6. Review all entries before proceeding to submission. You cannot view or change your answers after you submit your application. 7. Proceed to submission. You and your parents/guardian need to indicate consent to the terms and conditions of the application. 8. Confirm submission of your STS application. Results will be released according to the posted schedule. You may view the results by logging into https://sts.up.edu.ph/ using your account. Check out the Announcements tab for any updates during the application period.    Terms and Conditions before applying for tuition discount  The University reserves the right to determine whether the student deserves financial assistance, and the amount and form of assistance. The STS Office, in co ordination with the Offices of Student Affairs (OSAs) and the Office of Scholarship and Student Services (OSSS), will organize a fact-finding team to check information submitted by the applicants. STS privileges may be withdrawn when a student withholds or gives false information, without prejudice to other penalties that may be imposed by the University. All information supplied in the application will be kept secure and confidential. All information may be used by the University for research, with the assurance that personal details of the applicant will be kept secure.    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Academic Programs offered by the constituent universities How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Maging Gurong Pahinungod – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/maging-gurong-pahinungod/",
        "html": "Maging Gurong Pahinungod Maging Gurong Pahinungod May 21, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP College of Education is reviving its Gurong Pahinungod program in partnership with Balangkayan National High School (Eastern Samar) and Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (Bukidnon). To our Eduk graduates (and graduating batch), heed the nation’s call, be a Gurong Pahinungod!  For inquiries, contact the College of Education’s Dean’s Office at 981-8500 local nos. 2801 and 2814 or at 929-9322. You may also send an email at lgaoanan@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "NIH marks 20th anniversary with scientific conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nih-marks-20th-anniversary-with-scientific-conference/",
        "html": "NIH marks 20th anniversary with scientific conference NIH marks 20th anniversary with scientific conference March 16, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   (L-R) Dr. Emmanuel P. Estrella, Dr. Jinky Leilanie Del Prado-Lu, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, and UP Pres. Danilo L. Concepcion (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – University of the Philippines Manila, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, organized a scientific conference focusing on the importance of work, health, and well-being of the Filipino people. Attended by about 400 participants from colleges and universities, government and non-government organizations, and corporations, the conference was held on March 14 at the Bayanihan Center, UNILAB, Pasig City.  Plenary sessions highlighted the role of government and non-government organizations in promoting a healthy workforce, and featured discussions and presentations on occupational health and safety, gender and health research, active aging, treatment of infectious diseases, and other topics.  In his message, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion praised the personnel and the accomplishments of the NIH. He said, “The research, technology innovations, and advocacy work that NIH’s dedicated faculty members and researchers have done have led to great improvements on the health of Filipinos, from the level of the communities to the highest levels of national policy. Laws were enacted by Congress to implement the research outputs of the NIH, such as the Newborn Screening Act and the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act.”     DOLE Undersecretary Jacinto Paras and DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III lead the ceremonial opening of the exhibits. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Concepcion said the NIH has lived up to its mandate and enjoys the full support of the University. “I see the NIH as an essential partner in our administration’s strategic plan, as a national institution that bridges knowledge creation to improve health, R&D, and public service through advocacy, community work, extension services, and influencing policy making, all towards the goal of improving our people’s general welfare,” he said.  Concepcion also challenged the NIH to “come up with a breakthrough in the field of medicine that will merit a nomination to the Nobel Prize.”  Secretary Francisco T. Duque III of the Department of Health (DOH); Senator Risa Hontiveros; Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla of UP Manila; Executive Director Jaime C. Montoya of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD); Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and Khalid Hassan, Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), also delivered congratulatory messages for the NIH anniversary-conference.  Dr. Joseph Lachica of the Office of Sen. Hontiveros, DOLE Undersecretary Jacinto Paras, DOH Sec. Duque, and Katherine Brimon of the ILO’s Safe Youth at Work Project each presented their organization’s role in promoting a healthy workforce in the Philippines.     Attended by about 400 participants from colleges and universities, government and non-government organizations, and corporations (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     The afternoon sessions featured plenary discussions by experts on the following topics: chronobiology, health, and productivity of shiftworkers by Prof. Gayline F. Manalang Jr., College of Public Health, UP Manila; devastating work-related injuries by Dr. Emmanuel M. Estrella, Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, NIH, UP Manila; occupational diseases by Dr. Vivienne F. Fadrilan-Camacho, College of Public Health, UP Manila; occupational health safety programs by Dr. Maria Beatriz G. Villanueva, Health Control Division, DOLE; gender equality by Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, UP Center for Women’s Studies, UP Diliman; gender, health, and research by Dr. Anthony GH. Cordero, Community Health and Development Program, UP Manila; gender differences in tuberculosis by Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria, Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, NIH, UP Manila; HIV in the workplace by Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvaña, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, NIH, UP Manila; eye health in the workplace by Dr. Leo DP. Cubillan, Philippine Eye Research Institute, NIH, UP Manila; wellness in the workplace by Dr. Aster Lynn D. Sur, Institute of Human Genetics, NIH, UP Manila; and, active aging and the workforce by Dr. Shelley Ann F. de la Vega, Institute on Aging, NIH, UP Manila.  The NIH was created by the UP Board of Regents on January 26, 1996. With the signing into law of the “Health Research and Development Act of 1998”, it was established by the Philippine Government as a national health research center on February 13, 1998. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  To view more photos of the event, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SC Justice Leonen addresses UP Manila Class of 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sc-justice-leonen-addresses-up-manila-class-of-2018/",
        "html": "SC Justice Leonen addresses UP Manila Class of 2018 SC Justice Leonen addresses UP Manila Class of 2018 June 28, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP Manila graduates taking the Pledge of Loyalty to the Alma Mater. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines Manila, the nation’s Health Sciences Center, held its 109th Commencement Exercises at the Philippine International Convention Center on June 22, 2018. A total of 1,095 members of UP Manila Class of 2018 were conferred their titles and degrees.  With the theme, “Iskolar ng Bayan Manindigan para sa KKK: Katotohanan, Katarungan, at Karapatan”, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen delivered the commencement address at UP Manila’s graduation rites this year.  In his message, Leonen urged the audience to ”. . . find the patience to read, to think, to share, to organize and then to act. . .” as he explained that genuine democracies were founded on truth, “real conversations”, social justice, “collective consciousness, and collective action”. “Do not be silent in the face of injustice,” he advised the graduates.  “As you leave the great gates of this University, may you also be haunted by these words, and I share them with you: Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? Iskolar ng Bayan, paglingkuran ang sambayanan!” concluded Leonen.  Martin M. Mamangon, graduating with a BS Public Health, spoke on behalf of the graduating class after the ceremonial distribution of diplomas, awarding of honor graduates, and hooding of doctoral candidates.  After the induction of graduates into the UP Alumni Association and the UP Manila Alumni Association, members of the graduating class held a lightning protest in front of the stage to denounce “tyrannical and anti-people” policies of the Duterte administration, such as the TRAIN law, martial law in Mindanao, extrajudicial killings, and rising impunity, among others.  UP Manila has nine degree granting units, namely: College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Dentistry (CD), College of Medicine (CM), College of Nursing (CN), College of Pharmacy (CP), College of Public Health (CPH), National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (NTTC-HP), and the School of Health Sciences (SHS). (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     University of the Philippines System and UP Manila officials pose with Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen at the Philippine International Convention Center lobby prior to the UP Manila Commencement Exercises. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Members of the UP Manila Class of 2018. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla introduces the commencement speaker. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen delivers the commencement address at UP Manila’s graduation rites. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen receives the Plaque of Appreciation from UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     A UP Manila graduate receiving her diploma from Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nymia P. Simbulan. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials, together with Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla, distribute diplomas, award medals, and assist in the hooding of UP Manila graduates. (Photos by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     BS Public Health graduate Martin M. Mamangon delivers his message on behalf of Class 2018. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa leads the graduates in making the Pledge of Loyalty to the Alma Mater. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Hon. Ramon M. Maronilla, UP Alumni Regent and President of the UP Alumni Association, inducts the graduates into the UP Alumni Association. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Mr. Rene Madarang, President of the UP Manila Alumni Association, inducts the graduates into the UP Manila Alumni Association. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Manila graduates are inducted into the UP Manila Alumni Association. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Members of the graduating class conduct a lightning rally to denounce “tyrannical and anti-people” policies of the Duterte administration. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Members of the graduating class raise their fists to show solidarity during the lightning protest against the “tyrannical and anti-people” policies of the Duterte administration. (Photos by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     With raised fists, the graduates triumphantly cap the commencement exercises with the singing of the UP Naming Mahal. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)     (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "The ABCs of Gen XYZ: Understanding our Learners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-abcs-of-gen-xyz-understanding-our-learners/",
        "html": "The ABCs of Gen XYZ: Understanding our Learners The ABCs of Gen XYZ: Understanding our Learners November 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Due to the success of the GEC Lecture for UPD GE Faculty entitled “The ABCs of GEn XYZ: Understanding Our Learners” conducted for the CAL and CSSP faculty during the first quarter of 2020, the General Education Center (GEC) Diliman, will once again hold the Lecture as a webinar. This webinar will now open to all colleges and units in UPD and other CUs, even for non-GE faculty members.   Title: GEC Lecture for UP Faculty: “The ABCs of GEn XYZ: Understanding Our Learners”  Schedule: 23 November 2020 (Monday), 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM  Brief description: The webinar is a one and a half hour lecture with a 30-minute open forum / Q&A afterwards. The resource speaker will share her rich experience and informed knowledge on educational psychology (e.g. generational differences between Generations X, Y, Z, how to educate Generation Z or the iGEn students, identify their psychosocial needs, how the faculty can respond to these, etc.).  Intended audience: UP faculty members  Resource speaker: Professor Grace S. Koo, College of Education, UP Diliman  Register in advance for this webinar: https://up-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I3OBq3yxSD2trXDBwt0UWA  This webinar will also be streamed live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/UniversityComputerCenterUPD/live  For inquiries, you may contact GEC at gec_ovcaa.upd@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Manila forms group to tackle the nation’s addiction crisis – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-manila-forms-group-to-tackle-the-nations-addiction-crisis/",
        "html": "UP Manila forms group to tackle the nation’s addiction crisis UP Manila forms group to tackle the nation’s addiction crisis February 4, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu    In response to the glaring problems arising from addiction, particularly illegal substance abuse in the Philippines, experts from the country’s health sciences center, the University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), formed the Technical Working Group on Addiction Science (TWGAS) and partnered with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and various organizations in 2018.     (L-R) UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Leonardo Estacio Jr., Dr. Armando Crisostomo (representing UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla), Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) President Engelbert Coronan, Jr., and DAP Prof. Jo-Ann De Belen present a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UP Manila and DAP for institutional cooperation on “transdisciplinary work of drug policy design and implementation.” Photo from UP Manila IPPAO.     This is UP Manila’s first formal and multidisciplinary initiative, which aims to “tackle the problem of addiction from the academic point of view,” according to UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Armando C. Crisostomo. While the TWGAS focuses on research and teaching, it also aims to help generate scientific evidences as bases for crafting appropriate government policies.  Crisostomo, who is also the chairperson of the TWGAS, explained, “Addiction is a national issue. We have to partner with many organizations to provide a more meaningful perspective on addiction in this country. Emphasis has been placed on the criminal or police aspects of the problem. Of course there are issues that need to be resolved by the police, but we would like to view it more as a social and health problem that needs to be addressed.”  Members of the TWGAS started to convene as early as 2017, Crisostomo said, “with like-minded professionals from within the UP Manila community,” mainly from the College of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, and the UP-Philippine General Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, coming together in 2018 for meetings, workshops, and partnerships leading to community-based treatment and rehabilitation of illegal drug users.  The TWGAS is concerned with both substance and behavioral addiction. Crisostomo explained that substance addiction includes consumption of legal substances (such as tobacco, alcohol, medicine, including pain killers) and illegal substances (such as methamphetamine or shabu, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin). Behavioral addiction, meanwhile, pertains to gambling, video gaming, sex, and others, as declared by the World Health Organization. The TWGAS will “not just focus on the illegal substances abuse but on addiction itself as an important public health problem which UP Manila, the health sciences center, must be able to address,” Crisostomo said.     Related story: UP Manila, partners to develop com-based drug rehab and treatment program     The term “addiction science” is broad and covers various fields, not just medicine, Crisostomo explained. “We are using a broad definition. We have not scratched the surface of the other forms of addiction. We don’t want to call ourselves an ‘addiction medicine’ working group because we don’t want to confine ourselves to medicine as a field. Social scientists, nursing practitioners, barangay health workers, and even ordinary families deal with this problem; so ‘science’ covers all the things that we are trying to do,” he said.     Technical Working Group on Addiction Science (TWGAS) Chairperson Dr. Armand Crisostomo briefs participants representing different sectors on the goals and expected outputs of the workshop held at the Development Academy of the Philippines, Pasig City. Photo from UP Manila Newsletter.     Crisostomo reported that their two-day workshop on the community-based program, in partnership with DAP and other organizations, held on August 30 to 31, 2018, was just one of their activities. This workshop involved international and Filipino experts, social workers, barangay health workers, and participants from civic organizations and urban communities, where they were able to exchange best practices, generate evidence-based strategies, and come up with an initial framework for the curriculum on which they are working together.  The TWGAS also laid out its other programs, Crisostomo revealed, such as strengthening the teaching of addiction science in the undergraduate curriculum of UP Manila (in time for the opening of classes in August 2019) creating a fellowship in Addiction Medicine, and, developing a course in Master of Science in Addiction Counselling.  The Department of Psychiatry aims to offer a fellowship in Addiction Medicine, Crisostomo added. He said that completion of residency in either Psychiatry, Neurology, Family Medicine, General Pediatrics, or General Internal Medicine is required so that one can become a sub-specialist in addiction medicine.  The Master of Science in Addiction Counselling being developed is to be hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). These are among many other efforts to help the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health (DOH) develop and implement the community-based drug rehabilitation and treatment program for minor drug offenders, or those who constitute the overwhelming majority, or 80 to 90 percent of those suffering from addiction. “The curriculum will be a work in progress. We have to formally develop the final curriculum, pilot test it, develop the training materials, modules, then roll it out throughout the country in cooperation with the DILG. This will probably take at least 2 to 3 years,” Crisostomo said.  Among the members of the TWGAS are: Dean Leonardo Estacio and Prof. Laurie Ramiro of CAS; Prof. Angela Mabale of CN; Prof. Jonathan Guevarra of CPH; Dr. Benjamin Vista, Dr. Jojo Pascual, and Dr. Rowalt Alibudbud of the Dept. of Psychiatry; and Prof. Allan Dionisio of the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU turns 24, begins run-up to 25th year – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-turns-24-begins-run-up-to-25th-year/",
        "html": "UPOU turns 24, begins run-up to 25th year UPOU turns 24, begins run-up to 25th year March 13, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The UP Open University (UPOU) commemorated its 24th anniversary on March 1 at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna with its usual celebratory activities. Memoranda were signed, projects and publications launched, partners recognized, the Gawad Chancellor given, and Family Day celebrated.     UPOU 2019 Programs and Projects  Projects and programs that UPOU shall pursue starting 2019. The programs ranged from academic to administrative undertakings.  Posted by UPOU Multimedia Center on Monday, March 11, 2019  UPOU formally launches its projects for 2019.     UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, whose three-year term ended on February 28, also presented her End of Term Report. She remains in a holdover position since the UP Board of Regents is expected to elect the next chancellor on March 28, according to a February 13 memo from UP President Danilo Concepcion.     Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria presents her End of Term Report.     The day started with UPOU officials signing two Memoranda of Understanding with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Red Cross Youth of UP Los Baños (UPLB). The former, on capacity-building programs specific to the needs of DENR-National Capital Region; and the latter, on collaborative activities, such as blood donation drives.     Top photo: From left, DENR-NCR OIC Assistant Regional Director for Management Services Gwendolyn Bambalan and UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria sign the MOU, with witnesses, Faculty of Management and Development Studies Dean Primo Garcia and Prof. Juvy Gervacio. Bottom photo: From left, Christian Bismonte and Cary Olivar of the Red Cross Youth of UPLB, and UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria sign the MOU, with Vice Chancellor for Administration Jean Saludadez as witness. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Initiatives were also launched. First was “The Race to Wellness”, a series of open educational resources in health created in partnership with UP Manila (UPM). Next was the “Online Training and Certification Course on Data Privacy” that is aimed to strengthen capacity in the understanding and implementation of Republic Act No. 10173 or The Data Privacy Act of 2012.  UPOU then announced the beginning of the construction of the Multimedia Center Building. Principles of green architecture and engineering will be incorporated in its design. The two-level structure will house video studios, digital audio recording booths, video editing rooms, and facilities for video conferences.     UPOU’s chatbot, IskOU, can be found at https://askou.upou.edu.ph.     After that, attendees were treated to a demo conversation with IskOU-Iska, the chatbot designed to reply to UPOU-related inquiries. Another project that was launched was the Conversation Paper Series. The first two issues of the series were presented: “The changing profile of UPOU graduates and the changing modes of delivery: a GIS-based analysis” by Faculty of Education Dean Ricardo Bagarinao and Percia Secreto of the Office of the University Registrar; and, “Operationalizing the institutional vision statement of the UPOU” by Professor Emeritus and former UPOU Chancellor Felix Librero.     UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria hands a copy of “The changing profile of UPOU graduates and the changing modes of delivery: a GIS-based analysis” to Percia Secreto of the Office of the University Registrar (left photo) and a copy of “Operationalizing the institutional vision statement of the UPOU” to Professor Emeritus and former UPOU Chancellor Felix Librero (right photo). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A separate launch and press conference were held in the afternoon for the website of Aruga sa Batang may Cancer. The project aims to improve the capabilities of health professionals and primary caregivers to provide palliative care to pediatric cancer patients. Its telemedicine and cancer registry components are currently undergoing completion.     The website of Aruga sa Batang may Cancer may be accessed at https://arugaproject.com/.     UPOU also paid tribute to last year’s partner institutions. They were: the Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia; Capiz State University; Childhope Philippines Foundation Inc.; Development Bank of the Philippines; Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University; Home Development Mutual Fund; Philippine Health Insurance Corporation; Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care; Social Security System; UPLB Credit and Development Center; UPM; and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.     UP Manila (UPM) is UPOU’s partner in a series of open educational resources on health. In this photo, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria (left) presents tokens of appreciation to UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Then there was the highly anticipated awarding of the Gawad Chancellor to outstanding employees. This part of the anniversary program has always been met with much excitement because of the surprise announcement of awardees. This year, the Gawad Chancellor awardees were: Ela Abao of the Office of the Chancellor (administrative staff 1st level); Encarnacion Jaen of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration (administrative staff 2nd level); Emely Amoloza of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (research, extension, and professional staff); and, Prof. Myra Almodiel (faculty), also of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.     From left: UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, Vice Chancellor for Administration Jean Saludadez receiving the Gawad Chancellor for administrative staff 2nd level on behalf of Encarnacion Jaen, Gawad Chancellor faculty awardee Prof. Myra Almodiel, Gawad Chancellor administrative staff 1st level awardee Ela Abao, Gawad Chancellor REPS awardee Emely Amoloza, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Melinda Lumanta. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The rest of the day the UPOU community enjoyed Family Day. This is the annual informal gathering where people behind the institution are lauded for their exemplary and loyal service, and their professional and personal accomplishments. Staff members from UPOU learning centers across the Philippines even fly out to join the UPOU community in the celebration.     This year’s edition of the annual UPOU “family photo.” (Photo from the UP Open University’s Facebook page)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Mutation making a more infectious coronavirus? UP webinar explores the questions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mutation-making-a-more-infectious-coronavirus-up-webinar-explores-the-questions/",
        "html": "Mutation making a more infectious coronavirus? UP webinar explores the questions Mutation making a more infectious coronavirus? UP webinar explores the questions July 16, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       On July 2, The Washington Post published an alarming headline: “This coronavirus mutation has taken over the world. Scientists are trying to understand why.”  Scientists have found a specific change occurring in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in outbreaks in Europe and the US. The mutation is known as D614G after the switch in one of the virus’ “spike proteins”, which allows the virus to infiltrate human cells and gives the coronavirus its crown-like appearance. New research has been showing that the newer form of the virus may be even more readily transmitted than the original form.  More questions follow: Is this new strain the dominant version of SARS-CoV-2? Is the mutated version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus more infectious or more lethal? Does it make any difference to what health practitioners need to do? Will this affect the way health services are organized? And what are the implications for the development of a vaccine?  The scientists at the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) have realized that the debate on the impact of the D614G mutation must be translated to practical terms. This will be the topic of discussion during the 13th installment of the UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates”, organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center.   The webinar on “Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARSCov2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)” will be held on July 17, Friday, at 12:00 nn. Executive Director Cynthia P. Saloma  of the UP Philippine Genome Center, who is a professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP Diliman, will be the resource speaker.   In 2013, the Philippine Genome Center (PGG) was established at the University of the Philippines.  The PGG was developed to promote health by understanding the genetic basis of diseases affecting Filipinos through diagnosis and early detection of genetic conditions that can be treated. In a pandemic, however, there now is a spotlight on this center as a national resource center for local scientists to use genomics tools on the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and predict patterns of spread based on genetic information.  One of the major pillars of Genomics involves the sequencing (i.e. determining the nucleotide base arrangement) of the entirety or fragments of an entity’s genetic material.Applied to the current COVID-19 outbreak, examining the sequences obtained from different cases can enable tracing of the virus’ transmission route and source of infection. Moving forward, genetic sequencing can inform public health interventions to prevent the source of the spread of COVID19.  Register now for the 13th installment of the  the UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates”: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar13  You may also watch the replay of the webinar on TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, University of Rhode Island meeting targets increase in academic engagements – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-university-of-rhode-island-meeting-targets-increase-in-academic-engagements/",
        "html": "UP, University of Rhode Island meeting targets increase in academic engagements UP, University of Rhode Island meeting targets increase in academic engagements October 25, 2019 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   UP and URI officials meet at the BOR Room to discuss future academic prospects and partnerships. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Officials including deans of both universities from their respective colleges such as Business, Education, Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences as well as Fisheries from the University of the Philippines (UP) and the University of Rhode Island (URI), held a meeting that aimed to increase academic engagements between the two institutions. On October 14 at the Board of Regents’ Room, the University of the Philippines was represented by its President Danilo L. Concepcion; Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, MD; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of International Linkages Director Gil Jacinto, Ph.D.; Cesar EA Virata School of Business – Business Administration Department Chair Ma. Gloria Talavera, Ph.D.; College of Education Dean Jerome Buenviaje, Ph.D.; College of Pharmacy Dean Bienvenido Balotro, RPh, MBA, MS; Department of Pharmacy Assistant Professor and Office of International Linkages Coordinator Shiela May Jayme Nacabu-an, RPh, MHPEd; College of Nursing Coordinator for Community Nursing John Joseph Posadas; National Institutes of Health Executive Director Eva Marie Cutiongco-dela Paz, MD; College of Public Health Assistant to the Dean for Planning and Development Marian Lomboy; College of Pharmacy members Joanna Orejola and Czarina Dominique Rodriguez; and Nygiel Armada of USAID Fish Right Program. Leading the senior level delegation of the University of Rhode Island were Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Gifty Ako Adounvo, Ph.D.; Dean of Pharmaceutical Science Paul Larrat, Ph.D.; Professor of Fisheries and Aquaculture Michael Rice, Ph.D.; College of Business Professor Shaw Chen, Ph.D.; and Assistant to the Provost for Global Strategies and Academic Partnerships Nancy Stricklin.     Exchange of tokens marking UP and URI’s academic partnership. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     UP President Danilo Concepcion encouraged URI officials to visit UP’s other constituent universities. He also shared UP’s oblation and its relevance to the nation’s challenges and progress. Meanwhile, URI’s Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Gifty Ako Adounvo expressed that she is looking forward for the collaboration especially in the areas of oceanography and marine sciences as these are one of URI’s strength. “URI’s collaboration in the Philippines in the fisheries research is looking for expansion and is committed to international partnership and exchange. I believe that the partnership in the Philippines would be productive in becoming interdependent and committing to its global agenda in facing global challenges,” she added.     URI officials get a tour of the Diliman campus with its first stop at the Quezon Hall and the Oblation Plaza. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     According to Prof. Shaw Chen, URI offers its undergraduate, graduate, and professional students distinctive educational opportunities designed to meet the global challenges of today’s world. “URI has been invested in capital improvements across its four campus, with new facilities for chemistry and forensic science, pharmacy, and communications,” he emphasized.  During the meeting, breakout sessions were held to give way for dialogues between UP and URI’s officials in their respective disciplines and areas in business and education, pharmacy, science and health sector, as well as global initiatives and collaboration. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP signs MOU creating Mindanao Genomics Consortium – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-signs-mou-creating-mindanao-genomics-consortium/",
        "html": "UP signs MOU creating Mindanao Genomics Consortium UP signs MOU creating Mindanao Genomics Consortium December 12, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The University, through UP Mindanao (UPMin) and the Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao Satellite Facility, has partnered with 41 institutions to establish the Mindanao Genomics Consortium (MG Consortium). A ceremonial signing of the memorandum of understanding was held on October 28 at the UPMin College of Science and Mathematics.  MG Consortium consists of academic institutions, government agencies, civil society organizations, and industry representatives who recognize the importance of omics research and its pursuit. This includes the need for both a multi-omics facility to accommodate emerging omics research and capacity building programs to strengthen the scientific workforce of Mindanao.     Department of Science and Technology Region XI Regional Director Anthony Sales gives a brief background of MG Consortium. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The group aims to facilitate the conduct of omics research and collaborations that will enhance omics work in Mindanao, which it says have the “comparative advantage . . . to augment scientific advancement in the areas of agriculture, fisheries and aquatic resources, forestry, food safety and security, water quality, biodiversity, environmental management, health, forensics, emerging technologies, and human diversity in Mindanao.”  To this end, MG Consortium has three general courses of action: (1) to develop the manual of operations for the consortium; (2) to promote awareness on omics research and applications in development; and (3) to foster collaborations among consortium members.     Representatives of some member institutions in MG Consortium sign the memorandum of understanding. In the topmost photo are UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal (middle) and Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao Satellite Facility Program Director Lyre Anni Murao (rightmost). (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The 43 MG Consortium member institutions are:  Department of Science and Technology XI Department of Science and Technology X Ateneo de Davao University Brokenshire College Brokenshire Integrated Health Ministries Inc. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources XI Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Inc. Caraga State University Central Mindanao University Commission on Higher Education Region XI Compostela Valley State College Davao Doctor’s College Davao Light and Power Co. Davao Medical School Foundation Davao del Norte State College Davao Oriental Science and Technology State College Davao Regional Medical Center Department of Agriculture XI Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau Durian Industry Association of Davao Mindanao State University-General Santos Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology Mindanao State University-Naawan Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography Philippine Eagle Foundation Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care Philippine National Police Regional Crime Laboratory Office XI Philippine Science High School- Southern Mindanao Campus Samahang Magmamangga ng Davao Region Inc. San Pedro College Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology Southern Philippines Medical Center Surigao del Sur State University Tagum Agricultural Development Company Inc. University of the Immaculate Conception University of Mindanao University of the Philippines, through UP Mindanao University of Southeastern Philippines University of Southern Mindanao Vegetable Industry Council of Southern Mindanao Inc. Western Mindanao State University Xavier University Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao Satellite Facility"
    },
    {
        "title": "Who is the Filipino, genomically speaking? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/who-is-the-filipino-genomically-speaking/",
        "html": "Who is the Filipino, genomically speaking? Who is the Filipino, genomically speaking? February 21, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    This is what the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is trying to find out. One of its key research initiatives is piecing together Filipino genomic identity and history.     Speakers and participants in the Philippine Genome Center’s “The Story of the Filipino through the Genomics Lens.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In its first forum for 2020, PGC gathered resource persons to help tell “The Story of the Filipino through the Genomics Lens” on January 31 at the Institute of Biology Auditorium, UP Diliman (UPD). With references from relics of the past to present day practice, from human to poultry DNA, the event featured different approaches to exploring who the Filipino is.     Dr. Armand Mijares kicks off the forum with “Homo luzonensis and Advancement in Human Evolutionary Debate.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Armand Mijares talked about his team’s discovery of Homo luzonensis and what it meant for human evolution. Dr. Michael James Herrera shared his ongoing study on human mobility using chickens as “bio-proxies”. Both are from the Archaeological Studies Program, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UPD.  On human genetics, Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria and Jazelyn Salvador briefly described their research on the genetics of Mangyans in Mindoro and of Philippine Negritos, respectively. They are both from the DNA Analysis Laboratory (DAL), Natural Sciences Research Institute, College of Science, UPD. Meanwhile, Prof. Jae Joseph Russell Rodriguez of the Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, UP Los Baños, also in collaboration with DAL, discussed his investigation into the human genetic history of the Sulu Archipelago.     The morning open forum with, from left, Jazelyn Salvador, Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria, Dr. Armand Mijares, Prof. Jae Joseph Russell Rodriguez, and Dr. Michael James Herrera (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Talking about the bigger picture, DAL’s Frederick Delfin highlighted the importance of the Filipino Genomes Research Program to making human genomics research more inclusive. Corollary to this, UP Manila National Institutes Health (NIH) Director Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz emphasized the need for a non-European reference sequence in human genetic studies to account for inter-ethnic variability. This is especially crucial to making medical treatment more precise and effective, not just for Filipinos but for underrepresented populations as well.     The afternoon open forum with, from left, Norman King, Prof. Edlyn Jimenez, Dr. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz, Prof. Fatima Alvarez Castillo, Atty. Gibran Abubakar, and Frederick Delfin (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Ethics in research elicited an animated discussion at the event, especially in studies concerning indigenous peoples, whether scientific or cultural. There was a clamor from those present for stricter and a more harmonized and streamlined implementation of rules among concerned government units, such as local governments, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), and the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB), among others.  Resource persons on the subject of ethical research included: Prof. Edlyn Jimenez of NIH, PHREB Chair Leonardo De Castro, Atty. Gibran Abubakar of NCIP, NM’s Dr. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia, and Social Inquiry and Building Capacities for Research, Inc. President Fatima Alvarez Castillo.     Norman King ends the series of presentations in the PGC gathering. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A UP alumnus and now a faculty member of Pampanga State Agricultural University, Norman King, closed the series of talks and presentations with the discussion of his Ayta tribe’s dynamics in hunting wild pig. Even as he presented a cultural perspective from experience, he asked the scientists present, “Is there something in our tribe’s genes that dictates our abilities?” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP fetes invention disclosures, tech transfers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fetes-invention-disclosures-tech-transfers/",
        "html": "UP fetes invention disclosures, tech transfers UP fetes invention disclosures, tech transfers March 6, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   KamoTea, developed by Dr. Casiana Blanca Villarino, Prof. Abigail Rustia, Fredelyn Gascon, and Jan Carlo Aningat of the UP Diliman Department of Food Science and Nutrition with Fresh Q Enterprises, were distributed at the event. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Twenty-three inventions were awarded incentives by the University in the 5th Invention Disclosure Incentive Awarding Ceremony, organized by the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) and held on February 5 at the Philippine Genome Center, UP Diliman (UPD).  Of the 23, six were invention disclosures while the remaining 17 were technology transfers.     “I will do my best for you,” UP President Danilo Concepcion promises the University’s scientists and researchers. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UPD had two awardees for invention disclosures: “Pyoluteorin and Mindapyrrole B and their Use in Single and Combination Antimicrobial Chemotherapy” developed by Noel Lacerna II, Jortan Tun, Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Jose Miguel Robes, and Albebson Lim of the Marine Science Institute (MSI); and, the collaboration between the Institute of Chemistry and MSI, “Neuroactive Synthetic Analogues of TRPV1 Antagonist Nobilamide B” developed by Oliver John Belleza and Dr. Aaron Joseph Villaraza, also with Tun and Concepcion.     Three of the developers of “Pyoluteorin and Mindapyrrole B and their Use in Single and Combination Antimicrobial Chemotherapy” (middle three) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Diliman TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Three of the developers of “Neuroactive Synthetic Analogues of TRPV1 Antagonist Nobilamide B” (middle three) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Diliman TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Three invention disclosures were from UP Los Baños (UPLB). These were “Organic Pest Management for Eggplant Fruit and Shoot Borer” developed by Dr. Pio Javier and Evangeline Punzalan of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology, and Plant Pathology; the joint work of the Institute of Chemistry and Institute of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering titled “Water Evaporation Retardants for Agricultural Applications (AquaSave)” by Dr. Milagros Momongan Peralta, Vicente Ballaran Jr., Moises Dorado, Maris Asuncion Bayhon, and Ronaniel Almeda; and, “HormoGroe” by the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology’s Dr. Lilia Fernando, Dr. Erlinda Paterno, Herald Nygel Bautista, Juan Miguel Parami, Dr. Florinia Merca, and Teofila dC. Villar.     One of the developers of “Organic Pest Management for Eggplant Fruit and Shoot Borer” (middle) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Three of the developers of “Water Evaporation Retardants for Agricultural Applications (AquaSave)” (middle three) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Three of the developers of “HormoGroe” (middle three) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Manila was recognized for the invention disclosure of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BIOTECH) and the Institute of Human Genetics’ “CFI Marker for Leptospirosis Prognosis” by Dr. Jose Nevado Jr., Dr. Nina Gloriani, Dr. Jamie Trifalgar-Arches, Dr. Evalyn Roxas, Dr. Catherine Lynn Silao, and Dr. Maridel Borja.     Two of the developers of “CFI Marker for Leptospirosis Prognosis” (middle two) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Manila TTBDO Director Ludy Tejero (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The six tech transfer awardees from UPD were:  “KamoTea” by Dr. Casiana Blanca Villarino, Prof. Abigail Rustia, Fredelyn Gascon, and Jan Carlo Aningat of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition with Fresh Q Enterprises;  Three of the developers of “KamoTea” (middle three) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Diliman TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “CharM” by Engr. Leo Allen Tayo, Asst. Prof. Niño Christopher Ramos, Engr. Rovinna Janel Cruzate, Engr. Emmanuel Brian Arceo, Engr. Billy Joel Esquivel, Engr. Karl Lyndon Pacolor, and Engr. Raphael Victor Canseco of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, with CHRG Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc.;  Two of the developers of “CharM” (third and fourth from left) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, then UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and now Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UPD TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Smart Surface” by Dr. Nestor Michael Tiglao and Charles Kevin Verdad of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute with Adapsense Technologies, Inc.;  One of the developers of “Smart Surface” (third from left) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, then UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and now Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UPD TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Fish-i” by Dr. Prospero Naval Jr. and Dr. Laura David of the Department of Computer Science and Marine Science Institute with Fish-i, Inc.;  The developers of “Fish-i” (third and fourth from left) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, then UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and now Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UPD TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “CLINN-GEM” by Engr. Herman Mendoza of the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering with the local government of Benguet and the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, Inc.; and,  The developer of “CLINN-GEM” (third from left) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, then UP Diliman (UPD) Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and now Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UPD TTBDO Director Adeline Pacia (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “LEAP” by Dr. Susan Festin, Dr. Rowena Guevara, and Prof. Mario Carreon of the Department of Computer Science and Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) IV-A; DOST VI, and Cebu IT BPM.Organization Foundation Inc.  UPLB had 11 tech transfer awardees. They were:  “Trichoderma” by Professor Emeritus Virginia Cuevas and Dr. Alfredo Sinohin of the Institute of Biological Sciences and Institute of Plant Breeding with Biospark Corporation;  One of the developers of “Trichoderma” (middle) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Nutrio” by Dr. Virginia Padilla of BIOTECH with Fullbloom Agricultural Corporation;  “ACTICon” by Irene Papa and Teofila Zulaybar of BIOTECH with Golden Agricon;  The developers of “ACTICon” (middle two) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Mykoplus” by Dr. Jocelyn Zarate and Dr. Reynaldo Dela Cruz of BIOTECH with Bio-Z Resources Corporation;  “Fruitect” by Dr. Veronica Sabularse, Dr. Hidelisa Hernandez, and Rhea Mallari of the Institute of Chemistry with QPro Tech Philippines Inc.;  “Pectin from Mango Peels” also by Sabularse, Hernandez, and Mallari, joined by John Kris Bartolome, and also with QPro Tech Philippines Inc.;  Two of the developers of “Fruitect” and “Pectin from Mango Peels “ (middle two) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Microbial Rennet” by Dr. Susana Mercado of BIOTECH with Aust-Phil Food Manufacturing Corporation;  The developer of “Microbial Rennet” (middle) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Sinta Papaya” by Dr. Violeta Villegas of the Institute of Plant Breeding with East-West Seed;  The developer of “Sinta Papaya” (middle) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Hirang Papaya” by Dr. Pablito Magdalita of the Institute of Plant Breeding, also with East-West Seed;  “Timyas Papaya” also by Magdalita with East-West Seed; and,  “Liyag Papaya” again by Magdalita with East-West Seed.  The developers of “Hirang Papaya,” “Timyas Papaya,” and “Liyag Papaya” (middle four) with, from left, UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis Sison, UP President Danilo Concepcion, VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and UP Los Baños TTBDO representative Jalyza Maye Jalbuena (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The event also featured the kick-off of the TTBDO-supervised University Innovation Fellowship Program, which is open to faculty members and researchers on a tenure track in identified fields of expertise. The program will connect University innovators with potential industry partners. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB marks 112th year, exhibits future-proofing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-marks-112th-year-exhibits-future-proofing/",
        "html": "UPLB marks 112th year, exhibits future-proofing UPLB marks 112th year, exhibits future-proofing March 25, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Screenshots from the livestream of the UPLB’s 112th foundation anniversary convocation. Watch the replay on the UPLB Facebook page.      UP Los Baños celebrated its 112th founding anniversary on March 6, 2021 with the theme of “future-proofing” itself.  According to UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. in his opening remarks for the foundation day convocation at Baker Hall, the theme “reflects the various activities and initiatives which we have undertaken in this time of pandemic as well as the natural calamities that have beset the country the past year: our anti-COVID-19 measures, disaster relief operations, remote learning initiatives, the webinars that helped capacitate our personnel and students, and government and institutional partnerships.”     UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho delivers his opening remarks. Screenshot from the livestream of the UPLB’s 112th foundation anniversary convocation. Watch the replay on the UPLB Facebook page.     Pointing out how UPLB “rose to the occasion” and coped with changes that would “ripple throughout society” beyond the pandemic, he said, “I know that UPLB—with compassionate hearts and determined spirits—can prepare for [future] challenges and then surpass them once they arrive.”  In his message to the UPLB constituents during the convocation, UP President Danilo Concepcion reiterated his vision of a “UP for the future”, which is a future-proof UP. He described a university which is able to keep up with changes brought about by modern technology, global trends, climate change, and crises such as global pandemics.  “We will never sacrifice the quality of UP education. . . . We will never compromise the quality of our graduates,” Concepcion emphasized.     UP President Danilo Concepcion reiterates is vision of “a UP for the future”. Screenshot from the livestream of the UPLB’s 112th foundation anniversary convocation. Watch the replay on the UPLB Facebook page.     He enumerated what UP had done in the past year which gave a glimpse of UP as “future-proof”. These included employing modes of teaching-learning, research, and public service appropriate for a time of pandemic.  Foremost among UP’s distinct public service activities during the year was leading the fight against COVID-19, specifically by the doctors, health workers, and health researchers in the UP Philippine General Hospital and the UP National Institutes of Health, which share expertise with the UP Philippine Genome Center.  “Our faculty, administrative personnel, officials, and even our students and alumni are working together in applying creative and appropriate solutions that can be part of what we shall call as ‘better new normal’,” Concepcion added, in Filipino. He commended such initiatives in UPLB, including the opening of its laboratories for pandemic viral testing.  Honorary degree for EQJ  In the afternoon, also at Baker Hall, the University conferred upon National Scientist and UPLB alumnus Emil Javier an honorary Doctor of Laws for, in summary, “his invaluable and lifelong service and commitment to improve the livelihood of Filipino farmers and fishers”.     National Scientist and former UP President Emil Q. Javier accepting his honorary degree. Watch the replay of the conferment ceremony on the UPLB Facebook page.      Javier is known as an institution builder, credited for his essential roles in the establishment of the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding, the UPLB National Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the UPLB Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute, the UPLB National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory, the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the UP Learning Resource Centers, the UP Manila National Institutes of Health, the UP Open University, and UP Mindanao.  He was: the chancellor of UPLB from 1979 to 1985; chair of the National Science Development Board, revamped as National Science and Technology Authority to become the precursor of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), from 1981 to 1986; UP President from 1993 to 1999; and, the president of the National Academy of Science and Technology from 2005 to 2012. He was conferred the Order of National Scientist in 2019.  Javier’s scientific profile by DOST highlights his contributions in tropical agricultural research and crop production, which “find applications in agronomy, plant breeding, seed production and management of tropical grasses and legumes, and in the utilization and grazing management of native Imperata grassland”.  Series of foundation day events  The UPLB 112th founding anniversary was also marked by recognition of the Japanese government’s support to UPLB since the 1980s. A new Nihon torii and Nihon Koen marker were inaugurated in the presence of Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko, who was also the guest speaker during the convocation.     Special guest, Amb. Koshikawa Kazuhiko, addresses the UPLB community. Screenshot from the livestream of the UPLB’s 112th foundation anniversary convocation. Watch the replay on the UPLB Facebook page.      The newly recognized outstanding UPLB personnel pose with their trophies. Special guest, Amb. Koshikawa Kazuhiko, addresses the UPLB community. Screenshot from the livestream of the UPLB’s 112th foundation anniversary convocation. Watch the replay on the UPLB Facebook page.     An awarding of outstanding UPLB personnel followed the presentation of a token of appreciation to the ambassador.  Earlier, at the SEARCA building, the Jose Sotero Laurel III Professorial Chair in Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship was launched. UPLB alumnus and UP Regent Francis Laurel had sponsored the chair to recognize professors who make significant contributions to the development of agribusiness management and entrepreneurship.  On the same day, one-stop-shop products of UPLB were also launched; and an online founding anniversary exhibit went live at https://exhibit.uplb.edu.ph/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "What every frontliner needs to know about the Delta variant in upcoming UP webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-every-frontliner-needs-to-know-about-the-delta-variant-in-upcoming-up-webinar/",
        "html": "What every frontliner needs to know about the Delta variant in upcoming UP webinar What every frontliner needs to know about the Delta variant in upcoming UP webinar July 15, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The COVID-19 Delta variant. Known to be about 50% more contagious than the Alpha variant that was first identified in the UK. The Delta variant, or B.1.617.2, has mutations on the spike protein that make it easier for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect human cells. It has now been tagged by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a “variant of concern”.  At the same time when the world races to vaccinate against COVID-19, this highly contagious version of the virus is sweeping the globe and is feared to be moving faster for vaccination efforts to catch up with it.  So what exactly is the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 and what should every frontline worker know about this new phenomenon? Are the symptoms different? Is it transmitted the same way as the Alpha variant? Why are more young people affected? Can it cause more severe symptoms? Can it cause serious health problems to persons who are already fully vaccinated?  These questions and more will be answered in the 61st episode of the University of the Philippines (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, to be held on Friday, 16 July 2021, at 12:00 noon.  The 61st “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar will be a virtual international conference, titled “THE DELTA VARIANT: What Every Frontliner Needs to Know”.  Dr. Franco Felizarta, Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine Specialist and a member of the UP Medical Alumni Society in America (UPMASA), will be the presenter. The panel of reactors include: Dr. Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz, Executive Director of the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and Director of the Health Program of the UP Philippine Genome Center; Dr. Lai Poh San, Head of the Human Molecular Genetics Lab, Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and Adjunct Faculty of the Genome Institute of Singapore; Dr. Abishek Rimal, Regional Coordinator of the Emergency Health for Asia Pacific, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; and, Dr. Niño Dal Dayanghirang, Programme Management Officer of the World Health Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Dr. Ernesto Domingo, National Scientist and UP Professor Emeritus, will deliver the opening remarks, while UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will give the closing remarks.  Those interested to watch this virtual international conference can register here.  This UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar can also be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to highlight world-class Filipino COVID-19 innovations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-highlight-world-class-filipino-covid-19-innovations/",
        "html": "UP webinar to highlight world-class Filipino COVID-19 innovations UP webinar to highlight world-class Filipino COVID-19 innovations July 29, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Battling COVID-19 requires attacking it on all fronts—from healthcare workers on the ground to policymakers and government units and, of course, with the cooperation of the whole community. However, behind the scenes, local scientists and researchers have also been a huge helping hand in this pandemic. Their innovations in technology have and are continuously enabling cost-effective and evidence-based care for Filipino patients.  This week’s special topic episode of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, titled “LAGING HANDA: World Class Filipino COVID-19 Innovations”, is shining the spotlight on the brilliant minds of local scientists who have produced, invented, and are constantly researching ways on how to innovate equipment that can help better protect frontliners, utilize technology that can make patient care more efficient, and bring health care closer to homes through teleconsultation services.  The webinar will be held on tomorrow, Friday, 30 July, at 12:00 noon. To register, visit this link bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar63 or head over to TVUP’s Facebook and Youtube accounts for the livestream.  Four scientists will talk about their local inventions: Dr. Edward Wang, head of UP SIBOL in the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will share his team’s journey in the development of SaniPod, a no-touch self-contained disinfection cubicle that adds an extra layer of protection against COVID-19.  He will be followed by Dr. Samuel Arsenio Grozman of the UP PGH’s Department of Orthopedics. He will present his Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR), a device that protects its user against airborne contaminants.  Dr. Nathaniel Orillaza Jr’s myBESHIE, or My Bot Ensuring Safety and Health in Isolated Environments, will also be shared and discussed. It is a telepresence device that allows health care providers to interact with isolated patients remotely.  Lastly, Dr. Abundio Balgos, President and CEO of The Health Centrum Hospital and Wellness Center, will talk about GINHAWA, an alternative and compact ventilator very much needed by many COVID patients.  Dr. April Llaneta, Dr. Kimberly Mae Ong, Dr. Mark Anthony Sandoval, and Dr. Camilo Roa, Jr. will further discuss these products’ benefits.  The opening remarks will be delivered by Dr. Raul Destura of the UP Philippine Genome Center, while UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla will give the closing synthesis. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP virtual conference to discuss ‘stealth’ omicron – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-virtual-conference-to-discuss-stealth-omicron/",
        "html": "UP virtual conference to discuss ‘stealth’ omicron UP virtual conference to discuss ‘stealth’ omicron February 16, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  These past few weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been monitoring an Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, better known as “stealth” Omicron because of its genetic mutations that potentially make it harder to distinguish using PCR tests.  This sub-lineage of Omicron is now present in 57 nations, including the Philippines. While the WHO says that there is no indication of a change or increase in severity and transmissibility compared to the original, stealth Omicron is still quickly becoming the dominant variant in several countries as cases continue to rise.  While experts continue to research and monitor new developments every day, it is still essential to keep an eye out and make plans should another surge come our way. What does this all mean? What is the difference between “stealth” Omicron and other Omicron variants? How are our hospitals faring, and what is the update on the country’s vaccination and booster rollout?  This episode of UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series will be a Virtual International Conference, with speakers from the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the Philippines. Titled “Stealth’ Omicron Variant: What Every Frontliner Needs to Know,” the webinar will feature Dr. Martin Hibberd from the London School of Tropical Medicine, Dr. Hsu Li Yang, Associate Dean of the College of Medicine,  National University of Singapore, and Dr. Cynthia Saloma, Executive Director of the UP Philippine Genome Center (PGC). These experts will discuss this sub-variant and share what has been happening on-ground.  This Friday, February 18, 2022, the webinar will be from 12 pm to 2 pm. Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account and TVUP’s YouTube and Facebook pages.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP inaugurates Genomics facility – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-inaugurates-genomics-facility/",
        "html": "UP inaugurates Genomics facility UP inaugurates Genomics facility February 27, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   A researcher uses the Illumina® MiSeq FGxTM Forensic Genomics System, one of the next-generation sequencing equipment at the SGCL. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Shared Genomics Core Laboratory (SGCL) at the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), UP Diliman was inaugurated on February 20 and officially handed over by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to the University.     Clockwise from top: (1) The SGCL marker is unveiled by (from left) CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, and UP President Danilo Concepcion, with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and DOH Assistant Secretary Lyndon Lee Suy. (2) CHED Chair de Vera hands the set of keys to the SGCL rooms to UP President Concepcion. (3) The ribbon at the SGCL entrance is cut by (from left) CHED Chair de Vera, DOST Secretary de la Peña, UP President Concepcion, and UP Manila Chancellor Padilla. Behind them are (from left) SGCL project leader, and UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Research and National Institutes of Health Executive Director Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz, PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma, and UP VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The facility, comprised of seven rooms, is the product of a grant from CHED-Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (CHED-PCARI). In its marker, the SGCL is described “as a purpose-built resource which seeks to strengthen national laboratory capacity for high-throughput genomics research, and expand collaborations, networking and information exchanges within the Philippine scientific community, Government and Private Universities and Colleges, and Research Institutions in the country.”     SGCL project leader, and UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Research and National Institutes of Health Executive Director Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz shows (from left) CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, and UP President Danilo Concepcion the next-generation sequencing equipment during a tour of the facility. Bottom photo: A light moment captured after DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara (rightmost) tells UP President Concepcion beside her that more plantilla items are needed by the PGC. He, in turn, asks DBM Undersecretary Lilia Guilllermo (leftmost) for the said items, as DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development Executive Director Jaime Montoya looks on. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “This is a promising time in the use of genomics,” says PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma in her welcome remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Genomics research is vital to human, animal, and plant health. During outbreaks, for example, genomics can help in the identification of known and unknown pathogens needed for rapid response, control, and treatment. Genomics and next-generation sequencing are also integral to the achievement of precision medicine, where a patient’s genes determine drug therapy and dosage.     SGCL project leader, and UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Research and National Institutes of Health Executive Director Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz illustrates in her report the process of precision medicine using the Cancer Genomics Program as an example. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In the program, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, leader of the CHED-PCARI SGCL project, revealed that one of the lab’s initiatives toward precision medicine is on pharmacogenomics-driven treatment for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Their goal, she said, is treatment that prescribes “the right drug at the right dose for the right Filipino”.  Cutiongco-de la Paz also announced that the SGCL will be instrumental to the PGC’s flagship project, FILIPINOme, which aims to sequence 7,107 Filipino genomes. By doing so, she said, the project can “increase understanding of genetic variations that lead to new treatments and diagnostics; promote greater public understanding of the benefits of genomic medicine and facilitate the integration of genomic medicine into health system; and stimulate discoveries and innovations in the Philippine life science industry.”     “We don’t do research to satisfy academic curiosity. We do research to find solutions to the woes of our people,” UP President Danilo Concepcion reminds scientists and researchers. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “This is an affirmation that the CHED-PCARI program was a good decision from the start,” says CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III, who has been part of the initiative since he was UP VP for Public Affairs. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “The Department is paying close attention to the utilization of research,” reveals DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Precision medicine will be groundbreaking for our country,” declares DOH Assistant Secretary Lyndon Lee Suy. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “PGC still needs a lot of help, especially with items for its employees,” says UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. She was instrumental in the establishment of the PGC and was its first executive director. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “We are accountable to the Filipino people,” UP VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista emphasizes in her closing remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     As its name indicates, the SGCL is a shared facility that is open to Filipinos doing genomics research. It also offers low-cost, high-quality sequencing services, conducts training and instruction on next-generation sequencing methods and analysis, and complements current resources that support innovations in teaching genomics. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Dennis John F. Sumaylo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-forum-roundtable-discussion-on-ups-legacy-of-music-prof-dennis-john-f-sumaylo/",
        "html": "The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Dennis John F. Sumaylo The UP FORUM Roundtable Discussion on UP’s Legacy of Music: Prof. Dennis John F. Sumaylo January 14, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       1.What musical event in UP do you look forward to or regularly attend? Why?  In UP Mindanao, students always look forward to the celebration of the February Arts Festival in which different art groups mount concerts. This is also a chance for other students to take part in the music scene in the University.     2. Name one or two composers, performers, (individual or group), or mentors from UP who have largely contributed to Philippine music. Discuss briefly his or her contribution.  Prof. Andrea Veneracion and Mark Anthony Carpio, choirmasters of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Their work with the Madz and the vision of Prof. Andrea Veneracion of a singing Philippines helped in the promotion of choral music and Filipino arrangers not just in the country but all over the world.     3. Aside from the current program offerings of the College of Music, what else, do you think, should the College offer or promote?  I would like the College of Music to go out and visit provinces in Mindanao and organize music camps for the marginalized population in geographically isolated communities.  I hope that the College of Music will offer short summer courses, or even degrees, in Mindanao for those who cannot afford to send their kids to Diliman. There are UP campuses in Mindanao that can host a College of Music degree program. For instance, UP Mindanao is hosting UPLB’s PhD in Development Studies program. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum Special 20th Anniversary Issue is now online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-special-20th-anniversary-issue-is-now-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum Special 20th Anniversary Issue is now online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum Special 20th Anniversary Issue is now online April 11, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    It’s a milestone year for the UP Forum! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its creation as a monthly community publication for and by the UP Community, the UP Forum’s January-March 2019 issue is featuring some of its most notable and relevant past articles. These articles span two decades and focus on still-controversial national issues and reflections on the nature and role of UP as national university.        Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.   copy here "
    },
    {
        "title": "Is This Man the ‘Father of UP’? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/is-this-man-the-father-of-up-2/",
        "html": "Is This Man the ‘Father of UP’? Is This Man the ‘Father of UP’? May 27, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Oil portrait found at the Pangasinan Governors Gallery, Capitol Building, Lingayen, Pangasinan. Photo from Ms. Joy Napolitano, Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, Pangasinan     Murray Bartlett, the first President of UP. Ignacio Villamor, the first Filipino UP President. Guillermo Tolentino, sculptor of the Oblation. Great men in UP’s history, all of them. But none of them is known as the ‘Father of UP.’ Is there even anyone who deserves such an honor?  Enter Juan Alvear, a famous espiritista and former Pangasinan congressman. According to Philippine studies scholar Dr. Maria Crisanta Nelmida-Flores, this remarkable individual was actually behind the establishment of the University in the early 20th century. Here are a few fast facts about Alvear:  According to Flores’s research, Alvear was from San Fabian, Pangasinan and a member of the Malolos Congress. He founded several schools, including the School of Arts and Trades in Lingayen. He is better remembered (if at all) as a major figure in Philippine Spiritism, having also founded the first Spiritist Center in San Fabian, Pangasinan in 1901. The book, Pangasinan, 1901-1986: A Political, Socioeconomic and Cultural History, by Rosario M. Cortes described Alvear as a former Philippine revolutionary who became a member of the Partido Nacionalista during the American occupation. The Partido Nacionalista advocated absolute independence from the United States. As a member of this party, Alvear won a seat as a delegate in the First Philippine Assembly as a representative of Pangasinan’s 3rd district. Alvear made higher education history as a representative by first proposing the need for a ‘national university.’ This came after his equally important proposal that a ‘national hospital’ was also needed by the nation. His latter proposal eventually became Act No. 1688, which was passed in 1907. This Act appropriated the sum of P780,000 for the construction of the Philippine General Hospital. The former resulted in Act No. 1870, which was passed in 1908. It established the University of the Philippines—an institution to provide “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and the arts, and to give professional and technical training.” The seeds of what we know now as the UP System had been planted. After his tenure in the House, Alvear ran for Pangasinan provincial governor and won. Details of his life after the governorship are sparse but sources indicate he passed away in 1918. Today, in spite of his role, this leading candidate for the title of the ‘Father of UP’ is all but forgotten. Flores hopes that more historians would be inspired to look into Juan Alvear’s life and tell us more about this all-important figure in our history.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum October-December 2017 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Champions League: Athletic Excellence beyond the UAAP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/champions-league-athletic-excellence-beyond-the-uaap/",
        "html": "Champions League: Athletic Excellence beyond the UAAP Champions League: Athletic Excellence beyond the UAAP May 27, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is a collegiate league giant. And in UP, athletes who compete here get the most attention and support.  UP doesn’t lack non-UAAP athletes who bring honor and glory to the University and the country. But they are hardly recognized, perennially falling under the UAAP’s shadow. A look at some of them reveals athleticism that is no less excellent and exciting.     The first Southeast Asian women to reach the summit of Mt. Everest: (from left) Carina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino, and Noelle Wenceslao. (Photo by Peewee Wenceslao)     Climbing the highest mountain  Alumna Noelle Wenceslao was literally on top of the world. On May 16, 2007, she was the first Southeast Asian woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Minutes later, she was joined by fellow alumna Janet Belarmino and teammate Carina Dayondon. They were part of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition.  Not only were they the first Southeast Asian women to reach the world’s highest peak. They were also the first women to traverse it—ascending on the north side (Tibet) and descending on the south side (Nepal).  Looking at this petite, energetic, and unassuming woman, one wouldn’t think she had climbed the highest mountain in the world. Noelle doesn’t want to say “conquered.”  “To conquer it makes it sound adversarial. Nature isn’t something you’d want to go against. You’re at its mercy.” Noelle should know. She suffered from pulmonary edema due to the cold, thin air during the expedition.  “Climbing Mt. Everest wasn’t just a personal accomplishment. We represented the Philippines and showed our nation can overcome the impossible and face the most difficult hurdles life throws our way.”     Amaya “Aya” Paz. (Photo from Aya Paz)     Hitting the target  Amaya “Aya” Paz is taking a break from archery for a semester. She needs to finish her remaining subjects and earn her BS Psychology degree in October.  For someone who has been in the sport for less than ten years, Aya has accomplished much. In the last Southeast Asian Games, she bagged the individual women’s gold in the compound bow event and helped her team win a collective gold in the same category. As the youngest member of the Philippine Team, this is certainly impressive. In 2005, she swept all the individual events in the compound bow category at the Asian Grand Prix.  And all these came from one boring summer in 2001, when Aya, who liked to keep busy, was faced with the prospect of doing nothing and just decided to try archery.  “It’s true that sports [on the national level] aren’t given enough support—financially and facilities-wise. In our case, we don’t only compete, we also look for sponsors. We manage our finances. That way, we can enter as many prestigious competitions as possible.”  Aya admits she has never considered tapping UP as a source of financial support. As she is the only national team member from UP, Aya feels it would be unreasonable to expect the University to support the whole team.  After graduation, Aya looks forward to going back to archery. “If I feel that I have accomplished all that I could in the national and regional events, it’s time to enter the larger arena and compete with the world’s best.”     Danny Dematera. (Photo from Danny Dematera)     Catching the ultimate throw  Danny Dematera has been an athlete for twenty-one years and working at the Institute of Mathematics for the past seventeen. As full-time staff member, Danny has to report for work eight hours a day, five days a week. For an athlete, this is doubly hard.  He plays ultimate frisbee, or what is simply called “ultimate.” Since its beginnings in the Philippines five years ago, Danny has been actively involved in the sport. Prior to that, he was an adventure racer, a rower, and a triathlete. He started out as a member of the track and field team of the UP Integrated School and eventually went on to other sports.  His team, UP Sunken Pleasures, just won the overall championship at the Ultimate Summer League this year. The team, composed of UP students, faculty members, and administrative staff, is working on getting accreditation from the University as an official sports organization.  Danny also coaches the UP Dragon Boat team, which is often selected to represent the country in international competitions. The team has received financial support from the University.  Though he was invited to join the National Dragon Boat Team, Danny begged off. “The living conditions aren’t exactly appropriate for someone who works hard to bring honor to the country.”  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum May-June 2008 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Science in UP: Thriving despite Constraints – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/science-in-up-thriving-despite-constraints/",
        "html": "Science in UP: Thriving despite Constraints Science in UP: Thriving despite Constraints May 27, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    “I expect the Filipino scientist to contribute towards establishing a scientific culture in the Philippines,” Dr. Caesar A. Saloma, director of the National Institute of Physics (NIP), said when he received the first Concepcion Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2001.  Indeed, Saloma wasn’t and isn’t alone in this expectation. In science teaching and scientific research, he’s joined by hundreds of colleagues in UP, long the acknowledged leader in this field of endeavor in the Philippines. But in this new millennium, what is the state of science in UP, and how does UP stand in science against the rest of the best in the region?     Dr. Pablito Magdalita shows one of the papaya varieties he is working on in his laboratory at the Institute of Plant Breeding, UP Los Baños. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     High marks  UP clearly leads in science education and research in the country. Science majors from UP consistently win awards for outstanding performance in their research efforts. Just as significant as these awards are the publications posted by University scientists, teachers, and students in internationally refereed scientific journals.  Aside from these, several units of the University have become national centers of excellence by virtue of presidential proclamations. These include the National Institute of Geological Sciences, the Marine Science Institute (MSI), the Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI), the NIP, the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), and the National Institutes of Health. Other departments across the UP System have also been declared centers of excellence and development by the Commission on Higher Education.     The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology building at the National Science Complex in UP Diliman, which was inaugurated in 2012 (Photo by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)     Technology and talent  The quality of research done in UP relies on the communion of technology and talent. UP has striven to match the brainpower it has to generate outstanding scientific outputs with the facilities to accomplish them. The University prides itself in being the only university with a DNA Analysis Laboratory (DAL) as well as being the only institution in the country with a Femtosecond Laser Facility and a High-Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) receiving station.  Triumph over tragedy  The DAL’s mettle as the Philippines’ own “CSI” was put to the test in a heartrending tragedy a few years ago. In December 1998, a fire gutted the orphanage run by the Asocacion de Damas de Filipinas, a social welfare institution in Paco, Manila. The fire killed 25 children and five adults, whose remains were charred beyond recognition. Three months after burial, the bodies were exhumed, and the DAL used painstaking DNA analysis to identify the victims; eventually, 18 bodies were given names.     One of the laser facilities at the National Institute of Physics (Photo from UP NIP)     Lasers and oceans  In the field of physics, UP’s NIP boasts of its P18-million femtosecond laser—one of a handful around the region. Lasers have played a major part in research and NIP, in fact, owns several types. Its latest acquisition, however, is a huge step forward in the study of physics because it emits high peak powers of light energy in short intervals—one-quadrillionth of a second, too fast for the naked eye.  In marine science, UP is proud of the MSI’s HRPT. The remote sensing facility receives pictures taken by satellites at least twice a day. The images are processed by determining the amount of chlorophyll detected in the water. This is important because areas with the most chlorophyll are those with the most plankton. And where plankton is abundant, fish are plenty. The resulting images pinpoint potential fishing grounds for Filipino fishing fleets.     Protein Enriched Copra Meal (left), a product developed by Dr. Laura Pham and her team at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UP Los Baños, was originally intended as feed for swine and poultry. A team at the Institute of Aquaculture, UP Visayas led by Prof. Valeriano Corre Jr. and Dr. Rex Traifalgar found the feed promising as well for tilapia, milkfish, and shrimp aquaculture. (Left photo from Dr. Laura Pham, right photos from UPV Institute of Aquaculture)     High-value products  In UP Los Baños (UPLB), BIOTECH has done some impressive studies of its own. The Environmental Biotechnology Program undertakes activities like evaluating the potentials and environmental impact of distillery waters, effective waste management, utilization and recycling of waste materials as fertilizers, and the deodorization of livestock waste.  The UPLB College of Veterinary Medicine has a Virology Laboratory that studies in-depth molecular biology in the areas of animal vaccine, animal biotechnology, and animal disease diagnosis. Also being undertaken is research on Multiple Ovulation-Embryo Transfer to hasten the genetic improvement of livestock, promote the conservation of animals with superior or unique genetic traits, and provide an alternative to the importation of cattle.  UP Visayas leads in the study of fisheries and aquaculture so it’s no wonder that many of UPV’s research efforts have been recognized here and abroad. UP Manila, meanwhile, leads in the medical sciences and public health. It is looking forward to the completion of the Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal this year, among its many projects. It will serve as a specialized facility for ophthalmology and will become the field’s research center in the University.     A researcher at the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding dissects a banana stem. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Money and manpower  Despite all these achievements, UP still faces formidable obstacles—mostly financial—to the growth of science education and scientific research. Its annual subsidy from the national government has never been enough, especially given the pace of developments in science and technology around the world. UP cannot afford to lag too far behind.  Of course, money matters in research, but so does manpower. Lured by better pay and better labs, some scientists and researchers have taken their talents elsewhere. Despite those who have left for greener pastures, NSRI Director Ernelea Cao stresses the value of those who have remained, the ones who have stuck with UP because they love their work and appreciate their mission as the avatars of science in a developing country.     The latest batch of UP Diliman scientists and researchers receive incentives for invention disclosure in December 2018 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The path to excellence  Dr. Edgardo Gomez, former MSI director, has this vision of the path to excellence:  “Everything considered, UP is not a bad home for science, especially in a developing country context. We have relatively free rein on directions to take, the only major limitation for some being logistical support. But for creative scientists who have the drive and vision, there is scope for progress in the international arena, making contributions to specific fields of research that are of interest globally. The recent surge in the marine sciences and in physics attests to this.  “I continue to hold the position that the support services that should make the life of scientists (and of other academics) more pleasant and productive are sorely inadequate, although there is a slow progress in some areas.  “It’s the intellectual assets that are the salient strengths of this university. We manage to capture some bright minds every so often, but it’s sad to note that we also lose a significant percentage of them because of the weaknesses I mention above. The leadership should face this situation squarely, and it should consider being elitist rather than populist in its approach if we are to make real headway in the intellectual world.”  Making that kind of headway is a tough challenge for UP’s scientists and administrators—but one which, against all odds, UP has been surmounting, bravely and boldly.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum January-February 2004 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Rainbow Connections: Making UP Safe for LGBTQs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rainbow-connections-making-up-safe-for-lgbtqs/",
        "html": "Rainbow Connections: Making UP Safe for LGBTQs Rainbow Connections: Making UP Safe for LGBTQs May 27, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Participants in UP’s Pride March of June 2013. Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO.     As the country’s premier secular institution of higher learning, UP takes pride in being a haven of liberalism, open-mindedness and independent thinking. But the university is hardly free from the discrimination, ostracism, harassment and violence inflicted upon LGBTQs. Nevertheless, where else but in UP can we begin to create a safe place where LGBTQ rights and identities are not only recognized and tolerated but actively affirmed, included and promoted as well?  Three contexts for LGBTQs  “In the LGBTQ literature, we make a distinction among three kinds of contexts,” says UP Diliman Department of Psychology Prof. Eric Manalastas. “On one hand, we have contexts that are hostile to LGBTQs, such as in places where you have policies against cross-dressing or same-sex relationships, or where there is a certain amount of jeopardy in being ‘outed’ as an LGBTQ in the institution. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the LGBTQ-affirmative context” such as an institution with “an explicit inclusion policy, a policy that says we do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, among others.”  Somewhere between the two extremes is a middle ground marked more by a mild or negligent tolerance of LGBTQs. LGBTQs are not exactly marginalized, but are not fully integrated into the mainstream either. LGBTQ rights and issues are regarded as esoteric, frivolous or even as the latest in-thing, and discussions of these never go beyond the superficial.  Hence, Manalastas regards the issue in terms of bringing the LGBTQs into the center “of creating those spaces that are LGBTQ-specific, and then the spaces that integrate LGBTQs issues into the mainstream”—of transforming the environments for LGBTQs, including UP, from hostile or neutral to affirmative.  One way to do this is by addressing the lack of concrete data, including actual number of cases of sexual harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ students, faculty and staff within the UP campuses. LGBTQ discrimination and harassment can take several forms, from the non-recognition of one’s gender identity to the “classical” forms of stigmatization based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including exclusion from or ostracism by a group or organization, ridiculing and name-calling, bullying, violence and sexual assault. Unfortunately, formal complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ students, faculty and staff in the UP campuses are rare, and officially resolved cases are even rarer.  Sharing stories  Still, many stories are shared by the LGBTQ victims of sexual harassment and discrimination or by friends and witnesses, with the intention to vent, to seek counsel, to protect the victim or to inform. Very few of these stories were shared with the intention of actually filing a case.  One common situation among the UP campuses is that of peer harassment between two LGBTQ students, with one forcing his or her unwanted attentions on another. The stories of LGBTQ discrimination—from ridiculing, stigmatizing and bullying LGBTQs to failing to recognize or respect their gender identities—are also common.  For UPLB Gender Center Director Maria Helen Dayo, the lack of LGBTQ cases filed with the OASH may be due to under-reporting. “Only an insignificant percentage gets reported, if you look at it in terms of the population on campus.”  UPV Gender and Development Program Director Diane Aure concurs: “In some informal interviews, some students think that it might affect their grades if they report an incident where the perpetrator is a faculty member.”  Others in a similar bind simply choose to grin and bear it, perhaps out of a sense of shame and humiliation, or for fear of retaliation or of making the situation worse. Some LGBTQ students who experienced harassment, discrimination, violence, bullying or abuse opted to transfer to another university. “It’s a kind of double-victimization,” says former UP Baguio Kasarian Gender Studies Center convenor Prof. Jennifer Josef. “The students become victims of violence, and because they don’t want to complain and don’t see any support or progress in their case, they just leave UP, so they are deprived of a UP education.”  Oble joins the celebration of Pride March in June 2013. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Coming out of the closet one semester at a time  Despite these, UP remains a sanctuary of openness, acceptance and liberalism for members of the LGBTQ community. This leads to another common story for LGBTQ students in UP: their dual life as openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered while in UP, and as “proper” boys and girls who conform to traditional hetero-normative rules when at home with their parents and families, who, more often than not, are unaware of their children’s sexual orientation and gender identity.  As for UP helping its LGBTQ students deal with their families’ lack of acceptance, “definitely we can do something,” says Manalastas. “Our students are part of our community, and I don’t think we can make an artificial divide between the moment they step inside the campus and outside the campus. We should be concerned about our students, that is why we equip them with the tools they can use outside the campus—critical thinking and resourcefulness, for example, and all those analytical tools that we give them.”  At heart, LGBTQ issues in UP are about creating a safe, open space where people of all sexual orientations and genders are shielded against homophobia, transphobia, sexism and sexual harassment, beginning in the classroom. “The challenge is extending this shield outside the four corners of the classroom, to create a safe space for LGBTQs,” Manalastas says.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum March-April 2012 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Flight as Fight for Survival – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/flight-as-fight-for-survival/",
        "html": "Flight as Fight for Survival Flight as Fight for Survival May 28, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu   Filipinos unite to call for nationwide wage and salary hikes and an end to the contractualization policy on May 1, Labor Day 2018, Manila. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     (This article reviews the domestic and overseas Filipino workers’ situations as of 2012. It also articulates hope through policy interventions pertaining to wage hikes and better opportunities as feasible solutions that will help the working-age population in the daily fight for survival here in the Philippines.)  The Filipino workers’ hopes for a better future take them to countries where they think they may improve their economic status. Their flight is most of all a fight for survival.  The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported a total of 2.8 million unemployed Filipinos in 2011 while the April 2012 Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO) estimated that some 7.3 million Filipinos are underemployed out of the 40.6 million it considers part of the labor force.  The same NSO survey showed that the majority of employed and underemployed Filipinos are in the services sector (51.4 percent of employed, 40.2 percent of underemployed) and the agriculture sector (33 percent of employed, 43 percent of underemployed).  UPDATE: The Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) October 2018 LFS indicated that there were 2.2 million unemployed and 5.5 million underemployed, out of the 71.9 million Filipinos who are 15 years old and over. Filipinos in the services sector comprised 56.8 percent, the agriculture sector showed 24.1 percent, while the industry sector registered only 19.1 percent of the total employed.   “Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are not considered part of the labor force in the Philippines.”  IBON Foundation Inc. estimated that 4.64 million Filipinos were unemployed in 2017 and “inflation has increased the family living wage (FLW) needed for meeting basic needs to Php1,175 for a family of six in the National Capital Region (NCR) as of June 2018.”  The country’s more than 300,000 registered nurses remain either unemployed or “mis-employed,” although Philippine government hospitals need a whopping 300-percent increase in the number of nurses to meet the ideal 1:10 nurse to patient ratio.  UPDATE: Nurse-patient ratio in hospitals ranges from 1:50 up to 1:80 as of February 2018, according to #LabanNurses Movement.  These numbers point to what Migrante International (MI) calls the “primary push factor” for workers to seek jobs abroad.  “Underdevelopment—aggravated by the perennial lack of livelihood, income and opportunities—forces Filipinos to migrate, separating them from their loved ones while working in another country.”  According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), a total of 1,470,826 Filipino workers were deployed overseas in 2010.  The data do not include undocumented OFWs whom MI estimates to be as many as 900,000 as of 2007.  UPDATE: The POEA reported that 1,992,746 workers were deployed as OFWs while MI claimed that there were almost 1 million undocumented OFWs in the US alone for the year 2017.     Thousands of protesters joined the “SONA ng Bayan” to dispute President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, 2017 in Batasan, Quezon City. Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO.     MI also says that there are 12 million to 15 million Filipinos overseas, and that 30 percent to 40 percent of the entire Philippine population depends on remittances from their relatives abroad.  Among those interviewed for this story were former employees of the University of the Philippines Manila. One of them served the public sector for four years before flying to Dubai to allow her to meet her family’s growing needs. “Salary was just enough for the most basic commodities; we could hardly make both ends meet,” she said, adding that her take-home pay was only good for paying off their bills and debts. That is why she decided to work abroad.  Outside the Philippines, she said, “There are many companies that offer better salaries and benefits.  Even skilled workers are empowered and can attain a better life.”  Aside from economic reasons, she decided to leave the Philippines because she no longer sees it as a safe country.  “The Myth of Migration for Development” report by IBON and MI states that “the income benefits from remittances for households are arguably considerably offset by the social harm for families due to separation for long periods of time.”  “The country still suffers economic backwardness despite increasing migration and remittances over the last decades and since the start of the government’s labor export policy in the mid-1970s,” the report states.  She and many other overseas Filipinos hope to see the progress and opportunities they saw abroad become attainable here in the Philippines.  She proposes the “leveling of employees’ wages to the cost of living, coupled with the provision of better benefits and proper protection.” She says that policy-makers should “create a better system that allows employees to have a progressive career and not just a stagnant job.”  “If employees are given better wages, better benefits and better career paths, I think nobody has to leave,” she says.  UPDATE: Filipino workers, legislators, and peoples’ organizations are pushing for a national daily minimum wage of Php750 and the abolition of the regional wage boards for the private sector, and for substantially increasing the monthly salaries of public sector personnel, along with hikes in benefits and allowances, as urgent and realistic measures for families to be able to cope up with rising prices.  References:  1  National Statistics Office. (2012, April). Labor Force Survey. Retrieved June 11, 2012 from http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/2012/lf120202.pdf   2  Philippine Statistics Authority. (2018, December). Employment Rate in October 2018 was Estimated at 94.9 percent. Retrieved January 29, 2019 from https://psa.gov.ph/content/employment-rate-october-2018-was-estimated-949-percent  3  IBON Foundation. (2018 – 2019). Retrieved January 29, 2019 from http://ibon.org/2019/01/the-jobs-crisis-is-real-but-disguised/ and http://ibon.org/file/2015/11/2018-Midyear-Birdtalk-Illusory-Growth-Emergent-Authoritarianism.pdf  4 #LabanNurses Movement. (2018, February). Overworked, underpaid nurses. Retrieved January 29, 2019 from Inquirer.net https://opinion.inquirer.net/110714/overworked-underpaid-nurses  5 Migrante International. (2012, June 7). SUMA: Summing-Up of the State of Migrants Under Aquino (2010-June 2012). Retrieved June 11, 2012, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/96254642/SUMA-Summing-Up-of-the-State-of-Migrants-Under-Aquino-2010-June-2012  6 Philippine Star and Migrante International. Retrieved January 29, 2019 from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/09/24/1854138/ofw-deployment-drops-after-10-year-growth and https://migranteinternational.org/2017/06/30/suma-2017-a-year-of-big-talk-band-aids-and-business-as-usual-for-ofws-and-families/  7  IBON Foundation and Migrante International. (2009, July). The Myth of Migration for Development. Retrieved June 13, 2012, from http://iboninternational.org/resources/pages/EDM/75/58  8  Kodao and IBON Foundation. (2018).  Retrieved January 29, 2019 from https://kodao.org/2018/07/05/teachers-call-for-30k-salary-increase and http://ibon.org/2018/04/php750-national-minimum-wage-a-legitimate-call-ibon-facts-figures-excerpt/  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Re-imagining the Nation’s Future – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/re-imagining-the-nations-future/",
        "html": "Re-imagining the Nation’s Future Re-imagining the Nation’s Future May 28, 2019 | Written by Jay L. Batongbacal    Art by Tilde Acuña.     Lack of familiarity with the historical basis and continuing evolution of our national boundaries is the source of government’s (and the general population’s) seeming lack of agreement and consistency in the conception of the national territory and how the Nation-State should respond to external challenges to its integrity and stability.  Philippine national territory was legally described by the 1935 Constitution as being comprised of all territories ceded to the US by Spain in the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and the Treaty of Washington of 1900, as well as territories under the 1930 Convention between the US and the United Kingdom.  The territorial lines drawn by the first and third agreements, combined and appearing as an irregular “box,” have comprised a technical description of our territorial boundaries. But such description creates anomalies, because the Treaty of Paris left some features (e.g., the Batanes Islands, the Turtle Islands, one-half of Sibutu Island, Scarborough Shoal) outside the box, while the Treaty of Washington states that such islands also deemed to have been subject to the cession are part of Philippine territory.  The Philippine claim to Sabah is disconnected from this legal definition. The 1930 Convention draws a line separating the islands belonging to the Philippines and the islands belonging to North Borneo.  The claim to Sabah is based on a document of cession executed by the Sultan of Sulu in 1962. The Sultanate transferred to the Philippine government its rights over the territory of Sabah, which was previously and perpetually leased to the British in 1878, but included among the federated states of Malaysia when it was constituted in 1963.  The Philippine claim to Sabah has been described as merely “proprietary.” It is not a claim to sovereignty by a State, but to ownership by an ordinary property-owner, which impliedly admits that it can be subject to the sovereignty of the State where the property is located rather than the State of its owner. Complicating this peculiarity is the assertion by the current Sultan of Sulu that his family revoked the 1962 cession to the Philippines and reverted all rights to the Sultanate in 1989.  In the meantime, there have been changes in international law affecting national territories and jurisdictions.  Foremost is the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that expresses international consensus on the extent to which State territories and jurisdictions can be exercised beyond their shores. UNCLOS recognizes a system of maritime zones radiating from baselines. Inside the baselines, the State has complete sovereignty over internal waters; beyond them, its sovereignty is subject to allowing innocent passage of foreign vessels within 12 nautical miles, reduced to specific jurisdictions within 24 nautical miles, and then limited to only exclusive resource rights in the waters from 24 to 200 nautical miles seaward (or to a maximum of 350 nautical miles on the seabed).  In the 1970s, the Philippines pushed for recognition of the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Washington lines as the outer limits of Philippine territory, but this was rejected by the international community. The Philippines then officially agreed to the compromise formula of the maritime zones in UNCLOS. But even with the enactment of Republic Act No. 9522 in 2009 to establish archipelagic baselines conforming with the technical requirements of UNCLOS, the Philippines has not officially defined an UNCLOS-compliant territorial sea or contiguous zone extending from those baselines. Yet, it has asserted rights to a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Just [recently], it secured validation of its claim to an additional continental shelf area in the Benham Rise Region—its first successful expansion of national resource jurisdiction in accordance with international law.     Batongbacal as a resource person of Akademyang Filipino in its forum on the West Philippine Sea, November 24, 2018, at UP Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Photo by Abraham Q. Arboleda, UP-MPRO.     Around the same time it fought diplomatically for expanded maritime space, the Philippines exercised and consolidated its sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group west of Palawan. It entered a complicated contest, over the islands and the maritime spaces they generate, with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan, in an area that is also a focal point of interest for the maritime trading and naval powers of the world. Cooperation and compromise are the only means by which these disputes should be resolved, because the Philippines cannot even hope to engage in a contest of force.  The global economy’s shift toward Asia, the rise of China as world power, the American rebalancing in Asia-Pacific, the ASEAN attempt at regional integration, the resurgence of maritime trade, and the regional drive toward economic development place the Philippine national territory at a maelstrom of competing domestic and foreign interests.  The issues that bedevil us today are outcomes of unresolved clashes between the rich cultural legacies of our past and the barren colonial worldviews that define our present. The University should now direct its intellectual energies toward re-imagining our nation’s future.  Atty. Jay L. Batongbacal is an associate professor at the UP College of Law, and the director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. He was a member of the technical team that prepared and defended the Philippines’ claim to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Benham Rise Region.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum March-April 2013  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Poverty, War and Peace: Lumad and Muslim Women’s Issues in Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/poverty-war-and-peace-lumad-and-muslim-womens-issues-in-mindanao/",
        "html": "Poverty, War and Peace: Lumad and Muslim Women’s Issues in Mindanao Poverty, War and Peace: Lumad and Muslim Women’s Issues in Mindanao May 28, 2019 | Written by Ma. Arve B. Bañez   In UP Diliman, the Lakbayan participants call to end attacks in Lumad schools, to lift Martial Law in Marawi, and to stop the imperialist plunder of Moro territories, among others. Photo by Pau Villanueva, taken from her September 7, 2017 article for CNN Philippines Life, “Following the Lumad, from Bukidnon to Manila.” Check out her other works at www.pauvillanueva.com.     Background  Mindanao is home to diverse communities, with 13 ethno-linguistic groups and around 30 Lumad groups. Of its total population of 25.73 million, some 18 percent are Muslims and approximately 5 percent are Lumad; the rest are migrants and their descendants. Females comprise half of the population. Hence, by sheer number, women are a vital resource for Mindanao’s development.  However, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Gender-related Development Index (GDI), “which measures the inequality in the achievement of women and men based on life expectancy at birth, educational attainment and standard of living,” are also low in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Sulu had the lowest GDI in the entire country at 0.322. According to a report: “Mindanao women need urgent attention in the areas of economic opportunities, reproductive health, political participation, education, and even basic services such as water and power.” Poverty, it said, “is deepest and most severe in the provinces where the indigenous peoples and Muslims reside.”  In December 2009, I visited Mintal gym, where more than a thousand Lumad families camped while they begged for pinaskuhan in downtown Davao. The Mintal gym is just one of the places provided by the city government to accommodate the so-called “exodus of Lumad” every Christmas season. There were piles of sacks containing clothes and crockery. The people slept inside the gym and cooked in the makeshift communal kitchen located outside. There was a crowd at the children’s park where some enterprising Lumad put up stalls that sold packets of coffee, sugar, oil, salt, and soy sauce. Candies, biscuits, hotdogs, and barbecued chicken necks and feet were for sale.  Strategies to deal with poverty  Begging to survive  Lolita, an Ata Manobo from Bukidnon, arrived at Mintal gym together with 18 family members. Lolita said the rations allotted by the city government cannot feed her troop, so they have resorted to begging. As a strategy, they identify themselves as Matigsalog when they beg. Had she not spent the Christmas season begging, Lolita would be in Bukidnon, tending to her vegetable patch.  Stashing the Christmas presents received from the Davao City government  Eva, a Matigsalog from Marilog, went to Davao with four of her children. Begging is not her game plan for she considers it ulaw (shameful). Instead, she keeps the ration of two cans of sardines and two packs of Quick Chow noodles. To feed her brood she cooks only two cups from her ration of two kilos of rice and vegetables from the nearby Mintal market. When she goes home on December 26, she brings with her 34 cans of sardines, 34 noodle packs and 17 kilos of rice, addressing somehow the food security of her family. Before she got married, Eva was employed as domestic helper in Manila for 14 years.  Their strategies may differ, but it is clear that severe poverty caused these Lumad women to go to Davao over the Christmas season. Their situations demonstrate the feminization of poverty.     Photo by Abraham Q. Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Muslim women waging peace  IRIN (formerly Integrated Regional Information Networks) reported in 2008 that women suffered the most in the Mindanao conflict. Displacement due to evacuation engenders problems and risks such as lack of water and privacy, susceptibility to diseases given the cramped space shared with other evacuees, sexual violence, trauma caused by death of family members, and loss of livelihood. Sohaili, a Maguindanaon evacuee, said that to get by, her family simply relies on the relief assistance extended by international humanitarian organizations. They have deserted their homes for fear of getting caught in the crossfire between the armed men of the Ampatuan and Mangudadatu families.  Lumad and Muslim women in Mindanao bear the brunt not only of poverty but also of violence. A groundbreaking project aimed at empowering Muslim women as peace advocates, especially the aleemat or Muslim women religious scholars, was organized in partnership with women leaders from civil society, academe, government, youth, balik-Islam, and indigenous peoples. Former Senator Santanina Rasul, one of the prime movers of the project, said that the project aims to work for peaceful and clean elections, especially in ARMM, now known as the “cheating capital” of the Philippines. To realize this, they will focus on educating voters in time for the automated elections.  The Muslim women of Sulu are calling for the dismantling of the Police Auxiliary Unit, which is being used as private armies of political families. At the community level, they intend to restore the moral leadership of the ulama and aleemat to propagate Islamic values and peace education. To Dr. Amany Lubis, an aleemat from Indonesia, there is no sexism in Islam based on the Qur’an. Islam promotes gender equality and respect for human beings. But because of biased interpretations of this text, Muslim women are marginalized.  Every day, Lumad and Muslim women in Mindanao deal with poverty and violence. They strategize to survive and take concrete measures to attain peace and development in Mindanao.  Prof. Ma. Arve B. Bañez is currently a faculty member of the Division of Professional Education, College of Arts and Sciences, UP Visayas, Iloilo City campus. She is also a PhD Candidate in Development Studies at the Ateneo De Davao University, working on her dissertation entitled “The Narratives of Development of Lampirong (Placuna Placenta) Fishers of Oton, Iloilo”.  Condensed from the original article published in the UP Forum January-February 2010 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Uplifting Lives through Interior Design – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplifting-lives-through-interior-design-3/",
        "html": "Uplifting Lives through Interior Design Uplifting Lives through Interior Design May 28, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    BS Interior Design Batch 2019 realizes their theme “Hilom: Rebuilding Spaces, Rebuilding Lives” in healing spaces for the shelter of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) Philippines, filling interiors with images of Philippine flora and colors associated with hope, healing, and wellness, as typified by the re-designed living room shown in the first photo. The second one shows the room before rehabilitation.     Which school should lead in integrating public service in its undergraduate courses but the public service university itself, UP? UP’s Interior Design program is a trailblazer. Since more than 15 years ago, it has left the studio for its application course in order to embrace public service, an initiative that has given its students an edge over others.  The decision to take this untrodden path followed an era of soul-searching in the University, where a study in the early 1990s revealed that students ranked social orientation and moral uprightness far down in the order of importance of the qualities their colleges were developing in them. Reaching out to the community became a buzz-word, with UP Vice President for Public Affairs Ledivina Cariño promoting service learning as “learning to serve, and serving to learn.”  A basic need  The College of Home Economics led by Dean Cecilia Florencio was one of the first to respond by serving the poor of nearby Libis. The Interior Design program saw an opportunity to turn the impression of Interior Design as elitist on its head. From the beginning, it was the wrong impression, Interior Design professor Adelaida Mayo says. She places Interior Design as a basic need.  “There’s food, clothing, and shelter. Architecture deals with shelter, but where is its soul? It’s in the space people use. It’s inside. The shelter will just be the shell of it,” Mayo says.  She raises the question of livability: the lack of finances precludes enjoying the benefits of proper interior design. “In low-cost housing, for example, there is really no Interior Design team to do it. And that has led to problems and accidents.”  The advocacy for democratizing Interior Design must start with students. They must have the opportunity to directly touch people’s lives through the discipline they have been studying in the past three years, and to understand the enormous public service potential of their field.  Going into direct public service was a practical alternative for an application course, which aims to “apply the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired and developed during the first three years of extensive training in interior design through a special project of their choice.”     The Counselling Room of the ECPAT Shelter, before and after being rehabilitated by the UP BSID Batch of 2019.     Beyond the studio  For a long time, students of Interior Design were applying their skills only in the studio. This is understandable as designing actual interiors and implementing them requires a license, which students could not possibly have before graduation. They were compelled to simulate interior space, staging mock-ups of walls and ceilings and floors, furnishing, decorating and then exhibiting them inside halls, which was an expensive affair. But the resources went to waste in the inevitable dismantling for the egress. The students had no idea how their designs would have held up in actual use.  Mayo and Raquel Florendo, who were handling the two classes of ID 179 Special Projects Class, broached the idea of merging their classes to serve financially challenged institutions whose spaces were in dire need of rehabilitation. The students would be under the close supervision of the professors, whose licenses would take care of the legal requirements for the projects.  The students discussed the proposal among themselves and accepted the new challenge of the class. Grouped into teams, they helped look for project sites. They consulted with, and proposed designs for screening by, their professors. They coordinated among themselves to unify their concepts. Making cost estimates, they then set out to raise funds and get sponsorships.  In academic year 2001-2002, ID 179 Special Projects rolled out in eight cottages of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Reception and Study Center for Children; the clinic and therapy rooms of the Golden Acres Home for the Aged; and a model unit for Gawad Kalinga. At the end of the first semester, what had been dark, dreary, and beat-up spaces had turned into bright and proper spaces to welcome back children recovering from trauma, the aged regaining strength and positive outlooks, and the poorest of the poor reclaiming their dignity.  The bar was set for future batches. Since then, students have worked on important sections of public hospitals and clinics; schools and dormitories; halfway houses and shelters for women, children, the recovering sick and the disabled; dance studios for the talented poor; libraries; and Gawad Kalinga housing.  “Caring for the sick child not only needs competent healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Julius Lecciones, director of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, “but also an appropriate healing environment in the hospital… With the use of smart colors, lighting and design, the students were able to transform clinically drab and impersonal outpatient consultation rooms into a welcoming haven that exudes warmth, brilliance and comfort.”     One of the bedrooms of the ECPAT Shelter, before and after being rehabilitated by the UP BSID Batch of 2019.     Bringing joy to families  “I can’t thank the students and the teachers enough for their sacrifices, work, physical struggles, and good heart,” says Donald Geocaniga, a Gawad Kalinga director. “They brought joy to seven families whose houses they fixed. They raised the level of their living. They showed the way in caring for the poor, as they volunteered their services to us.”  Aside from the gratitude of partner institutions, the students had more benefits going their way. As expected, the students got to learn the practical side of their discipline and expanded their competencies into community work. Limited resources stretched their creativity. Also, they got the rare portfolio edge of having implemented designs on special sites, and getting critiques from the end-users.  “What they did gave us a place that is very comfortable for the body and beautiful for the eyes. Before, cleaning seemed to make little difference in our unit. It’s much better now,” says one Gawad Kalinga beneficiary.  “At night, we finally have the sleep we could only crave in the past. And when we wake up, wow! Our home now energizes us. I am now more active in serving the Lord, bonding with neighbors and other people,” says another.  Balancing aesthetics, function, and safety  By working on actual spaces with their beneficiaries, all the more do the students realize the importance of consultations, understanding the idiosyncrasies and needs of different people, and temperance and balancing aesthetics, function, and safety.  Students also get to feel they are very much needed in the world. By making a difference in people’s lives, they contribute to an awareness of Interior Design as essential to the quality of life.  But public service requires commitment, which may be hard to afford at times. Sometimes, the logistics are too much to grapple with, and piecemeal efforts could prove wasteful. Sometimes, the students feel they have too much on their hands. In such cases, the students could opt to go back to mounting studio exhibits, which, though not less expensive or less expressive of their talent, is less complicated and formidable.  In the end, serving a needy institution is a decision by students deliberating among themselves. The students’ public service, when they choose to do it, thus stands as an act of voluntarism. And for some, this is the kind of public service that gives UP students a real defining edge.  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Learning from chaos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/learning-from-chaos/",
        "html": "Learning from chaos Learning from chaos May 10, 2017 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    “I love chaos. That’s why I love being Executive Vice President of UP. You can quote me on that.”  With good humor, a booming laugh, and an enthusiasm that fills up a room, Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Javier Herbosa—trauma surgeon, UP College of Medicine professor, disaster medicine and emergency medical care specialist, and former Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary—explains what just might be his main qualification for the job of UP’s first EVP in decades: “I love blood, guts and gore. My line is trauma, and I get excited in a chaotic environment. I get bored with routine. . . so I’m the ideal guy to put in an environment of chaos.”  UP, a chaotic environment? When university leaders around the world have compared managing academics to herding cats? Say it isn’t so.  “I step in, and there’s the conflict over general education already,” Ted points out with a laugh, describing the situation that greeted him upon his appointment as EVP. For him, it was all “very interesting.”  A UP EVP for the 21st century  It is also in a sense quite new. As the first EVP since the time of UP President Edgardo Angara, Herbosa has the task of dusting off the position and updating it to fit the realities of a massive university system in the 21st century.  “The EVP is the alter-ego of the President,” he explains. In a corporation, the equivalent of the EVP is the Chief Operating Officer, who sees to the day-to-day operations of the company and makes sure everything is well coordinated and running smoothly, as well as performing any other tasks designated by the President.  “We’re still in a state of flux. Because we haven’t had an EVP in a long time, I have no model to follow. All the previous EVPs came before the chancellor system,” Ted continues. Now, however, we have a system in which the chancellors of UP’s eight constituent units customarily report straight to the UP President. “It’s an interesting model. I noticed the chancellors are not used to it. Like them, I’m also looking for my sweet spot.”  He is also well aware of the challenges of running a university. “It’s a little different from my position as undersecretary,” says Herbosa, who served as DOH undersecretary from 2010 to 2015, where he achieved the DOH’s objective of implementing universal health care coverage. Although, as a government agency, the DOH is much larger than UP, the chain of command was hierarchical, with Herbosa serving as chief of staff directly under the DOH secretary. “It’s very linear. It’s like a military organization. Civil servants follow the mandate of authority.”  This is in clear contrast with an academic institution like UP, where every decision is subject to debate and every opinion has an equal and opposite opinion. However, before Herbosa became DOH undersecretary, he was already a faculty member of the UP College of Medicine and a doctor at the UP-PGH. His background as a UP teacher stands him in good stead. “My style of leadership is very liberal, so I think I will fit well in the academic world. I grew up in an academic environment in UP Manila, so I understand this. The opinions of different people, all looking at the same thing from a different light—it’s enriching.”  Enriching, sure, but it can also be frustrating. He laughs: “I like that. ‘Frustrating but enriching.’ Well, I’m an optimist, so that’s one thing that got me to where I am in terms of positions.”   Twists and turns  Optimism, coupled with a willingness to take risks, to learn new things, and to get out of his comfort zone. For example, he describes himself as a baby-boomer who is also a techie, having founded the Philippine Medical Informatics Society in addition to being certified for COBIT 5 for governance and IT management during his time in the DOH, making him the highest-ranking Filipino government official with that certification. But the path that Herbosa’s life took, which eventually led him to the position of UP EVP, also featured some surprise twists and turns.  “I didn’t plan to be EVP of the University,” he confesses. “I just wanted to be a good teacher. And now I’m here.”  As a matter of fact, neither did he plan on becoming DOH undersecretary.  “You know what I planned? I wanted to be Director of the PGH. I didn’t get it, but I did become DOH undersecretary, the director of many hospitals. Then I said, I want to run for UP Manila Chancellor. But because of politics, I decided, never mind, I’m done with this leadership role. Then here comes the UP President asking me to be his EVP.” He adds, laughing, “Funny how life goes.” Few people know that Ted and his lawyer sister Tess, the Securities and Exchange Commission chair, are descended from Jose Rizal’s elder sister Lucia, who married an Herbosa.  Life’s plot twists actually began during his childhood. For one thing, he didn’t start out wanting to be a doctor. “I wanted to be in Fine Arts, because I drew a lot and very well.” As a medical student tasked with drawing the organ specimens they were studying, his classmates used to laugh at him for putting such an inordinate amount of effort into sketching and shading his drawings. “Eventually, my mother killed that, because she said I would only end up starving. I sometimes say, if only my mother were still alive, she’d know how much I pay for paintings now.” Ted and his wife, Grace, channel their love of art now into collecting choice artworks and appreciating good art.  Later in high school, Ted realigned his life plans and entered a Benedictine monastery with every intention of becoming a monk. “I was in the abbey for, like, six months. But then my mother and oldest sister convinced me to go to college first, and if I still wanted to become a monk after that, then they said they would even pay for my education.”  So out of the monastery and into UP he went, becoming a BS Biology student in Diliman. And the boy who had heretofore attended an exclusive boys’ school discovered something that pretty much nixed his plans to become a monk: the opposite sex. “I had a girlfriend by second year college,” he says with a laugh.  He entered UP in 1975, at the height of student activism. “UP was like an independent island, like an oasis of free thought and free thinking. I joined rallies, of course, because everybody was joining rallies. You joined the boycott because when there was a call for a boycott, no one went to class. Even the professor didn’t go to class.”  He was in his second year in residency in surgery when the first EDSA revolution broke out in 1986. “We were one of the first to go to EDSA. We brought an ambulance with a team. We were scared it would get worse, so we wanted to be ready to provide healthcare. We witnessed history change.”  From trauma surgery to emergency care  The days after the EDSA revolution brought a new sense of hope, a kind of energy he channeled into being part of the administration and helping develop the country. During Dr. Alfredo Ramirez’ term as chancellor of UP Manila, the PGH Trauma Unit was created, and Herbosa joined the team. Chancellor Ramirez sent him to take an international postgraduate sourse in Surgery in 1991 at Tel Aviv University, on a scholarship offered by the Israeli government.  Aside from the training, Ted, who had once aspired to monkhood, appreciated the chance to study in Israel for another reason. “That scholarship brought us on weekends to all the holy sites, so I had a second certificate of pilgrimage to all the holy sites—Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Mount of Beatitudes. I value that more than the international diploma from Tel Aviv University.” He even made a wish during his visit to the Wailing Wall. “I put my wish there to marry my girlfriend. And when I came back home, we got married.”  When he returned from his training abroad, he joined the UP Manila faculty and as a teacher in the PGH’s trauma division. He also served as part-time head of trauma in the Jose Reyes Hospital. Prior to his stint as undersecretary, he also served the DOH under then Secretary Juan Flavier by developing a disaster program called the STOP D.E.A.T.H. Program (Strategic Tactical Option for the Prevention of Disasters, Epidemics, Accidents and Trauma for Health). The program drew the attention of the World Health Organization, which offered him a scholarship to the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where he earned a diploma in Emergency and Crisis Management, the first such program in the world.  Using a module he developed as his thesis in the University of Geneva, Herbosa developed an elective course on disaster and crisis management for medical students, although he eventually had to give up teaching the course because too many students were enrolling in it. He also established the Fellowship Program for Trauma and Residency Program in Emergency Medicine and headed the Emergency Department in the PGH.  His stint as DOH undersecretary had him handling mostly policymaking and administrative work. For example, he was charged with pushing for the sin tax as a health bill, with managing the DOH’s public-private partnerships, and with IT development in the DOH. But his expertise in emergency medical care and disaster medicine came to the fore in 2013 when Super-Typhoon Yolanda struck. As chair of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Taskforce for Yolanda, he coordinated and managed 180 foreign medical teams in the wake of the most devastating tropical cyclone recorded at landfall.  “That was the highlight of my being a disaster expert,” he says. “Imagine, the strongest typhoon in the world, and your boss tells you, ‘O, ikaw bahala dyan.’ And to have this level of gratification—we had no epidemics, no diarrhea outbreaks. We did fairly well. I think we can do better,” he adds, “but we showed the world what we could do with good coordination.”   UP and the four Cs of disaster management  There were plenty of lessons to be learned in the aftermath of Yolanda. “You always learn in a disaster. You always learn in a war. Chaos is a good teacher,” Herbosa says, reflecting a principle in trauma surgery and emergency care. And among these lessons gleaned from managing crises and medical disasters are some that can well be applied to UP even in a non-crisis situation.  “I think UP has a very unique role in the development of the country and of human society in the Philippines,” Herbosa says. “We’re always regarded as the kontra sa gobyerno. We educate our youth by showing them what’s wrong with the government. We are always opposing. Speaking as a guy in disaster work, you can’t do that in a disaster.”  There are three Cs that are key to disaster management: collaboration, coordination, and communication.  Regarding the first C, “I think we as a national university should learn to collaborate with each other in the different specialties, and with other universities,” Ted says, adding that the increasing number of research collaborations and partnerships between UP and foreign universities is a very good sign.  On the second C, coordination: “I think the way to work is to work with government and work for government. We’re a government-funded institution; we are part of every administration that comes in. We don’t have to be political, but we can be coordinated,” He said.  One example is the training of local government officials being done by the National College of Public Administration and Governance—services that directly impact communities and transcend political parties and administrations. He also mentions the many UP medical alumni who are now serving the people as department heads and directors of public hospitals. “I’d like to see UP continue to do that.”  On the third C, communication: Ted emphasizes the need for people in UP to cross disciplinal boundaries and communicate with one another. For instance, he says, he took a tour of UP Los Baños, and discovered a lot of health-related research being conducted and products being produced there, from nutrition gardens to larvicides—things not a lot of people within the UP System, let alone the greater public, know about. “I see a lot of potential in what UP can offer, but we need to communicate it,” he says. “I think UP is really about all the professors who work here and the great ideas they have.” And these kinds of hidden treasures are what we must share with the world.  He adds a fourth C, which is not quite disaster-related but very much aligned with UP’s purpose: creation and innovation. “The University’s role is really to create new knowledge that is relevant to society. That is my vision of what a university does,” Herbosa says. “So we need to collaborate, coordinate and communicate to create and innovate.  “I think the way to lead our professors, our National Scientists and National Artists, is to lead from the back. Academic administration, they say, is a paradox. How can you administer professors and National Scientists and National Artists? You can’t. You just allow them to blossom. So my job, and even the UP president’s job, is to make sure they continue to be in an environment that allows them to be creative.”  And where else is creativity born if not from chaos? "
    },
    {
        "title": "Towards a more gender-sensitive community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/towards-a-more-gender-sensitive-community/",
        "html": "Towards a more gender-sensitive community Towards a more gender-sensitive community May 10, 2017 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    At its 1324th meeting on January 26, 2017, the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines approved the UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code, finally adopting into policy a proposal by gender advocates in the University which had been in the works for almost a decade.  The passage of the Code, which had been spearheaded by the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, was necessary, despite the University having adopted an earlier anti-sexual harassment policy which served as the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law.  More responsive to the needs of the community  Prof. Odine de Guzman, PhD. Photo by KIM G. Quilinguing, UP MPRO.  According to UP CWGS Director Odine de Guzman, efforts to amend the University’s 1998 Implementing Rules and Regulations to the 1995 Anti-Sexual Harassment Law or Republic Act 7877 can be traced back to 2002. This was after gender advocates realized the rapidly changing gender situation in the University and the need for a more responsive policy.  Also, the Civil Service Commission had issued Resolution No. 01-0940 providing for Administrative Disciplinary Rules on Sexual Harassment Cases. Approved in May 21, 2001, the resolution defined sexual harassment as an administrative offense and prescribed a “standard procedure . . .  for the administrative investigation, prosecution and resolution of sexual harassment cases in the public sector.”  If Republic Act 7877 defined sexual harassment as a crime in work places and other venues for training or instruction, such as schools, the Civil Service Resolution prescribed the manner by which the law may be applied to government institutions, such as UP. In consideration of these developments, gender advocates in the University proposed that revisions to the 1998 IRR be made. And as early as 2005, a draft of the revised policy was presented.  Considering the size of the University community, and the need to conduct sufficient consultation with its stakeholders, it was not until 2010 that a draft with the proposed revisions to the 1998 IRR was presented to the University’s highest policy-making body, the BOR. While the proposals were well received, the proposed revised IRR would be shelved until 2014.  On September 17, 2014, President Alfredo E. Pascual signed Memorandum PAEP No. 2014-54-A which endorsed the then Center for Women’s Studies’ sponsorship of “a UP System-wide conference to assess and identify effective strategies, which would promote and strengthen UP’s implementation of RA 7877.”  The Center, which was then under Director Judy M. Taguiwalo, was tasked by the President to “forward recommendations for further refining and improving our anti-sexual harassment initiatives and for strengthening our advocacy for women’s empowerment and gender equality.”  Gender advocates and experts from the University gathered in UP Baguio in March 2015 for a UP System-wide conference. Another conference followed also in UP Baguio in June 2015, where the draft of the proposed revisions was presented.  By August 2015, a draft proposal was submitted to the President. It was hoped that the proposed changes would also be presented to the BOR for consideration.  An initial review recommended several actions, including the reconciliation of the proposed amendments with a proposal from gender advocates of UP Diliman. Officials from the CWGS, the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the Diliman Legal Office, and the Office for Anti-Sexual Harassment would spend several months reconciling the proposals, as well as accommodating other measures which dealt with sexual harassment.  The resulting proposal not only defined what sexual harassment was in the context of the University, but also the various relationships where it might arise, as well as the various forms it might take. It also addressed gender concerns which were ambiguous in the IRR.  This final draft received the nod not only of gender advocates in the University, but also those of legal experts from the UP Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs and the UP Law Center.  Better appreciation of identities and modes  Director de Guzman takes great pride in the Anti-Sexual Harassment Code, as a University policy which may be the first of its kind in going beyond the traditional concept of gender and perpetration of sexual harassment.  As a Code, de Guzman says, the policy does not only draw inspiration from RA 7877, but also from other anti-sexual harassment policies of government agencies, advocacy groups, and even of advocates and gender groups themselves. “The dropping of the reference (solely) to the Law recognizes numerous sources for the Code,” she adds.  The new anti-sexual harassment policy of the University does not only define the offense and the various modes by which it can be committed, but also describes the different relationships where these offenses can be committed. The Code “expanded the definition of sexual harassment and it showed a better appreciation of the online and different modes,” de Guzman added.  Under the Code, sexual harassment is defined as “unwanted, unwelcome, uninvited behavior of a sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances or offensive remark about a person’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”  The Code covers the following acts: malicious leering or ogling; sexual flirtation; inquiries about another person’s sex life and gender orientation; communicating sexist remarks, causing discomfort, embarrassment, offense or insult; display of sexually-offensive pictures; sexual advances or propositions; touching of private parts; forced kissing; and requesting sexual favors in exchange for academic or employment advancement.  De Guzman says that while people traditionally think of sexual harassment as something that can be committed only by a superior against a subordinate, or in the case of an educational institution, a teacher against a student, the Code recognizes various other situations where it may occur. It can be committed, she explains, by a faculty member against another faculty member; a student against a faculty member; an administrative employee against a faculty member; a student against an administrative employee; and, a student against another student. The Code covers all teaching personnel, non-teaching personnel, students, other UP workers, and even UP organizations.  With the adoption of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Code, de Guzman hopes the University community would not only be able to address gender issues among its constituents, but more importantly promote an awareness of the various gender identities within the University community.  Towards a more gender-sensitive community  If the Code defines acts which can be considered sexually offensive, the UP Gender Guidelines, on the other hand, seek to provide an environment where faculty, staff and students can have access to different services and benefits regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.  Adopted by the BOR in its 1309th meeting on July 22, 2015, the Guidelines provide for the right of women to participation and representation; equal treatment before the law; equal access and the elimination of discrimination in education, scholarships and training; the right to health; and the right to decent work.  Conceived during the time of the CWGS director at that time, Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, the Guidelines were approved by the BOR during Director Taguiwalo’s tenure.  The Guidelines declare that “The University shall not discriminate on the basis of gender; shall not violate human rights with the understanding that women’s rights are human rights; and shall work for the promotion and fulfillment of gender equality.”  Inspired by the Magna Carta for Women or Republic Act 9710, de Guzman says the Guidelines allow UP to promote gender sensitivity, women’s empowerment, and the promotion of gender acceptability. “Through this we are able to initiate more programs on gender equality in the University,” she says.  De Guzman adds that the Guidelines enabled the promotion of affirmative action for women in the University, and created an environment where all persons in the community can fully develop their potentials regardless of their sexual orientation.  While the Code penalizes acts which offend persons of different genders, the Guidelines, she said, are a declaration of the beliefs by which the University stands. “It expresses our principles, our values and our world view,” she adds.  With the recent approval of the Code, and the promotion of the Guidelines, de Guzman hopes to see a University which is more sensitive to people of various genders, allowing them to fully realize their potentials in UP for the benefit of the people and of the country. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fighting Leptospirosis with a local vaccine – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fighting-leptospirosis-with-a-local-vaccine/",
        "html": "Fighting Leptospirosis with a local vaccine Fighting Leptospirosis with a local vaccine September 6, 2018 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing       Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office.  “It takes 10 to 14 years to develop a vaccine,” says Dr. Nina Gloriani of the University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health. And that’s not counting the intervening periods where one attends to other professional and personal activities which also require time and attention. Recently however, she and her team have registered the proof of concept for LeptoVax, the first locally produced vaccine against the Leptospirosis bacteria.  With assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency, and in collaboration with scientists from Kyushu University and the Chiba Institute of Science, Dr. Gloriani and her team developed LeptoVax in 2010. It is expected to be used on house pets and livestock to protect them from the Leptospira bacteria which is being transmitted by rats.     Dr. Nina Gloriani of the UP Manila, College of Public Health. Dr. Gloriani heads the development team for LeptoVax. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     Aside from the team’s foreign partners, the project was also supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), particularly the Philippine Council for Health Development.  Over the years, the research team studied the various factors affecting the transmission of Leptospirosis in Metro Manila, using a Geographic Information System (GIS). They also developed diagnostic kits and conducted advocacy campaigns for information and health promotion against Leptospirosis. These came on top of the vaccine which they hope to develop further for human use.     An information campaign poster used by the UP Manila College of Public Health team in spreading awareness of Leptospirosis.     Using samples collected from individuals affected with the bacteria, the team was able to identify several areas nationwide where Leptospirosis strains are present and being spread by rats and other animals. “We actually have around nine regions: from Region 1, 3, 4A, 5, that’s Bicol region. Of course, the NCR. We worked with Region 6, Region 7, Region 8, 10, 11,” Dr. Gloriani says.  In July of this year, the Department of Health declared a Leptospirosis outbreak in several parts of Metro Manila when the number of individuals infected with the bacteria increased. In a news report on DZMM, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said 58 had died out of the 454 patients admitted to hospitals from January to July 2018.  Originally believed to be a seasonal disease which occurs during the rainy season, Leptospirosis has become endemic in some areas, according to Dr. Gloriani. She continues, “For example, Region 6, the Iloilo-Western Visayas region, has a lot of agricultural lands and we have farmers, we have a lot of livestock there. Even without extensive floods, they have many cases.” The rainy season, she adds, only aids in spreading the disease more quickly and affecting more people in populated areas.  Dr. Gloriani warns that despite the common notion in the country that the bacteria spreads when one comes in contact with surfaces having the urine and wastes of rats, research in other countries have also shown that it can be contracted by bats which inhabit caves. She says that it can also spread via water-related activities or sports.  In research papers available on the United States’ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, scientists from Brazil, China, Madagascar, and the Union of the Comoros have recorded incidents in some areas in their countries where bats have tested positive for Leptospirosis. The CDC also lists buffaloes, cattle, goats, horses and sheep as among the animals which may aid in spreading the virus.  Asked on what can be done to stem the tide of Leptospirosis in several areas in the country, Dr. Gloriani sums it up in two words: hygiene and sanitation. She says the bacteria spreads due to the problematic waste and drainage situation in many areas of the country. “Until we don’t solve problems in public engineering, Leptospirosis outbreaks will continue,” she emphasized.  Dr. Gloriani’s teammate, Dr. Sharon Villanueva, agrees with correcting the notion that rats are the only culprits in spreading the bacteria. “It is not only spread by rats or during floods or heavy rains and flood. But it can also be spread by other animals like dogs and livestock animals,” Dr. Villanueva says. She adds that Leptospirosis can also be acquired by a person who comes in contact with soil on which the bacteria may be present.     Dr. Sharon Villanueva of the UP Manila College of Public Health. Dr. Villanueva heads the public awareness and information campaigns group for LeptoVax. She has also been working with Dr. Gloriani in developing the vaccine. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     Dr. Villanueva underscores information dissemination and awareness as essential tools in the fight against Leptospirosis. She adds that efforts to address the disease must also involve whole communities and not only those who are have contracted it from exposure.  Dr. Villanueva says that while providing affected patients with prophylaxis can help individuals affected with Leptospirosis, a more holistic approach against the bacteria would be more effective in preventing it from infecting a community. “Of course, we cannot completely eliminate the rats. So, what we have to do is really clean our environment, our surroundings, so as to prevent the infestation of rats,” she says.  Dr. Villanueva has been working with Dr. Gloriani on LeptoVax since 2012. And they have conducted research in various locations in the country where several strains of Leptospirosis exist. In their findings they were able to identify two serovars common in the country: Leptospira interrogans serovar Manilae and Leptospira interrogans serovar Losbanos. They were also able to identify two serogroups: Leptospira interrogans serogroup Grippotyphosa and Leptospira borgpetersenii serogoup Javanica.  While it may still take some time to fully complete LeptoVax trials on animals, Gloriani is hopeful that the findings from their tests will be positive. After successful tests on hamsters, she and her team hope to conduct tests on carabaos and dogs. Dogs, she says, are very susceptible to the bacteria. “We believe that a lot of the human cases also come from dogs. Not just rats contaminating the environment,” she says.  While concentrating on developing the vaccine which would protect livestock and pets from Leptospirosis, Dr. Gloriani, Dr. Villanueva, and the rest of their team, hope to eventually produce a vaccine which can be used by humans. Villanueva however, speaks with caution, as producing one is not an easy undertaking. Short of that, the team hopes, at the very least, to limit the spread of Leptospirosis among animals with which humans spend most of their days. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Promoting tolerance through books and education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/promoting-tolerance-through-books-and-education/",
        "html": "Promoting tolerance through books and education Promoting tolerance through books and education May 10, 2017 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    “At 22, people say that I am ‘accomplished’ and they expect that I’ll be even more accomplished as I grow. This induces a lot of pressure, and the fear of not living up to people’s expectations can cripple anyone. However, I have to remind myself that these accolades are just decoration. The real work lies in the everyday toil that no one sees. The real achievement lies in building and growing things that are quietly changing lives.”  That’s what University of the Philippines alumna Arizza Ann Sahi Nocum says when asked how she feels about being constantly recognized for her efforts to promote dialogue between Christians and Muslims through the Kristiyano-Islam or KRIS Peace Library. The daughter of a Roman Catholic father, Armand Dean Nocum, and a Muslim mother, Annora Sahi, she shares the passion of her parents in bridging the gap between two of the country’s most active religious groups.  On February 9, 2017, Arizza was chosen as one of this year’s Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) and recognized in a ceremony held at the Heroes Hall of Malacañang Palace in Manila. Her efforts to promote education through books and libraries in conflict areas in Mindanao, while maintaining her academic standing in UP Diliman, were cited as reasons for the award.  The engineer turns advocate  Prior to the TOSP award, Arizza’s efforts had been recognized with the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award in 2011, when she was still a freshman at the University. In 2016 she was also chosen as a Young Leader of the Extremely Together initiative of the Kofi Annan Foundation and One Young World.  Aside from these, she was also part of the team of UP Diliman Industrial Engineering students who brought home the championship title from the Industrial Engineering Competition at the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia in January 2016. And during her time in the University, she enjoyed a full scholarship as an Oblation Scholar, having been among the top 50 passers of the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT).  Graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering, magna cum laude, in 2016, Arizza now spends most of her time with the non-profit organization which she and her family started in 2008, in an effort to provide books to hard-to-reach areas in Zamboanga.  Libraries for peace   This industrial engineer started working for KRIS Peace Library in 2011, which at that time she says “was very informal. Essentially, it was just me and my family doing projects on the fly that were not expertly planned, maintained, and evaluated.”  The KRIS Peace Library maintains six libraries all over the country, one each in Zamboanga City; Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City; Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay; Bangkal, Zamboanga Sibugay; Rodriguez, Rizal; and Davao City.  Aside from providing books and educating children, the Kris Peace Library promotes dialogue and understanding between groups of different faiths and brings these groups together through education. Asked what advice she could give to people of different religious convictions, she suggests, “Exercise empathy. Before judging, blaming, pointing the finger, or fearing a person who may be different, try to put yourself in that person’s shoes. Live out his or her story. Expand your capacity for understanding.”  Acting as overall head of the organization, Arizza tries as much as possible to divide her work days equally, half of the day working for the library, leaving the other half for other commitments. But she admits she does find it difficult. “I average about 16 hours of total work every day,” she says. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a social life at the moment,” she adds with a wry smile.  When asked about her student involvements in college, Arizza says she joined the UP Industrial Engineering Club where she headed several teams which did outreach work. “Being part of IE Club really taught me the soft skills which I otherwise wouldn’t have learned in my classes, such as handling people, managing my time, and resisting distractions,” she says.  As for her favorite haunts in Diliman, Arizza recalls that she was usually to be found at the Bahay ng Alumni. She also used to frequent the Engineering Library 1, the Engineering cafeteria, and the Main Library.  She would also hang out with her friends at the UP Town Center along Katipunan Avenue. As for her preferred spaces for peace and quiet, she says that “I have always loved the Main Lib and walking around the oval.”  A turning point  While she admits she has had many memorable experiences in her years in the University, she says there was one particular instance which she considered to have been a significant turning point. “During the day of the Engineering Job Fair in my senior year, I felt very uneasy because, while everyone else was excited handing out resumes, I decided to withhold mine and not apply to anything. This was my heart telling me that these jobs were not for me; that I was being pulled to take on a different path. I’m glad that happened to me,” she says.  Since graduating from college, Arizza has made several changes on how the Library does its work. “In that year, I formed the first volunteer core team. Our team then set the strategic direction for KRIS, set our first mission and vision on paper, created a working structure, recruited more volunteers, started systematizing operations, and hired our first full-time coordinator,” she says. But she also candidly adds that they are “still very much a work in progress.”  For those considering non-profit or non-government organization work after university studies, this is what she had to say: “Concentrate on the people. Get people around you who are equally passionate about your cause. Find people with resources and connections who can support you as you secure funding and other needs. Find leaders from your target beneficiaries or communities who can bridge your work to these communities.”  She also adds that it is important to focus on one’s self, particularly on one’s internal strengths. ”Build on your resilience to failure and disappointments, and choose to be happy in your work even if other people think you should be working somewhere else. This is your life, after all. Right now, I have this quote by Bob Dylan plastered on my desktop: ‘People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.’”  Asked if there was one important lesson she learned from UP, Arizza says that “I think the most important life lesson I got from my UP education is humility. Having met so many talented, hardworking, and genuinely intelligent people, I often felt challenged and would always aspire to be a better version of myself. Outside the university, humility is what keeps me growing and learning with every chance I get.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "What makes a good Senator? Tips from an old Senate hand turned UP prof – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-makes-a-good-senator-tips-from-an-old-senate-hand-turned-up-prof/",
        "html": "What makes a good Senator? Tips from an old Senate hand turned UP prof What makes a good Senator? Tips from an old Senate hand turned UP prof May 23, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing     Video by the UP Media and Public Relations Office     With the Commission on Elections finally declaring the winners of the recent senatorial elections, it is apparent that some of those who made it are new to the legislature. And with much to learn about the duties and responsibilities of members of the chamber, these senators-elect may need all the tips and help they can get.  For Assistant Professor Jean Encinas-Franco of the University of the Philippines Diliman, Department of Political Science, it is important to acquire and develop traits useful when they assume their responsibilities in the Senate.  One of these, she said, is the ability to communicate well. “The Senate is a deliberative body, so it needs people who are able to talk and articulate issues of the day,” she said. Their ability to have legislation passed hinges on their capacity to explain their stand and concerns in public debates.  Knowledge of and experience in government bureaucracy would also come in handy, she said, since it would be very difficult if the new legislators would be working with little or no knowledge on how the public sector works.  A 15-year veteran of the Senate, Franco spent four years working in the office of Senator Freddie Webb, and 11 years in the Senate Economic and Planning Office, where she attained the rank of Director III. She later moved to the academe as a lecturer in the Miriam College International Studies Department and as a faculty associate of their Women and Gender Institute. She later joined UP Diliman, where she now teaches.     Portrait of Dr. Jean Encinas-Franco, UP Media and Public Relations file photo     Professor Franco specializes in gender and the politics of labor, legislative politics, women’s rights and international migration. She teaches Philippine Politics and Government, Political Analysis, Research in Political Science, and Theories in International Relations in UP Diliman. She earned her Communication Research degree from the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication (CMC) in 1990. Later on, she would earn her Master in Public Administration degree from the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) in 1997 and her doctorate in Political Science from the UP Diliman College of Social Science and Philosophy (CSSP) in 2011.  Outside the classroom, Franco has also been involved with several research projects on the struggles of overseas Filipino workers, including nurses hired by agencies in the United Kingdom, India and locally. She has also been actively involved in the University’s UP sa Halalan election initiative since 2013, spearheading the project in 2016. She is among the University’s go-to analysts for news organizations, programs and other platforms where analyses of current issues require her perspective.  Adding to communication skills and knowledge of and experience in government, Franco said senators should never cease to learn about various issues which confront the nation, “particularly, because the world is fast changing, and we need to align our legislation, our legal and political environment, so that we help Filipinos respond to these massive changes in the world today.”  Franco said new senators must also learn to navigate the Senate floor very well. “Even if you know your law, even if you are articulate, if you do not know how to play good politics, then it would be very difficult for you to have other senators agree to your proposals.” Good relations with fellow senators is very important for new legislators who want to see their proposals or pet bills through, she said.  The 12 candidates who made it are re-electionists Cynthia Villar, Grace Poe, Sonny Angara, Koko Pimentel and Nancy Binay; returning senators Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla; and the Senate newbies — former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Bong Go; former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa; former Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos; and former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Francis Tolentino.  Go, dela Rosa, Pimentel and Tolentino ran under the administration’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) ticket; Villar, Cayetano and Marcos ran under the Nacionalista Party (NP). Angara ran under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party; Lapid ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC); Revilla ran under the Lakas-Christian and Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD); Binay ran under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA); and Poe ran as an independent candidate.  Newly-elected senators and congressmen who wish to acquire relevant skills and knowledge before they officially begin work as legislators can undergo training in NCPAG, where Franco is an alumna of its MPA program. Then rookie Senator Nancy Binay and first-time congresswoman Sol Aragones of Laguna were in the roster of training participants of NCPAG. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Psych o’Clock Habit: Taking Filipino Psychology to the Airwaves – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-psych-oclock-habit-taking-filipino-psychology-to-the-airwaves/",
        "html": "The Psych o’Clock Habit: Taking Filipino Psychology to the Airwaves The Psych o’Clock Habit: Taking Filipino Psychology to the Airwaves November 13, 2018 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing       Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office  It was Thursday and just a little past six in the evening. Two professors were busily finalizing the flow of their program in DZUP’s radio booth. With teasers playing on air, Jay Yacat and Summer Parcon agreed on what questions and issues they would discuss with their guest.  A ringing school bell sound effect plays and then the technician gives his signal to the hosts. Going live on 3… 2… 1 and “Good evening everyone, ako po si Jay. At ako po si Summer. At ito ang Psych o’Clock Habit.”  Now on its eighth year, Psych o’Clock Habit, or PoCH, is a regular radio program on the University of the Philippines Diliman’s campus radio station DZUP 1602 on the AM band. Originally conceived in 2009 by former Department of Psychology Professor Cherrie Joy Billedo, it was the result of an observation that there is a proliferation of programs on mainstream radio stations which offer advice by phone to questions from listeners.  According to Assistant Professor Jay Yacat, Billedo saw how popular the radio programs were and felt that the Department of Psychology could come up with a radio show which will capitalize on the expertise of its faculty members in discussing psychological issues and at the same time promote psychology as a program to its listeners. With Assistant Professor Ton Clemente, Billedo would host the show. “The goal was to make psychology more accessible,” Yacat says.  While the program was not originally conceived to tackle mental health issues in the university, Assistant Professor Apryl Mae Parcon, better known as Summer, says it is inevitable that PoCH take on topics and concerns which deal with the psychological welfare of its listeners, particularly those emotional challenges that confront students of the university.     Asst. Prof. Jay Yacat of the Department of Psychology, UP Diliman. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.      Yacat and Parcon now regularly anchor the radio program on Thursday evenings. Aside from being on the booth on DZUP, they also maintain PoCH’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And they also maintain a blog, where former host and fellow Psychology Department faculty member, Ton Clemente, helps write the entries. Previous episodes of the program are also hosted on the DZUP website, as well as on IskWiki or the university’s interactive online learning platform.  Without their own production assistants, researchers, and writers, the show’s hosts take on a more direct role in the program, preparing the music playlists that accompany their discussion themselves. They also run the program as a free-flowing discussion, which Yacat says could be its greatest strength, since they are not constrained by a fixed flow for their conversations with their guests, thus making their episodes more natural and interesting. “I feel that this is how the program distinguishes itself, by being spontaneous,” he adds.  For Developmental Psychologist Parcon, the spontaneous flow of the program could be the reason why their audience follows every episode. “It’s good that you can discuss certain concepts in a very conversational way,” she says. “The listeners feel like they’re just eavesdropping on a conversation, but at the same time, they’re also learning certain things,” she adds.  With its tagline Usapang Malaman, Hindi Puro Chika Lang, PoCH has held discussions on air which dealt with love, courtship and relationships; academics and sports; body image; cultural identity; gender; supernatural beliefs; sleep; and even habits. The radio show has also tackled much-talked about issues such as the concerns of indigenous communities, elections, and social media.  “One of our strongest advocacies is Sikolohiyang Pilipino. For every episode, as much as possible, we try to contextualize things in our culture,” says Yacat.  Social Psychologist Yacat attributes their ability to tackle different issues aside from those which are covered by their expertise to the willingness of faculty members from other departments in UP Diliman and other UP campuses to participate in their program. “We also use the program to showcase local talents, faculty research, students, and their talents,” he says with a chuckle.     Asst. Prof. Apryl Mae “Summer” Parcon of the Department of Psychology, UP Diliman. Photo by KIM Quiinguing, UP MPRO.      Aside from social issues, PoCH has also served as a platform for the presentation and discussion of research works of experts and students taking up subjects with the Department of Psychology. Parcon says this helps in the dissemination of the ideas and a deeper understanding of the phenomena covered by the studies.  While PoCH may have covered serious and in some cases controversial topics, both Yacat and Parcon say they have not had any problem with their guests or listeners in their discussions. They do admit to being careful with handling the discussions so as not to cause undue concern and attention.  Both hosts also attribute the program’s resilience over the years to the support extended to them by their department, which considers PoCH as an important platform which promotes its academic programs, as well as the expertise of its faculty and works of its students. “We try as much as we can to present psychology in a non-threatening manner,” says Parcon.     Yacat and Parcon with College of Human Kinetics Instructor Mona Maghanoy at the DZUP radio booth. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.      Over the years, PoCH has not only attracted more and more audiences but also the attention of award giving bodies. In 2014, the program landed on the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Golden Dove Awards as a finalist in the Best Radio Magazine Show award. The hosts attribute this recognition to the show’s impact on its listeners, particularly among the university community.  Aside from award-giving bodies, Psych o’Clock Habit has also attracted the attention of some faculty members of other colleges and universities. Yacat notes a time when they learned from some students of another university who were advised by their teacher to go over the archived episodes of the radio show for a paper in their class. Parcon on the other hand highlights the story of a UP Diliman student who took up Psychology, after having been a listener to the radio program since her high school years.  As a pioneering radio program on DZUP hosted by faculty members of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Yacat says that PoCH has served to inspire other departments to also have their own shows on the campus radio station.  Yacat admits that hosting the program takes up time and effort, but he finds value in how it has been able to help out some students and members of the university in understanding social phenomena and issues. For Parcon, one of the significant contributions of the program is how it has also become a platform for the dissemination of the research of members of the university community. “For as long as we can do it, we’re committed to Psych o’Clock Habit,” Yacat adds.  Psych o’Clock regularly airs Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 7:00 p.m. on DZUP 1602 on AM radio. It is also streamed live on dzup.org. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Still Swinging at 40 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/still-swinging-at-40/",
        "html": "Still Swinging at 40 Still Swinging at 40 January 14, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing       Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office  Jazz was bawal talaga. Bawal. It was forbidden.” This is what UP College of Music Associate Professor Raymundo Maigue most remembers of the time he entered the university as a freshman in 1974. Jazz being taboo in the college, he and his friends had to express their passion for the musical genre in secret. “When the professors heard us, they would tell us to stop. We couldn’t do anything but hide.”  While there was no formal course then, Maigue remembers one professor at the college who taught a non-credit jazz improvisation course, which heightened their fascination for the genre and their growing need to understand it more. But jazz was still not considered part of their formal training.  Though prohibited from formally practicing their music in the college, he vividly recalls the challenges they faced then in pursuing their passion for jazz. “We used to jam wherever, in secret—at the Carillon, under the stairs. We had no instruments, we just borrowed amplifiers, trying to beat each other. It was fun then, it felt like we had all the time. Even when it got dark, we continued jamming.”     Prof. Rayben Maigue conducting the UP Jazz ensemble. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Rayben Maigue.)     As to why he has more passion for jazz than other musical genres, Rayben, as he is known to family and friends, explains that it allows him to have a different take on the usual arrangement of songs. “You can jazz up even Tagalog songs, which of course changed because of the arrangement. We changed things around.” Jazz, he adds, enables him to have a more personal rendition of some songs.  Things turned for the better for Rayben and his fellow enthusiasts in 1977, when visiting American professor and jazz musician Joseph Howard joined the college through the Fulbright Scholar Program. Howard taught jazz theory and improvisation. “We were so happy, the books were free, the teaching was free.” The American professor shared his passion for the music with his Filipino students for eight months before returning to the US.  With Howard back in the States, the genre was again relegated by some conservative academics to being, in Maigue’s words, a nuisance in the college. But by this time, there were also some members of the College of Music who had grown to appreciate jazz. And some of them would even occasionally hire them for personal events.  Maigue says the UP Jazz Ensemble started as a small group called the Laboratory Band. “If you had a composition, we played it just to hear it, good or bad.” The band eventually became the ensemble.  In the 1970s and ‘80s, the UP Jazz Ensemble became a popular group in UP Diliman, enabling them to eventually form a big band, which is usually made up of four sections or groups: trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm. Maigue considered the formation of the group a challenge as it has always been difficult to find qualified musicians.     The UP Jazz Ensemble in one of their performances. (Photo courtesy of Prof. Rayben Maigue)     The popularity of the group went beyond the campus, resulting in invitations for performances outside the university. “We perform in corporate parties and festivals. We perform in jazz concerts.”  Maigue is quick to add that in recent years, they have observed a dwindling appreciation of the genre in UP Diliman itself, which he suspects is due to the shift of preference for pop music, particularly from abroad. “We’re fading away,” he said. He takes comfort in the continued appreciation of the genre by people outside the campus, where they continue to play.  The UP Jazz Ensemble has 30 regular members, which is a combination of both students and alumni of the College of the Music. Its playlist includes well-known tunes from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and George Gershwin. Aside from these, they also perform jazzed up tunes from the Beatles and John Williams, as well as Filipino jazz tunes from Richie Quirino, Jon Palacio, and Angel Peña.  Over the years, the UP Jazz Ensemble has gained recognition as one of the most notable bands in the country. In 1989, the band was recognized by DWFR, Citylite 88.3, precursor to the current Jam 88.3, in its First City Jazz Awards, for its important role in the promotion and contributions to the field of Philippine New Age and Jazz Music.  In 1999, the UP Jazz Ensemble was also recognized by Petron Corporation as the prime mover of jazz in the country. In 2010, Maigue himself was recognized by the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines in its Arts Productivity Awards for his efforts in the appreciation and promotion of jazz and his contributions to Filipino and contemporary music.     The UP Jazz Ensemble with its bandleader, Prof. Rayben Maigue (in gray jacket). (Photo courtesy of Prof. Rayben Maigue)     Now on its 40th year, the UP Jazz Ensemble continues to swing as a band that does not only perform great jazz but also promotes the genre through its performances and collaborations with other organizations which support the genre and music in general.  Aside from recognition as a group, the UP Jazz Ensemble has also become a training ground for several Filipino musicians who have now found employment in international cruise ships and in Hong Kong Disneyland. “Their salaries are higher than mine!” he jokingly adds.  Now nearing his retirement from the university, Maigue looks back with fondness at what the UP Jazz Ensemble has become in four decades. He admits it was not easy pursuing his passion for jazz and eventually forming the band. “Even if there’s no money in it, we persevered to promote jazz. I hope it stays because I’m retiring in four years, although I’ll keep on playing,” says the man who himself also never gets tired of swinging. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Cardinal Santos Medical Center CEO Pagdanganan joins UP Board of Regents – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cardinal-santos-medical-center-ceo-pagdanganan-joins-up-board-of-regents/",
        "html": "Cardinal Santos Medical Center CEO Pagdanganan joins UP Board of Regents Cardinal Santos Medical Center CEO Pagdanganan joins UP Board of Regents July 14, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu   Hon. Raul C. Pagdanganan, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, takes his oath of office as a member of the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents (BOR). The ceremony was witnessed by: UP President and BOR Co-chairperson Danilo L. Concepcion; PAUW-UP President Gaby Roldan-Concepcion; Secretary of the University and of the BOR Roberto MJ Lara; members of the Pagdanganan family; and, UP staff. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Mr. Raul C. Pagdanganan, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, became the newest member of the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents (BOR) on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.  The oathtaking ceremony was held at the BOR Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Witnessing the event were: UP President and BOR Co-chairperson Danilo L. Concepcion; Secretary of the University and of the BOR Roberto MJ Lara; Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW)-UP President Gaby Roldan-Concepcion; members of the Pagdanganan family; and, UP staff.  In his message to UP, Pagdanganan said he considered it an honor to serve the University, his Alma Mater, and vowed to help shape policies and programs to sustain UP’s leadership role in knowledge creation and public service. He recalled his humble roots as a newspaper boy in Bulacan, who dreamt of becoming a doctor but instead finished business administration and accountancy at UP Diliman, and then worked alongside health personnel as an administrator of various hospitals.  The UP BOR is the highest governing body in the UP System. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Regents urge defense of House Bill institutionalizing Accord – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/regents-urge-defense-of-house-bill-institutionalizing-accord/",
        "html": "Regents urge defense of House Bill institutionalizing Accord Regents urge defense of House Bill institutionalizing Accord November 5, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents is urging members of the House of Representatives to declare as null and void the reconsideration of the approval on third reading of House Bill No. 10171, which would institutionalize the 1989 UP-Department of National Defense (UP-DND) Accord by amending Republic Act No. 9500 or the 2008 UP Charter.  In its 1365th meeting held on November 4, 2021, the UP BOR, the highest governing body of the UP System, approved and adopted a Resolution commending the authors of the bill and the members of the House of Representatives “who heeded the calls of the UP community to defend academic freedom and who worked and fought for the approval of HB No. 10171”.  The Resolution named Reps. Sarah Jane Elago, Isagani Zarate, France Castro, Ferdinand Gaite, Arlene Brosas, Eufemia Cullamat, and Jose Christopher Belmote, who moved to declare as null and void the reconsideration of the approval on the third reading of HB No. 10171, citing the reconsideration as a “violation of Section 106 of the Rules of the 18th Congress”.  The UP BOR Resolution urgently calls on the Senate to undertake parallel efforts to approve the Senate version of the bill filed by Senator Joel Villanueva, which as of current time remains pending at the committee level. The Resolution also requests the DND and the DILG to continue to observe and enforce the principles, objectives and guidelines of the 1989 UP-DND Accord and the 1992 UP-DILG Accord “as an act of good faith in the light of the recent development in Congress seeking to enact them into law”.  Read the UP BOR Resolution here.  The UP-DND Accord was signed on June 30, 1989, between the University and the DND to recognize the Constitutional guarantee of academic freedom. The Accord prohibits any element of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to enter or conduct any operations in any of the UP campuses without prior notification to, invitation from, and coordination with the University, except in hot pursuit or similar emergencies. In 1990, following the enactment of Republic Act. No. 6975 establishing the PNP, UP and the Department of Interior and Local Government also entered into a similar agreement, known as the 1992 UP-DILG Accord.  The two agreements, both signed in good faith by all institutions involved, were meant to protect the University’s constituents from possible abuses by the military and police.  In a letter to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion dated January 15, 2021, DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana unilaterally abrogated the 1989 UP-DND without prior notice to or consultations with UP. The move sparked waves of protest from members of the UP community, many of whom perceived it as a threat to academic freedom and freedom of expression within the University.  House Bill No. 10171 was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives on its third reading on September 21, 2021, with 179 affirmative votes and no negative votes and abstention. The bill would amend Section 11 of the UP Charter to include Sub-Sections A-H. Sub-Section 11-A would require the PNP, AFP or any other law enforcement agency to give prior notification to University officials before conducting any activity within the campus. Sub-Section 11-B, on the other hand, would bar the entry of the PNP, AFP and other law enforcement agency personnel in all campuses except in cases of hot pursuit and similar emergencies. Other sub-sections would prohibit any interference by law enforcement agencies of peaceful protest actions within UP premises. Information about any UP student, faculty, or staff arrested anywhere in the country should promptly reach UP authorities.  However, the House approved the motion to reconsider its third reading approval of the bill on September 30, 2021. Several representatives countered by moving to declare the reconsideration null and void. The University expressed its full support of this move, citing the unanimous approval on the third reading as the express recognition of the Filipino people that the provisions of the Accords are essential for UP to enjoy academic freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution and as the lifeblood of UP’s existence. "
    },
    {
        "title": "College of Medicine alumnus is new UP Regent – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/college-of-medicine-alumnus-is-new-up-regent/",
        "html": "College of Medicine alumnus is new UP Regent College of Medicine alumnus is new UP Regent March 14, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    University of the Philippines (UP) alumnus and renowned obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Gregorio Pastorfide has been appointed to the UP Board of Regents by President Rodrigo Duterte, replacing Dr. Maria Arlissa Aguiluz. UP President Danilo Concepcion administered Pastorfide’s oath of office on March 10 at the Executive House in UP Diliman.  Dr. Gregorio Pastorfide takes his oath of office before UP President Concepcion as the newest member of the UP Board of Regents, with his wife, Dr. Georgina Pastorfide. Photo from the Facebook account of Atty. Gaby Roldan Concepcion.  Considered a pioneer of in vitro fertilization or IVF in the Philippines, Pastorfide is a 1967 graduate of the UP College of Medicine (UPCM). He then underwent an internship at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Maryland. Afterward, he furthered his training at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Completing his stint at Tufts in 1972, he went to Harvard Medical School as a teaching and research fellow.  Moving back to the Philippines, he moved up the ranks at the UPCM—from instructor to clinical assistant professor, then associate professor, and eventually, full professor. He became chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1998 to 2001. Under his leadership, the unit received the 2000 UP Medical Foundation Silver Cup for Outstanding Clinical Science Department. He served the University for 33 years, from 1974 to 2007.  Pastorfide, also President of The Foundation for Reproductive Care Inc. for the past 22 years, was a 2012 Distinguished Alumnus of the UP Medical Alumni Society (UPMAS).  Dr. Gregorio Pastorfide (2nd from left) pose with UP President Concepcion (left), Dr. Georgina Pastorfide and Dr Napoleon Pilarta. Photo from the Facebook account of Atty. Gaby Roldan-Concepcion.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bagong Faculty Regent nanumpa – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bagong-faculty-regent-nanumpa/",
        "html": "Bagong Faculty Regent nanumpa Bagong Faculty Regent nanumpa January 4, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Panunumpa ni Katuwang na Propesor Carl Marc Ramota (sa kanan) bilang Faculty Regent ng UP. Photo ni Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) .     Nanumpa si Katuwang na Propesor Carl Marc Ramota bilang ika-27 na Rehente ng Kaguruan o Faculty Regent ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) sa seremonya ng panunumpa kaninang umaga, ika-4 ng Enero 2023, sa UP Board of Regents (BOR) Room sa Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Katuwang na Propesor ng Agham Pampulitika si Ramota. Siya ay magsisilbing kinatawan ng mahigit 4,000 kaguruan ng UP sa BOR o Lupon ng mga Rehente hanggang ika-31 ng Disyembre 2024.  Bilang rehente, ang ilan sa kanyang mga layuning matupad sa loob ng dalawang taon ay: rebyuhin at repasuhin ang mga patakarang nakakaapekto sa empleyo at gawaing akademiko ng kaguruan, higit pang isulong ang well-being ng kaguruan, madagdagan ang mga benepisyo at pribilehiyo sa mga serbisyo at pasilidad ng UP, at matugunan ang mga suliranin sa empleyo tulad ng tenure at work overload.  Nagsilbing pambansang pangulo ng All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) si Ramota noong 2017-2020 at pangulo ng tsapter ng AUPAEU sa UP Manila noong 2014-2017. Siya ay aktibo sa mga adbokasiya at pambansang organisasyong nagsusulong ng kapakanan ng mga guro at kawani sa sektor ng edukasyon, at ng karapatang pantao. Siya ay Convenor ng network na Akademya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) mula 2021; fellow sa governance think tank na Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) mula 2011 hanggang sa kasalukuyan; board member ng Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center, isang labor think tank, mula 2012 hanggang sa kasalukuyan; at Chairperson ng Alliance of Concerned Teachers – State Universities and Colleges (ACT-SUC) mula 2014 hanggang 2021.  Ang bagong Rehente ng Kaguruan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (naka-puti sa gitna) kasama ang mga kasapi ng All UP Academic Employees Union. Photo ni Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Si Ramota ay naging Chairperson ng Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), UP Manila noong 2010-2013, at coordinator ng programa nito sa Political Science mula 2008-2014.  Inaanyayahan ni Ramota ang kaguruan na maging aktibo sa paggawa ng mga desisyon at sa mga kampanya sa pangangalaga ng kalayaang akademiko at sibil sa loob at labas ng pamantasan. "
    },
    {
        "title": "On the Interim Appointment of the OASD Director – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/on-the-interim-appointment-of-the-oasd-director/",
        "html": "On the Interim Appointment of the OASD Director On the Interim Appointment of the OASD Director March 1, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    There have recently been reports that outgoing UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo has appointed CHK Dean Francis Diaz as interim Office for Athletics and Sports Development (OASD) Director. In light of this, Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey M. Acosta stresses that Executive Order No. 15-02 establishing the OASD explicitly states that while it is the Chancellor who recommends the Director of the OASD, it is the President who approves and appoints the same.  As of today, no recommendation has been forwarded to the Office of the President by the Office of the Diliman Chancellor.  The VP for Legal Affairs acknowledges that though the Office of the Director of OASD has remained vacant throughout the term of Chancellor Nemenzo, the recommendation for the appointment of the OASD Director should be left to the next Chancellor, who will be elected by the Board of Regents on 27 April 2023, given that: (1) the recommendation is being made by Chancellor Nemenzo, whose term ends on 1 March 2023 and is on holdover capacity only until 2 March 2023; and (2) the term “interim” to characterize the Directorship of OASD is not in accordance with current legal processes in the appointment of UP personnel, and the use of interim appointments is reserved to appointments that require Board of Regents approval.  In the meantime, the University will continue to work with the varsity teams and various support groups to address the concerns and needs of our athletes.  Prof. Jose Wendell P. Capili Vice President for Public Affairs  To view the memorandum from the Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP BOR releases official list of candidates for next UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bor-releases-official-list-of-candidates-for-next-up-president/",
        "html": "UP BOR releases official list of candidates for next UP President UP BOR releases official list of candidates for next UP President October 20, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    At a special meeting held on 19 October 2022, the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University of the Philippines (UP) approved the nominations of six official candidates for the position of next UP President after conducting preliminary screening and evaluation of the nominees based on the minimum requirements previously announced.  The six official candidates for the next UP President, who will succeed UP President Danilo Concepcion, are:  1. Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza  2. Atty. Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.  3. Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez  4. Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo  5. Dr. Benito M. Pacheco  6. Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.  A public forum will be held on 11 November 2022, Friday, 1:00 p.m., where all six UP presidential candidates will present their plans and programs and respond to questions from the UP constituency. The public forum will be held at Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, and will be live-streamed to all constituent units.   Further details of the mechanics of the public forum shall follow.   Read the official memorandum from the UP Office of the Secretary of the University and the BOR here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Beloved writer and professor Butch Dalisay retires after 35 years of service – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/beloved-writer-and-professor-butch-dalisay-retires-after-35-years-of-service/",
        "html": "Beloved writer and professor Butch Dalisay retires after 35 years of service Beloved writer and professor Butch Dalisay retires after 35 years of service January 22, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    “Keep the liberal spirit alive, maintain harmony between all branches of our University administration, and take care of the UP Institute of Creative Writing (ICW).”  These were Dr. Jose “Butch” Yap Dalisay Jr.’s requests as he retired from the University on January 15 after 35 years of service. He was a Literature and Creative Writing professor and former chairperson at the UP Diliman Department of English and Comparative Literature and Vice President for Public Affairs.     “UP is unique and in some ways immutable. The University is bigger than any one or even all of us. It has a life and an integrity of its own. We need to keep fighting for a UP truly worthy of its founders’ dreams—a UP governed by merit rather than by patronage, and led by men and women of impeccable intelligence, ability, and most of all, integrity.” -Dr. Jose “Butch” Y. Dalisay Jr. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The UP System administration led by President Danilo Concepcion hosted a retirement dinner in Dalisay’s honor at the Executive House on his last day in UP, where he was celebrated by family, friends, and colleagues.  Dalisay spent 45 years in government service, having worked at the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for ten years prior to UP. “I started as a writer at age 19, fresh out of martial law prison and a college dropout with no more than 21 freshman units to my name,” he said. During the course of his stint at NEDA, he was readmitted to UP and became a working student. He later left the agency to finish his AB. Thus began his 35-year career in academe.     Dr. Gerardo Sicat (left), whom Dalisay says “took a chance on him” by hiring him at NEDA. When Sicat left NEDA, he gave Dalisay a typewriter as a parting gift and asked him to pick ten books from his personal library. He reveals with a laugh that Dalisay picked his favorites. Dr. Judy Celine Ick (right) met Dalisay in French class when he had returned to his studies in UP Diliman. The classmates became friends and later, colleagues at the DECL. “In the days before computers, when Butch used to type out his stories, I was always a recipient of a signed carbon copy.” (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dr. Lily Rose Tope (left), DECL chair, says Dalisay’s “deep baritone was like the voice of god” that immediately restored calm during heated discussions in department meetings when he was chair. Dr. Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista (right), VP for Academic Affairs, reveals that Dalisay, being the techie that he is, set up a Viber group for the UP System officials. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In his speech at the retirement dinner, Dalisay said that apart from being trusted with administrative positions—department chair, ICW director, and Vice President twice (his first during the presidency of Dr. Francisco Nemenzo)—”the greatest honor” he received was the approval of the One UP-Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. Professorial Chair in Creative Writing., which he considers “an honor I did not have to die first or even retire first to see. That chair, under its present terms, will be good for another 30 years, and it will survive me long after I am gone.”     UP President Danilo Concepcion reads Dalisay’s citation. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Executive VP Teodoro Herbosa leads the toast to Dalisay. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Dalisay was given a citation that evening which recognized him for the following:  For his able leadership and distinguished service as the U.P. System’s Vice President for Public Affairs (OVPPA) from 1 May 2003 until 9 February 2005, and 10 February 2017 until 15 January 2019;  For his valuable and meaningful contribution as member of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC) and the U.P. System Executive Committee;  For performing his role as a dynamic and effective spokesperson of the University in the mass media and online platforms, giving light to and providing accurate perspectives on timely and relevant University issues;  For successfully initiating and implementing OVPPA milestone initiatives that contributed to U.P.’s visibility and character as the country’s national university, among them:  Transforming the U.P. System Information Office (SIO) into the UP Media and Public Relations Office (MPRO);  Reviving, repackaging, and consistently disseminating (online and in print) the U.P. Carillon Magazine;  Helping raise the awareness of the Filipino people on various nationwide issues by co-hosting public fora, like the U.P.-CNN senatorial forum, Akademyang Filipino, the 2nd Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon 2);  Providing management and logistical support to various U.P. System initiatives, such as U.P. DAY OF REMEMBRANCE, The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) free public concerts in U.P. Diliman, and the recognition of eight public service programs of the University as recipients of the GAWAD PANGULO FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE;  Pioneering THE WRITESHOP to improve skills of University personnel in producing journal articles based on U.P.’s public service programs;  Managing U.P.’s internal and external communication systems and enhancing its viability, through the maintenance of the U.P. System website and social media accounts, thereby linking the Constituent Universities together, ensuring the University’s visibility and accessible to a larger community, and enlightening a wide spectrum of stakeholders about the University’s major undertakings.  For being the consummate Penman, the multi-awarded author of literary works in fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and screenwriting;  For having written and published close to 30 books of his stories, plays, and essays, and having six of these receiving the National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle and more than 20 screenplays produced;  For having won 16 Palanca Awards in Short Story in English, Novel in English, Full-length Play in Filipino, Essay in English, Poetry in English, One-act Play, thereby being elevated to the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2000;  For garnering five Cultural Center of the Philippines awards for playwriting, and Famas, Urian, Star and Catholic Film awards and citations for his screenplays;  For being awarded Premio Cervara di Roma in Italy for his literary achievements;  For his bold literary eloquence that has made his writings on the topics of science, economics, and politics understandable and pleasurable to the layman;  For his mentoring a generation of writers as a full professor and Chair of the U.P. English Department, as Fellow and former Director of the UP Institute of Creative Writing; and,  Overall, for his exemplary service to the University of the Philippines, embodying honor and excellence in his roles as professor, artist, and administrator. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA hosts forum on federalism – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-hosts-forum-on-federalism/",
        "html": "UPAA hosts forum on federalism UPAA hosts forum on federalism May 10, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) hosted the “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP”, a regular public forum for nationally relevant issues, on April 18 at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Resource speakers discussed the pros and cons of having to shift the Philippines form of government to federalism.  In his presentation, “Establishing a Stronger, and a More Efficient, Effective, Responsive, and Accountable Philippine Democracy”, Dr. Jose V. Abueva, President of Kalayaan College and former UP President, discussed the need for system change.  Abueva favored a shift to a unitary and parliamentary form of government to resolve the country’s decades-long problems arising from the current system which he said constitutes a weak nation and an unconsolidated democracy.  Counterarguments to the Duterte administration’s proposed shift to federalism, on the other hand, were given  by Hon. Vicente V. Mendoza, retired Supreme Court Justice. His presentation supported more decentralization and local autonomy in government as he cautions against federalism and Constitutional amendments.  According to Mendoza, federalism will intensify regionalism, create new problems, and lead to fragmentation. He explained that more decentralization and local autonomy in government, not federalism, can help resolve the issues posed by those who are pushing for federalism; and that the desired developments can be attained without changing the form of government.  Atty. Ramon M. Maronilla, UPAA president; Atty. Reynaldo C. Laserna, UPAA 2nd vice president; Atty. Domingo C. Palarca, UPAA director; Atty. Oscar P. Palabyab, UPAA 1st vice president; and Atty. Pastor Marcelo M. Reyes, Jr., UPAA Public Issues Committee chair, facilitated the forum.  Additional photos of the event can be viewed by clicking here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 and IEI: How do we test and treat it? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-and-iei-how-do-we-test-and-treat-it/",
        "html": "COVID-19 and IEI: How do we test and treat it? COVID-19 and IEI: How do we test and treat it? September 21, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    COVID-19 can have severe effects on people with immunity problems.  They are part of the group of immunocompromised individuals who must be vaccinated and provided with additional protection, even more than the general population.  There are more than 400 types of immunodeficiencies that have been identified.  Some people have inborn immunity errors (IEI), while other immunodeficiencies manifest later in life.  Recent studies in the Philippines show that there seem to be more cases of IEI among children, so it is important to keep a close watch on children, particularly those with severe COVID-19 symptoms.  This Friday, September 23, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against COVID—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This week’s episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is entitled “Problema sa Immune System: COVID-19 and Inborn Errors of Immunity.” We will take a closer look at IEI to understand how to identify these patients and provide a proper referral to specialists who can help manage them, particularly if they acquire COVID-19.  We will find out how IEEI can be tested and treated. We will also talk about family history and the genetic predisposition for acquiring these conditions, as well as pregnancy, cancers, and other diseases that could be affected by IEI.  The main presenter is the leading pediatrician in IEI, Dr. Fatima Johanna T. Santos. She is the Head of the Immunology Council of the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (PSAAI) and the Advisor of the Philippine Organization of Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency (PHILPOPI).  Two IEI patients will also talk about their experiences: Harris Baraguir and Katrina Villareal, both members of PHILPOPI.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "What we should know about COVID and children with cancer – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-we-should-know-about-covid-and-children-with-cancer/",
        "html": "What we should know about COVID and children with cancer What we should know about COVID and children with cancer September 29, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 4,700 new childhood cancer cases in the Philippines annually. Forty percent of these cases are leukemia—a treatable condition, especially during early diagnosis and with consistent chemotherapy. Unfortunately, 1,700 children still die from leukemia each year in our country.  Compounding this are unseen impacts of COVID-19 on children’s health, especially those immunocompromised, such as children with cancer and undergoing treatment. What happened to all the children with cancer during the pandemic? How have the lockdowns affected transport and accessibility of care? How are we doing with the vaccination of these immunocompromised children?  This Friday, September 30, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar titled, “Children with Cancer and COVID-19”, we will focus on an important group of immunocompromised children and tackle everything there is to know about it, from the latest statistics to prevention and treatment, and how this also relates to COVID.  The main speaker will be Dr. Mae Dolendo, Head of the Children’s Cancer Unit at the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. She is the leading expert on pediatric oncology, recognized internationally for her advocacy work.  The panel will also feature Ms. Shalom Rea Bernales from the award-winning Kythe Foundation Inc., one of the pioneering programs for children with cancer that started as a volunteer organization from Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU). She will talk about the countless volunteers who have made life a little easier for these children and their families.  Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at the UP-PGH, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page. See you on Friday!  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Increasing liver disease cases: Why should we care? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/increasing-liver-disease-cases-why-should-we-care/",
        "html": "Increasing liver disease cases: Why should we care? Increasing liver disease cases: Why should we care? October 5, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Experts have noticed an increasing number of individuals with asymptomatic liver disease and abnormal liver profile tests. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can remain benign but also progress to severe conditions like cirrhosis and liver failure.  Some of the risk factors and co-morbidities of COVID-19 include the linkage of NAFLD with obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia-metabolic syndrome. It is estimated that as many as one of three Filipinos could have fatty liver.  But what mainly causes liver disease, and can it be prevented? How can one manage it and reduce the risk of becoming a more serious disease? When should a general practitioner refer patients with abnormal liver profiles to specialists?  This Friday, October 7, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invites you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar, “FATTY LIVER: Why Should I Care?”, we will zero in on livers and how we can keep our livers healthy and save lives. Dr. Janus P. Ong, Head of the Liver Research Program at UP-NIH and Hepatologist-Gastroenterologist at the UP-PGH, will give you the latest information on the topic inside and outside the country.  Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Paz-Pacheco, a consultant with the UP-PGH Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, will also share her perspectives in line with her work.  Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar sets its sights on visual impairment problems – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-sets-its-sights-on-visual-impairment-problems/",
        "html": "UP webinar sets its sights on visual impairment problems UP webinar sets its sights on visual impairment problems October 13, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have near or distant vision impairment. In half of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented.  Myopia, or near-sightedness, is the most common ocular disorder worldwide. It is also the leading cause of visual impairment in children. Its incidence has increased rapidly and has become a major public health concern in many East Asian countries. In the Philippines, the national average of cases is about 10% but can go as high as 30% in more disadvantaged urban areas.  Why are myopia cases increasing? What are the possible signs and symptoms of visual acuity problems? Did the COVID-19 pandemic and its multiple lockdowns affect the population’s quality of vision?  This Friday, October 14, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “Ilang taon dapat magpacheck-up ng mata ang isang bata?” will talk about the role of both genetics and environment in the development of possible visual impairment problems. The main presenter is Dr. Leo Cubillian, Director of the Philippine Eye Research Institute, UP-NIH. The latter will walk the audience through an important project to start early visual acuity studies.  Dr. Lorna Abad, Immediate Past Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the UP-PGH, and Gypsy Love Edullantes, Kindergarten Teacher III with the Department of Education Region VII, will also share their perspectives.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by UP-PGH Coordinator for Training, Dr. Dionne Sacdalan.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar drives up on road safety, traffic education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-drives-up-on-road-safety-traffic-education/",
        "html": "UP webinar drives up on road safety, traffic education UP webinar drives up on road safety, traffic education October 20, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The World Health Organization (WHO) reports road traffic injuries as the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29. Approximately 1.3 million people die each year because of road traffic crashes.  Over half of all these road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Nearly 30% of all road crash deaths involve powered two- and three-wheeled vehicles. This type of accident is something that we should focus on, especially in a country where motorcycles and tricycles are the main modes of transportation.  With this, we ask, “How safe are motorcyclists in the Philippines?”   This Friday, October 21, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “NAGMOMOTOR: LIGTAS KA BA?”, experts will discuss Philippine traffic safety and WHO’s “Powered two- and three-wheeler safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners.”  Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UP-PGH, will also share local data on motorcycle crashes based on reports from Philippine hospitals. Dr. John Juliard L. Go, National Professional Officer of WHO-Philippines, will talk about the work of WHO in supporting countries in making roads safer. Mr. Antonio Pagulayan, Officer-in-Charge of the Traffic Education Division of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will discuss challenges and solutions for road safety.  UP-PGH Coordination for Training, Dr. Dionne Sacdalan, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "New COVID subvariants loom over the holiday season – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-covid-subvariants-loom-over-the-holiday-season/",
        "html": "New COVID subvariants loom over the holiday season New COVID subvariants loom over the holiday season November 3, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    As the holiday season approaches, it is expected that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country will once again spike. Omicron continues to be the dominant variant, and unfortunately, new subvariants have cropped up anew: XBB, which is a recombinant of BJ.1 (of the BA2.10.1 sublineage) and BM.1.1.1 (of the BA.2.75 sublineage); and BQ.1.1, a descendant of the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron.   There are a little over four million COVID-19 cases in the Philippines. Currently, the proportion of individuals testing positive for COVID-19, at least in Metro Manila and several provinces, has decreased to ten percent. In contrast, rates in Isabela, Benguet, Cebu, and Negros Occidental have increased. These new subvariants, associated with significant immune escape and antibody evasion, may cause breakthrough infections. Hospital cases are now being closely monitored in case of another COVID surge.  What are the main characteristics of these new Omicron subvariants? How can the country prevent another surge, especially with the holidays? What are the country’s latest updates on vaccination and infection regarding COVID-19?   This Friday, November 4, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this new episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “BAGO NA NAMAN? XBB and BQ.1., Alamin!”, familiar faces will be explaining these new subvariants and how everyone can further protect themselves from the virus.  Dr. Franco Felizarta, an infectious disease specialist, based in California, will provide everything we need to know about the variant based on current scientific studies.  Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, pediatric infectious diseases specialist from UP-PGH, will share additional information on what we can do to protect ourselves vis-à-vis the new policies that have been issued in recent weeks.  Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Working with COVID: Lessons on workplace safety amid the pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/working-with-covid-lessons-on-workplace-safety-amid-the-pandemic/",
        "html": "Working with COVID: Lessons on workplace safety amid the pandemic Working with COVID: Lessons on workplace safety amid the pandemic November 16, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The past two and a half years have been a rollercoaster ride of trials and errors in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the harder obstacles that had to be dealt with was how to keep the workforce afloat while protecting employees not only at work but even as they go home to their loved ones.  How can employers from all industries make their spaces safer for their employees? What will sectors and the workforce look like in the near future?  This Friday, November 18, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This new episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series—is titled “MAY LIWANAG BA ANG BUKAS PARA SA MGA HEALTH WORKERS? Lessons Gained from the Pandemic” —will take a closer look at occupational health and how workplaces have adapted to the pandemic.  Dr. Joselito Gapas, Head of Occupational Health at First Philippine Holdings Corporation and the Lopez Group of Companies, will talk about workplace preparedness and response to the pandemic from the private sector’s perspective. He will also talk about health facilities as a workplace and what opportunities health workers have to take further control over their lives, especially during peaks of disease transmission in this pandemic.  Veteran journalist Roby Alampay will also share his perspective as a start-up business manager and journalist covering the business beat.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "To mask or not to mask: The UP webinar takes on the question of voluntary masking – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/to-mask-or-not-to-mask-the-up-webinar-takes-on-the-question-of-voluntary-masking/",
        "html": "To mask or not to mask: The UP webinar takes on the question of voluntary masking To mask or not to mask: The UP webinar takes on the question of voluntary masking November 9, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.  As long as people are getting infected, there is a chance that the virus will keep mutating. However, we have come a long way from how things started in 2020. Vaccination, testing, and various treatments have helped us get back to a semblance of normalcy and, most importantly, have decreased the rates of severe infection, hospitalization, and death.  With these developments, some countries, including the Philippines, have shifted to voluntary masking outdoors. Voluntary masking outdoors received mixed reactions and prompted discussions on whether the country is ready for such.  This Friday, we take that discussion further and back up various claims with science. What do we know about the new subvariants, and how do we prevent their spread? Is one type of mask more beneficial than the other? What are the likely scenarios regarding voluntary masking in the Philippines?   This Friday, November 11, from noon to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This next episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK,” will try to answer the questions above. Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria, Immediate Past President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease and Chair of the UP Clinical Epidemiology Unit, will discuss the basic principles to keep in mind to stay protected when masking. Dr. Ralph Elvi Villalobos, leading pulmonologist of UP-PGH, and Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong-Lim, pediatric infectious diseases specialist, will also share their views on vulnerable groups and risky behaviors in public.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "It’s okay to not feel okay: A webinar on mental health amid COVID – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/its-okay-to-not-feel-okay-a-webinar-on-mental-health-amid-covid/",
        "html": "It’s okay to not feel okay: A webinar on mental health amid COVID It’s okay to not feel okay: A webinar on mental health amid COVID November 23, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The COVID-19 pandemic’s most far-reaching impact is its huge toll on people’s mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 23 to 46 percent of healthcare workers experience anxiety symptoms, while 20 to 37 percent have depression. Burnout has also reportedly spiked among the population, even more so heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Control methods for COVID have become increasingly definitive and reliable, and the same focus should be directed toward the parallel pandemic of mental health problems. As WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his foreword to the WHO World Mental Health Report for 2022: “Ultimately, there is no health without mental health.”  Kumusta? How have you been feeling during this pandemic? Are you harboring negative thoughts or an inability to see the future? Are you often irritable and agitated?  This Friday, November 25, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “PARA! GUSTO KO BUMABA! It’s Okay not to feel Okay,” will tackle stress, mental health, and well-being of students, doctors, nurses, and health professionals.  Dr. Josefina Ly-Uson, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the UP-PGH, will discuss the Wellness Program of UP-PGH and the College of Medicine. Meanwhile, Dr. Noel D.J. Atienza, the Dean of the College of Medicine at San Beda University, will share their university’s efforts toward protecting and promoting mental health. Dr. Teresita Cadiz-Brion, former Dean of the College of Public Health at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), will also share the PLM’s experience.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP announces grading policy for the rest of AY 2021-2022 and Midyear 2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-announces-grading-policy-for-the-rest-of-ay-2021-2022-and-midyear-2022/",
        "html": "UP announces grading policy for the rest of AY 2021-2022 and Midyear 2022 UP announces grading policy for the rest of AY 2021-2022 and Midyear 2022 May 5, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman. UP MPRO file photo.     On April 29, the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (UP OVPAA) issued Memorandum No. 2022-09B, “Grading Policy Related to Remote Teaching and Learning Implemented for the Second Semester/Trimester, Third Trimester AY 2021-2022, and Midyear 2022”.  What remains enforced: the no-fail policy, no grade of 4 or 5, and giving a grade of DRP to a student whose class standing is “failing” or whose class performance is unsatisfactory, and that DRP will be annotated with “due to COVID-19 pandemic”.  The no-fail policy does not apply to cases where the student is guilty of intellectual dishonesty.  Specific scenarios for getting DRP include those who never participated in class nor communicated with the course instructor, with incomplete requirements and “failing” standing, with incomplete requirements but still “failing” even after getting a perfect score in their lacking requirement, and with complete requirements yet “failing” class standing.  “Faculty members are urged to exercise utmost prudence in using the DROP option for students in difficult circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic or the devastating typhoons, who, in their judgment, are nevertheless striving to meet academic requirements,” according to the UP OVPAA memo.  What has changed: rules on INC will now be strictly applied. Who will receive INC marks? Those whose class standing is “passing” but have not completed the course requirements. If they cannot meet the condition within the prescribed one-year period, the INC will remain and be annotated with “due to COVID-19 pandemic”. If the student retakes the course instead of completing the requirement but later decides to just complete the course requirements, then the student should first drop the re-enrolled course before completing the course requirements where they got an INC.  Those with “passing” class standing and who have completed the course requirements shall receive a final numerical grade.  Students enrolled in courses that require in-person activities for course completion, such as laboratory, thesis, or dissertation, will have their grades deferred, following OVPAA Memo No. 2021-19A. When these courses have been allowed to conduct limited face-to-face sessions or alternatives as provided by OVPAA Memo 2021-5, the student may be given a grade at the end of the term.  The OVPAA memo also states that students’ grades in the second semester/trimester, third trimester AY 2021-2022, and midyear 2022 will be part of the general weighted average or GWA computation. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Off Frame a.k.a. Revolution Until Victory – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-frame-a-k-a-revolution-until-victory/",
        "html": "Off Frame a.k.a. Revolution Until Victory Off Frame a.k.a. Revolution Until Victory October 18, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) Film Institute will be screening Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory (2016) by Mohanad Yaqubi on Tuesday, October 24, and Thursday, October 26, 5PM, at the Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, Quezon City. This is part of the UPFI Film Center’s mandate to address the university constituency’s educational needs relating to film and moving images. Programmed by Associate Professor Patrick F. Campos, the film is hoped to offer a broad historical context and provide a point of reflection and discussion for current conflict in the Middle East.  SYNOPSIS  Showcasing an unprecedented depth of research and access, Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory is a unique historical portrait in the Third Cinema tradition of “imperfect films” of the Palestinian people’s struggle to produce their own image from the 1960s to the 1980s. Using material long hidden in archives across the globe, this hybrid archival documentary reaches back through the modern history of Palestine and reverses the colonial angle with a mosaic of struggle from the perspective of the colonized.  DIRECTOR’S BIO  Mohanad Yaqubi is a filmmaker, producer, and co-founder of the Ramallah-based production Idioms Film and the curatorial collective Subversive Films, which focuses on militant film practices. Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory (2016) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His latest, R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity (2022), features archival films of the Palestinian struggle deposited in Japan which he helped restore, and is currently being shown in international venues and film festivals.   TRAILER:   Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration starts at 4PM. "
    },
    {
        "title": "What is UP Mail? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/what-is-up-mail/",
        "html": "What is UP Mail? What is UP Mail? November 22, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The UP Mail (@up.edu.ph) is an email service available to all currently enrolled UP students and employed faculty and staff (whether regular, contractual or ICS (Individual Contract of Service), and offices in partnership with Google.  Is the @UP Mail different from the@upd, @upm, @uplb, etc.?  Each constituent university has its own webmail service for employees and students. This email service is maintained by each CU’s respective Computer Center or IT office and it is free to maintain such service depending on its mandate. UP Mail is different from these emails in such a way that it is used as the official access to the Core Information Systems, with simplified domain name (@up.edu.ph) and standard to all CUs.  Perks of Using UP Mail  Greater file storage and file sharing capability – Unlimited file storage for Google Drive  Professionalism and Institutional Identity – UP Mail is recommended for submission of papers to local and international conferences and sending invitation for UP events  Collaboration Tools  No Advertisement – stricter spam filter  Mobility – UP Mail account can be used across all UP campuses  Get your UP Mail account now. Visit itdc.up.edu.ph/uis/the-up-mail. "
    },
    {
        "title": "True, false, or maybe? Facts on COVID-19 prevention and treatment – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/true-false-or-maybe-facts-on-covid-19-prevention-and-treatment/",
        "html": "True, false, or maybe? Facts on COVID-19 prevention and treatment True, false, or maybe? Facts on COVID-19 prevention and treatment April 14, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, more and more pieces of information on the prevention and treatment of this new disease continue to circulate. From the scientific to the anecdotal to the downright absurd, there seems to be too much to sift through.  Misinformation and disinformation spreads just as fast, perhaps even faster, than scientific and expert data. It is a race between fact and unverified information driven by the fallacy of argumentum ad populum: if many believe it, it must be true.  And at a time when fear, doubt, and uncertainty can overwhelm sound judgment, there are those who will cling to anything that gives a semblance of hope to survive.  The 48th episode of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, “Facts and Fiction on COVID-19 Prevention and Treatments,” will address the confusion on drug therapies for COVID-19; discuss the dangers of self-medication, self-formulation, and buying and ingesting unregistered products; and explain how health professionals rank and weigh evidence before dispensing medical advice and making recommendations.  Speakers are Dr. Marissa Alejandria, President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Professor for Clinical Epidemiology; Dr. Joseph Adrian Bunesalido, Clinical Associate Professor for Infectious Disease of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH); Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, Professor of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at the UP College of Medicine; Dr. Jason Ligot, Director for Development Communication with Organic Intelligence; and Dr. Beverly Ho, Director of the Health and Communication Service of the Department of Health (DOG).  The event will be on April 16, 12:00 noon, via Zoom. It will also be streamed live in TVUP’s YouTube channel.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar48 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle medical teaching, simulation in new normal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-medical-teaching-simulation-in-new-normal/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle medical teaching, simulation in new normal UP webinar to tackle medical teaching, simulation in new normal October 27, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor       The COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to consider other ways of gaining knowledge and acquiring skills, especially in medicine. While many things came to a halt in the ‘new normal,’ health faculties continuously tried to find innovative ways to prepare the next generation of doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners.  These past two years have shown simulation as a valuable teaching tool that increases skills and knowledge acquisition in all aspects of medical training. Not only is it effective, but it also offers a realistic approach to practicing such skills without causing harm to a living patient. Most importantly, it keeps students and residents safe in their learning environments.  Despite that, many are still wary, can skills training be effective not only in competency-based education but also in outcome-based care? How important is mentoring during simulation? How can simulation be effectively used to ensure that we have enough health workers for the most vulnerable?  Tomorrow, October 28, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series titled “SKILLS TRAINING: How effective is a simulation in OB-GYN?” UP-PGH’s Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose will share a simulation of the teaching-learning of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a tertiary hospital during the pandemic.  Other panelists will also share their own experiences: Dr. Erlyn A. Sana, Professor at UP Manila National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions; Dr. Noel D. Atienza, Dean of San Beda University College of Medicine; and Dr. Teresita Cadiz-Brion, an OB-GYN and former Dean of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Public Health.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter Account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page. See you on Friday!  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lively UP-Korean relations reported in UP meeting with ambassador – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lively-up-korean-relations-reported-in-up-meeting-with-ambassador/",
        "html": "Lively UP-Korean relations reported in UP meeting with ambassador Lively UP-Korean relations reported in UP meeting with ambassador March 19, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Ambassador Han Dong-Man (fifth from right) and the Embassy’s First Secretary Song Areum (fifth from left) are joined by (from left) Asian Center Dean Joefe Santarita, Virata School of Business Prof. Dani Rose Salazar, Korea Research Center (UP-KRC) OIC Director Aldrin Lee, Vice President for Finance Jose Florendo, UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga Director Grace Gorospe-Jamon, National College of Public Administration Dean Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto, and UP-KRC Associate Kyungmin Bae on the Quezon Hall bridgeway. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Active relations between the University of the Philippines (UP) and Korea were highlighted during the first lecture and meeting with top UP officials of Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man.  Both events took place in UP Diliman on March 18, 2019.  UP through its Korea Research Center (UP-KRC) invited Han for the first UP-KRC public lecture for 2019 and a “courtesy meeting” with UP officials to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Philippine-Korean bilateral relations, which were formally forged on March 3, 1949 when the Philippines became the fifth country to recognize the Republic of Korea.     Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man talks about his government’s vision for peace in the Korean peninsula. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     As the ambassador gave a lecture on Korean reunification and enhancing the growing economic, cultural, and people-to-people relations with the Philippines, UP officials who welcomed him enumerated the relations the University already has with Korea.  Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs for Internationalization and Director of the UP System Office of International Linkages Gil Jacinto mentioned: the three-year operations of the UP-KRC; UP’s membership in the Korean Studies Association of Southeast Asia (KoSASA); its 2016 hosting of the KoSASA biennial conference; UP’s pioneering of Korean undergraduate classes; and, its academic exchange with 36 Korean universities.     Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man shares the table with Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Korea Research Center OIC Director Aldrin Lee, and the lecture’s master of ceremonies Dani Rose Salazar of the Virata School of Business, as UP cadets prepare the entrance of colors. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Jacinto reported that South Korea is the second top destination for student exchange for UP, consisting of 123 undergraduate students in 2017-2018 and 14 faculty members currently taking up graduate studies there.  Dean Ma. Fe Villamejor-Mendoza of the UP National College for Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), the host institution of the lecture, spoke of the College’s co-membership with Korean counterparts in the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA), and of partnerships with Korean universities and associations for public administration and policy studies.     National College of Public Administration and Governance Dean Ma. Fe Villemjor-Mendoza presents Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man with college publications , as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto waits to hand over tokens from the UP System Administration. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Concluding his lecture, “Vision for Peace in the Korean Peninsula and the Philippines-Korea Relations”, at the International Center for Public Administration of NCPAG, Han expressed a vision for “co-prosperity between Korea and the Philippines” and asked for “continuous support for our strong ties based upon optimism.”     Korean Ambassador Han Dong-Man is warmly received by the University represented in the group photo of lecture attendees by (front row) UP Korea Research Center (UP-KRC) OIC Director Aldrin Lee, National College of Public Administration and Governance Dean Ma. Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Gil Jacinto, former UP-KRC Director Eduardo Gonzalez, UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga Grace Gorospe-Jamon, Virata School of Business Prof. Dani Rose Salazar, and College of Human Kinetics Prof. Gilda Uy. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     The ambassador then proceeded to Quezon Hall for a courtesy meeting and working lunch with UP officials led by President Danilo Concepcion and Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa.     Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa welcomes Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man to the Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall after the latter’s lecture on campus, then turns the program over to President Danilo Concepcion who has a brief introductory exchange with the ambassador before a working lunch. Photos by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     On a brief overview presentation on UP given by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Han took special note of UP’s social responsibility, its Open University, and rigorous admissions policy.     Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man enumerates points he noted specially from the overview presentation by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (foreground) on the UP System. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP KRC and APPPFI hold Joint Forum on South Korea’s New Southern Policy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-krc-and-apppfi-hold-joint-forum-on-south-koreas-new-southern-policy/",
        "html": "UP KRC and APPPFI hold Joint Forum on South Korea’s New Southern Policy UP KRC and APPPFI hold Joint Forum on South Korea’s New Southern Policy July 30, 2019 | Written by Reini Evangelista   The speakers and participants of the joint public forum on Korea’s New Southern Policy, held by the UP Korea Research Center and the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation Inc. on July 22 at Microtel by Wyndam, Quezon City. Photo from the UP Korea Research Center.     The UP Korea Research Center (UP KRC), in partnership with the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation Inc. (APPPFI), held a joint public forum entitled “Significance of Korea’s New Southern Policy for the Philippines and ASEAN” on July 22, 2019 at Microtel by Wyndam in Quezon City. The forum aimed to analyze the significance of New Southern Policy to the Philippines and ASEAN in the field of defense, security, and economy; to discuss how to strengthen Philippines-Korea defense and security partnership within the framework of New Southern Policy; and to forge an institutional partnership between Philippine-based institutions and Korean think tanks.  In his opening remarks, Dr. Aldrin Lee (UP KRC OIC-Director) gave a brief background on the UP KRC and noted that this was the first public forum held on the New Southern Policy (NSP).  The guest speaker, Dr. Jaehyon Lee (Asian Institute of Policy Studies) gave a talk entitled “New Southern Policy and ASEAN-Korea Strategic and Security Cooperation,” which focused on the NSP and Peace Cooperation, and the Potential and Limits of Strategic Cooperation.  The NSP aims to include ASEAN among South Korea (ROK)’s major partners, along with Japan, China, USA, and Russia. It is also seen to secure national security by strengthening relations with neighboring countries (strategic networks), especially with a “revisionist China” and a “unilateral isolationist US” under the Trump administration. The NSP, according to Dr. Lee, serves as ROK fulfilling their role as a middle power and contributing to international community as a middle power.     Dr. Jaehyon Lee of the Asian Institute of Policy Studies spoke about the “New Southern Policy and ASEAN-Korea Strategic and Security Cooperation.” Photo from the UP Korea Research Center.     A talk on the “PH-ROK Defense Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges” was given by Capt. Dianne Despi (Armed Forces of the Philippines), which covered the milestones, shared security environment, three frameworks of cooperation, and current engagements between the Philippines and ROK. Capt. Despi also noted that the NSP is welcome in the Philippines as this diversifies the partnerships the country has in terms of defense cooperation and may prove to be helpful and important in conducting strategic assessments. Challenges in the defense cooperation were also given, and these include language barrier, gap in technology development, and a priority mismatch between the Philippines and ROK.  Lastly, Prof. Ser Percival Peña-Reyes (Ateneo de Manila University) lectured on the “Trade Integration and Socioeconomic Disparities Among ASEAN States.” Macroeconomic, Development, and Trade Integration Data of ROK, G7, and ASEAN were presented. Data revealed that there is a disparity in economic performance within ASEAN and ASEAN is net importing vis-à-vis the world. The performance indicators set by the ASEAN have yet to reflect economic cooperation within the region, and ROK may act as a catalyst so ASEAN countries could trade within the region. Focusing on the Philippines, Prof. Peña-Reyes comments that Mindanao as a food basket can still be utilized to improve the country’s economy and its trade relations with Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia, and that the Philippines needs to shift from consumption to investments in terms of having the most contribution to the country’s GDP.     The panel and reactors during the joint public forum on Korea’s New Southern Policy. Photo from the UP Korea Research Center.     Prof. Raisa Lumampao (UP Department of Political Science) and Dr. Ricardo Barcelona (Imperial College Business School, London) served as reactors. Prof. Lumampao stated that the NSP shows both ROK’s desire to expand its relations and its strategic foreign policy. ROK, therefore, needs to understand ASEAN states more deeply and to know how to utilize middle and small powers. The NSP, she noted, will have a long-lasting effect if it strengthens maritime security, especially with the Philippines. Dr. Barcelona discussed choosing between trade and security is a false dichotomy, as one cannot exist without the other. He also states that we should not aspire for equality among ASEAN states but rather for the expansion of access to prosperity; and that conditions where opportunities must be enhanced should be created.  An open forum was held to entertain questions from the attendees, and afterwards, Prof. Herman Kraft (APPPFI) gave the closing remarks.  The author is participating in 2019 Korea Foundation Public Diplomacy Camp from August 17 to 23, 2019 in Korea. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Korean diaspora forum sheds light on ‘transnationalism’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/korean-diaspora-forum-sheds-light-on-transnationalism/",
        "html": "Korean diaspora forum sheds light on ‘transnationalism’ Korean diaspora forum sheds light on ‘transnationalism’ August 28, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Prof. Chulwoo Lee, keynote speaker of the Congress, interacts with the audience. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “The making, existence, and expansion of the citizenry outside of the borders and the increasing transborder political participation of the diaspora mark a transnationalization of the nation-state and citizenship,” said Dr. Chulwoo Lee, professor of Law at Yonsei University Law School, as keynote speaker of the 2nd Philippine Koreanist Congress on August 17, 2019 at Novotel, Cubao, Quezon City.  With the title: “How does diaspora engagement reshape citizenship and nation-statehood?”, Lee’s paper was about countries redefining their ambit and according rights to migrants, based on concepts of citizenship that have been shifting alongside increased global migration.     Prof. Chulwoo Lee is an expert on how countries dealt with citizenship in law as complicated by migration. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     “The Philippines and Korea are in tune with the times. Incorporating diaspora members into the active citizenry is now regarded as a democratic requirement,” Lee added. Both Korea and the Philippines have provisions for overseas voting, for example, but the Philippines is more advanced in allowing postal voting, he said.  Aside from dual citizenship, concepts such as “ethnizenship” and other forms of the “noncitizen diaspora status” are creating and expanding the “transnational nation”, Lee said.     Prof. Chulwoo Lee, who previously lived in Manila, addresses the Koreanist congress. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     In the open forum, he further argued that “limiting dual citizenship is increasingly unsustainable”.  The Second Philippine Koreanist Congress, with the theme: “Mapping the Korean diaspora in the Philippines: 70-year history and friendship in retrospect”, was spearheaded by the UP Korea Research Center in cooperation with The Academy of Korean Studies and supported by the Korean Cultural Center and the UP Department of Linguistics.     The Second Philippine Koreanist Congress at Novotel, Cubao, Quezon City on August 17, 2019. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Present to welcome the participants and congratulate the organizers were: UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa, who represented UP President Danilo Concepcion; Scalabrini Migration Center Executive Director Maruja Asis; and, UP Korea Research Center Founding Director Eduardo Gonzalez.  Prof. Raymund Abejo of the UP Diliman Department of History presented interactions between Korean individuals and the Philippines since the 17th century up to the 1920s. Prof. Bubbles Beverly Asor of the De La Salle University Department of Sociology presented the migration of Koreans to the Philippines as linked to “geoarbitrage” or achieving a better life at lower cost. Antonio Miranda of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs-Foreign Service Institute surveyed the landscape of Korean communities in the Philippines, noting that mutual empathy has been impeded by power relations paralleling the disparity in economies and benefactor-beneficiary arrangement.     Presenters on “Immersion and Emergence of the Korean Community in the Philippines”: Prof. Raymund Abejo of the UP Department of History; Prof. Bubbles Beverly Asor of the DLSU Department of Sociology; and, Antonio Miranda of the DFA Foreign Service Institute. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     In the second session, Normi Son of the Kopino Children’s Association Inc. presented a study of satisfying and enduring Korean-Filipino marriages. Oliver Quintana of the Ateneo de Manila University Political Science Department made a case study of Korean War veterans in the Philippines for an organization’s role in institutionalizing national memory. Prof. Danirose Salazar of the UP Cesar Virata School of Business Department of Accounting and Finance showed that bilateral trades between South Korea and the Philippines were reflections of the economic development of the two countries over the years.     Presenters on “Futuristic Partnership After the 70-Year Ties”: Normi Son of the Kopino Children’s Association Inc.; Oliver Quintana of the AdMU Political Science Department; and, Prof. Danirose Salazar of the UP Cesar Virata School of Business. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The last session was devoted to a workshop by the participants aimed at identifying milestones in their respective fields related to Korea and Korea Studies. They then assessed how these areas fare today and how these can be improved.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa meets Dr. Young-Mee Jee accompanying her husband, Prof. Chul Woo Lee, keynote speaker of the Congress. She had stayed in Manila for a post in the World Health Organization involving immunization. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili facilitates the opening ceremony of the Congress. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Dr. Maruha Asis, executive director of the Scalabrini Migration Center, congratulates the UP Korea Research Center for organizing the Congress. She notes that both Korea and the Philippines used to be both origin countries for international migrants until the 1970s; and that in the 1980s, Filipinos and Koreans were the second and third largest immigrant groups, respectively, in the US. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Korea Research Center and UP Department of Linguistics hold the 6th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-korea-research-center-and-up-department-of-linguistics-hold-the-6th-philippine-korean-studies-symposium/",
        "html": "UP Korea Research Center and UP Department of Linguistics hold the 6th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium UP Korea Research Center and UP Department of Linguistics hold the 6th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium December 8, 2019 | Written by Reini Evangelista   Participants of the 6th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium     With the theme “Forging New Perspectives and Directions in Korea-Philippines Cooperation: Towards Sustainable Peace and Prosperity,” the 6th Philippine Korean Studies Symposium (PKSS) was held on November 21 to 23, 2019 at the NISMED Auditorium. The symposium aimed to promote academic research on Korea-related studies by Filipino scholars here and abroad, strengthen Korean studies as area studies, and to develop networks with both local and international institutions.  Plenary lectures were given by Dr. Doobo Shim (Department of Media and Communication, Sungshin Women’s University), and Dr. Minyoung Seo (Head of Development Research Division, KDI School of Public Policy and Management). Dr. Shim gave a lecture on “Korean Popular Culture and the International Cultural Flow,” while Dr. Seo discussed “Korea’s Knowledge Sharing for International Development.”     Dr. Doobo Shim of Sungshin Women’s University’s Department of Media and Communication     UP Korea Research Center (UP KRC)’s core researchers discussed the results of their research works: Dr. Erik Paolo Capistrano gave a presentation on the economic agenda and relevant bilateral relations of South Korea and the Philippines; Dr. Aaron Jed Rabena discussed South Korea’s soft power strategy and how the Philippines can learn from their strategy; and Dr. Jean Encinas Franco and Samuel Cabbuag presented the media representations of Koreans in the Philippines.     Dr. Minyoung Seo, KDI School of Public Policy and Management’s Head of Development Research Division     The symposium also featured parallel paper presentations on various topics such as the Korean Wave, media, business, diplomacy, feminism, migration, translation studies, and South Korean policies; and undergraduate presentations from the GS 197 class: The Making of Global Korea. A panel discussion was also held which focused on the challenges and visions forward in relation to the 70 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Korea. On its third day, a workshop on teaching Korean as a foreign language (KFL) was held, followed by a roundtable discussion on the issues in KFL.  The three-day symposium was supported by the Korea Foundation and hosted by the UP KRC and the UP Department of Linguistics.   "
    },
    {
        "title": "A mind for boxing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-mind-for-boxing/",
        "html": "A mind for boxing A mind for boxing August 28, 2018 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   National Boxer Mario Fernandez (right) shows his stuff in the 2017 SEA Games. (Photo by Skip Tan, via Marcus Jarwin Manalo)     Few athletic disciplines are as primal, exciting, and yet as visibly violent as boxing.  The thrill of seeing an athlete physically dominating another in the ring has been one reason behind boxing’s immense following, from the age of Pancho Villa and then Flash Elorde to that of Manny Pacquiao. Despite, or perhaps due to this popularity, it is also one of the most misunderstood of all sports. Far too easy is it for casual viewers to dismiss boxing bouts as exercises in unmethodical brutality.  Marcus Jarwin Manalo of the UP College of Human Kinetics (UP CHK), however, knows that there is much more than blind aggression to the “sweet science.”  For the past five years, Manalo has served as the Sports Psychology consultant for the Philippine National Boxing Team. Armed with lessons from the ring, he is on a mission to educate athletes and coaches on the benefits of mental skills training. And a major component of that goal is his personal quest to create an ideal environment that helps our pugilists give their best, both in sports and in life.     Split seconds  “What I focus on are performance issues of the athletes as well as of the coaches,” says Manalo. As opposed to Clinical Sports psychologists, who deal with severe disorders like depression, his consultancy focuses on training skills like mental toughness, goal setting, concentration, and anxiety management.  “One misconception people have is that they think these skills are innate,” he notes. “Either you have them, or you don’t. Believing nothing can be done to improve these skills, many athletes act accordingly, failing to improve them despite the nominally important status of the ‘mental game’ in sports.”     UP CHK’s Marcus Jarwin Manalo. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     In contrast, mental and physical skills are more alike than different. “Think of dribbling and shooting skills in basketball. You need to practice them regularly. Mental skills are the same. You need constant practice for them to become automatic during competitions.”  Moreover, and contrary to stereotypes, he considers emotional control to be the cornerstone of a good boxer’s mental toolkit. The science of boxing goes far beyond mere suntukan or bugbugan. In reality, all-out aggression leaves most boxers open to counterattacks. “You want to be aggressive, but also calm in the sense that you can make good decisions in the ring. And all of these decisions are happening in split seconds.”  Manalo uses mindfulness-based interventions to help his boxers manage the chaos of competition. These involve being aware of and accepting experiences in the present moment, rather than fighting them. For practice, team members are asked to use deep breathing and guided imagery techniques even before training camp. “Sometimes it’s just them lying down and focusing on the environment, and what it sounds like.”     The Philippine National Boxing Team warming up. (Photo by Marcus Jarwin Manalo)     In competitions, worries and concerns can overwhelm an athlete before the first punch is thrown. Here, mindfulness can help them to stay in the moment. Manalo says, “It lets them know that yes, they’re feeling frustrated. Then they can recognize it, acknowledge it. And then can they ask—what’s the best thing I can do now?”  Like other skills, however, it does takes practice. “You can’t just start doing mindfulness when you’re already at the Asian Games! it might not work.”     Establishing rapport  Tall and trim, Manalo had always been an athlete in his own right. Like many Psychology undergraduates, however, he once dreamed of going to medical school. One class that he took at the UP Department of Psychology threw a wrench into those plans.  “The class was discussing specific fields we could specialize in,” he recalls. “Like Educational Psychology and Counselling.” In that conversation, however, someone brought up Sports Psychology. His interest piqued, the soon-to-be graduate’s goals would change forever.     Marcus Manalo explains the importance of mental skills. (Photo by El Bacani, UP MPRO)     After graduating, Manalo pursued a diploma in Exercise and Sports Science at the UP CHK, which he followed up with a master’s degree with a concentration in Sports Psychology from Texas Tech University.  Returning to teach in 2013, he was also recruited that year into the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), who was on the hunt for a new Sports Psychology consultant for the national squad.  “The coaches were skeptical,” he says. “If you look at the staff, at the time I was the only one who was not a boxer. It was like: how can you help us, when you haven’t experienced what we have?”  Apart from the fact that not everyone knew what Sports Psychologists did, the former basketball player, who had never boxed in his life, found himself in a completely alien culture. How he responded, and what he still considers to be the most important aspect of his job was: “Establish rapport.”  Over the next weeks, creating a collaborative relationship with the boxers and their coaches became his top priority. Mornings, he was running with the team, doing the same exercises they were doing. His computer’s hard drive was soon filled with the team’s sparring videos. Manalo ate with the team and slept together with them during their Baguio-based training camps.  As his knowledge of the sport grew, both the boxers and the coaches also began to see Manalo as a trustworthy and approachable presence.  “It’s important to make them see that you’re not just a professional that’s comfortable in an office or clinic setting,” he said. His closeness and integration with the team also helped him to become more effective as a professional.  “Not all of our national athletes are comfortable with pen-and-paper assessments,” Manalo noted. The time he spends in casual conversation with the team, therefore, also doubles as opportunities to assess the needs of his athletes and becoming available to them individually.     Winning takes care of itself  With the launch of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia this August, Manalo is expected to fly in with the Philippine team. While optimistic, especially after a strong five-medal showing in the recent Korotkov International Tournament in Russia, he does not want medals to be the team’s primary focus.     Marcus Manalo (front row, black jacket) celebrates with the National Team in Russia. (Photo by Marcus Manalo)     “You don’t talk about the gold medal,” Manalo points out. Fans and management may consider that the metric by which athletic success is measured, but he has seen how an exaggerated focus on outcomes can saddle athletes with unnecessary pressure. “Ironically, if you want to win, you need to have less of an emphasis on winning. If you take care of the process, winning will take care of itself.”  With in-competition preparations becoming more mental than physical, this stage may be when our pugilists may need Manalo the most. Whatever the outcome, however, he hopes that the work he is doing now can help more teams to open their minds to Sports Psychology and how it can contribute to every stage of the athletic journey.  “I think the future of Sports Psychology is bright,” he says. “The only limiting factor is that there are no institutions offering a degree in it here, you have to go abroad to study.” But with the hard work of practitioners like Manalo, more coaches and athletes are seeing its value. “Eventually,” he adds, “maybe the CHK can even offer a master’s degree in it once we get more professionals in the country and in UP!”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Life of an island Iska – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/life-of-an-island-iska/",
        "html": "Life of an island Iska Life of an island Iska September 5, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao    Eight hundred kilometers southeast of Manila is Siargao Island. Much has been written in travel blogs about this surfer’s paradise, this next big thing of a tourist destination.  Like many travelers, Marja Abad has been backpacking most of her life in and out of the Philippines and has gone to Siargao. However, unlike many of them who have to the island come and gone, she chose to stay.     UP CSWCD alumna Marja Abad shares her Iska story (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Immersions and encounters  Abad revealed that she was first admitted to the Theater Arts program of UP Diliman’s College of Arts and Letters. However, she decided to leave the campus and go back to Miriam College where she had finished high school, to take up general education courses. “That one time we were sent to an Aeta community in Pinatubo, it was my first immersion that got me on my foot and wanting to see more communities around the country,” she says excitedly.  She headed up north of Luzon as far as Sagada where she had more encounters with Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities. She then realized her love for community work, and finally decided to go back to UP to enroll in a Social Work degree program in the UP College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD).  “It was my exposure during my travels up north that encouraged me to learn more about our local and IP communities. I value them so much because they’re the ones whom I turn to whenever I go backpacking into unfamiliar places. Instagram was non-existent at the time, so these locals were really the best guide,” says Marja, a UP Mountaineer.  After graduation, Abad, a founding member of UP Sports Climbing, decided to move to Davao. As a Manileña, she also wanted a break away from the metropolis where she grew up. She became a river-rafting guide, and continued to explore the country’s south for surf spots until she set foot on Siargao Island for the first time in 2006.  “I also went back and forth to Davao and Singapore for work. And the many times I went away from Siargao, I kept coming back here,” she says. “Everything I learned from Social Work—like the urge to help communities and learn so much about our culture through the locals—reignited my desire to work with communities especially on this island. The more I stay here, the more I see the issues. Since I already have a deep connection with this place, I always want to give back and to contribute to the community.”     People behind the SEA Movement: Marja and the children of Siargao gather every Sunday for a beach clean up (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     An island Iska  Landing a corporate job that allowed her to make the island her home, Marja finally settled in Siargao in 2015. The drive to stay on the island, while others were making it big internationally or in major industries, was strongly influenced by her UP education. She claims, “I was never like that. I wanted to stay close to nature. I wanted to be active. I wanted to hear stories. It was never my dream to climb the corporate ladder. I just wanted to travel.”  “I value so much my UP GE courses because it’s what makes you holistic. The Humanities and Social Sciences are the reasons Iskos and Iskas have a good grasp on why the world is the way it is today. I think it really helped mold me into who I am right now. UP taught me to be proud of being a Filipina because it taught me about our heroes, our history and our culture. I really take it to heart and seriously as an Iska. It is about time that I give back to the community,” she continues.  “Here, I can still do what I want—surf, have a job that allows me to still travel outside the country, and most of all turn this movement towards community and environmental sustainability work on this island,” says the overjoyed Iska.     Taking some time off from work, Marja surfs the majestic waves of Siargao. (Photo by Pedro Morena)     The SEA Movement  Finally settling on the island, Abad realized that the waste issue was her ultimate concern. It has dramatically increased since the first time she came to Siargao in 2010.  “I started the Siargao Environmental Awareness or SEA Movement in 2015 with once-a-month beach clean-ups. It is a collaborative effort to help preserve the natural resources and beauty of the island, which the local community and visitors rely on for a simple yet beautiful life. Suddenly, we had so many volunteers coming out to join us, until the clean-up became a Saturday thing for us. Little by little, we had a structure which was ripe enough for us to establish an organization,” she recalls.  Today, there are four groups under the SEA Movement which are into environmental advocacy in Surigao and Cebu. “The struggle is where do we put the trash after? When will we stop cleaning the beach? When will people stop littering? And when will the local government be strict on littering, and with policies? When will we see more trash bins? When will we see garbage collection? For the past three years, it was the same,” she complains.     SEA Movement’s Sunday beach clean up along the coast of General Luna (Photos by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     But the hopeful Iska is making a bold move this year, aiming to have SEA Movement officials elected to local government posts. She looks forward to the time when, through them, local government units will be more tuned in to environmental issues.  While the SEA Movement is establishing sustainable waste management on the island, it also focuses on other site-and-sector-specific projects. One is the setting up of organic farms on the island which recently tied up with farmers in the municipality of Pilar.  Acting as a hub to connect networks of people with unique skills in order to contribute to solving the island’s problems, the SEA Movement has also partnered up with people from the US for an environmental book drive, with a teacher-training series for literacy and critical thinking for about a hundred teachers from General Luna, Dapa, and Santa Monica.  The SEA Movement co-founder revealed that the organization’s biggest project so far is being part of Gina Lopez’s Quest for Love. “We are the 16th semifinalist. If we get chosen as one of the eight finalists, then we will get a grant. Towards the end of the year and on to next year, we hope to get the funding to start to set up the SEA Movement office, hire people, and provide them with good wages.” It will also be launching its new fashion line called SEAM, with an all-women sewing crew using recyclable materials to make surf and casual apparel.     An upcycled tote bag made for SEA Movement’s newest line called SEAM by an all-women sewing crew using recyclable materials to make surf and casual apparel. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “I just want to pursue the projects. The SEA movement is my brainchild, but I wouldn’t have done it without the other people, especially the kids. So I always tag myself as the co-founder, because I got help from a lot of people in Siargao,” Abad concludes.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Meet the “Snake Lady” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/meet-the-snake-lady/",
        "html": "Meet the “Snake Lady” Meet the “Snake Lady” October 25, 2018 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Dr. Leticia Afuang shows the latest snake specimens at the UPLB Museum of Natural History. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     No, she’s not a snake charmer. Nor is she some kind of snake whisperer. She is herpetologist Dr. Leticia “Letty” Afuang of UP Los Baños (UPLB). And while she specializes in all things reptilian and amphibian, she has become quite known as the “snake lady.”  Saw a cobra slithering around? Woke up to find a satisfied snake instead of your lovebirds in the cage? With one barangay even named “Maahas” (an area with many snakes), people around LB know whom to call.     Photos of snakes caught at the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve from the UPLB Museum of Natural History Forest CANOPI Program Project 3 – Forest Canopy Vertebrate Fauna: clockwise from left, Ahaetulla prasina (Asian vine snake), Boiga dendrophila (Gold-ringed cat snake), and Trimeresurus flavomaculatus (Philippine pit viper)     “I make myself available because those are valuable teaching opportunities. There are people whose first instinct is to kill the snakes they see because they are afraid. It’s part of my duty as an educator to allay their fears by sharing knowledge,” the pastor’s wife and mother of two says.  But how did she get the moniker in the first place?  Letty attributes it to all her public lectures and speaking engagements, where the interest in herpetology mainly gravitates toward snakes. “Questions about frogs or lizards, for example, are rare. I think it’s really the fear of snakes that makes people so curious about them.” Over time, she became known as UPLB’s resident snake expert.  And despite almost dying from accidental envenomation by a viper during field work in Palawan almost 20 years ago, she continues to advocate for the non-violent handling of snakes.     “The venom felt hot and I could feel it crawling up my arm.”—Dr. Afuang on getting envenomated in Palawan. She wasn’t bitten, but had gotten venom through a wound in her hand, trying to free a viper that was tied up by its captors. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “This snake was tied up by some people and it was struggling to breathe. I wanted to relieve its pain.” Forgetting that she had a wound in her hand, she went to untie the thrashing viper. Venom got into her wound and within seconds, she felt her hand go warm.  She had to be carried down the mountain, transported in a small boat, then in a mixer that later broke down, and then in another mixer that passed by, before finally reaching the hospital. “It’s a miracle I survived with no antivenom. I woke up the next day like nothing happened.”     A clip from Dr. Leticia Afuang’s video of Tropidolaemus philippensis Gray, 1842 taken in 2009. (Video courtesy of Dr. Leticia Afuang, Animal Biology Divison, Institute of Biological Sciences, UP Los Baños)     From animal lover to teacher-scientist  Growing up on a farm in Isabela, Letty reveals she was always fond of animals. But it was high-school Biology that turned that affinity into a deeper interest in studying them. “I loved that class so much that I was already preserving specimens of lizards, insects, and worms for study. In relation to herpetology, I became fascinated with amphibians first.”  It was only natural for her then to pursue a BS Zoology degree in UP Diliman in the mid-1970s, where her attention shifted to invertebrates. When she graduated in 1979, Letty went to teach at Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Nueva Ecija. And after just one semester, she got a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree.  She wasn’t able to enroll in Diliman because she was late and was advised to try UPLB isntead. She laughs as she recalls how she was given instructions on getting there. “I didn’t know UPLB! But when I arrived, I just fell in love with the place and the people.”     In the left photo, Dr. Afuang points out that sea snakes are distinguished by flat, paddle-like tails like this specimen, Laticauda semifasciata. In the other photo, she explains that a tell-tale sign a snake is venomous is the triangle-shaped head and skinny neck just like on the viper specimen she’s holding, Tropidolaemus wagleri. Both snakes are found in the Philippines. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     She finished her MS in Zoology, major in Vertebrate Biology, in 1985. By then, she was enamored with wildlife biology and brought her CLSU students to UPLB each summer for training in that field of study. In 1991, just two years after her term as chairperson of the Department of Biological Sciences, Letty resigned from CLSU and returned to UPLB—this time to teach.  She juggled teaching, doing research, family life, and getting her PhD while also dealing with a heart ailment. And in 2003, after around four years, she finally earned her PhD in Environmental Science and Management from UPLB. This time, she specialized in protected areas planning, development, and management, with particular focus on wildlife biology and herpetology, and a minor in genetics and forestry.     Clockwise from top left: Dendrelaphis pictus found at Dr. Afuang’s UPLB campus residence in 2007; Boiga dendrophila found in the mangroves of El Nido, Palawan during a biodiversity assessment of the island in 1998; Dendrelaphis pictus found at Dr. Afuang’s residence in 2006; Trimeresurus mcgregori found in Mt. Iraya, Batanes in 2006 while Dr. Afuang’s thesis advisee was doing research; and another Trimeresurus mcgregori in Mt. Iraya on the same day (Photos from Dr. Leticia Afuang)     Leaving a legacy behind  Letty is turning 60 next year. In a few more years, she’ll be retiring and it’s making her think of her life’s work.  She revived the herpetology program in UPLB, shocked to find out it had been dead for three years when she joined the faculty in 1991. “Wildlife biology can’t be complete without herpetology!”  She enlisted the help of Dr. Pedro Alviola III to team-teach herpetology courses and he agreed. He did the lectures and she took care of the lab work. She also got Dr. Angel Alcala to deliver guest lectures even while he was Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Letty admits that without their support, the program would have been harder to bring back.     Dr. Afuang’s former student in Herpetology, Mark Vincent Yngente, holds up the tail end of Ophiophagus hannah or King cobra found feeding on a monitor lizard in Mt. Makiling. (Photo from Mark Vincent Yngente)     Over the last two decades or so, she has been seeing the results of that revival: students’ interest in herpetology continues to increase; more endemic and threatened species have been discovered; changes in taxonomy, reptile assessment being undertaken again; and, the establishment of the Herpetological Society of the Philippines, among others.  In all her work as a scientist—in the lab, in the field, writing papers, undertaking extension projects— she considers the identification of priority areas for conservation as one of her bigger contributions to Philippine biodiversity.  She was project manager of the National Biodiversity Conservation Priority Setting Program, which ran from 2001 to 2002, the result of which has become the baseline data for funding of conservation efforts.  But looking back on her almost 40 years of teaching, Letty Afuang believes that being a mentor to future scientists and experts just might be the best thing she’s done—and still doing—for wildlife biology and biodiversity conservation.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-led international team discovers new human species in the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-led-international-team-discovers-new-human-species-in-the-philippines/",
        "html": "UP-led international team discovers new human species in the Philippines UP-led international team discovers new human species in the Philippines April 11, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion     Video from the UP Media and Public Relations Office     An international multidisciplinary team, led by University of the Philippines Associate Professor Armand Salvador B. Mijares, discovered a new human species, the Homo luzonensis, from an excavation site inside Callao Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan.  Mijares said the hominin fossils and teeth are from at least three individuals, nicknamed Ubag after a mythical cave man, that were excavated in 2007, 2011 and 2015. He and the members of his team, paleoanthropologist Florent Détroit of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, zooarchaeologist Philip Piper of Australian National University, and geochronologist Rainer Grün of Griffith University, dug up the hominin fossils from a sedimentary level located three meters below the current surface of the cave floor.     Figure 1. The different fossils remains of Homo luzonensis from Late Pleistocene sediments at Callao Cave. a, holotype CCH6: postcanine maxillary teeth in occlusal (left) and buccal (right) aspects, b, left P3 or P4 CCH8: occlusal (left) and buccal (right) aspects, c, right M3 CCH9: occlusal (top) and buccal (bottom) aspects d, juvenile femoral shaft CCH7 (anterior, lateral, posterior aspects. e, distal manual phalanx CCH5 (dorsal, lateral/medial, palmar aspects) f, intermediate manual phalanx CCH2 (dorsal, lateral, palmar aspects).g, 3rd metatarsal discovered in 2007 h, intermediate pedal phalanx CCH3 (dorsal, medial, plantar aspect)..) i, proximal pedal phalanx CCH4 (dorsal, lateral). Source: A new species of Homo from the Late Pleistocene of the Philippines, Nature, 2019     Uranium-series (u-series) dating, which is a method used to calculate age via the radioactive decay of uranium, determined the fossils to be 50-67,000 years old. These would make them the earliest human remains to be discovered in the Philippines, predating even the Homo sapiens found on Palawan island to the south estimated at 30-40,000 years.  The species was first described by Mijares and his team in a 2010 article through a single metatarsal bone. Comparative analyses via 3-dimensional imaging methods and geometric morphometrics showed that Homo luzonensis had a mix of primitive features resembling Australopithecus and more modern ones closer to Homo sapiens. This singular combination of traits distinguishes it from other representatives of the genus Homo, especially its contemporaries known in Southeast Asia like Homo floresiensis, which was discovered in Indonesia in 2004.     Prof. Armand Salvador Mijares explains the unique anatomy of Homo luzonensis at a press conference at the UP College of Science Auditorium. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Luzon, which is the largest island in the Philippines, was not known to be accessible by foot during the Quaternary period (around 2.588 million years ago to present) and is known for its high rate of endemism. Discovered anthropogenic elements such as stone tools and the remains of animals, including nearly a complete rhinoceros with clear marks of butchery in the Kalinga, are evidence that hominines were present on the island for at least 700,000 years ago.     Figure 2. (Left photo) Location of Callao Cave in north of Luzon Island, Philippines, which has never been accessible by foot from the Asian continent during the Quaternary epoch (medium gray and light gray tones indicate the extension of the emerged lands at lower sea levels of 50 and 120 m respectively). (Right photo) View of the excavations of Callao Cave in 2011. Source: A new species of Homo from the Late Pleistocene of the Philippines, Nature, 2019     Like Homo floresiensis, which was nicknamed “hobbit” by the scientific community, Homo luzonensis probably represents another species of the genus Homo that evolved under the effects of insular endemism, while being unique. Where it came from and how it got here remain largely a mystery, but its presence highlights the complexity and diversity of hominine migrations and the evolutionary history in the islands of Southeast Asia.  “The study situates the Philippines as a major area for evolutionary research,” Mijares said. “This discovery, to me, is a dedication to the Filipino people. It is our contribution to Filipino heritage and to the world’s heritage.”     Professor Armand B. Mijares with the history-making fossils of Homo luzonensis. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The project that led to the discovery of Homo luzonensis was funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Leakey Foundation Research Grant, and the University of the Philippines via the Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant in cooperation with the National Museum of the Philippines, the Cagayan Provincial Government, and the Protected Area Management Board-Peñablanca. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Busy bees for public service: The UPLB Bee Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/busy-bees-for-public-service-the-uplb-bee-program/",
        "html": "Busy bees for public service: The UPLB Bee Program Busy bees for public service: The UPLB Bee Program March 25, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     A small area tucked away in the Institute of Biological Sciences of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños gives proof to the saying that good things come in little packages. The wards of the University’s Bee Program are no bigger than one’s thumb, but they are able to provide a livelihood and a whole range of products to those who are interested.  What began in 1989 as a coordinating body with only five members of the UPLB community, has now grown into a research and extension program with around 35 members from various fields of expertise. Led initially by the late Dr. Pacifico C. Payawal of the Institute of Biological Sciences, the Bee Program would eventually become an integrated, multi-disciplinary group, which would tackle everything from beekeeping, bee science and other bee-related research work.     UPLB Associate Professor Jose Rene L. Micor, Chair of the UPLB Bee Program. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     Program Chair Jose Rene L. Micor said that the program aims to formalize and integrate all bee-related research activities of UPLB. The 35 multi-disciplinary members of the Bee Program have been continuously working as a team to become a dynamic research and extension center capable of providing a variety of technical assistance to different sectors. “We are basically providing assistance to almost everyone who needs help with regard to bee science or bee-related research,” he said.  The program provides training in beekeeping, and over the years, it has worked with various local government units, state universities and colleges, higher education institutions, non-government organizations, and even private farms interested in bee sciences. “Initially it was 1 to 2 [trainings per year], but nowadays we have it 4 [times per year] because it’s always full,” said Micor. Among those which they have partnered with are the Cavite State University and the University of Southern Mindanao. They have also worked with the Balay Buhay sa Uma in Sorsogon and the Yumi farm in Tayabas, Quezon.  Aside from the training, the program provides technical services related to beekeeping, such as: Beekeeping Management and Apiary Establishment, Honey and Pollen Analysis, Pollen Advisory and Bee Disease Diagnosis.     A member of the UPLB Bee Program giving a talk to trainees. Photo courtesy of the UPLB Bee Program.     Associate Professor Micor added that they hope to standardize bee products and develop apicultural or beekeeping technologies which can be used by farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and those who have pursued bee science as a livelihood or academic pursuit. The program also seeks to aid biodiversity conservation, particularly in the management of bee species, considering their work with both indigenous and foreign bee species.  After joining the program in 2010, Micor led a research team that tested different bee products, such as honey from different bee species. Their research resulted in the crafting of the Philippine National Standard for Honey.  Micor, who is a chemist by training, said that their Bee Program has produced more than just honey. Working with different units of the University, the program has developed bee products such as soap, insect repellent, massage oil, cider, and even wine, from both local and imported bee species.  Apart from beekeepers, the program has helped farmers maintain their fruit trees, particularly mangoes. Their training on Pollinator Management in an Agroecosystem for tree growers has helped farmer-trainees increase their yield and productivity, while minimizing damage to the ecosystem. Instead of pesticides, pollinators were used to grow fruits.  Beyond research and training, the Bee Program also aided in the rehabilitation of some communities in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013. In an interview with the UPLB Office of Public Relations, former Bee Program Chair, Professor Emeritus Cleofas R. Cervancia recounted the program’s partnership with New Zealand’s University of Canterbury and the Guiuan Development Foundation which brought colonies of bees to Tarong, Carles, Iloilo and Maliwaliw, Salcedo, Eastern Samar. Serving as pollinators, the bees were necessary for the restoration of fruit trees in the areas. They also provided livelihood opportunities for the locals.     Members of the UPLB Bee Program receiving the Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (4th from left). Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In recognition of the significance of the UPLB Bee Program as a research and extension program of the University, it was awarded the Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service on February 28, 2019 in ceremonies at the UP Diliman. The award serves as a testament to the impact of the program, particularly for its contribution to the bee sciences and the assistance it has provided to various communities all over the country.  The Gawad Pangulo is the most recent recognition that the UPLB Bee Program has received as it has been accorded the Civil Service Commission (CSC) PAG-ASA Award in 2008; the National Winner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Outstanding Extension Award and Regional Winner of the CHED Outstanding Research Program Award, both in 2011; and the UPLB Outstanding Extension and Research Program Award. The program was also named the National Center for Bee Research and Development by the Asian Association of Apiculture.  The research and extension services that the program has provided in the three decades since it began as a small group of five academics is proof of how much it has grown. Like the colonies of bees that they maintain, the UPLB Program has grown to a multi-disciplinary group, which involves several units and members of the academic community. And like the little busy bees that provide food for the colonies, these scientists, educators, researchers, students and staff aid the communities they serve.  The UPLB Bee Program conducts the intensive beekeeping course four times a year. It also provides training in Management of Tropical Bees, as well as in Product Development. For more information, please visit their Facebook page. They can also be reached via email: beeprogram.uplb@uplb.edu.ph.  Published on: Mar 25, 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Meet UP’s next satellite builders – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/meet-ups-next-satellite-builders/",
        "html": "Meet UP’s next satellite builders Meet UP’s next satellite builders April 25, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion     Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office     On June 29, 2018, a peculiar little satellite was launched into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in Florida, USA. As far as Philippine satellites go, space enthusiasts are familiar with the balikbayan box-sized class of microsatellites like Diwata-1 and Diwata-2. But this nanosatellite, Maya-1 was even smaller.  Created by Filipino scholars Adrian Salces and Joven Javier as part of the Kyushu Institute of Technology’s (KyuTech) Birds-2 project, Maya-1 tipped the scales at barely over a kilogram, while carrying hardware that could facilitate communication in disaster scenarios. It was the first Filipino built nanosatellite and would be an inspiration for future developments in the Philippines.  A few years ago it was difficult to imagine us Filipinos having our own satellites, let alone having qualified personnel to build them. But with the success of Maya-1, as well as the Diwata microsatelllites, the UP and the Department of Science and Technology-funded STAMINA4Space program (formerly PHL-Microsat) have launched a project that will develop this future crop of satellite builders.  The name of the project is STeP-UP, and its scholars will not only be trained to build satellites like Maya-1, but–they will also be doing almost all their work inhouse.  Perfect System  At the centerpiece of the STeP-UP project (short for Space Science Proliferation through University Partnerships) is the Masters in Engineering program at UP’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI). With support from the STeP-UP program, the Institute is now offering its first two-year graduate track on nanosatellite engineering.  Eight DOST-funded scholars from different backgrounds and institutions passed the gruelling screening process to become part of the pioneering batch this 2019. Their mission–to be able to create two 10x10x10 cm. nanosatellites at the end of their study period. All the design and construction work will be done at the Institute, with Kyutech helping with space environment testing in preparation for the launch of the satellites at the International Space Station (ISS).     STeP-UP scholars Bryan Custodio (left) and Gladys Bajaro (right). Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     According to STeP-UP head, Engr. Paul Jason Co, the project is about passing on what their team has learned to partners in the academe back home. “We have to proliferate all this knowledge across the country,” he said. “If only the same sets of people are the ones working on space technology, that would be a waste.”  With the graduate program track on nanosatellite engineering, the STeP-UP project through the Institute can get to engage with other universities on the way to creating a university consortium for space technology. Members of that consortium will share in the satellite-building capacities that STAMINA4Space has pioneered; while UP and its STeP-UP partners will also develop ground stations in these universities to manage the nanosatellites they build.  Why nanosatellites or ‘cubesats’? “For one thing, cubesats are very small,” Co said. Unlike microsatellites like Diwata or their more enormous brethren, these satellites are much cheaper to build.     STeP-UP scholars (from left to right): Christy Raterta, Marielle Magbanua-Gregorio, Gladys Bajaro, Lorilyn Daquioag, Renzo Wee, Bryan Custodio, Judiel Reyes, and Derick Canceran with DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (center). Photo by Mae Ericka Jean Picar, STAMINA4Space     “And,” he continued, “since it’s a small system, it’s a perfect fit for learning about this technology. For bigger satellites, it will take years, even decades to develop one of them.” The nanosatellite, on the other hand, fits neatly within the two years allotted to the postgraduate students to produce them.  No Stranger  STeP-UP scholar Gladys Bajaro had been working on satellites even before the program was launched. In fact, this graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering from Bicol State College of Applied Science and Technology played a key role in the success of the country’s initial forays into satellite technology.  As lead engineer of the amateur radio and satellite station at the EEEI, Bajaro applied her skills to tracking Maya-1 and helping out on Diwata-2’s amateur radio unit. Still, despite her experience, none of her previous feats truly prepared Bajaro for the holistic training required to build a satellite from scratch.     STeP-UP scholar Gladys Bajaro. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     Bajaro detailed the three courses she and her classmates are taking in their first semester. “First, we have satellite communications,” she said, which tackles the basics of how satellites can converse with ground stations on Earth. The second is a course on nanosatellite development, which covers the process of building the different subsystems, from the circuits to the antenna, of a satellite like Maya-1.  Finally, each semester has a Directed Studies course, where the students engage in hands-on experiments and testing to prepare them for the final output. This focused course handles topics that regular classes barely touch on, like planning satellite missions and prototype making, and where students get to “learn by doing”.  Putting Trust  With space technology being in its infancy in the Philippines, there is a lot of pressure resting on the shoulders of the scholars, according to former Far Eastern University (FEU) Institute of Technology faculty member Bryan Custodio. The licensed engineer used to teach courses in Electronics and Communications Engineering until a letter from UP to his institution launched his journey as FEU’s representative to the program, an honor he takes very seriously.  “The application was tough,” he said, “because this is UP Diliman. But when I read the results and I learned that I passed, I was speechless. Because I never thought they would put their faith in me to be a part of this program.”     STeP-UP scholar Bryan Custodio. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     As a scholar, Custodio is being trained to be a well-rounded engineer, rather than a narrow specialist. “In my case, my assigned subsystem is the antenna subsystem, with some involvement in the communication subsystem,” he said. But without much precedent literature to guide them, he and his classmates are learning bits of every subsystem and process. “Every day is an opportunity to learn something new.”  Like Bajaro and his fellow scholars, Custodio aims to give back to the country through research and helping to build the proposed Philippine Space Agency. “Hopefully we, the pioneering batch, can continue what we learned through that Space Agency. And I hope I can get to teach the next generation, the next batch of scholars who will develop satellites and work on other aspects of space technology,” he continued.  T-Shaped People  While STeP-UP scholars like Bajaro and Custodio entered the program with highly varied skillsets, Co believes that diversity is the group’s strength. In fact, he encourages any prospective student with a background in science or engineering to apply for the next scholarship cycle. “If you know the scientific method, you’re welcome.”  He compares their training philosophy to STAMINA4Space program leader Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr.’s intent to build ‘T-shaped people’. “We have different students that bring their own expertise,” he explained, “and that’s the vertical pillar. But since developing a satellite is a multidisciplinary task, we expect them to reach out and learn other aspects as well.”     STeP-UP scholars discuss satellite design and construction at the EEEI. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     Co gives the example of an electronics engineer who expands his or her focus once accepted into the program. “You don’t restrict yourself to just electronics. You learn the physics side, the mechanical engineering side, the materials side. Basically, the whole thing.”  “That’s what we expect our graduates to be. They may come in as, say, mechanical engineers or computer engineers. But when they graduate, we expect them to be systems engineers,” he continued.  While funding for the program lasts for four years, Co hopes that this experiment will blossom into something bigger. “We want this to continue offering this program. We want other universities to build their own satellite-building programs.”  “These scholars, they are the seeds,” he said. “We want them to grow and spread their own seeds, until we have a critical mass of researchers for us to sustain a local space industry.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Caring for kids with cancer – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/caring-for-kids-with-cancer/",
        "html": "Caring for kids with cancer Caring for kids with cancer May 15, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   A scene in the situational video in Chapter 5: Helping the Child Cope with Treatment of the Aruga sa Batang may Cancer website     “You have cancer.”  No one ever wants to hear to those words. Imagine when the cancer-stricken patient is young, a child or a teenager who should still be looking forward to many experiences life has to offer.  Even more devastating is that “in the Philippines, two-thirds of pediatric patients with cancer are diagnosed at advanced stages.” This is the grim reality revealed by Prof. Loyda Cajucom of the UP Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies. She is a registered nurse, and a graduate and a former faculty member of UP Manila who has firsthand experience of dealing with pediatric cancer patients.  This, along with the lack of developed palliative and supportive care programs in the country and UPOU’s leadership in open and distance e-learning, led her to spearhead “Aruga sa Batang may Cancer (ABC).” This online resource, funded by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, is dedicated to, as the name indicates, caring for children with cancer.  ABC is the first of its kind in the country.     The Aruga sa Batang may Cancer website can be accessed at https://arugaproject.com/.     Not one-size-fits-all  Dr. Rumalie Corvera, founder and executive director of Ruth Foundation, a palliative care service provider and an ABC partner, explains that palliative care is a form of assistance given to patients of life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses and their families and loved ones.     Dr. Rumalie Corvera, founder and executive director of Ruth Foundation (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Palliative care is not limited to alleviating the physical pain of the patient, as some perceive it to be. It is a holistic approach which includes ensuring the psychosocial well-being of the patients and their loved ones as well. Sometimes, Cajucom says, the mental and emotional toll of a cancer diagnosis weighs far more heavily than the physical. “I saw it many times when I was at the Philippine General Hospital.”  Corvera says of Ruth Foundation’s experience: “It’s often the parents who have a harder time accepting their child’s illness. There are times when it’s the patient who even comforts his or her parents and tells them to be strong.”  Palliative care, which is more prevalent in Western countries, cannot simply be applied as is in the Philippines because of cultural beliefs, traditions, and attitudes. In a country where practice of and knowledge on palliative care leaves much to be desired, Cajucom and her team had to conduct assessments to get a clearer picture of what needs to be done and how. They also had the support of other partners like Kythe Foundation, Inc. and the John Wayne Cancer Institute.     “Parents, often mothers, have a tendency to blame themselves when their children are diagnosed with cancer. They would ask themselves, ‘What did I do wrong?’ or think they didn’t care for themselves properly when they were pregnant with their children.”—Prof. Loyda Cajucom (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Hospitals in strategic locations across the country eagerly participated in the activities. These are: the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Metro Manila; Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital in Albay; Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu; and, Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao.  Arugaproject.com  The result of their work is the ABC website, https://arugaproject.com/, which was formally launched on March 1 as part of UPOU’s 24th anniversary celebration.  The site has a learning management system for primary caregivers available in three languages: Bisaya, English, and Tagalog. This section contains information materials, text, images, and videos, that can be accessed by anyone visiting the site. The text and images may be downloaded in PDF format for offline reading.      In this video, Dr. Angie Sievert-Fernandez, a Kythe Foundation, Inc. child life specialist, discusses how parents can explain cancer to their child once diagnosed. This is one of many resources posted on the ABC website.     Two other components provide online training programs for health care professionals. One is for doctors and the other is for nurses and allied health professionals. Access to these sections is limited to the intended users.  Its cancer registry and telemedicine components are still being completed. The cancer registry will be a database of pediatric cancer information and statistics to guide policymaking and implementation by appropriate government agencies. Relevant statistical data for public information may also be posted in the section.  The telemedicine function of the site will help facilitate consultations between physicians of pediatric cancer patients and specialists, which would otherwise be nearly impossible because of geographical distance.     UPOU launches the ABC website at its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna on March 1 as part of its 24th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Beyond pediatric cancer  Cajucom aims for this pioneering effort to be later duplicated to address other diseases prevalent in or of interest to the country.  A web-based platform is a cost-effective and accessible way for patients, caregivers, professionals, and even state agencies to get accurate information on and relevant training in the provision of necessary health care services. This is one way to bridge the gap between patients and health care providers, who, because of limited resources on one end, may not meet at all.  Data that will be collected through sites like https://arugaproject.com/ will also be the basis of analysis for trends and patterns that will inform and guide state policy and action in health care.  ABC is starting off the country’s movement towards harnessing information and web technologies in finding innovative solutions to problems in the provision of crucial health care services to Filipinos. Here’s hoping more will follow suit. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tsek-ph-in-the-historical-records-of-the-us-library-of-congress/",
        "html": "Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress April 26, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     As part of a collection of historically and culturally significant websites designated for preservation, Tsek.ph was recently selected by the US Library of Congress for inclusion in their Philippine General Election 2022 Web Archive. The Library aims to preserve digital content, making it available to current and future generations of researchers. Part of its vision too is to expand access to the Library’s collections to increase opportunities for education and scholarship around the world.  Given the current political landscape, academics and scholars can learn more about the ongoing war on disinformation through the collaborations of Tsek.ph. The website hosts and curates fact-checks created by its partner institutions and categorizes each according to its five ratings: false, misleading, no basis, needs context, and accurate. A quiz and update are also published weekly to summarize the top stories and test readers about the fact-checks released the week prior. Press releases and other pertinent information are also archived on the site for easy access.  The incorporation of the Tsek.ph website in the world’s largest library honors the hard work accomplished by our partners in this election season and the values that fact-checking organizations uphold, especially with the precarity of the upcoming elections. For more information on the Philippine General Election 2022 Web Archive of the US Library of Congress, you can visit the website by clicking here.  Tsek.ph was initiated by the University of the Philippines in 2019 as a public service commitment to combat disinformation. It is a project under the university’s Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and spearheaded by the Department of Journalism under the College of Mass Communication.  Currently, the revitalized alliance includes 34 institutions and initiatives from the academe, media, and civil society: ABS-CBN Fact Check, ABS-CBN Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, Agence France-Presse, Akademya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan, Asian Center for Journalism, Baguio Chronicle, BarangayHub, Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, DZUP, E-Boto, Fact Check Patrol, Fact Check Philippines, FactRakers, FYT, IDEALS, Interaksyon, Kontra Daya, Philippine Association for Media and Information Literacy, Philippine Press Institute, Philstar Global, PressOne.PH, Probe, MindaNews, Trinity University of Asia, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Los Baños, UP Open University, UP sa Halalan 2022, UP Visayas, Vera Files, and  Xavier University.  Tsek.ph is supported by the UP System, Google News Initiative, Rakuten, Viber, Meta, Meedan, the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, UP Journalism Department and the UPCMC Foundation.  For more information on Tsek.ph, visit the website, email secretariat@tsek.ph, or like and follow it on Viber, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.  Press release from Tsek.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Amidst woes on the ground, UP-led scientists of the PhilSA find “Our Place in Space” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/amidst-woes-on-the-ground-up-led-scientists-of-the-philsa-find-our-place-in-space/",
        "html": "Amidst woes on the ground, UP-led scientists of the PhilSA find “Our Place in Space” Amidst woes on the ground, UP-led scientists of the PhilSA find “Our Place in Space” August 28, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       Amidst COVID-19 troubles on the ground, the nation looked to space for hope on August 6, 2020 as the “space sector” behind the launch of and knowledge product creation through the first ever Philippine-made microsatellites held a press briefing. The event, “Our Place in Space: What’s Next for the Philippines Space Sector?”, invited the media for a virtual discussion over Zoom to talk about what’s next in terms of research and development (R&D) from the sector a year after the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) was officially established with Republic Act 11363.     DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña giving the opening remarks. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     The organizations that make up the sector are: the PhilSA; the UP-led STAMINA4Space Program, which succeeded with the much lauded PHL-Microsat project in developing the country’s capacities in small satellite technology; and the Department of Science and Technology Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI).  The briefing was composed of presentations by seven speakers from different corners of the space sector, each giving updates on the latest developments in their space-related R&D specialties.     Engr. Harold Bryan Paler, Senior Science Research Specialist at the DOST-ASTI, talks about PEDRO. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     The first presentation came from Engr. Harold Bryan Paler, Senior Science Research Specialist at the DOST-ASTI. Paler talked of the Philippine Earth Data Resources and Observation Center (PEDRO Center), which is the country’s ground monitoring station for satellites. The primary function of PEDRO is to monitor, give commands, and receive data from the project’s earth observation satellites,such as Diwata-2. It has independent stations with corresponding tracking antennae in all three major islands of the Philippines: in UP Diliman, Quezon City for Luzon; in Dumangas, Iloilo for the Visayas; and, in Davao City for Mindanao.These stations track the satellites from horizon to horizon. It also boasts of the Computing and Archiving Research Environment or COARE to store and process the often large-sized images that satellites produce.     Engr. Roel de la Cruz of the DOST-ASTI on satellite mapping and disaster risk reduction. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     The next two presentations strictly dealt with the many present and future ways that data from satellites can be applied to disaster risk reduction, and to agricultural and environmental efforts. Engr. Roel de la Cruz of the DOST-ASTI discussed how the DATOS project uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to translate satellite derived data into mapping and monitoring solutions for floods, land cover, seasonal crops, and calamities, among other applications. For example, using radar satellites that pass every 12 days, his team can determine the signatures that differentiate sugarcane from rice, corn, and other crops. Doing so, the team can now map and monitor plantations like these in the country and currently have agreements with government agencies to accomplish this feat.     UP researcher Mark Jayson Felix of STAMINA4Space on how optical imagery can be used to track changes in the environment. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     Similarly, UP researcher Mark Jayson Felix of STAMINA4Space showed how optical imagery can be used to track changes in the environment. These space technology applications are used to track air and water quality, as well as to do econometric work. Included in this work is the surprising finding that higher levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the air appeared to have a relationship with the number of COVID-19 fatalities in areas they studied. This, according to Felix, mirrored similar studies in Europe that found similar relationships that he hoped could be used to improve air quality without severely compromising the economy.  These series of presentations were punctuated by the unveiling of the Space Data Dashboard where one can view relevant research outputs from the various projects mapped on the web. The team displayed its capabilities by running over the dashboard’s COVID-19 pertinent functions to the media.     A slide from Engr.DelburgMitchao’s presentation. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     Moving from data applications to building the satellites of the future, Engr. Delburg Mitchao of STAMINA4Space discussed building actual satellites locally, in the past and the future. He discussed the locally developed modules developed for Diwata-2: the amateur radio payload, the attitude control unit, and the sun aspect sensor. He noted how the future of microsatellite development lies in creating the satellite “bus”, or the vehicle where these modules are contained, as well as a local onboard computer that interfaces with communication modules (UTACH) and aids in its control.     A slide from the presentation of Dr. Maricor Soriano of the UP Diliman Institute of Physics and head of the STAMINA4Space OPTIKAL project. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     Similarly, Dr. Maricor Soriano of the UP Diliman Institute of Physics and head of the STAMINA4Space OPTIKAL project brought media members up to speed on her team’s current projects, including the development of two cameras for remote sensing. These are the Hyperspectral Imaging Camera (HYPIE) and the Multi-Application Line Imaging Camera-Monochrome and Tri-Linear Array (MALIC-MATA). The former will be carried by a drone and the latter by a satellite. Both are line scanning cameras that sweep over a scene just as a flatbed scanner might work on a smaller scale.     Engr. Mary Ann Constante of the STAMINA4Space STeP-UP project. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     Lastly, Engr. Mary Ann Constante of the STAMINA4Space STeP-UP project detailed the steps her team were taking to make the space program more locally sustainable. Other than supporting Masters and PhD students and offering the first ever Nanosatellite Engineering track in the Masters of Engineering program at the UPD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI), the team also established a local chapter of an international space engineering consortium (UNISEC Global) that serves as a platform for local universities to join UP Diliman in space-related activities. They are also coordinating with local agencies and industries for space product manufacturing.     Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., Director General of the PhilSA and faculty member of the UPD-EEEI, on the mandate of PhilSA. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     Wrapping up the entire event was Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., Director General of the PhilSA and faculty member of the UPD-EEEI. Talking about value creation in space S&T and its applications, Marciano cited the PhilSA’s vision: “a Filipino nation bridged, uplifted through the peaceful uses of outer space.” He clarified that while the PhilSA was being built from the ground up, it is not starting from scratch, since prior efforts have produced significant capabilities, trained personnel, and infrastructure that were on full display during the press briefing.  While drafting RA 11363 implementing rules and regulations kept Marciano and his team busy, he pointed out PhilSA’s two flagship initiatives: mobilizing satellite images and data for digital inclusion, economy, and government; and, the Build, Build, Build in Space (B3iS). As part of these initiatives, he mentioned plans for the creation of a locally made multispectral satellite and what will be the Diwata 3 microsatellite, among others.     A slide from PhilSA Director Marciano’s presentation. Screenshot from the replay of the press briefing here.     “The mechanism for local know how transfer and retention shall be used to engage local companies in the manufacture test and supply chain for the B3iS satellites, which can help spur the development of the local space industry as a possible pathway for economic recovery post-COVID-19,” Marciano said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Hatch Hub on Maginhawa St. offers remote learning spaces for UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-hatch-hub-on-maginhawa-st-offers-remote-learning-spaces-for-up-students/",
        "html": "The Hatch Hub on Maginhawa St. offers remote learning spaces for UP students The Hatch Hub on Maginhawa St. offers remote learning spaces for UP students September 2, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Image from The Hatch Hub’s Facebook page.     When the COVID-19 pandemic drastically transformed the educational landscape around the globe earlier this year, Filipinos had little choice but to accept the fact that much of teaching and learning in the foreseeable future would have to be done digitally. While this transition, as described in a Memorandum of the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) dated June 4, 2020, had long been prepared for, no doubt present circumstances accelerated its implementation by at least a few years. [Related: UPCAT qualifiers enrolling in UP can expect the “new normal” of remote learning]  A key concern of the University regarding this digital shift is equalizing access to knowledge for students, given the tendency of technology to exacerbate pre-existing socio-economic divisions between the financially more and the less capable. This concern spurred the creation of efforts such as the #KaagapayUP project to bridge this divide and help financially challenged students have a fighting chance to do online classes on more even terms. [Related: Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan FAQs]  Several UP alumni, including Julliano Fernando ‘Jules’ Guiang, a National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) alumnus and graduate student, were similarly struck by the inequities highlighted by the pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Guiang, who is also a journalist, had launched The Hatch Hub, a co-working space on Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City with his friends. At first, they envisioned it to be an affordable establishment where students and professionals could study, meet, work, and hold events.     The Hatch Hub’s rooftop space. Image from Mr. Jules Guiang.     Forging a partnership     With the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Guiang and his partners realized the need to shift their focus. While other businesses were struggling to keep afloat, they knew that The Hatch Hub had the potential to help at least UP students nearby to meet the challenges of the coming academic year.  “Moving forward,” Guiang said, “I thought, why not offer [The Hatch Hub] for students who don’t have a conducive space with strong internet connection?”  With the formal launch of the #KaagapayUP campaign, Guiang contacted the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and it only took a Zoom meeting and a few emails for the collaboration to take shape.     Photo of the indoor working and study space in The Hatch Hub. Image from Mr. Jules Guiang.     The Hatch Hub, as it was originally designed, is an establishment where, for the cost of P50 an hour, a customer can get a personal space to work in, with free water, coffee, and power outlets (other services and packages are available). Through #KaagapayUP, Hatch Hub will become one of the University’s partner organizations where students can use the space and its services for their online classes.  “Since our space is not that big, and since we’re following health protocols, we can only admit at most 10 students at a time,” Guiang said.  Moreover, Guiang also offered The Hatch Hub to be a drop-off point where generous UP alumni can donate their laptops and other gadgets for the use of UP students. “I am also thinking of tapping other UP alumni who can chip in financial assistance so we can cover other expenses, such as WiFi fees, electricity bill, water and coffee,” he added.  Serving the people  Once all the details have been ironed out, Guiang and his partners hope to launch the service at the beginning of academic year (AY) 2020-2021. “We will be setting up an online registration where students can reserve their slots,” he clarified. He also said that he has been contacting and coordinating with similar businesses this 2020 and will also pitch similar ideas to them.  What inspired him to readily offer this service at a time when most other businesses are seeking to downsize or otherwise find ways to be profitable? “As a public administration student, I always bear in mind the ‘public’,” Guiang clarified.  “I fully understand the challenges our students are facing right now, so I thought, why not share what we have at the moment? At least on my end, a decent space that students can use for their remote learning. After all, our battle cry is to ‘serve the people’. In my case, this is the least I can offer right now.”     Image from Mr. Jules Guiang.     Visit The Hatch Hub at 195 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City from 12 NN to 12 AM. You can also visit them online at facebook.com/TheHatchHub or email them at thehatchhub@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP officially welcomes 2020 batch of Oblation scholars – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-officially-welcomes-2020-batch-of-oblation-scholars/",
        "html": "UP officially welcomes 2020 batch of Oblation scholars UP officially welcomes 2020 batch of Oblation scholars October 7, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Screenshot from the Welcome Ceremony for Oblation Scholars 2020. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The University of the Philippines welcomed its newest batch of Oblation Scholars to its ranks in a virtual ceremony on September 3, 2020 via Zoom, Facebook, and TVUP’s official YouTube channel. Oblation Scholarships are awarded to the top 50 freshman qualifiers based on their UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) scores and University Predicted Grades (UPG). Of these scholars, 43 chose programs in UP Diliman, while 7 chose programs in UP Manila.  The current batch of scholars was chosen from among 66,203 UPCAT takers on October 19, 2019. 29 of them have already proceeded with their enrolment for academic year (AY) 2020-2021.     Screenshot from the Welcome Ceremony for Oblation Scholars 2020. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The ceremony began with UP President Danilo L. Concepcion greeting the 2020 batch of scholars in his opening remarks. “Kalakip ng pagiging Iskolar ng Bayan ay ang karagdagang allowance at suporta para matugunan ang inyong mga pangangailangan sa pag-aaral ngayong panahon ng COVID-19,” (Lumped together with being dubbed “Iskolar ng Bayan” will be allowances and support to help you meet your educational needs in the age of COVID-19) Concepcion said. He reminded the scholars to always be mindful of their responsibilities and the fact that their education is subsidized by the Filipino people, while assuring them of the University’s constant support in transitioning to remote learning starting this academic year.     Screenshots from the Welcome Ceremony for Oblation Scholars 2020. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     In her remarks, Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista walked the scholars through the changes they can expect to see for the upcoming academic year. She broke down what remote learning means for students of the University, and how “course packs” containing syllabi, learning guides, assignment guides, and activity guides will be given out to facilitate the learning of each student. This was followed by a message from Prof. Francisco N. de los Reyes, UP Office of Admissions Director, outlining the rules governing the Oblation Scholarship.     Office of Admissions Director De Los Reyes. Screenshot from the Welcome Ceremony for Oblation Scholars 2020. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     According to de los Reyes, Oblation Scholars have the privilege of enrolling in any academic program within the University, provided they meet all the other academic requirements of their program of choice. Tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and laboratory fees are all free. Moreover, scholars are entitled to P2,250 per semester in book allowances, together with transportation allowance if they live far from their campus of choice. They also receive P3,000 per month as a special incentive allowance. These privileges last for the normal duration of the degree course chosen, computed from date of first enrolment.  To maintain these privileges, Oblation scholars must take up the normal load prescribed for their degree programs every semester and maintain a general weighted average (GWA) of 2.0. Furthermore, they must pass all the subjects they enrolled in, without incurring a “4.0”, “incomplete”, or “dropped” in their transcripts.     Screenshot from the Welcome Ceremony for Oblation Scholars 2020. The replay can be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     In her message as representative of the current batch, Ms. Beatrice Dominique Caragay urged her fellow students to be open to the many life-changing events that they will experience as students of UP. “Mahaba at mapaghamon ang landas na ating tatahakin bilang mga Iskolar ng Bayan. Ating tandaan na isang malaking karangalan at responsibilidad ang pag-aaral sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas,” (Our journey as mga Iskolar ng Bayan is long and challenging. Let us remember that it is a tremendous honor and responsibility to be able to study in the University of the Philippines) she said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 raising the stakes for stroke patients, in upcoming UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-raising-the-stakes-for-stroke-patients-in-upcoming-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar/",
        "html": "COVID-19 raising the stakes for stroke patients, in upcoming UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar COVID-19 raising the stakes for stroke patients, in upcoming UP Stop COVID Deaths webinar October 28, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       By now, Filipinos are relatively more familiar with the symptoms and risks factors of COVID-19. Fever, dry cough, and loss of smell and taste have become tell-tale signs for many to self-quarantine or seek medical assistance. There are, however, possible associated effects and risk factors of the disease that are not yet as well understood and which deserve more investigation. A case in point is detailed below.  A 54-year old male was rushed to the hospital due to the sudden onset of right-sided weakness and the inability to talk. There were no headaches, vomiting, loss of consciousness or seizure-like episodes. He did have, however, a history of heart failure from rheumatic heart disease since 2019. While the patient survived his stroke, he succumbed to complications of COVID-19 associated with neurological damage from blood clots and inflammation.  Stroke, otherwise known as cerebrovascular disease, is the second leading cause of death in the Philippines today, and ranks 5th among those with the greatest burden of disease. While several familiar risk factors are linked to strokes, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, smoking, excessive alcohol use, and old age, conditions that cause inflammation like viral infections, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis can also play a role.  It was only a few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic that doctors in China, France, Italy and the United States began noticing that a hypercoagulable state or an abnormal increased tendency towards blood clotting in some COVID-19 patients could increase their risk of ischemic stroke. In this 28th edition of the “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar series, “Stroke and COVID-19”, Dr. Clare Angeli Enriquez, Vascular Neurology Fellow at the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Department of Neurosciences will discuss findings related to the body-wide increase in blood clot formation associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organs, including the brain.  Dr. Enriquez will be joined in this discussion by Dean Madeleine Grace Sosa of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute and Dr. Jose Leonard Pascual, an associate professor at the UP College of Medicine. As done before, it will be held virtually on October 30, 2020, Friday, at 12 noon.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up now at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar28 to join the discussion. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to confer honorary degree on UP Law alumnus and former Finance Sec. Edgardo Espiritu – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-confer-honorary-degree-on-up-law-alumnus-and-former-finance-sec-edgardo-espiritu/",
        "html": "UP to confer honorary degree on UP Law alumnus and former Finance Sec. Edgardo Espiritu UP to confer honorary degree on UP Law alumnus and former Finance Sec. Edgardo Espiritu November 27, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       In a virtual ceremony on November 28, 2020, the University of the Philippines will confer its highest honor, the Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) to Amb. Edgardo B. Espiritu (’55). A graduate of the UP College of Law in 1958, Amb. Espiritu has been at the head of several of the country’s leading financial institutions such as Metrobank, the Philippine National Bank, and Westmont Bank.  Amb. Espiritu also helped guide the country navigate the Asian Financial Crisis as Secretary at the Department of Finance in 1998; served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Iceland; and oversaw the construction of the buildings like the Ang Bahay ng Alumni as the longest serving UP Alumni Association President.  Register for the event here: https://tinyurl.com/honoriscausaconferment-EBE "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP announces November 16-21 as recovery period – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-announces-november-16-21-as-recovery-period/",
        "html": "UP announces November 16-21 as recovery period UP announces November 16-21 as recovery period November 18, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       After the Category 4-equivalent Typhoon Ulysses (international name Vamco) devastated several regions that earlier also bore the brunt of Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Quinta, the University of the Philippines (UP) quickly realized the need not only to offer its assistance to communities that suffered tragic loss of life and property, but also to acknowledge the suffering these events have inflicted on its faculty, staff and students in various parts of the country.  In the spirit of solidarity with all those affected, the UP administration, via Memorandum 2020-139 of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, is declaring the week of 16-21 November 2020 as a period of recovery for the UP community. This period is meant to aid in the efforts to raise funds, to solicit donations, to engage in the packing and delivering of relief goods to those in need, following public health protocols, and to assist in the overall rehabilitation process.  Synchronous and asynchronous classes, as well as the submission of all course requirements, are suspended during this period.  In the spirit of compassion and flexibility, the Office of the Registrar of each UP constituent university (CU) will furnish faculty members a list of the names of students who are based in areas affected by Typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses. This will help faculty members identify students who may need printed course packs or advice on course requirements. To accommodate later submissions from students, UP is also extending the submission of final grades to 22 January 2021.  The 20 percent attendance rule is also suspended this semester and should not have any influence on one’s final grade. Attendance in synchronous sessions are also not required, and faculty members should make allowances for those who miss them.  These measures come in addition to previously announced changes to academic rules, including the following:  • The deadlines for the filing leaves of absence and dropping are suspended.  • A 12-unit course load is considered regular for undergraduate students.  • The first semester AY 2020-2021 will not be counted towards MRR (maximum residency rule).  • A student enrolled in a course that is a prerequisite to another shall be allowed to enroll in the latter course for credit, despite having no grade in the former due to the extension of submission of final grades.  • The rules on academic standing: warning, dismissal, permanent disqualification, and probation are suspended.* (*for undergraduates only)  According to the memorandum, since the first semester AY 2020-2021 is considered a transition semester towards a more effective delivery of learning in succeeding semesters, faculty are called to review their course loads in light of student capacities amidst recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.  “A compassionate calibration of expectations from students and teachers this semester,” the memorandum states, “is an imperative for our academic community.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Rule of Law’ key to defending PH sovereignty – Justice Carpio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rule-of-law-key-to-defending-ph-sovereignty-justice-carpio/",
        "html": "‘Rule of Law’ key to defending PH sovereignty – Justice Carpio ‘Rule of Law’ key to defending PH sovereignty – Justice Carpio December 15, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and newest recipient of a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, degree from UP, Justice Antonio Carpio delivering his lecture. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     It was 1995, UP College of Law alumnus and retired Justice Antonio Carpio said, when China first seized Mischief Reef, a submerged atoll located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on the West Philippine Sea. At that time Chief Presidential Legal Counsel for former President Fidel V. Ramos, Carpio remembered how with neither a formidable military nor recourse to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), the nation could only watch as a more powerful state grabbed territory from a weaker one without consequence.  “China demonstrated to the world that might makes right,” Carpio said. And with China claiming up to 80% of the country’s territory on the West Philippine Sea, this would only be the beginning. “It was obvious that Mischief Reef would neither be the first nor the last geologic feature that China would seize from the Philippines.”     Justice Carpio receives his honorary degree from UP. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     In his acceptance speech after receiving a Doctor of Laws honoris causa degree from the University of the Philippines on December 10, 2020 at UP Diliman’s Malcolm Hall, Carpio narrated how this event that “left a scar in (his) mind” would later help influence his spirited defense of the country’s sovereign rights on the West Philippine Sea by questioning China’s claims to the territory via its ‘9-dashed line.’  It would be in 2011, after Carpio wrote the unanimous decision to Magallona v. Executive Secretary that amended the country’s archipelagic baseline to conform to UNCLOS, that he realized that the country now had its territorial house in order and could build a better territorial case against China. Two months after this decision, with the Philippines fully UNCLOS-compliant, Carpio led the charge along with fellow lawyers and intellectuals to bring China’s ‘9-dashed line’ claims before an UNCLOS tribunal.  “China’s 9-dashed line simply cannot co-exist with UNCLOS. Upholding one means killing the other,” said Carpio in a speech at the 50th anniversary of the Ateneo de Davao College of Law. The challenge, thenceforth, was to bring the case before UNCLOS, given China previously opting out of compulsory arbitration.  In this challenge he was joined by what they coined the ‘UNCLOS group’, made up of Dr. Jay Batongbacal, Dr. Diane Desierto, the late Dr. Aileen Baviera, Atty. Lani Somera, Atty. John Molo, Atty. Elma Leogardo, Dr. Suzette Suarez, and Dr. Lowell Bautista.  After China seized Scarborough Shoal after a vessel standoff in 2012, the preliminary work had already been done. According to Carpio, when then President Benigno Aquino III realized that China would not leave the shoal, Aquino instructed Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to file the arbitration case. And with the preliminary work mostly having been done by the UNCLOS Group with the approval of international experts, the Statement of Claim against China Pursuant to UNCLOS was filed on January 22, 2013.  The Philippines made its case in an arena where facts and rule of law could trump naked military might. In 2015, Carpio complemented this effort with a world lecture tour where the Philippine perspective in the dispute was explained to experts and interested parties.  Then, in 2016, the Arbitral Award from UNCLOS invalidated with finality China’s 9-dashed line and declared that the Philippines had full EEZ on the West Philippine Sea. Carpio then gave a few thoughts on how a peaceful enforcement of the ruling could be enforced, citing the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between the country and China in 2018 “to cooperate in exploiting oil and gas in the WPS under the Service Contract system of the Philippines”. Under the Service Contract system, Carpio said that the service contractor would receive 40% of the net proceeds as payment for capital, services, and technology. The Philippine government, on the other hand, would receive 60% as the owner of the oil or gas—the same terms in the country’s contract with Shell, which operates the Malampaya gas field in the WPS.  This stated ownership by the Philippine government and another provision stating that Philippine law governs the contract is sufficient for Carpio to preserve the country’s sovereign claim to the WPS, assuming the Chinese state-owned company assumes the role of service contractor.     Members of the socially-distanced audience in Malcolm Hall listen to Justice Carpio’s lecture. Photo by Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     “As long as the structure in the MOU and TOR is not changed, I can vouch to the Filipino people that Philippine sovereign rights in the WPS are preserved,” Carpio said. And while he believes that one of the greatest achievements of the Aquino administration was the filing of the arbitration case that secured the nation’s EEZ, he thinks that the Duterte administration can have a similar feather in its cap if the MOA and its Terms of Reference (TOR) are successfully implemented, bringing peace and stability to the region.  Carpio, ever the realist, also believes that enforcement mechanisms should be introduced to UNCLOS in the next round of negotiations. This is to ensure that losing parties cannot go rogue after unfavorable decisions. Possible sanctions, he said, could include automatic suspension that would include the suspension of its deep-sea mining permits, voting rights, and representation in UNCLOS committees.  Ultimately, he thinks that the battle to defend the nation’s EEZ from China mirrors those our forbears waged against colonizers from the 16th to the 20th century, where the country’s best and brightest gave their lives “to make the Philippines free”. In this new century’s fight against foreign encroachment, Carpio advises utilizing the “most powerful weapon invented by man in the settlement of disputes among states”.  “That weapon—the great equalizer—is the Rule of Law. Under the Rule of Law, right prevails over might.”     Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to train 8 new Filipino satellite makers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-train-8-new-filipino-satellite-makers/",
        "html": "UP to train 8 new Filipino satellite makers UP to train 8 new Filipino satellite makers November 23, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       The University of the Philippines (UP) Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) will be training the second batch of Filipino satellite builders in nanosatellite engineering under the Space Science Proliferation through University Partnerships or STeP-UP Program, at the core of which is the UP EEEI’s Masters in Engineering program.  The second landmark batch of STeP-UP scholars met virtually last November 6, 2020 with the pioneering STeP-UP Class of 2019 their successors in a kick-off ceremony over Zoom.  The event was attended by many prominent names in the Philippine space science and technology industry, including Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director General Joel Marciano, Jr., DOST Science Education Institute Director Josette Biyo, and UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, among others.  The STeP-UP Scholarship is a component of the STAMINA4Space program, which aims to build a healthy and vibrant space infrastructure in the country. (Find out more about the STeP-UP Program here.) With the help of UP’s partner, the Kyushu Institute of Technology (KyuTech), the first batch of STeP-UP scholars was trained in the first ever Master’s in Engineering in Electrical Engineering program, with a special focus on nanosatellite engineering, at the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI). The pioneering class used the knowledge they gained to create the first locally built nano- or cube satellites, Maya 3 and 4.  While barely being over a kilogram in mass each, the satellites can contribute considerably to the country’s economic, territorial, and disaster risk reduction efforts. Their predecessor, Maya 1, for instance, which was built by two Filipino students at KyuTech, had the capacity to communicate with ham radios on the ground and carried two cameras with wide-angle and narrow-angle lenses to capture photos and videos when it was launched back in 2018.     Screenshot from the STeP-UP Project Batch-2 Scholars Kick-off Meeting.     “Though it is very much smaller than its predecessors, its importance to communication and disaster-related concerns is not diminished,” said UP College of Engineering Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg. According to him, photographs taken by these smaller satellites can very much be used by policymakers and stakeholders to craft policies that will impact the environment. “Saying that these nanosatellites are essential to the economy is an understatement.”  While the pioneering class of STeP-UP scholars are in the process of finishing their degrees—in addition to Maya 3 and 4, which they plan to hand over to JAXA for launching in February 2021—the second batch will be hard at work in applying their knowledge to launching Maya 5 and Maya 6. According to STAMINA4Space Program Leader Gay Jane Perez, they hope to finish their pair of nanosatellites by 2022.  Coming from a broad range of backgrounds, these upcoming STeP-UP scholars also come from various regions in the country. They include: Gio Asher Tagabi from Quezon City; Chandler Timm Doloriel from Surigao del Norte; 2nd Lt. Genesis Remocaldo from Clark Air Base Pampanga; Anna Ruth Alvarez from Misamis Oriental; Angela Clarisse Chua from Manila; Joseph Jonathan Co from Valenzuela City; Ronald Collamar from Bulacan; and, Khazmir Camille Valerie Macaraeg from Quezon City.  According to STeP-UP Project Leader Paul Jason Co, scholars like those in the upcoming batch are essential if the Philippines is to build its capabilities in satellite building, and in space technology in general.  “Capable scientists, researchers, and engineers must be trained to sustain the ecosystem,” he said. And while both batches have hit understandable rough patches in their progress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Co remains confident that the scholars will be able to make their mark in Philippine space sci-tech history on schedule. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP partners with universities and media orgs for 2019 elections fact-checking – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-partners-with-universities-and-media-orgs-for-2019-elections-fact-checking/",
        "html": "UP partners with universities and media orgs for 2019 elections fact-checking UP partners with universities and media orgs for 2019 elections fact-checking February 13, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Tsek.ph MOA signatories with their copies of the document, with Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (sixth from left) and UP Department of Journalism’s Prof. Rachel Khan (extreme left), Prof. Yvonne Chua, and Prof. Maria Diosa Labiste (second and third from right). They are (from left): Janvic Mateo representing Teresa Mendoza of Philippine Star, Ellen Tordesillas of Vera Files, Maria Regina Reyes of ABS-CBN Corp., Maria Ressa of Rappler, Danilo Concepcion of the University of the Philippines, Maitel Ladrido representing Jose Ramon Villarin of Ateneo de Manila University, Sonio Soto of Radio World Broadcasting Corp., Anadel Camille Diola of Interaksyon and Philstar.com, Jennifer Aquino of Probe Productions Inc., and Gerardo Mariano representing Raymundo Suplido of De La Salle University. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Spearheaded by three UP units, a collaborative fact-checking project for the May 2019 elections was launched on February 11, 2019 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman (UPD).  UP, represented by President Danilo Concepcion, entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with two universities and several media organizations to establish “Tsek.ph”, a website that will be the repository of their fact-checking of claims made in connection with the May 2019 elections.  “Fact-checking is a very controversial and, often, confrontational activity,” UP Vice President for Public Affairs and Professor of Communication Research Elena Pernia said in welcoming the MOA signatories. “But good journalists and the academe, who are represented, know that it is essential, especially at this time when we are at the cusp of national elections.”     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia welcomes the signatories of the MOA for Tsek.ph. Looking on are UP President Danilo Concepcion, Rappler’s Maria Ressa, and Ateneo de Manila University’s Maitel Ladrido. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     According to the MOA, the project arose from “growing threats of disinformation and misinformation in traditional and online media that affect the health of democratic countries and the power of the citizens to make informed choices during elections.”  In the initial batch of fact-checking partners are: UP, the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU); and media organizations, namely, ABS-CBN Corp., Interaksyon, Philstar.com, Probe Productions Inc., the Philippine Star, Radio World Broadcasting Corp., Rappler, and Vera Files.     Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia facilitates the signing of the MOA for Tsek.ph as press people take photographs in the UP Board of Regents Room, February 11, 2018. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     The project was spearheaded by the UPD College of Mass Communication’s (CMC) Journalism Department, the UPD College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science, and the UP College of Law. It is supported by the Facebook Journalism Project, the Meedan group of open-source investigators of digital media, and the Macaranas Journalism Grant.  According to the CMC press release for the event, more media partners will be invited to Tsek.ph.     UP Department of Journalism’s Prof. Rachel Khan explains the features of Tsek.ph, as Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, the master of ceremonies, looks on. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     CMC also said that Tsek.ph would be guided by the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) in checking “platforms and campaign promises of candidates; statements and remarks made by candidates, personalities, government agencies, and other entities; and election-related posts on social media, blogs, and other platforms.”.  The claims will be given the ratings: “accurate”; “false”; “misleading”; “no basis”; and, “needs context”.  The website also features a form to be filled out by citizens who want to submit claims for fact-checking. The CMC Journalism Department, headed by Prof. Rachel Khan, serves as the Tsek.ph secretariat.     UP officials, members of the Tsek.ph secretariat and others from the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication have a photo with Tsek.ph MOA signatories. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     UP President Danilo Concepcion greets co-signatories of the MOA Anadel Camille Diola of Interaksyon and Philstar.com, after entering the UP Board of Regents Room. Looking on are UP Professor of Journalism Yvonne Chua and Jennifer Aquino of Probe Productions Inc. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO     Tsek.ph, headed by UP, is launched with the MOA signing among leaders and their representatives of top universities and media organizations in UP’s Board of Regents Room, February 11, 2018. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP in the elections: University election initiatives for the 2019 midterm polls – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-in-the-elections-university-election-initiatives-for-the-2019-midterm-polls/",
        "html": "UP in the elections: University election initiatives for the 2019 midterm polls UP in the elections: University election initiatives for the 2019 midterm polls May 7, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    With just a few days to go before voters troop to the polling stations for the 2019 midterm elections, several units of the University of the Philippines are busy publishing insights, fact check pieces and other materials aimed at aiding voters in their choice of candidates for the different positions in government.  An initiative which seeks to verify claims made by candidates in the campaign trail, as well as in media interviews, debates and public fora, Tsek.ph attempts to provide voters with information relating to the veracity of statements made by political hopefuls.      Video by the UP Media and Public Relations Office     Tsek.ph is a joint effort of UP, the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, online news organization Rappler, investigative journalism outfit Vera Files, ABS-CBN News, Interaksyon, Radio World Broadcasting Corporation, Baguio Midland Courier, Central Luzon Television, MindaNews, Probe Productions, The Philippine Star, Philstar.com, and the university’s own radio station, DZUP.  Representatives of these institutions signed a Memorandum of Agreement in February.  Aside from publishing verification reports made by its staff and contributors, Tsek.ph also accepts submissions from individuals who have come across dubious claims made by candidates to the public and the media.  “In Tsek.ph, we have what we call a claim submission. So, the public can put out a question on the website and send a query,” said Prof. Rachel Khan of the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication. “And the members of Tsek.ph are committed to research that question, for as long as it is election related.”  Also involved in the project, aside from the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication, are the university’s Department of Computer Science of the College of Engineering and the College of Law.  Over at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, members of the Department of Political Science are also providing the electorate with insights on the issues and situations confronting the country via the UP sa Halalan 2019 project.      Video by the UP Media and Public Relations Office     An initiative which traces its roots to the UP sa Halalan project by the university’s Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs in the 2013 and 2016 elections, the project aims to provide the public with viewpoints from experts in political science, governance, the electoral process and other issues confronting the electorate.  Department chair and project head Prof. Maria Ela Atienza said the project aims to continue “the kind of work particularly during elections, where we present analysis, evidence-based data, that hopefully can inform different sectors about what is at stake during elections.”  She added it also wants to “highlight … the relevant issues that may not be discussed by the candidates and the political parties, but at the same time also, we feel they should actually prioritize.”  Aside from think pieces by its own faculty, the UP sa Halalan 2019 project also provides analysis from other units of the university, including insights from foreigners who have had a long history of studying the political landscape of the country and collaboration with the department.  The UP sa Halalan 2019 project maintains a website (halalan.up.edu.ph) where they publish analyses, viewpoints and materials from affiliated faculty and partners. It also maintains social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.     Preview of UP sa Halalan 2019 website     Tsek.ph also maintains a website (tsek.ph) where it publishes the results of its verification of claims made by candidates. It also maintains a Facebook page where it also shares its findings.     Preview of Tsek.ph website     By providing fact check findings, viewpoints, analyses and research materials on the candidates and the issues discussed leading to the election day, these units fulfill not only the university’s mandate to serve the people, but also to provide information and to educate and empower them as they prepare to perform a very important act of representative democracy. "
    },
    {
        "title": "More UP CUs join the fight against disinformation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cus-join-the-fight-against-disinformation/",
        "html": "More UP CUs join the fight against disinformation More UP CUs join the fight against disinformation February 2, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Image from Tsek.ph on Facebook.  After the successful relaunch of the expanded Tsek.ph on January 24, UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Visayas, UPOU, and UP sa Halalan 2022, an initiative led by UP Diliman’s Department of Political Science, are also joining the coalition.  They are joining the institutions and initiatives composed of media, academe, and civil society organizations, committed to fighting disinformation under the banner of Tsek.ph.  Initiated in 2019, Tsek.ph is a project of the UP System, under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs through the UP-CMC Journalism Department serving as a collaborative fact-checking network, which at the time united three academic institutions and 11 media partners as a public service commitment to counter disinformation.  As the 2022 May elections draw near, fact-checkers from a variety of fields pool their efforts once again to help educate voters as they make the crucial decision of electing new leaders, this time with old and new partners alike. Prior to the 2022 re-launch, only UP Diliman and UP Los Baños were formally in Tsek.ph.  Apart from fact-checking groups within the UP System, new members to the Tsek.ph roster include Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and Carlos Hilado Memorial State College. Also joining is E-Boto, a civil society organization that will soon launch its own voter education website, partnered with the growing collaborative endeavor that included the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.  These new partners will join other collaborators in a series of trainors’ training workshops organized by Tsek.ph in February on Political Fact-checking, which will be conducted by VERA Files and Verification 101- Cohort 2 by UP and Google News Initiative.  Tsek.ph will also be conducting a seminar on Ethical Fact-checking for its partners in early March.  Tsek.ph is supported by the UP System, Google News Initiative, UP Journalism Department and the UPCMC Foundation, Inc.. For more information on Tsek.ph, visit the website, join the Viber community, email secretariat@tsek.ph, or like and follow it on Facebook and Twitter. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV OAR launches The Alumni Café Jam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-oar-launches-the-alumni-cafe-jam/",
        "html": "UPV OAR launches The Alumni Café Jam UPV OAR launches The Alumni Café Jam May 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Alumni Café Jam was launched recently by the UP Visayas (UPV) Office of Alumni Relations (OAR), with various alumni groups, classes, batches and associations as co-sponsors.  An al fresco musical jamming session at the UPV Alumni Terrace, The Alumni Café Jam aims to strengthen ties between and among UP alumni groups, associations, classes and batches.  The kick-off session was sponsored by UP High School Batch ’92 on March 24, 2017. UPV Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Prof. Evelyn Belleza, Prof. Dea Doromal, UP Hamili/Hamilia Alumni Association members, Pretty Farm Boys, and UPAA officers and board members, led by UPHS Batch ’92 Class President and UPV UPAA President Rosendo Arandela III, graced the event.  Photo by GC Castro, UPV-OAR  As part of its 52nd Anniversary festivities, the UP Hamili/Hamilia Alumni Association hosted The Alumni Café Jam‘s second session on April 21, 2017. The session featured a live acoustic performance by UP Hamili alumnus Pablito Araneta.  The UP Hamili/Hamilia Alumni Association, UPHS Batch ’89, and Sotech Alumni Association will co-host other Alumni Café Jam sessions later this year.  The Alumni Café Jam is open to UP alumni. The UPV Alumni Terrace can accommodate a maximum of thirty people. Musical sessions usually run from 4:00-7:00 p.m.  UP alumni groups are encouraged to perform soft, light and, easy music from their years as UP students, featuring individuals or a duo.  For queries, call UPV OAR at (+63)(33) 3368837,  email at alumni@upv.edu.lph or visit www.facebook.com/upvoar. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pook Aralan in Bato Leyte is now open for all UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pook-aralan-in-bato-leyte-is-now-open-for-all-up-students/",
        "html": "Pook Aralan in Bato Leyte is now open for all UP students Pook Aralan in Bato Leyte is now open for all UP students March 18, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Picture of Britts Internet Shop located at Brgy Alejos Bato Leyte. The first Pook Aralan provides UP students free internet access, computer use, and printing services.  In aid of students seriously affected by Typhoon Odette in December 2021, the University of the Philippines (UP) launched the first Pook Aralan under the Tabang sa Iskolar ng Bayan program.  At least 12 students, all of the UP Manila School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS), are the initial beneficiaries of the learning hub in the town of Bato, Leyte. The Pook, located at Brgy. Alejos Bato, Leyte, provides free internet access, computer use, WIFI, a charging station for gadgets, and printing services to all UP students within the area from March 2022 to July 2022.  UP students come in to take full advantage of the Pook Aralan facility. Photo by the UP OSDS.  The project aims to set a template of action for setting up learning hubs off campus whenever calamities seriously affect students who are now studying in a blended learning mode. The Office of Student Development Services (OSDS), formerly the Office of Student Financial Assistance, administers the project, in partnership with the UP Padayon Public Service Office (PPSO), the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the concerned units of UP constituent universities, and owners of the chosen sites.  “We launched the Tabang Para sa Iskolar ng Bayan, a UP System-wide resource generation campaign, for our students affected by Typhoon Odette, in January,” PPSO Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval said during the online launching ceremony on March 14, 2022. “The need for learning hubs was the first in the identified needs and concerns. Many of our students had lost their houses, equipment, connectivity, and other tools necessary for them to continue remote learning in the coming second semester,” Yasol-Naval added.  UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval gives an overview of the Tabang Para sa Iskolar ng Bayan Project. Screenshot of the virtual launch of the Student Learning Hub, “Pook Aralan sa Bato, Leyte,” held on March 14, 2022.  “The Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, through UP Padayon, started reaching out once again to the generosity of our alumni, our friends, and our partners,” she said. “We flipped through our past campaigns and requested the pooling of excesses from the previous campaigns. Soon enough, Tabang Para sa Iskolar ng Bayan was able to commit support for the initial establishment of these learning hubs.”  UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and OSDS Director Richard Philip Gonzalo hosted the launching ceremony. It was also attended by: Pahinungod System Director Marie Therese Bustos, UPM-SHS Dean Filedito Tandinco, and the Bato, Leyte establishment owner, Marissa Rojas. Beneficiary students who were right at the learning hub were present. According to AVP Gonzalo, Director Bustos, and Dean Tandinco, the units of Pahinungod, UP Manila, and the UPM-SHS played prominent roles in looking for partners who could provide locations for the learning hubs. They also identify target beneficiaries and their needs and activities requiring assistance, providing project administration and monitoring.  UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Development Services Director Richard Philip Gonzalo hosted the Pook Aralan Learning Hub launching event. Screenshot of the virtual launch of the Student Learning Hub, “Pook Aralan sa Bato, Leyte,” held on March 14, 2022.  Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Philip Gonzalo said UP aims to build resilience in reaching out to and assisting students during pandemics and natural disasters. Pook Aralan would minimize disruptions in delivering remote learning assistance to students, provided under Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan and adopt-a-student programs.  “These are steps for us to reach out further to our students and ensure that we have a healthy and nurturing environment for our students,” Gonzalo said.  For inquiries about Pook Aralan in Bato, Leyte, kindly contact studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph or Ms. Marissa Rojas at 09125710943.  The Learning Hub partners: Ms. Marrissa Rojas, owner of Britts Internet Shop in Bato Leyte (center); UPM SHS Dean Filedito Tandinco (2nd from right); Prof. Ace Geteros (extreme right); and local government employees of Bato Leyte. Photo by the UP OSDS."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-wins-iabc-gold-quill-for-stop-covid-deaths/",
        "html": "UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” UP wins IABC Gold Quill for “Stop Covid Deaths” April 29, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    When the COVID-19 pandemic began to rampage in early 2020, there were no experts on the disease nor any well-established treatments. Any knowledge gained came at a great price as doctors, and other medical professionals were among the first to fall to the new, highly infectious viral disease.  The Philippines alone lost nearly two dozen medical specialists to COVID, a devastating blow to a country where health workers were already in short supply. Add to this the skyrocketing incidence of burnout among Philippine health workers as the pandemic raged on, as well as the government’s relatively weak COVID-19 response compared to the rest of ASEAN, and it becomes apparent that the country’s healthcare system’s recovery from the pandemic remains an uphill battle.  Early on, the University of the Philippines (UP), the country’s national university, saw the urgent and continuing need for the exchange of accurate information about and on-the-ground experiences with COVID-19 among doctors, nurses, health workers, scientists, government officials, private healthcare representatives, and other frontliners.  UP was then determined to ensure that the Philippine healthcare sector provides the best possible care for COVID-19 patients and national and local pandemic response. The general public also needed resources for science-based information about COVID-19 to counter the parallel epidemic of fake news and misinformation.  By tapping into its community of the country’s top experts in multiple fields and disciplines, UP organized the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series early into the pandemic. This series is a collaborative work with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH) and National Telehealth Center (UPM-NTC), and the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), with TVUP handling the Zoom-based program, including its livestreaming.  These informative, educational webinars are held every Friday at noon over the TVUP YouTube channel and through the University’s Twitter account and TVUP’s Facebook page, making them free and openly accessible to anyone. UP has produced 96 “Stop COVID Deaths” webinars. They are still available for viewing on the TVUP YouTube channel. The latest round expands the discussion beyond COVID-19 and other infectious diseases significantly impacting the Philippine population, such as measles.  2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit  The university’s significant educational and public service initiative—now into its third year—has recently earned international recognition when the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinars won a 2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit from the US-based International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).  According to its official website, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have recognized and awarded excellence in strategic communication worldwide. It is the only awards program that globally honors communicators’ dedication, innovation, and passion. Since 2008, organizers have screened more than 4,451 projects.  As one of the awardees for 2022, the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” series won an Award of Merit under the Communication Management Division of the Gold Quill Awards in the “COVID-19 Response and Recovery Management and Communication” category. Its co-winners in its category include projects by the Region of Peel and the Vancouver Coastal Health (Canada), and the London Health Sciences Centre (UK).  According to a letter from the IABC Awards Committee sent to UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, “Our Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel evaluators assessed your entry against the IABC Gold Quill Award criteria and IABC’s Seven-point Scale of Excellence. Your work met this high standard—a great accomplishment!”  “Through this work, you’ve managed to create a movement that has had a major impact on your country not only as it relates to how information is shared amongst frontline medical workers but also in the access that the public has to information that is highly relevant and important to Filipinos,” the IABC Gold Quill jury commented in its assessment of the webinar series.  “In a time where many people and organizations were overwhelmed, this project stands out as one that demonstrates how effective and impactful simple, clear and consistent communication can be,” it added.  Other winners from the Philippines are ABS-CBN for excellence in communication award for the web for its “Act as if you have the virus” campaign and recognition of merit in communication skills for its Kapamilya Himig Handog event, Christian Kyle Pascual of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde earned the award of merit in audio-visual communication skills for the presentation “Turtales: Telling the Tales of Endangered Marine Turtles,” the Megaworld Foundation garnered an award for excellence in communication skills in social media for its “Mega Summer Ventures Version 2.0” and Meralco for excellence in communication skills in publications award for its 2020 Corporate Reports and award of merit in communication skills in social media for its Meralco Corporate Partners Viber Community.  Everyone is invited to attend this week’s UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar titled “Batang Biglang Hindi Makalakad: Siryosohin Natin ang Tigdas”, to be held on April 29, 2022, from 12 to 2 p.m.  With reports from Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” wins IABC Gold Quill – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-stop-covid-deaths-wins-iabc-gold-quill/",
        "html": "UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” wins IABC Gold Quill UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” wins IABC Gold Quill July 6, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla (left), UP President Danilo Concepcion (middle), and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (right) attended the IABC’s 2022 Gold Quill awarding ceremony in New York. They received the award for UP’s “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series. Photo from UP OVPPA     The University of the Philippines’ (UP) groundbreaking effort, the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, was recently honored by the US-based International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) with the 2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit. It won under the Communication Management Division in the “COVID-19 Response and Recovery Management and Communication” category.  The IABC Awards Committee told UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia in a letter: “Our Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel evaluators assessed your entry against the IABC Gold Quill Award criteria and IABC’s Seven-point Scale of Excellence. Your work met this high standard—a great accomplishment!”     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (left) and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla (right) during the awarding ceremony in New York. Photo from UP OVPPA.     The jury assessed that the webinar series “managed to create a movement that has had a major impact on your country not only as it relates to how information is shared amongst frontline medical workers but also in the access that the public has to information that is highly relevant and important to Filipinos.” Further, it stated how “stands out as one that demonstrates how effective and impactful simple, clear and consistent communication can be.”  See the previous article on the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series’ international win.  According to its website, the Gold Quill is the only program that awards excellence in strategic communication by recognizing communicators’ dedication, innovation, and passion worldwide.  “Stop COVID Deaths” was born soon after WHO’s March 2020 declaration of a pandemic. It was UP’s immediate action from its quickly realized urgency to provide accurate information and share on-the-ground experiences among public and private healthcare practitioners, planners, and managers; scientists in various disciplines; all frontline workers; and the public.  The highly infectious viral disease rapidly spreads worldwide without established treatments or experts. Early COVID-19 knowledge came at a price, from cases of doctors who first succumbed to the disease to the general public. For the Philippines, already crippled by the low supply of health personnel, losing nearly two dozen victims was devastating.  To strengthen the country’s collective action, UP tapped a community of experts, gathering the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH) and National Telehealth Center (UPM-NTC), and the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to create the webinar series that TVUP produced and streamed.     Present during the IABC 2022 Gold Quill awarding ceremony in New York (left to right): Former NEDA Director-General Ernesto Pernia, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and Atty. Gabriela Concepcion. Photo from UP OVPPA.     Free and openly accessible through UP’s Twitter and TVUP’s YouTube, and Facebook accounts, its first episode, “Clinical Management of COVID Pneumonia,” was shown on April 24, 2020. Streamed at noon every Friday, its 106th episode, “COVID-19 SURGE IN EUROPE: Susunod ba tayo?” (COVID-19 SURGE in EUROPE: Are we next?) was released on July 1, 2022.  Its upcoming webinar this Friday, July 5, will focus on the recommendations by the newly created Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) on COVID-19 boosters and whether or not we need to booster shots against COVID-19. To register for this episode, sign up here.  The complete playlist of “Stop COVID Deaths” webinars is available on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  UP’s co-awardees in the category were Canada’s Region of Peel, Vancouver Coastal Health, and the UK’s London Health Sciences Centre. Other Philippine winners were projects by ABS-CBN, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Christian Kyle Pascual, Megaworld Foundation, and Meralco.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 in Western Visayas: Public Health Data Analysis and Recommendations as of 13 July 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-in-western-visayas-public-health-data-analysis-and-recommendations-as-of-13-july-2020/",
        "html": "COVID-19 in Western Visayas: Public Health Data Analysis and Recommendations as of 13 July 2020 COVID-19 in Western Visayas: Public Health Data Analysis and Recommendations as of 13 July 2020 July 23, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Policy Note No. 4 (July 20, 2020)  COVID-19 IN WESTERN VISAYAS Public Health Data Analysis and Recommendations as of July 13, 2020  The good news: quarantine measures have managed to decrease local transmission and flatten the curve in Western Visayas. The bad news: a surge in imported cases in the region has led to testing backlogs and strained quarantine facilities. Given this, UP Visayas researchers and ThinkWell Philippines recommend more preparations for local transmission outbreaks in the LGUs, maintenance of minimum public health standards, and a review of the repatriation protocols in terms of testing, tracing and treatment.  Download the full paper here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PGH shares lessons learned during ongoing efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pgh-shares-lessons-learned-during-ongoing-efforts-to-prevent-covid-19-transmission/",
        "html": "PGH shares lessons learned during ongoing efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission PGH shares lessons learned during ongoing efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission August 11, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from the UP Philippine General Hospital Facebook page PGH shares lessons learned during ongoing efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission  By Regina Berba, Eric Berberabe, Bill Veloso, Rodney Dofitas, Lilibeth Genuino and Gap Legaspi For the PGH COVID Crisis Team  Download the full policy paper here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sandigan, Sandalan strengthens mental health support for students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sandigan-sandalan-strengthens-mental-health-support-for-students/",
        "html": "Sandigan, Sandalan strengthens mental health support for students Sandigan, Sandalan strengthens mental health support for students November 15, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    As the world changes and becomes increasingly riddled with uncertainty, so do the issues of thriving in it become more complex. Thriving, not just living. Not merely existing but flourishing, capable of navigating life successfully and progressively.  COVID-19 has made the volatility of thriving all too clear. It has not only emphasized the varying degrees of frailty and strength of the human body; it has also forced the focus on mental health, the other part of human well-being that has been often overlooked and neglected.  The demand for mental health services has dramatically increased. One only needs to try getting an appointment with a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist to realize the difficulty of acquiring these services at this time. Using the now clichéd term to describe this pandemic, the demand for mental health services has been unprecedented. Yes, even in UP.  And UP is responding.  Initiatives to strengthen its mental health support system for students began to take root last year and have since been under the umbrella program called Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health. Sandigan and sandalan are Filipino words that refer to something that or someone who can be leaned on, relied upon, or can provide support and relief.   Sandigan, Sandalan has four components: the Directory of Mental Health Service Providers, including referral systems for focal persons and faculty members; the Training on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment; the Training Program for Peer Mental Health Advocates; and, the Student Mental Health Advocacy Program.  “Our approach to providing support is based on the positive view that mental health is not just the absence of mental illness, but an integral part of a person’s overall well-being,” revealed Dr. Richard Philip Gonzalo, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance Director.  Prof. Dan Paolo Yema of the UP Los Baños Department of Social Sciences explained, “In the past, mental health was only viewed in relation to mental illness and disorders. That is not what mental health is. That kind of thinking only leads to stigmatization. Mental health is about developing a person’s capacity to cope, develop potentials, be productive, and contribute to society.” Yema leads the Training Program for Peer Mental Health Advocates, where participants were active members of student organizations.  On the institutional side, Prof. Maria Angela Mabale of the UP Manila College of Nursing said that universities are crucial to mental health promotion because “there is expanding evidence indicating that university students are high-risk for psychological distress and mental disorders, and that the prevalence and severity of mental health difficulties is growing across student populations.” Mabale, who heads the Training Program for Mental Health Focal Persons, added that the program includes faculty well-being as well. She reported that more than 200 faculty members and staff of student affairs offices across the UP System have completed the program thus far.  The Student Mental Health Advocacy Program was conceptualized to recognize student-led initiatives on mental health promotion, while the Directory of Mental Health Service Providers, as the name indicates, is a listing of persons and institutions that can assist students on their mental health concerns and needs.  The University is hopeful that these mental health support programs will be sustained towards a thriving post-pandemic UP life. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao webinars on the digital economy, agriculture, and food – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-webinars-on-the-digital-economy-agriculture-and-food/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao webinars on the digital economy, agriculture, and food UP Mindanao webinars on the digital economy, agriculture, and food October 30, 2020 | Written by Rene A. Estremera       In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao, the School of Management (SOM) offers free webinars on the digital economy and food security this November 2020.  Mr. Ever Abasolo, an economist, a former SOM faculty, and currently a National Consultant to the United Nations Development Programme, will present a two-part lecture on “The Digital Economy and its Implications to Agricultural Development”.  Part 1, to be given on 03 November 2020, Tuesday, at 2 PM to 4 PM Philippine Standard Time (PST), will focus on “Fiscal Health and Government Response to COVID-19”.  The lecture will look into the key macroeconomic indicators before and during the time of the pandemic and unpack the fiscal strength and the landmark legislation that the government harnessed to meet the financial requirements to respond to the pandemic.  Part 2, on 05 November 2020, Thursday, 2 PM to 4 PM, PST, will look at the digital economy and its implications for agricultural development with focus on the Mindanao context. Mr. Abasolo will also discuss emerging opportunities and how the government can leverage these opportunities to fight poverty and inequality.  To register for Part 1, go to bit.ly/UPMinSOM-Webinar1; for Part 2, visit bit.ly/UPMinSOM-Webinar2.  Meanwhile, UP Mindanao Professor Emeritus Eufemio Rasco, Jr., who was responsible for linking SOM with its first Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-funded project in the agribusiness supply chain, will deliver a lecture on “Nature with Nurture: Plant Breeding for Food Security in the Midst of the Pandemic and Beyond” on 16 November 2020, Monday, 10 AM to 12 NN.  According to Professor Rasco, “A developing concept views the organism as a community rather than an individual, and the same is true for plants. It is now known that many of what we consider ‘traits’ to breed for are actually products of interactions between the plant and its associated microbiota. Thus, a new plant breeding approach might involve breeding for the associated microbiota rather than the plant directly.”  Professor Rasco, a retired-UP Mindanao faculty member, was conferred the Professor Emeritus title by the UP Board of Regents at its July 2020 meeting, becoming the first UP Mindanao professor emeritus. UP confers this lifetime title to selected academics for exceptionally distinguished careers in teaching, research or creative work, and public service. A professor emeritus remains on the faculty roster throughout his/her lifetime.  To register, click bit.ly/UPMinSOM-Webinar3. For more information, email somcs.upmindanao@up.edu.ph.  Since the onset of the new normal, UP Mindanao has organized and contributed to webinars in Filipino literature, disease mathematics, infectious diseases, food and business management in the new normal, genomics research, and public health.  The Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao in UP Mindanao has also trained medical personnel from various medical centers in Mindanao for COVID-19 testing and helped establish three COVID-19 testing facilities. Its Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling Lab provided mathematical models to estimate disease spread for the guidance of public officials. This is in respect of the University’s Mindanao Health Initiatives, headed by a DOST-approved Center for decision-support systems in health, which will be followed by a proposed medical education program and a proposed city hospital on campus.  Since its creation in 1995 through Republic Act 7889, UP Mindanao has produced 3,000-plus graduates, has funded close to 100 research projects, and endorsed more than 250 research projects for funding by the UP System, government agencies, and private institutions.  UP Mindanao is currently implementing its Strategic Plan 2023 to expand its academic program offerings and corresponding personnel, attract project partners through its Campus Master Development Plan, and motivate legislative action in support of the expansion program. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni and experts to hold webinar on COVID-19 vaccination – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-and-experts-to-hold-webinar-on-covid-19-vaccination/",
        "html": "UP alumni and experts to hold webinar on COVID-19 vaccination UP alumni and experts to hold webinar on COVID-19 vaccination February 9, 2021 | Written by University of the Philippines Mindanao       “To V or Not To V,” a free internet forum and webinar on the COVID-19 vaccination issue, will be held on 13 February 2021, at 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. via Zoom. Interested parties may register at https://bit.ly/3tusvJI. The webinar will also be live-streamed on the Facebook pages of the organizers, the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Davao, the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao, and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao.  The webinar is a contribution to the ongoing discussion whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate oneself against the COVID-19 disease, a topic that is presently being debated world-wide, more so in the Philippines with its recent experience on vaccines. Through the webinar, the UP community hopes to help in the Filipino’s decision-making process. “There are many perceptions about the issue and it’s best to hear from the experts,” said UPAA-Davao director Atty. Glenn Cedeño-Sorila. “Participants to the webinar get a chance to type in their questions in the Zoom chat box which will then be conveyed for the speakers to answer,” said PGC Mindanao director and UP Mindanao faculty member Prof. Lyre Anni Murao.  Dr. Willy Tan, Manager for Global Product Development – GCMC Vaccines of Pfizer Inc., will talk on “Vaccine Development and Manufacture.” The topic on “The Science Behind Regulatory Process for Evaluation and Approval of COVID-19 Vaccines” will be discussed by Dr. Nina Gloriani, Head of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Vaccine Expert Panel and member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines Scientific Steering Committee for COVID 19 Solidarity Vaccines Trials. Finally, Davao City Health Officer Dr. Ashley Lopez will talk on the “Davao City COVID-19 Vaccination Plan.” Welcome Remarks will be given by Cabinet Secretary Atty. Karlo Nograles, who is also co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. In his opening remarks, Atty. Nograles will also give an overview of the national government’s vaccination roadmap. Dr. Celia C. Castillo, a doctor of internal medicine, will be the moderator for the forum. Closing Remarks will be delivered by UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal. Atty. Cedeño-Sorila will serve as the event host. The webinar is a public offering for the 26th anniversary of UP Mindanao. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao to co-present webinar on fact-checking in the time of coronavirus – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-to-co-present-webinar-on-fact-checking-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao to co-present webinar on fact-checking in the time of coronavirus UP Mindanao to co-present webinar on fact-checking in the time of coronavirus June 10, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In the intensified information and communication environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipinos have more frequently worried over the question, “How can we separate fact from fiction?” Our collective experience in the past two years has shown that this can be difficult.  To offer solutions to this question, the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao College of Humanities and Social Sciences is co-presenting the webinar, “Fact-checking in the Time of Coronavirus” on 11 June 2021, 4:00 p.m. This webinar is held in collaboration with MovePH, the civic engagement unit of the Rappler news organization.  The webinar is open to the public free of charge. Interested persons may register here: https://bit.ly/3vVsX3N  MovePH has been leading a series of fact-checking webinars in the time of coronavirus aimed at training participants to spot disinformation online and combat it. During the webinar, Ms. Raisa Serafica, Rappler’s head of civic engagement, will discuss the internet environment during the pandemic; and Ms. Vernise Tantuco, Rappler’s researcher/writer, will discuss the fact-checking methodology. There will also be a Q&A session and a spot-check exercise.  According to Rappler, more than 3,500 participants in all regions of the country and even abroad have joined the first 28 sessions of the webinar since it began on April 3, 2020.  Several of these sessions were co-hosted by various academic institutions, youth organizations, and local groups. For the upcoming session, the webinar is being co-presented by the UP Mindanao and its College of Humanities and Social Sciences. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eugene Laganina, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eugene-laganina-bachelor-of-physical-education-up-diliman-college-of-human-kinetics/",
        "html": "Eugene Laganina, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Eugene Laganina, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics July 27, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta     Recorded video courtesy of Eugene Laganina, edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     Eugene Laganina, a second-year student at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics who comes from Umingan, Pangasinan, is not one to shy away from hard work, whether it is balancing between academics and training as a member of the UP Men’s Volleyball Team or working at a farm during the months of lockdown to save up for the future.  How he found himself from living a typical UP student-athlete’s life in UP Diliman’s campus to being in a lush bukid in Sta. Ines, San Miguel, Bulacan, staying at his eldest sibling’s place, is a bit of a story in and of itself. “Actually, sabi nila one-week class suspension lang daw, so umuwi muna ako sa kapatid ko sa probinsya [Actually, they told us at first that it was just going to be a one-week class suspension; so I went to my half-sister’s home],” he said. (Eugene is the third in a family of four siblings, with his older brother supporting his and his youngest sister’s studies through college.)  “And then sa following days, in-announce ulit na magiging one-month class suspension kasi lumalala na daw yung coronavirus, so naging pandemic na sya. So nag-isip-isip ako, ‘Paano na lang yung nakasanayan ko—yung pag-aaral at yung training ko? Ano na mangyayari sa akin dito? [And then in the following days, it was announced that the class suspension would extend to a month because the coronavirus situation had worsened into a pandemic. So I wondered, ‘What will happen to my studies and training? What will happen to me here?’]” he went on.  Nag-isip ako kung anong magagawa ko para makatulong ako sa mga magulang o mga kapatid ko.  His first concern was helping his family. “Nag-isip ako kung anong magagawa ko para makatulong ako sa mga magulang o mga kapatid ko. So tutal, probinsya naman ito, naglakas-loob ako na magtanong sa mga kasama ko kung okey lang ba na pumasok sa pagiging trabahador sa bukid [I thought about what I could do to help my parents and siblings. So since we were in the province, I worked up the nerve to ask if it was all right for me to work at the farm],” he recalled.     Student athlete Eugene Laganina only thought of spending a couple of weeks in his sibling’s farm in Bulacan when the quarantine started. He spent the rest of the semester there fulfilling his academic requirements with connectivity challenges. Photo courtesy of Eugene Laganina.     Working at a farm posed a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but Eugene was not only willing to work hard, he was willing to learn from those around him. “Tinuruan nila akong manalbos, mamitas ng mga mais, talong tsaka okra. Mahirap iyon sa akin, shempre; hindi naman ganon kadali yon, eh [They taught me how to harvest vegetables, corn, eggplants and okra. It was difficult for me of course; that kind of work isn’t easy],” he admitted.  Still, he persevered, and even though the work had not been something he was accustomed to before, he quickly picked up the skills he needed. “Hindi naman imposible eh. Matutunan mo naman lahat ng bagay kung matututo kang makinig sa mga nagpapayo sa iyo [It’s not impossible. You can learn to do anything as long as you listen to those who are willing to teach you].”  When it comes to fulfilling his academic requirements for the semester, Eugene had to face challenges on different fronts. The first was finding a way to lighten the burden of his sister. “Wala po ako sa comfort zone ko. Nakatira lang ako sa sister ko. Para makatulong, naglakas-loob po talaga ako, kahit alam ko na mahirap at di ko gamay ang pagbubukid. Sinubukan ko talaga para hindi ko maramdaman na pabigat ako sa kanila [I was out of my comfort zone. I was just staying with my sister. To help, I was determined to learn how to work on the farm, even though I knew it would be hard. I did this so I wouldn’t be a burden to my sister and her family],” he said.  But his bigger challenge came in the form of trying to keep up with his remote or online classes without adequate technology and resources. “Una po, since bukid yung area namin mahina talaga yung connection, pero naghahanap ako ng pwesto para malakas ang signal ko. Pangalawa, yung resources. Una ko pong ginawa sa phone. Super-hirap pag phone lang ako mag-e-exam o mag-a-activity. Madalas hindi malinaw yung pagkakaayos ng graphics [First, since the area I was in was a farm, the Internet connection was really weak, but I looked for a spot where the signal was strongest. Second, the resources. I first used my phone to take exams or join in class activities, but it’s so hard just using your phone. The graphics were often misaligned],” he revealed. One way he tried to compensate for the abysmal internet signal and his phone’s limited processing capacity was to wake up at 3:00 a.m. each day, when every other internet user in the area was asleep, so he could work on his academic requirements before heading straight to his job on the farm.  Laptop po at Internet connection, kasi ang hirap po. Hindi ako nakaka-sabay sa mga Zoom minsan kapag may online class dahil sobrang hina po ng signal. – Eugene Laganina  When asked what he needed to make remote or online learning much easier for him, he replied: “Laptop po at internet connection, kasi ang hirap po. Hindi ako nakaka-sabay sa mga Zoom minsan kapag may online class dahil sobrang hina po ng signal [A laptop computer and fast internet connection, because otherwise it’s so difficult. I couldn’t keep up with the online classes on Zoom sometimes because the signal was so poor].”  Aside from helping to support his parents and siblings during the lockdown, he is saving up for when things get better after the pandemic passes. “Kaya ko lang naman ito ginagawa para may maipon ako para may magamit ako kapag okey na ang lahat. At tsaka ayoko ring maging pabigat sa mga kapatid ko at magulang ko [I’m doing this so I can have savings to live on when things get better. And I don’t want to become a burden to my siblings and parents].”  Kaya ginagamit ko itong opportunities na ito para makatulong ako sa mga kapatid at magulang ko. Ginawa ko itong motivation sa buhay ko, na hindi lang magiging hanggang dito lang ang buhay ko. Kaya kapag naging okey na ang lahat, itutuloy ko pa rin ang pangarap ko sa buhay. – Eugene Laganina  Eugene is also aware of how the pandemic has made life harder for so many families like his, families who have lost jobs and incomes, who struggle to put food on the table. “Kaya ginagamit ko itong opportunities na ito para makatulong ako sa mga kapatid at magulang ko. Sa totoo lang, ginawa ko itong motivation sa buhay ko, na hindi lang magiging hanggang dito lang ang buhay ko. Kaya kapag naging okey na ang lahat, nawala na yung virus, itutuloy ko pa rin ang pangarap ko sa buhay [That’s why I’m taking all these opportunites to help my siblings and parents. Honestly, I made this my motivation, that there would be more to my life than just this. That’s why when things have become better and the virus is gone, I will continue striving to make my dreams come true],” he vowed.  One such opportunity that he intends to take full advantage of is the UP System’s Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan fundraising project, that is, to make the most that he can of the generous help of donors willing to provide him with what he needs to finish his studies in UP, to make life better for his family and for families like his, and to make his life’s dreams come true. “Kung ako ay nakapagtapos sa pag-aaral, gusto ko ring makatulong sa mga kabataan na tulad ko na nasa probinsya na mangarap lang sila; huwag silang titigil sa mga pangarap nila [When I finish my studies, I want to help young people from the provinces like me to keep dreaming, and to never stop working to make their dreams come true].”  Wala namang imposible, eh. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. – Eugene Laganina  Eugene’s optimistic, industrious spirit shines through in his face as he speaks of his determination to finish his studies at UP and make his dreams come true. “Wala namang imposible, eh. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa [Nothing’s impossible. As long as we’re alive, we have hope],” he said.  To support the remote learning needs of Eugene and other Iskolar ng Bayan, please visit http://kaagapay.up.edu.ph. #KaagapayUP  For assistance, contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Patrick Pabulayan, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/patrick-pabulayan-bachelor-of-physical-education-up-chk/",
        "html": "Patrick Pabulayan, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Patrick Pabulayan, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics July 28, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office. Additional video and photos courtesy of Patrick Pabulayan.     Until four months ago, Patrick Pabulayan’s life, while full of escalating challenges, had been fairly straightforward.  He was in ninth grade at the Notre Dame of Marbel University, Koronadal City, South Cotabato, when he started out on the path of life as a student athlete.  Upon graduating from high school, he chose UP over another university because, according to him, “mas mataas yung standard, kaya kung makapag-graduate ka dito, maraming opportunity na mag-o-open para sa yo [the standards are higher, and when you graduate from UP a lot of opportunities will open up for you].” Having trained well in his chosen sport, he was selected by Coach Rio Dela Cruz to join the UP Track and Field Team.  As a freshman and now an incoming second year student at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics (UP CHK) currently enrolled in a Bachelor in Physical Education degree program, Patrick found life in UP more challenging than his previous life, “kasi sa varsity, mahirap po ipagsabay yung sports at tsaka acads [because as a student athlete and varsity team member, we have to balance sports and our academics,” he said.  And the training is rigorous. He and his teammates would wake up at 4:00 a.m. to go and train at ULTRA Pasig or at the Rizal National High School. Later, they would go to class. “Minsan, nakakapagod pero enjoy din kasi maraming mga VAAS [Varsity Athletic Admission System athletes] na makikita mo talaga yung patience at tsaka pursigido talaga sila. Tapos medyo mahirap talaga kasi yung kailangan ko pang mag-adjust dito pag dating ng Maynila kasi galing po ako sa province namin [It was tiring but I enjoyed it because you really get to see how patient and persevering the varsity athletes are. Then of course, there was the adjustment period I went through here in Manila, coming from our province],” he said.  Patrick, then a dormer at the Ipil Residence Hall, had been looking forward to the next challenge: completing the 21 academic units he signed up for during the semester and competing in the new UAAP Season. But with the COVID-19 pandemic escalating and the quarantines instituted, his next challenge turned out to be at a level nobody could have foreseen.  “Hindi mawala yung pangamba na meron din tayong mga families sa province na naiwan. Dahil sa lockdown nawalan sila ng trabaho, parang saan sila kukuha ng mga pangangailangan nila. [There was worry for our families in our provinces, who because of the lockdown had lost jobs and the means to meet their needs],” he said. “Tapos ako dito medyo okey, kasi merong may nag-do-donate, may mga blessing na dumadating sa amin dito every week noong first and second month namin dito [At least here, we were in a better place because there were people who gave donations during the first and second month of lockdown].”     Patrick Pabulayan, student-athlete from Koronadal City, South Cotabato and incoming second-year student at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics, is one of the fastest runners of the Track and Field Team. But during the community quarantine and his stay in the Ipil dorm, he had to go slow with class requirements, as he faced difficulties connecting online. Photos by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO     UAAP season was canceled, which was unfortunate as it would’ve been his first time to compete, although he understood that safety came first. “Nakakapanghinayang kasi yung training ko noong June hanggang January…sayang-saya na kami kasi third week ng March na gaganapin…[pero] March 10 nagkaroon ng lockdown [It was just kind of regrettable because I’d been training since June and the competition would’ve been held in the third week of March,” he said. However, given the life of a student athlete, regular training continued, although this time by way of regular stationary workouts taught by Coach Dela Cruz via Zoom.  It was his 21 academic units that gave him the most trouble as regular classes stopped and everything was conducted online. Completing academic requirements became exponentially harder when one had to do it as he had no laptop or personal computer, only a phone and the good graces of one’s fellow students to rely on.  Inisip ko na lang po sana na mag-drop, pero nagsabi ako sa mga taga-dito sa Ipil na mga estudyante din na ipatuloy na lang kasi sayang yung 21 units. Problema din namin ang paggawa ng requirements kasi ang hirap. Sa cellphone lang po kami gumagawa. – Patrick Pabulayan, Iskolar ng Bayan  “Inisip ko na lang po sana na mag-drop, pero nagsabi ako sa mga taga-dito sa Ipil na mga estudyante din na ipatuloy na lang kasi sayang yung 21 units. Problema din namin ang paggawa ng requirements kasi ang hirap. Sa cellphone lang po kami gumagawa. Kailangan ko pang mag-type muna sa Messenger tapos i-forward ko pa doon sa senior ko, tapos doon ako mag-e-edit tapos ise-send sa mga professor [I thought about dropping, but my fellow students at Ipil Residence Hall encouraged me to continue. Completing academic requirements was so difficult because we had to do it on the phone. I had to type everything on Facebook Messenger then forward it to our senior [in Ipil Residence Hall] who had a laptop, then borrow their laptop and edit the work before sending it to our professor].”  The abrupt shift to online learning included moving exams and group work online. Patrick recalls being given PDF files to study, followed by exams also on PDFs which they had to edit to answer. This meant he had to borrow his senior’s laptop again, then ask another fellow student to teach him how to edit PDFs. It was a learning curve, to say the least. “Hindi pa rin ako marunong gumamit ng laptop kasi sanay sa sulat. Doon sa amin, walang laptop. Wala kaming mga online-online [I still don’t know how to use a laptop much because I’m used to written exams. Back home, we had no laptops, no online stuff to deal with],” he said.  The struggles of remote learning are very real, especially when you’re used to face-to-face class interactions. “Sa online class mahirap, kasi yung iba hindi rin makaka-connect. Hindi rin tuloy-tuloy yung class kasi yung ibang mga estudyante umuuwi sa kanila at walang Internet access. Medyo mahirap, kaya wala pong nag-Zoom sa amin. Nag-base na lang po sa mga exam namin sa class at tsaka mga attendance. Eh yung sa akin okey po kasi nag-aral naman po ako sa exam, kaya napasa [In online classes, some of your classmates will find it hard to connect online. And the classes don’t flow seamlessly because some of your classmates have to go home to places where they don’t have Internet access. That’s why we couldn’t do Zoom. We just based class performance on exams and class attendance. Well, in my case, I studied really hard for the exams, which is why I passed,” he said with a smile.  [Kapag] ako po ay makapagtapos ng course ko na Bachelor of Physical Education, ipagpapatuloy ko yung pagiging coach o di kaya maging teacher kasi gusto kong tulungan din yung mga student athletes dun sa province namin. Maraming mga athlete doon na willing talagang mag-sakripisyo; so babalik po ako sa amin at tutulungan ko po yung mga estudyante doon sa amin na magtrabaho sila sa pag-e-ensayo. – Patrick Pabulayan, Iskolar ng Bayan  When it comes to challenges, Patrick is not one to back down, especially when the challenge is completing your education no matter what. “[Kapag] ako po ay makapagtapos ng course ko na Bachelor of Physical Education, ipagpapatuloy ko yung pagiging coach o di kaya maging teacher kasi gusto kong tulungan din yung mga student athletes dun sa province namin. Maraming mga athlete doon na willing talagang mag-sakripisyo; so babalik po ako sa amin at tutulungan ko po yung mga estudyante doon sa amin na magtrabaho sila sa pag-e-ensayo [When I earn my Bachelor of Physical Education degree, I want to become a coach or a teacher because I want to help the student athletes in our home province. There are so many student athletes from all walks of life who are willing to work hard and make sacrifices to succeed; so I want to go back there and help them work and train].”  May mga balak din sila na after nito, uuwi din po sila sa kanila. Mas pinili nilang mag-sige dito sa Pilipinas kasi nandito yung puso nila. Dito sila magse-serbiyso sa bansa natin. So kanya-kanya po kaming balik after sa mga province namin after sa pagtapos namin dito. – Patrick Pabulayan, Iskolar ng Bayan  He believes that there is a future in sports and athletics, which he says has enabled him to travel to different parts of the country and find ways to help his family at home. He says that his seniors in the varsity teams feel the same way. “May mga balak din sila na after nito, uuwi din po sila sa kanila. Mas pinili nilang mag-sige dito sa Pilipinas kasi nandito yung puso nila. Dito sila magse-serbiyso sa bansa natin. So kanya-kanya po kaming balik after sa mga province namin after sa pagtapos namin dito [They all have plans to go back to their home provinces, to serve here in the country, where their hearts lie. They want to serve here, in the Philippines. That’s what we all aim to do after we graduate].”  He hopes that the stories of UP students and student athletes like him would serve as an inspiration for others. “Sana po ay maging inspirasyon po kami sa inyong lahat. Marami pa kayong mae-encourage na estudyanteng kagaya ko na pursigidong mag-aral, makapagtapos at ipakita na ang UP hindi lang po magaling sa acads kung hindi sa titulo din ng sports. May goal po kami sa UP CHK na dapat bigyan pa namin ng mataas na ranking [ang UP]…[So sana] yung mga taong handang tumulong sa amin hindi po nawawalan ng ganang tumulong sa mga estudyante na mga nagsusumikap pa po talaga [We student athletes want to show that UP doesn’t just excel in academics, we also excel in sports. We have a goal at the UP CHK to push UP to rank higher. So I hope people will never stop helping the deserving students who are working hard to achieve their dreams].”  To support the remote learning needs of Patrick and other Iskolar ng Bayan, please visit http://kaagapay.up.edu.ph. #KaagapayUP  For assistance, contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Baguio Lights a Candle for Knowledge – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-baguio-lights-a-candle-for-knowledge/",
        "html": "UP Baguio Lights a Candle for Knowledge UP Baguio Lights a Candle for Knowledge December 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from the UP Baguio Office of Public Affairs     “As one of the University of the Philippines Baguio’s most special traditions, we perform this Lighting Ceremony to show the passing of knowledge from the University to us. This is also done to remind us of our responsibility to keep this flame alive and to pass it on to others, to the masses, and to our fellow Filipinos.”  This was the introduction read in Filipino by Patrick James F. Penales who graduated from the University of the Philippines Baguio with a degree in Biology, magna cum laude, on June 22, 2017. Penales’ task was to lead the graduates of UP Baguio in a ritual called the “Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw.”  This ritual is a unique feature of UP Baguio’s commencement rites, featuring a candle-lighting ceremony within the graduation. Candle-lighting rites may be commonplace today, but the history of this ritual dates back to the 1960s when UP Baguio was an arts and sciences college of UP Diliman.  Senior faculty members of UP Baguio recall that the inclusion of this ritual was recommended by the late Social Sciences professor Carol Brady. The ritual takes place before the singing of the university hymn, and right after the graduates take their oath as members of the UP Baguio Alumni Association.  The chancellor reads the context of the ritual (originally written in English by Brady) and says it symbolizes the transfer of wisdom from a single source, “Ang Inang Tanglaw” or the Mother Light. He explains that the light from the candle represents the process that each bearer of the light goes through: their determination to seek knowledge; generosity and magnanimity; creativity and synthesis; knowing and understanding; and their enthusiasm in the search for wisdom.     Photo from the UP Baguio Office of Public Affairs     The ritual ends with a reminder that the quest for knowledge and wisdom is in perpetuity and it is in this manner that the light of knowledge is kept burning within each and every graduate of UP Baguio, now and in the past.  Part of the tradition is the task given to an honor graduate to “interpret” the ritual on behalf of the graduating class. In 2016, magna cum laude and BS Biology graduate Rabbiah Dispo used the Promethean analogy to say that the light represents “forethought,” as the name “Prometheus” meant in ancient Greek. “Forethought is careful thinking or strategic planning for the future. As students, we entered this university knowing that this was the initial step to fulfilling our personal visions for the future,” she said.  Dispo, who had intimated that she wanted to study medicine after graduation added, “We came and we sought—the wide-eyed, hopeful young ones that we were, with the acknowledgment that every stride we took forward was progress towards the finish line, towards our ambitions of becoming scientists, doctors, lawyers, public servants, journalists, writers, artists, educators—becoming additions to the existing pool of human resource in the community.”  There’s little doubt that this light will burn on in Baguio, down the generations. (Contributed by Prof. Roland Erwin P. Rabang)  ——————-  Prof. Roland Erwin P. Rabang is the director of the UP Baguio Office of Public Affairs. Email the author at opa.upbaguio@up.edu.ph.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Applications: Election Reporting Workshop – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-election-workshop-series/",
        "html": "Call for Applications: Election Reporting Workshop Call for Applications: Election Reporting Workshop February 7, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    To boost election reporting in the age of digital media, the University of the Philippines through the College of Mass Communication/Journalism Department will conduct The Philippines Elections Workshop Series for newsroom editors and journalists, with a focus on data-driven stories, website and social media tracking.  The workshop series will offer new media skills for election coverage — from finding ideas on Google Trends, producing data-driven stories, conducting investigations on political ads, to producing your newsroom’s best election coverage on YouTube. These workshops aim to offer a breadth of new skills to fully equip journalists before polling day.  The trainers are award-winning journalists Craig Silverman of ProPublica and Kuek Ser Kuang Keng of Rainforest Investigations Network established by the Pulitzer Center, Trinna Leong of Google News Lab’s first Southeast Asia teaching fellow, and YouTube’s News and Civics head Joyce Hau. The series is supported by Google News Initiative.  Journalists from print, broadcast and online news organizations are encouraged to sign up for one of the two cohorts, with the following schedule: Cohort 1 (Feb. 21 – Feb. 23 and Feb. 28 – March 2) and Cohort 2 (March 4 and 5). Registration is free but slots are limited.  Registration information  Register for the Philippines Election Workshop Series via the links below. A registration confirmation email and a calendar invite will be sent to you following the close of registration. Due to the limited slots, this workshop series is only available to media practitioners in the Philippines and representatives from current Tsek.ph partners. It will require the use of a laptop to fully utilize the tools.  Cohort 1 : Registration Link: bit.ly/UPElectionWorkshop • Feb 21 (Mon): 9am-10.30am: Google Trends for Elections • Feb 22 (Tue): 9am-10.30am: Investigating Websites • Feb 23 (Wed): 9am-10.30am: Investigating Digital Ads • Feb 28 (Mon): 9am-10.30am: Data Analysis for Elections • Mar 1 (Tue): 9am-10.30am: Data Visualization for Elections • Mar 2 (Wed): 9am-10.30am: YouTube for Election Coverage  Cohort 2 : Registration Link: bit.ly/UPElectionWorkshop • Mar 4 (Fri): 9am-10.30am: Data Analysis for Elections 10.45am-12.15pm: Data Visualization for Elections 2pm-3.30pm: Google Trends for Elections  • Mar 5 (Sat): 9am-10.30am: Investigating Websites 10.45am-12.15pm: Investigating Digital Ads 2pm-3.30pm: YouTube for Election Coverage  Speaker Information  Trinna Leong is Google News Lab’s first Southeast Asia Teaching Fellow. A former correspondent covering the triple beat of politics, economy and general news, her work over the decade has appeared in Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal and The Straits Times.  In her role at Google, she is running newsroom training across an incredibly diverse market spanning different cultures and languages. Much of her work now at Google involves building stronger digital skill sets, raising work efficiency and developing fact-checking knowledge among local reporters and editors.     Joyce Hau manages partnerships with news organizations for YouTube in Asia Pacific. She leads YouTube’s efforts to elevate authoritative news sources on the video platform in the region, as well as various initiatives to help the news ecosystem thrive on YouTube. Prior to this role, Joyce was part of Google’s Communications team for 8 years where she worked on Google Search, Hardware, and YouTube.        Kuek Ser Kuang Keng is the data editor of the Rainforest Investigations Network established by the Pulitzer Center. He is also a data journalism trainer and media consultant based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Partnering with regional journalism organizations including Google News Initiatives, WAN-IFRA and Internews, he has been conducting regular digital journalism workshops since 2018, reaching over 1,000 journalists in Asia. He also provides consulting and mentoring to media organizations in data, visual and interactive journalism.     Craig Silverman is an award-winning journalist and author and one of the world’s leading experts on online disinformation, fake news, and digital investigations. He recently joined ProPublica as a reporter investigating voting, platforms, disinformation, and online manipulation. He’s also the editor of the European Journalism Centre’s Verification Handbook series.  Craig previously served as media editor of BuzzFeed News, where he pioneered coverage of digital disinformation and media manipulation. He received a George Polk Award in 2021 for a series of articles about Facebook, and is the recipient of the Carey McWilliams Award from the American Political Science Association, which honors “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics.” His 2019 series exposing a global Facebook advertising scam was also named investigation of the year by the Canadian Association of Journalists.  The Philippines Election Workshop Series is an extension project of the University of the Philippines System under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and the Department of Journalism. For more information, please contact Prof. Rachel Khan, DPA (rekhan2@up.edu.ph), OIC, College of Mass Communication Office of the Dean or  Associate Professors Yvonne Chua (ytchua@up.edu.ph) and Maria Diosa Labiste, PhD (mdlabiste@up.edu.ph) of the Journalism Department. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Lakas Botante”: UP launches voter education series for young voters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lakas-botante-up-launches-voter-education-series-for-young-voters/",
        "html": "“Lakas Botante”: UP launches voter education series for young voters “Lakas Botante”: UP launches voter education series for young voters April 1, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     “Lakas Botante 2022” is a series of short videos featuring UP faculty members sharing their views on crucial election concerns. The short clips aim to provide students, especially newly registered voters, with practical information they can use to initiate meaningful discussions with their peers.  These videos on various social issues and topics are facilitated by Ms. Yani Villarosa of UP Los Baños and Mr. Andrew Ronquillo of UP Diliman.  The multi-part “Lakas Botante” series is created by the UP Office Student Development Services in partnership with the Office of the Student Regent, the UP Media and Public Relations Office, and the UP NSTP.  Know more about Lakas Botante and the other voter education programs of the University by reading about the Hirang ng Bayan voter education initiatives.  Lakas Botante: Responsibilidad ng Nahalal  What should one expect from an elected president and vice president?  Dennis Quilala, University of the Philippines (UP) Assistant Professor and National Service Training Program (NSTP) Director, gives some pointers on the responsibilities of elected officials in this short video, “Responsibilidad ng Nahalal.”  Lakas Botante: Fake News at Fact-checking  What is importance of fact-checking when it comes to voting?  University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication Associate Dean, Prof. Rachel Khan, DPA, shares what fact-checking is and why it is important in this short video, “Fake News at Fact Checking.”  Lakas Botante: Climate Change at Kahandaan  Ano ba ang climate change? May kinalaman ba ito sa mga sakunang nararanasan natin ngayon? Kailangan na bang pag-usapan ito?  Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay, Executive Director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Resilience Institute, will give his insights about climate change and disaster preparedness as critical electoral issues.  Lakas Botante: Kalusugan at Lipunan  Bakit mahalagang pag-usapan ang kalusugan ngayong halalan? Anu-ano ang dapat pagtuunan ng pansin upang manatiling malusog ang sambayanan?  Assistant Professor Kristine Joy Tomanan, MCD, RN, of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, talks about health as a shared responsibility and an election issue critical to securing every Filipino’s safe and healthy future.  Lakas Botante: Edukasyon at Bayan  May dapat bang magbago sa sektor ng edukasyon? Ano ang dapat na prayoridad ng ating magiging pangulo upang matugunan ang hamon ng pagbabago?  University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman College of Education Dean Jerome T. Buenviaje, Ph.D., talks about the changing education landscape and the need to vote for leaders who can help navigate the transformation of the education sector beyond the pandemic.  Lakas Botante: Ligtas na Pagboto  Paano ba ihanda ang sarili para sa ligtas at makabuluhang pagboto?  Andrew Ronquillo of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Yani Villarosa of UP Los Baños walk through steps to prepare voters to participate in the upcoming 2022 national elections safely and responsibly on May 9.  Lakas Botante: Proseso ng Pagboto  Ano ba ang proceso ng pagboto?  For this last video of the series, Andrew Ronquillo of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Yani Villarosa of UP Los Baños team up again to provide an overview of the electoral process for the May 9, 2022 election. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP takes voters ed beyond elections in “Paaralang Panghalalan” online discussions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-takes-voters-ed-beyond-elections-in-paaralang-panghalalan-online-discussions/",
        "html": "UP takes voters ed beyond elections in “Paaralang Panghalalan” online discussions UP takes voters ed beyond elections in “Paaralang Panghalalan” online discussions April 1, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Paano tayo pipili ng susunod na pinuno? Paano ba maging huwarang pinuno? Tara’t pag-aralan natin!  The University of the Philippines (UP) Office of the Student Regent (OSR), in partnership with the UP Office for Student Development Services (OSDS), is launching “Paaralang Panghalalan,” a five-part series of capacity building educational discussions for the upcoming national elections.  Join our first educational discussion this week, titled “Pinuno Para sa Pilipino: Choosing and Scrutinizing your Electoral Slate,” on April 1, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom and Facebook live.  To register, please use this link: bit.ly/PaaralangPanghalalan or use the QR Code.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upstudentregent/posts/5541761235853362  Twitter: https://twitter.com/uposr/status/1508772872063692803 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tsek-ph-in-the-historical-records-of-the-us-library-of-congress/",
        "html": "Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress Tsek.ph in the historical records of the US Library of Congress April 26, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     As part of a collection of historically and culturally significant websites designated for preservation, Tsek.ph was recently selected by the US Library of Congress for inclusion in their Philippine General Election 2022 Web Archive. The Library aims to preserve digital content, making it available to current and future generations of researchers. Part of its vision too is to expand access to the Library’s collections to increase opportunities for education and scholarship around the world.  Given the current political landscape, academics and scholars can learn more about the ongoing war on disinformation through the collaborations of Tsek.ph. The website hosts and curates fact-checks created by its partner institutions and categorizes each according to its five ratings: false, misleading, no basis, needs context, and accurate. A quiz and update are also published weekly to summarize the top stories and test readers about the fact-checks released the week prior. Press releases and other pertinent information are also archived on the site for easy access.  The incorporation of the Tsek.ph website in the world’s largest library honors the hard work accomplished by our partners in this election season and the values that fact-checking organizations uphold, especially with the precarity of the upcoming elections. For more information on the Philippine General Election 2022 Web Archive of the US Library of Congress, you can visit the website by clicking here.  Tsek.ph was initiated by the University of the Philippines in 2019 as a public service commitment to combat disinformation. It is a project under the university’s Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and spearheaded by the Department of Journalism under the College of Mass Communication.  Currently, the revitalized alliance includes 34 institutions and initiatives from the academe, media, and civil society: ABS-CBN Fact Check, ABS-CBN Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, Agence France-Presse, Akademya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan, Asian Center for Journalism, Baguio Chronicle, BarangayHub, Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, DZUP, E-Boto, Fact Check Patrol, Fact Check Philippines, FactRakers, FYT, IDEALS, Interaksyon, Kontra Daya, Philippine Association for Media and Information Literacy, Philippine Press Institute, Philstar Global, PressOne.PH, Probe, MindaNews, Trinity University of Asia, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Los Baños, UP Open University, UP sa Halalan 2022, UP Visayas, Vera Files, and  Xavier University.  Tsek.ph is supported by the UP System, Google News Initiative, Rakuten, Viber, Meta, Meedan, the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, UP Journalism Department and the UPCMC Foundation.  For more information on Tsek.ph, visit the website, email secretariat@tsek.ph, or like and follow it on Viber, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.  Press release from Tsek.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lakas Botante: Mga materyales para sa mga estudytanteng botante – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lakas-botante-mga-materyales-para-sa-mga-estudytanteng-botante/",
        "html": "Lakas Botante: Mga materyales para sa mga estudytanteng botante Lakas Botante: Mga materyales para sa mga estudytanteng botante May 6, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Handa ka na ba sa pagboto sa ika-9 ng Mayo?  Mula sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP), isang gabay para sa ligtas na pagboto. Maaaring i-download dito.  The UP System Office of Student Development Services, Office of the Student Regent, the UP System Media and Public Relations Office, and UP NSTP, offer a quick and easy how-to guide for election day. The guide aims to help newly registered voters spark meaningful discussions with their peers and empower them to make informed choices in the upcoming elections.  Brush up again on the issues that matter through the six-part Lakas Botante video series.     Learn, be informed, and vote wisely. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCA 2023 results are out – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upca-2023-results-are-out/",
        "html": "UPCA 2023 results are out UPCA 2023 results are out May 4, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Admissions has announced the application results for incoming freshies for academic year 2023-2024.  The Office encourages applicants to log in to the application portal according to the scheduled time slots corresponding to the first letter of their family name.  The results may be viewed at  upadmissionsonline.up.edu.ph  For applicants who need to change their registered email address, please send an email message to upcollegeapplications.oadms+upca2023cea@up.edu.ph  For qualifiers, please reply to the offer by May 15, 2023.  For updates, please follow the official Facebook page of the Office of Admissions.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of Admissions: UPCAT to be held on June 3 and June 4, 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-admissions-upcat-to-be-held-on-june-3-and-june-4-2023/",
        "html": "Office of Admissions: UPCAT to be held on June 3 and June 4, 2023 Office of Admissions: UPCAT to be held on June 3 and June 4, 2023 May 5, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The Office of Admissions reiterates the schedule for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024. Contrary to stories circulating online, the test will beld on June 3 (Saturday) and June 4 (Sunday) in 102 testing centers nationwide.  For more information on the UPCAT, please visit the Office of Admissions UPCAT 2024 website: https://upcat2024online.up.edu.ph/  For questions, please feel free to send a message to upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph  For updates, please follow the Office of Admissions official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban to celebrate 50th anniversary, elevation to autonomous college – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary-elevation-to-autonomous-college/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban to celebrate 50th anniversary, elevation to autonomous college UP Tacloban to celebrate 50th anniversary, elevation to autonomous college May 22, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a unit of the UP System on May 23, 2023. The celebrations will not only recall its half a century of service to the Eastern Visayas region, but also its recent elevation from being a part of UP Visayas into an autonomous college under the Office of the President of the University.  The celebrations will begin with a motorcade around Tacloban City, with its administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni participating. This will be followed by an Anniversary Convocation at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol grounds, which will celebrate five decades of teaching, research and public service in the region. The day will be capped with a concert by the UP Symphony Orchestra, which will be directed by Professor Emeritus Josefino “Chino” Toledo, at the same venue.  Celebrations will continue on May 28 with an early morning 50th Anniversary Fun Run. Aside from marking the anniversary, the 3-kilometer and 5-kilometer run are also organized in support of the sports development programs of the new autonomous college.  UP Tacloban was established on May 23, 1973, after the UP Board of Regents, in its 833rd meeting, granted then UP President Salvador P. Lopez the authority “to open a UP branch unit in Tacloban City, to be called the University of the Philippines Tacloban.” The decision to establish a campus in the region was also a result of a request by Leyte Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez and the Leyte Provincial Board in February 1968.  UP Tacloban was created to provide quality education, undertake research, and extend technical assistance to government agencies, business and the general public, with the aim of improving the quality of life in the Eastern Visayas region.  Almost a decade later, UP President Edgardo J. Angara issued Executive Order No. 4 in March 1983, which reorganized the UP into a system of autonomous units. This included a UP in the Visayas composed of UP College Iloilo, the College of Fisheries, UP College Cebu and the UP College Tacloban. The college formally became part of UP Visayas in January 1986.  On April 27, 2023, the UP Board of Regents, in its 1380th meeting, approved the elevation of the UP Tacloban to an autonomous college under the Office of the President of the University. The elevation is intended for the college to better fulfill its mandate in the region. It is also the initial phase of its journey to becoming a full-fledged constituent university of the UP System.  UP Tacloban currently has four academic divisions offering nine undergraduate programs and three graduate programs. It is known for its in Accountancy, Biology, Computer Science, Management, and Psychology programs. It also hosts the Leyte-Samar Heritage Center, the Regional Environmental Information Systems (REIS) for Eastern Visayas and the Office of Continuing Education and Pahinugod.  For updates of UP Tacloban’s 50th anniversary celebration activities, please follow their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UPTaclobanOfficial/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao detects presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) Virus in the region – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-genome-center-pgc-mindanao-detects-presence-of-african-swine-fever-asf-virus-in-the-region/",
        "html": "Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao detects presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) Virus in the region Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao detects presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) Virus in the region June 17, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   PGC Mindanao scientists in the lab. Photo from the Philippine Genome Center Mindanao’s Facebook page     Since June last year, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao has been working on detecting the presence of ASF virus in the region, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office XI (DA RFO XI) and Hog Farmers of Davao, Inc. (HogFADI). So far, several pig samples from different hog farms have tested positive for the virus.  Through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the collaborating agencies, processing of samples for ASF virus detection via the Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) of PGC Mindanao has been accommodated since last year.  A total of 2,174 pig samples from different hog farms were tested for the virus last year. Using the RT-PCR of PGC Mindanao, 85 samples were detected positive for ASF virus. This year, the surveillance continues as the MOA for the project is in the process of renewal. The collection of pig samples from different hog farms in the region is regularly delivered by DA RFO XI to the center for surveillance.  In his letter addressed to UP Mindanao Chancellor Dr. Larry N. Digal, Engr. Ricardo Oñate Jr, Regional Director of DA RFO XI, said that with the continuing incidences of the virus in several areas in the region, the collaboration would fast-track the control of the ASF diseases and also facilitate food supply to areas in need of pork products from certified ASF-free hog farms.  During an interview, Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, PGC Mindanao Director, also emphasized the importance of surveillance tools such as the RT-PCR for the detection of the virus among hogs. PGC Mindanao has been an Accredited Laboratory Testing Facility for African swine fever by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) since last year.  While working on the surveillance of the ASF virus in pig samples in the region, the center is also set to sequence this June the genome of SARS-CoV-2 samples from different laboratories in Mindanao to detect presence of COVID-19 variants. This project is in collaboration with Accessible Genomics, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the University of Glasgow.  As the first-ever genomics facility in Mindanao, PGC Mindanao aims to conduct advance and high throughput tests in Mindanao to help fast-track the response in managing and controlling the onslaught of the current livestock crisis and the pandemic.     Article by Janessa V. Villota, Information Officer I, Philippine Genome Center Mindanao, UP Mindanao "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMin and Davao officials hold groundbreaking for Davao City Public Hospital – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmin-and-davao-officials-hold-groundbreaking-for-davao-city-public-hospital/",
        "html": "UPMin and Davao officials hold groundbreaking for Davao City Public Hospital UPMin and Davao officials hold groundbreaking for Davao City Public Hospital December 16, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Image from the Davao City Government.     The vision of a public hospital in Davao City’s Third District will soon move closer to reality.  University of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion joins Davao City officials in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Davao City Public Hospital (DCPH) on December 20, 2022, at the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) campus at Mintal, Davao City.  The DCPH will provide health care and medical intervention for citizens in the geographically-remote Third District and relieve part of the burden off the Southern Philippines Medical Center, currently the only public hospital in the city.  The City Government will shoulder the funding, construction, land development, and operation of the DCPH. UPMin will provide the land, free of charge, in line with UP’s mandate as a public service university.  The Davao City Council approved the “Davao City Hospital Ordinance” on May 4, 2021. In addition, it authorized City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to sign the Memorandum of Agreement with UP on behalf of the City, which she did on June 7, 2021.  Concepcion signed the agreement for the University, which the UP Board of Regents confirmed on August 26, 2021.  The agreement has a term of 25 years, after which the City will turn over the DCPH to UP.  The City held public consultations with the site’s informal settlers before project implementation, in line with the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.  The DCPH will also serve as a teaching and training hospital with an accredited residency program for the proposed UP Mindanao medical education program. It will adopt a community-relevant curriculum and a step-ladder approach to encourage its graduates to serve in Mindanao, which will address the shortage of medical practitioners in the southern Philippines.  The 3.28-hectare DCPH site is within the UPMin property, described as Lot 129-K-2, with a Transfer Certificate of Title 346863.  A Director will head the DCPH with support from a Management Board composed of the Davao City Mayor, the UP Mindanao Chancellor, the Dean or OIC of the UP Mindanao College of Medicine, the City Treasurer, the Philippine General Hospital Director, and a fifth member.  The City Council envisions the DCPH to be a 100-bed Level III Training Hospital that will provide services for all kinds of medical care. The services stipulated are consulting specialists in Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics-Gynecology (Ob-Gyne), and Surgery. In addition, it will have Emergency and Out-patient Services with a Respiratory Unit, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit. The ordinance pledges Isolation facilities, a General Intensive Care Unit, Surgical/Maternity facilities, a High-risk Pregnancy Unit, Ambulatory Surgical Clinic, a Dental Clinic, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and a Dialysis Clinic.  The support services will include a Tertiary Clinical Laboratory with Histopathology, a Blood Bank, 3rd Level X-Ray, and a Pharmacy. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Atty. Gladys SJ. Tiongco joins BOR anew – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/atty-gladys-sj-tiongco-joins-bor-anew/",
        "html": "Atty. Gladys SJ. Tiongco joins BOR anew Atty. Gladys SJ. Tiongco joins BOR anew December 15, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Regent Gladys SJ Tiongco. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Lawyer and former University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Regent Gladys SJ. Tiongco has returned to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) following her November 14 appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. UP President Danilo L. Concepcion administered her oath of office on November 25. Tiongco replaced UP Los Baños alumnus Francis C. Laurel.  The BS in Foreign Service (1967) and Bachelor of Laws (1971) alumna was the first and, thus far, the only woman president of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA). In September 2010, she assumed the UPAA leadership and, consequently, the post of alumni regent when then UPAA President Alfredo E. Pascual took a leave of absence to run for and eventually become the 20th UP President. She represented the alumni in the BOR until 2012.  When Tiongco was at the helm of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao Chapter, she was recognized as an Outstanding President by the IBP. She also served as commissioner of the IBP Committee on Bar Discipline. She was a governor of Soroptimist International of the Philippines and a federation director of Soroptimist International of the Americas, later receiving Outstanding Leadership Awards from the organization. Tiongco was a legal officer of the Southern Philippines Development Administration, a legal officer and corporate secretary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), a legal officer of MinDA subsidiaries, and a corporate secretary of the National Electrification Administration. As a UP student, she served as a councilor and treasurer of the University Student Council.  Tiongco will serve a two-year term and may be reappointed by Malacañang. Republic Act No. 9500, or The UP Charter of 2008, provides for the appointment by the Philippine president of three BOR members “who have distinguished themselves in their professions or fields of specialization.” Two of these appointees should be UP alumni.  (With information from the Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Batangas State University officials’ courtesy visit to PAJ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/batangas-state-university-officials-courtesy-visit-to-paj/",
        "html": "Batangas State University officials’ courtesy visit to PAJ Batangas State University officials’ courtesy visit to PAJ May 19, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Earlier today, May 19, a delegation from Batangas State University, The National Engineering University, led by President Tirso Ronquillo, paid a courtesy visit to UP President Angelo Jimenez to congratulate him on his assumption of office. Officials from both universities informally explored possible areas of collaboration, which they all agreed was integral to the progress of Philippine higher education. The visit ended with the exchange of gifts and the prospect of further discussions.  From left: UP VP for Development Ferdinand Pecson; UP VP for Planning and Finance Iryn Balmores; UP VP for Legal Affairs Abraham Acosta; UP AVP for Administration Ariel Betan; UP Diliman University Registrar Maria Vanessa Lusung-Oyzon; UP AVP for Academic Affairs (Quality Assurance) Alyssa Peleo-Alampay; UP EVP Jose Fernando Alcantara; Batangas State University, The National Engineering University (BatStateU-The NEU) President Tirso Ronquillo; UP President Angelo Jimenez; UP VP for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili; BatStateU-The NEU VP for Administration and Finance Luzviminda Rosales; BatStateU-The NEU VP for Academic Affairs Charmaine Rose Triviño; BatStateU-The NEU VP for Research, Development and Extension Services Albertson Amante; BatStateU-The NEU Apolinario Apacible School of Fisheries-Nasugbu Chancellor Enrico Dalangin; UP Diliman OIC-VC for Academic Affairs Percival Almoro; and BatStateU-The NEU VP for Development and External Affairs Noel Alberto Omandap. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO).  Additional photos available here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Manila posts 100% passing in PNLE, gets 10 in top 10 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-manila-posts-100-passing-in-pnle-gets-10-in-top-10/",
        "html": "UP Manila posts 100% passing in PNLE, gets 10 in top 10 UP Manila posts 100% passing in PNLE, gets 10 in top 10 June 21, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    All nursing graduates of the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) passed the May 2023 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE).  There were 41 from the College of Nursing (UPCN) in Manila. Fifteen were from the School of Health Sciences (UPM-SHS) in Palo, Leyte; nine from UPM-SHS Baler, Aurora; and 23 from UPM-SHS Koronadal, South Cotabato.  The UPCN, which has had a perfect passing record since 1948, has also prided itself in its graduates passing the PNLE in one take since that year. In the recent exam, ten of its alumni placed in the top ten passers list. On top was Cristin Pangan. In the sixth spot were Jazryl Gayeta, Vanessa Kate Manzano, and Adolf Ausquin Yasa. Maria Angelica Lontoc, Tommy Jay Takada, and Christell Danya Tansiongco were in eighth. At number nine was Audrey Ayuste, and clinching tenth were James Ordine Gunnacao and James Ian Vargas.  As for the UPM-SHS, 45 of its 47 examinees were first-time takers and two were repeaters. While there were a total of 88 UPM graduates who took and passed the exam, the UPCN and the UPM-SHS are listed as separate institutions in the Professional Regulation Commission results, explaining UPM’s absence in the list of top performing schools. The top performing schools are those with a minimum of 50 examinees and which have a passing percentage of at least 85. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Joint Statement of the Department of National Defense and the University of the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/joint-statement-of-the-department-of-national-defense-and-the-university-of-the-philippines/",
        "html": "Joint Statement of the Department of National Defense and the University of the Philippines Joint Statement of the Department of National Defense and the University of the Philippines February 4, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       CHED Chair J. Prospero E. De Vera III initiated a breakfast meeting between DND Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on 04 February 2021 at the Veterans Golf Club in Quezon City.  The dialogue afforded the key leaders the opportunity to discuss the way forward and possible areas of cooperation on how both institutions can promote their mutual aspirations to ensure a safe and secure environment conducive to learning.  The parties agreed and look forward to subsequent meetings to continue the dialogue.        (Sgd.)  Delfin N. Lorenzana Secretary Department of National Defense     J. Prospero E. De Vera III Chair Commission on Higher Education     Danilo L. Concepcion President University of the Philippines "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP students and admin meet to assess remote learning and teaching experience – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-students-and-admin-meet-to-assess-remote-learning-and-teaching-experience/",
        "html": "UP students and admin meet to assess remote learning and teaching experience UP students and admin meet to assess remote learning and teaching experience September 29, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Student representatives and officials of the University of the Philippines (UP) met in an online town hall session on September 20, 2021. The meeting aims to help the University take stock of its experience of remote learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic as it prepares academic roadmaps.  Featured in the conference “Birtual na Pagpupulong bilang Paghahanda sa Pagpaplanong Akademiko sa 2021” were results of surveys of constituents conducted by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), the Office of Student Regent (OSR), and the student councils (USCs) of all constituent universities (CUs).  UPLB Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Janette J. Malata-Silva (left) hosted the program, introducing UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor. Images from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.  ‘Overwhelmed’  Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Evangeline Amor presented the OVPAA Report on Student and Faculty Survey on Remote Learning based on surveys by the UP System Committee on Remote Teaching and Learning. The surveys involved 8,679 students in November 2020 and 9,237 in July 2021, constituting roughly 17-18 percent of the total students enrolled in the respective semesters. The surveys of the faculty involved more than 1,300 respondents each.  From the surveys, eight of 10 student respondents felt “overwhelmed” by their study load, and only three of 10 felt “satisfied” by the experience.  According to the July 2021 survey, undergraduate students who were “overwhelmed” and “dissatisfied” had an “unreasonable” 17-19 units load for which they spent 56 hours per week. Undergraduate students who responded as “not overwhelmed” and “satisfied” and who said they had “reasonable load” had 15 to17 units loads for which they spent 41 hours in a week. A majority, or 6.5 out of 10 students, said their internet connectivity was “ok.”     Screenshots from UP AVPAA Amor’s presentation of survey results. Images from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.     For undergraduate student respondents, staying motivated was the number one problem. For graduate students, it was balancing their schedule for studies and work. The biggest concern or worry for undergraduate student respondents was their health. They were in front of their gadgets most of the time  Impressions of the remote learning experience included “no learning,” particularly of laboratory skills, loneliness, and learning just for the sake of complying or passing. Others cited “unreasonable increase in academic standards,” “unconducive learning,” “insufficient time,” “issues on learning materials,” and “poor internet connectivity.”  The surveys indicated that student respondents found detailed course guides as most helpful, and instructor availability and responsiveness contributed most to effective learning. Library services were considered the most significant support received from UP.  However, the majority of the student respondents were neutral to the questions “Did the resolutions on academic policies ease stress?” and “Did the assistance from the University help me learn effectively?”  The students were also asked by the surveys for the assistance they needed. Primarily, they mentioned services for mental health, vaccines, counseling, and reading breaks. Forms of academic ease were then mentioned. Other responses were financial and equipment subsidy, more flexible learning, technical assistance, and assistance for internet connectivity and a conducive environment.     UP Baguio Student Council Chair Cheska Kapunan launches into the OSR’s survey results. Image from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.     ‘LNBE’  The Office of the Student Regent conducted its survey during a week in August 2021 and gathered responses from 904 student respondents or 0.02 percent of the student population, according to the presenter, UP Baguio Student Council Chair Cheska Kapunan.  From there, the OSR cited reports of deadlines not being adjusted despite leniency requests. Deadlines and synchronous classes were being set during the reading break. Some teachers insisted on holding online sessions “where attendance was required, graded, or made a major component of grades.” In addition, students were not being provided recordings of online classes. Students also reported delays in receiving their modules. Many of these modules were said to be incomplete or lacking in explanation.        Slides from the different USC Chairs’ presentation of results from a survey of UP students across the UP System. Images from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.     Student leaders also independently gathered feedback from their respective constituents. They were campaigning for a safe and gradual return to face-to-face classes and the use of the physical facilities of the school, or “ligtas na balik-eskwela,” a vaccination program for students, more vigorous implementation of academic ease, and expedition of processes of the Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS).  They highlighted the need for students to be included in the University’s planning and not just consulted. Student Regent Renee Louise Co requested that the sector be provided copies of the drafts of the academic roadmaps.  The UP Manila representative Querobin Acsibar reported on the call for a stop and review of the Return Service Agreement in the health colleges of the campus.  The students expressed support in opposing the government’s planned budget cuts on UP.  They also cited the need for psychosocial services and safe spaces to protect UP constituents from red-tagging, sexual harassment, and in-campus violence.     UP Student Regent Renee Louise Co. Image from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.  Balancing acts  “It’s a balancing act between compassion especially for students in difficult circumstances… and the responsibility if not the mission of UP to ensure that the Iskolar ng Bayan, the country’s future leaders in different branches of knowledge, possess the competence, grit, and agility to overcome adversities, to thrive and lead in a complex, disruptive world,” VPAA Cynthia Bautista said in her reaction on the rationale of administrative policies. She referred to a world dealing with a pandemic, climate change, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  At the same time, she said: “We are beginning to be more nuanced since we cannot continue having a one-size-fits-all policy for students.”  Regarding academic ease, Bautista said there is a need to balance the demand of students for more time with the time available to the faculty to complete requirements. There is also a need to reconsider students’ interests. Within an increasingly learner-centered environment, the load eventually bears upon the faculty.  “You can just flag the administration, and actually they did something about this,” Bautista told the students regarding complaints on non-conformity with guidelines on academic ease.  Action points  On “balik-eskwela”: “A committee of the Presidential Advisory Council, chaired by UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho with UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla as members, is helping us in various aspects of the preparation from the reconfiguring of classrooms to student vaccination to the protocol for a class when a student tests positive to a policy [on unvaccinated constituents without sacrificing inclusivity],” Bautista said.  She added that UP had submitted, reiterated, adjusted, and completed supplementary information on the request for the limited face-to-face for graduating students to the technical working groups of the IATF (Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) and the Commission on Higher Education. However, remote learning will still be the prevailing mode for as long as the COVID-19 situation remains.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista responding to presentations. Image from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.  Bautista reiterated the importance of complete and curated course packs and more instructors in the current phase of remote learning in the University. She advised students to flag the administration for delayed, low quality, or incomplete course packs.  “We are studying the possibility of subscribing to Grammarly Premium for our students and faculty,” she added.  “For students and professions requiring hours of competence honing who may graduate without the competencies of those who graduated before but who may have had more training in technology-based apps and simulators, UP is developing bridging and lifelong learning programs.”  On psychosocial services, Bautista said: “We now have and are developing focal persons for mental health at the unit level.”  She said the student councils would need to provide more details on financial aid and internet connectivity. They also have to compare the amounts students spent on academic resources before and during the pandemic. She reported that laboratory fees had been waived.  “I’ll leave the dialogues on the Return Service Agreement to our colleagues in the ‘white professions,'” she said.  She assured students that despite budget cuts, affected operations would be maintained. She also reiterated that UP had expressed its position on academic freedom and red-tagging. Still, the individual practice of academic freedom is an ongoing conversation.     UP Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Philip A. Gonzalo’s synthesis of the town hall’s presentations. Image from the Facebook livestream of the town hall session.     Roadmap to the future  “The roadmap to the next normal would be phased. It will entail a lot of reforms and mindset change,” Bautista pointed out.  “We will be redefining quality education,” she said at the end of the open forum.  “The paradigm shift is to student engagement and student agency… Maybe, the students can begin talking and reading about the changing landscape of higher education,” she said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Vulnerability assessment of coastal areas in Davao Gulf to climate-related hazards mapped – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/vulnerability-assessment-of-coastal-areas-in-davao-gulf-to-climate-related-hazards-mapped/",
        "html": "Vulnerability assessment of coastal areas in Davao Gulf to climate-related hazards mapped Vulnerability assessment of coastal areas in Davao Gulf to climate-related hazards mapped June 10, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The team led by Project Leader Prof. Annabelle U. Novero (third from left), after the online event in UP Mindanao. Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     The University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao and Davao del Norte State College (DNSC) held on 21 May 2021 an online Presentation of Outputs and Virtual Turnover of Maps of their project,“Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Areas in Davao Gulf to Climate-related Hazards” for the funding agency, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under its DARE TO (Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Inter-disciplinary Opportunities) Program.  Project Leader and UP Mindanao Professor Annabelle Novero presented the Project Overview and Summary of Accomplishments, naming the cities and municipalities involved, the trainings provided, the maps and publications produced, to CHED Senior Research Grants Officer Jamie Sese and local government officials who attended online.     UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal in his message said, “Hopefully, these maps will help the local communities located along the Davao Gulf to understand and be aware of how climate change, human actions, and government efforts affect the overall health of our coastal resources, the stability of the fishery sector, and the livelihood conditions of local fishing communities.”     DNSC President Joy Sorrosa. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     DNSC President Joy Sorrosa for her part said, “The recommendations will be the essence in the crafting of policies that will capacitate the local government units in prevention, mitigation, conservation, and sustainability measures to address the devastating impact of climate change. It is my fervent hope to utilize and steward the outputs of this project to contribute and provide solutions to the local government units for whatever climate-related issues we will have in the future.”  The project produced some 76 maps for 17 LGUs. The Natural Disaster Vulnerability Assessment Maps, Coastal Resource Vulnerability Assessment Maps, and Aquaculture Vulnerability Assessment Maps showed the areas with weaknesses. The Fishing Livelihood Maps, Bathymetry (depth) Maps, and Coastal Resource Maps showed the characteristics of the coastal resources. The project team also presented the End-User Licensing Agreement for the maps.     Governor Generoso Fisheries and Aquaculture Map. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     Maco Chlorophyll-A and Sedimentation Map. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     Padada Coastal and Bathymetric Map. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     Samal Fisheries and Aquaculture Map. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     Hagonoy Mayor Franco Calida in his response said, “We are grateful to be part of this science-based geographical, physical, and economic assessment. We have five coastal barangays, and the growing uncertainties of climate change need continuing efforts to assist coastal areas and other areas in becoming resilient and climate-responsive. Through these assessments, we can protect our mangroves, our coral reefs, the economic situation in fisheries and agriculture or aquaculture, and the livelihood of our fisherfolks.”     Remarks of Hagonoy, Davao del Sur Mayor Franco Calida. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     In the online event, UP Mindanao assistant professors, Aileen Grace Delima and Rovi Gem Villame, discussed “Climate change effects on biodiversity” and “Water quality assessment,” respectively. DNSC assistant professors, Grace Guanzon and Cyril Tom Ranara, presented their “Ectoparasite assessment” and “Assessment of fisheries abundance (Catch-Per-Unit-of-Effort),” respectively. Project technical staff members also presented the surveys on coastal resources (mangroves, seagrass, and corals), bathymetry (underwater landscapes), the chlorophyll and sediment suspension, and the map-making process.     Local government and project partners in the online meeting. Screenshot from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.     On 25 May, UP Mindanao Asst. Prof. Aurelia Gomez facilitated an online Policy Brief-Writing Workshop to equip local officials in policy-making.  Over the course of project implementation from June 2018 to May 2021, some 44 personnel from local government units took trainings in resource management: from the LGUs of Davao City, Digos City, Sta. Cruz, Padada, Malalag, Hagonoy, and Sulop in Davao del Sur Province; Tagum City, Panabo City, Samal City, and Carmen in Davao del Norte; Maco and Pantukan in Davao de Oro; and, Banaybanay, San Isidro, Lupon, and Governor Generoso in Davao Oriental. Academic personnel from UP Mindanao, DNSC, and the University of Southeastern Philippines were also trained.  The project also produced two scientific articles, “Distribution and Abundance of Seagrasses in the Southwest Coast of Davao Oriental, Philippines” and “Assessment of mangrove species diversity in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental, Philippines,” that were published in reputable journals, with more articles completed for publication.  Three photographic books were printed and copyrighted, namely: “Mangroves and Seagrasses of the Coastal Municipalities in Davao Region”; “Catch-Per-Unit-Effort of Various Fishing Gears and Species Caught in Davao Gulf: The Aquaculture Component”; and, “Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Areas in Davao Gulf to Climate-related Hazards: Ectoparasite Aquaculture Component”.     Article by Mr. Rene A. Estremera, Public Relations Officer, UP Mindanao "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHED Chair de Vera administers the oath of office to the incoming UP president – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ched-chair-de-vera-administers-the-oath-of-office-to-the-incoming-up-president/",
        "html": "CHED Chair de Vera administers the oath of office to the incoming UP president CHED Chair de Vera administers the oath of office to the incoming UP president February 8, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Incoming UP President Angelo Jimenez (left) takes his oath of office administered by CHED and UP BOR Chair J. Prospero de Vera III. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, the incoming President of the University of the Philippines (UP), took his oath of office at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on February 7.  CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III, who also chairs the UP Board of Regents, administered the oath. A former UP regent, Atty. Jimenez begins his term as the University’s 22nd leader on February 10 with a turnover ceremony at Quezon Hall at 9:00 am.  Jimenez (left) shakes hands with de Vera after the oath-taking ceremony. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). Jimenez signs his oath of office as de Vera looks on. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). De Vera signs and attests to the oath taken by Jimenez. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). Jimenez (center) receives a painting from CHED Commissioner Jo Mark Libre (left) and de Vera after the oath-taking ceremony. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP IESM holds month-long webinar series on environmental and meteorological issues in the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-iesm-holds-month-long-webinar-series-on-environmental-and-meteorological-issues-in-the-philippines/",
        "html": "UP IESM holds month-long webinar series on environmental and meteorological issues in the Philippines UP IESM holds month-long webinar series on environmental and meteorological issues in the Philippines March 5, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UP IESM) is celebrating its 18th anniversary this March with a month-long webinar series on different issues and aspects of environmental science and meteorology in the Philippines.        The first webinar that kicked off the series, focusing on the “Holistic Lens of Environmental Science and Meteorology in the Philippine Context”, was held on 01 March. It featured as speakers: Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, Director of UP IESM; Dr. Bernard Alan Racoma; and, Dr. Cherry L. Ringor, UP IESM Deputy Director for Academic Affairs,. The live stream may be viewed on the UP IESM Facebook page.        The second webinar in the series, scheduled on 08 March 2021 at 1:00 p.m., will take on the “Advances and Challenges in Philippine Meteorology”. It will feature as speakers: Dr. Esperanza Cayanan, UP IESM Deputy Administrator for Research and Development; Dr. Gerry Bagtasa; and, Dr. Olivia Cabrera. You may register for the Zoom event at https://tinyurl.com/kxcxsjdh.        The third webinar in the series will discuss “Cutting-Edge Land-Water Science Technology”. The speakers will be Dr. Mayzonee Ligaray, Dr. Tolentino Moya, and Dr. Gay Jane Perez, UP IESM Deputy Director for Research and Development. The webinar will be held on 15 March 2021 at 1:00 p.m. The registration link is https://tinyurl.com/by5ch7k3.        The fourth and final installment in the UP IESM’s anniversary webinar series will take on “Biodiversity and Deterioration of Natural Resources”, with Dr. Rene Rollon, Dr. Mylene Cayetano, and Dr. Alexander Young as speakers. It will be held on 22 March 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Register for this webinar at https://tinyurl.com/5azkp2yr.  The live stream of all the webinars in the UP IESM’s 18th anniversary webinar series can be viewed at the UP IESM’s Facebook page.  The UP IESM is an academic unit of the UP Diliman College of Science. Merging the Environmental Science Program (ESP) and the Department of Meteorology and Oceanography (DMO), the UP IESM serves as a Center of Excellence in the environmental and atmospheric sciences in Asia Pacific. The Institute investigates natural phenomena contributing to many major decisions toward sustainable development in the country and the region. It has been designated as the Center of Excellence for Environmental Science by the Commission on Higher Education. The UP IESM is also the Regional Training Center for the World Meteorological Organization Region V. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP students to register with PhilHealth to take part in F2F classes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-students-to-register-with-philhealth-to-take-part-in-f2f-classes/",
        "html": "UP students to register with PhilHealth to take part in F2F classes UP students to register with PhilHealth to take part in F2F classes March 24, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    After two years of online learning, the University of the Philippines (UP) is gradually opening its doors for face-to-face (F2F) classes again. At the same time, the university intends to keep UP students healthy and protected against the threat of COVID-19.  With that, vaccination and having medical insurance are required of UP students when they participate in F2F classes for the second semester of Academic Year 2021-2022. Those who have no medical insurance must register with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. or PhilHealth, either as a Direct or Indirect Contributor.  The medical insurance requirement is following the Department of Health (DOH) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) guidelines for higher education institutions (HEIs), intent on holding limited F2F classes this semester. (See CHED DOH Joint Memorandum Circular 2021-004 issued December 15, 2021.) Registering with PhilHealth ensures that students will be covered if they incur COVID-related medical expenses.  For more information on registering for Philhealth, watch this video titled “Things You Should Know for your Philhealth Registration.”  To ensure that UP students participating in F2F class activities have a medical insurance plan, the University has set up a PhilHealth registration process. Students may register through their Office of Student Affairs or the Insurance Claims Officers in their UP campus. The registration requirement excludes PhilHealth direct contributors or those with equivalent medical insurance plans.  For UP students seeking information on PhilHealth registration, please inquire with your Office of Student Affairs in your UP campus. You may also check the Things You Should Know for your PhilHealth Registration, produced by the UP Office of Student Development Services and PhilHealth. You may visit PhilHealth’s website at www.philhealth.gov.ph for more details. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Never again, never forget: UP invites all Filipinos to be part of the UP Days of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/never-again-never-forget-up-invites-all-filipinos-to-be-part-of-the-up-days-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "Never again, never forget: UP invites all Filipinos to be part of the UP Days of Remembrance Never again, never forget: UP invites all Filipinos to be part of the UP Days of Remembrance September 17, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Never again. Never forget.  These words hark back to a dark period in the country’s history that must never be forgotten nor willfully erased—not if we wish to elect good leaders and create a better future for our children.  The University of the Philippines (UP) is inviting all Filipino students, educators, and citizens to this year’s UP Days of Remembrance, a week-long commemoration to honor the struggle of the Filipino people under the authoritarian regime and UP’s contribution to the uprising against the Marcos dictatorship.  With the theme “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar”, this year’s UP Days of Remembrance aims to tell the truth behind the myths and misinformation about the Marcos regime, and to highlight the real stories and experiences from those dark days.  The week-long event will be held from September 20 to 24, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Each day’s webinar will focus on the following sub-themes:     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day1     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day2     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day3     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day4     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day5     Livestream of the webinars and the online exhibit will be available via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel.  For more information about the past UP Days of Remembrance, visit the UP website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "A writer’s truth: The legacy of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-writers-truth-the-legacy-of-national-artist-bienvenido-lumbera/",
        "html": "A writer’s truth: The legacy of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera A writer’s truth: The legacy of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera September 28, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    BIEN     Paano kita tatawagin?  Guro? Patnubay? Uliran?  Kaibigan, kalahati ng danas ko’y nagunaw  Sa iyong pagpanaw.     Rio Alma  28 Setyembre 2021     Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.  Writer, poet, critic, dramatist, mentor, scholar, political prisoner, activist. Dr. Bienvenido L. Lumbera, National Artist for Literature, was all this and more.  With his passing on September 28, 2021, at the age of 89, Dr. Lumbera—Ka Bien to his friends and colleagues—left behind a distinguished body of works and a legacy of fearless activism, harnessing the power of literature and the arts for the cause of freedom, truth, and nationalism.     A writer’s childhood  Dr. Lumbera’s literary work encompasses multiple genres, from poetry to stage plays and librettos. His love for these different genres stems from his childhood. Born in Lipa, Batangas, on April 11, 1932, to Timoteo and Carmen Lumbera.  Young Bienvenido was orphaned at an early age. He and his older sister Leticia were cared for initially by their paternal grandmother, then when the war ended, by his godparents, Enrique and Amanda Lumbera.  Despite the tragedy he had experienced at such a young age, Lumbera recalled having a rich childhood. He played with the neighboring kids, played the action movies he watched and listened to his aunts read aloud from the novella series in Liwayway magazine. His childhood experiences in the historic town of Lipa formed the foundation of his writing career.  One of his renowned musical dramas, Hibik at Himagsik nina Victoria Laktaw, is set in his childhood town.  Lumbera went to Lipa Elementary School and finished high school at Mabini Academy. Initially, he wanted to attend college at the University of the Philippines. However, his guardians, who supported his education, convinced him to enroll at the University of Santo Tomas instead. It was closer to their place of work. In 1957, he earned his B.Litt in Journalism from UST.  In 1967, he obtained his M.A. and Ph.D.  in Comparative Literature from Indiana University.  His groundbreaking dissertation focused on Tagalog poetry from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. While studying in the U.S., he threw himself entirely into education in culture—film, theater, opera, jazz, and everything in between.  After coming home from the U.S., Lumbera taught Literature, Philippine Studies, and Creative Writing at the Ateneo de Manila University. This period saw his activist spirit ignite. He was involved in the Filipinization movement in the 1960s, and served as the chairman of the Panulat Para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA), an organization of activist-writers. His activism was so well-known that when Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, Lumbera knew he was among those targeted for arrest and was forced underground. He was arrested in January 1974, and released a year later after Cynthia Nograles, his former student at Ateneo de Manila University, appealed for his release. The two were married a few months later.  A nationalist writer in the time of Martial Law and beyond  In an interview with Rappler published on April 12, 2017, Lumbera shared an experience he had following his release from prison during Martial Law. He described how department stores hired people to dress up and pose in shop windows as living mannequins.  “So nandoon naka-display sila. Alam mong buhay ang mga tao na ito, pero hindi sila nakikipag-usap, hindi sila gumagalaw. Ang laki ng epekto noon sa akin. Naiyak ako,” Lumbera revealed. “Ang mga tao na ito ay mga tunay na tao, pero nagpapanggap na hindi tao. Parang ganon ang sitwasyon sa panahon ng Martial Law—na kailangan ng mga tao na magpanggap na iba sila sa tunay na pagkatao nila [So there they are on display. You know they’re alive, but they don’t speak, they don’t move. This had a profound effect on me. I wept. These are real people pretending not to be. This was how it was like during the time of Martial Law—people having to pretend that they are not who they are].”  Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.  For Lumbera, this experience and imprisonment only cemented his commitment as a truth-teller and nationalist writer. In 1976, through Professor Petronilo Bn Daroy, Lumbera began teaching at the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, UP College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). A year later, UP CAS Dean Francisco Nemenzo appointed him to become editor of the Diliman Review, which was critical of the Marcos dictatorship.  Lumbera began writing librettos for musical theater, starting with the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) request to create a musical based on Carlos Bulosan’s America Is in the Heart. Eventually, Lumbera wrote several highly acclaimed musical dramas such as Tales of the Manuvu, Rama: Hari, Nasa Puso ang Amerika, Bayani, and Noli me Tangere: The Musical. He counts his adaptation of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novel, Rama Hari and Hibik at Himagsik nina Viktoria Laktaw, a tribute to Filipino revolutionary women during the revolution of 1896, as his most successful plays. In 2004, De La Salle University-Manila Press published Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika, an anthology of Lumbera’s musical dramas.  Lumbera authored numerous books on literary criticism, textbooks, and anthologies such as Revaluation: Essays on Literature, Cinema, and Popular Culture; Pedagogy; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology; Rediscovery: Essays in Philippine Life and Culture; Filipinos Writing: Philippine Literature from the Regions; and Paano Magbasa ng Panitikang Filipino: Mga Babasahing Pangkolehiyo. He once admitted he preferred writing poetry rather than short stories because he disliked using a typewriter for more extended periods. Most of his poems are collected in Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa, published in 1994. These include “Ka Bel”; “The Yaya’s Lullaby,” “Servant,” “Sadness,” “Jamborzkie Light,” and the frequently anthologized “Eulogy of Roaches.”  Bayan at Lipunan: Ang Kritisismo ni Bienvenido Lumbera, edited by UP Professor Emerita Rosario Torres-Yu, was published and launched by the UST Publishing House, and celebrated by UP in January 2006.  Aside from UP, Lumbera also taught Literature, Philippine Studies, and Creative Writing in the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and his alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas. He also served as Visiting Professor of Philippine Studies at Osaka University from 1985 to 1988. He is also the first Asian Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.  He mentored generations of outstanding Filipino artists, writers and scholars, including the highly-acclaimed critic Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, UP Professors Emeriti Teresita Gimenez Maceda, and Nicanor G. Tiongson, Ateneo de Manila University Professor Emerita Soledad S. Reyes, De La Salle University Professor Emeritus Isagani R. Cruz, University of California at Berkeley faculty member Joi Barrios-Le Blanc, University of Hawai’i at Manoa Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures Department Chair and Center for Philippine Studies Director Pia C. Arboleda, and National Artist for Literature and UP Professor Emeritus Virgilio S. Almario. He taught undergraduate students who became distinguished academics, such as UP Professors Glecy Cruz Atienza, Galileo S. Zafra, and Alwin C Aguirre. He also taught film directors Sari Dalena and Joel Lamangan, and screenwriter Ricky Lee.  Legacy of a writer, dramatist, and activist  In the end, Lumbera lived true to his belief that writers should immerse with the masses and help to improve society. He remained actively involved in progressive organizations fighting for social justice and true equality, from the Philippine Comparative Literature Association in 1969 to the Pamana ng Panitikan ng Pilipinas in 1970, to the progressive poets’ group Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) during Martial Law. Other writers’ organizations he helped lead include the Kalipunan para sa mga Literatura ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Studies Association of the Philippines, and Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.  Lumbera is also the founding chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the multi-awarded media group Kodao Productions. He was an active member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). He also served as president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), a national organization of more than 40,000 teachers and employees in the education sector.  He earned numerous awards and accolades throughout the years, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, the Pambansang Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas (UMPIL), the National Book Awards for Literary History/Literary Criticism from the Manila Critics’ Circle, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, the Philippine Centennial Literary Prize for Drama, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts. He became Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines and, in 2006, was named National Artist for Literature.  Dr. Lumbera’s legacy lies not just in his immense body of works and in the generations of writers and artists he taught. Most importantly, he is noted for his abiding commitment to nationalist writing and to his belief that a writer must, above all, write the truth of their experiences.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorial for victims of the Marcos regime to rise in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorial-for-victims-of-the-marcos-regime-to-rise-in-up/",
        "html": "Memorial for victims of the Marcos regime to rise in UP Memorial for victims of the Marcos regime to rise in UP September 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines will be the site of the country’s memorial for victims of human rights violations.  UP and the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) will sign on Friday, September 21, 2018, at 10:30 AM, a memorandum of understanding to be partners in the establishment of the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial, Museum, and/or Library in UP Diliman.  The signatories will be UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and HRVVMC Chair Rene Escalante, with UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora and HRVVMC Executive Director Carmelo Victor Crisanto as witnesses.  The exact site and other details of the memorial will be discussed after the MOU signing.  UP has recently designated September 21, 2018 and September 21 of every year thereafter as “UP Day of Remembrance” in honor of the contributions of the University’s “best and brightest” to the fight against dictatorship and despotism, citing UP’s role in the forefront of the resistance to martial law. The Marcos proclamation imposing martial law was dated September 21, 1972.  HRVVMC was established under Republic Act No. 10368, otherwise known as “An Act Providing for Reparation and Recognition of Victims of Human Rights Violations during the Marcos Regime, Documentation of Said Violation, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes,” which President Benigno Aquino III signed on February 25, 2013.  The commission was created “primarily for the establishment, restoration, preservation and conservation of the Memorial/Museum/Library/Compendium in honor of the HRVVs during the Marcos regime.” Its Board of Trustees include the chair of the Commission on Human Rights who sits as chair of the board; chair of the National Historical Commission, as co-chair of the board; and chairs of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the head of the UPD Main Library, as board members. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP holds first Day of Remembrance, commits site for martial law memorial – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-holds-first-day-of-remembrance-commits-site-for-martial-law-memorial/",
        "html": "UP holds first Day of Remembrance, commits site for martial law memorial UP holds first Day of Remembrance, commits site for martial law memorial September 21, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP marked the first UP Day of Remembrance by concretizing plans to construct the country’s memorial for victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed on September 21, 2018 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) formalizing institutional partnership in establishing the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial in UP Diliman.     (Left to right) NHCP Chair Rene Escalante, UP President Danilo Concepcion, CHR Commissioner Leah Armamento (representing CHR Chair Chito Gascon), and HRVVMC Executive Director Carmelo Victor Crisanto sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial in UP Diliman. Dr. Carol Araullo, representing HRVVs; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, an advocate of HRRV reparations; and UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora are the witnesses. UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs (standing) serves as master of ceremonies. Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO     “Higit sa alinmang pook, dito sa ating pamantasan sumibol at lumago ang puno ng pagtutol at pag-aalsa; kung kaya dito rin naman nadama ang mabigat na dagok ng panunupil at pananamantala noong panahon ng martial law ni Pangulong Marcos (More than any place, the University is where resistance and uprising sprang and grew; and that is why this was also where the brunt of repression and abuse of President Marcos’s martial law fell),” Concepcion said.     UP President Danilo Concepcion. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO)     Sa araw na ito tayo ay nagpapasya na ikintal sa puso at damdamin ang dakilang alaala ng mga araw ng pakikibaka, ng mga taong nagsakripisyo at nagbuwis ng buhay, upang ito kailanman ay hindi malimutan at hindi na maulit pa (On this day, we decide to commit the legacy of the days of struggle, of the many who sacrificed their lives; so that they will never be forgotten and [their fates] never repeated),” Concepcion added. “Ito ang ating dasal, ito ang ating banal na panata (This is our prayer, this is our sacred promise),” he added.     Four days before the MOU signing, Concepcion signed a proclamation designating September 21, 2018 and September 21 of every year thereafter as “UP Day of Remembrance” in honor of the sacrifice of the University’s “best and brightest” for the struggle against dictatorship and despotism, many of whom died resisting the abuses of the Marcos regime. [Watch the proclamation signing.]     During the First Quarter Storm, UP being a bastion of academic freedom became a sanctuary for activism, with the AS (Arts and Sciences now Palma Hall) Steps—the venue of the MOU signing—becoming default venue and assembly area for rallies and demonstrations.     AS Steps on the first UP Day of Remembrance. (Photo by J. Mikhail G. Solitario, UP MPRO)     Witness to the MOU signing and representing HRVVs, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Chair Carol Araullo quoted former Faculty Regent and anti-martial law activist Judy Taguiwalo in the latter’s UP Day of Remembrance proclamation speech, which spoke about 3,257 killed, 35,000 tortured, 1,838 disappeared, and 70,000 imprisoned during the Marcos regime. The Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation has thus far listed 85 martyrs of the Marcos regime from UP.     Dr. Carol Araullo of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and HRVV representative. (Photo by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     “This is a historic day that is a legacy of President Danilo Concepcion. If in my student days, we had Salvador P. Lopez who stood against the emerging Marcos dictatorship, we now have President Concepcion to thank for this step of remembering… which is important in weeding out the root causes and pre-conditions of martial law that remain to this day,” Araullo said in Filipino.     Signing for the HRVVMC were its co-chairs Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), represented by CHR Commissioner Leah Armamento, and Rene Escalante of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). Established in 2013, HRVVMC was created for the “establishment, restoration, preservation and conservation of the Memorial/Museum/Library/Compendium in honor of the HRVVs during the Marcos regime.”     Commissioner Leah Armamento of the Commission on Human Rights. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO)     “The CHR looks forward to deepening partnership with the University community in developing different programs in the field of transitional justice and human rights, and commits itself to participating in an inclusive process of interacting with all stakeholders—both in and outside the University—of these will begin a broad cross-sectoral consultation on the vision for this freedom memorial,” Gascon’s message said.  Escalante revealed the NHCP holding talks with the Concepcion administration as early as last year for a place to build the HRVV memorial. Some of the documents lined up for the memorial are the Netherlands documents being kept by the UP Library, Presidential Commission on Good Government digital copy files kept by the NHCP, and documents from the HRV Claims Board.     Chair Rene Escalante of the National Historical Commission. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO)     Escalante revealed targets to have the memorandum of agreement with UP finalized in the next three months, conduct a design competition for the memorial, have the groundbreaking in the middle of next year, and the construction finished two years after.  Aside from Araullo, contingents from various sectors of the UP community, and organizations representing HRVVs, the MOU signing was also witnessed by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Pimentel has recently authored a bill to extend the term of and provide additional support to the HRV Claims Board. The HRVCB and HRVVMC were established under Republic Act No. 10368, otherwise known as “An Act Providing for Reparation and Recognition of Victims of Human Rights Violations during the Marcos Regime, Documentation of Said Violation, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes,” which President Benigno Aquino III signed on February 25, 2013.     Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. (Photo by Jun Madrid, MPRO)     “Thanks to UP for offering a place in the University so we can fulfill the mandate under the law to establish a memorial, a physical place, that can be visited by the old and especially the young so that we do not forget the excesses, violence, the evils, abuses, and repressions during the Marcos martial law years,” Pimentel said.  After the MOU signing, the public was invited to view the exhibit “Alaala ng Martial Law” in the Palma Hall lobby, as various organizations began converging in the premises to head for a rally in Luneta later that afternoon commemorating the declaration of martial law by Marcos. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)     UP professors, with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Chair Carol Araullo (3rd from left) and former Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo (4th from right), make a stand during UP’s first UP Day of Remembrance. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO)     Contingents from the UP Diliman Department of History join their colleagues in UP Day of Remembrance mass actions. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Palma Hall becomes a freedom board for martial law remembrance. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)       "
    },
    {
        "title": "SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for the Philippine Cinema Centennial – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sinemaestra-womens-masterclasses-for-the-philippine-cinema-centennial/",
        "html": "SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for the Philippine Cinema Centennial SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for the Philippine Cinema Centennial February 28, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dip into all aspects of filmmaking in front of and behind the camera, from planning, to shooting, to promoting films. Enroll in our 4 masterclasses! In celebration of Women’s Month, UP Film Institute brings you SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for the Philippine Cinema Centennial. Open to the public!  Monster Jimenez (Producing / March 9)  Monster Jimenez is a screenwriter, director, producer, and editor best known for her work on Big Time (2005), Kano: An American and His Harem (2010), Apocalypse Child (2015) and Respeto (2017).  Sue Prado (Acting / March 16)  Sue Prado is an actress best known for her performances in Philippine New Wave films such as Oro (2016), Barber’s Tales (2013) and Himpapawid (2009). Her filmography also includes The Boat within the Two Rivers (2012), Thelma (2011), Patikul (2011), Layang Bilanggo (2010), and Ganap na Babae (2010).  Antoinette Jadaone (Screenwriting / March 23)  Antoinette Jadaone is a director and writer known for Alone/Together (2019), Never Not Love You (2018), Love You to the Stars and Back (2017), The Achy Breaky Hearts (2016), You’re My Boss (2015), All You Need is Pag-ibig (2015), That Thing Called Tadhana (2014), Relaks, It’s Just Pag-ibig (co-directed by Irene Emma Villamor, 2014) and Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay (2011).  Shireen Seno (Directing / March 30)  Shireen Seno is an artist, curator and filmmaker whose debut film Big Boy (2012) was screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam and won the prize for Best First Film at the Festival de Cine Lima Independiente in 2013. Nervous Translation is her second feature which won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018.  All Masterclasses will be held at the UPFI Film Studio, Media Center bldg. Ylanan Ave. UP Diliman from 1-5PM. Fee for all four Masterclasses is Php 2000.  Online registration form: https://bit.ly/2GDuy8w. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Day of Remembrance 2019 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-day-of-remembrance-2019/",
        "html": "UP Day of Remembrance 2019 UP Day of Remembrance 2019 September 13, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       On September 17, 2018, President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018 declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance across the entire University of the Philippines System. The Proclamation sought to commemorate and honor the memory of the University’s best and brightest who struggled against dictatorship and despotism. The UP Day of Remembrance stands as a reminder of the importance of academic freedom, civil liberties, and human rights as central to UP education.  As recognition of the University’s role at the forefront of awareness, vigilance, and militancy, and to expand on last year’s inaugural program, the University will launch an expanded lineup of events with the theme, Dambana ng Paggunita at Pagtutuos sa Batas Militar ni Marcos, to banner the key messages: Marahas ang Batas Militar, Lugmok ang Ekonomiya, Niyurakan ang Karapatang Pantao, Sinupil ang Pamamahayag, at Ninakaw ang Kabang-Yaman.  Pre-event activities will start on September 16 with the airing of Lakad Gunita sa Pamantasang Hinirang, a documentary video, on both TVUP and the University of the Philippines online channels to kickstart the weeklong campaign. The documentary will highlight key landmarks in the Diliman campus that became hotbeds of activism: Quezon Hall, Palma Hall, Vinzons Hall, Melchor Hall, and Kamia and Sampaguita dormitories which all stood witness to the events of the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune.  On the actual Day of Remembrance on September 19 this year, an opening ceremony will be held at the AS Steps (Palma Hall) in UP Diliman, accompanied by the unfurling of streamers across the hall bearing this year’s central messages. Danas, a series of performances recreating and commemorating the martial law experience will be featured as street art, ensuring access to the widest audiences. At the center of the performances, a Dambana will be set up by students and faculty of the College of Fine Arts. A free premiere screening of TVUP’s Lakad Gunita sa Pamantasang Hinirang will cap this year’s Day of Remembrance.        On the day after, there will be free screening of martial law-themed films, Liway and Portraits of Mosquito Press, and documentary 1081. This will be followed by a forum on Media, Martial Law, and Human Rights with journalist Ceres P. Doyo and artist Boni P. Ilagan.  Simultaneous events and campaigns will also be launched from Baguio to Mindanao as part of a united, concerted effort to educate the youth who may still not know, and those who knew but may have forgotten. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Korean Film Festival launched – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-korean-film-festival-launched/",
        "html": "UP Korean Film Festival launched UP Korean Film Festival launched March 15, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Part of the UP Korean Film Festival opening night audience checking other feature films at Cine Adarna. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     The UP Korean Film Festival was launched on March 13, 2019, marking the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Korea bilateral relations.  Held in the UP Diliman Cine Adarna from March 13 to 15, the festival featured seven films for free public viewing, beginning with Choo Chang-min’s top-grossing historical film Masquerade (2012).        The UP Korean Research Center (UP-KRC) in partnership with the UP Film Institute (UPFI) and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) organized the festival to provide an opportunity for the public to see quality Korean films, disseminate Korean culture, and broaden perspectives on Korean society.     KCC Director Lee Jin Cheol talks about controversial eras and issues in Korea depicted in the feature films. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     “I hope there will be more opportunities in UP to hold such events,” KCC Director Lee Jin Cheol said in his message to the festival goers.  Lee Jin Cheol, Aldrin Lee, and Patrick Campos, the directors of KCC, UP-KRC, and UPFI, , respectively, opened the festival, which they hope to hold annually. “Films are very important instruments for understanding and there are things that films could articulate that we could not in everyday life,” KRC’s Lee said.     UP-KRC OIC Director Aldrin Lee talks about taking a class in Korean films. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     The other feature films were Miracle in Cell No. 7, Sunny, Poetry, Fish Out of Water, Oldboy, and In Between Days. Noting the roster of films, Lee Jin Cheol said: “I am very much surprised with the UP Korea Research Center for its deep understanding and very serious approach to Korean culture and society.”     UPFI Director Patrick Campos welcomes festival-goers to the Cine Adarna. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "FREE SCREENINGS: Brocka and Electoral Politics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/free-screenings-brocka-and-electoral-politics/",
        "html": "FREE SCREENINGS: Brocka and Electoral Politics FREE SCREENINGS: Brocka and Electoral Politics March 29, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Celebrate April as the birth month of Lino Brocka with the late National Artist’s most accomplished films that continue to resonate with this year’s conduct of Philippine elections, namely, Gumapang Ka sa Lusak, Sa Kabila ng Lahat, Miguelito, Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita and Hahamakin Lahat.  Complementing the series for free admission at UPFI Film Center Videotheque is a special showcase for Christian Blackwood’s 1987 documentary portrait, Signed: Lino Brocka.  Brocka and Electoral Politics UPFI Film Center April 2019  April 1, (Monday) 2:30 PM – Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita April 2, (Tuesday) 2:30 PM – Hahamakin Lahat April 3, (Wednesday) 2:30 PM – Miguelito: Batang Rebelde April 4, (Thursday) 2:30 PM – Gumapang Ka sa Lusak April 5, (Friday) 2:30 PM – Sa Kabila ng Lahat April 6 (Saturday) 2:30 PM & April 20 (Saturday) 2 PM – Signed Lino Brocka  Admission is FREE and open to the public on a first come, first served basis.  —  Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita (1989) Starring: Sharon Cuneta, Hilda Koronel, Christopher de Leon Synopsis: Salve, a content barrio lass, is married to Alfred, an aspiring politician. Alfred meets Via finds out that they can both be very useful to each other’s lives. He is set on pursuing a political career and Via is from a powerful political family that wants to continue to govern the land. Together, Albert and Via plan a scheme to get rid of Salve. But Salve survives the carnage. Salve takes revenge.  Hahamakin Lahat (1990) Starring: Vilma Santos, Snooky Serna, Gabby Concepcion Synopsis: A woman who is used to getting what she wants despises her current life.  Miguelito: Batang Rebelde (1985) Synopsis: Aga Muhlach, Nida Blanca, Eddie Garcia This is the story of Miguelito, his estranged mother Auring and the quest for justice against a powerful politician. After ten years of suffering in jail for a crime she did not commit, Auring cries out for two things – justice and her son back in her arms. Bravely she faces her powerful oppressors led by the formidable town mayor who also happens to be the father of her son. Being the first film Brocka directed since his highly publicized arrest and detention, Miguelito is one’s typical soap opera set in a political backdrop that portrays the social condition of the time.  Gumapang Ka Lusak (1990) Cast: Dinna Bonnevie, Christopher De Leon, Eddie Garcia, Charo Santos Synopsis: A teenage boy befriends B-movie actress Rachelle who is having an affair with Mayor. His wife Rowena wants to get rid of her in order to not snag controversy during the election. Rachelle agreed to disappear only in two conditions: if Edmundo releases her lover out of prison; and kill his rival opponent in the elections.  Sa Kabila ng Lahat (1991) Cast: Dina Bonnevie, Tonton Gutierrez, Nanette Medved Synopsis: The mayor of a city has an extra-marital affair with a beautiful TV newscaster. But when his wife finds out about the affair, she comes up with a plan to exact revenge.  Signed Lino Brocka (1987) Director: Christian Blackwood Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Christian Blackwood profiles controversial Filipino director Lino Brocka, detailing his rags-to-riches rise in the mainstream film industry of the Philippines. Primarily using interviews with the effusive director himself, Blackwood allows Brocka to describe, in his own terms, the common thematic threads tying together his work, from his own homosexuality to the political repression suffered by Filipinos at the hands of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorial government. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Stories from fields of struggle against Martial Law abound in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/stories-from-the-battlefield-of-martial-law-abound-in-up-day-of-remembrance-2020/",
        "html": "Stories from fields of struggle against Martial Law abound in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 Stories from fields of struggle against Martial Law abound in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 September 15, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       “Never again! Never forget!”  These words live on as the University of the Philippines, the country’s national university, remembers the signing of Proclamation No. 1081 by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos on September 21,placing the Philippines under Martial Law,with a two-day webinar event, the UP Day of Remembrance 2020, “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Hulagway ng Pagkamulat at Kabayanihan 1972-1986”. [September 21 is UP Day of Remembrance]  The online event, which will be held via Zoom and broadcasted on YouTube on September 21, Monday, and September 22, Tuesday, features leading Martial Law activists who will share their experiences of struggle against the Marcos dictatorship, stories of courage in the face of imprisonment and torture, of resourcefulness and creativity in the face of repression, and of perseverance and heroism in the face of death. [Register at https://tinyurl.com/UPGunita2020]  There will also be recorded performances and a video-exhibit of sights and sounds of life under Martial Law.  Following is the program for the UP Day of Remembrance 2020:     “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Hulagway ng Pagkamulat at Kabayanihan 1972-1986” UP Day of Remembrance 2020  HAMON NG BATAS MILITAR September 21, Monday, 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 n.n.  [8:45am] Protest Performance and Video Exhibit  [9:00am] National Anthem Welcome Message, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion Opening Remarks, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia  [9:30am] Overview of the Webinar Structure and Two-Day Discussions  [9:40am] “Mga Huling Araw ng UP Student Council Bago-Batas Militar” Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, Chair, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan  [10:05am] “Mga Unang Sabado ng Martial Law” Mamerto Calalang “MC” Canlas, former UP History instructor, author of SoMa Pilipinas Studies 2000 in Two Languages (2002) and SoMa Pilipinas Ethnotour Guide Book (2013)  [10:30am] “Some Trying Times of My Life” Ma. Cristina Pargas-Bawagan, activist and human rights victim of the Marcos regime, retired teacher of Philippine Science High School  [10:55am] “Mga Karanasan bilang Human Rights Worker” Liza Acevedo-Ilagan, Professor, UP Baguio Fine Arts Program  [11:20am] Q&A Session with Speakers  [11:40am] Synthesis  [11:50am] Closing Remarks, Dr. Michael L. Tan, former UP Diliman Chancellor and UP Professor Emeritus  [12:00nn] UP Naming Mahal  [12:05-12:44pm] Break  [12:45pm] Protest Performance and Video Exhibit  DETENIDO, DESAPARECIDO September 21, Monday, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  [1:00pm] Opening Remarks: Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor, UP Manila Introduction by Webinar Moderators  [1:20pm] Overview of the Webinar Structure and Two-day Discussions  [1:30pm] “Babaeng Makibaka sa Likod ng Rehas” Dr. Judy M. Taguiwalo, activist, former UP Professor, former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development  [1:55pm] “Entablado, Megaphone at Kulungan” Susan Tagle, activist, musical director, Senior Technical Adviser, PTV-4  [2:20pm] “Desaparecido: Southern Tagalog 10” Atty. Filemon Nolasco, lead convenor, UP Los Baños Bantayog Project  [2:45pm] “Ang Maging Manggagamot sa Samar” Dr. Sylvia Ciocon de la Paz, activist, wife of slain “Doctor-to-the-barrios” Dr. Remberto Daniel “Bobby” de la Paz  [3:10pm] Q&A Session with Speakers  [3:30pm] Synthesis  [3:45pm] Closing Remarks, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., Chancellor, UP Los Baños  [4:00pm] UP Naming Mahal     SINING AT PANITIK: DALUYAN NG TINIG September 22, Tuesday, 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 n.n.  [8:45am] Protest Performance and Video Exhibit  [9:00am] National Anthem Opening Remarks, Dr. Ricardo P. Babaran, Chancellor, UP Visayas  [9:20am] Overview of the Webinar Structure and Flow of Two-Day Discussions  [9:30am] “Teatro sa Panahon ng Batas Militar” Dr. Glecy Atienza, Professor, UP Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas  [9:55am] “Iba’t-ibang Tradisyon sa mga Awit-Protesta” Christian “Bong” Ramilo, activist, musician and songwriter, and member, Asian Movement for People’s Music  [10:20am] “Patatag: Bagong Ritmo ng Paglaban” Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, Chancellor, UP Diliman  [10:45am] “UPLB Perspective: Paggiit sa Pamamahayag” Dr. Vicky Espaldon, Professor, UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management  [11:10am] Q&A Session with Speakers  [11:40am] Synthesis  [11:55am] Closing Remarks, Dr. Melinda dP. Bandalara, Chancellor, UP Open University  [12:00nn] UP Naming Mahal  [12:05-12:44pm] Break  [12:45pm] Protest Performance and Video Exhibit  PATUNGONG PEOPLE POWER: ‘TURNING POINTS’ September 22, Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  [1:00pm] Opening Remarks, Dr. Larry N. Digal, Chancellor, UP Mindanao  [1:20pm] Overview of the Webinar Structure and Two-Day Discussions  [1:30pm] “CONCOMSA Tungong Pagbabalik ng USC” Malou Mangahas, former executive director, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)  [1:55pm] “Welgang Anson’s sa harap ng BP 130/227” Leila Yap-Aboga, alumni activist  [2:20pm] “The 1982 Jose Rizal College Strike” Loretta Ann “Etta” P. Rosales, Chair, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines  [2:45pm] “NADSU at Welgang Bayan ng Cebu, 1984” Prof. Phoebe Zoe Maria Sanchez, union leader, Professor of history and sociology, UP Cebu  [3:10pm] “Sakbayan sa Northern Luzon 1984” Dr. Raymundo “Rey” Rovillos, Chancellor, UP Baguio  [3:35pm] Q&A Session with Speakers  [4:05pm] Synthesis  [4:25pm] Closing Remarks, Atty. Liza D. Corro, Chancellor, UP Cebu  [4:30pm] UP Naming Mahal     The UP Day of Remembrance 2020, “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Hulagway ng Pagkamulat at Kabayanihan 1972-1986”, is open to all teachers, educators, scholars and Filipinos who wish to continue learning about our country’s history and who believe in the importance of upholding and defending basic freedoms, civil liberties and human rights.  Register at: https://tinyurl.com/UPGunita2020.  Livestream of the webinars and the online exhibit will be available via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Fascism and Cinema: First in a Series of Lectures by Nick Deocampo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/fascism-and-cinema-first-in-a-series-of-talks-by-nick-deocampo/",
        "html": "Fascism and Cinema: First in a Series of Lectures by Nick Deocampo Fascism and Cinema: First in a Series of Lectures by Nick Deocampo April 12, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       With the alarming rise of fascist regimes in the world, Nick Deocampo gathers together a number of films in order to interrogate the role that cinema can play in periods of autocratic rule.  Principally focusing on the film of Italian master filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, The Conformist (1970), which will be shown in its entirety in the session, discussion will bring up lessons in political filmmaking that still ring true today. The film will be thematically and stylistically compared and discussed with films from our very own Mike de Leon (Batch ’81) to the Oscar-winning The Official Story, Casablanca, Rome, Open City, and World War II propaganda films. To be studied will be their content and the cinematic ways in which they encode and/or critique fascism. The regimes of dictators like Hitler, Mussolini, Marcos, and tyrants during periods of war offer uncanny resemblances to how contemporary societies are moving towards a regime of right-wing rule, marked by human rights violations, media suppression, and a lack of respect for the rule of law.  Register at www.tinyurl.com/FascismAndCinema. A P300 registration fee will be charged. Seats are limited and a certificate of attendance will be given to all attendees. For inquires, contact Charm at 09175570742.  Bertolucci’s The Conformist (1970) is a relevant movie that courageously confronts the issue of fascism. It is a serious character study of a person caught in the grip of political tyranny. It reveals the slow processing of a human being to conform—through coercive politics and militarist ideology—in order for the person to become part of the silent herd that supports a corrupt regime. The film digs into the psyche and behavior characterizing the crowds we see conforming to the call of political expediency, as they surrender their individual critical faculties to become part of a mass of fanatical followers.  Besides a discussion of the anti-fascist content of The Conformist and the other films, to be tackled will be the cinematic form that embodies (while at the same time critiques) the decadent optics brought about by the corrupt politics. Studying the formalist style of the films enriches the political reading of cinema’s agency to counter hegemonic influences of entertainment in popular cinema, a weakness in the medium exploited by dictators in support of their regimes.  The 3-hour talk is highly recommended to filmmakers, film students and faculty, and students and teachers of communication, history, political science, journalism, media studies, humanities and fine arts, and to everyone interested in cinema and politics. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold virtual commemoration of the struggle against Martial Law in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-virtual-commemoration-of-the-struggle-against-martial-law-in-up-day-of-remembrance-2020/",
        "html": "UP to hold virtual commemoration of the struggle against Martial Law in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 UP to hold virtual commemoration of the struggle against Martial Law in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 September 10, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       On 21 September 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081, placing the Philippines under Martial Law. This marked the beginning of a period of authoritarian rule that ravaged the nation’s democracy and economy, and saw a record number of human rights violations, such as extrajudicial killings and disappearances. Fourteen years later, the Filipino people succeeded in ousting the dictator with the words “Sobra Na, Tama Na! Oust Marcos! Lansagin ang diktadura!” as their battle cry.   Now, 48 years after Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law, we once again revisit this dark period in our country’s history and honor the heroes who fought, struggled and gave their lives for the cause of freedom and justice, even as many of the same dark forces continue to plague our society today. Even as we face the seismic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we refresh our memory of the evils of dictatorship and renew our struggle with the battle cry, “Never again, never forget!”  From September 21 to 22, the University of the Philippines System will hold its UP Day of Remembrance 2020, a virtual commemoration of the University’s collective memories of the events leading to and following the declaration of Martial Law from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.  This year’s UP Day of Remembrance, titled “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Hulagway ng Pagkamulat at Kabayanihan 1972-1986”, consists of two main activities: four webinars featuring UP alumni and faculty who fought during Martial Law sharing their experiences; and, an online exhibit to feature Martial Law narratives of resistance and hope that continue to resonate up to now.  These online activities will be held across all eight UP constituent units, and will revolve around four themes: Hamon ng Batas Militar, focusing on the early years of clampdown on civil liberties and adapting to the situation with new forms of struggle; Detenido, Desparecido, a remembrance of the Marcos regime’s violation of human rights and cruelty through disregard of due process, indefinite imprisonment, torture, disappearances and killings; Sining at Panitik: Daluyan ng Tinig, recalling writers and artists who created new forms of expression, inspiring and mobilizing the masses for action against deception; and, Patungong People Power: Turning Points, on the events in the 1980s that became turning points which led to the end of the Marcos dictatorship.  In pursuit of its tradition of struggle for academic freedom and democratic ideals, UP stood at the forefront of the resistance to Martial Law and the Marcos regime,contributing to this struggle many of its best and brightest. Now UP deems it proper to enshrine their names and struggles for younger and future generations of the University to emulate. It is for this reason that UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1 in 2018 declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance, during which special lectures, meetings and ceremonies will be held across the UP System to commemorate UP’s participation and sacrifices in the struggle against dictatorship and tyranny.  The UP Day of Remembrance 2020 is made all the more significant as the University commemorated in February this year the 50th anniversary of the First Quarter Storm, which led to the Diliman Commune and other watershed events prior to the declaration of Martial Law.  The UP Day of Remembrance 2020 is open to all teachers, educators, scholars and Filipinos who wish to continue learning about our country’s history and who believe in the importance of upholding and defending basic freedoms, civil liberties and human rights.  Register at: https://tinyurl.com/UPGunita2020.  Livestream of the webinars and the online exhibit will be available via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Interseksiyon: Panitikan, Pelikula, at Wikang Filipino – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/interseksiyon-panitikan-pelikula-at-wikang-filipino/",
        "html": "Interseksiyon: Panitikan, Pelikula, at Wikang Filipino Interseksiyon: Panitikan, Pelikula, at Wikang Filipino April 16, 2019 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario       In celebration of the National Literature Month, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the U.P. Film Institute will hold a conference entitled Interseksiyon: Panitikan, Pelikula, at Wikang Filipino. The conference, directed by film scholar Patrick F. Campos, surveys the rich intertwinings between Filipino literature and cinema, from its inception a hundred years ago until the present. It will also try to show how these interactions across the disciplines helped popularize and spread Filipino language. Films that testify to these intersections will also be shown at the UPFI Film Center – Cine Adarna.  Interseksiyon: Panitikan, Pelikula, at Wikang Filipino May 27-28, 2019 (Monday-Tuesday) Cine Adarna, UPFI Film Center Bldg., Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Q.C.  Admission is free and open to the public on a first come first served basis.  Interested participants may register at: DAY 1 – www.tinyurl.com/InterseksiyonDay1 DAY 2 – www.tinyurl.com/InterseksiyonDay2  CONFERENCE SCHEDULE  May 27 (Mon) 10:00 AM – Opening Remarks (Bienvenido Lumbera & Teddy Co) 10:30 AM – FROM PRINT TO STAGE TO FILM AND BACK (Nicanor Tiongson, Soledad Reyes) 1:30 PM – SEARCHING FOR A NATIONAL LANGUAGE/SUBJECT (Rolando Tolentino, Neil Martial Santillan, Gary Devilles) 3:00 PM – SONGS, KOMIKS, AND POPULAR SOURCES (Jose Buenconsejo, Joyce Arriola)  April 24 (Wed) 10:30 AM – REMEMBERING AUTEURS AND LITTERATEURS (Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr., Tito Genova Valiente, Teddy Co) 1:30 PM – ARTISTIC CROSS-POLLINATION (Sari Dalena, Joanna Oliquino) 3:00 PM – ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES (Nick Deocampo, , Patrick F. Campos, Joseph Palis)  Please see the Interseksiyon event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/425358441569943/  For Inquiries: Charm – 09175570742 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Days of Remembrance to shine a light on the myths and misinformation on Martial Law and the Marcos regime – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-days-of-remembrance-to-shine-a-light-on-the-myths-and-misinformation-on-martial-law-and-the-marcos-regime/",
        "html": "UP Days of Remembrance to shine a light on the myths and misinformation on Martial Law and the Marcos regime UP Days of Remembrance to shine a light on the myths and misinformation on Martial Law and the Marcos regime September 15, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The anniversary of the signing of Proclamation No. 1081 by Ferdinand Marcos, placing the Philippines under Martial Law, is coming up on September 21. And yet, 49 years later, we continue to deal with lies, misinformation and historical revisionism of Martial Law and the Marcos regime on various media platforms.  This coming week, scholars of history and the social sciences from the University of the Philippines (UP) and other universities here and abroad will team up with human rights activists to set the record straight regarding the myths of Martial Law and the Marcos regime through the UP Days of Remembrance. This is the University’s week-long virtual commemoration that aims to honor the struggle of the Filipino people under the authoritarian regime and UP’s contribution to the uprising against the Marcos dictatorship. It will be held from September 20 to 24, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  With the theme, “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar”, the commemoration will go in depth on the specific issues that often fall prey to misinformation, such as: Marcos’s alleged heroism; the supposed peaceful society during the Martial Law years; the truth with regard to human rights violations under the Marcos regime; the myth of an economic golden age under the Marcoses; and, the rampant corruption and cronyism of the Marcos administration that set our country back decades. This will be done through educational discussions and conversations on what really happened during the dark years of the Marcos regime.  The program for the week-long virtual webinars is as follows:     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day1     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day2     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day3     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day4     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/DOR21Day5  The UP Day of Remembrance is an annual event that aims to enshrine the names and struggles of the University’s best and brightest who fought, struggled and made the greatest sacrifices in the name of freedom and democratic ideals. In 2018, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1 in 2018 declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance, during which special lectures, meetings and ceremonies were to be held across the UP System to commemorate UP’s contribution in the nation’s struggle against dictatorship and tyranny.  The UP Days of Remembrance is open to all students, teachers, educators, historians, scholars, and all citizens who wish to continue learning about our country’s history and who believe in the importance of upholding and defending basic freedoms, civil liberties and human rights. Livestream of the webinars and the online exhibit will be available via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel.  For more information about the past UP Days of Remembrance, visit this link: https://up.edu.ph/days-of-remembrance/    "
    },
    {
        "title": "People/Power: Counter/Publics of Work, Cinema, and Video – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/people-power-counter-publics-of-work-cinema-and-video/",
        "html": "People/Power: Counter/Publics of Work, Cinema, and Video People/Power: Counter/Publics of Work, Cinema, and Video April 22, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In celebration of UP College of Mass Communication (CMC) Week, the Office of Research and Publication and UP Film Institute present a lecture by Daniel Rudin on People/Power: Counter/Publics of Work, Cinema, and Video this coming April 27 (Saturday) at the Film Studio, UPFI Media Center bldg., UP Diliman Q.C.  Admission is free and open to the public. Interested participants may register here: https://tinyurl.com/DanielRudin. For inquiries, please contact Charm at 09175570742.  Abstract This talk will discuss problems of artistic production in the Philippines raised in the years leading to EDSA, particularly the call for “committed” art. While some (like AsiaVisions) tried to “democratize” the media, others struggled to grasp the impending revolution in films dealing with unionism. They placed their stars (including Phillip Salvador, Joseph Estrada, and Vilma Santos) against a backdrop teeming with workers, organizers, and crowds. To the extent that these “committed” works reflect the moment’s dominant counterpublicity—the struggle against oppression—might they also provide a frame through which to reconsider its politics? Further, why did unionism disappear as a filmic theme after “people power”—almost as quickly as it had appeared?  About the Lecturer Daniel Rudin studies and practices documentary, multimedia journalism, and video art. After working as a Luce Scholar with Filipino social news network Rappler, Rudin co-founded the social news project Center for People’s Media, which garnered support from the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the UCSC Blum Center, BigIdeas@Berkley, the Union for Canada (UNIFOR), and the Everett Program, among others. His investigations presently focus on the role of civil society, the left, and state in different historical phases of the public sphere, including twentieth-century documentary film, video, and “democratization” in the Philippines. Rudin is currently a U.S. Fulbright Student. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Five UP Masscom alumni named 2019 Glory awardees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/five-up-masscom-alumni-named-2019-glory-awardees/",
        "html": "Five UP Masscom alumni named 2019 Glory awardees Five UP Masscom alumni named 2019 Glory awardees October 1, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Five highly accomplished communicators will receive the 2019 Glory Award given to outstanding University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UPCMC) alumni. To be recognized at the college’s alumni homecoming are Carolyn Arguillas for journalism; Nona Andaya-Castillo and Samira Gutoc for social advocacy; Jeffrey Jeturian for film and visual communication; and Florencio “Floy” Quintos for performing arts.  The award is named after Gloria D. Feliciano, the first dean of the UP mass communication program who served from 1965 to 1985. The “Glory” honors alumni who not only achieved excellence in their communication disciplines but also made a significant impact on society through their body of work.  The Glory Awards will be held on November 9, 2019 at the Film Studio of the UP Film Institute (beside Plaridel Hall) in UP Diliman.  The seven-member jury for this year’s awards was composed of former UPCMC dean Luis Teodoro, acclaimed screenwriter and journalist Jose “Pete” Lacaba, advertising industry leader Venus Navalta, public relations expert Joy Buensalido, broadcaster and former senator Orly Mercado, UP assistant vice president for public affairs Wendell Capili, and former CNN Philippines and ANC news chief Jing Magsaysay, who also represents the family of the late Dean Feliciano.  Carolyn Arguillas, a veteran journalist based in Davao City, is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of daily news site MindaNews dedicated to stories about Mindanao. She has won the Marshall McLuhan Fellowship Prize from the Canadian government, Investigative Reporter of the Year award from the Rotary Club of Manila, the Catholic Mass Media Award and Jaime V. Ongpin Investigative Journalism Award. Arguillas also organizes workshops and conferences for Mindanao journalists.  She was the first Mindanao bureau chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer before she led a group of community journalists in establishing the non-profit Mindanao News and Information Center Service Cooperative, which publishes MindaNews. In 2015, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility honored MindaNews with an Award of Distinction “for the value of the information and analyses it provides so Filipinos can understand the particularities of Mindanao and its people…not limited to issues of war and peace.”  Nona Andaya-Castillo has tirelessly championed breastfeeding and the welfare of Filipino mothers and children. Her national and international campaigns were featured by BBC, Time Magazine, Reuters and the Associated Press. She was awarded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges and Explorations international research grant, which seeds unorthodox ideas for addressing persistent public health and development problems. She lobbied to establish breastfeeding and lactation stations in malls and offices, an advocacy that became a law in 2010.  Andaya-Castillo is the first Filipino non-medical doctor to be internationally certified and accredited as a lactation consultant. Her website www.nanaynona.com teaches earth-friendly parenting and lifestyle, joyful childbirth, extended breastfeeding, and plant-based nutrition using evidence-based scientific information. Her lessons are adapted to local nurturing practices and resource-poor populations.  Samira Gutoc is a long-time advocate for peace in Mindanao. She has been a print journalist, a legislator in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, and part of the 21-member commission that helped draft the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Though she was unable to realize her dream to become the country’s first veiled woman broadcast journalist after being rejected by big media companies, she nonetheless was able to shatter Muslim stereotypes, promote interfaith dialogue, and assert the rights of women, marginalized groups, and communities displaced by conflict. A resident of Marawi City, Gutoc was thrust in the public eye in 2017 when she delivered an impassioned appeal before Congress on behalf of 200,000 suffering people during the Marawi siege. Gutoc ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in 2019 but won wide admiration for her articulate command of the issues as the only female and Muslim senatorial candidate of the main opposition.  Jeffrey Jeturian has directed feature films that foreshadowed a vibrant Philippine independent cinema. He made relevant social themes and issues appeal to wider audiences beyond the arthouse aficionados. The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino included three of his films—Pila Balde (1999), Tuhog (2001) and Kubrador (2006)—on its list of 20 important Filipino movies produced in the past 20 years. Kubrador, widely perceived as Jeturian’s most accomplished film, was exhibited in more than a hundred international festivals including a US premiere at the New York Museum of Modern Art, winning over 40 national and international awards. Pila Balde also received numerous awards and citations abroad. Locally, Tuhog and Kubrador were Urian best picture winners while Minsan Pa (2004) was named best picture by the Golden Screen Awards. Bisperas (2011) and Ekstra (2013) received best film awards from the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.   Floy Quintos is a well-known writer and director of plays and musicals. He has won nine times in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, including three first prizes. Among his acclaimed theatrical works are the 2018 hit Kundiman Party, St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos, An Evening at the Opera, Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna, Fluid, and Shock Value. For the past three decades, he has written memorable, intelligent plays in English and Filipino that are strong socio-political commentaries spiked with his prickling wit. Vanguards of local theatre such as PETA, Dulaang UP and The Virgin Labfest have staged his innovative and visionary dramatizations. Quintos also devotes time to studying the cultures and artifacts of Philippine indigenous peoples, curating international exhibits and publishing essays on their traditional art. "
    },
    {
        "title": "September 21 is UP Day of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/september-21-is-up-day-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "September 21 is UP Day of Remembrance September 21 is UP Day of Remembrance September 17, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion signs a proclamation declaring September 21 as UP Day of Remembrance this morning in the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, Diliman, Quezon City. The proclamation was issued in honor of UP’s contributions to the fight against dictatorship and despotism, UP having stood at the forefront of the resistance to martial law.  Watch the signing ceremony at: https://livestream.up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Truths and lessons of Martial Law to be discussed in the week-long UP Days of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/truths-and-lessons-of-martial-law-to-be-discussed-in-the-week-long-up-days-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "Truths and lessons of Martial Law to be discussed in the week-long UP Days of Remembrance Truths and lessons of Martial Law to be discussed in the week-long UP Days of Remembrance September 14, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The 49th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines and the upcoming national elections call for historical awareness from our voting populace.  Once again, the University of the Philippines (UP) is set to honor the struggles of the Filipino people under the authoritarian regime and the University’s contributions in the uprising against the Marcos dictatorship through the UP Days of Remembrance.  This year’s UP Days of Remembrance will be a week-long virtual commemoration held from September 20 to 24, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  With the theme “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar”, the commemoration aims to help expose Martial Law-related disinformation and historical revisionism being propagated in various media platforms.  Five educational webinars will bring out the truths and debunk myths about Martial Law and the Marcos regime. Each webinar is interspersed with artistic and musical performances that illustrate the socio-cultural milieu of the era.  Faculty and researchers from across the UP System, scholars from outside the University and overseas, and human rights activists and progressive artists will speak about the realities of Martial Law based on their own experiences and studies.  This year’s presenters and performers hope to enshrine the names and struggles of the University’s best and brightest who fought, struggled, and made the most extraordinary sacrifices in the name of freedom and democratic ideals.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1 in 2018, declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance. The initial one-day event is now a week-long commemoration consisting of special lectures, meetings, and ceremonies. Constituent Units (CUs) across the UP System memorialize UP’s contributions to the nation’s struggle against dictatorship and tyranny.  Individuals and institutions who wish to continue learning about our country’s history, who believe in the importance of upholding and defending basic freedoms, civil liberties, and human rights are all invited to be part of this year’s UP Days of Remembrance.  Watch this space for more updates on the program, lineup of speakers, and registration links for the UP Day of Remembrance 2021. Livestream of the webinars and the online exhibit will be available via TVUP.ph and TVUP’s YouTube channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for March 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sinemaestra-womens-masterclasses-for-march-2020/",
        "html": "SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for March 2020 SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses for March 2020 March 2, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In its second year, the UP Film Institute brings you SineMaestra: Women’s Masterclasses!  Enroll in our 5 masterclasses as we celebrate Women’s Month this coming March. Dip in various aspects of the film scene like planning, shooting, and promoting films!  SineMaestra is open to the public on a first come, first served basis.        Teresa Barrozo (Film Music Masterclass / 9 am -12 nn / March 7 / UPFI Videotheque)  Teresa Barrozo is a film music composer. She is the winner for Best Aural Design for the film “Birdshot” by Mikhail Red at the Filipino Arts and Cinema International (Facine24) in San Francisco, USA and the winner of the Best Original Soundtrack for the film “Kinatay” directed by Brillante Mendoza at the 42nd Sitges International Film Festival 2009 in Spain. She also earned recognition for scoring films such as “10,000 Hours” directed by Joyce Bernal at the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival and “Ka Oryang” directed by Sari Lluch Dalena at the CinemaOne Originals Film Festival 2011.  Tey Clamor (Cinematography Masterclass / 2 pm – 5 pm / March 7 / UPFI Videotheque)  Tey Clamor is a cinematographer who received her BA in Film from the UP Film Institute and has participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus, Germany in 2006. She received her first break as a Director of Photography in 2015 with the film “Sleepless” and since then completed 18 local feature films including recent films “Tayo Sa Huling Buwan Ng Taon,” “Metamorphosis,” “Isa Pa With Feelings,” and “Babae at Baril.” Her first international nomination came in 2018 for the film “Maestra” (Teacher) in the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards.  Marielle Hizon (Production Design Masterclass / 2 pm – 5 pm / March 14 / UPFI Film Studio)  Marielle Hizon is a freelance production designer and actress. She won production design awards for “Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon” (2018) at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, “Blue Bustamante” (2013) at the Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival, “Baconaua” (2017) at the Young Critics Circle, and “Lila” (2016) for Sinag Maynila Film Festival.  Angeli Bayani (Acting Masterclass / 9 am – 12 nn / March 28 / UPFI Cine Adarna)  Angeli Bayani is best known for starring in Philippine art-house and independent films notably those by Lav Diaz: “Melancholia” (2008) and “Norte, the End of History” (2013) for which she won the 2014 Gawad Urian Award for Best Actress. She also appeared in the Camera d’Or-winning Singaporean film “Ilo Ilo” (2013) by Anthony Chen.  Irene Villamor (Directing Masterclass / 2 pm – 5 pm / March 28 / UPFI Cine Adarna)  Irene Villamor is a director and assistant director known for “Camp Sawi” (2016), “Meet Me in St. Gallen” (2018), “Sid & Aya (Not A Love Story)” (2018), “Ulan” (2019) and, most recently, “On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets” (2020). Her films earned her nomination for best screenplay and best direction from various award-giving bodies such us Asian Academy Creative Awards, FAMAS Awards, FAP Awards, Gawad Urian Awards, and Star Awards for Movies.  Interested participants may register through this link: https://bit.ly/39taxvD. Confirmation and payment details will be sent once the registration process is complete.  A Certificate of Completion will be awarded to those who will participate in ALL FIVE Masterclasses.  Early bird rate is at Php 500/head per masterclass. For walk-ins, we will be charging Php 1,000/head per masterclass. PWD and Senior Citizen discounts will be honored. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sept. 21 to be proclaimed UP Day of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sept-21-to-be-proclaimed-up-day-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "Sept. 21 to be proclaimed UP Day of Remembrance Sept. 21 to be proclaimed UP Day of Remembrance September 13, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office          UP President Danilo L. Concepcion is set to declare September 21 as a Day of Remembrance in memory of the University’s best and brightest who struggled against dictatorship and despotism during the martial law years.  Following the proclamation, UP will hold activities remembering its participation in the struggle against martial law, particularly its members who lived and died fighting against dictatorship and despotism; and encouraging UP’s continuous pursuit of academic freedom, civil liberties, and human rights in society.  Martial law was imposed by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos through a proclamation dated September 21, 1972.  The UP Day of Remembrance signing ceremony will be held on Monday, September 17, 2018, 10:00 AM at the lobby of Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  According to Concepcion, UP has historically stood as champion of academic freedom, democracy, and human rights, but “there is continuing need for awareness, vigilance, and militancy in the assertion and protection of our fundamental freedoms,” he said.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPFI Film Center: Women’s March 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upfi-film-center-womens-march-2020/",
        "html": "UPFI Film Center: Women’s March 2020 UPFI Film Center: Women’s March 2020 March 4, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       It’s National Women’s Month with UPFI Film Center screenings this March. Films in exhibition spanning studio releases, full-length docus and student works all underscore the imperative of diversity and inclusivity that has propelled women to be masters of the house and craft of cinema.  DaangDokyu, the latest addition to the festival firmament, has in fact women at the helm and is opening no less with a brand-new prize-winning title from the determined ladies ranks of the country’s documentary aficionados.  SineMaestra classes are conducted anew following the success of the first batch from last year.  More March screenings for the premier state university include Parasite on the occasion of its unprecedented multiple Oscar victory; Spanish features for the celebration of the UP College of Arts and Letters Week; A three-day spotlight on Indonesian national cinema and the initial leg for the move-over run for this year’s Sinag Maynila.  Regular ticket price: PHP150 Available at the cinema entrance as early as one hour before screen time.  — UPFI Film Center is located at Magsaysay / Osmena Avenue, UP Diliman Campus, Q.C.  FB / Twitter / Instagram: @UPFIfilmcenter FB group: www.fb.com/groups/upfilmcenter "
    },
    {
        "title": "Jessica Soho talks craft at CMC – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/jessica-soho-talks-craft-at-cmc/",
        "html": "Jessica Soho talks craft at CMC Jessica Soho talks craft at CMC January 25, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Jessica Soho gives advice on the practice of journalism. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     Gawad Plaridel recipient for 2018 Jessica Soho, a broadcast journalist, talked about her career before Mass Communication students, scholars, and practitioners from different schools and organizations, in a skills enhancement seminar on January 21, 2019 in the UP Film Institute Studio, UP Diliman.  The host of the popular television magazine show, “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho”, on GMA 7 and anchor of primetime news telecast, “State of the Nation”, on GMA News TV expressed her values of good story-telling, hard work, and honesty. She traced these to her maternal and paternal grandmothers, one of whom sold meat in the market.     Jessica Soho talks before an audience of Mass Communication practitioners, students, and scholars from Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     “I want to keep it real,” Soho said. “The market is the place to be if you want to feel the vibe and pulse of the place and its people,” she stressed.  “The best stories are there, too, if you bother to talk and listen to the sellers, farmers, fishermen, middlemen, et cetera. It is also where I gather feedback. . .  if we are connecting to our target audience,” she explained.  “I guess you can call all that research,” Soho emphasized.     Jessica Soho stresses a point in her lecture. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     She then proceeded to give practical advice on ensuring quality and interesting broadcast news, without discounting being a control freak with the smallest details.  “TV work as journalism also entails a lot of diskarte and pakikisama. . . . You have to rely on a lot of people for help, strangers even,” she added. “For those of you wishing to join us, may I suggest ngayon pa lang you learn to be humble and stay that way. . . . You need to get along with your team.”     After the seminar, Jessica Soho joins the group for a photo before entertaining requests for selfies. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     Traditionally, Soho said, impact is the strength of television, as are depth of print, and reach of radio. But she believes that with the internet and technology, communicators have greater opportunity to achieve all three for their stories.  Soho began her internationally acclaimed journalism career as a reporter for GMA 7 in the mid-1980s. She began producing news segments and documentaries in the 1990s before becoming a news executive of the network.     Jessica Soho and a young local government communicator interact during the open forum. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO     Soho’s participation in the CMC seminar was part of the Gawad Plaridel program, according to UP Diliman College of Mass Communication (UPD-CMC) Dean and Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, who gave the opening remarks at the seminar. The Gawad is the highest honor UP bestows to pillars of mass communication in the country.  Organized by the UPD-CMC Office of Extension and External Relations, headed by Director Shirley Palileo-Evidente, the seminar was sponsored by the Office of the UP President.  Soho’s talk was preceded by a presentation on news literacy by CMC Journalism Department Chair Rachel Khan and followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.     Journalism professor Rachel Khan talks about prevailing trends in disinformation and misinformation. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP-MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP partners with UPAA San Francisco to launch alumni mentoring program for students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-partners-with-upaa-san-francisco-to-launch-alumni-mentoring-program-for-students/",
        "html": "UP partners with UPAA San Francisco to launch alumni mentoring program for students UP partners with UPAA San Francisco to launch alumni mentoring program for students November 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF), in partnership with the UP System Office of Student Development Services, is set to launch an online mentoring program for students currently enrolled at UP Diliman.  This first-ever mentoring program matches mentors based in the San Francisco Bay Area with UP college students in the Philippines. These volunteer mentors are experts in their professional fields of interest with long years of experience in their chosen careers.  The initial set of mentors for the pilot program that will be launched on November 8, 2023, include:  Jim Cortes, a retired UN Advisor; Sonia Delen, senior vice president of Bank of America-Global Leasing; Rosario “Chato” Calderon, SCORE-SF co-chair; Lety Quizon, a graduate school professor of Marketing and Communications in the US and a nonprofit marketing expert; Simeon Y. Godinez, Salesforce Software Development manager; Eric Golangco, Construction and Civil engineer; Mica Viray, Workforce Analytics manager; and Zigfred Viray, Senior Software Applications engineer.  Once paired, mentors and their UP student mentees will participate in dynamic design thinking sessions. The program will help mentees carve out personalized career paths, evaluate and leverage career opportunities, and develop and commit to an action plan to support their career goals. They will use digital platforms to foster vibrant interaction and information exchange, creating a welcoming environment for mentoring and goal achievement.  The UPAASF Mentoring Program is one of the innovative programs of its Education Committee and was created to provide guidance to UP mentees as they navigate their careers, explore new career paths, and find options to further their education and training.  For more information on this program, please visit upaasf.org or contact the UP OSDS at studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph or 89818500, extension 8779. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD hosts conference on 100 years of Philippine cinema – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-hosts-conference-on-100-years-of-philippine-cinema/",
        "html": "UPD hosts conference on 100 years of Philippine cinema UPD hosts conference on 100 years of Philippine cinema September 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Diliman campus hosted the first day of the international conference, “Sandaan: Philippine Cinema Centennial Conference”, on September 14 at the UP Film Institute (UPFI) Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Held in celebration of 100 years of Philippine cinema, the two-day event started with inspiring messages from UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) Dean Elena Pernia, and UPFI Director Sari Dalena. Professor Wimal Dissanayake of the Academy for Creative Media, University of Hawaii delivered the keynote address that focused on “Nationhood, Cinema and the Public Sphere”.  According to Tan, Philippine movies during the first 100 years tackled many important social issues, including politics and gender. He also said that “the best of our movies are those that had to overcome many obstacles, from budgets to censorship, showing how cinema does not just reflect society but is society writ large,” referring to censorship and films during martial law.  Tan hoped the use of digital technologies would help filmmakers in instilling critical awareness and discernment in the public. “Sineng Filipino’s excellence will depend on how we are rooted in being Filipino and in being human,” concluded Tan.  Pernia highlighted the history and leading role of the UP CMC and the UPFI in media and film education, practice, and scholarship.  Dalena said that “cinema is a beautiful and powerful medium, and it is young at 100 years.” She added that “as an art form, cinema remains to be explored and shaped in the next 100 years.” Dalena also said the conference, which examined the nation’s cinematic history from 1917 to the present, was just the start of a 3-year celebration to continue up to 2019.  Dissanayake extensively discussed the inter-relationships between cinema, nationhood, and the public sphere. He cited scholarly work, films, issues, and other examples from Asian and Western societies, as well as from the Philippines. He added that the celebration of 100 years of Philippine cinema also includes the recognition of the importance of the works done by Filipino filmmakers and scholars.     Dissanayake extensively discussed the inter-relationships between cinema, nationhood, and the public sphere. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Day 1 of “Sandaan” featured panel discussions on the beginnings and development of cinema in colonial Philippines, during World War 2 and the Japanese occupation, from the post-war period to pre-1972, and up to the Marcos administration’s Martial Law era. It included discussions on the birth of political cinema and film archiving.  Among the scholars of cinema included in the panel discussions were: Nadi Tofighian (Dept. of Media Studies, Stockholm University); Ernie de Pedro (Takayama Ukon Kensho Zaidan); Lena Pareja-Strait (CAL, UP Diliman); Nick Deocampo (UPFI, CMC); Motoe Terami-Wada (fellow at Sophia University, DLSU, Osaka University, Ateneo de Manila University); Ricardo Jose (Third World Studies Center, UP Diliman); Nicanor Tiongson (UPFI, CMC); Joyce L. Arriola (University of Santo Tomas); Rolando Tolentino (UPFI, CMC); Bliss Cua Lim (Film and Media Studies, University of California, Irvine); Rosemarie Roque (Society of Filipino Archivists for Film, NCCA); and, many others.     (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     After the panel discussions, the film “Mababangong Bangungot” (Perfumed Nightmare) starring, written, and directed by Kidlat Tahimik, was screened, followed by an open forum with the acclaimed filmmaker. Tahimik imparted inspiring life lessons for the audience and young filmmakers. He also advised them to keep telling original stories and to make films based on the Filipino people’s own culture and experiences.  Day 2 was held at the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts Theater. Panel discussions tackled filmmaking from the regions and the diasporic communities, digital and new cinema, subaltern and activist subjects, film education, and alternative histories.  The conference was organized by the UP Film Institute, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the De La Salle – College of St. Benilde. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  To view more photos of the event, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "New batch of UPD-NSTP graduates inducted into NSRC – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-batch-of-upd-nstp-graduates-inducted-into-nsrc/",
        "html": "New batch of UPD-NSTP graduates inducted into NSRC New batch of UPD-NSTP graduates inducted into NSRC June 5, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    More than sixty students of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) who completed the course requirements under the National Service Training Program (NSTP) – UP College of Fine Arts (CFA) for academic year 2017-18 received their certificates of recognition on May 30, 2018, at the new building of the UP CFA in Diliman, Quezon City. The UPD-NSTP graduates were also inducted as new members of the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) of the Philippines.     New members of the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) of the Philippines. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     This batch was comprised of three classes by Professors Jose Melchor Silvestre, Johnny Reynoso, and Theresa Mabyn Rosales, respectively. The graduating classes each showed a short video highlighting the activities they conducted under the program. Certificates of thanksgiving and recognition were also presented to representatives of UPD-NSTP’s partner organizations: The Guiding Road Charitable Organization, Inc.; the Reception and Study Center for Children; and, the UP CFA.  UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa, CFA Dean Leonardo C. Rosete, and NSTP Director Arlyn P. Macapinlac delivered inspirational messages at the event.  Rosete said the CFA’s extension programs and services link UP students and faculty with underserved communities, and complement the NSTP’s mandate. In line with event’s theme, “Serbisyong Sining Para sa Bayan”, he encouraged the NSTP graduates to help strengthen the competencies of more people, in terms of art production, through their creative outputs and activities such as workshops, and to contribute to the enrichment of Philippine culture.        In his message to the students, Herbosa, a specialist in Trauma Surgery and Emergency Medicine, and a former undersecretary of the Department of Health, related his professional and personal advocacies for universal health care, and raising public awareness and capabilities for emergency response. He urged the audience to continue learning and honing their skills even after college, to value what they gained from UP and NSTP, and to use the sciences and the arts to be able to effectively address the people’s needs, especially during times of crisis, disaster or emergency. He added that as members of the NSRC, they can also get involved with various interdisciplinary initiatives under UP, such as those of the UP Resilience Institute.  Macapinlac congratulated the students for their accomplishments under the mandated 6-unit program. She said they established linkages with institutions, communities and individuals; and through those partnerships, they were able to conduct activities, gather donations, and render voluntary services to sectors who were in most need, such as neglected and indigent children, and the evacuees from Mayon Volcano’s eruption and from the battle of Marawi in Mindanao. She said there were many ways to be a volunteer, to offer their talents and capabilities for the benefit of needy sectors and for the development of our communities and society. She also called on the new members of the NSRC to continue to support and actively participate in the many initiatives of UP, NSTP and NSRC.     UP Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa encouraged the NSTP graduates to continue learning and honing their skills even after college, to value what they gained from UP and NSTP, and to use the sciences and the arts to be able to effectively address the people’s needs. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Days earlier, commencement ceremonies were also held at the College of Education and the College of Engineering for the graduates of other NSTP classes.  Under the National Service Training Program Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9163) the NSTP aims to enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three program components: Military Training Services (MTS); Civic Welfare Training Services (CWTS); and, Literacy Training Services (LTS). Members of the NSRC may be mobilized by the government for literacy, disaster preparedness, and civic welfare activities. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Promoting an awareness of federalism – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/promoting-an-awareness-of-federalism/",
        "html": "Promoting an awareness of federalism Promoting an awareness of federalism November 27, 2018 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    She has spoken countless times on TV and radio as well as other media where her expertise in political science and forms of government were shared with wider and curious audiences. But Professor Maria Ela Atienza still feels that there is a lack of understanding of what federalism is and how it can affect people.  As chairperson of the Department of Political Science at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) of the University of the Philippines Diliman, Atienza teaches subjects on governance, politics, local government, gender issues, and human security.     Prof. Maria Ela Atienza, PhD. Chairperson of the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman.     Atienza earned her BA in Political Science, magna cum laude, in 1992 and an MA in 1993. She joined the Department of Political Science in 1993 as an instructor. She later completed an Executive Master’s degree in International and European Relations at the University of Amsterdam in 1998 and a PhD in Political Science at Kobe University in 2003. Her papers have been published in both local and international journals, earning her the recognition of academic institutions and international organizations. In 2014, she was chosen as the Achievement Awardee for Social Sciences by the National Research Council of the Philippines.  In recent years, she has also been active not only in her teaching and research engagements but also in spreading awareness of federalism. And the number of opportunities for these discussions increased after President Rodrigo Duterte, who at that time was a candidate, swore to pursue the shift to a federal form of government.     Two levels of government  Asked for a simple definition of federalism, Atienza says it is a form of government where there are two levels of government: federal or national, and states or regional governments. In theory, she says federalism is the sharing of sovereignty between two levels of local government. “The idea is the federal government and state governments are equal.”  As for the current form of government in the country, she says it is unitary with some features of governance devolved or distributed to local governments: “We have the 1991 Local Government Code, so in that case, there’s a national legislation that gives powers, some powers to local government.”  As to why some countries opt for federalism, Atienza says the structure may be more ideal for those with diverse traditions and populations. “There are reasons why some nation-states opt for federalism. Some of the reasons include preservation of identities. Identities can be in terms of ethnicity, culture, religion and other differences,” she says.     Asst. Prof. Jan Robert Go of the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman.     Speaking of culture, her colleague at the department, Assistant Professor Jan Robert Go, sees federalism as a structure which would be more accommodating of the varied cultural traditions of ethno-linguistic groups in the country. “Under a federal system, you can have the Bicolanos ruled by Bicolanos in a Bicolano way, if there’s such a thing. In the same way with Calabarzon, the Tagalogs, or the Cebuanos, or the Mindanaoans.” Go believes that the form of government would reflect the local communities of the country: “I think that’s one thing positive about federalism, that we highlight the regional identities, these differences that is in our context as a Philippine society, is very apparent.”  Specializing in rapid field appraisal of local government units, money politics in elections, local citizen participation, and devolution and decentralization, Go teaches courses on Philippine politics and government, and Philippine and Asian political thought in UP Diliman. He earned his political science degree in UP Manila in 2009 and his master’s degree in Diliman in 2013.  Go thinks that federalism’s promise of empowering local communities is the biggest reason why it attracts some political leaders in the country, particularly those from areas which have been struggling to develop their provinces and towns. “The main argument of federalism is to empower the lower levels of government, particularly the regional level.” Federalism, he adds, will “let these voices, if you may, be heard.”  While federalism has been touted by advocates to spur development in the regions, Go says this will only be possible with resources also coming from the federal or national government. “We will be giving more resources to the local level, to the regional level, because they will be governing, according to how they think they should be governed.”  He warns though that this positive development could also become a negative feature of federalism. “When you give more funds, it becomes vulnerable to corruption.” While the same problem also exists in the current form of government, he said federalism might enable some unscrupulous individuals to dodge accountability. “I think federalism can exacerbate the situation and corruption may even be widespread,” he adds.  For UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) Dean Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, federalism’s most visible attribute is its recognition of the different traditions and identities of the communities in a state. “You recognize diversity in unity.” And because of this feature, she says, the autonomy of communities is preserved.  What makes federalism different from the current form of government, according to Dean Mendoza, is that the sharing of powers is provided for by the fundamental law of the state. “The sharing of power between the central government and the states is constitutionally mandated.”  Mendoza, who teaches courses on public policy, theories of administrative systems and research methodology at NCPAG, has also been a frequent speaker on federalism over the past few years.     Prof. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, DPA. Dean of the National College of Public Administration and Governance.     Asked on her thoughts on the proposed federal constitution, Mendoza says there are some features which are noteworthy in the proposed federal Constitution. “They added to the rights, which is good, but very little is added to the powers of the regional governments.”  On July 9, the Consultative Committee for the drafting of a constitution for a federal system of government, headed by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, submitted their draft to President Duterte at the Malacañang Palace.  Among the features of the proposed federal constitution are its emphasis on the autonomy of local government units, as well as the recognition of the importance of information and communication technology in nation-building. It also provides social and economic rights, which entitle every citizen to food, healthcare, decent housing and livelihood. Immediate relief from violations of the right to a clean environment is also provided.  As for administrative provisions, the proposed constitution provides for 16 federated regions and the Bangsamoro and Federal Region of the Cordilleras. Except for these two special regions, these federated regions will have their own: regional legislature, which will be called a Regional Assembly; a regional executive of the Regional Governor; and, a regional judiciary or Regional Supreme Court.  Under the federal system, the national or federal government will still exercise national security, foreign affairs, international trade, customs and tariffs, immigration, economic and monetary powers. The federated regions on the other hand will have exclusive power on the creation of sources of revenue, financial administration and management, tourism, land use, public utilities, culture and language development, as well as sports development, parks and recreation and the issuance of business permits and licenses.     Benefits and challenges  For Atienza, among the positive features of federalism is the flexibility it offers regions in the management of their own affairs, be it in the crafting of their budget, distribution of representation in the local assembly and even in the formulation of social and economic policies. “You can have variations in terms of electoral systems, the party system. You can also think about possible taxation schemes.” She adds that in a federal system, “There’s space for more innovation.”  Atienza sees the increased autonomy as a possible venue to enhance people’s participation in government and in the democratic processes. “Theoretically the understanding is that people can participate more directly when government is closer to them.”  While he views federalism as a possible form of government which would empower the people in the regions, Go is apprehensive when it comes to the presence of traditional political families. “You have a limited number of people controlling power, and this limited number of people is concentrated in a single or a couple of families within the area.” He believes these same political families might be able to galvanize their hold to power.  While the shift to a federal government may address some of the issues which have been confronting the country, Mendoza says it will be important to look into the different concerns from various groups regarding its adoption. “Federalism should happen for the right reasons and not just because it’s a campaign promise.”  As for Atienza, she highlights the need to spread more awareness of federalism as a form of government and the features of the proposed constitution. She laments how discussion on the proposal took a different turn from that which would have informed and educated the public. “It’s unfortunate that the campaign for federalism has been, in a sense, hijacked by trivializing the concept,” she said.  In June, the Social Weather Systems survey revealed that only 1 out of four Filipinos is aware of the proposed Federal System of Government. And of those surveyed, only 37% supported it, while 34% remain undecided and 29% oppose it. Results of a related survey conducted by Pulse Asia also released in June also showed 69% of Filipinos have low knowledge of the proposed federal system of government. The majority of those surveyed admitted little to almost no knowledge of the proposal.  To make ordinary citizens realize what’s at stake in the shift, Atienza suggests focusing more on how the change in form of government could affect their lives. “The administration should be connecting federalism and the whole proposal to change the constitution to how it relates with the daily concerns of people,” she adds. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinars discuss Diliman Commune and the Philippine leg of the first circumnavigation of the globe – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinars-discuss-diliman-commune-and-the-philippine-leg-of-the-first-circumnavigation-of-the-globe/",
        "html": "UP webinars discuss Diliman Commune and the Philippine leg of the first circumnavigation of the globe UP webinars discuss Diliman Commune and the Philippine leg of the first circumnavigation of the globe January 27, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   “Talastasan sa Kasaysayan: UP Department of History Lecture Series” poster from the UP Departamento ng Kasaysayan Facebook page. Interested individuals can register at https://forms.gle/kVSr6W5PHPxZaF75A.     The University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) Department of History is mounting “Talastasan sa Kasaysayan”, a webinar series that commemorates the Diliman Commune and the Philippine leg of the globe’s first recorded circumnavigation, which happened 50 and 500 years ago, respectively.  The Department will stream the webinars via Zoom on February 2, March 16, the third one tentatively set on April 7, and April 23, 2021, all in the afternoon, in cooperation with the UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, and with government’s National Quincentennial Commission on the webinars related to the circumnavigation.  The webinar speakers will discuss the Diliman Commune of February 1971; and, the Philippine leg of the first recorded circumnavigation of the world marked by the first Holy Mass on the islands, what transpired in Cebu thereafter, and the Victory at Mactan.  “Celebrating the Legacy of the Diliman Commune” will be the topic of Bonifacio Ilagan of Surian ng Sining and Prof. Judy Taguiwalo of UPD College of Social Work and Community Development.  “The Confusion and Contention over Mazaua”, “Understanding 16th-Century Visayan Society”, and “Mapping Perspectives on Indigenous Warfare” will be the topics of the succeeding webinars, featuring: Dr. Antonio Sanchez de Mora of Archivo General de Indias; Fr. Antonio de Castro, SJ and Dr. Felice Noelle Rodriguez of Ateneo de Zamboanga University; Dr. Jose Eleazar Bersales of the University of San Carlos Museum; Dr. Rolando Borrinaga of the UP Manila-Palo School of Health Sciences; and, Dr. Jose Amiel Angeles of the University of Oregon.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMBT races to the 1st Final Four game vs. DLSU after beating ADMU – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmbt-races-to-the-1st-final-four-game-vs-dlsu-after-beating-admu/",
        "html": "UPMBT races to the 1st Final Four game vs. DLSU after beating ADMU UPMBT races to the 1st Final Four game vs. DLSU after beating ADMU May 4, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UPMBT’s James Spencer and the rest of the team exult in another victory over ADMU. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons races today, May 4, to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 men’s basketball tournament semifinals after clipping the Blue Eagles’ wings and putting Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) winning streak to an abrupt end on May 1 with an edge-of-your-seat score of 84-83.  A traditional Final Four will determine UAAP season 84 men’s basketball championship with UP’s win. UP finished the eliminations round at second seed with 12 wins and two losses, right after the top-seeded ADMU with 13 wins and one loss. The Final Four are De La Salle University (DLSU), with nine wins and five losses, and Far Eastern University (FEU), with seven wins and seven losses. With these developments,  UP and ADMU now have a twice-to-beat advantage over DLSU and FEU. UP and ADMU must be defeated twice by their opponents in a unilateral double elimination.  UPMBT’s Zav Lucero soaring high over the Blue Eagles. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The first of the Final Four games will be held today, May 4, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. UP will square off against DLSU’s Green Archers at 2:00 p.m. today and again on May 6 at 2:00 p.m. ADMU’s match against FEU will be held on May 4 and again on May 6 at 6:00 p.m.  The finals will commence on May 8, following a best-of-three series.  The schedule of the semifinals and finals games, tweeted by the UAAP Media Group.  Battle of Katipunan Redux  In the match last May 1, the UP Fighting Maroons dealt ADMU its first defeat in the Season, avenging the UPMBT’s first loss in the first round at the hands of ADMU. The loss is the Blue Eagles’ first defeat since their loss to FEU on October 10, 2018. Previously, ADMU has won 39 consecutive games against UP.  Down 77-81, UPMBT’s Malick Diouf drained two free throws before James Spencer drilled a booming trey from the top of the key to put the Fighting Maroons ahead, 82-81, with 43.6 seconds to go.  Against the backdrop of a sea of UP Fighting Maroons fans, UPMBT’s Malick Diouf scores to secure the game for UP. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  ADMU grabbed back the lead at 32.4 seconds, 83-82. Off a timeout, Ricci Rivero received the ball and called an iso, penetrated to the basket, and was fouled. He buried both coolly for UP, 84-83, with 22.2 seconds remaining. Diouf secured the board, and he was sent to the line and grabbed the board to secure the win.  Diouf had a monster game of 18 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block. Carl Tamayo chalked up 16 points while Spencer got 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.  UPMBT Coach Goldwin Monteverde called UP’s win against ADMU “a big achievement” for the Fighting Maroons, especially considering the Blue Eagles’ lengthy winning streak. “One thing good for me is yung team namin stayed as a team, no matter how close the game was,” he continued. “May mga ups and downs along the way and whatever we talked about on being a team, even in times of struggle. I’m happy about the win, but right now siyempre we need to think about also na yung bigger picture. We’re going on sa semifinals. We need to prepare for that.”  UPMBT Coach Goldwin Monteverde congratulates his team. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  UPMBT’s Ricci Rivero thanked his teammates, Coach Monteverde, and the UP community, who came out to the MOA Arena to support the Fighting Maroons. This audience included UP System officials and many distinguished alumni. “I’m feeling just so happy and so blessed to be able to represent the community who supports us wholeheartedly,” he said. “I’m just so happy we are seeing what the team is capable of, and we showed that this UP team is something else as long as we listen to coaches, stick to our game plans, stick to the system and trust our teammates.”  UPMBT’s Diouf agreed, praising the team’s defense and offense, according to Coach Monteverde’s instructions. “Yeah, that was a good game. We all enjoyed it; the joy was there. I’m so happy right now.”  The Scores:  UP 84 – Diouf 18, Tamayo 16, Spencer 12, Cansino 11, Lucero 9, Rivero 8, Cagulangan 7, Fortea 3, Alarcon 0, Webb 0, Lina 0.  Ateneo 83 – Kouame 21, Ildefonso 18, Belangel 11, Andrade 10, Verano 7, Tio 6, Koon 5, Lazaro 2, Mendoza 2, Chiu 1, Mamuyac 0.  Quarterscores: 27-13, 50-44, 70-67, 84-83.  Photos and reporting by the UAAP Media Group. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroon centers take MVP, Mythical 5 trophies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroon-centers-take-mvp-mythical-5-trophies/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroon centers take MVP, Mythical 5 trophies UP Fighting Maroon centers take MVP, Mythical 5 trophies December 16, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   MVP Malick Diouf (left) and Carl Tamayo (right) display the moves that earned them a place among UAAP Season 85’s Mythical 5. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     UPMBT’s Zavier Lucero is comforted by his teammates after he injured his knee in a fall. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)  University of the Philippines’ (UP) Men’s Basketball Team center Malick Diouf was named Season 85’s Most Valuable Player and, together with fellow team center Carl Tamayo, declared member of this season’s Mythical Five during the UAAP awarding ceremonies preceding Game Two of the Best of Three Finals between UP and Ateneo de Manila University on December 14, 2022.  The 6-foot-11 Senegalese averaged 10.79 points and 10.86 rebounds per game during the elimination round. Tamayo averaged 13.79 points and 7.71 rebounds per game and was named a sponsor’s Swag Player of the Season after garnering 28,000 fan votes.  “I want to say thank you for this blessing. Thank you to my teammates, but the job is not yet done. I hope that in two or three hours, we will be celebrating in our school,” said Diouf in a speech after receiving his trophies.  UPMBT’s JD Cagulangan bursts through the Blue Eagles’ defense to score. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)  His hopes were dashed, however, in the next game as the UP Fighting Maroons succumbed to the ADMU Blue Eagles, 55-65. Diouf scored only two points, missing most of the match after Ateneo’s tight defense led to him committing fouls early in the game.  Misfortune hounded the Maroons until the fourth quarter when forward Zavier Lucero hurt his knee on a fall, 8:31 remaining on the clock, and had to be carried off the court. His fitness for Game 3 is uncertain as of press time.  Tamayo and guard JD Cagulangan scored consistently at 15 and 11, respectively. Tamayo kept the Maroon crowd’s hopes alive in the fourth quarter, which they entered 13 points behind Ateneo. He made the first seven points for UP, the second shot from outside the rainbow line. The momentum peaked with guard Terrence Fortea shooting another three-pointer with 4:46 remaining in the clock. However, Ateneo’s 8 points in the fourth quarter, four from game top-scorer Ange Kouame, was enough to seal the game in the Blue Eagles’ favor.  The UP loss led to a tie in the finals and a do-or-die, winner-takes-all Game 3 on December 19. The UP community continues to hold out for a repeat of the Season 84 Finals when the UP Fighting Maroons took the championship in Game 3 after a Game 1 win and Game 2 loss.     Familiar sights from the bleachers of the SMART Araneta Coliseum—UPMBT’s fans and stans in a sea of maroon:  Photos by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "With a win vs. FEU, UP finishes 1st round in UAAP basketball with a 6-1 win-loss – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/with-a-win-vs-feu-up-finishes-1st-round-in-uaap-basketball-with-a-6-1-win-loss/",
        "html": "With a win vs. FEU, UP finishes 1st round in UAAP basketball with a 6-1 win-loss With a win vs. FEU, UP finishes 1st round in UAAP basketball with a 6-1 win-loss April 12, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP’s Ricci Rivero rams through FEU’s defenses. The UPMBT has completed a near-sweep of the first round of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons outscored the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 83-76, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City, on April 9, 2022, completing a near-sweep of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball first round. The UP Men’s Basketball Team enters the second half of the preliminaries on solo second with a 6-1 win-loss card, trailing the yet unbeatable and last season’s champion, the Ateneo Blue Eagles.  UP’s Zavier Lucero exults after scoring in the game’s 4th quarter. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Forward Zavier Lucero powered the victory with 27 points, with a whopping 16 worth connecting in the third quarter, enabling UP to pull away from FEU from a dismal 31-32 in the first half to 58-50.  In the first quarter, the Maroons had trailed FEU, 14-18, before regaining composure in the second. Lucero and center Carl Tamayo had chipped in 8 points apiece, but still no match to Tamaraws LJ Gonzales and Xyrus Torres 18-point combo.  “It probably should have been down more than we were, the way we were playing,” Lucero said post-game. “I thought we played well in the second half, and we got out to a strong start. And then our guys just made plays on the fourth quarter to keep [FEU] at bay.”  UP Coach Goldwin Monteverde bolsters rookie UP player Terrence Fortea. Photo by UAAP Media Group.  “I guess ‘yung tempo nung first half hindi favorable sa amin, so we tried to force them to play an up-tempo game, which opened up things for us in transition,” said UP coach Goldwin Monteverde. “’Yung defense, kahit papaano, nu’ng second half mas gumanda naman.”  In the fourth quarter, Guard Ricci Rivero foiled an FEU comeback with 8 out of the 10 points he made in the game, capped by a trey sealing UP’s winning 83, 14.4 seconds before the final buzzer.  Guard CJ Cansino and center Malick Diouf joined Lucero, Tamayo, and Rivero as top scorers with seven each. Lucero’s reinforcements came along with 27 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and one block. Tamayo logged in 12 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Six rebounds and three assists backed Rivero’s 10 points.  Gonzales led FEU with 20 points and eight rebounds, followed by Emmanuel Ojuola with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  UP’s CJ Cansino drives through FEU’s defenses. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Asked about his chances at the Most Valuable Player award, Lucero said: “It’s flattering, but we have one goal on this team. Everybody has the same goal. That’s what’s special about us. There’s no individual accolade that will make a difference if we aren’t able to do what we set out to do. I like where we’re at.”  A team plays the other teams twice in the two-round preliminaries of the games’ three-stage format. The format eliminates four teams with the worst records, and the other four move forward to the semifinals, where the first-seeded team plays the fourth, and the second plays the third. The first- and second-seeded teams have the twice-to-beat advantage in the semis, while the third and fourth teams need to win twice. The two winning teams from the match-ups compete in the finals.  However, with the Blue Eagles making a 16-0 sweep in the group stage in Season 82, the games had to assume the stepladder format, where they advanced straight to the finals. The second-, third-, and fourth-seeded teams had to compete in the semis to play the Blue Eagles in the finals.  The Scores:  UP 83 — Lucero 27, Tamayo 12, Rivero 10, Cansino 7, Diouf 7, Fortea 6, Alarcon 5, Cagulangan 4, Abadiano 3, Spencer 2, Lina 0, Catapusan 0.  FEU 76 — Gonzales 20, Ojuola 17, Torres 17, Alforque 9, Abarrientos 8, Sandagon 3, Tempra 2, Sleat 0, Sajonia 0, Bienes 0, Celzo 0.  Quarterscores: 14-18, 31-32, 58-50, 83-76.  Fans celebrate UP’s latest triumph in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball games. Photo by the UAAP Media Group."
    },
    {
        "title": "RTD on internationalization of Philippine HEIs held – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rtd-on-internationalization-of-philippine-heis-held/",
        "html": "RTD on internationalization of Philippine HEIs held RTD on internationalization of Philippine HEIs held July 25, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Working Group 2 on “Research of universities in an international context” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The ANTENA Consortium, of which UP is a member, held the ANTENA Project’s First National Round Table and Coordination Meeting on July 15 and 16 at De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila.  The ANTENA Project is an initiative on the internationalization of Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs), coordinated by the Oficina de Gestión de Proyectos Internacionales (International Project Management Office) of the Universidad de Alicante (UA), Spain. It is co-funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Program.  The two-day event succeeded the ANTENA launch and initial meeting of partners held at UA from February 26 to March 1.     Speakers at the opening program (clockwise from top left): De La Salle University VP for External Relations and Internationalization Laurene Chua-Garcia welcomes the participants; Commission on Higher Education-International Affairs Staff OIC Deputy Executive Director Lily Freida Milla gives the overview of the ANTENA First National Round Table; Ateneo De Manila University School of Management-Business Resource Center Director John Luis Lagdameo present the initial findings from the national survey on internationalization in and of Philippine higher education institutions; and ANTENA Project Coordinator Carolina Madeleine provides an overview of the ANTENA Project. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A highlight of the event’s opening program was the Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) presentation of initial findings from the national survey it conducted on internationalization in and of Philippine HEIs. It had 103 respondents.  ADMU School of Management-Business Resource Center Director John Luis Lagdameo pointed out the top four barriers to mobility in three sectors: student, faculty, and administration and staff. The biggest challenge in all sectors was insufficient financial support. Administrative and bureaucratic difficulties also hindered mobility for all three.  Limited interest and involvement, as well as lack of foreign language skills, were also barriers to student and faculty mobility. For administration and staff mobility, other barriers included in the top four were limited technical support and lack of organizational development.     Plenary speakers share the experiences of their institutions on internationalization, from left: Xavier University School of Business and Management Dean Ruth Love Russell; Central Luzon State University VP for Academic Affairs Renato Reyes; Universidad de Alicante Oficina de Gestión de Proyectos Internacionales (International Project Management Office) Director Roberto Escarré; and Université de Montpellier Relations Internationales Chargée de Mission Stephanie Metz. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In the morning of the first day, featured were the institutional experiences on the internationalization of: Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (XU); Central Luzon State University (CLSU); UA; and, Université de Montpellier (UM). The rest of the first day and the morning of the second day were spent on parallel working groups with the following topics: academic quality through internationalization; research of universities in an international context; national context for internationalization; and, how to make the most of the ANTENA Project.     European Foundation for Management Development International Projects Director Christophe Terrasse (left) moderates Working Group 1 on “Academic quality through internationalization.” The right photo shows one of the assessment activities in Working Group 1. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Working Group 3 (top) discusses “National context for Internationalization” while Working Group 4 (bottom) talks about “How to make the most of the ANTENA Project” in parallel sessions. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The afternoon of the second day was allotted to the management meeting, the agenda of which included discussions on: reform need analysis and institutional building; promoting HEIs governance reforms; dissemination; and, quality control and monitoring.  The members of the ANTENA Consortium are: UA; ADMU; Benguet State University; CLSU; Commission on Higher Education-Philippines; DLSU; European Foundation for Management Development; Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology; Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Saint Louis University; UM; University of San Carlos; UP; and, XU.     Speakers and participants pose for a group photo. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left: UP EVP Teodoro Herbosa, Gabriela Bauste of the Universidad de Alicante Oficina de Gestión de Proyectos Internacionales (International Project Management Office), UP AVP for Academic Affairs Gil Jacinto, and ANTENA Project Coordinator Carolina Madeleine (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The ANTENA Project has four identified outcomes: reform need analysis and institutional building; promoting HEIs governance reforms; capacity building through training; and, networking and sustainability. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Fighting Maroons gains 1st win, downs UST, 98-82 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fighting-maroons-gains-1st-win-downs-ust-98-82/",
        "html": "UP Fighting Maroons gains 1st win, downs UST, 98-82 UP Fighting Maroons gains 1st win, downs UST, 98-82 April 1, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP Fighting Maroons’ Zav Lucero is soaring high. Photo from the UAAP Season 84 Media Team.  With a 1-1 win-loss standing as of press time, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons will face the National University’s team at 4 p.m. today, Thursday, March 31, for the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.  UP vs. UST  In its recent match against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) team, UP scored its first win, 98-82, on Tuesday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.  The Fighting Maroons caught up with the Growling Tigers’ efforts and scored big in the second half, led by Zav Lucero. By the fourth quarter, 88-67, UP’s advantage was already 21 points.  UP Fighting Maroons’ Ricci Rivero. Photo from the UAAP Season 84 Media Team.  UP’s Ricci Rivero delivered 19 points, Lucero 18, Tamayo 18, Spencer 11, Cansino 7, Cagulangan 6, Catapusan 6, Diouf 6, Alarcon 5, and Abadiano 2.  UST’s Sherwin Concepcion scored 19 points, Fontanilla 17, Cabanero 16, Pangilinan 13, Manalang 7, Santos 6, and Manaytay 4.  Quarterscores: 16-25, 42-48, 78-63, 98-82.  UP Coach Goldwin Monteverde: “Every game is important to us.” Photo from the UAAP Season 84 Media Team.  UP coach Goldwin Monteverde highlights the team’s bounce back from the first game with Ateneo Blue Eagles. He said, “Every game is important for us; Marami pa kaming chances to improve and so… paghahandaan namin ng maayos to win the game.”  UP vs. Ateneo  The Ateneo Blue Eagles won against the Fighting Maroons in the game last March 26, with a final score of 90-81.  The scores for this match were:  Ateneo 90 – Ildefonso 19, Verano 18, Kouame 11, Belangel 10, Mamuyac 9, Mendoza 6, Tio 5, Chiu 4, Daves 4, Koon 2, Lazaro 2, Andrade 0, Gomez 0, Mallilin 0.  UP 81 – Cansino 21, Diouf 15, Tamayo 13, Rivero 11, Fortea 5, Spencer 4, Cagulangan 4, Lucero 2, Catapusan 2, Abadiano 2, Webb 2, Alarcon 0.  Quarterscores: 26-18, 46-35, 71-54, 90-81.  Information, interviews, and photos were provided by the UAAP Season 84 Media Team. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MBT off to UAAP Season 85 finals—a second championship in the running? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mbt-off-to-uaap-season-85-finals-a-second-championship-in-the-running/",
        "html": "UP MBT off to UAAP Season 85 finals—a second championship in the running? UP MBT off to UAAP Season 85 finals—a second championship in the running? December 10, 2022 | Written by Stephanie Esperida   UP MBT’s JD Cagulangan shooting past the Bulldogs’ defense. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     The twice-to-beat University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons stamped its win right away in the first round of the final four series against the National University (NU) Bulldogs at the Big Dome on December 7. With this, the UP Fighting Maroons will head the finals against the Ateneo Blue Eagles on December 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena for a rematch of the Battle of Katipunan, putting the UAAP championship once again within arms’ reach of UP.  UPMBT’s Zavier Lucero sends off an unbeatable shot during the first round of the final four series of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)  This development comes after the UP MBT’s winning streak in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 men’s basketball tournaments began on October 1, 2022. The UP MBT trounced NU, Adamson University, the University of the East, Far Eastern University, and the University of Santo Tomas in five of the seven games in the second round, facing defeat only against De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University, and earning the twice-to-beat rank in the semifinals.  While the Bulldogs started strong in the first quarter, UP MBT’s Carl Tamayo’s three-pointer and Zavier Lucero’s drive to catch up in the last few seconds of the quarter brought the Fighting Maroons to a mere 2-point deficit.  After another weak offense in the second quarter, UP MBT Coach Goldwyn Monteverde urged the Fighting Maroons to stay in the present. UP MBT’s Cyril Gonzales’ scoring run in the third quarter earned the Fighting Maroons’ first lead. Adding to UP’s lead were Terence Fortea’s, Zavier Lucero’s, and Carl Tamayo’s hooks and 3-point shots, coupled with the team’s offensive rebounds.  The 9-0 run in the third quarter favored the UP Fighting Maroons in the final quarter. The defense started picking up in the fourth quarter. Gerry Abadiano’s shot from a steal brought the Fighting Maroons to a 2-point lead, followed by JD Cagulangan’s three-point shot got the team to a 5-point lead in the remaining 53 seconds of the last quarter.  Crucial to the game’s final moments was Harold Alarcon’s power block that caused the Bulldogs to lose a scoring opportunity. With 17 points, UP’s MVP, Malick Diouf racked up the highest points for the team. The UP Fighting Maroons sent the NU Bulldogs to its end and entered the finals to claim yet another championship title in UAAP Season 85. The team finished strong with 66 points against 61.  The scores from the UAAP Media group and nowhere to go but UP:  UP 69 — Diouf 17, Lucero 12, Gonzales 11, Cagulangan 8, Abadiano 7, Fortea 6, Tamayo 6, Alarcon 2, Spencer 0, Galinato 0, Torculas 0.  NU 61 — Figueroa 16, Baclaan 14, Malonzo 11, John 8, Yu 2, Clemente 2, Enriquez 2, Mahinay 2, Minerva 2, Galinato 2, Manansala 0, Palacielo 0, Tibayan 0.  UP MBT on the steal. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO) CHED Chairperson J. Prospero “Popoy” E. De Vera III cheers with the rest of the UP crowd. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to host 8th ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program Philippines 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-host-8th-asean-youth-volunteer-program-philippines-2020/",
        "html": "UP to host 8th ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program Philippines 2020 UP to host 8th ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program Philippines 2020 January 3, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The 8th Steering Committee Meeting of the ASEAN University Network’s Thematic Network on University Social Responsibility and Sustainability (AUN USR&S) was held on November 29, 2019 in the Quezon Hall Board Room. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines System is set to host the 8th ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program (AYVP) Philippines 2020 from August 2 to 27, 2020, at the UP Los Baños. It will revolve around the theme, Education Development and Education for All, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 4.  This program follows the success of the 7th AYVP held from July 31 to August 27, 2019 in Kuala Lumpur and Gua Musang, Kelantan, Malaysia. The 2019 AYVP had the theme, Poverty Eradication, in keeping with the UN SDG No. 1. It drew over a thousand applicants from 10 ASEAN countries, with 50 youth volunteers and around six facilitators participating in the actual volunteerism workshop-event.  The hosting of the 8th AYVP Philippines 2020 by UP was discussed at the 8th Steering Committee Meeting of the ASEAN University Network’s Thematic Network on University Social Responsibility and Sustainability (AUN USR&S), held on November 29, 2019 in the Quezon Hall Board Room.     UKM Deputy Vice Chancellor and AUN USR&S Chairperson Prof. Dato’ Dr Imran Ho Bin Abdullah (center) leading the AUN USR&S Steering Committee Meeting, with Ugnayan ng Pahinungod System Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay to his immediate left, and AUN USR&S Head Secretariat and UKM Community Transformation Center head Prof. Datuk Dr. Rokiah Omar to his immediate right. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Representing UP in the AUN USR&S was Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay , the director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod System. She met with members of the AUN USR&S secretariat and the steering committee and officials of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and other ASEAN universities, led by Prof. Dato’ Dr Imran Ho Bin Abdullah,  the chairperson of the AUN USR&S and the deputy vice chancellor of the UKM. Other members of the AUN USR&S steering committee in attendance at the meeting were: Vice President Fritzie Ian De Vera, for Lasallian Mission of De La Salle University; Assistant to the Vice President for Social Development of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Edda Dayandante, representing Mr. Rizalino Dr. Rivera, Vice President for Social Development of ADMU; Dr. Agung Harijoko of the Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Associate Prof. Kwok Kian Woon of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Dr. Hap Phalthy of the Royal University of Law and Economics, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Mr. Muhammad Asyraf Mansor of the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; AUN USR&S Head Secretariat Prof. Datuk Dr. Rokiah Omar of the UKM, Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia; and, Mr. Wong Kin Lun, member of the AUN USR&S secretariat, UKM.  The AYVP Organizing Committee will be led by the UKM Community Transformation Center headed by Prof. Dr. Datuk Rokiah Omar and the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Council, headed by Dr. Aguiling-Dalisay as the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod System Director. The Ugnayan ng Pahinungod was reactivated across the UP System by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion in May 2019.  Other matters discussed at the meeting were the 5th Asia Engage Regional Conference 2020, to be held in Kuala Lumpur around the third week of November in conjunction with the UKM’s 50th anniversary, as well as proposals for an AUN USR&S Community Research-Driven Fund, and reports by the AUN USR&S Secretariat on the 7th AYVP Malaysia 2019, the 5th CIMB Young ASEAN Leaders (CYAL) 2019, and the ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (4th from right) joins the Steering Committee Meeting to reiterate his support for the upcoming AYVP 2020, to be hosted by the UP System. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     At the end of the meeting, UP President Concepcion received the thanks of Dato’ Imran for hosting the 8th AUN USR&S Steering Committee Meeting and the forthcoming AYVP 2020. Concepcion, for his part, reiterated his support for the AYVP and the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod.  The AUN USR&S began in 2010 when the AUN Secretariat organized the first Workshop on University’s Social Responsibility and Sustainability from ASEAN-Japan Perspectives: Sharing and Caring for a Better Community, hosted by the Burapha University, Thailand. The workshop discussed the basic idea of AUN’s University Social Responsibility and Sustainability (USR&S). Following this, the AUN established a USR&S Thematic Network as an enabling mechanism to achieve greater regional cooperation among the higher education institutions in ASEAN, to contribute to the social, economic and environmental development of the region. The AUN USR&S Secretariat is based in the UKM.  The AUN USR&S works in synergy with the AYVP and the Asia-Talloires Network of Industry and Community Engaged Universities (ATNEU) to fulfill the network’s objectives: to create mutually beneficial partnerships between and among industry and community stakeholders across ASEAN and Asia, through research, education and volunteerism missions of higher education.  The AYVP is a dedicated youth volunteerism platform that intends: to create opportunities in knowledge-driven volunteerism; to support the exchange of learning experiences; to develop capacity; to enhance cross-cultural understanding; and, to forge a sense of regional identity while making a sustainable difference to communities across ASEAN.  Three Philippine universities are members of the AUN: UP, the Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MBT scores 7th straight win in UAAP Season 84 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mbt-scores-7th-straight-win-in-uaap-season-84/",
        "html": "UP MBT scores 7th straight win in UAAP Season 84 UP MBT scores 7th straight win in UAAP Season 84 April 18, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UPMBT’s Carl Tamayo and Zav Lucero celebrate a score. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team (MBT / Fighting Maroons) won against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 84-76, on Tuesday, April 12. The victory marks the Fighting Maroons’ seventh straight win and its first win in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 men’s basketball tournament held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.  UPMBT’s Joel Cagulangan driving through the NU defense. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The UP Fighting Maroons finished the first round with a 6-1 win-loss record, ranking second after Ateneo de Manila University’s Blue Eagles.  UP MBT head coach Goldwin Monteverde said they started strong during the first half, with the NU Bulldogs catching up only during the third quarter. The Fighting Maroons attribute this winning streak to their hard work, aggressiveness, and always seeking to improve with each game.  UPMBT Head Coach Goldwin Monteverde. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  UP’s Carl Tamayo, Ricci Rivero, Zavier Lucero, and Joel Cagulangan shone brightest this time, with Tamayo contributing 21 points, ten rebounds, and three steals for the team. Rivero and Lucero delivered 16 points each.  NU’s John Lloyd Clemente led the Bulldogs with 18 points, as did Reyland Torres with 15 points.  With its 7-1 win-loss standing, the UP MBT will face the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on Tuesday, April 19.  The UP Pep Squad is in the stands. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.   The Scores:  UP 84–Tamayo 21, Rivero 16, Lucero 16, Cagulangan 7, Diouf 7, Alarcon 5, Webb 5, Fortea 4, Abadiano 3, Spencer 0, Catapusan 0.  NU 76–Clemente 18, Torres 15, Ildefonso 11, Malonzo 9, Minerva 8, Felicilda 5, Gaye 4, Joson 2, Figueroa 2, Manansala 2, Tibayan 0, Enriquez 0, Mahinay 0.  Quarterscores: 26-14, 42-35, 62-58, 84-76  Photos from the UAAP Season 84 Media Team. Information, interviews, and photos were provided by the UAAP Season 84 Media Team. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP beats UST, to play ADMU on May 1 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-beats-ust-to-play-admu-on-may-1/",
        "html": "UP beats UST, to play ADMU on May 1 UP beats UST, to play ADMU on May 1 April 29, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   UPMBT’s Harold Alarcon goes in for a win against UST in the April 28 match. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  After defeating the University of Santo Tomas (UST) last Thursday, April 28, the University of the Philippines (UP) will play against Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) on Sunday, May 1, which will cap the elimination round of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.  The UP Fighting Maroons’ win over UST Growling Tigers, 96-67, gives UP its 11th victory against two losses and takes the team another step closer to the games for the Final Four.  UP Men’s Basketball Team coach Goldwin Monteverde said the team is determined to win each game. “Ever since nung talo namin sa Adamson, yung team namin, ginamit yun to improve,” he said.     UST’s defense falls back against the UPMBT’s Miguel Ramos’ onslaught. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Earlier this week, the UP Fighting Maroons beat De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 72-69, and the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 81-68, securing for the team the 2nd spot in the team standings and a twice-to-beat advantage.  UP’s Ricci Rivero, CJ Cansino, and Zavier Lucero, and UST’s Migs Pangilinan delivered the most crucial shots for their teams.  The Scores:  UP 96 – Rivero 15, Cansino 14, Lucero 13, Calimag 10, Cagulangan 9, Tamayo 7, Alarcon 7, Fortea 6, Diouf 6, Spencer 3, Ramos 2, Webb 2, Catapusan 2, Lina 0, Abadiano 0.  UST 67 – Pangilinan 21, Gomez de Liaño 9, Mantua 6, Ando 6, Manalang 5, Fontanilla 4, Cabañero 4, Manaytay 4, Concepcion 3, Herrera 3, Canoy 2, Samudio 0, Yongco 0, Gesalem 0.  Quarterscores: 26-11, 53-33, 73-53, 96-67.  Reporting and photos by the UAAP Media Group. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP OFSA to create network of mental health advocates through Sandigan, Sandalan Project – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ofsa-to-create-network-of-mental-health-advocates-through-sandigan-sandalan-project/",
        "html": "UP OFSA to create network of mental health advocates through Sandigan, Sandalan Project UP OFSA to create network of mental health advocates through Sandigan, Sandalan Project March 5, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In this pandemic, stakeholders who have direct contact with students should be aware of the importance of mental health (MH) and the nurturing role of teachers in remote learning contexts, especially within the University of the Philippines (UP).  Mental health advocates play critical roles in responding to the MH concerns and coping needs of UP students. To help create a network of MH advocates for a healthy and nurturing UP, the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OVPAA-OSFA) is presenting Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy programs for Mental Health.  One of the components of the Sandigan, Sandalan Project is the Training on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment for College Mental Health focal persons. College Mental Health Focal Persons are UP faculty members and Student Affairs staff who can advocate for MH care in classes and other teaching-learning contexts. The online training provides practical resources on MH promotion and forums where focal persons can interact with peers and invited experts. The training program will cover (1) Essentials of Mental Health, (2) Creating Supportive Teaching-Learning Environments, and (3) Action points to Address Psychosocial Concerns of UP students.  The training team is led by Maria Angela Mabale, RN (College of Nursing, UP Manila) and Airon Andrew Bonifacio, RND (College of Home Economics, UP Diliman). The program resource persons include Rowalt Alibudbud, MD (College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University); Victoria Patricia De La Llana, MD (College of Medicine, UP Manila); Raymond John Naguit, MD (Youth for Mental Health Coalition); Eleanor Caballo, RGC (College of Arts and Science, UP Manila); and Blesile Mantaring, MD (Office of Student Affairs, UP Manila).  The Training Program on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment will begin on 8 March 2021 to accommodate the first batch of College Mental Health focal persons. Subsequent runs will be organized by the OVPAA-OSFA in the 2nd semester AY 2020-2021 to cover all constituent universities of UP and help build the College Mental focal persons’ capacity to advocate mental health care in the University.  For inquiries, please contact the OVPAA-OSFA at wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPMBT is now up to 8 wins, two losses in 2nd round of UAAP Season 84 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upmbt-is-now-up-to-8-wins-two-losses-in-2nd-round-of-uaap-season-84/",
        "html": "UPMBT is now up to 8 wins, two losses in 2nd round of UAAP Season 84 UPMBT is now up to 8 wins, two losses in 2nd round of UAAP Season 84 April 22, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UPMBT’s Maodo Diouf soars high during the match against FEU. Photo from the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons has notched eight wins and two losses following the matches against Far Eastern University (FEU) on April 19 (73-70), and against Adamson University (AdU) on April 21, with the latter cutting UP’s winning streak short at 58-66.  The UP Fighting Maroons will be squaring off against De La Salle University tomorrow, April 23, at 4:30 p.m., marking the halfway point in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.  UP vs. FEU  The Fighting Maroons’ match-up against the FEU Tamaraws was neck-and-neck during the end game until Zavier Lucero scored with a mid-range jumper, pushing UP ahead. Ricci Rivero tallied a game-high 19 points with five rebounds and two assists for UP.  “Yung defense namin, especially nung third quarter doon pumick-up so doon namin nakuha yung confidence then tuloy-tuloy na hanggang dulo,” Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde said.  The Scores:  UP 73 — Rivero 14, Tamayo 14, Cansino 12, Alarcon 8, Lucero 7, Diouf 7, Cagulangan 3, Fortea 3, Webb 0, Abadiano 0, Spencer 0, Calimag 0, Catapusan 0.  FEU 70 — Ojuola 16, Abarrientos 13, Gonzales 13, Torres 9, Sandagon 6, Tempra 5, Alforque 3, Bienes 3, Li 2, Coquia 0, Sajonia 0.  Quarterscores: 16-17, 34-37, 57-54, 73-70.  UP vs. AdU  UP met with its second loss after eight straight wins, however, facing up against the AdU Soaring Falcons, which increased their successes to 3 games.  “We were able to beat a powerhouse team, nakakatuwa lang. I think our players deserved that, mabigat ‘yung pinagdaanan,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela of this match between UP and AdU.  The Scores:  UP 58 — Rivero 14, Tamayo 12, Diouf 7, Lucero 7, Cagulangan 6, Cansino 5, Spencer 4, Webb 3, Alarcon 0, Abadiano 0, Fortea 0.  Adamson 66 — Lastimosa 13, Hanapi 12, Sabandal 11, Manzano 8, Zaldivar 8, Magbuhos 6, Peromingan 5, Colonia 2, Yerro 1, Douanga 0, Jaymalin 0, Erolon 0, Barasi 0.  Quarterscores: 20-12, 36-28, 47-44, 66-58.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MBT loses Game 2 of UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals; winner-takes-all match vs. ADMU tonight – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mbt-loses-game-2-of-uaap-mens-basketball-finals-winner-takes-all-match-vs-admu-tonight/",
        "html": "UP MBT loses Game 2 of UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals; winner-takes-all match vs. ADMU tonight UP MBT loses Game 2 of UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals; winner-takes-all match vs. ADMU tonight May 13, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UPMBT’s Maodo Diouf faces off against ADMU’s Angelo Kouame. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) journey in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball championship stalled another day. The UP Men’s Basketball Team lost Game 2 of 3 of the Finals to Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) on May 11, 2022, at the MOA Arena in Pasay City. With one win over each other, the UP Fighting Maroons and the Blue Eagles will meet again tonight, Friday, at 6 PM, at the same venue, for the winner-take-all Game 3.  Watch the game on:  Cignal channel 263HD Cignal Play Smart Giga Play TV5 on free TV  UP trailed ADMU by 15 points, 30-45, in the third quarter, but managed to even out the scores, 54-54, halfway in the fourth quarter, on a fast-break shot by Ricci Rivero, before exchanging leads with Ateneo until the scores tied out again at 61-61.  But the Maroons failed to thwart a back-to-back Gian Mamuyac putback and Samjosef Belangel fast-break lay-up, which padded Ateneo’s lead to 4, 61-65, going into the last two minutes.  UPMBT’s Ricci Rivero goes in for the kill. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Zavier Lucero made 2 of his charities, but his team’s fouls on Ange Kouame and Dave Ildefonso in the ensuing plays resulted in two splits, which maintained Ateneo’s 4-point lead, 63-67, 1:04 remaining in the game.  Then, the Blue Eagles stole a weak inbound pass from the Maroons, which gave Mamuyac an unguarded run to the hoop, making 63-69, with 48.9 seconds remaining. UP responded with a Ricci Rivero lay-up for 65-69. Regaining ball possession after a scoreless play by Ateneo, UP had 17 seconds but took too much time to shoot until Rivero was fouled, making his last-ditch attempts in the paint only before the last 2 seconds of the game. A Rivero free-throw reduced Ateneo’s lead to 3, 66-69.  Rookie of the Year Carl Tamayo (in UP Oble shirt, 2nd from right) and Zavier Lucero (extreme right), who along with Tamayo is part of the Mythical Five, pose with their awards. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  Before the match, the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Individual Awardees received their trophies. They are Angelo Kouame of Ateneo, Most Valuable Player; Carl Tamayo of UP, Rookie of the Year; and Kouame, Justine Baltazar of De La Salle University (DLSU), Lucero and Tamayo of UP, and Michael Phillips of DLSU, the Mythical 5.  The Scores:  ATENEO 69 — Kouame 14, ChristianTio 14, Ildefonso 10, Mamuyac 7, Belangel 6, Christopher Koon 6, Rafael Verano 4, Joshua Lazaro 3, Bryan Andrade 3, Geo Chiu 2.  UP 66 — Tamayo 18, Rivero 16, Joel Cagulangan 8, Lucero 8, Maodo Diouf 8, Harold Alarcon 5, James Spencer 3.  Quarterscores: 17-16, 37-28, 49-45, 69-66.  In the finals leading to the UAAP Season 84 championship, UP loses the second round to Ateneo. The two teams will clash in a winner-take-all game tonight, May 13. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  With reporting and photos from the UAAP Media Group. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health to be held for 2nd batch of mental health advocates in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sandigan-sandalan-training-and-advocacy-programs-for-mental-health-to-be-held-for-2nd-batch-of-mental-health-advocates-in-up/",
        "html": "Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health to be held for 2nd batch of mental health advocates in UP Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy Programs for Mental Health to be held for 2nd batch of mental health advocates in UP March 31, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office          Mental Health (MH) advocates play critical roles in responding to the Mental Health concerns and coping needs of UP students. To help create a network of advocates for a healthy and nurturing UP, the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance (OVPAA-OSFA) are hosting the “Sandigan, Sandalan: Training and Advocacy programs for Mental Health”.  One of the components of the Sandigan, Sandalan Project is Training on Mental Health Promotion in the Teaching-Learning Environment. The training is designed for College Mental Focal Persons, composed of UP faculty members and Student Affairs staff who can advocate MH care in classes and other teaching-learning contexts. The online training provides practical resources on MH promotion and forums where focal persons can interact with their colleagues and invited experts. The program covers (1) essentials of mental health; (2) creating supportive teaching-learning environments; and (3) action points to address psychosocial concerns of UP students.  The training of the 2nd batch will start on 5 April 2021. The 1st batch of focal persons recently concluded its training on 29 March 2021. The University will organize another run this the 2nd semester AY 2020-2021 to cover all constituent universities of UP.  The training team is led by Maria Angela Mabale, RN (College of Nursing, UP Manila), and Airon Andrew Bonifacio, RND (College of Home Economics, UP Diliman). The program resource persons include Rowalt Alibudbud, MD (College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University); Victoria Patricia De La Llana, MD (College of Medicine, UP Manila); Raymond John Naguit, MD (Youth for Mental Health Coalition); Eleanor Caballo, RGC (College of Arts and Science, UP Manila); and Blesile Mantaring, MD (Office of Student Affairs, UP Manila).  For inquiries, please contact the OVPAA-OSFA at wellness.osfa@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni and faculty in Asian Scientist 100 list – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-and-faculty-in-asian-scientist-100-list/",
        "html": "UP alumni and faculty in Asian Scientist 100 list UP alumni and faculty in Asian Scientist 100 list May 4, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Four of eight Filipinos listed in the 2021 Asian Scientist 100 are from UP: Dr. Kathleen Aviso, Dr. Salvacion Gatchalian (†), Dr. Desiree Hautea, and Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy.        Dr. Kathleen Aviso is an alumna of UP Diliman (UPD), having graduated with a BS Chemical Engineering degree, cum laude, in 2000. She earned her MS in Environmental Engineering and Management, and PhD in Industrial Engineering from De La Salle University, where she is currently a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering.  Her main research interest, the development of mathematical models to aid environmental decision-making, has earned her many honors, including the 2013 Outstanding Young Scientist from the National Academy of Science and Technology, 2016 Achievement Award from the National Research Council of the Philippines, and the 2016 Republica Award from the Commission on Higher Education. She was also a finalist in the 2016 ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women. Last year, she received the Dr. Michael Purvis Award for Sustainability Research.        Dr. Salvacion Gatchalian (†) was an alumna and a professor of the UP Manila College of Medicine, graduating with Bachelor of Science degree from UP Diliman in 1973 and her medical degree from the UP College of Medicine in 1977. A top pediatrician and infectious disease expert in the country, she was part of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Department of Pediatrics-Section of Infectious and Tropical Diseases. She was very visible as a strong advocate of immunization and tobacco control in the country.  She succumbed to COVID-19 in March last year. At the time of her passing, Gatchalian was Assistant Director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, President of the Philippine Pediatric Society, and President of the International Society of Tropical Pediatrics-Philippine Chapter. She was also past President of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines. She was posthumously honored with the Dr. Lourdes Espiritu Campos Award for Public Health in 2020.        Dr. Desiree Hautea is a senior researcher at the Genetics Laboratory of the UP Los Baños (UPLB) Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB). In March this year, she retired from her post as Professor of genetics and crop biotechnology at the UPLB Institute of Crop Science (ICropS). Both institutes are under the College of Agriculture and Food Science. IPB is a research center, while ICropS is an academic unit.  Hautea, who is well-known for her work on Bt eggplant, received the 2020 Leads Agriculture Award from the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology. She earned her BS Agriculture degree in 1977 and MS in Genetics in 1981 from UPLB. She obtained her PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was one of the key persons in the establishment of the UPLB COVID-19 Molecular and Diagnostic Laboratory, which was inaugurated in July 2020.        Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy is a UPD College of Engineering alumnus. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering in 2011. He is Dean of the Mapua University School of Civil, Environmental, and Geological Engineering, where he also obtained his BS Civil Engineering and MS Civil Engineering degrees. He is the founder and President of USHER Technologies Inc., where he leads the Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System or USHER project.  USHER is a round-the-clock structural health monitoring system for infrastructure. It aims to aid in the preparation for and response to calamities such as typhoons, flooding, and earthquakes. In 2019, the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations recognized USHER as an Outstanding Engineering Project. Uy also received the 2020 Kabalikat Researcher Award from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development and the 2020 David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research.  The other Filipino scientists in the Asian Scientist 100 list are: Dr. Annabelle Briones, Director of the DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute; Dr. Sandra Teresa Navarra, a renowned rheumatologist from the University of Santo Tomas; Dr. Jonel Saludes, Professor of chemistry and Associate Vice President for Research in the University of San Agustin Iloilo; and, Edgardo Vazquez, inventor of Vazbuilt, a prefabricated modular housing system for middle- and low-cost markets.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP clinches UAAP Season 85 Finals Game 1 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-clinches-uaap-season-85-finals-game-1/",
        "html": "UP clinches UAAP Season 85 Finals Game 1 UP clinches UAAP Season 85 Finals Game 1 December 13, 2022 | Written by Stephanie Esperida   JD Cagulangan’s tough finish. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO.     The UP Fighting Maroons are set to claim a back-to-back championship title after clinching the Finals Game 1 last December 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Zavier Lucero (14 points), JD Cagulangan (12 points), and Harold Alarcon (11 points) were the top Maroon scorers of Game 1. While the team finished strong in the end game, the UP Men’s Basketball Team hurdled stumbling blocks before sealing their precious win.  The Ateneo Blue Eagles scored first. But then, UP Fighting Maroons’ Zavier Lucero answered quickly with his 2-point shot. The tight defense and sure-fire shots by the team, especially in the last two minutes of the quarter, led the team to a winning streak and finished off with a 9-point lead.  In the second quarter, the Ateneo Blue Eagles got a scoring opportunity with Rence Padrigao’s and Dave Ildefonso’s 3-point shots. With a strong defense and rebound, ADMU could shorten UP’s lead score by 5 points. Leading toward the end, Lucero was able to seal the quarter with a 7-point lead.  Coach Goldwyn Monteverde sees through UP’s game one win. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO.  Despite the good defense and rebound, the UP Fighting Maroons are still ADMU’s threat. From an 8-point lead at the start of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles could cope with a good defense and offense that led to only a 4-point deficit against UP at the end of the third quarter.  The fourth quarter run was a series of aggressive responses from the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The tug-of-war of answers in shooting points, rebounds, and turnovers caused the neck-and-neck situation toward the last 10 minutes of the quarter. The UP Men’s Basketball Team worked up the final quarter to secure a consistent score lead. Highlighting the quarter was the crucial power block by Lucero and the back-to-back 3-point shot by Harold Alarcon that maintained UP’s lead by 10 points.  ADMU’s Dave Ildefonso was able to make a surge for the Blue Eagles’ score in the last quarter, which limited UP’s lead score to only 5 points. At the last minute of the quarter, the UP Fighting Maroons were able to secure the lead with Carl Tamayo’s and JD Cagulangan’s free throws ending the game in their favor with 72 points against 66 points for ADMU.  Coach Goldwyn Monteverde said during the post-game presscon, “it started with a good defense. I like the ball movement and the team sustaining the group work.” He also added that the team must focus on the next game.  When asked about his thoughts on the Finals Game 1 outcome, Harold Alarcon expressed that “winning the first game is a big thing to take the momentum up in the second game. “Lahat gagawin namin para makakuha ng back-to-back [championship title],” he said.  Zavier Lucero told the press that he is focusing on the next game. “It is always our responsibility to give our best. For me, I’m just trying to do that. This is it for this season; there’s nothing left to do. I’m glad that we all come together as one to do our best,” he added. UP vs. ADMU Finals Game 2 will be held on December 14 at 6 PM at the Big Dome.  Zavier Lucero’s hype block. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO. Malick Diouf doing his MVP signature dunk. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO. Harold Alarcon is UP’s Finals Game 1 clutch player. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to host ASEAN youth volunteers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-host-asean-youth-volunteers/",
        "html": "UP to host ASEAN youth volunteers UP to host ASEAN youth volunteers May 11, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    UP has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to host the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) later this year.  Officials of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), which is the secretariat of the programme, and UP signed the documents simultaneously at their respective headquarters during an online meeting on May 7, 2021. They entered into a partnership, with UP hosting the month-long training and deployment of 50 youth volunteers from ASEAN later this year.  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia represented UP President Danilo Concepcion, and UKM Deputy Vice Chancellor for Industry, Alumni and Community Partnerships Imran Ho Abdullah represented UKM Vice Chancellor Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, as signatories of the MOA.  From UP, the witnesses included UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista and Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay. Aguiling-Dalisay chairs the UP Organizing Committee for AYVP Philippines 2021. From UKM, the witnesses included Aguiling-Dalisay’s counterpart, UKM University Community Transformation Centre Director Rokiah Hj Omar.     UKM Deputy Chancellor Abdullah delivering a message to commemorate the event. Screenshot from the Zoom conference by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO. Watch the replay of the virtual MOA-signing ceremony on the UKM Facebook page.     “Today, we celebrate the beginning of a new strategic partnership between UKM and UP for the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme Philippines 2021,” Abdullah, delivering Shukor’s message, said. “This strong collaboration is rooted in the strength of the ASEAN University Network of which UP is a member,” he added.  UKM and UP first co-hosted the AYVP in 2016, along with Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. The theme was disaster risk management. This year, it is “Strengthening ASEAN Education Delivery Systems in Challenging Times”.     UP Vice President Pernia delivering PDLC’s message. Screenshot from the Zoom conference by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO. Watch the replay of the virtual MOA-signing ceremony on the UKM Facebook page.     “Studying and collecting the array of new experiences and lessons from crises, from the people directly affected and directly involved, is our call today. The eighth AYVP is thus an event of great serendipity, for both our youth volunteers and us, universities,” Pernia, delivering Concepcion’s message, said.  UP’s hosting of the programme was originally scheduled in 2020, but it was postponed because of the pandemic. The 2021 programme will start the call for facilitators and volunteers soon.     Screenshot from the Zoom conference by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO. Watch the replay of the virtual MOA-signing ceremony on the UKM Facebook page.     AYVP aims to uphold declarations of ASEAN toward caring communities, regional identity, and volunteerism. Malaysia proposed the establishment of the programme in 2011 to focus on the youth of the region between 18 and 30 years old.  Fifty youth volunteers are chosen each year for orientation and leadership training, followed by community immersion. Alumni are expected to plan and propose volunteerism projects for their own communities based on the knowledge they acquired from the program. Grants and mentoring are provided for the qualified projects.     Images from the AYVP of the previous years. Screenshot from the Zoom conference by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO. Watch the replay of the virtual MOA-signing ceremony on the UKM Facebook page.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP prepares for Game 2 vs. DLSU in Final Four – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-prepares-for-game-2-vs-dlsu-in-final-four/",
        "html": "UP prepares for Game 2 vs. DLSU in Final Four UP prepares for Game 2 vs. DLSU in Final Four May 6, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   The UP Fighting Maroons and the UP community stand firm in resolve as they sing the UP Naming Mahal. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons will face the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers again today, May 6, after yielding to DLSU, 83-80, in their first match on May 4 for the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball Final Four at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.  DLSU was able to keep its 11-point lead over UP during the second and third quarters, with UP narrowing the gap to only 3 points during the last minutes of the game.  UPMBT’s Joel Cagulangan evades a block from DLSU. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Fighting Maroons Coach Goldwin Monteverde said they could not match the Green Archers’ intensity. “We need to bounce back and be ready for Friday’s game,” he said.  Green Archers head coach Derrick Pumaren praised his team for their “disciplined effort.” “The boys played hard today,” he said.  UPMBT Coach Monteverde (center) in a huddle with the team. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  The Scores:  DLSU 83–Nelle 26, Baltazar 15, Lojera 11, M. Phillips 7, Austria 7, Winston 7, Nwankwo 4, Nonoy 3, Manuel 3, B. Phillips 0.  UP 80–Diouf 18, Rivero 18, Lucero 17, Tamayo 8, Abadiano 7, Cagulangan 6, Spencer 3, Alarcon 3, Ramos 0, Fortea 0, Webb 0, Lina 0.  Quarterscores: 24-16, 48-37, 66-55, 83-80.  With reporting and photos by the UAAP Media Group.  Members of the UP community show their unwavering support—in victory or momentary defeat—for the UPMBT. Photos by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCN Class 1971 donates Professorial Chair – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcn-class-1971-donates-professorial-chair/",
        "html": "UPCN Class 1971 donates Professorial Chair UPCN Class 1971 donates Professorial Chair March 30, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   University of the Philippines officials present a certificate of appreciation to the donor UP College of Nursing (UPCN) BS Nursing (BSN) Class of 1971. Holding the certificate at the center are: Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President; and the representatives of UPCN BSN Class 1971, namely, Betty Factora-Merritt, Marilyn Estrada Nartatez, and Antonia B. Magsuci. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     On March 24, representatives of the University of the Philippines College of Nursing (UPCN), BS Nursing (BSN) Class of 1971 met with UP and UP Foundation, Inc. (UPFI) officials in the UP Board of Regents (BOR) Room at the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman for the signing of a deed of donation with an amount of PhP 1.5 million. This donation supports the establishment and awarding of the “UPCN BSN Class 1971 Professorial Chair” at the UPCN in UP Manila, to provide additional recognition and incentives to faculty members who demonstrate outstanding performance in their work.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili, and UPFI Executive Director Edgardo G. Atanacio hosted the reception for the donor UPCN BSN Class 1971, represented by Betty Factora-Merritt, Antonia B. Magsuci and Marilyn Estrada Nartatez, and the UPCN officials led by UPCN Dean Sheila R. Bonito. With Bonito were Profs. Arnold B. Peralta, Jenniffer T. Paguio, and Josephine Cariaso, the heads of the Teaching, Continuing Education and Community Extension Services, and International Studies programs of the UPCN, respectively.  Betty Factora-Merritt, class representative of the University of the Philippines College of Nursing (UPCN), BS Nursing (BSN) Class of 1971. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     In her message, Factora-Merritt recounted fond memories of their college years and life in the UP Diliman campus, as the UPCN was relocated to the UP Manila campus only in the 1980s when the Health Sciences Center was created. “We woke up to realities that shaped our minds,” she said, as they were the “makibaka nurses” or activist students who joined the massive protests in the 70s.  Factora-Merritt said they are proud of their class for its commitment to serve humanity.  She narrated what their university life was like, as they had been modest, young ladies coming from different parts of the country to take up nursing, and who properly wore their nurses’ Rayadillo uniform. She said they made sure their text books and journals were read, and their notes, neatly written down; and they considered the library, and UP Diliman, as their home. She added that group study sessions were where they “mastered the art of thinking big and deep”.  Jimenez acknowledged the UPCN’s role in training excellent nurses and in fulfilling its mission in teaching, research and public service.  He highlighted the vital contributions of Filipino nurses here and abroad. He also praised nurses for becoming “a critical element of the cultural cement that binds Filipinos with other countries,” and stated that they should be protected, especially during wars and pandemics. He said the professorial chair is Class 1971’s gift to UP.  Bonito also expressed gratitude to the UPFI and Class 1971 for the professorial chair, which she said was a gift for the UPCN on the occasion of its 75th founding anniversary.  University of the Philippines, UP Foundation, Inc. (UPFI), and UP College of Nursing (UPCN) officials, and representatives of UPCN BS Nursing (BSN) Class of 1971 affix their signatures on the deed of donation. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The proposal to create the UPCN by Julita V. Sotejo, the founder and first Dean of the college, was approved by the UP BOR on April 9, 1948.  The UPFI will manage the donation to assist the University in attaining its mission as an institution of higher learning. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP posts 100% passing rate in PRC Electrical Engineers Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-posts-100-passing-rate-in-prc-electrical-engineers-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UP posts 100% passing rate in PRC Electrical Engineers Licensure Exam UP posts 100% passing rate in PRC Electrical Engineers Licensure Exam May 8, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu       Three graduates of the University of the Philippines (UP) occupied three slots in the top 10 successful examinees for the Registered Electrical Engineers Licensure Examination (REELE) held in April 2023.  All examinees from UP Los Baños (26) and UP Diliman (24) passed, according to the results of the REELE and the Registered Master Electricians Licensure Examination (RMELE) posted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).  The three UP graduates among the top ten REELE passers are: at third place, Lance Patrick C. Alarcon, from UPLB, with a rating of 92.10%; at sixth place, Mark Jayson I. Salud, also from UPLB, with a rating of 91.05%; and, at ninth place, Charles Vincent S. Arandia, from UPD, with a rating of 90.15%.  A total of 3,339 out of 5,771 passed the REELE and 986 out of 2,336 passed the RMELE given by the Board of Electrical Engineering in NCR, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga in April 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Varsity Swim Teams and Tennis Teams present their trophies to UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-varsity-swim-teams-and-tennis-teams-present-their-trophies-to-up-president/",
        "html": "UP Varsity Swim Teams and Tennis Teams present their trophies to UP President UP Varsity Swim Teams and Tennis Teams present their trophies to UP President May 25, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   The UP varsity teams in a huddle with UP President Jimenez. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)     Members of the Varsity Swim Teams and Tennis Teams of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman presented their trophies and medals to UP President Angelo Jimenez at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall on 22 May 2023.  In the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85, the UP Varsity Women’s Swim Team was 1st runner up while the Men’s Swim Team placed 2nd runner up.  Meanwhile, the UP Women’s Lawn Tennis Team ranked 2nd place and the UP Men’s Lawn Tennis Team landed in 5th place.  Jimenez praised the student athletes for being exemplary scholars who serve as role models for the youth. He added that sports build character by helping students develop values such as leadership, fairness, and discipline.  Jimenez also affirmed his administration’s support for the University’s varsity teams. He encouraged the student athletes to engage the communities while the UP administration develops sports facilities and wellness programs for UP’s students, staff, and faculty.  Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) Ma. Shari Oliquino and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan were also present during the courtesy visit.  The UP Varsity Swim Teams with UP President Jimenez and UP Diliman Chancellor Vistan. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)  The UP Varsity Swim Teams include Keane Ting (Men’s Team Captain), Erin Castrillo (Women’s Team Captain), Camille Buico (Women’s Rookie of the Year), Boj Aleta, Gian De Guzman, Patchie Hernandez, Joshua Sedurante, Kyle Bagusto, Renzo Teodoro, Eirron Vibar, Jewelle Macatangay, Franco dela Rosa, Marichi Gandionco (Coach), Maedel Lara (UPVST alumna and team manager), Joey Torres (parent supporter, since 2014), and Ting Joson (parent supporter, since 2022).  The UP Varsity Lawn Tennis Teams include Joshea Malazarte (Women’s Rookie of the Year), Bianca Pica (Women’s Team Captain), Lucy Inalvez (Women’s Team Co-Captain), Bella Esteban, Kristin Martin, Achaia Cabahug, Tricia Velez, Sydney Enriquez, Gia Cari, Jonamil Prado, Jesha Cervantes, Franchezka Malaki, Anna De Myer, Walther Luzon, Jonas Silva, Joshua Austria (Men’s Team Captain), Loucas Fernandez (Men’s Team Co-Captain), Franklin Encarnacion (Head Coach), and Francis Forbes (Assistant Coach).  The UP Varsity Lawn Tennis Teams with UP President Jimenez and UP Diliman Chancellor Vistan. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Women’s Football Team visits PAJ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-womens-football-team-visits-paj/",
        "html": "UP Women’s Football Team visits PAJ UP Women’s Football Team visits PAJ June 22, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   The UP Women’s Football Team with UP President Angelo Jimenez and coach Anto Gonzales. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)     Members of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Women’s Football Team paid a courtesy visit to UP President Angelo Jimenez at the UP Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall on 14 June 2023.  The varsity team took home the trophies for third place (2nd Runner Up, bronze), best defender (gold), and best goalkeeper (gold) in the women’s football category of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85.  UAAP Season 85 women’s football category best goalkeeper Coline Acelo, UP Women’s Football Team captain Kaitlyn Dabalos, and best defender Jennifer Baroin present their trophies. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO) The UP Women’s Football Team’s trophies for 2nd Runner Up, best defender, and best goalkeeper. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)     Jimenez, who noted the team members’ excellence in both academics and sports, said he is proud of these achievements. He added that the varsity members serve as inspirations for the country’s youth, especially for young girls.  Jimenez also reassured them of UP’s commitment to support the Fighting Maroons as he highlighted the importance of sports in character building.  Members of the UP Women’s Football Team listen to UP President Angelo Jimenez’ congratulatory message. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)     With head coach Anto Gonzalez, best defender Jennifer Baroin, best goalkeeper Coline Acelo, and team captain Kaitlyn Dabalos were: Amber Villaflor, Eunice Roxanne Eduave, Abby Dumada-og, Nicole Narido, Coleen Reaso, Regine Chua, Cara Cachero, Kamea Mangrobang, Alexz Lagman, Andrea Montilla, Denielle Napiza, Yoojin Kim, Martina Torres, Zayin Penetrante, Alyssa Ube, Anya Fuentes, Jeri Facturanan, and Jansen Miranda.  Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) Ma. Shari Oliquino were also present during the courtesy call. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman examinees top licensure exams for interior designers and landscape architects – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-examinees-top-licensure-exams-for-interior-designers-and-landscape-architects/",
        "html": "UP Diliman examinees top licensure exams for interior designers and landscape architects UP Diliman examinees top licensure exams for interior designers and landscape architects August 2, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu    Three examinees from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman topped the Licensure Examination for Interior Designers given by the Board of Interior Design in the National Capital Region (NCR), Cebu, and Davao this July 2023.  With a rating of 87%, Jena Carla Edquila De Guzman was board topnotcher. Andrea Ruth Tan Lim, with a rating of 82.80%, and Mark Laurenz Catli Garcia, with a rating of 82.55%, placed ninth and tenth in the list of top ten passers, respectively. A total of 202 examinees passed this exam.  UP Diliman is also the top performing school in the July 2023 Licensure Examination for Landscape Architects as per Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Resolution No. 2017-1058(C) series of 2017. This means that UP Diliman’s examinees met the PRC requirements of “15 or more examinees and with at least 80% passing percentage.”  The board topnotcher was UP Diliman’s Albertene Manabat Aloc, with a rating of 80.75%, who outranked 63 other passers. Meanwhile, a total of 17, including Aloc, or 100% of the examinees from UP Diliman, passed the exam given by the Board of Landscape Architecture in NCR and Cebu this July 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ML@50: UP holds 5th Day of Remembrance to mark 50 years since martial law declaration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ml50-up-holds-5th-day-of-remembrance-to-mark-50-years-since-martial-law-declaration/",
        "html": "ML@50: UP holds 5th Day of Remembrance to mark 50 years since martial law declaration ML@50: UP holds 5th Day of Remembrance to mark 50 years since martial law declaration September 19, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta     On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 declaring martial law over the entire country, supposedly responding to the rising “communist threat” at the time.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of this declaration that led to a decades-long period in Philippine history remembered for its authoritarian rule, a record of human rights abuses, repression of basic freedoms and freedom of the press, and unmitigated corruption and theft by those in power that left much of the country in poverty.  This September 21 Wednesday, the University of the Philippines (UP) joins the nation in remembering and honoring the heroes, activists, and human rights victims who stood against martial law and the Marcos regime. This remembrance of struggle and sacrifice is made more poignant and urgent now in a time of disinformation, fake news, and historical revisionism.  In this year’s UP Day of Remembrance, with the theme, “Manindigan sa Katotohanan, Itanghal ang Katarungan,” the University will again commemorate the legacy of resistance and heroism of these activists, many of whom are members of the UP community. As with the previous years’ Days of Remembrance, UP will hold a series of activities and events, both online and in person, in all constituent universities of the UP System across the country to share these stories with the younger generations of Iskolar ng Bayan and other patriotic Filipinos and keep the flame of truth and justice alive.  This year also marks the fifth UP Day of Remembrance since UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed. On September 17, 2018, Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018, declared September 21 every year as UP Day of Remembrance.  The UP Day of Remembrance events and activities are as follows:  UP SYSTEM  Historians’ Meet September 21, 2022 1:00-5:00 pm TVUP Studio, 5th Floor Student Union Building, UP Diliman  The Historians’ Meet is the lead event of the UP Day of Remembrance 2022 with the theme, “Manindigan sa Katotohanan, Itanghal ang Katarungan,” in line with the 50th anniversary of Proclamation No. 1081 that placed the whole country under martial law. In September 2018, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018, declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance throughout the University of the Philippines System to commemorate the struggles and sacrifices of the people during the martial law period.  Briefly, the Meet seeks to reckon with the return of the Marcoses to Malacanang and the role that historians critical of Marcos rule, past, and present, may have to play. The Meet seeks to highlight the importance of history and its methods in truth-telling and fighting historical distortion and disinformation.  The Meet shall consist of two parts. Part 1 (1:00-3:00 pm) will be an intimate discussion on the situation, possible courses of action, and resolutions. Part 2 (3:00-5:00 pm) will be a roundtable forum, open to the public, that will feature thoughts from historians, social activists, and participants. It will announce the most important resolutions from Part 1 and present a common declaration on Marcos’s return.  In the Roundtable Forum, we have invited Dr. Maria Serena Diokno, Brod. Karl Gaspar, Dr. Ferdinand Llanes, and Dr. Rowena Boquiren speak on specific themes, each theme running along the lines of imparting lessons from the past and sharing methods in generating narratives on the truths of dictatorial rule.  5th Public History Symposium October 7, 2022 2:00 pm–5:00 pm via Zoom  In 2018, the UP Department of History launched the “Public History Symposium” as a key event of “BuKAS: Pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Kasaysayan sa UP Diliman.” The symposium features paper presentations on public history by academics, public history practitioners, and history enthusiasts. It also aims to serve as a platform for engagement between the Department and various stakeholders in the practice of history outside the academe, especially the multiple publics. In the symposium, the Department invites a leading historian to deliver the keynote address and two to three non-academic practitioners to form a panel of speakers.  This year’s symposium remembers the 50th anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s declaration of Martial Law and commemorates the countless Filipinos who resisted and perished during Marcos’ authoritarian rule. In this view, the Fifth Public History Symposium is slated shortly after the university-wide commemorations in September and August, which are traditionally held. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Dr. Ferdinand C. Llanes, Professor of the UP Department of History and editor of Tibak Rising: Activism in the Days of Martial Law (Anvil Publishing, 2012), an anthology of essays and reminiscences on the daily lives of student activists who fought and resisted the Marcos dictatorship.  National History Students’ Summit: Kabataan para sa Katotohanan at Katarungan (KKK) November 12, 2022 9:00 am–4:00 pm via Zoom  Layon ng pagtitipon na mapag-usapan ang mga hamon sa disiplina ng kasaysayan sa hanay ng mga mag-aaral ng mga programang BA, MA at PhD Kasaysayan at ng mga kaugnay na disiplina sa kasalukuyang panahon. Layon din nito na makapagbigay ng mga pagsasanay na tutugon sa pagbaluktot ng mga katotohanan at tutulong sa mga kalahok na maisulong ang masusing pananaliksik sa disiplina.  National Training Seminar for Teachers of Philippine History December 9, 2022 9:00 am–4:00 pm via Zoom  The Professional Education Series (PROFESS) of the UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (UP CSSP) provides an excellent opportunity for professional enhancement for educators and practitioners in the social sciences and philosophy. The training consists of an intensive two-day course in one area of study that equips educators and practitioners with the latest trends and updates in the discipline. It aims to review the basic foundations of the field and introduce pedagogical interventions for each domain.  For two consecutive years, the UP Department of History has conducted the National Training Seminar for Teachers of Philippine History as a component of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) Professional Education Series (PROFESS) Program. It aims to contribute to the capacity building of Philippine history teachers at both the basic and tertiary education levels. In 2018, the training was designed to update the content of topics and themes on Philippine history. The following year focused on mapping the essential truths relevant to the teaching of Martial Law years in the Philippines (1972-1986) outlined by the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC). The training slated for 2020 was canceled due to the current public health crisis. Last year, the training focused on sharing good practices in teaching Philippine history in a remote learning context. It was also designed to serve as a platform for students to share their remote learning experiences and insights.  This year marks the 50th year of the martial declaration that spurred the Marcos dictatorship. It is in this context that the Department intends to organize a training program this year that aims to: (a) discuss the role and relevance of history in the present context; (b) examine sources and discourses relevant to the Marcos dictatorship and the contemporary Philippines; and, (c) introduce pedagogical interventions pertinent to the teaching of the topics mentioned above.  Aside from the events and activities commemorating the UP Day of Remembrance at the UP System level, each UP constituent unit is holding its series of events. Iskolar ng bayan, UP community members, and the general public are invited to participate.  UP Diliman  In September 2022, the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UPD-OICA) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Martial Law imposition in 1972 through the project ML@50: Tugon at Tindig ng Sining. Through various programs such as film series,s webinars, exhibitions, and publications, among others, the project envisions to look in retrospect at this dark chapter of Philippine history and acknowledge the threats that our current socio-political condition poses to education and history, freedom of expression, and protection of human rights.  In September 2022, the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UPD-OICA) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Martial Law imposition in 1972 through the project ML@50: Tugon at Tindig ng Sining. Through various programs such as film series,s webinars, exhibitions, and publications, among others, the project envisions to look in retrospect at this dark chapter of Philippine history and acknowledge the threats that our current socio-political condition poses to education and history, freedom of expression, and protection of human rights.  1. Kamao ang Hugis ng Puso: Neil Doloricon Retrospective College of Fine Arts 15-30 September 2022 Gallery One, UP Fine Arts Gallery (Exhibit) Atrium or Front Lawn (Program)  2. The Marcos Regime Research: In Print and Online Third World Studies Center September 23, 2022, 4:00 pm (Book and Website Launch)  3. Kwentong Mulat – ML@50 UP Asian Institute of Tourism September 30, 2022, 10:00 am – 12:00 in (Launch of the Virtual tour Website) September 30, 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 pm (Onsite walking tour) Hybrid Tour (onsite and online)  4.”A Name by Candlelight”: Subversive Lives Then and Now College of Arts and Letters 24 September 2022, 6 p.m. Virtual or Hybrid Stage Reading  5. Tugon at Tindig: Martial Law Memorial Tiktok Challenge (Social Media Platform) College of Mass Communication September 14 2022, 2:00 p.m. (Launch) October 17, 2022, 2:00 pm (Announcement of Winners and Awarding)  6. Martial Law Film Series (Pilot) Lino Brocka’s Manila in the Claws of Light UP Film Institute September 20 2022, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. (Film Screening)  7. Sining Protesta: Imahe at Tema, Anyo at Pagkilos Bulwagan ng Dangal Museum & UPD-OICA 21 Setyembre – 9 Oktubre 2022 Outdoor Ehhibition UPD Academic Oval  8. Pagtindig: Mga Tala sa Papel ng Akademikong Larang ng Malikhaing Pagsulat, Panitikan at Wika Kontra Batas Militar Hanggang Kasalukuyan Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas 23, 30 Setyembre 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 n.h. Mga Panayam at Koleksyon (Online)  9. Paglulunsad at Pagmumulat: Ang GE Kursong Philippine Studies 21 (PS 21) sa Paggunita sa ika-50 Anibersaryo ng Batas Militar ni Marcos, Sr. Larangan ng Philippine Studies, DFPP 29 Setyembre 2022, 2:00 – 4:00 n.h. Paglulunsad ng Aklat at Bidyo ng mga Lektura at Paraan ng Pagtuturo (Hybrid na Programa)  10. The Art of Disquiet and Rage Department of Art Studies September 28, 2022 Hybrid Symposium  11. KAL Bahaginan Research Forum: BANWAG: Sining sa Panahon ng Batas Militar, Paglikha para sa Bayan at Kinabukasan Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura 26-30 Setyembre 2022, 4:00 n.h.  12. OICA Learning Resource Dissemination and Social Media Campaign Project UPD-OICA 15-30 September 2022 Online Campaign (UPD-OICA YouTube Channel and Facebook Page)  For more information, you may access this link bit.ly/ML50UPDiliman or scan the QR code in the poster above.  In line with the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, the UP College of Mass Communication launched last September 14, the Martial Law Memorial Tiktok Challenge.  The UP CMC Tiktok Challenge < #UPCMCML50> with the theme “Manindigan sa Katotohanan, Itanghal ang Katarungan,” is one of the many activities organized by UP Diliman under the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA) to keep alive the memory of martial law, especially on its 50th anniversary lest we forget the dark times of our history.  The challenge is open to all University of the Philippines undergraduate students and UP Integrated School Grades 11 and 12 students. In the face of historical denialism, the challenge aims to give the students a chance to review Philippine history and devise creative ways of remembering the past.  Challenge Mechanics:  For more details, please view the launch explanation.  The Tiktok entry can be in the form of a song, dance, narrative, or skit revolving around the Martial Law historical memory theme.  There will be two winning categories (but you can only win once): a. Top Content Creator (three qualified submissions) – Prize: Php20,000 b. Best Tiktok (Tiktok entry that obtains the highest judging score) – Prize: Php10,000 c. Runner-ups in both categories – Prize: P5,000 d. 10 Finalists in Best Tiktok category – Prize: P2,500.  The entry can be serious or funny for as long as it is historically factual. While comedy is accepted, satire is disqualified since it can be misconstrued and contribute to disinformation. Tiktok entries should be a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of two (2) minutes and must be in FHD resolution (1080 x 1920). It should contain the hashtags: #UPML50, #CMCChallenge. Each challenger may submit a maximum of Three (3) entries, but he/she/they can only win once. The participant’s TikTok entry should be set to “public.” If using secondary material, challengers are responsible for gaining permission to include any copyrighted material that needs approval. By participating in the Contest, each Entrant represents and warrants that they meet these eligibility requirements, have read, accepted, and will comply with these official rules (the “Official Rules”), and acknowledges any violation of these Official Rules may disqualify Entrant from the Contest. Submission: Link to the entry or entries, along with proof of enrollment, should be submitted via: https://tinyurl.com/4a8hdanx  Challenge Criteria/Judging process:  Criteria are as follows: Creativity  –Novelty; Effective use of the medium   50% Factuality  –Historical Accuracy   30% Engagement  –Potential to contribute to the conversation   20%       Notes: Posting/upload should be between September 21 and September 30.  Erroneous information, no matter how small, will also lead to disqualification. A CMC-based screening committee will ensure that all submitted entries comply with the established challenge guidelines. All those who meet the minimum requirement will then be given to the TikTok ML Challenge Jury, composed of judges outside the UP College of Mass Communication. The announcement of winners and awarding will be on October 17 at 2 pm.  The UP Institute of Human Rights presents The Legal Construction of Dictatorship: We Remember  A week-long Martial Law Series from 12-21 September 2022. The major events that led up to President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law and the events that came after will be posted on this page every day until September 21, 2022, the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law.  This series aims to help the post-EDSA generation understand how the one-person rule was sustained from the proclamation of Martial Law in 1972 to the ouster of the dictator in 1986. It will look at how the law was used to legitimize the dictatorship. It will enable and empower today’s generation to be wary of similar attempts these days and alert them to seemingly subtle maneuvers that erode our democracy. Join us in looking back and recalling one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history. We will remember, and we will #NeverForget  The Legal Construction of Dictatorship:THEN & NOW A Comparative Analysis  This 21 September, we join the nation in commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law. The horrors of one-person rule taught us to defend and value our democracy and declare that never again should our freedom be imperiled. Today, we are featuring major events in the past that triggered the imposition of dictatorship and drew parallel occurrences in the present that would caution the public of similar attempts.  Through this project, we hope to help the public understand that authoritarianism is not built overnight but through a sequence of events that justify the curtailment of rights and liberties. It would keep them cautious and aid them in recognizing and deterring any efforts to consolidate power.  #NeverAgain #NeverForget For more information, visit the UP Institute of Human Rights Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Agham+Sining: UP’s best innovations and creative works to be showcased in a 2-day Innovation and Knowledge Festival – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aghamsining-ups-best-innovations-and-creative-works-to-be-showcased-in-a-2-day-innovation-and-knowledge-festival/",
        "html": "Agham+Sining: UP’s best innovations and creative works to be showcased in a 2-day Innovation and Knowledge Festival Agham+Sining: UP’s best innovations and creative works to be showcased in a 2-day Innovation and Knowledge Festival November 28, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines (UP) is showcasing the research and creative work, and scientific and technological innovations of its community in a two-day knowledge festival, and everyone is invited to come and participate.  The “Agham + Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022” will be held on November 28-29 at the UP Bonifacio Global City (BGC) campus as a hybrid event—both face-to-face and live-streamed.  It will feature the best products from UP’s best in the sciences and the arts. These include innovations and promising research led by brilliant university faculty and researchers and the best technologies adopted by UP’s industry partners and research projects to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For the arts, the festival will promote the digital and physical outputs of the University’s creative minds, from history to visual arts and cinema and indigenous and local cultures to education and innovation.  Some of the projects to be featured are:  Project SARAi, or Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines, aims to develop a national crop forecasting and monitoring system for rice, corn, banana, coconut, coffee, cacao, sugarcane, soybean, and tomato farming, and is being implemented by the UP Los Baños, together with several state universities and colleges and national government agencies. Bio-Nitrogen, or Bio-N, is an organic/microbial inoculant fertilizer for rice and corn that increases yield while maintaining soil health. Lab in a Mug/Dengue Detection Kit, or the Biotek MTM aqua kit, a miniaturized nucleic acid-based detection kit with 85% Sensitivity and 100% Specificity in detecting Dengue, and a turnaround time of just 1 hour, with results that can be seen with a naked eye. Yerba Buena, an aromatic herb known as mint, spearmint, or marsh mint found in the Philippines, contains Menthalactone. This substance has been shown to have analgesic or pain-relieving activity. Mussel Glycogen, utilizes the glycogen content of various mussel species in the Philippines and optimizes the procedures for glycogen extraction and use in multiple products. VISSER, or Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research, is a low-cost, portable, and handheld science kit that allows high school students to conduct over 50 science experiments in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, which greatly contributes to the enhancement of the STEM strand. PteraBooster, which involves the processing of biowaste using Black Soldier Fly Larvae to produce products such as nutrient-rich organic compost and protein-rich animal feedstuff. And TVUP, the University’s Internet television (webcast) network, offers free informational and instructional material via its Facebook page and YouTube channels,  has recently launched its CIGNAL TV Channel 101 in partnership with Cignal TV Inc.  The two-day knowledge festival will also feature sessions on Teaching and Learning in the Digital Era, Sining at Ako: Kasaysayan, Kultura at Pagkakakilanlan; Green Energy and Sustainable Solutions, Responsible Consumption and Production, and more.  The “Agham + Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022” is organized by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office. Registration details shall be posted soon. For updates, visit the OVPAA Facebook page.  Download the Agham + Sining Programme here. You may also view the schedule of activities below.  #SDG3 #SDG4 #SDG7 #SDG9       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Two UP alumni awarded for exemplary government service – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/two-up-alumni-awarded-for-exemplary-government-service/",
        "html": "Two UP alumni awarded for exemplary government service Two UP alumni awarded for exemplary government service March 13, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Two alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) were recognized for their exemplary government service by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. at the awarding ceremony for the recipients of the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Presidential Lingkod Bayan, Pagasa, and Dangal ng Bayan Awards for 2022. The awarding ceremony was held on 8 March 2023 in Malacañang.  Among the six Presidential Lingkod Bayan awardees for 2022, recognized for having made significant strides in the nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, is Dr. Cynthia P. Saloma Executive Director of the UP Philippine Genome Center (UP PCG), and UP Professor.  According to the CSC’s press release, Dr. Saloma was recognized for laying the infrastructure for genomics research in the country and the foundation by which genomic biosurveillance is now part of the arsenal for pandemic preparedness. With her leadership, the UP PGC was able to provide the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases with science-based genomics data critical to the whole-of-nation approach management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Saloma earned her Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degree from UP Visayas, magna cum laude.  Among the six CSC Pagasa awardees, on the other hand, is Professor Emeritus Edward A. Barlaan of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), North Cotabato. A Master of Science in Agronomy graduate of the UP Los Baños Graduate School, Dr. Barlaan was recognized for his exemplary efforts and outstanding output as an academician, administrator, researcher, scientist, and extension worker. Besides being a professor in undergraduate and graduate courses, he also served as Vice-President for Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) of USM from June 2020 to April 2022, providing improvements in RDE systems in the university.  The CSC’s Presidential Lingkod Bayan (PLB) Award is conferred on an individual or group for exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from an idea or performance that had nationwide impact on public interest, security, and patrimony. The Pagasa Award, on the other hand, is conferred to an individual or group for outstanding contribution/s resulting from an idea or performance that directly benefit more than one department of the government.  With reports from the UP Office of Alumni Relations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumna receives 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumna-receives-2023-uae-health-foundation-prize/",
        "html": "UP alumna receives 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize UP alumna receives 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize May 31, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Pictured here from left: Hon Chris Fearn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health of Malta and WHA76 President; Dr Maria Asuncion Silvestre from the Philippines; WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates. © WHO / Pierre Albouy  An alumna of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine, Dr. Maria Asuncion Silvestre, was awarded the 2023 United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize during the 76th World Health Assembly for her advocacy work in promoting exclusive breastfeeding and improving the health of mothers and newborns.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Silvestre is a renowned clinician and researcher, a passionate advocate for exclusive breastfeeding, and the founder of a nongovernmental organization Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina, Inc. (KMI). She designed a pioneering protocol called Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care, consisting of a simple set of choreographed actions for health workers attending a mother during delivery and her newborn immediately after birth and during the first week of the child’s life. This affordable Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care Protocol helps to bridge the health equity gap.  “Non-separated, the mother/newborn pair is our first food system. We should protect it as passionately and as furiously as we protect our agricultural lands, coral reefs, and rainforests,” Silvestre said during the awarding ceremony, as reported by the WHO. “We sought to ‘re-choreograph’ actions in the first minutes to hours after birth, eliminating unnecessary actions, so we formulated a time-bound sequence of steps. Many health facilities in my country and elsewhere implemented the Protocol and reaped the benefits. Evidence shows that receiving at least one of the four core steps was protective; the more elements of essential care received, the more newborn survival improved. Breastfeeding saves lives,” she added.  In collaboration with the Philippine government and 17 other countries of the WHO Western Pacific Region, Dr. Silvestre scaled up the “First Embrace” campaign for Early Essential Newborn Care, a set of simple WHO-recommended and cost-effective interventions. Her work has helped save lives at national level and beyond, earning her the 2023 UAE Health Foundation Prize.  The UAE Health Foundation Prize  According to the UAE Health Foundation Prize’s Guidelines, the prize is given to a person or persons, an institution or institutions, or an NGO or NGOs that have accomplished notable advances in the health field according to the global strategy for achieving health for all by the year 2000.  “The aim of the UAE Health Foundation Prize is to motivate health  workers, including scientists, researchers, workers and  specialists,” said Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, when presenting the prize to Dr. Silvestre on behalf of the UAE Health Foundation, “in order to make further achievements that benefit health in its various sectors and to contribute with the UN system in general and the WHO in particular to the implementation of projects and programmes that strengthen health for all around the world and address health challenges globally.”  The UAE Health Foundation Award was given during the 76th World Health Assembly, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland last 21-30 May, with this year’s theme being “WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all.”  A graduate of both UPLB and UP Manila  Dr. Silvestre earned her BS in Zoology degree, magna cum laude, in 1978 from the College of Arts and Sciences of UP Los Baños, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the College of Medicine in UP Manila in 1982. After completing advanced studies in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Wayne State University, she became a faculty member of the UP College of Medicine and the UP Philippine General Hospital. She advocated for breastfeeding as a core component of pediatric education, and authored a chapter on infant and young child feeding in the textbook Fundamentals of Pediatrics.  Aside from founding the KMI, Dr. Silvestre chairs the Early Essential Newborn Care Independent Review Group (IRG) of the WHO Western Pacific Region Office (WHO WPRO), and co-directs the I-CATCH community-based program for Unang Yakap and Breastfeeding with support of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Dulag municipality, Leyte.  With reports from the UP Office of Alumni Relations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni conferred Accountancy Centenary Awards of Excellence and Recognition Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-conferred-accountancy-centenary-awards-of-excellence-and-recognition-awards/",
        "html": "UP alumni conferred Accountancy Centenary Awards of Excellence and Recognition Awards UP alumni conferred Accountancy Centenary Awards of Excellence and Recognition Awards March 17, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) were proclaimed recipients of “Centenary Awards of Excellence” and “Recognition Awards for the Board of Accountancy Members” during the celebration of the Centenary Year of the Accountancy Profession in the Philippines, led by the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).  The awardees were announced on March 6, 2023, by the PRC Accountancy Board, with awarding ceremonies held during the Grand Centenary Celebration on March 17 at the Manila Hotel. Nominations were made by the different sectors of the Accountancy profession—the public practice, commerce and industry, education, and government sectors. Following recommendations by the Screening Committee, the PRC Board approved the official list of “Centenary Awardees for Excellence,” recognizing their “unquestionable integrity, exemplified by their outstanding contributions and unparalleled dedication in advancing the Accountancy profession and remarkable participation in national development.”  The UP alumni, both living and deceased, who have been named among the 100 Accountancy “Centenary Awardees of Excellence” are:  Estelita Caleon Aguirre, first and only female President of the Asian Federation of Accountants; former Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue; former Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Executive Director; Manuel S. Alba, former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary; +Emilia T. Boncodin, former DBM Secretary; + Vicente F. Fabella, educator, economist, civic leader, and the first Filipino certified public accountant; Aurora D. Geotina-Garcia, President of Mageo Consulting Inc.; Jaime C. Laya, former Minister of Education, Culture and Sports; former DBM Secretary; former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor; Conchita L. Manabat, founder and first woman Chair of the Deloitte practice in the Philippines; President of the Development Center for Finance; Felipe M. Medalla, former Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); incumbent BSP Governor; Raul C. Pagdanganan, President and CEO of Cardinal Santos Medical Center; member of the UP Board of Regents; Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, former PICPA National President; Commissioner of Legal Education Board Philippines; Joel L. Tan-Torres, a former member of the Board of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Chair, Board of Accountancy; BIR Commissioner; Maria Gracia M. Pulido-Tan, first woman Chairperson (equivalent to Auditor-General) of the Philippine Commission on Audit’s 115-year history; Manuel (Manny) B. Villar, House Speaker and then President of the Senate, the first Filipino to hold both posts; Guillermo E. Torres, Sr.; Rosario Sevilla Santiago-Bernaldo; Herminio V. Dagohoy; Carlota G. Piczon-Valenzuela; + Belen E. Gutierrez; + Washington Z. Sycip was conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, by UP Diliman in 2001.  UP alumni members of the Board of Accountancy, past and present, who received “Recognition Awards” are:  + Antonio P. Ferrer; Lucila C. Tarriela; Betty C. Siy-Yap Carmelita G. Salgado; Clemente Q. Uson; Luis A. Cañete; + Ruperto P. Somera; Elvira P. Pacis-Atanacio; Luis C. Liwanag II; Jose V. Ramos; +Filadelfo M. Inocentes; Gregorio G. Centeno; Isagani O. Santiago  The conferment of the Accountancy “Centenary Awards of Excellence” and “Recognition Awards for the Board of Accountancy Members” marks the culmination of the year-long celebration of the Centenary Year of the Accountancy Profession in the Philippines, which was declared by then President Rodrigo Duterte through Proclamation No. 1333.  With reports by the UP Office of Alumni Relations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP protests against threat to academic freedom – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-protests-against-threat-to-academic-freedom/",
        "html": "UP protests against threat to academic freedom UP protests against threat to academic freedom January 21, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Members of the UP community, notably the youth sector, stand in front of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman to protest the unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord by DND Sec. Lorenzana. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO.     Without academic freedom, the University of the Philippines (UP) would lose its meaning and purpose.  This was the statement issued by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion during the quick-response indignation rally held in the morning of January 19, in response to the letter issued by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana unilaterally terminating the UP-DND Accord, action which many members of the UP community regard as a grave threat to the University’s academic freedom and security.     Members of the UP community raise their fists to protest the abrupt abrogation of the UP-DND Accord. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     The quick-response rally was organized by the youth sector of the University of the Philippines System and Diliman under the broad-based alliance, UP Rise Against Tyranny and Dictatorship or UPRISE, with other sectors, including members of the lumad community from the Save Our Schools Network. The rally joins the clamor on social media by other members of the UP community protesting the abrupt move by the DND to unilaterally abrogate the Accord, without prior consultation with UP.     The UP-DND Accord  The UP-DND Accord, which was signed on June 30, 1989 by then UP President Jose Abueva and then Secretary of Defense Fidel V. Ramos, established certain norms and protocols governing relations between the University and military and police forces. These protocols include, among others, that prior notification shall be given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police to the UP administration before conducting any military or police operations in any of the UP campuses of the eight UP constituent universities, and that, except in cases of hot pursuit or similar emergencies or ordinary transit through UP premises, no member of the AFP or PNP shall enter the premises of any of the UP campuses.  The UP-DND Accord was preceded by the Soto-Enrile Accord of 1981, which stemmed from a letter from then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile to former League of Filipino Students national chair Sonia Soto. This was intended to protect schools and their students, faculty and staff from police and military incursions intended to suppress dissent and protest actions.     UP President Danilo Concepcion stresses the importance of academic freedom as the lifeblood of the University of the Philippines. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     UP as a “safe space”     “Maraming hindi lubos na nakakaunawa sa kalahagahan ng Accord na ito [There are many who do not completely understand the significance of this Accord],” Concepcion stated, addressing the UP students, faculty, staff and officials who gathered during the rally. “Ang Accord na ito ang nagbibigay kalayaan sa ating mga estudyante at ating mga guro na maging malikhain at mapusok sa pag-iisip at paglikha, sapagkat alam nila na walang susupil sa kanilang mga gawain, na walang magmamanman sa kanilang bawat kilos at galaw, na walang pipigil sa kanilang pagpapahayag ng kanilang mga kaisipan at malayang pagtatagisan ng talino at kuro-kuro [This Accord grants our students and faculty the freedom to be creative and passionate in their thought and works, because they know that no one will suppress them, or monitor their every move, or stop them from the free expression of their views and intellectual debate],” he continued.  UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, on his part, expressed his “grave concern” with the unilateral abrogation of the memorandum of agreement between UP and the DND and his objection to it on several grounds.     UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo expresses his “grave concern” and objection to the unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND Accord. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Nemenzo said that first, the Accord is constructive and has effectively promoted good will between the two institutions, as well as fostered a mutual respect for each other’s mandate and mechanisms for dialogue and resolutions. Second, the unilateral abrogation of the Accord denies UP its right to academic freedom, which as Concepcion also stressed, is founded on a constitutional right.  “If the DND says, as it does, that it would neither post military or police inside UP’s campuses, nor suppress academic freedom and freedom of expression, why abrogate the Accord?” Nemenzo pointed out.  Finally, the Accord itself states that nothing within it shall be construed as prohibition against the enforcement of the laws of the land.  “Scuttling the Accord strikes a dangerous blow to academic freedom, because it sends the message that intellectual and cultural inquiry, which is sacred in our University, has limits,” Nemenzo warned. He also cited the historical significance of the Accord. “The Accord was a democratic response to the suppression of UP and of freedoms during Martial Law. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Diliman Commune and next year is the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Martial Law. The Accord stands as a testament to the University’s actions on behalf of academic freedom. This is why we should and will defend UP as a safe space, a zone for free thought and free speech. Academic freedom and our University have to be protected and defended at all times.”     New Student Regent Renee Louise Co addressing the protestors in front of Quezon Hall, many of whom come from the youth sector of UP. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Like Nemenzo, new UP Student Regent Renee Louise Co cited the historical significance and meaning of the UP-DND Accord in her statement during the indignation rally. “Ang pagtanggal ng UP-DND Accord ay isang napakalaking insulto sa napakaraming mga iskolar ng bayan na nagsakripisyo at nagpakita ng kanilang mga magagawa para pagsilbihan ang sambayanan [The termination of the UP-DND Accord is a huge insult to the many iskolar ng bayan who sacrificed and struggled to serve the people].”     On the right side of history     Dr. Jay Batongbacal, Executive Associate Dean of the UP College of Law, assured the rally-goers that the UP College of Law is prepared to extend assistance to UP students and student organizations, faculty, staff and other UP sectors. “Rest assured that there are many of us ready to defend our freedom of thought and our freedom of speech. We will stand by you to defend the academic freedom of the University of the Philippines.”  UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil R. Sonido, on her part, credited the courage, determination, unity and solidarity of the youth sector of UP. “To all those who continue to doubt and underestimate our youth, enough. Because the kids are all right. They are here and unafraid. They will stand their ground on the right side of history, and they will be remembered for their strength and vigilance, for their relentless service to the people despite red-tagging, despite political persecution, despite big bullies in government picking on them and pointing their guns at them. Our weapon is our criticism, our insolence, our daring, our defiance. History will remember that in the line of fire, UP stood its ground and it will not back down. We will defend the University.”  Other speakers included representatives of various UP student organizations and student councils and activist groups, such as: the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP); Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU); NNARA Youth; Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND)-UP Diliman; Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT); Bahaghari; KATRIBU; KADAMAY; GABRIELA; and, Kabataan Partylist Representative Sarah Jane Elago.     Protestors march toward the University Avenue. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Echo the watchword: #DefendUP     Across the entire UP System, UP constituent universities and members of the UP community have spoken out in protest against the unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord.  As the UP Baguio University Council is finalizing its own statement, Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos issued a message to the UP Baguio community and the public on his Facebook page, calling the abrogation of the UP-DND agreement “very disturbing and alarming”. “Critical thinking and dissent are not synonymous to extremism/terrorism. Refusal to take these nuances into account in the current anti-insurgency drive is dangerous and counter-productive. The unbridled entry of the police and other military forces in the university would instill fear and curtail freedom, therefore threatening to destroy the very essence of a university,” Rovillos warned.  Pointing out that UP has offered assistance to police personnel and the National Bureau of Investigation with proper coordination with the UP administration, UP Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. said in his statement that the Accord is not a hindrance to the enforcement of the country’s laws and judicial orders on campus. Therefore, the UPLB community views the unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord as an assault against the freedom of UP as an institution, coming at the heels of “earlier threats to discontinue funding for the University, which was intended to silence and intimidate us”.  “We will not back down,” Camacho said. “We will continue with our duty to defend the freedom of our people guaranteed under the Constitution—the right to life and liberty, the freedom of speech, of expression and the right of the people to campaign against graft and corruption.”     Protestors start to gather in front of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman in response to DND Sec. Lorenzana’s unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO.     UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano issued a statement on the UP Visayas website denouncing the sudden termination, without consultation, of the UP-DND Agreement. “Historical events that have shaped the relationship of UP and the country’s security forces—many of these leaving wounds that have yet to heal—explain the University’s strong apprehension,” Camposano said. “While the DND has given assurances that constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms would not be suppressed, these historical events and the sordid reality of recent killings, abductions, and other forms of human rights abuses widely believed to have been perpetrated by security forces cannot but leave us unassured. We call on the members of the UP Visayas community to be steadfast and resolute in the defense of their democratic rights, and in ensuring that the University’s campuses remain free, safe, and welcoming towards a wide range of ideas and advocacies.”  UP Manila faculty and officials also issued a statement condemning the move by DND Sec. Lorenzana. “The unilateral decision of the DND is highly unacceptable and cannot be forcibly imposed on UP, the national university of the country. Claiming that the Accord has served as a ‘hindrance in providing effective security, safety, and welfare of the students, faculty, and employees of UP’ is certainly an empty assertion and cannot be used as justification over this arbitrary action. On the contrary, the termination of the Accord will make University constituents vulnerable to State attacks and various forms of human rights violations,” the statement read.  The UP Open University (UPOU) community asserted in its official statement that “we are one with the entire UP community in defending our academic freedom and our right for free and safe haven to openly express our ideas”. The statement continues: “This unilateral decision of the DND poses a grave threat, especially in this time where opinions and ideas are expressed in cyberspace. We call on the UPOU constituents and the entire UP community to be vigilant, unwavering, and steadfast in defending our freedom of speech, freedom to express dissent, and our academic freedom that is deeply ingrained in our history as a university.”     A rally-goer holds up a sign during the indignation rally in front of Quezon Hall. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro and the UP Cebu administration, in their own statement, describe the recent experiences of UP Cebu students and faculty members with direct intimidation and threats, including red-tagging. “We strongly condemned such acts of transgression and bullying. We strongly condemn any and all forms of baseless accusations and red-tagging among our constituents. faculty and students alike. They deserve our respect, not harassment. The UP-DND Accord provides a safeguard for our constituents from such abuse of authority, and for promoting our rule of law. Thus, with the rest of the UP community, we in UP Cebu will staunchly defend our basic rights and will stand our ground.”  In the south, UP Mindanao declared in its statement that it “stands with the entire UP System in upholding the rights of the University, its students, faculty, and staff. While the UP-DND Accord cannot be unilaterally terminated, the letter of Sec. Lorenzana poses a threat intended to intimidate UP and its constituents. We, therefore, join the entire community in defending our rights, liberty, and safety.”  Finally, former UP President Jose V. Abueva who, together with then Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos, set down the agreement on the conduct of military and police operations inside UP premises on June 30, 1989, issued his own statement on the recent actions of the DND Secretary:  “[Then Defense Secretary] Fidel V. Ramos and I had great respect for each other and for the institutions we represented. We had a deep understanding between us about the inalienable rights to freedom, democracy, justice and peace that lasted beyond our respective presidencies. There was a deep, mutual understanding of the need to uphold this agreement and do everything for the good of UP and the rights of its students, faculty and staff. This understanding was rooted in mutual trust, and mutual respect.  I am appalled and dismayed about this unilateral abrogation,” Abueva lamented.     The signs of the times: UP sectors defending academic freedom in UP. Photos by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Video by UP Media and Public Relations Office    "
    },
    {
        "title": "CHED’s SUC fair features COVID technologies and agri products from UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cheds-suc-fair-features-covid-technologies-and-agri-products-from-up/",
        "html": "CHED’s SUC fair features COVID technologies and agri products from UP CHED’s SUC fair features COVID technologies and agri products from UP July 1, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP System and UPLB officials and staff oversee the UP exhibit booth at the CHED SUC Fair 2022. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  The Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s State Universities and Colleges (SUC) Fair 2022 was held from June 28 to July 1 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, Pasay City. Bestsellers during the fair include agricultural, dairy, and souvenir products from UP Los Baños (UPLB).  The SUC fair highlighted UP’s response to the pandemic, specifically through technologies from the UP Philippine Genome Center (PGC) and the UP Surgical Innovation and Biotechnology (SIBOL) program.  UPLB showcased some of its world-class products during CHED’s SUC Fair 2022. Photos by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).     PGC showcased its COVID RT-PCR testing, bio-surveillance, and genomic sequencing capabilities and activities through print materials. Also exhibited were its COVID info-materials and multi-Omics technology platforms.  Medical devices recently invented by SIBOL were exhibited: a face mask reusable up to 30 wash cycles but one that has biodegradable filters; the Powered Air Purifying Respirator providing clean air through a battery-operated blower connected to a loose-fitting hood or helmet; the Prone Pillow Plus for enlarged chests and abdomen, with slots for wires to monitor fetal heart tones and uterine contractions; the RxBox Telemetry System enabling healthcare workers to monitor vital signs remotely; and, the myBESHIE or Bot Ensuring Safety and Health in Isolated Environments enabling remote humanlike communication between patients in isolation, healthcare workers, and other parties without the need for internet.  People bustle over at the UP System booth at CHED’s SUC Fair 2022. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO). CHED Chair Prospero de Vera. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  The CHED-initiated fair was hosted this year by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges-National Capital Region and the Philippine Normal University in partnership with the private National University. It carried the theme, “Promoting Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Arts for National Development and Global Competitiveness,” and the tagline, “WeAreSUC: Sustained Excellence, Unified Efforts, Competitive Standards.”  A total of 81 public and private institutions participated in the fair, the second to be held and the first following the enactment in 2021 of Republic Act 11522 commemorating a National Higher Education Day every year, which SUC Fair 2022 celebrated together with the anniversary of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).  During his speech, CHED Chair Prospero de Vera recognized the SUC presidents for ensuring that the free higher education law was correctly implemented. “These presidents are also responsible for ensuring that education continued in the worst times of COVID,” he added.  “Today, they are here because they want to show another aspect of their state universities and colleges’ expertise… They are exhibiting their products through their research and extension programs,” De Vera said.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to participate in 18th MAP International CEO WebCon 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-participate-in-18th-map-international-ceo-webcon-2020/",
        "html": "UP to participate in 18th MAP International CEO WebCon 2020 UP to participate in 18th MAP International CEO WebCon 2020 September 12, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   For more details about the 18th MAP International CEO WebCon 2020, including the event program, visit its official website at mapceoconference.ph.     The University of the Philippines will be participating as a collaborating organization in the 18th Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) International CEO Web Conference (WebCon) 2020, with a hundred UP students and 20 faculty members from four different UP constituent units—UP Diliman, UP Baguio, UP Visayas and UP Cebu—joining in the event and more being invited to participate. Dubbed “A Whole New World: Reigniting the Stalled Global Economy”, the 18th MAP International WebCon 2020 will be held on September 15, 2020, Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. via ZOOM.  The 18th Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) International CEO WebCon 2020 will focus on the challenges of a world transformed not just by the COVID-19 pandemic but by geopolitical and geo-economic shifts even before the pandemic. It aims to jumpstart critical conversation and ignite ideas that would trigger the transformation to a changed business landscape in a new world order. Session speakers include Dr. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Mr. Blair H. Sheppard, PwC UK Global Leader in Strategy and Leadership; Atty. Amal Alamuddin Clooney, Special Envoy, Global Media Freedom, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office; H.E. Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); and Dr. Thierry Apoteker, Chairman and Chief Economist, TAC Economics.  The 18th MAP International CEO WebCon, “A Whole New World: Reigniting the Stalled Global Economy”, is also open to the public for free via Facebook live or YouTube. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Ugnayan ng Pahinungod opens national volunteerism celebrations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ugnayan-ng-pahinungod-opens-national-volunteerism-celebrations/",
        "html": "Ugnayan ng Pahinungod opens national volunteerism celebrations Ugnayan ng Pahinungod opens national volunteerism celebrations December 4, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Screenshot from the webinar “HEIs Making a Difference thru Volunteerism: Ang Kwento ng Pahinungód”, which kicked off National Volunteerism Month. Watch the replay of the webinar on YouTube  or on the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Facebook page.        The Ugnayan ng Pahinungod or Oblation Corps of the University of the Philippines, in coordination with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), opened on December 1, 2020 the country’s celebration of the National Volunteers Month with the webinar “HEIs Making a Difference Through Volunteerism: Ang Kuwento ng Pahinungod”. (Watch the replay of the webinar on YouTube or on the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Facebook page.  Through testimonies, the webinar showed the participating higher educational institutions (HEIs) the philosophy, history, and institutionalization of volunteerism in the state university, while presenting the experiences of the Pahinungod volunteers and beneficiaries.        Screenshot from the webinar “HEIs Making a Difference thru Volunteerism: Ang Kwento ng Pahinungód”, which kicked off National Volunteerism Month.     UP President Danilo Concepcion, credited for reviving the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod as a UP System-wide volunteer service program coordinated through a UP System council, opened the program.  “In unifying the volunteer programs of constituent universities (CUs), we aim to firm up our efforts and be able to help more effectively,” he said in Filipino.  Former UP President Emil Javier, credited for establishing the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod in 1995, talked about the origins of the Ugnayan in 1994 when the University pondered on the question of “losing its soul”. The program formally operationalized the philosophy of volunteerism as another dimension of the University function, enhancing its teaching, research, and extension services.  The program was devolved to the CUs in 2001.        Slides during Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UP System Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay’s presentation.     Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UP System Director Grace Aguiling-Dalisay talked about the operations, prospects, and challenges of the program since its revival under the UP System last year. She said the revival was a reiteration of UP’s leadership in public service.  A session presenting the testimonies of Pahinungod volunteers, community partners, and beneficiaries followed. The community partners who gave testimonials were Mayor Fernando Mesa of Alabat, Quezon, and Norman Jando, former principal of Kidawa National High School in Laak, Davao de Oro. Mesa coordinated medical missions to his municipality, and Jando, Gurong Pahinungod services to the school.  PNVCA Executive Director Donald James Gawe then invited the public to the activities lined up in December, which was declared the National Volunteers Month through Proclamation No. 55, Series of 1988.  PNVSCA accorded the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod a central role in the celebrations to highlight the important role of HEIs in the promotion of volunteerism, Gawe said.     A photo of the volunteers of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Mindanao.     The opening program was moderated by Pahinungod CU Directors Ruben Gamala of UP Visayas, Aurelio Vilbar of UP Cebu, and Doris Wilson of UP Baguio. Director Michael Gatela of UP Mindanao closed the program.  Sign language interpreters were provided by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The semester that was, the semester ahead: UP reports on academic roadmap for AY 2020-2021 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-semester-that-was-the-semester-ahead-up-reports-on-academic-roadmap-for-ay-2020-2021/",
        "html": "The semester that was, the semester ahead: UP reports on academic roadmap for AY 2020-2021 The semester that was, the semester ahead: UP reports on academic roadmap for AY 2020-2021 January 18, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in March last year sent schools scrambling to deliver education amid the threat of disease and the ensuing protocols to ensure public health and safety.  While some Philippine colleges and universities like UP have been employing some blended learning strategies such as, the use of virtual learning environments to complement the traditional classroom setup, the need to fully employ remote teaching and learning (RTL) have suddenly become more urgent and necessary.  Within the reality of what the World Economic Forum calls the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”—the increasing speed with which digital technologies have become more ubiquitous and mobile in today’s world—the University was already working on how to utilize these advancements and be more adaptive to the changing landscape of higher education. But COVID-19 put deployment on the fast track.     VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista begins her presentation. Screenshot of Zoom recording taken by Arlyn Romualdo, UP MPRO.     A review of the historic first semester of Academic Year (AY) 2020-2021 and developments for the coming second semester, almost a year after COVID-19 gripped the world, were part of UP’s Academic Roadmap AY 2020-2021 that was presented on January 11 via Zoom. The event also included the launch of the online initiative, “Alone but Together Remote Teaching and Learning Expo Portal”, which is expected to go live soon.  Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista gave an overview of the roadmap in connection with Memorandum No. 2020-68, which the Office of the VPAA released on June 19, 2020, containing UP’s academic plans for the school year. She enumerated the three operational principles behind the roadmap: “protect our UP community from the pandemic, sustain the continuity of instruction and learning, [and] consider equity concerns in all plans.”  On mode of teaching, she shared some discussion points from the Senior Leaders International Meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities on October 7, 2020. The consensus was, she said, “[There was] no turning back to the old normal in teaching and learning” and that a hybrid of online and face-to-face sessions were necessary in the “next normal”. There will be an increasing shift to independent learning and curriculum innovation, such as restructuring of programs and credentials.     VPAA Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista. Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     On UP’s academic calendar, Bautista said there were 14 weeks in the first semester, with a “reading and wellness break” that was provided in response to “student and faculty overload”. For the 15-week second semester that begins on March 1, the week-long reading and wellness break has already been included in the calendar. The seven-week midyear term will be used for bridge courses, not just for current students but also for recent graduates who were unable to fully immerse themselves in laboratory work and practical training.  On physical infrastructure, the VPPA reported that UP subscribed to a Zoom 3,000 webinar account, and rolled out connectivity and gadget support for faculty and students. A Digital TV Project with curated courses will also be piloted in the next semester.  On academic infrastructure, UP acquired the following software: NVIVO, SPSS, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, ArcGIS, and Qualtrics. Bautista revealed that UP President Danilo Concepcion is pushing for a subscription to Web of Science to add to UP’s library resources. Learning management systems, such as Canvas, were purchased, as Bautista emphasized the need to streamline the systems being used to avoid the need for students to switch systems depending on the teacher or class. She also mentioned: the creation of UP’s RTL microsite; the conduct of webinars to build capacities of students, faculty, and staff; and, the consolidated copyright guide for the use of resource materials for academic purposes.     VP for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista’s presentation was guided by Memorandum No. 2020-68 issued by her office on June 19, 2020. It contained the academic plans for Academic Year 2020-2021. Screenshot of live Zoom event taken by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     On program preparations, additional teaching assistants and teaching fellows were hired across the UP System. Bautista also divulged the University’s still pending request to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, through the Commission on Higher Education, to hold limited in-person classes for thesis and similar courses in the first semester. More than P81 million in funds were requested by UP’s constituent universities (CUs) to prepare to meet the demands of the academic year.  On course preparations, there were online courses: Course Redesign 101 to help faculty prepare their course pack for remote teaching; and, Remote Learning 101 to aid students in preparation for “guided independent study”. Logistics for printing and delivery of these course packs, which cost P7.6 million, were also arranged, with P2.3 million to be added. Incentives were given to faculty members who completed their course packs. Across the UP System, the incentives totaled almost P41.3 million, with the figures for UPD, UP Manila, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, and UP Cebu based on first submissions alone.  For monitoring, student and faculty surveys were conducted; and CUs engaged their respective faculty members through “kumustahan” to see how they were doing.  The online event also had detailed presentations by: UP Diliman (UPD) University Librarian Elvira Lapuz, on System-wide library resources; her immediate predecessor, Prof. Chito Angeles, on library automation; Assistant VP (AVP) for Student Affairs and Office of Student Financial Assistance Director Richard Philip Gonzalo, on student support,;AVPAA (Curriculum and Instruction) Evangeline Amor, on results of the faculty and student survey, as well as UP’s microsite on remote teaching and learning; and, Dr. Jose Antonio Clemente, who led the launch of the Alone but Together RTL Expo Portal. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and PCC strengthen partnership – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-pcc-strengthen-partnership/",
        "html": "UP and PCC strengthen partnership UP and PCC strengthen partnership February 7, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Inked. The signatories, UP President Danilo Concepcion (fourth from left) and PCC OIC Executive Director Caro Salces (fourth from right), along with witnesses UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. (third from left) and PCC at UPLB Center Director Thelma Saludes (third from right), hold up copies of the newly signed memorandum of partnership and cooperation in extension and research. With them are: (left to right) Benevieve Villanueva, UPLB Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs; Fernando Paras Jr., UPLB Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; Roberto Cereno, UPLB Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs; and, Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, a UPLB College of Agriculture and Food Sciences professor and former PCC Executive Director. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO).     The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) reinforced its long-standing partnership with the signing of a memorandum of partnership and cooperation in extension and research on February 3 at UP Los Baños (UPLB). Signatories were UP President Danilo Concepcion and Caro Salces, PCC Officer-in-Charge Executive Director. UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr., and Thelma Saludes, PCC at UPLB Center Director, served as witnesses.  Among the provisions in the memorandum is the allotment of P3 million by PCC each year to fund “development research and collaborative projects with UP”. PCC will also serve as an “extension arm of UPLB in the field of ruminant livestock production and management, particularly in dairy and meat buffalo production, and buffalo-based enterprise development”. For the use of UPLB’s administrative facilities, PCC will pay an annual administrative cost of P650,000. The contract is effective until the end of 2030.  PCC at UPLB was one of the first regional centers established in accordance with Republic Act No. 7307 or the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. This law also provides that the UPLB chancellor sit as a member of the PCC Advisory Board. PCC at UPLB currently utilizes a total of 58,233 square meters of land for its administration and extension office, gene pool facilities, and milk processing plant and milk outlet.  UP and PCC officials pose for a group photo in front of the UPLB Main Library with PCC at UPLB staff. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "“Isang Libong Alumni Para Kay Oblé, Isang Libong Kumustahan!” on February 27 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/isang-libong-alumni-para-kay-oble-isang-libong-kumustahan-on-february-27/",
        "html": "“Isang Libong Alumni Para Kay Oblé, Isang Libong Kumustahan!” on February 27 “Isang Libong Alumni Para Kay Oblé, Isang Libong Kumustahan!” on February 27 February 9, 2021 | Written by University of the Philippines Mindanao       “UP alumni, do you miss the campus fairs such as the UP Diliman Fair, the UP Los Baños Feb Fair, the UP Manila Fiesta, the UP Cebu Cookout, the UP Tacloban Orgs Fair, the Tatak UPMin of UP Mindanao, and other festivities in UP campuses in your student days?  In that case, this is the all-campuses-in-one fiesta that we’re all waiting for! The UPAA Davao, whose members hail from different UP campuses, is hosting a virtual alumni gathering called “ISANG LIBONG ALUMNI PARA KAY OBLÉ, ISANG LIBONG KUMUSTAHAN” on 27 February, Saturday, 7pm, via Zoom and Facebook Live. There will be games, raffles, and performances by alumni from different places.  Masaya ito, pramis! Pandemic man ngayon at magkakalayo tayo sa isa’t isa, pwede namang mag-virtual kumustahan. Pwede pa ring feeling close online.  So please mark your calendars and prepare for a night of fun and entertainment on February 27 para sa Isang Libong Kumustahan! Check the UP Alumni Association Davao Facebook page for the event details.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP surveys students on the gradual opening of campuses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-surveying-students-readiness-to-transition-to-blended-or-f2f-learning/",
        "html": "UP surveys students on the gradual opening of campuses UP surveys students on the gradual opening of campuses December 2, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines System is surveying the gradual opening of campuses from 1 to December 7, 2021. The survey covers undergraduate and graduate students aged 18 years old and above enrolled in UP’s seven (7) residential constituent units (CUs). The survey aims to assess the readiness of UP students in the residential CUs to transition from remote teaching and learning (RTL) to blended (BL) or face-to-face learning (F2F) in 2022.  The findings of this survey will provide valuable inputs to the ongoing formulation of appropriate policies, protocols, and actions that would ensure the gradual and safe opening of UP’s campuses in 2022.  The University encourages all students to participate in this survey. To respond, please check your UP email and access the link using your UP accounts.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "TVUP: Launching a new age of information and education via Cignal 101 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tvup-launching-a-new-age-of-information-and-education-via-cignal-101/",
        "html": "TVUP: Launching a new age of information and education via Cignal 101 TVUP: Launching a new age of information and education via Cignal 101 November 18, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   During the launch of TVUP’s Cignal Channel 101. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Quality higher education’s reach just got a boost via digital satellite TV.  On October 12, 2022, the University of the Philippines (UP) celebrated the official launch of its latest educational offering for the Filipino public: TVUP’s Channel 101 via digital satellite television provider Cignal TV.  With this launch of TVUP’s Cignal Channel 101, the UP brand of quality higher education is now available to Cignal TV’s 4.1 million subscribers and can reach even the most remote parts of the country.  TVUP is a television network operated by UP and a collaborative engagement between UP and Cignal TV. The network aims to provide professionally produced and curated content for information and educational purposes both to its UP audience and the general Filipino audience. The channel is currently available on Cignal 101.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (left) and Cignal TV President Robert P. Galang at the launch. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     According to UP President Danilo Concepcion, TVUP’s availability as a digital channel was a “perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people.” He added that, through TVUP on Cignal 101, UP’s knowledge resources could be extended to as many Filipinos as possible, “whether these are students looking to enrich their lessons or ordinary citizens who wish to gain more knowledge and develop skills.”  TVUP is a public space to inspire innovation, creativity, critical thinking and understanding, and respect for diverse cultures. Its lineup of high-quality programs showcases scientific breakthroughs, national issues, and concerns, Philippine culture and society, etc.     Here is the lineup of TVUP programs that are available on Cignal 101:  Check out TVUP Channel 101’s offerings. Image from Cignal TV’s Facebook page.     K-Check is a 25-minute daily Philippine scholastic quiz show. It is the classic, well-loved quiz show now infused with the fresh, fast pace energy of today’s online and streaming game show content.  Sine Pinoy examines the issues and concerns of Pinoy Cinema by having one-on-one interviews with the filmmakers and film personalities themselves.  Ang Usapang Pelikula ay naglalayong bigyang diin ang larangan ng pelikula bilaing sining, industriya, produktong kultuural, textong panlipunan, at bilang isang tiyak na akademikong disiplina.  Protest Art features different communities and marginalized individuals seeking to have their voices heard through the impactful medium of art.  iSports Time is a gameshow that aims to push for a healthier and more active lifestyle among Filipinos. Student-athletes compete against each other to complete the iSportsTime Obstacle course. Each station is designed to test every aspect of the athlete’s strength.  DyipniTok is an entertainment talk show featuring local OPM artists who share their life stories and journeys in their musical careers. The show is set in a moving jeepney that makes its rounds on the UP campus. Apart from being interviewed, artists jam with the program host.  Tara Let’s Dance is a feature show on different dance genres in the Philippines. The show’s objective is to educate the audience about the rich culture of Filipinos in the art of dance and promote an active lifestyle.  Kalinangan, Kasaysayan, and Kamalayan (KKK), a news magazine show, is taking us on a journey to the exciting world of the arts, culture, history, psychology, sociology, and anthropology.  Classroom Beats is a magazine-type show whose dynamic and charismatic hosts explore discoveries and innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and their applications in our daily lives.  Gulayan sa Tahanan features the freshness and benefits of planting vegetables at home. Segmented into three parts,  Trivia banters, Taniman Hanggan Anihan, And Luto-luto, and Buro-buro, the show seeks to involve families, communities, and the country in the national movement for food security.  Camille, a teleserye, follows the story of Camille Dela Rosa, a university student who faces adversities in her studies, friends, family, and love life.  Tanging Familya is a heartwarming teleserye about a family trying to create a safe and loving space in a complex and uncertain community.  Batas at Bayan, a drama anthology, is based on corruption-related cases filed or decided upon by the Office of the Ombudsman and reviewed by appellate courts under the Philippine Justice System.  Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths, a webinar series that provides current information on COVID-19 and other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters. This 2-hour program, hosted by public health experts Dr. Susan Pineda Mercado and Dr. Raymond Sarmiento, features a panel of experts from different fields.     TVUP aims to educate and inform everyone within the UP community and everyday Filipinos with meaningful and enriching content while combating misinformation and propaganda. This network is relevant in today’s age of easy-to-access and fast information and will only grow in relevance with future projects and numbers. It is important not just to gain new knowledge but to share it with others and start an open discussion, something that TVUP will certainly be able to do. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Japanese Federation of Bar Associations sign agreement for Comparative Law studies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-japanese-federation-of-bar-associations-sign-agreement-for-comparative-law-studies/",
        "html": "UP and Japanese Federation of Bar Associations sign agreement for Comparative Law studies UP and Japanese Federation of Bar Associations sign agreement for Comparative Law studies January 20, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   UP President Danilo Concepcion (center) and UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo (right) with representatives of the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UPMPRO).     On January 13, 2023, the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) as a way “to strengthen the international connection between the Philippines and Japan.”  This newly signed partnership comes in the form of a comparative study of family law, nationality law, and international law between member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially the Philippines and Japan.  Both UP and the JFBA had representatives take part in this virtual MOA signing to establish the ASEAN-Japan Comparative Law Study. Representing UP was then UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and representing the JFBA was President Motoji Kobayashi.  Concepcion cited the significance of this signing by acknowledging the need and demand for legal services in cross-border cases involving Filipino and Japanese citizens.  “This is what we intend to address,” he said. “To be able to look at our laws with more comparative depth, so we could serve our clients better. This will eventually lead us to gaining a more profound understanding of how our laws vary and allow us to dispense more appropriate legal advice to those who seek our help.”  He added that he hopes that the two years in this program will be enough to familiarize Filipino and Japanese legal scholars with each country’s respective laws and legal practices, as well as to encourage them to create networks that would facilitate the easier flow of legal information, advice, and support, whether among individuals or institutions. “I know that we are all pushing for the success of this endeavor and I am glad that we are doing this before I end my term as UP President.”  The parties agreed that this MOA signing marked a huge turning point for both the University and the JFBA, thanks to the increase in both local and international support. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP graduates dominate the top 10 Veterinarian board exam passers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-graduates-dominate-the-top-10-veterinarian-board-exam-passers/",
        "html": "UP graduates dominate the top 10 Veterinarian board exam passers UP graduates dominate the top 10 Veterinarian board exam passers March 14, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Graduates of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) dominated the list of top 10 examinees who garnered the highest scores in the March 2023 Veterinarian licensure board exam. This was announced recently by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).  Maria Adrianna Isabella Gray Claraval, who ranked no. 1, also had the highest examination rating of 83.58% in this batch.  The March 2023 Veterinary board exam topnotches from UP are:  Maria Adrianna Isabella Gray Claravall (Rank 1 – 83.58%) Nikki Flores Pasion (Rank 2 – 82.60%) Novehm Allen Gerona Pagal (Rank 3 – 82.10%) Brigitte Cuarteros Calimag (Rank 5 – 81.68%) Gabrielle Ann Lansang Cruz (Rank 9 – 80.88%) Olive Marie Polido Gonzales (Rank 10 – 80.84%)  The University is proud of these Iskolar ng Bayan for not only passing their board exams but reaching the top ten spots as well. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP welcomes new first-years to yearly Freshie Talks event – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-welcomes-new-first-years-to-yearly-freshie-talks-event/",
        "html": "UP welcomes new first-years to yearly Freshie Talks event UP welcomes new first-years to yearly Freshie Talks event October 2, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       The University of the Philippines Office of Student Development Services (UP OSDS) hosted its annual “FRESHIE TALKS” event, where incoming first-year students from different UP constituent universities were invited to gain a better understanding of their college-student journey in UP. This event took place on September 29, 2023 at the UP Institute of Civil Engineering David M. Consunji Theater.  This event aimed to help inform UP first-year students who are either curious or nervous about starting their college life in UP, and to encourage them to make the most out of their college experience here in UP. To do this, the UP OSDS invited several UP alumni to be key speakers.  UP alumna and entrepreneur Mica Pineda talks about her experiences in UP. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The UP alumni speakers come from a wide variety of fields in media and business, and each offered their own unique perspective for the new first-year students. The first speaker was famous host, actress, and entrepreneur Mica Pineda, who talked about making the most out of one’s UP experience. After her was famous TV personality and lecturer at the UP Film Institute Ramon Bautista, who shared a funny and insightful message on how to survive college. Next to share their insights on how to make the most out of studying in UP is Country Manager of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Jerry Bongo. The last of the UP alumni to offer their advice to the first-years is Vice-President for Corporate Services of AP Renewables, Inc., Leo Robel, Jr.     All Maroons (from left): Jerry Bongo of Amazon Web Services, Vice-President for Corporate Services of AP Renewables, Inc., Leo Robel, Jr., and TV personality Ramon Bautista share their UP experience to this year’s freshies. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Film event at UP Law Center explores Philippines’ legal victory in South China Sea – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/film-event-at-up-law-center-explores-philippines-legal-victory-in-south-china-sea/",
        "html": "Film event at UP Law Center explores Philippines’ legal victory in South China Sea Film event at UP Law Center explores Philippines’ legal victory in South China Sea October 4, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Director Emerson S. Bañez, retired SC Justice Francis H. Jardeleza, and Assistant Professor Jacqueline Joyce F. Espenilla during the open forum. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     A film showing at the University of the Philippines Law Center (UPLC) delved into the story behind the Philippines’ victory in its maritime claims in the South China Sea.  “A New Arbitration in the South China Sea” was shown at Malcolm Theatre at the UP College of Law in Diliman on September 18 in an event attended by students and faculty members from the UP College of Law. Some notable attendees were the film’s director, Assistant Professor Emerson S. Bañez, from the UPLC; Chairman of the International and Maritime Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy and retired Supreme Court Justice Francis H. Jardeleza. Attorney Neil Simon S. Silva moderated the event.  The documentary, “A New Arbitration in the South China Sea”, offers a more in-depth look into the legal processes and actions that the Filipino legal team undertook to secure the country’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. This film highlighted key individuals and strategies that they used to win their case over their formidable global opponent, China.  After the preview of the documentary film, an open forum was held involving both Director Emerson S. Bañez and retired SC Justice Francis H. Jardeleza. Also included was Assistant Professor Jacqueline Joyce F. Espenilla of the UPLC Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. Questions were asked by UP Law students in regards to the documentary.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM NIH celebrates 25th anniversary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upm-nih-celebrates-25th-anniversary/",
        "html": "UPM NIH celebrates 25th anniversary UPM NIH celebrates 25th anniversary March 5, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP President Angelo Jimenez (center) opens the celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the UP National Institutes of Health, along with UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla (3rd from left), Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. (3rd from right) and Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Secretary, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire( 2nd from right). They are joined by heads of the different institutes of health, as well as other officials of UP Manila, DOH and DOST. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  The University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP NIH) celebrated its 25th anniversary on February 27, 2023 at the UP Professional Schools in BGC, Taguig.  A two-day anniversary conference, “Transforming Philippine Health Systems Toward Universal Healthcare Through Research Partnerships”, was held with Department of Health (DOH) Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. as keynote speakers.  The occasion also saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between UP Manila-NIH and the DOH for two projects under the NIH: the creation of the Institute of Health Promotion, and the expansion of the National Practice Guidelines for the healthcare sector. The signatories were Vergeire and UP Manila (UPM) Chancellor Carmencita Padilla.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla speaks about the long-standing link between the National Institutes of Health and the public national health sector through the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  In her opening message to the conference, Padilla said: “We anticipate that the Universal Health Care Law will generate more demand for quality research and we are here to respond through the DOST and the DOH.”  “UP Manila commits to DOH and DOST in providing our country with a continuous stream of next-generation Filipino scientists, an expanded capacity of rapid skills training, improved infrastructure for basic, clinical, and scale of opportunities translating our researches to tangible products useful to the community,” Padilla added.  Addressing the researchers of the NIH, “more than 300 warm bodies from 15 institutes and centers” plus partners from local and foreign universities and industry, she said: “You have made a dent in the improvement in the lives of our people.”  She described them as a driving force behind many advances in Philippine health care as “exemplified during this pandemic”. This was when, “We really had to turn to science and evidence” for measures to address the new disease in the Philippine setting.  She thanked the University for providing the environment for faculty and researchers to “dream boldly”, leading to products and policies that fulfil their health-for-all goal.  “We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to UP Manila for being a long-standing institutional partner in implementing reforms and priority policies, programs, and activities for the healthcare sector,” Vergeire said, before signing the MOU.  DOH Assistant Secretary Beverly Lorraine Ho and UPM-NIH Executive Director Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz signed the MOU as witnesses.  UP President Angelo Jimenez expresses the support of his administration to the National Institutes of Health, the research arm of UP Manila, the country’s health sciences center. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).  The anniversary celebration was attended by UP President Angelo Jimenez. “We shall provide to the best of our abilities and resources what the NIH requires. Whether exploring new partnerships or strengthening existing ones, or allocating funds for research, human resources, or infrastructure development, the administration shall do what is humanly and legally possible to address the needs of the NIH,” he said in his message to the NIH.  The faculty and scientists of the National Institutes of Health celebrate the 25th anniversary of the institutes with Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Secretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., and UP President Angelo Jimenez. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Taiwan university delegates explore STEAM partnerships with UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/taiwan-university-delegates-explore-steam-partnerships-with-up/",
        "html": "Taiwan university delegates explore STEAM partnerships with UP Taiwan university delegates explore STEAM partnerships with UP February 13, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   A souvenir photo of the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association delegates and their UP counterparts after conferring with each other for possible academic partnership during a reception at the University Theater, UP Diliman. Professors in the front row or holding the banner include: UP College of Engineering Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling; President Yang Ching-Yu of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology; UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao,; Professor Emeritus Ernesto Pernia;Dean Elpidio Agbisit Jr.,of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Science; and, UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     A delegation from Southern Taiwan higher educational institutions met University of the Philippines (UP) counterparts at a “homecoming visit” to UP organized by the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association in time for the UP presidential turnover ceremonies on February 10, 2023.  The delegates attended the ceremonial turnover of the UP presidency from Danilo Concepcion to Angelo Jimenez at the UP Diliman Quezon Hall Lobby and, afterwards, met with several UP System and constituent officials for possible academic partnerships at a reception in the nearby University Theater. They were particularly looking at developing interdisciplinary academic programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture/Marine/Fishery and Mathematics (STEAM) with UP.  The delegates were headed by Dr. Eing-Ming Wu, executive director of Edu-Connect Southeast Asan Association Kaohsiung and Chair Professor at Shu-Te University. They were welcomed by UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista and Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, and briefed on UP internationalization by Deputy Director Noel Christian Moratilla of the UP Office of International Linkages. Moratilla also introduced the delegates from UP.  Delegates from Southern Taiwan universities and counterparts from the University of the Philippines exchange contact information at a reception in the University Theater Lobby, UP Diliman, as they explore partnerships for developing interdisciplinary programs. Photos by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) Deputy Director Noel Christian Moratilla of the UP Office of International Linkages introduces the delegates from UP before presenting the University’s internationalization efforts to the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association delegates. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). Executive Director Eing-Ming Wu of the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association with President Yang Ching-Yu of National Kaohsiung University, explains the mission of the delegation visit to the University of the Philippines. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Professor Emeritus Grace Javier Alfonso, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Delia Tomacruz receive tokens of appreciation from the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association delegates represented by National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology’s President Yang Ching-Yu and Dr. Peter Chen, also of Taiwan’s Kindness Hotel; Chair Professor Eing-Ming Wu of Shu-Te University and Edu-Connect Executive Director; and, Dr. Fang-Rong Chang from Kaohsiung Medical University. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Australian Ambassador: University relations foundation for PH-AUS strategic partnership – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/australian-ambassador-university-relations-foundation-for-ph-aus-strategic-partnership/",
        "html": "Australian Ambassador: University relations foundation for PH-AUS strategic partnership Australian Ambassador: University relations foundation for PH-AUS strategic partnership March 25, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The participants to the courtesy visit to UP of Australian Ambassador to Philippines Hae Kyong Yu PSM (front row, fourth from right) and networking of Australia alumni in UP, at the Quezon Hall Lobby steps, UP Diliman, March 15, 2023. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu PSM visited the University of the Philippines (UP) on March 15, 2023 to meet with UP System officials and alumni of Australian universities in UP and to express her commitment to further relations between Australia and the Philippines through ties with the University.  Accompanied by Rollie dela Cruz of the Scholarships and Innovation Department of the Embassy, Yu was welcomed by UP President Angelo Jimenez, Vice President for Public Affairs and Australia alumnus Jose Wendell Capili, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez. Representing UP Diliman was Maria Theresa Payongayong, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Chancellor. Also present was former UP Baguio Chancellor, Raymundo Rovillos.  Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu PSM speaks before UP officials and Australia alumni in UP in the BOR Room. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UPMPRO).     Exploratory talks were held at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, together with alumni of Australian universities and scholarships who now serve in UP. Among them were UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Nathaniel Bantayan.  Alumni present in the meeting included: Edna Co of the National College of Public Administration and Governance; Corazon de Ungria and Elmer Estacio of the Natural Sciences Research Institute; Grace Barretto-Tesoro, Armand Mijares, and Michael Herrera of the School of Archaeology; Ramon Carlo Pio Roda of the Virata School of Business; Olivia Cabrera, Benjamin Vallejo, and Lemnuel Aragones  of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology; Raymond Marvic Baguilat of the Institute of Human Rights;  Laura David and Rene Abesamis of the Marine Science Institute; Paul Jason Perez of the School of Library and Information Studies; Severino Salmo III of the Institute of Biology; and, Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. and Rowel Atienza of the  Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute.  “I was delighted to hear that beyond the Australian alumni network, that you actually have 26 partnerships with various Australian universities. Let’s see if we can make that grow even more. I would love to see these partnerships not only deepen but also grow in numbers,” Yu said.  She also emphasized that aside from the Australia Awards, many more scholarships from Australian universities and companies could be provided to Filipinos.  “I’m very excited to see how UP is involved in so many areas and how UP is responsible for creating the innovative ideas, the cutting-edge technology, the research and development, that are, frankly, the foundation of any economic growth and prosperity for any country,” Yu said.  She emphasized that university partnerships are essential in the diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines, following the 2015 Joint Declaration on the Australia-Philippines Comprehensive Partnership.  “We are about to elevate the comprehensive relationship between our countries,” Yu said. “When we actually have shared goals, aspiration, and vision for us to be much, much more than the sum of two parts, then we call that relationship one of a strategic partnership. That’s definitely where we are already.”  Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu PSM and UP President Angelo Jimenez lead spirited discussions with Australia alumni. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     During discussions, Chancellor Padilla pointed out a need for scholarship for physicians, who are often in search of fellowships. In response, Dela Cruz invited applications for Australia Awards scholarships in the area of public health. MSI Director David spoke about MSI facilities, including a research vessel and a laboratory in the West Philippine Sea, where Australia can send post-doctoral researchers. Prof. Marciano, seconded to the Philippine Space Agency as its first Director General, reported how the agency was working with Australian counterparts on rules for sustainable use of outer space.  Together with President Jimenez, Yu was given a tour of the Natural Sciences Research Institute by Prof. De Ungria, and of the School of Archaeology by Prof. Mijares.  Central to the strategic partnership plan, which both countries are working on to be signed at the end of the year, are the universities. “In an environment when conflict is affecting our prosperity as well as our peace, I would argue that true friends, true partners are exactly what we need… All parts of our country, particularly universities, who are out there coming up with solutions, finding ways to really stretch the frontier of economies, have to work even more closely together,” Yu pointed out.  “And I see you and your relationships with Australia as the biggest asset that the Philippines and Australia have, that will be the rock-solid foundation of the new strategic partnership that we are about to enter into,” she said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Xiamen University officials visit UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/xiamen-university-officials-visit-up/",
        "html": "Xiamen University officials visit UP Xiamen University officials visit UP June 14, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP President Angelo Jimenez interacts with Chinese delegates, with Executive Director Yu Hongbo of the Xiamen University Office of Overseas Campus Affairs/International Cooperation and Exchange, taking notes and interpreting for both parties, during a visit of XMU officials to UP on June 8, 2023. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     Officials of Xiamen University (XMU), led by its president, Prof. Zhang Zongyi, visited the University of the Philippines (UP) on June 8, 2023 to meet UP officials and partners and to explore areas of further collaborations between UP and XMU.  The two parties had a breakfast meeting at the Board of Regents Room at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman with the XMU delegation, both expressing their interest for partnership in their flagship areas of Economics, Life Sciences, Sociology, Anthropology, and Marine Operations.  They were also updated on the current XMU-UP partnership for the UP Diliman Confucius Institute, which was inaugurated on October 12, 2015.  Currently, official relations between the two universities are confined to their co-membership in the ASEAN+3 University Network and the establishment of the Confucius Institute in UP Diliman.  Members of the parties from Xiamen University and the University of the Philippines are introduced by UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, during a visit by the former to UP Diliman on June 8, 2023. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     “One of the most important geo-political facts today is the presence of a stronger China. No other nation in the world has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty within such short a time as the People’s Republic of China,” Jimenez noted one of China’s recent contributions to humanity.  He also mentioned the concept of the greater China in the world, where a stronger Chinese language program would be needed by UP to become a more global university.  “The University of the Philippines is keen to establish stronger relationship not just with Xiamen University or the Confucius Institute, but with other Chinese universities, to emphasize shared interests, and a shared destiny despite our ethnic, historical, and cultural differences so that we could create a peaceful, prosperous Asian continent,” Jimenez said.  Zhang noted that one of the good conditions for further connections between the two universities is the proximity between Xiamen and Manila, only a two-hour plane flight between the two. He noted that a father of Anthropology in China, Lin Hui Xiang from XMU, was a graduate of UP in 1928.  He spoke of a need to strengthen collaborations between XMU and UP, observing that Asian people are hard-working and diligent. “We need to create a much stronger Asian continent,” Zhang said.  The two universities exchange gifts, with Executive Director Yu Hongbo, Xiamen University Office of Overseas Campus Affairs/International Cooperation and Exchange handing over what looks like a prayer wheel to UP President Angelo Jimenez, as Prof. Zhang Zongyi, XMU President looks on, during a visit of XMU officials to UP on June 8, 2023. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO) The two universities exchange gifts, with Prof. Zhang Zongyi, Xiamen University President, handing over a miniature of an XMU research vessel to UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, as UP President Angelo Jimenez looks on, during a visit of XMU officials to UP on June 8, 2023. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     With Zhang were XMU officials: Prof. Zhou Yinggang, School of Economics Dean; Ma Jinlong, School of Life Sciences Council Chair; Prof. Hu Rong, School of Sociology and Anthropology Dean; Yu Hongbo, Office of Overseas Campus Affairs/International Cooperation and Exchange Executive Director; Zheng Hui, General Alumni Association Secretary-General; Dr. Wang Haili, Marine Operations Director; and, Dr. Shi Xueqin, Confucius Institute-UPD Chinese Director.  With Jimenez were UP officials: Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara; Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan; Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili; Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Balmores; former Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez; UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II; former UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan; UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel Florendo; and UP Diliman Confucius Institute Director Lourdes Tanhueco-Nepomuceno.  Officials of the University of the Philippines led by President Angelo Jimenez (center) and composed of (left to center) former Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy, Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili, Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel Florendo, UP Diliman Confucius Institute Director Lourdes Tanhueco-Nepomuceno, Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Balmores, former UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara, and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, meet with Xiamen University delegates led by President Zhang Zongyi (center) and composed of (center to right) School of Sociology and Anthropology Dean Hu Rong, School of Economics Dean Zhou Yinggang, Office of Overseas Campus Affairs/International Cooperation and Exchange Executive Director Yu Hongbo, Marine Operations Director Wang Haili, School of Life Sciences Council Chair Ma Jinlong, General Alumni Association Secretary-General Zheng Hui, and Confucius Institute-UP Diliman Chinese Director Shi Xueqin. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban elevated to autonomous college in time for its 50th foundation anniversary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-elevated-to-autonomous-college-in-time-for-its-50th-foundation-anniversary/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban elevated to autonomous college in time for its 50th foundation anniversary UP Tacloban elevated to autonomous college in time for its 50th foundation anniversary June 5, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The UP Tacloban College Oblation is now a symbol of resilience, as the campus celebrates its 50th founding anniversary, after withstanding the storm surge and winds of Typhoon Yolanda that laid the entire campus and the rest of Tacloban City to waste almost ten years ago. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO)     Fresh from its elevation to an autonomous unit of the University of the Philippines (UP) under the Office of the President, UP Tacloban College celebrated its 50th founding anniversary on 23 May 2023 with a parade, an anniversary convocation, and a concert of the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol along Magsaysay Boulevard, Tacloban City.  Marking the transition from a College of UP Visayas to an autonomous unit on its way to being the newest constituent university of UP, President Angelo Jimenez swore in incumbent Prof. Patricia Arinto as Dean of the elevated College during the convocation.  UP President Angelo Jimenez administers the oath of office to Prof. Patricia Arinto as Dean of the now autonomous unit of UP Tacloban College, 23 May 2023, at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     Prior to the convocation, a motorcade drove around downtown, before the assembly of UP Tacloban’s past and present constituents and alumni marched from the Tacloban campus to the old Provincial Capitol. The convocation and concert were also attended by: members of the UP Board of Regents and officials of the UP System Administration; Chancellors of UP Constituent Universities; UP Tacloban institutional partners in government and the private sector; and the general public.  The UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), under the baton of its music director, Prof. Josefino “Chino” Toledo of the UP College of Music, performed a diverse program, which included a medley of Visayan songs. The back-to-back programs featured performances from UP an Balangaw, one of the oldest and award-winning performing arts groups in Eastern Visayas, and the Tacloban-based soprano, Mary Jeane Egloso-Cowan and tenor Malvin Macasaet, both UP College of Music alumni.  Professor Emeritus Josefino “Chino” Toledo conducts the UP Symphony Orchestra in a concert at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol on 23 May 2023, celebrating the College’s 50th anniversary and its elevation as an autonomous unit of the UP System. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO) The award-winning horn quartet of the UP Symphony Orchestra performs “Concerto for Four Horns” by Carl Heinrich Hubler, in the orchestra’s concert at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol, 23 May 2023, celebrating UP Tacloban College’s 50th anniversary and its elevation as an autonomous unit of the UP System. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO     On April 27, 2023, the UP Board of Regents approved the proposal for autonomy of UP Tacloban to better enable the College to fulfill its mandate in Eastern Visayas and work toward becoming a full-fledged constituent university (CU) of the UP System within three to five years.  Welcoming the public to the convocation, Dean Arinto said it was fitting to hold the celebration in the Capitol where the idea for the regional UP unit was conceived and where the marker for its inauguration on 2 July 1973 was placed.  UP Tacloban Dean Patricia Arinto welcomes UP officials, constituents, alumni, and friends to the College anniversary convocation at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol, 23 May 2023. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     “Autonomy is the way for UP Tacloban to more fully situate itself in the political, economic, and social realities of the Eastern Visayas region and respond to the imperative for growth by, among others, expanding its courses and programs to promote access and equity and by pursuing more strategic research and public service programs in areas critical to the development of the region,” Arinto said.  “I pledge to you the full support of our administration in all your endeavors for the next six years, or at least for as long as I’m president,” Jimenez said in his speech. “It was not that easy for you to win you this autonomy…. There are members of the Board [of Regents] here today who saw how we fought for that autonomy, and our strongest interrogators were also our strongest supporters. There was no objection,” he said earlier.  He congratulated the entire community of UP Tacloban for the historic achievement, and Arinto, whom he described as the “dynamo” of the College.  UP President Angelo Jimenez expresses his full support of UP Tacloban College, 23 May 2023, in a speech at the College anniversary convocation held at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO)        Scenes from the UP Tacloban College 50th Anniversary celebration  A lively parade of UP Tacloban College constituents and alumni marched from the campus complex to the old Leyte Provincial Capitol, 23 May 2023. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO) Jose Clarin, Home Development Mutual Fund regional officer, speaks for the pioneer batch (1973-74) of UP Tacloban College during the its 50th anniversary convocation at the old Leyte Provincial Capitol, 23 May 2023. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP aims to become the people’s arts & culture hub wherever it is – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-aims-to-become-the-peoples-arts-culture-hub-wherever-it-is/",
        "html": "UP aims to become the people’s arts & culture hub wherever it is UP aims to become the people’s arts & culture hub wherever it is June 19, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Former UP Baguio Chancellor and new Program Development Officer for Culture and the Arts Raymundo Rovillos.  Celebrating its 115th founding anniversary, the University of the Philippines (UP) announced the formation of a committee under the Office of the President to coordinate arts and culture initiatives in the entire UP System for greater impact.  “In actively harnessing its vast intellectual, cultural, and creative resources, as President [Angelo] Jimenez augurs, UP is poised to reawaken not only its own soul but also the soul of the nation,” Prof. Raymundo Rovillos, former Chancellor of UP Baguio, said in a concept paper for the proposed President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts (PCCA).  Rovillos has been designated Program Development Officer by Jimenez, whose policy and vision statement when he was nominated for UP presidency highlighted the importance of arts and culture in the growth of the University.  Jimenez talked about “creating synergies and sharing of resources”, which can produce greater and lasting impact. He said that looking deeper into UP’s cultural and artistic assets is not only a method for better self-awareness, but a start in harnessing these for greater engagement with the public, for wellness, and for diplomacy.  “I agree with PAJ that as a national university, UP should open its doors more widely to society. Our culture and arts initiatives should positively impact not only our immediate UP community but also the larger Filipino community,” Rovillos pointed out.  “I realized that there are many arts and culture initiatives already existing in all the campuses, but many of these initiatives are known and experienced only in specific units within UP,” he added.  The main strategy of the PCCA, he said, would be greater cooperation, complementation, and convergence among the CUs. Its vision centers around the long-standing tradition of “kalinangang UP, kalinangang bayan.”  “Layunin ng panawagan at kampanyang ito na maging ‘hub’ o sentro ng kultura at sining ang UP sa lahat ng dako ng Pilipinas. Gagawin nating lugar ang bawa’t kapookan ng UP bilang espasyo ng kalinangan, kagalingan, paguugnayan, pakikipagkapwa-tao at pagkakaisa isa sa loob at labas ng Pamantasan. Bubuwagin ang anumang naging mistulang pader sa pagitan ng ‘tayo’ at ‘sila’. Iwawasto ang mga maling paratang at bansag laban sa UP at ipapadama ang pagmamasakit sa kapwa Pilipino, lalo’t higit sa mga naisantabi ng ating pagkabansa, tulad ng mga Katutubong Pilipino. Palalawakin pa natin ang mga pinakamahuhusay na kasanayan hinggil sa relasyon at ambag ng kalinangan sa pampook at pambansang kaunlaran,” Rovillos said in a written message.  In choosing Rovillos to head the campaign, Jimenez noted the former’s successful effort in bringing UP Baguio closer to the community of Baguio City, making UP Baguio visible in the national and global arenas, and establishing UP Baguio as a hub for culture and arts in the Cordillera and Northern Luzon Region. Rovillos accomplished these through collaborative work and multi-stakeholder partnerships, resulting in cultural infrastructure such as museums, theaters, and archives; creative festivals and art exhibitions; and indigenous studies.  According to the PCCA concept paper, in the next six years, the committee will focus on:  establishing an organizational/administrative mechanism for inter-CU planning, monitoring and evaluation of culture and arts initiatives; building an institutional mechanism for establishing or strengthening the culture and arts ecosystems at the system and CU-community levels; developing a culture and arts policy/guidelines at the system and CU levels; and organizing culture and arts events to demonstrate “proofs” of concepts/framework.  Watch Professor Rovillos talk about the PCCA in this video. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP releases Episode 4 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia” with a focus on joining UP student orgs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-releases-episode-4-of-byaheng-blended-ni-zia-with-a-focus-on-joining-up-student-orgs/",
        "html": "UP releases Episode 4 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia” with a focus on joining UP student orgs UP releases Episode 4 of “Byaheng Blended ni Zia” with a focus on joining UP student orgs May 24, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    For the University of the Philippines (UP), assisting its students and encouraging them to be aware and involved with society is paramount. UP students have to deal with transitioning to blended learning from two years of remote learning, on top of academic pressures and the strain of dealing with the aftermath of a pandemic and several natural disasters.  To help UP students adjust and thrive in the new blended learning mode, the UP Office of Student Development Services (OSDS) has released Episode 4 in its four-part video series, “Byaheng Blended ni Zia”, with a special focus on “Student Orgs”. This video provides practical tips in choosing and joining the right student organization that captures their interest and advocacy.  For students with questions and concerns on joining Student Organizations, please contact the Office of Student Affairs of your respective campuses.  Watch the whole playlist of Byaheng Blended ni Zia below. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman’s new baseball field inaugurated – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-dilimans-new-baseball-field-inaugurated/",
        "html": "UP Diliman’s new baseball field inaugurated UP Diliman’s new baseball field inaugurated August 16, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Sen. Pia Cayetano (front, 3rd from right) and UP President Concepcion (front, 2nd from left) unveil the marker in front of the new baseball field, with UPD Chancellor Nemenzo (front, extreme left), UP CHK Dean Diaz (front, extreme right), and UP team coaches and athletes as witnesses. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  The University of the Philippines (UP) inaugurated on August 5, 2022, a new 21,750-square-meter baseball field in UP Diliman that follows international standards.  Its natural grass turf is also a competition-level venue for softball and throwing events, such as shot put, discus, and javelin throw.  Located between the old UP Gymnasium and Ylanan Street, the facility will be fitted with night-time lighting by October or December in time for the University Athletics Association of the Philippines Season 85, according to UP President Danilo Concepcion. It will include aluminum bleachers with an 800-seating capacity, a bullpen area, locker rooms, bathroom and shower facilities, and perimeter fencing.  UP and UP volleyball varsity alumna Senator Pia Cayetano, who has been leading Congress efforts, since 2012, toward budget appropriations for sports facilities and varsity programs in UP, was the guest of honor. With President Concepcion, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis “Kiko” Diaz, she signed baseballs to be used in ceremonial pitches. After which, they will be displayed at the College.  UPD Chancellor Nemenzo (2nd from left), UP President Concepcion (3rd from left), and Sen. Cayetano (4th from right) hold up the ceremonial baseballs they and UP CHK Dean Diaz (extreme left) signed. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO).  Cayetano and the UP officials then proceeded to unveil the marker beside the baseball field, which read: a “venue for Human Kinetics classes and training ground of student-athletes. . . . Through this facility, the University continues to perform its mandate of promoting physical education, encouraging competitive participation in sports activities, and instilling school identity and solidarity.”  Concepcion, who led the inauguration, thanked alumni for supporting UP infrastructure projects.  Diaz, UP Baseball Team Head Coach Anthony Dizer, and Ronilon Pagkaliwagan, UP Softball Team, expressed their gratitude for a facility that, according to them, has been a dream and inspiration for their athletes to excel. Varsity players and several UP Diliman officials and deans were also present to witness the inauguration.  Below are some photos of the baseball field from Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, Prof. Jose Wendell P. Capili.        "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP opens new tennis courts and clubhouse – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-opens-new-tennis-courts-and-clubhouse/",
        "html": "UP opens new tennis courts and clubhouse UP opens new tennis courts and clubhouse February 15, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Department of Public Works and Highways Quezon City District Engineer Ramon Devanadera (standing left of ribbon) and UP President Danilo Concepcion (standing right of ribbon) cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new tennis courts and clubhouse in UP Diliman. Witnessing are UP varsity tennis players, UP System officials, and UP chancellors, UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz, and Atty. Gaby Concepcion. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Four tennis courts and a clubhouse were inaugurated on February 9, 2023 on Ylanan Street, UP Diliman, the newest additions to the rising UP Diliman Sports Complex.  Members of the UP tennis varsity teams, the main beneficiaries of the construction project, witnessed the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the marker, which were led by outgoing UP President Danilo Concepcion and District Engineer Ramon Devanadera of the implementing agency, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).  From left to right, photo 1: President Danilo Concepcion narrates the movement of UP Diliman sports facilities throughout the years and updates the community on the most recent and upcoming ones. Photo 2: Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo explains how tennis has brought UP Diliman citizens together through the years. Photo 3: College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz looks at the varsity tennis players as he envisions more victories and inspired performances from them with training in the new facilities. Photos by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     With the facility in place, “we hope to generate stronger support for our tennis program and athletes,” Concepcion said during his welcome remarks.  UPD College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz had earlier presented members of the UP Men and Women’s Tennis Varsity Teams to Concepcion and expressed their thanks to him for pushing for the project.  According to the marker, the facility was built to be “a premier training venue promoting the highest standard of play in tennis for UP athletes and students and a space for recreational play fostering healthy and active lifestyles for the UP community.”  UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo spoke about the “tradition of tennis” on the Diliman campus, with the old tennis courts dating back to the 1950s. These became centers of community activity even for those who did not play tennis, he added. Nemenzo thanked the Concepcion administration and the DPWH for the project that is in line with his vision of promoting “total academic development” and “an integrated sports development.”  (Left to right) UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr., UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto Lara, Department of Public Works and Highways Quezon City District Engineer Ramon Devanadera, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar, UP Open University Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, and UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos Diaz pose for a souvenir shot after inaugurating the new tennis courts and clubhouse at UP Diliman. With them are the UP varsity tennis players and staff from the Office of the Vice President for Development. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Although the courts were ready, the 10,865-square-meter project had yet to be fully finished. Upon completion, “the new UP Diliman Tennis Courts and Clubhouse will be an International Tennis Federation (ITF) compliant lawn tennis construction project,” according to the project brief.  Department of Public Works and Highways Quezon City District Engineer Ramon Devanadera hopes to continue the fruitful cooperation between the DPWH and UP. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “The development [features] a horizontally sprawling clubhouse structure crowned by the playing ground with four acrylic courts.” The large width of the hallway of the clubhouse would serve as a lounging and spectators’ area during games. It has space for administrative offices, storage areas, lockers, toilets, showers, and a 50-seater classroom.  UP Diliman’s old tennis courts, located at the corner of Osmeña and Roces streets at the Academic Oval, have been a “shared sanctuary” of different tennis-based organizations, including the UP Tennis Club and the Tennis UP Organization. Aside from being far from the master-planned UPD sports complex, “the facility is severely lacking in amenities to support the amount of customers it serves,” according to the project brief. “This could be seen in the lack of provisions for storage and lockers where stocks have overflowed into the locker room. The locker room, a single caged enclose for males and females, is an exposed room that contains 50 units of lockers shared by both varsity athletes and visitors who want to rent storage space. The washrooms are also insufficient relative to the occupant number.”  Devanadera expressed the hope “that fruitful cooperation between DPWH and the University will continue to flourish.” He congratulated Concepcion for the series of UP-DPWH infrastructure projects accomplished during his presidency. The UPD tennis courts and clubhouse project was initially funded during the term of UP President Alfredo Pascual.  Views of the tennis courts and clubhouse. UP’s new track and field oval is located at the back of the tennis court and clubhouse in the bottom photo. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Vistan inaugurated as 12th Chancellor of UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/vistan-inaugurated-as-12th-chancellor-of-up-diliman/",
        "html": "Vistan inaugurated as 12th Chancellor of UP Diliman Vistan inaugurated as 12th Chancellor of UP Diliman June 7, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II raises the University Mace that he received from Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo as University Registrar Maria Vanessa Lusung-Oyzon looks on. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     Assistant Professor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, who was appointed by the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents as the 12th Chancellor of UP Diliman effective 3 April 2023 until April 2026, received the University Mace during the inauguration rites “Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong” held at the Quezon Hall on 5 June 2023.  This tradition symbolizes the transferring of authority over the Constituent University from the outgoing to the present officials. It was also an opportunity for the new Chancellor to introduce his administrative team to the UPD community.  Professor Fidel R. Nemenzo, 11th Chancellor of UPD, walks with Major Ferdinand Paulo S. Quiocho and Cadet 2Lt. Brenden Ashley Molina during the ceremonial inspection of the UPD ROTC Rayadillo Honor Guards. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, in his message, conveyed UP’s gratitude to immediate past Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo for successfully leading the UPD community navigate through the many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Jimenez welcomed the leadership of Vistan as he called for unity in standing up as one community for justice and civil rights. “We are generators of new knowledge. We are hubs of social change,” said Jimenez, as he emphasized UP’s role in society. He also encouraged everyone in the University to always embody honor, excellence, and compassion in rendering public service.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivers his message to the University. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     Chancellor Vistan thanked the UP community, UP System officials, and attendees of the ceremony.  He pledged to use the authority turned over to him in a “democratic or participatory manner,” and to serve “always with resolve, and the best interests of the University and its stakeholders in mind.” He added that he looked forward to a productive and harmonious working relationship with the UP System administration, and the different offices and sectors of the UP community.  “I am also very thankful to my predecessor, Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and his administration, for shepherding UP Diliman through the pandemic, and placing us in a good position to meet the challenges in the coming years,” Vistan said.  Vistan shared his vision of cultivating “a culture of Honor and Excellence” in UPD and affirmed his commitment to democratic and participative governance. He said UPD personnel should be supported by “infrastructure, equipment, efficient work systems, nurturing work conditions, and continuous capacity building.”  He added that “UP Diliman will remain vigilant and responsive to the issues and concerns of the times.”  As of now, Vistan’s executive officials are: Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Officer-in-Charge) Percival F. Almoro; Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia; Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil R. Sonido; Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roehl L. Jamon; Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Carl Michael F. Odulio; and, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel B. Florendo.  He said they will ensure a smooth transition during the next few weeks until the new officials for OVCAA and OVCSA can be appointed.  As a closing presentation, soprano Bianca Lopez-Aguila sang The Dawn’s “Iisang Bangka Tayo”.   UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II delivers his inaugural message. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     Before his selection and appointment as Chancellor, Vistan served as the Dean of the UP College of Law, and concurrent head of the UP Law Center and the UP Office of Legal Aid.  Vistan graduated from the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program of the Yale Law School in 2017. He earned his Bachelor of Laws from the UP College of Law in 2003, graduating cum laude and class valedictorian. He started teaching law in 2006 at the Angeles University Foundation School of Law; and in 2015, he joined the ranks of the regular faculty of UP. Prior to his law studies, Vistan obtained his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology as an Oblation Scholar from the UPD in 1998, graduating cum laude.  More photos from the event  UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II (center) poses with UPD Registrar Maria Vanessa Lusung-Oyzon (left) and 11th UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo (right). (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO) UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II addresses the audience comprised of UP System and UP Diliman officials, employees, representatives from UPD colleges, and the family of Vistan seated in front. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/search-for-the-next-up-diliman-chancellor/",
        "html": "Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor February 28, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Search Committee for the Chancellorship of UP Diliman is accepting nominations until March 3, 5 p.m.  Email the nomination papers, with the subject heading “Nomination for the UP Diliman Chancellor,” to the Office of the Secretary of the University (osu@up.edu.ph) and to the chair of the committee, Amihan Bonifacio-Ramolete, PhD (mbramolete@up.edu.ph).  See photos for more details. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts 1st Asian Journalism Research Conference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-1st-asian-journalism-research-conference/",
        "html": "UP hosts 1st Asian Journalism Research Conference UP hosts 1st Asian Journalism Research Conference April 28, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Some 300 students and faculty from various universities in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong attended the first Asian Journalism Research Conference last April 24-25, 2017 at the University of the Philippines (UP), the only academic conference for undergraduate students in the region. The conference was organized by the UP Journalism Department in partnership with the University of Sto. Tomas and the Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  With the theme, “The Fourth Estate: Revisiting the Normative Ideals of Journalism in a Multimedia Era”, the conference tackled timely issues faced by today’s journalists, such as attacks from trolls, fake news and a lack of freedom of information.  Keynote speaker and veteran journalist cum academic Dr. Cherian George from the Hong Kong Baptist University spoke about the challenges of journalism in the so-called post-truth era. He emphasized the need to check facts now more than ever. “Facts are still facts and should be the basis of reality,” he said, adding that so-called alternative truths are simply lies. He noted that in many regimes, politicians hide behind these alternative facts persuading the public to believe in their “perception of reality” rather than the hard truths. While, Dr. Azman Azwan Azmawati of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, gave a talk on stereotyping in the news.  Chit Estella Journalism Award Winners 2017 From left: UP Asst. Prof Terry Conjuico, Tress Reyes of CNN, UP students Celine Samson, Bryan Gonzales, Nicole Lagrimas, Karen Macalalad, Ian Tapao, Ateneo de Manila students Stephanie Sayson and Patricia Sarmiento, UP Assoc Prof. Rachel Khan and emcee Kara David of GMA Network. Photo by Jeuel Barroso/UP Journalism Club.  During the second day of the AJRC, the UP Journalism Department held its annual Chit Estella Journalism Student Research Award, named after the late Professor Lourdes Estella-Simbulan, who taught at the Department and was a trustee of Vera Files, an online news organization that practices investigative and long form journalism.  University of the Philippines students Bryan Gonzales and Celine Samson bagged the Best in Investigative Journalism Award for their work entitled, “An investigative study on the implementation of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) and its impact on local illegal drug activities.” UP students Nicole Lagrimas, Karen Macalalad and Arianne Tapao also bagged the Best in Special Projects for their documentary titled, “Ignored. Informed. Information: Dismantling health, societal hazards for Tondo’s scrap metal works”. Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University students Patricia Sarmiento and Stephanie Sayson won the Best in Academic Research for their paper, “A Case Study on the Visual Representations of Para-Athletes in Elite Sports Events by Print News Media and the Perception of these Portrayals of Persons with Disabilities.”  The conference was sponsored and supported by the University of the Philippines Office of International Linkages, the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, the UP Diliman Office of Culture and the Arts, the University of Sto. Tomas, VERA Files, Philippine Press Institute, Jollibee Food Corporation, Prof. Roland Simbulan and family and the UP Journalism Club. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban co-organizes national confab on Filipino psychology – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-co-organizes-national-confab-on-filipino-psychology/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban co-organizes national confab on Filipino psychology UP Tacloban co-organizes national confab on Filipino psychology December 2, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Together with the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (PSSP), the Division of Social Sciences (DSS) of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UP Tacloban) organized the 45th Pambansang Kumperensiya sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino held on November 25-27, 2021 via Zoom.  “#TindogTayo: Pagbangon at Paninindigan para sa Sarili, Kapwa, at Bayan,” this year’s theme, was a nod to both the PSSP’s comeback after being unable to hold the annual conference last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and UP Tacloban’s commemoration of the eighth anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda which devastated the campus and much of Eastern Visayas in November 2013.  With almost 400 participants including psychology students, teachers, practitioners, and researchers, as well as licensed professional teachers, social workers, and guidance counselors, the conference aimed to: (a) discuss experiences of standing up for the self, others, and the nation; (b) examine the meaning of paninindigan in the Filipino experience; (c) feature new research on Filipino culture, society, and psychology; and, (d) share knowledge and skills in Filipino Psychology.  Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, Executive Director of the St. Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center, gives his keynote presentation. Screenshot from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino.  Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, Executive Director of the St. Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center, served as keynote speaker. He shared experiences and reflections on his advocacy work in uplifting the lives of homeless people and supporting the widowed and orphaned families of those killed in line with the current administration’s war on drugs.  The PSSP conference also featured various plenary sessions aside from parallel paper presentations. On the second day of the conference, the plenary session featured three speakers who discussed different ways of rising from life’s challenges. UP Diliman Associate Professor Anna Cristina A. Tuazon talked about the difficulties of long-distance relationships during the pandemic. Assistant Professor Pierce S. Docena shared some reflections and lessons learned from UP Tacloban’s mental health and psychosocial support initiatives in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda. Finally, Mr. Gerardo “Jun” V. Cabochan, Jr., Executive Director of the Pandayan Bookshop, highlighted their attempts to live up to the concept of kapwa in their business affairs.  The plenary speakers. Screenshot from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino.  The last day of the conference featured two plenary sessions. Drawing on his expertise in Philippine history, Assistant Professor Emmanuel Jeric A. Albela from the University of Santo Tomas traced the development of electoral practices in the Philippines to elucidate various electoral reform issues facing the country. Atty. Golda S. Benjamin, a Silliman University College of Law faculty member, discussed human rights and the environment. In particular, she tackled the controversial proposal for the 174-hectare Smart City reclamation project that would have severely impacted Dumaguete’s protected marine areas.  Top: UST Assistant Professor Emmanuel Jeric A. Albela. Bottom: Human rights lawyer Silliman University College of Law faculty member Atty. Golda S. Benjamin. Screenshots from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino.  The conference ended with a cultural presentation featuring song performances from the Sinirangan Chamber Singers and UP Tacloban’s psychology students from Batch Limbasog.  The 45th PSSP conference was made possible through the efforts of the PSSP Board of Directors headed by its President, Dr. Jose Antonio R. Clemente, and Vice President and convention convenor, Darren E. Dumaop, in partnership with the psychology faculty of UP Tacloban DSS led by Assistant Professor Ruth Edisel Rylle B. Sadian-Cercado. The De La Salle University Department of Psychology, Good Shepherd Professional Training Services, and Center for Educational Measurement co-sponsored the conference.  Screenshot from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino.  Article contributed by UP Visayas Tacloban College Assistant Professor Pierce S. Docena. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Joint International Federation for Theatre Research Conference and Asian Theatre Working Group Colloquium 2018 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/joint-international-federation-for-theatre-research-conference-and-asian-theatre-working-group-colloquium-2018/",
        "html": "Joint International Federation for Theatre Research Conference and Asian Theatre Working Group Colloquium 2018 Joint International Federation for Theatre Research Conference and Asian Theatre Working Group Colloquium 2018 August 18, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Diliman, through the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), College of Arts and Letters (CAL) and the Asian Center (AC), is hosting the Joint 2018 International Federation for Theatre Research Conference and Asian Theatre Working Group Colloquium 2018 (IFTR-Asia 2018) with the theme Bodies in/and Asian Theaters from 20 to 23 February 2018.  A growing interest on the body as a starting point of discourse is seen in the past decades. Even theatre studies has been involved on scrutinizing the body as an important performance aspect. In Western theatre practice, physical theatre is a well-articulated practical approach for understanding the body vis-à-vis theatre and performance. However, the increasing number of the most influential theorizations and conceptualizations has primarily, if not exclusively, focused on how the cultures in the West (Europe and the Americas) conceive it.  Taking the cue from Asianists like Bryan Turner, Zheng Yangwen, Rey Ileto, Vincente Rafael and Kuan-Hsing Chen, it is important to note that peoples in Asia experienced colonization, decolonization and now globalization albeit different modalities. These contexts, as these Asianists suggested and implied, are important socio-political and historical factors for understanding the Asian body. With this, Bodies in/and Asian Theatres is envisioned to contribute to the study of the body, particularly its functions and placements in the different cultural performances in the Asian region.  On the occasion of Katha-wan [a contraction of katha (creative creation) and katawan (body)] or the celebration of the UP Diliman Month 2018 vis-à-vis the National Arts Month in the Philippines, Bodies in/and Asian Theatres invokes the Asian bodies as creative and critical entities.  IFTR-Asia 2018 attempts to answer these general questions: what do we mean when we talk about bodies in Asian theatres and performances? What do we mean when we talk about Asian bodies in different performances outside the region? How does theatre affect the way we think about the bodies of Asians?  For more information about IFTR-Asia 2018, please visit http://iftr-asia2018.upd.edu.ph/index.html.  Our keynote speakers include Dr. Susan San Kwan (University of California Berkeley), Dr. Julius J. Bautista (Kyoto University) and Ms. Agnes Locsin (Former Artistic Director Ballet Philippines). For more details of our keynote speakers, please visit: http://iftr-asia2018.upd.edu.ph/keynote-speakers.html.  For the roundtable plenary, we have invited renowned physical theatre practitioners and dramaturgs: Mr. Pichet Klunchun (Thailand), Dr. Lim How Ngean (Malaysia) and Ms. Eisa Jocson (Philippines).  Dr. Paul Alexander Rae (University of Melbourne) and Dr. Kathy Foley (University of California Santa Cruz) will facilitate the new scholars sessions.  Founded in 1957, IFTR is the oldest and one of the most prestigious federations of performance practitioners and scholars. Its members are from different disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences interested on the study of theatre and performance vis-à-vis culture and society. As a federation, it boasts a membership coming from more than 60 countries including the United States, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Morocco, Israel, Iceland, Ireland, Nigeria, South Africa, Chile, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Serbia, Finland, Russia, Egypt, Portugal, China, the Philippines to name a few. For other information on the IFTR, please visit https://www.iftr.org.  IFTR-Asia 2018 is now accepting abstract submissions.  Before submitting your abstract, please note the following:  Please make sure your abstract is related to the major theme Bodies in/and Asian Theatres or one of the sub-themes (http://iftr-asia2018.upd.edu.ph/call-for-papers.html) of IFTR-Asia 2018. Please limit your abstract to not more than 300 words. Otherwise, the system will not accept your submission. Please submit a short bionote of not more than 150 words. You will receive a confirmation email from the conference conveners as soon as your submission is received. Submission of abstract will end on 15 September 2017. Announcement of successful submissions shall start on 2 October 2017.  To submit your abstract, please visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyCdzDSdpPugz6wKcC8tE4GdeCU0Kl08W3g3mdzlx7XJ_FEA/viewform  For inquiries, please email iftr-asia2018.upd@up.edu.ph or the conveners Sir Anril P. Tiatco at sptiatco@up.edu.ph and Bryan L. Viray at blviray@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘For the nation, for the people’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/for-the-nation-for-the-people/",
        "html": "‘For the nation, for the people’ ‘For the nation, for the people’ October 18, 2017 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   National Artist Guillermo Tolentino’s original Oblation in the UP Diliman Main Library. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In barricades embattled, fighting in delirium,  Others give you their lives without doubts, without gloom.  The site nought matters: cypress, laurel or lily:  Gibbet or open field: combat or cruel martyrdom  Are equal if demanded by country and home.  The second stanza of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios translated above by National Artist Nick Joaquin has inspired many Filipinos to deeds both great and noble for the nation’s sake. Of all its fruits, however, perhaps none has been more firmly molded into the Filipino psyche than the Oblation.     UP Baguio Oblation by Anastacio Caedo. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  Oblation statue at UP Bonifacio Global City. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Since its cornerstone was laid down in 1931, National Artist Guillermo Tolentino’s masterpiece has served as a rallying point for selfless action for the public interest, as well as the most recognizable and enduring symbol of the University of the Philippines (UP). Commissioned by then-UP President Rafael Palma, the Oblation is a tangible representation of Tolentino’s interpretation of two of Jose Rizal’s writing’s—Mi Ultimo Adios and A La Juventud Filipina. The statue is an elevation of sacrifice on a pedestal, indicating a “clarion call for the youth to engage in the rigors of change and progress.”     UP Cebu Oblation statue. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO) Oblation statue at the newly-built UP Cebu Professional Schools. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The Oblation’s unveiling during National Heroes Day introduced a figure into Philippine society rich in nationalist symbolism. The statue’s height of 3.5-meters symbolizes three and a half centuries of Spanish colonial rule, while its pose of self-offering represents Tolentino’s interpretation of Rizal’s second stanza above—in particular the “unknown heroes who fell during the night.” Furthermore, its base is a stylized representation of the Philippine archipelago, with rocks from Montalban Gorge to highlight its cultural and historical significance.     UP Diliman Oblation as the sun sets. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO) UP Los Baños’ Oblation by National Artist Napoleon Abueva. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The katakataka or “wonder plant” (Brophyllum pinnatum) symbolizes the heroism of the Filipino people. Seeing that segments of the plant thrown anywhere would “sprout into a young plant,” Tolentino viewed the plant as a symbol of a patriotism that continually grows in different places throughout the country.     UP Mindanao’s Oblation in the Oblation Plaza. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) UP Manila Oblation in front of the PGH. (Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO)     Since the Oblation’s move from Padre Faura to Diliman on February 11, 1949 as part of UP’s transfer to a larger campus, the campuses that would compose what we now know as the University of the Philippines System would see the rise of their own versions of the beloved figure.     The UP Open University Oblation (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) Oblation at the UP Visayas Iloilo Campus. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO) Oblation at the UP Visayas Miagao Campus. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Renowned sculptors and artists, among them National Artist Napoleon Abueva, Anastacio Caedo who was also one of the models of the original statue, Fidel Araneta, and former UP Open University Chancellor Grace Javier Alfonso, would eventually make their own interpretations of the legendary figure in different constituent universities. Wherever it is to be found, the Oblation remains a symbol of strength, resilience and freedom of thought for UP and its graduates.  According to UP’s Visual Identity Guide, the Oblation is a figure that demands respect in terms of use and visibility. It is always to be represented in its entirety, with the statue on its pedestal at all times to keep its historical and cultural significance intact. Splitting the figure or overlaying it with text is considered inappropriate; making the Oblation a mere decorative element violates the integrity of the University’s visual identity.  ——————–  Email the author at upforum@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Nominations for next UP President now open – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/nominations-for-next-up-president-now-open/",
        "html": "Nominations for next UP President now open Nominations for next UP President now open September 11, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Board of Regents (BOR) of the University of the Philippines (UP) has opened nominations for the next UP President to succeed President Danilo L. Concepcion, whose term will end on February 09, 2023.  This is according to a memorandum released by the UP Office of the Secretary of the University and the BOR on September 08, 2022. The UP BOR has constituted itself as the Search Committee for the next UP President.  UP Presidents serve as the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer of the University for a fixed term of six years and are expected to pursue goals stated in Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter. Concepcion’s successor as UP President will be the 22nd President of the country’s national university.  Nominees must have the following minimum requirements:  Holds a Master’s degree; doctorate preferred; Has substantial academic experience at the tertiary level; Should be able to serve the full term of six (6) years before reaching the age of 70; With no conviction for administrative or criminal offenses; Must possess administrative and managerial experience at the senior level.  The UP BOR Search Committee will be accepting nominations from September 12, 2022 (Monday) until October 14, 2022 (Friday), at 5:00 PM.  Each nomination should include the nominee’s curriculum vitae; their mission-vision statement and a statement of their willingness to serve; a brief justification for the nomination, two pages at most; and clearances from Sandiganbayan, Ombudsman, and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).  The nominees’ mission-vision statements should respond to the following questions:  * If elected, what value would you add/bring to the University, and how will you achieve it? * Why should you be elected president of the University of the Philippines? * How will you operationalize and implement the mandates of the University under RA 9500?  All nominations must be placed in a sealed envelope (two copies) addressed to Atty. Roberto M.J. Lara, Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the University (OSU) located at the Ground Floor (North Wing) Quezon Hall, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines.  Please contact Ms. Jovita P. Fucio at 8981-8500 local 2535 or via borsecretariat@up.edu.ph.  Download the official UP OSU Memorandum on the Call for Nominations here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Search for the next UP President heats up – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-search-for-the-next-up-president-heats-up/",
        "html": "The Search for the next UP President heats up The Search for the next UP President heats up December 2, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The six UP Presidential hopefuls with event moderator, UP VP for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (center). From left to right: UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo; Atty. Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.; former UP Regent, Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez; former UPD VC for Academic Affairs, Dr. Benito M. Pacheco; former UPLB Chancellor, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez; and Catanduanes State University president, Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     The Search for the next University of the Philippines (UP) President heated up last November 11, 2022, as the nominees for the position gathered at UP Diliman’s Cine Adarna, UPFI Film Center, to present their respective visions for UP.  All six (6) presidential hopefuls attended the event, ‘The Search: Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President”. The successful nominee will succeed current President Danilo L. Concepcion as the 22nd President of the University and will assume office when Concepcion steps down in February 2023.  During the event, which was also broadcast live over TVUP, each candidate had 10 minutes to present their plans and programs. After this, the event host, UP Vice President for Public Affairs (VPPA) Elena Pernia, moderated a question-and-answer session, where each candidate responded to questions from different sectors of the UP community, including real-time online queries.  Members of the UP community crowd into Cine Adarna to participate in ‘The Search: Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President”. The search was open to all UP community members across the System as the event was live-streamed to all UP constituent units.  Outside the venue, UP organizations state their challenge to the next UP President. Photo by Bong Arboleda (UP MPRO)     To listen to the presidential hopefuls were members of the search committee, composed of the University’s Board of Regents (BOR) led by Concepcion and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman J. Prospero de Vera. The UP President, de Vera, noted in his message that he is different from most other leaders of SUCs in that they serve six years with no reappointment. De Vera described them as products of a choice that “cannot be rectified by a second term.” Moreover, the next UP President would be considered a true leader in higher education because of UP’s geographic reach and the comprehensive nature of the programs it offers.  CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera opens the UP presidential candidates’ forum. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     First to the podium was Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez. Atty. Jimenez summarized his vision in six words: research power, digital transformation, and democratic access. Amidst the massive global changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, he stressed the need to leverage the advantages of a digital transformation within UP instead of being “nostalgic about the pre-COVID age.” Jimenez noted how the transformative powers of digital technology not only provide educational opportunities “at any time and place” but also help provide democratic access by closing the quality gap between each UP unit, as well as between UP and the SUCs of each region. Such accessibility, he said, is “true democratization.”  Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     Next to speak was Atty. Salvador B. Belaro, Jr. At the heart of his vision was to secure a higher budget for the University to achieve its goal of becoming a truly global university. To compare, Belaro narrated his experiences at Cornell University, which he said enjoyed a budget more than 14 times that of UP. He noted that Cornell’s higher budget contributed greatly to its global status and other advantages, such as a good working environment for faculty and staff and a healthy student-to-teacher ratio. Belaro stated that in addition to integrating the good points presented by his peers, it would take fighting for a much larger share of the annual budgetary pie for UP to become truly global, “not just in talk, but in action.”  Atty. Salvador B. Belaro, Jr. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     The third man up was UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, who presented his vision statement for the chancellorship in the same venue just three years ago. Nemenzo’s vision, informed by his leadership experience in the Diliman community, was centered on three points: making an agile UP, a smart UP, and a high-impact UP. For him, being elegant meant utilizing UP’s academic research programs, such as new ones in bioinformatics, data science, and artificial intelligence, among others, to cope with disruptions. He agreed with Jimenez on the need for digital transformation, which is a key component of his idea of a smart UP. Nemenzo said that digitalization would lead to better collaboration and mobilization of resources and more efficient administrative processes. Lastly, being a high-impact university meant leveraging the diversity of critical knowledge produced across the UP system for UP to take a leadership role in issues of national importance, such as food security, health, culture, and the arts.  Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     The fourth nominee to present his vision for the University was Prof. Benito M. Pacheco. He served as UPD Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 2014 to 2017. His presentation focused on 15 possibilities that he envisions for UP, all aiming to improve: democratic access and diversity at admission; enrichment courses; regional public service programs; full-time equivalent student; full-time equivalent teacher; the limited practice of a profession; grading system; student ethics code; mobility across CUs; administration; and others. “If elected as President, I would serve as a Futures Thinker-Leader for the strategic reimagining of and advocacy for our University mandate for the long term: public service and outreach; teaching; research and creative work; faculty and staff development; and democratic governance,” concluded Pacheco.  Dr. Benito M. Pacheco. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza, President of the Catanduanes State University, envisions the University as “Unibersidad ng Panghinaharap.” He explained that he aims to transform the present university system into a “multiversity” or “meta-versity” similar to what is being implemented by the University of California. He further said that the transformation would put UP at par with “universities of the future” while promoting diversity, a clearer sense of purpose, happiness, and human greatness. He said he would draw upon his experiences and the policies he had already implemented during his term as university president and having held various senior executive posts at the AMA Group of Companies (1997-2008), UPD, and other institutions. According to Azanza, the crisis faced by UP and society can only be resolved if the processes, policies, programs, and decisions are based on data science.  Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     Lastly, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. presented his vision for UP. He served as a two-term Chancellor of UP Los Baños (UPLB) from 2014 to 2020. According to Sanchez, if elected, he will prioritize benefits, facilities, opportunities, and inclusion to nurture and protect UP constituents. His presentation highlighted “synergy in diversity” in making UP a catalyst for inclusive national development. He aims to: strengthen UP’s alumni network; promote inter-UP collaboration for more inclusive programs that will create System-wide studies centers; secure UP’s academic leadership through System-wide mentorship; provide an enabling and inspiring environment; ensure the health and safety of UP students; improve internet access and connectivity; develop more creative and community-oriented spaces; enhance System-wide capacity building and lifelong learning programs; establish relevant and responsive graduate programs; and, a promote the internationalization of UP, among others.  Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)     Q and A  During the Q&A session, the nominees were asked about their responses to the most important concerns faced by UP constituents. The nominees were given two minutes to explain their opinions on UP’s commercial transactions or joint ventures with the private sector; each candidate’s plans to support or encourage growth in the Humanities and Social Sciences; their plans for the institutionalization of psychosocial services; their plans to resolve the lack of plantilla items in administrative offices and faculty positions; their plans to provide additional benefits for optional retirees; their plans to ensure the protection of constituents from red-tagging; their plans to offer health insurance coverage for faculty and staff and their immediate family members, in addition to Philhealth and eHOPE; their plans for utilizing UP’s land assets; and, other issues.  The six candidates answer questions fielded by members of the UP community. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UP MPRO)  The full CVs and vision papers of the six nominees are available and can be accessed at the Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents (OSU) website.  The forum was live-streamed by TVUP and can be viewed via TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Article written by Andre Encarnacion and Fred Dabu. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mechanics released for the public forum for the selection of the new UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mechanics-released-for-the-public-forum-for-the-selection-of-the-new-up-president/",
        "html": "Mechanics released for the public forum for the selection of the new UP President Mechanics released for the public forum for the selection of the new UP President November 4, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Last month, the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University of the Philippines (UP) approved the nominations of six official candidates for the next UP President who will succeed UP President Danilo Concepcion.  On Friday, November 11, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., the UP community will be able to hear from the six nominees for the UP Presidency. A public forum will be held where all six will present their plans and programs and respond to questions from the UP constituency. The public forum will be held at Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, and live-streamed to all UP constituent units.  he UP Office of the Secretary of the University and the BOR have released the mechanics of the public forum, including the guidelines for the nominees’ presentations and guidelines for the audience and forum participants.  Read the mechanics for the Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President here: "
    },
    {
        "title": "Former UP Regent Angelo Jimenez to succeed Concepcion as the next UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/former-up-regent-angelo-jimenez-to-succeed-concepcion-as-the-next-up-president/",
        "html": "Former UP Regent Angelo Jimenez to succeed Concepcion as the next UP President Former UP Regent Angelo Jimenez to succeed Concepcion as the next UP President December 9, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Atty. Angelo Azura Jimenez. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  Following intensive deliberations, including interviews with the six nominees for the next President of the University of the Philippines (UP), the UP Board of Regents (BOR) announced today their unanimous selection of the next leader of the country’s national university: Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, former UP Regent.  Atty. Jimenez will serve as the University’s 22nd President, succeeding the current UP President, Professor Danilo L. Concepcion, whose term will end in February 2023. Jimenez will serve a six-year term from February 2023 to February 2029.  Atty. Angelo Jimenez is an Of counsel with the Jaromay Laurente and Associates and a consultant of the Office of Rep. Pablo John F. Garcia. He served on the Board of Regents twice, first as a Student Regent in 1992, and again as a Regent from 2016 to 2021. He was a lecturer at the UP Law Center Institute of the Administration of Justice from 2016 to 2021; and a consultant of the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorites et Leaders or International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders Philippines (UP-CIFAL Philippines). He was also a trustee of the UP Foundation from 2017 to 2021.  Atty. Jimenez earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1987, and his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1994, both in UP Diliman. He passed the Bar in 1994. He was a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He earned his Masters in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Among the many awards he has received is the Outstanding Butuanon Award for Professional Excellence.  In his vision paper, Jimenez stated that UP “must strive to become a global university”. Specifically, UP must lead as a research university by focusing on graduate and post-graduate programs and academic linkages; and as a public service university through extension service to the government and industry. UP must also advocate for an Open Data Policy. UP must likewise help raise the quality of undergraduate education in other SUCs, embrace digital transformation in learning and management, defend and enhance academic freedom in UP.  As UP President, Jimenez will serve as the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer. He will be tasked with pursuing goals stated in Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Online pre-registration for the Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President is now open – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/online-pre-registration-for-the-public-forum-for-the-selection-of-the-next-up-president-is-now-open/",
        "html": "Online pre-registration for the Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President is now open Online pre-registration for the Public Forum for the Selection of the Next UP President is now open November 9, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Online pre-registration for onsite and off-site participants attending the Public Forum for the Selection of the Next University of the Philippines (UP) President is now open. Members of the UP community across the UP system are invited to send in their questions and pre-register for the event.  For Zoom participants: bit.ly/UPPresZoom  For Cine Adarna (F2F) participants: bit.ly/UPPresCineAdarna  For the Questions: bit.ly/UPPresQuestion Open on 10 November (Thu),1:00 PM – 5:00 PM and 11 November (Fri), 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM  During the public forum, the six nominees for the UP Presidency will present their platforms and answer questions from UP’s internal and external publics. The forum will be held this Friday, November 11, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., at Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, and live-streamed to all UP constituent units.  Read the mechanics of the public forum here: Mechanics released for the public forum for the selection of the new UP President "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches learning hub, the 2nd of its kind, in Butuan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-learning-hub-the-2nd-of-its-kind-in-butuan/",
        "html": "UP launches learning hub, the 2nd of its kind, in Butuan UP launches learning hub, the 2nd of its kind, in Butuan April 25, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   The newly launched UP Pook Aralan Student Learning Hub in Butuan City. Photo from the UP OSDS.  The University of the Philippines (UP) launched its “Pook Aralan” learning hub in Butuan City last April 20 via Zoom. The learning hub is the second “Pook Aralan” under the Tabang sa Iskolar ng Bayan program, which offers free use of computers, internet, and printing services for all nearby UP students for a limited period.  The hub is strategically situated in front of the Agusan National High School and the Social Security System office in Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte, on AD Curato Street. At least 12 UP students can avail themselves of online learning-related services and facilities for the second semester.  A view of the cubicles of the learning hub. Photo from OSDS.  The first “Pook Aralan,” located in Bato, Leyte, was launched on March 14 and will serve UP students until July.  According to UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Development Services (OSDS) Director Richard Philip Gonzalo, the “Pook Aralan” project hopes to assist students in continuing their studies after Typhoon Odette hit. The “Pook Aralan” also provides the University a template for helping its students in remote areas, especially after typhoons and other calamities hinder them from continuing studies under the blended learning mode.  Speaking during the launch of UP’s Pook Aralan: UP AVP for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Development Services Director Richard Philip Gonzalo [above]; UPLB Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Janette Silva [below]. Screenshot by UP MPRO.  UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) Janette Silva said the students affected by recent typhoons and challenges due to the pandemic were glad to avail UP’s assistance through these projects. The OVCSA helped in conducting the feasibility study for this project.  UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval said the Pook Aralan would ease the students’ burdens amid the pandemic and calamities. UP will also launch more learning hubs to respond to students’ needs.  UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval [above]; establishment owner and Pook Aralan manager Michael Urgel [below]. Screenshot by UP MPRO.  Establishment owner and Pook Aralan manager Michael Urgel expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be of service to the University. He assured us that the learning hub will always be a safe space for students.  The OSDS administers the project in partnership with the UP Padayon Public Service Office, the UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the UP Foundation, the concerned units of UP constituent universities, and owners of the chosen sites.  For inquiries about the Pook Aralan, please email studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao swimmers triumph in Araw ng Dabaw – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-swimmers-triumph-in-araw-ng-dabaw/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao swimmers triumph in Araw ng Dabaw UP Mindanao swimmers triumph in Araw ng Dabaw April 4, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Mindanao’s Swimming Team won 14 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 5 bronze medals during the 80th Araw ng Dabaw Inter-School Swimming Competition at Ateneo de Davao University Matina Sports Complex on 1-2 April 2017.  Agribusiness Economics sophomore Juan Antonio A. Mendoza was declared “Most Outstanding Swimmer”.     Most Outstanding Swimmer Juan Antonio Mendoza. Photo from Rene Estremera, UP Mindanao.  Aside from Mendoza, the Maroon contingent was composed of Bhazel Acac (BS Food Technology), Angelica Jem Verga (BS Architecture), Paula Yap (BS Computer Science), Joemer Aliman (BS Applied Mathematics), and Tobias Suico (BS Applied Mathematics).  Coach Albert Ramos reported that his team’s proudest accomplishment was in the 4×50-meter relay, where UP won over Davao Merchant Marine Academy, this year’s defending champions.  A total of 220 swimmers competed in the two-day event, representing 55 schools from Davao, Metro Manila and other regions in Mindanao.  This year’s tournament also attracted delegates from overseas Filipino communities.  The Annual Araw ng Dabaw Inter-School Swimming Competition serves as a qualifier for Batang Pinoy and the Philippine National Games. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Land Bank UP Diliman building – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-new-land-bank-up-diliman-building/",
        "html": "Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Land Bank UP Diliman building Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Land Bank UP Diliman building December 12, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   UP President Danilo Concepcion (2nd from right), LBP EVP Liduvino Geron (3rd from right), and officials from the UP System, UP Diliman, and the LBP, bury the time capsule during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of the Landbank of the Philippines to be constructed in the Diliman campus. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  On November 21, 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of the new Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) branch located on the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines.  Notable attendees for this event included UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and LBP Executive Vice President and Head of the Branch Banking Sector Liduvino S. Geron, representing LBP President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo. The Landbank UP Diliman Branch Department Manager, Malaine P. Baui, hosted the event.  During his short speech, Concepcion emphasized the importance of LBP as one of the only few banks that provide for people working under government agencies, as well as the importance of the banking agency to the University’s community. The new branch construction in the Diliman campus, he said, will not only be more accessible to people, but it will also be the biggest LBP branch, complete with its parking lot.  LBP Executive Vice President Liduvino Geron. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  As “UP is an agency of the government as well,” Concepcion said that UP would be used as a template and an example for other government agencies to help one another. “The long journey begins with a step, and this is a step towards this long journey,” he finished.  Geron thanked UP for hosting the new LBP location and expressed his hope that this new strategic place would contribute to improving the economic activities within the area. He emphasized that the collaboration between Land Bank and UP aims to better serve the public, including students, faculties, and even those who reside outside the university.  Geron mentioned LBP’s new services, such as installing QR codes and contactless cards to help the community make payments and even transfer funds to their accounts through their cards or phones. The services would remove the need for LBP’s clients to bring cash and reduce the long lines for transactions. He concluded by thanking UP for their longtime partnership, adding that the new branch will be open for business in less than a year.  All attendees took part in the time capsule burial, which concluded the groundbreaking event.  The new LBP UP Diliman branch across the UP College of Fine Arts. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman Food Hub opens – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-food-hub-opens/",
        "html": "UP Diliman Food Hub opens UP Diliman Food Hub opens January 4, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   “Gyud Food,” the UP Diliman Food Hub, opens its doors to the UP community. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     A new food center in Diliman, Quezon City, is open to the public.  The UP Diliman Food Hub, with a landmark two-story multipurpose hall located along E. Jacinto St. near University Avenue and across the College of Fine Arts, was inaugurated on December 21, 2022, already with several concessionaires offering a wide enough array of food choices.  University officials announced that food would be discounted for UP students, faculty members, administration staff, and researchers, ranging from 5% to 15%, with payment transactions facilitated by their Paymaya-enabled IDs.  Two stories of delicious, healthy, and affordable food options. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     The UP Food Hub was also designed to become a congregation and activity area, with food courts located indoors and al fresco under the shade of trees. According to the project brief: “The Site Development of the UPD Food Park is meant to aptly handle vehicular parking needs that otherwise will be overflowing towards E. Jacinto St.”  Leading the inauguration and unveiling of the marker were UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido, Benedict Diamat,  Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Quezon City Second District Construction Chief, representing District Engineer Ramon Devanadera, and master lessee Jose Vizco.  UP President Danilo Concepcion (3rd from right) and UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo (3rd from left), together with (from left to right) UPD Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel Florendo, Potato Corner CEO and UPD Food Hub lessee Mr. Joe Magsaysay, UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, and UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido, cut the ribbon to open the UP Food Hub formally. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Concepcion especially thanked the DPWH, then headed by Secretary Mark Villar, for allocating the budget for and constructing the complex. He emphasized that the core idea behind the project was “ginhawa” or convenience, wider choices, and discounts for UP students.  “This food hub will offer our growing community a wider range of food choices,” affirmed Nemenzo. “This is a signal that UP Diliman is again opening up [to the public],” he added, referring to the restrictions imposed in the wake of the pandemic. Sonido expressed the hope that the venue would also be a model for environmental sustainability in line with a campus-wide goal.  Al fresco dining at the UP Food Hub. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP secures top rankings in the Environmental Planners Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-secures-top-rankings-in-the-environmental-planners-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UP secures top rankings in the Environmental Planners Licensure Exam UP secures top rankings in the Environmental Planners Licensure Exam August 4, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Examinees from two different University of the Philippines campuses garnered the three highest places in the July 2023 Environmental Planners Licensure Examination, as announced recently by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).  The top three examinees out of the 115 passers are, in order: Janine Montalban Tabares from UP Visayas Iloilo, with a rating of 82.45%; and, Frann Christian Regino Serrano and Alexisse Diarra Gucilatar Pablico, both from UP Los Baños (UPLB); with a rating of 81.55% and 80.10%, respectively.     UP Diliman, on the other hand, is the top-ranked school in the July 2023 Environmental Planners Licensure Examination, with 31 out of 36 examinees passing, leveling it up to 86.11% passing rate.  The Environmental Planners Licensure Examination was administered by the members of the Board of Environmental Planning. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP tops CPA licensure exam performance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tops-cpa-licensure-exam-performance/",
        "html": "UP tops CPA licensure exam performance UP tops CPA licensure exam performance June 2, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UP Cesar EA Virata School of Business in UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo from the Virata School of Business on Facebook.  The University of the Philippines (UP) emerged as the top performing school in the Board of Accountancy’s May 2023 Licensure Examination for Certified Public Accountants (CPA). This was announced by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on May 30, when it released the official results.  Out of the 59 exam takers from UP, 55 passed—a passing percentage of 93.22. The top performing school, as determined by the PRC, must have a minimum passing percentage of 80 with at least 50 examinees. In the previous CPA licensure exam held in October 2022, UP had a passing percentage of 88.24. It did not, however, meet the required number of examinees as it only had a total of 34 exam takers, 30 of whom passed.  UP Diliman’s Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business offers the five-year Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy program, which accepts anywhere from 60 to 90 students each academic year. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Food Tech Board Exam topnotchers hail from UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/food-tech-board-exam-topnotchers-hail-from-up/",
        "html": "Food Tech Board Exam topnotchers hail from UP Food Tech Board Exam topnotchers hail from UP August 18, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu    Examinees from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Visayas, and UP Mindanao occupy the top 10 ranks of passers in the latest Food Technologists Licensure Examination (FTLE) conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Rosales, and Zamboanga this August 2023.  Of the total 1,133 first-time examinees coming from 42 schools, only 453 of them, or 39.98%, passed. UP Diliman (100% of 75 examinees passed), UP Los Baños (92.86% of 98 examinees passed), and UP Mindanao (83.33% of six examinees passed) were also announced as the top-performing schools based on the criteria set by PRC Resolution No. 2017-1058(C) series of 2017.  Dominic Castro Panaligan from UP Diliman secured the FTLE’s top spot, with a rating of 87.25%. Ranking in second were Ma. Christina Romabiles Ilano, from UP Los Baños, and Jose Gabriel Lugue Luna, also from UP Diliman, whose ratings are tied at 86.75%. Portia Aliwanag Crisostomo (UPLB) and Ingrid Panaligan Puentespina (UPD) occupy 3rd place with a rating of 86.5% each.  Other FTLE board topnotchers from UP are: at 4th place, Theresa Marie Tuason Rigor and Darwin Ray Librado Tuazon (UPD) with a rating of 86% each; at 5th place, Gerieka Ramos Anapi (UPLB) and Caleb Joshua Tychico Chingcuanco (UPD) with a rating of 85.75% each; at 6th place, June Vincent Ramos Blas (UPLB), Jenica Tagel Javier, Elden Pamiloza Muncal, Riann Martin Oliquino Sarza, Albei Keith Capito Tolete, and Mary Michelle Malabanan Velasquez (UPD), with a rating of 85.5% each; and, at 7th place, Patricia Victoria Acosta Abella, Jocelle Ramilo Del Rosario (UPD), Hannah Joy Agravante Segura, and Maria Sandra Renee Caraos Tapia (UPLB), with a rating of 85.25% each.  Occupying 8th place, with a rating of 85% each, are: Abbie Glenn Montecalvo Estribillo (UPMin), Toni Abegail Enriquez Almosara, Sharmaine Therese Homeres Daya (UPLB), Joanne Kathrine Marcellana Escoreal, Donnel Paulo Gulifardo Signey, and Vanessa Gayle Tiu Tangcueco (UPD). At 9th place, with a rating of 84.75% each, are: Mary Denize Celine Villagomez Portal (UP Visayas-Iloilo City), Dave Antonio Agcaoili, Argel Arizala Largado, Justin Godfred Bantilan Peralta (UP Los Baños), Joshua German Palma and Ryan Nikkole Bondoc Pineda (UP Diliman).  Lastly, at 10th place, with a rating of 84.5% each, are: Jan Carlo Cristobal Aningat, Judea Mae Cortez Estrada, Nikkie Del Agua Francisco, Gyle Doringo Tampil, Alyana Marie Chua Tanlimco (UPD), Cielo Therese Lait Manalo, and Angela Cantillo Viloria (UPLB).  The PRC posted the results within three working days after the last day of examination given by the Board of Food Technology. "
    },
    {
        "title": "President Danilo L. Concepcion on UP education, public service at UP Manila’s Commencement Exercises – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/president-danilo-l-concepcion-on-up-education-public-service-at-up-manilas-commencement-exercises/",
        "html": "President Danilo L. Concepcion on UP education, public service at UP Manila’s Commencement Exercises President Danilo L. Concepcion on UP education, public service at UP Manila’s Commencement Exercises June 22, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Below is the full text of the speech delivered by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion during UP Manila’s Commencement Exercises on June 21, 2017.     MORE THAN A SCHOOL, MORE THAN A HOSPITAL  Speech by President Danilo L. Concepcion  Commencement Exercises, UP Manila  21 June 2017     Esteemed members of our Board of Regents, the members of my executive team, Chancellor Menchit Padilla and the members of her administration, the faculty and staff of UP Manila, Director Gap Legaspi and the staff of the Philippine General Hospital, and the faculty and staff of our health science units in Palo, Baler, and Koronadal. But most of all let me greet and salute the graduates, their parents, and their families. Mabuhay po kayong lahat!  I know that it has taken you much time, effort, and some expense to get to this high point of your lives, on the verge of your future careers. I guess that is true for any college graduate. But for a UP graduate, expectations run even higher. And they should, because from the very start, we have been held to a higher standard of honor, excellence, and public service.  In the words of President Rafael Palma at his investiture in 1925, it was UP’s mission not just to produce graduates, but to encourage “original thinking and (assert) our individuality in the realm of mind (for) the positive benefit of the Filipino people.”  A UP graduate has to be a willing, creative, and audacious agent of social transformation, going above and beyond the normal call of duty to find ways of uplifting the lives of our countrymen.  Thankfully, in UP Manila, you have had more than a century of exemplary experience in conjoining higher education with public service. That’s largely because of the unique relationship between UP Manila’s role and offerings as a traditional university and its health sciences component bannered by the Philippine General Hospital.  Up until today, especially during budget season, some lawmakers still have a problem understanding that relationship, insisting that PGH should be taken out of UP Manila. What we must make clear to them is that practically from the beginning, UP Manila—or indeed just UP as it was then—was always more than a school, and PGH was always more than a hospital.  Few will recall that UP partly owes its existence to the Philippine Medical School, which was incorporated into UP in 1909. Within a year, it was considered at par with some of the better American medical schools. President William Howard Taft had wanted to put the School under the Department of Sanitation, but Dean Worcester—whatever else we may think about him—believed so strongly in the school’s educational mission that he pushed for the creation of a hospital to serve the training needs of the school. And thus was PGH born.  PGH, of course, became the biggest and most modern Asian hospital of its time, and even a century later, it occupies pride of place as the hospital most Filipinos still think of when they require medical attention. In other words, it is the hospital closest to the Filipino heart. But even as it serves about 600,000 patients every year, many of them our poorest citizens, it has never forgotten its educational mission.  This is why UP Manila has produced world-class doctors, world-class dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and so on.  UP Manila exemplifies what a 21st century university should be: an institution with a special strength in a highly competitive and absolutely vital field, anchored on solid humanistic values and principles, and open to a diverse array of talents and interests.  This brings me to a personal confession I have to make: When I was a school boy, I wanted to become a doctor. A surgeon, actually. Sadly, my dream was frustrated by life’s circumstances. My father was a bus driver, and my mother struggled to raise seven of us on our father’s income. I myself was a working student, and half of what I earned went to helping put my three younger siblings through school. So when I applied for a college scholarship with the National Science Development Board, I had to pick from a list of approved science courses. This list did not include medicine, and I needed to work to support myself and my siblings. So I chose agricultural engineering in a school I could easily commute to, and only later did I take up law at UP.  I tell you this story not only because being with you today in a sense fulfills a childhood dream, but also to show that as significant as your graduation today is, you may never know for sure what your future will be until you get there.  I recently came across a quote by the American author Nancy Levin: “Honor the space between ‘no longer’ and ‘not yet.’”  This seems like a good description of where you are right now. Right here, right now, you are at a crossroads. This ceremony officially marks the end of your lives as college students of UP Manila, and you stand on the verge of becoming something and someone else: doctors, teachers, NGO workers, call-center agents, entrepreneurs, managers, performers, even politicians.  That transition will be quicker and easier for some but not for others. But I can tell you now that this transition will never be complete, and rightly so, because you will always be UP students for the rest of your lives.  You will forever be inquisitive, independent, assertive, ever ready to turn challenge into opportunity.  These hallmarks of a UP education you will bear with you whatever career path you may choose, and wherever those paths may lead you. That education will be the anchor from which you can pivot into anything you want to be.  In my case, it was UP and the College of Law that allowed me to realize my life’s mission, that is to learn and to use the law for public service, and later to produce more outstanding lawyers in the grand manner, as we like to say in the college. More recently, that mission has become even more complex, as I now have to deal not only with a college, not even just a university, but an entire university system.  I have to admit that it’s a daunting responsibility, especially in an environment increasingly characterized by vicious political polarization. But precisely because many people—even respectable academics—no longer seem able to speak to one another in the language of civility. I find it even more vital to recreate the University as a special space, a common ground, within which we can all work together.  My executive staff and I have been preparing the Strategic Plan that will guide my administration over the next six years. Because it requires extensive deliberation and consultation, it remains a work in progress, the details of which we will be sharing with you before too long. But I can tell you now that we will seek to create an enabling environment within which we can perform as a University at our full potential.  If there is anything I firmly believe in, it is in the value of productive labor—whether that labor takes place in the classroom, the laboratory, the boardroom, the community, or the global arena. We have to find ways in which to work, and work together, despite and away from the growing toxicity of both national and campus politics.  I do not mean to suggest that we will stop having or expressing opinions. Debate and dissent are as much a part of UP tradition as the Oblation and the Lantern Parade. But I surmise that at the end of the day, nothing achieves more than concrete action. Why, talk and analyze our problems to death, when our time might be spent seeking workable and consensual solutions.  I have many plans for UP that I believe will occupy us in very productive ways. Again, the details will still have to be worked out, but we are studying the possibility of opening a new medical complex in Diliman. This medical complex shall be an extension of PGH, will serve not only the needs of our northern metropolitan population but also push the frontiers of medical practice and research.  There will be resistance, for sure, UP being UP. You might be interested to know that in 1937, when President Quezon pushed for the transfer of UP from Padre Faura to Diliman, UP students led by a young editor named Armando Malay held a straw vote, that rejected the move by 84%. Then President Bienvenido Gonzalez was roundly vilified. Twelve years later, when the move had happened, Malay spoke again in UP Diliman, and acknowledged that it was time “for a closing of the ranks.”  No one will argue now that moving the main campus to Diliman was a mistake. But it would also be grossly mistaken to say that Manila was abandoned and left behind. It’s true that it became a smaller campus by comparison, but it soon developed its own appeal and its own ethos as a university geared for the urban student. And of course there was always the PGH and the health sciences cluster, whose academic requirements made sure that UP Manila would grow well into another century.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion before UP Manila’s Iskolar ng Bayan graduating batch of 2017. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Much has been said about UP graduates being iskolar ng bayan. Tunay kayong mga iskolar ng bayan sapagkat gumugol ang ating pamahalaan ng salapi mula sa kaban ng bayan upang kayo ay makapagtapos sa inyong pag-aaral. Kayo ay mga paaral ng taong bayan.  Subalit huwag ninyong ituring na ang inyong edukasyon ay isang utang na dapat niyong bayaran sa taongbayan. Ito ay inihandog nila sa inyo ng buong puso sa pag-asang sa pagkakamit niyo ng husay at galing. Hindi lamang buhay ninyo ang bubuti at gaganda. Umaasa silang gaganda at iinam din ang buhay nila. Ang taong bayan ay hindi humihingi ng kabayaran mula sa inyo. Subalit sila ay umaasa na sa inyong paglipad paitaas, maalala naman ninyo na sila ay lingapin at bigyan ng pagpapahalaga.  Ang bulok na bungang isasama sa kaing ng mga mahusay at maganda ay siyang tunay na sisira sa kanilang lahat na. Huwag sanang kayo ang magsilbing bulok na bunga na sa halip na magpabuti sa bayan ay siya pang magdudulot ng mas masamang kapalaran.  Pahalagahan ninyo ang edukasyong ibinahagi namin sa inyo dito sa UP. Huwag nawa ninyong makalimutan na kayo ay higit na mas mapalad sa karamihan. Hindi lahat ng kabataan ay biniyayaan ng katulad ng inyong kapalaran. Noong kayo ay nagpasiya na pumasok at mag-aral sa UP, huwag ninyog kalilimutan na may Pilipino, katumbas ng bawat sa inyo, na nawalan ng pagkakataong makapasok at makapag-aral dito.  Lubos na nakapanghihinayang kung ang edukasyong maari sana naging kanila, ay hindi ninyo pahahalagahan at hindi ninyo gagamitin para sa kaunlaran ng bayan.  Huwag sana ninyong sayangin ang inyong natutunan; sana ay gamitin ninyo ito nang tama at wasto tungo sa kapakinabangan, hindi lamang ng inyong sarili at pamilya, kundi tungo sa kapakinabangan ng buong sambayanan.  Tunay, hindi naghihintay ng kabayaran mula sa inyo ang ating mga kababayan. Subalit sila ay labis na malulugod, at hindi naman tatanggi, kung kayo ay magsusukli nang taos-puso sa kanila.  Bago ako lumisan, hayaan ninyong bigkasin ko ang mga salitang namutawi sa mga labi ng ating bayaning si Gat Andres Bonifacio:       Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya,       Sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila       Gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa?       Aling pag-ibig pa?       Wala na nga, wala.  Salamat po at mabuhay kayong lahat! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Diliman Class of 2020 told to “lead through accompaniment” in virtual graduation ceremony – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-diliman-class-of-2020-told-to-lead-through-accompaniment-in-virtual-graduation-ceremony/",
        "html": "UP Diliman Class of 2020 told to “lead through accompaniment” in virtual graduation ceremony UP Diliman Class of 2020 told to “lead through accompaniment” in virtual graduation ceremony August 5, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     The University of the Philippines Diliman community was up early on Sunday, July 26, 2020, to witness the very first virtual commencement exercises in the constituent university’s (CU) history. The event, formally titled “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, was live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website at 7:00 AM in the morning, reaching the homes of its 3,789 graduates and their families. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     Screenshots of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     The UP Diliman Class of 2020 was led by 28 summa cum laudes, who graduated with a weighted average grade (WAG) of 1.20 or higher. Alongside them were 302 who earned magna cum laudes (WAG 1.40 or higher), and 683 cum laudes (WAG 1.75 or higher). Those who attended virtually got to know UP Diliman’s summa cum laude graduates better, as the program  included their observations and reflections on their achievements amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.  “Maglingkod, Magmalasakit, Maningidgan” was the theme of Diliman’s 109th commencement exercises. With this theme the graduating class was called upon to “serve the country with empathy and conviction so that excellence, rights, and justice might prevail”. Of the students who were conferred their degrees, 2,892 received baccalaureate degrees, while 897 received either diploma, master’s, or doctoral degrees.     Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     This year’s commencement speaker was none other than former UP Diliman Chancellor and UP Professor Emeritus for Anthropology. Michael Lim Tan. The focus of his graduation speech concerned what he called the “art of accompaniment”, which he said he imbibed from Pope Francis’s 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. It was described, Tan said, as the respect that involves “removing our sandals before the sacred ground of the Other”.  “We are a culture of accompaniment,” Tan explained, citing the prevalence of the prefix ‘ka-‘ in Filipino languages, which is used to create nouns of inclusion and accompanied action. Drawing evidence from UP’s recent initiatives during the COVID-19 period, Tan praised both UP Diliman and the UP System for displaying “accompaniment” via its efforts to assist front liners, stranded students and staff, and other members of the UP community, citing efforts like the recent #KaagapayUP project. “Andito kami is becoming andito tayo,” said Tan.     Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     The last few months, according to Tan, revealed the difference that a leadership based on accompaniment made when struggling against the pandemic, mentioning New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern as one example. “Rushing to the scenes of disaster to comfort people, to share their grief. To explain—that is so lacking in the Philippines.  To give options when needed and then to speak out when needed with a firm resolve to bring justice.”  Tan said he believed that the Philippines, too, has such leaders-in-the-making, and soon it would hopefully be their time to be recognized. “Don’t let your diplomas, don’t let your new positions get into your heads,” he advised the graduating class. “Leadership by accompaniment means you do not go off on your own for people to follow you. Accompaniment is being at one’s side and sometimes being behind them, watching their backs.”     Photo above: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (left) and UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo (right) underneath recognizing the graduates of 2020. Photo below: Members of Class 2020 shift their sablay to signify the change in their status from ‘student’ to ‘alumnus and alumna’. Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     Deans and heads of the 27 degree granting units of UP Diliman presented their respective graduates to the current Chancellor, Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, who in turn presented them to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion for the official conferment of their degrees. The ceremonial shifting of the sablay was also done virtually, signaling the graduating class’ official status as alumni of the University of the Philippines.     UP Alumni Regent and President of the UP Alumni Association Reynaldo Laserna swears in the new crop of UP graduates. Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel.     The backdrop of the commencement exercises is the Dalunduyan, a triptych of arches depicting portals created by artist and UPD faculty Toym Imao. The title of the work is said to be a portmanteau of three words: ‘daluyan’ (channel or portal), ‘lunduyan’ (center) and ‘duyan’ (cradle). It will remain in Quezon Hall until December, marking the duration of the University’s lockdown due to the pandemic. Finally, the “UP Naming Mahal” was performed by the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) to close the ceremonies.     Photo above: The UP Symphony Orchestra performing ‘UP Naming Mahal’, a version of which can be found on the UPSO YouTube channel. Photo below: The arches of Dalunduyan. Screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”, live streamed via UP Diliman’s official website. Replay can be viewed at the UP Diliman YouTube channel."
    },
    {
        "title": "427 graduate from UPOU – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/427-graduate-from-upou/",
        "html": "427 graduate from UPOU 427 graduate from UPOU October 29, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UPOU Class of 2019 takes the Oath of Loyalty to the University. (Photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     UP Open University (UPOU) conferred degrees and titles upon the 427 members of the Class of 2019 on October 12 in the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. Of the graduating class, 81 earned their undergraduate degrees while the rest received their graduate degrees.     In the left photo, UP Executive Vice President Teodoro Herbosa (left) confers the degrees and titles upon the graduation class after they were endorsed by UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria (right). In the right photo, the graduates have just shifted their Sablay from the right shoulder to the left as a symbol of their graduation from the University. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Ret. B.Gen. Eliseo Rio Jr., Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, delivers the commencement address. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In his commencement address, Retired Brigadier General Eliseo Rio Jr., Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), said “ICT is now deeply embedded in human activities.” Access to information, he added, “is no longer a privilege, but a human right similar to food, shelter, and clothing.”     He revealed that the DICT is spearheading the National Broadband Program, which will address the issues of the country having slow yet expensive Internet access. Rio said Filipinos will start feeling the improvement in telecommunication services next year.     The graduates receive their diplomas and the new PhD degree holders go on stage for their hooding ceremony. (Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Delivering the message on behalf of the graduating class was Joey Ramirez (Bachelor of Education Studies, magna cum laude), who captured the UPOU brand of education in his speech. “The UPOU experience is not for everyone. It’s anything but a walk in the park.”     Joey Ramirez (Bachelor of Education Studies, magna cum laude) delivers a message on behalf of the UPOU Class of 2019. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     He explained that of the UP values of honor and excellence, “honor is even more emphasized [in UPOU] precisely because learners are largely left on their own.” There is that “implicit trust,” he said, that learners act honorably in their academic duties. UPOU students, he further stated, have the motivation to be excellent and their desire to learn, internal. “We [don’t have] somebody constantly following us around, making sure we follow the rules or do this or do that.”     The UPOU graduates raise their fists in the singing of “UP Naming Mahal.” (Top photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO and bottom photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)     In the end, Ramirez enjoined his fellow graduates to “give back to those who gave so much for us to be where we are today.” He asked them to embody the phrase in “UP Naming Mahal,” “pag-asa ng bayan” or nation’s hope; “to be the solution and not to add to the country’s woes.”     Fireworks end the 2019 UPOU Commencement Exercises. (Photo by Arlyn VCD P. Romualdo, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "‘I don’t see myself at the pinnacle.’—Cristeta Comerford – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/i-dont-see-myself-at-the-pinnacle-cristeta-comerford/",
        "html": "‘I don’t see myself at the pinnacle.’—Cristeta Comerford ‘I don’t see myself at the pinnacle.’—Cristeta Comerford November 13, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   White House Executive Chef Cristeta Pasia Comerford delivers a speech after she was conferred a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by the University of the Philippines. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Even as she occupies one of the top culinary posts in the United States, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Pasia Comerford does not consider herself as being at the highest point of her life.  “I am still at a stepping stone to where life will lead me next,” she said in her speech after she was conferred a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by the University of the Philippines on November 11 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman.     Comerford receives the hood as another of the three vestments given to a recipient of an honorary degree. She was given the academic gown beforehand to wear to the ceremony. UP President Danilo L. Concepcion is seen here adjusting Comerford’s hood as her husband, John (in blue), and her sister, Opel Pasia Aguila (in black), look on. Also on stage are, from left, Regent Francis C. Laurel, Staff Regent Mylah R. Pedrano, Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Faculty Regent Ramon G. Guillermo (behind Chairman de Vera), Regent Frederick Mikhail I. Farolan (behind Comerford), Student Regent John Isaac B. Punzalan, and UP Diliman University Registrar Ma. Theresa Payongayong (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Her appointment to the position on 05 August 2005, announced by then First Lady Laura Bush, broke “multiple glass ceilings: first minority, first Asian, first female, first Filipino”. Comerford revealed, however, that she did not immediately realize the impact of her ascendency to the post, a vacancy that took six months to fill, with 450 candidates vying for the position. She was promoted from her previous position as sous chef, which she had occupied since 1997.  Comerford marked her 14th year in the post, making her one of the longest serving White House executive chefs to date. She has acknowledged her leadership role, telling UP students, “Being a leader doesn’t mean you have made it or you are exempt from hard work. Rather, [you] should set the pace for others. As a leader, you are given much. That is when you give more back. As students, we learn much. In turn, we teach others.”     The last of the three vestments, the cap, is placed upon Comerford’s head by Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III (left) and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (right). Also in this photo are, from left, Regent Francis C. Laurel, Student Regent John Isaac B. Punzalan, John Comerford, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan (behind John Comerford), and Opel Pasia Aguila. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Looking at the successes of people around her, she said she sees both greatness and humility at the way they have used their gifts wisely. And so Comerford ended her address with the Filipino saying, “Ang palay ay parisan, habang nagkakalaman ay lalong nagpupugay” (translated in Damiana Eugenio’s Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology as “Imitate the rice stalk; the more grains it bears, the lower it bows”).  Comerford was a BS Food Technology major in UP Diliman before migrating to the US with her family in 1983. In 2013, the centennial year of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), she received the UPAA Presidential Award. In September of this year, she was named by UPAA in America as one of the University’s distinguished alumni.     Comerford receives her citation and diploma which are included in the items of distinction given to the honoree, apart from the vestments. With her in the photo are, from left, Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto M.J. Lara, Staff Regent Mylah R. Pedrano, Regent Francis C. Laurel, Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Regent Frederick Mikhail I. Farolan (behind Comerford), John Comerford, Opel Pasia Aguila, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, and UP Diliman University Registrar Ma. Theresa Payongayong. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Her appointment as White House executive chef made Comerford a member of Le Club des Chefs des Chefs, an exclusive organization of 26 chefs of heads of state around the world. It promotes culinary diplomacy, the safeguarding of culinary traditions, and healthy, well-balanced gastronomy.  Comerford has served as a consultant and a resource person to US government agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Her position, as well as her advocacy for healthy eating has led her to become the subject of press interviews, a guest in many talk shows, a keynote speaker at conferences, and a lecturer-presenter in workshops and panels across the US.     Sorsogon First District Representative Evelina G. Escudero introduces the honoree. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     She received the Gawad ng Pangulo Pamana ng Pilipino Award in 2014, one of the three Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas. It is awarded to individuals who “in exemplifying the talent and industry of the Filipino, have brought the country honor and recognition through excellence and distinction in the pursuit of their work or profession.” Throughout her career, she has been honored by various organizations for her achievements as a chef and a Filipino-American.  UP’s conferment of the honorary degree upon Comerford was led by Commission on Higher Education and UP Board of Regents Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III, and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion.         Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP confers honorary degree on defender of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, Justice Antonio Carpio – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-confers-honorary-degree-on-defender-of-philippine-sovereignty-in-the-west-philippine-sea-justice-antonio-carpio/",
        "html": "UP confers honorary degree on defender of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, Justice Antonio Carpio UP confers honorary degree on defender of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, Justice Antonio Carpio December 10, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Retired SC Justice Antonio Carpio (center) receiving his honorary degree from UP President Danilo Concepcion (left). Photo by Raden Agustin, UPMPRO.     In a ceremony held at the Malcolm Hall, College of Law in Diliman on December 10 and livestreamed via YouTube, the University of the Philippines (UP) conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, degree upon UP College of Law alumnus and retired Justice of the Supreme Court Antonio T. Carpio.  The honorary degree is conferred by the University upon individuals for outstanding achievements in their fields and exemplary service to their fellowmen. In the citation for the conferment of the honorary degree, Justice Carpio was lauded for his “distinguished service to the nation” as Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, “exhibiting impartiality, accountability and dedication to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law”; for ardently defending human rights and championing freedom of expression; for advocating “the protection and preservation of the country’s territorial rights and maritime sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea amid great adversity”; and for being “a true icon of the Filipino people, embodying a courageous life led in service to the country”, among others.  After receiving his honorary degree, Justice Carpio delivered a lecture on defending the Philippines’ sovereign territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) against China’s incursions into the territory in violation of international laws. He exhorted “the best and the brightest legal warriors in our country” to stand up and fight to free the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from foreign encroachment using the rule of law.  Justice Carpio obtained his law degree from UP in 1975, graduating valedictorian and cum laude, then placed sixth in the Bar exams that same year. He went into private practice after graduating and was a professorial lecturer at the UP College of Law from 1983 to 1992 until his appointment as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel. He served as a member of the UP Board of Regents from 1993 to 1998.  He was sworn in as member of the Supreme Court on October 26, 2001, becoming one of the youngest appointees as Supreme Court Associate Justice. Since then, his exemplary service to the highest court in the land has earned him numerous recognitions including the Presidential Medal of Merit, and the UP Alumni Association’s Outstanding UP Alumnus in Public International Law award and, later, the Most Outstanding Alumnus award. He has been most recognized in his role in shedding light upon the issue of territory and sovereignty in the WPS. He retired from the Supreme Court in 2019.  The ceremony was attended by members of the UP Board of Regents, officials of the UP System and UP Diliman, members of the academic community of the UP College of Law represented by its dean, Atty. Fides C. Cordero-Tan, and former UP Law dean and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Marvic MVF Leonen. A special musical tribute was offered to the honoree by the UP Singing Ambassadors, while a special video tribute to Justice Carpio followed the formal conferment ceremony and lecture. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez: Her Life, Her Legacy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-regent-nelia-t-gonzalez-her-life-her-legacy/",
        "html": "UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez: Her Life, Her Legacy UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez: Her Life, Her Legacy June 22, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez was conferred Doctor of Laws (Honoris causa) during the 44th Commencement of the University of the Philippines Los Baños on June 25, 2016, at the DL Umali Freedom Park. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     Many people received awards and adulations for their outstanding achievements. Still, very few have had the honor of having a flower named after them.  University of the Philippines (UP) Regent Nelia Teodoro Gonzalez, who passed on last June 19 at 97, is one of these individuals.        Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Nelia T. Gonzalez’. Image from “Development of hibiscus hybrids’ Women in Public Service Series II’ and propagation studies on Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cynthia A. Villar’” by Pablito M. Magdalita and Reynold B. Pimentel.     The gumamela or hibiscus flower that bears her name, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Nelia T. Gonzalez’, was the first of the “Oblation Series” of hibiscus launched by the Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture (now the College of Agriculture and Food Science), UP Los Baños, bred by Dr. Pablito M. Magdalita and Mr. Reynold B. Pimentel, as part of UP Los Baños’ contribution to the UP Centennial celebration. In the early summer of 2006, Regent Gonzalez accepted this honor during an occasion that also marked the launching of the Nelia T. Gonzalez Alumni Service Award and the Nelia Teodoro-Gonzalez Professorial Chair Grants.  In a column published in the Philippine Star on April 4, 2006, columnist Domini M. Torrevillas recalled the event: “Dr. Desiree M. Hautea, who presented the Hibiscus tribute…said the Hibiscus was named after the honoree because ‘Hibiscus is the Queen of Flowers and therefore, a fitting title to a lady who holds court wherever she goes inside and outside her house.’ The gumamela is bright orange, with prominent red-eye and yellow edges. Orange is flamboyant, energetic, and vibrant, reflecting the honoree’s strength, enthusiasm, fascination, success, and encouraging quality. Dr. Hautea said, ‘Truly, it is not the flower that honors the woman. It is the woman that lends honor to the flower and the University that developed it, with her name.'”     UP Regent Gonzalez (sitting, first from left) poses with National Scientist and UP President Emil Q. Javier during UPAA’s General Alumni-Faculty Homecoming and Reunion on June 22, 2013. With them are UP AVP Jose Wendell P. Capili, UPLB College of Development Communication Dean Maria Theresa H. Velasco, and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     Regent Nelia T. Gonzales (standing 3rd from right) during the 81st Birthday of UP President Francisco Nemenzo on February 6, 2016. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     What’s in a name?  The life of UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez, or Tita Nelia, as she was fondly called by friends and colleagues, gives weight behind the name of the flower bred to honor her.  Almost eighty years after she graduated from UP, Nelia Teodoro Gonzalez has come to be known by her many titles: agriculturist, agro-industrialist, social entrepreneur, resource developer, public administrator, civil servant, UP Regent, president of the UPLB Alumni Association, vice-president of the UP Alumni Association, a host of leadership titles in numerous agribusiness corporations, organizations, and foundations, holder of a UP Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, one of the UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievements awardees named during its centennial in 2013, an icon for the Philippine agribusiness industry, and one of the University’s most outstanding alumni, a veritable pillar of the UP community.  Following the footsteps of her agriculturist father, Gonzalez earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Pathology from the College of Agriculture (CA), UPLB, in 1944, marching as the only female graduate in her batch. Later, she earned her Certificate of Government Management from the UP College of Public Administration in UP Diliman in 1977.     UP Regent Gonzalez (third from left) cuts the ribbon at the inauguration of “Ani,” a modern and robust interpretation of UP’s first 100 years by artist Sandra Torrijos in UPLB, alongside UP President Emerlinda Roman (fifth from left), UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco (seventh from left) and other UPLB officials, on January 17, 2010. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     Agriculturist, agro-industrialist, entrepreneur  After graduating from the UPCA, she served briefly as an agronomist at the Bureau of Plant Industry. She later helped the late industrialist Salvador Araneta manage the Araneta Institute of Agriculture (now the De Salle Araneta University) and the Republic Flour Mills (RFM). Finally, she served as General Manager and Vice President of RFM. She worked with a capable team to accomplish many things. National Scientist and former UP President Dr. Emil Q. Javier, in his essay first published in the Manila Bulletin on February 24, 2018, cited the lasting impacts of these achievements on the animal industry.  He writes: “Easily the most notable contribution of Tita Nelia and her team was the introduction of broiler poultry contract growing. RFM was the first integrator, providing day-old chicks, feeds, veterinary supplies, and growing technology to contract growers and buying back the birds at competitive prices. The scheme proved to be very successful, and the rest of the industry followed suit. As a result, to date, the broiler industry is one of our most productive and regionally competitive sectors in agriculture.”  Later, through the Punla sa Tao Foundation (PSFTI), which she headed, Gonzalez helped organized backyard poultry raisers into a cooperative, mobilized support from local government units, linked them with a microfinance entity (Sikap Bidani), and enrolled them with an integrator, Bounty Corporation–all done in a model small farmers contract growing scheme called Manok Mabuhay Program.  Gonzalez was also a pioneer in the local production of corn and soybean hybrid seeds with the establishment of Phil Hi-Bred, Inc. in the early 1970s. “Sourcing the original seed parent materials from Pioneer Hi-Bred Seed Company in Iowa and mobilizing local expertise,” Dr. Javier writes, “she established hybrid seed production operations in South Cotabato, in a 40-hectare farm in Naujan Oriental Mindoro and a 1,000-hectare farm in Bansud, also in Oriental Mindoro.”  After working for the RFM group, Gonzalez established ventures into real estate development, commercial fishing, and corn hybrid seed production. In 1980, she was named Assistant Minister of Agriculture by President Ferdinand Marcos. She played a vital role in the banner agriculture programs of the time—Masagana 99, Masaganang Maisan, Pagkain Bayan at Gulayan sa Kalusugan, and Bakahang Barangay. In addition, she supported area marketing cooperatives and credit and farm insurance.  Throughout her illustrious career as an agro-industrialist, she established a pest control management business, a livestock and poultry magazine, and an agribusiness company. In addition, she served in the Manila Overseas Press Club board and introduced contract growing in the Philippines to enhance the partnership between the feed miller and the poultry raiser to assure an equitable sharing of profit in the animal industry. She also served at the helm of various real estate and agro-industrial businesses and rural communities.     UP Regent Gonzalez received her Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award during UPAA’s Centennial General Alumni-Faculty Homecoming and Reunion on June 22, 2013. Beside her are (from left) UP President Alfredo Pascual, UPAA President Ponciano Rivera, UPAA Vice President Rene Valdecantos and UPAA Board Member Alfredo Gonzalez. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     UP Pahinungod volunteer, UP Regent, Loyal Daughter of UP  Dr. Javier describes Gonzalez’s commitment to UP as “legendary.” And in an interview with ABS-CBN News on July 6, 2015, Gonzalez herself mentions having served the University in various capacities graduating from UPCA.  In fact, during the 44th UPLB commencement ceremonies held on June 25, 2016, when Gonzalez was conferred the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, she noted in her acceptance speech that she has been serving UP for more than 70 years, shaping the future of the University both personally and professionally.  Her involvement with the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungod inspired the spirit of volunteerism in others, especially among UP students and alumni.  Later, Gonzalez would consider her position as a UP Regent the most fulfilling assignment she has ever assumed.  Her leadership in various UP alumni associations has left an indelible impact upon these UP alumni chapters and the university. For instance, as President of the UP College of Agriculture Alumni Association, she helped organize the presidents of different college alumni associations in UPLB to form a federation, the UPLB Alumni Association.  Aside from her business network, Gonzalez built extensive linkages with influential political figures, national women’s organizations, national and local government agencies, and media people. She made full use of these linkages to become an effective fund-raiser, spearheading the fund-raising for the construction of the UPLB Alumni Center. As UPLBAA president, she successfully raised funds to support scholarships and professorial chairs for UPLB. In addition, she was instrumental in constructing the UPLB Rizal Centenary Carillon, which was inaugurated by President Fidel V. Ramos and the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman during her term as UPAA Vice President.  The University recognizes her numerous achievements. The same day she was honored with the gumamela that bears her name, the Nelia T. Gonzalez Alumni Service Award was launched. During the annual UPLB Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming, the award is given to UPLB graduates who exemplify indefatigable service to the University. It is named after her in recognition of her services to UP and the country. As if having an award named after her didn’t honor her enough, Dr. Javier also launched the Nelia T. Gonzalez Professorial Chair Grants during the same event.  Years after, Gonzalez was awarded the UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievements Award on June 22, 2013—during UPAA’s centennial year—to recognize her accomplishments as one of the country’s first top female executives and for inspiring generations of women across Southeast Asia with her business acumen.     UP Regent Gonzalez (sitting) during her 95th Birthday on February 17, 2019, with UP President Danilo Concepcion and Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion. Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.     Civic organizer, advocate, private citizen with a mission  During the conferment of her honorary degree, Gonzalez discussed her engagements with communities as Trustee of the Philippine Constitution Association and member of the Consultative Commission for Charter Change. In addition, she underscored her mission “to serve the public as a private individual.” For example, she served on the board of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society and foundations such as ERDA Tech, which provided quality education to children from low-income households.  As an advocate for gender equality, she chaired the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. She championed the cause of entrepreneurs as chair of the Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation (SERDEF), a resource hub for SMEs in continuing partnership with UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries. As an expression of her spirituality, she also chaired the Order of the Carmelite Scholastics at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Carmel.  She performed her public service duties well into her 90s. The story of her life will live on in Nelia T. Gonzalez: An Entrepreneur’s Journey (UPLBAA, 2015), a book of essays by UPLB faculty members and researchers. Scholars in agriculture, development, and women’s studies may also read about her in Nelia T. Gonzalez: The Woman, Her Life, Her Legacy (SEAMEO-SEARCA, 2002).  UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzalez is survived by her family of six children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Message of Condolence on the Passing of Former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-message-of-condolence-on-the-passing-of-former-president-benigno-simeon-c-aquino-iii/",
        "html": "UP Message of Condolence on the Passing of Former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III UP Message of Condolence on the Passing of Former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III June 24, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III congratulating UP BS Mathematics summa cum laude graduate John Gabriel Pelias during UP Diliman’s 100th General Commencement Exercises held at the University Ampitheater on April 17, 2011, during which the president was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau     University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion and the UP community condole with the country on the loss of former Senator and the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines (2010-2016), Hon. Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III.  During his term, President Aquino was a strong supporter of the higher education sector, including the University of the Philippines. He also understood the importance of high-value scientific research and innovation in the country and supported the various research initiatives within UP and collaborations between UP and the government sector.  President Aquino was honored with a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, during the University of the Philippines Diliman’s General Commencement Exercises on April 17, 2011. He was cited “for providing leadership in rallying the people to stamp out corruption, campaigning for institutional reforms, and creating an environment for agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to act with dispatch on malfeasance in government, promote the rule of law, and respect people’s constitutional rights.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to confer honorary degree to Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-confer-honorary-degree-to-malaysian-pm-anwar-ibrahim/",
        "html": "UP to confer honorary degree to Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim UP to confer honorary degree to Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim March 1, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Photo from the Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia (PMO Malaysia) Facebook page.     The University of the Philippines (UP) will confer the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on March 2, 8:45 a.m., Thursday, at the UP Theater in UP Diliman, Quezon City, during his official visit to the Philippines.  J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Chairperson of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) and Chairperson of the UP Board of Regents, and Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President and Co-Chair of the UP Board of Regents, will officiate the conferment of the honorary degree to the Malaysian Prime Minister.  Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, will afterwards deliver his lecture entitled “30 Years from ‘Asian Renaissance’: Strategic Takeaways for ASEAN” for the audience consisting of members of the academic community, diplomatic corps, government officials, and the media.  Anwar Ibrahim is an internationally renowned expert on Jose Rizal and economics, democracy, freedom, governance, Islam and democracy, and the need for accountability. He is respected for his principled stance against corruption and his management of the Malaysian economy during the Asian financial crisis.  Anwar Ibrahim served as Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 and Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1998.  He served as Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports in 1983; Minister of Agriculture in 1984; and Minister of Education in 1986. Malaysia enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and economic growth during his tenure as Finance Minister.  His prescriptions saved the Malaysian economy during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and earned Anwar accolades, including the Asian of the Year from Newsweek International.  Anwar held lecturing positions at St. Anthony’s College at Oxford, the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University since the early 2000’s.  He was sworn in as Prime Minister by King Al-Sultan Abdullah on November 23, 2022.  On March 1, the Prime Minister was welcomed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting and exchanged views about areas of mutual concern for Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as regional and international issues. "
    },
    {
        "title": "30 Years After The Asian Renaissance: Strategic Takeaways for ASEAN – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/30-years-after-the-asian-renaissance-strategic-takeaways-for-asean/",
        "html": "30 Years After The Asian Renaissance: Strategic Takeaways for ASEAN 30 Years After The Asian Renaissance: Strategic Takeaways for ASEAN March 2, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Speech by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, on March 2, 2023, in conjunction with the conferment of Honorary Doctorate by the University of the Philippines Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim delivering his lecture at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO.  Ladies and gentlemen,  I stand before you this morning, greatly honoured by the presence of such an august gathering of intellectual luminaries, dignitaries, and eminent leaders. I feel doubly privileged and, at the same time, deeply humbled by the conferment of this honorary doctorate by the University of the Philippines, undoubtedly an institution of higher learning of great glory and magnificence. Words escape me to express my profound and infinite gratitude. So, let me just say: Maraming salamat mula sa kaibuturan ng aking puso (Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart.)  Ladies and gentlemen,  In 1993, ASEAN was on the cusp of major expansion, which would eventually bring in all the then independent nations in Southeast Asia. Vietnam joined in 1995, followed by Laos and Myanmar two years later. Cambodia followed suit in 1999.  ASEAN has changed dramatically in 30 years, which has led to greater achievements and opportunities even as we faced headlong our trials and tribulations. We have gone from a monolithic global order to a bipolar world to now a multipolar world.  Yet, certain things remain, or as some would venture to say: “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”– the more things change, the more they stay the same. That might be putting it rather cynically but let’s do a quick reality check.  Global cooperation remains essential, ancient as well as conventional trade routes must be maintained for the stability and peace of the world, and that rests on ASEAN just as much as it does China, the US, or Europe or anyone else. The COVID-19 pandemic spared none of us. Geopolitical tensions and conflicts unleash consequences well beyond borders.  For Asia in general, and particularly for ASEAN, our identities remain the same, that is, diverse and multicultural, yet united in the dignity of the nations we have carved out for ourselves in our colonial struggles and our adjustments to a globalised world. Conceptually, this was well articulated by the greatest of Malayans, Dr. José Rizal, in The Philippines a Century Hence, that this nation had gone from a scattered collection of islands, languages, cultures, and people but now is united as a Philippine Nation.[1]  Nonetheless, Dr Rizal warned against the sliding into the comfort zone of routine which “is a declivity down which many governments slide.” Indeed, as we extrapolate this in the context of ASEAN, we could make a case that routine has led, to a certain extent, to the erosion of our bonds as individual states which must be united in the common cause of peace and stability. Even worse, routine has allowed the world to fall behind our future potential. Routine tells us to be divided in opinion and to hate one another, fuelled by the convenience and routine of social media, fake news, misplaced nationalism, and certainly, Islamophobia.  The question is, what have we learned? We should not simply fear words – Communism, left, right, Muslim, Christian, Jew, capitalist, socialist, etc. No words can be cast aside if they have not been thought through.  Today, ASEAN is a larger and more integrated association. We are now a community, with three distinct pillars – political security, economic, and socio-political. The ASEAN Community, its focus and scope, is in itself, a significant achievement. Yet while being more integrated, it is an organisation that has retained its plurality and sovereignty.  The doctrine of ASEAN centrality is supposedly cast in stone. Yet, some, both inside and outside ASEAN, have questioned the effectiveness and efficiency of the regional organisation and this mantra of centrality. Criticisms particularly focus on two of its principles – decision-making by consensus, and non-interference.  These critics often miss the central point – ASEAN would not have grown or evolved without these key boundaries being in place. And lest we forget, we are now heading into a larger grouping, with the impending admission of Timor Leste as the eleventh member.  When I wrote The Asian Renaissance[2] in 1996, the East Asian region had undergone a period of transformative economic growth. The region’s average annual GDP growth for the three decades to 1996 was approximately 6.5 per cent.  These were heady days indeed. It gave Asians a spring in their step, a renewed sense of confidence in ourselves, no doubt grounded in the gritty and harsh reality of decades of hard work, frugal spending, self-reliance and a strong focus on educating our youth.  Today, decision-making by consensus continues to be a central tenet of ASEAN. This, however, does not mean that ASEAN should remain silent over developments in member states that affect the wider region, or particularly egregious violations of the ASEAN Charter by its own members. In all honesty, I believe that non-interference is not a license for indifference.  Indeed, Wittgenstein, regarded by many as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century – as far as the West is concerned – reminds us that “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent”.[3] But that’s because words have power, greater than the destructive and hateful actions of a few. Yet, if left unwritten and unread, then we are all in a lot of trouble.  Hence, when I mentioned in Bangkok recently about the need to temporarily carve out Myanmar, on account of the blatant human rights violations, it was said in the larger context of the imperative to stay true to one of the key ideals of ASEAN, which is nothing less than to stand for the cause of justice and the rule of law.  In this regard, it bears repeating these immortal lines from Dr. Rizal, who I must reiterate, remains truly an Asian Renaissance Man, that “Justice is the foremost virtue of the civilising races. It subdues the barbarous nations, while injustice arouses the weakest.”  In the pursuit of justice, let us therefore celebrate our differences and praise our national unities. Let us look beyond our divergences and amplify our commonalities so that we can stand as cooperative partners working towards the betterment of all our people in a just and peaceful world. Hence, cooperation and collaboration across the board in all the crucial matters that bind us as a solid multilateral, multicultural, and diverse regional grouping must be the way forward for ASEAN.  Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar’s speech inspires applause from Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry bin Abdul Kadir (in suit) and the members of the UP Board of Regents. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).     Ladies and gentlemen,  Back in 1996, here in the Philippines, I spoke of the Christian poet Dante Alighieri and how in his Divine Comedy, he skilfully wove the political convulsions of the Italy of his time into a universal, and timeless drama of the human predicament. Now, even after seven centuries, the question is, are we still entrapped in selva obscura, our own hard and savage dark wood of prejudice, confusion and uncertainty, or have we freed ourselves from the stranglehold of captive geopolitics, media-influenced mindsets, and zero-sum approaches on questions of national sovereignty?  Till today, I still ask myself: in the continuum of Machiavellian machinations to Metternichian manoeuvres, where do we stand? In focussing on the minutiae are we not at risk of missing the forest for the trees?  And what exactly is this forest – this big picture that continues to elude our vision? I humbly submit that what was articulated nearly 30 years ago in The Asian Renaissance, remains valid in that we are still groping in the dark in search of the guiding ideas of civilization.  Indeed, while it has been said that the articulation of moral and political ideas, socio-cultural values, the institution of the family, and faith, is no longer the exclusive domain of the modern West, the fact is that this is not borne out by reality. The stranglehold of the international media, dominated by the rich and the powerful, in setting the narrative remains as tenacious as the proverbial lobster. Hence, in this exalted university and its rarefied air of academic and intellectual excellence, I urge for the resurgence of a robust and spirited cultural, social and political discourse of our time, without the need to be blindsided by the irrational exuberance of anti-Enlightenment or indeed unwarranted jingoistic rhetoric.  To my mind, before us, remains a challenge so formidable that it transcends even the quest for a new world order. I say ‘remains’ because it isn’t one that has sprung up overnight but one that has latched on to us like a leech which simply refuses to let go. And this challenge is nothing short of the reconstruction of civilization itself. In facing this, we need to go beyond economic prosperity and political vitality to deep dive into the very foundations of humanitarian and civilizational ideals such as justice, compassion and moral uprightness.  Without these firm foundations, no political order in the global context can remain for long. It is true that the Asian economy, as led by the phenomenal leapfrogging of China on to the top in terms of growth ranking, continues to gain attention. And ASEAN, not merely being within the region in geographical terms, is also strategically linked within the framework of a rules based multilateral trading system that is now bolstered by the world’s largest FTA, namely, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Nonetheless, economic growth, no matter how robust and the accumulation of wealth, no matter how vigorous, should never be attained on the sacrificial altar of justice, compassion and moral uprightness.  I believe that it is only when faith and religious practice as underscored with justice and compassion, finds its convergence with economic prosperity, will society stay on the path of real and meaningful progress. Bereft of this, all the “voyage of our life will be bound in shallows and in miseries.”[4] This is not an academic issue. We’ve seen this before and we are seeing it still. For instance, today we continue to see men being exploited by their fellow men, l’exploitation de l’homme par l’homme, in the political and economic spheres, an exploitation which has spread to the rape of the environment, impacting the physical world we live in.  In light of this, talk of strategic pathways for ASEAN, going forward, will ring hollow if the agenda for social justice remains only on the back burner, or if concerns on climate change and green-house gas emissions are only given lip service. These matters cannot wait. Housing, education, health must be of paramount concern. Hence, in the last three months of my taking office as Prime Minister, I have placed poverty eradication, reduction of cost of living, food security as well as health and education as overriding concerns. Certainly, within the larger context of ASEAN, I believe these concerns are no less important, and if we pool our efforts in dealing with these recurrent challenges, that will take us to economic sustainability and greater ASEAN cohesiveness.  Ladies and gentlemen,  In closing, let me congratulate the Philippines and the Filipino people for the courage of their convictions in the cause of democracy. You have demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are able to confront arrogant powers and show to us, in ASEAN and beyond, that defeat in times of trouble is not an option.  You have shown that democracy is not a mere slogan to be bandied about only in times of elections and that rightfully used, democracy does empower the people to determine their future for the better. In this regard, we too, in Malaysia, have recently undergone that same process where democracy has enabled me to take on the responsibility and trust of leading my people.  Like the Philippines, I share with you that we will have no truck with religious intolerance, injustice, greed, and exploitation. On the contrary, like you too, good governance and democratic accountability will form the pillars of my administration that is underscored by the principles formulated as a philosophy of nationhood known as Madani Malaysia.  In ASEAN, while we have arisen from the shackles of the colonial masters, we must remain ever vigilant against our own home-grown masters and this warrants a revisiting and review of our ethics and values. But let us not be fettered by the fear of failure. Instead, let us continue to build upon our communities on the firm foundations of a humane economy, compassion, justice, inclusiveness and shared prosperity.  Thank you.  [1] José Rizal, The Philippines – A Century Hence, Editor: Austin Craig; Translator: Charles Derbyshire, 2011 [2] Anwar Ibrahim, The Asian Renaissance, 1996 [3] Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. [4] Shakespeare, Julius Caesar  Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (center) presents his diploma for Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, as he is flanked by (from left) Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry bin Abdul Kadir, Baguio City Lone District Representative and UP Regent Mark Go, UP President Angelo Jimenez and Regent Raul Pagdanganan. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO.  For more photos of the Conferment of the Honorary Degree on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to become a “transformative, learner-centered digital university” as new UP President takes the helm – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-become-a-transformative-learner-centered-digital-university-as-new-up-president-takes-the-helm/",
        "html": "UP to become a “transformative, learner-centered digital university” as new UP President takes the helm UP to become a “transformative, learner-centered digital university” as new UP President takes the helm February 23, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu     Watch highlights of President Angelo A. Jimenez’s speech via the video above. Video shot and edited by Al Nikko M. Nagutom, UP MPRO.     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez accepts the University President’s mace from outgoing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Photo by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO).  Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez started his term of office as the University of the Philippines (UP) President on February 10, 2023, in UP Diliman, Quezon City, vowing to transform UP into a “learner-centered digital university” engaged in transdisciplinary scientific, cultural, and artistic pedagogy, research, and public service.  In the turnover ceremony titled “Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong” held at the Quezon Hall Lobby, outgoing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, who was assisted by Atty. Roberto M.J. Lara, Secretary of the University, handed over the ceremonial mace of the University President to Jimenez, symbolizing the transferring of authority over the national university. Jimenez will serve as the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer of UP for the next six years.  Concepcion and Jimenez delivered their respective valedictory and acceptance speeches in front of: family members and friends; officials of the UP System, the Board of Regents, and constituent universities; faculty, students, staff and alumni of UP; government officials and representatives of the private sector; and, international guests of UP, including a delegation of academics from Southern Taiwan and members of the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  Jimenez accepts the presidency  In his acceptance speech, Jimenez praised Concepcion’s infrastructure accomplishments by referring to him as “Danny, the Builder” and “UP’s first Waterbender”. He also shared some of his visions for UP.  “We need to acquire a global consciousness in carrying out our mandates. . . . UP is envisioned to be at the forefront of transformative scientific, cultural and artistic pedagogy, research and public service in local and global communities. Our mission is to foster efficacy, effectivity and efficiency to transdisciplinary engagement in teaching, research and public service,” Jimenez said.  “Ang UP ay mananatiling Bulwagan ng Dangal at ipagpapatuloy natin ang simulain nito tungo sa husay at dangal,” he added.  He also posed the question, “Aanhin ang husay at dangal kung walang malasakit at kung walang pakikipagkapwa-tao?” as he proceeded to explain some of his ideas for the next six years. He calls for more transformative and collaborative research within and among UP constituent universities that will uplift the lives of the Filipino people.  Next, he aims to strengthen linkages with UP alumni who serve as the University’s partners and ambassadors to the world.  Jimenez affirmed that UP must move forward attuned to 21st century education, with digital technology and digital learning, and to critically participate in the Industrial Revolution 4.0. “We will journey towards the transformation to a learner-centered digital university,” he said.  “UP must replicate itself democratically,” Jimenez said, to be of better service to other state universities and colleges. He said UP must reach out to them and share its resources to “extend Honor and Excellence” to the towns and provinces.  He also promised to respond to the lingering issues and concerns of UP faculty and staff, to look into improving benefits, incentives, and to dialogue with the University’s unions to promote the wellbeing of UP’s faculty and employees.  Jimenez mentioned “pride of place” and “pride in people” for UP, making the campuses green spaces, safe spaces, and arts hubs.  “The hallmark of UP in the next six years will be Service to the Nation,” Jimenez said. “Service to the Nation is constitutive to who we are and what we do,” he added.  “UP will remain a bastion of academic freedom. We cannot achieve excellence without it,” he affirmed.  “UP will be strong, courageous, critical and nurturing,” concluded Jimenez.  Read the full speech of UP President Jimenez here.  New UP President Jimenez delivers his acceptance speech before an audience consisting of UP officials, past and present, from the UP System and all the UP constituent universities; representatives from the private sector who supported UP; the families of the two UP presidents; guests from partner-universities from Southern Taiwan; members of the diplomatic corps; and members of the UP community. Photo by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO).     Jimenez, the 22nd president of UP, is a renowned law practitioner specializing in labor and employment. From 1993 to 2007, he handled national interest cases at the Office of the Secretary of Labor. He served with distinction in major global hotspots where OFWs have been endangered. As Labor Attaché from 1997 to 2005, Jimenez developed overseas labor markets and delivered a broad array of critical government services. He served as Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration from 2005 to 2007. He garnered two Presidential citations for his performance during crises in Iraq and Lebanon.  Jimenez is a published writer and an internationally recognized resource person on labor and migration.  He also served in the UP Board of Regents, UP’s highest governing body, twice, first as Student Regent in 1992 and as Regent from 2016 to 2021.  In his vision paper, Jimenez spoke of a UP that is a “global university,” and a research university focused on graduate and post-graduate programs and academic linkages. He sees UP continuing as a public service university helping government and industry while being a bastion of academic freedom. Jimenez advocates an Open Data Policy and digital transformation in learning and management. He also envisions UP helping raise the quality of undergraduate education in state universities and colleges.   Concepcion looks back with “deep pride and gratitude”     Now former UP President Concepcion reports on the achievements of his administration in his valedictory speech. Photo by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO).  The previous UP President, Concepcion, is also a lawyer, and served as the 14th Dean of the UP College of Law before he assumed the UP Presidency in 2017. As President, he led efforts to transform UP into the University of the Future.  He steered UP through the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the University to contribute directly to the country’s success in overcoming the public health crisis.  “Much of what we achieved happened before, throughout, and despite the pandemic, and will benefit the University long after we put that period behind us,” Concepcion said during his valedictory address.  Under Concepcion’s administration, the University instituted innovations in all its academic offerings and developed cutting-edge frontier programs. His administration succeeded in raising UP’s budget for research, securing additional faculty and staff items, increasing economic and non-economic benefits for all UP employees, and providing support and learning assistance to faculty, students, and staff.  Concepcion said, “Under my leadership, UP began crafting its academic roadmap to harness technologies that would improve the quality of UP instruction and enhance the learning journey of our students. We planned our transition toward blended learning, strategizing how online delivery systems and a broadcast television network could complement our traditional residential learning.”  From 2017 to 2022, 60 new degree programs were instituted in UP constituent universities. Academic and research programs were developed in three frontier areas: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and the Omics sciences, leading to the creation of the Center for Intelligent Systems and the Masters and PhD programs in Data Science Analytics, Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Artificial Intelligence.  He also mentioned important initiatives pursued by UP, such as “the establishment of the UP Noah Center in 2017 as the core component of the UP Resilience Institute, a proactive hub of benchmark innovative and research-based information vital to climate change mitigation and adaptation. . . and the completion of the cycle of drug discovery and trials at the newly-established Center for Early-Stage Drug Development in UP Diliman, which complements the Institute of Herbal Medicine at UP Manila’s National Institute of Health.”  Facilities and infrastructure were completed, transforming the campuses. Concepcion said, “I strove to create an enabling environment for UP’s constituents, with safe, attractive, and sustainable infrastructure conducive to teaching, learning, and working.”  Concepcion added, “We forged new academic partnerships with universities worldwide. Currently, we are in partnership with 350 higher education and research institutions in 43 countries: 49 in North America, 55 in Europe, 3 in Africa, 7 in the Middle East, 22 in Australia and Oceania, and 214 in Asia.” Also during his term, UP rose in world university rankings and is now among the top 500 universities in the world and the top 100 in Asia.  To conclude Concepcion’s valedictory speech, he said “One thing I was never in doubt of was our capability to respond to crisis. The pandemic showed UP at its best, from the medical frontlines to the research laboratory and the communities and the media we serve. I will forever remain proud of our performance under this kind of unprecedented pressure.”  “I will retire from my post with deep pride and gratitude for this opportunity of a lifetime, and welcome my successor with high hopes and expectations, trusting that he will sustain our progressive initiatives, defend our academic freedom as a prerequisite to excellence, and bring our beloved University of the Philippines to new heights of glory and service to our people,” Concepcion said.  Watch the streaming video of the Turnover Ceremony here.  Among the audience in the turnover ceremony for the UP Presidency are the officials who served in now former UP President Concepcion’s administration. Photo by Misael Bacani (UPMPRO).     Singkaban and balanghai     According to renowned multimedia visual artist and UP College of Fine Arts Professor Toym Imao, who conceptualized the program design: “Both singkaban and balanghai are fitting visual metaphors for a portal that welcomes and sends off our leaders in the UP community—our barangay.” Eight singkaban arches in the shape of the prow of the balanghai will represent the UP constituent universities. Singkaban refers to the folk bamboo welcome arch, and balanghai, to the Philippine ancient sea vessel. Singkaban art flourished in Bulacan, the home province of Concepcion. The best archaeological finds of the balanghai were discovered in Butuan, the home province of Jimenez.  The UP Symphony Orchestra bids farewell to the outgoing UP President and welcomes the incoming UP President through an outstanding concert performance that earned them a standing ovation and three encores. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).     From left to right: Tenor Malvin Macasaet, and sopranos Anya Evangelista and Kay Balajadia-Liggayu lend their voices to the UPSO’s stirring rendition of the “UP Naming Mahal”. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).     The UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) Quartet and the UP ROTC Band provided music during the turnover ceremony. The UPSO also gave a concert the night before, February 9, at the UP Theater, to show their gratitude to outgoing UP President Concepcion and to welcome incoming UP President Jimenez. The concert, also titled “Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong, Musikang Alay ng Orkestra ng Bayan”, featured a repertoire consisting of favorite pieces of the two UP presidents, including Vincenzo Bellini’s Casta Diva, Giacomo Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro, Pietro Mascagni’s “Intermezzo” from Cavalleria Rusticana, “The Swan” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, Bernard Green’s Overture on Philippine Folk Songs, Chino Toledo’s arrangements of Mga Kantang Bisaya, Rosas Pandan, and Cebuano Love Songs, as well as Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and Lucio San Pedro’s Jubilate. The UPSO was joined by soprano Kay Balajadia-Liggayu, soprano Anya Evangelista, and tenor Malvin Macasaet. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches 100 years of Philippine broadcasting celeb with documentary and webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-100-years-of-philippine-broadcasting-celeb-with-documentary-and-webinar/",
        "html": "UP launches 100 years of Philippine broadcasting celeb with documentary and webinar UP launches 100 years of Philippine broadcasting celeb with documentary and webinar July 1, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   Click through the image to watch the streaming video of the documentary hosted by DZUP on Facebook.  The University of the Philippines (UP) officially launched the celebration of 100 Years of Broadcasting in the Philippines (100 YBP) with a documentary presentation and webinar hosted by the Department of Broadcast Communication (DBC) of the College of Mass Communication (CMC) in UP Diliman, on June 29, 2022, via Zoom and the DZUP 1602 kHz Facebook page.  The documentary “Wika, Awit, Radyo, at Pananakop” tackles the origins and development of radio broadcasting in the Philippines, from the American Colonial period to the post-World War 2 era, as radios became more accessible and part of everyday life. This documentary, produced and written by Professor Elizabeth Enriquez and directed by Maps Arciga, utilized animation, archival videos, and printed sources. The joint SALIKHA Grants for Creative Projects of the K-12 Transition Program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) supported the production of the documentary.  Screenshots from the “Wika, Awit, Radyo, at Pananakop” documentary. From the livestream of the 100YB official launch on DZUP’s Facebook page.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano, and UPD CMC Dean Fernando Paragas delivered their messages of support for the webinar and centenary celebrations. Concepcion acknowledged the role of UP educators and alumni in shaping mass communication in the country, especially in spreading accurate and valuable information through radio and television and keeping the broadcasting industry alive.  “Wika, Awit, Radyo, at Pananakop”  Enriquez explained that the Americans used broadcasting as an effective tool for colonization until it became helpful to local businesses and integrated into Filipino culture. “It was part of the American strategy to reshape the consciousness of Filipinos in the American cultural mold. The English language and popular music from the West were first heard on the radio and used as the standard by Filipino broadcasters. While Filipino listeners enthusiastically adopted the foreign sound, it did not take long for Tagalog and kundiman to enter the soundwaves.”  The Japanese were the new colonizers during World War II. According to the documentary, they “attempted to purge America from Filipino consciousness. Tagalog and other local languages and local musical compositions and folk songs enjoyed airtime. Still, English and American music were not wiped out while Filipinos hardly learned Nihongo and did not become accustomed to Japanese music.”  Clockwise from top left: Prof. Melba S. Estonilo, UP Department of Broadcast Communication; Dr. LJ Sanchez, UP Department of Broadcast Communication; Dr. Elizabeth Enriquez, UP Department of Broadcast Communication; Dr. Daphne Tatiana T. Canlas, Chair of the UP Department of Broadcast Communication; Dr. Alwin Aguirre, Academic Conference Chair for the 100YB. From the live stream of the 100YB official launch on DZUP’s Facebook page.  “After the war, broadcasting spread throughout the country. The English language and popular music from the United States were back on the air. But so were Tagalog and other Filipino languages as new radio stations began operating in the provinces. Filipino singers and musicians performing on the air attained fame, especially when the local music recording industry took off,” Enriquez added.  Activities for the 100 YBP celebrations include a virtual conference to be held on 18-21 October 2022 with the theme, “100 Years of Broadcasting in the Philippines, 1922-2022”.  DZUP will air and stream various programs online to further the “Archives of Broadcasting in the Philippines,  UP hosted the event in collaboration with the Philippine Studies Association (PSA), UP Diliman, UP Visayas, and UP System. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Rizal and the ASEAN’s way forward: Malaysian PM Anwar speaks in UP on strategic takeaways for ASEAN 30 years after The Asian Renaissance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rizal-and-the-aseans-way-forward-malaysian-pm-anwar-speaks-in-up-on-strategic-takeaways-for-asean-30-years-after-the-asian-renaissance/",
        "html": "Rizal and the ASEAN’s way forward: Malaysian PM Anwar speaks in UP on strategic takeaways for ASEAN 30 years after The Asian Renaissance Rizal and the ASEAN’s way forward: Malaysian PM Anwar speaks in UP on strategic takeaways for ASEAN 30 years after The Asian Renaissance March 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   A true scholar of the Great Malayan, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar quotes Rizal’s “The Indolence of the Filipino” in his special lecture. He cites the relevance of Rizal’s teachings as the ASEAN faces new challenges, and pushes for the building of a new consensus in ASEAN by amplifying commonalities and strengthening cooperation and collaboration across the board to create a truly multilateral, multicultural and diverse ASEAN. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).     Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, called for an ASEAN that is built “on the firm foundations of a humane economy, compassion, justice, inclusiveness and shared prosperity”, in a special lecture he delivered at the University of the Philippines (UP) Theater in its Diliman campus on March 2, 2023, as part of his recent two-day visit to the Philippines.  Addressing an audience consisting of local and national government officials, representatives of the Philippine public higher education sector, members of the diplomatic corps, and UP officials, faculty, students and staff, PM Anwar delivered a lecture, “30 Years After The Asian Renaissance: Strategic Takeaways for ASEAN”. In his talk, he emphasized that “cooperation and collaboration . . . in all the crucial matters that bind us as a solid multilateral, multicultural, and diverse regional grouping must be the way forward for ASEAN.”  The prime minister elaborated on ideas of Asian Renaissance Man and the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, with references from Rizal’s “The Philippines–A Century Hence” and “On the Indolence of the Filipinos”, stating that Rizal’s words were still relevant and should provide guidance for scholars and leaders. Anwar quoted Rizal: “Justice is the foremost virtue of the civilizing races. It subdues the barbarous nations, while injustice arouses the weakest.”  In his speech, PM Anwar also called on the ASEAN to address human rights violations in junta-led Myanmar. He explained that while “decision-making by consensus continues to be a central tenet of ASEAN . . . [this] does not mean that ASEAN should remain silent over developments in member states that affect the wider region, or particularly egregious violations of the ASEAN Charter by its own members.” He said, “non-interference is not a license for indifference.”  “When I mentioned in Bangkok recently about the need to temporarily carve out Myanmar, on account of the blatant human rights violations, it was said in the larger context of the imperative to stay true to one of the key ideals of ASEAN, which is nothing less than to stand for the cause of justice and the rule of law,” he said.  Read Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar’s speech in full here.    Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim receives the diploma for the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, from UP Regent Mark Go (left) and UP Pres. Angelo Jimenez (right). Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).   Doctor of Laws, honoris causa  PM Anwar’s special lecture was made in conjunction with the rites held by the University of the Philippines to confer the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, to PM Anwar on March 2, 2023.  PM Anwar was cited for: his efforts in “nurturing the life of the mind and fostering intellectual discourse” in Malaysia and in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region; his advocacy of the concept of an Asian Renaissance; his devoted study of the life, works and teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal; and, his unstinting commitment to the pursuit of justice and democratic ideals and the attainment of a more inclusive, pluralistic Malaysia, among others.  The ceremony was facilitated by Hon. Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President and Co-Chair of the UP Board of Regents; and Hon. Mark O. Go, Chair of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and a member of the UP Board of Regents. Joining them on stage were: Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry bin Abdul Kadir; UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo; Hon. Roberto MJ Lara, Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents (BOR); and members of the UP Board of Regents.   Homecoming to UP  The ceremony was also a “homecoming” for PM Anwar who had frequently visited UP in his youth and who was a student of the late UP professor and historian, Cesar Adib Majul.  The Prime Minister is an internationally renowned expert on economics, governance and accountability, and on Islam and democracy.  He served as: Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports in 1983; Minister of Agriculture in 1984; and, Minister of Education in 1986.  PM Anwar served as Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 and Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1998, during which Malaysia enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and economic growth. His prescriptions saved the Malaysian economy during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and earned him accolades, including recognition as the Asian of the Year from Newsweek International.  Since the early 2000’s PM Anwar has held lecturing positions at: St. Anthony’s College in Oxford University; the School of Advanced International Studies in Johns Hopkins University; and, the School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University.  View more photos of the Conferment Ceremony here.   Written by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO and Celeste Llaneta, UP MPRO.    Watch highlights from the speech of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the video below. Video by Al Nikko M. Nagutom, UP MPRO.  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Celebrating the life of National Artist F. Sionil Jose, 97 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/celebrating-the-life-of-national-artist-f-sionil-jose-97/",
        "html": "Celebrating the life of National Artist F. Sionil Jose, 97 Celebrating the life of National Artist F. Sionil Jose, 97 January 7, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Writer. Publisher. National Artist for Literature.  Photo from the Solidaridad Publishing House  With his passing on January 6, 2022, the nation remembers and celebrates F. (Francisco) Sionil José and his legacy. His creative productions reflect the various social struggles the Filipino people have faced and continue to face—works that are proof of his tremendous impact on our country today and for years to come.  Sionil José was born on December 3, 1924, in Rosales, Pangasinan. At the renowned Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, he studied Philosophy under Professor Ariston Estrada and Literature under pioneering fictionist Paz Latorena. Sionil José was UST Varsitarian editor in chief from 1948 to 1949.  While studying, he was a staff member of The Commonweal from 1947 to 1948 and Assistant Editor for the United States Information Service from 1948 to 1949. He was Managing Editor of The Manila Times Sunday Magazine from 1949 to 1960. Eventually, he became the Editor of Progress, an annual publication of The Manila Times and Comment, a quarterly journal.  Sionil José founded the Philippine Center of PEN International in 1957. In 1965, Sionil José and his wife, Teresita, founded the Solidaridad Bookshop and Publishing House in Ermita, Manila. In 1967, he established Solidarity, a journal that enabled writers, artists, politicians, scholars, and political and social activists from Asia and the Pacific region to share their works before a wider audience. In 1968, he founded Solidaridad Galleries, which provided young Filipino artists with opportunities to showcase their works.  José received Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for “The God Stealer” (short fiction, 1959), “Waywaya” (short fiction, 1979), “Arbol de Fuego” (short fiction, 1980), “Tree” (novel, 1978), and “A Scenario for Philippine Resistance,” (essay,1979).  He also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1980 and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999.  During its 1048th Meeting on March 26, 1992, the UP Board of Regents approved the conferment of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, on Sionil José.  He was named Philippine National Artist for Literature in 2001. In addition, he received the Order of Sacred Treasure from the Emperor of Japan (2001), the Pablo Neruda Centennial Award from The Pablo Neruda Foundation, Chile (2004), and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and the Letters) from the Government of France (2014).  He is best known for his Rosales Saga. This five-novel epic narrates the lives of different generations of the Samsons that deal with the social struggles of the country. This epic consists of The Pretenders, Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on.  In an interview with Charlson Ong for the Likhaan Journal of the UP Institute of Creative Writing, Sionil José shares his advice for any young and aspiring writer: “One of the greatest tasks of Filipino writers really is how to make Filipinos remember. Not only to remember but to love this country… We must really look within ourselves for the kind of love that will transcend us as individuals… I remember the words of my favorite American jurist, Judge Learned Hand. He added: ‘Freedom is in the heart. When it dies there, no constitution, no court of law, can ever revive it.’ It’s the same thing with writing.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of the UP President’s Advisory Council on Threats Against Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar and UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-the-up-presidents-advisory-council-on-threats-against-judge-marlo-magdoza-malagar-and-up-cebu-chancellor-leo-malagar/",
        "html": "Statement of the UP President’s Advisory Council on Threats Against Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar and UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar Statement of the UP President’s Advisory Council on Threats Against Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar and UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar September 28, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       We deplore and denounce in the strongest terms the thinly veiled threats made against our distinguished alumna, Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, and her husband, University of the Philippines-Cebu Chancellor Atty. Leo B. Malagar. The threats emanated from a since-deleted Facebook post by former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy, who launched a vicious verbal attack against the judge for her decision dismissing the Department of Justice’s motion to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist organizations. In a subsequent post, without offering any proof, she also tagged Chancellor Malagar as a CPP-NPA-NDF member.  This is not the first time—nor, we believe, will it be the last—that Ms. Badoy has overstepped the bounds of human decency with her rabid and reckless assaults on free speech, human rights, and now, the judicial process itself, one of our last democratic recourses. While she may seek to evade legal action by resorting to seemingly hypothetical questions in her posts, the malice and moral depravity in her intent is evident, particularly her chilling statement about killing “this judge,” knowing full well that she is associated with the country’s military and intelligence establishment. Her feeble disavowal of her posts as “fake news,” despite ample evidence that she made them, only reinforces her lack of truthfulness.  The University of the Philippines stands by its commitment to our people’s democratic rights and the rule of law. Personal threats and attacks against our judges and academic leaders are unacceptable in a free society, and their perpetrators should be held accountable, legally and morally, for any consequences of their actions.  The University of the Philippines President’s Advisory Council (UP PAC) is composed of the President, the Vice Presidents and the Secretary of the University, the Chancellors of the eight UP constituent units, the Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the Executive Director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. "
    },
    {
        "title": "AUPAEU celebrates its Academic Union Month – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aupaeu-celebrates-its-academic-union-month/",
        "html": "AUPAEU celebrates its Academic Union Month AUPAEU celebrates its Academic Union Month November 2, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Forum on eHOPE held at the Main Library lobby, UP Diliman, AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter, Oct. 24, 2017 (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     In celebration of its Academic Union Month last October, the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) conducted a series of activities promoting the rights and welfare of employees and faculty of the University of the Philippines campuses across the nation.  During the first week of October, the AUPAEU Baguio and Open University Chapters held their respective sessions for assessment and strategic planning. The All UP Workers Alliance-Manila (All UP Workers Union-Manila and AUPAEU-Manila), in partnership with Samahang Operasyong Sagip (SOS) and Medico International, conducted a public forum on “Preparing the Health Sector and Communities for the BIG ONE” on October 4 at the UP-PGH Science Hall, with Director Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) as resource person.  Leaders of the union attended the first National Leadership Training Seminar sponsored by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-State Universities and Colleges (ACT-SUC) at the PUP main campus in Manila. Participants of the seminar also joined the World Teachers Day mobilization on October 5.     AUPAEU-Diliman’s Lakbay Aral for bakwit Lumad students, with UP NISMED and Save Our Schools Network, 20 October 2017 (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Week 2 was highlighted by the setting up of AUPAEU information materials at the UP Diliman Academic Oval and other key locations of UP campuses across the nation. The AUPAEU Iloilo Chapter held its general assembly and election of officers, while the AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter organized a Zumba session on October 11. Other activities during the week were: radio guesting at DZUP, film showing, office-to- office information campaign, and photo exhibits.  The Academic Union Month’s week 3 featured the “Konsiyerto sa Kagutom” of the AUPAEU-Cebu Chapter and a psycho-social activity with “bakwit Lumad” students that was sponsored by the AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter on October 18. The AUPAEU-Tacloban Chapter held its strategic planning activity; the AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter, together with the UP National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (NISMED) and Save Our Schools Network, conducted a Lakbay Aral for “bakwit Lumad” students; and, the AUPAEU officers attended the Union-Management Monitoring Committee (UMMC) meeting held on October 20. The UMMC is the oversight body for the implementation of the Collective Negotiation Agreement between the AUPAEU and the UP.  On October 23, the AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter held a forum on “Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace” at the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI). The forum covered topics on disaster preparedness, personal readiness, and related initiatives and programs. Resource persons included officers of the AUPAEU, the UP Resilience Institute, and Prepper Plus.     AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter’s forum on Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace, 23 October 2017 at ISSI, UP Diliman (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     The AUPAEU Open University and Los Banos Chapters sponsored the first livestreamed discussion on unionism in UP, “Unyonismo 101: Tungo sa Militante, Progresibo at Makabayang Unyonismo sa Pampublikong Sektor”. Dr. Judy Taguiwalo, AUPAEU first national president, and Dr. Melania Flores, AUPAEU founding secretary general and currently, director-at-large served as forum speakers. They discussed the history of unionism in the country and in UP, the impact of neoliberalism on Filipinos, and the need for militant, progressive and patriotic unionism. Issues and updates concerning UP employees’ benefits and welfare were also discussed with UPLB and UPOU officials and union leaders. (The video of the forum can be viewed on Youtube [https://youtu.be/spj6s0mAgmM]).  A forum on UP’s Enhanced Hospitalization Program (eHOPE) was held at the lobby of the UP Diliman Main Library on October 24. Resource speakers were Dr. Hector Edrosa (UP Diliman) and Dr. Gene Nisperos (UP Manila). Members of the AUPAEU and eHOPE committee also responded to the concerns raised by forum participants.     Prof. Carl Marc Ramota, All UP Academic Employees Union National President at the solidarity lunch and closing program of the Academic Union Month at the Quezon Hall lobby in UP Diliman, 27 October 2017 (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Solidarity lunch and closing program of the Academic Union Month at the Quezon Hall lobby in UP Diliman, 27 October 2017 (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     To cap the month-long celebrations, a solidarity lunch was held simultaneously by Chapters of the AUPAEU, from the north’s UP Baguio to the south’s UP Mindanao, on October 27. At the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman, the closing program was held, together with members of the Alliance of Contractual Employees in UP (ACE-UP), All UP Workers Alliance, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, and Lumad teachers of the Association of Community Educators.  The AUPAEU is the sole, recognized representative of research, extension and professional staff (REPS) and faculty in UP. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "All-UP Cares: Unions Are for Wellness – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-up-cares-unions-are-for-wellness/",
        "html": "All-UP Cares: Unions Are for Wellness All-UP Cares: Unions Are for Wellness November 15, 2018 | Written by Fred Dabu   (Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter)     Faculty and employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) are duly unionized and represented by the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), respectively, in collective negotiations with the UP administration, and in a multitude of activities inside and outside the UP constituent university (CU) chapters and the whole UP System.  Although distinct and separate organizations on both the university and system-wide levels, the two unions share common principles and roots, are identical in their advocacies for the UP constituency and the Filipino people’s rights and welfare, and have been in close coordination since their inception.  According to Dr. Gene Nisperos, president of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter, the union adheres to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” He explains that the overall health and wellness of all UP constituents are important aspects of union work.  Jossel Ebesate, National PRO of the AUPWU and former Staff Regent of UP, said the union “views its advocacy of employees’ welfare from a holistic perspective, not only for UP employees, but for the Filipino people in general.” This view is explicit in the constitution and bylaws and the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA), in provisions such as “We fully realize that our effort to enhance the quality of our life forms part of the general movement to achieve a just and democratic social order, and a better standard of living. We affirm our responsibility to contribute to the unity and well-being of all Filipino workers and other disadvantaged members of Philippine society.”  To ensure the promotion of employees’ rights, welfare and privileges, further specified in the CNA are the union’s committees on Organization and Credentials; Public Affairs; Research and Education; Finance; Grievance and Negotiations; Gender; and, Health and Safety.  Professor Emmanuel Dumlao, president of the AUPAEU-UP Los Baños Chapter, emphasizes that “The AUPAEU’s reason for being rests primarily on its mandate to protect and promote the overall wellness of all faculty and REPS in UP by securing ‘the most just and reasonable terms of employment’ in the University, as stated in Art. II, Sec. 1 of its constitution and by-laws.”     Union members participate in a broad range of activities such as forums, conventions, and protest actions. (Photos courtesy of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter)     Dumlao adds, “Being an MPMU or militante, progresibo, at makabayang unyon, AUPAEU believes that this ‘effort to enhance the quality of our life’ in the University can’t be detached from the Filipino peoples’ struggles towards building a ‘just and democratic social order.’ In short, AUPAEU means paglilingkod sa sarili at sa sambayanan.”     Union members and students of UP Manila welcome the arrival of the delegates of the 2017 Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya along Taft Avenue, Manila. (Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter)     The University’s health sciences center  Nisperos highlighted the role of UP Manila’s Union in efforts to obtain more benefits as a way of improving the well-being of Union members nationwide, since UP Manila is UP’s Health Sciences Center and is home to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the largest government hospital in the country that is administered by UP. He said it is important to keep people healthy, not just by making health services available and accessible, but also by encouraging the maintenance of “good health.”     Dr. Gene Nisperos, president of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter, talks about the AUPAEU’s campaigns and the eHOPE during a forum held in UP Diliman. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)     Ebesate recalls that in 1999, “The union’s Manila Chapter successfully lobbied for all UP Manila employees (except PGH that has already implemented it since 1997) being entitled to all the benefits under the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers (RA 7305). In 2001, the union was again successful in lobbying for the full implementation of almost all monetary benefits under the said law, such as hazard pay and subsistence allowance. It was later adopted in all Health Service Units of the University.”  “In 2007, during the negotiation of the CNA of both sectors, the AUPWU, in coordination with the AUPAEU, launched a campaign for the University to provide health care assistance to employees especially those admitted in hospitals. The UP Administration responded with the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE),” he adds.  The Union is also working for the institutionalization of Health and Safety Committees at the CU and System levels.     The AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter’s Union Cup 2017 featured bowling and darts games for their members. (Photos courtesy of the AUPAEU-UP Manila Chapter)     “We promote wellness for our members. There are different groups in UP that conduct activities we support, such as zumba and yoga sessions, and sports. Last year, we held the Union Cup, a one-day event to foster camaraderie among AUPAEU members,” says Nisperos. He said UP Manila faculty and REPS, of all ages, participated in the friendly competitions in bowling and darts held at a nearby mall’s bowling complex. “This year we intend to have our Laro ng Lahing Pilipino,” he added, referring to the sports festival featuring Filipino games for union members and their families.  Nisperos also revealed their efforts to increase the kind of laboratory tests included in the annual physical exams as the employee gets older, as well as having the elderly members’ yearly executive check-up and their needed medical treatment to be covered by UP as part of the implementation of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. He also hopes that the PGH can be the central hospital for all the constituent units of UP, so that UP faculty and employees from any UP campus can avail themselves of PGH services.     Usapang eHOPE forum conducted by the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter. (Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter)     In 2016, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the Enhanced Hospitalization Programme (eHOPE) for the Faculty, REPS and Administrative Staff https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/up-enhances-hospitalization-benefits-for-employees/. Nisperos says the union aims to conduct more information campaigns about eHOPE, to expand its coverage, and to have UP’s contractuals included as well.  Noting the high rate of mental health conditions in the country, Nisperos adds that the PGH and other units connected with the University can help more people reach out to psychiatrists, psychologists, and other specialists who can provide the necessary health interventions. “The union wants the University to be a healing or enabling environment for people who are recovering from mental health conditions,” he says.     UPLB’s Tsikiting Korner and Diwang Makiling  Dumlao takes pride in the initiatives of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter. “We’ve initiated two major projects: Tsikiting Korner and Diwang Makiling. Part of the union’s advocacy for a gender-responsive UPLB, Tsikiting Korner envisions every department of each college in the university to have a space where mothers can breastfeed and their children can play. Initiated by a group of mothers who are active union members, Tsikiting Korner is now a collaborative project between the Union and the UPLB College of Human Ecology administration,” he reports.  “After a series of talks between the Union and concerned UPLB officials, the Office of the Chancellor has instructed the College of Human Ecology to find a place in one of its buildings for Tsikiting Korner and take charge of its implementation and administration. The Union considers this as a big step towards making UPLB a more conducive workplace for employees with young children,” explains Dumlao.     Yoga sessions were among the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter’s activities to promote psychosocial health among UPLB faculty, employees, and students. (Photo courtesy of the AUPAEU-UPLB Chapter)     “Diwang Makiling aims to promote psychosocial health in UPLB. The team in charge of the project is composed of psychologists from the Department of Social Sciences and Union Representatives from Engineering, Mass Comm and other CAS departments. Aside from holding forums on mental health and work-life balance, Diwang Makiling also initiated ‘de-stressing’ activities like Ashtanga yoga and Asian dances, which were participated in by both students and faculty members,” continues Dumlao. The campus also has its Panday-Malay Makiling education program and cultural group.  “Under this, we do the traditional Ikot-Unyon or office-hopping to conduct MPMU orientations and discuss significant issues and union concerns. In our efforts to be more creative in popularizing the union and raising awareness on its advocacies, we formed Himig Makiling, a singing group composed of Union members and student volunteers,” he says.     Carrying on with caring  “Union members help ensure that employees and faculty will get the needed health services. We in UP Manila, as the Health Sciences Center of the UP System, reiterate that being healthy is one of the primary aims of the Union. We are calling on all our members to know what is in the CNA and what programs are available to them, such as eHOPE. Thus, the Union will continue to conduct more activities and information dissemination campaigns,” Nisperos said.  Ebesate declared that “There are many avenues and strategies in accomplishing the change that we need, from petition signing and ribbon-wearing to radical mass actions including rallies and strikes. The constant challenge however is the same: the widest participation of the rank-and-file employees of the university. If we want for our fellow employees to be with the union always, union leaders must know by heart, the needs and wants of our people, advocate for them, especially their needs, but never dictate or underestimate them.”     Officers and members of the AUPWU chapters across the archipelago during the union’s National Assembly last July 2017, College of Home Economics, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photos by Fred Dabu, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "Official nominees for the Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/official-nominees-for-the-search-for-the-next-up-diliman-chancellor/",
        "html": "Official nominees for the Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor Official nominees for the Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor March 6, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Search Committee for the Search for the Next UP Diliman Chancellor has announced the official nominees.  They have also released a schedule of activities for the presentation of the nominees’ vision papers, as well as the sectoral consultations. Please read the committee’s announcement below.   To view the the nominees’ respective Curriculum Vitae and Vision Paper, please click their names below.  Prof. Fidel R. Nemenzo, DSc Prof. Victor Joaquin Paz, PhD Prof. Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan, LLB, LLM "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT applications are now open – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-applications-are-now-open/",
        "html": "UPCAT applications are now open UPCAT applications are now open March 8, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Office of Admissions has opened the portal for applications for the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). Visit https://upcat2024online.up.edu.ph/ for details.  Please take note of the important dates found on their announcement below.  For questions, please contact the Office of Admissions by sending them a message via this email address: upcollegeapplications.oadms@up.edu.ph  For updates, follow the official Office of Admissions Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/UPSystemOfficeOfAdmissions "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP bids farewell to its 14th President, Dr. Emanuel V. Soriano, 87 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-bids-farewell-to-its-14th-president-dr-emanuel-v-soriano-87/",
        "html": "UP bids farewell to its 14th President, Dr. Emanuel V. Soriano, 87 UP bids farewell to its 14th President, Dr. Emanuel V. Soriano, 87 April 22, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   President Emanual V. Soriano attending the graduation ceremonies of the university in 2012. Photo from his daughter Rinna Soriano’s Facebook account.  The University of the Philippines (UP) community mourns the passing of pioneering Business Administration faculty member and 14th UP President, Dr. Emanuel Valdez Soriano, who passed away in the morning of April 22, 2023, according to a Facebook post by Ms. Rinna Soriano, his daughter. He was 87 years old.   Dr. Emanuel V. Soriano, fondly called “Noel” or “Bob” by friends and colleagues, served as UP President from 1979 to 1981, succeeding Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz. President Edgardo J. Angara, in turn, succeeded President Soriano.   Born on December 30, 1936, Soriano earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1959 and his Master’s degree in Industrial Management in 1962, both from the University of the Philippines. As a college student, he was active in student affairs, serving as vice president and acting president of the University Student Council under the UPSCA Party in 1957-1958 and 1958-1959, respectively.   Soriano went on to earn his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree from Harvard Business School. He was among the first group of Filipino faculty members to be sent to the United States for advanced studies in business during the term of UP CBA Dean Cesar E.A. Virata. The group included former deans of the UP CBA Jaime C. Laya, Magdaleno B. Albarracin, Jr., and Rafael A. Rodriguez.    Soriano served as director of the UP Graduate School-Cebu, and as Executive Vice President during the term of UP President Onofre Corpuz. In September 1979, he took over the UP Presidency when Corpuz was appointed Education Minister by President Ferdinand Marcos. He is one of only two UP Presidents who are engineers, with the other being the 8th UP President, Dr. Vidal Tan. During the succeeding terms of Corpuz and Soriano, the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, the Transport Training Center, the National Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, and the Third World Studies Program were established at UP.    Once a supporter of President Marcos, Soriano became one of the opposition leaders from 1983 to 1986. He swore in the members of the restored University Student Council in 1980 after Marcos abolished it in 1973. On September 5, 1983, he published an open letter in the Business Day newspaper, calling for Marcos’ resignation in the wake of the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. He was an active member of the Convenors Group that helped pave the way for the selection of Cory Aquino as the opposition candidate against Marcos in the 1985–1986 Snap Elections and went on to serve as the National Security Adviser to President Corazon Aquino from 1987 to 1989. He also served as a faculty member of the Asian Institute of Management until 1996.   He published numerous books and papers on business policy and management in Asia, including The Big Powers in South East Asia in the 1990s: Their Interest and Roles, published by the Kuala Lumpur Institute of Strategic and International Studies in 1989. He remained in active service to the University he loved well after his term as UP President. He was recognized by the UP College of Engineering, his Alma Mater, and the UP Alumni Engineers as one of the 100 Outstanding Alumni Engineers.   Details on the wake and the University’s tribute to its 14th President to follow.  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the Regional Memo on the Removal of “Subversive” Books from Libraries in the CAR – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-regional-memo-on-the-removal-of-subversive-books-from-libraries-in-the-car/",
        "html": "Statement on the Regional Memo on the Removal of “Subversive” Books from Libraries in the CAR Statement on the Regional Memo on the Removal of “Subversive” Books from Libraries in the CAR November 6, 2021 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On October 21, 2021, the Commission on Higher Education Cordillera Administrative Region issued Regional Memorandum No. 113 series of 2021, encouraging “all Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Cordillera Administrative Region… to join the region-wide removal of subversive materials both in library and online platforms.” For its purpose, the Memorandum defined “subversive materials [as] literatures, references, publications, resources and items that contain pervasive ideologies of the Communist-Terrorist groups (CTGs).” Accordingly, the Memorandum was made “in support of Executive Order No. 70 Series of 2018 “Institutionalizing the Whole-of-Nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, Creating the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and in cognizance to the Third Quarter Cordillera RTF-ELCAC meeting held on September 22, 2021”.  We, the System-wide University Library Council of the University of the Philippines, strongly oppose the removal and banning of such books and materials from libraries in the CAR—and anywhere else in the country.  While the Memorandum does not compel librarians and heads of universities and colleges to remove books and materials perceived to contain “subversive” ideas from their libraries, the call of a regional regulatory body for HEIs within its jurisdiction to join a region-wide movement to ban such materials has a compelling effect on the institutions it regulates.  As such, it threatens to undermine the very foundation of the academic freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to all institutions of higher learning, whether public or private. That freedom rests on the untrammeled flow of information and knowledge contained in, among others, books, periodicals, documents, recordings, and such other media as libraries collect and distribute. As gatekeepers of knowledge, we librarians and officials overseeing the UP System libraries are ethically bound to resist any form of political interference that would diminish the access of students and scholars to any materials they may need in pursuit of their studies.  We believe—as do our peers in other schools and departments of the University—that true learning results from the application of critical thinking to a range of ideas, and that even ideas deemed dangerous or inimical to society require critical analysis. If we are the democracy that we profess to be, then nothing can be more deleterious to that democracy than the suppression of books that contain such ideas.  Book purges are practiced by dictatorships, not democracies; and inevitably, book purges prove futile, as those who banned the Noli and the Fili for being subversive eventually realized. Knowledge advances not by the exclusion of ideas, but by intellectual inquiry and scientific practice. Insurgencies are contained by addressing their root causes, not by banning books that explain how and why they happen.  Libraries serve society as gateways to knowledge and culture, as platforms for learning, preserving and sharing knowledge, and shaping new ideas and perspectives. Like our laboratories, they should be protected as safe spaces for intellectual inquiry and research, beyond the transitory agenda of politicians in power and their instrumentalities.  This is especially important in this age of fake news, which magnifies the responsibility of universities to seek and promote the truth, regardless of political consequences. As the repositories of knowledge, our libraries and their custodians are duty-bound to ensure that access is maintained to that knowledge in all its variety, in the service of the truth.  We therefore call on our fellow librarians and university officials to protect our libraries from any form of censorship, and to resist any actions that will compromise academic freedom. We need to open minds, and not to close them. Since we believe in democracy, as our critics claim to do, we must remain open to ideas not necessarily our own and respect the right of our citizens to read about them in our libraries.  The UP System-wide University Library Council was created in December 1986 following the confirmation by the UP Board of Regents of Administrative Order No. 20. It is composed of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs as Chair with the Vice-Chancellors for Academic Affairs, the librarians of the constituent units and a student representative as members. The University Library Council and its functions are reiterated in the University Library Organic Act which the Board of Regents approved in March 1991. Administrative Order No. PDLC 2021-54, issued in September 2021, added the Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs (Curriculum and Instruction)—a position that did not exist in 1991—as Vice-Chair of the Council.  To download a copy of this statement, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Institution of Task Force to Review and Take Immediate and Long-term Actions on Student Accommodations across the UP System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/institution-of-task-force-to-review-and-take-immediate-and-long-term-actions-on-student-accommodations-across-the-up-system/",
        "html": "Institution of Task Force to Review and Take Immediate and Long-term Actions on Student Accommodations across the UP System Institution of Task Force to Review and Take Immediate and Long-term Actions on Student Accommodations across the UP System February 11, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The new UP President, Angelo A. Jimenez, is saddened by the recent tragedy caused by the fire that transpired at Barangay Krus na Ligas on 9 February 2023. This tragedy caused the death of a student Leki N. Aquilino from UPD CSWCD. Pres. Jimenez and the entire UP Community are expressing sympathies to the aggrieved Aquilino family.  The President vows to work with all Chancellors to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Concerning this, he has formed a Task Force to review and take immediate and long-term actions on student accommodations across the UP System. As the University prepares to return to face-to-face classes, the importance of providing more living spaces in UP’s campuses must be underscored. Accommodations on campus provide peer-to-peer support and can direct students to support and well-being services when needed. They also help foster a strong sense of community through a range of social events and cultural activities, as well as practical support. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of the University of the Philippines President’s Advisory Council – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-the-university-of-the-philippines-presidents-advisory-council/",
        "html": "Statement of the University of the Philippines President’s Advisory Council Statement of the University of the Philippines President’s Advisory Council May 13, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     We view, with grave concern, the most recent effort of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) to red-tag members of the UP community.  On May 11, 2022, the NTF ELCAC released a statement cautioning against disruptors and destabilizers of peace and order, after sectors reported irregularities during the May 9 National Elections.  On UNTV, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon cautioned against school walkouts as dangerous avenues for NPA recruitment.  Such statements maliciously misrepresent legitimate forms of protests as “breeding grounds for terrorist recruitment,” violate civil liberties and carelessly endanger our students in their democratic exercise of constitutionally protected freedoms.  These accusations are baseless and paranoid, and by themselves sow the discord that they purport to prevent.  We will not stand down when our students’ lives are at risk.  We will continue to defend our academic spaces. We will protect our students vigorously against red-tagging, harassment, and intimidation. We will safeguard the University from destabilizing forces.  Critical thinking and service to community and country are hallmarks of UP’s tradition as an institution of higher learning.   Hands off our students. Hands off our University. Defend academic freedom!   * The UP PAC is composed of the President, the Vice Presidents and the Secretary of the University, the Chancellors of the eight UP constituent units, the Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the Executive Director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP unions score wins for UP faculty, REPS & staff – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-unions-score-wins-for-up-faculty-reps-staff/",
        "html": "UP unions score wins for UP faculty, REPS & staff UP unions score wins for UP faculty, REPS & staff December 23, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and AUPAEU National President Melania Flores hold up the signed copies of the CNA. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  For the unions safeguarding the well-being of the University of the Philippines’ faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), and administrative staff, the year 2021 ends with wins and milestones for the concerned sectors of the University.  Grant of CNA Incentive  The two unions—the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU)—with the help of all the faculty, REPS, and administrative staff across the UP System, have successfully signed an agreement with the UP administration for the grant of Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) Incentive amounting to P25,000.00, which the UP Board of Regents has approved through a referendum conducted on December 17 to 21, 2021.  Memorandum No. NGY 21-184, released by the UP Office of the Vice President for Administration (OVPA) on December 22, details the guidelines on the grant of the CNA Incentive for the Fiscal Year 2021.  According to the memorandum, those covered by the agreement are:  All regular full-time and part-time UP faculty, REPS, and administrative staff who have rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four months of service as of December 15, 2021; those whose services have been extended beyond compulsory retirement at age 65 as of December 15; and those who were separated from the University within the year and had rendered at least four months of service.  For details, please read the guidelines on the AUPAEU’s Facebook page  The CNA Incentive is granted to UP faculty, REPS, administrative staff, and officials as an act of goodwill and recognition of joint efforts to accomplish performance targets at lesser cost and attain more efficient and viable operations during the year. The CNA Incentive will be sourced from the allowable savings of the University’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allotment under the General Fund, following the Department of Budget and Management’s Circular No. 2021-3 dated November 17, 2021. The savings became available due to cost-cutting and system improvement measures undertaken collectively by the University and its personnel, as the unions and the UP administration agreed to in a binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).  Other benefits won  During the signing of the CNA and MOA between the AUPAEU and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion for the UP administration on December 3 at Quezon Hall, Dr. Melania L. Flores, National President of the AUPAEU representing UP’s rank-and-file faculty and REPS, announced the benefits won by the union and will be received by both AUPAEU members and non-members.  Some of the non-economic benefits include sick leaves and special leave privileges; health and safety requirements; scholarship/study privileges for relatives of faculty and REPS without children; on-campus and off-campus housing facilities; medical assistance for retiring and retired employees; and constitution of grievance procedures and provisions for supporting REPS’ well-being. Economic benefits include a rice subsidy of P2,350 in four tranches; a year-end grocery allowance of P8,400 annually; a loyalty incentive award of P10,000 for the first ten years and P5,000 for every five years; and an annual incentive grant of P6,850 in two tranches.  The AUPAEU after the signing of the CNA. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  Flores also stressed the union’s support for the fight for the UP budget and reported making strides in this area, such as raising the budget for the MOOE of the UP Philippine General Hospital.  The union is also offering its support for other public sector unions in the country. “Ang UP bilang national university ay modelo sa usaping akademiko. Gusto din natin ang UP na maging modelo sa public sector unionism, kaya tayo ay nangunguna din sa public sector unionism,” Dr. Flores reiterated during the signing.  UP and UP Diliman officials and officials and members of the AUPWU stand before the AUPWU’s new office. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.  New home for AUPWU  Aside from the signing of the grant of the CNA Incentive, the AUPWU, representing UP’s administrative staff, also made milestones this year, including the blessing of a new central office for the national union in what was once the UP Alumni Hostel in the Diliman campus, behind Fonacier Hall and beside the Benitez Alumni Center, on November 30—the same day the agreement for the grant of CNA Incentive and the MOA for the cost-cutting measures was signed between UP and the AUPWU.  The national union, including the AUPWU chapter of UP Diliman, was forced to move as its old building was demolished in the construction of the new Shopping Center. AUPWU National President Jossel Ebesate credits the work of his predecessor, Mr. Alex Mejia of UPLB, as well as the support of the UP Diliman administration and the sponsorship of the ACT Partylist, as instrumental in securing the union’s new home. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the Disappearance of Three UP Alumni – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-disappearance-of-three-up-alumni/",
        "html": "Statement on the Disappearance of Three UP Alumni Statement on the Disappearance of Three UP Alumni June 3, 2023 | Written by the Office of the President    The University of the Philippines System expresses grave concern over the recent disappearance of three UP alumni, Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” De Jesus and Dexter Capuyan of UP Baguio, and Patricia Nicole Cierva of UP Manila. De Jesus and Capuyan are known indigenous peoples’ rights activists, while Cierva and her companion Cedric Casano, are peasant and youth organizers.  The UP System urges all government agencies especially those engaged in the administration of justice and law enforcement, with the support of the public in general, to ensure that our missing alumni are located, and to guarantee their safety and to uphold their constitutional rights. The UP System reiterates its commitment to upholding human rights without which our freedoms cannot long endure. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, AUPWU officials sign new CNA for 2020-2025 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-aupwu-officials-sign-new-cna-for-2020-2025/",
        "html": "UP, AUPWU officials sign new CNA for 2020-2025 UP, AUPWU officials sign new CNA for 2020-2025 December 18, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu    Officials of the University of the Philippines administration and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), represented by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and AUPWU National President Alexis M. Mejia respectively, signed the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) during a simple ceremony on 11 December 2020 at the Quezon Hall UP Diliman, Quezon City.  This CNA covers five years, from 27 April 2020 to 26 April 2025. The CNA negotiation was put on hold earlier this year after government declared a national State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.     All UP Workers Union National President Alexis M. Mejia (sitting, left) and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (sitting, right) during the signing of the CNA. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.     The signing ceremony marks the University and the Union’s commitment to work harmoniously together for the enhancement of UP employees’ welfare and productivity as well as for effective and efficient public service.  The signed document specifies the relationship between the UP administration and employees, their duties and responsibilities, privileges, benefits, mechanisms for promoting productivity and welfare, and role as union members in society, among others.  Among the officials present were UP Vice President for Administration Nestor G.  Yunque, members of the AUPWU National Executive Board, National Council, UP Diliman and Los Baños Chapters, and Union Representatives.     Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Keeper of the greens – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/keeper-of-the-greens/",
        "html": "Keeper of the greens Keeper of the greens May 10, 2017 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Picture UP Diliman and, aside from the Oblation, what comes to mind is its greenery—the lagoon park and acacia lanes. Many memories, often pleasant, have been formed under the trees, on the grass, at the tete-a-tete benches, and on the asphalted avenue, often rained over by small leaves and fruits of the raintrees or by yellow narra blooms. One would picture Zorro, the masked and caped sentinel giving joggers high-fives. Or perhaps, the SBs standing guard on the well maintained grounds.  Invisible and unheard of to many is Seven Gie Acuzar,  a frail-looking man better known by his colleagues in UP as “Bay” because of his Visayan accent. He has been keeping the area clean for a long time.   “I started working in UP in August 2004,” he says in Filipino. “I was just 21, a high school graduate, and single. My brother,  who was agency-hired to work here, convinced me to apply here.”  Maintaining the UP grounds was a far cry from welding and handling cereals and nuts in factories in the Camanava area, where he had been a contractual worker. It was not difficult to move to UP despite similar contractual terms, as UP was nearer his place in Bgy. Pansol.  A worker for the Campus Maintenance Office, he has covered the side of the lagoon south of the creek, AS Parking, and the one-kilometer stretch of Roxas Avenue from the main administration building to Vinzons Hall, where the tree-canopied road is most often photographed.  Using tongs and a broom, and pushing a kartilya along, it takes him more than a day to pick up litter and sweep Roxas avenue clean.  “You need to first pick up plastic, paper and other kinds of litter thrown by people. These are the first to be noticed by the joggers. Then you begin sweeping. There used to be trash receptacles around the Oval, which I was also tasked to empty. You do these the whole day for one kilometer, moving from Administration to Vinzons, and then back. You won’t finish on the same day,” he continues.  At the lagoon, where he was assigned for more than 10 years, routine maintenance takes more than a week. “I was caretaker of the lagoon until I was assigned to only cover Roxas in 2015. My job covered the area bordered by the canal and Roces Avenue. Just picking up the puti [manmade garbage such as plastic and paper] took one day. The area required more than a week to clean.”  These areas Bay has been assigned to remain the cleanest on campus, attracting a regular crowd, including bird-watchers.  Asked about the beauty and significance of his workplace, he readily talks about wildlife. “Birds thrive here. They find food. Cranes, native doves, kingfishers, migratory birds coming here from October to March.”  He could relate to them. “They too find a living. If you deprive them of a home, they lose their right to live and flourish,” Bay says.  He is glad that UP affords wildlife a habitat. He is also happy about the trees reaching full growth, and once again, relates this to his life. “As the trees that abound in this place, we the workers too should grow and flourish. We should not be stunted, or dictated upon not to aspire to be higher.”  Relying on his wages from UP, Bay began his own family. He now has three children, the eldest of whom is a young boy of 11 years and the youngest just two years old. His wife stays at home taking care of them.  Bay’s greatest fear is not being able to provide for them, which is always  a possibility given the insecurity of his contractual employment. His wage, barely above minimum, is just enough for their everyday needs. Without additional work-related benefits, he is not able to save money for his family’s future or to address emergencies. For several years, he operated under the “no work, no pay” principle, which kept him working through red-letter days and typhoons, exposed to wind, rain, and falling branches.  “The worst typhoons for the workers happened around 2009 and 2010. They came one after the other in October and November. Many trees fell.  In UP, it meant extra work. Our director decided on pooling all the workforce and assigned us all to first clean up the Areas. We had to work in houses hit by the falling trees. Drenched by the rain, we worked non-stop, and were cold and hungry,” Bay says.  He does not readily recall witnessing any crime in the area. “I haven’t witnessed anything fearful.” But there were people who tested his patience. “At AS Parking, I would be sweeping the grounds and cars would be parked right where I was doing my job, like I’m invisible.”  Despite the downsides, Bay has remained loyal to UP. He repeats his gratefulness for working near home. He can just walk or ride his bike between his home and UP. He can forage vegetables growing wildly among the greens and bring them home. He can eat his lunch at home.  Bay has grown familiar with the UP people and could tell one from an outsider by how they handle their garbage.     “I notice that those who litter are outsiders,” he says. More often, there is more garbage found at the Sunken Garden and the lagoon, UP Diliman’s “tourist spots.”  UP constituents themselves are a family. Bay feels that they should be and look out for one another. “As workers of UP, we treat it as a parent, and we are its children, with different roles. UP would not be complete without us performing our role in ground maintenance. It would be a dump. We hope it realizes our worth, having worked here for very long,” Bay says.  Late last year, he went through a sad state in his UP family life. He had the chance to apply for a regular item of Administrative Aide to be assigned to the same position of ground maintenance, at Salary Grade 3. Bay was confident, given his 12 years of UP work experience, seminars and training, Outstanding performance ratings for consecutive contractual terms, and having taken a short TESDA course in 2013 on automotive and small engine servicing. All papers had long been prepared, kept orderly and neat in a clear-book of credentials for such opportunities in the administration.  “My mind was set on security of tenure, and the benefits that would cover my wife and children,” he recalls. It was the answer to every contractual’s prayer.  Bay cried when he was informed later that another man had beaten him to the item. He hopes the decision can be explained to him more clearly, echoing the plight of many others in his situation. (UP President Danilo L. Concepcion has pledged to address the problem of contractuals during his term.)  In recent years, Bay has involved himself with other contractual workers in the University for an alliance with UP’s workers and academic union in the work of collective action for the growth of UP personnel. He hopes to understand UP better. All throughout his life in UP, he has remained hopeful, looking at the day UP makes good at being one family, as it has been to him.  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the Sigma Rho Fraternity-related death and alleged hazing incident – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-sigma-rho-fraternity-related-death-and-alleged-hazing-incident/",
        "html": "Statement on the Sigma Rho Fraternity-related death and alleged hazing incident Statement on the Sigma Rho Fraternity-related death and alleged hazing incident September 30, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On Sunday, September 29, 2019, it was confirmed that a member of the Sigma Rho Fraternity has died. This member was one of those named in an alleged online conversation among members of this fraternity involved in alleged acts of hazing.  We in the University of the Philippines extend our deepest sympathies to the bereaved. We reach out in concern as well to all those who have been victimized by a persistent system of fraternity-related violence engendered by an underlying culture of toxic masculinity, patriarchal values and impunity. There is no place in the country’s national university for all forms of violence, harassment, discrimination and cruelty, whether committed through physical acts such as hazing and sexual violence, or through mental and emotional abuse committed through acts of bullying and cyberbullying.  We are committed to eradicating fraternity-related violence and impunity on campus by carrying out a transformation within the culture of the University itself, where the values of compassion, empathy and equality are held as sacred as UP’s principles of honor and excellence by all members of its community.  Finally, we are appealing to the public as well as to media professionals to exercise particular caution when sharing or reporting sensitive stories out of respect for the privacy of the bereaved.     University of the Philippines System Administration  September 30, 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Statement from President Danilo L. Concepcion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-statement-from-president-danilo-l-concepcion/",
        "html": "A Statement from President Danilo L. Concepcion A Statement from President Danilo L. Concepcion August 29, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    I deeply regret the pain my appearance at the Kabataang Barangay reunion in UP Diliman last August 25 caused the UP community. I intended no offense, most especially to the UP community that I serve. My desire to be with old-time friends I had not seen for decades, no matter how briefly, made me overlook its effect on the sentiments of the UP community. Tao lang po!  I would like to assure the UP community that the University under my watch will never forget the dark period of our country during the martial law years and will continuously hold in high esteem the University’s best and brightest who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for freedom and democracy.  Danilo L. Concepcion  President, University of the Philippines  29 August 2018 "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Letter from President Danilo Concepcion to the UP Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-statement-from-president-danilo-l-concepcion-2/",
        "html": "A Letter from President Danilo Concepcion to the UP Community A Letter from President Danilo Concepcion to the UP Community September 7, 2018 | Written by President Danilo Concepcion    A Letter from President Danilo Concepcion to the UP Community  7 September 2018    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Virtual roundtable discussion to focus on the future of human mobility in a post-COVID world – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/virtual-roundtable-discussion-to-focus-on-the-future-of-human-mobility-in-a-post-covid-world/",
        "html": "Virtual roundtable discussion to focus on the future of human mobility in a post-COVID world Virtual roundtable discussion to focus on the future of human mobility in a post-COVID world April 27, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In addition to its health-related impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted the patterns of how people move and travel to do business, go to work, seek education or meet family and friends.  Human mobility at all levels, currently under the pressure of various restrictions as well as psychological barriers of fear, is undergoing a period of transformation with unknown implications for the future.  In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL) Philippines have joined efforts to host a special virtual roundtable on the role and future of migration and human mobility in the post-COVID era. This event aims to spark discussion among practitioners and policy makers not only to point to the evident consequences but also to look beyond the horizon of the current pandemic and try to identify key trends and implications for human mobility in the long term.  The UNITAR and CIFAL Philippines’ virtual roundtable discussion on “Human Mobility in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery: Looking Beyond the Horizon of the Current Pandemic” will be held on Thursday, 29 April 2021, at 9:00 (CET).  Dr. Edna Co, Director of the UP-CIFAL (International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders) Philippines, will deliver the inaugural remarks for the virtual roundtable discussion.  Register for the event here: http://ow.ly/UjuW50EvWf6 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD Civil Eng’g professor appointed UP VP for Administration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-civil-engg-professor-appointed-up-vp-for-administration/",
        "html": "UPD Civil Eng’g professor appointed UP VP for Administration UPD Civil Eng’g professor appointed UP VP for Administration August 4, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Vice President for Administration Augustus C. Resurreccion. Photo from the UP Diliman Institute of Civil Engineering website.  Dr. Augustus C. Resurreccion, a professor at the UP Diliman Institute of Civil Engineering (UPD ICE) and former Director of the UP Diliman Human Resource Development Office, has been appointed UP Vice President for Administration, succeeding Prof. Nestor Yunque.  As VP for Administration, Dr. Resurreccion heads the office directly responsible for administrative operations in the UP System. The Human Resource Development Office, Supply and Property Management Office, and Cash Office of the UP System are under the direct supervision and control of the Vice President for Administration.  Dr. Resurreccion served as Director of the UP Diliman HRDO from 2020 to May 2023, and is a Professor of the Environment and Energy Engineering Group at the UPD ICE.  VP Resurreccion earned his Bachelor of Science in Geodetic Engineering from UP Diliman in 1997. He finished his Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree, as well as his doctorate in Biological and Environmental Science from Saitama University, Japan, in 2002 and 2007, respectively. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP lends a hand to MSU-Marawi – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-lends-a-hand-to-msu-marawi/",
        "html": "UP lends a hand to MSU-Marawi UP lends a hand to MSU-Marawi October 6, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UP lends a hand to MSU-Marawi     The University of the Philippines, through its UP Diliman Community and Musician Artists, sent donations and aid to fellow Filipinos who were affected by the ongoing crisis in Marawi City.  Dr. Alma E. Berowa, Mindanao State University (MSU) Vice President for Academic Affairs, reported a total of PhP77,000 transmitted to their Marawi City campus to help students get back on their feet and continue with their studies. A relief distribution drive took place last September 4 for the benefit of internally-displaced students of MSU-Marawi City.  “Your act of voluntary contributions… certainly gives us hope that there are many good people among Filipinos who believe that we are Muslims but we are not terrorists. That gives us the courage to go against all odds. Maraming salamat po,” wrote Berowa.  The funds were raised largely through the “Tabang Para sa Katawhan” benefit concert held last June 21 at the Asian Center, initiated by Assoc. Prof. Roli Talampas with the support of President Danilo L. Concepcion. UP has also initiated a fund drive for Marawi online through its website at http://www.up.edu.ph. (J. Mikhail Solitario, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, Angthong College celebrate 70 years of Philippine-Thai relations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-angthong-college-celebrate-70-years-of-philippine-thai-relations/",
        "html": "UP, Angthong College celebrate 70 years of Philippine-Thai relations UP, Angthong College celebrate 70 years of Philippine-Thai relations January 28, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   ‘Dancers from Angthong College of Dramatic Arts perform The Pursuit of Supanna Matcha at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     A 35-person team of performers and faculty members from Thailand’s Angthong College of Dramatic Arts showcased traditional Thai dances at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s (UPD) Abelardo Hall Auditorium  on January 22, 2019. The event was made possible through the cooperation of the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, the UP Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UPD-OICA), the UP College of Arts and Letters, The UP College of Music, the UP College of Mass Communication and the Royal Thai Embassy.  This performance was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Philippines. It was attended by: H.E. Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng, Thai Ambassador to the Philippines; Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya; First Secretary Thassarany Noivong; and, other guests from the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila. UP’s contingent was led by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia and UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan.  The dancers from Angthong College began their performance with a rendition by two dancers of The Pursuit of Supanna Matcha, from the khon (masked dance-drama) performance of the Ramakien or the Thai Ramayana.  It was followed by Natnaree Sri Ayothaya, which was a tribute to the beauty of Thai women and the delicate style of Thai dancing. Finally, the group ended by dancing the Rum Wong, a slow round dance where dancers move in a circular manner and with both male and female dancers participating.  The second half of the event featured a performance by UP’s own Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipinas (Kontra GaPi). A rousing climax to that performance saw both Thai and Filipino participants, including UP officials, dancing together onstage to signify the unity and optimism of the representatives of both nations.     A dancer from Angthong College offers a bouquet of flowers to Ambassador Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     “Our countries are often referred to as twins,” said Vice President Pernia, referring to the Philippines and Thailand,  “experiencing similar political and social issues over these many decades.” Beyond economic relations made salient by ASEAN integration, Pernia noted that it is in the realm of culture and the arts that enjoyable representations of both people’s values and aspiration were to be found.  The event, therefore, Pernia added, was an important step towards understanding how, despite linguistic and cultural diversity found in the ASEAN Economic Community, both countries are committed to maximizing opportunities for mutually beneficial regional integration.  Photo3: 3Q2A4887: ‘UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (left) and H.E. Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO’.  Chancellor Tan, on the other hand, stressed the importance of more student exchanges at the undergraduate level between Thailand and Philippines. He publicly requested Ambassador Ruangprateepsaeng for assistance in finding more experts from Thailand who could teach both Thai music and language to interested students in Diliman.  As his contribution to strengthening the relationship between the two countries, Tan also pledged UP Diliman funds to send Kontra GaPi to Thailand to learn from and perform in Thai universities. “I think it’s time that they went to Thailand for an exchange,” he said. “And we want them to spend time in Angthong College as well because you are the ones who came here.”     Students from Angthong College performing Natnaree Sri Ayothaya. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP opens Law classes in Iloilo City – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-opens-law-classes-in-iloilo-city/",
        "html": "UP opens Law classes in Iloilo City UP opens Law classes in Iloilo City September 16, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.  The first semester of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law starts on 17 September 2021. Its first-ever law extension classes in the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus will also be officially launched. In collaboration with UP Visayas (UPV), the College of Law of UP Diliman will now be offering its Juris Doctor (JD) program to students based in the Iloilo City Campus.  The pioneer batch of first-year students of the Iloilo extension classes consists of graduates of UP Visayas, UP Cebu, and UP Mindanao, and graduates of Mindanao State University and Central Mindanao University. The pioneer batch also includes students from Iloilo, Aklan, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, and Davao. Their first professors will include seasoned faculty of the College of Law who trace their roots from Iloilo and nearby provinces. The College of Law is planning to recruit more faculty based in the region.  “UP has always been looking for ways to expand and democratize access to its academic programs. The launch of the law extension classes in our Iloilo City Campus in UP Visayas is a major step towards this end,” said UP President and former College of Law Dean Danilo L. Concepcion. He chose the UP Iloilo City campus as the site of the extension classes.  On 5 May 2021, President Concepcion issued an administrative order creating an ad hoc committee to study the feasibility of opening College of Law extension classes in the UP Visayas Iloilo City Campus. The committee, composed of administrators and faculty of the College of Law and UP Visayas and chaired by College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan, II, eventually submitted a report recommending the proposed extension classes.  Proceeding from the said report, and with the endorsement of UPV Chancellor Clement C. Camposano, Dean Vistan formally requested for authority to administer extension classes of the College of Law in the UPV Iloilo City Campus. UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo and UP President Concepcion approved the request soon after that.  Photo from UP AVP Jose Wendell Capili.  According to UPV Chancellor Camposano: “The opening of extension classes of the UP College of Law at the UPV Iloilo campus is an affirmation of the University’s commitment to lead in the field of legal education. It is also a demonstration of our resolve to embrace the possibilities offered by digital technology and remote learning. This is an important step towards realizing the university of the future.”  UPV Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Philip Ian P. Padilla also remarked: “I would like to welcome the pioneer batch of UP Law in UPV this First Semester AY 2021-2022. We wish you the best of everything in your law studies with UPV as host. This will hopefully lead to the strengthening of UPV’s mandate, as a SUC and the national university for quality higher education in the region in law, with a fisheries flavor and marine affairs as context. Mabuhay kag padayon!”  To the pioneering batch, Dean Vistan said: “Let me extend a warm welcome to our first students in our UP Visayas classes. Recently, the norm has been to break the mold and break new ground as we adapt to meet the demands of our new world. Even then, our expectations of our students remain the same: honor, excellence, and service to the people. Our college’s commitment also remains the same, which is to deliver the UP brand of legal education to our students, wherever they may be.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Two webinars on food security and human migration in the time of pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/two-webinars-on-food-security-and-human-migration-in-the-time-of-pandemic/",
        "html": "Two webinars on food security and human migration in the time of pandemic Two webinars on food security and human migration in the time of pandemic May 21, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Two social issues have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: food security and human migration. But while the pandemic has brought about new or has worsened existing challenges, the “next normal” may also bring with it new solutions and new ways of perceiving and tackling these issues.  The University of the Philippines–Centre International de Formation des Authorités et Leaders Philippines (UP-CIFAL Philippines) and the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) will be holding two webinars: the first on communities working to help address food security; and, the second on the new challenges to human migration during and after the pandemic, on 24 May at 9:00 a.m. (Manila Time) and 27 May at 12:00 p.m. (Manila Time), respectively.     Click the QR code to register. Or visit bit.ly/community4foodsecurity     The first webinar is on “CommUNITY for Food Security: Partnerships Against Hunger”. After enduring stringent quarantines for over a year, with households living in dire poverty being forced to rely on food packs distributed by local governments and other concerned organizations, millions of Filipino households are now experiencing hunger due to lack of food to eat. However, new initiatives in addressing hunger are also emerging, such as the community-organized pantries that have sprung up all around the country since the first community pantry on Maginhawa Street, Diliman, Quezon City.  Through this webinar, UP-CIFAL Philippines aims to show how citizens can rise up to collaborate with local government in addressing food security issues, and how the Philippine experience can contribute to global action against hunger during the pandemic. The webinar also opens a venue for government officials, citizen groups, and even international organizations to discuss more sustainable efforts to fight hunger through partnerships.  Ultimately, the webinar aims to link the local government and citizen partnership to the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Mr. Emmanuel Hugh F. Velasco, Head of the Sustainable Development Affairs Unit of Quezon City, and Mr. Michael Adrian B. Non, representative for the community pantries in the Philippines, will serve as resource persons, while Ms. Brenda Barton, Representative and Country Director to the Philippines World Food Programme, will serve as reactor.  Register for this webinar here. Or click on the QR code in the event poster.     Click the QR code to register. Or visit bit.ly/PCGMWebinar2021S     The second webinar, slated for 27 May, will focus on “Migration in the New Normal: Global Perspectives and Potential Directions Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic”.  The pandemic has not only created an unprecedented health crisis and disrupted economies around the globe, it has also forced governments to implement restrictions of movement inside and outside of countries’ borders that have severely impacted people’s lives. Migrants face new and existing challenges made worse, such as separation, loss of employment, and difficulties in re-entering their country of origin. Migrant women have become even more vulnerable, and governments and organizations struggle to maintain and implement inclusion and reintegration. All of these take a major toll on migrants and migration practitioners, adding additional health issues to address, on top of the many new challenges to overcome.  This webinar, which will discuss how the pandemic has affected migration, is divided into the sub-topics of: health, mental health and social protection; gender dimensions of migration; social inclusion and reintegration; and, the influence of media and communication. The webinar will target migration managers and practitioners, and members of academe and the general public who are interested in issues regarding migration.  Register for this webinar here. Or click on the QR code in the event poster. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar explores institutional partnerships in vaccination programs vs COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-explores-institutional-partnerships-in-vaccination-programs-vs-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar explores institutional partnerships in vaccination programs vs COVID-19 UP webinar explores institutional partnerships in vaccination programs vs COVID-19 June 16, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As we build up our country’s defenses against COVID-19, partnerships among institutions have become more crucial than ever. One such partnership—between the academe and local government—is the focus of an upcoming webinar entitled “Community for Immunity: Partnerships for COVID-19 Vaccination Programs”, scheduled on Thursday, 17 June 2021 at 9:00 AM.  Over a year through the pandemic, vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed and tested worldwide. In the Philippines, 2.13 million doses have been given, with a total of 343,000 Filipinos being fully vaccinated, or 0.3% of the total population, as recorded by Our World in Data on 5 May 2021.  As there is an urgent need to efficiently distribute the vaccines to the most vulnerable populations, the local government of Quezon City, having the highest total COVID-19 cases in the country, launched several vaccination hubs across the city. In support of the vaccination drive, the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman partnered with the local government to launch Bakunahan sa Diliman (Vaccination in Diliman). The academic institution offered its facility, the College of Human Kinetics Gymnasium, to serve as one of the biggest vaccination sites catering to UP Diliman personnel and select UP Campus residents.  The UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL) (International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders) Philippines, through this webinar, will showcase how other institutions—in this case the academe—can partner up with the local government to combat COVID-19 and contribute to the ultimate goal of herd immunity. The webinar will also be an avenue for government officials, academic, medical, and other institutions to discuss how partnerships can take place to develop more efficient programs to fight COVID-19.  The webinar in general associates the power of partnerships to the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). This webinar is of special interest to: international, national and local government units; officials and employees in the health sector; academics and scholars interested in COVID-19 initiatives in the Philippines.  Participants can register here: https://bit.ly/community4immunity "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni and friends to receive 2nd UP Gawad Oblation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-and-friends-to-receive-2nd-up-gawad-oblation/",
        "html": "UP alumni and friends to receive 2nd UP Gawad Oblation UP alumni and friends to receive 2nd UP Gawad Oblation January 17, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UP Oblation Award medal nested in its box (left and center) and the plaque accompanying it, to be given to the 38 UP alumni and friends in recognition of their “extraordinary service with or in the name of UP.” Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     Thirty-eight awardees of alumni and friends of the University of the Philippines (UP) are set to receive the 2nd Gawad Oblation on the afternoon of January 17, 2023, at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman.  The University President gives the award to UP’s alumni and supporters who have rendered “extraordinary service with or in the name of UP.” The award is named after UP’s enduring symbol, The Oblation, a National Artist Guillermo E. Tolentino’s sculpture inspired by the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios. The Oblation signifies the offering of oneself in service.  “Sa kagalingan mo ay akin ding handog…”  Artist, production designer, and UP College of Fine Arts professor Leo A.C. Abaya designed the UP Gawad Oblation medal. According to the artist, the design of the Oblation Award Medal is essentially an articulation of the UP Oblation.  In the Gawad Oblation medal, the UP Oblation is appropriated as the human figure surmounting the central image, which is a closeup of the Oblation’s hand, as it were in the gesture of offering. Transposed in this medal—golden, enlarged, and set against a mother-of-pearl disc—it has become the signifier of the eminent value of service through sharing. Surrounding this central image is a green enamel band inscribed in baybayin. The inscription is Andres Bonifacio’s translation from Spanish of the second line of the second stanza of Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios: “Sa kagalingan mo ay akin ding handog…”  Close-up of the UP Gawad Oblation medal. Photo by Ylenette Reforzado (UP OAR).  Each medal is set in maroon enamel. Its radiating sunrays are drawn from the early designs of the Philippine flag. Adding orgs to the rays creates a configuration of people holding hands. Abaya, who passed away on May 26, 2021, described this composite as connoting “the revolutionary spirit of our history and the importance of humanity in all our endeavors, which should serve as inspiration for us to achieve our goals as the country’s National University.”  Helping UP undertake its mandates as a national university  Given by the UP President, the UP Gawad Oblation or the UP President’s Oblation Medal recognizes alumni and friends, including individuals, organizations, and institutions, for their significant efforts in increasing the institutional visibility, international prestige, and recognition of UP as a National University, and for helping UP undertake its mandates under Republic Act No. 9500 or the UP Charter. Awardees also enhanced UP’s leadership in higher education and national development as a research, teaching, and public service university and as a regional and international university.  The Gawad Oblation was first conferred upon 14 recipients on February 7, 2017, by then-outgoing UP President Alfredo E. Pascual. This second iteration comes toward the end of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion’s term. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pasko na naman sa UP Diliman kasama ang UP Symphony Orchestra! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pasko-na-naman-sa-up-diliman-kasama-ang-up-symphony-orchestra/",
        "html": "Pasko na naman sa UP Diliman kasama ang UP Symphony Orchestra! Pasko na naman sa UP Diliman kasama ang UP Symphony Orchestra! December 6, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       For the past two years, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) has continued its tradition of community concerts on the online platform. This year, for the first time since the pandemic, UPSO will be celebrating the holidays face-to-face with the Diliman community!  Tagged as the orchestra for the people or Orkestra ng Bayan, UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra for the university.  They maintain a roster of 65 members Exclusively from the alumni, students, faculty, and staff of all UP campuses. They have been under the direction of Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo since their inception in August 2018.  In celebration of the season and the university, UPSO will be joined by four choirs from three different campuses: the UP Concert Chorus and the UP Singing Ambassadors from UP Diliman, the UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble, and the UP Manila Chorale.  The UP Concert Chorus. The UP Los Baños Choral Ensemble. Photo from the UPLB Choral Ensemble Facebook page The UP Manila Chorale. The UP Singing Ambassadors. Ms. Mel Torre of The Blue Rats.  The UP Symphony Orchestra will also be joined by alto soloist Mel Torre, known for her singing with the vocal trio Baihana and Manila’s longest-running blues band, The Blue Rats.  The concert will feature a selection of popular tunes and holiday music to spread the joy and cheer of the season, including Lucio San Pedro’s Simbang Gabi, Juan Silos’ Kampana ng Simbahan, Maestro Toledo’s arrangement of Krismas Na, Darling (a medley of Pasko na Sinta Ko, I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Merry Christmas Darling), Ryan Cayabyab’s Mano Po Ninong, and many, many more!  Catch UPSO on Thursday, 15 December 2022, at 6 pm at the University Amphitheater, UP Diliman! Free admission, with no registration required. See you there! "
    },
    {
        "title": "New UP President to take the helm – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-up-president-to-take-the-helm/",
        "html": "New UP President to take the helm New UP President to take the helm February 9, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez takes the helm as the University of the Philippines President on February 10, 2023, in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The turnover ceremony, to be held at 9 AM at the iconic Quezon Hall Lobby, will have outgoing UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and Jimenez delivering their respective valedictory and acceptance speeches. The UP Symphony Orchestra Quartet and the UP ROTC Band will provide music.  On the eve of the turnover, at 6 PM at the UP Theater, a free-admission concert featuring the UP Symphony Orchestra and vocalists Kay Balajadia-Liggayu, Anya Evangelista, and Malvin Macasaet will be held to thank Concepcion and welcome Jimenez.  Two UP Presidents  Concepcion, a lawyer, is the 21st president of UP. He will be remembered as the UP president who “steered UP through the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the University to contribute directly to the country’s success in overcoming the public health crisis” and “led efforts to transform UP into the University of the Future,” the program organizers said.  Under Concepcion’s administration, the University instituted innovations in all its academic offerings and developed cutting-edge frontier programs. His administration raised UP’s budget for research, secured additional faculty and staff items, increased economic and non-economic benefits for all UP employees, and provided support and learning assistance to faculty, students, and staff. Facilities and infrastructure were completed transforming the campuses. During his term, UP rose in world university rankings, such that it is now among the top 500 universities in the world and the top 100 in Asia.  Jimenez served in the UP Board of Regents, UP’s highest governing body, twice, first as Student Regent in 1992 and as Regent from 2016 to 2021. From 1993 to 2007, he served the government by handling national interest cases at the Office of the Secretary of Labor. He served with distinction in major global hotspots where OFWs have been endangered. As Labor Attaché from 1997 to 2005, Jimenez developed overseas labor markets and delivered a broad array of critical government services. Jimenez served as Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration from 2005 to 2007. He garnered two Presidential citations for his performance in crises in Iraq and Lebanon., Jimenez is a published writer and an internationally recognized resource person on labor and migration.  In his vision paper, Jimenez speaks of a UP that is a “global university,” and a research university focused on graduate and post-graduate programs and academic linkages. He sees UP continuing as a public service university helping government and industry while being a bastion of academic freedom. Jimenez advocates an Open Data Policy and digital transformation in learning and management. He also envisions UP helping raise the quality of undergraduate education in state universities and colleges.  Singkaban at balanghai  The programs for the turnover are titled “Singkaban at Balanghai: Pasasalamat at Pagsalubong.” Singkaban, the folk bamboo welcome arch, and balanghai, the Philippine ancient sea vessel—featured in the program visuals and numbers—hark to the origins of Concepcion and Jimenez. Singkaban art flourished in Bulacan, the home province of the outgoing president. Archaeological remains of the balanghai were discovered in Butuan, the home province of the incoming.  According to renowned multimedia visual artist and UP College of Fine Arts professor Toym Imao, who conceptualized the design: “Both singkaban and balanghai are fitting visual metaphors for a portal that welcomes and sends off our leaders in the UP community—our barangay.” Eight singkaban arches in the shape of the prow of the balanghai will represent the UP constituent universities.  The selection of the UP president undergoes a process involving a search committee, nomination, consultations, and election by the 11-member UP Board of Regents. A UP president serves a single six-year term as the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer. They are also co-chairs of the UP BOR. "
    },
    {
        "title": "All-UP Composers Featured in UPSO’s Likhang Peyups! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-up-composers-featured-in-upsos-likhang-peyups/",
        "html": "All-UP Composers Featured in UPSO’s Likhang Peyups! All-UP Composers Featured in UPSO’s Likhang Peyups! March 3, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Catch the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) in LIKHANG PEYUPS on Friday, March 10, 2023, 6 pm, at the UP Theater!  In alignment with the 2023 Arts Month theme “Kaloob”, the UPSO looks inward to salute the music of the UP Diliman community in its latest concert offering. The orchestra will perform the works of UP composers including those of National Artist for Music Ramon P. Santos, Josefino Chino Toledo, Christine Muyco, Marie Jocelyn Marfil, Mary Katherine Trangco, and Alexander John Villanueva.  The homegrown composers of UP: (Clockwise from left) National Artist for Music Ramon P. Santos, UPSO’s Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo, Dr. Maria Christine Muyco of the UP College of Music’s Department of Composition and Theory, Alexander John Villanueva, Mary Katherine Trangco , and Dr. Marie Jocelyn Unajan Marfil of the UP College of Music’s Department of Composition and Theory.     It is extremely rare for a full concert program to feature all living, Filipino composers of new music. However, it is precisely the kind of concert UPSO is proud to put together, especially as the Orkestra ng Bayan.  Established by the Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra of the University of the Philippines, supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music. Its main functions are as a repertory orchestra for musicians, a laboratory orchestra for Filipino composers, and a training orchestra for young conductors.  Under the direction of Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo, the orchestra maintains a roster of 65 members exclusively from within the UP community including alumni, students, faculty, and staff, from all UP Campuses. They are the only orchestra in the country that regularly performs Filipino, Asian, contemporary, and new works in addition to the standard orchestra repertoire.  Audience members will have the chance to meet the composers and ask questions about their works in Tanong at Kwentuhan on the same day at 5 pm, UP Theater Lobby. They can also win AUTOGRAPHED copies of FULL ORCHESTRA SCORES, with winners to be announced at the end of the concert!  Likhang Peyups and the preceding Tanong at Kwentuhan are FREE and open to the public. The concert is produced in cooperation with the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA).  Learn more about the concert, the composers, and the works to be performed on UPSO’s Facebook page and Instagram account. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mga Tugtugin ng Paglaya sa Araw ng Kalayaan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/mga-tugtugin-ng-paglaya-sa-araw-ng-kalayaan/",
        "html": "Mga Tugtugin ng Paglaya sa Araw ng Kalayaan Mga Tugtugin ng Paglaya sa Araw ng Kalayaan May 29, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP Symphony Orchestra during rehearsals at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) in Taiwan. Photo by the UPSO.     This June 12, the Philippines marks the 125th anniversary of its independence. It is an occasion that calls for jubilation as we celebrate not only freedom but what it means to be a Filipino.  The University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) and the UP College of Music will mount “Mga Tugtugin ng Paglaya” on June 10, 2023, 6:00 PM, at the UP Theater as an early Independence Day concert. The works to be featured include Lucio San Pedro’s Alamat ng Lahi and Kayumangging Malaya, Nicanor Abelardo’s piano concerto, Ryan Cayabyab’s Mi Ultimo Adios, and more.  The UPSO will be joined by two faculty members of the UP College of Music: pianist Clement Acevedo, and baritone Raymond Leslie Diaz.  This one-of-a-kind concert also marks the launch of the 60-piece UPSO Chorus made up of choristers from various colleges, institutions, and campuses of UP. The chorus will be led by chorus director Noemi Binag.  From left: Prof. Clement Acevedo, pianist; Dr. Raymond Leslie Diaz, baritone; and Ms. Noemi Binag, chorus director of the soon-to-be-launched UPSO Chorus.     Established by the UP Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, the UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra of the University of the Philippines, supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music. Known fondly as “Ang Orkestra ng Bayan”, the UPSO serves as a repertory orchestra for musicians, a laboratory orchestra for Filipino composers, and a training orchestra for young conductors.  Under the direction of Maestro Josefino “Chino” Toledo, the orchestra maintains a roster of 65 members exclusively from within the UP community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff, from all UP campuses. It is the only orchestra in the country that regularly performs Filipino, Asian, contemporary, and new works in addition to the standard orchestra repertoire.  Mga Tugtugin ng Paglaya” is FREE and open to the public. For crowd control purposes, please register in advance at https://forms.gle/NuhiNgHeaepaeG3W8.  Learn more about the concert and the works to be performed on UPSO’s Facebook page and Instagram account. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-CIFAL Philippines offers the online Professional Course on Global Migration (PCGM) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cifal-philippines-offers-the-online-professional-course-on-global-migration-pcgm/",
        "html": "UP-CIFAL Philippines offers the online Professional Course on Global Migration (PCGM) UP-CIFAL Philippines offers the online Professional Course on Global Migration (PCGM) April 6, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines Centre International de Formation des Authorités et Leaders Philippines (UP-CIFAL Philippines) offers the third Professional Course on Global Migration (PCGM) starting 6 April 2021. The PCGM is offered in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Philippines.  The PCGM offers a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to addressing the challenges of migration governance and strengthening its relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). The course aims to provide learners with a critical understanding of human mobility as linked to international laws, human rights, and gender equality and the diverse impacts of migration on social, cultural, and economic dimensions. The course offers an overview of the complex environment and processes of global migration and how these are addressed by states, civil society, private sector, and migrants and their societies.  The pilot batch of the PCGM was launched in August 2019 with learners in mid- to senior-level positions from various government agencies. The second batch rolled out in December 2019 with learners from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Philippines.  In 2021, due to a reasonable demand for such course, the UP-CIFAL Philippines, UNITAR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Philippines offers the PCGM via remote learning platform to international learners. Applicants for the first online PCGM come from 22 countries. For the first international batch, UP-CIFAL Philippines takes in at least 19 learners for the Spring Term (April to May) and another batch for the Fall Term (August to September). Some participants are on scholarship under the IOM Philippines and the Azure Scholarship.  Learners from 15 countries are enlisted under the third run of the course for the Spring Term.  PCGM professors and experts come from international organizations, local government, academe, civil society organizations, and the private sector, all with full experience and grounding on global migration. The course is conducted strictly online with both synchronous and asynchronous sessions.  Queries related to the course may be sent to cifalphilippines@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Symphony Orchestra to celebrate New Year with Taiwan partners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-symphony-orchestra-to-celebrate-new-year-with-taiwan-partners/",
        "html": "UP Symphony Orchestra to celebrate New Year with Taiwan partners UP Symphony Orchestra to celebrate New Year with Taiwan partners January 6, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    One of the most prominent performing groups from the University of the Philippines (UP) is headed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for its first international concert.  The UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), representing the Philippines’ national university, will hold “Concerts of Good Will” on January 8 and 9. The UPSO, under the baton of Professor Emeritus Josefino “Chino” Toledo, will be performing Western, Taiwanese, and Philippine folk and classical works, including Dvorak’s Symphony 9 or the ‘New World Symphony,’ in celebration of a new era of friendship and cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines. The UPSO’s musical lineup is a celebration of the sounds of both cultures, featuring ‘Chinese Festival’ by Hsu Tsang-Houei and Professor Emeritus Chino Toledo’s ‘Kantus: Tagabawa,’ which is inspired by the chanting tradition of the Bagobo-Tagabawa people of southern Philippines.  The UPSO’s “Concert of Good Will” on January 8 will be held at the prestigious National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) at 3:00 p.m. Ticket prices are 500, 800, 1000, and 1,500 NT$. Tickets are available at http://opentix.life or via email hanchien@stu.edu.tw.  On January 9, the UPSO will hold a concert at the Conference Hall, Nanzih Campus, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST). For this concert, the UPSO will perform ‘Festive Overture’ and ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ to celebrate the hope and joy of the New Year. As a tribute to the overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan, the UPSO will also play ‘Overture to Philippine Folksongs’ and ‘Lahing Kayumanggi,’ written by National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro to honor the Filipino race. Admission to the concert is free. To reserve tickets, please get in touch with Tzu-Yu Wu at (07)361-7141#22351 or email xcoffice01@nkust.edu.tw.  The UPSO’s guest performer, mezzo-soprano Ms. Michelle Mariel Mariposa.  Guest performer Ms. Michelle Mariel Mariposa will join the UPSO. Mariposa is a Filipino-Chinese mezzo-soprano. She is passionate about communicating truth and beauty through music, poetry, and rhetoric. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Voice and Opera Performance at the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, under W. Stephen Smith. At Northwestern, Michelle is a recipient of the Eckstein Merit Scholarship. She has performed as a soloist for the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and the Bienen Contemporary Music Ensemble.  The UPSO serves as the official university orchestra of UP, supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music. A relatively young orchestra, the UPSO was established by the UP Board of Regents at its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018.  Its roster of 65 members comprises alumni, students, faculty, and administrative staff from all UP campuses. As such, UPSO functions as a training ground for composers and musicians and is the only orchestra in the country that regularly performs Filipino, Asian, contemporary, and new works in addition to the standard orchestra repertoire.  The UPSO’s conductor and musical director, Professor Emeritus Josefino “Chino” Toledo.  UPSO’s founding musical director Josefino “Chino” Toledo, is an international composer-conductor, a Professor Emeritus of composition, and a University Artist III at UP. Aside from directing the UPSO, he also serves as the chairperson of the Department of Composition and Theory of the UP College of Music.  With its combination of musical virtuosity, commitment to the arts, creative spirit, and love for diverse musical traditions, the audience enjoys UPSO’s music programming. It always contains something new and exciting for them to experience. The orchestra ably represents UP and the Philippines worldwide with this performance in Taiwan.  The UPSO’s two-day “Concert of Good Will” was made possible through the partnership and cooperation of its organizers: the UP System, the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Shu-Te University, and Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was co-organized by the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan Association Incorporated, Association of Filipino Scholars in Taiwan (AFST) Century Voice Choir, and Association of Filipino New Immigrants in Taiwan (AFNIT).  Follow the UPSO on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  In the spirit of academic partnership and cultural exchange, the UP Symphony Orchestra will hold its first international concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan."
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for auditions for the UP Symphony Orchestra – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-auditions-for-the-up-symphony-orchestra/",
        "html": "Call for auditions for the UP Symphony Orchestra Call for auditions for the UP Symphony Orchestra September 24, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Formally approved by the Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) will serve as the official system-wide orchestra of the University of the Philippines, supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music.  Under the musical direction of Prof. Josefino “Chino” Toledo, the orchestra shall consist of 65 members coming exclusively from within the UP community: including its alumni, students, faculty and staff from all UP campuses. It will function as a training ground for both composers and musicians, and as a representative of not only the University, but also of the country on the worldwide stage. The UPSO aims to mount at least six major concerts throughout every season.  AUDITIONS FOR THE PIONEERING ROSTER OF INSTRUMENTALISTS ARE NOW OPEN!  Please see the poster below for complete audition details.        For inquiries, contact UPSO at:  Email: info.upsymphonyorchestra@gmail.com  Mobile: +63 920 9055175  Follow UPSO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/up.symphonyorch/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Christmas Greetings from the UP President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/christmas-greetings-from-the-up-president/",
        "html": "Christmas Greetings from the UP President Christmas Greetings from the UP President December 18, 2020 | Written by Office of the President    Sa pagtatapos ng mapanghamong taon na ito, nawa’y ang ating pagmumuni-muni’y magpaalala sa atin sa mga bagay na tunay na mahalaga—ang biyaya ng pamilya at kaibigan, panahong binigyang-kabuluhan ng paglilingkod, at paniniwalang may magandang bukas na darating.  Isang makahulugang pagdiriwang ng Pasko sa ating lahat!  — Danilo L. Concepcion  Pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD caps 2021 with 2nd virtual Lantern Parade – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-caps-2021-with-2nd-virtual-lantern-parade/",
        "html": "UPD caps 2021 with 2nd virtual Lantern Parade UPD caps 2021 with 2nd virtual Lantern Parade December 23, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu   The winning virtual lantern of the UP Diliman College of Arts and Letters. Screenshot from the Livestream of the UPD virtual lantern parade.  The much-awaited Lantern Parade 2021 of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) campus was held online for the second year and on-ground at the College of Fine Arts (CFA) studio on December 21. This year’s parade hopes to inspire UP constituencies across the nation and every Filipino affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent calamities, such as typhoon Odette. The livestreamed year-ender featured messages of hope from top University officials, uplifting music and dance performances, and the presentation of creatively crafted Christmas lanterns made of hybrid multimedia materials and then finalized in video format.  Honoring the frontliners of UP Diliman. Screenshot from the Livestream of the UPD virtual lantern parade.  With the theme “Ugnayan at Pagpupugay: Tulay ng Buhay at Pag-asa Ngayong Pandemya” (roughly translated as “connecting and giving praise: bridge for life and hope in this time of pandemic”), this year’s lantern parade, held virtually since 2020 in observance of safety protocols during the pandemic, aims to rekindle hope and the spirit of unity in everyone, and to give due recognition to the University’s personnel, its pandemic frontliners, and various units, and their efforts in addressing the challenges currently faced by the nation.  Watch the replay of the UPD virtual lantern parade here.  UPD Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo explained that the annual celebration is vital to the UP community, although the Lantern Parade now is much simpler and more solemn.  “Mahirap ang pinagdaanan nating lahat sa taong ito. Nariyan ang pandemya at sunud-sunod na trahedya. Pero huwag nating kalilimutang may liwanag sa gitna ng dilim. Tulad ng mga parol na inyong nilikha, sana lahat tayo ay maging instrumento ng pagkakaisa. Sana lahat tayo ay maging tanglaw ng pag-asa. Maligayang Pasko sa lahat,” Nemenzo said.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, in the message read by Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, praised the entire UP community for all its efforts to save lives, promote health, and guide policymakers during the pandemic. He added that the lanterns symbolize the individual and collective initiatives that give hope to our lives.  “Ang paglingap natin sa isa’t isa ay di magmamaliw, bagkus pinatatatag tayo bawat araw na tayo’y di nagpapagupo. Salamat sa isa na namang taong nasa inyong piling at pagsasama. Mabuhay ang UP nating mahal. Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon, mga ka-UP!” Concepcion said.  UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (VCCA) Aleli B. Bawagan presented the participants and winners of the 2021 Lantern Parade. Of the almost 30 academic and administrative units and student groups that submitted their video lanterns for the virtual parade, the “Walang Hanggang Pag-alab” of the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) won first prize. The lanterns from the College of Home Economics (CHE), the Asian Center (AC), and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) received second, third, and honorable mention prizes, respectively.  Also, livestreamed were the video lanterns from the following units: College of Architecture, College of Education (with UP Integrated School and National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development), College of Law, College of Science, Institute of Mathematics, College of Social Work and Community Development, Asian Institute of Tourism, College of Music and CFA, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration (OVCA), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), National College of Public Administration and Governance Student Council, and UP Business Administration Council.  One of the video lanterns from Hall-of-Famer UP College of Fine Arts. Screenshot from the Livestream of the UPD virtual lantern parade.  Video lanterns from the students of the CFA comprised a distinct category for the event. The winners were: for first prize, “Ang Ilaw ng Pag-asa” by Visual Communication (VC) 26 Block X under Prof. Melvin Calingo; for 2nd prize, “Ipagpatuloy ang Liwanag ng Pag-asa: Ang Kuwento ng Community Pantry” by VC FA 14 Block W under Prof. Jose Manuel Sicat; and for 3rd prize, “A Year in Automata” by FA 14 Materials Class Sections UID1 and UID2 under Profs. Michael Shivers and Fortunato dela Peña Jr. “Frontliners Araw-araw” by VC 26 Block Y under Prof. Joy Ilagan was awarded honorable mention.  UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) Louise Jashil R. Sonido conveyed the University’s recognition and gratitude to the officials and personnel who comprise the UPD COVID-19 Task Force, UP Health Service, Silungang Molave, UP CHK Bakunahan sa Diliman, HOPE 7 (Kamia Temporary Isolation Facility), and the Philippine Genome Center. She also thanked the offices and staff that keep the University in operation: the OVCCA, with the Campus Maintenance Office, Public Safety and Security Office, Diliman Environmental Management Office; the OVCSA, with the Office of Student Housing and University Food Service; the OVCA; the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; and the committees that they formed.  Screenshot from the Livestream of the UPD virtual lantern parade.  Members of the UP Dance Company, UP Dancesport Society, UP Filipiniana Dance Group, UP Streetdance Club, UP Symphony Orchestra, UP Madrigal Singers, UP Concert Chorus, UP Staff Chorale, and many more personnel and students participated with their heartfelt performances during the virtual lantern parade and year-end program. College of Mass Communication alumna Rain Matienzo and CAL Prof. Marvin Olaes served as emcees. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO’s “Konsyerto Kamerata” to present chamber music and the Philippine premiere of “Pyagsawitan” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upsos-konsyerto-kamerata-to-present-chamber-music-and-the-philippine-premiere-of-pyagsawitan/",
        "html": "UPSO’s “Konsyerto Kamerata” to present chamber music and the Philippine premiere of “Pyagsawitan” UPSO’s “Konsyerto Kamerata” to present chamber music and the Philippine premiere of “Pyagsawitan” March 22, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a trend began of writing music for smaller groups of three, four, or slightly more. Friends and family members would gather around and play these pieces for entertainment at home or in smaller rooms—or “chambers”—resulting in what we know today as “chamber” music.  UP College of Music’s Dr. Marie Jocelyn Marfil, composer of “Pyagsawitan”, which will premiere in this concert. Photo from the UPSO. Contributed photo.  This coming March 25, 2022, the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) presents its second chamber music concert, “Konsyerto Kamerata”, featuring its members playing in smaller ensembles.  Get the chance to hear all sections of the orchestra, starting with the strings playing movements from String Trio in G Minor by Alexander Borodin and 2 Morceaux de Salon, Op. 53 by Georg Goltermann. The woodwinds follow with an arrangement of Gustav Holst’s Jupiter for woodwind quintet and Ole Guapa by Malando, while the brasses perform two movements from Oskar Böhme’s Sextet for Brass in E-flat minor, Op.30, and a horn quartet arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino. The percussion section then takes center stage with their rendition of The Infantryman by Shaun Tilburg.  UPSO takes pride in its diverse membership, featuring members from various campuses, colleges, and offices of the University. The concert will include Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in B Minor for four violins, featuring a UP Diliman Chemical Engineering faculty member, a UP Los Baños BS Applied Physics graduate, a UP Manila Occupational Therapy student, and a UP Manila College of Pharmacy graduate. They will be accompanied on keyboard by a UP College of Music student.  Lastly, the concert will include the Philippine premiere of “Pyagsawitan” by Dr. Marie Jocelyn Marfil. Dr. Marfil is an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Music, Composition and Theory Department, and also the Coordinator of the Associate in Arts, Music Program. Her compositions have been performed worldwide, including in the Philippines, Belgium, China, Japan, Malaysia, Ukraine, Vietnam, and the USA. She is a multi-awarded film music composer, researcher, and passionate bandurria player.  Catch the premiere of “Konsyerto Kamerata” along with all previous and upcoming UPSO concerts on the orchestra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The premiere is set for Friday March 25, 7pm, and will be available for viewing until April 3. "
    },
    {
        "title": "International tenor conducts a master class for UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/international-tenor-conducts-a-master-class-for-up-students/",
        "html": "International tenor conducts a master class for UP students International tenor conducts a master class for UP students October 19, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   University Professor Mario Antonio Diaz-Varas of the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg coaches a UP voice student in advanced techniques in solo singing at the UP College of Music. Photo from the UP System Office of International Linkages Facebook page.     From October 3 to 7, 11 students from the Voice Department of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music were given a master class in voice and solo singing by Univ. Prof. Mario Antonio Diaz-Varas, professor for solo voice at Universität Mozarteum Salzburg and international relations coordinator for the ASEAN European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET), of which UP is a member.  The master class culminated in a concert performance by Prof. Diaz’s students on the evening of October 7 at the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM) auditorium, with leading international pianist Ms. Tomoko Aikawa as accompanying artist. Officials from the UP System, the UP College of Music, the UP College of Science, and the IESM, as well as the friends and families of the student participants, attended the concert.  Prof. Diaz and Ms. Aikawa onstage just before the concert that would conclude the five-day voice masterclass. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)     In her opening remarks during the concert performance, UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and UP System Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez thanked Prof. Diaz and Ms. Aikawa for visiting the Philippines and sharing their expertise with UP’s voice students. According to Martinez, Prof. Diaz was intrigued by Filipino singers’ skill and vocal knowledge and came to UP to find out the secret of Filipino singing at the very source. ”  “As Prof. Diaz repeatedly said in his master class, the secret of Filipino singing perhaps is in the food. While our food may have made a difference in our vocal talents, in my opinion, the skills and talents of our students are honed and shaped by our wonderful and very dedicated faculty of the College of Music,” Martinez said.  UP AVP for Academic Affairs and OIL Director Imee Su Martinez opens the concert by thanking the internationally renowned tenor for sharing his knowledge with UP students. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)     Diaz, a world-renowned tenor, echoed Martinez during his remarks, stating that throughout all his travels and exchanges in the ASEAN continent, “the most beautiful color of voices I hear is in UP.” He praised the student participants as “very, very intelligent” and expressed how “very, very happy” he was to work with them.  He also thanked the UP College of Music for hosting his voice master class and described the College and UP as “a healthy university.” “I like when professors have different opinions. So long it’s like that, the University is alive because of the discussion, disputation, and argumentation to defend your thesis,” he said.  Prof. Diaz praises UP students as “very, very intelligent,” noting that the “most beautiful color of voices” can be heard in UP. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)     Finally, he counseled the student participants that “sometimes an artist should take critique and do the critique because my philosophy about critique on the stage is that protection is good, but overprotection is destructive.”  The 11 student-participants who performed songs by classical composers, arias from operas, and a Filipino kundiman during the concert were: Ms. Maria Isabel Zavala; Mr. Jedidiah Petuta; Ms. Daniella Silab; Ms. Lis Fortun; Mr. Ben Girard Valdez; Mr. Aadric Jan Cayanan; Ms. Ma. Francesca Louise Mata; Mr. Mart Nicholson Jaluag; Ms. Margarita Lugue; Ms. Lhareen Lazo; and, Mr. Archibald Dalupang.  Prof. Diaz’s eleven students were waiting to show off what they had learned. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)     In his closing remarks, UP College of Music Dean La Verne C. Dela Peña thanked Prof. Diaz and Ms. Aikawa and especially thanked the student participants for giving the audience “a wonderful way to end a very special way for us at the College of Music.” He said that the voice master class is the “first time our students came back to celebrate our college fair to mark our 106th anniversary”—and the first time for many music students to set foot inside the University, let alone the College.  “Two years of the pandemic has devasted our music community, especially our singers, who have been denied performance venues because of the nature of their art, so Maestro Diaz’s coming this week has allowed them to find their voice again,” he finished.  UP College of Music Dean Laverne Dela Peña on welcoming Music students to UP—many for the first time. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)     Diaz began his musical career at an early age, studying concert guitar as a young student at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, followed by singing studies at the Stockholm University College of Opera with Maestro Nicolai Gedda. After completing his opera studies at Stockholm University College of Opera, he had his first engagement at the Royal Dramatical Theatre, where he demonstrated his acting talent under the direction of Ingmar Bergman. He worked with well-known conductors such as Carlo Franci, Bruno Rigacci, Sixten Ehrling, and Siegfried Koehler.  He has been a professor at the Mozarteum University since October 2009 and accompanies young talents on their way into the opera world. Diaz has worked as a singing professor in the summer academy several times and is in great demand internationally for master classes. In 2018, he received the “Honorary Professor of the Kemerovo State University of Culture” of the Russian Federation. Until 2019 he worked in the senate of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg as curia spokesman for the professors. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Renovation of the UP College of Music complex is now underway – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/renovation-of-the-up-college-of-music-complex-is-now-underway/",
        "html": "Renovation of the UP College of Music complex is now underway Renovation of the UP College of Music complex is now underway December 12, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The soon-to-be new façade of the historic Abelardo Hall Auditorium of the UP College of Music. Image from the UP ODPI.     The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music held the first concrete-pouring ceremony for its new building to be constructed and for the renovation of the Abelardo Hall Auditorium on December 1, 2022.  The UP Diliman College of Music complex is composed of the Abelardo Hall Auditorium (AHA), the Music Resource Hall (MRC), and the College of Music Main building and Annex building. A newly added structure, the Chamber Music Hall (CMH), is situated at the rear portion of the complex but has already ceased construction, leaving the building incomplete. The AHA, meanwhile, is in dire need of renovation, while the MRC, although recently completed, did not include proper cable management for its data and LAN systems. The existing annex building also needs renovations.  UP President Danilo Concepcion. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)  According to a project brief prepared by the UP Office of Design and Planning Initiatives (UP ODPI), the project will include the completion of construction and finishing of the CMH; construction of the path walk and installation of data and LAN for the MRC; renovation of the ceiling and roofing of the Annex Building; renovation of the Abelardo Hall Auditorium; and, construction of the Abelardo Hall Auditorium Extension. The estimated project cost is a little over P90M.  The brief program was attended by: UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, who gave the welcoming remarks; UP College of Music Dean Laverne David C. Dela Pena; Department of Public Works and Highways-Quezon City Second District Engineer Ramon P. Devanadera; and, other UP System and UP Diliman officials as well as officials, faculty and staff of the College of Music. UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili served as master of ceremonies.  During the ceremony, Concepcion congratulated the UP College of Music on its continued growth and commitment to nurturing the country’s best talents in music and dance, conducting outstanding research in music and the performing arts, and documenting and promoting the country’s indigenous music and instruments. Likewise, he said, the historic Abelardo Hall, which has seen the performances of many of the country’s premier musicians, including several National Artists, also deserves to be given importance and to prepare it to serve many more generations of UP music students.  An aerial view of the proposed UP College of Music complex. The entrance to the UP College of Music complex. The courtyard. The Chamber Music Hall façade. The cafeteria at night. The dance studio. Above and below: perspectives of the renovated Abelardo Hall Auditorium. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Balete’s mouse”: New genus of “shrew mice” named in honor of Filipino biologist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/baletes-mouse-new-genus-of-shrew-mice-named-in-honor-of-filipino-biologist/",
        "html": "“Balete’s mouse”: New genus of “shrew mice” named in honor of Filipino biologist “Balete’s mouse”: New genus of “shrew mice” named in honor of Filipino biologist August 19, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   One of the members of the newly discovered genus, “Balete’s mouse, “was caught on camera. Photo by Danilo Balete.  They might not get as much attention as the Amazon Rainforest or the Great Barrier Reef, but the mountains of the Philippines are some of the most biodiverse places on the planet.  Inch for inch, these misty cloud forests are home to more unique species of mammals per square mile than anywhere else on Earth. Finding these mammals, most of which are tiny and hard to spot, is challenging work for even the most seasoned scientists. But the late biologist Danilo “Danny” Balete, University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños alumnus, lecturer at the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, and former research associate in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, had a special knack for fieldwork. One of the mice he discovered turned out to be not just a new species but a new genus entirely.  “In the past several decades, we’ve learned just how incredibly important the Philippines are in terms of being home to mammals that are found nowhere else, and a lot of that knowledge can be traced back to fieldwork led by Danny Balete,” says Larry Heaney, the curator of mammals at Chicago’s Field Museum and senior author of the paper describing the new mouse in the Journal of Mammalogy.  “Naming a new species after anyone is a big deal, a major honor given to people who make long-term, high-impact contributions to biodiversity science,” says Dakota Rowsey, the study’s first author and the vertebrate collections manager at Arizona State University and research associate at the Field Museum. “Naming a new genus after someone is one of the highest honors biologists can bestow.”  “Sky islands” in the Philippines  The mountainous geography of the Philippines contributes to its biodiversity. Its high mountains are cooler and much wetter than the surrounding lowlands, making it difficult for small mammals to get from one mountain peak to the next. As a result, they tend to stay isolated on their own “sky islands,” evolving separately from each other and forming new species.  “The taller and the bigger the mountain range, the more species of mammals will be living there that don’t live anywhere else in the world,” says Heaney.  Filipino biodiversity scientist  Filipino biologist Danny Balete posing with children. Photo by Larry Heaney, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.  Heaney has been studying the mammals of the Philippines for 40 years, and he first met Danny Balete in the late 1980s. At the time, Balete had completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from UPLB. He was already making a name for himself with his love of nature and skill at fieldwork.  “I was establishing a research program and asked, ‘Who would be a good, enthusiastic young person to take into the field?’ And several people immediately said, ‘Danny Balete.’ So I invited him to do field work with me, and he did fantastically well,” remembers Heaney. “He was just a superb field biologist. Danny could identify every plant, every frog, every bug, everything that you encountered. It was just astounding.” Balete and Heaney went on to work together for the next 25 years until Balete’s sudden death in 2017.  “Danny contributed hugely to scientific knowledge about biological diversity in the Philippines. His enjoyment of biodiversity was infectious, making him a mentor and inspiration to a generation of researchers and conservationists,” says Mariano Roy Duya, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman, and co-author of the new publication. “By the time of his death at far too young, he was already one of the most prominent biodiversity scientists working in the Philippines.”  Even after his death, Balete continues to shape what scientists know about Philippine mammals. When scientists discover something in the field, it often takes years for their work to be analyzed, written up, and published. That is the case with the newly described shrew mouse.  A new kind of mouse  Danny Balete in the midst of conducting fieldwork deep in the Philippine forests and mountains. Photo by Larry Heaney, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.  In 2007 and 2010, Balete went on expeditions to Mount Kampalili on the island of Mindanao as part of a Field Museum collaboration with the Philippine Eagle Foundation. The museum wanted to know what mammals lived alongside one of the largest and most critically endangered birds, the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).  While on Mount Kampalili, Balete and the team made a startling discovery: a dark brown mouse with small eyes and a long, tapering nose like a shrew, different from anything he had seen on that island. It looked more like mice he had seen hundreds of miles away on the island of Luzon.  “High up in the mountains, Danny was able to get cell phone service, so he sent me a text message, saying, We just caught this animal that looks a lot like the ones from Luzon, and it should not be here,'” recalls Heaney. “So he immediately recognized that this was something cool.”  Three specimens of the new mouse were shipped to the Field Museum for further analysis to confirm Balete’s hunch. And despite Balete’s death, his colleagues continued to study the specimens from his fieldwork. Rowsey, then a postdoctoral researcher with Heaney, led a DNA analysis of the shrew mouse and found that Balete was right. The rodent was different from any species known to science.  “That DNA study demonstrated that the new mouse was not related to the species up in the northern Philippines but to species from Mindanao. It appears as though this is a remarkable case of what biologists call convergence—distantly related species that have independently evolved to resemble each other in ways that allow them to use habitats and resources in similar ways,” says Rowsey.  “Balete’s mouse”  Animals, plants, fungi, and other organisms, are named scientifically based on what their closest relatives are. Humans, for instance, are Homo sapiens. Sapiens is our species, and we are part of the larger genus Homo, which includes our now extinct closest relatives, such as Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis. And since a genus is a higher level group than a species, describing a whole new genus, like this mouse, is a bigger deal than finding a new species.  “New species of mammals are being discovered globally at a considerable clip, maybe 50 to 100 new species per year,” says Heaney. “Finding a brand new genus, a previously unknown-to-science genus like this, only happens a couple of times per year. In our 40 years of intensive study of Philippine mammals, this is one of nearly 50 new species, but just the fourth new genus we discovered.”  The new genus’ scientific name Baletemys means “Balete’s mouse,” in “honor of Balete’s work in discovering it and so many other creatures. “As we began picking up the pieces after his death, it became obvious to us that we had to name this new mouse after him. He deserves this,” says Duya.  Of mice and eagles  In addition to honoring Balete, the researchers say the new genus is essential because it is another puzzle piece in understanding the diversity of life in the Philippines. Demonstrating that Mount Kampalili is home to a mouse found nowhere else on Earth may bolster conservation efforts by indigenous communities, which would help the mouse’s neighbors, including the critically endangered Philippine eagles.  “It’s really important to show that when we protect one species, like the magnificent Philippine eagle, we protect our unique biological wealth and cultural heritage,” says Jayson Ibanez, co-author. Ibanez is a senior lecturer at UP Mindanao, an adjunct professor at the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management, and Director of Research and Conservation of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.  The Philippine eagle and the new “Balete’s mouse” are neighbors to the indigenous Mandaya Ethnic Tribe of Mt. Kampalili. “Indigenous peoples get very excited whenever they learn that they share their homeland with a unique lifeform. And in this case, when we help protect Mt. Kampalili, we also protect the primary watershed, airsheds, and biocultural sanctuaries for much of southeastern Mindanao, giving huge benefits to all the people who live here. With all the threats from watershed destruction and climate change, we need all the help we can get,” says Ibanez.  A snapshot of the mossy forest in Mt. Kampalili. Photo by Danilo Balete.  Press Release by the Field Museum Public Relations, press@fieldmuseum.org. Sharon A. Jansa of the University of Minnesota and Eric A. Rickart of the Natural History Museum of Utah also contributed to the study.  Download the Journal of Mammalogy paper here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao Unveils Newest Food Security Research to the Press – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-unveils-newest-food-security-research-to-the-press/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao Unveils Newest Food Security Research to the Press UP Mindanao Unveils Newest Food Security Research to the Press July 17, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Food security is one of our most basic concerns . Without it we endanger everything else that is vital to us – from political stability to social justice”.  This urgent reminder from UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay, Jr. kicked off the Media Luncheon on Food Security for Sustainable Development held at UP Mindanao on the afternoon of July 6, 2017 by the Communicating Science and Technology in UP (CoST UP) Program. The event provided an opportunity for three scientists from UP Mindanao’s Food and Agribusiness research niche to have a conversation about their research with members of the Mindanao media.  Taking a ‘ridge to reef’ approach, the featured scientists gave presentations and took questions on topics that contribute to food security and sustainability in both agricultural and marine settings. Joining guests from the media were faculty, students and officials from UP Mindanao, including Chancellor Sylvia B. Concepcion and the deans of all three of its colleges.  Dr. Juma Novie Alviola took to the stage first, with a presentation on the use of sago flour to improve the nutritional profile of selected food products. Alviola’s team studied the effects of substituting various amounts of sago flour in products such as bread and puto. The team found that its use increased the crude ash and fiber content in these products, while decreasing their fat and protein content.  However, for bread, no greater than a 10% substitution of sago for wheat flour resulted in preference by consumers that equalled that of regular bread – a problem that puto did not encounter up to the project’s substitution limit of 50%. This and other results are prompting additional research by Alviola’s team to find wheat alternatives that offer value-added products for the growing gluten-free market.  Dr. Emma Ruth Bayogan presented research that hoped to combat the considerable postharvest losses in pummelo – the world’s largest citrus fruit. Knowing that prolonging the shelf life of the fruit via low temperatures was expensive, Bayogan’s team evaluated the use of the less expensive chemicals, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and chitosan on Magallanes pummelo for that purpose, instead. They found that using 500 parts per billion of 1-MCP and 1.5% chitosan both had great potential as postharvest treatments to maintain Magallanes pummelo quality under ambient conditions.  Dr. Emma Ruth Bayogan of UP Mindanao answers a question about her research on the Magallanes pummelo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  Finally, Dr. Cleto Nañola presented his team’s research on the connectedness of reef fish populations along a 300-km. span that included Pujada Bay, Sarangani Bay and the Davao Gulf. Noting differences in body shape, mouths, fins and gills among three species of fish, Nañola’s team determined that even at shorter distances of around 100 km., populations of the reef fish were “completely different from each other” – highlighting the importance of helping preserve both the fish themselves and the environment they inhabit.  These presentations were followed by an extensive question and answer segment, where members of the press got to exchange views with the scientists on issues ranging from better dissemination of these findings to reaching out to other government office with similar mandates.  Members of the press in attendance included Boom Castillo (Sun Star Davao), Yas Ocampo (Mindanao Times), Joe Palabao (Business Week Mindanao/ Mindanao Daily), Nitz Escarpe (DXRP/Radyo Pilipinas Dabaw), Dhelle Alo (MSU-Gen San), Arnold Colama and Cy Bermudez (Radyo ni Juan), Bien Abanos (DXGN), Angelita “Alma” Mahinay (DXOW/DXKT), Roan Abasolo (City Info. Office), Rhodamae Hernandez and Bong Alis (Peoples Television), and Paulo Rizal (Davao Today)  Joe Palabao of Mindanao News Daily kicks of the question and answer segment with a query to the presenting scientists. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  In his opening remarks, Vice President Dalisay highlighted the importance of strengthening the bridge between science and journalism through similar events to address the country’s food security problem and other issues. Despite its less-than-glamorous nature, Dalisay noted that the science beat in journalism was “one of the most important” due to the explicit need to develop a scientific culture in the country.  “Artists and scientists have this in common – nobody listens to us. Far too often we leave our most important policy decisions to politicians, priests, generals,  and businessmen. Far too often we rely on emotion and opinion to carry the day,” Dalisay said.  The CoST UP project is one of the University’s primary initiatives to help bring science closer to both the media and the public. Also included in the project’s plans for 2017 in addition to this media luncheon, are holding the 21st Lopez Jaena Community Journalism Workshop for science communication in the Visayas and hosting the first-ever UP Science Journalism Awards. (Andre Encarnacion, UP MPRO)    "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Agham + Sining” features UP’s best technologies and creative works for 2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/agham-sining-features-ups-best-technologies-and-creative-works-for-2022/",
        "html": "“Agham + Sining” features UP’s best technologies and creative works for 2022 “Agham + Sining” features UP’s best technologies and creative works for 2022 December 15, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu   Some of UP’s most brilliant and productive faculty and researchers were recognized during the festival. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     The University of the Philippines (UP) System, through the initiatives of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented some of the best technologies and creative works from across all the Constituent Universities in a two-day event held at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall, UP Bonifacio Global City campus from November 28 to 29.  Dubbed “Agham + Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022”, hundreds of participants from UP units across the nation and the University’s government and industry partners attended the event on-site at the said venue and online via Zoom and TVUP’s live streaming platforms using YouTube and Facebook.  Day 1 of “Agham + Sining” also featured the ceremonial signing of the memoranda of agreement with UP’s various partners from industry and government. Further research and creative works that promote quality education, health and wellbeing, innovation, culture, and the arts and address some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals were presented on Day 2.  The University’s most brilliant and productive faculty and researchers were also given recognition during the festival. The names of the recipients of the Invention Disclosure Incentive and awardees of the UP Scientific & Arts Productivity System, UP’s Scientists and Artists for the years 2020-2022 onwards, were announced during the Conferment Ceremony.  UP’s best technology partners were recognized during the “Agham + Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022”. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     Gawang-Pinoy, Tatak UP  Among the best technologies (product and partnership indicated) presented were: Bio-N (UP Los Baños and Agri Specialist Inc.); SARAI (UP Los Baños and Philippine Maize Federation Inc.); Dengue Kit and Covid PCR Kit (UP System and MTEK); Yerbabuena (UP Manila and Trevenodd); Mussel Glycogen (UP Visayas and BG Fruits and Nuts Manufacturing Corp.); VISSER (UP Diliman and Making Technology); Cordillera Weaving (UP Baguio Corditex and LGU Creative Baguio City Council); PteraBooster (UP Cebu and Chesed Farm); and TVUP Cignal TV Channel 101 (UP System and Cignal TV).  For the ceremonial signing with industry partners, the following products were featured:  Plasma Cleaning for Food Equipment (UP Diliman and Filipinas Oro de Cacao); Tuna Jerky (UP Visayas and Roselient Food Manufacturing); Lagundi for Covid (UP Manila and Trevenodd); sambong for Hyperurecemia (UP Manila and Pascual Pharma Corp.); Cordillera Weaving (UP Baguio / PTRI); and, DiWa–Disease Watch Web Application (UP Mindanao and DOH Regional and LGU).  UP officials pose with some of UP’s various partners from government and industry. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     Highly Informative Plenary Sessions  The festival’s second day featured six plenary discussions addressing issues in education, health, culture, and some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Discussants were: Dr. Grace Alfonso (UP Open University), Dr. Luis Sison (UP Diliman), Dr. May Lim (UP Diliman), Prof. Rita Ramos (UP Open University), Dr. Corazon de Ungria (UP Diliman), Prof. Nicolas Deocampo (UP Diliman), Dr. Joey Ocon (UP Diliman), Dr. Dante Canlas (UP Diliman), Dr. Raul Fabella (UP Diliman), Dr. Rizalina De Leon (UP Diliman), Dr. Rex Demafelis (UP Los Baños), Dr. Leo Armada (UP Diliman), Dr. Charlotte Chiong (UP Manila), Dr. Carissa Paz Dioquino (UP Manila), Dr. Roel Ocampo (UP Diliman), Dr. Cedric Angelo Festin (UP Diliman), Dr. Nathaniel Orillaza (UP Manila), Dr. Joel Hassan Tolentino (UP Mindanao), Dr. Annalyn Salvador-Amores (cultural heritage), Monica Gayle Alcudia (UP Cebu Fab Labs), Dr. Fortunato Dela Peña Jr. (UP Diliman Fab Labs), Ms. Rose Mueda (tuna jerky), Dr. Lilia Fernando (nanobiosensors), Dr. Melvin Pasaporte (direct lactic acid technology), and Dr. Joyce Ibana (Phil. Carabao Center).  Some of the plenary speakers spoke during the festival’s second day. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista, and Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) Director Luis G. Sison delivered inspiring messages at the start of the festival.  Dr. Gonzalo Serafica, TTBDO consultant, shared tips on succeeding in the biotechnology enterprise. He said UP’s inventors and innovators should always inform University administrators of the kinds of support that they need for them to be able to scale up their research capacity and production capability and to make projects sustainable. He emphasized the importance of sustainability for projects to impact the health and development of the country.  Some Tatak-UP products and creative works were displayed during the “Agham + Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022”. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) Presenting the UP products to the audience. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) Audience members listen closely during the festival. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  The “Agham + Sining” festival was live-streamed by TVUP and can be viewed via TVUP’s YouTube channel. Watch the replays:  Agham+Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022 | Day 1 [  Agham+Sining: UP Innovation and Knowledge Festival 2022 | Day 2 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP sends off MSI’s expedition to the Kalayaan Island Group – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/msi-expedition-kalayaan-island-group/",
        "html": "UP sends off MSI’s expedition to the Kalayaan Island Group UP sends off MSI’s expedition to the Kalayaan Island Group October 20, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    An expedition for the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) is about to commence in October 2023. To celebrate this launch of this expedition, a send-off party was held at the BOR Room of Quezon Hall in UP Diliman, with UP-MSI and UP System officials in attendance.  The expeditionary team, which is comprised of 13 researchers from UP-MSI, two from the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and 11 ship crew of M/V PANATA, will sail to the Pagasa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan. This expedition, which will take place from October 19 to 30, is part of the UP-MSI’s twice yearly cruise to Pagasa and is partly funded by the national government funded-project entitled “Philippine Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System” (POMPS). The project specifically aims to conduct field and oceanographic surveys as part of the periodic monitoring of the immediate environments around Pagasa island; to conduct maintenance activities on the Pagasa Island Research Station systems; and to survey the island for a possible location of an Earthquake Monitoring station on the island.  This is the fifth such expedition the UP-MSI has undertaken this year.  Representatives from the UP-MSI gave a brief overview of their upcoming expedition. These representatives include UP-MSI’s director Dr. Laura T. David, Chief Scientist of the expedition Dr. Cesar L. Villanoy, Dr. Caroline Marie B. Jaraula, Leilani A. Solera, Dolly C. Manic, Jimiah Villanueva, Mariel Jean Carreon, Natasha Charmaine Tamayo, and Yam Tolentino.     UP-MSI Director Laura T. David (3rd from right) explains the details of the expedition. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     When asked about the importance of this expedition, David shared that only 40% of the coral reefs in the Philippines are in the West Philippine Sea. “And yet, we cannot monitor these regularly. So how do you manage it? How do you make adjustments to how you take care of it? How do you extract the resources from it?” she pointed out.  She explained that it is important to make regular expeditions such as this to ensure the safety and protection of these natural resources. “The more ships we can have there, and the more institutes that can join us, the better,” she said.  Among the UP System officials in attendance were Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara and Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, as well as Adviser for Collaboration and Alliance Building-State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Colleges and Universities (LCUs) Mr. Felizardo Colambo, and UP Political Science Assistant Professor Ranjit Singh Rye.     UP System officials send off the UP-MSI’s expedition team. From left to right: Mr. Felizardo Colambo; UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara; UP Political Science Assistant Professor Ranjit Singh Rye; and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)     Both the MSI and the UP System look forward to the success of this expedition and the benefits it will bring for both UP and the country.     UP System and UP Marine Science Institute officials at the send-off. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP still one of top 400 universities in the world – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-still-one-of-top-400-universities-in-the-world/",
        "html": "UP still one of top 400 universities in the world UP still one of top 400 universities in the world June 9, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    MANILA – The University of the Philippines (UP) jumped seven notches in the annual rankings of UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds, leaping to No. 367 from No. 374 last year.  UP is the lone Philippine institution in the list of top 400 universities in the world, which was released on Thursday.  Aside from UP, three other universities from the country made it to this year’s list.  From its 501-550 ranking last year, Ateneo de Manila University fell to the 551-600 bracket. The De La Salle University, on the other hand, remained in the 701-750 bracket, while the University of Santo Tomas ranked 801-1000, lower than its 701+ ranking last year.  The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained its top spot for the sixth consecutive year, closely followed by Stanford University and Harvard University at second and third, respectively.  Meanwhile, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University at 11th place has overtaken National University of Singapore (15th), making it the highest-ranked Asian institution this year.  For this year, QS has ranked over 950 universities from 84 different countries. (ABS-CBN)  (Source: http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/06/08/17/up-still-one-of-top-400-universities-in-the-world) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP enters top 100 for development studies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-enters-top-100-for-development-studies/",
        "html": "UP enters top 100 for development studies UP enters top 100 for development studies March 7, 2019 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines has been named one of the world’s top 100 universities for development studies by British company Quacquarelli Symmonds (QS).  It appeared in the 51-100 bracket in the 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject Area published on 27 February. This is the first time since 2017 that UP has been ranked in the subject.  The 2019 rankings cover 48 subjects in five broad areas. Although UP scored in 34 subjects, it was included in the rankings for only 14.  The national university advanced several places in politics and international studies and was able to maintain its position in English language and literature, agriculture and forestry, medicine, environmental sciences, and sociology. This year likewise saw UP’s initial entry in geography, business and management studies, economics and econometrics, and law. However, UP slipped in the rankings for archaeology as well as in modern languages, and lost a place in the table for linguistics.  QS says that it is “very unusual for an institution to qualify for consideration in all 48 subjects.”     UP’s rank evolution by subject. Source: 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject University Fact File     The University has been ranked in four out of five broad subject areas: social sciences and management, arts and humanities, life sciences and medicine, and engineering and technology. UP fell in the rankings in all areas, except in life sciences and medicine where it managed to hold last year’s spot. It did not place in the natural sciences.     Source: 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject University Fact File     There are four assessment indicators — academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper and h-index — which, depending on the discipline, are used in different combinations. For example, in development studies, all four measures are considered but for English language and literature, the h-index is excluded from the ranking system. In art and design, the ranking is based exclusively on academic and employer reputation. The variable approach recognizes that research cultures and publication rates differ significantly across academic disciplines.  How the indicators are weighted also varies according to subject. In general, academic reputation has the highest value in the arts and humanities while academic reputation and employer reputation are given almost equal weight in engineering and technology. In life sciences and medicine, and the natural sciences, there is greater emphasis given to citation and h-index. The weightings tend to be mixed in social sciences and management.  Academic reputation and employer reputation are determined by votes from global surveys while citations and h-index, a metric that attempts to measure both productivity and impact of papers, rely on Scopus publications.  QS explains that an institution may not have results in a subject because “the program may not have published a sufficient number of papers or it may not have attracted a minimum level of recognition through the surveys.”  UP maintained the top spot in country rankings for the 14 subjects and four broad areas.  Earlier, QS released the 2019 World University Rankings in which UP placed 384th among more than 1,000 institutions from 85 countries.  (Article originally posted at http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-enters-top-100-for-development-studies/) "
    },
    {
        "title": "The researcher as storyteller – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-researcher-as-storyteller/",
        "html": "The researcher as storyteller The researcher as storyteller October 4, 2017 | Written by J. Mikhail Solitario    “I talked to this jeepney driver who told me he had changed his mind about this administration. He was listening to this daily radio drama where one of the characters was a drug addict who got killed in a police operation. For him, it was a turning point.” This is how Assistant Professor Cleve Kevin Robert Arguelles retells a story of one of his interviewees for his research on populist publics which earned him the distinction of best thesis in his master’s program abroad.  First love: research  Like most Political Science majors, Cleve chose his undergraduate program as a stepping stone to Law. After several Political Science courses, he began to develop an interest in politics and its relatively “non-legal” aspects, such as political dynamics and political behavior. In his senior year, he became a research assistant to Professor Dr. Clarita Carlos of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science. Dr. Carlos mentored Arguelles in a wide array of research projects which he found fascinating. It was the demand to multitask that captured his interest: working with a different agency every day, from the Metro Manila Development Authority to the International Labor Organization.     Prof. Arguelles in an interview at ANC’s Talkback     The decision to teach came a little later, before graduation, when he realized that teaching was something he had been doing both as an activist and a former Regent, by going around UP’s constituent units and discussing UP issues with a big audience. His first applications for teaching went to other state universities in Manila because he wasn’t very confident that he would get accepted in UP. His primary motivation was still anchored on his first love: research. “We produce knowledge, but before we do that, you have to acquire knowledge first,” Cleve adds.  His first years of teaching in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila exposed him to realities outside UP—big classes, inadequate facilities, and different teaching styles. Looking back, he was thankful for the experience of teaching in other universities and handling students who were not political science majors. When he finally taught Political Science majors in UP Manila, the transition was not that difficult. Arguelles is currently the Chair of the Political Science Program which entails not just an academic but an administrative workload as well.  He believes UP can excel further by blending research into teaching, which develops not just critical thinking skills but sparks the interest of students for research even in non-method courses. With a research mindset, UP students may be able to transition from being mere consumers of knowledge to producers as well.     Prof. Arguelles poses with a marker in Central European University     A different kind of training  Arguelles finished finished an MA degree in Political Science (US diploma) and a Master’s Further Level Specialization Degree in Comparative Political Science (Hungarian diploma) in the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary, with highest honors (summa cum laude). “I was already doing graduate studies here in Diliman in Philippine Studies first, before transferring to Political Science. However, I wanted to be acquainted with a different kind of training. UP is already the top institution in the country, but in the region and in the world, we still need to catch up,” says Arguelles.     Prof. Arguelles with his graduating class in Central European University in Hungary     He then looked into schools and programs, with two primary considerations: one, a leading institution in his field of interest; and, two, a program which he could manage to take given financial realities and considerations. He ended up getting a yearlong scholarship in Budapest, an Eastern European city which has a standard of living comparable to that of Manila. Armed with his intent to specialize in populism, Hungary proved to be the perfect fit, for it also has incumbent populist political leaders, with CEU’s Department of Political Science boasting of a strong roster of faculty members specializing in the that research area.  CEU is an American university with 98% of its student body coming from outside Hungary and whose home countries may be experiencing challenges in democracy. Classroom exchanges on populism were expectedly vibrant and the exchanges were always unique with fresh perspectives from Russian, Venezuelan, Hungarian, and American classmates.  Cleve says that he has been asked for tips on preparing for studying abroad. He advises prospective students to conduct their own research, ask those who already studied abroad, and check scholarship openings. “It doesn’t always have to be London or Paris or the US”, he says. According to him, there are many good university cities which offer not just academic training but professional development as well. Have your mentors check your application materials, as well, he advises.     A research workshop on methodological innovations in the study of political participation at the University of Vienna     Looking into populist publics  During his thesis year in CEU, he was given a grant by the university to do research on populist supporters of the current administration. The research grant required a mobility factor which meant he had to work with a Philippine university other than his home institution, UP Manila. This led him to establish connections with the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), where he served as a visiting scholar. His award-winning research was hosted in the Development Studies Program of ADMU, where Dr. Jayeel Cornelio serves as one of his most trusted mentors.  Cleve did research on populist publics or supporters. In media and even in academic literature, this segment of the population, according to him, was always negatively represented as unthinking and monolithic. During his research he discovered that these voters were actually thinking, but were motivated by factors different from those of traditional voters. His research established that the current president’s positions reflected those of his populist supporters in urban poor communities.  Upon submission, Arguelles’ supervisor nominated his research for the award. His qualitative work eventually won the prize which had always been dominated by quantitative research. He is now developing the thesis project into a book. Eventually, he aims to publish other books on Asian populism.     A political science class with Prof. Arguelles in UP Manila     He advises concerned citizens who wish to tackle populism to use emotions, not just facts. He notes that a lot of well-meaning news organizations and civic groups resort to fact-checking and statistics; but unfortunately, populist supporters do not respond to these. Instead, they respond to how these facts and statistics affect their life experiences.  Just like the jeepney driver’s story, an emotional connection was established which developed empathy through creative storytelling techniques. “We need to keep telling stories to humanize these facts and statistics,” Cleve Arguelles argues. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP presents pioneering research – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-presents-pioneering-research/",
        "html": "UP presents pioneering research UP presents pioneering research March 30, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The University of the Philippines (UP) presents the latest projects under its Emerging and Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) Program on April 7 and 8, 2022, 1-5 PM, through a symposium via Zoom.  The UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs invites the public to the event. The program features research on new materials, such as zinc-air batteries, polydopamine nano-coatings, and carbon quantum dots; studies of cinema and graphic novels for education; and the newest approaches to developing communities in terms of making them climate-smart or their tourism sustainable.  Day 2 features interdisciplinary research on breast-milk composition as influenced by diet, medical compounds from shipworm bacteria, structural and prebiotic studies of oligosaccharides, fisheries management using molecular genetics and ear bones, in vivo and in vitro models for endometriosis, and components to make roads safer.  These projects belong to the eighth cycle of the EIDR Program, which supports innovative, interdisciplinary, and inter-campus research projects to generate fundamentally new knowledge with beneficial applications.  Those interested may register and view the research posters at the UP OVPAA website "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP achieves top 100 ranking in THE Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-achieves-top-100-ranking-in-the-asia/",
        "html": "UP achieves top 100 ranking in THE Asia UP achieves top 100 ranking in THE Asia May 2, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines is now in the top 100 for Asia in two of the world’s most influential university rankings, after placing 95th in the newly released 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings.  Since 2017, the national university has featured in the THE rankings for Asia but this is the first time that it made the top 100.  UP soared 61 places from its 156th position in 2018 to sit in the upper 23 percent of 417 universities from 27 countries for 2019. It is one of only five universities from Southeast Asia in the top 100, with two from Singapore and the other two from Malaysia. UP remains the highest ranked university from the Philippines.  The Asia University Rankings use the same 13 indicators of the World University Rankings, though “recalibrated to reflect the priorities of Asian institutions,” to gauge the performance of research-intensive universities across the region. The indicators are grouped into five areas: teaching (the learning environment), research (volume, income and reputation), citations (research influence), international outlook (staff, students and research), and industry income (knowledge transfer). Citations and research are the biggest determinants of scores at 30 percent each.     UP’s scores for the World University and Asia University rankings. Source: Times Higher Education     UP secured a place in the top 600 in the 2019 THE World University Rankings announced in October last year. Its rise in the global rankings has been consistent, from its debut at the 801-1,000 bracket in 2017 to its jump to 601-800 in 2018 and to 501-600 in 2019.  Earlier this year, London-based THE also published the rankings for universities in emerging economies where UP made a 79-place leap to 87th, and in the Asia-Pacific region where UP edged into the 101-110 bracket from 150-160 in the previous year.   For the fifth year running, UP was in the top 100 of the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Asia University Rankings, holding the 72nd spot in 2019. The rankings published by British company QS are also among the most recognized in the world.  (Originally published at the OVPPA website via http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-achieves-top-100-ranking-in-the-asia/). "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP breaks into world’s top 100 universities for the performing arts, development studies – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-breaks-into-worlds-top-100-universities-for-the-performing-arts-development-studies/",
        "html": "UP breaks into world’s top 100 universities for the performing arts, development studies UP breaks into world’s top 100 universities for the performing arts, development studies March 4, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       When it comes to the subjects of Performing Arts and Development Studies, the University of the Philippines ranks among the world’s top 100 universities, according to the rankings by subject released on March 4, 2020 by the British company, Quacquarelli Symmonds (QS).  This is the first time the national university has been ranked for Performing Arts; and the second time in two consecutive years for Development Studies, in both years placing at the top 100. Last year, the Juilliard School was number one for Performing Arts; and, the University of Sussex, for Development Studies.  The 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject ranked 1,368 institutions in 48 subjects grouped into five broad subject areas.     Source: The 2020 QS World University Rankings By Subject University of the Philippines Fact File     The 51-100 ranking in Performing Arts was buoyed by high scores in the criteria of academic reputation and employer reputation. The reputations are based on a survey of 94,000 academics and “44,000 global employer votes.”  The ranking of UP in Development Studies, also 51-100, was arrived at using two more criteria based on citations of published papers, aside from academic and employer reputations.  The 2020 ranking by subject is also marked by the University getting high enough scores in the four criteria to be included in the ranking for four more subjects than in the previous year.  On top of the breakthrough ranking in Performing Arts, UP also obtained debut ranking in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Biological Sciences, and regained a ranking in Linguistics.  Thus, from last year’s ranking in only 14 out of 48 subjects, UP now ranks in 18. In the Philippines, UP ranks number one in 16 of the 18 subjects, ranking number two only in Linguistics, and Business and Management Studies.  In the world, UP is in: the top 101-150 in Politics and International Studies; top 151-200 in Archaeology, English Language and Literature, Agriculture and Forestry, and Geography; top 201-250 in Linguistics, and Sociology; top 251-300 in Modern Languages, Environmental Sciences, and Law; top 301-350 in Medicine; top 351-400 in Business and Management Studies, and Economics and Econometrics; top 451-500 in Electrical and Electronics Engineering; top 501-550 in Biological Sciences; and, top 551-600 in Computer Science and Information Systems.     Source: The 2020 QS World University Rankings By Subject University of the Philippines Fact File     The University obtained ranking in three of the five broad subject areas. These are in Arts and Humanities, Life Sciences and Medicine, and Social Sciences and Management. In the last subject area, UP improved its ranking from 280 to 258; but in Arts and Humanities, it fell from 283 to 304 and, in Life Sciences and Medicine, from 401-450 to 451-500. UP lost its ranking in Engineering and Technology, where it was in the 451-500 bracket, and remains unranked in Natural Sciences.  Despite these, UP improved its ranking in the 2020 QS World University Rankings, placing 356th—up by 28 notches from the previous year—and making it to the top third of ranked institutions.  The other Philippine institutions figuring in the 2020 QS World University Rankings are the Ateneo de Manila University, at the top 601-650; and De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas, both at the top 801-1,000. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP is Asia’s 69th best, 52nd in academic reputation—QS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-is-asias-69th-best-52nd-in-academic-reputation-qs/",
        "html": "UP is Asia’s 69th best, 52nd in academic reputation—QS UP is Asia’s 69th best, 52nd in academic reputation—QS November 25, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines placed 69th among the top 634 higher educational institutions (HEIs) of Asia in the latest rankings released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).  The QS Asia University Rankings 2021, where UP placed three ranks higher than in the previous year’s edition and emerged among the top 11 percent of Asian HEIs, was released today, November 25, 2020.  Rank 69th is the highest UP has placed in the annual rankings since its 2016 edition, within which period UP placed between 75th and 70th. Its position in the top percentile steadily rose from the top 17.6 percent in the 2018 edition, to the top 14.3 percent in the 2019, the top 12.9 percent in the 2020, and the top 10.3 percent in the last.  Similar to its World University Rankings, QS Asia University Rankings zeroed in on “published” institutions or those with at least 100 papers published within a five-year period, cited within six years from publication, all in Elsevier-based and Scopus-indexed publications.  In the 2021 edition, UP published 4,885 papers for the period 2014-2018.  Publications from UP were cited 22,921 times during the period 2014-2019.  QS measured these published institutions in terms of other key indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, and international research network. The rankings also looked at the number of staff with PhDs, papers per faculty, international faculty and students, and inbound and outbound exchange students.  Academic reputation was arrived at from 102,500 responses to a global survey of academics; employer reputation, from 52,000 responses to a similar survey of employers; and, international research network, from Scopus and Margalef indices of research collaborations.  For these indicators, UP had outstanding Asian rankings. It was ranked 52nd in academic reputation; 53rd in employer reputation; and, 62nd in international research network. It ranked 116th in faculty to student ratio, and 301st and lower in the rest.  UP performed way above the average in the country and in the region. UP’s overall score in the rankings—51.23 out of 100—was 113.2 percent above the regional average and 254.9 percent above the Philippine average.  In the QS World University Rankings 2021, released in June 2020, UP achieved a ranking of 396th among the top 1,000 universities picked out from 5,500 institutions. Three other Philippine institutions were in the top 1,000: Ateneo de Manila University, which placed in the 601st-650th bracket; and De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas, both in the 801st-1,000th bracket.  “The method [for the Asia University Rankings] retains key indicators of the global ranking. . ., but also considers a set of performance metrics carefully tailored for the region,” according to the QS Asia University Rankings 2021 fact file sent to the University.  According to its website, QS, with the main office in London, is a “provider of services, analytics, and insight to the global higher education sector”. Its World University Rankings portfolio, inaugurated in 2004, is a popular source of comparative data on university performance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU: Pioneering MOOCs in the country – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-pioneering-moocs-in-the-country/",
        "html": "UPOU: Pioneering MOOCs in the country UPOU: Pioneering MOOCs in the country May 10, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    If you’d like to teach 2,000 students at any given time but can’t cram them into one classroom, what do you do? The UP Open University (UPOU) has the answer—and the good news is, it’s free, it’s open to everyone, and you don’t even have to catch a ride to get there. It’s the massive open online course (MOOC), and the UPOU was the first in the country to offer it.  It was in July 2013—eight months after the New York Times dubbed 2012 as “The Year of the MOOC”—when UPOU offered the introductory course on mobile application development using the Android platform to anyone who was interested, wherever they were in the world, free of charge.  It was developed by the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) in partnership with Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) as the result of a memorandum of agreement signed in February 2013.  At that time, MOOCs had been around for five years. The term was coined in 2008 by Professor Dave Cormier of the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada to describe “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge,” a course offered by the University of Manitoba, also in Canada.  Gaining global momentum   The MOOCs phenomenon quickly gained momentum around the world, with top universities like Harvard and Stanford offering free online courses through sites like Coursera, edX, and Udacity.  UPOU, the country’s leading open and distance e-learning provider, was quick to recognize the potential of MOOCs to reach an even wider audience, to make education more open and accessible, and to promote lifelong learning.  Apart from these, “MOOCs can improve the quality of teaching and learning by fostering open educational practices (OEP),” Faculty Regent Patricia Arinto, former dean of the UPOU Faculty of Education, said in an interview.  In essence, these practices are collaborative, where “resources are shared by making them openly available, and pedagogical practices are employed which rely on social interaction, knowledge creation, peer-learning, and shared learning practices,” explained Dr. Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, Vice President for Quality and Academic Affairs at the Baden Wurttemberg-State University, Germany, in a paper published in the Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning in 2011. Arinto added that apart from enrollment numbers and completion rate, the impact of MOOCs on “pedagogical perspectives, teaching and learning practices, and even the achievement of learning outcomes in specific contexts” are also indicators of success.  Relying on its years of experience in open and distance education, with the evolution of its course materials from print to multimedia to hypermedia, its move toward e-learning, and the growth of many class sizes beyond 150 students, UPOU went to work on its first MOOC.  The next logical step  It was well prepared to do this. In an interview, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria recalled that it was in 2011 when the idea of offering MOOCs was “crystallized with the conceptualization and implementation of the uLearn project.” UPOU had already been offering online courses for ten years; for four of those years, the courses were offered totally online. MOOCs were the next logical step.  Bandalaria clarified that while UPOU MOOCs are designed to accommodate enrollment in the thousands, the development of these courses puts less emphasis on “massive” and more on “open”. This “openness” is reflected in UPOU’s practice of using only open educational resources (OER), and as much as possible producing these OERs, as well as employing open access software in its learning management system (LMS) and in all the applications integrated into its LMS.  Since its first venture in 2013, UPOU has conducted numerous MOOCs workshops and “MOOCathons” or “unending conversations on MOOCs”, which led to an understanding of how its MOOCs target specific skill sets and social sectors. It has since offered courses on technopreneurship; business process management; child rights protection and promotion; inter-local government cooperation; Philippine arts and culture; art in ASEAN; Filipino language, culture, and society; and oral communication and conversational fluency in English, among others.  Credits for college  In fact, UPOU’s business process management MOOCs, under the Online Service Management Program or eSMP, have been approved by the Commission on Higher Education for credit under the tertiary education curricula of degree programs in information technology and management. This means that schools offering these programs can have their students enroll in UPOU MOOCs and, upon completion, apply credits earned from these courses toward earning their degrees.  The MOOCs on child rights protection and promotion, on the other hand, are currently on their second run, following the success of the first one in 2015. These courses are the result of UPOU’s partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund-Philippines. This repeat performance is also part of the 2016-2019 plan of the openUP Flagship Program which aims to mainstream MOOCs as part of UPOU’s formal and non-formal program offerings.  Bandalaria also reported that a new set of MOOCs on open and distance e-learning or ODeL is being offered by UPOU to assist higher education and technical-vocational institutions who want to go into the distance education or online mode of course delivery. This is in keeping with UPOU’s mandate under Republic Act 10650 or the Open Distance Learning Act, signed into law in 2014.  Arinto, who is also theme adviser for MOOCs in the Digital Learning for Development program and deputy principal investigator of the multi-country research program of the Research on Open Educational Resources for Development in the Global South network, said that UPOU, through its international engagements, has made significant contributions to “critical work on MOOCs in developing countries,” an area currently lacking in literature.  A pioneer in the field  She added that in comparison with other Asian institutions offering MOOCs, “UPOU has done well in identifying the strategic focus of its initiatives” and, like other institutions around the world, UPOU is also faced with issues such as the digital divide, sustaining learner engagement, and the effective assessment of learning in MOOCs.  Four years since that first MOOC on Android mobile application development, UPOU’s reflections on its MOOCs experience coupled with extensive research has resulted in the UPOU Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Policies, Principles, and Guidelines, which was released on March 29 this year.  It details UPOU’s policies in accordance with the mandates it was given when it was created by UP Board of Regents in 1995; principles in course design, course delivery, teaching and learning, and research and innovation that adhere to the highest standards of academic excellence; and guidelines in the stages of operation such as course proposal, course development, course delivery, and faculty load credits.  UPOU’s pioneering efforts in shaping Philippine open and distance education over the course of its 22-year existence remain unparalleled. As it continues to navigate the ever-changing landscape of education and technology, UPOU performs its unique role within the UP System as an advocate for openness and accessibility of education in pursuit of public service, maintaining standards of academic excellence while keeping pace with advancements in technology.  UPOU MOOCs can be accessed through the MODeL (Massive Open and Distance e-Learning) site at http://model.upou.edu.ph/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Statement on the Latest THE World University Rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-statement-on-the-latest-the-world-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP Statement on the Latest THE World University Rankings UP Statement on the Latest THE World University Rankings October 13, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The UP Oblation Plaza in UP Diliman. Photo by Prof. Eric Augustus Tingatinga.     UP is currently reviewing the indicators and data from the THE’s latest WUR to gain insights for the University’s future measures and directions. This latest ranking of UP’s standing among universities worldwide will serve as valuable insight in determining UP’s way forward in its mission to serve the nation, through the delivery of the highest level of education to our youth.  UP congratulates the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Ateneo de Manila University on ADMU’s placing in the 351-400 bracket in the latest Times Higher Education-World University Rankings (THE-WUR). Such accomplishments by Philippine HEIs are a net gain for the honor and prestige of the country and an inspiration for all Filipino scholars and academics. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Invitation to participate in the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (10th CAECW) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/invitation-to-participate-in-the-10th-china-asean-education-cooperation-week-10th-caecw/",
        "html": "Invitation to participate in the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (10th CAECW) Invitation to participate in the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (10th CAECW) June 23, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO-RIHED) and the ASEAN China Centre (ACC) invite all interested university executives and professors to participate in the following two events of the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (10th CAECW) to be held in Guiyang, Guizhou province, P.R. China:  1. China-ASEAN University Presidents Forum for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education  Date:    28 July 2017  Host:   Guizhou Institute of Technology (GIT)  Email for reply slip:  931493448@qq.com cc: rihed@rihed.seameo.org by 30 June 2017             2. 1st Conference on China-ASEAN Cooperation of Science and Technology and the Unveiling Ceremony of China-ASEAN Institute of Science and Technology  Date:   29 July 2017  Host:   Tianjin University (ACNET-EngTech Secretariat)  Email for reply slip:  Ms. Qiu Shuang at acnet_engtech@tju.edu.cn cc: rihed@rihed.seameo.org by 2 July 2017  Funding support and logistical arrangements will be provided by the hosts. For inquiries regarding the events, please contact Ms. Supansa Kajavong, Programme Officer, at rihed@rihed.seameo.org. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19 vaccine for minors, are we ready? UP webinar asks – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-vaccine-for-minors-are-we-ready-up-webinar-asks/",
        "html": "COVID-19 vaccine for minors, are we ready? UP webinar asks COVID-19 vaccine for minors, are we ready? UP webinar asks September 30, 2021 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), invites you to join the fight against COVID-19.  This Friday, October 1, from 12pm-2pm, join us for a special topic episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series. Titled “COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: Ating Alamin”, the webinar will discuss the latest news on COVID-19 vaccine safety in minors ages 12-17 years old, the country’s plans and preparations for its possible rollout soon, and our current vaccination coverage overall.  Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COMINARTY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) made by Pfizer/BionTech for use on children under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) have also advised that children between 12 and 15 years old who are at high risk may be offered this vaccine alongside other priority groups.  However, with our country’s limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, the question remains, do we have enough to start vaccinating children?  Speakers will be coming from the pediatric sector. Dr. Ma. Liza Antoinette Gonzales, a specialist in pediatric infections from PGH, will talk about the latest scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for children.  Meanwhile, Dr. Maria Consorcia Dizon, member of the Interim National Immunization Team, will discuss the epidemiology of children and COVID-19.  Dr. Benito Atienza, President of Philippine Medical Association, and Dr. Jennifer Liquido, a pediatrician from Delaware, USA, will also share their own perspectives and reactions.  The opening and closing remarks will be given by Dr. Efren Balanag, President of the Philippine Pediatric Society’s Northern Luzon Chapter, and Dr. Carmencita Padilla, Chancellor of UP Manila, respectively.  The “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management.  Register here and watch the live stream via TVUP’s accounts on Facebook and YouTube. You may also follow our account on Twitter for live tweets during the day. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP MSI’s “Ocean Spirit”: Making learning fun – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-msis-ocean-spirit-making-learning-fun/",
        "html": "UP MSI’s “Ocean Spirit”: Making learning fun UP MSI’s “Ocean Spirit”: Making learning fun December 10, 2021 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Screenshot by Rad Gerald Agustin, UPMPRO.  Learning can sometimes be more challenging for some kids. That’s why most educators are developing more educational games. Children may enjoy more and learn more through fun and engaging activities. Enter the newest educational game with a uniquely Philippine marine ecology twist, “Ocean Spirit.”  UPMSI’s Dr. Maria Vanessa Rodriguez shares the marine science and conservation behind the game during the launch. Screenshot by Rad Gerald Agustin, UP MPRO.  “Ocean Spirit” is a personality quiz and screen share game about different marine species of the Philippines that aims to highlight the rich marine biodiversity in the country and the need for biodiversity conservation in a fun and entertaining way. It was developed by Balangay Entertainment for the University of the Philippines Center for Research and Awareness of Diverse Living Environments (UP CRADLE) at Puerto Galera under the UP MSI, through the support of Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. “Ocean Spirit” is one of the first projects of the UP Puerto Galera Biodiversity Center, which will have a program focused on science communication and environmental education to protect the Philippines’ Verde Island Passage (VIP), the global center of marine biodiversity.  Speaking during the launch, Dr. Laura David, UP MSI Director, had this to say about games and how influential they can be when it comes to learning: “Games are windows to a culture. They can highlight the value that we impart to our kids. Games can teach survival skills, communication skills, cooperation, competition, empathy. They can also be used to crystalize new concepts throughout experiential learning.”  Dr. Laura David, UP MSI Director. Screenshot by Rad Gerald Agustin, UP MPRO.  “Today’s launching of Ocean Spirit is a testament that we can do more when the academe and industry come together to pursue noble causes. I firmly believe that with this collaboration of UP and Toyota Motor Philippines, both institutions can achieve their common goal of reduced carbon footprint and enhanced biodiversity.” says Ronald Gaspar, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager.  Mr. Ronald Gaspar, TMPF Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager (right). Screenshot by Rad Gerald Agustin, UP MPRO.  Watch the launch of the UP MSI’s “Ocean Spirit” interactive game on the UP MSI’s Facebook page.  “Ocean Spirit” can be played via two methods: solo and multiplayer. The solo mode is a simple personality game where players can determine their ocean spirit animal based on their answers. A multiplayer mode allows players to share their screens and guess which ocean spirit best fits them for those who want to play with friends. Players can also learn more about the different ocean spirit animals with additional info after each round. They can even share their results with their friends and families through social media.  Try the game today by yourself or with your friends at https://biome-upmsi.github.io/Ocean-Spirit/. Screenshot by Rad Gerald Agustin, UP MPRO.  If you are looking for a fun and interactive learning experience about marine life in the Philippines and how to help in their conservation, then “Ocean Spirit” is the perfect game for you. It is enjoyable to all age groups and accessible while making important information about marine life easy to understand.  Check out this link, https://biome-upmsi.github.io/Ocean-Spirit/, to play and discover what ocean spirit animal you are today! "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and JCU officials discuss future partnerships – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-jcu-officials-discuss-future-partnerships/",
        "html": "UP and JCU officials discuss future partnerships UP and JCU officials discuss future partnerships May 12, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Officials of the University of the Philippines (UP) and James Cook University (JCU) of Australia, one of the world’s leading research institutions focusing on the tropics, explored prospects for collaboration at a meeting held last May 9, 2017 in the UP Board Room in Diliman, Quezon City.  The JCU panel was composed of Chancellor Bill Tweddell, who served as Australia’s ambassador to the Philippines from 2012 to 2016; Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ian Wronski of the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine; Deputy Vice-Chancellor Iain Gordon of the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies; and, ‎Pro Vice Chancellor International Melissa Banks. UP was represented by Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista; Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay, Jr.; UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan; UP Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Jr.; UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla; UPLB Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Portia Lapitan; UPLB Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rex Demafelis; Office of International Linkages (OIL) Deputy Director Aaron Villaraza; Marine Science Institute (MSI) Director Fernando Siringan; MSI Professor Porfirio Aliño; MSI Prof. Antonette Juinio-Meñez; Professor Emeritus and National Scientist Edgardo Gomez; Asst. VP for Academic Affairs (Research) Carla Dimalanta; College of Science Dean Jose Balmaceda; and, Professor Emerita and Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Rhodora Azanza.  Photo by UP MPRO  Possible research partnerships and joint projects on marine sciences, biodiversity, tropical ecology and environments, global warming, tropical medicine and public health care, and food security were proposed at the meeting.  Based in Townsville, Queensland, and with campuses in Cairns and Singapore, JCU is a regional and global leader in many fields relating to tropical sciences and societies. (Fred Dabu, UP MPRO) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP updates campus activity guidelines for 1st sem, AY 2022-2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-updates-campus-activity-guidelines-for-1st-sem-ay-2022-2023/",
        "html": "UP updates campus activity guidelines for 1st sem, AY 2022-2023 UP updates campus activity guidelines for 1st sem, AY 2022-2023 September 7, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo of a typical pre-pandemic classroom in the university. UP MPRO file photo.  The University of the Philippines (UP) has updated its guidelines for campus activities in the first semester of the Academic Year (AY) 2022-2023, following the August 29 press conference by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).  In the press conference, CHED declared that unvaccinated students, faculty, and staff might return to campus for work and classes this semester, with higher education institutions (HEIs) deciding on their respective public health protocols. Further, CHED called on HEIs to facilitate the vaccination of the unvaccinated and partially vaccinated, as well as the booster shots of the fully vaccinated with either one or no booster dose.  The UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) issued the new guidelines through OVPAA Memorandum No. 2022-128 on September 1. The memo details the protocols for different campus activities, from no alert level to alert level 5. For all activities, the following are mandatory: (1) masks to be worn at all times as required by national authorities; (2) daily reports to the campus’ health monitoring system by faculty and staff conducting face-to-face (F2F) activities; (3) signages on minimum public health standards and other physical requirements; and, (4) pre-enrollment physical examination for students who started their programs in AY 2020-2021 and AY 2021-2022, or their submission of the medical clearance required for registration if they failed to submit this when they first enrolled in UP.  From no alert level to alert level 5, a variation of UP’s three blended learning models will be used as class delivery modes for enrolled students (ES) and students of priority classes (PC). The latter refers to those with F2F activities for thesis, dissertation, internship, practicum, on-the-job training, special problem, or field studies, or those with essential F2F sessions that require the use of campus facilities and equipment or supervised hands-on practice.  As explained in OVPAA Memorandum No. 2022-88 released on June 20, blended learning model 1 is fully online. It employs both synchronous online learning using a learning management system (LMS) and asynchronous online learning using web conferencing applications. Model 2 combines blocks of independent online study and intensive F2F sessions based on pedagogical and practical considerations. Model 3 alternates between F2F sessions and asynchronous online learning.  Any of the three models may be used for ES and PC if there is no alert level and under alert level 1. For alert levels 2 and 3, model 1 will be for ES and any of the three models will be for PC. Under alert levels 4 and 5, only model 1 will be employed for ES and PC.  Allowable indoor capacity when there is no alert level will be at 100%. It will be the same for alert level 1, but preferably with one-meter physical distance. Alert level 2 will be at 50% with one-meter physical distance and alert level 3 will maintain the said physical distance at 30% capacity. Rooms to be used should have proper ventilation. There will be no indoor activities for alert levels 4 and 5.  When there is no alert level, classroom access will be allowed for ES. Under alert level 1, ES will still have access, preferably with one-meter physical distance. For alert levels 2 and 3, only PC will have classroom access. There will be no access under alert levels 4 and 5.  With no alert level, access to other enclosed spaces such as libraries, learning hubs, offices, and sports facilities will be allowed for ES. Under alert level 1, ES will have access with the preferred one-meter physical distance. PC with approved reservations will be allowed access under alert levels 2 and 3; and there will be no access under alerts levels 4 and 5.  From no alert level to alert level 3, ES will be allowed to use outdoor and open spaces on campus. Under alert levels 4 and 5, neither ES nor PC will be allowed to use such areas.  Off-campus activities like internships and outreach programs will be allowed for ES when there is no alert level and when under alert level 1. These will be allowed for PC only under alert levels 2 and 3, and will not be allowed under alert levels 4 and 5. In instances where off-campus activities will be allowed, documentary requirements should have been fully satisfied prior to the start of the activities. Students should follow the alert level requirements of the localities where the activities will be conducted.  From no alert level to alert level 3, access to accommodation facilities on campus will be allowed for ES. They may be allowed to share rooms with appropriate retrofitting as long as the facility has isolation capabilities. Under alert levels 4 and 5, access to campus accommodations will not be allowed, so students on campus must return home should these alert levels be imposed. The constituent universities may opt to let their students stay until the end of the semester or term if provisions can be ensured.  From no alert level to alert level 3, general and comprehensive examinations will be allowed on campus for ES with permits only. The exams will be given online, under alert levels 4 and 5.  Finally, F2F consultations with advisers and faculty members will be allowed for ES when there is no alert level. Under alert levels 1 to 3, ES will need appointments for F2F consultations. For alert levels 4 and 5, consultations will be done online.  To read the full memo with the attached F2F guidance from the Hospital Infection Control Unit of the UP Philippine General Hospital, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to allow 100% face-to-face classes in undergraduate courses in the second semester – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-allow-100-face-to-face-classes-in-undergraduate-courses-in-the-second-semester/",
        "html": "UP to allow 100% face-to-face classes in undergraduate courses in the second semester UP to allow 100% face-to-face classes in undergraduate courses in the second semester September 29, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   A typical classroom in UP Diliman. File photo from UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines will allow 100% face-to-face classes in all its undergraduate courses in the second semester of the current academic year, AY 2022-2023. This is complementary to the university’s adoption of hybrid and blended learning to equip students for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and achieve educational resilience in a volatile and rapidly changing world.  UP is already holding 100% face-to-face classes for laboratory, studio, and practicum courses, among others, and all courses in some of its constituent universities in the first semester of the current academic year. UP Manila began holding 100% face-to-face classes for its courses in the public health disciplines as early as July 2021.  Details regarding implementing face-to-face classes in all courses and the learning delivery mode in the graduate programs are currently being finalized. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Public service writing fellows undergo workshop – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/public-service-writing-fellows-undergo-workshop/",
        "html": "Public service writing fellows undergo workshop Public service writing fellows undergo workshop November 19, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Padayon writing fellows with Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval: Jude Vincent Parcon of UP Visayas, Rhonna Marie Vereña of UP Open University, Belinda Lalap and Nenita de Castro of UP Los Baños, Marilou Montiflor of UP Mindanao, Peñafrancia Ching of UP Manila, and Marion Micah Tinio of UP Diliman. Lucia Tangi of UP Diliman is not in photo. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The UP Padayon Public Service Office has accepted its second batch of writing fellows and has oriented them on writing scholarly articles based on their public service programs. The eight teaching, research and extension personnel underwent a two-day “write-shop” on November 8 and 9, 2018 at the National Institute for Science and Math Education Development, UP Diliman.  The fellows from six campuses went through sessions with University experts on qualitative and quantitative methods of research and on writing in the language that best applies to their writing projects.     The write-shop fellows sing the National Anthem, with Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The fellows are: Marilou Montiflor of the UP Mindanao School of Management, Rhonna Marie Vereña of the UP Open University, Jude Vincent Parcon of the UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences, Marion Micah Tinio of the UP Diliman Department of Geography, Lucia Tangi of the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication, Belinda Lalap of the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology, Nenita de Castro of the UP Los Baños Institute of Animal Science, and, Peñafrancia Ching of the UP Manila College of Allied Medical Professions.  The fellows are currently engaged in services in aid of community journalism and nutrition, community-based rehabilitation, folk media, basic education, land use plan preparation, vegetable industry interventions, and livestock training.     Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval welcomes the fellows to the write-shop. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  They are each expected to be able to submit an article to a peer-reviewed journal in nine months. They will also be presenting their public service programs in conferences on public service and extension in higher education organized by the University.     Prof. Neil Martial Santillan of the UP Diliman Department of History gives a personal account of using extension output for a research work. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     From UP Diliman, the resource speakers were: Dr. Neil Martial Santillan, Department of History chairperson; Dr. Rogelio Alicor Panao of the Department of Political Science; Dr. Manuel Sapitula of the Department of Sociology; Dr. Odine Maria de Guzman of the Department of English and Comparative Literature; and, Dr. Romulo Baquiran of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature. Panao and Sapitula ran the participants through the rigors and ethics of quantitative and qualitative research articles; and De Guzman and Baquiran, through the practice of English and Filipino writing for scholarly articles.     Prof. Alicor Panao of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science gives examples for formulating research questions. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     At the start of the Writeshop, Santillan presented his own history of transforming Pahinungod documentation into scholarly papers. He said there was a dearth of research from extension activities, with literature mostly confined to mere documentation; even when research answered the need to assess impact, evaluate the processes, make comparative studies, and find ways to hasten impact.     Prof. Manuel Sapitula of the UP Diliman Department of Sociology highlights the importance of the research framework. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, who facilitated the workshop, said the writing fellowship was based on the notion that University public service can extend its relevance to a wider public and to policy-making through journal articles.     Prof. Odine de Guzman of the UP Diliman Department of English and Comparative Literature begins by discussing theories of signs. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili highlighted the importance of a UP System-wide program in recognizing public service initiatives from different campuses in benchmarking the initiatives. He also mentioned a regional trend to engage communities in research, and giving such engagements equal academic weight as teaching and research. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)      Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, with project coordinator Mimi Barretto, synthesizes workshop discussions after the final workshop session led by Prof. Romulo Baquiran of the UP Diliman Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The 2018 writing fellows with the Padayon Public Service Office staff and workshop resource speaker Romulo Baquiran of the UP Diliman Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Programs on livelihood, health, children, and culture get public service award – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/programs-on-livelihood-health-children-and-culture-get-public-service-award/",
        "html": "Programs on livelihood, health, children, and culture get public service award Programs on livelihood, health, children, and culture get public service award March 6, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service Selection Committee members, Manuel Flores Bonifacio and Jaime Veneracion, the leaders of awarded projects, and special citation awardee Maria Cristanta Nelmida-Flores (all seated) are surrounded by UP System and UP constituent university officials, project team members, staff members of the Gawad administrator Padayon Public Service Office, and other guests from across the UP System, after the awarding ceremony in the College of Science Auditorium at the National Science Complex, UP Diliman. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Five programs in three UP constituent universities received the Third Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service in a ceremony held on February 28, 2019 in the College of Science Auditorium, National Science Complex, UP Diliman.  These are: the UP Los Baños (UPLB) Bee Program of the UPLB Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension; the Partners in Leprosy Action of the Department of Medicine of UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UPM-PGH); the Patient-Centered, Family-Focused, and Community-Oriented Care for Families Enrolled at the Family Health Unit (FHU) of the FHU of the Department of Family and Community Medicine of UPM-PGH; the Disaster Risk Reduction, Training , Education, and Advocacy for Children’s Protection and Resilience Project (TEACH-DRR) of the UP Visayas (UPV) Center for West Visayan Studies; and, the Dayaw at Hanasan of the UPV Sentro ng Wikang Filipino.     Prof. Jose Julie Ramirez (right) and Dr. Anna Guia Limpoco (left) deliver messages on behalf of the Gawad recipients, explaining the huge amount of work involved in their projects. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     The five were selected out of 11 program nominees for the 2019 award. The selection committee was composed of Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Professor Emeritus of Sociology Manuel Flores Bonifacio, Dr. Jaime Veneracion of the UP Diliman Department of History, and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval.  “Public service initiatives, especially the brand that characterizes the University of the Philippines, are implemented with high ethical standards, professionalism, and service to the country,” Pernia said on excellence. “We must do projects that innovate, that are significant, progressive, and transformative.”  “In the three years of the award, 21 public service initiatives have been recognized for excellence from a pool of over 50 nominations,” Pernia said.     UP President Danilo Concepcion expresses his appreciation for the gathering of UP public service personnel coming from different campuses which displays oneness of the University. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     According to President Danilo Concepcion, being a public servant is “perhaps the most honorable profession ever anywhere”, providing an opportunity for improving the lives of many. He then extended the definition of excellent public service to an attitude of treating the public as “boss”. “We must serve with a smile, with open hands, and gentle words,” he said in Filipino.  The UPLB bee program conducts training for farmers, women, balikbayan, and partner state universities and colleges on apiculture and bee products, with a view of protecting indigenous wild bee species. The PGH program on leprosy screens households in locations with reported cases of leprosy and other skin NTDs (neglected tropical diseases), providing community awareness and training for barangay health units.  The PGH program for family health involves the family, community, and multi-competencies in treating patients with chronic diseases. UPV’s TEACH-DRR is a child-centered disaster risk reduction capacity-building program for small, vulnerable island communities. UPV’s Dayaw at Hanasan offers lectures by National Artists for students, teachers, and artists; and trains teachers in the knowledge and pedagogy of regional language.     Representatives of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital leprosy action project, led by Dr. Belen Dofitas (second from left), receive the Gawad from President Danilo Concepcion. With them are (on extreme right and left) Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Representatives of the UP Los Baños Bee Program, led by Prof. Jose Rene Micor (middle, holding citation), receive the Gawad from President Danilo Concepcion. With them are (on extreme right and left) Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension Rex Demafelis . Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Representatives of the UP Visayas TEACH-DRR project, led by Prof. Jorge Ebay (middle), receive the Gawad from President Danilo Concepcion. With them are (on extreme right and left) Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora, Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Representatives of the UP Visayas Dayaw at Hanasan project, led by Prof. Jose Julie Ramirez (fourth from right), receive the Gawad from President Danilo Concepcion. With them are Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora (middle) and (on extreme left and right) Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Representatives of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital project for enrolled families at the Family Health Unit, led by Dr. Anna Guia Limpoco (fourth from right), receive the Gawad from President Danilo Concepcion. With them are (on extreme left and right) Staff Regent Analiza Fulvadora, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO     Prof. Maria Crisanta Nelmida-Flores was also awarded a citation for her work as former director of the Padayon Public Service Office, with “steadfast commitment to the delivery of innovative and excellent public service in the University”. The office, which is under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, monitors and coordinates all public service initiatives in the UP System. It is the administrator of the Gawad.     President Danilo Concepcion hands to Former Padayon Public Service Office Director Maria Crisanta Nelmida-Flores a certificate of recognition. With them are Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan, and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP-MPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP signs up for 2022 elections watch – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-signs-up-for-2022-elections-watch/",
        "html": "UP signs up for 2022 elections watch UP signs up for 2022 elections watch December 1, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP President Danilo L. Concecion (extreme left, middle row) represents UP in the virtual signing ceremony for the Eleksyon 2022 alliance of GMA-7 with the academe. Image from GMA-7.     The University of the Philippines (UP) joined an alliance for media coverage and an advocacy campaign for the 2022 Philippine national elections.  A signatory to the GMA 7-led initiative, UP President Danilo Concepcion represented UP in the launch of the Eleksyon 2022 alliance and the “Dapat Totoo” advocacy campaign, held virtually on November 26, 2021.  As in past partnerships for national elections coverages, UP is one of the top Philippine universities to make its research and expertise available for public educational purposes.  UP has initiated its own elections awareness project called “UP sa Halalan,” which was implemented by the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs during the 2013 and 2016 elections. Since 2019, it has been administered by the Department of Political Science of the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.  For 2022, UP sa Halalan once again relies on UP’s network of academics, researchers, and stakeholders from the UP community and provides it space and opportunities for public discussions. It makes use of a web portal, halalan.up.edu.ph, to publish “content related to elections and Philippine politics that will provide media groups, civil society groups, political parties, and the general public relevant information about elections, voting, political parties, and issues pertinent to the 2022 elections”.  GMA 7’s Eleksyon 2022, led by its chairman and CEO, Atty. Felipe Gozon brings together “51 partners representing the most respected names in the fields of telecommunications, media, education, business, law, and public service”. They pledge to keep a close watch on the electoral process.  Leading the roster of GMA 7’s external partners is Commission on Elections Chairman Sheriff Abas.  Meanwhile, UP Los Baños (UPLB) partnered with ABS-CBN and the “Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo” voter education program of the media network to launch #UPLBsaHalalan2022 with a voters’ Conversation on the Role of Youth, Academe, and Media in the 2022 Elections. Other partners in the initiative are the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE Philippines), STAR MAGIC, Bantay Halalan Laguna 2022, Radyo DZLB Ang Tinig ng Kaunlaran, and LB Times.  Watch the livestream of the launch here and the #UPLBsaHalalan2022’s latest Voters’ Conversation on Political Participation and Implications on Academic Institutions here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pandemic-related public service recognized with the 4th Gawad Pangulo Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pandemic-related-public-service-recognized-with-the-4th-gawad-pangulo-awards/",
        "html": "Pandemic-related public service recognized with the 4th Gawad Pangulo Awards Pandemic-related public service recognized with the 4th Gawad Pangulo Awards December 23, 2021 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Public service has never been an easy task, which is why the University of the Philippines (UP) hosted the 4th annual Gawad Pangulo Awards for Excellence: to honor the many Filipino men and women in public service. This year’s theme is “UP’s Public Service Initiatives in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, focusing on awarding achievements that these Filipinos have accomplished that have helped the country during this global pandemic.  Since the country is still under lockdown, this year’s awards ceremony was held virtually, hosted by UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili. Watch the replay of the livestream on TVUP’s YouTube channel.  The first speaker for the event was none other than UP President Danilo L. Concepción, welcoming all the attendants to this event honoring the 15 awardees for their achievements in public service.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion gives his welcome address during the 4th Gawad Pangulo Awards ceremony. Screenshot by Raden Gerald Agustin, UPMPRO.  “The fourth edition of the Gawad Pangulo aims to honor the creative, innovative and practical strategies of UP units in responding to the pandemic’s unprecedented challenges and in ensuring the continuity of these programs and projects for the benefit of the different publics that the University serves,” he said. “This Gawad Pangulo is unique in that it distinguishes the initiatives that sought to address the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable sectors.”  After the moving welcome address from the President, the next speaker to formally welcome the 15 awardees was UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia. She began by saying that the Gawad Pangulo awards have come at the most appropriate time as the country, especially our healthcare system, has reached many low points going into the two years of the global pandemic. However, she did mention the positives that have come during these hard times.  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia speaking during the awards ceremony. Screenshot by Raden Gerald Agustin, UPMPRO.  “As I say this, the country’s positivity rate is at a low 1.80%, with infections on the decline and several hospitals, including our own UP Philippine General Hospital, reporting no new COVID-19 cases in the past few days.” She even mentioned the rise in vaccination numbers, with 35% of the total Philippine population that have gotten their two dosages. Pernia then went on to proudly say that UP has played a vital role at the front of the country’s multi-sectoral pandemic response, and that this year’s Gawad Pangulo awards will give us a peek into the different innovative and effective responses against the COVID-19 pandemic, due to in large part to the selfless people from UP.  Following up Pernia are the head judges for this year’s Gawad Pangulo awards, all of whom are UP Professors Emeriti: former Vice President for Public Affairs Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay; Dr. Ma. Luisa T. Camagay; and former UP Visayas Chancellor Dr. Ida Josephine M. Siason. According to them, selecting this year’s awardees was both an easy yet difficult task. “Easy because it had a very timely focus—our university’s response to the COVID pandemic—but also difficult because we receive a large number of entries, each of them worthy and deserving in their own way,” said Dr. Dalisay.  During the presentation of the awards, the following awardees were recognized for their achievements, followed by a short message from officials from the different UP constituent units, such as UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla; UP Open University Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria; UP Mindanao Vice Chancellor for Administration Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda; UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr.; UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo; UP Baguio Chancellor Corazon L. Abansi; and UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Composano.  Here is the list of this year’s Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service awardees:  UP National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center for their “Stop COVID DEATHS Webinar Series: Clinical Management and Virtual Grand Rounds”. Watch the playlist of the 82 webinars under the “Stop COVID Deaths” series on the TVUP YouTube channel. UP Manila College of Medicine for the UP Surgical Innovation and Biotechnology Program (UP SIBOL) UP College of Medicine for the “Bayanihan Na! Operations Center” UP Manila Philippine General Hospital for the UP PGH COVID TeleGabay Program UP Open University for the “#OpenFight (Open Fight Against COVID-19)” UP Mindanao School of Management for “SAVE Food Systems” UP Los Baños for the establishment of the UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (CMDL) under Task Force Laban ng Bayan Kontra COVID-19 (LB Kontra COVID-19) UP Diliman College of Law for “Lingap Legal sa Panahon ng Pandemya” UP Diliman for the UP Diliman COVID-19 Task Force UP Diliman College of Engineering for the UP College of Engineering COVID-19 Response UP Diliman Office of the Chancellor for the UP Diliman Psychosocial Services (UPD PsycServ) UP Baguio College of Science of Mathematics and Computer Science and Office of Public Affairs for Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) of Baguio City COVID-19 cases: Daily updates UP system Philippine Genome Center for COVID-19 Biosurveillance and Testing UP Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval reiterating her office’s commitment to record, document and showcase public service initiatives across the UP System. Screenshot by Raden Gerald Agustin, UPMPRO.  In her closing remarks, UP Padayon Public Service Office Director, Dr. Jeanette Yasol-Naval, expressed the UP Padayon’s commitment to continue to record and document the public service initiatives of the various units across the UP System so as to recognize and showcase the outstanding service being rendered by UP to the nation and the world.  For those interested in learning more about these programs, watch the replay of the awards ceremony here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Hirang ng Bayan”: UP launches voter education campaign – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/hirang-ng-bayan-up-launches-voter-education-campaign/",
        "html": "“Hirang ng Bayan”: UP launches voter education campaign “Hirang ng Bayan”: UP launches voter education campaign April 1, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    On May 9, the Philippines will hold its 17th presidential and 16th vice presidential elections. These elections will decide the country’s future, and the voters have an enormous responsibility to choose a better life for all Filipinos. And to do this, voter education is the key.  The University of the Philippines (UP) Office of the Student Regent, in partnership with the UP Office of Student Development Services (OSDS), the UP Media and Public Relations Office (MPRO), and the UP National Service Training Program (NSTP), has launched “Hirang ng Bayan,” a comprehensive voters education program consisting of UP’s various initiatives to help educate its community and the general public in line with the upcoming 2022 elections.  The “Hirang ng Bayan” program features three main activities:  “Mark It UP” is a UP Systemwide electoral survey that will serve as mock elections and survey the real issues that will determine the electorate’s choices. “Mark It UP” will simulate the electoral experience among UP constituents and prime its participants to prioritize the national problems, platforms, and policies in choosing their slate of candidates for the May elections. This survey will run from April 11 to 16, 2022.  “Paaralang Panghalalan” is a five-part online series of capacity-building educational discussions for the upcoming elections. It aims to encourage greater political participation by educating and capacitating UP students to engage in the electoral processes beyond simply casting their ballots. The five forums, to be conducted via Zoom and Facebook Live, will be held from April 1 to May 13. Each panel will discuss ways to engage the participants’ different social circles, from intimate to larger spheres, increasing the scope after each forum. To participate, please register here: bit.ly/PaaralangPanghalalan  “Lakas Botante 2022” is a series of short videos featuring UP faculty members sharing their views on crucial election concerns. The video series aims to provide students, especially newly registered voters, with practical information they can use to initiate meaningful discussions with their peers. The videos will be available for sharing through social media from April 1 to May 6, 2022.  UP students interested in “Hirang ng Bayan” activities can contact the Office of Student Affairs on campus or email studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph or osr@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP, BARMM ministry sign accords – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-barmm-ministry-sign-accords/",
        "html": "UP, BARMM ministry sign accords UP, BARMM ministry sign accords June 17, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   BARMM-MBHTE Director General Salik Jr. (left) and UP President Concepcion sign the MOU for the partnership between UP and BARMM-MBHTE. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM-MBHTE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for educational cooperation, during a ceremony on June 14, 2022, at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  UP President Danilo Concepcion and MBHTE Director General for Basic Education Abdullah Salik Jr., representing Minister Mohagher Iqbal, signed both documents, with UP’s Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Director Marie Therese Bustos and MBHTE Director General for Madaris Education Tahir Nalg as witnesses.  UP President Danilo Concepcion (right) and MBHTE Director-General for Basic Education Abdullah Salik Jr. hold up the newly signed MOU between UP and the BARMM-MBHTE. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  Other BARMM-MBHTE and UP officials, along with members of the technical working group for the partnership and heads of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod chapters in the UP constituent universities, attended the ceremony.  Under the MOU, UP and the MBHTE agree to develop activities in mutual interest in academic and public service areas. These include the offering of graduate or certification extension programs, pre-service or in-service capacity-building for teachers, deployment of UP Gurong Pahinungod, establishing a Bangsamoro junior scientist program, enhancing a physical education and sports development program, research and capacity-building in food science and technology, exploring the possibility of establishing a tribal university, enriching Madaris education, strengthening the culture of educational research, and the promotion and cultivation of the Bangsamoro history, culture, and artistic tradition.  UP President Concepcion cites the value of the partnership for UP as “an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture and history of Bangsamoro.” Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  The MOA primarily involves the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod for implementing a term of the MOU. UP volunteer teachers will assist the MBHTE in developing and implementing adaptive learning materials and other educational innovations.  “This signing is the culmination of months of discussions between Minister Iqbal and his team on the one hand, and the UP System, UP Diliman, and UP Mindanao officials and staff on the other,” Concepcion said. “I welcome this partnership as an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture and history of Bangsamoro.”  BARMM Police Regional Appellate Chair Ysnaira Ibrahim delivers Minister Mohagher Iqbal’s message. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  In his message delivered by BARMM Police Regional Appellate Chair Ysnaira Ibrahim, Iqbal said the BARMM is exploring ways to uplift its educational system and envisions producing at least one professional in every Bangsamoro family. “It is a heartfelt sense of assurance and affirmation having the UP System as the country’s national university to be alongside us to support our education reform initiative.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Push on, UP: 114 years and beyond – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/push-on-up-114-years-and-beyond/",
        "html": "Push on, UP: 114 years and beyond Push on, UP: 114 years and beyond June 18, 2022 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    The University of the Philippines (UP) has come a long way since its establishment in 1908.  It emerged from the ravages of World War II, fought through political upheavals, braved new frontiers of technology, and soldiered on in this current pandemic. Throughout its history, it has been guided by its traditions of honor, excellence, and public service. It has never wavered in its commitment to work for social transformation that benefits the Filipino nation and humanity.  As UP marks its 114th anniversary, it looks back on its journey thus far, reflecting on lessons learned, actions taken, and challenges overcome. In the commemorative video especially created for this occasion, UP remembers its early years and highlights its achievements in the last year—from bringing faster connectivity to Barangay Kalinawan, Binangonan, Rizal just two days before lockdown, to the longed-for championship in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.  These markers in the University’s history serve to guide its journey forward. UP continues on, taking to heart its responsibilities to the country, its people, and the global community. Going into the next normal of UP life, the University remains attuned and responsive to the evolving needs of its constituents and the publics it serves, not backing down in the face of disruptions and forging ahead with courage.  To borrow from a University cheer that its alumni would remember clearly: “Push on to victory with all your might . . . Push when the game goes hard . . . Push on, UP, and fight . . . Rise, rise, UP.”  Video prepared by Al Nikko Nagutom, UP MPRO.  Read more about UP’s history by clicking this link: University History: UP in the Past 114 Years "
    },
    {
        "title": "TVUP now on Cignal TV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tvup-now-on-cignal-tv/",
        "html": "TVUP now on Cignal TV TVUP now on Cignal TV June 24, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   TVUP and Cignal TV, Inc. partner to deliver quality educational TV programming through a UP digital channel. UP President Danilo Concepcion (2nd from left) and UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora (extreme left) sign on behalf of UP. Cignal TV, Inc., on the other hand, is represented by its President and CEO Robert Galang (middle), VP and Head of Industry Relations and Regulatory Affairs Erwin Galang (2nd from right), and Chief Finance Officer John Andal (extreme right). Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). UP President Concepcion describes the creation of a UP digital channel as a “perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people.” Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  The University of the Philippines (UP) will have its channel on Cignal TV, where it can air hundreds of its video productions 24/7.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, Cignal TV President and CEO Robert Galang, and Cignal TV Chief Finance Officer John Andal signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on June 23, 2022, at the new TVUP headquarters in the Student Union Building of UP Diliman.  Cignal TV will make the UP channel available to more than four million homes via its satellite direct-to-home service. The channel will include TVUP productions, consisting thus far of 591 episodes of programs such as The Platform; Science Innovations; NOAH Updates; Maikling Pelikula; Kultura, Sining, Atbp.; DRRM; the Documentaries: The Filipino series; Kalusugan at Karapatan; Batas at Bayan; Gender Talks; Financial Sense; Health Issues; UP Talks; CHE FN1; and Gulayan sa Tahanan. According to TVUP, the offerings have been a resource for students and teachers for remote and blended learning.  “Our friends from Cignal TV recognize the value of our work and our goal to extend our services to as many as possible, whether these are students looking to enrich their lessons or ordinary citizens who wish to gain more knowledge and develop skills,” Concepcion said after the signing. “What we have now is the perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people, ” he added.  Media Quest Holdings President and CEO Jane Basas, a UP BSBAA alumna, reiterates Cignal TV’s responsibility to enable every customer to be better informed and educated. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “The launch of the digital TVUP channel presents an opportunity to give back not once but every day for the next 365 days and beyond to the entire Filipino community who happens to be carrying a Cignal service,” says Media Quest Holdings, Inc. President and CEO.Jane Basas.  “We also have a responsibility to enable every single customer to become better informed and better educated so they can give back to the country as more discerning and responsible individuals,” she added.  Cignal TV President and CEO Robert Galang touts the ability of satellite TV to reach the most remote parts of the country, which allows Cignal TV to expand its offerings and introduce distance learners to a new way of experiencing remote learning. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “If you want to be able to reach the most remote parts of the country, only a satellite TV provider can do that,” Galang pointed out. “This partnership allows us to expand our offerings to our more than 4.1 million subscribers and introduce distance learners to a new way of experiencing remote learning,” he added.  TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso introduced the directors of new TVUP operations as it expands into digital TV.  TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso talks about the exponential growth of TVUP in service of its mandate to create and deliver open education resources. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “Since its inception in 2016, we witnessed the exponential growth of TVUP in service of its mandate: to create and deliver open education resources that are freely shared for everyone; nationally, serving our students and teachers; and internationally, to reach our learners in other countries.” However, Alfonso adds, delivery had been limited to those with internet service.”  Concepcion recalled the history of UP campuses in broadcasting, citing the establishment of DZUP and DZLB in the 1960s and DYUP in Iloilo in the 1980s. The first was a laboratory radio station for Mass Communication students, and the other two stations served farmers with educational programs. He said the UP Open University was the UP pioneer in television, producing a local television magazine program in Los Baños, Laguna, featuring research and science and technology issues. He said UP would have established a television station because of the need to disseminate UP expertise were it not for lack of available frequency. Concepcion said UP instead applied for digital TV channels.  UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora and Erwin Galang Cignal, TV VP and Head of Industry Relations and Regulatory Affairs signed the MOA as witnesses. Also present at the signing ceremony were UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho, and Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi.     UP and Cignal TV officials celebrate the signing of the MOA. Standing, from left to right: UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Media Quest Holdings President and CEO Jane Basas, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UP-PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and UMA ink partnership for doctoral students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-uma-ink-partnership-for-doctoral-students/",
        "html": "UP and UMA ink partnership for doctoral students UP and UMA ink partnership for doctoral students February 8, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   UMA Rector Jose Angel Narvaez Bueno (left) and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion (right) show the signed Memorandum of Agreement. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).     The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) of Spain, represented by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UMA President Jose Angel Narvaez Bueno, respectively, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for doctoral students on February 1, 2023 at the Board of Regents Room in Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Concepcion said the event marks “a new milestone in the partnership” between the two universities. According to the MOA, graduates of the UP College of Law can enroll in a doctoral program at the UMA each academic year until the students complete their entire program. They may also choose between Spanish or English language courses.  “I welcome this opportunity for graduates of our Law School to further deepen their knowledge and understanding of Philippine law and legal education, by studying in a university as renowned as the UMA, and in a country that shares strong historical, cultural and legal ties with the Philippines,” Concepcion said.  “Through this Agreement, UP can help build up the country’s pool of legal experts and researchers who can push for much needed legal reforms and generate innovations that will enable our legal system to better respond to 21st century challenges and more firmly uphold the values of freedom, equality, democracy, justice, and respect for human rights and the rule of law,” Concepcion added.  UMA Rector Jose Angel Narvaez Bueno and UP President Danilo L. Concepcion affix their signatures on the Memorandum of Agreement. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  The agreement is aligned with the objectives of the “Capacity building for Legal and Social Advancement in the Philippines” or CALESA project funded by the European Commission and coordinated by UMA with other international partner institutions in higher education.  UMA Rector Bueno was accompanied by Professor José Manuel de Torres Perea, who is also the Project Coordinator of CALESA.  Bueno said that the partnership provides the two universities new opportunities to work, grow and learn together in building a better world.  The MOA signing was attended by UP System and UP Diliman officials: Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora, Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto M.J. Lara, Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny D. Uy, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez, Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo, Office of International Linkages Diliman Director Carlene Perpetua P. Arceo, College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, College of Law Associate Dean Solomon F. Lumba, and College of Law Professor Ma. Gabriela “Gaby” Roldan-Concepcion.  Group photo of UP and Universidad de Málaga (UMA) officials taken at the iconic Quezon Hall lobby, February 1, 2023. From left to right: UP College of Law Professor and Associate Dean Solomon F. Lumba; then Office of International Linkages – UP Diliman Director Carlene Perpetua P. Arceo; Secretary of the University Roberto M.J. Lara; then UP Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque; Universidad de Málaga Professor and CALESA Project Coordinator José Manuel de Torres Perea; UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo; UP College of Law professor Ma. Gabriela “Gaby” Roldan-Concepcion; then UP President Danilo L. Concepcion; Universidad de Málaga Rector Jose Angel Narvaez Bueno; then UP Vice President for Development Elvira A. Zamora; then UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia; UP College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II; and then UP Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny D. Uy. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to pioneer “Feed the People” project with Energies PH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-pioneer-feed-the-people-project-with-energies-ph/",
        "html": "UP to pioneer “Feed the People” project with Energies PH UP to pioneer “Feed the People” project with Energies PH September 25, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Officials from UP and Energies PH launch the Feed the People program during the Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: Strengthening Partnerships in Philippine Public Higher Education Summit. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)        University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo A. Jimenez, Co-Chairman and CEO of Energies PH Antonio A. Ver, Co-Chairman Jorge V. Sarmiento, and other officials launched the “Feed the People PH” project during the “Pagtutuloy: Strengthening Partnerships in Philippine Public Higher Education”, the first-initiated gathering of leaders of state universities and colleges (SUCs) from across the country held at the Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom Davao on September 15. This Summit gathered together 114 SUCs from all over the country and was aimed at encouraging participation in interdisciplinary educational, research, and community service initiatives through collaborative projects.  According to the proponents of the Feed the People PH project, they aim to help address the lack of food of impoverished Filipinos through partnerships with leading educational institutions of the country. They explained that collaboration with SUCs with expertise in agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture will boost the modernization efforts, productivity and sustainability of the Philippines’ agricultural and fisheries sectors and make food affordable for all Filipinos.  During the Summit, Antonio A. Ver mentioned that Feed the People PH is a culmination of the collaborative efforts UP President Angelo Jimenez and Jorge V. Sarmiento initiated more than a decade ago with the formation of the Asia Pacific Basin for Energy Strategy, which gained Special Consultative Status in UN ECOSOC in 2014 as an Energy and Economic Think-Tank, committed to pursuing and accomplishing the UN Sustainable Goals. The project’s funding will be provided through an Energy Fund, acting as a source for EnergiesPH, which in turn manages an Endowment program dedicated to both STEM and food initiatives.  Earlier, at an executive meeting, UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara, UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., EnergiesPH officials, and other project co-proponents discussed possibilities on how the project can be funded while being implemented initially by UPLB’s AGORA. UPLB Chancellor Camacho expressed his thanks for the chance to co-create with UP’s new partners. These officials will be continuing their discussions on the technical and legal details of the partnerships, project implementation, and expansion. They will likewise be finalizing the terms for a memorandum of agreement to be signed in the future. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and Nagoya University deepen partnership – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-nagoya-university-deepen-partnership/",
        "html": "UP and Nagoya University deepen partnership UP and Nagoya University deepen partnership October 11, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   UP President Angelo A. Jimenez welcomes guests from Nagoya University. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines deepened its partnership with Nagoya University with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) establishing the Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus at the Chancellors’ Hall, Ground Floor, Bienvenido M. Gonzales Hall of the UP Los Baños (UPLB). The signing ceremony was held on October 9, at the Office of the University President.  The expansion of the partnership between the Nagoya University and UP, especially UPLB, would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of both Universities, particularly both presidents. This was a project between UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and NU President Naoshi Sugiyama aimed at building a long-lasting relationship between the Filipino and the Japanese people.  The Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campuses Institute has already been established the UPLB Graduate School through a Memorandum of Agreement signed December 2, 2015. The establishment of the NUASC at UPLB is aimed at providing mutual benefits for both institutions by strengthening the collaboration between UP, through the UPLB, and NU in offering degree programs, scholarships, and research projects in the areas of agriculture, food security and international development.     Ceremonial Signing of the MOU. From left to right: Vice Chancellor Nathaniel C. Batayan, Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama, Professor Akira Yamauchi. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama and UP President Angelo Jimenez exchange gifts. Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     According to the newly signed MOA, NU shall continue to implement the “Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries” it is offering to Filipino doctoral candidates who are enrolled in NU doctoral programs but are not required to be physically present in Nagoya for the whole period of the course.  Along with the two presidents, three other University officials took part in the signing including UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., UPLB Vice Chancellor or Research and Extension Nathaniel C. Bantayan, and Director of the Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campuses Institute Professor Akira Yamauchi. A short photo session followed the MOA signing, with officials from the UP System, UP Los Baños, UP Diliman, Nagoya University and other guests participating.  All of this would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of both Universities, particularly both presidents. This was a project between UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and NU President Naoshi Sugiyama in building a long-lasting relationship between the Filipino and the Japanese people.  In his welcoming speech, UP President Jimenez emphasized the importance of this newfound partnership, as well as “the manifestation of the shared vision and purpose between our two institutions: UP and Nagoya University of Japan.”  “We are renewing our mutual commitments and charting an enhanced pathway for cooperation that promises to reach new heights of academic and research excellence,” President Jimenez added.     The ceremonial MOA signing between UP and Nagoya University is capped by a photo session, with officials from the UP System, UPLB, UP Diliman, Nagoya University and other guests participating. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez for Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: The 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/speech-of-up-president-angelo-a-jimenez-for-pagtutulay-pagtutuloy-the-1st-up-suc-summit-on-excellence-and-equity-in-public-higher-education/",
        "html": "Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez for Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: The 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez for Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: The 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education October 18, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez delivering his speech at the UP-SUC Summit. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  CHED Chair J. Prospero de Vera III, PASUC President Tirso Ronquillo, Presidents of our fellow SUCs, Panel speakers, Colleagues in UP, Distinguished guests, Good morning.  Pagtutulay. Bridging. Pagtutuloy. Continuing. We have come here to build long-lasting partnerships.  Because together, we are stronger. Together, we are a body of more than 100 state universities and colleges—more than 500 if we count satellite campuses. With this combined strength, we can move Philippine higher education much further than we could as individual SUCs.   This is why we are in this summit.   We are bound by a shared commitment to ensure that we make truly meaningful and relevant contributions to national development. To guarantee that higher education truly serves our people and allows them to positively transform their lives.  Today is the first day we take a step—no, a giant leap—as a network of SUCs hand-in-hand with CHED, moving forward in unison for the benefit of the Filipino nation.  As SUCs, we have identical mandates on quality higher education, instruction, research, public service, equitable access, professional training, community engagement, innovation and technology transfer, culture and heritage, global competitiveness, and community engagement and social responsibility, among others.   While our Charters are unique to our institutions, the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008, or Republic Act No. 9500, mandates UP, the national university, to perform its distinctive leadership role in higher education and development.  In alignment with this mandate, the University of the Philippines organized this summit to provide the enabling environment that will allow us to see our shared pursuits and discover each other’s niche areas that may push us to move for increased interaction with our fellow SUCs. These distinct and common strengths can only be made stronger by banding together. This gathering is a recognition that we can and should learn from one another because there is no shortage of expertise, experience, insight, and wisdom among Philippine SUCs.  Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy will allow us to discuss and open up opportunities for academic exchange, collaborative research, and joint service programs, to name a few. We want to hear about each other’s best practices and innovative approaches to teaching, learning, doing research, and providing public service. And as we share and listen and find windows of cooperation, we also look beyond linking up. Because we want these links to last. These are long-term commitments for the common good. Let us talk about how we can maintain these partnerships and make them effective and sustainable.  Our partnerships will be exemplars of scholarship in action—the translation of our higher education mandates and functions into actual practicable solutions to society’s problems. What we are doing in this summit is tapping into our cooperation in engaged scholarship as an approach with even greater potential to achieve social justice and equity.   Let us become co-creators of new knowledge in as many fields as we possibly can. Let us find more teaching, learning, and education delivery pathways to accommodate learners, widen access, and promote lifelong learning. Let us explore new frontiers and pursue innovation through our combined expertise, facilities, and other resources. Let us join together to deliver public service that is sincere, appropriate, and life-changing.  Just as UP organized this summit to gather all of us so we may work towards the achievement of a unified goal, we are also launching four programs to share with all of you. Philippine Massive Open Online Courses and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University are new initiatives. The UP Data Commons and TVUP are existing UP resources whose inclusion in today’s launch means we are opening them to you, our fellow SUCs in the spirit of cooperation.  I am very excited for the rest of this day. This summit brings so many possibilities and opportunities for us to transform the landscape of Philippine higher education and push it to the forefront of building the Filipino nation.  Pagtutulay, pagtutuloy. We are here to build and sustain bridges of lasting partnerships between and among Philippine SUCs. Because we are stronger and can achieve much, much more together.  Thank you.  President Jimenez (foreground, in white), surrounded by colleagues from the various State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) of the country at the end of the UP-SUC Summit. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Investiture Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/investiture-speech-of-up-president-angelo-a-jimenez/",
        "html": "Investiture Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez Investiture Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez October 18, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Angelo Jimenez ends his Investiture Speech with a raised clenched fist, symbolizing UP’s tradition of activism. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO. Panaad at Kabilin: Pagtatalaga kay Kgg. Angelo A. Jimenez bilang ika-22 Pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas 14 September 2023 | Thursday | 9:00 AM UP Mindanao Atrium, Tugbok, Davao City, Davao del Sur  Thank you all for joining me here today, in one of our beloved University’s most meaningful rites of transition. I am honored and humbled by your presence—not only my colleagues in the University and comrades in arms, but our distinguished guests who have come from far and wide, and our gracious hosts in this beautiful and vibrant city of Davao.  Today my heart is filled with joy, because I have come home—home to this great island of my birth, to the cradle of my hopes and dreams. Those hopes and dreams have never been mine alone. They have been nurtured and pursued by every Filipino born, as I was, far from what have become our country’s centers of wealth and power.   I say this with some irony, because we often forget that once upon a time, Mindanao—and particularly my home city of Butuan—was that very center. As we often say where I come from, “Before there was the Philippines, there was Butuan.” It was a city of goldsmiths and shipbuilders, of a proud and industrious people who ventured far beyond their shores to make their mark in the world.  I, too, have been fortunate to travel far, driven both by my hunger to learn and by the demands of my profession. I went as far as war-torn Iraq where, as a hostage negotiator, I physically grabbed Filipino hostage Robert Tarongoy into freedom and safety in the middle of Baghdad’s bloodied streets. My wife and I also came home with a new daughter, an infant left at our doorstep, a blessing from God whom I am delighted to be with us today.  I also wish my dear parents were here to share this moment with me, but I know that they are watching and listening, happy if not a bit disbelieving how far in life their son has come.  But no matter how far we go or how long it takes, we always come home. That is who and what we are. Like Ulysses, we roam the farthest ends of the earth in search of adventure and bounty—or, in the case of our 10 million OFWs, of a better future for their children.   I am home today not to boast of what I have achieved by the grace of God, but to share what I have learned, and beyond myself, what this great institution I am now privileged to lead has achieved and what it can still offer.   Datu Mankalagan to my Manobo family, and Angelo Azura Jimenez to everyone else, I humbly accept the honor and the challenge of serving as the 22nd President of the University of the Philippines. I do so with much optimism and enthusiasm, tempered only by my awareness, gained over these past six months of practice, that the leadership of this University is one of this country’s heaviest and most complex responsibilities.  But it is also the opportunity of a lifetime—not just mine, but that of my generation—to serve the Filipino people with all I have learned from this institution and from my engagements with the world.   I came of age under the shadow of martial rule. I learned that even under adverse circumstances, there was much that could be done to seek for ourselves and our society the benefits of knowledge and collective action. As a student leader, I felt and understood what burned in the heart of every Isko and Iska: the desire to serve and to make a difference in the lives of our people. Beyond our much-vaunted talent, this is the true hallmark of a UP native, the service gene that seems to have been coded into our DNA.  We chose our own paths. I became a lawyer, and devoted myself to advancing the welfare of our working men and women. I never expected then that I would be where I am now, coming full circle, on an upward spiral, from student to president.  But as I am reminded every day by the many exciting things that pass my way—a new research program, a request for UP’s expertise—I remain and will forever be a student. In these years ahead, I will listen to you, my dear colleagues, my seniors and my juniors, drawing on your wisdom and experience to make the best possible decisions for the good of our University and our people.      “I pledge to be fair, to be transparent, to be accountable, and to serve you to the best of my ability.” President Jimenez makes this promise during his Investiture Ceremony held at the UP Mindanao Atrium, UP Mindanao campus, Davao City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     I pledge to be fair, to be transparent, to be accountable, and to serve you to the best of my ability. If I do wrong, let me know how we can set things straight and move forward. If I do right, then encourage me to stay the course, to be firm and strong, and above all, to be humble.   I’m especially honored to be joined today not only by my UP family, but also by the presidents and representatives of our State Universities and Colleges, for whom we have organized a summit meeting. This summit will explore the many possibilities for enhancing and strengthening partnerships between our institutions. I will address these possibilities in our meeting tomorrow, at length and in greater detail.   But let me share with you today the three main concerns that have occupied my mind since I submitted myself to lead this University.  First, UP has had more than a century to produce leaders of the highest intellectual caliber and technical expertise. And yet, too many of our people remain mired in abject poverty, in hunger and despair.   When UP was founded, its brief was simple: “to give advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training to every qualified student irrespective of age, sex, nationality, religious belief, or political affiliation.” Rafael Palma gave it a higher purpose: “In the struggle of the Filipino people for nationhood, the University is the embodiment of the hopes and aspirations of the people for their cultural and intellectual progress.”  But beyond nurturing the Filipino mind and spirit, should UP have been more explicitly charged with raising our people’s material welfare? Are we doing enough at present to promote economic progress and social justice among our people?  Second, UP was conceived as a university for the Filipino people—and by “people” today we mean more than 110 Filipinos spread out over 82 provinces and 17 administrative regions, not to mention almost 200 ethnolinguistic groups. But how well is this diversity represented in our student population, even across our eight constituent universities?   About 60 percent of our students today come from private schools, and we know why. Our educational system remains terribly skewed in favor of children from privileged and urban-based families, and our admissions policy unfortunately does not do enough to correct that bias. If we are to be a truly national university, this has to be addressed.  Third—and speaking of our special status as a national university—UP all by itself accounts for 20 percent of the national budget for higher education, with the balance to be shared by more than 100 other state universities and colleges. There are reasons for what seems to be our inordinately large budget, given UP’s advanced capabilities in both teaching and research.   But with this tremendous privilege comes the commensurate responsibility to share what we have and what we know with others. A true national university cannot stand in isolation from its environment, but must nurture that environment. If not everyone can come to UP, then UP must go not only where it can help raise academic standards, but also where it can cooperate and collaborate as an equal partner, and learn from SUCs with advanced and specialized expertise in certain areas. Like myself, UP must remain an eager and active learner.  In all these, our guiding principle must be service to our people and to humanity at large. When our chancellors, vice presidents, and strategic advisers met recently to help me chart the course of my administration, our most significant decision was to add one word to UP’s hallowed motto of “Honor and Excellence.” That simple but deeply meaningful word was “Service.” Honor and excellence inhere in the individual, but service looks beyond the individual and locates him or her in our nation and society. It reminds all of us that a UP education has been paid for by the sweat and the sacrifice of our people, and that every UP graduate has a lifelong responsibility to pay back that debt through service to society.  As an institution, under my administration, UP will discharge that responsibility by sharing its knowledge and resources with other SUCs.  I am also a firm believer in initiative and resourcefulness. We all deserve more support from the government, but there is much we can do by ourselves, among ourselves, regardless of what the government can provide. The synergy we can create—between and among our CUs within UP, and between and among our SUCs—can be a vast resource for Philippine higher education.  In this age of globalization and artificial intelligence, and faced with threats and opportunities on all sides, we have little choice but to venture forth into that brave new world and meet whatever is out there—like Ulysses, that traveler to distant lands, driven by his desire “to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”  I have no doubt that with the right attitude and preparation, we will survive together, we will prosper together, and we will prevail together.   Mabuhay ang UP, mabuhay ang Pilipinas, at mabuhay tayong lahat. Marami pong salamat!     Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Prospero De Vera hands over to President Jimenez the University Mace, symbolizing the authority and responsbility vested in the University Presidency, at the Investiture Ceremony on September 14, 2023, at the UP Mindanao Atrium, Davao City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Panaad ug Kabilin sa Yutang Gisaad – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/panaad-ug-kabilin-sa-yutang-gisaad/",
        "html": "Panaad ug Kabilin sa Yutang Gisaad Panaad ug Kabilin sa Yutang Gisaad October 18, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Angelo Jimenez speaking at the President’s Night. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO. An Oath and a Legacy for the Land of Promise Message of University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Azura Jimenez at the Welcome Dinner and President’s Night. September 14, 2023, Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom, Dusit Thani Residence, Davao City.     Maayong gabii kaninyong tanan, Magandang gabi sa inyong lahat! Good evening everyone!  I am humbled by the privilege of once again being honored by our brothers and sisters from the indigenous communities, particularly here in Mindanao, and more so in this series of days when I am here professing my commitment to lead our country’s national university, while manifesting my love for the people of the Land of Promise.  Karon pa lang, mangayo nako ug pasaylo sa atong mga kauban gikan sa Kaulohan kay mag-binisaya ko gamay, kini tungod sa akong dakong kalipay tungod sa pagpatigayon sa akong Investiture diri sa atoa, ug sa panalagsaon, ug unta dili katapusang higayon, nga ako ania sa Mindanao isip Pangulo sa UP.  At this point, I beg the indulgence of our colleagues from Manila since I will speaking in Bisaya once in a while, and this is because I am overjoyed that the Investiture is held here in the land of my birth, and this is a very special, and hopefully not the last, opportunity to be here as the President of UP.  Kaganihang buntag, ako nag-panaad isip Pangulo sa Unibersidad sa Pilipinas, nga akong tumanon ang iyang nag-inusarang mandato nga mangulo sa pagtudlo, panukiduki, ug pagserbisyo sa katawhan. Lakip na niini ang akong kaugalingong panaad nga akong pangulohan ang Unibersidad, dili lang isip usa ka Pilipino, kundili usa pud usab ka Mindanawon [This morning, I promised as the President of the University of the Philippines to fulfill its mandate to exercise distinctive leadership in education, research, and public service. Along with this, I also made a promise to myself that I will lead the University not only as a Filipino, but also as a Mindanawon].  When I took my oath in Sitio Mahayahay, in Anticala, Butuan City earlier this year, in the presence of school kids, I not only made a commitment to the University as its 22nd President, but also to Mindanao, the land of my birth, always known as the Land of Promise, with many of its youth still hungry and struggling to have access to the best academic, vocational, and economic opportunities which may allow them to realize their potentials, their dreams, and the promise of a better life for their families and their communities.  Pasayloa ko, forgive me, if the weight of my being a son of Mindanao weighs heavily upon my shoulders. The thought of being the first President from this land of ours is a responsibility which I do not take lightly, as it is an opportunity to not only lead the University with the distinct perspective of someone from country’s literal and figurative South, but also someone who, with the support of the whole University community, may be able to bring UP closer to these islands of ours, which have had decades of conflict, distrust, neglect, and exploitation.  Mindanao is more than the usual image of conflict that we have grown far too often see in the news. It is home to not only one or two faiths, but several, many being indigenous and important to the appreciation of our roots as Filipinos, or as we call it in Bisaya as Kagikan.  Mindanao also hosts several of the country’s diverse cultural traditions which form part of our colorful and distinct heritage. The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples or the NCIP itself said in 2009, that about 61% of the country’s indigenous peoples are found in our island, while 33% are found in Luzon, and only 6% are found in the Visayas. That is not to say that the indigenous communities in other parts of the country are not important, but it serves to highlight how much this land of ours holds in terms of heritage or what we may call here as Kabilin.  Tonight, let us celebrate the unique culture and heritage that not only forms part of the tradition and history of Mindanao, but also our identity as a nation. Isip kabahin sa mga Lumad sa Mindanaw, isa sa akong kanunay ipasigarbo ang akong pagka-Manobo, nga usa ka timailhan sa akong kalambigitan sa pagpanalipod, pagpakaylap, ug pagpatunhay sa atong kagikan [As someone who considers himself part of the Lumad of Mindanao, I am always proud of my Manobo identity, proof of my sworn duty to protect, promote and preserve our heritage].  There is no better venue to showcase what is Mindanao to our friends from other parts of the country and abroad than tonight, here in this event. And so, my friends, let us celebrate this evening and enjoy the performances, and take pride in the beauty, the culture, the history, and the people, that is Mindanao.  Daghang salamat ug maayong gabii kaninyong tanan!  Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Prospero De Vera shares a toast with President Jimenez during the President’s Night. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Keynote Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/keynote-speech-of-up-president-angelo-a-jimenez/",
        "html": "Keynote Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez Keynote Speech of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez October 19, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   President Angelo Jimenez delivering his speech at the UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) Awarding Ceremony for Batch 2022-2024 of UP Scientists in UP Los Baños. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO. UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) Awarding Ceremony for Batch 2022-2024 of UP Scientists 29 September 2023 | Friday | 1:00 PM Charles Fuller Baker Memorial Hall, UP Los Baños  Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.  First of all, my warmest congratulations to the pride and inspiration of our country’s academic community, the lifeblood of our University: our outstanding UP Scientists for 2022 to 2024, who will be honored today at this UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) Awarding Ceremony.   I am deeply honored to be here with you today to recognize and celebrate academic and scientific excellence, relentless dedication and discipline, and groundbreaking contributions and innovations by the esteemed members of our community, especially the contributions and innovations that have directly impacted the lives of Filipinos for the better.   The UP Scientific Productivity System was established by the Board of Regents in August 2005 with a clear vision: to support the development of science and technology, and to encourage and reward scientific productivity within the University of the Philippines. Today, we bear witness to the fruition of that vision, embodied in the remarkable individuals we are here to honor.  UP has always recognized the importance of nurturing its scientists. Through the provision of research funds and various awards, we have worked to create an environment where academic and scientific excellence and artistic expression thrive, where creativity, invention, insight and innovation flourish. The “UP Scientist” Award is a testament to the University’s commitment to nurturing scientific development, as it not only bestows esteemed recognition but also provides material incentives and a conducive environment that fosters advanced scientific productivity for the betterment of our nation.  You, our deserving scientists, researchers, innovators and mentors—our UP Scientists—are bestowed with this prestigious rank for a period of three years, accompanied by a monetary award. The rewards are well-earned, as your dedication to advancing the boundaries of knowledge and finding ways to harness this knowledge to benefit our people, especially the marginalized and neglected, is priceless. You have earned not only this recognition but also our deepest respect and admiration from us here in UP, and the honor and gratitude of the country.  Since the inception of the UP Scientific Productivity System, the University has appointed 774 individuals to the UP Scientist ranks. With scientists retaining or improving their ranks, we are witnessing the tangible impact of our long-term campaign and initiatives to support our academic community in their pursuit of excellence and service to the nation.  Let us take a moment to acknowledge the achievements of our UP Scientists over the years. Each batch of scientists has left an indelible mark on our University and the nation as a whole. This legacy of excellence extends from 2006-2008 to our most recent Batch 2022-2024, comprising 56 Scientist I, 9 Scientist II, and 12 Scientist III appointments, totaling 77 individuals who have pushed the boundaries of knowledge in their respective fields.  These statistics, however, merely scratch the surface of the profound impact our UP Scientists have had on society. Your research, discoveries and innovations have changed lives and moved to transform our nation. You have created treatments, pharmaceuticals, and cutting-edge diagnostic and mapping tools that figured front and center in our government’s fight against the pandemic as well as other health problems. You have made discoveries and innovations that give our people, communities and sectors the tools to boost productivity through environmentally sustainable methods; to mitigate risk of disaster and disease; to communicate and learn more efficiently; to make valuable information more accessible. You have conducted wide-ranging explorations of Philippine society, delving deep into all facets of our histories, our cultures, our economic and sociopolitical realities—all that have made us who we are today, and all that would make us who we wish to be—and shared these with our leaders, policymakers, local governments and communities to provide much-needed shifts in mindsets that make all transformation possible.   And perhaps most importantly, you have taught generations of UP students and young Filipinos the joys and the discipline of science and innovation, and how to harness these in real, concrete ways to benefit people and communities. Through your mentoring and example, you have nurtured new generations of Filipino scientists and innovators who will drive the nation’s development and enable us to face the challenges of the 21st century with fresh, new perspectives.  Of course, today’s awarding ceremony is not just a celebration. It is also an opportunity for us to engage with one another, for our esteemed guests, faculty, UP Scientists, students and staff to come together, share current research practices, discuss major accomplishments with high societal impact, and lay out our proposed works for the future. I am confident that our programs and initiatives, partnerships and collaborations now and in the future will have at their core UP’s guiding principle of service to our people and to humanity at large. After all, service remains the ultimate measure of our success and relevance as academics, as scientists, as innovators, and as knowledge creators.   Once again, my heartfelt congratulations to Batch 2022-2024 UP Scientists. As you receive your well-deserved awards today, remember that you are not only being honored for your past achievements but also entrusted with the responsibility to continue pushing the boundaries of science and technology for the betterment of our nation.  Mabuhay ang mga Siyentista ng Bayan!  Daghang salamat.  Maayong hapon kaninyong tanan.  President Jimenez (front, ninth from right) poses with this year’s batch of UP Scientists, along with members of the Board of Regents, officials of his administration and the UPLB administration. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Get thesis writing tips from “FICS Chat with Sir Lex” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/get-thesis-writing-tips-from-fics-chat-with-sir-lex/",
        "html": "Get thesis writing tips from “FICS Chat with Sir Lex” Get thesis writing tips from “FICS Chat with Sir Lex” October 20, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot from the first episode of “FICS Chat with Sir Lex”. All episodes can be accessed at the UPOU’s YouTube channel.     Professor Emeritus and former UP Open University (UPOU) Chancellor Felix “Lex” Librero is dishing out thesis writing advice with “FICS Chat with Sir Lex”, a program on UPOU Networks that he conceptualized himself.     UP Professor Emeritus Lex Librero talks about thesis and dissertation matters in a virtual fireside chat. Screenshot from the first episode of “FICS Chat with Sir Lex”.     It is a community service initiative of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) that aims to equip learners with knowledge and harness their skills in writing theses and dissertations. It premiered on September 4 with “General Practices in Thesis Writing”.  It has streamed live on the UPOU Networks-Multimedia Center Facebook page, UPOU FICS Facebook page, UPOU Networks website, and the UPOU YouTube channel every Friday since.  Recordings of the streamed videos are accessible on the said sites and pages for those who want to view or review the episodes.  As of this writing, “FICS Chat with Sir Lex” has had a total of seven episodes. The second installment, “Writing the Introductory Chapter”, was streamed on September 11; “How to Review the Literature” on September 18; “Writing the Methodology: The Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs” on September 25; “Survey Research Designs” on October 2; “Writing the Discussion on Sampling Design” on October 9; and, “The Frameworks of Your Thesis” on October 16.  Apart from “FICS Chat with Sir Lex”, UPOU Networks also has Librero’s “Thesis Writing: A Practical Guide”.  Librero has a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He served as the UPOU chancellor for two consecutive terms, from 2001 to 2007.He was awarded the rank and title of UP Scientist in 2006. He has given multiple master classes on research, thesis, and dissertation writing, and has published two books on the subject: How to Write a Thesis Proposal: Some Practical Guidelines in 2003; and, Writing Your Thesis (A Practical Guide for Students) in 2012. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU graduates 412 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-graduates-412/",
        "html": "UPOU graduates 412 UPOU graduates 412 December 15, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    It was the first online graduation for the UP Open University (UPOU)—13 years after its education delivery mode went fully online.  On December 5, in its 24th commencement exercises, UPOU conferred degrees and titles upon the 412-strong Class of 2020 in a virtual ceremony. Sixty-one were in the undergraduate level and 351 in the graduate level.     The symbolic shifting of the UP Sablay from the right shoulder to the left indicates graduation from the University. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.      Four graduated magna cum laude: Anne Margarette Bacomo and Kimberly Dollente with Bachelor Arts in Multimedia Studies (BAMS) degrees, and Mariebelle Balazuela and Klaudette Zarah Leisibach with Bachelor of Education Studies (BES) degrees.  There were three cum laude graduates: Katherine Joy Cruz (BAMS), Paulo Reyes (BES), and Candice Mae Tiongson (BAMS).  On the graduate level, 11 made it to the Chancellor’s List, which requires a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.00 to 1.14. Twenty-two were on the Dean’s List, which requires a GWA of 1.15 to 1.24.     UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria delivers her message to the graduates. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.      While UPOU’s traditional commencement exercises may have been the only opportunity for some to finally meet their classmates and teachers in person, UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria pointed out that attendance by members of the graduating class was only at 70 to 80 percent. In her message, she asked the Class of 2020 to look at the online ceremony from a different perspective–that of UPOU’s advocacies on equity and inclusion.  The first virtual graduation ceremony harnessed the same technologies UPOU uses to provide inclusive education so as to also make sure each and every graduate, and their family members and loved ones, are part of the celebratory event.  “This is not just a ceremony, but a symbol of inclusion and equity that better demonstrates the openness of our University,” Bandalaria said.     UP President Danilo Concepcion tells the UPOU Class of 2020 that it is part of the first generation of Iskolar ng Bayan to graduate in a time of pandemic. “I expect you to lead our country in rising from the ravages of this tragedy. Use your UP education wisely. With courage and excellence, may you fulfill your duties as good citizens with the heart and mind for our people and nation.” Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.     In his message, UP President Danilo Concepcion reminded the graduates that a time of crisis should be used as an opportunity to further persevere, improve, and serve the country. “Live the UP spirit—unity and service rendered with honor and excellence—and prove that we, the University and its alumni, will not waver in our quest to find effective, alternative solutions to society’s problems.”     Senator Joel Villanueva, who chairs the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, was the commencement speaker. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.     In his commencement speech, Senator Joel Villanueva urged the UPOU Class of 2020 to be “purposeful agents of change” toward growth and development. While the COVID-19 pandemic has, according to Villanueva, “laid bare the country’s deep digital divide and even intensified the existing inequalities in education,” he expressed hope that the disruption caused by the crisis would lead to a greater acceptance of distance education as an equally viable teaching and learning mode.  Villanueva called on the graduates to “revolutionize disruptions” by turning them into opportunities for positive change. “Each of you is a success story. You have the power to inspire, to build societies. Be a blessing in the midst of suffering.”     Mariebelle Balazuela, who earned a Bachelor of Education Studies, magna cum laude, delivers a message on behalf of the UPOU Class of 2020. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.      Speaking on behalf of the graduating class was Balazuela, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who left the country 26 years ago. She entered UP Diliman as a Fine Arts major in 1989 but wasn’t able to finish her degree because she went abroad and “life happened”. “I had to migrate to Spain to study, or so I thought. Instead of wearing a smock at an art studio, I had to wear a maid’s uniform and work as a nanny and domestic helper,” she revealed.  Using her 31-year journey to a baccalaureate degree and her experiences as an OFW, she told her fellow graduates, “Never give up on your dreams no matter how elusive they are. If you fail to climb that wall, do it again, and again, and again.”     Graduates pledge their loyalty to the University. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.     Members of the UPOU Class of 2020 raise their fists as they sing “UP Naming Mahal. Screenshot by Misael Bacani of UP MPRO from the 24th UPOU Commencement Exercises live stream via YouTube.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Professor Emeritus Felix Librero writes 30 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/professor-emeritus-felix-librero-writes-30/",
        "html": "Professor Emeritus Felix Librero writes 30 Professor Emeritus Felix Librero writes 30 March 22, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   The UPOU community deeply mourns the loss of its former Chancellor, Dr. Felix Librero. Dr. Librero died Tuesday, 16 March 2021. He served as Chancellor of UPOU from 2001 to 2007. Watch the tribute video for Dr. Librero on the UPOU Facebook page.     “At some point in one’s life, death is the only thing that must happen.”  This was how Professor Emeritus Felix Librero concluded one of his musings on the subject of death in his blog, Connecting, back in February 2017. While his was a matter-of-fact declaration of a universal truth, its simplicity and directness did not take away from the complexity of human emotion that resulted from the news of his passing on March 16.  Sadness, shock, disbelief, regret. These were only some of the reactions people expressed when they learned that he was gone. He succumbed to liver cirrhosis at the age of 77.  The wealth of wisdom and knowledge he chose to share with the world through his publications and lectures, his mentorship and guidance, had a deep and lasting effect on his students and colleagues in the University. This is evident in the many recollections and stories about him that have been shared in social media groups. That he was well loved in the academe, that he was much appreciated by people who have had the privilege of interacting with him, is certain. The UP community, especially those in UP Los Baños (UPLB) and UP Open University (UPOU), is feeling this great loss.  “Sir Lex,” as he was known to most in UP, was born on May 30, 1943. He grew up in Itbayat, Batanes, where he said he “had to work the dirt almost 24/7 to eke out a living”. He left for Basco in 1959 to study in Batanes National Science High School. In 1963, he entered the UP College of Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna, which was not yet UPLB, the constituent university then.  After graduating in 1968 with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, major in Agricultural Communications, he began his University career. He rose through the ranks, from being DZLB station supervisor, to becoming an instructor, and eventually a full professor. It was also in UPLB where he earned his Master of Science in Development Communication degree in 1974. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Systems Technology degree in 1981 from Indiana University, USA.     One of Professor Emeritus Felix Librero’s last projects in UPOU was the web series he conceptualized himself, FICS Chat with Sir Lex. It is a community service initiative of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) that aims to equip learners with knowledge and harness their skills in writing theses and dissertations. The first episode, “General Practices in Thesis Writing” was streamed on 04 September 2020. Screenshot taken by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO.     He occupied administrative positions as well. In UPLB, he served as the chairperson of the Department of Development Communication and was later its director when it became an Institute. He was also appointed Associate Dean of the UPLB College of Agriculture. In UPOU, he was Dean of the School for Distance Education, later on becoming Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, and eventually serving two consecutive terms as Chancellor.  In 2008, UP’s centennial year, he was selected to be part of the University’s highest governing body, the Board of Regents, as faculty regent. “I was assured that there would be only one Centennial Faculty Regent within 100 years,” he said. He turned 65 that same year and while that was the compulsory age of retirement, his valuable expertise was still needed by UP. His appointment as Professor 12 was extended for five more years, in accordance with the rules of the Civil Service Commission.  “I shall be (what I call) absolutely retired,” he said, looking toward his 70th birthday in 2013. “Absolutely retired”, but with plans on how to spend his days as retiree: to continue doing research, writing, editing, teaching, giving lectures, and perhaps taking a brief break “before moving on again”.  Three months before marking his seventh decade, the University conferred upon him the rank and title of Professor Emeritus, effective upon his retirement. And he made good on his retirement plans. Among his other activities, he continued to teach in UPOU as professorial lecturer, was chief editor of the International Journal of Open and Distance e-Learning, and until last year, he was still giving lectures on “topics and issues many undergraduate and graduate students are interested in, such as writing theses, development communication, media research, and the like”. This included the web series he conceptualized himself that premiered on 04 September 2020, FICS Chat with Sir Lex.  He is survived by his sister Juanita, wife Jeanette, son Al, daughter-in-law Vanessa, and grandson Aiden. His first wife and Al’s mother, Araceli, passed away in 2003.  Read Al’s 75th birthday tribute to his father here.  Some resources from Professor Emeritus Felix Librero may be read or viewed in UPOU Networks. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP celebrates 113th anniversary and 2nd anniversary during the COVID-19 pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-celebrates-113th-anniversary-and-2nd-anniversary-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/",
        "html": "UP celebrates 113th anniversary and 2nd anniversary during the COVID-19 pandemic UP celebrates 113th anniversary and 2nd anniversary during the COVID-19 pandemic June 18, 2021 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines (UP) celebrates its 113th founding anniversary today and its second during the COVID-19 pandemic.  As with last year’s celebration, UP’s 17 campuses are still closed. In addition, the country remains under quarantine to contain the spread of the viral disease that shut the world down in 2020. However, the faculty, students, staff, alumni, and other members of the UP community continue to commemorate UP’s annual milestones with a sense of nostalgia and longing for life in the University’s verdant campuses again, a sense of pride in UP’s continuing achievements through this extraordinary period in its history, and hope for a University of the Philippines for the future in a post-COVID world.  113 years of excellence  The country’s premier state university was founded on June 18, 1908, through Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly, with the mandate to give “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training” to every qualified student regardless of “age, sex, nationality, religious belief, and political affiliation.”  Over the past 113 years, the University evolved from being the pinnacle of the American-established educational system to a “University for the Filipino” as envisioned by its first president, Murray Simpson Bartlett. It weathered through World Wars and the recovery effort, periods of political unrest and the subsequent declaration of Martial Law in 1972, the end of a dictator’s reign and the return to democracy, and the transition into a digital world racing toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [Click here for a more detailed history of UP.]  In 2008, UP celebrated its first centennial. The Republic Act No. 9500 was also signed this year, establishing UP as the country’s national university. By the year 2017, when former UP College of Law Dean Danilo L. Concepcion took the reins as UP President, UP had grown into a massive University System consisting of eight constituent universities located in 21 campuses throughout the Philippine archipelago.  UP in the “new normal”  Then in 2020, UP confronted its biggest crisis since the Second World War as the world grappled with a hundred-year pandemic. The University met this new challenge head-on, harnessing its considerable knowledge resources to aid the members of its academic community, the government, and the country’s citizens. UP scientists and engineers have created locally produced, accurate, and affordable COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, sanitation facilities, and much-needed sanitation chemicals. UP social scientists and researchers have mapped the progression of the disease through the country, creating databases and generating research that would inform policy and decision-making on the national and local levels. UP artists and musicians have shared works that inspire, give hope, and pay tribute to the country’s heroes. UP students, alumni, administrators, and residents have come together to help the UP community survive the viral outbreak and the quarantine. And UP’s doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers through the UP Philippine General Hospital once again heroically serve those in need despite the risks to life and well-being.  UP has been moving non-stop since then. The run-up to its 113th anniversary has been marked with shifts, breakthroughs, progress, and a selfless commitment to serve the people throughout the pandemic. UP held fast not only against the pandemic but against threats to its academic freedom as well. Even in the face of a fire that hit the third floor of the UP Philippine General Hospital, the country’s premier COVID-19 referral center, UP medical and administrative personnel responded with courage and discipline, thus preventing any loss of life and earning for several staff members conferment of the Order of Lapu-Lapu for their extraordinary acts of service and exceptional contributions to the country.  Shift to remote learning  By the time the first semester of Academic Year 2020-2021 began, UP had made the necessary preparations to shift to fully remote teaching and learning, with guidance from the UP Open University and its wealth of resources that help guide academic institutions in making the shift. To take on the admittedly tricky challenge of shifting abruptly from traditional classroom learning, UP crafted its Academic Roadmap for AY 2020-2021 along with three operational principles: 1) to protect the UP community from the pandemic; 2) to sustain the continuity of instruction and learning; and, 3) to consider equity concerns in all plans.  Some measures UP were: subscribing to a Zoom account for webinars that can accommodate up to 3,000 participants; purchasing the learning management system, Canvas, and continuing upgrade UP’s own LMS; acquiring software to support remote work, teaching, and learning; and procuring additional library resource subscriptions and library information systems. In addition, UP faculty prepared course packs that are made available online and offline, with physical course packs produced and delivered to students via courier or through the various campuses at no cost to students.  To help support UP students from vulnerable households who were at the risk of dropping out because they lacked the means to continue their studies via remote learning, UP launched the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng Iskolar ng Bayan fundraising campaign to help provide these students with the gadgets and connectivity they needed. UP also provided device and connectivity support for faculty and staff who are working from home. To help care for and support the students’ mental health and well-being during this exceptionally trying period, UP also created and is currently strengthening its Mental Health and Wellness Network across the UP System to provide psychosocial support and services to UP students and facilitate referrals for treatment and other interventions.  Breakthroughs, honors, and expansion  Despite the pandemic, UP scientists and researchers continued to produce cutting-edge research and make history-defining discoveries. Just to name a few: In March 2021, Dr. Deo Florence L. Onda of the UP Marine Science Institute became the first and only Filipino and one of the first two human beings to make the first crewed descent into Emden Deep, the third deepest point on Earth. In the next month, a team of researchers, including UP archaeologists Dr. Janine Ochoa and Dr. Armand Mijares, discovered fossil remains of three extinct giant cloud rat species in northern Luzon. And UP scientists and engineers continued to work with the Philippine Space Agency to create breakthroughs in the country’s space program, such as the successful launch of the nano-satellite Maya-2 and the planned launch of the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment or MULA satellite.  The University also set in motion its plans to expand the UP Visayas campus in the province of Antique to more effectively implement its continuing education programs. The UP Manila has similarly signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a UP School of Health Sciences extension campus in Tarlac. In UP Mindanao, discussions are ongoing for a proposed city hospital on campus, in line with its Mindanao Health Initiative.  In recognition of their outstanding lifetime achievements and valuable contribution to the University and the country, two former UP presidents—National Scientist Emil Q. Javier and Alfredo E. Pascual—and Amb. Edgardo Espiritu and retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio were conferred honorary degrees by the University.  UP para sa bayan  Fulfilling its mandate and role as the country’s national university, UP continued to do its utmost to aid the national and local governments and serve the people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The UP Manila, the UP National Institutes of Health, and the UP College of Medicine share their knowledge, expertise, and experience in treating and managing COVID-19 through the ongoing weekly webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths,” produced by TVUP. These webinars, a valuable source of scientifically and medically accurate COVID-19 information, are available to the public via TVUP’s YouTube channel.  The Philippine Genome Center and the UP Manila National Institutes of Health also detect and track the different SARS-CoV-2 variants spreading throughout the country through genomic biosurveillance. At the same time, the UP-PGC’s two satellite facilities based in UP Visayas and UP Mindanao train local health professionals in rRT-PCR testing and helped set up laboratories in their regions. The PGC Visayas and Mindanao also monitoring their respective areas for other pathogens that might pose a threat to health and food security.  UP Los Baños (UPLB) opened the COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory to serve as a subnational testing center for Laguna and nearby provinces. Both UPLB and UP Diliman have offered their Copeland Gymnasium and College of Human Kinetics gymnasium, respectively, as COVID-19 vaccination centers for the UP community and nearby municipalities.  UP constituent units continue to produce free, educational webinars for the public, live-streamed on their respective social media sites and YouTube channels. UP has also supported and promoted the establishment of community pantries, which have become symbols of the Filipino’ bayanihan spirit since it was pioneered by entrepreneur and UP College of Fine Arts alumna Ms. Ana Patricia Non.  These and much more are UP’s achievements in just a year since its anniversary celebration last year. As the national university turns 113, the UP community and the country continue to look forward to the new heights UP will reach as a University of the Future, moving firmly into the “next normal” of a post-COVID-19 world. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pahinungod extols “Puso Para sa Bayan” in anniversary webinar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pahinungod-extols-puso-para-sa-bayan-in-anniversary-webinar/",
        "html": "Pahinungod extols “Puso Para sa Bayan” in anniversary webinar Pahinungod extols “Puso Para sa Bayan” in anniversary webinar February 21, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines (UP) Ugnayan ng Pahinungod kicked off its 28th anniversary celebration with an online webinar, “Puso Para sa Bayan,” on February 14, 2022, with faculty members, student volunteers, and community partners talking about lessons and gains from their participation in the program.     Screenshot from the “Pahinungod: Puso para sa Bayan” February 14 webinar. Screenshot by Raden Agustin, UPMPRO. Watch the replay here.     The webinar featured: Pahinungod psychological first-aiders, Davidson Oliveros of UP Diliman and Marianne Hazzale Bullos of UP Mindanao; Gurong Pahinungod volunteers, Floravel Ambas of UP Visayas and Donna Teressa Oropel of UP Cebu; and, UP Baguio Communications scholar and Pahinungod volunteer, Benjamin George Meamo III.  Elementary School Principal Loredel Gecolao, Municipal Health Officer Kristine Leonido, Governor Dakila Carlo Cua, and LGU Climate Change Liaison Officer Zaldy Ybardolaza represented the partner communities of UP Open University, UP Manila, and UP Los Baños.     Slides from the presentations of UP Diliman Pahinungod’s Davidson Oliveros’ [top] and UP Baguio Pahinungod volunteer Benjamin Meano [bottom]. Screenshots by Raden Agustin, UPMPRO. Watch the replay here.     On the question, “Is volunteering for everybody?” Oliveros pointed out the need: to allocate time; to know one’s strengths which one can use to contribute to a program; to know one’s weaknesses which volunteering can address; and, to commit oneself. Asked about lessons from working with communities, Ambas, who volunteered in Tawi-Tawi for eight years, talked about the joys of gaining friends and family, thinking out of the box, overcoming hardships, and making a difference. Speaking on making volunteering attractive to the youth, Meamo framed it as a question of love and what one does when in love. He urged future volunteers to treat it as a “relationship.”  According to Gecolao, the reading program with UPOU and Laguna elementary schools encouraged community volunteers to assist schools and engage beneficiaries’ families in meaningful activities. Dr. Leonido talked about how the leadership of UP Manila volunteers in medical relief operations enabled rural health units of Limasawa Island to deal with the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. It linked them with organizations that provided essential supplies and equipment, including solar-powered equipment and water filtration technology.     Slides from the presentations of elementary school principal Loredel Gecolao [top] and LGU climate change liaison officer Zaldy Ybardolaza [bottom], representing two of UPOU’s partner communities Screenshots by Raden Agustin, UPMPRO. Watch the replay here.     On sustaining the partnership with the UP volunteers, Cua proposed a joint planning committee to plan programs between UP Manila and the Quirino province. On the same question, Ybardoloza cited the need for further studies and research for future programs with the Laguna LGU.  The open forum articulated challenges brought about by the pandemic. The community partners expressed thanks to the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod for providing internet resources to facilitate communication. Leonido talked about prioritizing needs during a pandemic to maximize resources.  According to the volunteers, the Ugnayan helped them cope with the pandemic by providing: a virtual family; regular “kamustahan” sessions; honoraria; and continuous training.  The webinar also featured remarks from Ugnayan ng Pahinungod System Director Marie Therese AP Bustos, who talked about volunteering based on a love alluded to in the famous Andres Bonifacio poem, “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” as well as from Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UP Visayas Director Ruben Gamala, who went back to the founding of the program as a means to bridge “utak at puso”, and to its revival to balance “galing at malasakit”.  Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UP Cebu Director Aurelio Vilbar synthesized the various presentations in the webinar.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Staff Regent-elect Belegal takes oath of office – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/staff-regent-elect-belegal-takes-oath-of-office/",
        "html": "Staff Regent-elect Belegal takes oath of office Staff Regent-elect Belegal takes oath of office October 22, 2021 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP President Danilo Concepcion (left) administers the oath of office to Staff Regent-elect Victoria Canape Belegal. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  Victoria Canape Belegal was formally installed as the 7th Staff Regent on October 18 at the UP Open University (UPOU) Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. UP President Danilo Concepcion administered the oath of office.  Belegal, currently Administrative Officer V at the UPOU Office of the University Registrar, will serve a two-year term from October 2021 to October 2023. She was the president of the All UP Workers Union-UPOU Chapter at her nomination to the Staff Regent post.  In her speech, Belegal focused on blessing and service. Blessing, she said, came in the form of the tremendous support given by her family, friends, and REPS (administrative and research, extension, and professional staff) across the UP System. She believed that her track record in championing the causes of University staff and her capacity to lead convinced many to place their trust and faith in her to be the staff sector’s representative to the highest governing body of the University, the Board of Regents (BOR).  Belegal emphasized the importance of wisdom and hard work in serving and fulfilling her duties. As Staff Regent, she acknowledged that she has taken on an even bigger responsibility to serve. Having been with UP for more than 25 years, she is no stranger to service, not only as a civil servant but as an active participant and leader in initiatives that sought to improve staff welfare. She said that as the voice of UP staff in the BOR, she will raise their concerns to the board and report on and celebrate their successes.  7th UP Staff Regent Victoria Canape Belegal delivers a speech after being sworn into office. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  In closing, she reiterated the call for unity among University administrative staff and REPS to strengthen the sector’s pursuit of benefits for all.  The main items in her agenda as Staff Regent are the following: PHP 20,000 Health Support Grant; Sagad Award; regularization of UP contractual employees; widened coverage for eHope; Long Service Leave Benefit; and representation of REPS.  Belegal has a Master of Public Management degree from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. She also took graduate units in Entomology from UP Los Baños (UPLB). She had earlier graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, majoring in Entomology.  She started working in UP in 1992 as a University Research Associate at the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding. In 1996, she joined UPOU, then only a year old, and still building the country’s foundations of open and distance learning (now e-learning). She is considered one of UPOU’s pioneer staff members. While an administrative staff member, she continued to pursue research work, publishing in journals and presenting papers in international conferences. (With a report from the UPOU Office of Public Affairs and the UPLB Office of Public Relations)  Staff Regent Belegal gave a few words to the UP System, UPLB, and UPOU officials who attended the small celebratory dinner following the oath-taking ceremony. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP adopts “blended learning” for AY 2022-2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-adapts-blended-learning-for-ay-2022-2023/",
        "html": "UP adopts “blended learning” for AY 2022-2023 UP adopts “blended learning” for AY 2022-2023 July 15, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu       The University of the Philippines (UP) will be implementing blended learning delivery modes for the academic year (AY) 2022 to 2023, according to Memorandum No. 2022-88 recently circulated by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA).  Read the memo here.  The said memorandum, dated 20 June 2022, guides all UP faculty, institute directors, department chairs, program directors, deans, and officials in their planning of programs and designing of courses to be used in the reopening of UP campuses beginning in the First Semester of AY 2022-2023 this September.  The OVPAA memo explained how blended learning combines face-to-face (f2f) and online teaching and learning modes. It expounded how blended or mixed methods allow greater flexibility for the University. Blended learning fosters academic excellence, develops 21st-century competencies, and strengthens UP’s institutional resilience and learning continuity in the next normal during the COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for other possible disruptions such as disasters and social crises.  According to the memo, blended learning further improves the quality of teaching and learning by providing access to a wide range of learning resources in various media (text, video, audio, multimedia, interactive multimedia). It also enhances interaction using numerous technologies, expanding opportunities for collaborative learning online and f2f, and developing independent means to understanding and furthering one’s digital skills.  The memo presents four learning delivery modes: face-to-face instruction, which was the traditional mode during pre-pandemic times; distance education, as offered by UP Open University; blended learning, which varies from f2f and/or synchronous and/or asynchronous online, developed in 2020; and, the hybrid flexible or HyFlex learning, which adapts simultaneous f2f and synchronous online teaching and learning.  OVPAA articulated three main models for UP’s blended learning: blended online learning, which combines synchronous and asynchronous online learning; blended block learning, which combines blocks of online learning and f2f, including practicum, fieldwork, and hands-on workshops; and classic blended learning, which combines f2f and asynchronous online learning, and includes f2f group work, seminars, discussions, laboratory work, and studio classes.  The memo also stated that UP recognizes the many difficulties students and faculty face in transitioning to the next normal, the numerous requisites intended for the safe return of students and faculty, and the effective implementation of the University’s blended learning modes for the AY 2022-2023. Thus, UP will continue providing much-needed support to its faculty and students.     Related stories:  UP OVPAA’s resources for remote teaching and learning  UP announces grading policy for the rest of AY 2021-2022 and Midyear 2022  UP faculty discusses return to face-to-face classes this semester    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU-FMDS in partnership with the Edu-Connect – Taiwan Launched Project LAKBAY, a Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-fmds-in-partnership-with-the-edu-connect-taiwan-launched-project-lakbay-a-youth-cultural-and-learning-immersion-camp/",
        "html": "UPOU-FMDS in partnership with the Edu-Connect – Taiwan Launched Project LAKBAY, a Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp UPOU-FMDS in partnership with the Edu-Connect – Taiwan Launched Project LAKBAY, a Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp August 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Ceremonial program of Project LAKBAY with LAKBAY fellows and facilitators.     The Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) of the UP Open University (UPOU), in partnership with the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association – Taiwan launched the Project LAKBAY: Learning Actively through Knowledge-Based Appreciation for Youth, a Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp. The Project LAKBAY was a hybrid event, with the first part conducted online through the UPOU Canvas from 28 to 30 June 2023, and the immersion camp facilitated in person from 4 to 14 July 2023 at UPOU Headquarters, Los Banos, Laguna. The Project LAKBAY was participated in by a total of 36 LAKBAY fellows – 24 Taiwanese participants from different universities in Taiwan, 17 Filipino participants from Kaya Natin! Youth – Los Baños (KNY-LB),  and seven members of the University of the Philippines Open University Student Council (UPOU-USC).  The term “LAKBAY” itself holds profound significance as it translates to “Journey” in Filipino. This project sought to foster awareness and encourage active engagement in global sustainability programs, emphasizing the importance of including youth voices in shaping sustainability-related initiatives across various development fields.  Dr. Joane Serrano, Project Head and Dean of FMDS during the ceremonial program of Project LAKBAY.     FMDS Dean Joane Serrano and University of the Philippines Visiting Professor Dr. Eing-Ming Wu spearheaded Project LAKBAY by focusing on the interconnections between multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The LAKBAY fellows embarked on learning visits to various institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), and UP Resilience Institute (UPRI). These visits aimed to broaden the fellows’ understanding of the contributions of different institutions to national and global development.  Project LAKBAY fellows interact with the children of Gawad Kalinga during their drawing workshop.     In addition to institutional visits, the LAKBAY fellows engaged in hands-on and social learning visits to local communities. They explored the woodcarving communities of Paete, Laguna, the embroidery communities of Lumban, Laguna, and the trolley community of Brgy. San Antonio, and the Gawad Kalinga community, both situated in Los Baños, Laguna. These experiences allowed the participants to gain a profound understanding of local challenges and witness the power of community-driven solutions. Through hands-on learning, LAKBAY fosters personal connections and supports local businesses. It goes beyond traditional education, igniting the fellows’ empathy and understanding. These learning visits and workshops are an effective way of communicating knowledge and information. Learning by doing offers a more personal approach and a deeper sense of connection to the community.  Project LAKBAY fellows riding a Trolley at Brgy. San Antonio Trolley Station     Embodying the spirit of Bayanihan, a traditional Filipino practice of communal unity and cooperation, Project LAKBAY sought to foster collaborations among the participants. Workshops, group activities, and seminars conducted at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL) facilitated active participation and brainstorming for context-specific solutions to address community needs effectively.  Project LAKBAY fellows test their skills using the Paet or chisel to carve wood during their hands-on learning visit at Paete, Laguna.     The learning visits, workshops, and discussions emphasized the significance of English as the universal language for global cooperation. This approach ensured that the LAKBAY fellows, hailing from different backgrounds, could communicate effectively and collaborate seamlessly in their challenge for sustainability.  Ms. Kathleen Claire Cuaresma, a Filipino LAKBAY fellow from Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, during ACB’s Q&A Activity.     Moreover, Brown Bag Sessions, film showings, socials, and cultural presentations encouraged stimulating debates and discussions among the participants. The immersive experience also featured community visits and walking workshops at the Perma G.A.R.D.E.N (Growing Appreciation toward Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition), an initiative by FMDS supporting sustainable production and consumption. The project highlighted the role of sustainable community or home gardens in enhancing food accessibility and nutritional diversity, contributing to SDG 2: Zero Hunger.  Project LAKBAY fellows’ Walking Workshop at Perma G.A.R.D.E.N.     During the immersive journey of Project LAKBAY, the participants were not only engaged in a series of enlightening visits, workshops, and discussions but were also privileged to have a special encounter. They were granted the opportunity to meet and have meaningful conversations with the esteemed University of the Philippines (UP) President, Angelo A. Jimenez.  Taiwanese LAKBAY fellows’ meeting with UP President, Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez.     This meeting with UP President Jimenez added a layer of significance to the participants’ journey, as they were able to gain insights from a prominent figure in the academic and leadership spheres. The interaction provided the LAKBAY fellows with valuable guidance and encouragement to continue their pursuits of active engagement in sustainability-related initiatives.  Taiwanese LAKBAY fellows imitate the pose of the famous UP Symbol, The Oblation Statue.     As Project LAKBAY concluded its remarkable journey in the three campuses of the University of the Philippines – UP Open University, UP Los Baños, and UP Diliman, it surely left an impact and an unforgettable impression on the hearts and minds of all the LAKBAY fellows. Project LAKBAY emerged as a beacon of hope, empowering youth to become champions of sustainability and active contributors to their communities’ well-being. By embracing the values of cultural exchange, civic engagement, and collaborative problem-solving, these young individuals are now better equipped to lead the way toward a brighter and more sustainable future.   In line with the success of the launch of the first-ever project LAKBAY, the FMDS is looking forward to more collaborations with different institutions and seeing what we can all accomplish together for the next Project LAKBAY armed with the confidence that it has built a solid foundation to shape future leaders and more socially aware and involved youths.  Feature article contributed by UP Open University Office of Public Affairs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 pushes through with online trainings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/asean-youth-volunteer-programme-2021-pushes-through-with-online-trainings/",
        "html": "ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 pushes through with online trainings ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 pushes through with online trainings September 7, 2021 | Written by Fred Dabu    Although physical travel across states and physical activities involving international delegations have been restricted by the pandemic, people and institutions worldwide have developed a greater capacity to utilize communications technology to overcome this obstacle. With the theme of “Strengthening the ASEAN Education Delivery Systems in Challenging Times”, the 2021 ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) officially began last August 30 using Zoom, social media apps, and online platforms provided by the University of the Philippines (UP).  Screenshot from the e-ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 opening ceremony. Watch the replay of the event here. Images from Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.  Dubbed “e-AYVP Philippines 2021”, the three-week-long trainings this year feature online workshops, webinars and masterclasses to prepare ASEAN youth in addressing complex challenges faced by the education sector. The programme develops leadership and volunteerism skills among youth for them to initiate or sustain progress in their own communities. Previous ones were conducted physically in Malaysia (2013 & 2014), Cambodia (2015), the Philippines (2016), Indonesia (2017) and Malaysia (2018 & 2019).  The e-AYVP Philippines 2021 is using the UP Open University’s MoDEL Learning Management System as the conference platform. This enables participants to access announcements, information about the sessions, assignment and related readings, session recordings, and other features.  The online opening ceremony was attended by more than 200 participants, including key university officials, resource persons, partners and AYVP secretariat members. Initially, there were 73 youth registered as participants from Malaysia, 71 from the Philippines, 52 from Indonesia, 46 from Vietnam, 30 from Myanmar, and dozens more from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, The People’s Republic of China, and Japan.     Images of youth volunteers who participated in AYVPs of the past. Watch the replay of the event here. Images from Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     Prof. Dato’ Ts Dr. Mohd Ekhwan Hj. Toriman, Vice-Chancellor of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Screenshot from the e-ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 opening ceremony. Image from Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     Prof. Dato’ Ts Dr. Mohd Ekhwan Hj. Toriman, Vice-Chancellor of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, explained that the AYVP is being jointly implemented by the Secretariat at UP through the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/Oblation Corps, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia), the University Community Transformation Centre (UCTC), and the ASEAN University Network University Social Responsibility & Sustainability (AUN USR&S), in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia. He added that the participants of the AYVP receive inputs and trainings from expert resource persons from university faculty, and representatives of government and international organizations. The topics include: best practices in addressing gender inequalities, empowering youth, enhancing social integration, and many others related to promoting “unity in diversity” and understanding of ASEAN.     Prof. Danilo L. Concepcion, UP President. Screenshot from the e-ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 opening ceremony. Image from Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.  Prof. Danilo Lardizabal Concepción, UP President, said the discussions will be motivational and interesting, empowering and unifying, and life-changing for the youth. He added that the youth volunteers, who embody hope for a better future, will be trained to provide services that are most needed in their own communities and will benefit the underserved.  He also highlighted the “bayanihan” spirit of cooperation, unity, service and volunteerism among ASEAN members to achieve shared goals.     Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines, shared insights on how AYVP can strengthen ASEAN education delivery systems during the pandemic. He discussed the role of the programme in harnessing the strengths of ASEAN members, institutions and organizations to help develop young leaders and advocates for sustainable development.  His Royal Highness Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, Royal Fellow at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, discussed the role of youth in the ASEAN community. He said the youth are actively participating in politics, economic activities and other beneficial initiatives. He emphasized that they can maximize the use of technology to promote understanding and engage fellow youth across communities in achieving development goals.  Ms. Shalina Miah, Regional Manager of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Asia and the Pacific, discussed roles and responsibilities of volunteers in introducing innovations and consequently changing society. She outlined the many ways the various advocacies are interconnected to building a better future for today’s youth.  Earlier that day, Dr. Nasruddin Yunos, a senior fellow at CITRA of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, provided participants an orientation on ASEAN cultural diversity and unity. He emphasized the need for awareness, respect and cooperation, and that these are expected of the programme participants at all times.     Screenshots from the e-ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 2021 opening ceremony. Watch the replay of the event here. Images from Rad Agustin, UPMPRO.     Webinars and workshops during the e-AYVP will be facilitated by resource speakers from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UP, USAID Philippines, UNICEF Malaysia, Miriam College, Ibaraki University, Ehime University, Hallym University, De la Salle University, Chiang Mai University, National University of Singapore, and many other renowned educational institutions and organizations.  The e-AYVP Philippines 2021 UP Steering Committee is headed by (Ret.) Prof. Grace H. Aguiling-Dalisay (November 29, 2019-July 31, 2021) and Prof. Marie Therese A.P. Bustos (August 1, 2021-present), Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód System Office, and assisted by Ms. Regina Elizabeth Capuno. Committee members are: Ms. Rhonna Robles-Vereña, Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Open University; Prof. Ruben Gamala, Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Visayas; Mr. Jose Limbay Lahi Espaldon, Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Los Baños; Prof. Aurelio Vilbar, Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Cebu; Ms. Luisa Gelisan, Director of the UP Open University Multimedia Center; and Ms. Diana Ruth Arcega, Senior Project Officer of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód System Office.     [youtube_video]5Cig4LHdalw[/youtube_video]    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Belmonte, Moreno bare vaccine rollout plans – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/belmonte-moreno-bare-vaccine-rollout-plans/",
        "html": "Belmonte, Moreno bare vaccine rollout plans Belmonte, Moreno bare vaccine rollout plans March 24, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The mayors of the two largest cities in the Philippines will discuss the COVID-19 vaccine deployment plans of their cities, in the latest edition of the University of the Philippines’ “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series, to be livestreamed on March 26, 2021 at 12 nn.  Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso will answer the webinar title question: “Is My LGU Prepared for COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out? Part 1”. Their responses will follow the talk of Dr. Mahar Lagmay, the executive director of the UP Resilience Institute, on “the importance of digital data systems to move faster than the virus”.  For opening remarks, Myrna Cabotaje, Health Undersecretary and Special Adviser to the National Task Force on COVID-19, will discuss the current national preparedness for the vaccine deployment. Anthony Faraon, Zuellig Family Foundation Deputy Executive Director for Local Health Systems, will be a reactor. Experts’ remarks and synthesis will be provided by UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and a public health expert and webinar facilitator, Susan Pineda Mercado.  The webinar is the 46th in the series of weekly webinars, “Stop COVID Deaths”, produced by UP in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health-National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with the UP Philippine General Hospital.  According to the organizers, many sectors need to coordinate in a whole-of-society approach to the vaccination roll-out involving millions of Filipinos and to keep wastage at a minimum. At the local government unit (LGU)level, this requires micro-planning, coordination for logistics, cold chain management, use of information technology, training of vaccinators, and leadership, they point out.  The talks of the two LGU leaders and experts can provide a benchmark of preparedness to the rest of the LGUs of the country, they added.  Those who wish to participate in the webinar may register at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar46 . If registration is already at full capacity, a YouTube Live broadcast will also be available on TVUP at http://tvup.ph and http://www.youtube.com/tvupph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook Volume II – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/managing-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-the-philippines-a-policy-sourcebook-volume-ii/",
        "html": "Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook Volume II Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook Volume II August 4, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Confused about the many issuances from your local government about the COVID-19 pandemic? The UP Resilience Institute’s (UPRI) Research and Creative Work team is ready to help with the launch of the second volume of the Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook.  This policy sourcebook, which is updated monthly, is a way for ordinary Filipinos to stay up-to-date with the national government’s and their local government’s latest policies and measures to defeat the viral pandemic in the country. While Volume I focused on national issuances, Volume II covers local government policies. [Download your free copy of Volume I]  Download your free copy of Volume II of the Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook "
    },
    {
        "title": "Everything you need to know about COVID-19 and leptospirosis – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/everything-you-need-to-know-about-covid-19-and-leptospirosis/",
        "html": "Everything you need to know about COVID-19 and leptospirosis Everything you need to know about COVID-19 and leptospirosis August 4, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), is inviting you to join the fight against COVID-19.  Join us this Friday, August 6, 2021 at 12 noon for another special topic episode of the “Stop COVID Deaths” webinar series. Titled “COVID-19 na, Lepto pa!,” the webinar will revolve around the possible rise of not only COVID-19 cases, but leptospirosis and other seasonal-related diseases as well because of the constant rains and floods.  We will take a look at the overall situation in relation to leptospirosis from a report by Department of Health Director, Dr. Enrique Tayag. Meanwhile, Dr. Mahar Lagmay of UP Resilience Institute and UP NOAH Center will focus on climate change challenges the country is currently facing. He will also share a map of areas at risk for continuous flooding in the months ahead.  With these two diseases having very similar symptoms, an infectious disease expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante of San Lazaro Hospital, will discuss leptospirosis, its clinical signs and its management as differentiated from COVID-19.  Dr. Nina Gloriani, lead in the Vaccine Expert Panel and former Dean of UP College of Public Health, will talk about the public health aspects of leptospirosis, such as how it is transmitted, what precautions are needed, and what we need to do to prevent outbreaks.  Last but not least, Dr. Romina Danguilan of the National Kidney Transplant Institute will talk more about severe leptospirosis and its effect on the kidneys.  A panel discussion will be rounded up by UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla in her closing synthesis.  Register here or watch the livestream at TVUP’s official Facebook and YouTube pages.  Article by Deina Ida Blancaflor "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP campuses around the nation light it up for Christmas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-campuses-around-the-nation-light-it-up-for-christmas/",
        "html": "UP campuses around the nation light it up for Christmas UP campuses around the nation light it up for Christmas December 20, 2022 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    This December saw the return of a familiar sight in UP campuses across the nation as crowds gathered—the first time for many since the COVID-19 pandemic began—to celebrate their respective pag-iilaw or lighting ceremonies. From UP’s Baguio to Mindanao campus, officials, performers, and onlookers gathered to switch on the lights and decorations that herald the holiday season.  After two long years, the familiar crowds were there to greet the turning on of the lights in UP Diliman’s Oblation Plaza on December 9. Diliman’s pag-iilaw had the theme, Bagong Tahak, Bagong Galak, and celebrated the strength of the UP community and its ability to face and move beyond adversity. The pre-lighting ceremony featured performances by the acapella group Iskollas, UP College of Music Professor of Strings and Chamber Music Solaiman Jamisolamin, and UP student RJ Balledos. The UP Filipinania Dance Group (FDG) performed wasiwas, a Pangasinan dance, as a prelude to the light ceremony.  With all other lights turned off, UPD College of Fine Arts faculty member Abdulmari Imao’s art installation, KAThAKATAKA, was finally switched on. Inspired by the ‘miracle plant,’ katakataka, found at the Oblation base, the installation symbolizes resilience and, in Oblation creator and National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino’s words, the capacity of deep-rooted patriotism to “grow anywhere in the Philippines.”  UPD College of Fine Arts Abdulmari Imao’s art installation, KAThAKATAKA, is inspired by the ‘miracle plant’ growing at Obie’s feet. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO) Colorful cultural presentations serve as a prelude to UPD’s lighting ceremony. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO) UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo addresses the UP Diliman community. Photo by Jonathan Madrid (UP MPRO)  According to an article by the UP Diliman Information Office (DIO), the main lantern surrounding the Oblation is shaped like a katakataka leaf, its veins alluding to the branches of the “tree of life” or the arbol de la vida and the luhul, folk art forms originating from Mexico and Tausug tapestry, respectively.  Once the installation was lighted, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo joined Jamisolamin and Balledos in performing National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon’s Payapang Daigdig with lyrics by Brigido C. Batungbakal. Those present were then treated to a medley of beloved Christmas hits courtesy of Soundscapes Manila.  Lights gather at the feet of UP Baguio’s Oblation. Photo from the UP Baguio Facebook page Performances from UPB Gitara and Awit 5 marked UP Baguio’s lighting ceremony. Photo from the UP Baguio Facebook page  Up north, UP Baguio held its pag-iilaw earlier on December 2. Marked by performances from UPB Gitara and Awit 5, the lighting ceremony climaxed when streams of white lights cut through the darkness all over the campus, the heart of the spectacle being the lighted base of UP Baguio’s own Oblation statue.  Similarly, UP Manila began its Christmas events on December 5 with a lighting ceremony led by UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. With the theme, Kita-Kita, Sama-Sama, Ang Saya Ng Pasko Sa UP Manila, the lighting saw UP Manila introducing various merry and charitable holiday events for the month, like the Adopt-a-ward project, Misa de Gallo, Christmas jingle/TikTok making contest, and a face-to-face Lantern Parade on December 16.  UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla addresses the UP Manila and UP-PGH community. Photo from the UP Manila Facebook page UP Manila’s Christmas tree in front of the UP-PGH brings joy to all. Photo from the UP Manila Facebook page  UP Visayas officially opened the holiday season through its celebration, Paskua, with a lights ceremony in both its Iloilo and Miagao campuses on December 5 and 6, respectively. With the theme, Pagsaulog sang Kabuhi kag Kadalag-an, Paskua,2022, and also featured a first-ever Christmas concert featuring eight performing acts from the Iloilo area.  UPV’s Iloilo campus comes alive with light and song. Photo from the UP Visayas Facebook page UPV Tacloban College’s Oblation shows off his colors. Photo from the UPVTC Facebook page  Not to be outdone, UP Los Baños also held its #PaskongUPLB event on December 9. Several Christmas-themed decorations in different locations across the campus were lit up, including the giant UPLB Christmas Tree and the UPLB Belen in Carabao Park. The opening of #PaskongUPLB also coincided with the launching of UPLB’s Christmas Bazaar near the grounds of the Student Union Building. Aside from a Buskers’ Night held on December 10, the Christmas celebration in UPLB also featured several concerts, a Christmas party, and a fireworks display on December 19.  Keeping the tradition alive, UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho, Jr. led the countdown to the simultaneous lighting of Christmas displays on campus. Aside from the traditional Belen at Carabao Park, this year’s decorations included lights and Christmas decor at Pili Drive, Freedom Park, and DL Umali Hall. The event also featured dance and music performances from different student groups and the College of Economics and Management (CEM), last year’s Paskong UPLB TikTok contest winner. Photo from the UPLB Facebook page  UP Cebu also kicked off its Christmas celebration with its Pasko sa UP 2022 event on December 16. With the theme, Hudyaka: Madasigong Pasko, Malaumong Pilipino, Kanunay nga Nangandoy sa Nasudnong Pagbag-o, the celebration marked the first time in three years that the UP Cebu community could gather to celebrate the holidays joyfully. It featured a lighting ceremony, a lantern parade, and other thrilling events.  UP Mindanao also kicked off its Christmas celebration with Kasadya, and the theme, Pagtambayayong Lig-onon, Kalambuan Ipadayon, on December 7. Like many other campuses, it marked the first time after almost three years of virtual celebrations that the UP Mindanao community could band together and celebrate the holiday season. It featured a pailaw or lighting ceremony, as well as building decorations. That evening was just the first of many other Christmas-themed events in UP Mindanao, with the UP Symphony Orchestra holding its Christmas concert there on December 20 and the lantern parade on December 21.  Moonlit UPMin’s Oble amid Christmas trees. Photo from UP Mindanao’s Facebook page UP Mindanao lights UP. Photo from the UP Mindanao Facebook page"
    },
    {
        "title": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/example-post-2/",
        "html": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) Introduce Yourself (Example Post) February 16, 2021 | Written by UP System Administrator    This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.  You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.  Why do this?  Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog? Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.  The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.  To help you get started, here are a few questions:  Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal? What topics do you think you’ll write about? Who would you love to connect with via your blog? If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?  You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.  Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.  When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too."
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the Hacking of the UP System Twitter Account (@upsystem) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-hacking-of-the-up-system-twitter-account-upsystem/",
        "html": "Statement on the Hacking of the UP System Twitter Account (@upsystem) Statement on the Hacking of the UP System Twitter Account (@upsystem) April 26, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UPDATE: As of 5:13PM of 26 April 2022, the UP System Twitter account @upsystem, has been retrieved by the UP Media and Public Relations Office, with the assistance of the UP Information Technology Development Center. It has since been posting official content from the University and its units.  —–  The University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office (UP MPRO), which maintains the UP System website (up.edu.ph) and the UP System’s official social media accounts, reports that unknown users took over @upsystem on Twitter at 7:20 PM on 25 April, Monday. Since then, the account has been renamed and has posted content not affiliated with the University.  The UP MPRO has been trying to retrieve the @upsystem account as soon as possible. The incident deprives its online constituency on Twitter, of important announcements, news stories, and other online content that the Office publishes on the University’s website and promotes on its social media accounts.  In the meantime, the Office calls upon the university community members to keep abreast with the latest announcements, news stories, and online features from UP via the official accounts on other social media platforms.  For announcements, news, and features from the UP System, please follow us on:  Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/upsystem/  LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-the-philippines/ Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/UniversityofthePhilippines1908 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/UniversityofthePhilippines1908/ Issuu – https://issuu.com/upsystem  The UP MPRO assures the public that @upsystem will be recovered and again used in the service of the University community and the Filipino people.  #UPFight "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP campuses light up for the season – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-campuses-light-up-for-the-season/",
        "html": "UP campuses light up for the season UP campuses light up for the season December 10, 2021 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Quezon Hall and the Oblation Plaza in UP Diliman are lit up for the season featuring art installations by Toym Imao that symbolize connection, life and hope in this time of pandemic. Photos by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  University of the Philippines (UP) campuses marked the beginning of their celebration of the holidays with the traditional pag-iilaw or lighting ceremony, when officials turned on the holiday lanterns and decorations on campus.  UP Diliman had its pag-iilaw on December 3, 2021. It is celebrating the holidays with the theme, “Ugnayan at Pagpupugay: Tulay ng Buhay at Pag-asa Ngayong Pandemya”, roughly translated as, connecting and giving praise: bridge for life and hope in this time of pandemic.  This is reflected in the art installations of Toym Imao, consisting of the likeness of a blazing star in front of the Quezon Hall columns and “UP” in baybayin at the Oblation all the way to the Quezon Hall bridge; and of “Sambabaylaan” lanterns marking the portals and locations on campus allocated for COVID-19 response, with smaller versions lining up University Avenue and the Academic Oval.  Prof. Toym Imao’s installation at the Amphitheater. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  UPD facilities dedicated to COVID-19 response include: the University Health Service; the Philippine Genome Center that has led its network in UP campuses in serving as a national center for whole genome sequencing of viral samples and for bio-informatics; Silungang Molave isolation facility and swabbing center that has sheltered around 700 patients; the Kamia community quarantine facility that has served more than 2,000; and, the College of Human Kinetics Gymnasium where some 16,000 individuals have been vaccinated.  Lanterns featuring the image of a babaylan light up the University Avenue. Photos by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  The image of a babaylan is prominent in the lanterns. According to Imao, UP has played the role of babaylan during the pandemic. “Ang Unibersidad ay naglaan ng ugnayan para sa paghilom at nagsilbing gabay para sa sambayanan sa gitna ng pandemya” (The University has offered connections for healing and served as guide to the nation during the pandemic), according to the UPD Information Office.  This role of the University was cited in the messages of UP President Danilo Concepcion and UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo.  The pag-iilaw began with a tribute to the UPD constituents who died during the pandemic. The top UPD officials recited each epitaph as it was flashed on screen and a ritual was performed at an installation in the amphitheater.  A pagdidiwata is performed during the lighting ceremony. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  Performances in the ceremony included a pagdidiwata which referenced a babaylan ritual and songs to inspire hope, composed by National Artists Felipe de Leon and Ryan Cayabyab, and by Prof. Chino Toledo and Grace Nono, executed by Cherry Garlan Caballero, Himig Sanghaya, and the College of Music Chamber Ensemble.  Watch the livestream of UPLB community’s lighting ceremony to welcome the holiday season.  UP Los Baños held its lighting ceremony on December 6, 2021, with the theme, “Paskong UPLB 2021: Salubungin Natin nang may Saya at Pag-asa” (UPLB Christmas 2021: Let us welcome it with happiness and hope). The festive online program featured carols from UPLB Choral Ensemble, Harmonya: The UPLB String Ensemble, Prof. Ronilo Jose Flores, and TikTok “funny little Christmas” productions from 19 units of the campus to launch UPLB’s TikTok account.  UP Manila held its kick-off celebration of the holidays with the program, “Kumukutikutitap mga Kulay ng Pasko sa UP Manila”, on December 2, 2021. Personally attended by UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legazpi at the UP Manila Oblation grounds, the program featured songs rendered by the UP Manila Chorale and Martin Nievera, and greetings from National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab.  Watch the livestream of the Kick-off Ceremony: Lighting of UP Manila Colleges, Units and Oblation, with the theme “Kumukutikutitap mga Kulay ng Pasko sa UP Manila!”  UP Visayas opened its lights on December 1, 2021 with Christmas celebrations following the theme, “Paghiliusa kag Pagkabalaka sa Paskua” (unity and care during Christmas). The ceremony held at the Iloilo City and Miagao campuses was highlighted by performances from Clyde Xerxes Ortencio of UPV Rhapsody, community singing, dancing, and refreshments.  Watch the livestream of UP Visayas’ lighting ceremony for its main campus in Miag-ao and its Iloilo City campus. Photo by the UPV IPO via the UPV website .  UP Baguio held its lighting ceremony on December 2, 2021 after a cañao and flagpole unveiling with the UP Vanguard. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the campus under the theme, “Formations, Transformations”.  Watch the livestream of UP Baguio’s 60th anniversary celebration dubbed “Formations, Transformations”."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP building momentum for Final Four – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-building-momentum-for-final-four/",
        "html": "UP building momentum for Final Four UP building momentum for Final Four April 27, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UPMBT players celebrate a winning shot during the game vs UE.. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  The University of the Philippines (UP) is back on track after the loss to Adamson University, with a back-to-back win over De La Salle University (DLSU) and University of the East (UE), in the second round of the 84th UAAP Senior Men’s Basketball eliminations being held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.  The victory over its second match with UE on April 26, 2022 gave the UP Fighting Maroons a 10-2 win-loss card, securing for it its solo second seed and its place in the playoffs with a twice-to-beat advantage together with the yet-to-be-beaten Ateneo de Manila University.  UPMBT’s Joel Cagulangan going for a layup during the game vs UE. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  Earlier, UP’s 8-game winning streak was dashed by Adamson University, 58-66, on their second match on April 21, 2022, but UP recovered through its second-round victory over Final Four candidate DLSU, 72-69, on April 23, 2022, giving it the momentum to trample for the second time the winless UE, 81-66.  After securing an 18-8 advantage over UE upon a dunk by Zavier Lucero in the first quarter, UP never lost a 9-point edge and secured its biggest lead, 81-61, on a shot downtown also by Lucero, a minute and fifty seconds into the final buzzer.  UPMBT’s Car Tamayo shooting over DLSU’s defense in their April 23 match. Photo by the UAAP Media Group.  “Itong remaining games namin—although alam namin nasa top 2 na kami—we need to work on and continue building momentum towards the Final Four,” UP Men’s Basketball Team coach Goldwin Monteverde said post-game.  UP has two more games before the semifinals, one on April 28, 2022 against the University of Santo Tomas, which it subdued in the first round, 98-82; and the last one on May 1, 2022, against ADMU, to which UP lost in the first round, 81-90.  The scores:  UP vs DLSU — Tamayo 23, Diouf 15, Rivero 11, Lucero 9, Fortea 8, Cagulangan 4, Spencer 2 = 72. UP vs UE — Lucero 20, Rivero 17, Cansino 8, Tamayo 7, Eusebio 7, Diouf 6, Abadiano 6, Cagulangan 4, Fortea 4, Spencer 2 = 81.  Reporting and photos by the UAAP Media Group. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to have its channel on satellite TV – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-have-its-channel-on-satellite-tv/",
        "html": "UP to have its channel on satellite TV UP to have its channel on satellite TV June 24, 2022 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   TVUP and Cignal TV, Inc. partner to deliver quality educational TV programming through a UP digital channel. UP President Danilo Concepcion (2nd from left) and UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora (extreme left) sign on behalf of UP. Cignal TV, Inc., on the other hand, is represented by its President and CEO Robert Galang (middle), VP and Head of Industry Relations and Regulatory Affairs Erwin Galang (2nd from right), and Chief Finance Officer John Andal (extreme right). Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO). UP President Concepcion describes the creation of a UP digital channel as a “perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people.” Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  The University of the Philippines (UP) will have its channel on Cignal TV, where it can air hundreds of its video productions 24/7.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, Cignal TV President and CEO Robert Galang, and Cignal TV Chief Finance Officer John Andal signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on June 23, 2022, at the new TVUP headquarters in the Student Union Building of UP Diliman.  Cignal TV will make the UP channel available to more than four million homes via its satellite direct-to-home service. The channel will include TVUP productions, consisting thus far of 591 episodes of programs such as The Platform; Science Innovations; NOAH Updates; Maikling Pelikula; Kultura, Sining, Atbp.; DRRM; the Documentaries: The Filipino series; Kalusugan at Karapatan; Batas at Bayan; Gender Talks; Financial Sense; Health Issues; UP Talks; CHE FN1; and Gulayan sa Tahanan. According to TVUP, the offerings have been a resource for students and teachers for remote and blended learning.  “Our friends from Cignal TV recognize the value of our work and our goal to extend our services to as many as possible, whether these are students looking to enrich their lessons or ordinary citizens who wish to gain more knowledge and develop skills,” Concepcion said after the signing. “What we have now is the perfect opportunity to nurture lifelong learning in our people, ” he added.  Media Quest Holdings President and CEO Jane Basas, a UP BSBAA alumna, reiterates Cignal TV’s responsibility to enable every customer to be better informed and educated. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “The launch of the digital TVUP channel presents an opportunity to give back not once but every day for the next 365 days and beyond to the entire Filipino community who happens to be carrying a Cignal service,” says Media Quest Holdings, Inc. President and CEO.Jane Basas.  “We also have a responsibility to enable every single customer to become better informed and better educated so they can give back to the country as more discerning and responsible individuals,” she added.  Cignal TV President and CEO Robert Galang touts the ability of satellite TV to reach the most remote parts of the country, which allows Cignal TV to expand its offerings and introduce distance learners to a new way of experiencing remote learning. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “If you want to be able to reach the most remote parts of the country, only a satellite TV provider can do that,” Galang pointed out. “This partnership allows us to expand our offerings to our more than 4.1 million subscribers and introduce distance learners to a new way of experiencing remote learning,” he added.  TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso introduced the directors of new TVUP operations as it expands into digital TV.  TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso talks about the exponential growth of TVUP in service of its mandate to create and deliver open education resources. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO).  “Since its inception in 2016, we witnessed the exponential growth of TVUP in service of its mandate: to create and deliver open education resources that are freely shared for everyone; nationally, serving our students and teachers; and internationally, to reach our learners in other countries.” However, Alfonso adds, delivery had been limited to those with internet service.”  Concepcion recalled the history of UP campuses in broadcasting, citing the establishment of DZUP and DZLB in the 1960s and DYUP in Iloilo in the 1980s. The first was a laboratory radio station for Mass Communication students, and the other two stations served farmers with educational programs. He said the UP Open University was the UP pioneer in television, producing a local television magazine program in Los Baños, Laguna, featuring research and science and technology issues. He said UP would have established a television station because of the need to disseminate UP expertise were it not for lack of available frequency. Concepcion said UP instead applied for digital TV channels.  UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora and Erwin Galang Cignal, TV VP and Head of Industry Relations and Regulatory Affairs signed the MOA as witnesses. Also present at the signing ceremony were UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho, and Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi.     UP and Cignal TV officials celebrate the signing of the MOA. Standing, from left to right: UP Vice President for Administration Nestor Yunque, Media Quest Holdings President and CEO Jane Basas, Atty. Gaby Concepcion, TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Cynthia Rose Bautista, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Louise Jashil Sonido, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, and UP-PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/example-post/",
        "html": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) Introduce Yourself (Example Post) February 16, 2021 | Written by UP System Administrator    This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.  You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.  Why do this?  Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog? Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.  The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.  To help you get started, here are a few questions:  Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal? What topics do you think you’ll write about? Who would you love to connect with via your blog? If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?  You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.  Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.  When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP faces a P22.295B budget cut for FY 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-faces-a-p22-295b-budget-cut-for-fy-2023/",
        "html": "UP faces a P22.295B budget cut for FY 2023 UP faces a P22.295B budget cut for FY 2023 August 31, 2022 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines (UP), which includes the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), is facing a potential budget cut of P22.295 billion, or nearly half of its proposed budget for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The national government allotted a total budget of P21.854B instead of the P44.149B the University originally proposed. The total of P21.854B is net of the Retirement and Life Insurance Premium (RLIP) in the amount of P1.253B.  Most of the reductions in the UP budget were made in the allotment for capital outlay (CO) and equipment outlay (EO), impacting many of the University’s infrastructure projects for the next year.  Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2023 submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on August 22 to Congress, UP is provided a total budget that is a little less than half of what it needs, broken down as follows:  Personnel Services (PS)                                                                 P 14,226,520,000  Maintenance and Other Operating Exp (MOOE)                                 7,602,067,000  Capital Outlay (CO) / Equipment Outlay (EO)                                           25,000,000  TOTAL                                                                                            P  21,853,587,000  DBM’s NEP 2023 contrasts the total budget proposal presented by the University to the Regional Development Council – National Capital Region (RDC-NCR) Social Development Committee on February 15, 2022, which the RDC-NCR strongly endorsed. UP’s proposed budget is broken down as follows:  Personnel Services (PS)                                                                   P 19,527,596,000  Maintenance and Other Operating Exp (MOOE)                                   9,788,449,000  Capital Outlay (CO) / Equipment Outlay (EO)                                     14,833,195,000  TOTAL                                                                                             P  44,149,240,000  Under UP’s proposed budget, the UP-PGH would account for P1.959B out of P44.149B. Moreover, a big part of the budget UP requested under PS includes requests for additional items for faculty, REPS (research, extension, and professional staff) and administrative positions, retirement gratuity and terminal leave benefits, lump-sum for casual/contractual honoraria and allowances, and provisions under the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers. Under the proposed MOOE would fall funds to cover janitorial, security, and utility expenses, as well as for maintenance of the new buildings.  As presented by the UP Office of the Vice President for Planning and Finance (OVPPF), a comparison of UP’s budget proposal with the provision for the University in the NEP 2023 shows that a budget requirement of P22.296B, or 51% of what UP proposed, was not provided in the NEP. The breakdown of this comparative analysis by expense class is as follows:  This total budget for UP for FY 2023 is lower than the University’s P24.392B budget (net of RLIP of P1.208B) under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for FY 2022.  In the submitted budget proposal, UP presented a list of over 80 capital outlay projects and 30 equipment outlay projects across the UP System. Of this list, only five UP projects and programs are ultimately included in the NEP 2023, as follows:   According to DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the President’s Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023 is “a proactive budget felt by the people with education, infrastructure, health, agriculture, and social safety nets as priorities.”  During the DBM’s presentation of the proposed NEP 2023 to Congress, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez urged the President and DBM to restore the P3.3B cut from UP’s proposed budget. UP-PGH would lose P893M. DBM Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran responded in a press statement, however, that in reviewing and evaluating UP’s proposed budget, the DBM considered the University’s “absorptive capacity, which is 66 percent as of end-2021.”  Absorptive capacity is the ability of agencies to utilize resources made available to them. It must be noted that the budget utilization rate of UP for 2021 is 84%, higher than the “absorptive capacity” reported by DBM.  Libran also said that UP’s budget in the 2022 GAA included infrastructure projects and the purchase of hospital equipment, which were non-recurring expenditures. She assured the public that the education sector would still have one of the highest budgetary allocations under this administration as mandated by the Constitution. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/example-post-3/",
        "html": "Introduce Yourself (Example Post) Introduce Yourself (Example Post) February 16, 2021 | Written by UP System Administrator    This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.  You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.  Why do this?  Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog? Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.  The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.  To help you get started, here are a few questions:  Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal? What topics do you think you’ll write about? Who would you love to connect with via your blog? If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?  You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.  Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.  When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too."
    },
    {
        "title": "51st Commencement Exercises Guest of Honor and Speaker to see MSU-TCTO campus and Tawi-Tawi for the first time – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/51st-commencement-exercises-guest-of-honor-and-speaker-to-see-msu-tcto-campus-and-tawi-tawi-for-the-first-time/",
        "html": "51st Commencement Exercises Guest of Honor and Speaker to see MSU-TCTO campus and Tawi-Tawi for the first time 51st Commencement Exercises Guest of Honor and Speaker to see MSU-TCTO campus and Tawi-Tawi for the first time August 4, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Atty. Angelo Azura Jimenez, 22nd President of the University of the Philippines, arrived today at the Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. He was escorted from the Sanga-Sanga airport to the campus and was welcomed by the University officials.  The Institute previously announced the 22nd President of the country’s premier national university will be sharing his Commencement Address on August 2, 2023, 3:00 pm at the Henry V. Kong Gymnasium.  Atty. Jimenez has never set foot at Tawi-Tawi before, making this occasion his first visit. Tawi-Tawi is located at the southernmost tip of the Philippines, often referred to as being closer to Malaysia than the rest of the Philippine archipelago.  Tawi-Tawi belongs to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and is considered to be the heart of the Sulu Archipelago.The province has a land area of 3,626.55 square kilometers or 1,400.22 square miles, with a population of 440,276 as determined in the 2020 Census. Moreover, Tawi-Tawi has 11 municipalities with 203 barangays.  BARMM, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi evoke menacing security concerns of terrorist activities, illegal immigration, and even the typical kidnap-for-ransom group (KFRG) having ties with the infamous Abu Sayyaf group.  Moreover, the logistical challenges of remote travel and the perceived lack of tourist facilities and organized tours deter tourists from flocking the region.  Tourists have yet to discover the vibrant culture, geographical wonders, and the most splendid beach resorts the island has to offer.  However, those who brave this off-beaten path will be treated to Tawi-Tawi’s vibrant culture, geographical wonders, gastronomic delights, and the most stunning beaches, in their rawest beauty, untouched by commercialization and overcrowding.  Atty. Jimenez’s firsthand taste of Tawi-Tawian hospitality began the moment he arrived at the Sanga-Sanga airport and will continue throughout his stay. Bihing Tahik Resort in Barangay Pahut will be his sanctuary in Sanga-Sanga.  Bihing Tahik means seaside in the Sinama dialect. The resort is well-renowned for its velvety, white sand, pristine, aquamarine waters, the freshest sea breeze, and the most picturesque sunrises and sunsets that could rival the country’s premier resorts.  The most delectable part of this trip will be the cornucopia of cuisines Atty. Jimenez will partake in as he will be treated to gastronomic delights unique to the history and daily lives of the Tawi-Tawians.  Tawi-Tawi’s waters are abundant with rich marine life. The most prized seafood are mostly exported to other places and are marketed for higher prices. But in here, Atty. Jimenez has vast choices from agar-agar and other types of seaweed, crabs, high-end fish, squid, and even high-grade lobsters, sea centipede (alupihang dagat), and octopus.  Due to its strategic location, the diverse flavors of Tawi-Tawi evoke a blend of culinary cultures in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the dominant Muslim cuisines of the Philippines. A blend of spices, native chilies, coconut milk, and hearty broths from seafood dominate the food scene in the region.  As Atty. Jimenez dines on rich flavors, we not only look forward to his first morning at Bihing Tahik, we also anticipate his message as he inspires the new generation of young professionals who are destined to shape the region. For the future of Tawi-Tawi is in the hands of the new graduates.  One day, we wish to see more tourists confidently considering Tawi-Tawi as a major beach and resort destination that would lead the Philippines hospitality industry, apart from the usual choices such as Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, and Bohol.  If Tawi-Tawi could leave an indelible mark on the heart and mind of UP’s 22nd President, immeasurable experiences definitely await future local and international visitors to the region.  UP President Angelo Azura Jimenez was the 51st Commencement Exercises Guest of Honor and Speaker of the Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. President Jimenez delivered his Commencement Address on August 2, 2023, at 3:00 pm at the MSU-TCTO’s Henry V. Kong Gymnasium."
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA awards exemplary alumni for 2022 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-awards-exemplary-alumni-for-2022/",
        "html": "UPAA awards exemplary alumni for 2022 UPAA awards exemplary alumni for 2022 November 23, 2022 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   The Distinguished Alumni Awardees for 2022 are honored by the UP Alumni Association. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO) UPAA President and UP Alumni Regent Reynaldo Laserna addressed the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awardees and their families. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  The University of the Philippines (UP), through the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), honored this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awardees on November 11 at the Luciano E. Salazar Hall, Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The Distinguished Alumni Awardees present during the ceremonies were headed by Albay Representative Edcel C. Lagman (AB, 1962 cum laude; Bachelor of Laws, 1966), who was named the UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus for 2022. The roster of awardees includes eminent scientists and academics; leaders in business, finance, and entrepreneurship; healthcare and law practitioners; public servants and diplomats; and lifelong socio-civic advocates, among others.  The event also paid tribute to Ms. Daisy Magalit-Rodriguez (Graduate in Nursing, 1965; BS in Nursing, 1969; Master of Nursing, 1971), the UPAA Distinguished Service Awardee for an Alumna, and a past president of the UPAA in America. She passed away on October 24. She was represented in the awarding ceremony by her nephew Pedro N. Magalit.  “Critical thinking is the hallmark of UP.”  Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Lagman said: “Recognition is not sought; it is deservedly bestowed. We do not work to be recognized but must ensure our work is meritorious.”  “I am certain all of the awardees excelled in their chosen fields not to be cited, but to give back to and honor UP for giving us quality education and imparting in us the fidelity to patriotism and passion for freedom,” Lagman said.  Rep. Edcel Lagman, UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus for 2022, urges his fellow Distinguished Alumni Awardees to “give back to and honor UP for giving us quality education and imparting in us the fidelity to patriotism and passion for freedom.” Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  “Much of my enduring advocacies and steadfast commitments were honed here in UP. My UP education taught me the option to conform but, more instructively, the right to reasonably differ. Indeed, critical thinking is the hallmark of UP,” emphasized Lagman. He connected this to his decades-long political career as an Opposition member and a fiscalizer.  The distinguished lawmaker further explained, “The right to dissent is integral to a free society and is at the heart of democracy. It encompasses our individual and collective rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and nation-building participation. Dissent encourages debate. It is vital in making informed decisions on issues of public concern.”  Lagman ascertained, “Verily, dissent can prevail.”  He added, “The freedom of expression is abused today by the proliferation of excessive misinformation, which malevolently manipulates public opinion and even electoral will. Consequently, let us all be sentinels of truth and verities against the purveyors of lies and false news. It is also incumbent on UP to start extensively teaching—if it has not yet started—media or news literacy so that our youth can readily discern truth from falsehood.”  “Finally, on behalf of the awardees, I call on all Filipinos to courageously fight for and enjoy the freedom and exercise the right of expression and dissent, fearless of prior restraint or subsequent reprisal,” concluded Lagman.  The UPAA awardees for 2022 include:  UPAA Multigenerational UP Alumni Family Awards:   Three Generations: Agustin Family, Alentajan Family, Reyes Family, Rojas-Aleta Family, Rola-Bustrillos Family, Tejano Family, and Yap-Rodriguez Family.  Four Generations: Barzaga Family, Beleno-Guia Family, Clemente Family, Consunji Family, and Fandialan-Dalmacio Family.  UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards:   Banking and Corporate Social Responsibility Ms. Isabelita Manalastas-Watanabe (BS in Business Economics, 1974)  Culture and the Arts                 Visual Arts                Professor Abdulmari D.L. Imao, Jr. (BS in Architecture, 1994)                 Architectural Heritage Conservation                Dr. Gerard A. Lico (BS in Architecture, 1997; MA, 2000; Ph.D., 2006)                 Music and Dance Research and Performance                Dr. Flora Elena Rivera-Mirano (AB, 1971 cum laude; MA, 1976; PhD, 1991)  Entrepreneurship and Employment Creation Dr. Edgardo L. Arcinue (Associate in Arts, 1961; Doctor of Medicine, 1966) Dr. Lucenia Adrias-Arcinue (Doctor of Medicine, 1966) Mr. Joaquin M. Teotico (BS in Business Economics, 1976)  Good Governance in Public Service Mr. Arthur Luis P. Florentin (BS in Statistics, 1977; Diploma in Industrial Relations, 1987; Master of Industrial Relations, 1988)  Rep. Edcel Lagman (standing) with his fellow 2022 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awardees. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  Nursing Education Dr. Remedios Lapidez-Fernandez (BS in Nursing, 1967; Master of Nursing, 1976; Ph.D., 2003)  Nursing Practice and Advocacy Dr. Nerissa Mendoza-Gerial (Master of Hospital Administration, 2000)  Poverty Alleviation and Human Development Dr. Anabella Bautista-Tulin (MS, 1987)  Public Health Promotion (Medicine) Dr. Eva Marie Ester Clemente-Ortile (BS in Biology, 1990 cum laude; Doctor of Medicine, 1996) Dr. Malaya Pimentel-Santos (BS in Basic Medical Sciences, 1994; Doctor of Medicine, 1996) Dr. Beaver R. Tamesis (BS, 1979 cum laude; Doctor of Medicine, 1984)  Public Health Promotion (Pharmacy) Dr. Imelda G. Peña (BS in Industrial Pharmacy, 1984; MS in Industrial Pharmacy, 1994; Ph.D., 2007)  Public Service Atty. Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan (AB, 1988; Bachelor of Laws, 1993) Dr. Lorelei Regilme-Vinluan (AB, 1992 cum laude; Master of Education, 1996)  Public Service and Community Development Dr. Marie Frances Magno-Advani (BSBA, 1972 magna cum laude; Master of Public Administration, 1974)  Public Service for Empowerment of Indigenous People Ms. Victoria Lucia Tauli-Corpuz (Graduate in Nursing, 1976)  Public Service and Good Governance for Development Promotion (National Export Promotion and Development) Mr. Senen M. Perlada (BS in Business Economics, 1978)  Science and Technology (Agriculture-Plant Breeding and Stress Tolerance) Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio (BS in Agriculture, 1986; MS, 1991; Ph.D., 1997)  Science and Technology (Environment-Waste Water Management and Sanitation) Dr. Francis L. de los Reyes III (BS in Agriculture Engineering, 1990 magna cum laude)  Science and Technology (Geology) Dr. Carlo A. Arcilla (BS in Geology, 1981 cum laude)  Science and Technology (Medicine-Cardiovascular Epidemiology) Dr. MacArthur A. Elayda (Doctor of Medicine, 1972)  Science and Technology (Medicine-Reconstructive Microsurgery) Dr. Emmanuel P. Estrella (BS, 1991; Doctor of Medicine, 1996; MS, 2015)  Science and Technology (Molecular Medicine-Translational Cancer Research) Dr. Benigno C. Valdez (BS in Sugar Technology, 1979 cum laude)  UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards: Professor Rigoberto C. Advincula (BS in Chemistry, 1987) Atty. Leovillo C. Agustin (Associate in Arts, 1958; Bachelor of Laws, 1962) Mr. Leopoldo M. Clemente, Jr. (BS in Business Administration, 1959) Dr. Jose O. Juliano (ROTC, 1952; BS in Agriculture, 1952 magna cum laude Dr. Ceferino P. Maala (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, 1971) Professor Josefino J. Toledo (Bachelor of Music, 1979)  UPAA Distinguished Service Awardee for an Alumni Chapter: UP International Nursing and Healthcare Forum  UP officials and guests toast the 2022 UPAA Distinguished Awardees during the November 9 dinner in their honor hosted by UP President Danilo Concepcion. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  UP officials host dinner for awardees   UP President Concepcion leads the toast for the 2022 UPAA Distinguished Awardees. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  On November 9, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion hosted a dinner honoring the UPAA Awardees at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni.  In his message, Concepcion said the awardees “exemplify the true meaning of UP’s principles of honor and excellence.” He praised this year’s awardees, and also those of the past two years, for their bravery, for “the courage to stand up for what is right, no matter the circumstances, no matter the opposition,” and for “unshakable commitment to your values, no matter the obstacles you face, be it a global crisis such as a pandemic or climate change, political or economic turmoil, or pervasive social injustice.”  Concepcion said the UP alumni “exemplify to our communities, our publics, and the world at large what it means to be Iskolar ng Bayan, what it means to bear the Tatak UP.”  In his message on behalf of the awardees, Rep. Lagman said, “UP has taught us to be free citizens in a free country or a country that must be free.” He emphasized that “the right of expression does not recognize any patronage” and that “all the honorees, all of us exercise our right of expression, even dissent, in our various endeavors and expertise.”  Concepcion was joined by Alumni Regent and UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena E. Pernia, Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque, Chancellor Jose V. Camacho Jr. of UP Los Banos, Chancellor Clement C. Camposano of UP Visayas, Chancellor Corazon L. Abansi of UP Baguio, and other University officials.  The awardees were serenaded by the UP Rondalla that evening.  Prof. Jose Wendell P. Capili, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, served as master of ceremonies. Capili called on each of the awardees to be recognized on stage, followed by Lagman’s and Concepcion’s messages, the ceremonial toast, and the singing of the “UP Naming Mahal” to cap the event.  Rep. Lagman (3rd from left) stands with UP President Concepcion (2nd from left), UPAA President and UP Alumni Regent Laserna (3rd from right) and UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (extreme left), and Rep. Lagman’s family members. Photo by Misael Bacani (UP MPRO)  Reports from Jo. Florendo Lontoc and Fred Dabu, MPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-ovpaa-2020-38-on-suspension-of-classes-in-all-up-constituent-universities/#",
        "html": "Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum March 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Download the full memorandum in PDF format here and the addendum here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/salaries-of-up-lecturers-teaching-assistants-and-fellows-to-be-released-early/#",
        "html": "Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early March 20, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       In light of the lockdown of Luzon and provinces in other regions, the UP System administration, through Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-40 dated March 20, 2020, instructed the constituent universities (CUs) to process the early release of salaries due to lecturers and to teaching assistants (TAs) and fellows (TFs) up to April 15, 2020.  Lecturers who are paid at the end of the semester will receive half of the amount, even without the required certifications, which can be submitted after April 15, 2020.  TAs and TFs, whose salaries are half paid for by the UP System and half by the CU, will receive their salaries even if the UP System contribution has not yet been downloaded to the CU, in which case the CU will be reimbursed after April 15, 2020.  Download copy of the memo here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-from-ovpaa-academic-contingency-plan-in-light-of-covid-19/#",
        "html": "Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 March 10, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In order for the University of the Philippines to continue educating its students in the face of possible class suspensions following the confirmed local transmission of COVID-19, UP is rolling out a contingency plan consisting of blended learning and the use of online materials and platforms to alternate with and augment traditional classroom learning.  All classes across all UP campuses will be disseminating learning materials, giving and submitting assignments, and engaging in interactive online exchanges between students and faculty through a variety of virtual learning platforms, while the UP Open University has offered its Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Quick Guides to Online Learning for UP faculty members to use immediately.  Please read the attached memorandum and be guided accordingly.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-is-designated-as-covid-19-referral-hospital-for-ncr/#",
        "html": "UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR March 20, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP-Philippine General Hospital, a unit under UP Manila. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has been designated by the Department of Health (DOH) as one of its COVID-19 referral hospitals for the National Capital Region (NCR) in line with UP’s mandate as a public service university.  UP-PGH is tasked with admitting COVID-19 patients within its cluster. This is according to a letter sent by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque to UP officials on March 19, 2020.  Aside from UP-PGH, two other hospitals have been designated COVID-19 referral hospitals for NCR: the Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and the Lung Center of the Philippines.  UP-PGH, a unit under UP Manila, is considered the biggest modern government tertiary hospital in the Philippines with the expertise and equipment to treat COVID-19 patients.  Servicing more than 600,000 patients annually, UP-PGH remains the only national referral center for tertiary care, providing direct and quality patient services to thousands of indigent Filipinos all over the country.  The UP-PGH is also one of the hospitals involved in the field validation of the GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) rRT-PCR Detection Kit developed by scientists at the UPM National Institutes of Health and the UP-based Philippine Genome Center.  In a measure to deal with the public health emergency brought about by COVID-19, the DOH has designated at least one hospital per geographic cluster that would take in COVID-19 patients. Specialty and Level 3 hospitals were considered possible candidates for COVID-19 referral hospitals.  The DOH has committed to providing full support for the UP-PGH and other designated referral hospitals.  As of March 19, 2020, the DOH has reported 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19.  Related: UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center "
    },
    {
        "title": "Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/protocols-carried-out-as-2-up-faculty-members-undergo-test-for-covid-19/#",
        "html": "Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 March 11, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines is strictly carrying out protocols following a recent case of two faculty members being declared patients under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus disease.  University officials coordinating with the UP Diliman Health Service (UPHS), a primary hospital on campus, have confirmed on March 10, 2020, that two faculty members had submitted themselves for possible COVID-19 infection after attending an academic conference in Japan. UPHS declared the two as PUIs after showing fever and respiratory symptoms.  UPHS Director Jesusa Catabui has assured the community that protocols were followed in isolating the patients and disinfecting the premises and the ambulance used to carry them to a referral hospital.  Following a general protocol the UP System promptly prepared after the first reports of the disease breaking out of Wuhan, China and which it released early February 2020, UP administrators instructed all constituents who “have come into close contact with a confirmed case, or have been exposed to potential infection during travels, to seek consultation with the University Health Service on campus, or at the nearest health facility, and undergo a health assessment before resuming their daily routine.”  Under the same protocol, the UPHS and the Quezon City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU) coordinated the monitoring of the persons with whom the PUIs had been in close contact. Contact tracing resulted in a list of persons for monitoring (PUMs), a term which means they did not manifest any symptoms of the disease. The PUMs are currently under monitored home quarantine.  Buildings that have been visited by the PUIs are now being disinfected.  On Monday night, March 9, 2020, the UP Diliman administration, led by Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, suspended classes and limited work to a skeletal force on campus until Saturday, March 14, 2020. It met with experts from the UPHS and the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital to come up with specific protocols on travel, events and academic programs, which it released on March 10, 2020, to the UP Diliman community.  Summarizing the guidelines, Nemenzo announced that:  “1) Official travel, whether local or international, will be prohibited indefinitely. . . .  All members of the community returning from travel overseas will be required to self-quarantine for fourteen days;  “2) All big events on campus will be called off, until further notice;  “3) We are moving towards online platforms in place of conventional classroom delivery. The Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in coordination with the Deans, will soon be communicating the instructions to all faculty and students;  “4) We remind the community that the most effective way of containing the spread of COVID-19 is social distancing, proper hygiene and behavioral etiquette.”  Nemenzo also formed a COVID-19 Task Force, which can be contacted at uhs.updiliman@up.edu.ph (with “COVID-19” as subject), 0947-427-9281 (mobile) or 8981-8500 local 2709, to answer questions and receive relevant information.  —  Contact person: Elena E. Pernia, PhD Vice President  for Public Affairs University of the Philippines  +63 2 8981 8500 local 2507  "
    },
    {
        "title": "In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-memoriam-former-up-asian-center-dean-aileen-sp-baviera/#",
        "html": "In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera March 21, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Photo from Dr. Baviera’s Facebook page     Dr. Aileen San Pablo-Baviera, UP political science professor, former Dean of the UP Asian Center, and one of the country’s foremost experts in international relations and Asian and China studies, passed away at 3:55 a.m. on March 21, 2020, at San Lazaro Hospital. She was 60 years old.  The cause of her death was severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19, which she contracted during a recent trip to France, according to an announcement made by her daughter, Mayi Baviera, on Facebook.  Dr. Aileen SP Baviera was a well-known resource person and media consultant specializing in contemporary China studies, China-Southeast Asia relations, Asia-Pacific security, territorial and maritime disputes, and regional integration. She was also among the country’s experts on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea who were convened to discuss how to defend the West Philippine Sea against the incursions of China.  Aside from teaching and serving as Dean of the UP Asian Center from 2003 to 2009, she was editor-in-chief of the international journal Asian Politics & Policy. She was also a lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute, National Defense College of the Philippines; President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc.; member of the Board of Trustees of Economic, Social, Cultural Rights-Asia; Director of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies; and former convenor of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Asia Pacific program.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service, her master’s degree in Asian Studies (China), and her doctorate degree in political science all from UP.  In UP, she taught courses on the politics, governance, and social and economic development of China; international relations of Southeast Asia; security issues in Asia; regionalism and community building in East Asia; and Philippine foreign relations. She was editor of the book Regional Security in East Asia: Challenges to Cooperation and Community Building (2008), published by the UP Asian Center, and has contributed numerous articles and chapters in books.  She has lectured and held visiting fellowships at various academic and research institutions in Australia, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.  Dr. Baviera is survived by her children and relatives. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-advice-for-the-up-community/#",
        "html": "Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community February 10, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Advice for the UP Community  as of 14 February 2020     On December 31, 2019, an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus or novel coronavirus disease, previously called 2019-nCoV, was first reported from Wuhan, China, and has since spread across the globe. Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some of these viruses cause illnesses that include both the common cold and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  With over 20,000 cases reported across 24 countries, including the Philippines, it is important to know what we must do to prevent an infection. For us in the UP community, the University has a set of protocols if we or someone we know contract what the World Health Organization has named the COVID-19 acute respiratory disease.     Positive for exposure  If you have traveled to China, Macau, Hong Kong or other areas with confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, or if you have had close contact (within one meter) with a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection, you should stay at home and monitor yourself for symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, for 14 days from the date of arrival or exposure. While current data show that people who have symptoms contribute most to the spread of the disease, it may also be possible that people infected with COVID-19 may be infectious before they even show any symptoms.  If you have come into close contact with a confirmed case, or you have been exposed to potential infection during your travels, please seek consultation with the University Health Service on campus, or at the nearest health facility, and undergo a health assessment before resuming your daily routine.  At this point, you will be considered a Person Under Monitoring (PUM), and you will be advised to go on self-quarantine for 14 days. Here are some home quarantine instructions for PUMs:  Stay at home except when getting medical care. Separate yourself from the other people in your home. Avoid sharing household items. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and sanitize with alcohol. Cover your cough and sneezes with tissue. Wear a face mask with the colored side facing outward. Monitor your symptoms. Call ahead before visiting your doctor.     Positive for symptoms  If you have been exposed to COVID-19 through your travels or through close contact with a confirmed case, and you are showing respiratory symptoms, here is what you should do:  Seek consultation with your University Health Service on campus or go to the nearest health facility. Once there, you will be asked to fill out a form that will include questions about your travel history and/or if you have come into contact with a confirmed case. Make sure you wear your face mask properly and call ahead. You will be brought to a holding area where the physician on duty will more closely investigate the timing of your symptoms. At this point, you will be designated as Patient Under Investigation (PUI). The physician will inform the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU) or the Municipal Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (MESU), and will continue to coordinate with the CESU/MESU in monitoring your condition, which will include admitting you to specialized hospitals with the capacity to treat the disease.     Preventive measures  When it comes to good health, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For the members of the UP community who have not recently traveled to China, Macau, Hong Kong or come into close contact with a confirmed case, follow these infectious respiratory disease-prevention rules from the Department of Health and World Health Organization:  OBSERVE PROPER HAND HYGIENE. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds (or two rounds of “Happy Birthday”), and, if available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. REMEMBER THAT YOUR FACE IS SACRED. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Your hands may have touched contaminated surfaces, and you can transfer germs from the surface to yourself. RESPECT PERSONAL SPACE. Avoid crowded places and maintain at least a one-meter or three-foot distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and have a fever. PRACTICE GOOD COUGH ETIQUETTE. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and properly and immediately dispose of the tissue. Wash your hands properly afterward. (Refer to Item No. 1.) You may be asked to wear a face mask to protect others. WEAR THE FACE MASK PROPERLY. Wear the face mask with the colored side facing outward, fully covering the nose, mouth, and chin. Never touch the mask with your hands. Remove the mask by holding only the strings. Properly dispose of the mask. Wear a face mask only when necessary, such as if you are immunocompromised or have a cough and cold. AVOID EATING RAW OR IMPROPERLY COOKED ANIMAL PRODUCTS, as COVID-19 is also animal-transmitted. WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER AFTER CONTACT WITH PETS. Although there is no evidence yet that pets can be infected with COVID-19, this will help prevent the spread of other germs such as E. coli and Salmonella. Also, wash your hands with soap and water after visiting an animal market or wet market, and avoid unprotected contact with wild or farm animals. WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING THINGS SUCH AS DOOR KNOBS AND TABLE TOPS. Although coronaviruses do not survive long on objects such as letters and packages, they have been detected on places like door knobs, table tops or other surfaces. KEEP YOUR GADGETS AND PERSONAL ITEMS CLEAN. Disinfect your mobile phones, tablets, laptops, bags, eyeglasses, etc. regularly. GET YOUR INFORMATION ONLY FROM THE PROPER AUTHORITIES to prevent the spread of fake news and disinformation. Proper health authorities include your University Health Service on campus, the Department of Health and its city and regional offices, and the WHO. BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and exercise, and drinking plenty of water. A strong immune system will be better able to fight off COVID-19, as well as other diseases.     Know who to ask  To prevent the spread of misinformation and undue alarm, it is important that we get our information only from the proper authorities.  For questions and concerns, please contact the Public Health Unit of the University Health Service on campus or in the health facility near you.  For UP Diliman, call (02) 8981-8500 local 2709, 2701, or visit the UP Diliman Public Health Unit’s Facebook page.  For UP Manila, call (02) 8554 8400 local 2076 and 2077; or (02) 8523 5350  For UP Baguio, call (074) 442 0363.  For UP Los Baños and the UP Open University, call (049) 536 6238.  For UP Cebu, call (032) 232 2642 local 305.  For UP Mindanao, call (082) 293 0863 local 9051.  For UP Visayas’ Miag-ao campus, call (033) 315 8301; for its Iloilo campus, call (033) 337 8594.  For daily updates and information about COVID-19, please visit the DOH website and the WHO website.     Infographics                     version of infographics     References  ABS-CBN News. (2020, January 31). Coronaviruses on Made-in-China goods, door knobs? DOH chief distinguishes fact from fiction | ANC [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seLvkqH4Euw  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020 February 2). About 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020 February 2). Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). FAQS on novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov/FAQs  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). Infographics. Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov/infographics  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov  Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2019 Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) Taskforce. (2020, January 31). Algorithm for triage of patients with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.  UP Health Service, UP Diliman. (2020, January 31). Memo for all UP Diliman Community Members on the subject of the 2019-nCoV update.  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) advice for the public. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Q&A on coronaviruses. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses  World Health Organization. (2020 February 3). Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation as of 3 February 2020, 16:00 (CET). Retrieved from http://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/c88e37cfc43b4ed3baf977d77e4a0667     *Featured image courtesy of UP MPRO photo archive "
    },
    {
        "title": "Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/isang-pagsaludo-sa-mga-intern-ng-philippine-general-hospital/#",
        "html": "Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital March 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Last March 14, 2020, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges gave out a directive to pull-out medical interns out of all NCR hospitals. However, over 100 interns at the Philippine General Hospital volunteered to go back on-duty to help the patients and the remaining health care workers in the hospital.  The PGH Administration has since welcomed these reinforcements with assurances of PPE, food, lodging, and standby medical care for all of them.  The University salutes the hard work and bayanihan spirit among the frontliners, health workers, and medical professionals in the country’s battle against COVID-19.  Mabuhay po kayo!     *Featured image courtesy of Manila Bulletin  "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-officials-discuss-the-establishment-of-up-pgh-bayanihan-operations-center/#",
        "html": "UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center March 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   From left, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi discuss the establishment of a formal system and structure to facilitate the University’s reception of support for its frontline workers. While UP has the financial capability to readily procure personal protective equipment for its health and medical personnel, the challenge has been on the supply end.     “Necessity is the mother of invention,” the idiom goes and there is certainly no better time like the present for ingenuity. Dealing with supply shortage and delays in regular government procurement of PPEs, UP’s health workers need to get creative. Here, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi dons a makeshift face shield made of ordinary office supplies such as acetate, cardboard, and staples or tape."
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-on-academic-matters/#",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters March 20, 2020 | Written by Danilo L. Concepcion    Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters  March 20, 2020     Dear members of the UP community:     As you all know, our national government has placed all of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine. Regions south of Luzon are also undergoing similar safety measures within their localities. All of these is part of our government’s effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease.     In light of these developments, the UP System has suspended all classes, both residential and online, as well as alternative learning activities, across all constituent units until April 14, 2020, with the UP Open University as the only exception. A new schedule for online classes will be announced in an upcoming Memorandum.     Moreover, the deadline for dropping and filing leave of absence for the second semester of AY 2019-2020 has been lifted. New deadlines will likewise be announced soon.     We are continually assessing the situation throughout the UP System, including factors such as students’ access to the Internet and digital technology and the time needed for faculty to shift their curricula to online and alternative modes of delivery. In the meantime, we exhort our faculty to continue exploring the different avenues for blended learning, and to be as creative and resourceful as possible so as to give all students equal access to the lessons and learning materials, and an equal chance to interact with the class and submit requirements, regardless of Internet access. The use of UP’s learning management system such as Zoom, which can now be accessed by all UP faculty and REPS at up-edu.zoom.us, is highly encouraged to aid faculty in transitioning to online and blended learning. Please refer to the email sent out by the UP System ITDC for more information and support. The UPOU also provides webinars on how to migrate to online teaching formats. While the March 23 deadline for the submission of revised syllabi is lifted, we must all continue to learn, to adapt, and to help one another by sharing our ideas and insights.     The situation at the local and national levels remain in a state of flux. We need to be nimble and flexible in responding to the shifting conditions under which our academic systems are operating. We in the administration remain on the highest alert, and we are constantly strategizing ways to facilitate learning, manage academic requirements, and maximize our academic resources in this time of COVID-19. Above all, we continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of all members of the UP community.     This is an extraordinarily challenging time and it demands much of us. But UP has survived wars, natural disasters, civil and political turmoil, and martial law, and it has done so with brilliance, courage, an unshakable sense of unity, and a bayanihan spirit.     UP will do so again.     Naglilingkod,     Danilo L. Concepcion     COVID-19 UPdates: Information and Resources "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-ups-response-to-covid-19/#",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 March 11, 2020 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion UP’s response to COVID-19 11 March 2020     Dear members of our UP community and fellow Filipinos,  As the national university, the University of the Philippines is mandated to take the lead in the nation’s quest for true, equitable and sustainable development by harnessing the expertise of its academic and scientific community to address the nation’s most pressing problems, one of which is the COVID-19 outbreak.  The University can only fulfill this mandate through the active cooperation of and partnership with other national and local government agencies and the private sector. In this light, we in UP welcome the Certification of Exemption by the Food and Drug Administration for the SARS CoV-2 PCR detection kit developed by UP Philippine Genome Center Deputy Director Dr. Raul Destura and other scientists and researchers from the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and the PGC.  This SARS CoV-2 detection kit was developed with funding from the Department of Science and Technology through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. It is currently being manufactured and stockpiled by Manila HealthTek, Inc. The GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit, as it is called, will be used for field testing coupled with gene sequencing at the PGC. Using the local GenAmplify™ will cost only around Php1,320 per test, in contrast to the foreign kit which costs around Php8,500 per test. Around 200 GenAmplify™ kits can be produced in a week, and enough kits are in stock now for around 6,000 tests, with more orders for around 20,000 tests already expected.  This SARS CoV-2 detection kit developed by UP scientists will greatly help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19. The FDA’s issuance of a Certificate of Exemption for the kit will ensure that this locally produced technology will be made available to a greater number of Filipinos at much less cost.  With the increased availability of testing, we can expect that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 will likely grow in our country and perhaps in our university community. This might become a source of anxiety and concern, even fear. However, we assure you that the UP administration is taking immediate and appropriate action in response to this outbreak, with the guidance of our experts from the PGC, PGH and UP Manila.  To respond to the possible increase in the number of patients infected through local transmission, the PGH has protocols in place, which include:  1. Setting up hospital response to assure readiness and safety of health staff triage, diagnose, manage patients suspected and confirmed to have the COVID-19, including the creation of an Incident Command System or COVID Task Force.  2. Training front-liners and paramedical staff to address technical proficiency and emotional/occupational concerns related to COVID-19.  3. Disseminating information and communicating risk about COVID-19 to the members of the UP community and the public.  4. Preparing the public for COVID-19 through public education.  I strongly exhort all the members of our university community and the public to please study and practice the good habits and measures to prevent infection, as described in our previous health advisory. For members of the UP community who have a travel history to countries with confirmed cases and are exhibiting respiratory symptoms, please seek consultation with your University Health Service on campus or go to the nearest health facility. We must all work together to keep our campuses and our communities safe, not just for ourselves but for all members of our University.  Ultimately, the development of the nation and the protection of health and wellbeing of its people are the purpose of the University of the Philippines. UP stands at the ready to serve the Filipino people with honor, excellence and compassion.     Sincerely,  Danilo L. Concepcion President  Related: Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion/#",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion March 20, 2020 | Written by Danilo L. Concepcion    March 20, 2020     Dear members of the UP community:     I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to you all for your amazing response to this crisis—a global situation the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes. We have been forced to suspend classes, work and all other campus activities, and to stay inside our homes and practice social distancing, all to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to keep our healthcare system from being dangerously overwhelmed. For some of us, the effects of these measures on our finances, work, and social lives, and on our mental and physical health, have been devastating.     Yet, I have seen UP rise magnificently to the challenge. Every constituent unit, every sector, and every member of the UP community has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate incredible courage, resourcefulness, intelligence, selflessness, and compassion. Our scientists have used their knowledge to help their fellow Filipinos. Our medical and health practitioners, including our interns, are serving heroically at the frontlines of this war. Our faculty are exploring new ways and alternative platforms to fulfill their mission to teach, no matter the circumstances.     Our skeleton staff are working to keep our University running and to protect our communities. Our administrative officials have been tirelessly steering the University through rough waters. And our students, alumni and campus residents are doing their part by using their training to build sanitation tents for public use, or by donating food and supplies to fellow members of the UP community in need, or by campaigning for support for our doctors, nurses and health centers, or by simply doing what they can to educate, to ease people’s burdens, and uplift their spirits.     You are all an inspiration to us. Ang iskolar ng bayan ay tunay na maaasahan.     I cannot say for certain how the future will be shaped by this global crisis. However, I can assure you that we will keep moving forward as one UP community. We will continue to harness the expertise of the country’s premier community of scholars to make thoughtful and informed decisions. We will continue to communicate with you and disseminate information as often as possible. We will support your efforts to help yourselves, your families and your communities. Together, we will emerge stronger, better, and more united than ever.     We must and will remain in touch with one another. To facilitate this and to make sure that we disseminate and receive only official and verified information at a time when misleading and even dangerous rumors abound, we are opening a dedicated webpage at https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/covid-19-updates/ for the UP community. I urge you to bookmark and to follow that page for future announcements and updates, and stay safe.     Once again, I thank all the individuals and teams who are toiling bravely through this uncertain time. Thank you for showing the world what honor and excellence in the service of the Filipino people truly mean.     Maraming salamat po.     Naglilingkod,  Danilo L. Concepcion     COVID-19 UPdates: Information and Resources    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Vision and Mission – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/vision-and-mission/#",
        "html": "Vision and Mission  Our Vision for UP A great university, taking a leadership role in the development of a globally competitive Philippines. Driven by: Academic excellence and operational excellence; Strong research and creative capability, supported by an expanded graduate program and geared to addressing the country’s problems; Excellent faculty and staff working in an environment conducive to outstanding performance and high productivity; The best and brightest students from across the country prepared for successful careers and responsive citizenship; Strong support from the alumni and other stakeholders; High visibility and effective public service; Modernized physical facilities and technological infrastructure for teaching, research and administration; and Financial sustainability achieved by resource generation and administrative efficiency, while preserving its public character. For more information on the the Vision and Mission of the University, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mandate and Functions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/mandate-and-functions/#",
        "html": "Mandate and Functions  Section 3 of the UP Charter of 2008 (Republic Act 9500) states that: As the national university, a public and secular institution of higher learning, and a community of scholars dedicated to the search for truth and knowledge as well as the development of future leaders, the University of the Philippines shall perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development. The University shall: Lead in setting academic standards and initiating innovations in teaching, research, and faculty development in philosophy, the arts and humanities, the social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, and technology; and maintain centers of excellence in these disciplines and professions. Serve as a graduate university by providing advanced studies and specialization for scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and professionals especially those who serve on the faculty of state and private colleges and universities. Serve as a research university in various fields of expertise and specialization by conducting basic and applied research, promoting research and development, and contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge. Lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence. Protect and promote the professional and economic rights and welfare of its academic and non-academic personnel. Provide opportunities for training and learning in leadership, responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions, and practice through academic and non-academic programs, including sports and enhancement of nationalism and national identity. Serve as a regional and global university in cooperation with international and scientific unions, networks of universities, scholarly and professional associations in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world. Provide democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of its constituents; and promote the holding of fora for students, faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), administrative staff, and alumni to discuss non-academic issues affecting the University. For a full text of the UP Charter, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/student-academic-information-systemcomputer-registration-system/",
        "html": "Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System    The University of the Philippines uses the Computerized Registration System (CRS) and the Student Academic Information System (SAIS). Each constituent university has its own system which allows students to check if the courses they plan to take for the semester are available.   UP Diliman uses the CRS. To access the system, please click here. UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Open University, UP Baguio and UP Cebu use the SAIS. To log-on the system, please click here. UP Visayas also uses a CRS system similar to UP Diliman. To log-in, please click here. UP Mindanao has a Student Records System, which is similar to the UP Diliman CRS. To access the system, please click here.    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Socialized Tuition System Academic Calendars   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Socialized Tuition System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/socialized-tuition-system/",
        "html": "Socialized Tuition System     What is STS?  In the University of the Philippines (UP), all students receive financial support from the National Government since the full tuition is much lower than the cost of education in the University. Given that students in UP come from all walks of life, there are those who may not be able to afford paying the full tuition. So UP created the Socialized Tuition System (STS) which provides tuition discount at rates that are based on the assessment of the paying capacity of the household to which a student belongs. This assessment looks at the income as well as the socio-economic characteristics of the household. The current STS was approved by the UP Board of Regents on 13 December 2013.    Who can apply?  To qualify for tuition discounts from STS, the student must: 1. Be a Filipino; 2. Be a bonafide undergraduate student. Except for students of Law and Medicine, the applicant must not have a bachelor’s degree. For new students, the applicant must have an admission slip; 3. Never have been adjudged guilty of any offense that carries a penalty of more than 30 days suspension; and 4. Be in need of financial assistance as determined by the University    Application Process  1. Visit https://sts.up.edu.ph/ and log in using your Student Number and 5-digit PIN. 2. Indicate your intent to apply and your consent to the terms and conditions of STS. 3. Complete your Student Profile with information about yourself and your parents/guardian and siblings. 4. Answer the Household Characteristics questionnaire. 5. Accomplish the Household Income form. 6. Review all entries before proceeding to submission. You cannot view or change your answers after you submit your application. 7. Proceed to submission. You and your parents/guardian need to indicate consent to the terms and conditions of the application. 8. Confirm submission of your STS application. Results will be released according to the posted schedule. You may view the results by logging into https://sts.up.edu.ph/ using your account. Check out the Announcements tab for any updates during the application period.    Terms and Conditions before applying for tuition discount  The University reserves the right to determine whether the student deserves financial assistance, and the amount and form of assistance. The STS Office, in co ordination with the Offices of Student Affairs (OSAs) and the Office of Scholarship and Student Services (OSSS), will organize a fact-finding team to check information submitted by the applicants. STS privileges may be withdrawn when a student withholds or gives false information, without prejudice to other penalties that may be imposed by the University. All information supplied in the application will be kept secure and confidential. All information may be used by the University for research, with the assurance that personal details of the applicant will be kept secure.    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Academic Programs offered by the constituent universities How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Campus Maps – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/campus-maps/#",
        "html": "Campus Maps  For maps of the constituent universities, please click on the images below.                                           "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academic Calendar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academic-calendar/#",
        "html": "Academic Calendar    Pace yourself accordingly. Know when the midterm and final exam periods are or check the enlistment period for the succeeding terms. Click on the links below to view or download the academic calendar of your constituent university. Diliman Los Baños Manila Visayas Open University Mindanao Baguio Cebu    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Socialized Tuition System Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps   "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Burden of Being a National University – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-burden-of-being-a-national-university/",
        "html": "The Burden of Being a National University The Burden of Being a National University May 28, 2019 | Written by Randolf S. David   Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Raising the quality of public discourse  Universities like UP are uniquely positioned to intervene in the ongoing public discussion of issues and problems. This is a terrain that tends to be dominated by politicians, social activists, church people, mass media commentators, and opinion writers. Each one of these players represents a perspective, a way of framing, speaking or understanding, a given topic. When the media turn to a professor for his or her views on a topic, however, they do not expect just any type of opinion but a specialist’s opinion that is informed by the disciplines in which he/she operates. There will be times when we may have no basis to give an expert opinion, but an interviewer may nonetheless press us to speak as a sociologist, economist, linguist, biologist, geologist, or physicist. Under such circumstances, if the statements we give do not proceed from what we know as specialists, then it behooves us to make clear that we are speaking as lay citizens rather than as scholars. To pretend otherwise—i.e., to lend the authority of our institutional or disciplinal affiliation to the plain opinions we hold as members of a society is to risk undermining the authority of our disciplines, and indeed, of the university we represent.  Certainly, the problem that our people face with regard to information cannot be underestimated. The exponential growth in the capacity of the mass media to bring a broad range of issues into the realm of public discourse has not been matched by an increase in the high-mindedness of public discussions. This is a social need that the university, especially one that calls itself the national university, must attempt to systematically address.  It should not be difficult for us, with commensurate support and encouragement from the university administration, to form working groups on a variety of public issues. Our interventions need not be couched in the language of advocacy—it is enough that they offer conceptual clarity, critique, and concrete proposals for finding solutions to problems. Such think pieces need not always be based on new research either; they could be syntheses of existing studies and data, new interpretations that can bring out the blind spots of current analysis.  The mandate we have earned for ourselves as a subsystem of society is not so much for us to take sides in the conflict of partisan interests as to be arbiters of what constitutes knowledge in our time, of what is true and what is false, and of what can be claimed as a rational idea or course of action. But we are not precluded from drawing conclusions that are politically consequential. It is important, however, that as we perform this task, we need to remind ourselves that political strife, even if we cannot entirely shield ourselves from it, is not the business of the university. Knowledge is. Reason is. No less important than writing these is getting them into the circuit of public discourse—by way of symposia, press conferences, media interviews, television appearances, and articles in the popular media. We could aspire to do this until we reach a point when, as far as the public is concerned, no issue is considered closed until UP has spoken.     Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     Forming our students as the future leaders of the nation  We love to say that every UP graduate is more than just a college degree holder. He/she is, above all, a leader with a clear sense of purpose, a profound awareness of the basic problems of the country and of the world, and a passionate commitment to the national good. I still believe that, in general, this is true, although that is no reason to place upon the shoulders of UP graduates the entire weight of the Filipino nation’s past and future.  Our students come to us as young adults already equipped with basic ideas of right and wrong. The values of their families and of the communities in which they are raised are already impressed on their character when they enter UP. But the public forgets that we do not run a monastery or a total institution that regulates every aspect of a student’s existence.  And so, during the period they are with us, our students remain open to a variety of other influences—the mass media, their families, their churches, their political organizations, their friends, and what they see in the larger society outside.  Still, we make sure our students pick up some important values while they are with us, notably those associated with the General Education Program: love of country, social justice, solidarity, the need to think for oneself, rational argument, critical inquiry, thirst for knowledge, etc.  Among the things we teach our students is precisely that they must learn to differentiate—e.g., that what is good for their family is not always good for the country, that what is profitable is not always legal, that what is legal may not always be moral, etc. I have always believed, in this regard, that the so-called moral crisis gripping our country today is not due to Filipinos’ lack of any moral sense, or a weakness in their values. Much of what we call corruption stems precisely from a failure to differentiate the multiple dimensions of human activity.  Whether we like it or not, our graduates, more than the graduates of any other tertiary school in the country, are today called upon to lead the nation through these difficult times—to inspire our people by their example, to personify the heroic ideals of public service, and to commit themselves to the unfinished task of building the nation. To me, this is the biggest burden that being the national university of our country has placed upon us. It is a reminder that we don’t just train professionals, we produce the nation’s leaders—Filipinos who, on top of what they must learn as professionals, are especially educated to become familiar with the nation’s history, to identify with its aspirations, to take on its manifold problems as their personal responsibility, to integrate commitment to the public good in everything they do, and most of all, to chart the nation’s future.  Prof. Randolf S. David is a professor emeritus of sociology at UP Diliman. He currently writes a weekly newspaper column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and is a member of the board of advisers of the ABS-CBN Corporation.  Exerpts from the original article published in the UP Forum July-August 2009 issue  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you think is the legacy of the UP Forum? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-forum-roundtable-discussion-what-do-you-think-is-the-legacy-of-the-up-forum/",
        "html": "UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you think is the legacy of the UP Forum? UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you think is the legacy of the UP Forum? May 28, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Dr. Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. Vice President for Public Affairs UP System (2003-2005, 2017-2019)     The UP Forum was created to serve as a venue for University-focused and University-related think pieces. Appearing quarterly, it’s different from a newsletter or a research journal; it was meant to talk about issues important to the University community—not just the faculty or administration, but also the students, the staff, and even the campus residents and alumni.  I had the unique privilege of serving as UP Forum’s editor twice, on the two occasions that I was appointed Vice President for Public Affairs between 2003 and 2005 and between 2017 and 2019. Being a writer and a journalist myself, I felt personally invested in the UP Forum (as in our other media) and sought ways of broadening its appeal while deepening its coverage.  The first time, I had it reformatted into something a bit more formal but devoted to the hot topics or issues of the hour, such as “Financing the University,” which I felt was needed at a time when very few UP people—including administrators—understood what it took to keep the University afloat. I also introduced the UP Forum Roundtable—and I acknowledge the slight redundancy in the title—to bring in more personal viewpoints and responses from all the University’s eight CUs.  This second time around, I again supported the reformatting of the Forum into a color magazine in a handier size, with better pictures, and shorter, more engaging pieces on less ponderous but no less interesting topics as our campus greens and architecture, UP in the movies, cherished UP traditions, and music in UP life. The Roundtable remains, although I’d like to see more divergent and provocative opinions, less safe answers, and as always, a truly broad representation of UP sectors and campuses.  Our many academic journals provide a record of UP’s contributions to intellectual life, but the UP Forum’s legacy for me will be that of providing space for the things that mean something to us not just as scholars but as people in a community—a very special community with a very special mission.  Professor Emeritus Teresita Gimenez Maceda Director UP System Information Office (1999-2001)     I conceptualized the UP Forum with President Francisco Nemenzo. We were in agreement with the idea of an official system-wide newspaper that would not only be a channel to communicate administration programs and policies but would be also be a venue for a vibrant and free exchange of ideas of members of the UP community across UP constituent units.  The tagline “Popular na Pahayag ng Malayang Komunidad” expressed the philosophy behind the newspaper. Using the format of a broadsheet, the UP Forum gave space to different voices within the UP community—administration. faculty, research staff, UP employees—on varied academic issues as well as national concerns that affect the community. It had a front-page regular column by the UP President, a section for news coming from the different constituent units, an opinion page with an editorial and monthly columns by faculty from different disciplines and persuasions, a section that featured innovative research and achievement of the UP faculty and research staff, essays contributed by faculty, staff and administrative personnel, a forum on contending views on UP and national issues.  Our first issue in November 1999 with a front-page story and photos of the sorry state of disrepair of urinals in the men’s room of Palma Hall may have shocked readers, but it certainly made clear to all that President Nemenzo was serious in prioritizing the repair of rest rooms to make life better for UP students.  Now and then, the UP Forum came out with special issues such as the detailing of the budget process from proposal to Congress approval in order to stir interest and involve the UP community in the process itself; a presentation of the proposed Revitalized General Education Program together with a background on the history of the GE and the varied views on the RGEP.  Reminiscing the early years of the UP Forum is to acknowledge the research-based news gathering capability, informed writing, creativity and tireless effort of the staff of the UP System Information Office in making the broadsheet a popular venue for untrammeled discourse.  Dr. Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo Vice President for Public Affairs UP System (2005-2010)     I cannot talk about the paper’s  “legacy,” since I was no longer able to follow it after I retired as a full-time UP faculty member. In fact, I considered requesting the office of the VP for Public Affairs that Professors Emeriti be given a kind of lifetime subscription. But I never got around to it.  What I can do is describe what we wanted it to be during my term as its Editor in Chief.  Our idea was to devote each UP Forum issue to just one theme, e.g., the World Financial Crisis of 2008, the Philippine Population Problem, Health Care for the Future, The State of Higher Education, The Undervaluing of Sports in UP, the State of the Arts in the Philippines, etc.  There would be one lead article written by the University’s leading expert in the field. There would be a round table discussion, featuring members of different sectors in UP (faculty, administrators, students, alumni). There would be related feature articles, sometimes an interview story, and, when possible a book review. The idea was to ensure that the issue was explored as thoroughly as possible, given the time and space constraints, by people who enjoyed the respect of the community, as scholars and/or practitioners in the field. We deliberately did not include an editorial section or a column section, so that the paper would not run the risk of being suspected of representing a single point of view, least of all that of the UP Administration. I felt that this was one way of encouraging our colleagues to engage with important national issues, since the general public looks to UP, as the national university, for badly needed intellectual leadership.  Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2019 Vol. 20 No. 2 issue is now online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-april-june-2019-vol-20-no-2-issue-is-now-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2019 Vol. 20 No. 2 issue is now online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum April-June 2019 Vol. 20 No. 2 issue is now online July 23, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The concept of data privacy may sound esoteric, but it affects much of our lives today, from the way we work, conduct business, and communicate with one another online. This goes especially for those of us in the academe. In this issue, the UP Forum delves into the intricacies of data privacy and Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and what these mean for the UP Community and for ordinary individuals.        Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "How to get to UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-to-get-to-up-diliman/#",
        "html": "How to get to UP Diliman Via C-5/Katipunan Avenue  a. For those with private vehicles:   From the South, take C-5 and go straight ahead. After crossing Kalayaan Avenue, Makati, take the bridge past the elevated the u-turn. Go further ahead and take the flyover that crosses Ortigas Avenue. This flyover is just past Tiendesitas, which is on the left side. Go straight ahead. Take the Libis flyover and then take the tunnel, which is on the left side. You are now along Katipunan Avenue. Drive along and take the Katipunan flyover.  Upon getting off the flyover, you will see the Ateneo de Manila University to your right. Go straight ahead and turn left at the traffic light, which is just past Miriam College, the La Vista gate, and Petron. You are now along CP Garcia Avenue. Drive along the avenue and turn right at the end. You are now along the University Avenue. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  b. For commuters:    Except for taxis, there is no other public transport that will take you to UP Diliman via C-5.  If you are taking a cab, use the route for private vehicles described above.  If you are coming from Marcos Highway or Aurora Boulevard, whether by jeep or fx, get off at Katipunan Avenue. You will see the jeepney terminal under the Katipunan flyover. Ride the jeep that goes inside the UP campus. Be sure to ask which ones enter the campus as there are jeeps that will only drop you off at the Magsaysay Gate because they are not allowed inside UP.  If you are coming from areas served by the LRT-2, take the train and get off at the Katipunan Station. Walk to the corner of Katipunan Avenue and Aurora Boulevard. You will pass St. Bridget School. You will see the jeepney terminal under the Katipunan flyover. Ride the jeep that goes inside the UP campus. Be sure to ask which ones enter the campus as there are jeeps that will only drop you off at the Magsaysay Gate because they are not allowed inside UP.     Via Philcoa  a. For those with private vehicles:  If you are coming from the South (Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, etc.) via EDSA, turn right at East Avenue. Go straight and turn right at the end. You are now along the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.   If you are coming from the North (Novaliches, Caloocan, etc.) take North Avenue. Go straight until you reach the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  If you are coming from Manila, take Quezon Avenue. Go straight until you reach the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  If you are coming from Fairview, go straight along Commonwealth Avenue until you reach the Elliptical Road. When allowed, you can make a u-turn to go to the campus. If it is not allowed, you have to turn right and drive along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  b. For commuters:  Take a bus, jeep, or fx going to Fairview. They ply the route on Commonwealth Avenue. Ask the driver to drop you off at Philcoa. There are jeeps that enter the UP campus from there.  If your area is near the MRT, take the train and get off at the Quezon Avenue Station. There are jeeps that go inside the UP campus from there.  If you are near SM City North EDSA or Trinoma, there are terminals with jeeps to the UP campus from there.  If you are coming from Fairview, take a bus, jeep, or fx that plies the route on Commonwealth Avenue and ask the driver to drop you off at Philcoa. Cross the footbridge to the commercial complex. There are jeeps bound for UP from there.  You might also want to look at the Campus Maps "
    },
    {
        "title": "Be Cautious, Not Careless – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/be-cautious-not-careless/",
        "html": "Be Cautious, Not Careless Be Cautious, Not Careless November 7, 2019 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    There’s no denying that we live in a digital world. Some of us check our emails or social media accounts upon getting up in the morning. We upload pictures and videos of where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with. The truth is, however, when it comes to personal information, sharing is not always such a good thing.  The National Privacy Commission has some useful tips in protecting our data online, but there are still things we do off the internet that can potentially compromise our information.  Here are some of the other ways you can protect your personal data, offline and online:  1. A chance to get freebies or discounts is something most of us cannot resist. See those little fishbowls or trays in restaurants asking for your business card so you can get treats? Think twice before dropping in your card. Remember, if it was not hard for you to put your business card in there, then it would be just as easy for someone else to get it.     2. It seems the need for photocopying services will not be going away just yet. Do not leave your documents on the scanner or do not forget to retrieve them if you had someone copy the documents for you. Make sure you destroy any spoiled copies where your information is visible. Some photocopying service providers may not allow you to do that, so block those pieces of information with a pen or marker instead. It may seem like such a hassle, but it is for your own security.     3. Sometimes you are asked for a copy of your debit or credit card. Do not copy the back of your card because the security code is printed there. Online payment gateways require this security code so if anyone gets hold of yours without your knowledge, you may end up paying for things you never bought. If you are being asked for a copy of both the front and back of your card, tell the requesting party that you will need to cover the security code.     4. Great service? Awful product? If your hand is itching to write on that feedback form, do not be so liberal with your personal information. You do not need to fill out all the fields, just what is necessary to get your message across. They do not need to know your home address nor your home number.     5. More and more shops are offering rewards programs for its customers and if they are your go-to stores, chances are you will be asked to fill out application forms ASAP. Just make sure you only put in the information required. Read the fine print. Do you want them to send you emails or text alerts? Do you want to be automatically enrolled in some third party services? Make sure you understand what you are signing up for.     6. Not everyone has a printer at home. Others need to avail of printing services. Do not allow the service provider to download your files. Do not agree to email the file to them for printing. If you are using a flash drive to have documents printed, scan it on a secure computer after it was plugged into a public terminal to ensure no malicious software infected the drive. Check your computer settings to see that it is not set to autoplay any drive plugged into it.     7. If you need to use a public computer, in the library or in a computer rental shop, for example, and you need to either save, send via email, or print your document, always check the location it was saved in. Delete the file if it was stored in the public computer and empty the recycle bin after deletion. Additionally, erase your browsing data, making sure to include passwords and autofill forms among the options to delete. It is important to note that you should never save passwords on any computer.     8. In the same manner, do not write down passwords, PIN codes, or anything that will allow access to your personal data, accounts, records, and communication. If you feel you might forget your access codes and want to write them down, keep them in a secure location, under lock and key, and away from prying eyes. If you really need to share these codes with someone else because you are unable to access your accounts (e.g., when you’re sick), change your codes the first chance you get.     9. Read privacy notices and policies of establishments and offices that you are giving your personal information to. Know what they are and are not allowed to do with your data. This way, it will be easier for you to lodge a complaint if you find your information was misused and handled improperly.     10. Ask your friends and relatives not to give away your personal information without your consent. With the Data Privacy Act of 2012, offices that hold your information usually have protocols in place when someone other than yourself is requesting your personal data. But things are a bit more relaxed when it comes to friends and family, so do tell them that you are not comfortable having any of your personal information being passed on to others without your permission.  The bottom line is, be careful. Know how to secure your data. Before you can expect anyone else, even the law, to protect you and your information, you need to secure it yourself. Neglecting to do so may be construed as consent.     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Protect and Leverage UP’s Research Outputs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/protect-and-leverage-ups-research-outputs/",
        "html": "Protect and Leverage UP’s Research Outputs Protect and Leverage UP’s Research Outputs November 7, 2019 | Written by Fred Dabu    The University of the Philippines (UP) faculty, researchers, students, staff, and visiting professors who are engaged in research and/or creative works using University resources are expected to protect and leverage their outputs for the benefit of the Filipino people. This sums up the role of Intellectual Property (IP) creators, the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), and related offices and committees of the University.  Securing IP was among the key topics discussed at the 21st anniversary conference of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) on February 28 at the Bayanihan Center, UNILAB Inc. Complex, Pasig City.  In the panel discussion on securing IP, resource speakers Patricia San Jose, a technology transfer officer of TTBDO UP Manila, and Jerry G. Ligaya, director of the Technology Licensing Office of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), advised the researchers to always protect their IP rights first before disseminating information about their outputs. This is in consideration of the researchers’ aim of contributing useful information and innovative outputs through publications and presentations in forums here and abroad.  San Jose and Ligaya encouraged members of the academe who are involved in the process of creating new knowledge, technologies, products, or IP, to apply international protocols (e.g., copyright, patent, and trademark), national policies (e.g., Republic Act No. 10055 or the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009) and University policies in order to secure their IP to make them more useful to the public.     Participants from UP Manila showcase their “Virtual Reality for Health” devices during SYNERGY 2017, an event hosted by the USAID Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Program, RTI International, and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) at the Manila Hotel on September 19 to 21, 2017. Photo from UP Manila Technology Transfer and Business Development Office.     An overview  According to San Jose, “creations of the mind must be expressed” in tangible form before any type of IP protection or a right could be associated with it, either through a patent, trademark, copyright, industrial design, or other types of protection for IP. “It is part of the TTBDO service to identify what form of IP protection is suited to your research data sets,” she said.  San Jose provided an overview of the process. “We search for IP in our university. We do an IP audit. Most of the time, the researchers just go to our office” to disclose a new invention or a research output, she said.  “After we discover what the IP is, we recommend that we protect your IP…. We also have to determine what mode of technology transfer is best suited for your technologies. Technology transfer is a way to further develop a technology, and to commercialize, if it’s the track that you want to pursue,” explained San Jose.  “IP protection will enable us to do more things. IP is not the only thing we have to discuss when we are talking about translating health research or other forms of research data sets into actionable policies and transferable technologies. I highly encourage everyone to approach the TTBDO,” concluded San Jose.  The TTBDO offers services such as: Intellectual Property Consultation, Patent Search/Prior Art Search, Patent Drafting, Market Study, Technology Assessment, Intellectual Property Registration, Commercial Linkages/Industry Partnerships, and Innovation Deployment (see https://www.upm.edu.ph/node/2230).     Ms. Patricia San Jose, Technology Transfer Officer of the UP Manila TTBDO, talks about Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer during a seminar held at the National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (NTTC-HP) Auditorium on September 20, 2018. Photo from UP Manila Technology Transfer and Business Development Office Facebook page     Practical tips  Ligaya further shared practical IP protection tips.  “First, do not be a gossiper,” he said. This advice stems from the eagerness of various researchers to present their outputs in international conferences or to submit them to selected publications. “Most of them are destroying the novelty of their research,” lamented Ligaya.  “You really have to prioritize what to do with your research. Your research should be subjected to patent searching or application, if it is really patentable. If you publish it first, then you have to rush on to file for patent,” he added.  “Do not disclose your research, or the methodologies of your research. Do not uncloak it yet.” Ligaya emphasized that if the research is not sufficiently protected by the University, “don’t publish yet.” He lamented that long ago, his university had this particular research, an invention made by electrical engineering students that led to the production of the present-day prepaid electricity meter. Unfortunately, the said invention is now owned by a big corporation instead of the University due to its public disclosure and absence of IP protection. “We should protect our researches, our R&D,” he said.  “If one has an invention but doesn’t know what to do with it, he or she should seek the assistance of the technology transfer officer for the protection and commercialization of his or her invention for the use of the public,” Ligaya said. “Consult with the technology transfer officer. License. Commercialize. Enter into an agreement and profit from it. You have to protect first before you profit.” While “commercialization” means generating income, “as a state university, we should not be focusing on how the university will earn from the commercialization. The researches should be utilized by the poor communities of the country,” concluded Ligaya.  For more information, visit the UP TTBDO website.     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "More Information on the Data Privacy Act: Highlights of Atty. JJ Disini’s Talk on “Data Privacy Act Compliance: Legal Issues” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/more-information-on-the-data-privacy-act-highlights-of-atty-jj-disinis-talk-on-data-privacy-act-compliance-legal-issues/",
        "html": "More Information on the Data Privacy Act: Highlights of Atty. JJ Disini’s Talk on “Data Privacy Act Compliance: Legal Issues” More Information on the Data Privacy Act: Highlights of Atty. JJ Disini’s Talk on “Data Privacy Act Compliance: Legal Issues” November 12, 2019 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Atty. JJ Disini during his talk on “Data Privacy Act Compliance: Legal Issues” at the UP Open University. Watch video here: https://networks.upou.edu.ph/4796/     In mid-2017, UP College of Law Associate Professor Jose Jesus “JJ” M. Disini, Jr., one of the country’s leading experts in information technology and intellectual property, cybercrime and privacy, gave a talk on “Data Privacy Act Compliance: Legal Issues” at the UP Open University.  Some highlights of Disini’s talk were the following:  The Philippine Constitution looks at privacy in three ways:  Privacy in Physical Spaces, or the right against unreasonable searches and seizure.  Decisional Privacy, or the recognition that there are certain decisions that are intimate to us, and that the State has no right to intervene.  Data or Informational Privacy for information called personal information or personally identifiable information—information about ourselves or data that we have rights over. These data belong to us, and we control how they may be collected and used.  Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 is one of the three areas of information that UP has to deal with. The others are the Freedom of Information program and the Open Data policy for research.  We engage in many activities involving information, such as compiling lists of customers or suppliers, signing guest books during events, filling up raffle coupons in supermarkets, applying for credit cards, etc. Data subjects are individuals, not institutions.  There is a class of personal information called sensitive personal information, which includes information about an individual: race; ethnic origin; marital status; age; color; religious, philosophical or political affiliations; health; education; genetic or sexual life; any proceeding for any offense committed or alleged to have been committed; and, information issued by government agencies, such as social security numbers, licenses and tax returns. Such information are considered sensitive because there is greater harm in collecting these data (e.g., exposing a data subject to potential discrimination based on the information, for instance), and are therefore protected to a higher degree.  The entities the law regulates are personal data controllers, personal information controllers, or personal information processors:  A data controller is somebody who makes decisions about the personal information, such as what and when to collect and how it will be used. A data processor is somebody who follows instructions of the data controller and does not make any decisions about the information.  This distinction is important because the Data Privacy Act has penal provisions: imprisonment ranging from one to three years and a fine of not less than Php500,000.00.  Your rights as a data subject in relation to data controllers are:  You have the right to be informed when your data are being collected, how those data will be used, and with whom they will be shared, before you give your consent for your data to be collected and processed.  You have the right to access your personal information.  You have the right to correct your data if they are wrong, and to withdraw your data from the database. You also have the right to sue for damages.  Aside from consent, there is another exception under the law: when personal information is necessary for the performance of a public function. Grades, for example, are necessary for the performance of an educational institution’s functions.  For institutions, the steps in the compliance process are:  Do a gap analysis. Study existing processes to find out what data you are collecting, if you are getting the necessary consent from your data subjects, and how you are processing, storing, transferring and destroying data. Spot the areas where you are not compliant with the law.  Draw a roadmap. Using the information from the gap analysis, plan out the steps you need to undertake to close the gaps and implement these steps. Work with your institution’s IT department to put information security policies and procedures in place, including, for government institutions, the certain levels of encryption required for data.  Implement the solutions in the roadmap. Draft your institution’s explicit data privacy policy informing individuals how they can exercise their rights. Formulate data management policies, including policies on what to do in case of a data breach. Appoint a data privacy officer. The authority of the data privacy officer can be further delegated to a compliance officer for privacy specific to an office.  Audit your processes, policies and procedures. If everything has been found to be compliant, practice maintenance.     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Let’s Get Ethical – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lets-get-ethical/",
        "html": "Let’s Get Ethical Let’s Get Ethical November 14, 2019 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    In a research university, not all vetting requires ethical certifications and clearances, but all work must pass standards of excellence, which cannot exclude research ethics. Incumbent upon the university is the institutionalization of ethical review.  Research ethics has many components. One is data privacy. In all aspects, UP Manila has something to offer the rest of the UP System.  Research proposals in UP Manila by regular faculty members, students, clinical faculty members, residents and fellows of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital and other UP Manila researchers are reviewed by a centralized ethics board prior to implementation. “No research project happens without the prior review and approval of the board,” Dr. Cecilia Jimeno of the UP Manila College of Medicine, chair of the UP Manila Ethics Board (UPM-REB) Panel 1, reiterates. This ensures that every research work protocol complies with ethical criteria, which include the data privacy of research participants.  “We preceded the Data Privacy Act,” states Dr. Jacinto Blas Mantaring, overall chairman of the UPM-REB, which currently has six reviewing panels. The Data Privacy Act, or Republic Act No. 10173, was passed in 2012.  Two years prior, UPM-REB was established to integrate ethics committees that had already been operating in UP Manila as far back as 1979. The National Institutes of Health, UP Manila’s resource center for health research, the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital, which conducts hospital research, and the UP Manila College of Medicine had their own respective ethics review boards. They were three of only four internationally accredited research ethics boards in the Philippines in the 1990s, according to Dr. Mantaring.     The UP Manila Research Ethics Board during an anniversary program of the UP Manila-National Institutes of Health. Photo from the UPM-REB.     In streamlining the structure of continuing research ethics review, UP Manila harmonized these research protocols, forerunning the UP System directive.  According to the UPM-REB Rationale: “This strategic move will provide a strongly supportive and enabling environment for research. In addition, it will maximize the utilization of its human and institutional resources, and ensure that all types of protocols are reviewed in accordance with international and national requirements.”  According to Dr. Mantaring, UP Manila is a fitting pioneer in promoting research ethics. UP Manila is a campus where international research is conducted. As with journal publications, it requires approval of accredited ethics review committees. But foremost, UP Manila as a health sciences center deals with the health of human beings, whose rights are no less a priority when they become subjects of research. “We have to make sure that our patients and participants of research are protected.”  Consequently, UP Manila has become a go-to campus for the rest of the University for research works that directly involve human subjects and those that would require formal ethical review.  Approval from UPM-REB assumes compliance with international and national guidelines to protect human participants in research and to ensure the integrity of the scientific data. These include those of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (WMA-DoH); the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use: ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice E6(R1); the Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects (CIOMS-Biomedical); and, the Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences International Ethical Guidelines for Epidemiological Studies (CIOMS-Epidemiology).  Nationally, UPM-REB complies with the following: the National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Administrative Order 001 Series of 2007, which requires ethics review of all health research involving human participants; the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Administrative Order 001 Series 2008, which requires all Ethics Review Committees (ERB)/Institutional Review Committees (IRB) to register with the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB); and, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Memorandum Order 34 Series 2007 in support of the DOST memorandum, which requires all academic institutions engaged in human research to establish ethics review boards/committees.  These guidelines on data privacy precede the Data Privacy Act of 2012. They are in compliance with the Act that the UP System issued earlier for the establishment of research ethics committees or boards in each CU throughout the UP System and their accreditation with the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB).  While other constituent universities may not focus on health research, “the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Act and the National Ethical Guidelines on Health and Health-Related Research 2017 (NEGHHR) define health broadly, such that social research and other research will fall under the definition of ‘health research’ and ‘health-related research’ under the PNHRS law.” This is according to the memorandum from the Office of the UP President on Organizational and Technological Security Measures for Data Privacy Act Compliance dated February 13, 2019.  “The CUs do a lot of health-related research where they have special expertise,” Dr. Mantaring expounds. “If UP Los Baños researchers submitted to us protocols on food and nutrition, that would not be our expertise. We would need to get a reviewer for that who would most likely come from the CU itself.” It is better a CU forms its own research ethics board.  Dr. Jimeno is glad for the affirmation brought about by the Data Privacy Act and its implementation by the UP System. “It’s easier for us to just tell [researchers] to be compliant in the way the protocols are run, the way they obtain informed consent [in the privacy and confidentiality section], even the process of securing informed consent, down to the site where the consenting will take place.”  The UPM-REB, the pioneer, currently composed of 150 regular members and independent consultants, can be tapped to share these experiences with the other CUs to help the UP System implement its directive institutionalizing data privacy and, by extension, research ethics.     A collage of the review panels and the Serious Adverse Events Committee of the UP Manila Research Ethics Board. Photo from the UPM-REB.        Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you understand about the Data Privacy Act of 2012? What do you do to protect your data? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-forum-roundtable-discussion-what-do-you-understand-about-the-data-privacy-act-of-2012-what-do-you-do-to-protect-your-data/",
        "html": "UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you understand about the Data Privacy Act of 2012? What do you do to protect your data? UP Forum Roundtable Discussion: What do you understand about the Data Privacy Act of 2012? What do you do to protect your data? November 26, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Gensela L. Lacambacal Records Officer V Chief, Medical Records Division Philippine General Hospital UP Manila  The Medical Records Division of the Philippine General Hospital is aware of Republic Act 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and is strictly complying with it. As Personal Information Controller relating to health care records, our office implements the security measures required by the provision under Chapter V – Security of Personal Information, Section 20, particularly letter (e), which states that employees, agents or representatives of a personal information controller who are involved in the processing of personal information shall operate and hold personal information under strict confidentiality. We make sure every information collected from data subject is well-kept, stored and secured, specifically researches and chart reviews.  We also have guidelines on the release of sensitive information and information with clinical value, particularly: “The release of any information of a patient shall be done only with the written consent/waiver from the patients. This consent should be explicitly expressed in their general consent both in the in-patient admissions and out-patient consults.”  When it comes to accountability for transfer particularly in research, we designate an individual/s who is/are accountable for the organization’s compliance with Chapter VI under Acceptability for Transfer of Personal Information. It is stated in Sec. 21, Principles of Accountability, letter b: The identity of the individual/s so designated shall be made known to any data subject upon request. We are also using a Non-Disclosure Agreement Form for various purposes such as research, mortality review and conferences.  With regard to records disposition, particularly on records retention and disposal, we follow the legal records disposition schedule as prescribed by the National Archives of the Philippines.  Michael P. Lagaya Chief Administrative Officer Human Resources Development Office and Data Protection Officer UP Open University  The Data Privacy Act of 2012 is about protecting the employees’ personal information and sensitive personal information as enumerated in the RA. It also enumerates the rights of the data subjects and the corresponding penalties if we will be violating the law.  To protect my data, I do not give my personal information to anyone or even write down my personal information unless it is really required.  In our office, we provide the personal information of an employee only to him/her. If an employee will give us consent, that is only the time that we can disclose any information about him or her to a third party. We also secure our area by seeing to it that no other employee can access our physical and digital files. Our computers are all password-protected.  Frederick P. Omalza 4th Year, BS Biology Chairperson, University Student Council University of the Philippines Mindanao  The Data Privacy Act of 2012 is the government’s way of ensuring that personal and private data from various stakeholders are protected through law. It outlines the provisions, penalties, government responsibilities, rights and responsibilities of those who handle and own data and its implementation through the National Privacy Commission. It is an important law that every citizen must be familiar with, as our lives are now more intertwined with the Internet, and along with this comes more opportunities for criminals to take advantage of our data in the commission of crimes.  To protect my data, I ensure that my online accounts are enrolled in more secure protocols such as the two-step verification. I take note of security advisories against phishing schemes and avoid writing down usernames and passwords. We should also make others aware—especially the student body—as our collective security is key in mitigating the risks of living in a more online world. "
    },
    {
        "title": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2019 Vol. 20 No. 3 issue is now online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-the-press-the-up-forum-july-september-2019-vol-20-no-3-issue-is-now-online/",
        "html": "OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2019 Vol. 20 No. 3 issue is now online OFF THE PRESS: The UP Forum July-September 2019 Vol. 20 No. 3 issue is now online December 17, 2019 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The first volume in the Profiles and Breakthroughs series of the UP Forum magazine is a collection of some of the best feature articles first published in the UP System website that focus on either a significant scientific or health-related breakthrough or project by UP researchers or a profile of a notable member of the UP Community contributing to the advancement of society through research in science, technology and the medical arts or through outstanding public service.        Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Human Rights Icon Chito Gascon Passes Away – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/human-rights-icon-chito-gascon-passes-away/",
        "html": "Human Rights Icon Chito Gascon Passes Away Human Rights Icon Chito Gascon Passes Away October 9, 2021 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    “Perhaps, when I end my tenure as the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, and when I return to perhaps a teaching role or a mentoring role, I am certain, I will return once more to many of these great works of Philosophy and refresh my mind about the important things that we must confront as a people, as humanity. And I will always return to those important teachings.”  Such were the words of the Commission on Human Rights Chairperson and University of the Philippine alumnus Jose Luis Martin Chito C. Gascon in a video for freshies posted by the UP Diliman Apeiron Core Group on September 28. The group is the official student volunteer arm of the Department of Philosophy.  Early Saturday morning, October 9, Gascon’s brother Miguel shared a post on Facebook which read: “Sa dami mong laban, sa COVID pa tayo natalo.” He was 57.  Gascon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1988. He would also later earn his Bachelor of Laws degree in UP in 1996. Furthering his studies, he would finish a Master of Laws degree at Cambridge in 1997.  In the video for freshies shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon said he found Philosophy as an essential foundational subject. It provides, he said, “an opportunity to affirm one’s principles, as well as the capacity to look wide and long, towards our society, to see how there could be progress, [and] change might happen.”  An active student leader, Gascon was Chair of the UP Student Council from 1985 to 1986. He led his fellow students in active-non-violent protest actions, which contributed to and culminated in the People Power Revolution and the ouster of Marcos in 1986.  Later, Gascon represented the youth as the youngest delegate to the 1986 Constitutional Convention, which prepared the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Afterward, he served as the youngest member of the 8th Congress from 1990 to 1992.  Chairperson Jose Luis Martin ‘Chito’ C. Gascon’s official portrait photo from the Commission on Human Rights website.  After his studies abroad, he returned to the country and served as Undersecretary of Education from 2002 to 2005. He also worked as a political officer for then-Senator Mar Roxas at the Senate from 2008 to 2010. He was a Board Member of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority from 2010 to 2011. He served as Undersecretary at the Office of the President from 2011 to 2014. Simultaneously, he was part of the government delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review in 2012. After leaving Malacañang, he became a Human Rights Victims Claims Board member from 2014 to 2015. He was appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in 2015.  His appointment to the Commission was no surprise. Gascon spent many years advocating for human rights, social justice, and social change. From 1997 to 2002, he was Executive Director of the National Institute for Policy Studies. In 2005, Gascon became the Executive Director of Lawyers League for Liberty (LIBERTAS). This organization aids advocacy groups in electoral reform, transparency in governance, and human rights. In the same year, he would also receive a Democracy and Development Fellowship from Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. In 2007, Gascon became a Fellow at the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship of the National Endowment for Democracy. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Director-General of the Liberal Party.  Aside from his involvement in civil society, Gascon was active in reconciliation efforts with insurgent groups. He was a member of the Technical Working Group on Power Sharing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an alternate panel member in the peace talks with the MILF. Gascon was also a member of the AdHoc High-Level Working group for the Tripartite Review of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Peace Committee for Southern Philippines.  Gascon was a panel member of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front between 2001 to 2004. From 2010-2014, he chaired the Government’s Human Rights Monitoring Committee. The Committee monitored the peace process within the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law framework.  In recent years, Gascon would face challenges as head of the constitutional body, ensuring the promotion, protection, and preservation of human rights enshrined in the Constitution. In an interview on Esquire Philippines in 2017, he remained undaunted by the constant criticism of the CHR by those in halls of power and on social media. The Commission has been very vocal on the rise of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations. “Right now, in a sense, I’m going back to basics. I was moved into action by the human rights violations I saw happening during the dictatorship. And now I have been allowed to serve the people in an institution that is mandated to promote human rights, in a set of circumstances that are not ideal,” he said.  He constantly faced challenges in his advocacy for human rights, social justice, and social change for many years. And yet, he remained optimistic, even telling the Esquire interviewer: “The revolution you aspire for is out there on the horizon. It’s something you never give up on.”  In a recent video shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon advised the new generation of Iskolar ng Bayan to “Find your niche, be as inquisitive, and as useful as you can be. And apply what you learn to society. That’s all that we can do.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-philippine-genome-center-stockpiling-for-covid-19/",
        "html": "The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 March 10, 2020 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing        Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office, with additional materials from RVTM and Manila HealthTek, Inc.     On February 13, 2020, President Rodrigo R. Duterte addressed the nation on television as fears over the spread of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 or Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) gripped many. Speaking in a video message recorded at the Malacañang Palace, he assured the public that his administration was taking all the necessary measures to limit the spread of the disease. “I call on our people to remain calm, vigilant, responsible. And I also ask [for] your trust and cooperation, support as we face the challenge,” he said.  Earlier during the day, the Manila HealthTek Inc. posted on its official Facebook page a photo of the COVID-19 test kit developed by experts from the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines Manila.     The GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 rRT PCR Detecion Kit. Courtesy of Manila HealthTek, Inc. on Facebook.     The GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 rRT PCR Detection Kit was the product of several days and hours of intensive research and testing by experts from the University who built upon the genome sequence of COVID-19, made available by the World Health Organization on its website.  According to PGC Executive Director Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, the kit was made possible after genetic experts from others countries used Next Generation DNA Sequencing in trying to understand the nature of the COVID-19 virus. Among the facilities of the center is its DNA Sequencing Laboratory which was established in 2013.     Dr. Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is the building block of every living being.  These molecules contain the genetic makeup of an organism, it is composed of nucleotides guanine, cytosine, thymine and adenine (G-C-T-A). Sequencing is the process of determining the order of the nucleotides in a DNA.  For the molecular biologist, Dr. Saloma, Next Generation Sequencing is essential in understanding the nature of living things, including viruses and bacteria. And it can even be used to determine the identity and properties of unknown organisms. “If there’s an emergency and there’s a totally unknown organism, and some might say that it’s a virus, it’s bacteria, or it’s an unknown, then Next Generation Sequencing will come in handy,” she said. The same process, she quickly added, was used in understanding the Novel Coronavirus from Wuhan, China.  Next Generation Sequencing, also known as Massive Parallel Sequencing, is a process by which several DNA samples can be simultaneously sequenced using computers, which produces more results when compared to the Sanger Sequencing, which can only process one DNA fragment at a time.     Dr. Benedict Maralit, Director, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     For Dr. Benedict Maralit, since DNA is found in all living organisms, it can be used in determining the nature of a bacteria or a virus. DNA sequencing is, he said, “a manner of characterizing DNA.” Through this method of analysis, he and his team can determine if a DNA is unique or comparable to those of other organisms. As head of the PGC’s DNA Sequencing Core Facility, he leads the center’s unit, which takes the first crack at the specimens which are sent to their institution for analysis.  After a specimen is sequenced, it is then forwarded to another unit of the PGC called the Core Facility for Bioinformatics. The unit, according to its supervisor, Dr. Jan Michael Yap, will subject the sequenced samples to a verification process to establish its proper attributes.     Dr. Jan Michael Yap, Director Computational Genomics and System Biology Program and Supervisor, Core Facility for Bioinformatics, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     In the case of the COVID-19, Yap, who is also the director of the Computational Genomics and System Biology Program, will head a team which will help in the process of sequenced DNA specimen to determine if a patient under investigation (PUI) has contracted the virus or not. He said, “We will verify if, with some degree of confidence, the person has a confirmed infection of NCOV [COVID-19].”  With the PGC, NIH and Manila HealthTek, Inc. successfully creating a locally made COVID-19 test kit, the center’s Deputy Executive Director Raul Destura has instructed his team to stockpile the produced kits in anticipation of a possible need by the country’s public health agencies. “We are currently manufacturing them, just in case,” he said.  The test kit produced by the collaboration has been presented to the Department of Health and is currently undergoing review and evaluation.  Related: FDA OKs COVID-19 test kits developed by UP scientists     Dr. Raul Destura, Deputy Executive Director, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     An infectious disease specialist and microbiologist by training, Dr. Destura, who is also affiliated with both the NIH and is the president and the chief executive Officer of Manila HealthTek, Inc. said they initially have started stockpiling kits for at least 1,000 persons. With a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, they are planning on adding more kits in anticipation of the possible need for testing more persons.  The Manila HealthTek, Inc. is a company founded by Destura as an avenue for research and development efforts in creating affordable, portable and reliable testing kits for infectious diseases. He considers it as a spin-off from the studies conducted by experts in the university, where they can see the practical application of their research. An earlier test kit for dengue he and his team developed, is also being produced by the company under a license granted by the university’s Board of Regents.  For now, Destura, Yap, Maralit and Saloma, prepare for the worse that COVID-19 might bring, as they continue to stockpile on test kits, observe the virus and identify possible avenues where they can extend their assistance to other government agencies.  As of March 10, 2020, the DOH has recorded a cumulative total of 725 patients under investigation (PUIs), of which 657 have been discharged from hospitals. There are now 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with one resulting in the death of a Chinese tourist. Worldwide, the virus has spread to more than 104 countries and territories, resulting to 109,577 cases and 3,809 deaths.  Majority of the cases are still in China, with significant numbers in South Korea, Italy and Iran. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PGC Visayas inaugurated in Iloilo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pgc-visayas-inaugurated-in-iloilo/",
        "html": "PGC Visayas inaugurated in Iloilo PGC Visayas inaugurated in Iloilo December 3, 2020 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing     Video by UP Media and Public Relations Office     “This is UP Visayas at its best.” That is how University of the Philippines Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano described the new Philippine Genome Center Visayas during its inauguration on November 20, 2020 at the University of the Philippines Visayas Miagao campus in Iloilo.  A product of the efforts of the Philippine Genome Center and UPV, with the support of the University of the Philippines System and the Department of Science and Technology, PGC Visayas will pursue research for fisheries and aquatics, agriculture and medicine.     Unveiling of the facility Marker. Photo courtesy of UP Visayas Information and Publications Office.     For PGC Visayas Program Director Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols, this “small investment in human capital in PGC Visayas will go a long way.” And prior to the inauguration, the unit has already delivered some dividends when it conducted activities related to the COVID 19 pandemic.  Among these were: training of local health professionals in the use of the Manila HealthTek Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction or rRT-PCR test kit; assistance in the setting up of laboratories in the region; and, the conduct of four seminars in bioinformatics for local researchers and health workers.  In the pipeline, according to Ferriols, is the creation of a research consortium with several universities and research institutions from Luzon to Mindanao, which will allow for the exchange of studies and collaborative efforts. “What we want to achieve is the multiplier effect,” he said.     PGC Program Director Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols giving his Opening Remarks. Photo courtesy of UP Visayas Information and Publications Office.     With its new facilities and equipment, the PGC Visayas will be able to offer services in nucleic acid extraction, new generation sequencing and bioinformation analyses.  With its presence in the Visayas, PGC Executive Director Cynthia Palmes-Saloma said the rich environment will allow the conduct of new studies which could lead to discoveries in fisheries, agriculture and medicine.  Being at the helm of the PGC, Saloma said the pandemic has posed a difficult challenge for science researchers, particularly in genomics. But she added, “It was also an opportunity for us to recognize our strengths and assist each other.”     PGC Visayas Program Director Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols explaining the facilities to UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano during the laboratory tour. Photo courtesy of UP Visayas Information and Publications Office.     UP President Danilo Concepcion meanwhile said the PGC Visayas is an added asset of the University, which will allow its students, researchers and faculty, including high school students, to pursue genomics research. The facility will help shape the minds of the intrepid scientifically inclined members of the community as they help shape the nation.  For DOST Secretary Fortunato de le Peña, the opening of PGC Visayas is a “milestone not only for UP Visayas but also for genomics research in the country.” With its recent efforts in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, which included the creation of a locally made testing kit, he is confident the PGC will continue to provide research and assistance in understanding and combatting the virus. He ended his message by reminding those present that scientific research “will always be in the service of the people.”  UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista and DOST Regional Director Rowen Gelonga also extended their congratulations via video messages during the inauguration.     UP Visayas Chancellor Camposano and PGC Visayas Program Director Ferriols with UPV officials and guests. Photo courtesy of UP Visayas Information and Publications Office.     After the short program, the officials present in the facility were given a short tour by Ferriols, as well as a short briefer on what PGC Visayas intends to pursue in the months ahead.  PGC Visayas in UP Visayas in Iloilo is one of three facilities of the Philippine Genome Center of the University of the Philippines System. The other two are in UP Diliman in Quezon City, and in UP Mindanao in Davao City. It is mandated to conduct research and to foster collaboration and capacity building in the development of genome-based applications. The Center is a multidisciplinary research unit which also offers a range of bioinformatics services, such as single-gene sequencing and high-throughput sequencing.     With reports from UP Visayas Information and Publications Office    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Genomics in the time of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/genomics-in-the-time-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "Genomics in the time of COVID-19 Genomics in the time of COVID-19 December 21, 2020 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing   Screenshot from the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.     COVID-19 is a wake-up call not only for Filipinos in general, but for everyone to appreciate the significance of genomics. This was how Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Executive Director Cynthia Palmes-Saloma encapsulated the Center’s activities and role in the year of the pandemic.     PGC Executive Director Cynthia Saloma during the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.      On December 10, Saloma and her colleagues from all over the country, particularly in the PGC’s satellite units in Iloilo for the Visayas, and Davao for Mindanao, gathered virtually for an online conference where they looked back at the challenges the Center confronted, and its growth despite the limitations resulting from the spread of the novel coronavirus.  Since dedicating much of its facilities and efforts to research and testing for COVID-19, the Center has been able to conduct tests for at least 40,000 individuals. Its units in Visayas and Mindanao have also trained more than 100 health professionals for testing as well.     PGC Visayas in action. Screenshots from the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.      For University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion, PGC’s efforts in the time of the pandemic exemplifies the theme of the conference, which was collaboration and unity. The activities of the Center reflect not only the fulfilment of its mandate, but also manifest the University’s commitment to serve the people through education, research and public service.  Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de le Peña paid tribute to the Center’s growth since 2009, highlighting how it has been at the forefront of the country’s efforts in genomics research and testing. He emphasized how PGC has continuously produced world class research and solutions.  Health Secretary Francisco Duque, meanwhile, underscored PGC’s research on COVID-19, and how it allowed the country’s policy-makers and health professionals to understand the virus better and enact measures that would limit its spread in the country. He also praised the Center’s researchers and experts for how they were able to produce the locally made GenAmplify real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test kit.     PGC Mindanao. Screenshot from the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.     Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista for her part praised how the PGC has continued its service during the pandemic, praising its testing capabilities and thanking the members of the UP community and its friends for supporting the Center in its efforts.  For DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara, the Center’s efforts during the pandemic reflected a fulfilment of its mission of conducting research in genomics and bioinformatics in the service of the people. The test kit produced by PGC’s experts and researchers, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, marks a significant achievement in the fight against the virus.     Screenshot from the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.     Presenting the PGC’s DNA Sequencing and Core Facility activities for the year, Dr. Benedict Maralit talked of how their unit became the birthplace of the Center’s COVID-19 testing laboratory. Through the efforts of its personnel, and with the support of generous donors, it was established and later earned its International Organizations for Standardization (ISO) certification in April this year. In July, the laboratory became fully operational.  Maralit also related how they were involved in the field testing of the GenAmplify kits and how their efforts helped in eventually having the locally made test kit accredited by the Food and Drug Administration.  For Dr. Marc Edsel Ayes of the PGC’s Clinical Genomics Laboratory, COVID-19 jumpstarted the activities of his unit. Prior to the pandemic, the laboratory had been created to conduct studies in cancer, cardiology, diabetes and metabolism, pharmaco-genomics and mental health.  The pandemic, Ayes said, reoriented the laboratory and required its personnel to focus on COVID-19, as the virus needed to be studied and understood in the most immediate time. He added that at present they are able to process an average of 258 samples a day, with a maximum capacity of between 600 to 800 samples. They run on a 24-hour operation, able to conduct COVID-19 biosurveillance and research, elective swabbing services, and community mass screening.     Screenshot from the Philippine Genome Center’s virtual conference, “OnePGC”, held on December 10. Watch the replay here.      Speaking on bioinformatics and genomic epidemiology, Core Facility for Bioinformatics Director Jan Michael Yap talked of how PGC has pursued biosurveillance in order to document diseases and use the information for the benefit of the country’s health system and policy makers.  While the PGC is currently capable of performing its biosurveillance function, Yap suggested strengthening this unit of the Center, as the COVID-19 experience, he said, highlighted the need for more equipment, tackling some ethical considerations in the acquisition of data, as well trained personnel who can process and analyze the data gathered for understanding a particular disease, organism or pandemic.  The PGC’s Deputy Executive Director Raul Destura concluded the conference by explaining the Center’s game plan for the next six years. With its mandate to conduct research in genomics and bioinformatics, the Center, he said, will continue to establish new linkages and collaboration with local and international organizations.     PGC Deputy Executive Director Raul Destura answers questions from the media [photo above] during the press conference for the GenAmplify test kits, which held early this year prior to the lockdown [photo below]. Photo from the UPMPRO.     With the pandemic in mind, Destura said, the PGC would continue to conduct research and public service as a unit of the University.  The Philippine Genome Center is a research and public service unit of the University of the Philippines, created in 2009. It is mandated to conduct research in genomics and bioinformatics, as well as establish collaboration with other research and educational institutions.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Democracy and Disinformation: The role of campuses, campus journalism, citizen journalism and fact-checking in the struggle for democracy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/democracy-and-disinformation-the-role-of-campuses-campus-journalism-citizen-journalism-and-fact-checking-in-the-struggle-for-democracy/",
        "html": "Democracy and Disinformation: The role of campuses, campus journalism, citizen journalism and fact-checking in the struggle for democracy Democracy and Disinformation: The role of campuses, campus journalism, citizen journalism and fact-checking in the struggle for democracy April 14, 2021 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    “A large part of the struggle to keep democracy alive in this country—in any country—will be the struggle to keep our campuses free.” Such were the words spoken by University of the Philippines Visayas (UP Visayas) Chancellor Clement Camposano at the 3rd National Conference on Democracy and Disinformation, hosted this year virtually by UP Visayas.  For Camposano, colleges and universities, particularly UP, have become the subject of disinformation campaigns on social media. He characterized the attacks on the platforms as a vilification campaign, which not only poses a challenge to members of the university community, but also to the country’s democracy at large. “The University is under siege because there is a campaign of vilification against it, a campaign intent on portraying our campuses not only as breeding grounds of radicalism. . . but also as safe havens for enemies of the state,” he added.     UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano giving his presentation. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium for Democracy and Disinformation.     Speaking to an online audience largely composed of the academe, particularly campus journalists, the chancellor underscored the role of campus journalists in challenging disinformation, particularly among members of the university community. “To keep democracy from breathing its last, we need to keep our campuses alive. Alive with ideas, with disputations, with political dreams of all sorts. Alive with politics, broadly construed,” he said.  Disinformation and government accountability  Speaking of campus journalists, Senator Risa Hontiveros underscored their role in the fight against the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. She particularly highlighted the Philippine Collegian and its editor Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., quoting his words, “kung hindi tayo kikilos? Kung hindi tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” which were a challenge to fellow students to stand for freedom of speech and democracy.  Hontiveros also recalled how the Marcos dictatorship immediately closed down media organizations after proclaiming Martial Law, resulting to the growth of clandestine media organizations which would later emerge during the 1986 People Power Revolution. “The role of the media in protecting our democracy cannot be understated,” she said, mentioning its role as providing check and balance of government, acting as the virtual 4th branch of government.     Senator Risa Hontiveros giving her talk at the conference. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium for Democracy and Disinformation.     The former broadcast journalist also paid tribute to local media organizations all over the country, including regional newspapers in the Visayas and Mindanao, whose relentless reports on the pivotal moments during Martial Law aided in the fight against state-sponsored disinformation and the restoration of democracy. “The Filipino media’s courage and ingenuity paved the way for more and more Filipinos to know the truth. For more Filipinos to wake up from a deep, deep slumber,” she added.  The senator also emphasized how the media plays an important role in providing the public with information which serves as the baseline of facts, from which people of different persuasions can have a rational discussion. “Without media, and if all we’re fed is propaganda or dis- and misinformation, this can polarize societies and skew public debates,” she said. She said that this lack of a common set of evidence-based facts will not only mean distortions of reality, but it will also make government accountability impossible.  Speaking likewise on the accountability of government, Rappler Chief Executive Officer Maria Ressa said it was important for people to have accurate information from the media, as it will enable them to demand accountability and transparency from their government. “If we don’t have facts, we can’t have a shared reality and we cannot hold government to account, protect our rights, and protect our democracy,” she said.  Ressa, who has been the subject of several law suits regarding the ownership of Rappler and a supposed libelous news article against a businessman, views the charges against her as harassment of the media by the Duterte administration. She has been the subject of disinformation efforts by trolls on social media with the use of memes, altered images and misquotes. She has also been threatened by dubious social media users via messages and comments. “We have been demolished. We have been attacked, like Leila de Lima. Like Leni Robredo. We have been ridiculed. We have been dehumanized,” she said.     Rappler CEO Maria Ressa giving her presentation on disinformation. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     Aside from threats against journalists, Ressa also highlighted how social media platforms in recent years have been used to disseminate false information on the Marcos dictatorship. Coupled with constant attacks on journalists and media organizations, these are intended not to disprove what one already knows and has learned from studies, but to sow doubt. “The goal is not to make you believe something, although they seed a metanarrative for it. But the goal is to make you doubt everything. Because if you don’t trust anyone, then you’re not gonna do anything,” she added.  Citizen journalism and newsrooms  Also speaking on the role of citizens in exacting accountability in governance, the former head of ABS-CBN Bayan Mo iPatrol Mo, Inday Espina-Varona, said social media have over the years, become platforms where aside from personal rants, users can share issues of public concern. She is however careful to distinguish a citizen journalist from an ordinary social media user. “When you say you are a citizen journalist, you may not be a professional practitioner of journalism, but you report with the basics of journalism,” she said. That would include sharing accurate information and unadulterated multimedia materials like videos, audio materials or photos, to news organizations.  Emphasizing the importance of facts, the veteran journalist said one does not need to be a journalist to have the obligation to respect the truth. She even highlighted how one well known pro-administration blogger excused herself from being factual in her online postings by saying she is not a journalist. “You don’t need to be a journalist to be able to appreciate the need to be loyal to facts,” she said.     Veteran journalist and former Bayan Mo iPatrol Mo head Inday Espina-Varona sharing her experience working with citizen journalists. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     Aside from respecting facts, Varona said social media users, particularly citizen journalists, must also adopt journalism ethics in posting information online. This, along with loyalty to facts and training from news organizations, would be important skills in documenting and reporting social and political events. And speaking from her experience, she shared how enthusiastic ordinary citizens were in learning about the basics of journalism, enabling them to share stories of their community. “The citizen journalist does not make stories based on assignments, like us professional journalists; rather they report on the important things that matter to them, their communities, their lives. So, it is even more important for them to get the skills right.” she added.  Speaking of the role of citizen journalists in newsrooms, ABS-CBN Desk Editor and Producer Israel Malasa recounted how their newsroom broke the story of the Maguindanao Massacre in 2009, after they received information from a Bayan Patroller.  Malasa related how in November 2009, they received a photo from a Bayan Patroller of what were the bodies of the victims of the massacre. Working as the desk editor for the broadcast company’s Regional Network Group, based in Quezon City, he and his colleagues had to verify the information. “There was this photo that was sent to news by a Bayan Patroller. So, what we did was vet it. We called the authorities. The editors and reporters called up their various sources. And then it was confirmed that it was the massacre site,” he said. Without that courageous citizen journalist, he added, news of the horrendous incident would not have been known.     ABS-CBN Desk Editor and Producer Israel Malasa talking about how citizen journalist help newsrooms gather news. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     Tracing the roots of citizen journalism, Malasa illustrated how it began long before social media, when viewers of news programs such as TV Patrol, would send them information on community concerns such as ill-maintained roads and ditches, defective electricity posts and others. These stories were featured in a segment called Citizen Patrol. What made a difference between then and now was that the newsroom still needed to send a crew for these stories. “Back then what we would do is send a crew to the community. The crew would then engage the resident, the Citizen Patroller or citizen journalist, as how we call them now, get the facts and go to the authorities, interview, and then a solution about a particular problem is reached,” he said.  For Malasa, citizen journalists have contributed much to newsrooms, particularly with stories in different communities all over the country, which could not have been covered if information had not been provided to news organizations. “Citizen journalism, or information from the public, is in a way valuable, because it shows that it is not only the reporter who has knowledge of what is happening in society. If people on the ground are helping, if they are providing the facts, as long as it is substantiated, it is vetted, checked, it is an enormous contribution to a news organization,” said the UP Visayas alumnus.  Much has changed since then, as citizen journalists now can record their own materials and send their own information to the networks. For National Union of Journalists in the Philippines Chair Nonoy Espina, anyone can be a journalist as long as the person has the motivation, proper training and ethics. “[Ordinary] people can be very, very good journalists, if they have the motivation, and if they are given the skills to do it,” he said.  For Espina, training remains an important aspect of journalism which both citizen and professional journalists must have, as these are essentials in news gathering and crafting a story. “Putting a story together is not that easy. We might make it seem easy, but it actually isn’t. From gathering the facts to actually putting the story together,” he said.     National Union of Journalists in the Philippines Chairman Nonoy Espina sharing his thoughts on how citizen journalists and professional journalists can collaborate on news stories. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     And while citizen journalists may have undergone training, Espina, like Malasa, still suggests newsrooms must vet stories coming from the communities, as those in news organizations are more steeped in the professional standards of journalism and the legal regulations which affect the practice should there be lapses. Newsrooms, he also said, are liable, should libel cases arise from erroneous reporting. Referring to journalists and editors he said “If a story gets past you, especially an erroneous story, then you didn’t do your job. That is your fault. Then, you have to take responsibility for that.”  Espina however is quick to add that the collaboration between citizen journalists and professional journalists has been beneficial, particularly in situations which made it necessary for both to work together. “Actually, the best combination is the citizen journalist and the journalist. They should always work together. If one is separated from the other, then there is a disconnect [in the story they are working on],” he said.  Fact-checking vs disinformation  For investigative journalist and UP Associate Professor Yvonne Chua, one of the avenues where the public and journalism professionals best intersect in the age of disinformation is in fact-checking. As an educator, she has been teaching courses in fact-checking in the UP College of Mass Communication. “Fact-checking is increasingly becoming an important component of media literacy initiatives. In journalism education is an essential component,” she said.  Emphasizing journalism as a discipline of verification, Chua said the concept and practice of fact-checking in journalism has quickly evolved in recent years. In the past, the task of the practice of fact-checking in a news organization was undertaken by editors, who ensured the factual accuracy of the stories submitted by reporters before these were published. “The fact-checking we now refer to, has expanded to include verifying, and often debunking textual and visual claims, especially falsehoods, made by individuals, groups or institutions, ranging from our public officials, public figures, to netizens that produce user-generated content,” she said.     UP Associate Professor Yvonne Chua speaking about how fact checks need to be integrated in journalism programs and media literacy efforts. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     Sharing some notes from a recent study she was part of, Chua illustrated how the majority or 57% of the 19,621 respondents they had from all over the country, said disinformation is a serious problem. About 28% see it as somewhat of a concern. While 15% see no problem at all with disinformation. Among the age groups, she said those between ages 18 to 24 were more likely to view the proliferation of false information as serious.  The same age group also viewed disinformation as having possible effects on the elections. Despite these reactions, the respondents revealed they don’t verify news as much as they should. “Despite being aware that disinformation is a problem and could affect elections, the proportion of young Filipinos who have never verified the news or information that reaches them, is significantly higher than the 7% national average,” she added.  Also with regard to the results of the survey she and her colleagues conducted, the respondents defined ‘fake news’ as news which are bad for the president or the country, with a significant number of respondents from the 14 to 17 age group, agreeing. “It’s a sentiment that we know is often spouted by populist authoritarian leaders including our own,” she said.  Aside from concerns on disinformation, Chua said the study also revealed the lack of know-how among the respondents in how to verify news and information they came across. “This self-confessed gap in knowledge and skills certainly needs to be addressed,” said the journalism professor.  Viewing fact-checking as an invaluable tool for aspiring journalists, Chua views the course as essential in journalism education, particularly in the wake of the massive proliferation of disinformation and misinformation. The skills can either be included in teaching journalism ethics or as a stand-alone course. In recent years, she and her students have been involved in several projects where they verified the claims of political candidates and leaders. Among these are Tsek.ph and Factrakers.  In the interest of keeping fact-checkers safe from possible threats and intimidation from those who may dislike their findings, Chua said it is important that those involved in these projects refrain from posting unvetted fact checks on their personal social media accounts. They must also process negative feedback on their stories. And they must also consider whether their stories should have bylines or not.  Campus publications and democracy  Discussing threats and intimidation of campuses, UP Associate Professor Diosa Labiste talked about how in recent years, disinformation has taken the form of hate speech and red tagging, particularly against the UP community. Citing studies she did with Chua, she illustrated the similarities between hate speech and red tagging and how these contribute to the proliferation of disinformation online.  For the former community journalist, red-tagging, much like disinformation, is made up of false or fabricated accusations disseminated by trolls online. It has from minimal to almost no basis in fact. It also vilifies activists, critics of the administration and journalists. And similar to hate speech, it uses threats, harassment, some even resulting to arrests and deaths. Labiste believes the vilification of the university community while serious, can be met with stories coming from campus journalists who continue to provide accurate stories of issues and concerns confronting its members.     UP Associate Professor Diosa Labiste sharing a presentation on red-tagging as a form of hate speech. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation.     Underscoring the need for news reports that are fact-checked and verified, Labiste said campus journalists can fill gaps left by mainstream media in the exigencies of day-to-day news reporting. These means, young journalists-in-training can provide content which cannot be found in the commercial media. “Some news are not so sexy for commercial media or mainstream media to cover. But campus press has been covering these issues,” she said.  Labiste said that aside from providing unique content on news events, campus press can pursue stories which provide differing perspectives, diverse issues and more vigorous discussions and debate. It also provides students with the capacity for citizen-witnessing, which blurs the line between news producer and news consumer, as well as that between a journalist and an advocate. “Campus journalism is a form of counter speech because it intervenes to help citizens and communities make sense of information amid lies and ‘fake news.’”  For John Nery, a journalist, columnist and educator, campus journalism remains a strong pillar in the struggle against disinformation, not only in colleges and universities, but also in society at large. “Yes, we should use our campus publications to discuss school concerns; but at the same time, we have to realize that we actually occupy a position of privilege, and that our campuses are surrounded by what we call communities at risk,” he said.  School publications, according to Nery, act not only as hubs for public discourse of those in the academic community, but they can also function as public spaces for discussions of social issues which confront a community. Using UP Visayas and other higher education institutions in Iloilo as examples, he said their publications can serve as venues for conversations. “Why shouldn’t the school publications of UP Visayas, of the University of Iloilo, of PHINMA, and other Iloilo-based schools, talk about what’s happening in Iloilo? And by doing so, turn their school publications into their own version of the public square,” he added.     Journalist and Consortium for Democracy and Disinformation Convenor John Nery speaking on the potentials of campuses as hubs for public discourse. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and te Consortium for Democracy and Disinformation.     Emphasizing the dynamism of the youth in campuses, Nery underscored their capacity for reinvention and innovation, particularly at a time when there is a need for stories and voices from various communities in the country. Highlighting the potentials of campus journalists and publications, he said they could “very easily turn our campus publications from campus loudspeakers into community megaphones. We can use our campus newspapers, our campus news websites, into a forum where we can talk about the concerns of the people who live around us, literally.”  Summing up the conflict between disinformation and democracy in the country, a veteran human rights lawyer, Chel Diokno, said that the country was already suffering from an epidemic even before the onset of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19. “This is a different kind of epidemic. It did not affect our human bodies. But rather, the human body politic. And that really was what we experienced, the last few years. An epidemic of extra judicial killings. An epidemic of abuse of power. And an epidemic that uses fear and violence,” he said.  According to Diokno, the current health pandemic has only served to exacerbate the difficulties ordinary Filipinos face. But in the same breath, he also highlighted how social media platforms have also served to condemn some of the questionable actions of public officials in the implementation of regulations of the public health emergency. He quickly added how sadly enough, the situation has also illustrated how the law is implemented differently for different groups of people. “We saw how poor people who violated quarantine regulations were given the full brunt of the law. While those who were connected or associated with those in power, just got a pat, sometimes even a mere reprimand, or not even that,” he said.  Affirming his belief in the power of the people, the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said citizens must always: speak truth to power; remain vigilant even in difficult times; call out falsehoods particularly those disseminated online; and, ultimately hold those involved accountable for their actions. He was also quick to add that all these actions necessitate the involvement of individuals and communities from different backgrounds.     FLAG Chairman and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno shares his thoughts on the capacity of campuses to collaborate with communities in the fight against disinformation. Screengrab from video courtesy of UP Visayas and the Consortium for Democracy and Disinformation.     Expressing faith in the transformative power of the right to suffrage, Diokno said it is important for citizens to choose the right leaders for the country. And for that to happen, those in colleges and universities must call on everyone to properly exercise the right to vote. “At the end of the day, given the way our situation politically is run, we will have a golden opportunity, especially you, young people, to choose our future leaders, our next leaders, and to determine the future of our country, when the next elections come along.”  Aside from Diokno, Nery, UP Professors Labiste and Chua, the journalists Varona, Espina and Malasa, and Senator Hontiveros, former UP Student Regent and Youth Act Now Against Tyranny National Convenor Raoul Danniel Manuel also gave a talk on the role of the youth as defenders of press freedom. A UP alumna and ACCRALAW Associate Lawyer Kate Aubrey Hojilla also talked about press freedom and the Philippine Constitution.  Another UP alumna, Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, Director for Health Promotion of the Department of Health and Special Assistant to the Secretary for Universal Health Coverage, shared her experience in handling the department’s information campaign on the COVID 19 pandemic. Endy Bayuni, Jakarta Post Senior Editor and member of the Facebook Oversight Board, also talked about Campus Journalism and how the social media platform tackles disinformation.  Aside from the speakers, presentations on the proliferation of myths and misinformation on the Marcoses were also given. Miguel Reyes and Joel Ariate, Jr. of the UP Third World Studies Center talked about publications. While Dr. Earvin Cabalquinto of Deakin University, and Dr. Cheryll Ruth Soriano of De La Salle University Manila talked about revisionists videos online.  The 3rd National Conference on Democracy and Disinformation was hosted by UP Visayas on February 22, 24 and 26, 2021 as a project with the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation. The consortium is a network of academics, journalists, bloggers and civil society groups. Among those which support the network are the University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle Philippines and Holy Angel University. For more information on the consortium, visit https://fightdisinfo.ph/.  The conference was also held in partnership with MOVE.PH, Daily Guardian, UPV Division of Humanities, UPV Information and Publications Office and DYUP 102.7 FM. For videos of the conference, please visit https://www.facebook.com/DandD2021.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "#KwentongUPCAT elicits nostalgia as well as test tips from UP community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kwentongupcat-elicits-nostalgia-as-well-as-test-tips-from-up-community/",
        "html": "#KwentongUPCAT elicits nostalgia as well as test tips from UP community #KwentongUPCAT elicits nostalgia as well as test tips from UP community May 23, 2023 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    Mongol pencils, drinks and snacks were some of the things that quickly came to mind when alumni, students and staff of the University of the Philippines (UP) were asked to share their memories, under the hashtag #KwentongUPCAT, of the day they took the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT).  Launched by the UP Media and Public Relations Office (UP MPRO) on the UP System’s social media accounts on Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the #KwentongUPCAT videos are a mix of interviews and other contributions from alumni, students, and staff from different constituent units of the University all over the country.  Among those who shared their experience in taking the UPCAT were ABS-CBN Meteorologist and UP alumnus Ariel Rojas, who recalled taking a tricycle from his home to the test venue. “I bought chips since my exam was scheduled in the afternoon. I also brought four newly sharpened Mongol #2 pencils,” he added. Rojas earned his Bachelor of Science in Food Technology and his Master of Science in Meteorology degrees from UP Diliman.     @up.edu.ph Ang #KwentongUPCAT sa araw na ito ay mula kay ABS-CBN Meteorologist Ariel Rojas ☄️ Ikaw, may #KwentongUPCAT ka ba? Share mo na yan sa comments sa ibaba para mas ma-excite at ma-inspire ang mga UPCAT takers ngayong taon! #fyp #foryoupage #UniversityofthePhilippines #UPFight ♬ original sound – University of the Philippines  Television personality Jervi Li, more famously known as KaladKaren, who has built a following by impersonating journalist and fellow UP alumna Karen Davila, also shared her experience in taking the UPCAT. She recalled that it was a rainy day when she left Bulacan to take the test in UP Diliman. She remembered arriving at Melchor Hall drenched, and how the proctor offered her a face towel to dry herself off. “The only thing that I was carrying during that time was a plastic envelope containing ballpens, paper and other requirements,” she said. Li earned her degree in Broadcast Communication, magna cum laude, also from UP Diliman.  @up.edu.ph Umula’t bumagyo, ayos lang ☔️ Pakinggan ang #KwentongUPCAT ni KaladKaren at iwasang maging isang basang sisiw sa araw ng #UPCAT2024 🥲 #fyp #foryoupage #UniversityofthePhilippines #UPFight ♬ original sound – University of the Philippines  For student JLO Garferio, who is in his senior year taking up Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in UP Diliman, there was a shortage of pencils at the time he was about to take the UPCAT. Hailing from Pigcawayan, Cotabato, he had to travel to Davao City to take the test in UP Mindanao. “I remember we went around Davao City to look for Mongol pencils. Good thing I was able to find three,” he recalled.  @up.edu.ph Magdala ng grocery sa UPCAT? Why not! 🥖 Pakinggan ang tips at #KwentongUPCAT ni JLO, fourth year MBB student pero fresh na fresh pa rin 😌 Ikaw, ano kaya magiging kwento mo sa darating na #UPCAT2024 ngayong June 3-4? #fyp #foryoupage #UniversityofthePhilippines #UPFight ♬ original sound – University of the Philippines  Aside from videos, alumni of the University also shared some memories, as well as tips for this year’s test-takers, particularly in the comments sections of the UP System’s social media accounts.  On Instagram, alumna Patricia Tan-Tirados recalled wearing red on the day of her test. And as brain boosters, she brought with her one tablespoon of peanuts, one tablespoon of anchovies, and a small chocolate bar. She also had a lucky coin inside her shoe. “All these were from the advice of my parents. Masunuring bata eh (I was an obedient child),” she added. Tan-Tirados earned her degree in Chemical Engineering from UP Diliman.     On Facebook, alumna Ardythe Santos, shared how she and her fellow test-takers were brought to the UP Diliman campus by her neighbor’s dad. They had also missed lunch, as her test started at 12:30 PM. “I brought Eng Bee Tin hopia with me. And once we were done (with the test), we bought meals at Jollibee’s drive-thru service so that we could immediately go home,” she added. Santos earned her degree in Nutrition from UP Los Baños.     Meanwhile on LinkedIn, alumnus Raymond Sebastian shared how he lost his test permit the week before the UPCAT and how he was advised to bring instead an identification card and a couple of photos. He was issued a temporary test permit at the testing center. “My parents took it as a sign that I wasn’t meant to take the exam,” he wrote. He was the first graduate of his high school to study in UP. He eventually earned a Bachelor of Secondary Education degree from UP Diliman.     Several more alumni shared their stories and tips for this year’s test-takers, as excitement fills the UP community, which is once again seeing the administration of the UPCAT to applicants after a hiatus of almost three years.  At the height of the pandemic, applications for admission to the University were undertaken online via the UP College Admissions or UPCA, which assessed the students’ applications according to their high school grades. No general test was conducted in compliance with health regulations intended to limit the spread of COVID 19 and its variants.  With most of the general population having been vaccinated in recent years, and the number of COVID 19 cases relatively under control, the University is once again conducting the UPCAT on June 3 and June 4 in 102 testing centers nationwide.  Watch the whole #KwentongUPCAT video series for stories and tips via the playlist below. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Healthy eating during the holidays? UP webinar shows how – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/healthy-eating-during-the-holidays-up-webinar-shows-how/",
        "html": "Healthy eating during the holidays? UP webinar shows how Healthy eating during the holidays? UP webinar shows how December 1, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Filipinos love Christmas. It’s long been a tradition that the whole country instantly switches into a cheery holiday mood once the- ber months come. But what people love more than the holidays itself are the festivities—the numerous handaan and salo-salo with relatives, office Christmas parties, and the perfect noche buena and media noche meals with the family.  Often, we get carried away during these gatherings. Who can say no to delicious food? One might even say, “It’s Christmas!” as an excuse to binge-eat. Yet despite all this, one must practice healthy eating habits—taking in a balanced diet, drinking lots of water, and sleeping well.  How can everyone eat healthier and get their families to do the same during the holiday season? Is this even possible? Actually, yes.   This December 2, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “P.A.S.K.O. NA N.A.M.A.N.: Healthy Holiday Eating,” will revolve around enjoying the holidays but still staying and eating healthy. The panel will include Dr. Virgith Buena, a well-known dietician/nutritionist practicing at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, and Niña Marie Corpuz, a veteran broadcast journalist at the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs.  Dr. Stella Marie Jose, Deputy Director for Health Operations at UP-PGH, will deliver the closing remarks and synthesis.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "End the year strong with health, exercise—UP webinar shows how – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/end-the-year-strong-with-health-exercise-up-webinar-shows-how/",
        "html": "End the year strong with health, exercise—UP webinar shows how End the year strong with health, exercise—UP webinar shows how December 9, 2022 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Physical activity is a major factor in staying healthy. It improves overall well-being and contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. It also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and enhances the mental capacity. However, 80 percent of the world’s population is considered physically inactive.  With the holidays fast approaching, let’s take this time to pause and think about how we can all be COVID-safe, active, and healthy.  This December 9, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “NGAYONG PASKO MAGING AKTIBO: Galaw, Sayaw, Hataw!”, Undersecretary of the Department of Health (DOH) Dr. Enrique A. Tayag will touch on how to be physically active during the holidays. He will also demonstrate some hataw moves. UP-PGH Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi, on the other hand, will share his personal journey in staying active and how this has helped him in his work. Dr. Dione P. Sacdalan, Coordinator for Training with the Office of Deputy Director for Hospital Operations at UP-PGH, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Masakit ang puson o mas malalang sakit? UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar is back with answers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/masakit-ang-puson-o-mas-malalang-sakit-ups-stop-c-o-v-i-d-deaths-webinar-is-back-with-answers/",
        "html": "Masakit ang puson o mas malalang sakit? UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar is back with answers Masakit ang puson o mas malalang sakit? UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar is back with answers January 18, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has recently observed an increase in women consulting for pelvic pain, later diagnosed as endometriosis. Unfortunately, limited awareness seems to lead to delayed treatment and undue suffering.  Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, causing pain and even infertility. Globally, it affects about 10 percent of women and girls of reproductive age. It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movement, and other symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, and anxiety.  Is it possible that women who experienced pelvic pain in the pandemic paid less attention to it, resulting in many delayed diagnoses today?   This January 20, from 12nn to 2 pm, UP, in partnership with the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP-PGH, would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D.—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  The University’s award-winning webinar series “Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths” is back, with “Masakit ang Puson: Endometriosis Kaya?” as its first episode for 2023. This episode will take a closer look at endometriosis, its signs and symptoms, and when consultation for pelvic pain is necessary.  The main presenter will be an Ob-Gyn infertility specialist and past president of the Philippine Society for Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Angela Aguilar.  Dr. Gladys Tanangonan from the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at UP-PGH will also share her insights.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, the newly appointed head of the Expanded Education and Training Office at UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The ‘Kraken’: A closer look at the latest COVID sub-variant – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-kraken-a-closer-look-at-the-latest-covid-sub-variant/",
        "html": "The ‘Kraken’: A closer look at the latest COVID sub-variant The ‘Kraken’: A closer look at the latest COVID sub-variant January 25, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    A new COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant named XBB1.5 or “Kraken” has rapidly spread worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that it is the most transmissible variant of Omicron so far. It is a descendant of the subvariant XBB which has recently swept Singapore.  Fortunately, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illnesses. However, the sharp increase in cases caused by XBB 1.5 is still a cause for concern. In the United States, nearly 28 percent of COVID cases this January were caused by this sub-variant. Other countries are already taking precautions to prevent its spread.  Are the signs and symptoms different for XBB 1.5? More importantly, are the current vaccines still effective? What’s the update on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and vaccinations in the Philippines?   This January 27, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP-PGH, would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths, “Updates on the OMICRON Sub-variant XBB 1.5 (Kraken)”, an infectious disease expert, Dr. Franco B. Felizarta, and Philippine Genome Center Executive Director Dr. Cynthia P . Saloma will sort out the facts and discuss what front liners and the public need to know about this new strain.  UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Climate Change and COVID: What happens now? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/climate-change-and-covid-what-happens-now/",
        "html": "Climate Change and COVID: What happens now? Climate Change and COVID: What happens now? February 1, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor          Climate change is said to be the greatest threat to public health. There are multiple and complex pathways for the negative impacts of climate change, from issues on food security, injuries, and disasters, to catastrophic events. Climate change also triggers slow onset events (SOE) like rising sea levels, which may threaten archipelagos like the Philippines.  How can everyone prepare for these scenarios? What is the main role of the health sector in climate action?   This Friday, February 3, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and cooperation with UP-PGH, invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this special episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths” webinar series, titled “Climate Change and Post-COVID-19 Health Security,” the webinar will deviate from its usual format as it welcomes a partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Dr. Eduardo Banzon, ADB Principal Health Specialist for Southeast Asia Development, will open the webinar with his message. He oversees the bank’s work in 11 countries and has prioritized climate and health in its work plan.  Dr. Susan Pineda Mercado, Co-chair of the National Panel of Technical Experts of the Philippine Climate Change Commission and recently appointed Co-editor and Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific for The British Medical Journal will be the main speaker.  She will be followed by the Department of Emergency Medicine Chair at UP-PGH, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa.  The closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Head of the Expanded Education and Training Office at UP-PGH.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  Join us in this webinar in partnership with ADB through Technical Assistance 6767, which organizes the SECURE Webinar Series as a platform to document, disseminate, and promote innovative approaches for COVID-19 vaccination among Southeast Asia developing members. It serves as a venue for knowledge and exchange of information among governments, development partners, civil society organization networks, and other key stakeholders.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "New boosters vs COVID-19 sub-variants—kailangan nga ba? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-boosters-vs-covid-19-sub-variants-kailangan-nga-ba/",
        "html": "New boosters vs COVID-19 sub-variants—kailangan nga ba? New boosters vs COVID-19 sub-variants—kailangan nga ba? February 9, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor       In the latter part of 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized and recommended two updated COVID-19 boosters. These boosters target two Omicron sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5.  These are bivalent vaccines, meaning they contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of the coronavirus. Half of the vaccine targets the original strain, while the other half targets the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variant lineages.  These mRNA boosters promised easier formulation and tweaking to counter the rapidly mutating COVID virus. What else do we know about these bivalent vaccines? How frequently should people be given a booster? Are bivalent vaccines readily available in the Philippines?   This February 10, from 12nn to 2 pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP-PGH, would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths” webinar series, titled “COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccine Boosters: Kailan nga ba ito?”, Dr. Razel Nikka Hao from the Department of Health (DOH) will share the latest data on booster rates. An update will also be provided on the inclusion of bivalent vaccines in the country’s vaccination program.  Dr. Maria Ofelia Ocana-Alcantara, former Mayor of the Municipality of Tolosa, Leyte, will reflect on the role of LGUs in strengthening the booster program for the government. Finally, Dr. Stella Marie L. Jose, Head of the Expanded Education and Training Office at UP-PGH, will deliver the synthesis and closing remarks.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The beauty and history of emergency medicine at the UP-PGH – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-beauty-and-history-of-emergency-medicine-at-the-up-pgh/",
        "html": "The beauty and history of emergency medicine at the UP-PGH The beauty and history of emergency medicine at the UP-PGH February 16, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor       Over the past few decades, specialization in emergency medicine has grown and developed in response to a burgeoning need in the Philippines. An emergency physician diagnoses and treats patients with critical illnesses or injuries, particularly trauma victims with multiple organ dysfunction who require immediate care.  Time is of the essence in an emergency. The key is to determine who can and cannot wait as far as getting immediate care is concerned. This requires precision training and mentoring, as situations are never clear cut and straightforward. Assessing a patient requires careful observation, skills in physical examination, and sound decision-making.  This February 17, from 12nn to 2pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH), would like to invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “SAKLOLO! EMERGENCY PO! The Specialty of Emergency Medicine”, will focus on the Emergency Department of the UP-PGH, its history, and its operations. The discussion will also include updates on the management of commonly encountered emergency cases and an explanation of the range and scope of emergency medicine as a specialty.  The panel consists of doctors from the UP-PGH Department of Emergency Medicine: Dr. Marjorie Cruz, Chief Emergency Medicine Specialist; Dr. Christopher Manalo, Emergency Medicine Specialist; and Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Founding and Current Chair of the department. Dr. Leo Cubillan, the newly appointed UP System Vice President for Academic Affairs, will also share his thoughts.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar tackles how to prevent a dengue outbreak – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-tackles-how-to-prevent-a-dengue-outbreak/",
        "html": "UP webinar tackles how to prevent a dengue outbreak UP webinar tackles how to prevent a dengue outbreak February 22, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically, with about half of the world’s population now at risk. In fact, dengue incidence in the last 50 years has increased 30-fold, expanding to new countries, from urban to rural settings. The Philippines is among the top countries where dengue is endemic, and for several months now, sporadic cases have been showing up in communities.  Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Although 80 percent are generally mild and asymptomatic cases, the remaining 20 percent still pose a great risk, and may even lead to hospitalization and worse, death. There is no specific treatment for dengue, but if diagnosed early and managed properly, severe cases may be avoided.  What are the latest updates on clinical management and early diagnosis of the disease? What early symptoms should people watch for? What is needed to survive a dengue outbreak?   This February 24, from 12nn to 2pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP-PGH, invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  In this episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D Deaths” webinar series, titled “NAKAMAMATAY BA ANG DENUGE? Update on the Clinical Management of Dengue,” discussions will revolve around all the information needed to combat dengue, as well as the recent alarming outbreak in Region XIII.  Dr. Rontgene Solante, Chairman of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at San Lazaro Hospital, will present information on the clinical management of dengue in the local setting.  From a financing angle, Dr. Albert Domingo, Director III of the Quality Assurance Group of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), will talk about the case rates of dengue under the National Health Insurance Program.  Register here and catch our weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to discuss early cancer detection with Next Generation Sequencing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-discuss-early-cancer-detection-with-next-generation-sequencing/",
        "html": "UP webinar to discuss early cancer detection with Next Generation Sequencing UP webinar to discuss early cancer detection with Next Generation Sequencing March 16, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor    Over the past 15 years, cutting-edge research has made it possible to better understand cancer. It is a genetic disease that is borne out of genomic disruptions that drive gene expression changes or activate or silence genes, thereby altering gene networks and pathways.  Global efforts to study multiple cancer types are opening up opportunities for innovation in diagnostics, prognostication, and therapeutics. Recently, one platform is emerging as a top choice over other sequencing modalities—next generation sequencing (NGS). NGS is an incredible advancement in DNA sequencing wherein one can sequence many DNA strands simultaneously. This major achievement has allowed the mapping of the entire human genome in less than 24 hours. What makes NGS different from older, more traditional methods is that it does not depend on chain termination for determining the nucleotide sequence of DNA, which takes three to four steps. Instead, a corresponding fluorescent signal is emitted and is then detected in real time.  For doctors around the world, NGS has revolutionized cancer treatment. But how exactly does it work?   This March 17, from 12nn to 2pm, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Telehealth Center (NTC), and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), invite you to join the fight against C.O.V.I.D—current COVID-19 problems, other outbreaks, viruses, infections, and disasters.  This week’s episode of UP’s “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar series, titled “LABANAN ANG KANSER: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Parating Na!,” will take a closer look at innovations in early diagnosis and treatment for cancer involving NGS. The main speaker is Dr. Eugene G. Odoño I, a Medical Specialist III at the UP-PGH Department of Laboratories.  Dr. Januario Antonio D. Veloso, Chair of the Dept. of Laboratories at UP-PGH, and Dr. Dennis L. Sacdalan, a medical-oncologist and consultant with the UP-PGH Department of Medicine, will also share their wisdom and expertise on the topic.  The synthesis and closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Michele Sia H. Diwa, Chief of the Division of Molecular Pathology of the Department of Laboratories at UP-PGH.  Register for the webinar here and catch the weekly live tweets and streams via the UP System Twitter account, TVUP’s YouTube channel, and Facebook page.  The award-winning UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar Series is the Philippines’ first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series. It pioneered the discussion, dissemination, and adoption of knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and management. Follow our accounts to stay connected with your credible online community. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Land of Turmoil: Colonization and Division of the Korean Peninsula – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/land-of-turmoil-colonization-and-division-of-the-korean-peninsula/",
        "html": "Land of Turmoil: Colonization and Division of the Korean Peninsula Land of Turmoil: Colonization and Division of the Korean Peninsula October 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       ️Date: November 6 and November 13, 9am – 12pm (GMT+8) ️Mode: Online (ZOOM, YouTube Live Streaming) ️Registration Link: https://bit.ly/SpecialLecture2023 The special lecture is co-hosted by the UP Center for International Studies (UPCIS), UP KRC, and Seoul National University – Asia Center (SNUAC) on two Mondays, Nov 6 & Nov 13, 2023. This is an ONLINE event and open to the public.  ️TOPICS: (1) November 6: Japanese Colonialism and the Independence Movement (2) November 13: Division of Korea & Post-war Korean History and Democratization     ️Speaker: Dr. Benjamin A. Engel is a Research Professor at the Institute of International Affairs, Seoul National University. He received his Ph.D. and Master’s in International Studies from the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University. His dissertation, entitled “A Search for a Tacit Agreement: U.S.-ROK Relations and Human Rights, 1972-1980,” focuses on the development of U.S. human rights diplomacy toward South Korea and the subsequent ROK government response during the 1970s. His recent academic publications include “For the Sake of Appearances: The Case of South Korean Authoritarian Image Management in the 1970s” published in The Korean Journal of International Studies in 2023, and “Aiding and Abetting: Role of Foreign Missionaries in the South Korean Democracy Movement” published in Korea Observer in 2020. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Human Rights and Palestine: Occupation, Apartheid, and the Right to Self-Determination – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/human-rights-and-palestine-occupation-apartheid-and-the-right-to-self-determination/",
        "html": "Human Rights and Palestine: Occupation, Apartheid, and the Right to Self-Determination Human Rights and Palestine: Occupation, Apartheid, and the Right to Self-Determination October 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UP Manila Political Science program invites you to an online forum “Human Rights and Palestine: Occupation, Apartheid, and the Right to Self-Determination,” on October 25, Wednesday, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, with Dr. Ramon Guillermo of the University of the Philippines Center for International Studies as speaker.     Register here: https://tinyurl.com/2awfhc5c .     The forum is organized by the Political Science 182, International Politics, WBD class under Prof. Carl Marc Ramota, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, UP Manila. Activity partners include the Office of the UP Faculty Regent, All UP Academic Employees Union – Manila Chapter, CAS, DSS, and the UP Manila Political Science Program. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Science Film Festival 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/science-film-festival-2023/",
        "html": "Science Film Festival 2023 Science Film Festival 2023 November 8, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Goethe Institut with the UPFI Film Center presents the Science Film Festival for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. The theme is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world.  Watch the films for free!  ~~ Science Film Festival 2023 Presented by Goethe Institut With UPFI Film Center (For United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030)  Nov 14 Tue 4 p.m. Reabsorbing Carbon (7m)/Repackaging Naturally (7m)/Redesigning the Wheel (6) /Retrieving Plastic (6m)/Remapping Restoration (6m)  5:30 p.m. Duty of Care-The Climate Trials (56m)  Nov 16 Thurs 4 p.m. Powering Puerto Rico (40m)/Wild Hope-Coffee for Water (28m)  5:30 p.m. Forest Partners (52m)  Nov 20 Mon 4 p.m. The Last Seed (1h 17m)  5:30 p.m. Roots of the Sea (10m)/Searching for Sea Turtles in Carriacou, Grenada (6m)/Gardening Marine Forests: A Hands-on Approach to Restoration (20m)/Kelp-South Africa’s Golden Forests (14m)  Nov 22 Wed 4 p.m. The Climate Frontier (7m)/ Big Ocean States (8m)/The Sinking Shore (8m)/A River Back to Life (10m)/The Forgotten Forest (9m)/The Mighty Mountains/The Dry Corridor (7m)  5:30 p.m. A League of Extraordinary Makers: Rise of the Makers (48m)  ~~~ 🎬 The screenings are open to the public for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Register at the cinema entrance. 🎬 Eating and drinking are not allowed.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "This November at UPFI Film Center with films by Jay Altarejos as flowers for the dead! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/this-november-at-upfi-film-center-with-films-by-jay-altarejos-as-flowers-for-the-dead/",
        "html": "This November at UPFI Film Center with films by Jay Altarejos as flowers for the dead! This November at UPFI Film Center with films by Jay Altarejos as flowers for the dead! November 9, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       This November at UPFI Film Center with films by Jay Altarejos as flowers for the dead! ~~~~~ UPFI Film Center November 2023 Nov 15 Wed 4 p.m. Unfriend 5:30 p.m. Jino to Mari ~~~~~ Admission: Php 200 regular Php 150 discounted (students, pwd, senior, gov’t employees) 🎫Tickets are available 1 hour before screen time at the cinema entrance. 🎬The screenings are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Eating and drinking are not allowed. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Great UP Run – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/great-up-run/",
        "html": "Great UP Run Great UP Run November 9, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       After a four-year hiatus, the much-anticipated return of The Great UP Run is finally here! This iconic race was Runrio’s inaugural running event back in 2007.  In keeping with tradition, The Great UP Run is rekindling its partnership with the #NowhereToGoButUP Foundation. This foundation has been a steadfast supporter of the University of the Philippines’ athletes.  Mark your calendars for November 19, 2023; lace up your running shoes and proudly wave the flag of the University of the Philippines. Get ready for an exhilarating run and a celebration of the UP spirit! "
    },
    {
        "title": "Macli-ing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/macli-ing/",
        "html": "Macli-ing Macli-ing November 10, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Malou Jacob’s Macli-ing goes onstage on Dec. 3 and 4, 2023 at 6PM at the Himnasio Amianan of UP Baguio!  Tickets at P300 (Regular Patron) and P200 (Students/Senior Citizens/PWDs).  For inquiries/reservations, email dkk.macliing2023@gmail.com or call/text mobile numbers 09151506921/09122490196.     Original post here: https://t.ly/J6gzq    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Biyaheng Quiapo – Ron Bryant’s documentary feature on National Artist and UP alumni Ricky Lee. – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/this-november-at-upfi-film-center-with-encore-for-biyaheng-quiapo-ron-bryants-documentary-feature-on-national-artist-ricky-lee/",
        "html": "Biyaheng Quiapo – Ron Bryant’s documentary feature on National Artist and UP alumni Ricky Lee. Biyaheng Quiapo – Ron Bryant’s documentary feature on National Artist and UP alumni Ricky Lee. November 14, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   This November at UPFI Film Center with encore for Biyaheng Quiapo – Ron Bryant’s documentary feature on National Artist Ricky Lee. ~~~~~ UPFI Film Center November 2023 Biyaheng Quiapo Nov 21 Tues 2:30 p.m. Nov 23 Thurs 2 & 5 p.m. Advisory: Films will continue to be shown even during a transport strike. ~~~~~ Admission: Php 200 regular Php 150 discounted (students, pwd, senior, gov’t employees) Tickets are available 1 hour before screen time at the cinema entrance. The screenings are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Eating and drinking are not allowed."
    },
    {
        "title": "BUGTA: Embracing Talaandig ancestral soil – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bugta-embracing-talaandig-ancestral-soil/",
        "html": "BUGTA: Embracing Talaandig ancestral soil BUGTA: Embracing Talaandig ancestral soil November 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP Fine Arts Gallery invites everyone to the activities related to the visiting artist program of Datu Waway Saway from November 16-24, 2023! Update: Due to the transport strike, the BUGTA SOIL PAINTING WORKSHOP is rescheduled to November 23, Thursday, from 1:00 – 5:00 PM. ​ The Bugta Exhibition will be running from November 16-24, 2023 at the Plenary Hall of the UP Fine Arts gallery. Join us in its opening reception on November 16, 11:30 AM. ​ ______ ​ This is a project of the UP Diliman College of Music and College of Fine Arts, in partnership with UPCMu Department of Musicology, Department of Music Education, UP Center for Ethnomusicology, UPCFA Ceramic Studio, and the UP Fine Arts Gallery. ​ Register for the artist talk and bead and soil painting workshop here: https://forms.gle/ZAdrkcQnpuitvv5G6 ​ Original Post: link       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Disarmament & Nuclear Free Movements: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/disarmament-nuclear-free-movements-perspectives-from-asia-and-the-pacific/",
        "html": "Disarmament & Nuclear Free Movements: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific Disarmament & Nuclear Free Movements: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific November 21, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Political Science 182 WBD, International Politics class, in partnership with the UP Manila Political Science Program and the Office of the UP Faculty Regent will hold an online forum on Disarmament and Nuclear-Free Movements: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific on November 22, Wednesday, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with Prof. Roland Simbulan of UP Manila, and Dr. Marcus Coll from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand as speakers. The event is in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of Social Sciences in the University of the Philippines Manila.  Register here: link. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Then&Now” BINISAYA Film Festival – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/thennow-binisaya-film-festival/",
        "html": "“Then&Now” BINISAYA Film Festival “Then&Now” BINISAYA Film Festival November 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Binisaya Film Festival, a homegrown grassroots film festival in Cebu City. A flagship program of the Binisaya Movement Inc. showcasing contemporary vernacular films helmed by Cebuanos and other regional filmmakers across the Archipelago.  “Then&Now” 13 years of BINISAYA Film Festival at the UPFI Film Center in cooperation with PUP Center Heritage Studies. A tribute to Teddy Co featuring: The Adlaw Adlaw Films, the best film awardees, Archipelago. Rising and the shorts of keith deligero.  ~~~~~~ UPFI Film Center November-December 2023 Binisaya for UP Diliman  Nov 28 Tue 2pm Biyernes Biyernes 4pm Sabado Sabado 6pm Domingo Domingo  Nov 30 Thurs 2pm Lunes Lunes 4pm Martes Martes 6pm Miyerkoles Miyerkoles  Dec 4 Monday 2pm Best of Binisaya set 1 6pm Huwebes Huwebes  Dec 5 Tuesday 2pm Best of Binisaya set 3 4pm Archipelago Rising (Jason Tan Liwag) 6pm The Shorts of Keith Deligero  ~~~~~ General admission: Php 100  Tickets are available 1 hour before screen time at the cinema entrance.  The screenings are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Eating and drinking are not allowed. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Using DNA barcodes against the wildlife black market – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/using-dna-barcodes-against-the-wildlife-black-market/",
        "html": "Using DNA barcodes against the wildlife black market Using DNA barcodes against the wildlife black market June 4, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   Dr. Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, Head of the Institute of Biology’s DNA Barcoding Laboratory. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     While recent news of giant clams (Tridacna gigas) being harvested in the disputed Scarborough Shoal drew massive outrage online, it was only the latest low point in the dark history of wildlife exploitation in the region. A poignant series of cases also happened here in 2013 and 2014, this time involving pangolins or “scaly anteaters,” which have been described as the most trafficked animals in the world.  All eight species of pangolins have been declared to be at least threatened globally. The Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis), however, has been named critically endangered. It was no surprise then that the nation recoiled in horror in 2013 when a Chinese vessel stranded in the Tubbataha marine national park was found with over 3,000 frozen pangolins on board. Barely a year later, Palawan officials confiscated even more of these from two residential buildings and a tricycle in Puerto Princesa City.  While everyone feared that Palawan-endemic Philippine pangolins were the ones involved, this proved difficult to confirm visually. As pangolins are hunted primarily for their scales, which are made of keratin (the same as that found in human hair and nails) and meat, they are typically skinned after being smoked out, bludgeoned to death, and boiled beyond recognition. For justice to be served, what was needed here was a scientifically credible system to ascertain the exact pangolin species found in these shipments.  Luckily, a team from the University of the Philippines Institute of Biology led by Dr. Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, Mr. Adrian Luczon and the late Dr. Perry Ong had been working to perfect such a system. The geneticists and the conservation biologist joined forces with fellow experts to pioneer a method called DNA barcoding.  DNA barcoding uses the molecular fingerprint of DNA found in even processed remains to accurately determine the specific species. This is done by reading selected genes like product barcodes against a database of samples collected, to aid both science and law enforcement. Together with a close-knit group of institutions, Fontanilla is working to help this database include all endemic species in the country and be a frontline tool against illegal wildlife exploitation.  Genes and Shakespeare  While the country is equipped with legislation to protect local biodiversity in the form of Republic Act No. 9417, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, Fontanilla explained how difficult it is to uphold this law. As in the case of the Palawan pangolins, agents of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) used to rely purely on morphology, or a specimen’s appearance, to determine species in their custody. This, as we have seen, can prove unreliable.     Nice Genes – Graduate students at the DNA Barcoding Laboratory work to fill up the group’s public database of barcodes. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     It was in 2008 that Fontanilla, together with other geneticists, Dr. Jonas Quilang and Dr. Zubaida Basiao, joined forces with Ong, at that time the director of the Institute of Biology and a prominent wildlife biologist, to craft what would become their public database of DNA barcodes. A few years later, Ong approached the DENR with a proposal. “Why don’t we help each other?” Fontanilla recalled Ong proposing. “We can help you identify species at the molecular level, and you can provide us with samples.” This offer officially began the partnership between the two institutions that persists to this day.  Being more focused on the molecular side as head of the Institute’s DNA Barcoding Laboratory and now the director of the Philippine Genome Center’s (PGC) Biodiversity program, Fontanilla explained that not just any gene can be used as a barcode. “You can think of the DNA of all species like the pages of Shakespeare’s books,” he said. “Now of course we can’t identify them without their titles so now we have to pick a page from each book.”  This “page” or specific gene in our DNA is one that facilitates easy identification. “It’s like when you open page 5 and read Romeo’s words to Juliet, and then you know what work it is.” The copies of any collected gene are compared to the current contents of the database to find the most accurate match. “That’s what we do in DNA barcoding, we find a gene that can discriminate like that.”  Powerhouse  For animals, Fontanilla and his team use the gene Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I or CO1. Unlike most genes we are familiar with that are found in the cell’s nucleus, CO1 is found in mitochondria. “The mitochondria are what produce ATP (which produces energy for many cell processes); so the mutation rate there is very high,” he said. This high rate of mutation across time is what creates the variability that allows us to discriminate between even closely related species.  With genes like CO1 playing the role of the perfect pages, Fontanilla and Ong joined their partners in filling up their database. This involved going out into the field to extract both tissue samples for DNA and measurements from enough animals. “As much as possible we try not to kill them,” Fontanilla said. Using the case of local bats, he illustrated the challenge of catching and releasing them unharmed for this purpose.     Fontanilla explains the DNA barcoding pipeline from specimen capture to recording in the database. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     “We had mist nets for us to catch them,” he recounted. And when they had one trapped, the group had to be very careful not to damage their wings during the extraction process. After taking its measurements (which also go into the database), the bats are carefully released by allowing them to grab onto a tree. “Ideally we get more than 5 specimens per locale,” Fontanilla said. “Because if you just base your data on one individual, what is the variability of that population for that specific gene? We need population data.”  Fortunately, the mission to create a good database is now one they share with key allies. Together with the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Philippine Genome Center, universities like De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas, among others, have since joined them. Government agencies like the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are now also prominent members of this barcoding effort.  Always Remembered  When recounting the group’s successes so far, Fontanilla fondly remembers Ong’s contributions to the barcoding cause, which lasted up to his passing last March. “It was Doc Perry who pushed for this,” he said. “Because being in the academe, we could not do this all on our own. We could not stay in our ivory towers and do research that did not have societal impact. The government is paying us to make that impact.”     A digital artwork given by colleagues to the late Perry Ong’s family. It depicts Ong with some of the animals he worked with—a pangolin, a Philippine eagle, a tarsier, a rat, and a bat. Art done by Nathalie M. Gaspar.     This spirit of reaching out was exemplified fully by the late College of Science dean. His establishment of their mutually beneficial partnership with the DENR paved the way for the growth of both their allies and the DNA barcoding database itself.  The publication of a paper in 2016 on the pangolin case above was the first to document the effectivity of these partnerships. Using the power of DNA barcoding, Luczon and Fontanilla of the DNA Barcoding Laboratory and Ong’s Biodiversity Research Laboratory managed to determine that the 73 specimens confiscated in Puerto Princesa were indeed Philippine pangolins coming from a single locality. The 12 samples they analyzed from the Tubbataha case, on the other hand, were from the closely related Malayan pangolin (M. javanica), another critically endangered variety from Southeast Asia.  While Ong is no longer around to see the future growth of the barcoding database, Fontanilla said that his collaborative spirit continues to inspire him and his colleagues.  “When Dr. Perry passed on, all of our partners came together in one place to pay their respects. A sad but necessary result of that is we all met and agreed to finish the projects that we had planned together. And we do plan on finishing them all.”  To access the Barcode of Life Data System, visit: http://www.boldsystems.org. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Shaping the future of Philippine forensics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/shaping-the-future-of-philippine-forensics/",
        "html": "Shaping the future of Philippine forensics Shaping the future of Philippine forensics June 10, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion        Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office.     It was a biology class unlike any other. When graduate student Lorraine Joyce del Rosario took to the podium to deliver a report on the last regular day of class, one could have expected to hear a thorough rundown of foundational topics in cell biology or genetics.  Instead, the polo-clad MS Biology student opened the morning with the grisly case of Beverly Allitt, an English serial murderer nicknamed the “Angel of Death.” During a 59-day period in 1991, Allitt alternated between using potassium chloride and insulin to murder four children and grievously harm six more at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire, UK.  “How should we investigate this case?” del Rosario asked. The class of nine students actively pitched their ideas. Some suggested checking going through mental health records of the hospital staff, while others suggested going through hospital logs to see who had access to the drugs used in the murders.  It was a highly atypical discussion to end the academic year. Then again, there are few things typical about Biology 397: Current Topics in Forensic Biology. Offered nowhere else in the country, the second-semester graduate course at the UP Institute of Biology is understood by only few, even within the University of the Philippines.  The course co-convener and head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory at UP Natural Sciences Research Institute, Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria defines Forensic Biology concisely as the application of the biological sciences in answering legal questions.  Most people, however, associate the word “forensics” merely with the study of dead bodies in criminal investigations. De Ungria explained that Bio 397 tackles a far broader landscape of topics. This scope is necessary to underscore how science in all its guises can be applied to answer questions that matter to the nation and its people.  A Diverse Cast  Diversity has been the course’s trademark since it began in 2012. Not only does it quietly draw students from different disciplines and institutions, it also changes each year depending on their needs and interests. The primary purpose of the course is to help postgraduate students in the sciences to realize the social dimension of their disciplines, and in the seven years of its existence, Bio 397 has never repeated itself in terms of content and composition.  “Dynamic” is how graduate student Rance Pavon described the experience. Coming into the course with barely any background knowledge in forensics, the BS Microbiology graduate soon found himself engrossed in lectures from experts at the cutting-edge of their respective forensic disciplines.     Lorraine Joyce del Rosario and Rance Pavon, students of Bio 397 2019. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     “We had people like Dr. Raquel Fortun, currently the Chair of the Department of Pathology, UP Manila, who talked about crime scene reconstructions and the role of forensics in solving extrajudicial killings,” he said. “We had people like Atty. Jose Manguera Jose, formerly with the Office of Legal Aid in UP Diliman, who talked about the legal aspects of forensics and how DNA analysis had changed the Philippine legal system.” Other lecturers discussed pertinent topics like forensic chemistry, wildlife forensics, humanitarian work, and accurate science communication in the time of fake news.  Eventually, Pavon said, students tried their own hand at discussing topics where their research interests intersected with forensics. They reported on everything, from the use of microbes in bioterrorism and how forensic botany can link places and people to crimes, to forensic Egyptology and how the study of preserved ancient remains can uncover facts that link past and present.  In addition to a final exam, the course culminates in the drafting of a review paper that explores these intersections more deeply. This review paper will be submitted to one of the local journals within the University, so that the students can share their learnings with the wider academic community.  Pavon who is pursuing graduate studies in microbiology, is writing about the use of innate microorganisms that reside in our bodies as a powerful tool for identification in forensic investigations.  “Each person has a unique profile of microorganisms that can tell us apart from another. For example, we could use microbial profiles from human saliva samples to help us say that the saliva came from this particular person.”  De Ungria considers this diversity to be a strength, but also acknowledges that differences can lead to healthy disagreements when people from various backgrounds come together. “Since we encourage students to share their thoughts, our conversations allow us to consider and accept different viewpoints. Our only running policy is to respect one another. We must agree to disagree.”  Grads for Grads  Bio 397 clearly encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning and this philosophy is most evident in the organization of the Forensic Science Symposium (FSS) which has become an annual event since 2014. It is organized by Bio397 students as part of their course deliverables.  De Ungria describes organizing this symposium as a distillation of the “learning by doing” nature of the course, as well as a hands-on demonstration of how scientific inquiry works. “We first tell them to ask their own questions and then determine what questions they think their peers would also like to know about. And then the students must identify the experts who can best provide the answers to these questions, using FSS as the platform for these conversations.”  Guided by De Ungria and fellow convener Dr. Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, Director of the Institute of Biology in UPD, the students manage everything, from planning the event to running it on the day itself to reporting on its conclusion. The concept of graduate students making the event their own and working to share their learnings to other graduate students, the so-called “grads for grads” further encourages the students to think beyond themselves.     Students and conveners of Bio 397: (from left) Dr. Kendrich Fontanilla, Mark Raymond Vejano, Cydee Ramones, Theresa Tengco, Mark Carascal, Rance Pavon, Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria, Ma. Greta Jacinto, Arizaldo Enriquez Castro, Lani Manahan-Suyom and Lorraine del Rosario. Photo from Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria.     Ultimately, this sense of responsibility helped the students organize a well-attended event last April 6. Among the speakers of FSS2019 were Dr. Mahar Lagmay of the UPD Resilience Institute, Atty. Theodore Te of the UP College of Law and former Supreme Court spokesperson, Dr. Francisco Datar of the UPD Department of Anthropology, Dr. Raquel Fortun, Dr. Emilia Lastica-Ternura of the UP Los Banos College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, Officer in Charge of the Training Division of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute. Dr. Fontanilla also delivered a lecture on wildlife forensics in honor of the late Dean of the College of Science, Dr. Perry Ong.  While the challenge of taking ownership of such an important event made them feel like giving up, both Pavon and Del Rosario now count the FSS as one of their favorite course highlights. “We were taught a lot of positive values,” Del Rosario admitted. “Patience, teamwork, and unity. Working harmoniously with your acquaintances. I think that organizing this symposium enriched us both personally, as well as academically.”  Serving Society  One might ask: What’s the point of this supremely holistic training? In De Ungria’s opinion, Bio 397 helps train the kind of scientists the country needs – individuals who not only lend a hand in solving national problems, but also help the general public to discover the importance of science to nation building.     Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria at the NSRI DNA Analysis Laboratory. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     “The take-home message is that students should see the social value of science, which might not be as emphasized in other courses,” she said. De Ungria believes that in the course of the semester, students come to appreciate the forensic casework and social advocacies that form part of the extension work in laboratories like the DNA Analysis Lab at NSRI.  De Ungria compares what the course has slowly built over the years with Dumbledore’s Army of the Harry Potter book series, which was a network of like-minded graduates who aim to fight evil and to support each other and the greater good.  “A number of Bio 397 students have helped teach science to law students through organizations like the Innocence Project Philippines Network,” she said. This exchange of information allows both sides to work towards finding potential cases that may need further investigation via DNA evidence that was not available at the trial. “It shares this very dynamic approach of ‘learning by doing’ to the student community, in the sciences and the law, and hopefully to other disciplines in the future.”  Overall, the course works to answer that age-old question: What can science offer society? De Ungria believes that science can expand the realm of possible solutions, through new discoveries. “One can have so many more creative solutions to the same problem because scientists use our ingenuity to break barriers and advance forward. And we need more scientists who are able to integrate a living social consciousness with their creativity/ingenuity in order to put excellent science at the service of society.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "Space age spine surgery for Filipinos – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/space-age-spine-surgery-for-filipinos/",
        "html": "Space age spine surgery for Filipinos Space age spine surgery for Filipinos July 3, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion        Video by KIM Quilinguing for the UP Media and Public Relations Office.     Sitting in the UP College of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy, Dr. Rafael Bundoc began by explaining how a big part of his mission was to change the attitudes of Filipinos when it comes to spine surgery. Spread out in front of the orthopedic surgeon as he spoke were his tools — silver streamlined instruments of various lengths. These instruments, and how to use them, held the key to the future of his discipline in the country, Bundoc said.  While he is up to the challenge, Bundoc does indeed have several minds to change. The idea of having your spine operated on is a dreadful thought for patients and doctors alike. This fear was born in the 1960s and 1970s, when spine surgeries were long, bloody affairs.  “In the past it was very dangerous,” he said, “because you go down to the spine, which is a very deep part of the body. To open it up is very bloody and of course, there’s the idea that you might get paralyzed because you have your nerves there. That’s really scary.”  However, Bundoc insisted that technological advances have mostly made these scary scenarios a thing of the past. In their place, we now have a set of tools and techniques that make up Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS). MISS allows doctors to get a three-dimensional view of your spinal area and the ability to operate on it directly, while leaving only a tiny incision. This not only makes surgeries more precise; it also allows patients to recuperate faster. It also dramatically reduces hospital stays for patients, and the resulting expenses.  As one of the pioneers of MISS in the country, Bundoc is committed to showing both colleagues and patients that this new world is one worth discovering. And as the chair of the 5th ASEAN Minimally Invasive Spine Surgical Techniques (MISST) 2019 Congress last month, he also now wants to show the world that the Philippines can be a leader in using these techniques to improve countless lives.  Five Ailments  When talking of innovative surgical techniques, an obvious question might be: what conditions do they treat? Bundoc says there are five fundamental conditions that afflict humans throughout their lifetime: trauma, congenital deformities, infections, neoplasms (cancers), and degenerative conditions.     Dr. Rafael Bundoc of the University of the Philippines General Hospital (UP PGH) Department of Orthopedic. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Bundoc said that of these five, the most common he had encountered affecting the spine are: trauma, infections and degenerative conditions.  “We see a lot of trauma now, especially now that we have so many motorcycles. We treat these minimally invasively because we don’t want to add insult to injury. You already have a massive wound and we don’t want to give you another one.”  Of the infections, the most common he sees is tuberculosis of the spine. Today, with minimally invasive techniques, he and his colleagues need not split open a person’s back to drain the pus from the spine. “Now we just have to make a very small hole, and we’re able to drain the infection.”  But hands down, the most common and what most people associate with spinal problems are degenerative conditions, specifically slipped discs and stenoses. “Our population is graying,” Bundoc says. “Filipinos are living longer and, as we age, we develop lots of spine problems.” For him, the thought of opening the back of an already aged person is a traumatic experience that no patient should go through. Hence, minimally invasive techniques can be both an effective and a dignified solution.  Bundoc explains how the problem evolves in the case of stenosis. “You have a canal in your spine,” he says. And like most other canals in nature, the size of the channel eventually decreases as deposits build up on the bone, in this case, calcium. “Your bones and your ligaments get thicker, and when your spinal cord gets compressed, your back hurts. You can’t walk, and your lower extremities hurt.”  Millimeters  So how does a spine surgeon like Bundoc solve a problem like that? He walks us through a typical surgical process from beginning to end.     Some models of the spine and tools used in minimally invasive spine surgery at the University of Philippines Manila’s College of Medicine. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     First, after the room has been sterilized and the patient’s back has been scrubbed, a radiology technologist takes a fluoroscopy, a special X-ray of the area to be operated on. After this, and once the patient has been duly anaesthetized, surgeons like Bundoc make what is called a ‘‘stab incision,’’ or a very tiny cut on the back just big enough to fit a specialized endoscope only a few millimeters in diameter.  This scope is connected to a camera system that ends in a set of monitors which allow Bundoc and his colleagues to have a three-dimensional view of the pathology and its surrounding structures. By inserting other very fine instruments, like the pituitary rongeur, a surgeon can then deal with the problem, such as the removal of vertebral discs or bone spurs.  “If you’re going to operate on just a small area, why not direct your attention to just that small area? So other structures can be spared.”  After the surgery, there is virtually no bleeding from the tiny incision made on the patient. Typically, only a single suture is needed to close it; and for patients with good skin, Bundoc says a Band-Aid may suffice. “Then the patient lies down for around an hour to rest. Afterwards, they get up and go home.”  Taking only about an hour, the surgery is a far cry from past procedures where patients needed to recuperate in the hospital for one to two weeks. “We even needed blood transfusions, maybe 1-2 bags. These days we don’t even prepare blood anymore.”  Changing Minds  While the marriage of engineering and medicine has allowed spine surgeons like Bundoc to perform what previous generations might call miraculous operations, it has not been easy for developing countries like the Philippines to train enough specialists to meet demand.  The cost of the sugery remains the most significant barrier. Getting a complete set of tools like the ones Bundoc uses (for which he had to borrow money to acquire) can cost upward of P9 million. Moreover, getting fellowships to master the techniques requires many months of staying in developed countries like Korea, which can be too much for a young physician.     Orthopedic surgeon and 5th ASEAN MISST chair Dr. Rafael Bundoc asks those who really need it to give spine surgery a chance. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.     This is the reason Bundoc was excited about the 5th ASEAN MISST in Manila. With help from local government agencies and the North American Spine Society, the convention brought speakers from 21 countries and four continents to Manila last June 26.  The primary focus of the event was mentorship. Notably, the first two days were a cadaveric workshop, where younger colleagues practiced their techniques on cadavers, ensuring that they can gain mastery there before moving on to the real thing.  Watch the highlights of the 5th ASEAN MISST Congress in Manila  For Bundoc, the next generation could not come any sooner. “Take Korea for example,” he said. “They have a population of 58 million, and, would you believe, around 4,000 spine surgeons. We have a population of 110 million and we only have around 140 spine surgeons. That’s not enough, we have to train more.”  Bundoc noted that 70 percent of all consultations in an orthopedic or neurology clinic are for complaints of some sort of back pain. “And of that 70 percent, maybe 30 percent are candidates for surgery. That may not sound like a lot, but in a country of 110 million, that is a lot of patients.”  “And that’s just for the back,” he continued. “If it gets worse, you get weakness of the legs. And how can you work, much less go around if you have weakness of the legs because of a spine problem?” Sometimes the only solution is to have an operation. “And for those who need it, MISS is heaven-sent.”  To learn more about the 5th ASEAN MISST, please visit: https://5thaseanmisst.org. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP experts call for more substantial bill vs ‘fake news’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-experts-call-for-more-substantial-bill-vs-fake-news/",
        "html": "UP experts call for more substantial bill vs ‘fake news’ UP experts call for more substantial bill vs ‘fake news’ September 23, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing   UP College of Mass Communication Lecturer and Tsek.ph Editor Jake Soriano presents findings from the project’s fact checking operations. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     Experts from the University of the Philippines on Friday called on lawmakers to reexamine a bill against fake news filed by Senator Vicente Sotto III. Faculty members and researchers from the College of Mass Communication said Senate Bill No. 9 assumes ‘fake news’ is a problem which only thrives on social media platforms.  Under Senate Bill No. 9, persons who use the internet and social media platforms for the creation and dissemination of false information can be held liable. Known as the Act Prohibiting the Publication and Proliferation of False Content on the Philippine Internet, the proposed law will impose imprisonment and fines ranging from P300,000 to P2,000,000.  While social media remains the primary mode of spreading misinformation and disinformation, the findings of the Tsek.ph team showed there were other sources and avenues for the spread of ‘fake news’ as well.  A Journalism lecturer, Jake Soriano, said that data gathered by the project showed other sources of misinformation and disinformation, which included the candidates themselves while appearing on news media programs, and other public figures who also talked about the candidates. These include “their speeches, their appearances in television, in their CV’s [Curriculum Vitae], for example,” he said.  From February 12, 2019 to May 31, 2019, the Tsek.ph team were able to gather and fact check 131 articles on disinformation and misinformation materials targeting candidates and political groups vying for positions in the May elections.  Breakdown of ‘fake news’ materials gathered by Tsek.ph. Graphic provided by Tsek.ph.     Breaking down their data further, the Tsek.ph team found Facebook to be the most favored platform in spreading misinformation and disinformation during the May elections. “Of course, Facebook is very popular in the Philippines. . .  . You can access Facebook for free. There are a lot of people on Facebook,” said Soriano. Second was television, followed by other social media platforms; then websites, campaign advertisements, and even the curriculum vitae or profile of candidates. Aside from these, there are also unspecified avenues where politicians and their supporters shared false information as well.  Platforms used for the dissemination of false information. Graphic provided by Tsek.ph.     As for political groups, Tsek.ph data showed the Otso Diretso slate as the most targeted, followed by local candidates. Third most targeted group was the Makabayan bloc, followed by the Independent candidates for the Senate. Surveys were also the subject of misinformation and disinformation, as well as the Hugpong ng Pagbabago. The Commission on Elections was also not spared by attacks using false information.  Breakdown of data on groups targeted with disinformation and misinformation. Graphic from Tsek.ph.     As for individual candidates, data showed former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and former Senator Bam Aquino as the most targeted by misinformation and disinformation materials. Old photos of Roxas were reused in criticizing his supposed election gimmicks. False information even went so far as to claim that he had left the Otso Diretso ticket. Aquino on the other hand was targeted with fake quotes, with one claiming that he said poor people deserve food scraps.     UP College of Mass Communication Professor and investigative journalist Yvonne Chua talks about how ‘fake news’ can erode the public’s trust in the media. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     The Makabayan bloc was also the victim of false news which claimed that the group was disqualified on the eve of the elections. The false information was found by the Tsek.ph team to have originated from accounts which claimed affinity with the Iloilo City police and supposed Philippine Army reservists based in Mindanao.  The Duterte administration’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago slate was also targeted with the use of altered photos and out of context quotes, as well as fake infographics. Tsek.ph data though showed only three instances where the ticket was the target of misinformation and disinformation.  As for media organizations, Investigative journalist and Journalism Professor Yvonne Chua said that Tsek.ph’s data showed ABS-CBN News as the most targeted of misinformation and disinformation content. This, she said, was worrisome, as it would not only give legitimacy to false information being peddled but also undermine the credibility of news media organizations. “It erodes trust in the media, and in this current environment; this is of no help at all,” she said.  According to Chua, the declining trust in the media is both a reason and a result of ‘fake news’ gaining traction in society. “This is highly problematic because ‘fake news’ confuses what information the public ought to trust or not,” she added. And the impact of false information is felt much more when it influences the decision people make during an election.  Classification of materials gathered by Tsek.ph team. Graphic from Tsek.ph.     As for classifying ‘fake news’ found during the election period, Tsek.ph’s data showed 84 out of the total content they found from February to May 2019, to be false; 21 needed context; 19 were misleading; 5 were accurate. And 2 had no basis.  For Journalism Professor Diosa Labiste, misinformation and disinformation materials will become part of the tool kit of candidates and political groups in the coming years. She said it would be wise to anticipate the use of ‘fake news’ in the 2022, inasmuch as they were used in the 2016 and 2019 elections.  Labiste recommends fact checking initiatives like Tsek.ph not only serve as tools for those in the news media and academe, but also for ordinary citizens desiring to know accurate and factual information.  For Chua, Tsek.ph serves as a showcase of what can be achieved when news organizations collaborate in the fight against ‘fake news’.  Collaborations, she said, allow involved news organizations to avoid duplication of fact check stories. “By doing so, we free up journalists and resources to enable them to focus on other types of coverage,” she said.  Tsek.ph was a collaborative project involving the UP Department of Journalism, UP Department of Computer Science, UP College of Law, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Rappler, Vera Files, ABS-CBN News, Interaksyon, Radio World Broadcasting Corporation, Baguio Midland Courier, Central Luzon Television, MindaNews, Probe Productions, The Philippine Star, Philstar.com and DZUP. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The problem with fake news: UP experts speak on the impact of disinformation on politics, society and democracy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-problem-with-fake-news-up-experts-speak-on-the-impact-of-disinformation-on-politics-society-and-democracy/",
        "html": "The problem with fake news: UP experts speak on the impact of disinformation on politics, society and democracy The problem with fake news: UP experts speak on the impact of disinformation on politics, society and democracy September 28, 2019 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing        Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office     “It used to be that we could have a civilized conversation about political ideas. We used to have civilized conversations about disagreements in terms of issues, in terms of values, in terms of ideologies. What makes democracy work is that we can look across the aisle and have a decent conversation.”  But much has changed since the proliferation of what is commonly called fake news on social media platforms. That’s the lament of Professor Clarissa David of the College of Mass Communication of the University of the Philippines.  In an interview early this year, David said that while academics try not to use the term “fake news,” it is still used in situations where they need to discuss the phenomenon because the term is widely used and understood by more people. “We try to avoid the term now because it puts together into one category many different kinds of harmful content that’s online,” she added.  David said that communications or media scholars have recently categorized  fake news into two types: misinformation and disinformation. According to David, misinformation is false information which is unintentionally disseminated on online platforms. “There is no propaganda intention; mostly there is no political intention,” she said. Disinformation, on the other hand, is intended to convince online users to favor a group or individual political perspective. “Disinformation is orchestrated, it’s funded, … it’s planned. In politics, it’s run by professionals,” she added.  For Associate Professor Danilo Arao of the Journalism Department of the College of Mass Communication, it could be because the journalist is not able to properly gather all the information necessary for a story or properly comprehend what is gathered from different sources. “The major mistakes would have to do with crucial data. As well as analyses that would tend to disregard other aspects of the data that are gathered,” he said.  A journalist, he said, must have a good understanding of the issue being reported and the materials gathered from various sources; otherwise,  the reporter risks providing wrong information to his superiors and the unwitting public.  Arao also said journalists who may have reported the news by mistake must be quick to admit fault and rectify their errors, especially at a time when information is disseminated at a rate faster than it used to be when news stories are were aired and published only via traditional platforms such as television, radio and newspapers.     Assoc. Prof. Danilo Arao. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     On the other hand, Professor Rachel Khan, former Chairperson of the Journalism Department and now Associate Dean of the College of Mass Communication, thinks misinformation can also occur if a journalist is given wrong information by his or her sources; in which case, the journalist may not know that he or she is reporting false news.  With various online resources now available, Khan said journalists may be able to verify and authenticate information given to them by a source, thus reducing the possibility of publishing inaccurate or wholly false news reports.  At a time when some governments frequently accuse the media of disseminating fake news, these academics see the need for the public to be informed on how fake news is generated and disseminated and how media practitioners can enhance their capacity to verify information prior to publishing or airing their news stories on TV, radio, print and online.     Social media use among Filipinos in the latest report from We Are Social and Hootsuite.     In recent months, the social media platform Facebook announced the deactivation of several accounts which were found to have dubious identities and activities on the platform. They said that some of the accounts were even involved in the promotion of select politicians and political interest groups.  Facebook remains the social media platform accessed by the largest number of people in the country. In a recent report from We Are Social and Hootsuite, studies showed that about 76 million Filipinos out of 107.3 million have access to the Internet. About 97 percent of these netizens access Facebook, while only 54 percent use Twitter. About 96 percent watch videos on YouTube and 64 percent post photos on Instagram.  The report said 63 percent of social media users in the country belong to the 17- 34 age group, with females comprising a little over half of that number. About 13 percent belong to the 35-44 age group, while about 11 percent are teenagers in the 13-17 age group. Users over 45 years old comprise only about 12.3 percent.  For communication educators like Arao, David and Khan, social media plays a key role not only in the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation, but also in the fight against the spread of the same troubling phenomenon.  With a doctorate in Communication Research from the University of Pennsylvania, David teaches political communication, journalism and public opinion, research methods, and mass media, government and society at the UP College of Mass Communication, where she also took up a masteral studies in Communication Research. She earned a Bachelor in Communication degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.  Aside from her time in the academe, David has also worked with The World Bank, the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, the Human Development Network, the Social Weather Stations, and the Philippine Competition Commission.  A frequent resource person for media organizations, David has been actively giving her insights on the impact of fake news on media and society. Several of her interviews have been made available by the online news outfit Rappler.     Prof. Clarissa David, PhD. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     According to David, one of the hallmarks of fake news on social media is how these supposed news stories try to agitate readers or consumers. “If it’s screaming at you. If it’s trying to rile you up. If it makes you angry, if it has curse words, if it has exclamation points, the odds of it being not disinformation are very low.” Consistently used as a format, this style is very much the opposite of what comes out on legitimate news organizations, which are supposed to avoid sensationalizing news stories.  Given the consistent efforts of individuals involved in disinformation to pass their work off as legitimate news, Arao sees the identification of such stories as a challenge. “The problem with fake news is that it mimics the reportage of more established news media organizations, especially the ones that are identified with the dominant media,” he said.  This mimicry of established news media organizations even goes beyond how stories are written. In some cases, these purveyors of fake news mimic websites with similar web addresses or uniform resource locators  (URLs). On a list compiled on Wikipedia, they incude: “ABCnews.com.co” passing itself of as abcnews.go.com; “Bloomberg.ma” mimicking Bloomberg.com; “cnn-channel.com” for cnn.com; “aljazeeranews-tv.com” for aljazeera.com; and, “gma-tv.com” masquerading as gmanetwork.com/news.     Distribution of social media users in the Philippines according to We Are Social and HootSuite.     Arao said it is disturbing that a significant number of Filipinos believe stories from fake news websites and dubious social media pages. It is also troubling that there are those who actively promote and disseminate these stories as well. He said that if people start believing in fake news more than they should news from legitimate sources, they will tend to make decisions that would not be based on reliable information.  “If you fall for the lies, then you tend to fall for the purveyors of such lies,” he added.  Arao teaches Journalism, Media and Communication courses. Aside from teaching in his home college, he has also taught courses on global studies for the UP Center for International Studies. He is also the former Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System and the former Director of the UP System Information Office.  An advocate of alternative media, Arao is member of the Board of Editors of Bulatlat.com, as well as a columnist for the online opinion website, The Lobbyist. He was also the managing editor of the Philippine Journalism Review of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and a member of the Board of Critics for the ABC 5’s Dokyu. He also headed Ibon Foundation’s research programs and was the editor-in-chief of the foundation’s publications.  He is currently finishing a dissertation for his doctorate in Journalism at the Technische Universitat Ilmenau in Germany. He earned his Master of Arts in Philippine Studies degree from the De La Salle University and his Bachelor of Arts in Communication, major in Journalism, degree from UP Diliman, where he had also been news editor of the Philippine Collegian.  In the recent elections, Arao, as convenor of the election watchdog, Kontra Daya, urged people to be vigilant on social media and be careful with fake news. He said some groups might resort to deception and misinformation.  Recognizing how false stories online are also fueled by political beliefs and ideologies these days, Arao said people should be more discriminating about new information and stories which can be picked up online, especially if these were picked up from dubious online sources. “We cannot just accept everything, hook, line and sinker, because the problem with fake news is that it is out there, particularly in social media, along with the truth.”  For Khan, the impact of disinformation on democracy particularly in the Philippines, is something which everyone must seriously consider. “The horrible thing about fake news is it undermines democracy. Especially because social media is supposed to be a platform where the ordinary citizen can have a voice.”  With fake online accounts and the machinery which produces and disseminates these false stories, Khan said it is possible for legitimate concerns and problems of ordinary citizens, minority groups and various sectors to be silenced by their ideological or political rivals. She said that these groups will manipulate public opinion to favor the political, economic or ideological interests of a particular group, sector or politician. “They drown out the legitimate voices in favor of paid voices that want to skew public opinion,” she said.     Prof. Rachel Khan, DPA. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO.     Khan teaches several undergraduate and graduate courses. A former print journalist, she earned her Bachelor in Economics degree from UP Diliman and her Master of Science in Journalism degree with concentration in New Media, from Columbia University in New York, as a Fulbright scholar. She later earned her doctorate in Public Administration from the UP National College in Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG).  Khan was the former deputy director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility. She was a finalist in the 1998 Jaime V. Ongpin Award for Investigative Journalism for her story, “Comelec: Weighed but Found Wanting”. She was also first runner-up in the Citibank Pan-Asia Journalism Award for Business Reporting for an in-depth story on the 1995 inflation crisis. Active in the promotion of responsible journalism, she is also affiliated with the Asian Congress for Media and Communication, the Philippine Studies Association of the Philippines, and the Asian Media and Information Center.  A strong advocate against online disinformation, Khan has been very active in events which discuss the impact of fake news on Philippine society and governance. In the recent elections, she was the project leader for Tsek.ph, the collaborative election initiative intended to fact check claims made by candidates.  Composed of academic and media partners, Tsek.ph verified dubious statements made by candidates, their supporters and online accounts favoring or opposing specific candidates in the May elections. Their findings were published on the website and disseminated via social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  On a personal level, Khan said that everyone can help in the fight against disinformation. “If we are going to combat fake news, we can all contribute by making sure that we do not share fake news,” she said. It was important, she added, that people verify the information they see online before disseminating it further by sharing it on social media. “For me it’s an obligation, especially these days. Don’t add to the proliferation ng fake news.”  For these experts, the proliferation of disinformation online, while worrying, serves as a challenge for media scholars and practitioners to collaborate and find ways to promote media literacy and responsible journalism. It has also become an opportunity to appreciate the important role the press plays in societies like the Philippines, which remain experiments in nation-building and representative democracies. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Safeguarding Our Institutional Heritage – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/safeguarding-our-institutional-heritage/",
        "html": "Safeguarding Our Institutional Heritage Safeguarding Our Institutional Heritage November 19, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion    A time capsule, a bridge between past and present. Visit any UP campus and such a description might come close to embodying UP’s place in Philippine history. Everything, from the structures to the discourses taking place within them, was shaped by some of the most profound ideas ever thought of.  In the case of UP Diliman, there is probably no other place that embodies this role of being a memory keeper as the University Archives. Located in a nondescript place on the third floor of the Main Library, the Archives contains some of the most timeless pieces bearing the University’s cultural heritage.     University Archives Head Librarian Eimee Rhea Lagrama. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     “We are, to coin a term, the memory keeper of our University,” said Archives Head Librarian Eimee Rhea Lagrama. “What we have here are materials—paper-based for now—with cultural heritage, research, informational and historical value.”  As one might imagine of a place that contains everything, from a National Artist’s handwritten notes to the theses and dissertations of UP students, the protection of sensitive information is a pressing and constant priority. Sadly, even for a University that prides itself on its history, not many know about the contents of the Archives and, consequently, what to make of the information found therein.  So what kind of information does the Archives section contain, and what are the right steps to protect them?  Four sections  What might appear as a unitary section is actually divided into four. According to Lagrama they are: (a) the bindery/preservation section; (b) the UPiana (containing all UP publications) section; (c) University records; and, (d) the personal papers section. Inclusion in any of these is determined by the permanent value a document gains through the course of the University’s transactions, in addition to its specification under Republic Act No. 9470 or the National Archives Act.  Many visitors associate the Archives with either University records or the personal papers section. What distinguishes the two? According to Lagrama, University records are defined strictly as comprising of documents that are part of regular transactions (e.g., leave forms).  Personal papers, on the other hand, are explicit products of UP-associated persons, be they faculty, administrators or notable alumni. “I’ll give the example of Guillermo Tolentino,” Lagrama said. “He has personal papers with us. What exactly? Biographical information, legal documents. I think the death certificate is there, school records. Some of his drafts are also there.”  Sensitive and confidential  While Tolentino has long since passed, his case makes it easy to imagine how sensitive or confidential information might be included in the Archives relating to living people. Lagrama admits that there are some personal papers and University records that contain information that cannot be accessed by just anyone.  One basis they have for allowing access to personal papers is the actual donor’s request. “We have donors who do not want specific parts of their collections opened while they are alive. I also remember that we have a collection where even the owner’s passport was with us. Although he is long gone, we decided that for passports and other personal documents, we need to look if they are covered by data privacy and err on the side of caution.”  For University records, Lagrama and her staff are careful, especially when legal documents are included for cases still being disputed. “Usually they are related to the law or, for example, to cases filed against students and facylty. These are documents that we can’t just grant access to and we are very strict about that.”  Specific measures  Lagrama said that it might be a good idea to review their current collection to meet the University’s data privacy needs since, while the concept of data privacy is fairly new, their office has been collecting UP’s documents since it was founded in 1974. Personal collections as well as scholarly products might contain information that could prove risky to either their owners or research participants.  Luckily, at least for theses and dissertations, there exists Memorandum No. FRN 15-XXX issued in 2015 by UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD) Fidel Nemenzo. The Memorandum provides guidelines to mark their titles as containing: I: a patentable/registrable innovation; P: content that the author intends to publish personally; or, C: confidential information from a third party.  For studies marked as above, Lagrama said that the Archives gives the authors an embargo period of one year, which is renewable, to either publish, patent or delete the information in question before their work is made publicly available.  Thankfully, Lagrama noted that in many of the colleges, students do avail of, and even extend, the embargo period if necessary. She also added that there are current plans to extend the initial embargo to three or five years. For now, students can easily request for an extension when the time is up.     Photo by Jonathan M. Madrid, UP MPRO.     Institutional memory  Lagrama said the primary importance of a University Archives is, recalling George Santayana, to protect the history that helps people in the here-and-now to avoid repeating its mistakes. As the UP Main Library currently undergoes renovation, however, she and her colleagues hope to start a project focused explicitly on the future.  Lagrama believes that before the data privacy policy can be effectively exercised, offices in government should be well-versed in effective records management practices. It makes sense that before we protect the information we have, we should have a records retention and disposition schedule that helps everyone know what documents they should be keeping, who can access them, and how long they should be kept. Armed with an instrument that she helped design with one of her graduate students, Lagrama hopes to use the time available to her and her colleagues to strengthen record-keeping practices across UP.  Guiding others towards a better future is, of course, part of what makes the University Archives a beloved reflection of what UP stands for. Lagrama says, “Having this institutional memory instills in you a sense of identity. It gives you a better sense of who you are as a UP student and Filipino citizen, and at the same time of why we are here and where we are going.”     Get your FREE copy of the UP Forum magazine now. Please send an email to upforum@up.edu.ph or visit the UP Media and Public Relations Office at Room 6B, Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  You may access the digital copy here.  Published on: Nov 19, 2019 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and DOST-ASTI engineers prototype set-top box to help bridge education’s digital divide – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-dost-asti-engineers-prototype-set-top-box-to-help-bridge-educations-digital-divide/",
        "html": "UP and DOST-ASTI engineers prototype set-top box to help bridge education’s digital divide UP and DOST-ASTI engineers prototype set-top box to help bridge education’s digital divide December 9, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion        Video by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO        It would be safe to think, when skimming through recent news articles of his activities, that Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr.’s sights are set intently on space. While space does certainly preoccupy most of his thoughts as the director of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), a good number of his advocacies are much closer to earth. Indeed, together with his fellow UP experts and engineers, the 26-year veteran faculty member at UP Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) has his eyes set on a problem—the country’s digital divide that continues to be a thorn in the side of those whose efforts are on providing quality virtual education.     Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., director of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), explains during an interview the possibilities of the set-top box for the country’s educational sector. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     “Everybody is aware of the challenges we are facing in terms of delivering education to the people,” Marciano said. “Our young people need to get back to school—but they can’t. We need to deal with the lack of connectivity.”  According to Marciano, to fully realize the country’s goal to meet every student’s distance learning needs, it is necessary for the internet to be pervasive, which it currently is not. “How then do we deliver education and services if the Internet is still not that ubiquitous, many people are still unconnected, and there are communities that are still left unserved?”  As a complementary measure, Marciano and colleagues from the Department of Science and Technology’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), where he previously served as Director prior to moving to the PhilSA, are looking into adapting an emerging technology to reach the places that the Internet currently cannot. While some television networks have explored the possibilities of digital TV in providing quality entertainment to more people, they believe that the same medium can be maximized to serve the needs of students and teachers.     The powers of digital  In the Full Anechoic Chamber at the heart of the UP EEEI’s ULyS3ES building, Marciano’s small group of like-minded engineers demonstrate a prototype of what some TV networks have brought into a considerable number of our households: the set-top box. This device, which allows analogue televisions to receive digital broadcasts, has traditionally been used to provide exclusive programming from digital-only channels. As experts in wireless communication, however, Marciano and a team of engineers led by Mr. Calvin Artemies Hilario of the DOST-ASTI, are confident that these devices can do much more.  There are inherent advantages for TV broadcast to go digital, which can be leveraged for educational applications. Marciano mentions a few.  First is the fact that digital signals can be more robust. Unlike analogue TV broadcast, which is similar to traditional AM and FM radio, information in digital broadcasts is converted into ‘bits’ or binary digits, which can be more readily processed by computers. These bits can be computed on and stored to make the broadcast system more efficient and reliable.  “If your house is far away from the broadcast station, the signal that reaches you can be very weak and therefore prone to errors or distortion.” Marciano says. “The very nature of digital information means that computers can detect errors in the transmissions and also apply corrections to them.” Explaining the concept of the noise floor, or the threshold below which a communication signal cannot normally be picked up, he says that digital signals, even when badly degraded or noisy, can be fitted with protections that assure reliable reception.     Mr. Calvin Artemies Hilrario and Mr. Jean Jay Quitayen (sitting in front of the PC), both from the Solutions and Services Engineering Division of the DOST-ASTI, test the ability of the set-up box—the black gadget in the upper right corner of the cardboard box—to receive digital broadcast signals. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO.     Another distinct advantage is the way digital TV can send much more content than its analogue counterpart over the same channel. In the Philippines, TV stations broadcast over designated radio frequencies assigned by regulators and the width of this channel is 6 MegaHertz (or 6,000,000 Hz). This “bandwidth”, Marciano explains, is “analogous to the lanes in a road or highway and more efficient systems would be able to offer higher capacity, such as by handling more traffic or support higher speeds, for the same width of road”.  Using digital TV, a broadcaster can send multiple content simultaneously in one 6Mhz-wide channel, as opposed to only one content in the analogue TV system.  “If you are a digital TV station, you can accommodate up to six different content at the same time over one 6 MHz channel,” adds Mr. Hilario. “Whereas in analogue systems you would need six separate channels, which is inefficient.”  Anyone familiar with digital broadcasts also knows that audio and video can be more robustly represented in digital format. This means that potential students can access better quality images, which can come in handy in some areas of study.     In the Full Anechoic Chamber located in the UP ULyS3ES lobby, Mr. Calvin Artemies Hilario of the Solutions and Services Engineering Division of the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) tests the prototype of the set-top box attached to a PC. The device allows analogue television to receive interactive digital broadcasts. Photo by Jun Madrid, UPMPRO.     Datacasting and education  The possibility of sending supplemental information apart from the original audio and video broadcast content is the key that Marciano and his colleagues think can be a game-changer for Philippine higher education. In broadcasting parlance that function is called ‘datacasting’, and while foreign countries already use it, for example, to provide real-time sports data and information on-screen running in parallel with an actual game, it can be used to provide an element of interactivity that the traditionally unidirectional TV medium has been lacking when used for learning.  “Now imagine interacting with your TV via your remote,” he adds. Other countries, Marciano notes, already do this for channels like TV shopping, where you can use your remote to interact and purchase via your set-top box.  “So, set-top boxes can be two-way. This is prevalent in cable TV systems, but not in free-to-air broadcast.” he notes.  Marciano thinks educators can take advantage of datacasting and the possible return-path to create more interaction with students. The following diagram illustrates their current implementation, where datacasting is used to encode and “multiplex” text, files and other interactive content in the TV programming along with a return path that provides the means for obtaining feedback. For Marciano and his team, these features enable TV broadcast to deliver even richer information, foremost with distance education in mind.     Datacasting serves as an additional “pipe” for digital information that enriches TV broadcast content for education. Diagram from Dr. Marciano and Mr. Hilario.     He explains that the return path can be implemented in the set-top box by building basic capability such as SMS, for example. “In this return path, the data you’re sending back is really not that heavy,” he said, citing multiple choice questions and daily checkups as some things that can be responded to by students and transmitted back directly. “So, you are no longer just running a video. You can pick a time to send a question like, ‘are you ok?’ or some other questions that they can answer optionally.”  “With or without the Internet, we can also try to reach our audience via free-to-air digital TV. Digital information can reach them in one hop; we just have to be able to concentrate the content in one place—the TV station. It does not replace the Internet, but it can bridge and augment,” says Marciano. “And while TV has been used in education for a long time, let us not forget the features that digital TV has like datacasting that can enrich the experience of those watching your content. For educators, the challenge is to devise and construct content that takes advantage of that capability.”     Dr. Marciano during the testing of the set-up box protoype. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     Content need not always be synchronous, too. According to Marciano, their prototype also aims to take advantage of the fact that through datacasting, a broadcaster can transparently send other content in the background while the main TV program is being played. Some materials do not have to be consumed right away and can be stored in the set-top box to be accessed afterwards. “For education, datacasting can also provide a path for sending digital information to learners outside of what is being displayed immediately onscreen. It can come with advisories like, ‘after watching this broadcast, open this.’ Then you can press a special button in the remote and it will access other information in your set-top box and run it. So, it can be a file that can be displayed, or it can be a website or a form where you can answer a quiz, or additional offline video materials they can watch. That’s possible and we demonstrate it in our implementation.”  Depending on how they are made, set-top boxes can also come with recording features for broadcast programs and lectures. “You can store them in the hard drives of set-top boxes,” Marciano stresses. Depending on the size of the hard drive included in the box, students can run back lectures to review and check at their own leisure. “In our implementation, the box is practically a small computer with a built-in TV receiver and uses TV screen as a monitor. We can connect a keyboard and mouse to replace the remote control.”     An educator’s task  While highlighting the advantages of such a medium for education nationwide, Marciano is quick to note that it should be educators who must take up the challenge of creating content that will maximize the capabilities of digital TV.  “We’re more on the technology platform side,” he says. “We can tell them what the limits are, what they are able to do, and how to possibly implement the reverse channel going back.” The rest, he said, is up to a teacher’s needs and creativity.  Marciano also believes there is potential for digital TV to complement not just purely pedagogical pursuits but to support more general university functions. “For example, we wake up at 4 in the morning to bad weather and we are not sure if we should suspend classes,” he notes. “The decision perhaps becomes easier because we don’t need our students to physically come to the classroom, though that may be ideal.”     The little “mahiwagang” black box that can go a long way in helping educate Filipinos. Photo by Celeste Llaneta, UPMPRO.     Therefore, digital TV can serve as a far-reaching back-up system to keep classes on track in times of bad weather or many other sorts of disruptions. “Just tell everybody that there is a protocol in place that we may resort to when classes are suspended.” Hopefully, we would not have to deal with disruptive conditions of such scale, but if classes do need to be suspended, “it’s not going to be a difficult decision because of interventions like these.”  Marciano and his colleagues make it clear that they are not endorsing digital TV per se as a standard. “It is fundamentally about leveraging and innovating on the technology options we have at the moment. In areas where connectivity is unavailable, let us see what other available technologies like digital TV and satellites can do to bridge the gap,” he says. “These interventions are part of efforts to enable community networks to flourish in unserved areas in the country, which involves ensuring proper management and productive use of TV and radio frequencies. At the PhilSA, we support these initiatives through our space missions, specifically on measuring radio spectrum utilization, developing radio payloads and promoting communication satellites.”  Overall, as with all innovations, it will take an ecosystem to make the most out of it. Educators and broadcasters alike will have to work with engineers and policymakers to make it happen. Long has the country wrestled with the realities of making connections in an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. “With every island we have to lay down submarine cables, as we are connected either through wireless links or cables under the sea.”  Digital TV could be another tool in UP’s growing arsenal to accomplish its mandate and provide education to more people than ever before. “Let us say that UP in Miag-ao has a TV station, then you can extend the reach of that campus beyond the classroom, its teachers and students. How about the surrounding communities? You can reach them as well.”       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Cone snails: From lethal killers to medical marvels – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/cone-snails-from-lethal-killers-to-medical-marvels/",
        "html": "Cone snails: From lethal killers to medical marvels Cone snails: From lethal killers to medical marvels April 25, 2022 | Written by Franco Gargantiel and Celeste Llaneta   Ms. Iris Bea Ramiro, UP Chemistry alumna, and researcher at the University of Copenhagen, is out in the waters of Cebu in search of the cone snails that are at the center of her research. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  Who could imagine that something as small as cone snails, popular among shell collectors and tropical-themed jewelry makers for their intricately colored shells, is the key to a substantial medical breakthrough waiting to be unlocked?  Perhaps it is fitting that a young Filipino scientist, Iris Bea Ramiro, is next in line to reveal the biomedical potentials in these venomous sea snails commonly found in Philippine reefs and waters. Ramiro, a UP College of Science alumna, a researcher at the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI), and now a Ph.D. student and researcher at the University of Copenhagen Department of Biomedical Sciences in Denmark, is following in the footsteps of other internationally renowned Filipino scientists and UP alumni.  Read the full paper here.  A cone snail sitting in an aquarium. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  From toxin to medicine  Conus rolani, one of the two species of Asprella cone snails Ms. Ramiro studied. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  Over the past decades, scientists have reported that the toxins produced by cone snails (family Conidae) contain a unique component called conotoxins, which generate new kinds of painkillers and drugs to treat disease. But scientists have barely scratched the surface when it comes to exploring the biomedical potentials of the planet’s marine life, and the research continues.  Ramiro and her team conducted their study off the coast of Sogod, Cebu Province. They observed a deep water species of fish-hunting cone snails of the Asprella clade using a hunting method known as “ambush-and-assess.” This method involves the snail stinging its prey with its venom and waiting between one to three hours for its target to become sluggish and unable to counterattack, after which the snail moves in to finish the job. The method differed from the more widespread “taser-and-tether” technique, where cone snails use toxins to electrocute their prey rapidly; and the “net-hunting” strategy, where cone snails release venom into the water to knock the target insensible. The hours-long wait between the first strike to having a meal in the “ambush-and-assess” method struck Ramiro as unusual, leading her to investigate further by focusing on two species of Asprella cone snails, the Conus rolani and Conus neocostatus.  “No one in our lab was working on it at that time,” she said in the press release published by the University of Utah press. “I was just looking to identify any small peptide (chain of amino acids) from the venom of C. rolani that had unusual or interesting activity in mice.”  She discovered that the toxins Asprella cone snails use contain a peptide called Consomatin Ro1, which closely resembles the neuropeptide hormone somatostatin. Humans naturally produce somatostatin, which inhibits growth hormone secretion and cell production. It may be a possible treatment for cancer, diabetes, pain and inflammation, and endocrine disorders. Consomatin Ro1 resembles a drug analog or copy of somatostatin called octreotide, currently available under the brand name Sandostatin.  Ramiro at work. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  The critical difference is that Consomatin Ro1 is slow acting. Unlike human-produced somatostatin, which has only a half-life of one to three minutes, and octreotide, which has a half-life of 90 minutes after intravenous infusion, Consomatin Ro1 has a much longer half-life of more than 158 hours or more than six and a half days. (During a test involving Consomatin Ro1 in a plasma stability assay, somatostatin’s half-life was five and a half hours.) The peptide from Asprella cone snails can stick around much longer than somatostatin. On top of that, Consomatin Ro1 also functions the same way as somatostatin does. The human body has five somatostatin receptor subtypes that this peptide binds to activate its powers of hormone and cell growth inhibition. So far, Consomatin Ro1 appears to bind strongly to somatostatin receptor subtypes 1and 4, making it an effective compound.  “It has the potential to become a lead for pain treatment because two of those human receptors that the Consomatin targets are involved in pain. So that’s what we pursued and found it works,” Ramiro told Inverse Science writer Elana Spivack.  Sea snail-based neuropharmacology  Ramiro’s research builds upon the ever-growing field of neuropharmacology revolving around predatory sea snails, which scientists have described as “medical marvels”.  The key figures in this field include: University of Utah Distinguished Professor Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera, who earned his BS Chemistry degree from UP and was given an honorary Doctor of Science degree by his alma mater in 2008 in recognition of his accomplishments in marine drug research; and, Dr. Gisela P. Concepcion, UP MSI Professor Emeritus and former UP Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Concepcion, who led the UP MSI Marine Natural Products (MNP) Laboratory until her retirement, continued the research collaboration with Dr. Olivera, which started with her mentor, National Scientist, and UP MSI Professor Emeritus Lourdes J. Cruz, in the 1970s.  Dr. Concepcion served as Ramiro’s MS thesis adviser. Later, while researching Asprella cone snails, Ramiro went to the University of Utah to consult with Dr. Olivera.  UP Professor Emerita Gisela Padilla Concepcion and Ms. Ramiro during the dinner celebrating Ms. Ramiro’s graduation in 2017 after completing her MS degree. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  “For many years now, I have been building the Conoidean research capability of the UP MSI MNPLab by collaborating with Dr. Olivera,” Dr. Concepcion said in an interview with the UP MPRO. “Our research assistants and graduate students have been trained in his lab at the University of Utah, and we have succeeded in establishing critical technologies such as snail taxonomy, venom extraction, biochemical isolation, purification, characterization of peptides, peptide sequence determination, chemical synthesis and folding, and animal-, cell- and receptor-based neuroactivity testing. All of these are required to undertake snail venom research.”  The DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development has long since recognized the value of this research field for the country. It supports the UP MSI’s PharmaSeas Program, followed by the Marine Drug Discovery and Development Program. This support has enabled UP MSI scientists and researchers to publish their discoveries in international journals. Dr. Concepcion names at least four examples of UP MSI studies conducted by graduate students and research assistants she mentored on the peptides produced by various species of sea snails with potential application as painkillers.  As for Ramiro’s discovery of the compound in Asprella cone snails’ venom and its potential, Dr. Concepcion said they have already applied for an Invention Disclosure Incentive (IDI) from the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office of both UP Diliman and the UP System. Although the evaluation process takes time, both Ramiro and Dr. Concepcion noted the possibility of UP partnering with a private company to produce and market the drug.  “We can chemically synthesize sufficient peptide quantities for proof-of-concept studies in an animal pain model,” Dr. Concepcion said.  Press on and persevere  Ramiro grew up in Bohol, where anglers know how to find and catch the venomous cone snails. In an interview with the UP MPRO, she said she received encouragement and support while UP MSI’s MNP Lab was acquiring the equipment to do biochemical characterization of the peptides in the venom, which made for a bit of a slow start.  Ramiro and her fellow UP MSI lab teammates during the same graduation dinner in 2017. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  “I think UP has come a long way with new equipment and expertise helping fast-track some of our research,” she said. “I also had excellent lab mates, and we had good teamwork in the field and the lab. We supported each other with the different tasks.”  She also experienced good teamwork as a researcher at the University of Copenhagen. “We are fortunate to receive support and guidance from different research groups as we (my current lab) started experiments in this area.”  Nevertheless, the drudgework of scientific research is the same whether it is done in UP or elsewhere. “Sometimes experiments do not work. One tries the next week again,” Ramiro said philosophically. What keeps her going despite the failed experiments? “Thinking of the ‘why,’ the project’s goal, then aiming for it. Persevering through failures and having fun while doing it.”  Ramiro credits UP for equipping its students with the knowledge and fostering an environment where students are “encouraged to explore and learn from others, not just within the university but even collaborators outside UP. I think UP is well connected with other universities in the Philippines and abroad,” Ramiro noted.  The adventures of a young Pinoy scientist in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ramiro.  And as for the young Filipino researchers and graduate students, Ramiro encourages them to press on and persevere. “Experiments may not work the first time—or the nth time—but one has to try again. Learn as much as you can from others. I learned a lot from discussions with professors, lab mates and colleagues, and our collaborators.”  Then she added: “And as I learned from my recent class, have fun!”  Fascinated by the secret biomedical powers of cone snails and other Philippine marine animals? Learn more in these three educational videos by TVUP:  Dr. Ronie Calugay of the UP Baguio Biology Department on “Conotoxins”  Dr. Gisela Concepcion on “Marine Organisms from the Philippines”  Dr. Lourdes Cruz, “From Killer Snails to Biodiversity”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Filipino voters were engulfed in relentless stream of disinformation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/filipino-voters-were-engulfed-in-relentless-stream-of-disinformation/",
        "html": "Filipino voters were engulfed in relentless stream of disinformation Filipino voters were engulfed in relentless stream of disinformation May 11, 2022 | Written by Yvonne T. Chua, Maria Diosa Labiste and Felipe Jose Gonzales.    Filipino voters headed to the polls on Monday after months of being engulfed in a relentless and widening stream of falsehoods spewed out in multiple formats and platforms that is unprecedented in the country’s history.  Tsek.ph’s second and latest analysis tracked a high volume of multipronged and multiplatform attacks on selected targets using traditional media and communities of sharers on social media to circulate posts and false narratives.  It closely resembles what U.S.-based think tank Rand Corp. calls the “firehose of falsehood” strategy that is marked by “high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions.”  The strategy is also characterized by an outpouring of rapid, repetitive and indiscriminate topics coming from a volume of sources. Tsek.Ph partners noted that they have many times encountered the same false claims that have previously fact-checked, even long before the election season opened.  An extension project of the UP Office of the Vice President of Public Affairs and coordinated by the UP Journalism Department, Tsek.ph is a collaborative fact-checking initiative of 34 partners from academe, media and civil society for the May 9 elections. Apart from the University of the Philippines, it is also supported by Google News Initiative, Rakuten Viber, Meta, Meedan and the Embassy of Canada.  Tsek.ph’s first analysis released on Feb. 25 covered around 200 fact checks published from November 2021 to early February, shortly before the campaign period kicked off on Feb. 8. The second analysis covers 685 fact checks published until the end of April, or nine days before the elections.  The firehose strategy of disinformation, which was already observed beginning February, is even more pronounced in the succeeding weeks as if disinformation operations were on a last-ditch effort before election day.  Most Targeted Candidates  Leni Robredo and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remain the primary targets of disinformation in the presidential race as are their running mates Francis Pangilinan and Sara Duterte in the vice presidential contest. The focus on the two tandems is significant because it reflects high political polarization.   What is even more significant is how supporters of the Marcos-Duterte tandem have succeeded in further boosting narratives in their favor through an increase in the volume of negative messages against Robredo.  As of April 30, 92% of fact checks about Marcos were false or misleading information in his favor. The proportion of debunked false claims praising Duterte was even higher at 95%. On the other hand, 96% of disinformation targeting Robredo was negative. Pangilinan consistently received negative messaging among the fact-checked claims since November.  Negative messaging refers to claims that malign their targets while positive messaging denotes claims praising their targets. Both positive and negative messaging convey sentiments ranging from approval, support, contempt and ridicule, to attempts to deny and justify wrongdoing.   The issues on competence and character were mainly raised against Robredo and hardly against Marcos. For example, Robredo’s relief assistance for typhoon victims, her anti-poverty project, and her stint as public interest lawyer were derided. She was also accused of bribing people to attend her rallies.  Marcos, meanwhile, received credit for things he had little or nothing to do with, including bills and laws, while incredulous claims padded his personal and political performance.  Targeting Institutions  An array of false claims have targeted noncandidates and institutions associated with the candidates. For example, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., his widow Imelda and daughter Imee were featured overwhelmingly in a positive light. Three-fourths of the claims intended for President Rodrigo Duterte were also positive. Mention of these noncandidates was intended to boost the Marcos-Duterte tandem as they are supposed to bask on their fathers’ achievements and legacies.  The negative messaging that the media received partly stemmed from complaints of Marcos Jr.’s camp that their sorties were either ignored or not wholly reported by the media. The fact checks on the Commission on Elections were the claims about possible cheating and poll irregularities, some of which were blamed on Robredo, even without basis. The claims obviously came from the camp of Marcos, as they often recalled his defeat in the vice presidential race in 2016.  The fact checks since February saw the proliferation of information that tends to sow confusion in the conduct of voting which could undermine the results of the election. These claims include a scenario of chaos with a Robredo victory. The false claims against the Comelec in the 2016 election and the foregoing scenario in Monday’s elections unite around the theme of stolen elections, which Marcos Jr. and his supporters have been spouting on social media.  The Catholic Church, whose bishops, clergy and lay organizations have endorsed Robredo and Pangilinan, may have been less targeted than the media, but the messaging was entirely negative. However, other religious organizations that support Marcos and Duterte were mostly spared from disinformation attacks.  The inclusion of Comelec, media and the Catholic Church as targets of disinformation is telling. If the public has little confidence in these institutions, the electoral process would be less credible because these institutions play crucial roles on election day.  The attacks on the Aquino family also remain unabated. A TikTok video slammed the decision of Marcos’ successor, President Corazon Aquino, to mothball the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant as a case of putting politics first before the country’s welfare. The truth, however, is that Aquino decided against the operation of the nuclear power plant for public health and safety reasons as well as the fraud and corruption charges that plagued the project.  The accomplishments of Aquino and her son, President Benigno Aquino III, were also downplayed. Critics accused them of only erecting monuments in their supposed combined term of more than 30 years. However, the Aquinos, who separately served six years each as president, have had many economic accomplishments. By discrediting the Aquinos, the false claims try to project the dictator Marcos and his son as the better leaders.   Crowd Sizes and Endorsements  The crowd-drawing capacity of Robredo-Pangilinan in their rallies has been subject to disinformation. The claims doubted the credibility of crowd estimates of the rallies, which often run into tens of thousands and presented through aerial drone shots. Supporters of Marcos and Duterte were skeptical about the reliability of drone photography whereas supporters of Robredo and Pangilinan embraced the technology that shows the growth of their grassroots backers.  Endorsements are among the political tactics to win over votes and they involve celebrities, political figures, powerful groups and pop culture icons. Endorsements are meant to create public opinion and media events.  However, this show of support for candidates became a source of disinformation. For example, claims that American pop star Beyonce and K-Pop BTS and supporting Marcos were tagged false. So were claims of support for Marcos Jr. from President Duterte, Mar Roxas and Robredo. A newspaper also inaccurately reported that 90% of governors support Marcos.  Red-tagging/Red-baiting  Red-tagging is a form of disinformation that alleges a connection between some candidates and the clandestine Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) that is fighting the government for more than fifty years. While unfounded, red-baiting continues to be an issue against Robredo and Pangilinan.  Claims that Robredo and Pangilinan were advised by CPP-NPA founder Jose Maria Sison and that Robredo’s daughter Aika and Pangilinan’s wife, Sharon Cuneta, confirmed such connection were among those debunked by fact checkers.  Robredo has challenged the red-baiting tactics at the time when her sorties and rallies were drawing huge crowds and had benefited from endorsements from various political groups, including those that were also red-tagged.  Red-tagging the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem is meant to demonize their group by presenting them as undesirable and evil. The demonization could widen political polarization and prevent the undecided voters from considering the tandem because they are falsely associated with the insurgents.  Many of the visual forms of red-tagging were not subjected to fact checks because they offer conjectures and expressed resentment, which are framed to outwit verification.  Agents of Disinformation  The sources and agents of claims that were fact-checked as either disinformation (false information intended to cause harm) and misinformation (erroneous and inaccurate information) are most social media users with partisan views. Candidates contributed 12% percent of the total claims in the form of statements given at debates, press conferences, rallies and other public gatherings.   Facebook is the primary platform used for political campaigning, but at the same time it is also where most false claims are conspicuously found. However, disinformation over Facebook is interlinked with those of other social media platforms. This means that Facebook either functions as the source or a repeater of inaccurate claims.  TikTok, a younger platform, now plays a crucial role in pushing false or misleading election-related claims. In Tsek.ph’s February analysis, only 7% of the fact-checked claims came from the video-sharing app. Its share has climbed to 13% in the latest analysis and is tied in second spot with YouTube after Facebook.  Crossposting has also risen, with 29% of fact-checked claims now appearing in two or more platforms.   The ease with which false or misleading claims can range the social media platforms has helped increase the audience’s chances of encountering disinformation, especially so when many of the claims were repeated claims or variations of the same. The repeated false claims continue to elicit interaction from social media users because either they support such views or their familiarity with those views led to their eventual acceptance.  Photos are still the most popular forms of political messaging on social media (42% of fact-checked claims), but claims contained in video have grown and account for 40% in the latest analysis compared to 32% in February.   Coordinated Behavior  Agents of disinformation do not operate in relative isolation. They attract people to join networks of disinformation that function as spreaders of large volume of false content.  Coordinated behavior was observed in the number of groups that share a single false claim, giving the impression that the claim has multiple sources. This would make the claim appear believable because of the sheer interest conveyed by various sources.  Available data show that three in five fact-checked claims circulated in more than 50 Facebook pages and groups. A big majority (84%) of the claims generated total interactions (likes, shares, comments) exceeding 1,000.  For example, a video of a priest’s homily spliced together with clips of Marcos Jr.’s campaign rallies to make it seem he was speaking in favor of the former senator elicited more than 5.1 million interactions, making it among the top five claims with the most interactions.   Among the rampant claims that were fact-checked were those that insinuate that Marcos Jr. might lose again by cheating. His supporters have echoed his statement that he lost to Robredo in 2016 because he was cheated despite a Supreme Court ruling dismissing his allegation.  Up to the eve of the elections, the claim of a repeat of the 2016 election cheating circulates on social media, suggesting that the certainty of Marcos’ victory could be thwarted by electoral fraud blamed on Robredo. The insinuation of poll irregularities could cast doubts on the integrity of Comelec and the electoral system.  This feature story was contributed by Tsek.ph. It is written by Yvonne T. Chua, Maria Diosa Labiste and Felipe Jose Gonzales. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Connecting the unconnected: It takes a village to build a Bayanihanet – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/connecting-the-unconnected-it-takes-a-village-to-build-a-bayanihanet/",
        "html": "Connecting the unconnected: It takes a village to build a Bayanihanet Connecting the unconnected: It takes a village to build a Bayanihanet August 11, 2021 | Written by Dr. Roel Ocampo    On August 4, 2021, in the middle of an afternoon of unsettled weather and a silently raging pandemic, a small team from a project named CONNECT—Cable Operators Neutral Network Exchange for Community Transformation, rushed to beat the National Capital Region’s impending lockdown just two days away. With an imperceptible click of one end of a cable, an indicator lit up, signaling the completion of a 24,000-meter optical path on which two wavelengths of light each transported 1 billion bits per second in opposite directions inside a single glass fiber around the size of a strand of human hair. There were no high-fives, not in this era of health protocols and distancing. Just a feeling of relief, because that same link had refused to work two days earlier due to fussy equipment. The barangay hall along Laguna Lake in Binangonan, Rizal, was finally online.  The CONNECT team at Barangay Kalinawan. Photo by Karisse Villanueva, CONNECT project staff  According to the residents of Barangay Kalinawan (population: 2,062), a mere 30 kilometers southeast of Quezon City, they had never enjoyed permanent high-speed connectivity before. Several entities had surveyed the area over the years with the intention of erecting telecommunications towers, but none of those efforts eventually translated into continuous and pervasive Internet connectivity for residents.  Getting Kalinawan online is part of the community networks component of the CONNECT project. But what do community networks have to do with a project whose title includes “cable operators” and a “neutral network exchange”?  There are several hundred cable TV operators in the country and they’re everywhere, some in areas where you can’t get a good mobile signal, much less decent 4G Internet connectivity on your phone. The smaller, local ones tend to build closer relationships with their subscribers in much the same way you are more likely to know the owner of your suking tindahan than even catch a glimpse of the owners of SM Megamall. Some operators even still go house-to-house to collect subscription payments, or at least they used to, before the pandemic hit.  Map showing location of Barangay Kalinawan.  The ties that bind small cable operators to their subscriber base are not only business or social relationships. They are also literally physically linked together. Cable operators, whether small, medium or large, all have this in common: physical connectivity to their subscribers.  Having infrastructure and subscribers even in areas where telco-based Internet connectivity is poor make cable operators a promising strategic force in bridging the digital divide. The rise in popularity of online video services, the precipitous drop in traditional cable TV subscriptions, and the surge in demand for general Internet service especially during the pandemic—all these mean that cable operators, especially the small- and medium-sized ones, need to quickly transform business models and technical capabilities and shift to providing Internet access and other services on top of it. There is both a push and pull for it. This is one aspect of the “community transformation” in the CONNECT project title.  CONNECT Project connecting a fishing village to the internet. Photo by Karisse Villanueva, CONNECT project staff  The other aspect of “community transformation” has to do with residential communities themselves. Instead of depending solely on commercial service providers to set up telecommunications facilities and infrastructure, ordinary citizens can set up, operate and manage their own local community networks. This model has been used with varying degrees of success all over the world, such as in Central and South America, Europe, and even in the US. One very successful example is guifi.net, which has around 37,000 active nodes mostly in Catalonia, Spain and in nearby areas. Such an approach is certainly worth considering in the Philippines.  A local community network in itself can provide many things, such as much needed local communications during a pandemic. In Kalinawan, teachers who need to keep printing and distributing course materials and modules eagerly await, if not press for their elementary school to get connected next. A community network can be used to support local CCTV for peace and order needs, or to integrate sensors for disaster resilience, smart farming, or environmental protection. Local networks do not automatically provide Internet access, but make it easier and cost-effective for commercial providers to come in and open new markets where they have no infrastructure. More importantly, it will allow cable operators, especially the small- and medium-sized ones with limited capex funds, to easily sell Internet access either in bulk, or individually to residents by riding on top of (and consequently paying back for the use of) the local community-owned infrastructure. Either way, both sides win.  Community transformation. Telmarc Cable has set its sights not only on the transformation of the cable TV business, but on the sector’s role in transforming communities and society as well. Photo by Karisse Villanueva, CONNECT project staff  We first met with cable TV operator and CONNECT partner Telmarc Corporation sometime in 2016, after having been introduced by Engr. Alfonso ‘Tito’ Aliga Jr of the UP Engineering R&D Foundation, Inc. Our conversations with Telmarc CEO Edgardo Paynor and his sons Tyrone and Kevin soon turned to stimulating discussions on ideas like enabling teacher-sharing by interconnecting K-12 schools. We quickly brought in DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), a longtime collaborator that operates the national research and education network  PREGINET, as well as collaborators from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), with whom we worked in an earlier DOST PCIEERD-funded community networks research program called Bayanihanets. After an unsuccessful grant application with another funding organization and subsequent rethinking of our approach, our group applied to the 2nd Call for Proposals for the Asi@Connect Project in November 2017. Asi@Connect is funded by the European Union and Asian partners, and managed by the TEIN Cooperation Center in Seoul, Korea. In February 2018, we were informed that our application was accepted, and in January 2019 the project officially commenced.     Installing the network. Photo by Karisse Villanueva, CONNECT project staff  More than two years later, and with the significant added burden of moving things forward in the midst of a crippling pandemic, CONNECT’s more tangible deliverables have begun to emerge. Two days before the Kalinawan link activation, we turned up the “neutral network exchange” component of the project at the Telmarc operations center in Taytay, Rizal. More technically known as an Internet exchange point (IXP), this aims to promote local interconnectivity and data exchange between cable TV operators by offering an open and neutral ‘meeting point’ for their respective networks. To draw an analogy: an IXP is like having either a service road or common intersection directly connecting multiple gated subdivisions. You don’t need to traverse the expressway and pay toll fees just to get to a neighboring subdivision. Local traffic stays local. Having an IXP for cable operators will not only dramatically reduce the time it takes for traffic from one cable operator to get to the next (the ‘end-to-end delay’), but it will also translate to financial savings by avoiding the use of expensive international links. As an added bonus, the CONNECT IXP in Telmarc can also serve as a “feeder point” where Internet bandwidth can be supplied to an interconnected community network such as the nascent one in Kalinawan.  CONNECT’s IXP is an effort co-led by a cable operator for cable operators, but it is by no means for the exclusive use of the sector. Any Internet service provider or network operator, even community network operators, should be able to join in the future. Nor is it the first for the cable industry. The Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association operates its own IXP, called the PCTA IX. We believe that CONNECT’s IXP is not a competing effort but rather a complementary one. More IXP locations will mean that it will be easier and cheaper for even small and medium network operators to physically connect and join. As a rough analogy, it’s like having more domestic airports with direct flights in between so that you’re more likely to be close to an airport on average, and you’re likely to get a direct flight to your desired destination.  CONNECT’s IXP also tries to bring in new technologies and architectural concepts for Internet exchanges. It uses software-defined networking (SDN) and artificial intelligence as technology components for the next generation of IXPs. This is where some of the more advanced research contributions and resources from CONNECT and other initiatives like the CHED-funded PCARI Scalable Community Access Networks (SCAN) and PCARI PRIME programs are poured in; and it is also where our partners CLSU and ASTI are also heavily involved. In early 2019 we set up the Science City of Munoz Internet Exchange or SCIMIX, an experimental IXP facility located in the CLSU campus in Munoz, Nueva Ecija. SCIMIX is primarily aimed at interconnecting R&D and educational institutions in the area with network operators including local cable operators. Experimental components and approaches planned for the CONNECT IXP in Telmarc undergo real-world testing first in SCIMIX.  Currently, SCIMIX interconnects the Central Luzon State University, the Philippine Carabao Center, and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization. We hope to soon interconnect the Philippine Rice Research Institute, the DOST Provincial S&T Center, and Munoz Cable. A 2 Gbps link provided by PREGINET interconnects SCIMIX with PhOpenIX, the official government IXP, in Quezon City.  Inception. Initial meeting of SCIMIX stakeholders in August 2018. Photo from Dr. Roel Ocampo.  Even after two years of work, Kalinawan is still just the beginning. There are four other barangays we are committed to connect either within or outside the formal duration of the CONNECT project. Sustainability is of course a major concern. To be optimistic, we’ve already received expressions of interest from civic organizations to help with expansion and sustainability, and to explore the possibility of organizing users into registered cooperatives. We will also be seeking support not only from research or developmental grant opportunities, but also from government programs like DICT’s Free WiFi initiative. We would be more than happy to propagate the Free WiFi “signal” (SSID) on around 100 more publicly-accessible WiFi access points to be deployed under CONNECT.  Balancing act. John Robert Mendoza, ASTI Senior Science Research Specialist and PhD candidate at UP Diliman, maintains his balance as he installs network cabling. CONNECT will engage, enable and empower communities to set up local networks, but ultimately the communities will have to own, operate, govern, and sustain the infrastructure and services. The nature and degree of CONNECT’s involvement in this process is a balancing act we continue to study and learn. Photo by Karisse Villanueva, CONNECT project staff  Ultimately, sustainability will depend on the communities themselves. An IXP is only an IXP if you have active and connected members who use, benefit from, and govern it. A community network by definition has to be cooperatively owned, used, operated and governed by the community itself. These were among ideas put forward in 2016 by then PhD student and now colleague Isabel Montes-Austria, who theorized that local community networks could leverage the bayanihan social tradition, as well as in Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom’s guiding principles for the management of commons. That work, supported by DOST PCIEERD, ended in 2017 but continues to guide our work today not only with community networks but in IXP design.  At a conference in Brazil back in 2016, after I presented some of our work on how local bayanihanets might be designed and operated, Roger Baig Viñas of guifi.net came up to me and said: “Concepts like common pool resources and Ostrom, these seem to be very clear to you. You are building your system based on it. . . . It took us years to figure it out.” Five years later, we’re not really sure about things being very clear to us, but we’re willing to try, fail, learn, and build. We have no illusions of building all of these ourselves. Our mission is to engage, enable and empower. Community networks should be by the community, for the community. Like the task of raising a child in the African proverb: it will take a village to build a bayanihanet.  Kalinawan is now online. Photo by Roel Ocampo, UPDEEI.  The Asi@Connect Project is funded by the European Union and Asian partners, and is managed by the TEIN Cooperation Center (TEIN*CC) based in Seoul, Korea. More information may be found at the Asia@sConnect website.  Authored by Dr. Roel Ocampo, a faculty member at the UPD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, and the Principal Investigator of the Asi@Connect-supported CONNECT project    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pagtatapos 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pagtatapos-2023/",
        "html": "Pagtatapos 2023  It’s time for the UP Class of 2023!  The month of July signals the start of graduation season for a majority of the University of the Philippines (UP) System. Grad photos have been taken. Outfits already chosen. The UP sablay ready to be draped over the right shoulder and later shifted to the left.  This year, UP commencement exercises will kick off at both the northernmost and southernmost constituent universities (CUs).UP Baguio and UP Mindanao will get the ball rolling on July 18.  UP Visayas then picks it up on July 20 with the ceremony at its Miagao campus.  UP Cebu will make it a back-to-back affair by holding its graduation ceremony on July 21.  Fast forward to July 25 and it will be UP Tacloban College’s turn—its first as a newly-elevated autonomous unit under the Office of the President.  Five days later, July 30, UP Diliman and its trademark sunflower blooms take center stage.  Then it will be festive at the foothills of Mt. Makiling with the UP Los Baños graduation on August 5.  Closing the series is the CU with the campus where the University began. UP Manila will hold its commencement exercises on August 7.  Details on each CU graduation below. Please visit this page for updates.  The graduating class of 2019 of the University of the Philippines Baguio light up candles for the Ritwal ng Pagtatanglaw. This unique tradition goes back the 1960s when UP Baguio was an arts and sciences college of UP Diliman. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  UP Mindanao – July 18  University of the Philippines Mindanao was the first to hold its graduation rites among the UP System constituent universities this year. The CU held its ceremonies on July 18, Tuesday, at 7:00 AM. This was held at the Atrium of the Administration Building, UP Mindanao campus, Mintal, Davao City. This was the 25th Commencement Exercises for UP Min.  The Guest Speaker for this year was UP alumnus and the President and General Manager of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc., Mr. Ronald Mascariñas. Meluzvia Marie Amora, Bachelor of Science in Food Technology, summa cum laude, will delivered the response of the graduates in her valedictory speech.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Mindanao Commencement Exercises  UP Baguio – July 18  University of the Philippines Baguio also held its graduation ceremonies on July 18, but at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was held at the Cordillera Convention Hall, Baguio Country Club, Baguio City. This year’s graduating class was composed of 440 undergraduate and doctorate candidates for graduation from three colleges. The attendees included graduates for Academic Year 2021-2022, and first and second semester of Academic Year 2022-2023.  Among this year’s graduating class were 271 honor graduates and one graduating as summa cum laude. Jef Mitzel B. Paran, Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences 2023, summa cum laude, delivered the valedictory address. National Scientist Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz was this year’s Commencement Speaker.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Baguio Commencement Exercises  UP Visayas – July 20  University of the Philippines Visayas held its 44th Commencement Exercises on July 20, Thursday, at 8:00 AM, at the UP Visayas Miagao Campus. The graduating class was composed of 779 candidates—744 from UPV Iloilo and 35 from UPV Tacloban College. The batch was led by three who are graduating summa cum laude; 100, magna cum laude; and 297 cum laude.  Former Department of Education Undersecretary,  Dr. Dina Joana S. Ocampo, was this year’s Commencement Speaker. Mary Manuelita B. Tan, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, summa cum laude, delivered a response on behalf of the graduating class. The other summa cum laude graduates of UP Visayas are Stephen Caro H. Areño, who is earning a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, and Benreo Rex N. Rembulat, Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Visayas Commencement Exercises  Wearing their Sablay, graduating students in UP Los Baños cheer their fellow Iskolar ng Bayan during the 2019 Commencement Exercises. The Sablay is the official academic costume of the University, worn only by graduates in formal academic functions. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     UP Cebu – July 21  University of the Philippines Cebu held its graduation rites on July 21, Friday, 3:30 PM at the UP Cebu Campus Grounds, Cebu City. This was UP Cebu’s 84th Commencement Exercises. Leading this year’s graduating class was Edsel Suhayon Codoy,  who earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, summa cum laude. He gave the valedictory address. He is the second student to have received the summa cum laude honor since UP Cebu became a UP constituent university in 2016  UP Cebu’s Commencement Speaker was former Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and UP alumna, Atty. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Cebu Commencement Exercises  UP Tacloban – July 25  The UP System’s sole autonomous college, University of the Philippines Tacloban College, held its 45th Commencement Exercises on July 25, Tuesday, 3:43 PM, at the UP Tacloban AS Grounds. This year’s graduating class was composed of 303 total graduates for Academic Year 2022-2023, with 34 for the first semester and 268 for the second semester. One hundred and seventy-eight students graduated with honors, with 13 graduating magna cum laude and 165 cum laude.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Tacloban Commencement Exercises  UP Diliman – July 30  Meanwhile in Quezon City, University of the Philippines Diliman held its graduation rites on July 30, Sunday, 7:00 AM at the UPD Amphitheater. This was UP Diliman’s 112th Commencement Exercises.  The Commencement Speaker for this year is UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, who is a labor lawyer and authority on global worker migration. Representing the Class of 2023, Jessie Malibiran, Jr., Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (BA-MA Honors Program), talked about living up to the University’s motto of Honor and Excellence in everyday life.  Click here to watch UP President Angelo A. Jimenez’s speech to the graduates of UP Diliman  UP Los Baños – August 5  University of the Philippines Los Baños held its 51st Commencement Exercises on August 5, 4:00 PM, at the UPLB Copeland Gymnasium, UPLB Campus, Los Baños, Laguna.  National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, a UPLB alumnus, was commencement speaker, who used his life and career experience to impart a lesson to the graduating class. Jenel Justo, BS Computer Science summa cum laude, was UPLB Class of 2023 valedictorian.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Los Baños Commencement Exercises  UP Manila – August 7  The University of the Philippines Manila held its 114th Commencement Exercises on 7 August 2023, Monday, 7:00 AM.  With the theme, “Talino, Galing, at Puso Tungo sa Kalusugang Pangkalahatan”, Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, professor and Chancellor of UP Manila, served as commencement speaker. She conveyed ten important lessons based on her experiences as a pediatrician, geneticist, and proponent and pioneer of the country’s newborn screening program and the Philippine Genome Center.  Mr. Ivanne Joepert A. Idorot, the summa cum laude from BS Biology, delivered the valedictory address on behalf of Class 2023.  Click here to view the highlights video of the UP Manila Commencement Exercises  UP Open University – December 16  With its graduation scheduled for December 16, 2023, the University of the Philippines Open University will be the last constituent university of the UP System to hold its commencement exercises.     The sunflowers bloom in anticipation of the graduation season in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The planting and blossoming of the flowers have become part of the traditions of the University. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Advisory on UP Video Conferencing Tools – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/advisory-on-up-video-conferencing-tools/",
        "html": "Advisory on UP Video Conferencing Tools Advisory on UP Video Conferencing Tools June 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines System has encountered some challenges in procuring the renewal of the video conferencing platform.  However, the UP System Procurement Office (UPPO) is continuously working on the options for the possible continuation of the platform.  Following the advice of the Information Technology Development Center (ITDC), here are various alternative free and available video conferencing tools that may be used:  Google Meet (with a maximum meeting duration of 24 hours) MS Teams (with a maximum meeting duration of 24 hours) Webex (with a maximum meeting duration of 40 minutes)  We encourage our constituents to explore the above-mentioned options while waiting for the next announcements. Thank you for your continued support.  Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs UP Information Technology Development Center UP Procurement Office "
    },
    {
        "title": "Renewal of Video Conferencing Services at the University of the Philippines System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/renewal-of-video-conferencing-services-at-the-university-of-the-philippines-system/",
        "html": "Renewal of Video Conferencing Services at the University of the Philippines System Renewal of Video Conferencing Services at the University of the Philippines System July 7, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines System is pleased to announce the renewal of our video conferencing services through the System Procurement unit. This decision is based on the end-user request of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), along with the consensus reached by the Presidential Advisory Committee in consultation with the OVPAA, the Office of the Vice President for Development  (OVPD) / Information Technology Development Center (ITDC), and the System’s Digital Transformation Adviser.  We have chosen to renew our service contract with Zoom Communications, our current videocon provider, to ensure the continuity of our video conferencing services. The contract term for this renewal will be for nine months, from July 8, 2023, until April 8, 2024. This duration will complete the standard 1-year contract after the recent 3-month extension.  We strongly encourage all university community members to continue using the video conferencing platform to its full potential. Please take advantage of all the functions and features it offers to ensure uninterrupted communication and collaboration for both educational and administrative purposes. By renewing our commitment to video conferencing services, we aim to provide a seamless and efficient virtual environment that supports the needs of our academic community.  UP users are still advised to use alternative video conferencing tools, such as Google Meet, MS Teams, and Webex. To know more about these alternatives, please click this link: https://bit.ly/VideoConTools  If you need further assistance, please file a support ticket with the UP System ICT Support at https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/  We appreciate your cooperation, and we look forward to a productive and successful academic year.  Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs UP Information Technology Development Center UP Procurement Office "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP moves up in QS World University Rankings – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-moves-up-in-qs-world-university-rankings/",
        "html": "UP moves up in QS World University Rankings UP moves up in QS World University Rankings June 28, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc          The University of the Philippines (UP) is steadily climbing in the roster of the world’s best universities, according to the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. UP has gone from the top 44 percent universities in the 2016 rankings to the top 27 percent in the 2024 rankings.  Data from the latest QS World rankings shows that with outstanding scores in terms of its reputation among employers and global academics, and employment outcomes of its graduates, UP also moved up in rankings from 412th out of qualified 1,422 institutions in the 2023 rankings to 404th out of 1,503 qualified institutions in the 2024 rankings.     Source: QS World University Rankings 2024: University of the Philippines factfile     Being in the top 27 percent means that UP has surpassed more than 73 percent of all the ranked institutions. In the rankings of the previous year, it surpassed 71 percent.  In the Philippines, UP remains the number one institution, surpassing four others in terms of “academic reputation”, “employer reputation”, “faculty-student ratio”, “international research network”, and “sustainability”.     Source: QS World University Rankings 2024: University of the Philippines factfile     “Employer reputation is our strongest indicator this year,” the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs said. “Employer reputation evaluates the perceptions of global employers, through a survey, on which institutions are providing the most job-ready graduates”  Among world universities, UP ranked 136th in employer reputation, 57 places higher than in the previous rankings. In terms of a new indicator, employment outcomes or the impact of graduates in their chosen fields, UP is ranked 213th. UP also rose 12 places in academic reputation, now ranking 250th.  Source: QS World University Rankings 2024: University of the Philippines factfile     UP also placed high, 370th, in another new indicator: sustainability or the social and environmental impact of universities as centers of education and research.  Still above median in the new indicator of international research network, UP ranked 685th.  Source: QS World University Rankings 2024: University of the Philippines factfile     The University Philippines System is composed of eight constituent universities and one autonomous college located in 17 campuses throughout the whole country. With more than 50,000 students, 6,000 faculty members, and close to 10,000 administrative, research, extension, and professional staff, UP offers 563 undergraduate and graduate programs.  Recognizing recent shifts of universities from the traditional priorities of academic institutions, the QS World University Rankings this year adopted a new methodology which they believe will highlight what they perceive as “the changing needs and expectations of students, society and globe.”  The 2024 QS World University Rankings ranks universities through nine “performance lenses” with corresponding weights: (1) academic reputation, 30 percent; (2) citations per faculty, 20 percent; (3) employer reputation, 15 percent; (4) employer outcomes, 5 percent; (5) faculty-student ratio, 10 percent; (6) international faculty, 5 percent; (7) international research network, 5 percent; (8) international students, 5 percent; and (9) sustainability, 5 percent.     Source: QS World University Rankings 2024: University of the Philippines factfile  Additional reference: institutional press release provided by QS for UP "
    },
    {
        "title": "Update on Google Workspace Storage Utilization – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/update-on-google-workspace-storage-utilization/",
        "html": "Update on Google Workspace Storage Utilization Update on Google Workspace Storage Utilization July 17, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University has received numerous requests to reconsider the setting of the maximum storage capacity for each user under the Google Workspace for Education (GWE) subscription.  The University is suspending, until further notice, the implementation of the maximum Google storage capacity as previously announced.  The UP community can be assured that there is no danger that their files will be lost after the previously set cutoff date of July 15, 2023.  The University will work on how to address the storage utilization properly. Rest assured that we will inform all community members of any development regarding this matter. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Work and class suspensions for the National Capital Region on July 24 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/work-and-class-suspensions-for-the-national-capital-region-on-july-24work-and-class-suspensions-for-the-national-capital-region-on-july-247367-2/",
        "html": "Work and class suspensions for the National Capital Region on July 24 Work and class suspensions for the National Capital Region on July 24 July 22, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Malacañang suspends work and classes for July 24, Monday, in the National Capital Region. The suspension is in anticipation of the probable effects of Typhoon ‘Egay’ and the scheduled 72-hour transport strike.  Please read the full memorandum below, as shared by the Presidential Communications Office.  𝐏𝐁𝐁𝐌 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐠𝐨𝐯’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐂𝐑 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐠𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲  To ensure the safety of the public from the effects of typhoon ‘Egay’ and to alleviate the effects of the scheduled 72-hour transport strike, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the suspension of classes and work in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday.  “In view of the forecasted inclement weather brought about by Typhoon ‘Egay’ and the scheduled seventy-two (72)-hour transport strike in Metro Manila, work in government offices and classes in public schools at all levels in the National Capital Region are hereby suspended on 24 July 2023,” a memorandum circular dated July 21 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stated.  Executive Secretary Bersamin, however, clarified that government agencies that are involved in the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services shall continue with their operations and render the necessary services.  The Executive Secretary also clarified that the suspension of work for private companies and classes in private schools is left to the discretion of their respective heads. *[PND]*  Source: Presidential Communications Office on Facebook "
    },
    {
        "title": "All in accordance with the law – UP refutes COA’s claim of “questionable investment undertaking”   – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/all-in-accordance-with-the-law-up-refutes-coas-claim-of-questionable-investment-undertaking/",
        "html": "All in accordance with the law – UP refutes COA’s claim of “questionable investment undertaking”   All in accordance with the law – UP refutes COA’s claim of “questionable investment undertaking”   July 27, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) has refuted the Commission on Audit’s (COA) claim that UP allegedly made questionable investment undertakings totaling P15.055 billion by citing the principle of fiscal autonomy granted to the national university under Republic Act 9500 or the UP Charter of 2008.  In response to the COA’s claims, as stated in an article published by The Philippine Star on July 25, 2023, UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Balmores said that funds received by the University, such as through the 2022 General Appropriations Act, are utilized for intended projects and purposes.  In cases where the funds are received prior to the time that required disbursements for the University’s projects, programs, and activities need to be made, the University places them in short-term placements as part of good stewardship of funds and as a way to ensure that these funds are made readily available at the time these are required to be disbursed. Moreover, all income earned from such investments is also used for or in support of educational purposes.  This practice, Balmores stressed, is well in accordance with RA 9500, particularly with Section 24, which deals with managing the national university’s funds. Sec. 24 (c), in fact, states: “The independent trust committee shall provide the Board with direction on appropriate investments with the view to preserving the value of funds while allowing the University to earn a reasonable return thereon.”  “Based on Section 24 of RA 9500, the University crafted an Investment Policy Statement approved by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) on 29 April 2015,” Balmores said. She added that the 2022 COA audit report cited in the Star article recognizes that most investment placements of the University are short-term in nature, that is, with a maturity period of less than one-year maturity, and that these are in the form of government bonds and securities and high-yield short term time deposits. None of these funds are placed in speculative investments.  Aside from being one-sided, “the article made it sound that the funds were placed in time deposits without any regard to the intended purpose of the funds,” Balmores said. “This is incorrect because investing the funds in short-term placements is not equivalent to using the funds.”  Balmores clarified matters concerning the UP constituent units in the Philippine Star article—UP Diliman, UP Mindanao, UP Manila, and UP Baguio. She said that UP Diliman would comply with the COA recommendation. Steps to review and update existing UP Diliman investment policies will likewise be recommended to address the concerns of the COA.  The UP Mindanao Investment and Income Committee (IIC) has identified the utilization of these reprogrammed and trust funds and have consulted with the UP System IIC concerning the revision of its investment policies and guidelines.  The UP Manila IIC has agreed to adhere to the provision that investments should not be placed for more than two years. Moreover, its Budget Office will also submit a consolidated proposal on utilizing the funds for UP Manila.  Finally, UP Baguio’s IIC mirrors the activities of the UP System IIC. It is incorrect to say that UP Baguio had no established policy and definite rules and regulations to follow in their investment activities.  “We wish to reiterate that the intention of placing portions of the fund in short-term investments is to obtain modest yet safe income from these funds while the payments for the intended projects are yet to be made. Once payments for these projects need to be settled, the funds are readily available,” Balmores said. “We respectfully disagree with the COA’s statement that there is a lack of transparency in the placement of these funds as these placements have gone through proper and complete documentation and approval.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Angelo Jimenez named UP Diliman Class of 2023 Commencement speaker – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-angelo-jimenez-named-up-diliman-class-of-2023-commencement-speaker/",
        "html": "UP President Angelo Jimenez named UP Diliman Class of 2023 Commencement speaker UP President Angelo Jimenez named UP Diliman Class of 2023 Commencement speaker July 28, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Despite inclement weather conditions, the annual sunflowers continue to bloom along University Avenue in time for the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman’s 112th General Commencement Exercises on Sunday, 30 July, at 7:00 in the morning, at the UP Amphitheater behind Quezon Hall. UP’s 22nd President, Angelo A. Jimenez, will grace the event as UP Diliman Class of 2023’s commencement speaker.  The theme for UP Diliman’s 112th commencement exercises, “Tayog,” symbolizes the bright and promising future awaiting the members of UP Diliman Class of 2023 in their professional and personal lives as well as in their service to their communities. Like the famous sunflowers that are a traditional feature of UP Diliman’s graduation season, the theme of “Tayog” also symbolizes how the over 4,000 UPD students graduating this year will continue to turn toward UP’s principles of honor, excellence, courage, and compassion in service to the nation.  Of the 4,478 total number of UP Diliman graduates for Academic Year 2022-2023—both from the undergraduate graduate levels—2,243 will be graduating with honors: 742 cum laude, 1,196 magna cum laude, and 305 summa cum laude. These figures are based on data supplied by the UPD Office of the University Registrar as of 28 July 2023.  Representing his class as a valedictory speaker and expounding on what “Tayog” means for the UP Diliman Class of 2023 is Jessie “Jeman” S. Malibiran, Jr., who will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts – Master of Arts Honors in Political Science, summa cum laude. Malibiran is graduating with a general weighted average of 1.187.  University of the Philippines President Angelo A. Jimenez. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  This year’s commencement speaker, UP President Jimenez, is a labor lawyer and a respected authority on global worker migration whose work has contributed to the establishment of the Philippines’ new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as the labor migration regulatory framework in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A former Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Jimenez’s expertise and experience in the field of migrant worker welfare have brought him to different parts of the world. He served as Labor Attaché in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded him citations for ensuring the safety of Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict and for rescuing a Filipino hostage held in Iraq.  His understanding of the factors that have led to the Filipino diaspora is the product of his education and experiences in Butuan, Agusan del Norte, where he was born and raised, and in UP Diliman, where he obtained both his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) degrees. As a law student at UP Diliman, he was an Associate Editor of the Philippine Collegian and President of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He was also elected Chairperson of the University Student Council and, in 1992, was appointed Student Regent to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) by the late President Corazon C. Aquino. He later rejoined the BOR when he was appointed Regent by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016, during which he also served concurrently as Trustee of the UP Foundation, Inc. He earned his Master in Public Management degree from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy under the National University of Singapore (NUS). President Jimenez was also a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  A son of Mindanao, Jimenez believes that the Philippines’ premier state university must be a hub for transformational change and that engaging communities and helping solve real-world problems should be a part of the UP academic experience. Ultimately, the goal is for UP to become a global university that asks the consequential questions of our time and, acting locally, strives to address the serious issues confronting the country and the world.  Watch the livestream of the 112th General Commencement Exercises of UP Diliman on Sunday, 30 July 2023, 7:00 AM at the UP Diliman official website and UPD YouTube channel. Watch the teaser trailer for the event below. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Official Statement on Google Workspace Storage Utilization – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/official-statement-on-google-workspace-storage-utilization/",
        "html": "Official Statement on Google Workspace Storage Utilization Official Statement on Google Workspace Storage Utilization July 15, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    A study of data supplied by the UP ITDC indicates that the current Google Workspace storage utilization of the entire UP System is 4.3. Petabyte (PB). The UP administration has decided that UP will subscribe to shared storage space of 5.0 PB across all Google Workspace platforms for the UP community for the next renewal of the 3-year contract with Google. UP System officials will renew UP’s agreement with Google with consideration given to anticipated growth, hence 5.0 PB for this year, 5.5 PB for the second year, and 6.0 PB for the third year.  The key point in the decision of UP officials is the priority given to procuring enough storage space for the University. Hence, the UP community can be assured that there is no danger that their files will be lost after the previously set cutoff date of July 29, 2023. We are suspending the storage cap until we can approve a rational use data storage limit for our community.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to lead the way in improving the quality of education in other SUCs, says Jimenez – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-lead-the-way-in-improving-the-quality-of-education-in-other-sucs-says-jimenez/",
        "html": "UP to lead the way in improving the quality of education in other SUCs, says Jimenez UP to lead the way in improving the quality of education in other SUCs, says Jimenez August 1, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   University of the Philippines President Angelo A. Jimenez delivering his Commencement Address to the graduating class of UP Diliman on July 30, at the Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Addressing the graduating class of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo “Jijil” Jimenez announced that UP would lead efforts to democratize access to quality tertiary education by helping improve the quality of education in other SUCs.  In his commencement address, delivered on 30 July via a video recording due to inclement weather, Jimenez pointed out that “as the national university, we are mandated under Republic Act 9500, the law revising the UP Charter, to lead in higher education.”  The labor lawyer reminded the UPD Class of 2023 that of the 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country, UP gets 20% of the national budget for higher education.  “We all know there is a huge gap overall between the quality of UP education and the rest of the SUCs. No other public tertiary educational institution in the Philippines has ever landed among the top 1000 in global rankings,” lamented Jimenez.  The UP President said it is paradoxical “that access to our university, which we love to call the University of the People, is very difficult for the people.”  “I believe in democratic access to UP education. And I believe that is best done by helping improve the quality of education in other SUCs.”  Jimenez said this would be more equitable as a student would not have to go to UP to access a UP-level education.  “At the same time,” said the Butuan native, “we can review the UPCAT and our equity-excellence formulas to give our disadvantaged a better fighting chance.”  Read UP President Jimenez’s speech in full.  UP, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and other SUCs are set to hold the first UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education on September 15. The summit aims to achieve the following objectives: (1) to discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) to promote sharing best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) to identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) to establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by signing an undertaking or a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Looking for some live orchestra music? UPSO delivers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/looking-for-some-live-orchestra-music-upso-delivers/",
        "html": "Looking for some live orchestra music? UPSO delivers Looking for some live orchestra music? UPSO delivers August 4, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    This August 18, 6 pm at the University of the Philippines (UP) Theater in Diliman, catch the UP Symphony Orchestra’s latest live concert, SYMPHONIC RIDES!  UP College of Music Assistant Professor Kevin Castelo. (Photo from UPSO)  The program includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Jonathan Domingo’s “Mga Musika” and “Tagpo sa Tinubuang Lupa”, and works by Adams and Kraft. The concert promses to  be an evening of exciting and fiery music that will sweep audiences off their feet (and seats).  The concert will feature Kevin Julius D. Castelo on timpani as a soloist. Castelo graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music, major in Percussion at the University of the Philippines, and finished his Master of Music program in Percussion Performance at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. He was also a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra from 2012-2015 and 2017. The group performed in various concert halls in Asia, the US, and Europe.  Kevin is Assistant Professor at the UP College of Music. He is also the new Artistic Director of the FEU Drum and Bugle Corps. In addition, Kevin is the Principal Percussionist of the UPS; and he has been playing with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Manila Symphony Orchestra as an extra percussionist.  A portion of the concert proceeds will be donated to the UP College of Music Alumni Association’s Musikalinga scholarship program.  Established in 2018, Musikalinga assists financially underprivileged but gifted students with a living allowance as they work toward their diplomas. It also provides financial assistance during recital and the student practicum culminating program, access to the rehearsal venue, and travel subsidies. Musikalinga has supported more than 80 students to date.  Each ticket is a direct contribution toward keeping the music of our country playing not only for one night but for the next generation. Each ticket ensures the nurturing of another musician and the hope in their future contribution to nation-building through arts and culture.  SYMPHONIC RIDES will be at the UP Theater on August 18, Friday at 6pm. Tickets are priced at Php1,000 and Php800, with a 50% discount for students, seniors, and PWDs. Children 6 years old and below can watch for free. Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/upsosymphonicrides  Established by the Board of Regents during its 1337th meeting on August 30, 2018, UPSO serves as the official system-wide orchestra of the University of the Philippines, supported by the UP System Fund and hosted by the UP College of Music. Its main functions are as a repertory orchestra for musicians, a laboratory orchestra for Filipino composers, and a training orchestra for young conductors.  Under the direction of Maestro Josefino Chino Toledo, the orchestra maintains a roster of 65 members exclusively from within the UP community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff from all UP Campuses. They are the only orchestra in the country that regularly performs Filipino, Asian, contemporary, and new works in addition to the standard orchestra repertoire. "
    },
    {
        "title": "University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-investiture-and-the-summits/",
        "html": "UP History in the Making this September  This September, UP historical events will take place.  From September 13 to 15, the University of the Philippines will hold three milestone events in Davao City, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, with all events marking firsts in the history of not just UP but the region as well. These include: a pioneering summit that puts the development of the Bangsamoro front and center in the national University’s strategic initiatives; the investiture ceremony for the first Mindanawan UP President, to be held for the first time on the UP Mindanao campus; and finally, the first UP-initiated summit gathering leaders of state universities and colleges from across the country with the aim of boosting engagement and partnerships in the Philippine higher education sector.  With these series of high profile events, the University sets itself squarely upon the path to become the national university it is meant to be, a public service university “doing what we can for others” as “Iskolar Para sa Bayan”, as UP President Angelo A. Jimenez said in his address to the UP Diliman Class of 2023. A national university serving the Filipino people, focusing specially on the country’s most underrepresented and marginalized communities.     The UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit Consultation Date: September 13 Time: 1:00-5:00 PM Venue: Dusit Thani Residences Davao     Mindanao has been envisioned as the country’s agri-industrial center, given its rich natural, economic and human development resources, its potentials, and its people’s aspirations. The island is key to achieving the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028’s overall objective of “economic transformation for a prosperous, inclusive and resilient society”, aligned with Ambisyon Natin 2040 and the country’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  However, growth and development in Mindanao has remained uneven, hampered by such issues as poverty, social conflicts, criminality and social unrest. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), in particular, has seen a significant drop, among families, in poverty incidence, from 52.6% in 2018 to 29.95 in 2021; but it still ranks among the lowest in the Human Development Index list of Philippine regions and provinces.  In keeping with its mandate under Republic Act No. 9500 to take the lead in higher education and public service and to relate its activities to the needs and aspirations of all Filipinos, the University of the Philippines will host the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit Consultation to discuss opportunities for collaboration aiming to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro and Mindanao. This will be held on Sept. 13, 2023, 1:00 PM at the Dusit Thani Residence Davao.  These include the creation of a UP-Bangsamoro Development Program, which would be the first of its kind between the University, the BARMM government and local government units, and development NGOs and SUCs in the region. The program is envisioned to serve as an avenue of convergence between UP and the Bangsamoro for co-creating opportunities and collaborative action to strengthen human capital and improve socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro.  According to its concept note, the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program’s major aims would include:  providing a unified, inclusive, and effective way of collaboration between UP and BARMM stakeholders in crafting and delivering evidence-based development policies, plans, and programs; increasing partnership with development NGOs in BARMM to promote and improve socio-economic conditions in communities; promoting shared expertise and resources between UP and BARMM State Universities and Colleges to provide quality education; and promoting creative industries, and enhancing human capital.  Slated to attend the summit are: BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Al Haj; officials and representatives of various ministries and committees of the Bangsamoro Parliament; and LGUs, NGOs, and state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the region. A memorandum of understanding between the University and the BTA will also be presented by the UP to its partners in the transition authority.     Panaad at Kabilin: Pagtatalaga kay Kgg. Angelo A. Jimenez bilang ika-22 Pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas [Investiture of Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez as 22nd President of the University of the Philippines] Date: September 14, 2023 Time: 9:00 AM Venue: UP Mindanao Atrium, Tugbok, Davao City, Davao del Sur      “The hallmark of UP in the next six years will be service to the nation. Service to the nation is constitutive of who we are and what we do. Together, we will work towards a UP that is more engaged with the nation,” Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez said in his speech on Feb. 10, when he accepted the position and authority of leading the University as its 22nd President.  Born and raised in the City of Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Jimenez is the first Mindanawan and the first Manobo, honored and named as “Datu Mankalagan” or “Great Spirit” in 2007, to become UP President. To mark the symbolic significance of his rise to become the head of UP as the national university, his formal investiture as the 22nd UP President will be held at the Atrium of UP Mindanao, in Tugbok, Davao City, on Sept. 14 at 9:00 AM.  For Jimenez, being a son of the South is integral to his UP Presidency. “It was when I got elected that people reminded me that I’m the first UP President who came from Mindanao; and I was amazed, actually surprised, maybe a little bit shocked,” he said in an interview he did for the UP Forum. “I never realized that my election would resonate in Mindanao. Finally, one of their own has become a UP President. I wanted to, in my own little way, remind UP where its ultimate loyalty belongs; and, I couldn’t imagine a more marginalized community than our IPs in the mountains where there has been an ongoing conflict and there still is right now.”  Jimenez is a labor lawyer and a respected authority on global worker migration. His work has contributed to the establishment of the country’s new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as to the labor migration regulatory framework in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A former Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, he served as Labor Attache in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq, and was awarded Presidential citations for his work in ensuring the safety of Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict, including the rescue of a Filipino hostage held in Iraq.  With his extensive background in labor migration, Jimenez has been tapped as an expert lecturer by the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders or International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders Philippines. He has also written papers for organizations such as the International Organization for Migration Philippines and the Blas Ople Policy Center He is a regular lecturer on Philippine overseas labor laws at the UP Law Center’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education program.  Jimenez served on the UP Board of Regents twice, first as a Student Regent in 1992, when he was also elected Chair of the University Student Council of UP Diliman; and again when he was appointed Regent by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016, during which Jimenez also served concurrently as Trustee of the UP Foundation, Inc.  He obtained both his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) degrees from UP Diliman. As a law student at UP Diliman, he was Associate Editor of the Philippine Collegian and President of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He went on to earn his Master in Public Management degree from the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He was also a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at the Harvard School of Government.  Read more about his profile here  Taking inspiration from and being guided by his Mindanawan and indigenous roots, Jimenez aims to highlight the view from the margins and bring a unique perspective on how UP can further contribute to national development. Championing kindness in the University, and setting public service as a pillar of his vision and strategic initiatives for UP, his administration plans to widen access to UP and UP-quality education through various courses, modes, and platforms, as well as to strengthen partnerships with Philippine SUCs. These partnerships are intended to advance higher education in the country through shared knowledge and expertise.  UP Mindanao, which is hosting an investiture ceremony for the UP President for the first time, is the sixth constituent university under the UP System, and the only UP constituent university in Mindanao with the primary mandate to provide equitable access to quality UP education to Mindanawans. It offers academic programs in the fields of the humanities, architecture, mathematics, food, economics, social, natural, and computing sciences. As a graduate university, it offer a PhD by Research, and graduate degrees in management, food science, urban and regional planning, and sports science. Its development agenda focuses on opening additional academic programs and new Colleges in Human Kinetics, Medicine, and Engineering, to support Mindanao sports, health, technological, and bio-cultural diversity initiatives. UP Mindanao is headed by Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao. (For more news on UP Mindanao, visit their Facebook page)     Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: 1st UP-SUC Summit Strengthening Partnerships in Philippine Public Higher Education Date: September 15, 2023 Time: 8:00 AM Venue: Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom Davao      Stronger together. This belief in stronger partnerships within the Philippine higher education sector is what drives “Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: The 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education”, which will be held on September 15 at Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom, Davao City, a day after UP President Jimenez’ investiture in UP Mindanao. This UP-SUC Summit will convene leaders of Philippine SUCs, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials, and interested stakeholders from Congress and private higher education institutions.  It was Jimenez’s cognizance of inter-SUC engagement and partnerships as imperatives for knowledge co-creation, innovation, research, and public service towards national development that gave rise to the conduct of the summit. This comes with the realization that when the common and unique strengths of SUCs are put together in the spirit of cooperation, they can make higher education an even more formidable force in building the Filipino nation.  The summit is envisioned to inspire engagement in transdisciplinary academic, research, and public service programs through co-designed projects. It is an opportunity for SUCs to link up and be active co-producers in knowledge-building that will ultimately translate into the service of communities and the country.  “Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy” is a platform for this network of SUCs to: (1) discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) share best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants.  The summit includes the launch of four UP programs relevant to inter-SUC engagement: the UP Data Commons; Philippines Massive Open Online Courses (PHMOOCs); TVUP programs; and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University (UPAOVU). It is expected to close with the signing of the Mindanao Declaration on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education.  The UP Data Commons, inaugurated in 2021, is a world class high performance computing and storage facility, that includes the necessary hardware and software resources,  at the UP Diliman College of Science. Its launch during the summit opens this UP resource to SUC partnerships in pursuit of innovative research, such as those on artificial intelligence and big data. It has three petabytes of storage, with plans to increase it to seven, and connectivity speeds that allow data transfer in milliseconds.  PHMOOCs is a new platform designed to foster universal access to quality education, promote lifeline learning, and enhance collaboration among higher education institutions in the country. It promotes knowledge sharing, collaborative course development and implementation, research partnerships, and teaching methods and technology use innovations. It is envisioned to widen education opportunities by leveraging technology to provide accessible, inclusive, and high-quality courses, and to address the diverse needs of learners, wherever they may be. The UP Open University, which began offering MOOCS in 2013, leads this initiative, that also aims to link up with MOOCs platforms in other countries.  TVUP, the UP-owned and operated internet television network, expanded its reach through Cignal TV Channel 101 in 2022. Its debut in “Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy” intensifies its commitment to the production of open educational resources in the Philippines by inviting collaborations in knowledge production through the creation of inter-university programs. TVUP will eventually evolve to become a training facility for performance and production.  The UPAOVU represents the country’s aspiration of becoming an economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable archipelagic nation. Spurred by the development of the blue economy that ties up with archipelagic and ocean studies work done by UP faculty and researchers over many decades, the UPAOVU will become the hub of research and teaching that brings together the strengths of various SUCs in marine biology, oceanography, fisheries, and other allied disciplines. The end goal is to become invaluable resources, partners, and enablers of the blue economy, all leading in the formulation of policies and programs that are coherent, inclusive, and sustainable.  Service as the Hallmark of UP  With these three landmark events, the UP System under President Jimenez officially launches its strategic platform for the next six years. This strategic plan follows three themes: “Public Service for the Common Good”; “Teaching, Research, and Innovation for Future-ready Citizens”; and “University Governance and Infrastructure with Transparency and Accountability”. Overarching all of these is the vision of UP as: “A national university dedicated to the formation of good citizens and leaders, engaged in knowledge co-creation towards a just, equitable, and progressive society,” guided by the principle of “Honor and Excellence in the Service of the Nation”.  For this week in September, and for the next six years and beyond, service to the nation will truly be the hallmark of UP. "
    },
    {
        "title": "PAJ fetes 2023 UPAA Awardees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/paj-fetes-2023-upaa-awardees/",
        "html": "PAJ fetes 2023 UPAA Awardees PAJ fetes 2023 UPAA Awardees August 29, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (rightmost) leads the toast to the 2023 UP Alumni Association awardees (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “To the best of the best of this University, our alumni, for representing our highest ideals and aspirations, for being true alumni of UP and sons and daughters of the Filipino nation which UP has dedicated to support and promote, cheers!”  This was UP President Angelo A. Jimenez’ toast to the 2023 UP Alumni Association (UPAA) awardees during the dinner he hosted in their honor at Ang Bahay ng Alumni on August 16. The social event is usually held days before the actual awarding ceremony. This year, the ceremony was scheduled on August 19.  Leading the 38 individual awardees were Most Distinguished Alumna, former Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, and Most Distinguished Alumnus, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. Four were recognized with UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards: National Scientist Lourdes J. Cruz, Dr. Nathaniel A. Einsiedel, Dr. Gisela Padilla Concepcion, and Engr. Rene Santiago. Twenty-nine were given the UPAA Distinguished Alumni Awards in various fields and disciplines, and three were recipients of the UPAA Presidential Awards.  Ten families received the UPAA Multigenerational UP Alumni Family Awards—one with four generations of alumni and three with three generations of alumni. UP Epsilon Chi Fraternity Alumni, Inc. was cited with the UPAA Distinguished Service Award for an Alumni Chapter.     2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumna, former Philippine Vice President Maria Leoner Gerona Robredo talks about the “sense of home” that UP alumni feel when they meet other alumni, when they cheer for the UP Fighting Maroons, or when they gather in celebratory events such as the one hosted by the UP President. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “We may have different stories about our college experience and yet we are bound by a shared feeling—that sense of home when we talk about UP. This goes beyond every alumni homecoming or every other chance that we get to come back to our UP campus, wherever that may be in the country,” Robredo said in her message, which she had requested to deliver earlier than scheduled because she had to catch the bus to Naga in time for the commemoration of her husband’s death anniversary. Her husband was former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, who died in a plane crash on August 18, 2012.  “What I have learned from this esteemed institution has greatly contributed to my professional formation as a public servant. . . I will forever be grateful to the University for molding me.”—2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, National Economic Development Authority Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Balisacan, on the other hand, said that he was “very fortunate” because UP gave him the “space, time, and resources, and privilege to pursue [his] academic interests freely.” He also encouraged his fellow awardees to “continue striving towards our ultimate vision for the nation, continue striving to attain that excellence with honor, and continue being active participants in our country’s development journey.”     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivers a brief address before toasting to the awardees. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Have we fulfilled our promise as the best and the brightest?” Jimenez posed this question in his speech, saying that UP has lasted more than a hundred years and yet “we find our society still faced with so many challenges.” This prompted him and his team to envision UP as “a national university dedicated to producing good citizens and leaders, and engaged in knowledge co-creation towards a just, equitable, and prosperous society.” His emphasis on the production of good citizens is a dramatic shift from expected visions of UP as a great university or as a regional and global center of excellence.     UPAA President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester F. Aranton starts the short program with his opening remarks. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)        The list of the 2023 UPAA awardees in the dinner program can be found below.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "Malaysian Ambassador visits UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/malaysian-ambassador-visits-up/",
        "html": "Malaysian Ambassador visits UP Malaysian Ambassador visits UP September 8, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   From left: Malaysian Embassy Counsellor Hazlina Mohammed Hatta; Malaysian Embassy Counsellor Nadhirah Mohammad Zanudin; Malaysian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i./Deputy Head of Mission Mohd Fareed Zakaria; Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthony; UP President Angelo A. Jimenez; Asian Center Dean Henelito A. Sevilla Jr.; and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     Officials of the Embassy of Malaysia, Manila, headed by Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthony, paid a courtesy visit to University of the Philippines President Angelo A. Jimenez (PAJ) on August 23. With the ambassador were: Chargé d’Affaires a.i./Deputy Head of Mission Mohd Fareed Zakaria; and Counsellors Hazlina Mohammed Hatta and Nadhirah Mohammad Zanudin.On the UP side, PAJ was joined by: UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II; Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez; and Asian Center Dean Henelito A. Sevilla Jr.  The group’s discussion centered on possible partnerships between UP and Malaysian universities, as well as on collaborative initiatives to advance education, research, and public service in Mindanao.  Chatting before the group photo op: from left: Malaysian Embassy Counsellor Nadhirah Mohammad Zanudin; Malaysian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i./Deputy Head of Mission Mohd Fareed Zakaria; Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthon; and UP President Angelo A. Jimenez. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left: Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martine; UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II; UP President Angelo A. Jimenez; Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthony; Malaysian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i./Deputy Head of Mission Mohd Fareed Zakaria; and Malaysian Embassy Counsellor Nadhirah Mohammad Zanudin. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino bin Anthony responds to UP President Angelo A. Jimenez’s (PAJ) opening of the discussion on Islamic finance with sukuk or Sharia-compliant bonds. PAJ was a former labor attaché assigned to countries in the Middle East such as Iraq, Kuwait, and Lebanon. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez’ (PAJ) shares his views on how UP can contribute to Mindanao development, following his trip to Tawi-Tawi as commencement speaker of the Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. PAJ, both a Manobo and Christian lowlander from Butuan, is the first UP president from Mindanao. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP still stellar in 2nd licensure exam for architects for 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-still-stellar-in-2nd-licensure-exam-for-architects-for-2023/",
        "html": "UP still stellar in 2nd licensure exam for architects for 2023 UP still stellar in 2nd licensure exam for architects for 2023 June 21, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       All architecture graduates of the University of the Philippines (UP)—50 from UP Diliman (UPD) and 26 from UP Mindanao (UPMin)—aced the June 2023 Licensure Examination for Architects (LEA). UPD emerged as the top performing school, having met the minimum number of examinees and exceeding the passing percentage of at least 80. Three of those graduates landed in the top ten.  The results posted by the Professional Regulation Commission on June 15 showed that Ma. Katrina Joy Seno was at number seven, Lorenzo Jarell Lasaleta placed eighth, and Ellora Trisha Narida was at ninth.  UP continued its topnotch performance from last January’s LEA, where it also posted a 100% passing rate. UPD had 27 examinees then, three of whom made it to the top ten: Mariel Mei Rias (fourth), Emmanuel Inocencio (sixth), and Marie Raphaelle Lopez (eighth). Of the seven UPMin examinees, meanwhile, Dawnelli Luar placed seventh in the list of top ten passers. "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Make works of immediate national impact’ – PAJ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/make-works-of-immediate-national-impact-paj/",
        "html": "‘Make works of immediate national impact’ – PAJ ‘Make works of immediate national impact’ – PAJ October 4, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP President Angelo A. Jimenez addresses the recipients of the UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellowship Awards. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)  “Our lawmakers, and the people they represent, await the fruits of your labor, your commitment, and your passion.” This is what UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (PAJ) told the 23 recipients of the recently-revived UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellowship Awards in the ceremony held at the Philippine Senate on September 26. The award, PAJ said, was “an opportunity to make works of immediate national impact.” The fellows are Filipino scholars from universities, think tanks, and organizations here and abroad.  The 19 UPPEJA-awarded research projects cover a wide range of education- and education reform-related topics. These were selected based on priority areas identified by the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM II: school infrastructure; access to quality higher education; needs-based system projecting the demands in workers’ upskilling; ensuring seamless and integrated delivery of education; complementarity between public and private education; integrated performance management and accountability system; efficiency in education financing and resource mobilization, and equity in the delivery of education; and decentralization, quality of education governance, and participatory governance.  One of the fellows, National Scientist and UP Manila Chancellor Carmecita D. Padilla, shared that she is “reviewing the gaps in the supply and demand for health human resources, assessing the health care system, and making recommendations to address the findings.” Another, Prof. John Paul C. Vergara of the Ateneo de Manila University, is looking into “generative artificial intelligence and how it will make an impact on higher education.” Riz Supreme B. Comia of WeSolve Foundation, meanwhile said that she and her research partner, Kenneth Isaiah I. Abante, are studying “the players and the special education fund and how participatory governance may be achieved in this area of the education system.”  The Fellowship runs from 26 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 with a research grant of P500,000. Below are the awardees.  Kenneth Isaiah I. Abante and Riz Supreme B. Comia, WeSolve Foundation Michael Alba, Far Eastern University Cleve V. Arguelles, De La Salle University and Joel Paulin Mendoza, World Bank Lisa Grace S. Bersales, University of the Philippines Krista Danielle S. Yu, De La Salle University and Dr. Michael R. Cabalfin, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, Ateneo de Manila University Geoffrey Ducanes, Ateneo de Manila University Ma. Regina M. Hechanova-Alampay, Ateneo de Manila University Enrique Nino P. Leviste and Dr. Ma. Glenda Lopez Wui, Ateneo de Manila University Elizabeth M. King, Georgetown University Rosario G. Manasan, Asian Development Bank Carolyn Medel-Añonuevo, UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa Dina S. Ocampo, University of the Philippines Carmencita D. Padilla, University of the Philippines Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Ateneo de Manila University Luis G. Sison, University of the Philippines Luis Rey I. Velasco, University of the Philippines John Paul C. Vergara, Ateneo de Manila University Felicia Yeban, Philippine Normal University The awardees (bottom row) with EDCOM II co-chairpersons, commissioners, technical secretariat, and advisers; Angara family; and former and current UP officials (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left: Awardees Riz Supreme B. Comia and Kenneth Isaiah I. Abante of WeSolve Foundation chat with UP President Angelo A. Jimenez. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     EDCOM II Co-chairperson and Senate Committee on Basic Education chair, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian delivers the welcome remarks. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     EDCOM II Advisory Council for Academe member, Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista gives a brief background on the UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellowship Awards. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark R. Yee provides the overview on the awardees. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara (left) listens as UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (middle) engages Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian (right) in a lively discussion. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara, EDCOM II commissioner and a member of the Fellowship committee, talks briefly about his father, after whom the fellowship is named. The awards ceremony was held two days after the late senator’s birth anniversary. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez sits in the gallery with the UPPEJA fellows, listening intently to the discussion of the Senate resolution congratulating the awardees. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Angara family, senators, EDCOM II members, UP officials, and awardees pose for a photo after Senate Resolution No. 812 was unanimously approved. (Photo by Misael A. Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP sectors push for intensified mental health programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-sectors-push-for-intensified-mental-health-programs/",
        "html": "UP sectors push for intensified mental health programs UP sectors push for intensified mental health programs October 18, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Participants sign the commitment wall “to help transform UP into a nurturing university” during the UP System Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP President Angelo Jimenez says the conference is “a dream come true” for him. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  More resources, human and financial, are needed to strengthen UP’s mental health initiatives. This was the bottom-line of the recommendations presented by representatives of the University’s various sectors—students, faculty, staff, and mental health practitioners—during the UP System Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference (MHWC) on October 11-12 in UP Los Baños.  They pushed for the continuation of support programs that were started during the COVID-19 lockdowns and called for more intensified efforts across all UP campuses, benefitting all sectors of UP. These included, among others, the continuous training of mental health advocates, sustained financial support for consultations and medications, additional mental health professionals, mental health breaks for all, pedagogical review, and the institutionalization of mental health units, not just programs. All of these in accordance with Republic Act No. 11036 or the Mental Health Act enacted in 2018.  In his message, UP President Angelo Jimenez declared, “What is at stake is no less than the salvation of our community and our society.” He revealed that the conduct of the conference was one of his first instructions as UP president to Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) and Office of Student Development Services Director Ma. Shari Niña Oliquino, adding that he felt very strongly about mental health and wellbeing as problems in this area have gotten worse because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jimenez emphasized the University’s commitment to its responsibility to “develop strong minds, resilient souls, and courageous spirits.”  MHWC plenary speakers were UP Professor Emeritus and former UP Diliman chancellor, Dr. Michael Tan, who talked about “Ginhawa, Wellness and the Academe: Sociocultural Perspectives”; UP Manila Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Chair, Dr. Evangeline Bascara-Dela Fuente, who discussed “Mental Health and Wellbeing of Filipinos”; and UP Diliman PsycServ Director, Dr. Divine Love Salvador, who delivered her and UP Professor Emeritus Violeta Bautista’s presentation on “The Place of Mental Health and Wellbeing in UP’s Educational Philosophy”. The UP sectoral representatives proceeded to their breakout sessions after the plenary to discuss recommendations, guided by the insights of the three speakers.  The plenary speakers (from left): UP Professor Emeritus and former UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan; UP Manila Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Chair, Dr. Evangeline Bascara-Dela Fuente; and UP Diliman PsycServ Director, Dr. Divine Love Salvador. Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Closing off MHWC was UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara, who said that the recommendations will be compiled and utilized in the crafting the implementation plan. He also expressed hope for a 2024 conference so that progress reports on the recommendations may be presented.     The sectoral breakout sessions. Photos by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) and Office of Student Development Services Director Ma. Shari Niña Oliquino. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP Los Baños Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP Los Baños Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Janette H. Malata-Silva. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara delivers the closing remarks. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     From left: UP President Angelo Jimenez, Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota, Staff Regent Victoria Belegal, and Student Regent Sofia Jan Trinidad listen to Professor Emeritus Michael Tan. The sectoral regents presented their manifestations on mental health and wellbeing in the second day of the conference. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     UP President Angelo Jimenez (left) chats with Professor Emeritus Michael Tan before the program starts. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota initiates the signing of the commitment wall, writing that his action would be “to push the agenda of MH&W in the BOR”. Staff Regent Victoria Belegal and Student Regent Sofia Jan Trinidad then signed after him. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     The participants and organizers of the UP System Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP in UAAP 86: Back-to-back basketball twin wins – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-in-uaap-86-back-to-back-basketball-twin-wins/",
        "html": "UP in UAAP 86: Back-to-back basketball twin wins UP in UAAP 86: Back-to-back basketball twin wins October 6, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   One of CJ Cansino’s five successful shots from beyond the arc in UP’s UAAP season opener versus Adamson University on October 1 (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     On the heels of its UAAP opening stunner against Adamson University (AdU) on October 1, UP notched basketball twin wins again on October 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena, this time versus the University of the East (UE).  The UP Fighting Maroons edged the UE Red Warriors by 15 points, 84-69, and won with 18 points over the UE Lady Warriors, 66-48.     24vs24: Adamson’s Kat Agojo challenges Rizza Lozada’s jumper. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     In their first games of this 68th UAAP season, the UP basketball teams registered double-digit leads as well, taking down the AdU Soaring Falcons and AdU Lady Falcons, 68-51 and 92-61, respectively.     JD Cagulangan’s no-look hand-off to Malik Diouf (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Malik Diouf easily converts the assist from JD Cagulangan. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Reigning MVP Malick Diouf kept a stellar performance with another double-double, 19 points and 16 rebounds, coming off his 20-point, 17-rebound game against Adu. The returning CJ Cansino, who sat out a year due to injury, made his presence felt as well. Now as team captain, Cansino in his court comeback cashed in 19 points for UP against AdU and 17 points against UE.     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (in jacket) raises his fist, singing “UP Naming Mahal” along with other UP faithful. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (in jacket) raises his fist, singing “UP Naming Mahal” along with other UP faithful. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Fighting Maroons bench (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Team Captain Justine Domingo (left) says that they still had a long way to go in the season, as Coach Paul Ramos listens intently. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Rookie Francis Lopez makes his first slam in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The Maroons side goes wild with the buzzer beating three by Harold Alarcon. There were 1.3 seconds left in the first quarter when Alarcon released the shot from the arc across the court. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     CJ Cansino (left) apologizes for seemingly acting cocky on court after making his shots. His explanation of feeling like a kid being let out to play instead of being told to take an afternoon nap draws out a grin from Coach Goldwin Monteverde beside him. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     To view the official UAAP photos of the UP-UE matches on October 4, click here for men’s basketball and here for women’s basketball.          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Scholarship to ease field work financial woes for UP CSWCD students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/scholarship-to-ease-field-work-financial-woes-for-up-cswcd-students/",
        "html": "Scholarship to ease field work financial woes for UP CSWCD students Scholarship to ease field work financial woes for UP CSWCD students October 27, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   From left: CSWCD College Secretary Paul Edward Muego, UP OAR Director K.C. Abalos-Orendain, CSWCD Dean Lenore Polotan-Dela Cruz, Brandt Ivann Paul Aquino, John Bryan Salamanca, Perrie Rejuso, Jedidiah Apolinario and Adeza Ann Azares, AVP for Public Affairs Jeanette Yasol-Naval, and Dr. Aileen Reyes of the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Immense relief from the mental and emotional toll of thinking about money for internship expenses. Less worrying about how to get extra income to cover financial requirements of field work. Money for food, transportation, and other personal needs that would otherwise be taken out of an already stretched family budget.     “The need to support CSWCD students doing field work was first identified because this entails allowances necessary to travel, work, and live with partner communities which are usually outside of Metro Manila and in remote areas.”—UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jeanette Yasol-Naval (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     These are some of the ways the Fe Parajas I. Benito Scholarship will benefit its recipients, according to the recipients themselves—Community Development majors Brandt Ivann Paul Aquino, Perrie Rejuso, and John Bryan Salamanca, and Social Work majors Jedidiah Apolinario and Adeza Ann Azares.  “What we can do in return is to become good community development workers.”—John Bryan Salamanca, on receiving the scholarship (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Jedidiah Apolinario says the scholarship is a big help in easing the burden of field work expenses on her family income, allowing her to focus more on her internship and attending to the needs of her clients. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     The scholarship was launched on October 23 with the awarding of grants to the first batch of recipients, who are all fourth-year students of the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD). They are currently enrolled in the field instruction program, which is either community-based work or agency-based internship.  Established by Ted Benito in honor of his mother, who graduated with a 1954 BA Social Work degree from the then-UP College of Liberal Arts, the scholarship was his way of “paying it forward”: an act of compassion she instilled in him. Social work and social workers “need to be uplifted,” he said.  US-based Ted Benito joins the launch and awarding via Zoom. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Eric Panuncialman, president of the UP Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA), added that social work and community development are “very fulfilling humanitarian jobs.” The UPAAGLA was Benito’s first link to getting the scholarship created. Coordination with the UP Office of Alumni Relations (OAR), UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, CSWCD, and the UPD Office of Scholarship and Grants laid the foundation for the firm establishment of the scholarship.     UPAAGLA President Eric Panuncialman delivers his message via Zoom. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) A group photo of those physically present and those who joined via Zoom (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Days of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/days-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "Days of Remembrance  On September 17, 2018, University of the Philippines President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018, declaring September 21 every year as UP Day of Remembrance.  The Day serves to commemorate members of the UP community who stood at the forefront of the resistance to Martial Law during the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos.  The commemoration also serves to highlight the University’s role as a champion of academic freedom and as a beacon for hope and an advocate of human rights during the darkest days of democracy in the country.  The Day is intended to remember the sacrifices and legacy of UP heroes, the living and the fallen, and to impart their stories to younger generations of Iskolar ng Bayan and other patriotic Filipinos.  Recently, the Day has been expanded to a series of days which will allow for more online activities and substantial discussions on the impact of Martial Law to the country and its people.  Read more: Sept. 21 to be proclaimed UP Day of Remembrance Related reading: September 21 is UP Day of Remembrance  Signing of the UP Day of Remembrance Proclamation  Day of Remembrance 2022   On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 declaring martial law over the entire country, supposedly responding to the rising “communist threat” at the time.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of this declaration that led to a decades-long period in Philippine history remembered for its authoritarian rule, a record of human rights abuses, repression of basic freedoms and freedom of the press, and unmitigated corruption and theft by those in power that left much of the country in poverty.  This September 21 Wednesday, the University of the Philippines (UP) joins the nation in remembering and honoring the heroes, activists, and human rights victims who stood against martial law and the Marcos regime. This remembrance of struggle and sacrifice is made more poignant and urgent now in a time of disinformation, fake news, and historical revisionism.  In this year’s UP Day of Remembrance, with the theme, “Manindigan sa Katotohanan, Itanghal ang Katarungan,” the University will again commemorate the legacy of resistance and heroism of these activists, many of whom are members of the UP community. As with the previous years’ Days of Remembrance, UP will hold a series of activities and events, both online and in person, in all constituent universities of the UP System across the country to share these stories with the younger generations of Iskolar ng Bayan and other patriotic Filipinos and keep the flame of truth and justice alive.  This year also marks the fifth UP Day of Remembrance since UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed. On September 17, 2018, Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018, declared September 21 every year as UP Day of Remembrance.  Read more: ML@50: UP holds 5th Day of Remembrance to mark 50 years since martial law declaration      Days of Remembrance 2021  The 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines and the upcoming national elections call for historical awareness from our voting populace.  Once again, the University of the Philippines (UP) honored the struggles of the Filipino people under the authoritarian regime and commemorated the University’s contributions in the uprising against the Marcos dictatorship through the UP Days of Remembrance.  This year’s UP Days of Remembrance was a week-long virtual commemoration held from September 20 to 24, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  With the theme “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar”, the commemoration exposed Martial Law-related disinformation and historical revisionism propagated in various media platforms.  Five educational webinars brought out the truths and debunked myths about Martial Law and the Marcos regime. Each webinar is interspersed with artistic and musical performances that illustrate the socio-cultural milieu of the era.  Faculty and researchers from across the UP System, scholars from outside the University and overseas, and human rights activists and progressive artists spoke about the realities of Martial Law based on their own experiences and studies.  This year’s presenters and performers enshrined the names and struggles of the University’s best and brightest who fought, struggled, and made the most extraordinary sacrifices in the name of freedom and democratic ideals.  Read more: Truths and lessons of Martial Law to be discussed in the week-long UP Days of Remembrance  Related story: UP Days of Remembrance to shine a light on the myths and misinformation on Martial Law and the Marcos regime  Day 1: Hindi Bayani si Marcos  Day 2: Hindi Mapaya sa Panahon ng Batas Militar  Day 3: Nilabag ang mga Karapatang Pantao  Day 4: Walang Golden Age sa Ekonomiya  Day 5: Nagnakaw mula sa Kaban ng Bayan     Days of Remembrance 2020  2020’s UP Day of Remembrance, titled “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Hulagway ng Pagkamulat at Kabayanihan 1972-1986,” consisted of two main activities: four webinars featuring UP alumni and faculty who fought during Martial Law sharing their experiences; and, an online exhibit to feature Martial Law narratives of resistance and hope that continue to resonate up to now.  These online activities were held across all eight UP constituent units, and revolved around four themes: Hamon ng Batas Militar, focusing on the early years of clampdown on civil liberties and adapting to the situation with new forms of struggle; Detenido, Desparecido, a remembrance of the Marcos regime’s violation of human rights and cruelty through disregard of due process, indefinite imprisonment, torture, disappearances and killings; Sining at Panitik: Daluyan ng Tinig, recalling writers and artists who created new forms of expression, inspiring and mobilizing the masses for action against deception; and, Patungong People Power: Turning Points, on the events in the 1980s that became turning points which led to the end of the Marcos dictatorship.  In pursuit of its tradition of struggle for academic freedom and democratic ideals, UP stood at the forefront of the resistance to Martial Law and the Marcos regime, contributing to this struggle many of its best and brightest. UP deemed it proper to enshrine their names and struggles for younger and future generations of the University to emulate. It is for this reason that UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1 in 2018 declaring September 21 of every year as UP Day of Remembrance, during which special lectures, meetings and ceremonies will be held across the UP System to commemorate UP’s participation and sacrifices in the struggle against dictatorship and tyranny.  The UP Day of Remembrance 2020 is made all the more significant as the University commemorated in February this year the 50th anniversary of the First Quarter Storm, which led to the Diliman Commune and other watershed events prior to the declaration of Martial Law.  Read more: UP to hold virtual commemoration of the struggle against Martial Law in UP Day of Remembrance 2020 Related story: Stories from fields of struggle against Martial Law abound in UP Day of Remembrance 2020  UP Day of Remembrance 2020 – Day 1  UP Day of Remembrance 2020-Day 2  Day of Remembrance 2019  As recognition of the University’s role at the forefront of awareness, vigilance, and militancy, and to expand on 2018’s inaugural program, the University launched an expanded lineup of events with the theme, “Dambana ng Paggunita at Pagtutuos sa Batas Militar ni Marcos,” to banner the key messages: Marahas ang Batas Militar, Lugmok ang Ekonomiya, Niyurakan ang Karapatang Pantao, Sinupil ang Pamamahayag, at Ninakaw ang Kabang-Yaman.  Pre-event activities started on September 16 with the airing of Lakad Gunita sa Pamantasang Hinirang, a documentary video, on both TVUP and the University of the Philippines online channels to kickstart the weeklong campaign. The documentary highlighted key landmarks in the Diliman campus that became hotbeds of activism: Quezon Hall, Palma Hall, Vinzons Hall, Melchor Hall, and Kamia and Sampaguita dormitories which all stood witness to the events of the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune.  On the actual Day of Remembrance on September 19, an opening ceremony was held at the AS Steps (Palma Hall) in UP Diliman, accompanied by the unfurling of streamers across the hall bearing this year’s central messages. Danas, a series of performances recreating and commemorating the martial law experience was featured as street art, ensuring access to the widest audiences. At the center of the performances, a Dambana was set up by students and faculty of the College of Fine Arts. A free premiere screening of TVUP’s Lakad Gunita sa Pamantasang Hinirang capped the year’s Day of Remembrance.  The following day, martial law-themed films were screened. Among these were Liway and Portraits of Mosquito Press, and the documentary 1081. The screening was followed by a forum on Media, Martial Law, and Human Rights with journalist Ceres P. Doyo and artist Boni P. Ilagan.  Read more: UP Day of Remembrance 2019   Highlights of the Day of Remembrance 2019  Lakad Gunita sa Pamantasang Hinirang  Day of Remembrance 2018 (Left to right) Dr. Carol Araullo, representing HRVV, NHCP Chair Rene Escalante, UP President Danilo Concepcion, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, CHR Commissioner Leah Armamento (representing CHR Chair Chito Gascon), and HRVVMC Executive Director Carmelo Victor Crisanto, and UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora, sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial in UP Diliman. UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs (standing) serves as master of ceremonies. Photo by Bong Arboleda, MPRO  UP marked the first UP Day of Remembrance by concretizing plans to construct the country’s memorial for victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime.  UP President Danilo L. Concepcion signed on September 21, 2018 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) formalizing institutional partnership in establishing the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial in UP Diliman.  “Higit sa alinmang pook, dito sa ating pamantasan sumibol at lumago ang puno ng pagtutol at pag-aalsa; kung kaya dito rin naman nadama ang mabigat na dagok ng panunupil at pananamantala noong panahon ng martial law ni Pangulong Marcos (More than any place, the University is where resistance and uprising sprang and grew; and that is why this was also where the brunt of repression and abuse of President Marcos’s martial law fell),” Concepcion said.  Sa araw na ito tayo ay nagpapasya na ikintal sa puso at damdamin ang dakilang alaala ng mga araw ng pakikibaka, ng mga taong nagsakripisyo at nagbuwis ng buhay, upang ito kailanman ay hindi malimutan at hindi na maulit pa (On this day, we decide to commit the legacy of the days of struggle, of the many who sacrificed their lives; so that they will never be forgotten and [their fates] never repeated),” Concepcion added. “Ito ang ating dasal, ito ang ating banal na panata (This is our prayer, this is our sacred promise),” he added.  Four days before the MOU signing, Concepcion signed a proclamation designating September 21, 2018 and September 21 of every year thereafter as “UP Day of Remembrance” in honor of the sacrifice of the University’s “best and brightest” for the struggle against dictatorship and despotism, many of whom died resisting the abuses of the Marcos regime.  Read more: UP holds first Day of Remembrance, commits site for martial law memorial Related reading: Memorial for victims of the Marcos regime to rise in UP  Highlights of the Day of Remembrance 2018    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAASF, OSDS roll out Alumni Mentoring Program – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaasf-osds-roll-out-alumni-mentoring-program/",
        "html": "UPAASF, OSDS roll out Alumni Mentoring Program UPAASF, OSDS roll out Alumni Mentoring Program November 13, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UP President Angelo Jimenez (seated left) and Student Regent Sofia Jan Trinidad (seated right) with, standing from left, Leimer Hanz Esperas Miranda, John Louis Quizon Nieto, Mark Nicholas Labor Cagas, Ian Gabriel Soriano Dela Cena, Julyanne Gail Quising Frilles, UP Office of Alumni Relations Director Karen Connie Abalos-Orendain, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa, UP Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) and Office of Student Development Services Director Shari Niña Oliquino, Hannah Nicole Gaudiel, Yumi San Juan Nishimura, Jacqueline Ann Bautista Vicerra, Christine Atienza Chua, Mary Austin Zamora Dela Cruz, and Aya Lamadrid. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “Your mentors are here to guide you, not for you to follow their paths, but for you to create your own,” UP President Angelo Jimenez (PAJ) told the first batch of mentees in the Alumni Mentoring Program of the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF).  The program was established in partnership with the UP Office of Student Development Services (OSDS) and with assistance from the UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA). Launched on November 8, it matches volunteer mentors with UPD students enrolled in fields related to the mentors’ areas of expertise. According to the Alumni Mentoring Program packet, the program “puts the needs, desires, and challenges of the mentee at the core of the mentorship experience” as it uses a design thinking approach to mentee-centered mentoring.  To the UPAASF mentors who joined the launch via Zoom, PAJ said, “You will help shape these future leaders.” Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) and OSDS Director Shari Niña Oliquino, meanwhile, referred to the mentors as the “cornerstone of this initiative.” She also expressed hope that the pilot program will “serve as a catalyst for other alumni associations and private organizations to step forward and provide career assistance to UP students.”     “You will be future leaders.”—UP President Angelo Jimenez to the first batch of mentees in the Alumni Mentoring Program (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     For third-year BS Statistics major, Hannah Nicole Gaudiel, the program “could not have come at a better time,” explaining that she had some idea of where she wanted to be but she was “unsure of how to get there.” Mark Nicholas Cagas, a third-year BS Computer Engineering student, said that the program was not just about career guidance, but “about forging a path that is authentic to each of us [mentees].” He also lauded the mentee-centered approach that gives importance to “our voice in this partnership.”  UPAASF President Rosario Calderon said she was excited about the opportunity to share her expertise and passion, already advising the mentees that a successful career entails “humility and teamwork, both as a team leader and as a team player.”  The Alumni Mentoring Program runs from November 2023 to February 2024.     UPAASF MENTORS UPD MENTEES Rosario Calderon Ian Gabriel Soriano Dela Cena, BS Mechanical Engineering Maria Angelica Lizardo Oarde, BS Economics Jaime Cortes Mary Austin Zamora Dela Cruz, BS Business Economics Leimer Hanz Esperas Miranda, BS Statistics Sonia Delen Christine Atienza Chua, BS Business Administration Julienne Guingab Vinarao, BS Business Administration and Accountancy Simeon Godinez Mark Nicholas Labor Cagas, BS Computer Engineering Jacqueline Ann Bautista Vicerra, BS Computer Science Eric Golangco Yumi San Juan Nishimura, BS Materials Engineering Keith Kevin Largo Saraza, BS Chemical Engineering Leticia Quizon Aya Lamadrid (Dan Moises Dave Repasa Cuesta), BS Business Administration and Accountancy Sofie Alessandra Custodio Villamar, BS Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Michaela Abao Viray Julyanne Gail Quising Frilles, BS Statistics Hannah Nicole Gaudiel, BS Statistics Zigfred Viray John Louis Quizon Nieto, BS Electronics Engineering “This is just the beginning, and the possibilities are limitless.”—UP Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) and Office of Student Development Services Director Shari Niña Oliquino in her opening remarks during the launch of the Alumni Mentoring Program (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Mentor Michaela Abao Viray says the Alumni Mentoring Program is innovative and participatory. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “With [the Alumni Mentoring Program], I’ve found an answer that will allow me to approach my career path in a more intimate and personalized way.”—Hannah Nicole Gaudiel, BS Statistics, one of the mentees (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO) “We hope that in the future, we ourselves will have the privilege to give back, and when we do, we will look back at this moment with gratitude and pride.”—Mark Nicholas Cagas, BS Computer Engineering, one of the mentees (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Mentor Simeon Godinez briefly describes the contents of the program packets given to the mentees. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo Jimenez asks the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco member-mentors to lead in helping UP expand the Alumni Mentoring Program to other alumni groups around the world. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     Mentor Rosario Calderon says she is looking forward to meeting the mentees in person. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “I have high hopes for this program to be sustained across the UP System.”—UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jerwin Agpaoa (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP initiates platform for Bangsamoro development and collaboration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-initiates-platform-for-bangsamoro-development-and-collaboration/",
        "html": "UP initiates platform for Bangsamoro development and collaboration UP initiates platform for Bangsamoro development and collaboration September 25, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu       UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and Abdulkarim T. Misuari, Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Member and Deputy BTA Parliament Speaker greet each other in solidarity and brotherhood at the historic UP-Bangsamoro Development Institute Summit Consultation held on September 13 in Davao City. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     On the eve of the investiture of University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo “Jijil” A. Jimenez at the UP Mindanao Atrium, a historic consultation meeting with Bangsamoro Transition Authority officials and stakeholders was held at the Dusit Thani Residences in Davao City on September 13. Representatives from the UP System and constituent units, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in BARMM discussed opportunities for collaboration, with the goal of improving the socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro region and Mindanao in general.  UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao said the event was an affirmation of the academic leaders’ desire to help Mindanaoans. She added that UP is eager to cooperate and harmonize its efforts with partner SUCs, primarily the Mindanao State University System (MSU).  UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     UP Pres. Jimenez, a Manobo and Mindanaoan himself, explained that while Mindanao is rich in natural and human resources, the regions’ development was severely stifled due to deeply-rooted problems that cause poverty, underdevelopment, and social conflicts.  “I realized, so many years ago, that the people of Mindanao likewise deserve to experience the same fruits of development and peace that more progressive provinces of our archipelago were already enjoying,” Jimenez emphasized, and said further that he hoped UP could actively serve as catalyst and enabler for social transformation.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     Jimenez called on all stakeholders to “seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to partner now with the national University, while it is being led by one of us, and allow one another to help sustain Mindanao’s overall progress,” in accordance with the University’s mandate under Republic Act 9500, which is to lead in the nation’s higher education and public service spheres.  “The University of the Philippines is eager to support the development of educational institutions within the Bangsamoro region. By providing technical assistance, faculty exchanges, and curriculum development support, we aim to empower the youth with quality education, fostering a knowledge-based society,” Jimenez said.  For Jimenez, the meeting is “a significant milestone towards making quality education and basic services accessible even to the poorest and marginalized sectors, and enhancing inclusive development in the country today.”  “We are pursuing the dream of building a future where every individual in the Bangsamoro region has access to quality education, economic opportunities, and an enabling environment in which to thrive,” he emphasized.  Erwin Protacio, UP Mindanao Office of Extension and Community Service Director. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     Prof. Erwin Protacio, Director of the Office of Extension and Community Service of UP Mindanao, presented what the UP-BARMM Institute Stakeholders’ Forum had already accomplished.  Dr. Leo DP. Cubillan, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented the program’s Concept Note that was created by the Bangsamoro technical working group (TWG).  Expert resource persons also reported what their respective institutions could contribute to BARMM. These would include platforms for capability building and sharing of expertise to address the many issues and challenges on education, health, agriculture and fisheries, labor and employment, science and technology, human settlements and development, indigenous peoples’ affairs, and many others.  UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     Responses from Bangsamoro government officials  In response to the UP initiative, Hon. Abdulkarim T. Misuari, BTA Member and Deputy BTA Parliament Speaker, expressed his gratitude to UP and everyone who attended the meeting.  He said that “it is about time. . . . it is never too late to start right,” as he explained the importance of education in the development of every individual and in sustaining peace and progress in the country.  “Knowledge comes first,” he said, emphasizing that actions should be based on education. “Education is the best start,” he added, signaling the readiness of the Bangsamoro to collaborate with SUCs.  Abdulkarim T. Misuari, BTA Member and Deputy BTA Parliament Speaker. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     MSU System President Basari D. Mapupuno conveyed the collective excitement of the MSU System in this transformative journey with UP and BARMM. He also highlighted the programs, contributions and role of MSU in Mindanao.  Palawan Mamaon, the representative of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), also thanked UP for helping the Bangsamoro in addressing the many problems in BARMM. He also talked about the Bangsamoro Development Plan 2023-2028 and the need for research to be translated into outputs beneficial to the communities.  MSU System President Basari D. Mapupuno. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)]     Hon. Akmad A. Brahim, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy, expressed his thanks to UP scientists who could help the Bangsamoro.  Ministers and representatives from the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment, as well as UP Visayas Chancellor Clement C. Camposano also shared their ideas during the open forum.  Akmad A. Brahim, BTA Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)     To close the event, UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara called for the convening of the TWG to discuss the eventual creation of the Bangsamoro Development Institute with UP, MSU and BARMM working together.  Among UP’s academic and research institutions to be involved in the program are: UP Resilience Institute; UP National Center for Transportation Studies; UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies; UP National College of Public Administration and Governance; UP Manila National Institutes of Health; UP Cebu Center for Environmental Informatics; UP Mindanao Center for Advancement of Research in Mindanao; UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Philippine Genome Center; UP Institute of Islamic Studies; UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center; UP Mindanao Studies Center; and UP Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.  The program will have an Advisory Board with members from UP and BARMM.  UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara. (Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "“We are here to renew bonds” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/we-are-here-to-renew-bonds/",
        "html": "“We are here to renew bonds” “We are here to renew bonds” September 29, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   University of the Philippines alumni in Congress with officials of the university huddle for a group photo at the Executive House, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     The Executive House in the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) once again housed a gathering of distinguished alumni as UP President Angelo Jimenez hosted the traditional fellowship night on the 28th of September with UP alumni members of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 19th Congress of the Philippines.  Jimenez highlighted in his message the important role of the University in producing leaders of the nation and in shaping the nation, as well as the role of prominent alumni at the highest levels of government. He provided several updates on UP’s most recent accomplishments and major legacy projects to be pursued during his term.  “We are here to renew our bonds,” said Jimenez.  Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the most senior among those present, spoke on behalf of the UP alumni members in the House of Representatives. He pledged to gain the support of fellow alumni and allies in the allocation of funds for UP.  Senator Lorna Regina “Loren” Legarda and Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara briefly discussed with UP officials their plans to support the various UP constituent units.  Also present were: Rep. Stella Luz Alabastro-Quimbo; Rep. Richelle Singson; Rep. Rachel Marguerite Del Mar; Rep. Drixie Mae Suarez-Cardema; Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong; Rep. Lorenz Defensor; Rep. Adrian Michael Amatong; Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores; Rep. Pablo John Garcia Jr.; Rep. Gabriel Bordado; and Rep. Ron Salo.  UP officials with President Jimenez were: Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara; VP for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan; VP for Planning and Finance Iryn Balmores; VP for Development Ferdinand Pecson; VP for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino; UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan; UP Los Banos Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr.; UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao; UP Baguio Chancellor Corazon Abansi; UP Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi; AVP for Public Affairs and Office of Alumni Relations Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval; Padayon Public Service Office Director Cherish Aileen Brillon; TVUP Executive Director Grace Alfonso; UP Resilience Institute Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Lagmay; AVP for Student Affairs and Office of Student Development Services Director Shari Oliquino; and Chief of Staff of the Office of the President Ricky Dela Torre.  The lawmakers were serenaded by the UP Concert Chorus.     Albay Representative Edcel Lagman. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     President Angelo Jimenez talks with Senator Lorna Regina “Loren” Legarda at the fellowship night for UP alumni in Congress. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     President Jimenez (center) talks with Cebu City 1st District Representative Rachel Marguerite B. Del Mar (left) and Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (right). Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     President Jimenez speaks with members of the UP Concert Chorus, who performed for the members of Congress. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "AUPAEU opens Academic Union Month, marks World Teachers’ Day at Quezon Hall – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aupaeu-opens-academic-union-month-marks-world-teachers-day-at-quezon-hall/",
        "html": "AUPAEU opens Academic Union Month, marks World Teachers’ Day at Quezon Hall AUPAEU opens Academic Union Month, marks World Teachers’ Day at Quezon Hall October 6, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Prof. Reggie Vallejos, AUPAEU-Manila Chapter President, addresses the event participants. (Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO)     More than 125 members of the University of the Philippines (UP) community, comprised of faculty, REPS, employees, students, and residents, and spearheaded by the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), gathered in front of the UP Diliman Quezon Hall on October 5 to mark World Teachers’ Day and start the month-long celebration of the UP Systemwide Academic Union Month.  AUPAEU officers, UP President Angelo Jimenez, UP Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota, and leaders of the multisectoral alliance delivered solidarity messages. Union members highlighted the campaigns for: democratic governance and academic freedom in UP, salary upgrading, higher fringe benefits, additional plantilla items and regularization of employees, among other issues. Participants also joined the Zumba session, solidarity breakfast, and raffle held during the program.     UP President Angelo Jimenez delivering his message of solidarity with the AUPAEU on World Teachers’ Day. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter President Rolando Delos Reyes discusses how UP community issues are linked with national issues during the program. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     Prof. Rommel Rodriguez, Vice President for Faculty of the AUPAEU National, reads the emailed message from the Union’s UPLB Chapter. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     AUPAEU-Diliman Chapter President Rolando Delos Reyes. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     Representatives from the UP Manila student council. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)     Raffle winners were called in front to receive grocery packs. (Photo by Fred Dabu, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Taiwanese industrial execs explore partnerships with UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/taiwanese-industrial-execs-explore-partnerships-with-up/",
        "html": "Taiwanese industrial execs explore partnerships with UP Taiwanese industrial execs explore partnerships with UP October 16, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Lin Hai Industrial Park Manufacturers Association (LHIPMA) President Chao-Hsien Lai (left) and University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez (right) shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding formalizing the common desire for collaboration for academic and related purposes. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     Executives of the Kaohsiung Lin Hai Industrial Park Manufacturers Association (LHIPMA), a non-governmental organization representing companies thriving in a highly developed industrial zone in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, visited the University of the Philippines (UP) to discuss partnership opportunities, especially in the area of green energy. They were warmly received by University officials at the Executive House in UP Diliman on October 10.  LHIPMA President Chao-Hsien Lai and UP President Angelo Jimenez signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize the common desire for collaboration for academic and related purposes. The Kaohsiung Lin Hai Industrial Park is home to more than 400 companies specializing in Taiwan’s key industries such as base metals, metal products, machinery, transportation, chemical products, food and beverage manufacturing, power equipment and repairs, and many more.  According to Jimenez, collaboration with LHIPMA is mutually beneficial for the University and the industries, strengthens Philippine and Taiwan relations, and also helps address the problems related to climate change.  Lin Hai Industrial Park Manufacturers Association (LHIPMA) President Chao-Hsien Lai (left) and University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez (right) sign the memorandum of understanding formalizing the common desire for collaboration for academic and related purposes. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     Also present during the meeting were: Dr. Paul Chung, Senior Adviser of the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, and more than 30 LHIPMA-member top executives from various industries in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; UP officials, namely, Dr. Imee Su Martinez, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director of the Office of International Linkages; Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Professor Emeritus; Dr. Maria Antonia Tanchuling, College of Engineering (COE) Dean; Dr. Eric Augustus Tingatinga, COE Associate Dean for Alumni & Institutional Linkages; Jose Fernando Alcantara, Executive Vice President; Rolando Tolentino, Vice President for Public Affairs; Edgardo Carlo Vistan, UP Diliman Chancellor; Dr. Enrico Basilio, Director of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED); Dr. Eing Ming Wu, UP NCPAG Visiting Professor and Senior Managing Advisor of the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association (Kaohsiung, Taiwan); EnP. John Moses Cruz, UP NCPAG Center for Policy and Executive Development; Engr. Joey Gomez, UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE) President; and UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) officials.  The Taiwanese delegation is meeting with Philippine government officials and industry leaders to discuss partnerships and investment opportunities and will conclude their six-day visit to the country on October 13.     Lin Hai Industrial Park Manufacturers Association (LHIPMA) President Chao-Hsien Lai (standing, fourth from left) and University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez (standing, fifth from right) pose with members of both parties after signing the document formalizing the common desire for collaboration for academic and related purposes. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP hosts national conference for Climate and Disaster Resilience – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-hosts-national-conference-for-climate-and-disaster-resilience/",
        "html": "UP hosts national conference for Climate and Disaster Resilience UP hosts national conference for Climate and Disaster Resilience October 26, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Participants, guests and organizers of the 2nd National Conference of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience (PASCDR). (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     More than 200 participants from academic institutions, non-government organizations, and local government units attended the opening of the three-day 2nd National Conference of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience (PASCDR), held October 25 at the Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  Dr. Emmanuel M. Luna, PASCDR National Coordinator, set the tone for the conference with the theme “From Discourses to Actions: Mobilizing the Academe for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.” Taking off from the first conference held in November 2019, the second conference aims to look back and reflect on what the academe has done concerning climate and disaster resilience in order to stimulate the sharing and critique of lessons, reflections, innovations and practices from the past and current situation.   Dr. Emmanuel M. Luna, UP professor and PASCDR National Coordinator, provides an overview of the conference. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     The welcome remarks of QC Mayor Ma. Josefina “Joy” Belmonte were delivered by Albert Kimpo, Assistant City Administrator for Operations of QC, while Secretary Robert E.A. Borje, Vice-Chair and Executive Director of the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission, delivered the keynote address for the conference.  Plenary and parallel sessions featured discussions by expert panelists and officials, including Professor Emeritus Rex Victor O. Cruz of the UP Los Baños Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management (UPLB-INREM), Joe Carlo Soriano of the Office of Civil Defense, Dr. Ronald P. Law of the Department of Health (DOH) Health Emergency Management Bureau, and Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI).       Mr. Albert Kimpo, Assistant City Administrator for Operations of Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     The national conference was organized by the PASCDR and the UPRI in partnership with the UP Social Action and Research for Development Foundation, Inc.  Launched in 2019, the PASCDR is a network of individuals from the academe aiming to promote, integrate, and conduct disaster risk reduction and climate change actions towards safe schools and societal resilience. Its core members were from Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, UP Diliman, UP Manila, and the Philippines Public Safety College.     Officers of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience (PASCDR) and the UP Resilience Institute pose with guest speakers and resource persons Mr. Albert Kimpo, Secretary Robert E.A. Borje, Professor Emeritus Rex Victor O. Cruz, Dr. Ronald P. Law, and Joe Carlo Soriano. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s 2023 Annual Procurement Conference highlights good governance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-2023-annual-procurement-conference-highlights-good-governance/",
        "html": "UP’s 2023 Annual Procurement Conference highlights good governance UP’s 2023 Annual Procurement Conference highlights good governance October 27, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   The University of the Philippines Procurement Office hosted the University’s 2023 Annual Procurement Conference at the GT Toyota Auditorium in UP Diliman on October 20, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)     With the theme, “UP LIPAD: Linking Inspired Procurement and Digitalization”, the University of the Philippines (UP) System Procurement Office hosted the University’s 2023 Annual Procurement Conference at the GT Toyota Auditorium in UP Diliman on October 20, 2023.  Over 260 participants from various constituent units of the UP System, mostly procurement officers from UP Diliman, UP Manila and UP Open University, attended the whole-day event that featured lectures, workshops and games about increasing procurement efficiency, sharing best practices across CUs, and mastering procurement work with the aid of digital tools.     Atty. Flor Rissa L. Ofilada welcomes the UP officials, conference participants and speakers. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)     Atty. Flor Rissa L. Ofilada, Director of the UP System Procurement Office, provided the overview of the conference. She likened procurement to travelling abroad and flying via airplane where careful planning, precision and commitment are required from everyone for more efficient and successful functions and outcomes. She said the administrative officers are now ready to do procurement work on their own, to make their “flight” after completing all the preparations and after gaining sufficient knowledge and skills during the past years; hence, the theme, “UP LIPAD”. Atty. Ofilada also served as conference emcee and moderator.  Atty. Alex L. Lacson delivers his keynote address for the conference. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)     In his keynote address, Atty. Alex L. Lacson, UP alumnus and bestselling author, highlighted the valuable service being done by procurement officers and the need for more personnel to become champions of good governance, stressing that procurement is at the heart of public service and that good procurement translates to good governance. He added that transparency, integrity, accountability and perseverance are some of the important ingredients that comprise good procurement work, and that these lead to quality facilities, supplies, tools, equipment and services. He also praised UP’s procurement system as one of the most honest and efficient in the country.  UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, and Office of the President Chief of Staff Ricky D. Dela Torre conveyed their insights and inspirational messages at the conference. Vistan acknowledged the participants as being the lifeblood of the University as he encouraged them to keep on improving office work systems and prioritizing good governance in the work they are doing.  Alcantara discussed three principles related to procurement: compliance, prudence, and service. He said the UP administration wants to ensure that the end-user is happy, enabled and satisfied with the work of the administrative personnel.  Dela Torre likewise commended the procurement officers for the innovations and improvements that make the University’s procurement system more efficient, effective and indispensable in serving the people.  Finally, Dr. Imee S. Martinez, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Director of the Office of International Linkages, shared a success story in her recorded video message to the participants.     UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II shares insights in doing excellent procurement work. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)     UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara conveys the UP administration’s focus on public service. (Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO)     To cap the whole-day conference and celebration, select procurement officers showcased their talents in the music contest, the Halloween costume contest, and the fellowship dinner.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "New UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Tee receives University symbols of authority from Dr. Padilla – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/new-up-manila-chancellor-dr-tee-receives-university-symbols-of-authority-from-dr-padilla/",
        "html": "New UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Tee receives University symbols of authority from Dr. Padilla New UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Tee receives University symbols of authority from Dr. Padilla November 9, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu    The University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, the Health Sciences Center of the country, held its turnover ceremony for the Chancellorship of Dr. Michael L. Tee in the afternoon of November 7, 2023 at the UP College of Nursing Auditorium in Ermita, Manila.  The event featured the turning over of the University’s symbols of authority, the Mace, Bell and Gavel, from the 9th Chancellor, Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, to the 10th Chancellor, Dr. Tee, and the oath-taking of UP Manila’s Vice Chancellors, Assistants to the Vice Chancellors, Directors, and Heads of Units who will serve under the leadership of Dr. Tee.     Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, National Scientist and the 9th Chancellor of UP Manila, turns over the UP Manila Mace to Dr. Michael L. Tee, the 10th Chancellor, during the ceremony held at the UP College of Nursing Auditorium in Ermita, Manila. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Michael L. Tee, the 10th Chancellor of UP Manila, receives the University Bell and Gavel from Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla during the turnover ceremony. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Padilla’s valedictory address highlighted her administration’s accomplishments and summed up the lessons learned during the past nine years. Dr. Tee, for his part, outlined his administration’s vision and goals in his acceptance speech.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivered an inspiring message during the event. He also led the oath-taking of the new officials.  Dr. Padilla thanked the UP Manila community: for their dedication to teaching, research and extension work; for responding to the challenges during the pandemic; and for accelerating change and fostering innovation during her term as Chancellor. She cited the University’s most notable achievements, including: the establishment of the Quality Assurance Office and the Healthy University Office; improvement and expansion of health services and wellness programs, such as the Enhanced Hospitalization Program (eHOPE) and the psychosocial or mental health program; improving support mechanisms for students and faculty/researchers; implementing the digital transformation project, telemedicine and remote learning and teaching; promoting faculty and curriculum development, international linkages, and multisectoral collaborations in multidisciplinary environments; building new or improved infrastructures and acquiring state-of-the-art facilities and equipment; excelling in community engagements and services; and providing technical assistance to state universities and colleges (SUCs) and partner institutions. others.     Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, National Scientist and the 9th Chancellor of UP Manila, delivers her valedictory address. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)  “As I pass the torch to the succeeding Chancellor, I want to emphasize the importance of viewing institution building as a continuum. We laid the foundation, building on the achievement of the past, ensuring that UP Manila remain a dynamic and ever relevant institution, and marked by a steadfast dedication to addressing the evolving health needs of the Filipino people. This responsibility transcends any single chancellorship. I trust that my successor will carry this legacy forward with the same resolute commitment to UP’s mission of service to the Filipino people,” Padilla said.     Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla is accompanied by Dr. Michael L. Tee as past and present officials of the UP Manila administration and attendees of the turnover ceremony applaud Padilla for her outstanding leadership and legacy as Chancellor. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Chancellor Tee said UP Manila will continue to serve to improve the lives of people, to link with and grow together with partner universities, and to deliver healthcare to millions of Filipinos annually, as well as to respond to the needs of the University’s constituents. He said the School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte; Baler, Aurora; Koronadal, South Cotabato; Tarlac City; and the University’s volunteers and health professionals in the communities will continue to serve as ambassadors from and for the underserved. He also pledged to promote academic freedom as this is anchored on present realities and is integral to UP.     UP Manila Chancellor Michael L. Tee, MD, MHPED, MBA, delivers his acceptance speech. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Dr. Tee said that human capital is the most valuable asset of UP and his administration envisions a nurturing campus. They will pursue a housing facility with quality amenities for employees, promote health and wellness, and enhance academe-industry partnerships, among the many other initiatives of the “accessible leadership” of his administration.  “Bukas po ang aming opisina, papakinggan po namin ang inyong mga nais iparating.  Aaksyonan po namin ang inyong mga hinaing, ang inyong mga nais iparating, at kung anuman ang inyong mga ambisyon na kaakibat ang unibersidad sa susunod pang panahon. Together, let us realize the University’s potential. I’m privileged to be working with you,” Tee said in his acceptance speech.  President Jimenez congratulated Dr. Tee, expressing his confidence that the university was “in good hands.” He also thanked National Scientist Padilla for her three terms of leadership as UPM Chancellor, commending her for “serv[ing] with dedication despite the unprecedented historic challenges” of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The members of UP Manila Chancellor’s Management Team (CMT) and new officials are: Dr. Heizel Manapat-Reyes, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Dr. Johanna Patricia A. Cañal, Vice Chancellor for Administration; Dr. Jose V. Tecson, III, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; Dr. Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio, Vice Chancellor for Research; Prof. Honey Libertine Achanzar-Labor, Special Assistant to the Chancellor on UP Manila Museum; Assoc. Prof. Gina S. Salazar, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Dr. Hilton Y. Lam, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance; and Dr. Tammy L. dela Rosa, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development.  The Directors and Heads of Central Administration Offices are:  Dr. Cesar A. Perez, Jr., Director of the Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office; Atty. James Dennis C. Gumpal, Chief of the Legal Office; Dr. Coralie Therese D. Dimacali, Director of the Quality Assurance Office; Dr. Leilani Apostol-Nicodemus, Director of the Center for Gender and Women Studies; Dr. Anthony Geronimo H. Cordero, Director of the Community Health and Development Program; Dr. Vanessa-Maria Torres-Ticzon, Coordinator of the Creche Learning Center; Dr. Iris Thiele Isip-Tan, Director of the Interactive Learning Center; Asst. Prof. Migel Antonio P. Catalig, Director of the Learning Resource Center; Dr. Carl Abelardo T. Antonio, Director of the National Graduate Office for the Health Sciences; Prof. Josephine D. Agapito, Director of the National Service Training Program; Dr. Valerie P. Tiempo-Guinto, Director of the Office of Alumni Relations, and Coordinator of the Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment; Dr. Lenora C. Fernandez, Coordinator of the Office of Extension and Continuing Education; Dr. Vivien Fe Fadrilan-Camacho, Director of the Office of International Linkages; Asst. Prof. Odessa N. Joson, Director of the Office of Student Affairs; Asst. Prof. Jean Flor C. Casauay, University Registrar; Prof. Carolina S. Pulumbarit, Director of the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino; Ms. Maria Nimfa V. Castro, University Librarian; Dr. Paul Michael R. Hernandez, Director of the Healthy University Office; Dr. Michael Antonio F. Mendoza, Director of the Human Resource and Development Office; Mr. Marbert John C. Marasigan, Director of the Information Management Services; Dr. Eric S. Talens, Director of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod; Dr. Edward H.M. Wang, Director of the Office of Research Integrity; Dr. Emerito Jose A. Faraon, Head of the Research Grants Administration Office; Dr. Ricardo M. Manalastas, Director of the Research Management and Translation Office; and Prof. Lourdes Marie S. Tejero, Director of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office.  Officials of the UP System and UP Manila, family members of UP Manila’s new officials, and UP Manila faculty, students, administrative staff, and alumni attended the ceremony.     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez leads the oath-taking of the new Vice Chancellors who will serve under the leadership of Chancellor Tee. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez leads the oath-taking of the new officials who will serve under the leadership of Chancellor Tee. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and UP Manila Chancellor Michael L. Tee (center) pose with the Vice Chancellors, Assistants to the Vice Chancellors, Directors, and Heads of Units of UP Manila. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP System officials headed by President Angelo A. Jimenez pose with UP Manila Chancellor Michael L. Tee (center). From left: Vice President for Development Ferdinand Jesus A. Pecson, Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey M. Acosta, Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Y. Balmores, Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo D.P. Cubillan, Faculty Regent Carl Marc L. Ramota, Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara, Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, and Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents Roberto M.J. Lara. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP alumni, researchers recognized by the NAST PHL as outstanding Filipino scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-researchers-recognized-by-the-nast-phl-as-outstanding-filipino-scientists/",
        "html": "UP alumni, researchers recognized by the NAST PHL as outstanding Filipino scientists UP alumni, researchers recognized by the NAST PHL as outstanding Filipino scientists June 21, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Alumni and researchers of the University of the Philippines (UP) have been recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), the highest recognition body on science and technology, for their significant scientific contributions to the country.  The NAST PHL will introduce the new members of the Academy, the 2023 Outstanding Young Scientists, and the researchers who won scientific awards for 2023, in an awarding ceremony to be held on 13 July 2023. This is as the culminating activity of the 45th NAST Annual Scientific Meeting, according to the NAST’s official website.  NAST Academicians  Three UP scientists and alumni are among the four new NAST PHL Academicians. Membership to the Academy is given to resident Filipino scientists elected as Academicians who have made exemplary contributions to science and technology in the Philippines. The three new Academicians from UP are: Dr. Maria Corazon A. De Ungria (Microbiology) and Dr. Gil S. Jacinto (Chemical Oceanography), both from UP Diliman; and Dr. Roel R. Suralta (Agricultural Sciences) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute.  In addition, a UP alumnus, Dr. Leodevico L. Ilag (Microbiology and Immunology), will be conferred the title of new Corresponding Member, which is given to a non-resident Filipino scientist who has made exemplary contributions to the advancement of science and technology and who must have continuing connections and contributions to Philippine science.  Outstanding Young Scientists for 2023  The NAST PHL will also award nine Outstanding Young Scientists (OYS) for 2023—young Filipino scientists below the age of 40 years old, who have made significant contributions to science and technology. Of the nine, five are members of the UP community:  Nonawin B. Lucob-Agustin (Agricultural Science) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute; Jillian Aira S. Gabo-Ratio (Earth Resources Engineering) of UP Diliman; Reinabelle C. Reyes (Astrophysics), Associate Professor at the National Institute of Physics in UP Diliman; Albert Remus R. Rosana (Microbiology and Biotechnology) of the UP Los Baños; and Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco (Molecular Medicine) of UP Manila.  Outstanding Book/Monograph and Outstanding Scientific Paper Awardees  Several UP alumni will also be receiving the NAST’s 2023 Outstanding Book/Monograph awards, which is given annually for books and/or monographs published by Filipino publishers based in the Philippines within five years preceding the award, with the majority of the authors of publication being Filipinos.  One of the two winning books/monographs is titled “The Philippines’ Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from the Experience and Emerging Stronger to Future Shocks”, published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in 2022. The UP alumni among its authors are: Celia M. Reyes, Michael Ralph M. Abrigo, Arkin A. Arboneda, Roehlano M. Briones, Carlos C. Cabaero, Maria Margarita H. Debuque-Gonzales, Charlotte Justine G. Diokno-Sicat, Kris A. Francisco, Adoracion M. Navarro, Aniceto, Jr. C. Orbeta, Ma. Kristina P. Ortiz, Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep, Anna Rita P. Vargas, and Jana Flor V. Vizmanos.  The Outstanding Paper (OSP) Award, on the other hand, is given annually for papers published in Thompson Reuters or SCOPUS-listed journals in the Philippines within five years preceding the award. Mudjekeewis D. Santos, who graduated from UP with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, is one of the authors of one of the winning scientific papers, titled “Vulnerability to Climate Change of ‘Giant Squid’ (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) Fishery in Marinduque, Philippines”, published in The Philippine Journal of Fisheries in 2021.  NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists  The winners of the NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists (NTSYS), a project of the NAST to encourage young people to pursue a career in science, will also be awarded. Chosen after the finalists’ paper presentations held on 21 April, the winners of the NTSYS are:  First prize: Jayson G. Cosme (Physics) of UP Diliman Second prize: Michael T. Castro (Chemical Engineering) of UP Diliman Third Prize: Ann Franchesca B. Laguna (Computer Science and Engineering) of De La Salle University, who earned her BS Computer Engineering and MS Electrical Engineering degrees from UP Diliman  In addition, Dr. Neil Jerome A. Egarguin (Mathematics) of UPLB and Mr. Charlon A. Ligson (Marine Science) of the UP Diliman Marine Science Institute are among the four who will receive special citations.  NAST Environmental Science Award  Dr. Dranreb Earl O. Juanico (Physics) of the Technological Institute of the Philippines is this year’s NAST Environmental Science Awardee. He is recognized for his outstanding scientific and technological research work that contributes to environmental protection and conservation. He earned his doctorate in Physics from UP Diliman.  With reports by the UP Office of Alumni Relations. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB inaugurates new Math Building; PAJ pledges support for expansion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-inaugurates-new-math-building-paj-pledges-support-for-expansion/",
        "html": "UPLB inaugurates new Math Building; PAJ pledges support for expansion UPLB inaugurates new Math Building; PAJ pledges support for expansion September 29, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez (PAJ), UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho, and other UP System and UPLB officials, cut the ribbon symbolizing the inauguration of the new Match building. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     A milestone nearly two decades in the making, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics of the College of Arts and Sciences, UP Los Baños, inaugurated today its new Mathematics Building along Luz. U. Oñate Street. In attendance were UP President Angelo Jimenez, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho, Jr., and past UPLB Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, UPLB-CAS Deans and Directors of the IMSP.  According to the historical marker unveiled during the inauguration, construction of the three-storey Math Building was initiated during the term of IMSP Director Genaro Cuaresma (2001-2007), while the design and funding were approved during the incumbency of IMSP Director Virgilio Sison (2007-2013). Construction commenced in January 2014, and partial completion happened under the helm of IMSP Director Chrysaline Margus Piñol (2013-2019). Completion and furnishing were realized through the leadership of IMSP Director Editha Jose (2019-present).  UP System and UPLB officials unveil the historical marker of the Math building. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP MPRO).     In his message during the inauguration, UP President Jimenez shared UPLB’s impact on the development of his social awareness and desire to serve. He pledged his administration’s support for UPLB’s expansion even as he exhorted the UPLB community to continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and strive for excellence in academics, research and public service and eventually, to “produce a Nobel Prize awardee”.     UP President Jimenez, UPLB Chancellor Camacho, and other UP System and UPLB officials pose with students in the new building’s classroom, showing off the airy, well-lit room and its “K-drama-inspired” desks and chairs. Photo by Abraham Arboleda (UP-MPRO)."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP honors its 77 UP Scientists – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-honors-its-77-up-scientists/",
        "html": "UP honors its 77 UP Scientists UP honors its 77 UP Scientists October 2, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   A group photo for posterity of the awardees, University officials and guests of the awarding ceremony at the DL Umali Hall, UP Los Baños. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan speaking to awardees and guests at the ceremony. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  The University of the Philippines (UP) honored its outstanding UP Scientists in an awarding ceremony titled “Celebrating Odysseys of Scientific Excellence”, which was held on September 29, 2023 at the Dioscoro L. Umali Hall in UP Los Baños (UPLB).  A total of 77 UP faculty members were appointed “UP Scientist” during the 1381st meeting of the UP Board of Regents (BOR) on May 25, 2023, comprising Batch 2022-2024 of the UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS). Of the 77, 22 are from UP Diliman, 33 from UPLB, 18 from UP Manila, and two each from UP Mindanao and UP Visayas.  Watch the streaming video of the ceremony here  The UP SPS was established by the UP BOR in August 2005 to support the development of science and technology and to encourage and reward scientific productivity in UP.  According to the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the University has been supporting its scientists through the provision of research funds and by honoring with the “UP Scientist” Award those who have distinguished themselves in their specialized disciplines. The Award bestows not just esteemed recognition but also material incentives and a conducive environment that fosters advanced scientific productivity for national development.  Since the inception of the UP SPS, the University has issued 774 appointments to the UP Scientist ranks—with scientists meeting the requirements of the ranks retaining or improving their ranks.  The event was attended by officials of the UP System, including UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, Vice President for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino, Faculty Regent Carl Marc L. Ramota, Student Regent Sofia Jan DG Trinidad, Staff Regent Victoria C. Belegal, and chancellors of the UP constituent units—UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Vistan, UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho, National Scientist and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao, and UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano.     President Angelo Jimenez giving his keynote address at the awarding ceremony. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     University officials and awardees throwing their clenched fists in the air as they sing the University Hymn UP Naming Mahal. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Sanctuary, a haven to promote mental health, soon to rise in UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-sanctuary-a-haven-to-promote-mental-health-soon-to-rise-in-up-diliman/",
        "html": "UP Sanctuary, a haven to promote mental health, soon to rise in UP Diliman UP Sanctuary, a haven to promote mental health, soon to rise in UP Diliman October 9, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Members of the Portia Sorority pose with University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez (middle in black, gold and maroon shirt) and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan (in maroon shirt), at the site of the UP  Portia Sanctuary. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.        A new, verdant and peaceful haven is soon to rise in the Diliman campus—a place where, as UP President Angelo A. Jimenez put it, UP students and members of the UP community can reconnect and interact with Nature, with one another, and with themselves.  In the afternoon of October 4, in a portion of the Lagoon in front of the Faculty Center, the UP Portia Sanctuary was launched in a simple ceremony attended by UP System and UP Diliman officials headed by UP President Jimenez, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan, UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Office of Student Development Services Director Ma. Shari Niña Oliquino, UP System Procurement Office Director Flor L. Ofilada; and members of the UP College of Law-based Portia Sorority and Portia Sorority Alumnae Association.  The UP Portia Sanctuary is a project by the UP Office of the President and the UP Office of the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs – Office Student Development Services (OSDS), in partnership with the UP Portia Sorority and its alumnae association. The UP Sanctuary is designed as a dedicated space where one can find solace and tranquility during periods of heightened psychological stress, providing a safe refuge for all members of the UP community, especially the students, faculty, and staff. The idea of the UP Sanctuary was originally conceptualized by the members of the UP Portia Sorority. Arch. Micaela Benedicto, an alumna of the UP College of Architecture, contributed her expertise by crafting the initial architectural designs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Coalition of UP faculty and staff hold forum on salary-related issues in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/coalition-of-up-faculty-and-staff-hold-forum-on-salary-related-issues-in-up/",
        "html": "Coalition of UP faculty and staff hold forum on salary-related issues in UP Coalition of UP faculty and staff hold forum on salary-related issues in UP October 27, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Image source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=178308428657942&set=a.178308538657931     The UP Salary Fight Network held a UP Systemwide forum titled “GRABE NA, KULANG NA! SAHOD, ITAAS NA!” on October 25 at the UP Diliman Student Union Building’s Alcantara Hall. The forum aimed to address the different issues that have plagued many members of the UP community such as delayed salaries, outdated worker benefits, the demands for higher pay for both contractual and regular workers and lecturers, overtime pay, and more.  In attendance, either in person or via Zoom, were various employees, from teachers to contractual workers. Among the speakers were All UP Academic Employees Union President Perlita Raña and UP Workers Alliance Chair Jonathan Beldia. They discussed the working conditions for rank-and-file employees and the general situation regarding salary processing in the University.  Celeste F. Vallejos, Director of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development Office of Research and Extension Development Office and member of the Alliance of Contractual Employees in UP (ACE UP), introduced the UP Salary Fight Network and spoke about how the network aims to combat all of these salary-related issues.  “Ano ang ating magagawa?” she asked. “Kailangan nating mamulat, magkaisa at kumilos.”  The UP Salary Fight Network (UPSFN) is a broad coalition of UP faculty, REPS, and regular and contractual employees that advocates for meaningful and just salary increase and for a lasting solution to the problematic schemes and practices regarding salaries in UP. It is composed of various organizations, including the Workers Alliance, ACE UP, the All UP Academic Employees Union, CONTEND and the All UP Workers Union-UP Manila Philippine General Hospital, and was established during a press conference of REPS and UP contractual employees held in UP Manila in June 2023.  Watch the livestream of the forum on the UP Salary Fight Network FB page: https://www.facebook.com/UPSalaryFightNetwork/videos/892523888904122 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP secures 8 out of top 10 spots in licensure examination for fisheries professionals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-secures-8-out-of-top-10-spots-in-licensure-examination-for-fisheries-professionals/",
        "html": "UP secures 8 out of top 10 spots in licensure examination for fisheries professionals UP secures 8 out of top 10 spots in licensure examination for fisheries professionals November 8, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II    Eight out of the 10 examinees who topped the recent licensure examination for fisheries professionals are graduates of the University of the Philippines Visayas.  This was announced by Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), which released on Monday, November 6, the list of 716 out of 2,124 examinees who successfully passed the October 2023 licensure examination for fisheries professionals.  The examination took place from October 25 to 26.  The eight topnotchers from UP Visayas are:  Allen Patrick Rodriguez Araneta, Klynne Clarise Manliquez Kuizon and Rizza Mae Tagupa Guyapale who all tied for second place with an average of 86.75%; Reylan Alilaen Alegroso, who placed fourth with an average of 85.75%; Carl Bryle Mosura Rosal and Gyll Anne Marie Namon Moquera, who tied for fifth place with an average of 85.50%; Hanna Raiza Molina Grantoza, who placed eighth with an average of 84.75%; And Chris Jan Panisa Dinaga, who placed tenth with an average of 84.25%.  The University of the Philippines congratulates the UP graduates who topped the exams and all the all the examinees who successfully passed.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM registers 100% passing rate in Pharmacists Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upm-registers-100-passing-rate-in-pharmacists-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UPM registers 100% passing rate in Pharmacists Licensure Exam UPM registers 100% passing rate in Pharmacists Licensure Exam November 13, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) registered a 100 percent passing rate in the Pharmacists Licensure Examination given by the Board of Pharmacy this November, as all 35 of its graduates passed the exam on their first attempt. UPM student Joseph Benedict Lumantao Carpio was also among the topnotchers, ranking fourth among all examinees with a score of 92.28 percent.  The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced these results on November 8, 2023. Out of 4,038 total examinees, 2,974 passed the exam. "
    },
    {
        "title": "MOA signing between UPCWGS and MWSS RO – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/moa-signing-between-upcwgs-and-mwss-ro/",
        "html": "MOA signing between UPCWGS and MWSS RO MOA signing between UPCWGS and MWSS RO November 13, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Representatives of UP and the MWSS RO officially sign the MOA launching the 2023 Sex Disaggregated Water Data Survey (SDWDS) Project. From left to right: UP CWGS Director Marie Aubrey Villaceran, UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara, MWSS RO Chief Regulator Patrick Lester Ty, and MWSS RO Deputy Administrator for Administration and Legal Affairs Claudine Orocio-Isorena. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     The 2023 Sex Disaggregated Water Data Survey (SDWDS) was officially launched on November 10, with the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP CWGS) and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS RO).  The SDWDS project is a collaboration between the UP CWGS and the MWSS RO, intended to promote gender equality and women empowerment by integrating a Gender and Development (GAD) perspective in all its programs, policies, and activities, through enabling mechanisms that institutionalize gender mainstreaming to ensure equal opportunities and participation for both sexes.  The attendees of the ceremonial MOA signing from both the UP CWGS and the MWSS RO. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)     The UP CWGS and the MWSS RO are jointly conducting the 2023 SDWDS project as the basis for planning, budgeting, programming, and policy formulation of the Gender and Development Focal Point System. According to the project brief, the objectives of the project are: to gather baseline information on the basic water statistics in the Concession Area covering Metro Manila and parts of Cavite and Rizal; to produce  survey design and survey instruments for use in the study; and to produce data that is gender-sensitive for use in the planning, budgeting, programming, and policy formulation of the MWSS RO and to assess how policies and programs on water have different impacts on women and men, and girls and boys.  Notable attendees of the MOA signing are UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara, MWSS Chief Regulator Patrick Lester, and UPCWGS Director Marie Aubrey J. Villaceran.     The ceremonial MOA signing between the UP CWGS and the MWSS RO is capped with and exchange of gifts. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "Satirist Manuel Urbano, Jr., a.k.a., “Mr. Shooli”, is UP Gawad Plaridel awardee – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/satirist-manuel-urbano-jr-a-k-a-mr-shooli-is-up-gawad-plaridel-awardee/",
        "html": "Satirist Manuel Urbano, Jr., a.k.a., “Mr. Shooli”, is UP Gawad Plaridel awardee Satirist Manuel Urbano, Jr., a.k.a., “Mr. Shooli”, is UP Gawad Plaridel awardee October 17, 2023 | Written by Chelsea Lilang   The University of the Philippines System Officials, UP Gawad Plaridel Committee and UP Chancellors with Mr. Shooli (8th from the left) Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     Actor, satirist, and advertising creative Manuel” Jun” Salazar Urbano Jr., popularly known on television, film, and the Internet as “Mr. Shooli”, was conferred the prestigious Gawad Plaridel by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) College of Mass Communication on October 11, during a ceremony held at the UP Film Institute Film Center’s Cine Adarna.  The UP Gawad Plaridel 2023 awarding ceremony was attended by UP officials led by UP President Angelo Jimenez, Vice President for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roehl Jamon, UP Cebu Chancellor Leo B. Malagar, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano, and UP College of Mass Communication (CMC) officials, staff, students from the UP CMC and other units, fellow Gawad Plaridel awardees, and guests from media organizations and other universities.  Urbano told PhilSTAR L!fe that he would not be attending the UP Gawad Plaridel awarding ceremony. “Papupuntahin ko si Mr. Shooli,” he joked—then proceeded to do just that. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     UP College of Mass Communication Dean Fernando dlC. Paragas said in his welcome remarks: “Today’s Gawad Plaridel ceremony is a gift of our College to you and to our family and friends in the community in communication and media and across and beyond the country. After 1,421 days since the last Gawad Plaridel awarding ceremony, we present to you our gift of an event that honors Mr. Manuel Urbano, Jr. whose lifelong work of speaking truth to power through humor is in itself a gift to all of us.”  UP President Jimenez delivers his message during the awarding ceremony. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  UP President Jimenez expressed his deepest congratulations to the awardee, whom he personally admire. “I am glad and proud to see Mr. Jun Urbano receive the UP Gawad Plaridel, first and foremost, because of his continuing commitment to the highest levels of excellence and professionalism, and his precious contributions to Philippine media spanning decades, that make him worthy of the recognition; and second, for the words of wisdom and inspiration that he will be imparting to us this afternoon. Surely, Mr. Urbano’s message—Mr. Shooli’s message—will be remembered long after today,” he said in his speech.”  Jimenez also mentioned a beer commercial that became famous in the 80s. “Here in these advertisements, Mr. Urbano speaks to both young and old alike. The humble ‘roasted highland legumes’—yes the ‘isang platitong mani’—goes as perfectly well the beer and fellowship, just as much as the more expensive and sinful inihaw na pusit, kalderetang maanghang, crispy pata, sizzling sisig or chicharong bulaklak do, and so making the bonds among friends and families stronger and happier during reunions.”  Even at 84 years old, Urbano never fails to amaze his guests and friends in media with his portrayal of his iconic character, “Mr. Shooli”. His body of work has been notable for its profound social commentary, and his remarkable contributions to multimedia commercial advertising are distinguished by their humane values and unforgettable Pinoy humor.     Manuel “Mr. Shooli” reveals his secret formula during the 2023 UP Gawad Plaridel awarding ceremony: “When I tell you your faults through comedy, tatawa ka. Iyan ang formula ko.” Presenting him the trophy is UP President Jimenez. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Professor Emeritus Nicanor G. Tiongson announced that Urbano was being recognized “for directing well-made and memorable television ads, which highlighted typical Filipino characters and situations; propounded positive values like love of country, industry among workers and professional loyalty to friends, concern for indigenous peoples and our brothers in the regions; and featured Filipino personalities who made the country proud through their international achievements” and “for creating the TV series ‘Mongolian Barbecue’, which became a conduit for enlightening and conscientizing the public, and giving them a critical understanding of current urgent social issues through interviews with known government officials.”  He was also cited for his consistency in taking a pro-Filipino and pro-people stand and for speaking truth to power; for setting and maintaining a high level of excellence in the TV ads, which led to his being acclaimed as one of the most awarded commercial ad directors in his day; and for creating productions in television and film that elevated the substance and form that future generations of Filipino media practitioners can look up to.     The UP Filipiniana Dance Group and UP Samaskom perform in an intermission number. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.     For the traditional Gawad Plaridel lecture, Urbano delivered it as his iconic character, Mr. Shooli, who was tasked to deliver Urbano’s acceptance speech but left the manuscript in the taxi, and so in lieu of an acceptance speech, recounted his experiences in the Philippines from the perspective of a Mongolian instead. The satirist mentioned that in the past, “Filipino are the best people in Southeast Asia” and “Philippines number two to Japan in economy”. Then he compared it to the current status of the Philippines, ridden with thieves, extrajudicial killings, and economic deprivation forching the Philippines to import goods from other countries. He also talked about the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) being exported to pay the debt of the Philippines.  He compared the ordinary thief and political thief as well. “Yung ordinary thief, siya pipili ikaw pa nanakawan niya. Ang political thief, kayo pumipili kung sino mananakawan sa inyo.”  He recalled his father, National Artist Manuel Conde, who used to say: “Mr. Shooli, if you want the patient to get well because he is very sick and he doesn’t want to take the bitter medicine for him to get well, give him joke. Patawanin mo. Pag bukas na yung kanyang bibig tsaka mo ipasok yung gamut. And that’s what I’m doing to you,” Urbano added. “I’m sure ang mga sinasabi ni Mr. Shooli, tumatatak sa inyo.”  He said to the UP students and all Philippine youth: “This country is your country. The future of this country is your future. Then try to work on it. Use your knowledge to improve the country.”     “Mr. Shooli” delivers his Plaridel lecture with flair and aplomb. Photo by Jonatan Madrid, UPMPRO.     The UP Gawad Plaridel is the sole award of the UP System for outstanding practitioners known for their integrity and excellence in the different fields of media—print media, radio, television, cinema, and new media. The award is named after the great propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar, whose nom de plume was “Plaridel”. The recognition comes with a trophy sculpture depicting the editor of La Solidaridad by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva.     UP Gawad Plaridel Awardee for 2023 Mr. Manuel “Jun” Urbano, Jr., also known as Mr. Shooli, with his family and friends. Also present is the actor and assistant director of “Mongolian Barbecue”, Leo Martinez (right from the center). Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Established in 2004, the Gawad Plaridel tradition includes a lecture by the laureate on pertinent issues within their respective field or craft. Previous recipients of the honor include media luminaries such as Eugenia Apostol, Vilma Santos-Recto, Fidela Magpayo, Cheche Lazaro, Pacheco Seares, Kidlat Tahimik, Eloisa Cruz Canlas, Rosa Rosal, Jose Lacaba, Nora Aunor, Ricky Lee, Francisca Custodio, Tina Monzon-Palma, Jessica Soho, and last awarded to Bonifacio Ilagan in 2019.  Urbano is the first to be conferred the UP Gawad Plaridel after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Watch the Gawad Plaridel Awarding Ceremony with this video from TVUP "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM is top performing school in recent Physician Licensure Exams – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upm-is-top-performing-school-in-recent-physician-licensure-exams/",
        "html": "UPM is top performing school in recent Physician Licensure Exams UPM is top performing school in recent Physician Licensure Exams November 17, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       The University of the Philippines Manila placed first in the list of top ten performing schools in the October 2023 Physician Licensure Exam, with 164 out of 168 or 97.62% of its examinees passing the exam.  Two UPM graduates made it to the top ten passers. Jon Michael Saluta Kimpo placed 4th overall with a rating of 88.42%, followed by Tranquil Matthew Apasan Salvador IV who placed 5th with a rating of 88.17%.  The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced the top-performing schools in the October 2023 Physician Licensure Exams on November 10. The Physician board exam was conducted on October 20-21 and 27-28, 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB and UPD secure top spots in November 2023 Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-and-upd-secure-top-spots-in-november-2023-nutritionist-dietitians-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UPLB and UPD secure top spots in November 2023 Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Exam UPLB and UPD secure top spots in November 2023 Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Exam December 1, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and UP Los Baños (UPLB) ranked first among the top performing schools in the November 2023 Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Examination. Both UP constituent universities reported a 100% passing rate, as all their examinees—40 from UPLB and 37 from UPD—passed the test.  Examinees from both UP Diliman and UPLB also ranked among the ten highest placers in the November 2023 Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Exam. They are:  Michelle Orot Udarbe, UPD – ranked 2nd with a rating of 92.05%; Mark Jerome Corachea Morgado, UPLB – ranked 3rd with a rating of 91.35%; Alyssa P. Arnoco, UPD– ranked 7th with a rating of 90.65%; Arvin Jay Arce Entereso, UPLB – ranked 8th with a rating of 90.60%; and, Kathrin Ellen Tan Lavadia, UPD – ranked 10th with a rating of 90.45%.  The University extends its warmest congratulations to its graduates who placed in the top ten, and to all the examinees who passed.  On November 28, the Professional Regulation Commission announced that that 895 out of 1,219 examinees passed the Nutritionist-Dietitians Licensure Exam given by the Board of Nutrition and Dietetics this November 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPM posts 100% passing rate in first Speech-Language Pathologists Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upm-posts-100-passing-rate-in-first-speech-language-pathologists-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UPM posts 100% passing rate in first Speech-Language Pathologists Licensure Exam UPM posts 100% passing rate in first Speech-Language Pathologists Licensure Exam November 24, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   The Oblation in front of the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) in UP Manila. UP MPRO file photo.     UP Manila (UPM) marked a milestone as all 141 of its BS Speech Pathology graduates from the College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP) passed the first ever Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) Licensure Examination in the country.  UPM was top performing school, along with Cebu Doctors University and University of Santo Tomas. Top performing schools are those with at least 50 examinees and a perfect passing percentage. Of the 545 total test takers, 543 passed.  The results were released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on November 20, just four working days after the exam was held on November 13 and 14 in Cebu, Davao, and the National Capital Region. In March of this year, the PRC Professional Regulatory Board of Speech-Language Pathology administered the oath of the first batch of SLPs who qualified for registration without examination.  On top of the historic 100% passing percentage, 35 CAMP alumni were among the 59 examinees who placed in the top ten. They are:  Pristine Ellise Ty Chua – ranked no.1 with a rating of 93.75 Gillianne Joy Sarte Scruz – ranked no.2 with a rating of 93.50 Marion Louise Gaya Virtucio – ranked no.2 with a rating of 93.50 Serena Justine Tanabuco Tan – ranked no.3 with a rating of 93.00 Mariam Lujain Jajurie Anwar Bahraq -ranked no.4 with a rating of 92.75 Nina Alexis De Los Dantos Benedicto – ranked no.4 with a rating of 92.75 Jonathan Averilla Cruz – ranked no.4 with a rating of 92.75 Melissa Romaine Koa Cheng -ranked no.5 with a rating of 92.50 Justine Maetus Baldino Medina -ranked no.5 with a rating of 92.50 Jean Kaye Millan Tolentino- ranked no.5 with a rating of 92.50 Julianna Ysabel Garcia Aleta- ranked no.6 with a rating of 92.25 Abiegail Ventura Bonficatio – ranked no.6 with a rating of 92.25 Anna Sophia Flores David -ranked no.6 with a rating of 92.25 Indiana Louise Jalimao Ramos – ranked no.6 with a rating of 92.25 Maria Blanquita Mata Salvador – ranked no.6 with a rating of 92.25 Annika Jenine Dela Cruz Uy – ranked no. 7 with a rating of 92.00 Sophia Ellyse Tieng Chua – ranked no. 8 with a rating of 91.75 Julienne Isabelle Cabildo Galang- ranked no.8 with a rating of 91.75 Nicole Bernadette Cervantes Mercado – ranked no.8 with a rating of 91.75 Lara Francesca Royong Rempillo – ranked no.8 with a rating of 91.75 Hillary Kaylin Chua Sy -ranked no.8 with a rating of 91.75 Paula Marie Sanvictores TIson – ranked no. 8 with a rating of 91.75 Andrea Jade Aguirre Bondoc -ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Katrina Isabelle Estrada Desquitado – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Katrina Ysabel De Leon Dimayuga – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Kyla Kristiana Faelnar Lu – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Tiffany Toney Ponte Magpoc – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Katrina Claire Reyes Marcaida – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Justine Mirabelle Lao Mayor – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Nicole Angelika Tamayo Pingol – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Ainah Barte Taraaw – ranked no.9 with a rating of 91.50 Ramon Angelo Patawaran Jacinto- ranked no.10 with a rating of 91.25 Micah Faith Malitan Marcial – ranked no.10 with a rating of 91.25 Miguel Eduardo Manianglung Mercado – ranked no. 10 with a rating of 91.25 Vicenta Maritoni Mago Rosero – ranked no.10 with a rating of 91.25"
    },
    {
        "title": "LGBTQI research resource center up in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lgbtqi-research-resource-center-up-in-up/",
        "html": "LGBTQI research resource center up in UP LGBTQI research resource center up in UP August 9, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    Academic, professional, and advocacy institutions joined forces to establish the University of the Philippines (UP) Rainbow Research Hub that aims for better and more LGBTQI scholarship and research.  Supported by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, the collaborating institutions: the UP School of Statistics, the UP Diliman Office for the Advancement of Teaching, the Psychological Association of the Philippines-LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group, and Babaylanes Inc., launched the hub on June 30, 2023 at the UP Diliman University Theater Lobby.  The hub is currently headed by Asst. Prof. Xavier Javines Bilon of the UP School of Statistics. Introducing the hub during its launch, he said it was a response to a demand for LGBTQI research, apparent during a 2021 webinar for students and academics on doing LGBTQI research.  “Our goal at the UP Rainbow Research hub is to make a difference for the LGBTQI community in the Philippines through better LGBTQI scholarship and research,” Bilon said. “We achieve this by supporting students’ access to knowledge and expanding educators’ arsenal of teaching materials through our accessible open educational resources in doing LGBTQI research.”  Asst. Prof. Xavier Javines Bilon, Project Leader of the UP Rainbow Research Hub, gives an overview of the research hub and its features. Photo courtesy of the UP Rainbow Research Hub.     In her closing remarks, Director Marby Villaceran of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies said: “By generating reliable data and empirical evidence, researchers can challenge discriminatory narratives and provide a more accurate understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.”  According to Bilon, the hub currently features six video lectures and four journal articles covering topics from methodological challenges to ethical and practical considerations of studying LGBTQI lives and issues. “We cover the basics, such as introduction to basic concepts in gender and sexuality, and the more advanced topics, like intersectionality,” Bilon added. They can be accessed freely at rainbowresearchhub.up.edu.ph.  UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies Director Marby Villaceran delivers her closing remarks for the event. Photo courtesy of the UP Rainbow Research Hub.     The launch was attended by more than 50 guests, University officials, academics, students, and members of civil society organizations, from the different CUs of UP, other universities in the country, and other development partners.  Guests were welcomed by UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Theresa Payongayong and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan. Messages of solidarity were delivered by: Dean Joseph Ryan Lansangan of the UP School of Statistics; Former Director Jose Antonio Clemente of the UP Diliman Office for the Advancement of Teaching; Co-Chair Beatriz Torre of the Psychological Association of the Philippines LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group; and, Babaylanes Inc. Executive Director Jap Ignacio. Responses were given by representatives of partner institutions: Michael Tiu Jr. of the UP College of Law Gender Law and Policy Program, and Julia Labao of UP Babaylan.  Beauty queen Nicole Cordoves was the master of ceremonies. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP asserts relevance of remembering martial law – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-asserts-relevance-of-remembering-martial-law/",
        "html": "UP asserts relevance of remembering martial law UP asserts relevance of remembering martial law September 21, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    #WeRemember is the official hashtag of this year’s commemoration of martial law by the University of the Philippines (UP) for its annual Day of Remembrance, which it has formally held since 2018.  Details of the commemoration were announced by the UP Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts (UP-PCCA), headed by Raymundo Rovillos, a professor of History and former Chancellor of UP Baguio, which is supporting and coordinating UP Day of Remembrance activities in all UP constituent universities and its autonomous college.  “Join us in commemorating the UP Day of Remembrance, as we use symbolic forms of dissent to ensure history is never forgotten,” the UP-PCCA invitation to the public stated.  The highlight of this year’s commemoration was today’s noise barrage, or “Noises and Voices of Memory and Dissent”. Exhorting the public to “Raise your voice, break the silence!” UP led them wherever they were in making noise the whole hour between 12 noon and 1 PM.  In UP Diliman, the noise barrage was held around the Academic Oval, particularly at: the UP Theater; the College of Music; Palma Hall, where many protest actions had been launched since the First Quarter Storm; and Vinzons Hall, which is the student union building of UP Diliman and which also provides shelter to student leaders and activists of the country.  According to Rovillos, from September through October, discussions will be held on the Diliman campus on several aspects and shadows of martial law: media’s control of public discourse and society wresting it back for just ends; disinformation during the first year of the Marcos Jr. presidency; and, the memories and lessons from those who struggled. Exhibits, workshops, and presentations would be mounted: to showcase the heroism of the indigenous, the defiant pages of The Philippine Collegian, artworks on memory, and the radical figure of then UP President Salvador P. Lopez; and, to conduct research and write creatively and critically from the margins. A documentary and short films will be shown for free to highlight cinematic perspectives on the regime.  A series of activities have been lined up in the other UP campuses for a similarly extended Day of Remembrance.  UP Los Baños has an ongoing exhibit on a lot of literature on martial law, as well as on the works of eight contemporary visual artists. Later this month It will dedicate the inauguration of its Sculpture Garden to the Day of Remembrance. The campus will also stage various activities: a multi-verse production to give voice to nameless victims; display banner tarpaulin posters of heroes and martyrs from the campus and the Southern Tagalog region; mount a foodfest of “politically-charged” dishes; and house a solo exhibit on mothering and grief.  The UP Open University held a virtual noise barrage and an interactive AI poetry performance today. Its student council organized watch parties and discussion of the films “ML”, “Liway”, and “The Kingmaker”.  In UP Baguio, verses were read on September 5 on a “Makalagip Poetry Night” which focused on oral histories. By the end of October, the campus will set up an ayuyang (gathering place) for the different youth groups and community-based cultural organizations in Baguio City and nearby areas, to hold a “cultural event and mountain night” upholding indigenous peoples’ rights.  UP Cebu gathered members of the press on September 15.for a campaign to fight lies and historical erasure and amnesia.  Days leading to September 21, it held: community immersions in the public market; a “parlor fest” of fact-checking; a masterclass on Cebu press freedom; the exhibit and protest action [Proclamation] “1081”; a collaborative cultural production on the stories of Cebuano martial law victims and survivors; a forum for future journalists; discussions on the anti-terror law, the First Quarter Storm, and women in the resistance; and, a children’s reading. On September 21, it held forums on using Philippine independent historical discourses, on academic freedom, and on the historic role of media; and on September 22, a forum on the role of newsrooms in digital space.  On September 17, 2018, UP President Danilo Concepcion signed Proclamation No. 1, Series of 2018, declaring September 21 every year as UP Day of Remembrance. He cited: the evils of martial law, with UP in the frontlines of resistance, coming from a tradition of academic freedom and the championing of democracy and human rights; and, UP’s best and brightest becoming heroes and martyrs of the resistance. Through this proclamation, UP supports the holding of special activities commemorating “[its] participation and sacrifice in the struggle against martial law and the continuing education of our students, faculty, and staff on the importance of academic freedom, civil liberties, and human rights in our society”.  #WeRemember #UPDayOfRemembrance #NeverAgain #KalinangangUP #KalinangangBayan #WeRememberML51  Below are some photos of the noise barrage in UP Diliman.  Member of the UP Diliman community converge at the Palma Hall (formerly knowns as the AS Steps) to join this year’s Day of Remembrance noise barrage. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Participants of the noise barrage in UP Diliman attach a sign on The Oblation for the Day of Remembrance commemoration. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Participants of the UP Day of Remembrance 2023 noise barrage gather infront of The Oblation in UP Diliman to express their sentiments on current social issues and historical distortion. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Members of the UP College of Music community join this year’s Day of Remembrance noise barrage in UP Diliman. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO. Members of the UP College of Music community join this year’s Day of Remembrance noise barrage in UP Diliman. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO. Workers from various offices in UP Diliman join this year’s Day of Remembrance noise barrage infront of the UP Theater. Photo by Jonathan, Madrid."
    },
    {
        "title": "We encourage activism. . . because we care. – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/we-encourage-activism-because-we-care/",
        "html": "We encourage activism. . . because we care. We encourage activism. . . because we care. October 5, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   The four-hour University Welcome Assembly 2023 held at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023 was livestreamed on the Facebook page of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs with the hashtags #BuhayIsko and #readyforitupd. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     The University of the Philippines welcomed this year’s batch of freshmen, transferees, shiftees, and foreign exchange students in UP Diliman through a rousing program, this year’s University Welcome Assembly (UWA), on September 18, 2023 at the UP Theater.  The UP president and the UP Diliman chancellor, college deans, and secretaries briefed the audience on what to expect from their college, campus, and university; and on their life as UP students.  UP President Angelo Jimenez’s rousing speech leaves the audience re-thinking the historical role of UP in Philippine national and higher education development, but affirms the primacy of UP education and serving the people, during the University Welcome Assembly 2023 at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     Hearing UP President Angelo Jimenez for probably the first time, the audience appeared to warm up to him as he did a roll call of the crowd by geographical origin. They also cheered most of the what he pointed to.  Jimenez briefed the students on the stereotypes.  “Aktibista daw ang mga taga-UP. Natural. We encourage activism. . . because we care. You care [about] what’s happening to your community, your society, your country, to the world. . . . You see something that needs to be changed, you do something to change it,” he said.  “They say you are radicals. Radical is root, di ba? Because you will be trained to look at the cause of the cause. . . until your mind is able to grasp the root causes,” he added.  But Jimenez also gave the students an early reality check.  “This University was really created to produce leaders of a very young nation over a hundred years ago. We succeeded so much. But after a hundred years, our society is still among the most unequal in the world. In Southeast Asia, we’re second most unequal. . . .  “That is the first great moral paradox of our existence,” he said, encouraging the students to think as early as now how to turn things around for the University whose mission beyond honor and excellence was to serve the country.  Jimenez further emphasized the value of their education, “With the kind of inequality we’re experiencing today, your education is not a right, it is a privilege.”  “Study,” he told them. “And think about those other people who have to have less so that you could have this great opportunity,” Jimenez added, referring to the resources being spent for the students’ education. “Serve the people.”  “I would like your generation to replicate themselves to the idea of the University which shall embrace the highest hopes of our people, their deepest devotions, their most serious aspirations,” he said.  UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan speaks of the community as “rich in culture, rich in tradition, rich in history, rich in diversity, rich in experiences, particularly learning experiences not only from the classes that you will attend but also from the other members of the UP Diliman community that you will interact with. . . . Make the most out of this rich community,” advising the audience of the University Welcome Assembly 2023 at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     The students got to know the diverse backgrounds of the University’s top leaders: Jimenez as a Student Regent and Student Council Chair; UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan as a Law student with a Microbiology undergraduate degree; and Admissions Director Francisco delos Reyes as a statistician who rose above the poverty of his family through a UP education.  Performances were rendered by KontraGaPi, the UP Concert Chorus, the ConChords, the UP Streetdance Club, and Legato Visual Performing Arts Group. The UP Pep Squad taught the UP cheers. There were also random live interviews with members of the audience conducted by the masters of ceremonies, Jose Monfred Sy and Christine Joy Magpayo, both of the College of Arts and Letters.     UP President Angelo Jimenez is able to sustain the audience’s interest with his presentation of UP’s moral obligations and paradoxes, the fellowship of diverse elites, and the great many opportunities of obtaining a UP education, during the University Welcome Assembly 2023 at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     An interactive portion of the University Welcome Assembly 2023 held at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023 has the masters of ceremony Jose Monfred Sy and Christine Joy Magpayo of the College of Arts and Letters looking for members of the audience willing to be interviewed live. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     A highlight of the UP Diliman University Welcome Assembly 2023 at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023 is the UP Pep Squad teaching UP Diliman freshmen, shiftees, transferees, and foreign exchange students the four UP cheers which they can use to support athletes during competitions. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     A segment from the spectacle of lights and dance performed by the Legato Visual Performing Arts Group during the University Welcome Assembly 2023 at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on September 18, 2023. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO"
    },
    {
        "title": "UPAA to support government’s Ambisyon 2040 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upaa-to-support-governments-ambisyon-2040/",
        "html": "UPAA to support government’s Ambisyon 2040 UPAA to support government’s Ambisyon 2040 September 13, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, receives a certificate and tokens of appreciation from the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), represented by Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent, for being the resource speaker of the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Milagros de Guzman, UPAA Assistant Secretary, and Amina Zalmira Rasul-Bernardo, UPAA Board of Directors member and Council Meeting master of ceremonies, look on. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     The University of the Philippines Alumni Council, the advisory body of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA), resolved to fully support Ambisyon 2040, the government’s program for long-term economic growth.  The council made the resolution during its annual meeting with the theme, “Handog sa Pamantasan, Pag-alay sa Bayan”.  With resource person for the resolution, Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The meeting was held at the Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman on August 18.  Balisacan, this year’s UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, explained Ambisyon 2040 in his UP Alumni Council Meeting lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development”. The program envisions human development as “matatag, maginhawa, at panatag”.  He emphasized that a “rapid, sustained, and inclusive growth is a necessary condition for the Philippines to become a predominantly middle-class society” by 2040. Balisacan spoke of a target annual growth rate of 6-8.5%.  Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus, delivers his lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development” as the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.        While maintaining that the trick to growth is in the hands of the private sector, particularly through innovation and actively targeting bigger markets, government must raise its spending to achieve the targeted growth rates. Balisacan said government must sustain spending on infrastructure at 5-6% of GDP (gross domestic product). He said NEDA would continue monitoring and advising slow spenders in government.  Balisacan further highlighted the need for government to enhance society’s ecosystem for research and development and innovations, requiring, among others, robust partnership among government, private sector, and the academe.  The UP Alumni Council through Atty. Raul Reyes, the UPAA legal counsel and Chair of Council’s Resolution Committee, presented a draft of the resolution, which stated that the UPAA “will fully support the [NEDA’S] program for long-term economic growth called the Ambisyon 2040”.  Raul Reyes, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Legal Counsel and UPAA Resolutions Committee Chair, presents the draft Council Resolutions to the Alumni Council body during the Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     It further resolved that the UPAA “will support and participate in the academe’s role in the government’s plan for social and economic transformation in order to raise the quality of investments vis-a-vis employment” and that it “will actively contribute to and encourage academic programs that will produce graduates who are eligible to provide efficient human capital to the government’s programs”.  The UP Alumni Council is composed of: University officials, deans and directors; past and present members of the UP Board of Regents; the current UPAA Board of Directors and the current officers of the UPAA chapters; the Distinguished Alumni Awardees; and other persons as may be designated by the UPAA Board of Directors.  It holds the annual meeting in order to draft and pass resolutions presented for endorsement to the general UPAA membership during the General Homecoming. These resolutions are then submitted to: the UP alumni in Congress and in the Senate for aid in legislation; the Board of Regents; and appropriate government and private agencies for reference in formulation of policies.        Additional photos of the Alumni Council Meeting are available below.     Milagros de Guzman, Assistant Secretary of the UP Alumni Association, delivers the invocation during the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent, delivers the welcome remarks during the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO     Jeanette Yasol-Naval, UP System Office of Alumni Relations Director, makes a roll call of the UP Alumni Council during their annual meeting held on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO .     Herminio Bagro III, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Secretary and UP Alumni Council Meeting Committee Chair, introduces the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary and 2023 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus. delivers his lecture, “Social and Economic Transformation for Inclusive Philippine Development” as the resource speaker for the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City; with the panelists: Herminio Bagro III, UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Secretary and UP Alumni Council Meeting Committee Chair; Robert Lester Aranton, UPAA President and Alumni Regent; Jeanette Yasol-Naval, Acting Vice President for Public Affairs and UP System Office of Alumni Relations Director; and Amina Zalmira Rasul-Bernardo, UPAA Board of Director member and 2016 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumna. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     The UP Alumni Council led by the UP Alumni Association Board of Directors conducts the annual meeting to draft resolutions to be supported by the UP Alumni Association for forwarding to top policy bodies of the country, on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     The UP Alumni Council members raise their fists as they sing the closing lines of “UP Naming Mahal” at the closing of the UP Alumni Council Meeting on August 18, 2023 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.     UP President Angelo Jimenez joins the UP Alumni Council for lunch during the latter’s annual meeting held this year on August 18 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UPMPRO.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dr. Michael Tee is new UP Manila Chancellor – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dr-michael-tee-is-new-up-manila-chancellor/",
        "html": "Dr. Michael Tee is new UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Michael Tee is new UP Manila Chancellor October 6, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Newly-appointed University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Chancellor Michael Tee, MD, MHPED, MBA. File photo, UP MPRO.  Michael Tee, MD, MHPED, MBA, a doctor of internal medicine-rheumatology, has been appointed as the new chancellor of UP Manila, succeeding newly declared National Scientist Carmencita Padilla, a clinical geneticist and pediatrician, who will finish her third term as the chancellor of the UP constituent university on October 31, 2023.  The UP Manila community congratulated Tee, currently the UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development, in its Facebook page on October 5, 2023, after the UP Board of Regents, the University’s highest governing body, approved his appointment for a term of three years in a special meeting earlier that day.  Other social media posts greeting him included that of the UP Manila Alumni Association (UPMAS): “Congratulations, UPMAS President Dr. Michael Tee, on your appointment as 12th chancellor of UP Manila!” Others said: “Congrats, idol Michael Tee! Youngest UP Manila chancellor in their history!” “Yes, congrats to my rheumatologist who has saved my life countless of times since 2018. Grabe, deserved talaga!”  Before his appointment as Vice Chancellor in 2014, Tee had served as: Assistant to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Director for Public Affairs, and PGH spokesperson from 2004 to 2010; the editor-in-chief of the UP Manila Journal for the 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 issues; and, Director of the UP Manila Information, Publication, and Public Affairs Office in 2011 and from 2014 to 2015.  He earned his BS Biology in UP Diliman in 1993, his Doctor of Medicine in UP Manila in 1998, his Masters in Health Professions Education in UP Manila in 2007, and his Master in Business Administration in UP Diliman in 2015.  Tee was part of a breakthrough international clinical trial that paved the way for the registration of a rheumatoid arthritis drug, similarly effective to infliximab but at less than third of the cost. According to the program of an international conference on environment and human health, Tee’s research interests originally focused on autoimmune diseases such as lupus, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, as COVID19 developed into a pandemic, Tee initiated several studies that aimed to guide policy directions in government response. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Di Nagbabago ang Damdamin”: UP Sectoral Regents hold first homecoming – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/di-nagbabago-ang-damdamin/",
        "html": "“Di Nagbabago ang Damdamin”: UP Sectoral Regents hold first homecoming “Di Nagbabago ang Damdamin”: UP Sectoral Regents hold first homecoming October 17, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The Offices of the Sectoral Regents of the University of the Philippines held a “Di Nagbabago ang Damdamin” homecoming for past and incumbent Student, Faculty, and Staff Regents of the University on October 12, 2023 at the Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  This is the first time a reunion of the sectoral regents is organized. More than 30 of them are able to attend the reunion.  Incumbent UP President Angelo Jimenez attended the homecoming both as guest of honor and as Student Regent in 1992, just as UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar was in 1996-1997. The first Faculty Regent and later 18th UP President, Francisco Nemenzo, was also in attendance.  Based on the offices’ presentation, there have been 37 student regents and 27 faculty regents since the students’ and the faculty’s representation in the BOR institutionalized by Executive Order No. 204, s. 1987 of President Corazon Aquino. There have been seven staff regents since the post was created through Republic Act 9500 or the New UP Charter of 2008. The regents represent their constituents in the highest governing and decision-making body of the University, the Board of Regents (BOR), under a principle of democratic governance. They uphold the values of consultation, academic freedom, and respect for human rights in making decisions for the University, according to incumbent Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota.     Some of the UP faculty regents headed by the first UP Faculty Regent and 18th UP President Francisco Nemenzo, with Administrative Officer Corazon Arcena of the Offices of the Sectoral Regents, during the first-ever homecoming and reunion of past and present UP sectoral regents held on October 12, 2023 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman.     All but one of the UP staff regents, including the first UP Staff Regent Clodualdo Cabrera, with long-time Offices of the Sectoral Regents administrative staff members Corazon Arcena and Toto Cumpio, during the first-ever homecoming and reunion of past and present UP sectoral regents held on October 12, 2023 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman.     Some of the UP student regents—with 1992 Student Regent and incumbent UP President Angelo Jimenez; and 2017 UP Student Regent, UP Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, and UP Office of Student Development Services Director Ma. Shari Niña Oliquino— with long-time Offices of the Sectoral Regents administrative staff members Corazon Arcena and Toto Cumpio, during the first-ever homecoming and reunion of past and present UP sectoral regents held on October 12, 2023 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman.     Incumbents Student Regent Sofia Jan Trinidad, Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota, and Staff Regent Victoria Belegal, with National Chair of the Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP or KASAMA sa UP and program host Franz Andrew Ronquillo, sing the last lines of the “UP Naming Mahal” with raised left fists during the first-ever homecoming and reunion of past and present UP sectoral regents held on October 12, 2023 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman.     Student Regent in 1992 and UP President Angelo Jimenez and Student Regent in 1989 Gonzalo Bongolan sing the last lines of the “UP Naming Mahal” with raised fists during the first-ever homecoming and reunion of past and present UP sectoral regents held on October 12, 2023 at Atencio-Libunao Hall, UP Diliman."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visual-identity-guidebook-2017-now-available-online/#",
        "html": "UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online March 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     UP Visual Identity Guide 2017 This is a digital copy of the University of the Philippines Visual Identity Guidebook 2017. This guide serves to define the elements found in official trademarks of the university, such as the seal, university colors, logo type and The Oblation.  The VIG also prescribes how these symbols should be used in official communications, websites, social media accounts and other materials of the university’s units, offices, organizations, faculty, students and staff.  The adoption of the UP VIG was approved by the Board of Regents on its 1324th Meeting held last 26 January 2017, at the Board Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024 Tips – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-college-admission-test-upcat-2024-tips/",
        "html": "UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024 Tips UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024 Tips June 2, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    As the University of the Philippines prepares to administer the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the first time since 2020, UP campuses and units have released helpful announcements, traffic rerouting schemes, and reminders for our UPCAT-takers who will be taking the test in the UP campuses.  Please click on the links below for the latest announcement from the constituent university of your concern.  UP Diliman  UP Manila  UP Los Baños  UP Visayas  UP Open University  UP Mindanao  UP Baguio  UP Cebu  UP Tacloban  The Office of Admissions reminds this year’s UPCAT applicants to bring the following:  Test Permit Current School ID or government-issued ID Sharpened good-quality pencils Eraser Snacks and Water Facemask and sanitizer Jacket (optional)  For the latest announcements from the Office of Admissions, please click here.  Aside from the items above, test takers are advised to:  1. Read the instructions provided by the UP Office of Admissions.  2. Get their Test Permits from the UP Office of Admissions or the Office of the Registrars of the UP constituent universities.  3. Be on time. Go to their designated Test Center on the date specified in your test permit.  June 3 (Saturday) or 4 (Sunday) Be at the venue by 6:00 AM (morning session) or 11:30 AM (afternoon session)  4. Not bring backpacks and large bags. Also, the use of cellphones, calculating devices, and/or cameras during the test is strictly prohibited.  5. Observe minimum public health standards at all times.  Only the UPCAT examinees are allowed to enter the campus during the exam.  Applicants with incorrect ID photos uploaded in the Form 1 portal, are asked to bring two (2) 2×2 ID pictures with nametag (signature over printed name) on the day of your exam. Incorrect ID photos are those which are blurred, pixelated, have poor contrast, with an obstructed face, dark background, and/or does not resemble current appearance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Exploring Korean Studies in Europe – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/exploring-korean-studies-in-europe/",
        "html": "Exploring Korean Studies in Europe Exploring Korean Studies in Europe December 1, 2023 | Written by Dr. Kyung Min Bae   Dr. Kyung Min Bae at the Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Contributed photo.  The last time I visited Europe, in 2019, was on a personal trip with my family. But this year, returning to Europe for the first time after the pandemic, I felt like a first-time traveller. Given that I am not the type who enjoys unlimited inflight film watching, crossing different time zones, and waking up multiple times only to realize that the plane is still hours away from its destination, I had to prepare my body and mind for the long flight from the Philippines to Germany.  However, even with all the hassles of international travel, I believed it would be a great opportunity for UP Korea Research Center (UP KRC) to promote ourselves, as well as to learn from those in other Korean Studies institutions in Europe with whom we rarely get the opportunity to interact. I was scheduled to present, this November, a paper titled “Return Migration to Where I was Not Born: Two Korean-Filipino Youth’s Experience” at the 6th Social Sciences Korean Studies European Network (SoKEN) conference.  The event was held at Goethe University Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, which has a thriving Korean Studies program headed by Dr. Yonson Ahn. Although I was given the choice to join online, and admittedly seriously considered that option, I believed it was time for real human connections again. It was only right to go in person.  Apart from the conference, I was lucky enough to visit two other institutions: the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Copenhagen. Dr. Eun-jung Lee, Director of the Institute of Korean Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, generously invited me to be part of the 6th Berlin Forum on Korea organized by the Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS). I served as a discussant to share some insights on the importance of right approaches to Korean studies by both Korea-based and overseas institutions.  In UP KRC, our main goal is to train home-grown Filipino scholars who will study Korea in their respective disciplines and through their own lens, rather than imposing a unidirectional way of understanding Korea. I noted the importance of contextualizing what Korean Studies could mean in different countries and institutions, as each has a distinctive socio-historical background that should be considered. At the University of Copenhagen, through Dr. Barbara Wall, I observed Korean Studies classes under the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, and also gave an overview on UP KRC’s activities and Korean studies in the Philippines.     Dr. Kyung Min Bae (second from right) with students and faculty members at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Contributed photo.     It was such a great opportunity for me to directly observe how local and Korean scholars are building a community of Korean Studies together in diverse disciplines and training the next generations of cademics and professionals. In Copenhagen, their first- and second-year curriculum is pretty intensive: each week, 12-hour Korean language courses are taken, aside from other content courses.  I also learned that every single Korean Studies student goes to Korea as an exchange student as part of the curriculum, so that everyone gets to experience applying their knowledge as well as using the real-world language. I wished this could be possible with our students who are taking Plan C Korean under the Department of Linguistics so that their actual living experiences in Korea will benefit them by making them more competent in understanding language and culture by the time they graduate. UP has existing partnerships with Korean universities, and it is time to maximise our opportunities to activate outbound exchange student programs, particularly given that both countries’ HEIs are seriously pushing internationalization. I hope the long-term planning to strengthen partnerships through exchanges can be made possible.  In Germany, one of the most impressive things about their institutions was that it was not just locals, Germans, who are studying in the program; a relatively large number of Koreans and students of other nationalities are taking their doctoral or postdoctoral degree programs because of particular geopolitical or historical contexts in Germany (e.g., unification, refugee policy, migration, etc.), and their dissertations indeed focus on the Korean peninsula, political refugee issues in Korea.  This is what UP KRC has also sought to implement, starting last year. We connected Filipino Koreanists with international scholars and Korean informants to conduct research on several comparative studies on migration policies, cultural industry, and foreign policy, to name a few. I believe in this way, scholars’ views are expanded by interacting with other scholars from different socio-cultural backgrounds outside the Philippines and gaining more knowledge that cannot be learned locally.  With the mission “to contribute to a greater understanding of Korea in the Philippines,” UP KRC supports the research and networking of Filipino Koreanists. One of the ultimate goals of the UP KRC is to be a Korean Studies hub locally in the Philippines, as well as globally. To achieve this goal, we have networked with local state and private universities, ASEAN partners, and diplomatic sectors. This trip was initially conceived to promote UP KRC, but I am personally glad that European institutions and their students were equally delighted to know about us, especially as we are from the Global South where the Korean Studies experience is somewhat different from their own.  A copy of the poster of the event hosted by the Korean Studies of the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany. Contributed photo.     The whole trip required me to jump from one city to another, each time getting used to harsh winds. But it was rewarding and fruitful to finally meet the leading Korean Studies professors in three European universities, witnessing the hard work of training the next generations of scholars and enhancing their strengths in teaching and research, which is exactly what UP KRC also aims to do.  Leaving the Philippines, traveling to another continent, seeing how Korean Studies is evolving around the world, and considering how best to position it as an academic discipline in different contexts—all this helped me recognize both our strengths and areas for improvement at UP KRC. As young as our Center is, we understand how crucial it is to equip young generations with diverse resources and balanced views and knowledge on Korea. We will continue to develop; and whatever our weaknesses are, such as how to engage more Korean and international scholars into Korean Studies dialogues in the Philippines, we could strategically benchmark these and improve, based on what I observed outside the Philippines. One sure way for academic institutions to grow and improve is to engage with other related institutions for benchmarking and networking, and I am glad that UP KRC took the initiative to visit Europe, not only for publicity, but to share with and learn from our colleagues around the world.  Kyung Min Bae, Ph.D., Director of the UP Korea Research Center, is Assistant Professorial Fellow at the UP Department of Linguistics where she has been teaching since 2010. She obtained her Ph.D. at the UP College of Education in July 2020, with her dissertation, “Professional Identity of Non-native Teachers of Korean as a Foreign Language as Basis for a KFL Teacher Education Program Framework”. [1]  Learn more about the UP Korean Research Center:  Website:https://upkrc.wordpress.com  Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UPKRC  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UPKoreaResearchCenter  [1] https://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/heads-of-offices-under-the-ovpaa/"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP increases economic benefits for regular employees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-increases-economic-benefits-for-regular-employees/",
        "html": "UP increases economic benefits for regular employees UP increases economic benefits for regular employees November 9, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Starting January 2024, regular employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) will get an additional P1,500 to the total amount of annual economic benefits currently received. Specifically, the Annual Incentive Grant or AIG will be increased from P13,700 to P14,000; the Christmas Grocery Allowance, from P8,400 to P9,000; and the Rice Subsidy, from P9,400 to P10,000, thereby, raising from P31,500 to P33,000 the total amount of benefits that UP’s qualified academic and non-academic employees will be entitled to receive annually.   The UP Board of Regents (BOR), the highest governing body of the University, approved the proposed adjustments at its 1384th meeting held on October 26 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. The BOR took into account the fact that said benefits were included in the past Collective Negotiation Agreements (CNAs) between the University and its two employees’ associations: the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), and that the last time these benefits were increased was way back in April 2019.  The University and the two unions had already executed new CNAs in 2020 and 2021, with the affirmation of providing all benefits previously authorized by the BOR, recognizing the principle of non-diminution of benefits, as well as the sole power of the Board, pursuant to the UP Charter, to adjust such benefits from time to time, subject to the accomplishment of the University’s mission, applicable laws and regulations, and availability of funds. Furthermore, the adjustments on Rice Subsidy and Christmas Grocery serve as welfare measures to alleviate the impact of inflation on employees.  The estimated total amount of additional funding required for the increase is P21.477 million per year; and this will be sourced from the Revolving Fund, as the case may be, of the University’s constituent units. "
    },
    {
        "title": "BOR approves appointment of five new UP System officials – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bor-approves-appointment-of-five-new-up-system-officials/",
        "html": "BOR approves appointment of five new UP System officials BOR approves appointment of five new UP System officials November 9, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu          During the 1384th meeting of the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents (BOR) held at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman on October 26, 2023, the Board approved the appointment of the following UP System officials:  Rolando B. Tolentino, appointed as Vice President for Public Affairs, effective September 1, 2023, to serve at the pleasure of the University President; Prof. Cherish Aileen A. Brillon, appointed as Special Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs, and Director of the UP Padayon Public Service Office, a program under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, effective June 1, 2023; Galileo S. Zafra, appointed as Director of the UP Press, an administrative office under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective September 1, 2023 until August 31, 2026; Prof. Michelle R. Palumbarit, appointed as Director of the Centre International de Formacion des Autorites et Leaders (CIFAL), a program under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective September 1, 2023 until August 31, 2026; and, Professorial Fellow Kyung Min Bae, appointed as Director of the Korea Research Center, a program under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective September 1, 2023 until August 31, 2026.  The UP BOR is the highest governing body of the UP System.        The full list of the officials of the UP System Administrative Offices may be viewed here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "PCCA Lantern-making Contest 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pcca-lantern-making-contest-2023/",
        "html": "PCCA Lantern-making Contest 2023 PCCA Lantern-making Contest 2023 November 22, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Calling all UP Creatives!  As we approach the Christmas 2023 Season, let’s celebrate and showcase cultural diversity through lanterns!  With the theme: “Cultural Kaleidoscope: Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Lanterns”, the Presidential Committee on Culture and the Arts (PCCA) CCA-award for the best CU Lantern is an expression of the Kalinangan Bayan, Kalingang UP campaign of the PCCA. It aims to foster the One-UP spirit, especially with the advent of Christmas 2023 Season, while it also promotes cultural diversity. The PCCA award is a recognition of UP constituent’s creativity and community engagement.  Eligibility: Open to any group currently enrolled or employed at the UP Constituent University.  Entry Requirements:  Participants must register for the contest by a deadline set by the CU CCA/OICA. Registration should include names, positions, CU affiliation, contact details, etc., and can be done online. Illuminated lanterns must be in the form of a star. There is no limit on size. Participants must submit a concept board illustrating ideas behind the lantern, considering the criteria below.  Materials:  Use of local sustainable materials Should be safe and recyclable or reusable  Judging Criteria:  Alignment to the CU and PCCA Christmas theme (20%) Lantern that best embody honor, excellence in the service of the nation (15%) Sustainability (15%) Ingenuity of the design (20%) Innovation of the design (15%) Craftsmanship (15%)  For more details please contact the Head/Chair of the OICA or CCA of your campus. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Possible UP-uOttawa collab areas discussed – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/possible-up-uottawa-collab-areas-discussed/",
        "html": "Possible UP-uOttawa collab areas discussed Possible UP-uOttawa collab areas discussed November 7, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Biosurveillance, cybersecurity, and resilience. These were the possible areas of collaboration mentioned by UP President Angelo Jimenez (PAJ) to University of Ottawa (uOttawa) President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont in their meeting on November 6. PAJ took his cue from Frémont’s overview of uOttawa and his discussion of some of its leading programs. It was the latter’s first visit to UP and served as his introduction to the UP System.  PAJ was joined by VP for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, VP for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, and Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez, who gave Frémont a brief presentation on UP.  University of Ottawa President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont (leftmost) and UP President Angelo Jimenez (rightmost) discuss cybersecurity, computer engineers, and IT professionals in relation to labor migration and academic exchange. With them are other UP officials (second from left to right), Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, VP for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino, and VP for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     University of Ottawa (uOttawa) President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont talks about the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, of which uOttawa is a member. According to its website, U15 members collectively “attract 77% of Canada’s sponsored research funding.” (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo Jimenez (left) and University of Ottawa President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont exchange ideas on how Filipino talent trained abroad may be enticed to return and serve the Philippines. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez (middle) presents a briefer on the University’s efforts to achieve its mandate as a global and regional university. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     University of Ottawa (uOttawa) President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont (left) tells the story of his appointment to the uOttawa leadership, to UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II (middle) and UP VP for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino (right). (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo Jimenez (left) and University of Ottawa President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     From left: UP Assistant VP for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) and Office of International Linkages Director Imee Su Martinez, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, UP President Angelo Jimenez, University of Ottawa President and Vice Chancellor Jacques Frémont, UP VP for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, and UP VP for Public Affairs Roland Tolentino. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and PNOC sign MOU – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-pnoc-sign-mou/",
        "html": "UP and PNOC sign MOU UP and PNOC sign MOU November 9, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) have formalized their cooperation. PNOC counts on the national university for urgent technical assistance with its priority projects, proposed investments, and technologies; UP, meanwhile, looks to the government-owned and -controlled corporation for support in equipping energy-related laboratories, among others.  The memorandum of understanding was signed by UP President Angelo Jimenez and PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid, with UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan and PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje signing as witnesses, on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.     UP President Angelo Jimenez and PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid introduce themselves to each other before signing the MOU between their two organizations; while Jennifer Racho, PNOC OIC Senior Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services looks on, November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     The PNOC officials present at the MOU signing with UP on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City, are: President and CEO Oliver Butalid; General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje; Corporate Secretary Jesus Joel Mari Arzaga; Jennifer Racho, OIC Senior Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services; and Alma Taganas, OIC Department Manager of Strategy Management Office. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP officials present at the MOU signing with PNOC on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City, are: President Angelo Jimenez; Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan; Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey Acosta; College of Engineering (COE) Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling; Deputy General Counsel Francis Paul Baclay; Rowaldo Del Mundo, COE Associate Dean for Public Engagement; and Executive Vice President Jose Fernando Alcantara. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP and PNOC officials discuss areas for immediate collaboration before signing the MOU between them on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo Jimenez signs the MOU between UP and PNOC, while UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan signs as witness, on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid signs the MOU between UP and PNOC, while PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje signs as witness, on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid and UP President Angelo Jimenez sign the MOU between UP and PNOC, while PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje and UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan sign as witnesses, on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, UP President Angelo Jimenez, PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid, and PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje—signatories of the MOU between UP and PNOC—present the newly signed copies of the MOU, on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Signatories of the MOU between UP and PNOC (seated): UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan; UP President Angelo Jimenez; PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid; and PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje; with UP Deputy General Counsel Francis Paul Baclay; UP Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey Acosta; Rowaldo del Mundo, UP College of Engineering (COE) Associate Dean for Public Engagement; COE Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling; PNOC Corporate Secretary Jesus Joel Mari Arzaga; Alma Taganas, PNOC OIC Department Manager of Strategy Management Office; and Jennifer Racho, PNOC OIC Senior Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services, November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     UP President Angelo Jimenez and PNOC President and CEO Oliver Butalid shake hands after signing the MOU between their two organizations on November 8, 2023, at the UP Board of Regents Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City, together with Rowaldo del Mundo, UP College of Engineering (COE) Associate Dean for Public Engagement; COE Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling; UP Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey Acosta; UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan; PNOC Corporate Secretary Jesus Joel Mari Arzaga; PNOC General Counsel Antonio Buenviaje; Jennifer Racho, PNOC OIC Senior Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services; UP Deputy General Counsel Francis Paul Baclay; and Alma Taganas, PNOC OIC Department Manager of Strategy Management Office. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP President Jimenez’s October sojourn to the US – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-president-jimenezs-october-sojourn-to-the-us/",
        "html": "UP President Jimenez’s October sojourn to the US UP President Jimenez’s October sojourn to the US November 11, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    “Far tho’ we wander o’er island yonder, Loyal thy sons we’ll ever be”  So go the lines from the UP Beloved, the official school hymn of the University of the Philippines. Or as UP alumni who were students in the 1970s onwards and know the hymn as the UP Naming Mahal sing it:  “Malayong lupain amin mang marating, Di rin magbabago ang damdamin”  In October this year, Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, the 22nd President of the University of the Philippines, was invited by several UP alumni associations based in the United States to participate in their festivities and to come and meet the Iskolar ng Bayan who did, indeed, wander far yet remained true to their alma mater.  On October 14, Jimenez headed to the San Francisco Bay Area to meet with the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco, Inc. (UPAASF), which was celebrating its Golden Jubilee with the theme, “50 Years of Service, Building a Legacy”. During the UPAASF’s Gala Celebration, UP President Jimenez delivered the keynote address after presenting the UPAASF Distinguished Alumnus Award to Mrs. Cynthia Bonta.  Following a lunch reception and fellowship with Alphans and Deltans on October 15, President Jimenez participated in the quarterly Board of Trustees meeting of the Friends of UP Foundation in America, Inc. (FUPFA) on October 16 in New York City, where he presented his vision and priority projects for FUPFA’s support. Later, in the evening of October 18, Jimenez also joined in the celebration of the FUPFA’s 40th anniversary during the Donors Appreciation Night, where he was guest of honor and keynote speaker.  Finally, from October 19 to October 22, President Jimenez traveled to New Jersey to participate in the 22nd Grand Reunion and Convention of the UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. (UPAAA)—a three-day celebration that featured former Philippine Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo and National Scientist and then UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, among others, as the other guests of honor.  Below are photos and videos from UP President Jimenez’s trip to meet and greet the UP alumni who embodied the lines from the UP Naming Mahal, and to share his administration’s vision and strategic initiatives with the members of the UP community who keep the UP spirit alive across the USA.  October 14, 2023: UP Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF)’s 50th Anniversary  University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco’s 50th Anniversary held on October 14, 2023 at Embassy Suites Waterfront, San Francisco, Burlingame, California.  Photos and captions by: Rey Guarin, Arlene Cabrales and Rosario Calderon  At the celebration of University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco’s 50th Anniversary, Mrs. Cynthia A. Bonta (3rd from left) was bestowed the UPAASF Distinguished Alumna award. Joining her are special guests (L-R) Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and UP President Angelo Jimenez, together with UPAASF President Chato Calderon and UPAASF Chair Eric Golangco.     In photo: True to their commitment to service and building a legacy, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAASF) raised funds and gave a $10,000 donation for the much-needed upgrade of Kalayaan Residence Hall. UPAASF’s Alumni Mentoring Program with UP Diliman was also launched during the 50th Anniversary celebration. This group photo shows UPAASF Board Directors and Officers presenting the symbolic check to UP President Angelo Jimenez.            Excerpt from UP President Angelo “Jijil” Jimenez’s presentation before the Friends of UP Foundation in America at the Harvard Club on October 18, 2023.  UPAAA’s 22nd Biennial Grand Reunion and Convention: Day 0  UP Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) kicks off their “22nd Biennial Grand Reunion and Convention” on October 19, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, New Jersey.  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and former Vice President Leni Robredo graced the prestigious event. Meanwhile, UP Alumni Association President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton did the rounds of introductions during the Welcome Reception.  Photos by Ms. Vivian Balagtas and Dr. Colleen Rosales     Attendees during the Welcome Reception.     UP Alumni Association President and Alumni Regent Robert Lester Aranton delivers the introductions during the Welcome Reception.     Pres. Jimenez accompanied by Dr. Winston Umali, incoming UPAAA President (for term 2024-2025), sings during pre-conference Fellowship Night.           Pres. Jimenez and members of the UP Alumni Association in America welcomes former Vice President Leni Robredo at the registration area.     UPAAA 22nd Biennial Grand Reunion and Convention: Day 1  IN PHOTOS: Day 1 of UP Alumni Association in America’s 22nd Biennial Grand Reunion and Convention: Iskolympics Fun Run (morning) and Jubilarian Night (evening).  Photos by Ms. Vivian Balagtas and Dr. Colleen Rosales  Pres. Jijil gives welcome remarks during the Iskolympics Fun Run.     Pres. Jimenez and the presidents of UPAA – University of the Philippines Alumni Association and UP Alumni Association in America finishing the fun run.     UPAA Houston delegates with Pres. Jimenez, former Vice President Leni Robredo, Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, UPAAA President Jun David and Father Gregory Ramon Gaston.     Pres. Jimenez and former Vice President Leni Robredo give awards to the Jubilarians.     Then UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, former Vice President Leni Robredo, Pres. Jimenez, past UP Alumni Association in America president and current board member Nelsie Parrado, and UPAAA President Jun David presents the Presidential award to Dr. Joy Celo."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP employees to get fourth tranche of their rice subsidy for 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rice-subsidy-for-2023/",
        "html": "UP employees to get fourth tranche of their rice subsidy for 2023 UP employees to get fourth tranche of their rice subsidy for 2023 October 26, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez has just approved the release before the year ends of the fourth tranche of the 2023 rice subsidy for the University’s faculty members; research, extension, and professional staff (REPS); and administrative employees.  A memorandum from UP Vice President for Administration Augustus Resurreccion, dated October 24, 2023, says the fourth tranche, in the amount of P2,350 each, will be available starting December 7, 2023.  Those holding confidential and managerial positions are entitled to the subsidy in the form of cash. Administrative employees will be given a minimum of 47 kilograms of rice once a supplier is awarded a contract through procurement. In the case of failed bidding, the UP Vice President for Administration can approve requests by the campuses to convert the subsidy into cash.  The rice subsidy in four tranches has been approved and authorized by the Board of Regents, UP’s highest governing body, after collective negotiation with UP’s academic employees and workers unions. All UP faculty members, REPS, and administrative employees with regular items—including temporary, UP contractual, casual, coterminous and substitute employees, with employer-employee relations with the University, who will have rendered at least three months of active service as of December 31, 2023—are entitled to the fourth tranche rice subsidy for 2023. Project-based employees who have rendered the minimum length of service are also entitled if funds are provided for in the budget of the projects.  Those who have rendered service for less than three months but not less than two months are entitled to P1,600; and those who have rendered for less than two months but not less than a month are entitled to P800.  Read the memorandum here: Memo-No.-ACR-23-50_Guidelines-on-the-Release-of-the-Fourth-Tranche-of-the-Rice-Subsidy-for-FY-2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-of-the-philippines-up-privacy-notice-foi/#",
        "html": "UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 August 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines is committed to uphold the right of Filipino citizens to information on matters of public concern under Article III Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution. E.O. No. 2 Series of 2016 http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2016/07/23/executive-order-no-02-s-2016/ which applies to the Executive Branch was issued in order to implement such right.  UP has adopted a Freedom of Information manual as required by the said E.O. In order to process FOI requests made pursuant to the above E.O. (https://www.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Revised-UP-FOI-Manual-as-of-050718-2.pdf), the University  must necessarily process the  personal information of a requesting party, that is, information that identifies a requesting party  as an  individual.  The University is likewise committed to uphold the Philippine Data Privacy Act  that implements the Constitutional right to informational privacy of data subjects. http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2012/08/15/republic-act-no-10173/  This notice explains in general terms, the purpose and legal basis for the processing of the personal information collected by UP in order to act on FOI requests made pursuant to the abovementioned E.O. from Filipino citizens like you, the measures in place to protect your data privacy and the rights that you may exercise in relation to such information.  The term UP/University/us/our refers to the University of the Philippines System and Constituent University offices.  The term you/your refers to Filipino citizens who make FOI requests pursuant to the provisions of E.O. No. 2 series of 2016 (“requesting parties”) .  Personal Information Collected From Requesting Parties, the Purpose and Legal Basis for Collecting the Information  FOI requests may be made through a paper-based application process filed with UP’s FOI Receiving Officer(s). We highly encourage requesting parties to lodge requests using the eFOI portal of the Presidential Communications Operations Office at https://www.foi.gov.ph/  Our FOI Receiving Officers may upload paper-based applications to the eFOI portal in order to enable the University to more efficiently process, monitor and track FOI requests.  In case you file a paper-based application with a UP office, your image may be captured by UP’s CCTVs and your information may be processed in connection with other security procedures e.g. you shall be required to present a valid government issued ID and sign the relevant logbook etc. upon your entry and exit from University offices.  Your name, citizenship and a copy of your government-issued ID indicating your Filipino citizenship or in the absence thereof, a document evidencing your Filipino citizenship, the specific purpose(s) for your request are processed by UP in order to verify your identity and to ascertain that your request involves a matter of public concern and that you are qualified to make such request pursuant to the 1987 Constitution.  Kindly note that, in the event your request is granted, and UP provides you with the information requested, the same must be used only for the purpose(s) indicated in your request pursuant to the provisions of the FOI EO, RA 6713 and its IRR, the DPA and related issuances as well as other applicable laws, regulations and issuances. You shall likewise hold UP free and harmless from all liabilities arising from the processing of the information received for purposes other than those stated in your application as well as those purposes allowed by applicable laws and regulations.  Your address and contact information (landline, mobile number, email) are processed in order for UP to verify your identity and contact you regarding your request.  The abovementioned personal information shall also be processed by UP in order to prevent fraud.  UP may also process personal information of requesting parties in order to do research on how to improve FOI implementation and to comply with reportorial requirements subject to the provisions of the DPA and applicable research ethics guidelines.  UP will keep your application form and the records regarding your request in order to protect itself from liabilities for the unauthorized processing of information.  CCTVs and other security measures which may involve the processing of your personal information are intended to protect your vitally important interests, for public order and safety and pursuant to the University and the public’s legitimate interests.  UP does not process your personal information to carry out any wholly automated decision making that affects you.  When consent is the appropriate or relevant basis for collecting your personal information, the University will obtain such consent in written, electronic or recorded form at the appropriate time.  UP is required to comply with the provisions of the National Archives Act of 2007 R.A.  9470 http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2007/05/21/republic-act-no-9470/ and related issuances in the archiving and disposal of your personal information.  Nondisclosure of Your Personal Information to Third Parties Except Upon Your Consent or as Required or Permitted by Law  As a general rule, UP will only disclose your personal and sensitive personal information to third parties with your consent. The University will disclose or share such information only when required or allowed by applicable laws. Note that as stated above, FOI Receiving Officers may upload your request, including your personal information in the eFOI portal in order to more efficiently process, track and monitor your request. UP is required under issuances to be enrolled in the eFOI portal and to use the same to process FOI requests. The PCOO by operating and maintaining the eFOI portal also therefore processeses your personal information.  Under the DPA, personal information may be processed e.g. disclosed, for instance, when it is necessary in order for UP to comply with alegal obligation;  to protect your vitally important interests including life and health; necessary to respond to national emergency, public order and safety; necessary to fulfill the functions of public authority or for the pursuant to the legitimate interests of the University or a third party except where such interests are overridden by your fundamental rights.  Sensitive personal information (e.g. confidential educational records, age/birthdate, civil status, health, ethnicity, government-issued ID number that identifies an individual) on the other hand may be processed e.g. disclosed when such is allowed by laws and regulations, such regulatory enactments provide for the protection of such information and the consent of the data subject is not required for such law or regulation; such is needed to protect the life and health of the data subject or another person and the data subject is unable to legally or physically express consent, in thecase of medical treatment, needed for the protection of lawful rights and interests of natural or legal persons in court proceedings, for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or where provided to government or public authority.  How UP Protects Your Personal Information  UP put in place physical, organizational and technical measures to protect  your right to privacy and is committed to reviewing and improving the same, so as to be able to comply with the DPA.  From time to time UP posts information on relevant sites that explain how you can secure and maintain the confidentiality of your personal information. Rest assured that UP personnel are allowed to process your personal information only when such  processing is part of their official duties.  As stated above the eFOI portal is operated and maintained by the PCOO. UP is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the PCOO and NPC to help see to it that your right to data privacy is protected when the eFOI portal is used by to process FOI requests pursuant to its legal obligation.  Access To Your Personal Information  In case you request for access to or the correction of  your personal information made in relation to your FOI request, UP will require you to provide a GIID to ascertain your identity and prevent fraud. In case the request is made through your representative, a letter of authorization stating the name of your authorized representative, the purpose(s) for which the requested document(s) will be used and your  GIID as well as the valid GIID of your authorized representative. UP shall request a copy of the GIID that you and your representative presented.  Kindly note that since UP is under a legal obligation to use the eFOI portal to process requests there are certain requests that you may make in relation to your personal information in the portal that must be addressed to PCOO as the operator of the eFOI portal e.g. if you register via the eFOI site then the correction of your registration information must be made via the eFOI portal as UP has no means of correcting the personal information that you entered when you registered in the eFOI portal. Queries re the eFOI portal may be directed to:  Queries Regarding Data Privacy  We encourage you to visit this site from time to time to see any updates regarding this Privacy Notice.  Please also refer to the eFOI site Privacy Notice https://www.foi.gov.ph/downloads/FOI%20Privacy%20Notice.pdf  For queries, comments or suggestions regarding this System-wide privacy notice, please contact the University of the Philippines System Data Protection Officer through the following:     a. Via post  c/o the Office of the President 2F North Wing Quezon Hall (Admin Building) University Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines     b. Through the following landlines  Phone | (632) 9280110; (632) 9818500 loc. 2521     c. Through email  dpo@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-ovpaa-2020-38-on-suspension-of-classes-in-all-up-constituent-universities/",
        "html": "Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum March 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Download the full memorandum in PDF format here and the addendum here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/salaries-of-up-lecturers-teaching-assistants-and-fellows-to-be-released-early/",
        "html": "Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early March 20, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       In light of the lockdown of Luzon and provinces in other regions, the UP System administration, through Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-40 dated March 20, 2020, instructed the constituent universities (CUs) to process the early release of salaries due to lecturers and to teaching assistants (TAs) and fellows (TFs) up to April 15, 2020.  Lecturers who are paid at the end of the semester will receive half of the amount, even without the required certifications, which can be submitted after April 15, 2020.  TAs and TFs, whose salaries are half paid for by the UP System and half by the CU, will receive their salaries even if the UP System contribution has not yet been downloaded to the CU, in which case the CU will be reimbursed after April 15, 2020.  Download copy of the memo here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/memorandum-from-ovpaa-academic-contingency-plan-in-light-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 March 10, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    In order for the University of the Philippines to continue educating its students in the face of possible class suspensions following the confirmed local transmission of COVID-19, UP is rolling out a contingency plan consisting of blended learning and the use of online materials and platforms to alternate with and augment traditional classroom learning.  All classes across all UP campuses will be disseminating learning materials, giving and submitting assignments, and engaging in interactive online exchanges between students and faculty through a variety of virtual learning platforms, while the UP Open University has offered its Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Quick Guides to Online Learning for UP faculty members to use immediately.  Please read the attached memorandum and be guided accordingly.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-is-designated-as-covid-19-referral-hospital-for-ncr/",
        "html": "UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR March 20, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP-Philippine General Hospital, a unit under UP Manila. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has been designated by the Department of Health (DOH) as one of its COVID-19 referral hospitals for the National Capital Region (NCR) in line with UP’s mandate as a public service university.  UP-PGH is tasked with admitting COVID-19 patients within its cluster. This is according to a letter sent by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque to UP officials on March 19, 2020.  Aside from UP-PGH, two other hospitals have been designated COVID-19 referral hospitals for NCR: the Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and the Lung Center of the Philippines.  UP-PGH, a unit under UP Manila, is considered the biggest modern government tertiary hospital in the Philippines with the expertise and equipment to treat COVID-19 patients.  Servicing more than 600,000 patients annually, UP-PGH remains the only national referral center for tertiary care, providing direct and quality patient services to thousands of indigent Filipinos all over the country.  The UP-PGH is also one of the hospitals involved in the field validation of the GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) rRT-PCR Detection Kit developed by scientists at the UPM National Institutes of Health and the UP-based Philippine Genome Center.  In a measure to deal with the public health emergency brought about by COVID-19, the DOH has designated at least one hospital per geographic cluster that would take in COVID-19 patients. Specialty and Level 3 hospitals were considered possible candidates for COVID-19 referral hospitals.  The DOH has committed to providing full support for the UP-PGH and other designated referral hospitals.  As of March 19, 2020, the DOH has reported 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19.  Related: UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center "
    },
    {
        "title": "Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/protocols-carried-out-as-2-up-faculty-members-undergo-test-for-covid-19/",
        "html": "Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 March 11, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines is strictly carrying out protocols following a recent case of two faculty members being declared patients under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus disease.  University officials coordinating with the UP Diliman Health Service (UPHS), a primary hospital on campus, have confirmed on March 10, 2020, that two faculty members had submitted themselves for possible COVID-19 infection after attending an academic conference in Japan. UPHS declared the two as PUIs after showing fever and respiratory symptoms.  UPHS Director Jesusa Catabui has assured the community that protocols were followed in isolating the patients and disinfecting the premises and the ambulance used to carry them to a referral hospital.  Following a general protocol the UP System promptly prepared after the first reports of the disease breaking out of Wuhan, China and which it released early February 2020, UP administrators instructed all constituents who “have come into close contact with a confirmed case, or have been exposed to potential infection during travels, to seek consultation with the University Health Service on campus, or at the nearest health facility, and undergo a health assessment before resuming their daily routine.”  Under the same protocol, the UPHS and the Quezon City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU) coordinated the monitoring of the persons with whom the PUIs had been in close contact. Contact tracing resulted in a list of persons for monitoring (PUMs), a term which means they did not manifest any symptoms of the disease. The PUMs are currently under monitored home quarantine.  Buildings that have been visited by the PUIs are now being disinfected.  On Monday night, March 9, 2020, the UP Diliman administration, led by Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, suspended classes and limited work to a skeletal force on campus until Saturday, March 14, 2020. It met with experts from the UPHS and the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital to come up with specific protocols on travel, events and academic programs, which it released on March 10, 2020, to the UP Diliman community.  Summarizing the guidelines, Nemenzo announced that:  “1) Official travel, whether local or international, will be prohibited indefinitely. . . .  All members of the community returning from travel overseas will be required to self-quarantine for fourteen days;  “2) All big events on campus will be called off, until further notice;  “3) We are moving towards online platforms in place of conventional classroom delivery. The Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in coordination with the Deans, will soon be communicating the instructions to all faculty and students;  “4) We remind the community that the most effective way of containing the spread of COVID-19 is social distancing, proper hygiene and behavioral etiquette.”  Nemenzo also formed a COVID-19 Task Force, which can be contacted at uhs.updiliman@up.edu.ph (with “COVID-19” as subject), 0947-427-9281 (mobile) or 8981-8500 local 2709, to answer questions and receive relevant information.  —  Contact person: Elena E. Pernia, PhD Vice President  for Public Affairs University of the Philippines  +63 2 8981 8500 local 2507  "
    },
    {
        "title": "In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-memoriam-former-up-asian-center-dean-aileen-sp-baviera/",
        "html": "In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera March 21, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    Photo from Dr. Baviera’s Facebook page     Dr. Aileen San Pablo-Baviera, UP political science professor, former Dean of the UP Asian Center, and one of the country’s foremost experts in international relations and Asian and China studies, passed away at 3:55 a.m. on March 21, 2020, at San Lazaro Hospital. She was 60 years old.  The cause of her death was severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19, which she contracted during a recent trip to France, according to an announcement made by her daughter, Mayi Baviera, on Facebook.  Dr. Aileen SP Baviera was a well-known resource person and media consultant specializing in contemporary China studies, China-Southeast Asia relations, Asia-Pacific security, territorial and maritime disputes, and regional integration. She was also among the country’s experts on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea who were convened to discuss how to defend the West Philippine Sea against the incursions of China.  Aside from teaching and serving as Dean of the UP Asian Center from 2003 to 2009, she was editor-in-chief of the international journal Asian Politics & Policy. She was also a lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute, National Defense College of the Philippines; President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc.; member of the Board of Trustees of Economic, Social, Cultural Rights-Asia; Director of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies; and former convenor of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Asia Pacific program.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service, her master’s degree in Asian Studies (China), and her doctorate degree in political science all from UP.  In UP, she taught courses on the politics, governance, and social and economic development of China; international relations of Southeast Asia; security issues in Asia; regionalism and community building in East Asia; and Philippine foreign relations. She was editor of the book Regional Security in East Asia: Challenges to Cooperation and Community Building (2008), published by the UP Asian Center, and has contributed numerous articles and chapters in books.  She has lectured and held visiting fellowships at various academic and research institutions in Australia, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.  Dr. Baviera is survived by her children and relatives. "
    },
    {
        "title": "APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/approved-acceptable-use-policy-for-information-technology-it-resources-of-the-up-system/#",
        "html": "APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM June 28, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Approved by the Board of Regents on its 1165th Meeting, 31 October 2002.   version Section 1. Policy Statement Computers and networks are powerful technologies for accessing and distributing information and knowledge. They are strategic technologies for the current and future needs of the UP SYSTEM. For now, computing facilities and network infrastructure are a costly resource and thus must be used solely for teaching, learning, research, and other officially-sanctioned activities. Also, since these technologies allow individuals to access and copy information from remote sources, users must respect the rights of others, particularly to their privacy and intellectual property. There is therefore a need for rules and regulations to ensure equitable, secure and reliable access to these resources. The following regulations will govern the use of computing facilities, networks and other Information Technology (IT) resources of the University of the Philippines System. These regulations aim to: ensure an information infrastructure that promotes the basic missions of the UP SYSTEM in teaching, learning and research; protect the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT resources of the UP SYSTEM; establish processes for addressing policy violations and providing sanctions for violators; emphasize that the UP SYSTEM shall not be liable for any damages incurred from the use of IT resources and for any claims and suits arising from the unauthorized and irresponsible use of the same; warn users that use of IT resources for partisan political activities as defined in relevant rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission or the University of the Philippines, or for any unauthorized commercial purposes is prohibited; and notify users of the existence of this Policy. Section 2. Basic Standards The same standards and principles of intellectual and academic freedom developed for university libraries shall be applied to material received from the network. The same standards of intellectual and academic freedom developed for faculty and student publication in traditional media shall be applied to publication in computer media. As constituents of the academic community, faculty, students, and academic and non-academic staff should be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the academic body. The constituents of the academic community should have clearly defined means to participate in the formulation and application of institutional policy affecting academic and student affairs. The actions of the constituents of the academic community within the areas of its jurisdictions should be reviewed only through orderly prescribed procedures. Section 3. Definitions Agreement Form means document in which the user undertakes to comply with this Policy. The form may be electronic. Confidential information means data or information which on its face is not intended for unrestricted dissemination. Examples include student records, examination archives, proprietary technical information, disciplinary case records, administrative records, and the like. Document when used in this Policy shall refer both to the paper and its electronic format. Information Technology System or IT System includes computers, terminals, printers, networks, modem banks, online and offline storage media and related equipment, and software, databases and other data files that are owned, managed, or maintained by any unit of the University of the Philippines. For purposes of this Policy, any other equipment, computer unit or external network, when attached to, or used to access and/or interact with any component of, the IT System may also be considered part of the IT System. Private files means information that a user would reasonably regard as private. Examples include the contents of electronic mail boxes, private file storage areas of individual users, and information stored in other areas that are not public, even if no measure has been taken to protect such information. System and Network Administrator means a person designated to manage the particular system assigned to her/him, to oversee the day-to-day operation of the system, or to preliminarily determine who is permitted access to particular facilities and resources of the IT System, whether hired on a temporary, contractual or permanent basis. UP SYSTEM means the University of the Philippines System and all its constituent units. User means any person, whether authorized or not, who makes any use of the IT System or any of its components by any means or from any location. Section 4. Scope And Applicability a. General Coverage. This Policy applies to all facilities within the IT System and all its users. All users should be aware of these regulations, and should realize that when using the computers within the UP SYSTEM, they are bound by these regulations. Users may be required to sign a form agreeing to comply with this Policy. However, failure to sign the agreement form will not release users from coverage of this Policy. b. Local and External Conditions of Use. Individual units within the UP SYSTEM may define additional “conditions of use” for components of the ITSystem under their control. These conditions must be consistent with this overall policy but may provide additional detail, guidelines, restrictions, and/or enforcement mechanisms. These units will be responsible for publishing the regulations they establish and their policies concerning the authorized and appropriate use of the equipment for which they are responsible. Copies of these policies should be given to the President, Vice-President for Development, the Intellectual Property Office and the Office of Legal Services. Where use of external networks is involved, policies governing such use will be applicable and must be adhered to. Section 5. General Responsibilities a. General Responsibilities of Users.  In general, users of the IT System must:  use the IT System only for its intended purpose, and refrain from misusing or abusing it; maintain the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of computer-based information resources; refrain from seeking to gain unauthorized access or exceed authorized access; respect software copyright and licenses and other intellectual property rights; respect the rights of other computer users; and be aware that although computing and information technology providers throughout the university are charged with preserving the integrity and security of resources, security sometimes can be breached through actions beyond their control. Users are therefore urged to take appropriate precautions such as safeguarding their account and password, taking full advantage of file security mechanisms, backing up critical data and promptly reporting any misuse or violations of the policy.  Every member of the University community has an obligation to report suspected violations of the Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology of the U.P. System or any of its units. Reports should be directed to the system and network administrators, Chairs, Deans, Chancellors or the President.  b. General Responsibilities Of System And Network Administrators System and network administrators and providers of University Information Technology resources have the additional responsibility of ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the resources they are managing. Persons in these positions are granted significant trust to use their privileges appropriately for their intended purpose and only when required to maintain the system. Any private information seen in carrying out these duties must be treated in the strictest confidence, unless it relates to a violation or the security of the system. System and network administrators are expected to treat the contents of electronic files as private and confidential. Any inspection of electronic files, and any action based upon such inspection, will be governed by this Policy, other university rules and all applicable laws. c. General Responsibilities Of University Administrators To be informed and knowledgeable about these policies To initiate systematic programs to inform academic and non-academic personnel of these policies Section 6. Appropriate Use a. Appropriate Use  Users may only use the IT System for its authorized purposes, which is to support the research, education, clinical, administrative and other functions of the UP SYSTEM. The particular purposes of any of the components of the IT System, as well as the nature and scope of authorized incidental personal use, may vary according to the duties and responsibilities of a user.  b. Proper Authorization  Users may access only those facilities and components of the IT System that are consistent with their authorization coming from competent authorities.  c. Specific Proscriptions on Use  The following categories of use of the IT System are considered prohibited and/or inappropriate:  i. Uses Contrary To Law Unlawful use. Users may not use the IT System for any activity that is contrary to any law or administrative rule or regulation, or to encourage any such unlawful activity. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal Infringement of protected material. Users must not infringe on the copyright and other property rights covering software, databases and all other copyrighted material such as text, images, icons, retrieved from or through the IT System. These acts shall include, but is not limited to, the unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination, distribution, importation, use, removal, alteration, substitution, modification, storage, unloading, downloading, communication, publication or broadcasting of such material. Users must properly attribute any material they copy from or through the IT System. Users are reminded that the infringement of intellectual property rights belonging to others through the use of telecommunications networks is a criminal offense under Section 33(b) of the Electronic Commerce Act. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Hacking. Users may not use the IT System to gain unauthorized access into or interfere with another computer, system, server, information or communication system, or to obtain any access in order to corrupt, alter, steal or destroy any such system or information within such system or to introduce viruses. Users are reminded that all of the foregoing acts constitute the crime of Hacking under Section 33(a) of the Electronic Commerce Act and are punishable by mandatory imprisonment and/or a fine. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. The penalty shall carry with it permanent withdrawal of all IT privileges. ii. Uses Inconsistent With The Purposes Of The UP System Cheating. Users may not use the IT System to engage in cheating or academic dishonesty. Acts prohibited under this provision include but are not limited to the following: Copying a computer file that contains another person’s work and submitting it for one’s own credit; Copying a computer file that contains another person’s work and using it as a model for one’s own work; Collaborating on a work, sharing the computer files and submitting the shared file, or a modification thereof, as one’s individual work, when the work is supposed to be done individually; and Communicating with another person on-line during the conduct of an examination. Violators shall suffer a penalty of suspension for not less than one semester. Students found guilty of cheating shall be barred form graduating with honors, even if their weighted average is within the requirement for graduation with honors. Political use. Users may not use the IT System for any partisan political activities. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Unauthorized Commercial use. Users may not use the IT System for commercial purposes, except as permitted under other written policies of the UP SYSTEM or with the written approval of a competent authority. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year with fine. If the violator is a student, the fine shall be P1,000.00 or the amount equivalent to the earnings, whichever is higher. If the violator is a faculty member or an employee, the fine shall be one-half of his monthly salary or the amount equivalent to the earnings, whichever is higher. Personal use. Users may not use the IT System for personal activities not related to appropriate University functions except in a purely incidental manner. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Unauthorized gaming or entertainment. Users may not play games or use entertainment software on or through the IT System unless authorized in writing by competent authorities. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year; provided, that the penalty for habitual offense shall be expulsion or dismissal. The presence of game software or any part thereof may be presumptive evidence of unauthorized gaming or entertainment. Use contrary to University policy or contract. Users may not use the IT System in violation of other policies of the University, or in any manner inconsistent with the contractual obligations of the University. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year in addition to the penalty of the offense facilitated through IT network. iii. Uses That Damage The Integrity, Reliability, Confidentiality And Efficiency Of The IT System Software and hardware installation and removal. Unless properly authorized, users may not destroy, remove, modify or install any computer equipment, peripheral, operating system, disk partition, software, database, or other component of the IT System; or connect any computer unit or external network to the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion. Unauthorized or destructive programs. Unless properly authorized and part of her/his administrative or academic duties, users may not develop or use programs on the IT System that may or are intended to: interfere with the ability of the UP SYSTEM to enforce these policies; damage any software or hardware component of the system; modify normally protected or restricted portions of the system or user accounts; access private or restricted portions of the system; or interfere with or disrupt other computer users. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Destructive acts. Users may not attempt to crash, tie up, or deny any service on, the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Unauthorized access. Users may not attempt to gain unauthorized access, exceed authorized access, or enable unauthorized access to the IT System, or to other networks or systems of which the IT System is a part. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Password protection. A user who has been authorized to use a password-protected account may not disclose such password or otherwise makes the account available to others without permission of the system administrator. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year. Concealing access. Users may not conceal, delete, or modify information or records pertaining to access to the IT System at the time of access, or alter system logs after such access for the purpose of concealing identity or to hide unauthorized use. Users may not conceal their own identity or masquerade as other users when accessing, sending, receiving, processing or storing through or on the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Prohibited material. Users may not publish (on mailing lists, bulletin boards, and the World Wide Web) or disseminate prohibited materials over, or store such information on, the IT System. Prohibited materials under this provision include but are not limited to the following: Any collection of passwords, personal identification numbers (PINs), private digital certificates, credit card numbers, or other secure identification information; Any material that enables others to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. This may include instructions for gaining such access, computer code, or other devices. This would effectively preclude displaying items such as ‘Hackers Guides’, etc.; Any material that permits an unauthorized user, who has gained access to a system, to carry out any modification of the computer programs or data stored in the system; and Any material that incites or encourages others to carry out unauthorized access to or modification of a computer system. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. iv. Uses That Encroach On The Rights Of The Users Wasteful and destructive practices. Users may not encroach on others’ access and use of the IT System through wasteful and destructive practices such as but not limited to the following: Sending chain-letters or excessive messages including spamming, either locally or off-campus; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; spamming, includes the act of (1) repeated cross-posting the same message to as many newsgroups or mailing lists as possible, whether or not the message is germane to the stated topic of the newsgroups or mailing lists targeted, (2) maliciously sending out of unsolicited email in bulk, or (3) sending large unwanted or unnecessary files to a single email address. Printing excess copies of documents, files, data, or programs; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Running grossly inefficient programs when efficient alternatives are known by the user to be available; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Using more than one computer terminal at a time, unless specifically authorized by competent authority. Faculty members whose duties require the use of more than one computer shall be exempted. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year; Locking public access computers using screen savers or otherwise, unless specifically authorized by competent authority; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Not logging out of the system to allow other users to make use of the public access computer; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; and Using a service which has been identified by the System Administrator as causing an excessive amount of traffic on the IT System or its external network links; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year. Offensive material. Users may not use the facilities of the IT System to produce, disseminate, or display material that could be considered offensive, pornographic, racially abusive, or libelous in nature. Users may not use electronic communication facilities (such as mail, chat, or systems with similar functions) to send messages which are fraudulent, maliciously harassing, obscene, threatening, or in violation of laws, administrative rules and regulations, or other policies of the University System or its constituent universities (CU). Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Inappropriate messages. Users may not send to a mailing list, including local or network news groups and bulletin boards, any unsolicited material inconsistent with the list’s purpose. Users of an electronic mailing list are responsible for determining the purpose of the list before sending messages to or receiving messages from the list. Subscribers to an electronic mailing list are deemed to have solicited any material delivered by the list that is consistent with the list’s purpose. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month. v. Uses which Violate Privacy Confidential information. Unless properly authorized, users may not attempt to gain access to archives or systems that contain, process, or transmit confidential information. Authorized users may not exceed their approved levels of access, nor should they disclose confidential information to others. Users shall treat as confidential such information which may become available to them through the use of the IT System, whether intentionally or accidentally. Users may not copy, modify, disseminate, or use such information, either in whole or in part, without the permission of the person or body entitled to give it. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. Encrypted information. Users shall consider as confidential all encrypted information. This includes but is not limited to passwords, digital keys and signatures. Users may not decrypt, attempt to decrypt, or enable others to decrypt such information if they are not the intended recipient. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. Information belonging to others. Users may not intentionally seek or provide information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, programs, or passwords belonging to other users, without the permission of those other users. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Wiretapping, traffic capture and snooping. Unless properly authorized, users may not re-route or capture data transmitted over the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal.  vi. In addition to the penalties provided, all IT privileges of the offender may be suspended for a maximum of the period of the penalty. If the violation amounts to a penalty punishable by expulsion or dismissal, IT privileges may be revoked permanently.  vii. repeated violations of any of the acts proscribed under this policy shall be considered as gross misconduct.  Section 7. Tolerated Use  From time to time, the UP SYSTEM or its constituent universities may issue a list classifying certain types of use under the category of tolerated use. This list shall form part of this Policy and will be considered binding on all users. Users should consult their system and network administrators if they are not sure whether a certain type of use is considered allowed, tolerated, unacceptable or prohibited.  Section 8. Enforcement Procedures  a. Monitoring. The UP SYSTEM or its constituent universities may monitor all use of the IT System at all times as may be necessary for its proper management. Activities on the IT System may be automatically and/or continuously logged. System and network administrators may examine these logs anytime. All logs shall be considered confidential.  b. Access to Private Files. The UP SYSTEM may access all aspects of the IT System, including private files, without the consent of the user, in the following instances:  When necessary to identify or diagnose systems or security vulnerabilities and problems, or otherwise preserve the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System; When such access to the IT System is required to carry out essential business functions of the UP SYSTEM; When necessary to avoid disrepute to the UP SYSTEM; When there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of law or a significant breach of this Policy or any other policy of the UP SYSTEM may have taken place, and that access and inspection may produce evidence related to the misconduct; When required by law or administrative rules or court order; or When required to preserve public health and safety. The UP SYSTEM will access private files without the consent of the user only with the approval of the Chancellor except when an emergency entry is necessary to preserve the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System or to preserve public health and safety. The UP SYSTEM through the system and network administrators will document all instances of access without consent.  c. Reporting Problems and misuse. Users must report to the appropriate system administrators any defects discovered in system accounting or system security, all known or suspected abuse or misuse of the IT System, and especially any damage to or problems with their facilities or files.  d. User Cooperation. Users, when requested, are expected to cooperate with UP SYSTEM in any investigation of IT system abuse.  e. Guidelines for Immediate Action.  Notification. When any system administrator or member of the faculty or staff has persuasive evidence of abuse or misuse of the IT System, and if that evidence points to the activities or the files of an individual, he or she shall, within 24 hours of the discovery of the possible misuse, notify the Chancellor or his/her duly designated authority. Suspension. In such cases, the system administrator may temporarily suspend or restrict the user’s access privileges for a period not exceeding 72 hours. A user may appeal such suspension or restriction and petition for immediate reinstatement of privileges through the Chancellor or his/her duly designated authority. The Chancellor may extend the suspension for thirty (30) days. Removal. In addition, in such cases, the system administrator may immediately remove or uninstall from the IT System any material, software or hardware which poses an immediate threat to the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System or any of its components or if the use might be contrary to this Policy. The user shall be notified of the action taken. A user may appeal such removal and petition for reinstatement of the material within fifteen (15) days from removal.  f. Investigation. The investigation and prosecution of academic and administrative personnel and students shall be in accordance with the regulations of the UP SYSTEM. The investigating committee, body or tribunal must have at least one member knowledgeable about IT. The actions the proper officer may undertake include but are not limited to the following:  Extend the suspension or restriction of a user’s privileges for the duration of the investigation, or as may be deemed necessary to preserve evidence and protect the system and its users; Call and interview potential witnesses; and Summon the subject of the complaint to provide information.  g. Filing of Criminal Charges. In cases where there is evidence of serious misconduct or possible criminal activity, the Chancellor shall file the appropriate criminal charges with the proper courts. Where proceedings have been instituted against a user for violation of this Policy, the Chancellor may indefinitely suspend or restrict the user’s access privileges for the duration of such proceedings.  h. Cumulative Remedies. The procedures under this Policy shall not exclude any other remedy available to any injured or interested party under any relevant law, administrative rule or regulation, or other policy of the UP SYSTEM.  i. External Legal Processes. The UP SYSTEM shall comply with any lawful order to provide electronic or other records or other information related to those records or relating to use of the IT System which may result from coercive processes in administrative investigations, or judicial actions or proceedings.  Section 9. Waiver  a. Loss of Data. Users recognize that systems and networks are imperfect and waive any claim for lost work or time that may arise from the use of the IT System. The UP SYSTEM shall not be liable for degradation or loss of personal data, software, or hardware as a result of their use of the IT System.  b. Authorization. Users recognize that the UP SYSTEM provides access to the IT System only as a privilege and not a right; that they have no right to use it for any purpose other than those directly connected with the work of the UP SYSTEM; and that the UP SYSTEM may take whatever measures it deems necessary to enforce this. Users therefore waive any action they may have against the UP SYSTEM under any law or administrative rule or regulation for any act the UP SYSTEM undertakes under this Policy, specifically including, but not limited to, those acts enumerated under Section 7 hereof.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "RSS FEEDS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rss-feeds/#",
        "html": "RSS FEEDS NEWS FEED ANNOUNCEMENTS FEED BREAKTHROUGHS FEED PROFILES FEED"
    },
    {
        "title": "IN MEMORIAM: Remembering those we have lost – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/in-memoriam-remembering-those-we-have-lost/",
        "html": "IN MEMORIAM: Remembering those we have lost IN MEMORIAM: Remembering those we have lost April 6, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    They died alone, with no relatives around to hold their hands as they breathed their last. Some still have to be buried, and others were cremated with no ceremony and no one to bid them goodbye.  This has become the common tale of grief, sorrow and helplessness for the thousands all over the world who have fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the story becomes even more poignant when it strikes closer to home or when the virus takes down somebody you love, somebody you know, or somebody you went to school with.  It was doubly tragic for the family of Dr. Dennis Ramon Tudtud, one of the eight University of the Philippines alumni who fought and died in the frontlines of the war against the vicious viral adversary. Dr. Tudtud, a prominent Cebu City oncologist, succumb to the virus on March 31, four days after his wife, Dr. Helen Evangelista Tudtud, a pathologist at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, expired after fighting the virus for 11 days.  Their son Dennis Thomas, recalled in a Facebook post the pain of losing both parents in span of four days. He told of how their family was discriminated against; how policemen cordoned off their neighborhood; how insensitive persons had reported his mother’s death even when she was still fighting for her life in the hospital; and how his mother had worried about her husband when she learned her condition was critical.  The virus, Dennis Jr. said, had made him an orphan on his birthday, ‘‘but I take comfort that they are happy together in their journey to paradise.’’  The eight UP alumni who fell in the frontlines of what has become a global war against the virus are:  1. Romeo Gregorio “Greg” N. Macasaet III (Died March 22, 2020) 2. Marcelo Y. Jaochico (March 24) 3. Raul D. Jara (March 24) 4. Francisco Avelino“Kiko” S. Lukban (March 25) 5. Salvacion“Sally” Rodriguez Gatchalian (March 26) 6. Raul D. Eslao (March 31) 7. Leandro L. Resurreccion III (March 31) 8. Dennis Ramon M. Tudtud (March 31)  Five other UP alumni have died from the virus. They are:  1. Nida Cortes Paqueo (March 11) 2. Aileen San Pablo Baviera (March 21) 3. Alan T. Ortiz (March 2) 4. Prudencio “Dennis” Regis (March 24) 5. Renato Velasco (April 4)     ROMEO GREGORIO MACASAET  Of the UP COVID-19 warriors, Dr. Greg Macasaet was the first to fall. An anesthesiologist at the Manila Doctors Hospital, he worked tirelessly to treat COVID-19 patients until he himself became ill. Soon after, his wife Evalyn, also an anesthesiologist, also tested positive for the virus. The two had been attending to COVID-19 patients in the emergency room, which was akin to soldiers engaging the enemy in a hand-to-hand combat.  Macasaet, according to his godson Renato Paraiso, made the ultimate sacrifice, “not because he was forced or obliged to do so, but because of his dedication to his craft and his constant devotion to be of service to others.” He said Greg and Evalyn chose to stay in the frontlines and made a bold sacrifice while their only child Raymond had special needs.  “Our country has lost a genuine hero, and the world has lost one of the [kindest and most] selfless human beings that would ever walk its surface,” Paraiso said. The Manila Doctors Hospital cited Macasaet as a “brave man, one of the best anesthesologists in the country.”     MARCELO JAOCHICO  When Dr. Marcelo Jaochico lost his heroic battle against the virus, he was being true to his vocation as “doctor to the barrios.” He was the provincial health officer of Pampanga and was the first awardee as Most Outstanding Doctor to the Barrios under the rural health program of the Department of Health. Thus, his daughter Cielo said in her Facebook page, Dr. Jaochico did not deserve to be regarded as than just a statistic.  Dr. Jaochico served as doctor to the barrio in Calanasan, Apayao for 16 years here he multi-tasked as obstetrician, pediatrician and family physician, treating such ailments as dengue, malaria and measles. Once, to save a baby who had turned blue after delivery, he used his mouth to suction the obstruction out of the baby’s blocked windpipe. In his latest rural health service, he volunteered to attend to victims of the Taal Volcano eruption in Batangas in January. He was also one of the first responders when Typhoon Yolanda struck in Tacloban City in 2013. “He did so much for the country,” his daughter wrote on Facebook.     RAUL D. JARA  Dr. Raul Jara, acknowledged as a pillar of cardiology in the Philippines, was also described by the Philippine Heart Association as a “father, teacher, mentor, poet, author, singer, colleague, friend.”He is remembered by patients as a soothing and calming healer who used music to heal the heart. In his younger days as an activist physician, he fought the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and risked his life by treating patients in the underground movement, running rings around the military by faking the names and records of the activists he treated. Later in life, he would remain steadfast and true to his oath, joining a group of doctors attending to an aging martial law figure who had been on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum.  In a statement, Dr. Ling Jara-Salva, one of Dr. Jara’s five children, said: “He dedicated his whole life to constant learning and teaching and molding future doctors. He would ask the tough questions and push you to learn and persevere. He believed in his students and would think of them as his children and the hope for the future generations.”  Her father, she said, was “a tower of strength and leadership and he served as the head of our family and a beacon of hope for many in the midst of this crisis. He knew the extensive battle he was facing and he kept on fighting.” She said the family would rather have her father remembered, not by how he died, but by how he lived.     FRANCISCO LUKBAN  Dr. Francisco Lukban was a noted geriatric cardiologist and a brilliant academician, according to the social media post of UP Manila’s Office of the Chancellor announcing his demise on March 25.  Always wanting to serve his fellowmen, he was much loved by his elderly patients at the Capitol Medical Center. Like many of the UP doctors of his generation, Dr. Kiko was a courageous activist, especially during the Martial Law days. “Kiko was not afraid to die… and would have loved to volunteer as a frontline physician in PGH in these trying times,” the UP Manila statement said. His wife, Riz, a pediatric neurologist and also a UP College of Medicine graduate, said Dr. Kiko, on the day he was swabbed for testing, expressed his desire to join the heroic young PGH interns who had volunteered to the frontline against COVID-19. Tragically, it was too late.  In a tribute, Riz Lukban said Dr. Kiko “had gone ahead of us because he believes he has a better chance of fighting COVID by being a ‘frontliner’ in heaven, giving supplication for us left behind.”     RAUL DELLA ESLAO  “I cannot stay at home, I’m a nurse” was a hashtag that went with his new profile picture in his final Facebook posting on March 19. Twelve days later Raul Della Eslao paid the ultimate price for his heroism. He died, a friend commented on Facebook, so others may live. A graduate of UP Integrated School, UP Diliman College of Architecture, and a registered nurse, he succumbed to the virus while fighting in the frontline in Michigan, USA where he worked.     SALVACION R. GATCHALIAN  As consultant and assistant director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Dr. Salvacion “Sally” Gatchalian was not just in the frontline of the war against COVID-19. She was fighting in the trenches. A pediatric infectious disease expert, Doc Sally most likely acquired the virus from one of her young patients at RITM, the country’s premier testing center for COVID-19. She was president of the Philippine Pediatric Society.  The American Academy of Pediatrics cited her efforts in strengthening immunization and tobacco control and her work “to elevate pediatricians’ role in the Philippines and bring systemic changes to community norms and public policy.”Until a vicious nemesis called COVID-19 came to overcome her, much of Doc Sally’s life work was in defeating formidable adversaries like tuberculosis and dengue. Not only was she was a passionate advocate of child health; she was also a champion of children’s rights, lending a strong and vigorous voice to the campaign against the proposed legislation to lower the age of criminal liability among children.  “Her bright and cheerful presence could fill an entire room. From her patients and their families to her mentees, colleagues friends and family—they all loved her,” wrote Cathy Babao in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. A colleague and mentee described her as the “epitome of beauty and brains with a very big and generous heart.”     LEANDRO RESURRECCION III  “There were no hugs, there were no kisses, and there were no goodbyes.” That, according to the family of Dr. Leandro Resurreccion III, was how the country’s foremost and pioneering pediatric surgeon signed off in his fight against the virus.  To the very end, he was working on his vision for pediatric surgery, especially in liver transplants, according to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, where he was chief of the Pediatric Surgery Division. He was the hospital’s “first fallen soldier in the battle against COVID-19.”  In a statement, the PCMC said Dr. Resurreccion was “well known locally and abroad as forward looking in his vision for pediatric surgery especially in liver transplants which he was working to the end. Always smiling, friendly and very ‘cool’ he will be missed.”  His son, Leandro IV, recalled that his father rejected an offer to practice in Australia after being certified at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, saying the Philippines was where he was needed most. “He always embodied a kind of fiery passion for his profession, but he always spoke of what the country needed together with such passion.”     DENNIS M. TUDTUD  Among the most tragic but heroic casualties of the global war against the pandemic are the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Dennis Ramon Tudtud and Dr. Helen Evangelista Tudtud. Dennis, a prominent Cebu oncologist, died on March 31, four days after Helen a pathologist at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, died, both victims the virus they so valiantly fought.  “My sister and I may never understand why God had to take them both. There are so many questions with no answers,” their son Dennis Thomas said. He asked for prayers for those who continue to fight for their lives against COVID-19.  “We have a flood of tears. I also ask for your prayers of strength and of acceptance. Daddy and Mommy, please watch over us from heaven,” he said. Dennis Thomas. “My parents touched many lives and were always at the forefront of helping other people.”     NIDA CORTES PACQUEO  She was “PH35” on the list of those who tested positive for the coronavirus in the Philippines. Yet, neither Nida Cortes Pacqueo nor her husband Vicente had been in any place where most victims were likely to catch the virus. A few days after her 67th birthday, PH35 became the first known Filipino to succumb to the virus. It was especially painful for their US-based daughter Liza, who, according to her blog, was talking to her mother on the phone when nurses in full protective gear took her mother away to the isolation room in the hospital. That video call on March 8 was the last time she saw her mother. Three days later, on March 11, “she died in the silence of isolation.”  “She died alone without her loving family and friends around her. She was cremated alone, without ceremony or tribute. My father is alone as well,” Liza announced on Facebook.  Her father, Dr. Vicente Pacqueo, a former World Bank economist and UP economics professor, also had the virus and was in isolation when his wife of 47 years died. As of Liza’s latest post, the 72-year old patriarch of the family was stable and probably well on his way to recovery.     AILEEN SAN PABLO BAVIERA  The country’s top China expert, Dr. Aileen San Pablo Baviera, was coming home on March 12 from an engagement in France, but she never made it home. From the airport, she was taken straight to the San Lazaro Hospital where she succumbed to COVID-19 nine days later. As political science professor and former dean of the UP Asian Center, Dr. Baviera was one of the country’s foremost experts in international relations and Asian studies. While she was a staunch advocate of Philippine-China relations, she insisted that, “if one has to take a side, one must take the side of the Filipino people.”  As a keen China watcher, she was an expert on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, especially as it applied to Chinese incursions into the West Philippine Sea. She described herself as ”an academic, an armchair activist, a government analyst, an author, an editor, a policy adviser, a public speaker on international relations, an advocate of people’s diplomacy, a keen observer of global affairs—sometimes nationalist, sometimes internationalist.”  Once, on a cruise on the East China Sea, Dr. Baviera pondered on the overlapping territorial interests of the countries claiming all or part of the China Sea—China, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian states. She wrote: “It seems that governments have let their primordial territorial instincts rule them. There is folly in this. They seek control of the waters, as if oceans could be tamed, claimed and fenced off like the land. In truth, no one knows exactly what they are claiming….I envy the free creatures of the sea, for we creatures of the land have become captive of our own illusions of conquest and control.”     ALAN ORTIZ  Leaving in early March for an international security event in Paris on the invitation of the French government, Dr. Alan Ortiz never made it back. He died on March 23 in a Paris hospital of complications from COVID-19. He is believed to be the first Filipino to die of the ailment abroad. Ortiz was the president of the non-profit Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and he was a leader in finance, banking and industries such as water and power utilities.  A friend, AmCham Philippines consultant John Forbes, described Ortiz as a “larger-than-life hero of our times” and a “game changer in both his public and private sector careers.” Former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, who had worked with him in the Finance Department and in the Development Bank of the Philippines, also paid tribute to Ortiz as a hard-working man of integrity. “I relied on him because of his ability to make things happen, and happen well. It came as no surprise to me that he continued to succeed in various capacities in the private sector and rise in the esteem of his peers with his incisive and respected views on the nation’s economy and its future in an ever global setting,” De Ocampo said.     GEN. PRUDENCIO REGIS  A ranking official of the Philippine National Police until his retirement, Gen. Prudencio “Dennis” Regis became active in golf, becoming president of the Eastridge Seniors Golfers Association. He attended UP Prep in high school (Class 1969) and entered the Philippine Military Academy (Class 75). He died on March 24 at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.     RENATO S. VELASCO  Dr. Renato S. Velasco, another former Cabinet member, is the latest member of the UP community to succumb to the virus. He died on April 4; he was 66. An associate professor in political science in UP where he graduated cum laude in history and later acquired his master’s degree in Asian Studies and doctorate in political science; he was a product of the public school system. He lent his intellectual expertise to the government in 2006 in various capacities under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, serving as chief of the Presidential Management Staff and director general of the Philippine Information Agency. Rene, as he was called by friends, returned to the academe after his stint in the government.  His Alpha Sigma fraternity brother, former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas deputy governor Diwa Guinigundo, called Velasco ”a comrade in the struggle against martial rule.” He will be missed in various circles in which he moved, in advancing the advocacies he championed. Officials of the PIA paid tribute to their former chief as a humble, generous and dedicated public servant who “steered PIA with his unique brand of firm yet compassionate and intelligent leadership.”     The list was based on publicly available information as of April 4, 2020 and may not be comprehensive.  ERRATUM: In this article “IN MEMORIAM: Remembering those we have lost” published on April 6, 2020, we erroneously included the names of Ambassador Bienvenido Arceo Tan, Jr., a UP alumnus who passed away on March 10, and Ms. Zenaida F. Salas, long-time administrative staff of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science who passed away on April 2. The UP community mourns their loss and condoles with their bereaved families and loved ones; however, Amb. Tan and Ms. Salas passed away due to causes other than COVID-19.  The article also contained an error in Arch. Raul D. Eslao, RN’s name. These corrections have been made to this updated web post.  The UP Media and Public Relations Office regrets the errors. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 2) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/constituent-universities-weekly-bulletin-week-2/",
        "html": "Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 2) Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 2) April 3, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 2)  (Week 2 | Updates as of 31 March 2020)     UP Diliman  Bayanihan spirit swells for constituents  Individuals, organizations, and university units offered services, facilities, and resources to help UP constituents cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the enhanced community quarantine.  UP alumna Shamcey Supsup-Lee headed Miss Universe Philippines in donating food to stranded students through the Pedro and Coi’s “Biyaheng Busog” program. In a separate initiative, Bounty Fresh donated 1,000 kilos of chicken to the stranded dormers and personnel on campus.  The University Food Service for its part remained open to provide meals for stranded dormers and student athletes.  For students, the faculty, and staff, the UPD Psychosocial Services started offering “telepsychotherapy”. COVID-19 frontliners can avail of the services for free, after signing up at bit.ly/PsycServ, or calling 09167573157, or emailing psycserve.upd@up.edu.ph.  Journalist and faculty member Kara David distributed 200 washable face masks and alcohol refill to household helpers, street sweepers, security guards, grocery workers, and vegetable sellers.  The College of Fine Arts housed 100 Lumad children in its new building. The Bakwit School teachers, however, expressed apprehension over their limited supplies and social distancing.     Constituents stepping up aid to frontliners, patients  Academic units are reaching out to one another, to the COVID-19 frontliners, and to government in fighting the COVID-19 menace.  The College of Engineering (CoE) created a COVID-19 response team headed by Dean Ferdinand Manegdeg, and is currently raising funds and resources for its proposals. These include:     3D Printing for frames of face shields for frontliners using CoE 3D printers to be pooled in the EEEI building. Designing a prototype adult ventilator for quick and cost-effective production. Tracking high-risk individuals in coordination with government agencies and telecommunciation companies. Fabricating a mobile plasma treatment apparatus, in coordination with UP Manila (UPM) College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital (PGH), to disinfect buildings, utilities, and equipment. Fabricating a cleaning chamber prototype that will be used to disinfect used personnel protective equipment (PPEs) using UV light.     CoE also proposed a project for the Patient and Health Care Worker Flow for PGH, a PGH COVID-19 Donation Tracking System, and a Knowledge Center, according to Technology Transfer and Business Development Office Director Luis Sison.  At the same time, UPD is collaborating with UPM and alumni in the De La Salle University faculty to provide coveralls, headgear disinfection, “SaniPod”, a negative pressure system, disinfection of PPEs, disinfection of intubation kits and telemonitoring team, a telepresence triage, telemetry of admitted patients, and teletracking of sent-home patients.  The College of Science (CS) reported providing assistance in COVID-19 testing through its equipment and personnel; and the College of Human Kinetics (CHK), to frontliners through production of “sanitents” or sanitation tents.  Some CoE, College of Fine Arts, and CS alumni designed sanitents to be used in hospitals and establishments, composed of PVC pipes, plastic cover, and matting. The design and chemical solution was being finalized.  The Department of Public Works and Highways has chosen UPD open areas as one of the plots for installation of prototype tents.     5.5 million seniors at high risk – UP Population Institute  According to the research done by the UP Population Institute, in collaboration with the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, among the estimated 9.5 million Filipinos aged 60 and above, 5.5 million have existing high-risk conditions, higher among women and among the rich segment of the population.  The study also analyzed data from the first 38 recorded deaths from COVID-19 and an overwhelming majority (89%) are in the age group 55 and older, most of them male.     UP Los Baños  UPLB continues to support its stranded students  As of March 26, UP Los Baños has continued to provide two meals per day to the 1,505 students who are still stranded in their dormitories and in private dormitory facilities in Los Baños and in Bay, Laguna.  The UPLB Administration continues to appeal to everyone to help sustain the initiative for UPLB students. In-kind donations are being accepted every day at the UPLB Main Gate at 9-11 AM and 2-4PM.  For financial support, please course financial donations to the following bank accounts used solely for this purpose:     Land Bank-UPLB Branch  Account Name: UPLB Foundation, Inc  Account No: 1892-1003-29  Bank Swift Code: TLBPPHMMXXX     PNB-UPLB Branch  Account Name: UPLB Foundation, Inc.  Account No: 2464-7000-1642  Bank Swift Code: PNBMPHMM     BPI (Current Account)-Los Baños Branch  Account Name: UPLB Centennial Fund  Account No: 0911-0139-83  Bank Swift Code: BOPIPHMM     Please email a copy of your deposit slip to osado.uplb@up.edu.ph or send a message to the UPLBOfficial Facebook Page.  UPLB thanks everyone who have supported and continues to support its students.     Art Relief Mobile Kitchen helps feed 500 stranded UPLB students  Laguna-based veteran photojournalist and documentarian Alex Baluyot is helping feed 500 students stranded in UPLB through his mobile kitchen, Art Relief Mobile Kitchen (ARMK).  Art Relief Mobile Kitchen is a group of volunteers who believe in feeding the hungry through community kitchens. Their description in their Facebook page states that “we can and will cook food for the hungry. This is our creed.”  According to an article published in the Manila Bulletin, on Saturday, March 21, Baluyot and the ARMK cooked stir-fried vegetable chop suey to feed the estimated 500 students stranded inside UPLB. The following day, his team prepared hundreds of viands as well as nearly 200 ham sandwiches for both in-campus dormers and students living around the campus. On March 23, Baluyot and his team made 593 pork sinigang meals for the students, in addition to the meals they offered for the municipal frontline workers of Barangay Batong Malaki. The next day, they served the students chicken pochero and pork steak.  According to the same Manila Bulletin article, ARMK operates in different parts of the country. ARMK co-founder, Precious Leano, is also leading a mission drive in Batangas, where they are serving hot meals for the frontline workers at Batangas Medical Center.  Art Relief Mobil Kitchen can be contacted through Alex Baluyot (09989791629), Precious Leano (0917 828 8690), and Giselle Montero (0917 500 8836). Follow them on Twitter via @Art_Relief.  Another representative from the private sector, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI), also donated goods to stranded UPLB students, while the Armed Forces of the Philippines 2nd Battalion, UP Rural High School Alumni Group, and the UPLB Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) implemented “Oplan Hatid” to help students reunite with their families. UPLB escorted 94 students to their homes in NCR and CALABARZON. According to Rocky Marcelino, officer-in-charge of the Office for Student Activities, more trips will be made by the university in the coming days.     UP Beta Sigma-Los Baños Chapter calls for volunteers to make DIY PPEs  Resident members of the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity-Los Baños Chapter started working on DIY PPEs project last March 23 and has called upon volunteers for help.  The Fraternity, in partnership with the SM Foundation, Inc., also donated additional basic necessities such as food, toiletries, and other hygienic supplies to the dormitory residents inside the University premises. According to the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity-Los Baños Chapter’s Facebook page, their donations were made possible through the continuous partnership of the Fraternity and SM Foundation, Inc., with the goal of spreading #SocialGood in the community.  “The UP Beta Sigma, together with its partners, will stand committed on helping the community amidst the CoVID-19 outbreak,” the Fraternity said in its Facebook post.     UP Visayas  UPV strengthens support for constituents amid COVID-19 crisis  Four days after the community quarantine directive was elevated by the provincial government of Iloilo to enhanced community quarantine on March 20, UP Visayas (UPV) announced the availability of psychosocial support services to its community.  Guidance specialists and psychology teachers may be contacted from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm via six mobile numbers: 0926-746-5671, 0917-486-1042, 0999-223-6498, 0908-131-4461, 0998-982-7383, and 0922-869-1097. Members of the UPV community may also send an email to upv.psychosocial.sup@gmail.com.  For physiological ailments and concerns, the UPV Health Services Unit (HSU) started offering online medical consultations on March 27 via its Facebook account, UPV HSU Miagao Campus. Emails may also be sent to hsu-mia@upv.edu.ph. Alternatively, these numbers may be called from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for health advice: 315-8301, 0918-564-1942, and 0945-699-4613.  The HSU also issues digital or electronic prescriptions to UPV constituents and their families for non-emergency and mild medical cases. For urgent medical attention and emergency situations needing consultations in person, the HSU is open 24/7.  To help residents acquire basic necessities and run essential errands, UPV has allotted Wednesdays as transport day for those living in the staff house and dormitories. Staff house residents have the 7:00 to 9:00 am schedule, while dormitory residents have the 1:00 to 3:00 pm schedule.  UPV’s COVID-19 Task Force has also established the UPV COVID-19 Complaint Unit, where members of its community may relay their concerns, file complaints, or ask about UPV’s COVID-19 response. The Complaint Unit may be reached through mobile number 0919-002-3698 or email at covid19.upv@up.edu.ph or upvcovid19response@upv.edu.ph. The mechanism has been in place since March 31.     UP Cebu  UP Cebu FabLab and other FabLabs in the Visayas race to produce face shields for medical frontliners  Around March 23, 2020, the UP Cebu FabLab began designing and 3D-printing face shield frames to contribute to the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) desperately needed by medical frontliners in the war against COVID-19.  The team of faculty members and staff at the UP Cebu FabLab who have been making the face shields consist of College of Communication, Art, and Design dean Prof. Palmy Marinel Tudtud, Prof. Mona Alcudia, Prof. Jay Nathan Jore, Fidel Laurence Ricafranca, Mark Argel Simacon, and Prof. Raymund Fernandez. The face shield frames they make using a laser cutter is attached to a sheet of plastic or acetate to create a face shield to protect frontliners against the coronavirus.  According to an email interview with UP Cebu Information Officer Vanessa Guerrero, the UP Cebu FabLab belongs to a network of fabrication laboratories where technology and innovation is shared. “Together with other Fablabs in the Visayas, the UP Cebu FabLab joined the community of maker-spaces in developing and producing PPEs for our brave Filipino medical frontliners working through the COVID-19 pandemic. UP FabLab opted to do the face shield as its materials can be easily sourced and mass production can be done fast and efficiently,” she said.  The UP Cebu’s face-shield production was initially backed by funds from UP Cebu Education and Research Foundation, Inc. (UPCERFI) and the laboratory’s own resources. The UP Cebu FabLab is being supplied materials by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The aim, according to Guerrero, is to produce 500 face shields per week.  But with the increasing number of requests for face shields from hospitals and frontliners in Cebu, the UP Cebu FabLab has joined forces with the other FabLabs across the Visayas. “The need is overwhelming, and what we need now is to collectively help produce PPEs,” said Guerrero.  UP Cebu has posted on their website a how-to guide for other FabLabs seeking to fabricate five-minute face shields.  Since it started production, the UP Cebu Fablab has continued to donate the much-needed PPEs to hospitals and frontliners in need:     On March 25, the UP Cebu FabLab donated 150 face shields to Vicente Sotto Hospital. The following day, March 26, 150 more face shields were donated to Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu Doctors Hospital, and Visayas Community Medical Hospital. On March 27, 50 face shields were given to Perpetual Succor Hospital. On March 28, 200 face shields were donated to Eversley Childs Sanitarium, Mandaue City Community Hospital, Lapu-Lapu Community Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital, and Talisay District Hospital. On March 30, 300 face shields were donated to Mactan Doctors Hospital, North General Hospital, Velez Hospital, Cebu City Medical Center, Arc Hospital, Mandaue City Community Hospital, and Lapu-Lapu Community Hospital. And on March 31, 260 face shields were donated to St. Vincent Hospital, Sogod District Hospital, Guba Community Hospital, Pulang Bato medical frontliners, Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation, St. Anthony Mother & Child Hospital, and the DTI Cebu.     The UP Cebu FabLab has been seeking support from the Cebuano community so it can continue production of the lasercut face shields and meet the demand. Please course donations of materials for these PPEs through pptudtud@up.edu.ph. The UPCERFI also welcomes financial support given through:     Account Name: University of the Philippines Cebu Educational and Research Foundation Incorporation  Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Lahug Branch  Account Number: 3611 0061 43          "
    },
    {
        "title": "Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 1) – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/constituent-universities-weekly-bulletin-week-1/",
        "html": "Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 1) Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 1) April 3, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletin (Week 1)  (Week 1 | Updates as of 24 March 2020)     UP Diliman  One deceased, 2 tested negative for COVID-19 among UPD faculty  Four faculty members of UP Diliman registered as afflicted, person under investigation (PUI), and under monitoring for coming in from travel from a COVID-19-infested country or for being in direct contact with a COVID-19 patient.  One went straight to San Lazaro Hospital upon arrival in Manila on March 12, 2020 for a checkup after traveling to France to attend an academic conference. The faculty member tested positive and was confined in a medical quarantine facility, eventually passing away from complications from the disease.  Two were declared persons under investigation for showing symptoms after attending an academic conference in Japan. Tests on them revealed negative results.  Another faculty member was declared person under monitoring (PUM) after coming in direct contact with an individual with COVID-19.     Task force, measures set vs COVID-19  The UP Diliman administration created a task force on March 8, 2020 to draw up preventive measures and coping mechanisms on COVID-19 for students, faculty members, researchers, staff, and the UPD residents.  Headed by Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, the task force is composed of officials and experts from the offices of the vice chancellors for academic, community, and student affairs, and for research and development; the University Registrar, Information Office, Health Service, the Office of Community Relations, Computerized Registration System; the colleges of Science, Law, and Social Sciences and Philosophy; the Institute for Small Scale Industries; and the University Student Council.  UPD set out to track all faculty members with travel history outside the Philippines in the 14 days before the community quarantine.  It adopted guidelines and mechanisms on where to go and what to do in case an individual or a dormer shows symptoms.  An information dissemination platform, upd.edu.ph/covid-19-advisory, was created. Information materials were also posted on the UPD website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. Smart Infocast was used for constituents who do not have access to the Internet.  Earlier, Nemenzo addressed the community a number of times through published and broadcasted statements, one immediately after the declaration of enhanced community quarantine of the National Capital Region on March 17, 2020, briefing the latter on the campus situation and actions.     Calls for donations issued for UP Diliman’s student volunteers, affected residents, and UPHS  Calls for donation have been made by UP Diliman on behalf of student volunteers for donations for affected campus residents; and by the UP Diliman Health Service for personal protective equipment (PPEs).     Alternatives proposed in UP Diliman in wake of class suspensions  UP Diliman identified several platforms such as the UPD Virtual Learning Environment (UVLE), Zoom, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Office as remote modes of learning in lieu of regular classes.  Colleges were asked to consider, evaluate, and suggest open-source versions as alternatives for their students.  Online classes endorsed earlier in lieu of regular classes were suspended along with regular classes in consideration of students without proper Internet and computer access.     UP Los Baños  UPLB brings stranded student-dormers home  The declaration of enhanced community quarantine over Luzon left many UP Los Baños (UPLB) students stranded in their dormitories, with no way to go back home.  The UPLB Administration established a system wherein parents of stranded UP dormers are contacted first for consent and to confirm address. The students are then ferried to their respective municipal halls at pre-arranged drop-off times, with the parents expected to be physically present receive their child. UPLB officials accompanying the students take pictures of the students with their parents to document that they are safe and have been delivered home without harm.  However, there is still a substantial number of stranded UPLB dormers still on-campus. As of March 21, 2020, there are still 517 students in the University dorms.  More is being done to help support and care for these remaining UPLB students. To find out, read here: SOS for stranded students     UPLB sends out a call for help for its student dormers  UP Los Baños currently has 106 student dorm-residents on campus, including international graduate students. Along with students staying in other housing facilities of partner institutions within campus, such as DMST, FNP, NCPC, YMCA and in SEARCA (International Graduate Students), a total of 623 students are staying in the UPLB dorms.  With the enhanced community quarantine, the normal canteens, cafeterias and eating places for these students have been closed, leaving the students with no food. The UPLB Administration sent out a call for donations to supply the UPLB students with food—at least P1.9 million a week for three meals a day for students inside and even outside the campus, who number over 900. Aside from food, students are also in need of vitamin C supplements to boost their immune system and protect their health.     UP Open University  UPOU launches portal for University COVID-19 updates  Inspired by the UP System’s portal for its COVID-19 updates, the UP Open University (UPOU) launched its own web portal on March 24.  It contains the updates from the UP System and UPOU’s own advisories, announcements, memoranda, and news, as well as emergency numbers that can be contacted by the community. Apart from the web portal, UPOU also sends out pertinent information to its community via email, social media, and MyPortal.  As early as March 9, UPOU has posted information materials on open and distance e-learning as an alternative to classroom-based education. And when there was a call to shift to online modes of education because of class suspensions due to the COVID-19 outbreak, UPOU conducted web seminars on the conversion to online classes.  While classes have since been suspended by the University, putting an end to the short-lived conduct of online classes by its constituent universities, UPOU’s purely-online classes have continued. As the leading open and distance e-learning institution in the country, UP President Danilo Concepcion referred to UPOU in its anniversary celebration last month as the “most high-tech” constituent in the UP System in terms of using information and communication technologies in teaching and learning.  Its administration, some faculty, and staff, who previously reported for work in their headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna as well as in learning centers across the country, have been rendering service from their homes.  UPOU’s learning materials may be accessed through its repository, UPOU Networks. Massive open online courses are also available at UPOU MODeL.  In a report submitted the UP System dated 24 March 2020, UPOU states that it conducted a survey in its community on COVID-19-related concerns and 62 responded. Of the 62, three students disclosed that they are persons under monitoring. A 34-year-old male abroad has finished his 14-day quarantine period at the time of his response. A 31-year-old female in the country said that she is being monitored daily by the Department of Health. And a 23-year-old female, also in the Philippines, is in self-quarantine.     UP Mindanao  UPMin to offer diagnostic program for free COVID-19 testing, models maximum possible no. of cases in Davao  UP Mindanao recently proposed a diagnostic program that can give free testing for COVID-19 in the Davao Region. The program includes establishing a Php15-million biosafety molecular lab that would be linked to a hospital. The proposal was authored by Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao director Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, who is also a professor of virology in UP Mindanao.  A recent, still-unpublished study on COVID-19 by Dr. May Anne Mata, a bioinformatics expert from UP Mindanao, shows the need to test even the asymptomatic patients. Dr. Mata’s research also discussed her disease model’s projection on the maximum possible number of cases in Davao, given the testing rate of 0.1% per day.  However, Dr. Mata’s research has found that if the testing rate were to increase from 70% to 100%, the number of COVID-19 carriers will reach 0 within a faster period compared to the current testing rate.     UP Baguio  Students cared for, ferried home  UP Baguio reached out to students boarding within and outside campus who were stranded by the enhanced community quarantine declared over Luzon on March 17, 2020. It extended assistance to them including transportation arrangements for those who wished to go home.  One hundred and fourteen “care packs” containing food, hygiene kits, and medicine were distributed to stranded students on March 19 and 20, 2020. Donations for the care packs were pooled and distributed by faculty members.  Calls for monetary donations to purchase care packs are spearheaded by the UPB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. The Guard House has been designated as the drop-off point for donations in kind.  The administration arranged for transport in accordance with travel policies and guidelines dated March 21, 2020.  Following a UP System memorandum, UPB suspended all classes, including online and alternative learning activities, from March 17 to April 14, 2020. The deadlines for dropping and leave of absence for the second semester of 2019-2020 were also lifted.  Work was suspended in all offices except those performing vital service, such as finance, health, security, systems and network service offices in the same period.     UP Cebu  UP Cebu ensures work continuity and support for its staff  As of March 23, 2020, administrative offices and units in UP Cebu have been required to monitor their daily schedule rotation and ensure work continuity within a work-from-home regime. This is in accordance with a memorandum (CLCD-2020-056) from UP Cebu Chancellor Liza D. Corro.  Earlier, UP Cebu employees submitted their approved staff work schedule and program of work deliverables to their heads of office/units, while faculty members submitted to their deans a 40-hour work week certificate in lieu of teaching.  The salaries of regular, UP- and non-UP contractual personnel have also been released early to provide a safety net for UP employees during this period of quarantine.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-preparing-to-operate-as-covid-19-referral-center/",
        "html": "UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center March 24, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    UP-Philippine General Hospital, a unit under UP Manila. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has been designated by the Department of Health (DOH) as one of the three COVID-19 referral centers in the National Capital Region (NCR), with the concurrence of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla.  The director of UP-PGH, Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, made this announcement during a March 23 virtual press conference of the DOH.  The other two hospitals designated as COVID-19 referral centers in the NCR are the Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan City and the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City.     Preparing for a potentially protracted battle  Government hospitals under the DOH, major private hospitals, and the different offices of the DOH were tasked with coordinating the management of the COVID-19 public health emergency, Dr. Legaspi said.  “The stakeholders agreed that one of the solutions to this complex problem was to organize the hospitals in a manner that will rationalize the clinical approach and the utilization of resources in order to equip and enable the designated referral centers for a potentially protracted battle,” the UP-PGH statement added.  Representatives of the hospitals, both private and government, met and discussed the issues and have committed financial, manpower, technical and technological assistance to the three COVID-19 referral centers. The DOH and the University of the Philippines also pledged to extend full support.  The statement added that “a scaling-up system of preparation was agreed upon so as not to severely hamper the COVID-19 referral centers’ services to their currently admitted patients.”  Under the referral system, the coordinated transfer of patients can be done only after official acceptance by the receiving hospital. Admission to the referral center will initially be limited to mild PUIs (patients under investigation) who are at high risk of deterioration (above 60 years of age and/or with co-morbidities) and moderate to critical PUIs.  Director Legaspi clarified that not everyone with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 would be admitted to UP-PGH, but patients will at least be seen at the hospital triage, where they are prioritized according to the degree of their ailment and the urgency of their treatment.  Eventually, when testing for COVID-19 has been made readily available, only confirmed COVID-19 patients will be sent to the referral centers. Those designated as mild PUIs shall be triaged to their local health units and a quarantine plan shall be strictly implemented.     One week to prepare  The UP-PGH, Director Legaspi said in the virtual press conference, requested a week to fully prepare the hospital for its role as a COVID-19 referral hospital. Planning began as early as March 20 and hospital officials have designated a location exclusively for COVID-19 patients. The designated COVID ward will be distant from and have very little contact with the hospital’s more than 400 other, non-COVID-19 patients.  During the first meeting of UP-PGH officials and department heads, it was decided that 130 beds would be committed to COVID-19 patients, although this number may be increased depending on the number of incoming patients.  Director Legaspi also said coordination had been made with private hospitals, which could share the lessons and experiences in dealing with their own COVID-19 crisis.  He also noted the willingness of other government hospitals under the DOH to accept non-COVID-19 patients that UP-PGH might not be able to handle because it would be focusing on COVID-19 patients during this public health crisis.     Not an exclusively COVID-19 hospital  But Dr. Legaspi stressed that “I repeat, UP-PGH will not be an exclusively COVID-19 hospital,” citing the more than 400 patients at the hospital who need the different specializations of UP-PGH’s experts. He noted, however, that the number of these patients had been dwindling because of the lockdown.  He was addressing concerns about the continued operations of the Cancer Institute. He said the Cancer Institute is still open and will continue to provide patients with services, including radiotherapy.  Another essential service of UP-PGH is the Emergency Room, which will also remain open. COVID-19 patients will have a separate Emergency Room. However, Director Legaspi said when testing becomes adequate and regular, there will be no more need for a separate Emergency Room because the COVID ward will be accepting only COVID-positive patients.  “There are challenges, many challenges,” said Director Legaspi.  These include the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and testing kits. However, UP-PGH is preparing itself to handle a number of patients up to 10 times greater than the expected number.  “With the help of the private sector, donors, and the DOH, we are hoping that before we formally open our doors to COVID-19 patients, we will be ready to take care of these patients for even as long as a month… UP has accepted this challenge and we will face up the difficulties together and hopefully be a part of the solution of the DOH to this problem,” Director Legaspi said. (co-author Fred Dabu, UP MPRO)  "
    },
    {
        "title": "The bayanihan spirit burns bright in the University of the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-bayanihan-spirit-burns-bright-in-the-university-of-the-philippines/",
        "html": "The bayanihan spirit burns bright in the University of the Philippines The bayanihan spirit burns bright in the University of the Philippines March 26, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    No task is too big nor too small in UP’s fight against COVID-19. This is the rallying spirit behind the various UP bayanihan efforts that range from science and technology to humanitarian efforts, leading the way in social responsibility for its students and staff.  Responding quickly to the developing crisis, UP scientists, led by Dr. Raul V. Destura, went ahead and developed the diagnostic COVID-19 test kit, GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit. But this initiative by UP Diliman’s Philippine Genome Center (PGC) and the UP Manila-National Institute of Health (UPM-NIH), funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), is only one of many.  Recently, the UP Administration accepted the challenge of making the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) one of the three referral centers for COVID-19 patients in the National Capital Region. This means that UP-PGH will have a COVID-19 ward, located far from the hospital’s more than 400 other, non-COVID-19 patients.UP-PGH is preparing itself to handle a number of patients up to 10 times greater than the expected number.True to the UP spirit of honor and excellence, over 100 interns at UP-PGH volunteered to go back on-duty to help the patients and the remaining healthcare workers in the hospital.  The frontline personnel at UP Manila’s Philippine General Hospital will soon be joined by faculty, staff, and students of the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS), who will undergo training and accreditation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)before being deployed to the various testing centers.  Meanwhile,the UP Diliman College of Engineering (UPD-CoE) and the UP Cebu’s FabLab (under the College of Communication, Arts and Design) are both working on mass-producing face shield frames for the Personal Protective Equipment of the frontliners. The UP Cebu FabLab is also designing a bodysuit prototype for the PPE. Moreover, the UPD-CoE and UPD-CS are currently developing disease transmission modeling and a more cost-effective adult ventilator to aid the breathing of COVID+ patients.  In Southern Philippines, UP PGC Mindanao director Dr. Lyre Anni Murao is proposing the setting up of a laboratory that can give free testing for COVID-19 in the Davao Region to supplement the ongoing tests in the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). SPMC is currently the only medical facility in Mindanao recognized as a subnational reference laboratory that can test for COVID-19. The proposed lab will be made from two container vans—the easiest way to set up the facility—and equipped with a real-time polymerase chain reaction or PCR detection system and other equipment.  Apart from rallying its science and technology, the University is also taking the lead in online education and humanitarian practices and programs.  Prior to the enhanced community quarantine, UP led the initiative to shift to virtual classrooms. UP was also the first among educational institutions that opted to suspend online classrooms as this would create the need for some students to go to computer rental shops.  As directed by the UP System leadership, constituent units were among the first higher education institutions to process and release in advance the salaries of its faculty and staff, including contractual personnel, to help them during the quarantine period.  UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi are also spearheading the establishment of a UP PGH Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center to formalize the system and structure that will facilitate the University’s reception of support for its frontline workers.  Furthermore,the UP community continues to undertake various initiatives to address social problems that have arisen because of the enhanced community quarantine. For example, the UP Vanguard has stepped forward to assist indigent students stranded in the Diliman and Los Baños campuses by giving them and the dorm staff free brunch and dinners, a laundry facility, and a cash allowance. The constituent units’ Office of Student Affairs have also been coordinating with other groups to deliver various forms of assistance for the stranded students in the various UP campuses.     *Featured image courtesy of Tulong Kabataan UPM Facebook page "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH to continue treating non-COVID-19 patients even as a COVID-19 referral center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-to-continue-treating-non-covid-19-patients-even-as-a-covid-19-referral-center/",
        "html": "UP-PGH to continue treating non-COVID-19 patients even as a COVID-19 referral center UP-PGH to continue treating non-COVID-19 patients even as a COVID-19 referral center March 26, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP-Philippine General Hospital, a unit under UP Manila. Source: UP PGH Child Protection Unit website     The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) will continue serving non-COVID-19 patients even while operating as a COVID-19 referral center as designated by the Department of Health (DOH).  “Uulitin ko po, hindi po exclusively COVID hospital ang UP-PGH. [I repeat, UP-PGH is not an exclusively COVID hospital],” Director Legaspi stressed during a DOH virtual press conference on March 23.  Addressing concerns about the Cancer Institute, Director Legaspi said that the Institute will remain open and will continue to provide patients with services, including radiotherapy. The Emergency Room, another example of an essential service of UP-PGH, will also remain open. COVID-19 patients will have a separate Emergency Room.  UP-PGH is the biggest modern government tertiary hospital and referral center in the Philippines, with 19 clinical departments and attached units that offer excellent facilities for comprehensive care for Filipinos seeking specialty and subspecialty care. The hospital currently has over 400 patients who are being treated for conditions other than the viral disease currently spreading across the globe.  In his recent message to the administration and staff of UP-PGH, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion also stated that UP-PGH agreed to become a COVID referral hospital on the condition that it “may continue to serve other patients with other ailments, and that the COVID Wing be exclusive and segregated from the rest of the hospital, with its own ER.”  President Concepcion also said in his message that UP and UP-PGH agreed to the DOH’s request for the hospital to become a COVID referral center “on the condition that the DOH will give us additional medical personnel for the Wing and that all its needs, e.g. PPEs (personal protective equipment), will be provided. If these conditions are not met, we shall restrict admission of cases to keep them at a safe and manageable level.”  Additionally, the UP president assured UP-PGH that the University will undertake measures to protect and care for all hospital personnel, such as:  securing enough PPEs and instituting proper Infectious Control Measures in the hospital; ensuring a strict one-week tour of duty followed by a two-week period of quarantine; arranging for free lodging and accommodation as well as transport for all UP-PGH healthcare workers during the crisis; providing adequate nutrition and physical and psychosocial support, especially to frontliners and those in the clinical areas; and ensuring full support from the DOH and the national government as well as partner private hospitals for the augmentation of UP-PGH’s manpower, technical, technological, and financial needs.  President Concepcion also emphasized that only UP-PGH personnel and staff who are fit will be allowed to volunteer and join the Ward.  UP-PGH has requested a week to prepare before beginning operations as a COVID-19 referral center. It is one of the three COVID-19 referral centers in the National Capital Region (NCR) designated by the DOH, the other two being the Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan City and the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City.     *Featured image courtesy of UP PGH Child Protection Unit website "
    },
    {
        "title": "Free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/free-online-biosafety-training-for-laboratorians-who-will-be-handling-sars-cov-2/",
        "html": "Free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2 Free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2 March 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity (NTCBB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UP Manila is offering a free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2 on March 30 – April 3, 2020.  Lecture Topics (approximately 1 1/2 hours per lecture)  Introduction to Biorisk Management with Focus on Biosafety Risk Assessment Biocontainment Facilities Biosafety Cabinet Use Personal Protective Equipment Disinfection, Sterilization, and Decontamination Waste Management of Biological Materials  Mode of Teaching  Online and distance education modes will be used. Distance teaching will be used by providing relevant materials, including the pre-recorded lectures, handouts, book chapters, journals, that are essential to the Covid-19 response. Further, discussion forums and quizzes will be utilized to evaluate the participants formatively and summatively. Online teaching will be utilized for the open forum (April 1 and 2 (2 – 4 PM PST) Live via Zoom, choose one only)  Registration: https://tinyurl.com/ntcbb-online.  For more information, please contact ntcbb.upm@up.edu.ph.     About the National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity, National Institutes of Health, UP Manila  The National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity (NTCBB) was created on February 22, 2018 by the UP Board of Regents as the national training center for training and practice of the principles of biosafety and biosecurity among research, academic and healthcare institutions in the Philippines and the region. Its mission is to create a culture of biosafety and biosecurity in all laboratories working on biological hazards. Specifically, the Center envisions to be a source of relevant information and expertise related to the practice of biosafety and biosecurity in the Philippines, to provide the capacity for training for biosafety and biosecurity practitioners in the Philippines, and to be the focal training center in the country that will link with counterpart organizations globally.  The programs, projects, and events of NTCBB were developed and implemented in line with the center’s major functions of advocacy and leadership, training and awareness, development of applicable biosafety standards tailored to the capacity of the country, generation of best practices and standards in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity, and creation of mechanisms for both degree (in partnership with a degree granting college) and non-degree programs that will enhance the professional practice of biosafety and biosecurity in the Philippines.  The Advanced Biorisk Officers Training & Certification Program is the flagship program of NTCBB. For the past 10 years, this 6-weeks advanced certification program has produced 120 certified biosafety officers all over the country. For more information visit www.ntcbb.com.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "SOS for stranded students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sos-for-stranded-students/",
        "html": "SOS for stranded students SOS for stranded students March 27, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UPLB students stranded in dorms are provided food to eat through donations from sectors of the UPLB community. Photos by the UPLB Community Affairs. More in their Facebook photo album.     Donations and other forms of assistance continue to pour in for UP students stranded in campus and off-campus housing.  Food, hygiene needs, and even transport going home are being facilitated by University offices and concerned groups and organizations. Members of the UP community across its constituent universities—alumni, students, faculty, administration, and staff—as well as private individuals, businesses, government units, and the armed forces have been pitching in to help.  In UP Diliman (UPD), the administration has called for donations and volunteers. The University Food Service remains in operation to prepare meals for dormitory residents on campus and donations of ingredients are being received. UPD psychosocial services are still being provided through PsycServ. The mode of counseling has been shifted from face-to-face to online.  The UPD University Student Council (USC), meanwhile, launched IskoOps: COVID-19 to help not only the more than 250 students, but also the vendors and jeepney drivers affected by the enhanced community quarantine.     UPLB’s Oplan Hatid sends UP students safely back home to their families. Photo from the UP Los Baños Facebook page.     Oplan Kawingan and Oplan Hatid were initiated in UP Los Baños (UPLB). There are 517 students in University-administered dormitories, 106 in UPLB partner institution housing facilities on campus, and more than 900 who live off-campus. UPLB needs at least P1.9 million per week to provide three meals per day to all of its stranded students.  Oplan Kawingan is a food drive from the consolidated effort of UPLB, Every Nation Campus, Serve the People Brigade Task Force Community Unit Response, Chelsea’s, volunteers, and independent contractors, with support from Barangay Batong Malake.  The UPLB Dairy Training and Research Institute delivered and has committed to deliver milk and white cheese to the campus dorms twice a week. The Institute of Plant Breeding has also provided produce to the dorm residents. Those stranded continue to be the beneficiaries of alumni as well as organizations like the UPLB USC, UPLB All UP Academic Employees Union, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc., and Art Relief Mobile Kitchen, among others.  The call of those who wanted to go home was also heeded through Oplan Hatid. As of March 23, 94 students have been reunited with their families through the initiative of UPLB, UP Rural High School Alumni Group, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Second Battalion.  Hygiene kits and other essentials have also been received and the University continues to provide stable internet connectivity so students can remain in contact with their families and relatives.     UPV students stranded in dorms make excellent use of their time by making improvised face shields. Photo by Joyce Ann Clavecillas, ABS-CBN News, shared on the UPV University Student Council FB page.     UP Danay, a play on the Ilonggo word “updanay,” which means coming together or fellowship, is the UP Visayas (UPV) Community Donation Drive. UPV dormers have received donations from alumni, facilitated by I am UPHi. The UP Iloilo College (UPV’s former name and status) Class of 1961 has also given assistance.  In return, the UPV stranded have decided to pay it forward. Mobilized by the UPV USC, they have been making improvised face shields for distribution to health facilities nearby. They have created around 1,500 face shields from March 18 to 20.  In a UPV bulletin released on March 20, the administration will be facilitating the transport of Panay-based UP students so they can go home. Protocols for implementation are currently being studied.     UP Baguio’s Task Force “Out of Baguio” assists students and faculty who are stranded in Baguio and would like to go home. Photo from UP Baguio’s official Facebook page.     In UP Mindanao (UPMin), the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) has been spearheading the donation drive for its dorm residents. UPMin faculty, students and student organizations, alumni, and friends of UP have provided needed assistance. OSA’s Health Services and Student Housing units have also remained on duty.  UP Baguio (UPB) has also distributed what they referred to as “care packs” to its dormers and students living outside the campus. Faculty members have volunteered to distribute these. Donations are facilitated by the UPB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. Transportation for those who want to leave Baguio and return home are being facilitated by the UPB administration, subject to the protocols of the local and national government during the enhanced community quarantine period.     Photo from the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs Facebook page.     All in all, the various UP constituent units have been demonstrating concern and compassion for the UP students and other sectors who have been most impacted by the enhanced community quarantine, in keeping with the bayanihan spirit of the UP community. If you would like to give a donation to help support our UP student-dormers and the other members of our UP community during this difficult time, please consider donating to Give to UP: UP Fights COVID-19!     *Featured image courtesy of Gulay Lang PH Facebook page "
    },
    {
        "title": "Announcement on the release of UPCAT 2020 results – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcement-on-the-release-of-upcat-2020-results/",
        "html": "Announcement on the release of UPCAT 2020 results Announcement on the release of UPCAT 2020 results March 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Office of Admissions is postponing the release of the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT) 2020 results, which was originally scheduled on 30 March 2020. Please wait for further announcement.  The University of the Philippines has always been committed to ensuring the integrity and timely release of the UPCAT results. However, its decision to postpone the release of the results is prompted by two considerations: 1) the reality that the UPCAT applicants will have different levels of access to online results in light of the Enhanced Community Quarantine; and 2) the need to suspend UPCAT processing after 16 March 2020 in consideration of the welfare of the large team of employees working on the pre-release validation of UPCAT results—who live in various locations within and at the outskirts of Metro Manila.  Thank you for your kind understanding. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP personnel to receive emergency allowance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-personnel-to-receive-emergency-allowance/",
        "html": "UP personnel to receive emergency allowance UP personnel to receive emergency allowance March 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Administration has announced the release of an Emergency Allowance amounting to P5,000.00 each for all UP faculty and Professors Emeriti who are in active service as of March 17, 2020; research, extension and professional staff (REPS); administrative staff, whether regular, permanent, temporary, UP contractual/casual or substitute; and Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) workers who are rendering full-time service.  The release of the Emergency Allowance was announced in a memorandum from UP Executive Vice-President Teodoro J. Herbosa, dated March 27, 2020. The Emergency Allowance will be sourced from the UPSA Reprogrammed Funds from prior years’ unexpended balances, and payment will be made not earlier than April 03, 2020.  This additional measure is meant to provide immediate economic relief to UP personnel during this period of enhanced community quarantine, which was declared first in Luzon, and which set precedence for similar declarations across local government units in Visayas and Mindanao. "
    },
    {
        "title": "[Video] How the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits aid hospital work – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/video-how-the-up-developed-covid-19-test-kits-aid-hospital-work/",
        "html": "[Video] How the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits aid hospital work [Video] How the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits aid hospital work April 1, 2020 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing    Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office.     Test kits are essential for rationalization in hospital work. This is what University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Director, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said in a press conference on March 12. This, he said, allows them to provide their patients proper advice when they consult them about their health.  Talking about the COVID-19 test kit developed by the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and the Philippine Genome Center, Legaspi said it would help in identifying which patients have contracted the virus. He also expressed faith in the quality of the kit, as it was made by UP scientists with safety and efficiency in mind.  Dispelling misconceptions, Legaspi said the kit is merely for diagnosis and not treatment. It is not a drug against COVID-19. If people also want to fight against the virus, he added, one can start by considering treatment at home by strengthening one’s immune system.  Recently, Dr. Legaspi announced online, the designation of the UP-PGH as a COVID-19 referral center by the Department of Health. With this, the Hospital designated a portion of its facilities, undertook the necessary preparations and rallied its personnel to prepare for its role in fighting the disease. [Related: UP-PGH begins operating as COVID-19 referral center]  On March 30, the UP-PGH also launched Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center, a contact hub where the public may call for information regarding the virus and the disease. Experts from the university will provide assistance for queries on COVID-related medical concerns, and even ways to volunteer and donate to UP-PGH. Interested parties may call the center via 155-200. [Related: Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center]  On the same day, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña announced on Facebook how the locally-produced test kit was nearing testing completion and would be deployed to different hospitals in the country. An initial batch of 120,000 test kits will be produced.  For more information on the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits, please visit the COVID-19 UPdates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH begins operating as COVID-19 referral center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-begins-operating-as-covid-19-referral-center/",
        "html": "UP-PGH begins operating as COVID-19 referral center UP-PGH begins operating as COVID-19 referral center April 1, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. Source: Philippine General Hospital Facebook Page.     Preparations have been completed, and on March 30, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) begins operations as a COVID-19 referral center.  According to UP-PGH director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, readying the UP-PGH to accept COVID-19-positive patients was a joint effort by the University of the Philippines, the public sector through the Department of Health (DOH) and with the help of DOH-retained hospitals, and the private sector, including the construction industry and St. Luke’s Medical Center.  Speaking during the official launch of the UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center on March 30 from the Nurses Home, PGH Compound in UP Manila, Director Legaspi gave a brief report on the preparations undertaken by the hospital, which began on March 23. [Watch the livestream here]     UP-PGH director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     “Sa isang linggo po ay na-convert ang anim na bahagi ng ospital para tumanggap ng mga pasyenteng COVID. [In one week, we converted six sections of the hospital to ready them to receive COVID patients],” Director Legaspi said during his message to the UP community and the public.  Partners in the private sector  He thanked their partners in the private sector who helped with the daunting task of retrofitting two wards in the UP-PGH into a facility able to handle COVID-19 patients. The retrofitting of the wards was completed in record time by the DM Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), with the help of Architect Dan Lichauco, founding partner and principal architect of Manila-based Archion Architects.  An article published by the Philippine Star quotes a statement by DMCI president and chief executive officer Jorge Consunji: “We thank our workers who rose to the challenge of delivering this project on time and in accordance with social distancing and sanitation protocols. We also commend the management of the UP-PGH, architect Dan Lichauco and Bloomberry Foundation for supporting our workers.”  Director Legaspi also reiterated that an initial 130 beds with ICU units have been dedicated for COVID-positive patients “para po mas maganda at organisadong-organisado ang paggagamot ng mga COVID-19 patients, at pinaka-importante po, mas safe sa ating mga health workers [so that treatment of COVID-19 patients will be effective and organized and, most importantly, our health workers will remain safe.]”  With that, the first COVID-19 ward in the UP-PGH has been launched and will gradually be occupied by COVID-19-positive patients. The ward, Director Legaspi added, also houses new electric beds, which are more comfortable for the patients and easier for the health workers to handle. He thanked St. Luke’s Medical Center and its Board of Directors for transferring 48 of these electric beds to the UP-PGH.     48 Hillrom beds were donated by St. Lukes Medical Center. Source: Philippine General Hospital Facebook Page     Director Legaspi describes feeling overwhelmed by all the help that has come in from both the private and the public sector. Aside from the infrastructure retrofitting and the equipment, he also cited the financial and material support such as personal protective equipment (PPEs).  Easing the burden on UP-PGH personnel  He also thanked the volunteers, reporting that a personnel schedule good for three weeks has been drawn up. “Ang prinsipyo po nito ay hindi sila tuloy-tuloy na pagtatrabahuhin,” he said, “una nga dahil mahirap at mainit ang nakasuot ng PPE; pangalawa, dahil siyempre may takot ng konti dahil kakaiba ang mga pasyente; at pangatlo, ang psychological effect ng nasa area na ganito.” [The principle behind it is not to allow them to work continuously because, first of all, the PPEs are hot and uncomfortable to wear; second, because they are also dealing with anxiety about being around COVID-positive patients; and third, the psychological impact of being in an area like this.]  Director Legaspi also reported that, to ease the burden on the UP-PGH’s personnel and to provide them sufficient comfort to rest in, Citystate Tower Hotel president D. Edgard A. Cabangon allowed the UP-PGH personnel to use 200 beds of the Citystate Tower Hotel on AA Mabini Street, Ermita.  “Ang ating pong mga manpower services ay atin ding sinisiguro na kumportable,” said Legaspi. “Marami pong hotel na nag-donate din ng kanilang mga kwarto, at ang pagkain po nila ay organisado pareho ng mga pribado at ng ating Dietary Service headed by Ms. Emelita Lavilla.” [We are also ensuring that our manpower services are also provided comfort. Many hotels have donated the use of their rooms, and food for our personnel is being organized by both private entities and our UP-PGH Dietary Service headed by Ms. Emelita Lavilla.]  PGH: People Giving Hope  “Sagana po ang resources na ating mga natatanggap. Papantayan po ito ng UP-PGH ng tapat na serbisyo sa ating mga pasyente. [UP-PGH has received a bounty of resources. We will match that with our dedicated service to our patients]” Director Legaspi vowed.  Most of all, Director Legaspi thanked the UP-PGH personnel—the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, field-care and janitorial services, and security services—for their dedication and courage in continuing to hold their posts and serve the people, no matter the circumstances.  In his written message to the UP-PGH community, which was posted on the UP-PGH Facebook page on March 26, he called back to the same courage of the doctors, nurses and staff of the UP-PGH during World War II, when it became the only hospital that remained open during the war. “We have always responded, time and again, to the call of our countrymen when needed. This is that time again.”  This sentiment was echoed in UP President Danilo L. Concepcion’s own message to the UP-PGH community, also published on March 26. “‘PGH’ has become synonymous with hope and caring, with compassion and commitment, even in the direst circumstances. I have no doubt that once again, the brave men and women of UP-PGH will rise to the occasion and respond to their country’s call with steadfast courage, abounding talent, and exemplary professionalism.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD College of Science responds to COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-college-of-science-responds-to-covid-19/",
        "html": "UPD College of Science responds to COVID-19 UPD College of Science responds to COVID-19 April 1, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   UP Diliman College of Science Building. Photo by Nadine Lim, UP Photography Society.     The UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) expressed its appreciation for its constituents who are actively helping the country respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In a Facebook post, the College enumerated their efforts, which include lending equipment for COVID-19 testing, producing personal protective equipment (PPEs), donating supplies for frontliners and public hospitals, modeling disease transmission and ventilator production, and deploying personnel to testing centers.  “In this time of crisis, we are all called to help our fellow countrymen. The College is lucky to have students, faculty, researchers and staff who are willing to lend a hand in any way they can,” the Facebook post dated March 23, time-stamped 6:47 PM, said.  “All these efforts are being done because our standing mandate as UP scientists is to make science serve the people. We offer our expertise, services, and laboratories to the Filipino people in the hope of providing solutions to our current crisis,” CS Associate Dean Lillian Jennifer Rodriguez told the UP Media and Public Relations Office.  Experienced personnel  According to Rodriguez, the Institute of Biology (IB) and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) of the College have been tapped by both public and private sectors for experienced personnel who can be trained to perform COVID-19 tests.  “We are proud of our people who will be joining the frontline in the fight against this virus,” the College’s Facebook post read. It added that the personnel will be trained for accreditation by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) of the Department of Health (DOH) before deployment to different testing centers.  “We are asking the UP Diliman community and the Filipino people to please pray for their safety,” the College said.  Meanwhile, Dr. AC Yago and Dr. Emily Castriciones of the Institute of Chemistry (IC) have been tapped by the Quezon City local government for advice on disinfection and cleaning strategies.  Equipment for COVID-19 testing  “The NIMBB, through Dr. Rey Garcia, and the Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI), through Dr. Cora de Ungria, have lent or will be lending their qPCR machines to satellite testing centers,” Rodriguez said. The machines are needed side by side with the test kits currently being used by the RITM.  To ensure the quality of the tests, these qPCR machines are recalibrated by CS personnel upon transfer to the satellite testing centers, Rodriguez added.  PPE and supplies  At the National Institute of Physics(NIP), CS Dean Giovanni Tapang leads 3D printing of disposable face shields for donation to public hospitals. He is also trying out designs to facilitate the printing.  “We also have Dr. Chelo Pascua and Dr. Cherry Ringor working with Dr. Mahar Lagmay and UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) on the 3D printing of face masks,” Tapang said.  Laboratories of the IB, IC, NIMBB, NSRI, and Marine Science Institute (MSI) are also donating supplies needed by public hospitals and frontliners. These include surgical masks, gloves, and disinfectants such as alcohol and bleach.  “We have donated a first batch of these supplies to the UP Health Service, a second batch to PGH [Philippine General Hospital],” Dr. Rodriguez reported. “We have a third batch that we will most likely give to either PGH or RITM.”  MSI professor and former UP System vice president for academic affairs Dr. Gisela Concepcion also donated naso-oral sprays to PGH.  Disease transmission modeling  “When we first met with several experts of the College, our initial objective was to provide a disease transmission model to try to suggest the next best move to UP administration and the national government administration,” Rodriguez said.  Dr. Aurelio delos Reyes of the Institute of Mathematics reported: “The Modeling and Applications group of the IM is currently working on modeling and applying optimal control theory. Estimation of basic reproduction number (R0) and flattening the curve through different simulations are simulated.”  Modeling is also being done by NIP faculty and students led by Dr. Johnrob Bantang.  Preliminary results have been communicated to Lagmay of the UPRI.  “Of course, Dr. Mahar’s work in UPRI is another story altogether,” Tapang added.  The CS dean is also involved in a modeling initiative for ventilation of public hospitals.  Care and advice from experts  The CS is making sure its own home is safe. “We are making sure that people from our College are following the guideline to stay at home by restricting access to the buildings from March 11, 2020 until April 14, 2020,” Rodriguez said.  “Only people with an extraordinary need to go to Diliman, such as researchers maintaining live animals and cell cultures, are allowed entry into our buildings.”  Rodriguez added that CS students in dormitories in and outside the campus and guards on duty are being provided food packs and toiletries.  She offered an expert’s opinion on outbreaks such as COVID-19:  “We biologists know that viruses like SARS-CoV-2 are abundant in nature. But if we continue invading animals’ natural environments or forcibly taking animals outside of nature, we only increase the risk of exposing ourselves to new strains or new types of viruses that we have never encountered before,” Rodriguez said.  “In light of this crisis, my call as an ecologist is to leave Nature be. We have already taken too much from her.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD food tech students produce ginger-calamansi concentrate for PGH and Lung Center frontliners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-food-tech-students-produce-ginger-calamansi-concentrate-for-pgh-and-lung-center-frontliners/",
        "html": "UPD food tech students produce ginger-calamansi concentrate for PGH and Lung Center frontliners UPD food tech students produce ginger-calamansi concentrate for PGH and Lung Center frontliners April 2, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Frontliners from the UP-Philippine General Hospital receive bottles of Lucal drink. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.     Meghan Sevilla and Sofia Tagle, 4th year BS Food Technology students from UP Diliman’s College of Home Economics (CHE), formulated and produced a ginger-calamansi concentrate called Lucal. Lucal can easily be consumed when mixed with warm or cold water.     Ginger and calamansi are Lucal’s main ingredients. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.     They were able to achieve this through the guidance of UP Food Science and Nutrition Professors Abigail Rustia, Lotis Francisco, Blanca Villarino, and Bee Dumelod, who checked on their process flow, gave advice, and connected them with raw material suppliers. Meghan and Sofia’s families also supported them. Vanessa Tangcueco, another BS Food Technology student and a good friend of Meghan and Sofia, also created an infographic for Lucal.     Infographic by UPD BS Food Technology student, Vanessa Tangcueco.     Because of the team’s collective efforts, they were able to produce 40 bottles of Lucal, which is equivalent to 466 glasses of the vitamin C-enriched drink. These bottles were distributed to the Philippine General Hospital and Lung Center of the Philippines. Currently, they are working on a second batch of Lucal, to be distributed to frontliners of other hospitals.     Frontliners from the UP-Philippine General Hospital enjoy their Lucal drink. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.     Meghan Sevilla and Sofia Tagle, 4th year BS Food Technology students from UP Diliman’s College of Home Economics, formulated the ginger-calamansi concentrate Lucal. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility shares equipment for COVID-19 testing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgc-visayas-satellite-facility-shares-equipment-for-covid-19-testing/",
        "html": "UP PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility shares equipment for COVID-19 testing UP PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility shares equipment for COVID-19 testing April 6, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   A medical staff at Western Visayas Medical Center inspects the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine and its accompanying laptop lent by the UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas Satellite Facility. Photo from UP Visayas Information and Publication Office.     It has not been formally launched, but it has already shared its resources in a big way.  The UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas Satellite Facility (PGC-VSF) has lent its reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) to strengthen the hospital’s capability in testing patients for COVID-19.  PGC-VSF also lent its digital dry bath and provided nuclease-free water to WVMC to enable the use of a different set of testing kits the hospital has received.     The PCR device from the UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas Satellite Facility already in place at the Western Visayas Medical Center testing laboratory. Photo from UP Visayas Information and Publication Office.     The initiative was made possible with the help of the local and provincial governments, the Department of Health-Region VI, UP alumni, and University partners.  PGC-VSF, which is scheduled to be inaugurated on April 28, is the expansion of the PGC in the Visayas, following the launch of its Mindanao Satellite Facility last year in UP Mindanao, Davao City. It is strongly supported by UP Visayas (UPV) and is located at the Regional Research Center in UPV’s main campus in Miagao, Iloilo. PGC-VSF’s program director is Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel Ferriols of the UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Institute of Aquaculture.  UP established the PGC in 2009 to harness the use of genomics research for applications in health and medicine, food security, environment and biodiversity, ethnicity, and bioinformatics, among others. (With report from UPV-Information and Publications Office)     Related: UPV PGC beefs up WVMC CoViD testing center "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Tacloban produces alcohol-based hand rub for frontliners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-tacloban-produces-alcohol-based-hand-rub-for-frontliners/",
        "html": "UP Tacloban produces alcohol-based hand rub for frontliners UP Tacloban produces alcohol-based hand rub for frontliners April 6, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   UPV Tacloban College’s URUGUP has produced 75% isopropyl alcohol and 80% ethyl alcohol as donation to healthcare facilities and other frontline service providers in Eastern Visayas. Photo from UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook page.     Through its URUGUP public service initiative, UPV Tacloban College has produced an alcohol-based hand rub following World Health Organization standards for donation to healthcare facilities and other frontline service providers in Eastern Visayas.  On 3 April, 20,000 mL, 5,000 mL, and 2,500 mL of the URUGUP 80% ethyl alcohol hand rub were donated to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), Maasin City Hospital, and Abuyog District Hospital, respectively. The UPVTC Security Office received two 300 mL bottles of 75% isopropyl alcohol and 1 gallon (about 3300 mL) of 80% ethyl alcohol hand rub on the same day.     Photo from UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook page.     On 4 April, 1500 mL of the URUGUP 75% isopropyl hand rub was turned over to personnel manning the entry and exit points of Tacloban City at San Juanico Bridge, Marasbaras, and Diversion Road near Imelda Village.     Photo from UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook page.     The local production of the alcohol-based antiseptic hand rub by a team of Chemistry faculty, researchers, and a volunteer alumnus is part of UP Tacloban’s URUGUP public service program in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. The first batch was produced with funding support from the UP Tacloban and UP Visayas administration through the UP, Magbubunga Tayo!initiative, a collaboration with the UPV Foundation, Inc. With support from generous donors, the project team and the UPVTC community hope to produce more and help meet the need for disinfectants and hand sanitizers in healthcare and other frontline facilities in Region 8.     Mr. Rigelio G. Pagpaguitan receives the URUGUP hand rub for Maasin City Hospital. Photo from UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook page.     The UPVTC security personnel with their URUGUP hand rubs. Photo from UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook page.  (This article was originally published on the UP Visayas Tacloban College Facebook Page.) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CMC battles COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ through fact-checking – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cmc-battles-covid-19-infodemic-through-fact-checking/",
        "html": "UP CMC battles COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ through fact-checking UP CMC battles COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ through fact-checking April 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       FactRakers is a fact-checking initiative of journalism majors at the University of the Philippines Diliman.     The UP College of Mass Communication Journalism Department is joining the fight against COVID-19 through fact-checking.  Initiated and supervised by Associate Professor Yvonne T. Chua of the Journalism Department, FactRakers is battling the infodemic by actively verifying COVID-related information.  Fact-checked information can be accessed through its website and social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. They can also be retrieved through Google’s Fact Check Explorer, a tool to easily browse its database of fact checks.  Since the beginning of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, FactRakers has produced 23 fact checks on false or misleading claims circulating amid the pandemic among Filipinos on social media platforms and mobile community chats.     Panelo’s anti-poor quote concocted—FactRakers. Read fact check here.     The initiative began last year as part of the Journalism Seminar course on fact-checking (Journ 196). It won the special projects category of the Philippine Journalism Research Conference in early March.  The World Health Organization defines an infodemic an “over-abundance of information, some accurate and some not that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”  Infodemic poses a serious problem for public health because people are bombarded with erroneous or confusing messages on actions to take to protect themselves and others and mitigate the impact of a disease such as COVID-19. #UPFightsCOVID-19 #UPBayanihanNa    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-students-given-options-in-complying-with-course-reqs-safety-nets-against-failing-grades/",
        "html": "UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades April 17, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    In light of the global pandemic and enhanced community quarantine declared across most of the country, the University of the Philippines has decided to end the second semester of AY 2019-2020 on April 30, 2020, instead of the original May 23, 2020.  This decision was made during a meeting of the UP Board of Regents (UP BOR) held on April 16, following deliberations and revisions of a proposal submitted by the President’s Advisory Council, a committee composed of the UP System vice presidents and the chancellors of all UP constituent units. The details of the final decision and corresponding guidelines will be issued in an official memo that will soon be made available and cascaded through proper channels.  With this decision, UP students in all constituent units are given two options. They can choose to complete their course requirements until May 31, 2021, and upon compliance shall be given a numeric grade under a “deferred grade” scheme. Instead of receiving a failing grade, students who find themselves unable to complete their course requirements by May 2021 will be considered dropped and will have to retake the course in the succeeding semester.  However, students whose circumstances allow them to work on course requirements during quarantine, can choose to complete these requirements, following the adjusted syllabus and the deadlines set by their constituent university. They will then be given a numerical grade based on faculty assessment of their performance.  Moreover, students who enrolled in a course that is a prerequisite to a higher course will be allowed to enroll in the latter for credit, despite the “deferred grade” for the prerequisite course. To help students catch up with their courses, departments, units and institutes shall offer bridging programs during the first semester of AY 2020-2021.  Departments and faculty have been urged to prepare necessary course requirements that will allow them to assess academic performance, taking into consideration the crisis conditions the students are working in. These adjusted course requirements must be communicated to the students by May 1, 2020.  For postgraduate students, their departments, units and institutions shall determine how best to proceed with the courses and how to assess students’ academic performances, in consultation with the students and in consideration of the current crisis situation.  UP is also waiving academic rules as well as policies on scholastic standing and student financial assistance.  Specifically, the deadlines for the dropping of subjects and for filing Leave of Absence for the second semester of AY 2019-2020 are lifted. As for the maximum residency rule, residence for this semester shall not be counted in the years of residence of a student.  A student who incurred a grade of incomplete (INC) during the second semester of AY 2018-2019 shall be allowed to remove the INC until first semester AY 2020-2021. Similarly, a student who incurred a grade of 4.0 during the same period shall also be allowed to remove the 4.0 until first semester AY 2020-2021.  Rules on scholastic standing (delinquency), including rules on warning, probation, dismissal and permanent disqualification, are suspended for the second semester AY 2019-2020. Policies on student financial assistance, which are tied to scholastic standing, are similarly suspended.  The University will continue to explore alternative modes of instruction, requirements and assessment methods that are consistent with its mandate as national university, and with the principles of honor and excellence, all while taking into account the extreme conditions, unequal life circumstances, and high levels of anxiety, stress and suffering that UP faculty and students are enduring. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for blood donations: Red Cross ‘Love Bus’ goes to UP Diliman dorms – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-blood-donations-red-cross-love-bus-goes-to-up-diliman-dorms/",
        "html": "Call for blood donations: Red Cross ‘Love Bus’ goes to UP Diliman dorms Call for blood donations: Red Cross ‘Love Bus’ goes to UP Diliman dorms April 20, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Dahil sa COVID-19 at sa umiiral na enhanced community quarantine, maraming mga mass blood donation ang nakansela. Nahihirapan din ang mga walk-in donors dahil sa limitasyon sa public transportation, kahit na bukas ang ibang blood donation centers.  Kaya’t ang Red Cross ang pupunta sa UP Diliman kasama ang kanilang “Love Bus”. Ang Love Bus ay paparada sa parking lot pinakamalapit sa mga dorm sang-ayon sa schedule na ito, mula 9:30 am hanggang 5:00 pm:  April 20-21 : Sanggumay Residence Dorm (for Sanggumay and Kalayaan Dormers) April 22-23: Between Acacia Dorm and the Parish office (for Acacia, Ilang-Ilang and Ipil dormers) April 24/27: Kamagong and Centennial Dorms April 28 : Sampaguita Dorm  For non-dormers who are interested to donate, please send a message to 0928 503 8628.     Red Cross’ ‘Love Bus’ goes to UP Diliman dorms for blood donations.     Atty. Ma. Gabriela Roldan-Concepcion donates blood through Red Cross’ ‘Love Bus’."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Baguio produces ethyl alcohol – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-baguio-produces-ethyl-alcohol/",
        "html": "UP Baguio produces ethyl alcohol UP Baguio produces ethyl alcohol April 20, 2020 | Written by Jo. Lontoc, UP Media and Public Relations Office   A UP Baguio faculty member measures an ingredient in ethyl alcohol production for the campus and for public health care facilities in the locality. Photo by UP Baguio Office of Public Affairs     A team from the UP Baguio College of Science (UPB-CS) is producing 70-percent ethyl alcohol in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UPB announced through an official Facebook post on April 8, 2020.  Using campus laboratories, the team composed of Chemistry professors Ofelia Giron and Reymark Ereje, CS administrative staff Joeran Valdez, and Biology alumni and research assistants Donna Castro, Jen Manglinong and Bea Palaganas produced almost 50 liters of the alcohol in the first two days.  The project initially intended to produce alcohol for the University’s own need to disinfect personal protective equipment (PPE). UPB had composed Task Force PPE to produce these in efforts to help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.  The team produced 10 liters on the first day, April 7, 2020. To help address the need for disinfection solutions particularly of public health care facilities in the locality, it decided to produce more. On the second day, an additional 37 liters was produced.     Three members of a UP Baguio team producing 70-percent ethyl alcohol present the finished product straight from the campus laboratories."
    },
    {
        "title": "DILG-endorsed UPOU MOOC begins in May – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dilg-endorsed-upou-mooc-begins-in-may/",
        "html": "DILG-endorsed UPOU MOOC begins in May DILG-endorsed UPOU MOOC begins in May April 20, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Image from the UPOU Facebook page.     Image from the UPOU website.     Enrollment is ongoing for the UP Open University (UPOU) Master of Public Management (MPM) program’s massive open online course (MOOC) on interlocal cooperation. It is free and open to the public.  The course was even endorsed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through Memorandum Circular No. 2020-069, signed and issued by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año on April 3. The memo encourages local government heads and officials to enroll and directs DILG regional directors as well as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Minister for Local Government to widely disseminate the memo.  It is a redeveloped version of the PM 265 course that has now been packaged as a stand-alone MOOC by the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, to which the MPM belongs. It is an initiative that aims to help harness the capabilities of local governments in working together to accomplish common goals that will benefit the larger Philippine society.  The mettle of local governments is being tested by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and this MOOC proves a timely opportunity for these units to beef up their knowledge stores and skill sets.  The MOOC on Interlocal Cooperation is a four-module course, with each module consisting of three weeks. It is scheduled to begin on May 18 with Module 1: General Course on Interlocal Cooperation. The first module ends on June 5.  Module 2: Legal Ingredients will be conducted from June 8 to 26.  Module 3: Institutional Ingredients will be on June 29 to July 17.  Module 4: Financial Ingredients will be on July to August 7.  Enrollment for Modules 2 to 4 will be announced prior to their conduct.  Original article published at https://www.upou.edu.ph/announcement/massive-open-online-course-mooc-on-interlocal-cooperation-ilc/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Get help on how to teach, learn, and work remotely – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/get-help-on-how-to-teach-learn-and-work-remotely/",
        "html": "Get help on how to teach, learn, and work remotely Get help on how to teach, learn, and work remotely April 20, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       Physical or social distancing have been buzzwords since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out more than a month ago. Traditional classes have been suspended. Work has been reduced to skeleton forces and confined to industries of basic goods and services.  Being the only virtual constituent university in the UP System, the UP Open University (UPOU) has more experience in physical distancing in education delivery. And as the leading open and distance e-learning (ODeL) institution in the country, its expertise has been widely acknowledged.  Faced with the possibility of distance education complementing the usual classroom setup and continued work-from-home arrangements because of this pandemic, UPOU has put together a web page where people can read, watch, and listen to curated materials on teaching, learning, and working remotely.  UPOU Networks is the repository of all UPOU-produced materials.  UPOU MODeL is platform for all its massive open online courses.  Open UP Connect is the official blog of UPOU, where faculty, staff, and students share their expertise and experiences.  The UPOU YouTube channel has video lectures on various subjects.  For its faculty members, UPOU has the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services microsite, which aims to assist in the development of modules and in teaching in the ODeL environment.  Whether or not remote teaching, learning, and working become the new normal because of COVID-19, UPOU is sharing its resources to help people prepare. Just in case. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB publishes free-to-download children’s ebooks on COVID-19 prevention and control measures – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-publishes-free-to-download-childrens-ebooks-on-covid-19-prevention-and-control-measures/",
        "html": "UPLB publishes free-to-download children’s ebooks on COVID-19 prevention and control measures UPLB publishes free-to-download children’s ebooks on COVID-19 prevention and control measures April 21, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta, UP Media and Public Relations Office       Cover of “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko,” one of the two children’s ebooks published by the UPLB Department of Human and Family Development Studies.     The Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS) under the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology (UPLB-CHE) has published free-to-download children’s e-books about the importance of social distancing and of wearing face masks during this time of COVID-19. This was announced in recent posts on UPLB’s Facebook page.     Cover of “Isang Metro,” the other children’s ebook published by the UPLB Department of Human and Family Development Studies.     The first book is “Isang Metro: Kwentong Pambata ukol sa COVID-19”, written by Kate del Rosario, and illustrated by Dandin Espina, with with Paeng Ferrer as editor and layout artist. In it, a little girl named Ella asks her mother, Aling Marie, why people need to maintain social or physical distance, staying one meter apart from one another. Her mother then shares with her other measures to prevent the spread of the viral disease, such as washing hands and refraining from touching one’s face. Ella then finds ways of working with the social distancing rule to still have fun with a friend. Download “Isang Metro” ebook for free here.     One of the illustrations from “Isang Metro”.     The second book, “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko: Kwentong Pambata Ukol sa COVID-19” (2020), was also written by Kate del Rosario and illustrated by Rachelle Ann Fabula, with editing by Paeng Ferrer and layout by Kenneth Turaray. The story centers around a little boy named Miko, who asks his father why people nowadays have been wearing face masks that cover their nose and mouth. Miko then goes on to compare these masks to the ones that he himself plays with. His father, Mang Berto, explains to him the need for people to wear these masks, and the different types of masks that frontliners use. Download “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko” ebook for free here.  The books, as well as the audio/video reading of “Isang Metro” are a good help for parents seeking to explain to their children the need and ways to stay safe and healthy during this time of a pandemic, in language that children can understand. They were published under the Tsikiting Stories series of the DHFDS. Watch ‘Isang Metro: Kwentong Pambata ukol sa COVID-19’.     One of the illustrations from “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko”.     Special discounts, however, are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations and others. For inquiries, please contact the Department of Human and Family Development Studies, UPLB-CHE, or Tsikiting Stories at tsikitingstories@gmail.com. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP AIT houses QC District 6 testing center for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-ait-houses-qc-district-6-testing-center-for-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP AIT houses QC District 6 testing center for COVID-19 UP AIT houses QC District 6 testing center for COVID-19 April 22, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Booths and paraphernalia being trucked into the UP-AIT compound along Commonwealth Avenue to establish the City District 6 COVID-19 testing center. Photo courtesy of Jojo Cabangon, April 19, 2020, retrieved from the UP-AIT Facebook page.     The east wing of the newly renovated UP Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) building located along Commonwealth Avenue is now COVID-19 Testing Center of Quezon City District 6.  “When a request for assistance in setting up a COVID-19 testing center in Quezon City was received from [District 6 Representative] Kit Belmonte by [UP Diliman] Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, an affirmative response was immediately given after consultations with [UP] President Danilo Concepcion and myself as the head of unit of the building that was identified as the suitable location for the purpose,” UP-AIT Dean Leticia Susan Lagmay-Solis told the UP Media and Public Relations Office.  For testing operations that would begin on April 20, 2020, an ocular inspection of what used to be the AIT House Hotel was undertaken on April 17, 2020 by Belmonte and QC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Head Karl Marasigan, together with personnel from the UP Diliman (UPD) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development, the UPD Office of the Campus Architect, and UP-AIT.  They addressed operational concerns and identified the most efficient way of setting up the facility at the soonest possible time. This included clearing the areas of furniture and equipment and disinfecting the internal and external areas of the building on April 18, 2020.  Thus, the center was set up, with booths and paraphernalia coming from the LGU, within two days after the request from the city; and was operating on the third.     A room furnished with cots at the UP-AIT COVID-19 testing center. Photo courtesy of Jojo Cabangon, April 19, 2020, retrieved from the UP-AIT Facebook page.     “As time is of the essence… the University extends its full support without hesitation… as it tries to find ways to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and to find solutions to end the pandemic,” Lagmay-Solis said.  “We in AIT wholeheartedly offer the building we consider our second home as our humble contribution in response to the urgent appeal of the QC LGU for support,” the dean added.  “All throughout this period, I, Chancellor Nemenzo, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development Raquel Florendo, and Congressman Belmonte were in constant communication… until nighttime to ensure smooth operations when the testing facility is finally opened,” she said. “We constantly coordinate even now as the facility is already operational.”  Lagmay-Solis assured that all safety precautions and protocols are in place to ensure the welfare of all stakeholders.     Booths from the Quezon City Hall installed at a UP-AIT lobby. Photo courtesy of Jojo Cabangon, April 19, 2020, retrieved from the UP-AIT Facebook page.     After pilot-testing community-based testing the previous week at the Quezon Memorial Circle, the city opened the AIT testing center along with the testing center each for Districts 4 and 5. Based on a Quezon City government press release dated April 20, 2020, the city opened the testing centers for Districts 1, 2, and 3 on April 21, 2020.  The testing centers are equipped with swab booths to handle a targeted 50 tests per day, blood testing and x-ray examination. District health officers, in coordination with barangay health center personnel, will man and supervise the booths.  Specimens are forwarded to the Lung Center of the Philippines and St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City for processing.  The city has also partnered with other organizations and agencies to expand testing and include house-to-house tests, particularly of senior citizens and immuno-compromised constituents.  “For those who would like to undergo testing, the QC government requests its residents to coordinate with their barangay health officers for initial interview and assessment before they will be scheduled and brought to the testing centers,” according to the press release.     Seats spaced according to social distancing protocols at the UP-AIT COVID-19 testing center. Photo courtesy of Jojo Cabangon, April 19, 2020, retrieved from the UP-AIT Facebook page."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP historic building to shelter persons for COVID-19 isolation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-historic-building-to-shelter-persons-for-covid-19-isolation/",
        "html": "UP historic building to shelter persons for COVID-19 isolation UP historic building to shelter persons for COVID-19 isolation April 23, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Beds lined up in parts of Palma Hall designated as isolation areas. Photo by UP COVID-19 Task Force and Act as One PH, April 19-20, 2020, from the UP-CSSP Facebook page     Operations of “Kanlungang Palma” will begin on April 22 after the historic Palma Hall of UP Diliman (UPD) was designated an isolation area for suspected and probable cases of persons with COVID-19, according to bulletins from the UPD College of Social Sciences of Philosophy (CSSP). The shelter will handle cases coming from the UPD area.  In an update by CSSP on April 21, 50 of the 85 beds that were set uphave been retained foruse. This was to accommodate the University Health Service’s (UHS) capability to handle only 50 cases at any given time.  In the same bulletin, CSSP revealed that the installation of plastic dividers of bed areas was already underway via the volunteers of Act as One PH, led by Dr. Jesusa Catabui, UHS director. There will only be two patients in each classroom to ensure proper physical distancing.  Arrangements were previously made for the setting up of tents at the parking lot across the façade to serve as the swabbing or testing area of the UHS.     A classroom converted into an isolation area. Photo by Jem Javier, April 18, 2020, from the UP-CSSP Facebook page     Palma Hall, the home of CSSP, has been known as a shelter for activism.“Ang mga silya ay nasa fourth floor, echoing [the First Quarter Storm] and the Diliman Commune, pero ang kalaban ngayon ay sakit. At sa halip na magtaboy ng manunupil ay tatanggap ng mga nangangailangan,” said Prof. Jem Javier of CSSP’s Department of Linguistics on the latest social engagement by the University in the storied building.  Javier was referring to classroom furniture being moved to the fourth floor, as the second and third floors might also be used for isolation, to give way for isolation beds.  The classrooms were being prepared under the supervision of the UPD Office of the Campus Architect and the UHS, with proper ventilation and spacing of beds ensured.  “Only the front entry of Palma Hall will be used and the east and west wing gates will be closed. The pavilions and all offices will also be closed off,” according to CSSP’s bulletin dated April 18.     Dr. Jesusa Catabui of the University Health Service, an Act as One PH volunteer, and Palma Hall Assistant Building Administrator Roy Ramos discuss the partitions to be placed between beds. Photo by UP COVID-19 Task Force and Act as One PH, April 19-20, 2020, from the UP-CSSP Facebook page     In its first bulletin dated April 17, the College assured its constituents that the decision would not risk their safety as “we are not returning to our physical classes for the rest of the semester and the midyear.” CSSP added that all proper health protocols identified by UP COVID-19 Task Force to keep the personnel, including security guards, safe would be followed.  “Only the custodial workers who volunteer for the task will work in the area, with consideration for their own health conditions. They will all receive hazard pay,” according to CSSP. As of April 18, seven such workers had volunteered. The UPD Administration added another five to the task of preparing the area. They were provided meals.  CSSP said that these workers will be replaced by “professional janitors” once isolation operations start on April 22. Disinfection and decontamination before and after the COVID-19 operations will be conducted by a Sanitary Anti-Viral Entry Point or SAVEPOINT team following WHO protocols and utilizing “internal establishment disinfecting” services and misting tents, among others. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates Webinar Series – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/stop-covid-deaths-clinical-management-updates-webinar-series/",
        "html": "Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates Webinar Series Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates Webinar Series April 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Changes in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 as an infection, and as it impacts on all medical and surgical conditions occur at great speed. There are no experts in COVID-19. But over the past month, expertise in different specialties of medicine is growing.  The University of the Philippines, in partnership with the UP Manila National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, strongly support the promotion of the highest possible standards of care for COVID-19 patients and also seek to protect the entire health system from the devastation of viral spread through measures and interventions that will insulate the whole range of the practice of medicine and all its sub-specialties in the post-Enhanced Community Quarantine phase and for continuing pandemic preparedness and response.  To tap into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers on COVID-19, a series of Zoom meeting-webinars are organized every Friday from 12:00 NN to 2:00 PM (Manila time) by the University of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.  This partnership is a public health measure, designed to ensure that health workers are protected in the first instance, and that health facilities remain viable, safe and will continue to provide for a wide range of medical and health needs of the Filipino people.  In this regard, everyone is cordially invited to the first Zoom meeting-webinar on the Clinical Management of COVID Pneumonia on Friday, April 24, 2020, at 12:00 NN (Manila time) with Dr. Camilo Roa, Dr. Leonora Fernandez, and Dr. Aileen David Wang as resource persons.All medical staff and practitioners are encouraged to avail of this opportunity to be part of a learning network on the management of COVID-19.        Registration is free and open to all at https://tiny.cc/StopCOVIDDeaths. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement on the Reported Proposal of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team to Delay the Reopening of Schools up to December 2020 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-on-the-reported-proposal-of-the-up-covid-19-pandemic-response-team-to-delay-the-reopening-of-schools-up-to-december-2020/",
        "html": "Statement on the Reported Proposal of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team to Delay the Reopening of Schools up to December 2020 Statement on the Reported Proposal of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team to Delay the Reopening of Schools up to December 2020 April 24, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    In a press briefing at Malacañang Palace on 21 April 2020, the scientific findings by the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team on age-group social interactions and its implications on flattening the so-called epidemic curve was presented. For everyone’s guidance on the matter, we are issuing this statement to clarify the following:     The analysis conducted by our modeling group shows that the 0-19 years old age-group accounts for the greatest number of possible interactions which is about 56%. From one of our projections, eliminating the interaction of this group, which takes place primarily in schools, can substantially reduce spread of the COVID-19 virus. If unmitigated, this number can represent a substantial amount of transmissions if and when we lift the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine after April 30, 2020. The proposal to start the school year much later is under the assumption of a full contact (physical) setup. Even with the closure of school grounds, it does not mean we have to discontinue class delivery. Alternative and innovative approaches for continued learning are encouraged and should be explored and implemented. Ultimately, the decision when or how to reopen the schools should be nuanced with the actual situation on the ground. The decision to close schools, or for any action for that matter beyond April 30, is entirely an executive government matter. We only present the results of our models based on data for a science-based approach in the war against COVID-19, especially when we transition to the “new normal.” We presented on 20 April 2020 the results of our models and their corresponding meaning to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and several Cabinet Secretaries upon the invitation of the Office of the President. We do recognize that there are factors that need to be considered as there are consequences for any decision. But those will ultimately be decided upon by the concerned agencies, in particular the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Education (DepEd).     For everyone’s information.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "URUGUP: UPV Tacloban’s call for cooperation amid COVID-19 crisis – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/urugup-upv-taclobans-call-for-cooperation-amid-covid-19-crisis/",
        "html": "URUGUP: UPV Tacloban’s call for cooperation amid COVID-19 crisis URUGUP: UPV Tacloban’s call for cooperation amid COVID-19 crisis April 23, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP Media and Public Relations Office       Partner, ally, kaugop. This is what UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) advocates each and everyone to be in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the Waray word, ugop, URUGUP is UPVTC’s institutional initiative in bringing together various sectors to help those in need in these trying times.  From collecting donations for the production of alcohol by its Chemistry faculty, researchers, and alumni to putting together and distributing relief packs to its stranded students off campus, URUGUP has been hard at work to continue the delivery of needed assistance.  While there are no students living on campus, there are those who remain in boarding houses and with friends and relatives because they cannot travel to their hometowns to be with immediate family. And UPVTC is doing what it can to provide for them.  On April 3, URUGUP provided the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center with 20 liters of 80% ethyl alcohol, Maasin City Hospital with 5 liters, and Abuyog District Hospital with 2.5 liters. The UPVTC Security Office also received 600 milliliters of 75% isopropyl alcohol and almost 3.8 liters of 80% ethyl alcohol. The following day, 1.5 liters of 75% isopropyl alcohol were given to personnel manning Tacloban entry and exit points.  As of April 13, URUGUP raised almost P60,000 in cash donations.  Faculty and staff have also banded together for UPVTC Puso. On April 1, UPVTC Puso donated the face shields it produced to frontliners in seven hospitals in Leyte and food packs to four barangays in Tacloban. Face shields and food packs were also given to UPVTC security personnel. Hygiene kits were distributed to 200 tricycle driver members of two associations.  On April 8, UPVTC Puso gave cash assistance of P1,000 each to 15 security guards on campus and to the nine security guards in the Sta. Elena property. They, along with the UPVTC Security Office, were also given face shields.  UPVTC is also cognizant of the importance of mental and psychosocial health, so it has made available the necessary support for  affected individuals and communities in Eastern Visayas through its Psychology program.  Apart from this, the Division of Humanities and UP An Balangaw Performing Arts Group are using the arts to provide emotional and mental relief. Pasundayag Paghilom: Songs and Poetry for Healing at the Time of COVID-19 was launched for April’s National Literature Month and International Month of Poetry 2020. The video performances are available via UP An Balangaw’s Facebook page.  UPVTC’s call for partnerships through donations and whatever form of support continues as it maintains its commitment to serve not only its community, but the region of Eastern Visayas as well. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP sets guidelines on proceeding with academic year affected by the ECQ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-sets-guidelines-on-proceeding-with-academic-year-affected-by-the-ecq/",
        "html": "UP sets guidelines on proceeding with academic year affected by the ECQ UP sets guidelines on proceeding with academic year affected by the ECQ April 25, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The University of the Philippines released on 23 April 2020 implementing guidelines for proceeding with the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020, which has been affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other parts of the country.  The guidelines, issued by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, reflect the resolution of the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in its special meeting on 16 April 2020. The resolution was based on the 13 April 2020 recommendations of UP’s President’s Advisory Committee (PAC) which, in turn, were drawn from the recommendations of the UP System Academic Affairs Committee that were based on the decisions of the Constituent Universities’ Executive Committees in consultation with College Secretaries, Graduate Program Coordinators, Deans and faculty. The PAC endorsed the following proposed policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 to the BOR: 1) end the semester on 30 April 2020; 2) assure that students will not fail the course but that their grade of P (Pass) with optional adjectival remarks will be deferred until they meet adjusted course requirements by 31 May 2021; and 3) allow earlier completion of requirements by students on a CU-set deadline.  Guided equally by the UP’s mandate as the National University committed to quality education and by the extreme conditions confronting its students and faculty during the ECQ in Luzon and other parts of the country, the BOR adopted the PAC-proposed “Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the time of COVID-19”, dated 13 April 2020, with revision. Specifically, the Board replaced the recommended P (Pass with optional adjectival remarks) with numeric grades and granted units offering graduate courses the leeway to determine how best to proceed with learning and assessment, in consultation with their students and in consideration of the current crisis situation.  The Academic Year and deadlines  The last day of class for the semester is 30 April 2020.  The CUs will set a deadline for faculty members to disseminate the adjusted course requirement to all their students. Faculty members who are unable to reach some students may seek the assistance of the College Secretaries of the students’ home unit.  The CUs will also set the deadline, allowing sufficient time, for the earlier completion within the semester of adjusted course requirements by graduating students and other students who may opt for this.  The end dates indicated in the approved academic calendar—such as for the submission of grades and University Council meetings for graduating students—will be revised by the CUs for approval by the UP President.  The CUs may decide on proceeding with Midyear 2020 on a schedule informed by ongoing assessments of the COVID-19 situation. In any case, Midyear 2020 should be seen as an opportunity to offer bridging programs.  Academic activities after 30 April 2020  There will be no face-to-face classes for the rest of the academic year for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Due to internet access issues that will be addressed in the next semester, online classes are discouraged, but may be conducted only for leveling expectations, clarifications, overall guidance, and summation. Real-time online meetings should not impact grading and should be recorded and disseminated to all students concerned.  Units offering laboratory, studio, PE, NSTP, and similar courses are free to redesign the course and explore options to facilitate the completion of these courses remotely.  Adjusted course requirements may take the form of an examination or alternative forms of summative assessment (e.g. reflection paper or critical analysis) to be scheduled by the units based on the CU deadline for earlier completion.  As a sit-down proctored final examination may no longer be feasible, online exams may be administered. For this, the platform to be used, the students’ internet connection, and their psychological preparedness to take the exam online must be considered.  Graduate programs are strongly encouraged to adopt or conform with the general framework, rationale and guidelines on the conduct of academic exercises, as contained in the BOR Resolution. Units offering or handling graduate programs may opt to adopt the policies in this section.  Grading  No student will be given a grade of 4.0, 5.0 or INC for courses in the Second Semester AY 2019-2020.  Students may elect to drop at any time and re-enroll their courses or re-enroll in alternative elective courses or equivalent courses in succeeding semesters. DRP given for the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 will be annotated in the Transcript of Records with an asterisk to indicate: due to COVID-19.  Students may also choose not to pursue, in any way, their enrolled courses for the Second Semester AY 2019-2020, as long as they inform in writing their registrar, through their dean, of this choice at any time before 31 May 2021. The students will be deemed dropped as of that date and will not receive grades for these courses in their transcript of records. They will be allowed to re-enroll their courses or equivalent courses in the succeeding semesters.  Faculty members who have sufficient basis to give their students a grade as of the end of the semester must give a numeric grade to students with passing status and a deferred grade to those failing or incomplete. The latter have until 31 May 2021 to complete the adjusted course requirements.  “When faculty members are unable to perform their academic function due to the COVID- 19 crisis, their respective units, out of duty and compassion for the faculty members concerned and their students, shall ensure that those who comply with the adjusted requirements of the course are given a grade.”  Where there is no sufficient basis for giving students a grade as of the end of the semester, grades will be deferred. Again, students have up to 31 May 2021 to complete the adjusted course requirements.  Upon completion, the faculty will give a numeric grade to students who have complied with the adjusted course requirements, or drop the students unable to comply for whatever reason, whose performance is unsatisfactory or whose status is failing. The latter may re-enroll the same course or equivalent subject in succeeding semesters.  Numeric grade exemption  A unit, on behalf of its faculty members, may file applications for exemption from the provisions of the UP System policy of imposing only a numeric grading system in the Second Semester AY 2019-2020.  The application should be justified and limited to seeking authority to give P (Pass) as a grade with the faculty having the option to give numeric grades to students whose circumstances so require.  Applications must be filed on or before 15 May 2020 through the chancellors, who will then endorse them to the UP President through the Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs for eventual consideration of the BOR.  Academic standing and scholarship  The University is waiving academic deadlines on scholastic standing and student financial assistance for this semester. The deadlines for dropping subjects and filing leave of absence for this semester have also been lifted.  The semester will not be included in the reckoning or in the counting of years of residence of a student.  A student who incurred an INC or a 4.0 in Second Semester 2018-2019 will be allowed to remove the INC or 4.0 until the first semester of AY 2020-2021.  For this semester, the University is suspending the rules on scholastic standing having to do with delinquency, and policies on student financial assistance tied to scholastic standing.  Bridging programs  A student enrolled in a course this semester that is a prerequisite to another will be allowed to enroll in the latter course for credit, despite having no grade yet for the prerequisite course. Appropriate bridging mechanisms by the offering units should be devised to help these students catch up with the prerequisite course.  The bridging programs may be in the form of self-instructional modules, learning packages, or online workshops. The design and mode of delivery of the bridging programs should consider the current crisis conditions as well as the need to manage the workload of both faculty and students.  The unit can develop programs, that will hone the competence of students in the critical courses of their programs, designed for flexible delivery that students can avail in the Midyear 2020 or the First Semester AY 2020-2021.  Graduating students  Graduating students completing the requirements by the deadline set by the CU for the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 will be endorsed for graduation to the BOR when it meets in June or July 2020.  However, graduation ceremonies are postponed “to a more auspicious time”.  Graduating students with deferred grades at the end of this semester, who complete their requirements after the deadline set by the CU for the Second Semester AY 2019-2020, will be endorsed for graduation to the BOR in the semester the student completes the requirements.  However, the student will be deemed “graduated as of the Second Semester AY 2019-2020”.  Download the UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19.  Download the Implementing Guidelines of theUP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19.     Related: UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP united: How the state university is raising head and heart against COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-united-how-the-state-university-is-raising-head-and-heart-against-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP united: How the state university is raising head and heart against COVID-19 UP united: How the state university is raising head and heart against COVID-19 April 23, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    As expected of the country’s national university, the University of the Philippines has been among the main institutions at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus. The spirit of honor, excellence and compassion shines brightly among faculty, students, alumni, and staff across constituent universities nationwide.  There is the selfless courage of those who continue to serve daily in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), or as PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi aptly puts it, the “people giving hope.” Despite a directive to pull out interns from medical colleges, about 214 PGH interns have volunteered to stay on duty, assisting and augmenting the hospital’s health workers. Despite the danger, PGH has accepted the appointment as one of the country’s COVID-19 referral hospitals.     Aiming for more tests  In the search for solutions, there are minds hard at work at the UP National Institutes of Health and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC). Scientist Dr. Raul Destura has called on laboratories and hospitals for proper equipment to test their locally developed SARS-COV 2 detection kits. According to UP’s National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the search for equipment and qualified personnel to properly conduct tests will be in preparation for the expanded testing of the Department of Health (DOH). Completion of field tests over a two- to three-week period may allow these more affordable test kits to be readily available.  Increasing the testing capacity for coronavirus in other regions has also been stressed by UP Mindanao’s (UPM) PGC. Its director, virology professor Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, has proposed a diagnostic program for free testing of COVID-19. Currently in Mindanao, only the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is capable of running the test. The proposal includes building a biosafety molecular lab attached to a hospital that will not only help the region against COVID-19 but can eventually help against other infectious and emerging diseases.     Discussions ongoing about the establishment of a COVID-19 testing lab in the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City. Involved are Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, director of the Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao, and the DRMC team, led by chief of hospital Dr. Bryan Dalid and pathologist Dr. Alejandro Domingo. Additional testing labs are an urgent requirement of local governments and the Department of Health to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines. Photos from Dr. Murao, taken from a UP Mindanao Facebook post, April 6     Ideas and more  Over at the UP Diliman College of Engineering (CoE), a meeting of minds converged to find engineering solutions to the virus outbreak. Five feasible proposals with immediate benefits were identified.  The first project pools together all 3D printers across the university system for the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Second is the development of a prototype adult ventilator, as COVID-19 is essentially a respiratory illness. Third is a movement tracker in conjunction with government agencies and telcos for registered Persons Under Investigation. The tracking solution will help assess possible contamination in an area.  Fourth is the creation of a mobile plasma treatment apparatus for the disinfection of hospital walls, ERs, walkways, PPEs, health utilities like air filters, and office equipment. Last is a prototype cleaning chamber based on ultraviolet exposure that can disinfect used PPEs.     Photo from the UPD College of Engineering Facebook page, March 28     Project implementation will be conducted in coordination with the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) and UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE). The UPERDFI has called for donations as the projects will have a total cost of over P1.6 million. The cause has led to generous donations in both cash and kind, including the donation of electronic equipment and devices for prototype and fabrication works.  Dr. Enrique Ostrea, Jr. (UP Med’65), patent holder of a ventilator for newborns, has waived his right to the patent to shorten the prototype development of the proposed adult ventilator.     Facing the shortages     The UP Cebu FabLab assembles over 100 lasercut faceshields for Cebu’s medical frontliners in half a day. Photo from the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook page, March 25     With the shortage of masks and safety equipment, UP units in the Visayas have also used their creativity and resourcefulness to help. The UP Cebu Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab), built for the Product Design program in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cebu, has used a 3D printer and laser cutter to come up with about 100 face shields. Additional materials from DTI are expected for more face shields to be made.  Students at UP Visayas (UPV) in Miagao and Iloilo campuses have initiated a project to mass-produce alternative face shields. Based on a design from a health worker at the Iloilo Mission Hospital, the face shield is made from Velcro straps, acetate sheets, craft foam and PVC covers. Both campuses are accepting donations of materials including adhesives, double-sided tapes, staples and staplers.  The students have so far produced 300 face shields that have been distributed to hospitals across Iloilo. They hope to make many more for the Western Visayas Sanitarium, which is being eyed as a COVID-19 center for the province.     UP Visayas student-dormers assembling faceshields to donate to the frontliners. Photo from the UP Visayas Facebook page, April 16     Volunteers were mobilized from among many dormers still in the UPV campuses. Because of travel restrictions to Manila and other provinces, about 174 students remain stranded. Fellow students and alumni groups have been donating food and supplies, especially as the Miagao campus is about 42 kms south of Iloilo City.  UPV, through its Philippine Genome Center Visayas, has also transferred its PCT Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine and its Digital Dry Bath to the Western Visayas Medical Center. With these transfers, Iloilo City becomes better equipped to diagnose the disease. An alumni group from UPV has also met with government officials to push for the establishment of an accredited coronavirus testing center in the city.     Stranded students  In the meantime, UP Los Baños (UPLB) has experienced a similar plight to UPV and has appealed for help. The campus has been providing supplies to 700 students in university dorms and another 900 in off-campus housing facilities. The university needs at least P2 million a week to help feed the students.  UPLB recently concluded Oplan Hatid in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 2nd Battalion, the UP Rural High School Alumni Group and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Some 94 UPLB students were reunited with their families in CALABARZON and across NCR.  Some UPLB dormers, such as those from the Women’s Residence Hall, have decided to be productive about their stay. Difficult as it is to find food and supplies, the residents have managed to make 100 DIY face shields in a project initiated by the School of Environmental Science and Management. Beta Sigma-UPLB chapter has called for volunteers to make more face shields as their group provides instruction guides and raw materials.  Aside from face shields, the UP community has been looking at other equipment. A group of designers, engineers and chemists from UP Diliman have put together a prototype COVID-19 decontamination tent. The group, called SaniTents PH, said it could guide hospitals and other establishments who want to increase their safety protocols against the disease. The booth can be constructed in one and a half days, and features a diffuser that sprays disinfectant from head to toe.  SaniTents PH has released the design for the general public, so that it can be freely copied or modified for use.     SanitentsPH is inviting LGUs and individuals who have developed their own handwashing stations, sensitive to the current situation, to share their ideas in their SaniTents PH Bayanihan Community group: https://tinyurl.com/ud4qsfa. Post taken from SaniTents PH Facebook page, April 13     A listening ear  The UP Diliman-Psychological Services (UPD PsycServ), established to provide accessible mental health and psychosocial support services for students, faculty and staff, has offered free therapy services for frontliners.  The organization encourages these overworked and stressed-out medical staff to contact 0906-3743466 via text or Viber for free tele-psychotherapy. The UPD PsycServ is composed of licensed psychologists and experienced clinical practitioners completing graduate degrees in Clinical Psychology. A listening ear is another way to support our harried health care workers.  There are many other stories of the generosity of the entire UP community, a generosity that extends from thoughts and ideas to concrete action.  An alumna, who wishes to remain anonymous, continues to send cash donations for food, medicines and vitamin C to students still in UPLB. Journalist Kara David has driven around the Diliman campus to distribute face masks and alcohol to UP workers, including food sellers, street sweepers and security guards. Shamcey Supsup-Lee, national director of the Miss Universe Philippines Organization and Architecture alumna, has been donating food to Diliman dormers, as well as to the National Children’s Hospital.  UP Baguio has distributed 114 care packs containing food, hygiene kits and medicines to students. Many remain on campus due to the Luzon lockdown and need donations for food and supplies.     UP Baguio distributes care packs to its stranded students. Photo from the UPB Facebook page, April 9     Nowhere to Go But UP, a volunteer group supporting UP sports teams, has been steadily raising funds for a number of healthcare frontliners that include hospitals, AFP checkpoints, the MMDA Rescue Hotline Group, the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine, and the Philippine Genome Center. Their projects include Oplan Hatid for some 272 Diliman dormers, and more recently, a Canon Digital Masterclass series that will allow participants to donate to UP.  The needs are great, and the danger is real. But it is in these situations that UP rises to the ideals that embody its purpose. Give to UP. Donations in cash, kind or volunteerism will be contributions to the welfare not only of our community but of our nation as well.  Visit https://giveto.up.edu.ph/gate/covid19 to learn how to donate or email giveto@up.edu.ph or contact the UP Padayon Public Service Office at 0917 571 8886. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV team submits post-ECQ plan to Iloilo City gov’t – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-team-submits-post-ecq-plan-to-iloilo-city-govt/",
        "html": "UPV team submits post-ECQ plan to Iloilo City gov’t UPV team submits post-ECQ plan to Iloilo City gov’t April 29, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo         UP Visayas (UPV) Professors Maria Elisa Baliao (Sociology), Rhodella Ibabao (Management), Hanny John Mediodia (Economics), Cristabel Parcon (Sociology), Juhn Cris Espia (Political Science), and Vicente Balinas (Statistics) have forwarded their team’s proposed exit plan to the Iloilo City government in anticipation of the eventual lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).  At the time of the group’s submission, the ECQ was scheduled to be lifted on 01 May 2020. As of April 24, following the announcement of the Iloilo provincial government to extend the ECQ until May 15, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the LGU is still studying the prospect of extension. He explained that the city government will consult Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and the other governors of Panay Island and Guimaras on the matter.  In the proposed post-ECQ plan, a “phased reopening and scaling back” of the city government’s support to the local economy would gradually allow businesses to operate and help mitigate the economic losses brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. This, while maintaining safety protocols against the disease.  A redefined way of life to combat the spread of COVID-19 would have to be the new normal as going back to pre-pandemic activities immediately is not advised. According to Treñas, this involves continuing the practice of physical distancing, wearing of face mask, and frequent hand washing. He has sent copies of the UPV post-ECQ proposal to other sectors for their input.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD department offers free counseling in a time of physical distancing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-department-offers-free-counseling-in-a-time-of-physical-distancing/",
        "html": "UPD department offers free counseling in a time of physical distancing UPD department offers free counseling in a time of physical distancing April 23, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Image from https://www.facebook.com/updpsycserv/     The UP Diliman Department of Psychology, along with its UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) program, has offered free telepsychotherapy services to frontliners, PUMs and PUIs, COVID-19 positive individuals, their relatives, and others severely affected by COVID-19.  The latter can send a text or Viber message to 09063743466 or 09167573157 with their name and concern or accomplish the form on the link http://bit.ly/PsycServPH to receive a call from a PsycServ volunteer. PsycServ operates from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm.  “Indeed physical distancing is hard but we can still enable people to connect for encouragement and comfort,” said Dr. Violeta V. Bautista, PsycServ director and Clinical Psychology Program chair of the Department.     Image from https://www.facebook.com/updpsycserv/     According to the https://www.facebook.com/updpsycserv/, the program aims to provide support and a listening ear to those feeling anxious in quarantine with no one to talk to, those diagnosed with the disease or caring and directly working with those who were and thinking of the worst possibilities, those in anguish over a loved one who is ill or who died, and those unsettled and destabilized by the uncertainties and tragedies of the times.  The Facebook page offers a general advice: “Halo-halong emosyon ang dala ng COVID-19 sa buhay natin: takot, lungkot, saya, galit, gulat, at marami pang iba. Alalahanin nating normal lang na maranasan ang mga ito lalo na sa panahon na ito. [COVID-19 has awoken mixed emotions in our lives: fear, loneliness, relief, anger, shock, and others. Let us remember it is normal to experience these especially at these times].”     Images from https://www.facebook.com/updpsycserv/     The telepsychotherapy team is composed of licensed psychologists, experienced psychologists-in-training, clinical psychology graduate students, and trained counselors of the department.  UPD PsycServ was formed in 2017 in response to an increasing number of students who are at risk for psychiatric conditions and those already suffering from them. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD chemists produce sanitizers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-chemists-produce-sanitizers/",
        "html": "UPD chemists produce sanitizers UPD chemists produce sanitizers April 24, 2020 | Written by Jo Lontoc, UP Media and Public Relations Office   Production of alcohol in a UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry laboratory. Photo courtesy of the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry     Like other UP campuses with chemists and chemistry laboratories, UP Diliman (UPD) has been producing alcohol sanitizers—the demand for which has significantly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These were distributed to the UPD community and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).  Dr. AC Yago of UPD’s Institute of Chemistry (IC) said a team from the institute had produced a total of more than 100 liters of isopropyl and ethyl alcohol from three batches from April 6 to 16.  “The preparation of alcohol formulations as hand sanitizers was initially requested by [UPD] Chancellor [Fidel] Nemenzo to IC,” Yago told the UP Media and Public Relations Office. “IC responded positively and provided guidelines on the preparation of alcohol sanitizers, following the Food and Drug Administration guidelines,” he added.  The volunteers included 10 members of the Institute, who included faculty members, instructors, research associates who are licensed chemists, laboratory technicians and a staff member. They were: Dr. Marlon Conato; Dr. Hiyas Junio; Dr. Monissa Paderes; Dr. Grace Gregorio; Dr. AC Yago; Mr. Mark Jeffrey Diaz; Mr. Vicenzo Torreno; Mr. Francis Alinabon; Mr. Manuel Dela Paz; and Mr. Bryan Rivera.     Chemicals being processed in the production of alcohol in a UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry laboratory. Photo courtesy of the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry     As part of the UPD bayanihan activity, the alcohol sanitizers were distributed to UPD constituents, which include the University Health Service, Solid Waste Management, Campus Maintenance Office, the police, and the Special Services Brigade. All UPD dormitories received a 4-liter bottle of the prepared alcohol.  “We have also donated to [the PGH], both as pure reagents and prepared alcohol sanitizers. And yes, our staff and maintenance personnel also received some of the alcohol sanitizers for their use,” Yago said.  After preparing laboratories on April 3, 2020, 69 liters of 75% isopropyl alcohol and 32.5 liters of 80% ethyl alcohol have been produced. “April 23, technically is our last day of preparation, so the amount [mentioned] could change slightly,” Yago said.     Alcohols prepared by a UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry team being received at the Campus Maintenance Office, the UP Diliman Police, Acacia Residence Halls, and the University Health Service. Photo courtesy of the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry    "
    },
    {
        "title": "More support for UP Cebu’s stranded students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/more-support-for-up-cebus-stranded-students/",
        "html": "More support for UP Cebu’s stranded students More support for UP Cebu’s stranded students April 29, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Photo by Abegail May Soria, from the Tug-ani Facebook page     More support has come in for the students left stranded at the University of the Philippines Cebu campus following the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and travel ban over the City of Cebu.  According to posts in the UP Cebu Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Facebook page, stranded UP Cebu students were given relief assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region VII (DSWD-7) on Wednesday, April 22. This was first reported by Tug-ani, the official student publication of UP Cebu.  The UP Cebu OSA wrote a letter to DSWD-7 Director Rebecca Geamala on April 17 to request assistance for the dormer and non-dormer students left stranded in the city, numbering over 70. In an interview conducted by Tug-ani, OSA Director Alvin Ray Yu said that initiatives from the other UP campuses are being adopted by the UP Cebu administration to help its students, including making arrangements to distribute supplies to students residing in apartments outside the UP Cebu campus.  As of April 22, the UP Cebu University Student Council (USC) has received Php17,500 in financial aid for the stranded students, with a total of Php 4,822.70 remaining balance. The USC has been able to conduct three batches of supply distributions for the students.  Since the implementation of ECQ, the stranded UP Cebu students have received support in the form of in-kind and financial donations from UP alumni, administrators, faculty members, and staff. The UP Cebu administration and the USC are still welcoming donations for the students in light of the two-week extension of the ECQ.  Donors may transfer their funds to the following contact details:  Bibi Jessica Golocino BPI bank account: 9389242443  Niño Aldjenn Belocura GCASH: 0977 777 0769  In-kind donations may be dropped off at the UP Cebu Entrance Gate.     Original story and photos by Abegail May Soria, from the Tug-ani Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP holds “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar for healthcare frontliners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-holds-stop-covid-deaths-clinical-management-updates-webinar-for-healthcare-frontliners/",
        "html": "UP holds “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar for healthcare frontliners UP holds “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar for healthcare frontliners April 30, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines continues its mission to help educate our country’s medical and healthcare workers and frontliners, enabling them to win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic through the sharing of information, research, experience, and expertise.  The latest of such endeavor from UP is the series of Zoom meeting-webinars dubbed “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates”, organized by UP, in partnership with the UP Manila National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).  The first of this webinar series, held last April 24, focused on the “Clinical Management of COVID Pneumonia”, and featured heads of national and international medical associations and research units and professors of the UP College of Medicine as speakers. [Watch the recording of the webinar here]     A graphic from Dr. Roa’s lecture showing the pattern of disease progression for COVID-19, with most recoveries by patients showing mild to moderate symptoms happening within 3-6 weeks, and most deaths for COVID-19 patients with severe to critical symptoms happening within 2-8 weeks due to acute respiratory failure, sepsis, or hospital acquired infections. Screenshot from the “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” replay.     The first speaker, Dr. Camilo Roa, Global Governor of the American College of Chest Physicians and past president of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, presented an overview of the clinical management of patients. He noted that while most of COVID-positive patients have mild to moderate symptoms, around 20% have severe or critical symptoms. Factors such as age and co-morbidities such as cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes and cancer affect one’s chances of dying from COVID-19, and as yet, there is no proven antiviral treatment for the disease. Thus, for healthcare workers, managing patients means supporting the patient’s immune system as it battles the disease, watching out for critical developments such as hospital acquired infections or other complications, and to use drugs with compassionate purpose and the informed consent of the patient.     A slide from Dr. Wang’s lecture, showing the various COVID-related research initiatives of the UPM-PGH COVID-19 Research Initiative Program. Screenshots from the “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” replay.     The second lecture was delivered by Dr. Aileen David Wang of the UP College of Medicine’s Department of Medicine. She stressed the critical role that research plays in the global fight against the pandemic, reflecting lessons from past epidemics. Research, such as those being done by the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UPM-PGH) COVID-19 Research Initiative Program and on a global scale, the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Trial, is needed to find a antiviral treatment for the disease, to help hospitals cope with the influx of COVID patients, and to come up with strategies to deal with the pandemic at the medical, psychosocial, and socioeconomic levels. Research based on a combination of randomized controlled trials and real-world evidence will be key to winning the global war against COVID-19.     A slide from Dr. Fernandez’ lecture showing a revised algorithm for the respiratory management of COVID-Patients. Screenshot from the “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” replay.     Finally, Dr. Leonora Fernandez, head of the UPM-PGH Division of Pulmonary Medicine, spoke about a critical aspect in the management of COVID patients. She cited findings that show that COVID patients who end up on mechanical ventilators have a higher chance of dying from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Instead, she recommends a new approach in ventilator therapy for COVID-19: the non-invasive high flow nasal canula (HFNC) oxygen therapy, which in combination with the strategy of self-proning, can improve the outcomes for a COVID patient.        The highly successful webinar drew in more than 180 participants. The second webinar in the series will be held tomorrow, May 1, 2020 (Friday), at 12:00 noon (Manila time), and will focus on infectious diseases and fighting and controlling the spread of an infection such as COVID-19. Speakers will be Dr. Regina P. Berba, head of the PGH Infection Control Unit and faculty of the UP College of Medicine, and Dr. Marie Yvette Barez, chair of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Southern Philippines Medical Center. [Register now at http://bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeaths or watch the livestream at TVUP.]  As UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla said: “Physicians lead lives of learning throughout their lives. But what happens when we are dealing with a virus that is not behaving like the old types of viruses? We turn to experience. Decisions will have to be made based on our experience or the experience of others. We are fortunate that we live in a generation where technology is in our favor. This webinar series is a commitment of service to our fellow health workers and our patients.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPSO, UP musicians come together in “Alay sa Sambayang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam”, a musical tribute – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upso-up-musicians-come-together-in-alay-sa-sambayang-pilipino-sa-panahon-ng-agam-agam-a-musical-tribute/",
        "html": "UPSO, UP musicians come together in “Alay sa Sambayang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam”, a musical tribute UPSO, UP musicians come together in “Alay sa Sambayang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam”, a musical tribute May 4, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   UP musicians come together while staying apart in a virtual performance. Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/upsymphonyorch/videos/2678550799042064/     Musicians, vocalists and choristers from the University of the Philippines came together in a virtual performance to honor of the medical and healthcare workers, the frontliners, and the ordinary Filipino people battling against a global pandemic and socio-economic uncertainty.  In a project dubbed “Alay sa Sambayanang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam”, the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), led by Maestro Josefino “Chino” Toledo, brought together various artists and UP choirs to perform “Maghintay Lang, Kaluluwa at Diwa,” an adaptation of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia (Op. 26), with lyrics from Psalm 46 translated into Filipino by Toledo, and arrangement and orchestration by the same.  Performers included vocalists Michelle Mariposa (alto), Malvin Macasaet (tenor) and Stefanie Quintin (soprano), and the UP Madrigal Singers. The chorus consisted of members and representatives of the UP Concert Chorus, the UP Staff Chorale, Auit Vocal Ensemble, and UP Chorus Classes from the UP College of Music. Including the members of the UPSO, the group consisted of over a hundred individuals, all performing or singing remotely and practicing social distancing, yet coming together in a stirring tribute to hope, faith, and the Filipino spirit in a time of unprecedented darkness.  View the video, which was uploaded on the UPSO’s Facebook page on April 19.        The UPSO is the official system-wide orchestra of UP. Founded on August 30, 2018, the UPSO is supported by the UP System and hosted by the UP College of Music. The orchestra consists of 65 members coming from within the UP community, including alumni, students, faculty and staff from all UP campuses. It functions as a training ground for both composers and musicians, and as a representative not only of the University but also of the country on the worldwide stage.  “Alay sa Sambayanang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam” was supported by the UP Office of the President, the Office of the UP Diliman Chancellor, the UP College of Music through Dean LaVerne de la Pena, the heads of the various performing choirs, and Mr. Paul Cyril Torrente.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity donates 10,000 PPEs for UPM-PGH frontliners – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-beta-epsilon-fraternity-donates-10000-ppes-for-upm-pgh-frontliners/",
        "html": "UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity donates 10,000 PPEs for UPM-PGH frontliners UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity donates 10,000 PPEs for UPM-PGH frontliners May 5, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Alumni-brothers of the UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity delivering the 10,000 isolation coveralls for the frontliners of the UPM-PGH. Photo from Engr. Tito Aliga.     The UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity (UPBE), based in the UP Diliman College of Engineering, is doing its part to help the country win the war against COVID-19.  As reported in an April 29 post in the UP Beta Epsilon’s Facebook page, the fraternity donated 10,000 high-grade isolation coveralls to the medical and healthcare frontliners of the UP Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UPM-PGH), one of the country’s designated COVID-19 referral centers. The Class-A isolation coveralls were approved by UPM-PGH officials and department chairpersons beforehand, and delivered to the hospital via two trucks on April 28.  The trucks bearing the 10,000 donated PPEs arrive at the UPM-PGH. Photo from Engr. Tito Aliga.     The donation of the isolation coveralls was the result of a three-week mobilization of UPBE brothers and friends, some of whom worked to secure funding for the project, while other members who are based in China handled selection, procurement and air-freighting. UPBE alumni Engr. Alex Ibasco (EE ’78) and Engr. Ojie Alzona (IE ’77) spearheaded the effort.  As UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity member and UP Engineering Research & Development Foundation, Inc. (UP ERDFI) executive director Engr. Alfonso “Tito” Aliga, Jr. shared in an email, UPM-PGH executive director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi thanked the fraternity for its efforts, but noted that “the challenge continues,” although he cited the greater number of COVID-19 recoveries than deaths as an encouraging development.  According to the Facebook post, “PPEs (personal protective equipment) are rapidly decreasing everyday as our hospitals continue their battle against the coronavirus pandemic. The donated PPEs will hopefully help the PGH frontline medical workers to properly equip themselves with protection against the COVID-19 virus.”     Photo from Engr. Tito Aliga.     The UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity, which stands for “Brotherhood of Engineers”, is the oldest engineering fraternity in Asia, having celebrated its 90th anniversary last August 23. The fraternity is exclusive for Engineering and Architecture students of UP Diliman, and has strong ties with the UP College of Architecture, recognizing the importance of architecture in the engineering discipline. The UPBE is one of the three organizations and the only fraternity to be given the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Award for outstanding service to the UP with its conceptualization and construction of the Beta Epsilon Way. It is also the first and only recipient of the Best Fraternity award back in 2004. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-launches-edu-hack-podcast-series/",
        "html": "UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series May 5, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Image from the UPOU website, https://www.upou.edu.ph/news/upou-launches-edu-hack-a-podcast-on-crises-adaptation-for-higher-education/     Flexibility and compassion. These were the key takeaways in the first episode of UP Open University’s (UPOU) podcast series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating through a Turbulent Educational Landscape” on April 28.  The discussion centered on answering the question, “How are Philippine Universities Responding to Disruptions in Education Brought About by COVID-19 Pandemic?”     Dr. Alexander Flor, Dean of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, moderating the first of UPOU’s podcast series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating through a Turbulent Educational Landscape”. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast.     The panelists were UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria, University of Batangas (UB) Vice President for Academic Affairs Abegayle Chua, and De La Salle University (DLSU) Association of Faculty and Educators President Antonio Contreras.  This year saw Southern Luzon and Metro Manila being hit with back-to-back crises, with the phreatomagmatic eruption of Taal Volcano in January and the COVID-19 pandemic in March. For the education sector, it meant multiple weeks-long class suspensions. While the institutions to which the panelists belonged had online learning systems in place, Chua said it best: “No one was prepared for this kind of lockdown.”     UPOU Chancellor Melinda Bandalaria. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast.     UPOU started shifting to online classes in 2001 and its classes were fully online by 2007, so Bandalaria said that the University initially assumed things would be business as usual. But she admitted the quarantine brought up issues beyond the usual open and distance e-learning operations. Anxiety, stress, accessibility, work-school scheduling, and health risks were some of the concerns raised by faculty, staff, and students alike.  Chua described the class and work suspensions due to Taal Volcano activity as the “dry run” for the COVID-19 quarantine. While web presence and blended learning were already in place at UB, the pandemic forced the institution to shift everything online. Chua, being an otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, throat or ENT) surgeon, knew “we could not go back to school” because of the health risks.     University of Batangas (UB) Vice President for Academic Affairs Abegayle Chua. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast.     Sixteen years ago, DLSU already started adopting a learner-centered, outcomes-based approach and online platforms eventually replaced face-to-face sessions when classes were suspended. COVID-19 changed things drastically, but Contreras said, “We hit the ground running.”  “We anchored our response to this crisis on flexibility and compassion,” explained Bandalaria. “Now is not the time to be rigid,” according to Contreras. As for Chua, “Everything now is fluid [and] leniency is key at this time.”  The panelists were in agreement that higher education institutions need to monitor and adjust its actions according to changes in the COVID-19 situation—from government decisions to emerging concerns from their academic and surrounding communities.  UB has prepared scenarios for different end-of-quarantine periods and has anticipated its next term to be fully online. Chua said they have also studied the possibility of limited physical attendance for necessary laboratory work and preparations for those who will be taking licensure examinations.     De La Salle University (DLSU) Association of Faculty and Educators President Antonio Contreras. Screenshot from the replay of the podcast.     DLSU has been providing internet connectivity support for its students and faculty, and has refunded the fees it collected for the use of its facilities. Contreras revealed that DLSU is working under the assumption that classes will resume on July 1, but fully online. Like UB, has started to look into managing courses with key activities that require physical presence. The private university has also foreseen a possible decrease in enrollment following the COVID-19 pandemic.  UPOU, because of its nature as an open and distance e-learning institution and its fully online classes, has thus far been exempted from class suspensions and other decisions on the academic year. To cater to the needs of its students, UPOU has made revisions to its academic calendar, adjusting academic year terms, registration schedules, and admission applications periods. The changes will be announced once approved. As it is primarily a graduate institution, UPOU has also anticipated a decrease in enrollment at the graduate level.  This episode of “Edu-Hack” may be viewed here.  For announcements on succeeding episodes of the podcast series, follow the UPOU Facebook account. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV to stranded students: “Prepare to go home” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-to-stranded-students-prepare-to-go-home/",
        "html": "UPV to stranded students: “Prepare to go home” UPV to stranded students: “Prepare to go home” May 5, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    UP Visayas (UPV) has advised its students stranded in campus and off-campus housing to start preparing to go home.  Memorandum No. RPB 2020-04-052 issued by UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran on April 26 states that the move was prompted by the April 30 closing of the second semester this academic year.  While the University is finding ways to provide transportation and coordinating with relevant government agencies for those living within Panay Island, it has asked all students to make travel arrangements such as purchasing or rebooking tickets. For those needing interisland travel, whether by boat or plane, local transport to the airport or seaport “is being considered” by UPV.  The memo also says that students are responsible for immediately contacting their parents or guardians to get information on the requirements of their localities for returning residents. The Office of Student Affairs is in charge of distributing and collecting copies of an undertaking that students need to accomplish.  UPV will also assist students in COVID-19 testing, should it be required by their localities,  three days before their definite date of departure.  Departures are expected to begin on May 16 as the enhanced community quarantine in the Province of Iloilo is scheduled to end on May 15.     From the UP Visayas website, https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/announcements/reminders-on-preparations-for-returning-home-at-the-end-of-the-second-semester."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Law offers free legal aid online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-law-offers-free-legal-aid-online/",
        "html": "UP Law offers free legal aid online UP Law offers free legal aid online May 5, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Image from the UP College of Law Facebook page     The UP College of Law launched on April 20, 2020 an online portal to “handle requests for legal assistance, legal advice and education, and if necessary, legal representation for issues arising from the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine [ECQ].”  Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan, in an open message posted at the college website, announced the signing on of #UPLawHelps, which can be accessed at https://law.upd.edu.ph/uplawhelps/ and emailed at uplawhelps@up.edu.ph.  “#UPLawHelps brings together the commitment, passion, expertise, resources, and networks of the entire UP Law Community—faculty, REPS, staff, students, and alumni (with a lot of friends and allies joining in)—into one, focused effort to help our people through this pandemic,” Cordero-Tan said.  According to the portal, #UPLawHelps is an ad hoc initiative to assist the public in following legal areas:“the exercise of civil and political rights; the conduct of private and public entities specific to the rights of COVID-19 patients; the interruption of businesses and other day-to-day operations, in relation to payments and like obligations; and, conflicting rights and obligations arising from scenarios particular to COVID-19 or the ECQ.”  The college formed teams corresponding to these areas. These are the teams on:  • Civil and Political Rights (CPRT), operating out of the UP Law Civil and Political Rights Clinic under Atty. Theodore Te;  • COVID-19 Patients and Family Rights (PFRT), operating through Volunteer Lawyers Against Discrimination under Atty. Divina Pedron;  • Conduct of Business (CBT), operating through volunteer lawyers from UP Law Class of 1993 under Atty. Paul Alcudia; and  • Rights under Quarantine (RQT), operating through the UP Office of Legal Aid under Director Carlo L. Vistan.  Additional teams may be formed as the need arises, according to the website.  Those requesting legal assistance or advice can email a team at uplawhelps@up.edu.ph. All requests are attended to between 8 AM and 12 noon and 1 PM to 5 PM, Mondays to Fridays.  Those wishing to volunteer to help with any of the four teams may email Atty. Golda Miñoza at ggminoza@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV increases priority of relief to its affected communities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-increases-priority-of-relief-to-its-affected-communities/",
        "html": "UPV increases priority of relief to its affected communities UPV increases priority of relief to its affected communities May 5, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo from the UP Visayas Facebook page     While the University continues to deliver public service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UP Visayas (UPV) has decided to give more priority to the sectors that have been affected by its work and class suspensions. These include its students and employees as well as those who rely on the UPV community’s patronage: tricycle drivers, food vendors, and laundry service providers, among others.  UPDanay and UP, Magbubunga Tayo!, UPV’s donation drive and relief fund campaign, respectively, will be putting more of its resources to intensify support for the aforementioned sectors in its Miagao, Iloilo City, and Tacloban campuses.  Undergraduate students, for example, will receive food subsidies varying at P150, P120, or P100 per day at the UPV Employees Cooperative (UPVEC), depending on their financial capacity. A viand serving costs between P20 to P30 and a serving of rice costs P10 at the UPVEC.  All UPV personnel, including job orders and contract of service employees, were granted full salaries for the month of April.  The University remains the recipient of cash and in-kind donations from alumni, faculty, staff, and private individuals and organizations. Activities to help the greater community such as alcohol production, training programs, and information campaigns continue to be conducted.  Recognizing the importance of mental and emotional well-being in a time of crisis, UPV Tacloban’s Division of Humanities has launched “Paghilom, Paglaom (To Heal and To Hope): Arts for Healing at the Time of COVID-19.” All resources are uploaded on Facebook.  The program includes “Pasundayag Paghilom: Songs and Poetry Performance Video Series” featuring members of UP An Balangaw, a performance group, as well as their friends and family. Watch the performances here.  “Paglantaw ha Sidawan: A Poetry and Photo Exhibit” showcases the works of BA Communication Arts students who underwent the Siday Writing Workshop of the Division. Sidawan combines “siday” (poem) and “ladawan” (image). Explore the exhibit here.  “Ato! Pag-arnis! Basic Arnis Moves on Video” features basic moves of arnis, which is also known as Kali or Eskrima. The initiative aims to promote physical activity during home quarantine. View the videos here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Elevate air pollution problem in post-ECQ “new normal” agenda – UPD scientist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/elevate-air-pollution-problem-in-post-ecq-new-normal-agenda-upd-scientist/",
        "html": "Elevate air pollution problem in post-ECQ “new normal” agenda – UPD scientist Elevate air pollution problem in post-ECQ “new normal” agenda – UPD scientist May 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Oblation at UP Baguio (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     A scientist from the University of the Philippines-Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology has called on all sectors to consider putting the issue and solutions to the air pollution problem in the higher agenda for a post-enhanced community quarantine (post-ECQ) “new normal” Philippines.  “If we wish to maintain ‘good air quality’ to be the ‘new normal’, we have to make conscious choices in our activities pre-ECQ”, said Dr. Mylene Cayetano, an Associate Professor from the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology.  Dr. Cayetano, who advocates clean air for all, called on the government to (1) strengthen the long-term solutions that are being discussed (inclusive mobility, mass transport system, green cities, urban planning, road space to non-motorized transport systems, fuel economy, clean energy), and make them happen fast; (2) increase transparency in the emission testing system, proper and rightful apprehension to emission testing violators; (3) set-up more motor vehicle inspection systems; (4) insure road worthiness compliance to all vehicles (including armored vehicles, nothing and nobody should be exempt!); and most importantly, (5) think about protecting our hospital zones, which are located along major thoroughfare with trucks and pre-euro vehicles fleeting along.  For individuals, Dr. Cayetano recommends the following choices: (1) if you own a vehicle, avoid unnecessary idling; (2) avoid burning solid wastes in open spaces; (3) avoid smoking in public places; (4) be responsible with your own vehicle. Follow the periodic maintenance schedule and minimum protocols and drive a road-worthy vehicle; (5) inform as many people as you can about the disadvantages and benefits of clean air, because knowledge is power; and (6) learn more about the science of air pollution and how you can help prevent it by check Airtoday.ph before you head out.  “Clean air in cities has become a luxury. Normally, we need to go to the seaside or the lush provinces to breathe in cleaner air. And it took us a total lockdown, a number of front liners (COVID-19 mortalities) to attain this. Not to mention the trillions lost in the stock market, and jobs lost by our fellowmen. LGU funds are depleted to feed the people. We wouldn’t want this scenario again to attain clean air,” she said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Air quality after ECQ far from ‘new normal’ expectations – UPD experts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/air-quality-after-ecq-far-from-new-normal-expectations-upd-experts/",
        "html": "Air quality after ECQ far from ‘new normal’ expectations – UPD experts Air quality after ECQ far from ‘new normal’ expectations – UPD experts May 5, 2020 | Written by Dr. Mylene G. Cayetano, Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, and Ms. Roseanne Ramos, UP Diliman IESM    Experts from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science and College of Engineering are looking at the positive impact of the enhanced community quarantine on air quality, but are not seeing this to be the “new normal” in a post-enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) Philippines. In making this conclusion, they conducted ground-, satellite- and modeling-based approaches to visualize the extent of air quality during pre-ECQ and while on lockdown.  “If we wish to maintain ‘good air quality’ to be the ‘new normal’, we have to make conscious choices in our usual activities pre-ECQ”, said Dr. Mylene Cayetano, an Associate Professor from the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology. [Read this story for more: Elevate air pollution problem in post-ECQ “new normal” agenda – UPD scientist] She emphasized that people surely noticed how clean air surroundings look and feel like after the lockdown, but this is far from what we can expect after the ECQ is lifted. “As we slowly enter the ‘new normal’ activities, the air pollution will go back to moderate to unhealthy levels”, Dr. Cayetano warned.  Weeks before the ECQ implementation in the northern and central NCR cities, elevated levels of NO2, a criteria pollutant that ‘primarily gets in the air from the burning of fuel, i.e., emissions from cars, trucks and buses, power plants, and off-road equipment, were observed (See Figure 1). On the first two weeks of ECQ up to the sixth week of quarantine, however, the weekly average levels of NO2 decreased, according to Roseanne V. Ramos, Assistant Professor from the Department of Geodetic Engineering, who mapped Metro Manila’s weekly NO2 average.  2 weeks before ECQ Mar 2-8     1 week before ECQ Mar 9-15     ECQ Week 1 Mar 16-22     ECQ Week 2 Mar 23-29     ECQ Week 3 Mar 30 – Apr 5     ECQ Week 4 Apr 6-12     ECQ Week 5 Apr 13-19     ECQ Week 6 Apr 20-26  Figure 1. Weekly average of NO2 Total Vertical Column density, derived from satellite sensor Sentinel 5P TROPOMI L3 products. Graph generated for Research purposes, contact Roseanne V. Ramos for more details. rvramos@up.edu.ph     The above observation was also confirmed by the continuous data from the www.airtoday.ph stations in Quezon City and EDSA Munoz, which records improvements in PM2.5 in the Quezon City stations of Lung Center of the Philippines and EDSA Munoz (see Figure 2). The airtoday.ph is a joint effort by the UP Diliman, Rotary Club of Makati and Lung Center of the Philippines.     Figure 2. Hourly plots of PM2.5 levels in the LCP and EDSA Munoz station, showing improvements of breathing-level air quality while Quezon City is on ECQ. Graphs generated for Research purposes, contact Dr. Mylene G. Cayetano for more details. mcayetano@iesm.upd.edu.ph     Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, Professor of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, who plotted the aerosol optical depth (AOD) using Himawari-1 satellite data products (See Figure 3), also confirmed that the drop in NCR pollution levels in the second week of March are due to the ECQ. During this time, however, parts of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Cagayan Valley actually experienced higher pollution levels due to open burning.  Dr. Bagtasa also pointed out the existence of transboundary pollution from Indochina region during the first half of April, as the northern seas (Luzon Strait and north of West Philippine Sea) was evidently polluted, but unaffecting the NCR. The first half of April also marked higher aerosol levels over Rizal/Bulacan – but there is still a need to confirm if these are due to burning or other human-related activities.     Mar 16-31 Apr 1-14 Apr 15-28  Figure 3. Aerosol Optical thickness from Himawari-1 satellite data products. Graph generated for Research purposes, contact Dr. Gerry Bagtasa for more details. gbagtasa@iesm.upd.edu.ph     “Car emission is a big contributor, but not the only contributor to NCR pollution”, Dr. Bagtasa said. The second half of April (ECQ Weeks 4,5 and 6) registers an overall lower pollution in most of Luzon, but increase in NCR and south of NCR.  Slightly higher pollution in NCR maybe due to dust and contamination from open burning in some parts of Central Luzon, brought to NCR by winds from north. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP pays tribute to COVID-19 fatalities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pays-tribute-to-covid-19-fatalities/",
        "html": "UP pays tribute to COVID-19 fatalities UP pays tribute to COVID-19 fatalities May 6, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Screenshot from the IN MEMORIAM UP Video Tribute     UP honors the memory of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 as “unknown heroes who fell during the night” in a music video of Fr. Manuel Francisco’s “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”, featuring the symbolic image of UP’s Oblation and an alumni roster whose lives were also taken by the virus.  UP’s internet television, TVUP, produced the video “In Memoriam: UP Video Tribute” with the song performed by the UP Villancico Vocal Ensemble as arranged by Eudenice Palaruan.  Twenty-two alumni were memorialized in the video, headed by those who died as active medical frontliners: Dr. Romeo Gregorio Macasaet, Dr. Marcelo Jaochico, Dr. Raul Jara, Dr. Francisco Avelino Lukban, Dr. Salvacion Rodriguez Gatchalian, Arch. Raul Della Eslao RN, Dr. Leandro Resurreccion III, Dr. Dennis Ramon Tudtud, Dr. Ephraim Neal Orteza, Faye Marie Palafox RN, and Dr. Eduardo Vidal.  The alumni from various other fields were Nida Cortes Paqueo, Dr. Aileen San Pablo Baviera, Dr. Alan Ortiz, Gen. Prudencio Regis Jr., Domingo Cobarrubias, Amb. Bernardita Catalla, Asec. Gladys Fua Rosales, Dr. Victor Rivera, Dr. Renato Velasco, Catherine Bello, and Sen. Heherson Alvarez.  UP alumni and UP Alumni Association chapters worldwide are invited to watch “In Memoriam: UP Video Tribute”, and to honor the UP alumni heroes who have fallen during the night.     Screenshot from the IN MEMORIAM UP Video Tribute"
    },
    {
        "title": "5 tips to maintain psychosocial health amid COVID-19 pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/5-tips-to-maintain-psychosocial-health-amid-covid-19-pandemic/",
        "html": "5 tips to maintain psychosocial health amid COVID-19 pandemic 5 tips to maintain psychosocial health amid COVID-19 pandemic May 6, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Image from the UPOU website      Physical health is not the only thing that needs precious care in this COVID-19 crisis. Equally important is mental and psychosocial well-being. UP Open University (UPOU) Assistant Professor Finaflor Taylan of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, who is also a registered social worker, gives advice on maintaining psychosocial health during this time.  While aimed at helping UPOU students, these tips are useful to the general public as well.  1. Accomplish what you can, within your capacities and limits. Manage your expectations of yourself. Forgive yourself for your shortcomings.  2. Have constant communication with your support group/s. This can include your family, friends, teachers, co-learners, or even your pet.  3. Take care of yourself. Stay healthy. This includes your mental aspect. Have enough rest. Spend time on people, things, or activities that make you feel calm or at peace. Your favorite film, song, or spot in the house is waiting for you.  4. You are not alone. Reach out to professionals for help if deemed necessary. There are volunteers who are willing to share their time and listening ears. You can also be one of them.  5. Count your blessings. The sun shines for a reason.  UPOU students, in particular, may contact the Office of Student Affairs through its Offering Sincere Advocacy Helpdesk, which was launched in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Students may email osa@upou.edu.ph or send messages to the hotline 0929-818-1996. UPOU has announced on April 20 that the registration for AY 2019-2020 third trimester and midyear term is postponed until further notice.  To those seeking psychosocial support, Taylan may be reached via her Facebook account (Taylan Fina) or email at finaflor.taylan@upou.edu.ph. She is also part of the Facebook group, United Registered Social Workers, where members “provide free and confidential psychosocial support and psychological first aid.” They have agreed to post their contact information in the group page for those who need support.  (With reports from Anna Cañas-Llamas and the UPOU Information Office) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT 2020 results targeted for release within the month of May – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-2020-results-targeted-for-release-within-the-month-of-may/",
        "html": "UPCAT 2020 results targeted for release within the month of May UPCAT 2020 results targeted for release within the month of May May 5, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Image from the UP Office of Admissions Facebook page     As previously announced, the release of the UPCAT2020 results has been delayed due to the enhanced community quarantine. The Office of Admissions, like all other units and offices in the University of the Philippines, has had to adapt by operating with only a tiny fraction of its workforce to complete the necessary validation procedures and the final computations of results for over 100,000 UPCAT examinees.  We understand your concern about the pending release of UPCAT 2020 results, but rest assured that the Office of Admissions continues to do its utmost despite severe limitations and challenges. The results are targeted for release within the month of May.  Please disregard any announcements other than those coming from the UP Office of Admissions and refrain from sharing misleading information through social media in order not to exacerbate the anxiety of our UPCAT applicants.  We thank you for your continued understanding. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP’s “StopCOVIDDeaths” webinar to discuss COVID-19 treatment landscape – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ups-stopcoviddeaths-webinar-to-discuss-covid-19-treatment-landscape/",
        "html": "UP’s “StopCOVIDDeaths” webinar to discuss COVID-19 treatment landscape UP’s “StopCOVIDDeaths” webinar to discuss COVID-19 treatment landscape May 7, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       The third installment of the UP webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates,” will happen on Friday, May 8, at 12:00 PM in Taipei.  Dr. Marissa Alejandria will talk about “The Treatment Landscape of COVID-19.”  She is the director of the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology of the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila (UPM); a professor at the UPM College of Medicine (UPCM); and the president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.  Dr. Alejandria leads the Philippine contingent participating in “Solidarity,” the international randomized and adaptive clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of four possible therapies in treating COVID-19 in comparison to standard of care.  “Solidarity” involves more than 100 countries around the world. The Philippines has 20 hospitals participating in the study that investigates the safety and potential therapeutic effects of the following: the investigational antiviral Remdesivir, antimalarial drug Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine, antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV Lopinavir with Ritonavir, and Lopinavir with Ritonavir plus Interferon beta-1a.  “Stop COVID Deaths” was launched on April 24 with “Clinical Management of COVID-19 Pneumonia.” The speakers were Dr. Camilo Roa, Global Governor of the American College of Chest Physicians; Dr. Aileen David Wang of the UPCM’s Department of Medicine; and Dr. Leonora Fernandez, head of the UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Division of Pulmonary Medicine.  The second episode, “Fighting Back COVID-19 Infection,” was held on May 1 and featured Dr. Regina P. Berba, head of the UP-PGH Infection Control Unit and a member of the UPCM faculty, and Dr. Marie Yvette Barez, chair of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit of the Southern Philippines Medical Center.  The UP webinar series taps into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers with the goal of protecting the health systems against COVID-19 by bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of cases in the Philippines.  The University has partnered with the National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for this undertaking. These institutions are united in its support for the promotion of the highest possible standards of care for COVID-19 patients. They endeavor to protect the entire health system from the devastation of viral spread through measures and interventions that will insulate the whole range of the practice of medicine and all its sub-specialties in the post-enhanced community quarantine phase and for continued pandemic preparedness and response.  To register for the webinar series, click the link: http://bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar3. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID-19, ECQ, and Crash Landing on You – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-ecq-and-crash-landing-on-you/",
        "html": "COVID-19, ECQ, and Crash Landing on You COVID-19, ECQ, and Crash Landing on You May 8, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    Question: How does one explain the COVID-19 crisis from a governance perspective in an easily digestible and palatable manner?  Answer: Use a popular web series for parallelism.     Screenshot taken of Dr. Kristoffer Berse’s talk, “Crash Landing on ECQ: Crisis Leadership and Accountability in COVID-19 Philippines”     This was what Dr. Kristoffer Berse did in his talk, “Crash Landing on ECQ: Crisis Leadership and Accountability in COVID-19 Philippines.” It was organized by the Master of Management Program of the UP Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies in partnership with the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines, Inc. as part of UPOU’s “Let’s Talk It Over” online lecture series.  Berse is a faculty member of the UP Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance. He is also the director for Research and Creative Work at the UP Resilience Institute and part of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team.  What constitutes a crisis? Threat, uncertainty, and urgency, Berse said. When South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri finds herself hanging from a tree on the wrong side of the border, following a paragliding mishap, all three elements are present. All three elements are present in this COVID-19 pandemic as well. Both illustrate the threat to life and safety, the uncertainty of survival with or without injury and repercussion, and the urgency to deal with the threat.  He said there were four ways to respond to a threat: tolerate, terminate, treat, or transfer. One can just accept the losses due to the threat, do something to eliminate the threat, mitigate the impacts of the threat, or share the impacts of the threat. And the response could be a combination of those.  In the series, Se-ri removes the threat to her life and safety by deciding to get off the tree, and ends up in the arms of Ri Jeong-hyeok, captain of North Korea’s Special Police Force. Berse likened Se-ri to the Philippines wanting to eliminate the threat of COVID-19 and the landing in Jeong-hyeok’s arms as the resulting enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that broke the fall. Minus the kilig factor, of course.     Dr. Kristoffer Berse delivers his lecture, “Crash Landing on ECQ: Crisis Leadership and Accountability in COVID-19 Philippines”     Delving deeper into the Philippine government’s response to COVID-19, Berse said it adopted a “whole of government” approach. He then zeroed in on one of the national action plan’s objectives. That is, to “prevent, contain, and/or eliminate the spread of COVID-19.”  “Is the ECQ effective?” Berse asked. The answer was not a simple yes or no. Using available data at the national level, he showed the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team’s “Time-Varying Reproduction Number of the Philippines” graph as of May 5, 12:49am. In it, the average transmission over a period of time by infected individuals is a little over one.  For an epidemic to be under control it needs to be one or less. This means that a person with COVID-19 infects only one other person, at most. The higher the average transmission number, the greater the number of people an infected person transfers the disease to. So if the average transmission number is four, then one infected person has the capability to infect four other individuals.  While the national picture may look promising, Berse countered that the average transmission is not “uniform across the country.” When broken down into specific localities, some record higher or lower numbers than the national average.  “We must be careful,” he cautioned, because the pace of the disease spread varied across the country. Berse added that scientific projections were only as good as the best available data.     Screenshot taken of Dr. Kristoffer Berse’s talk, “Crash Landing on ECQ: Crisis Leadership and Accountability in COVID-19 Philippines”     In dealing with the uncertainty of a crisis, there were three key leadership attributes, he said. One was sense-making, like Se-ri perhaps asking herself what was going on. The second was decision-making, where Jeong-hyeok may be asking himself what he should do. And the third was meaning-making, with Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok working together to establish their story.  Berse emphasized the importance of crisis communication in dealing with an uncertain situation. The government has been consistent, at the national and local levels, about “science-based decision-making.” Scientists and technical experts have played major roles in the COVID-19 crisis, again making use of best available data. He pointed out, however, that the country’s data management system “has yet to stabilize.”  There was also the issue of data access and ownership, where a balance must be struck between privacy and public safety. Accountability in missing or erroneous data must also be established. Berse also said that accuracy and the speed by which information is delivered affected the credibility of experts and government leaders. Empathy and openness resulted in trust.  On the matter of urgency, Berse enumerated three ways decisions “happen”: non-decision-making, decentralization, and improvisation. In the Philippines, the initial response was overly-cautious and slow, and downplayed the risk. In crisis decision-making, he said there were some key considerations such as acceptability, compatibility, cost effectiveness, environmental effects, individual freedom, organizational objectives, regulatory requirements, and risk creation.     Screenshot taken of Dr. Kristoffer Berse’s talk, “Crash Landing on ECQ: Crisis Leadership and Accountability in COVID-19 Philippines”     How society emerges from a crisis will be influenced by answering what went wrong and what should be done, he explained. There may also be what he called the “crisis-induced blame games.” But the bottom line, he said, was the question of changing or maintaining the status quo. Citing Drennan and McConnell (2007), Berse showed four forms of post-crisis policy change: no change, symbolic gestures but no substantive change; instrumental refinement of existing policies/procedures; and realignment through new policies/goals/institutions.  No one has the answer to how the COVID-19 pandemic will exactly play out. Whether a relatively happy ending is in store, like Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok getting together, remains to be seen. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD-NIMBB trains med-techs for COVID-19 detection – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-nimbb-trains-med-techs-for-covid-19-detection/",
        "html": "UPD-NIMBB trains med-techs for COVID-19 detection UPD-NIMBB trains med-techs for COVID-19 detection May 8, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Participants of the UPD-NIMBB training workshop for COVID-19 detection at a UPD-NIMBB workstation. Photo courtesy of UPD-NIMBB     The University of the Philippines is training medical technicians in performing the qRT-PCR assay for the detection of the SARS CoV2, to support the training efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for COVID-19 testing.  Dr. Jose Enrico Lazaro, director of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in UP Diliman (UPD), said the training program that the Institute administers will have served 80 participants in May after the first batch served on April 18 and 20, 2020.  Funded by the UP System, each training session is composed of one day each for a lecture and a hands-on workshop.     Participants of the UPD-NIMBB workshop on COVID-19 detection go over rules of sample management. Photo courtesy of UPD-NIMBB     “The lecture covers the science of virus detection and the rules on sample management and data interpretation,” Lazaro said. “An exam is administered by the team at the end of the workshop, upon which a certification of completion is issued,” he added.  The certification is a requirement for the accreditation of participating diagnostic laboratories.  According to Lazaro, the NIMBB made the proposal to the DOH and RITM for UP to cater to medical technicians unable to attend the DOH and RITM training workshops because of the current high demand.     Participants of the UPD-NIMBB workshop on COVID-19 detection go over rules of sample management. Photo courtesy of UPD-NIMBB.     A biosafety course is required of the participating professional medical technicians. They are then provided lectures by NIMBB’s Dr. Pia Bagamasbad and the UP-Philippine Genome Center’s Dr. Benedict Maralit. Laboratory workshops are facilitated by volunteer graduate students and research assistants of the Institute under the supervision of NIMBB Biosafety Officer Mark Fran.  The Sansure qRT-PCR kit is used for the demonstration, and positive controls in the form of plasmids are used instead of human samples, according to Lazaro. The kit is the one being used by the DOH-RITM for its proficiency exam.  As of the first week of May, the NIMBB has trained participants from Marikina Molecular Diagnostics, Singapore Diagnostics Laboratory and Singapore Medical Laboratories, De La Salle University Medical Center-Dasmariñas, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute-Dasmariñas, the Philipine General Hospital, UP Los Baños, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center, PNP Crime Laboratory, PNP Health Service, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Divine Word Hospital-Tacloban City, Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Tarlac Provincial Hospital, and Hi-Precision Diagnostics.     University personnel and participants of the UPD-NIMBB workshop on COVID-19 detection at the training premises. Photo courtesy of UPD-NIMBB    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pandemic shines light on country’s brightest minds – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pandemic-shines-light-on-countrys-brightest-minds/",
        "html": "Pandemic shines light on country’s brightest minds Pandemic shines light on country’s brightest minds May 11, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team   UP System executive vice-president Dr. Ted Herbosa, one of the team leaders of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, leads the team’s exploratory meeting with QC Government’s City Health Office, March 20. Photo from Dr. Emmanuel Luna.     If there’s one other way the health crisis has changed the world as we know it, it’s seeing Filipino scientists and scholars operating at the forefront of managing a global threat. For far too long, their advances and contributions fell to the back pages of the news, if at all. Not this time. Their heroics are happening in hospitals and laboratories, in schoolrooms closed for classes and out in the open,as our brightest minds tackle this deadly disease.  Take the brain trust that is the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team. Organized just four days after the ECQ, the University of the Philippines gathered some 200 professors, researchers, alumni and students from across the entire UP System, from Baguio to Mindanao. Specializations included epidemiology, emergency medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, computer science, data science, disaster science, mathematics, statistics, economics, geography, public administration and governance, social work and community development, and political science.By utilizing this wide range of expertise, the team sought to cover different aspects of the pandemic.  Among its recent contributions to the fight has been the Outbreak Threshold model, which can help design localized community quarantine protocols for LGUs. The response team has drafted a number of policy notes based on the results of their studies, including recommendations for a graduated activation of the ECQ that depends on the level of risk per area.     Dr. Jomar Fajardo Rabajante (top) and Dr. Peter Julian Cayton (bottom), members of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, presenting their respective projections, analysis, and post-ECQ recommendations in a meeting with international and national civil society organizations on 27 April 2020. Screenshot via Skype, c/o Dr. Kristoffer Berse.     While much of their data are from the Department of Health, the team has been vocal about gaining more open data to refine their studies, urging: “We have to gather and share as much data as possible, apply the best science available, and ultimately listen to what the numbers could tell us.” The team has had to reach out to LGUs for updates on COVID-19 cases in different localities to refine their studies through cross-validation of methodologies and outputs among scientists.  Aside from working with national and local government units, the UP response team has been collaborating with academics from the National University of Singapore, University of California Davis and University College London as well as local academic institutions.  On the international front, the team has joined the Forecast-based Warning, Analysis and Response Network (FOREWARN), an organization of academics, scientists and humanitarian workers. The network aims to mitigate disasters and enable early humanitarian action, providing the team with opportunities for mutual consultations and improved data-gathering.     Press briefing at Malacañang Palace, with Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, one of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team’s leaders, presenting the findings of the team, April 21, 2020. Photo from Dr. Kristoffer Berse.     Team members have also given presentations to the President and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF). Given their highly specialized competencies, members have been called to join the IATF Technical Working Group on Anticipatory and Forward Planning.  To better inform the general public, the team has also redesigned their studies into animation, video formats and flashcards to be more accessible. Policy notes are now available in English as well as Tagalog, Ilokano, Bikol Sentral, Waray, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Aklanon, Kapampangan, Itawis, Chavacano de Zamboanga, Meranaw, and Bahasa Sug. The team’s works and research, including the regularly updated case overview, are accessible on their website, endcov.ph.  The work of groups like the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team will help reshape life and society post-lockdown, and further down the line, post-COVID-19. Guided by their mandate to serve the Filipino people, the U.P. team reflects the persistence and determination of what our best minds can achieve under such troubling circumstances.     The UP Resilience Institute’s YANI, the COVID-19 chatbot, featured on ANC, April 19. Photo from Dr. Kristoffer Berse."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to provide its workforce additional emergency allowance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-provide-its-workforce-additional-emergency-allowance/",
        "html": "UP to provide its workforce additional emergency allowance UP to provide its workforce additional emergency allowance May 14, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    In consideration of the unprecedented situation confronting its constituents, UP is providing its workforce an additional emergency allowance of P5,000 each not earlier than May 15, 2020.  UP gave an initial P5,000 emergency allowance to UP personnel in April 2020 to provide immediate economic relief during the period of enhanced community quarantine, declared first in Luzon then across local government units in the Visayas and Mindanao to stem COVID-19 transmission.  According to a memorandum released by the Office of the Vice President for Administration on May 13, 2020, the qualified recipients of the additional grant are all UP faculty, REPS, and administrative staff, whether regular, permanent, temporary, or on contractual, casual, or substitute status; Contract of Service and Job Order workers rendering full-time service; and professors emeriti in active service as of March 17, 2020.        “Project-based personnel may also be granted the emergency allowance if funds are provided in the budget of the projects, and if they have complied with the service requirement stated [in the preceding paragraph],” the memorandum spelled out.  The UP Board of Regents approved the proposal of the UP System Administration to grant the additional emergency allowance through a referendum conducted from May 6 to 9, 2020. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippines in a global race to find a treatment for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippines-in-a-global-race-to-find-a-treatment-for-covid-19/",
        "html": "Philippines in a global race to find a treatment for COVID-19 Philippines in a global race to find a treatment for COVID-19 May 13, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Screenshot from the replay of the third “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 7, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the planet, medical experts and scientists around the world have found themselves in an unprecedented race to find a treatment for the disease.  “At this time, there are no medical therapies that have been definitively shown to improve outcomes in patients with COVID-19,” said, Dr. Marissa Alejandria, director of the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology of the UP Manila National Institutes of Health, professor at the UP College of Medicine, and president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.     Screenshot from the replay of the third “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 7, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     Speaking during the third installment of the UP webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” held on May 8, which focused on “The Treatment Landscape of COVID-19”, Dr. Alejandria reports that a number of drugs currently being studied around the world have demonstrated in vitro activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus or have demonstrated potential clinical benefits in observational or small, non-randomized studies. She also presented clinical data on four antiviral drugs being used to treat COVID-19: chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir-ritonavir, remdesivir, and favipiravir.  “We have no drug that has been really approved, no effective antiviral therapy at this time,” she said. “The studies raised optimism, but we all know the limitations of observational studies and case series without a control group, so we don’t know if it’s the drug that resulted in a clinical benefit or if it is due to host factors or a combination of interventions. We still need clinical trials.”     Screenshot from the replay of the third “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 7, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel, showing the evidence network for clinical trials for drugs being compared vs standard of care, while the curved arrows on the right show the number of non-comparative trials.     Adequately powered randomized clinical trials are currently enrolling and are needed to establish the efficacy of these proposed therapies. One is the World Health Organization (WHO) SOLIDARITY Trial, which aims to test the safety and effectiveness of the four possible therapies in treating COVID-19 compared to standard of care. The Department of Health announced the participation of the Philippines in this last April 22, with Dr. Alejandria as country representative leader. Other randomized clinical trials around the world are the Anti-Coronavirus Therapies to Prevent Progression of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Trial or ACT COVID19; and the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial or ACTT.  For now, when it comes to the management of COVID-19 patients, the standard of care in the country is delivering best supportive care while the body battles the virus: treatment of symptoms, hydration, antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia, oseltamivir for influenza, and for patients with severe or critical cases, intensive respiratory management and intensive care support.     Screenshot from the replay of the third “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 7, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     However, there is another way that patients and medical workers can contribute to the race to defeat COVID-19. “The priority should be to enroll the patient, if they qualify, in a clinical trial [of the investigational drugs], if these do not have the contraindications that would cause harm to the patient,” said Alejandria.  Patients who are stable or who do not have evidence of oxygen requirements or pneumonia can generally be managed with supportive care alone. But patients with hypoxia or pneumonia, especially those with risk factors, can be considered for a specific COVID-19 therapy after discussing the risks and benefits with their doctors and giving their informed consent, in accordance with local hospital treatment guidance.  “Now that we have the WHO Solidarity Trial in the country, there is an option for the clinician to enroll the patient into the clinical trial rather than just outright giving chloroquine, lopinavir or tocilizumab,” said Alejandria. “It would be a benefit to science if we are able to contribute to this clinical trial to be able to answer the question on which antiviral treatments are effective for COVID-19.”  “As of today, we have 63 enrolled patients, with hospitals contributing to the trial, number of patients being enrolled per day,” said Alejandria. There are 24 site hospitals in the country participating in the trial, including nine government hospitals, one of which is the UP Manila Philippine General Hospital, and 15 private hospitals. “We hope to be able to contribute more. This is not a race against each other, but a race against time to find the effective drug that will hopefully end this pandemic.”     Screenshot from the replay of the third “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 7, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     The UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series taps into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers with the goal of protecting the health systems against COVID-19 by bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of cases in the Philippines. This webinar series is produced by the University in partnership with the National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.  The fourth webinar in the series, set for May 15 at 12:00 noon, will tackle the impact of COVID-19 on the other parts of the body, specifically the kidneys. Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor, Professor, UP College of Medicine, and Vice President, Philippine Society of Nephrology, will be the speaker.  Register here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Yani the EndCovbot has unlocked a new skill! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/yani-the-endcovbot-has-unlocked-a-new-skill/",
        "html": "Yani the EndCovbot has unlocked a new skill! Yani the EndCovbot has unlocked a new skill! May 12, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office          Remember Yani the EndCovBot? If you’re looking for the latest COVID-19 statistics in your municipality, city, province, region, or for the whole Philippines, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 a𝘀𝗸 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗶 on Messenger: 𝗺.𝗺𝗲/𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗕𝗼𝘁  Yani is the first AI member of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, designed to provide information on the latest numbers, nearest hospitals and testing centers, therapy and counselling, and COVID-19 policies. Yani can be found chilling at the encov.ph dashboard where other information resources are also available.  For more updates, please like and follow YaniTheEndcovbot at https://www.facebook.com/YaniEndCovBot.  #UPCOVID19ResponseTeam #UPRI #COVID19PH          "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Beta Sigma Fraternity – UP Visayas Chapter ramps up COVID-19 response, distributes medical supplies, sends relief in southern Iloilo – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-beta-sigma-fraternity-up-visayas-chapter-ramps-up-covid-19-response-distributes-medical-supplies-sends-relief-in-southern-iloilo/",
        "html": "UP Beta Sigma Fraternity – UP Visayas Chapter ramps up COVID-19 response, distributes medical supplies, sends relief in southern Iloilo UP Beta Sigma Fraternity – UP Visayas Chapter ramps up COVID-19 response, distributes medical supplies, sends relief in southern Iloilo May 21, 2020 | Written by Jay Pascual   UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter members Mark Aaron Tinambunan (in black shirt) and Mon Francis Sorongon (in white) donate two gallons of alcohol and three boxes of disposable face masks to the Municipality of Oton. The donation was received by Oton Municipal Administrator Juan Miguel M. Flores     The local chapter of UP Beta Sigma Fraternity in the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) distributed 100 liters of alcohol and 1000 pieces of medical grade surgical masks to different health centers and hospitals in the first district of Iloilo, including the municipalities of Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, and the UPV Infirmary and dormitories.     UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter members Mark Aaron Tinambunan (in black shirt) and Mon Francis Sorongon (in white) donate four gallons of alcohol and four boxes of disposable face masks to the Rural Health Center of the Municipality of Tigbauan. The donation was received by Tigbauan Tourism Officer Phoebe M. Torrico     The Fraternity is also providing 20 essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to the UPV health unit. The said PPEs are part of the project of UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Los Baños Chapter. The distribution was facilitated by Betan alumni Mark Aaron Tinambunan and Mon Francis Sorongon who are also residents of the first district.  Beta Sigma, in partnership with its sorority counterpart, UP Sigma Beta Sorority-UP Visayas Chapter, is also continuing its daily food drive effort to help stranded UP Visayas students in the municipality of Miag-ao. To date, the members of Beta Sigma and Sigma Beta were able to provide 12 sets of healthy meals to the stranded dorm residents in the past two weeks, and they will continue to provide meals to the students in the coming weeks.     UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter donates one gallon of alcohol to Balay Kanlaon Dorm in UP Visayas Miag-ao. The Fraternity donated one gallon of alcohol each to all the active dorms in UP Visayas, Miag-ao. From left to right: El Andro Obar, Mon Francis Sorongon, Balay Kanlaon Dorm Head Head Divina Punongbayan, Balay Kanlaon Dorm Representative Lara Shane Alcantara, L’Jude Mikkel Cortes, Mark Aaron Tinambunan, Kyle Dominic Barnuevo     Last Monday, May 4, Beta Sigma also distributed fuel relief aid to frontline workers of the University. It handed Php120 worth of cash assistance to more than 40 workers belonging to different units of UPV.  According to one of its alumni, Atty. Doni June Almio, the increased relief effort is the “Fraternity’s response to the pressing need of the people in southern Iloilo during this crucial time of the pandemic.”  “We will continue to help our fellow Filipinos and UPV students because this is our sworn duty as responsible members of a larger community,” said Almio, who supervises the group’s relief effort. Almio added that “the entire membership and alumni of the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity in UPV are ready to extend essential aid so long as we have the resources for it.”     UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter donates four gallons of alcohol and four boxes of face masks to Miag-ao Rural Health Unit. From left to right: Mon Francis Sorongon, Marv Aranjuez, Kyle Dominic Barnuevo, Dr. Jesel Cometa-Gellada, L’Jude Mikkel Cortes, Mark Aaron Tinambunan     Almio also added that they are now preparing to provide water and snacks to UPV students who will be ferried home by the university officials in the coming weeks. Aside from this, he mentioned that the fuel relief for UPV workers will continue next week. He also thanked alumni members who donated to the group’s relief effort.  Founded in 1946, the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity is one of the oldest fraternities in the Philippines, with tens of thousands of members across the country. Its local chapter in UP Visayas is one of the leading fraternities in the campus.     UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter at the Guimbal District Hospital with Admin Support Staff Shenly Kate Robles     UP Beta Sigma Fraternity, UP Visayas Chapter at UPV Balay Lampirong with Dorm Rep Patrick Casana."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu CENVI presents “a timeline in maps” of Cebu City’s battle against COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-cenvi-presents-a-timeline-in-maps-of-cebu-citys-battle-against-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP Cebu CENVI presents “a timeline in maps” of Cebu City’s battle against COVID-19 UP Cebu CENVI presents “a timeline in maps” of Cebu City’s battle against COVID-19 May 21, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   From the website “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps”     The University of the Philippines Cebu Central Visayas Center for Informatics (CENVI), a Department of Science and Technology-funded project under the NICER program, created last May 5 a story map showing the series of events that took place after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Cebu City.        From the website “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps”     “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps” lays down the story with a map of highly urbanized Cebu City as well as its 80 barangays, divided into urban (lowlands) and rural (highlands), and delineated by population density. The map also shows the places in the highly dense residential areas of Cebu City where “social distancing”, which means staying ideally two meters away from other people, is virtually impossible.  The timeline of Cebu City’s battle against COVID-19 begins on April 1, after the Cebu City Health Department reported the first 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cebu City on March 29 and released a breakdown by barangay on April 1. The map goes on to plot the progression of the number of cases per barangay one week later, and on April 15.     From the website “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps”     The story map also focuses on Barangay Luz, which had an outbreak of cases, particularly in Sitio Zapatera. By April 22, another community, the Cebu City Jail, had become a hotspot. By April 30, the City Government ordered the extension of the enhanced community quarantine to May 15 as the city continued to record a high number of cases as mass testing was employed.     From the website “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps”     The story map also shows the number of deaths and recoveries, financial aid deployed, and the number of Bayanihan Response Centers. The map then projects into the future or the “new normal” through Project Balik Buhay, which aims to transition the city from enhanced to general community quarantine.  The UP Cebu CENVI makes use of computing techniques to produce solutions to pressing environmental problems, which in 2020 includes constantly mapping and monitoring the progression of a fast-spreading viral pandemic in its localities. Among the products being offered by the UP Cebu CENVI are remote sensing and GIS, climate and disaster risk assessment, DRRM-CCA, ecosystem conservation and management, web and database management, policy research, and Visualization and analytics  In a related news, according to a latest update, UP Cebu’s CoVcheck web app, which was developed by the FireCheck Project team and UP Cebu, now includes mass testing data entry, patient monitoring, and dashboard functionalities for LGUs. Interested LGUs may contact CovCheck.     From the website “COVID-19 Brief : A Timeline in Maps”"
    },
    {
        "title": "Negrense students of UPV go home – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/negrense-students-of-upv-go-home/",
        "html": "Negrense students of UPV go home Negrense students of UPV go home May 21, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       UP Visayas students at the seaport on their way home to Negros Occidental. Photo taken from the UP Visayas Facebook account, where photo credits were given to Fermin Novilla, Lyncen Fernandez, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration     Twenty-three UP Visayas (UPV) students from Negros Occidental who were stranded in Miagao and Iloilo City due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) have gone home.  The UPV Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration facilitated the May 5 travel of the students in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense Office of the Governor, Negros Occidental; and the Office of the Mayor, Bacolod City.  The undertaking followed two memoranda from UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran. Memorandum No. RPB 2020-04-052 issued on April 26 advised students to start making preparations for going back to their hometowns. Memorandum No. RPB 2020-05-055 issued on May 3 provided more details on what the students needed to do.     UP Visayas students board the bus that will take them to the seaport so they can go home to Negros Occidental. Photo taken from the UP Visayas Facebook account, where photo credits were given to Fermin Novilla, Lyncen Fernandez, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration     The later memo instructed stranded students to fill in a request for assistance form to be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs by May 5. As in the earlier issuance, Babaran reiterated that students should coordinate with their parents or guardians about their plans and the requirements on entry of their respective localities, such as quarantine protocols and passes.  Students were also reminded to secure medical certificates from the UPV Health Service Unit. Medical certificates and quarantine passes were needed at the border control gates for students to pass through.  UPV assured transportation to the airport or seaport from Miagao and Iloilo City for those who need to travel interisland. Fares for air and sea travel will be shouldered by the students.     UP Visayas students on their way to the seaport where the next leg of their journey home will begin. Photo taken from the UP Visayas Facebook account, where photo credits were given to Fermin Novilla, Lyncen Fernandez, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration     The wearing of masks in public, physical distancing, and the use of disinfectants were also emphasized in the memo.  While students living in the main campus dormitories in Miagao were making preparations, they were provided daily meal vouchers by UPV until May 15 to be redeemed at the UPV Employees Cooperative cafeteria. The ECQ is expected to be lifted by May 16. Those living in Balay Ilonggo in the Iloilo City campus have been allowed to continue cooking their meals in the dorm kitchen. Other needs of stranded students will be considered depending on available funds.  Finally, UPV will only waive lodging fees up to May 15, following “budget cut directives from the national government.” The dormitories will undergo disinfection and sanitation after May 15 and will be prepared for the next school term. Only Balay Apitong in Miagao will remain in operation for graduating students. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Kidney patients more vulnerable to COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kidney-patients-more-vulnerable-to-covid-19/",
        "html": "Kidney patients more vulnerable to COVID-19 Kidney patients more vulnerable to COVID-19 May 21, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Screenshot from the replay of the fourth UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, is well-known for causing respiratory problems. However, the virus does not only attack the lungs but targets other organs as well.  As UP College of Medicine professor and Philippine Nephrology Society vice president Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor said: “Patients with kidney problems are a very special group of patients who will need very special attention.”     Clockwise, from top left: Dr. Susan P. Mercado, Board Director, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation; Dr. Raymond Sarmiento, Director, UP-NIH National TeleHealth Center; and Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor, Vice President, Philippine Nephrology Society. Screenshot from the replay of the fourth UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     Dr. Montemayor delivered her talk on “COVID-19 and the Kidneys” during the fourth installment of the UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates”, which was held on May 15, with replay available on the TVUP YouTube channel.  She discussed four different kinds of patients with kidney disease who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19: patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD); patients who have had kidney transplants; patients who are on hemodialysis; and patients who have developed acute kidney injury (AKI).     Screenshot from the replay of the fourth “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     According to Dr. Montemayor, patients with Chronic Kidney Disease have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. “This should be emphasized, because CKD patients should be advised to take extra precautions to minimize risk of exposure to the virus. Doctors engaged in the care of CKD patients should be really monitoring them for timely detection of disease progression,” she said.  She also discussed the effect of the virus on ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) receptors in the kidneys, and the use of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, which are used to treat hypertension and to prevent kidney failure in patients with diabetes.     Screenshot from the replay of the fourth UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     Kidney transplant recipients need to take immunosuppressants to keep their bodies from rejecting the transplanted organ. These significantly reduce their body’s ability to fight off pathogens, including the SARS-CoV-2. As a result, the mortality rate is high for transplant patients who contract COVID-19. Hence, Dr. Montemayor stressed the need to enhance a transplant patient’s protection against contact with the virus. She also reiterated the statement of the Philippine Society of Transplant Surgeons, which recommends that “all living and deceased organ transplant surgical procedures be suspended indefinitely.”     The situation in the Philippines for patients undergoing hemodialysis during the time of COVID-19. Screenshot from the replay of the fourth UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     Patients undergoing hemodialysis are another distinct population in the COVID-19 outbreak, given their relatively large number; their mobility as they travel to and from the dialysis facilities, which makes them potential vectors for infection; their close proximity to other patients and medical staff; and their impaired immune systems and comorbidities. In the Philippines, many hemodialysis facilities cannot handle or accept COVID-positive patients, displacing these patients and putting pressure on remaining hemodialysis facilities. “There is a need for designated COVID-19 dialysis units in different parts of the country to cater to the needs of this special group of patients,” Dr. Montemayor noted.  Finally, patients hospitalized for COVID-19 run the risk of developing Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) along with respiratory failure. Dr. Montemayor discussed the findings of various studies showing the association between respiratory failure and AKI, among others. Identifying patients with AKI may lead to a better allocation of hospital resources and better clinical outcomes for the patients.     Screenshot from the replay of the fourth UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar, streamed live on May 15, 2020, on TVUP’s YouTube channel     The UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series taps into the experiences of clinicians, hospital administrators, and researchers with the goal of protecting the health systems against COVID-19 by bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in the clinical management of cases in the Philippines. This webinar series is produced by the University in partnership with the National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.  The fifth installment of the webinar series will focus on COVID-19 and how it impacts other infections the Philippines is already battling with, such as tuberculosis, HIV and dengue, focusing on the experience of San Lazaro Hospital. The featured speaker will be Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, head of Adult Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital.  Register for the UP “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar no. 5 here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPVTC turns 47 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upvtc-turns-47/",
        "html": "UPVTC turns 47 UPVTC turns 47 May 22, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo by Jojit fb, from Wikimedia Commons     What to do when mass gatherings are not allowed to celebrate an occasion because of a pandemic? Take it online.  This is what UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) is doing for its upcoming 47th founding anniversary on May 23.  With the theme, “URUGUP para han Kaupayan han Katilingban ngan Kalibutan” (Solidarity for the Well-Being of Our Community and the World), UPVTC’s celebration will kick off with the launch of Pagsurumpay: Online Talk Series. “Pagsurumpay” is Waray for “to connect.”  The pilot episode, “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in the Time of COVID-19,” will feature UPVTC Psychology lecturer Ruth Edisel Rylle Sadian-Cercado and Prof. Ervina Espina, and licensed psychologist Mary Jane Flores.  It will be available for viewing on UPVTC’s Facebook page.  Apart from Pagsurumpay, UPVTC’s institutional call for donations, URUGUP, will also launch the 47th Anniversary URUGUP Fund Drive for Eastern Samar. It will raise funds for cash or in-kind donations to the communities severely affected by Typhoon Ambo, such as Jipapad, Maslog, and San Policario.  The UPVTC Student Council’s official donation drive, Bulig Oble, will be launched on the same day as well. It will consist of donation drives for specific causes, the first of which is Project HangkUP, intended to help UPVTC students in Eastern Samar affected by the recent Typhoon Ambo. UP KA1SSA is the Student Council’s partner in this initiative.  On May 26, the Kalungganayan Community Vegetable Garden will be launched with a ceremonial planting. It is spearheaded by the All UP Worker’s Union (AUPWU) Tacloban Chapter. The word “kalungganayan” means “benefit, blessing, grace, or the bringing of abundance, wealth, or livelihood to people.”  And on May 29, the Student Council will hold the 8th EdukAksyon Quiz Bee with the theme “47 Years of Militant Solidarity: Breaking the Silence amid the Storm and Social Pandemic.”  For information and updates on UPVTC activities, announcements, and news, visit its Facebook page.  UPVTC was established in 1973 through a decision by the UP Board of Regents to “(1) provide quality education in the Eastern Visayas region and turn out graduates who possess essential attributes for becoming productive and responsible members of the community; (2) undertake and encourage scientific research in public affairs that will help illuminate phenomena as well as serve practical values of resolving problems and enhancing regional development; and (3) offer technical assistance to the community, viz., government, business, and the public at-large toward the further improvement of the quality of life in the Eastern Visayas region.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-62: Reiteration of the Grading System in the Implementing Guidelines of the UP System Policy on the Second Semester 2019-2020 in Light of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ovpaa-memorandum-no-2020-62-reiteration-of-the-grading-system-in-the-implementing-guidelines-of-the-up-system-policy-on-the-second-semester-2019-2020-in-light-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-62: Reiteration of the Grading System in the Implementing Guidelines of the UP System Policy on the Second Semester 2019-2020 in Light of COVID-19 OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-62: Reiteration of the Grading System in the Implementing Guidelines of the UP System Policy on the Second Semester 2019-2020 in Light of COVID-19 May 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs has issued Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-62 reiterating the grading system in the implementing guidelines of the UP policy on the second semester 2019-2020 in light of COVID-19. To clarify, the University has NOT reversed its position on mass promotions and that all provisions regarding the grading system as stated in the implementing guidelines REMAIN VALID AND IN EFFECT. The Board of Regents merely approved the applications for exemption from numeric grades as endorsed by the Chancellors following the provisions under Section 6.1.6 of the implementing guidelines.  Please read Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-62 and be guided accordingly.  Related story: https://www.up.edu.ph/up-sets-guidelines-on-proceeding-with-academic-year-affected-by-the-ecq/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "More UPV students reunite with families – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/more-upv-students-reunite-with-families/",
        "html": "More UPV students reunite with families More UPV students reunite with families May 29, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   UPV students heading home to Palawan. Photo from UPV Facebook page     Stranded no more. Students of UP Visayas (UPV) who hail from other cities, municipalities, provinces, and regions have gone home as UPV has continued to facilitate their return to their families with the province of Iloilo’s transition to general community quarantine.  Their journey was coordinated with their respective local government units and other relevant agencies by UPV.  On May 22, a student from Passi, Iloilo along with 13 students from Aklan, Capiz, and Mindoro Oriental left Miagao to travel back home. Those who returned to Aklan were immediately debriefed and were even treated to lunch by UPV alumni and the Aklan provincial government.     UPV students practice physical distancing while waiting for the bus that will take them to the respective jump-off points for travel to Aklan, Capiz, and Mindoro Oriental. Photo from UPV Facebook page.     On May 24, a student bound for Lemery, Iloilo and 18 students going back to Palawan were sent off by the UPV Logistics Team.  On May 27, seven students going home to Negros Oriental were brought to the Dumangas Port. They were provided packed food by the UPV Logistics Team.     UPV student bound for Negros Oriental (Photo by Juvy Janeo of UPV OSA, taken from UPV Facebook page)     Prior to these departures, UPV had already sent home 23 students to Negros Occidental on May 5. Seven students made up the first batch of those who had been successfully reunited with their families on March 21 within the province of Iloilo.  On May 18, Office of Student Affairs Director Agustin Huyong released an advisory on the retrieval of personal belongings left by UPV students in dormitories. They were instructed to contact dormitory managers to set a schedule; issue a letter of authorization to a representative who will claim their belongings if the students are unable to do it themselves; and present a health certificate from their local health unit issued not more than five days prior to claiming of belongings.  Retrieval period is scheduled from May 25 to June 22, 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Dormitories will cease operations on June 23. For those who will be unable to get their things, UPV will temporarily store them for safekeeping. Final retrieval will resume not later than the enrollment period for AY 2020-2021. Those who prefer to have their belongings stored by UPV will need to accomplish a waiver. "
    },
    {
        "title": "23 stranded UP Mindanao students return to hometowns through inter-agency efforts – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/23-stranded-up-mindanao-students-return-to-hometowns-through-inter-agency-efforts/",
        "html": "23 stranded UP Mindanao students return to hometowns through inter-agency efforts 23 stranded UP Mindanao students return to hometowns through inter-agency efforts May 29, 2020 | Written by Rene A. Estremera, UP Mindanao   UP Mindanao students departing for Region 12 (Soccsksargen), assisted by the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs, in coordination with the Office of the President‒Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (Note: Images are intentionally blurred in compliance with the Data Privacy Act.) Photo from the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs.     Twenty-three students of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao successfully returned to their respective hometowns starting May 6, following a tightly coordinated inter-agency operation. Ten more students are awaiting their turn. These students from different parts of the country were stranded on campus following the imposition of a nation-wide community quarantine to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.     UP Mindanao students departing for Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), assisted by the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs, in coordination with the Office of the President‒Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (Note: Images are intentionally blurred in compliance with the Data Privacy Act.) Photo from the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs.     “We were exploring various options to bring the students home. Fortunately, I got a call from an official of the Office of the President‒Presidential Management Staff (PMS). They offered to bring our students to the borders of their respective hometowns, from where the local PMS staff will take over and bring the students home,” said UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs (OSA) director Ma. Teresa Escano.  “I submitted the list of the hometowns of our students, and the PMS, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the Davao City Tourism Office, and the City Government of Davao took action,” she added.  On May 6, three UP Mindanao students, together with a UP Diliman student and a UP Los Baños faculty member also stranded in the city, boarded the Davao‒Manila sweeper flight. The CALABARZON local government units (LGUs) arranged for transport from the airport to their hometowns. “Davao City Councilor Mabel Acosta helped in the arrangements for the air transport,” Escano said.  Among the Mindanao-based students, seven went home to the CARAGA Region on May 6, eight went home to SOCCSKSARGEN on May 7, and five went home to Northern Mindanao on May 8. The PMS brought each group to the designated hand-over points in Monkayo, Davao del Norte, for those bound for CARAGA; Bansalan, Davao Del Sur, for those bound for SOCCSKSARGEN; and the boundary of Bukidnon Province for those bound for Northern Mindanao, where their respective LGUs received them.     UP Mindanao students departing for Region 13 (Caraga), assisted by the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs, in coordination with the Office of the President‒Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (Note: Images are intentionally blurred in compliance with the Data Privacy Act.). Photo from the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs.     All 23 students arrived in their respective hometowns, as ascertained by the UP Mindanao OSA through their group chat and other student monitoring mechanisms, and are either on strict home quarantine or at a quarantine facility, as required by their LGUs.  Of the 10 remaining students, five come from provinces in the Davao Region. The City Government of Davao and the PMS are still making transport-sharing arrangements for these students. The other students come from Zamboanga (2), Palawan (1), Cebu (1), and Iloilo (1). “We have sent a letter to the Office of the President to request for sweeper flights. Rest assured that we are exhausting all possible ways and means to bring them home too,” Escano said.  Throughout the quarantine period, the stranded students were housed in the Elias B. Lopez Hall dormitory within the campus and nearby boarding houses. Last March, OSA held a donation drive to provide food and personal hygiene kits for the stranded students, which saw participation from UP Mindanao constituents, the alumni, and various organizations. Aside from monitoring their physical wellbeing, OSA also provided psychosocial support.     Three UP Mindanao students, one UP Diliman student, and one UP Los Baños faculty member bound for Region 4A (Calabarzon) awaiting their flight at the Davao International Airport; they were assisted by the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs, in coordination with the Office of the President‒Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (Note: Images are intentionally blurred in compliance with the Data Privacy Act.) Photo from the UP Mindanao Office of Student Affairs.     Before traveling, the UP Mindanao administration assisted the students in complying with travel requirements, which include medical certificates, quarantine clearances, letters of acceptance from the receiving LGUs, and the parents’ authorization. The Association of the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity-UP Mindanao Chapter provided transportation for the students during the health clearance process and, together with UP Sigma Beta Sorority, Alpha Phi Omega‒ Lambda Nu Chapter, and UP Omega Alpha Sorority, distributed food packs during the send-off. The PMS provided two vans for each departing group to abide by social distancing rules.  The Inter-Agency Task Force has classified the Mindanao regions as being under a low or moderate risk for COVID-19 through its Resolution No. 35, and economic activity is expected to resume with health guidelines in place. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPVTC reflects on MHPSS in COVID-19 crisis – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upvtc-reflects-on-mhpss-in-covid-19-crisis/",
        "html": "UPVTC reflects on MHPSS in COVID-19 crisis UPVTC reflects on MHPSS in COVID-19 crisis May 29, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot from the video of UPVTC’s Pagusurumpay Online Talk Series Episode 1, on “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for Mental Health and Pyschosocial Support (MHPSS) in the Time of COVID-19.”      The COVID-19 pandemic, just like previous emergency and crisis situations, activated the UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) core team. But unlike previous emergency and crisis situations, traditional face-to-face interaction was no longer possible. In a time of physical distancing and stay-at-home measures, MHPSS, as with many other forms of service, had to shift online.  In “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for MHPSS in the time of COVID-19,” the inaugural episode of Pagsurumpay Online Talk Series streamed on May 23 in UPVTC’s Facebook page and launched in celebration of UPVTC’s 47th founding anniversary, three of the nine-member MHPSS core team discussed the group’s experience and reflected on ways it can improve and move forward in the new normal. It was moderated by fellow team member and UPVTC Psychology faculty member, Prof. Pierce Docena.     Prof. Ruth Edisel Rylle Sadian-Cercado (Screenshot taken of her in “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for MHPSS in the time of COVID-19″)     Setting the context was Psychology Prof. Ruth Edisel Rylle Sadian-Cercado, who said that “MHPSS” is used in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines in Emergency Settings and “refers to any type of local or outside support that aims to protect of promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental health conditions.”  She explained that MHPSS is nuanced and must be appropriate to the culture, language, health, and social system of the client. Within each population, Sadian-Cercado clarified, there are groups that are more vulnerable than others and their needs must be taken into account as well. These groups include children, elderly, persons with disabilities, marginalized persons such as members of the LGBT community, and in the current pandemic, people with suppressed or compromised immune systems.  Standards in response, the identification of individuals who may be trained to respond, the identification of issues that are inherent to the community, clarity of organization roles, referral pathways, and access to needed services must also be established.     Dr. Ervina Espina (Screenshot taken of her in “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for MHPSS in the time of COVID-19″)     Fellow Psychology professor and UPVTC Office of Student Affairs Coordinator, Dr. Ervina Espina, then discussed the opportunities presented by COVID-19 to the delivery of MHPSS. First of which was the use of ICT as the shift to online mode has become inevitable. The creation of online platforms, use of digital resources and materials, and tele-processing were all part of moving away from face-to-face sessions.  The pandemic also allowed the team to focus on specific groups such as UPVTC students and frontline workers. It opened avenues for partnerships with psychiatrists in Eastern Visayas and with organizations like Cognitio+. Espina expressed the group’s desire to eventually expand its clientele and create an MHPSS webinar series.     Dr. Mary Jane Flores (Screenshot taken of her in “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for MHPSS in the time of COVID-19″)     Dr. Mary Jane Flores of Chong Hua Hospital in Mandaue, Cebu and one of the team’s supervising clinical psychologists talked about the challenges in MHPSS at this time. While the shift to online mode afforded many possibilities in the delivery of MHPSS, it was not without problems. Access and connectivity were still major problems. In addition, the team also had varying levels of technical know-how. The team itself only consisted of nine members and continued to look for possible qualified recruits or those trained in psychological first aid (PFA).  As for client response, Flores pointed out the low turnout of respondents, numbering around 70. And in this group who filled out the online rapid assessment form, only around ten were willing to communicate further. She said that the low turnout may be attributed to lack of access, not enough dissemination of UPVTC’s MHPSS offering, and/or fear of stigmatization. As for those who were hesitant to talk with members of the team, she surmised that it may be due to their perception of their ability to cope, protection of their privacy, and/or the perception of the services provided or the people providing the services.  Sadian-Cercado added that help-seeking needs courage and depends on the person’s readiness to talk. She also said that the low response may also be a good thing if it means that more people were coping better with the crisis.     Prof. Pierce Docena (Screenshot taken of him in “Context, Opportunities, and Challenges for MHPSS in the time of COVID-19″)     Moving forward, Flores emphasized the need to continuously evaluate the MHPSS program; to remove the negative image of the need for mental health services through education; to increase awareness on available resources and services; and to strengthen institutional support for MHPSS.  To end the online discussion, Sadian-Cercado, Espina, and Flores left the following messages:  ● Stress and fear are normal responses to a crisis; ● Listen to what you feel; ● Do not be ashamed or afraid to ask for help; ● Make connections; ● Your level of well-being is not entirely dependent on your circumstances; and ● Never think that there is nothing you can do to make yourself feel better and that you can always make yourself feel better. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Frontliners at the forefront of the 6th UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar, May 29 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/frontliners-at-the-forefront-of-the-6th-up-stop-covid-deaths-webinar-may-29/",
        "html": "Frontliners at the forefront of the 6th UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar, May 29 Frontliners at the forefront of the 6th UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar, May 29 May 26, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines, in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, is inviting you to join the fight against COVID-19.  The UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is scheduled EVERY FRIDAY from 12nn to 2pm.        In late April, the Department of Health reported COVID-19 infections of more than 1000 health care workers—422 doctors, 386 nurses, 30 medical technologists, 21 radiation technologists, 51 nursing assistants, and 152 other personnel including barangay health workers. At that time, there were 26 deaths, including 19 doctors. The numbers have gone up since.  This initial shock reverberated through health care facilities throughout the nation. Part of the problem was the rapid spread of COVID-19 among patients who did not have a history of travel or known exposure. Part of it was that patients had non-specific symptoms. Part of it was that there was a lack of personal protective equipment— not then required for interaction at patient admission, ER consults, OPD check-ups.  SARS-CoV-2 is a highly infectious agent. This places health care workers at the highest risk for disease transmission as it is inevitable that procedures, conversations and treatment be done without close interaction.  How are our hospitals retrofitting their physical, social and therapeutic environments to ensure safety of hospital personnel? Vision, teamwork and strong management are required to keep our frontliners safe. The Lung Center of the Philippines as a COVID referral center shares lessons learned for protection of hospital personnel.  Join the sixth installment of the UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” on May 29, 2020 at 12:00 NN, focusing on “Hospital Personnel Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic” and featuring Dr. Antonio B. Ramos, Manager of Administrative Services, Lung Center of the Philippines, as resource speaker.  Limited slots only. Register now at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar6 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lessons from the San Lazaro experience – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lessons-from-the-san-lazaro-experience/",
        "html": "Lessons from the San Lazaro experience Lessons from the San Lazaro experience June 3, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Screenshot from the replay of the fifth webinar in the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” series on the TVUP YouTube channel.     In the fifth presentation of the UP webinar series,“STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” on May 22, 2020, Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital, shared valuable insights from their care and management of COVID-19 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other infections.  The San Lazaro Hospital is a 500-bed infectious diseases referral hospital and is one of the 31 subnational referral laboratories for COVID-19. It is also an HIV treatment hub, DOTS and multidrug-resistant TB referral hospital. It was the hospital that admitted the first two COVID-19 cases in the Philippines on January 23, 2020.  Dr. Solante, one of the Philippines’ top experts on infectious diseases, discussed how the hospital is managing COVID-19 cases and is participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial for interventions using investigational drugs, wherein hospitals in more than 70 countries compare treatment options to assess effectiveness against COVID-19.  In Solante’s presentation on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, dengue was shown as the top case admitted in San Lazaro, followed by tetanus, TB, and others. He explained that anybody who is admitted with fever now has to be tested for COVID-19. “We have to look at the history and findings of respiratory tract infections. Focusing on COVID, we now have a total of 88 confirmed cases (as of May 14). Most of the deaths (total of 19) were of males 50 years old and abovewho died due to sepsis or acute respiratory disease syndrome,” he said.  Dr. Solante said the patient’s age is a major risk factor of determinant for survival, as well as patients who are immunocompromised, with TB or other infections or comorbidities. The majority of those who died have comorbidities, with hypertension as the most common, followed by diabetes, which also reflect the findings from COVID-19 research in China. He added that there were also patients who died with influenza B, streptococcus pneumoniae and staphylococcus hominis bacteremia.  Dr. Solante explained that the radiographic findings for 16 of those who died showed that they had bilateral pneumonia and two had lobar pneumonia. Some of their Chest CT (Computed Tomography) findings showed ground glass opacification, but most showed none. The RT-PCR test must always be used in detecting COVID cases, he added.     Screenshot from the replay of the fifth webinar in the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” series on the TVUP YouTube channel.     Interventions using investigational drugs  Dr. Solante said that as part of the solidarity clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments, the San Lazaro hospital is among those that test the following investigational drugs for inhibiting viral replication or entry, and for preventing receptor activation of inflammatory molecules: remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir with interferon beta-1a, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, and tocilizumab. He said the use of tocilizumab on selected patients showed significant improvements seen in radiologic and chest CT results. However, extra care should be done to prevent the use of these drugs that would have interaction or effects on other medications needed by the patients, he explained.     Screenshot from the replay of the fifth webinar in the UP “Stop COVID Deaths” series on the TVUP YouTube channel.     Managing COVID-19 and co-infections (bacterial, PTB, HIV)  Dr. Solante explained that if one is a COVID-19 patient with multiple infections, a higher rate of mortality is also expected. For instance, a COVID-19 patient with PTB would have a higher mortality rate, especially if untreated, or if the patient is immunocompromised, elderly, and with comorbidities. “It is advisable to test for TB with the Genexpert. COVID-19 and PTB would exacerbate the symptoms of each other,” he said.  Dr. Solante advised that people and “patients with TB lung disease should limit their exposure to high-risk environments. Stop using tobacco or vape products.” He emphasized that the TB treatment programs for patients should continue, with the daily observed therapy (DOT) replaced with alternatives, such as self-administered therapy (SAT), video-observed therapy (VOT), and mobile-phone supported adherence strategies.  “If a patient has HIV but continues the antiretroviral medication, the risk would be the same as with a normal person.But if the medication is stopped, the risk of getting the infection is very high since the patient is already immunocompromised. The antiretroviral treatment for all HIV patients should continue,” he added.  Dr. Solante emphasized that “prevention and precautionary measures are very important for these high-risk populations, including the elderly. Hand hygiene, face mask and physical distancing,” plus vaccinations (influenza and pneumococcal vaccines) should be up-to-date. Patients should also be screened for COVID, TB, and HIV, he reiterated.  Care for healthcare workers  In addition to personnel safety protocols and precautions, Dr. Solante said San Lazaro Hospital conducts regular health surveillance and testing for its healthcare workers. He said that out of the 196 given rt-PCR testing, seven were found positive (one doctor, three nurses and three lab personnel), although none of them had fever. Their common symptoms were fatigue, headache, cough, and sore throat, among others. Since healthcare workers are highly vulnerable, they should be monitored and tested regularly, he explained.  UP webinar series  This series of webinars is conducted by the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, to promote the highest possible standards of care for COVID-19 patients and also to seek to protect the entire health system against COVID-19. The webinars, scheduled every Friday from 12nn to 2pm,are hosted by Dr. Raymond Francis Sarmiento of the National Telehealth Center, Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado of Philhealth, and Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-De La Paz of the National Institutes of Health and UP Manila.  The video of this webinar is available at TVUP’s website and YouTube channel.  On June 5, 2020 (Friday), 12nn, Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, former Secretary of Health, Medical Volunteer at the Quezon Institute COVID-19 Community Isolation Facility, and Head of the Philippine Red Cross Biomolecular Laboratories, will talk about “Supportive Care for Mild Pneumonia in Community Isolation: The Quezon Institute Experience.”  Interested parties can sign up for the next webinar here.     "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Alumni Association to hold Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP on “COVID-19 and the Economy” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-alumni-association-to-hold-kapihan-ng-bayan-sa-up-on-covid-19-and-the-economy/",
        "html": "UP Alumni Association to hold Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP on “COVID-19 and the Economy” UP Alumni Association to hold Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP on “COVID-19 and the Economy” June 11, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       From jobs lost, businesses shutting down, manufacturing and supply chains interrupted, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on both the global and national economy.  How far this impact goes, at both the macro and micro-economic level, will be the topic for discussion of the upcoming “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP,” hosted by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association, Inc. (UPAA). This online UPAA “Kapihan,” on the topic of “COVID-19 and the Economy,” will be held via Zoom on June 16, 2020, Tuesday, at 3:00-5:00 p.m. (Manila time).  Professor Emeritus of Economics of UP and former Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia will be resource speaker. He will share his thoughts on the once-in-hundred-years pandemic that is having profound and far-reaching effects on the lives of all Filipinos. An open forum will be held following his discussion.  All members of the UP community—alumni, faculty, students and staff—as well as the general public are invited to participate. Please register with the UPAA Secretariat at tels. 920-6868; 920-6871; Mobile 0917-8372098; or e-mail upalumniasso@gmail.com to get the Zoom meeting ID and your personal participant’s password.  The “Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP” is a public service project of the UPAA aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to our development as a nation. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding the national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Medical eLearning at the time of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/medical-elearning-at-the-time-of-covid-19/",
        "html": "Medical eLearning at the time of COVID-19 Medical eLearning at the time of COVID-19 May 29, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP College of Medicine, DOH, and APMC to hold month-long Medical eLearning: Behind the Screens Virtual Conference on June 2020        The Department of Health, in collaboration with the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, will hold the Medical eLearning: Behind the Screens, a virtual conference series on the use of computers in medical education, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on all Tuesdays and Thursdays of June 2020. It will be available at https://livestream.up.edu.ph/ and https://fb.com/mccodtraining/.   This virtual conference series stems from the development of the eLearning Course on Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCOD). More than 1,850 medical students and interns from seven medical schools and hospitals across the country have completed the Course.   Towards the DOH campaign for better quality health data, this Project is a step in developing more effective physicians – central to better quality death certificates.      The UP College of Medicine prides itself for taking part in this endeavor by leading the development of this MCCOD eLearning Course, and engaging six other medical schools and hospitals to produce a high quality, learner-centric educational material for physicians.     Medical eLearning: Behind the Screens makes the case for computer-based training as assistive to clinical instructors and medical schools to meet student learning needs. This is heightened especially amidst the continued threat of COVID-19 where physical distancing, and community quarantines are a reality. Using the MCCOD eLearning Course as an example, this Virtual Conference will instruct participants on how to craft their eLearning modules, engage with their target participants, and scale-up for wider use in each of their institutions. This emphasizes the importance of good quality data on MCCOD and each health workers’ role in managing causes of mortality and improving overall health.  The Department of Health aims to launch the MCCOD eLearning Course for wider use by APMC member schools, APMC-accredited hospitals, and the wider healthcare workforce nationwide. As an ally in education, the DOH promotes continuous learning in a format available 24/7 and on-demand. The Course will be made available at the DOH Academy (https://learn.doh.gov.ph) to participants of this Virtual Conference series.     About the MCCOD eLearning Course: The MCCOD eLearning Course contributes to the efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) in fostering good quality capture of mortality data as a crucial input to evidence-based health planning and decision-making. In 2015, the DOH  Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service (DOH KMITS) produced the first version of the handbook on medical certification for MCCOD. Likewise, the Post Graduate Interns (PGI) Practicum Guidelines on MCCOD was crafted through support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partnership with the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges. To ensure scale and sustainability, the eLearning modality is designed for the PGI Program of APMC-accredited hospitals, medical students, and even licensed medical doctors.      The MCCOD eLearning Course Development and Implementation Project is led by the UP College of Medicine on behalf of the DOH. The team is led by Professor Portia Fernandez-Marcelo MD, with UPCM Consultants Ma. Cecilia Alinea MD, Jose Modesto Abellera III MD, Cecil Lim MD, Patrick Sylim MD, and UP CPH Professor Buenalyn Teresita Ramos-Mortel. They are joined by Asuncion Anden MD (former DOH Regional Director), Maria Lora Cabrera-Tupas MD and Aretha Gacutan-Liwag MD (both UPCM alumna and currently with the West Visayas State University Medical Center), Abegail Jayne Amoranto, RN MSGC (UP College of Nursing Class 2012 and Research Consultant) and Monica Sunga (eLearning Design and Development Consultant).     The Project Team includes Manu Gaspar (Project Manager), Jae-Ann Sumalo, RN MPH-c (Advocacy and Deployment Officer), Romeo Luis Macabasag, RN MAN (Research Officer), Ma. Ysabel Leanne Brual RND MSPH-c (Research & Project Assistant), Nicole Ysabel Dela Luna (Research & Project Assistant), and Rupert Sievert (Research & Project Assistant). "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU sets more online lectures and discussion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-sets-more-online-lectures-and-discussion/",
        "html": "UPOU sets more online lectures and discussion UPOU sets more online lectures and discussion June 10, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       The easing of restrictions does not mean the crisis is over, with the impact of COVID-19 cutting across various sectors. In an effort to continue the capacity-building of affected individuals, organizations, and fields, the UP Open University (UPOU) has embraced its unique role as online education provider, at a time when physical distancing is a must and mass gatherings are prohibited.  As the leading open and distance e-learning institution in the country, UPOU has remained true to its commitment of providing public service and delivering quality education through digital means such as online lectures and webinars. Its repository of learning materials are readily available for access online.  As of this writing, it has four upcoming web stream events in UPOU Networks.  The Master of Public Management Program of the UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies, in partnership with the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines, Inc. (ASPAP), has the three-part “Are We Really Going Online? ASPAP Webinar Series on Public Administration and Governance Education During the Time of the New Normal.”  It will kick off on June 10, 10:00 AM, with “Open and Distance e-Learning in Philippine Public Administration/Governance Education: Practices and Lessons.”  The second of the webinar series, “Instructional Design and Content Development for Public Adminstration/Governance Programs,” will be on June 17.  Closing off the three-part series is “Online Tutoring/Support and Assessment: Requirements and Challenges” scheduled on June 24.  UPOU’s Let’s Talk it Over online series also has an upcoming discussion titled “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers? The COVID-19 experience,” that will be streamed live on June 11 at 2:00 PM.  To view, listen, and participate in UPOU’s online discussions in real time, register at networks.upou.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP researchers develop VR prototype of stay-homecare for behavioral and psychological conditions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-researchers-develop-vr-prototype-of-stay-homecare-for-behavioral-and-psychological-conditions/",
        "html": "UP researchers develop VR prototype of stay-homecare for behavioral and psychological conditions UP researchers develop VR prototype of stay-homecare for behavioral and psychological conditions June 3, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Neurological conditions, such as Dementia and Cerebral Palsy, affect the cognitive abilities, motor functions, and performance of activities of daily living of patients. These manifestations may occur throughout the patients’ lifetime, which may render poor quality of life for both the patients and their families.  To date, there is no cure for both of these conditions, as pharmacologic management is limited to symptomatic treatment only. There are several therapies available for patients with these conditions, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and recreational therapy, which may improve outcomes and enhance the quality of life of patients and their families. In international settings, research studies are being conducted to explore the use of virtual reality technology as an innovative tool for the rehabilitation management of these conditions. Most relevant to the current Covid19 pandemic, the technology is seen to redefine homecare as stay-homecare. The VR media is meant to promote home therapy for the target patients, mostly composed of a population that is vulnerable to the current pandemic.  The research team – composed of Dr. Jaime DL. Caro (Department of Computer Science, UP Diliman), Dr. Veeda Michelle M. Anlacan, Dr. Michael L. Tee, Dr. Cherica A. Tee, Dr. Dominic Jamora, Dr. Marilie Ruiz Aguila (College of Medicine, UP Manila) and Prof. Gregg S. Lloren (College of Communication, Art, and Design, UP Cebu and the University of Edinburgh) – is developing an immersive technological system to rehabilitate the different neuropsychiatric symptoms that come with behavioral and psychological dementia.     (Top L-R) Dr. Veeda Michelle Anlacan, Prof. Gregg Lloren (Bottom L-R) Dr. Cherica Tee, Dr. Michael Tee, and Dr. Jaime Caro (Not in the photo: Dr. Dominic Jamora and Dr. Marilie Ruiz Aguila)     The proposed Immersive Technology System (ImTS) will serve as a complementary strategy for implementing rehabilitation techniques for patients with dementia and behavioral and psychological symptoms and patients with cerebral palsy and mobility limitations. ImTS will manage the creation, customization, and fruition of multimedia interactive simulation of the world in a virtual environment (VE) that is meant to optimize the power of a technology that augments human capability. Such technology supplies a more flexible environment than the real world, thus giving users a new experience with minimized risk of real danger or physical harm.  The program aims to improve the overall quality of life of both patients and their caregivers by assisting patients to recall memories, encourage physical activity, improve social interaction, enhance their emotional well-being, and perform activities of daily living through the interactive visual content/game applications. The research also aims to establish an effective immersive technology system that can be integrated into the standard therapeutic practices in rehabilitation management.     As an alternative to HMD, the research team will develop a cheaper version of a semi-CAVE (an immersive screen) for the projection of interactive immersive media. This example of a projection of a panoramic painting by Robert Barker (18th century) of Old Town, Edinburgh, UK, is at the Main Library of the University of Edinburgh.     Dr. Veeda Anlacan, Dr. Mike Tee, Dr. Chericca Tee, Dr. Dominic Jamora, and Dr. Marilie Ruiz Aguila will be conducting the clinical trials. Dr. Jaime Caro and his team will focus on software and engineering of the prototype, and Prof. Lloren and his team in uCreate Laboratory from the University of Edinburgh will deal with media design.  The research is composed of four projects that all touch on different behavioral and psychological conditions. The first phase will focus on the design and development of a semi-CAVE system for non-HMD (Head Mounted Display) users, customized software VR solution, and training of healthcare professionals. The study will run for two and a half years. The second phase will focus on clinical trials and pre-clinical studies and will run for fifteen months.  The research is funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) with the technical support of uCreate Makerspace Studio of the University of Edinburgh.     To record/capture ‘memory’ scenes and archive them in a virtual environment for memory triggers, Prof. Lloren uses a stereoscopic 360 video camera in the production and design of an immersive audiovisual experience. The media is designed to augment the memory functions of the brain in terms of recall, reminisce, and remember.     Professor Gregg S. Lloren developing a VR media for memory triggers at the uCreate Maker Space laboratory of the University of Edinburgh. The idea is to trigger memory recollection, reminiscence, and remembrance through an immersive audiovisual experience.     Prof. Lloren tests a more advanced VR Head Mounted Display (HMD) with whole-body motion tracking at the uCreate Makers Space laboratory, University of Edinburgh, UK. The technology is meant to diagnose, assess, and train mobility among patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.     This feature was originally posted on the UP Cebu website at https://upcebu.edu.ph/up-researchers-develop-vr-prototype-of-stay-homecare-for-behavioral-and-psychological-conditions/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao launches online platform to track COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-launches-online-platform-to-track-covid-19-cases-in-the-davao-region/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao launches online platform to track COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region UP Mindanao launches online platform to track COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region June 2, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu       Screenshot of COVID-19 Insights     COVID-19 Insights, a web-based platform created and maintained by the UP Mindanao COVID-19 Modeling Team for tracking COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region was launched last month. The team created the platform to provide local government officials, policymakers, researchers, and health professionals valuable tools for decision-making.  The dashboard features a map showing locations, charts, and numbers of COVID-19 cases, and also the total patient recoveries and deaths. The portal also features text analytics and spatial modelling pertinent to Region XI in Mindanao.     Screenshot showing text analytics for research on COVID-19.     The platform shows information on localized COVID-19 cases and enables viewing and sharing of models and comparisons of results under different assumptions and scenarios. Users can input data to derive projections and simulate scenarios for epidemiological modeling and for survival analysis.     Screenshot of page for survival analysis from COVID Insights.     Prof. Nilo Oponda, UP Mindanao Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, heads the COVID-19 Insights team, with Prof. Pedro Alviola IV, Prof. May Anne Mata, Vladimer Kobayashi, and Zython Lachica as members.  As of 4:00 PM of June 1, the Department of Health reported that the total number of verified cases of COVID-19 in the country is now at 18,638 with a total of 13,220 active cases. The DOH also reported the total number of recoveries to 3,979. Region XI will be included under the Modified General Community Quarantine areas starting June 1. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV community takes care of UPD students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-community-takes-care-of-upd-students/",
        "html": "UPV community takes care of UPD students UPV community takes care of UPD students June 11, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo by Nickrds09 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0     The arrival of 14 Ilonggo UP Diliman (UPD) students in Iloilo City on May 31 may have come as a surprise to the UP Visayas (UPV) administration and alumni, but they wasted no time in taking care of these students.  The students were able to return to Iloilo after being cleared to go home. They were stranded in Metro Manila when flights were cancelled due to the implementation of quarantine measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  While UPV had prepared its dormitories in its Iloilo City and Miagao campuses for UP constituents coming home from other units, it learned of the UPD students’ arrival only after they had already landed at the Iloilo International Airport via a sweeper flight organized by the Iloilo City government. No prior official communication had been delivered to UPV regarding the students’ inclusion in the flight.  UPV alumni sprung into action upon learning that the UPD students were brought to Iloilo City Diamond Jubilee Hall, the city’s isolation facility, where they will wait out the required 14-day quarantine. Recognizing the urgency of protecting them from possible exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the alumni coordinated with the local government and UPV for the transfer of the UPD students to another location.  They are now finishing their quarantine period in a private pension house at a great discount. UPDanay, UPV’s institutional call for relief in response to the pandemic, will do what it can to help pay for their lodgings. UP alumni groups, such as the UP Alumni Association-Iloilo Chapter and the UP High School in Iloilo alumni organization, iAmUPhi, through UPV Legal Counsel Nellie Jo Regalado, have campaigned to provide the students with food and other health needs. Faculty and staff members of UPV have also sent various forms of assistance.  The UPD students await the result of their RT-PCR tests while in quarantine. Once they have been given the all clear, UPV will transport them to their residences to be with their families.  The arrival of these Ilonggo students from UPD has prompted UPV Chancellor Ricardo Babaran to instruct the Office of Student Affairs to coordinate with its counterpart offices in other UP constituent universities to ensure that Ilonggo UP students from across the country will be taken care of by UPV upon arrival in Iloilo.  (With report from the UP Visayas Information and Publications Office) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar takes on COVID-19 and its impact on heart disease – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-takes-on-covid-19-and-its-impact-on-heart-disease/",
        "html": "UP webinar takes on COVID-19 and its impact on heart disease UP webinar takes on COVID-19 and its impact on heart disease June 11, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       One out of four adult Filipinos has hypertension, while a large portion of the population are not aware that they have persistently high blood pressure. How does the COVID-19 pandemic impact adult Filipinos with heart disease?  Heart disease and COVID-19 is the topic of the eighth installment in the UP Webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” which is produced in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center.The webinar is scheduled every Friday from 12nn to 2pm.  People with hypertension or heart disease are at risk for developing more severe forms of COVID-19, compared to people without heart disease. A report from China among 136 COVID-19 patients shows that 26% of them required cardiovascular intensive care, while a more recent report from the Chinese Centre of Disease Control shows a mean death rate of 2.3%, which increases to 5% in patients with cardiovascular disease and to 7.3% in those with diabetes.  Collated data from England and Wales, the Netherlands, Italy and New York State have also highlighted notable levels of excess mortality, not all attributable to COVID-19. What is not clear is whether these excess deaths are due to unconfirmed or unsuspected COVID-19 infection in a high-risk population or if more people are suddenly dying of heart attacks because they are afraid of going to hospitals.  Resource person for this very important topic is Dr. Chito C. Permejo, Medical Specialist III in Cardiology-Intensive Care of the Philippine Heart Center. The webinar is open to all health and medical frontliners, practitioners, hospital administrators, public officials and the general public.  The webinar is set this Friday, June 12, from 12 nn to 2 p.m. Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW:  bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar8. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Gender inclusion, appreciative resilience vital to crisis response – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/gender-inclusion-appreciative-resilience-vital-to-crisis-response/",
        "html": "Gender inclusion, appreciative resilience vital to crisis response Gender inclusion, appreciative resilience vital to crisis response June 16, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Visit the UPOU Networks for more educational videos.     Response to a crisis, whether the crisis may be resolved quickly or drawn out over a long period, benefits greatly from gender inclusion and appreciative resilience. For which reason these actions are vital to successfully ensuring the psychosocial well-being of persons dealing with crises.  In “Capacitating Oneself for the New Normal”, Prof. Finaflor Taylan and Dr. Emely Dicolen discussed institutional and personal strategies in dealing with a crisis like COVID-19, from the prolonged quarantine period to the new normal. The online lecture was organized by the Social Work Program of the UP Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) as part of the University’s Let’s Talk it Over series and was streamed on May 27 in UPOU Networks.  Taylan, a registered social worker who is a faculty member of the FMDS Social Work Program, talked about “Gender Perspective in Psychosocial Support and Well-Being”. She said the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified vulnerabilities and placed multiple burdens on women, especially the abused who may be “locked in” with their abusers. Unplanned and at-risk pregnancies may also occur. There have also been reports of power struggles in quarantine management, such as instances of “sex for quarantine pass”.     Screenshot of Prof. Finaflor Taylan delivering her presentation on “Capacitating Oneself for the New Normal”.     Taylan emphasized the fact that as individual, we should know the importance of our rights, recognize or condition and report violations of our human rights, be aware of existing and new rules and laws, and do volunteer work. She also mentioned “proactive protection programs” that may be undertaken by households and communities.  Using a code word to report abuse when one is afraid because the perpetrator is nearby, and having an exit plan to escape abuse are actions that may be taken, among others. In the delivery of gender-inclusive well-being programs, functioning structures for violence against women and children, gender and development, and reproductive health must not be derailed by the pandemic, because these programs address issues that did not go away when COVID-19 reached the country.  Taylan also mentioned the need to review referral pathways as the crisis has given way to new protocols. The remote delivery of psychological first aid (PFA), for example, is a critical form of service. It would help, she added, if previous reports of abuse were used to identify target areas for random, but regular, roving by security personnel for community safety.     Screenshot of Prof. Finaflor Taylan’s presentation slide on “COVID-19 and Gender Context.”     In giving psychosocial support to survivors of gender-related violence, PFA or the first interaction in a case is crucial. She underscored the necessity of using gender-fair, non-judgmental language. Building rapport by showing support, being empathetic, and empowering courage are keys to helping survivors sort through fears and anxieties. “They need support, not scrutiny,” Taylan said. She explained that help-seeking is a turning point for them and begins the healing process, so it is imperative that insensitive language is avoided because the survivors should not be “re-victimized”.  Taylan closed her talk by reiterating that gender rights are human rights, which means these rights ensure the well-being of all, regardless of gender.  Dicolen, the program chair of the UPOU Diploma in and Master of Social Work program, as well as being an associate professor at the UP Manila National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions, discussed “Appreciative Resilience in Times of Crisis”, which was more of a personal technique to cope with problems.     Screenshot of Dr. Emely Dicolen giving her talk in “Capacitating Oneself for the New Normal”.     Appreciative resilience (AR), Dicolen explained, stemmed from appreciative inquiry (AI), which is “the search for what is life-giving and possible within the people and the world around us”. It is purposely seeking what one wants to accelerate and develop, realizing that “what we appreciate, appreciates.”She said that it shifts the focus from the problem to what has been going well.  In the current situation, Dicolen suggested finding one’s personal answers to the following questions: “What was the BEST thing that ever happened to you during the [enhanced community quarantine]? How have you used your strengths to help yourself and others during the COVID-19 times? What is the one small action you can take today to help make tomorrow better for you and others?”  AR was conceptualized by Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell in their 2018 book, Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and Forgiveness. In it, the authors say AR “assists people in developing their own understanding and personal call to resilience by using AI principles and practices.”     Screenshot of Dr. Emely Dicolen’s presentation slide on appreciative inquiry, which is about reformulating questions from the negative to the positive.     There are three elements of AR: despair, forgiveness, and hope, Dicolen said. Despair is where one is doubtful because of uncertainty. Forgiveness makes moving forward possible by resolving to give up “resentment, anger, and fear and step toward accepting things as they are”. Hope is the belief that the “future will open possibilities” and “looks at ‘what is’ and ‘what might be’“.  Dicolen shared her own experience of despair, forgiveness, and hope to illustrate how AR has helped her. Her moment of despair came when her daughter, Kelly, a graduate student in Germany, was found to be COVID-19 positive on March 19 after returning from a study trip to Belgium. Forgiveness came when Dicolen let go of blame and anger—at the organizers of the study trip, at her daughter, at the whole situation. Hope, she revealed, sprung from her family members supporting each other and realizing that relationships within their family could still get better and stronger, even when they thought they were already as close as family could get.  She clarified how people have different capacities to cope. While there is no timetable for the process of healing, she said, “It’s OK not to be OK, but it shouldn’t be forever.  Dicolen ended her talk by encouraging everyone to take a “self compassion break” during trying times by telling oneself, “May I be kind to myself at this moment. May I accept this moment exactly as it is. May I accept myself exactly as I am in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.”  The archived video of the web streamed lecture and discussion may be viewed at networks.upou.edu.ph.  Get tips from Taylan on maintaining psychosocial well-being during the current pandemic here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPV Tacloban College maps the COVID-19 outbreak in Eastern Visayas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upv-tacloban-college-maps-the-covid-19-outbreak-in-eastern-visayas/",
        "html": "UPV Tacloban College maps the COVID-19 outbreak in Eastern Visayas UPV Tacloban College maps the COVID-19 outbreak in Eastern Visayas June 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Motivated by recent developments in the COVID-19 situation and incremental movements towards the new normal in Eastern Visayas, the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College, through its Regional Environmental Information Systems program and Health Services Unit, has endeavored to visualize key COVID-19 data in the region.  This album is a collection of maps based on data from the Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health and Development. The presentation, which highlights spatial relationships between data, provides a different perspective on the public health crisis faced by the region. It also underscores the importance of protocols for mitigating the spread of the virus. It is hoped that these maps will serve as valuable input to the policymaking process of local government units and decision-making by individual members of society.  Disclaimer: The figures reported here do NOT represent final numbers and are subject to change after the inclusion of delayed reports and review of cases.        As of May 22, 2020, there were 26 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported. Tarangnan, Samar had the biggest number, followed by the municipality of Buruean with two confirmed COVID-19 cases. Three other cities and municipalities were also reported to have confirmed COVID-19 cases.        As of June 2, 2020, 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Eastern Visayas have been reported, with Tarangnan, Samar having the biggest number of confirmed cases. Burauen comes in second with three confirmed COVID-19 cases, followed by Tanauan with two confirmed cases. Seven other cities and municipalities have also been reported to have one confirmed COVID-19 case each. The increase in the number of cases may be attributed to the influx of citizens returning from Manila and overseas.        As of May 29, 2020, there were 3,382 cumulative suspected COVID-19 cases in Eastern Visayas, majority of which have already recovered and are currently asymptomatic. The map shows that Tarangnan, Samar has the highest cumulative suspected cases in Eastern Visayas.        As of May 29, 2020, 3,384 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been conducted to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Region VIII. Of these, 1443 PCR tests were done in Tarangnan, Samar.        There are 86 hospitals in the entire Eastern Visayas—77 Level 1 and infirmary level, seven Level 2, and two Level 3. Levels 2 and 3 facilities are located in cities while Level 1 and infirmary level facilities are spread out across all six provinces of Region VIII.        In terms of individual facility bed capacity, the facility with the biggest capacity is in Tacloban City with 73 allocated beds, followed by the facility in Naval, Biliran with 30 beds. There are hospitals with no allocated beds for COVID-19 patients: six in Northern Samar, four in Eastern Samar, five in Leyte and one in Southern Leyte.        As of May 22, 2020, there are 294 Level 1 or infirmary level beds, 38 Level 2 beds, and 76 Level 3 beds allocated for COVID-19 patients in Eastern Visayas. Tacloban City has the highest cumulative bed capacity with 90 allocated beds, followed by Ormoc City with 58, Naval in Biliran with 30, and Calbayog City with 25 beds. Facilities in other cities and municipalities have less than 20 cumulative bed capacities. There are three areas with no cumulative bed capacity—Laoang, Northern Samar; Capul, Northern Samar; and Matalom, Leyte.        As of May 22, 2020, the majority of the COVID-19 referral hospitals in Eastern Visayas have 0-25% occupancy rate of the allocated beds for COVID-19 patients. The facility with the highest occupancy rate is in Maasin City at 217%. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT qualifiers enrolling in UP can expect the “new normal” of remote learning – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat-qualifiers-enrolling-in-up-can-expect-the-new-normal-of-remote-learning/",
        "html": "UPCAT qualifiers enrolling in UP can expect the “new normal” of remote learning UPCAT qualifiers enrolling in UP can expect the “new normal” of remote learning June 15, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    For this year’s batch of successful UPCAT qualifiers who will be entering the University of the Philippines (UP) as freshmen enrollees, their first taste of university life will be that of the “new normal”: remote teaching and learning, with the possibility of blending remote and face-to-face meetings.  A memorandum issued by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs dated June 4, 2020 lays down what incoming UP freshmen can expect.     Remote teaching and learning  The memorandum states that UP, like other universities in the country, ASEAN and the world, is “putting the safety of our students and faculty first.” This will be done by adopting remote teaching and learning for academic year 2020-2021. A combination of remote teaching/learning and face-to-face meetings will be done in laboratory, studio and practicum courses, if the COVID-19 situation permits it, and following public health and social distancing requirements.  Remote teaching and learning cover both asynchronous or non-real time communication between teachers and learners, and synchronous or real-time communication between teachers and learners. Asynchronous communication includes text-based communication such as email, Facebook Messenger, Viber groups, etc., and online discussion boards in different learning platforms such as UP’s Learning Management Systems, Canvas, Google Classroom, etc. Synchronous communication includes lectures, webinars and teleconferences using such platforms as Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, etc.  “Given the uncertain trajectory of the pandemic at this time, the University is preparing for the scenario where courses are delivered remotely throughout the first term without sacrificing quality,” the memorandum states, adding that remote learning is not necessarily inferior and in certain cases may even be superior to face-to-face learning. Starting July 1, UP faculty will be redesigning course offerings for remote learning.     Laying the infrastructure  In addition, UP is laying the physical infrastructure for remote learning, such as gadgets for online learning, Internet or cell phone data connectivity. The academic infrastructure is also being strengthened through upgrading the University’s Library Management System, subscribing to a cloud-based service that provides remote access to library resource, subscribing to relevant databases of peer-reviewed literature and e-publications, retooling faculty and staff, and redesigning courses for remote delivery to different types of students depending on their internet connectivity in their homes.  To ensure UP’s readiness for remote learning, the UP System administration has obtained the Board of Regents’ approval in principle to move the opening of classes to September 10, subject to ongoing consultations with faculty and students. UPCAT qualifiers will be informed of the academic calendar, including the opening of classes, and details of UP’s remote learning delivery within July.     Important deadlines  Generally, UPCAT qualifiers are categorized into four types: Type 1 would be those accepted in their first choice of degree program; Type 2 would be those accepted in their second choice of degree program but waitlisted in their first choice; Type 3 would be those who are waitlisted in their choices of degree programs; and Type 4 would be those who will be assigned to a degree program with available slots.  UPCAT qualifiers were reminded of the following deadlines: June 30, 2020 to confirm their acceptance of the University’s offer of an admission slot in UP for 2020; July 6 to 31, 2020 to confirm acceptance at the level of the constituent unit (CU) they applied for, for those who are waitlisted and those who are assigned to a degree program with available slots; and July 5 to August 15, 2020 to appeal for reconsideration, to be submitted to their CU of interest.  More than 100,000 high school students took the UPCAT in October 2019. Results were released on May 30, 2020, with 12,000 qualifiers offered slots to enter the national university.     Download a copy of the memorandum here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Catastrophic Loss in Jobs and Work Hours: Save the MSMEs and Protect the Workers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/catastrophic-loss-in-jobs-and-work-hours-save-the-msmes-and-protect-the-workers/",
        "html": "Catastrophic Loss in Jobs and Work Hours: Save the MSMEs and Protect the Workers Catastrophic Loss in Jobs and Work Hours: Save the MSMEs and Protect the Workers June 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Statement of the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations on the COVID-19 crisis impact on labor and call to action 8 June 2020  About 8 million Filipinos lost their employment in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter of 2019 corresponding to a decline in the number of employed from 41.8 million workers to 33.8 million workers (April 2020, Labor Force Survey, Philippine Statistics Authority). Moreover, for the majority of those who managed to stay employed, they do so at less than the standard 48-hour workweek. The percent of workers who worked at least 48 hours a week dropped from 68 percent in the first quarter of 2019 to 28 percent in the first quarter of 2020 or a decline by 18.6 million full-time workers. Of the 23.6 million part-time workers as of April 2020, 17.3 million cited the COVID-19 lockdown as the reason for working less than the standard workweek. Equally disturbing is the sharp decline in the labor force participation rate from 61.3 percent in April 2019 to 55.6 percent in April this year, the lowest since the 1970s and translates to 3 million less Filipinos in the working ages that are participating in the labor force.  More catastrophic losses in both jobs and work hours are expected in the second and third quarters of 2020 in view of: (a) the expansion of the lockdown from Luzon in mid-March to virtually the rest of the country by early April 2020; (b) the extension of the community quarantine until a vaccine against COVID-19 is available and made more widely accessible; and (c) the influx of tens of thousands of displaced overseas Filipino workers.  In the provision of the proposed 1.3 Trillion pesos economic stimulus package, we call on the government to ensure priority to both the economic recovery of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 99.5 percent of total business establishments, and the protection of their workers which account for 63.2 percent of all workers in the country, by providing higher financial incentives (e.g. zero-interest soft loans, deferment of loan payments for a year without penalties, wage subsidies for regular employees, etc.) to MSME employers who will keep at least the same level of employees before the lockdown and regularize their employment. We call on the government and employers to effectively involve trade unions and workers’ representatives in the crafting and implementation of any programs and adjustment measures that address economic and business recovery.  The imposition of the lockdown to contain the spread of the corona virus has inflicted the most severe damage upon the informal workers (e.g. tricycle and jeepney drivers, street vendors, own-account workers, etc.) who, without work and social security protection, were deprived of the means for survival for themselves and their families. We call for the immediate passage of the Magna Carta for Workers in the Informal Economy, which mandates the State to uphold decent work standards for the informal workers.  Finally, where the crisis has stripped most workers of their capacity to earn subsistence incomes, it becomes incumbent upon the State to adopt bolder and effective social reform measures. At the height of the Global Depression in the 1930s, then US President Franklin Roosevelt acted swiftly to curb economic paralysis by enacting the New Deal program of massive job creation through public works that was supplemented by the passage of laws recognizing the right of workers to associate and bargain collectively. Similarly, the then Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon made a bold response by launching a Social Justice Program and establishing the Department of Labor for the protection of labor. We call on the government to take a swift and bold action for social reforms that are necessary to prevent the COVID-19 crisis from morphing into a national human and economic crisis, and to build social cohesion and solidarity through consultation and social dialogue with all affected sectors, including the organized and unorganized workers.  This statement was originally posted on the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Is there more to a zero in disease statistics? – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/is-there-more-to-a-zero-in-disease-statistics/",
        "html": "Is there more to a zero in disease statistics? Is there more to a zero in disease statistics? June 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Mindanao’s (UPMin) Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling (IAM) laboratory will hold a free webinar to discuss this topic.  “Are Zeroes Really Zeroes?: Detecting Underreporting in Disease Reports” featuring Zython Paul Lachica will be streamed live via the One UP Applied Mathematics YouTube channel on June 19, 10:00 AM, Philippine Time.  This initiative is part of the One UP Applied Mathematics Webinar Series, where researchers from across the UP System discuss different topics in applied mathematics each week.  Lachica is a member of the IAM laboratory and has been involved in the conduct of COVID-19-related research. He is also a research assistant in the Commission on Higher Education-Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Interdisciplinary Opportunities: Synoptic Study on Transmission and Optimum Control to Prevent Rabies Program or the CHED DARE-TO: STOP Rabies Program, which is headed by UPMin.  The IAM lab is a research group of the UPMin Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science, composed mostly of applied mathematicians who promote interdisciplinary research. The IAM team focuses mainly on the application of mathematical modeling to study real-world phenomena and generating approaches to address gaps in a variety of disciplines, including the physical, chemical, biological, and engineering sciences. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar highlights Lung Center’s innovations in fighting COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-highlights-lung-centers-innovations-in-fighting-covid-19/",
        "html": "UP webinar highlights Lung Center’s innovations in fighting COVID-19 UP webinar highlights Lung Center’s innovations in fighting COVID-19 June 18, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     Dr. Antonio B. Ramos, manager of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) Department of Administrative Services and resource speaker for the sixth episode of the University of the Philippines’ “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series held on May 29, talked about the LCP experience in promoting hospital personnel safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The LCP serves as the country’s premier hospital for the treatment of lung diseases and as a referral center for COVID-19 moderate to severe respiratory diseases. Dr. Ramos said their personnel are now using about 500 personal protective equipment (PPEs) per day due to the increasing number of patients over the past weeks, and the hospital is still stockpiling PPEs for appropriate personnel safety and patient care.  According to Dr. Ramos, the LCP decided to make personnel safety its priority. He further talked about the hospital’s incident command system, safety officer and zoning, infrastructure modifications, equipment, supplies, and personnel care.  The structure of the incident command system includes the hospital’s officers for public information, safety, liaison, planning, operations, logistics, finance, and sub units, taskforces (medical, triage, personnel), and teams under these main sections. They hold daily briefings at the incident post situated outside of the hospital buildings. This post maintains an open-air ventilation setup to prevent virus transmission among personnel.     Hospital zoning and safety policies  Colored signs, pictures, maps, instructions, and reminders are posted in all corners and hallways of the LCP. Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     Dr. Ramos said the hospital was divided and labelled into “safety zones”, with the red colored zones indicating “very high risk” areas, orange for “high risk”, yellow for “medium risk”, and blue for “lower risk”. He said that “for red zones, hospital personnel must wear full PPEs with boots. For orange zones, they have to change PPEs every time they have to enter a new room since there they are not yet sure if the patients are COVID positive or negative. For yellow zones, the laboratories and radiology areas, they wear their face mask unless there is need to wear full PPE if procedures are done. For blue zones, all other areas of the LCP, they are required to wear their face mask. There are no green zones or safe zones.”  “Upon entering the hospital grounds, everyone must wear a face mask and regularly perform hand hygiene,” Dr. Ramos said. “There are colored signs, pictures, maps, instructions, and reminders posted in all corners and hallways of the complex to increase LCP personnel’s awareness. Medical and non-medical personnel are also segregated, wherein passageways and elevators are also designated to prevent possible contact and virus transmission among personnel,” he explained.     Modifications and innovations  The LCP COVID ward. Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     According to Dr. Ramos, the LCP infrastructure modifications include the putting up of: CCTV cameras, patients’ monitors, translucent and plastic doors, controlling ACH (air change per hour), temporary plastic walls, donning and doffing areas, and other modifications. He elaborated that these modifications allow the hospital personnel to see and monitor their patients better, control flow of air, and prevent virus transmission. “Another advantage of the LCP architecture is that it has interconnected halls and corridors that allow a one-way flow of personnel” wherein the entry for one area is at one end while the exit is on the opposite end, he added.     LCP equipment for monitoring their COVID patients. Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     Dr. Ramos described their COVID-19 ward: “The air is controlled, the supplies, equipment and other needed items are segregated, including the tables, trashcans and disinfectants that are adequately replenished after every shift.” The nurses’ station is equipped with monitors for displaying patients’ vital stats side by side with CCTV display to allow them to see the patients’ conditions.  In the intensive care unit, the nurses can directly see the patients through a glass wall while computer monitors and CCTV also allow them to see the patients’ stats.     LCP Medical Intensive Care Unit. Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     Among the tips mentioned during the webinar were: COVID-19 facilities should not have centralized air conditioning; hospitals should separate medical and non-medical personnel; and other (non-hospital) buildings must rethink the use of centralized air conditioning or recirculated air to prevent transmission of the virus.  In addition, Dr. Ramos said the LCP, together with their partners and donors, are attending to the healthcare workers’ needs for shelter, food, transportation, and psychosocial support. He said the temporary shelters donated to LCP have beds, toilets, showers, and Wi-Fi, and that they also have services for personnel haircut, manicure/pedicure. He added that the LCP, with a heightened sense of preparedness, is still accepting donated PPEs and ventilators for the hospital to be able to have a reliable supply of needed equipment in case there would be a surge of COVID-19 patients.     Screenshots from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     Safety officers and promoting a culture of safety  Dr. Ramos shared how their safety reminders and precautions for personnel extend outside the hospital grounds, to their homes and families. He said the LCP campaigns to maintain safety and awareness at all times. Their safety reminders feature detailed, step-by-step instructions for maintaining hand hygiene, eating habits, wearing and removing protective equipment, and other reminders for conducting daily activities under the “new normal”.  Dr. Ramos furthered that every hospital, all homes, and all businesses should have a safety officer. He said everybody should eventually imbibe the role of the safety officer, and that the safety officer of corporations should even be able to cite their CEO for any violation. While the zoning prevents the spread of viruses and the wastage of PPE worn by the healthcare personnel, he said the safety officers in every unit make sure that everyone in their unit is wearing proper PPE, practicing regular hand hygiene, and observing physical distancing. Safety officers have to guarantee that all the precautions and disinfection procedures are followed, even in the upkeep of equipment, air conditioning and for needed repairs.  Dr. Ramos emphasized that “the best way to take care of our patients is to take care of our health personnel.” He concluded his presentation with a reminder: “the bottom line is, if you cannot protect healthcare workers and they get sick, the whole system goes down.” This sums up the LCP prioritization for personnel safety.     UP webinar series  Dr. Antonio B. Ramos, Dr. Raymond Francis Sarmiento, and Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado. Screenshot from the livestream of the sixth installment of the UP “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series.     More than 250 participants from across the nation and even from abroad attended this webinar. This webinar was hosted by Dr. Raymond Francis Sarmiento of the National Telehealth Center, and Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado of Philhealth. The video of this webinar is available at TVUP’s website and YouTube channel. The webinar series is made possible by the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the National Telehealth Center and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. It provides the country’s health professionals and clinicians a venue to share the best information on how to best manage COVID-19 cases and to protect the entire health system.  Upcoming webinar: The Cebu Experience "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPVTC URUGUP distributes 2nd batch of alcohol – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upvtc-urugup-distributes-2nd-batch-of-alcohol/",
        "html": "UPVTC URUGUP distributes 2nd batch of alcohol UPVTC URUGUP distributes 2nd batch of alcohol June 17, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo by the UP Visayas Tacloban College Office of the Continuing Education and Pahinungod.     UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC), through URUGUP, its institutional response to the COVID-19 crisis in Eastern Visayas, distributed its second batch of 80% ethyl alcohol URUGUP hand rub on May 27.     Photo by the UP Visayas Tacloban College Office of the Continuing Education and Pahinungod.     Five liters each of the UPVTC-produced antiseptic solution were given to: the Philippine National Police Region VIII Infirmary; Schistomiasis Hospital;the local government of MacArthur, Leyte; and, the local government of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. These institutions also received 3D-printed face shields produced by the Department of Science and Technology-Metal Industry Research and Development Center in partnership with UPV.     Photo by the UP Visayas Tacloban College Office of the Continuing Education and Pahinungod.     URUGUP hand rub is produced by UPVTC Chemistry faculty, researchers, and alumni.  UPVTC previously provided: the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center with 20 liters of 80% ethyl alcohol; Maasin City Hospital with 5 liters; and Abuyog District Hospital with 2.5 liters. The UPVTC Security Office received 600 milliliters of 75% isopropyl alcohol and almost 3.8 liters of 80% ethyl alcohol. Personnel manning Tacloban entry and exit points were also given 1.5 liters of 75% isopropyl alcohol.        (With report from Marvie Villones, UPVTC Office of the Continuing Education and Pahinungod) "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Baguio opens arts and crafts market at Oblation grounds – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-baguio-opens-arts-and-crafts-market-at-oblation-grounds/",
        "html": "UP Baguio opens arts and crafts market at Oblation grounds UP Baguio opens arts and crafts market at Oblation grounds June 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    It is the artists and artisans their turn at trading their works at the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) Oblation Grounds with an arts and crafts fair dubbed “Mandëko Kito, Artisans Market” scheduled every Monday and Tuesday 9:00am-12:00nn starting June 15.  Convenor of the activity, UPB faculty member Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores said the activity will cover a month-long period or up to July 15 and is an offshoot of the farmer’s market being held in the same venue from Wednesday to Friday.  Dr. Amores, former director of the UP Baguio Museo Kordilyera said the activity aims to provide a venue for artists and artisans to market their merchandise since their livelihood had been heavily impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It also taps into the concept of creative economy espoused by the city’s membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.  UPB chancellor Raymundo D. Rovillos said the artisans’ market is a university initiative that serves as a “continuity of its engagement in the creative cities endeavor.”  He added that support to artists and artisans is even more imperative since arts and crafts is now emerging as a new paradigm for sustainable tourism in Baguio.  “If we hope to recover and bounce back from the debacle of this pandemic, the city’s decision-makers must incorporate creativity, innovation, and sustainable development into its plans and programs for economic recovery,” the chancellor said.  The arts and crafts sector could provide an outlook for a gradual post-pandemic recovery.  The artisans market initiative embodies a regionwide scope that includes artists and artisans from the Cordillera.  The participating artists and artisans and their products include Ifugao Nation, Can-eo Bontoc Weavers, Dye Indigo Abra, Pasakalye, Knitting Expedition, Narda’s, John Frank Sabado, Tam-Awan Artists, Pine Gypsy, Everything is Pine, Ibagiw Tublay, Basketweavers, Butatow Artists, Museo Kordilyera, Asin Woodcarvers, Loakan Crafters, Masalingga Arts and Crafts Kalinga, Cafe by the Ruins, Pilak Handicrafts, Marge Gomez, Made by Flor, Battallna Ga’dang, Armstrong Mina, and Indi Socks.  Products include silvercraft, custom-designed shirts, hand-embroidered face masks, and hand-woven ikat, bamboo craft, woodcarving, weaving, and knitting among others.  The coordinating group for participating artists and artisans is the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective, Inc. (BACCI).  Heightened health security protocols are still observed at UP Baguio. Shoppers are reminded to cooperate and observe basic sanitation practices by wearing face masks, follow physical distancing guides measures, and to also bring their own shopping bags or containers.     Photo gallery  (Text and photos by Roland Rabang and J.L. Lazaga, UP Baguio Public Affairs) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Surviving COVID-19, becoming a better nurse – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/surviving-covid-19-becoming-a-better-nurse/",
        "html": "Surviving COVID-19, becoming a better nurse Surviving COVID-19, becoming a better nurse June 23, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo from the Facebook page of the UPOU Faculty of Management & Development Studies.     John Alex Melencio is a charge nurse and team leader at The Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK. He is also a UP alumnus, having earned his Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) degree from the UP Open University (UPOU).  He was one of three nurses who shared their COVID-19 experiences in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”, the latest installment of the UPOU Let’s Talk it Over online lecture series that was streamed live on June 11 in UPOU Networks. It was organized by the UPOU MAN program of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies.     Screenshot of John Alex Melencio in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”     “It’s not easy being a patient and because of my experience, I am pushing harder to become a better nurse,” Melencio said, after having been a COVID-19 patient and eventually returning to work upon recovery.  It was March 26 and the end of a particularly long day at the COVID-19 unit where he worked. He went home, ready to face another long-day shift the next day. But he woke up in the middle of the night with chills and a high-grade fever. The lockdown in London had just started. He called in sick the following morning.  Soon, Melencio developed a dry cough. He felt nauseated. He lost his sense of taste, his sense of smell. He felt dizzy. He was aware he had COVID-19 symptoms and was struck with fear and anxiety. He called the National Health Service (NHS) hotline and after finally getting through, was instructed to self-isolate for seven days. He told his roommate, his best friend, who had to self-isolate as well. “But my best friend still took care of me,” Melencio revealed.  When his fever had not abated for around ten days, Melencio asked his roommate to bring him to the hospital where he worked to get tested for COVID-19. The Royal Brompton Hospital had just begun testing their employees. By then, Melencio was already experiencing shortness of breath. He went home after getting tested.  “I didn’t feel I was getting any better, so I called NHS again and they finally sent people to see me,” he recalled. But the result of that visit was not what he expected. He was advised to continue self-isolation. “You are a nurse. You know you can handle this. There’s no need for you to go to the hospital,” he was told.  And then he got his test result. Melencio had COVID-19. He had to tell his partner. He had to call his family back in the Philippines to break the news. He also decided he needed to go to the hospital. “I am a nurse and I knew I needed proper care.”  On April 8, he was confined to the acute care unit (ACU) of a nearby hospital, where he had previously worked. His chest x-ray revealed patches in his lungs. “It made me feel even more depressed.” His heart rate was high and when he saw his arterial blood gas result, he knew it did not look good. “For some patients, those levels meant intubation.” But the acute care doctors had faith in his ability to recover and did not recommend intubation nor a transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU).  He went from 60% to 40% to 35% oxygen support and he thought things were going great. Until his oxygen saturation level dropped. He was referred to the ICU, but it was decided that the ACU could still handle his case. Melencio said he told his loved ones to be strong for him and he just kept his faith, that he would survive COVID-19. “I never stopped praying.” He was discharged after five days and was told to rest. His heart rate was still above normal.  Over his recuperation period, Melencio did all he could to maintain good physical health by getting proper nutrition, enough rest, and exercise. As for his mental and emotional well-being, he felt the care of not only his best friend, but also of his partner and family members who, while unable to be with him, still sent messages of love and encouragement. He appreciated the support of friends who sent him food and other necessities.  “After three weeks of rest, I went back to work. I wanted to be productive again,” he said. Melencio could have stayed home and rested for alonger time. His superiors at the hospital told him as much. But he believed that he would feel much better if he was back serving as a nurse again. There was no discrimination upon his return, only compassion from his co-workers, which meant a lot to him.  His experienced has re-emphasized in him the belief that “our patients deserve the best care from us.” As a COVID-19 patient, he found that “kindness, patience, compassion, and love” made a lasting impact on his recovery. As a survivor and a nurse, Melencio returned to work guided by that realization, resolute in his goal to be the best nurse that he can be for his patients. "
    },
    {
        "title": "CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture: “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/csc40-anniversary-lecture-katatagan-at-pagbangon-sa-panahon-ng-pandemya/",
        "html": "CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture: “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya” CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture: “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya” June 24, 2020 | Written by UP Baguio Office of Public Affairs       The UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center invites everyone to join us on Friday, 26 June 2020, 10:00 a.m., via Livestream for the CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture titled, “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya” to be delivered by Prof. Rozel Balmores-Paulino of the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, University of the Philippines Baguio.  Prof. Balmores will talk about the impact of a pandemic and the diverse psychological reactions to the crisis as well as the practical ways of dealing with pandemic-related emotional distress, and managing the impact of COVID-19 through a resilience framework.        An online question and answer (Q&A) session will follow the lecture. Questions may also be sent in advance by private message on CSC’s Facebook page. The Livestream link will be posted on Facebook and will be shared with you via email once available. Please do follow the CSC page at https://www.facebook.com/cordistudiescenter/.  You may also share this information via Facebook through: https://web.facebook.com/OfficialUPB/posts/2361710780790149.  For other information and updates on UP Baguio, please follow https://web.facebook.com/OfficialUPB/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "“Bawal lumabas.” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bawal-lumabas/",
        "html": "“Bawal lumabas.” “Bawal lumabas.” June 23, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Photo from the Facebook page of the UPOU Faculty of Management & Development Studies.     Angelique Rosete is a gynecology and trophoblastic nurse, and a research coordinator at the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) who is currently finishing her thesis in the Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) program of UP Open University (UPOU).  She was one of three nurses who shared their COVID-19 experiences in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”, the latest installment of the UPOU Let’s Talk it Over online lecture series that was streamed live on June 11 in UPOU Networks. It was organized by the UPOU MAN program of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies.     Screenshot of Angelique Rosete in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”     Rosete likened her experience to elements in “batas ng classroom” (law of the classroom), the meme that recently went viral. In a class, she said, people learn and gain strength from each other. During her first week of duty as part of Team 3 when UP-PGH started operating as a COVID-19 referral center, she said, “We felt like we were going to war.” Her anxiety increased with each passing day and she isolated herself from her peers.  But she pushed herself to have a positive attitude and focused on providing forms of community service “to gain back [her] sanity”.  She provided carpool services, looked for nearby accommodations for co-workers, and participated in surveys that she knew would help in the formulation of strategies against COVID-19. It was in the course of her volunteer work that she developed a dry cough and had headaches. She was tired and felt afraid. Getting transferred from a non-COVID-19 ward to a medical intensive care unit COVID-19 ward did not make things easier for her.     Screenshot of Angelique Rosete’s presentation slide showing photos of her providing carpool services to fellow UP-PGH employees     “Bawal lumabas” (going out is prohibited), she said, just like in the meme. There were limited supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) back then. No doffing of her level 4 PPE for less exposure, she explained. No bathroom breaks and no food or liquid intake for the entire shift in PPEs that felt like “sauna suits.” She still had a dry cough and was told by a resident-on-duty that she needed to get tested for COVID-19. She had to self-quarantine for 14 days. “Bawal lumabas.”  She was negative for SARS-CoV-2 and was diagnosed instead with an allergic cough. Rosete was grateful that her condition was taken into consideration by her superiors. who then assigned her to a non-COVID area, with patients who tested negative. But a fellow nurse got infected and Rosete was now a suspect case. She had to be tested and self-isolated for the second time. “Bawal lumabas.”  Again, she had a negative result.     Screenshot of Angelique Rosete’s presentation slide showing photos of her and her colleagues wearing donated face shields     “As the meme says, if you comply, ay pwede na pala ikaw lumabas” (you can now go out), she said with a laugh, talking about adherence to safety and quarantine protocols. She credited the people around her—her husband and baby, other family members, friends, colleagues, and the UP-PGH administrators—for continuing to take care of her and helping her get through this pandemic. She is also thankful for individuals and organizations that have been making her and her UP-PGH co-workers feel appreciated and valued through donations of PPEs, food, and other necessities.  Rosete said of nurses, “Kami’y mapapagod pero hindi susuko” (We’ll get tired but we’ll never give up). "
    },
    {
        "title": "10th UP-PhilHealth webinar will be about children’s health during COVID-19 pandemic – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/10th-up-philhealth-webinar-will-be-about-childrens-health-during-covid-19-pandemic/",
        "html": "10th UP-PhilHealth webinar will be about children’s health during COVID-19 pandemic 10th UP-PhilHealth webinar will be about children’s health during COVID-19 pandemic June 24, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       There are many ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect the health, wellbeing, and development of children. Like adults, they are also at risk of getting COVID-19 or facing various stressful situations, such as lack of access to food, vaccination, healthcare, education, and other basic needs due to lockdown policies, unfavorable environment, or possibly other illnesses. Children may also become anxious about this “new normal” or have difficulties in expressing their feelings about the situation.  Although most reports showed children with COVID-19 recovered quicker or had mild to no symptoms, new findings are showing that some may have a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) that can lead to life-threatening problems with the heart and other organs in the body. On the other hand, we also have to learn more about how to properly detect, treat and manage COVID-19 in children, to distinguish this from other infectious diseases, and to protect children with other types of diseases, like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, who are more at risk as the number of confirmed cases in the country surpassed 30,000 this week.  “COVID-19 and Children: The Experience of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), Davao”, our 10th webinar in this series, will be held on June 26, Friday, 12nn. SPMC Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Ma. Delta S. Aguilar will discuss with us how to protect and care for children during the pandemic.  The UP webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” is hosted by the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Telehealth Center, every Friday from 12nn to 2pm.  Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW at bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar10.Videos of the previous webinars can also be viewed and shared via the YouTube page of TVUP. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU offers free online bridge courses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-offers-free-online-bridge-courses/",
        "html": "UPOU offers free online bridge courses UPOU offers free online bridge courses June 23, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       True to the University as a public service institution, UP Open University (UPOU) will offer free online bridge courses in English and Mathematics for senior high school students, college freshmen, and all other interested individuals starting July 1.  The courses will be conducted in UPOU’s portal for massive open online courses, UPOU MODeL.  The initiative, tagged “Kahandaan, Kasanayan, at Kaalaman” (Readiness, Proficiency, and Knowledge), is a joint undertaking of the Faculty of Education and Ugnayan ng Pahinungod of UPOU. The latter was established in June 2019, following the revival of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod/Oblation Corps program, the University’s volunteer service program, as a UP System unit. The program had previously been devolved to UP’s constituent universities.  To sign up, go to https://tinyurl.com/UPOUBridge2020.  For further inquiries, send an email to pahinungod.upou@up.edu.ph or a message via the Facebook page of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU.  UPOU is the leading open and distance e-learning institution in the country. Apart from UPOU MODeL, it also has other portals for online learning materials.  UPOU Networks is the repository of all UPOU-produced materials.  Open UP Connect is UPOU’s official blog, where members of its community share their expertise and experiences.  The UPOU YouTube channel has a collection of videos on a wide variety of topics. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Mindanao, DOST XI to help set up COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-mindanao-dost-xi-to-help-set-up-covid-19-testing-facility-in-davao-de-oro/",
        "html": "UP Mindanao, DOST XI to help set up COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro UP Mindanao, DOST XI to help set up COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro June 26, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Davao de Oro Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy, UP Mindanao Chancellor Ρrof. Larry Digal, Davao de Oro Chief of HospitalsDr. Ferdinand Soberano, Ρhiliррine Genome Center Mindanao Director Ρrof. Lyre Anni Murao sign the Memorandum of Agreement for a COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro. (Ρhiliрpine Genome Center Mindanao)     The University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao will help set up another COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro Province, signing a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Government and the Department of Science and Technology Region XI last 22 June 2020 at the Provincial Capitol in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro.  UP Mindanao Chancellor Prof. Larry Digal, Davao de Oro Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy, and DOST XI Assistant Regional Director Kenneth Barroga signed on behalf of their government institutions. Philippine Genome Center Mindanao Director Prof. Lyre Anni Murao and Davao de Oro Chief of Hospitals Dr. Ferdinand Anthony Soberano were witnesses to the agreement.  The facility, to be set up in the Provincial Hospital in Montevista Town, will be used to test patients, frontline workers, and other individuals for COVID-19 once accredited by the Department of Health (DOH). The service can also be extended to nearby provinces. The facility can also serve as a surveillance and research center for other infectious diseases.  Chancellor Digal thanked Governor Uy for giving UP Mindanao the opportunity to assist the province against COVID-19. “It is a good opportunity to share the commitment of UP Mindanao and the expertise of Dr. Lyre Murao and her team in the Philippine Genome Center Mindanao and to partner with the DOST, the funding agency of PGC,” he said.  UP Mindanao will provide training in molecular diagnostics and biosafety for personnel who will operate the Davao de Oro facility, as well as help in designing the facility following DOH guidelines, develop a manual of operations, and give technical assistance in the accreditation process. The university will also provide consultancy services for technical issues that may arise during regular operations of the facility and formulate programs for the expanded use of the facility in infectious disease surveillance and research.     Department of Science and Technology XI Assistant Regional Director Kenneth Barroga, Davao de Oro Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy, UP Mindanao Chancellor Ρrof. Larry Digal, Davao de Oro Chief of Hospital Dr. Ferdinand Soberano, and Ρhiliррine Genome Center Mindanao Director Ρrof. Lyre Anni Murao show the Memorandum of Agreement for a COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro. (Ρhiliрpine Genome Center Mindanao)     For this initiative, the DOST XI will provide financial support for the training of personnel for the facility.Assistant Regional Director Barroga described the Davao de Oro leadership as “agile and innovative” in responding to the needs of its people and offered the services of the DOST Regional Health Council in funding projects “not just for COVID-19 but other infectious diseases as well.”  The Provincial Government will design and construct the facility, procure the laboratory supplies and equipment to be used in the facility, apply for DOH accreditation, and serve as the fund manager. It will spearhead the sample collection and storage and take charge of the facility’s maintenance and operation.  Governor Uy said it was timely that UP and DOST came in when President Duterte gave the Bayanihan funds for the province. “It’s one less worry, and hopefully, the COVID-19 facility will be up and running by August,” he said.  UP Mindanao, through the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao, also lent its expertise for a COVID-19 testing facility in Tagum City on 19 May 2020 and provided training for the personnel. UP Mindanao also entered into a strategic partnership with the Southern Philippines Medical Center on 26 May 2020 to train personnel who will operate other COVID-19 testing facilities in Mindanao. The PGC Mindanao is the training arm of the UP-DOH collaboration for COVID-19. (Rene Estremera, Public Relations Officer, University of the Philippines Mindanao) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Self-reliance needed in country’s response to COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/self-reliance-needed-in-countrys-response-to-covid-19/",
        "html": "Self-reliance needed in country’s response to COVID-19 Self-reliance needed in country’s response to COVID-19 June 30, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot of Dr. Charlotte Chiong in “COVID-19 and the Heart”, with replay on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     UP Manila (UPM) College of Medicine (UPCM) Dean Charlotte Chiong said, “We need to be self-reliant in testing, prevention, and treatment.” This was her statement after being asked by PhilHealth Board Director Susan Mercado to comment on the country’s independence in the fight against COVID-19.  Chiong was a guest speaker in the eighth installment of UP’s STOP COVID DEATHS webinar series, “COVID-19 and the Heart,” of which Mercado was a co-host, along with UP Manila National Telehealth Center (NTHC) Director Raymond Sarmiento. The episode was streamed live on June 12, the 122nd anniversary of Philippine Independence.     Screenshot of Dr. Charlotte Chiong in “COVID-19 and the Heart”, with replay on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     Chiong said that the University started developing RT-PCR test kits as soon as the genetic sequence of the virus was made available. The effort was led by Dr. Raul Destura. While the country had to order test kits from abroad and initially had the tests done abroad as well, the locally made kits were undergoing validation in the laboratory as a requirement for in-country use.  The capacity to test for COVID-19 was also strengthened within the University. In UPM alone, there are two accredited testing laboratories: the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Medical Research Laboratory and the UP National Institutes of Health, where the test kits were developed. Chiong added that they are expecting the arrival of two automated RT-PCR machines in July.  As for disease prevention, different research groups in UP are looking into the creation of a vaccine. It is hoped that a center for vaccine research and development would emerge from the initiatives in this pandemic. Chiong admitted that such a project is ambitious. “Can we afford it? Or do we just focus on clinical trials?”  In the treatment of COVID-19, Chiong revealed that while UP-PGH, which was designated as a COVID-19 referral hospital in March, is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity clinical trial, it still validates all information and protocols handed by WHO. Chiong said, “The WHO protocols that we followed hook, line, and sinker turned out to be inapplicable to us, like we don’t need ventilators as much because high flow of oxygen can work.”  In the course of their COVID-19 management experience, some realizations were made, such as that convalescent plasma therapy must be given earlier than usual, and that some prophylactic antibiotics are not effective. “What treatment is applicable to the Filipino? Our reactions to certain medications may be different,” she said.  Innovation was and remains a key factor in dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 management, Chiong emphasized. With the help of the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Engineering (CoE), face shields were being produced for UP-PGH workers. The UPCM Surgical Innovations and Biotechnology Laboratory developed telepresence monitors to help patients connect virtually to their families.  The RxBox, a telemedicine device developed by the NTHC, UPD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, and UPD National Institute of Physics, was repurposed to become telemetry stations for UP-PGH patients. Classrooms were converted to convalescent plasma therapy centers, so that plasma donors are kept away [Ed: outside the hospital building?] from the hospital building. UPCM and UPD CoE have also embarked on the development of SANI-POD, a self-contained cubicle for sanitation of health frontline workers. Four locally made ventilators were also in the process of safety validation.  Research also plays a significant role in improving the management of present and future diseases. Chiong said studies on the effect of virgin coconut oil on COVID-19 patients and on the validity of antibody rapid test kits, for example, are being undertaken, with numerous others awaiting research funding.  “During World War II, UP-PGH was the only University unit operating. We look at [the] COVID-19 [pandemic] as a war. . . . We’re one with the Filipino [people]. When we were called to serve, we said yes.”  Watch “COVID-19 and the Heart” in full here.  The UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is scheduled every Friday from 12nn to 2pm. The webinar on “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID-19”, with Dr. Celso F. Bate, physiatrist of The Medical City and VRP Medical Center, is set for Friday, July 3. Registration slots are limited, so sign up NOW:  bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar11.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPRI launches Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upri-launches-policy-sourcebook-on-covid-19/",
        "html": "UPRI launches Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19 UPRI launches Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19 July 3, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       With the barrage of news, information, and social media posts coming from all sides, it can be a challenge for ordinary Filipinos to stay up-to-date with the national government’s efforts to fight COVID-19. In light of this, the University of the Philippines (UP) has come up with a way to keep track of the government’s latest policies and measures to defeat the viral pandemic in the country.  The UP Resilience Institute’s (UPRI) Research and Creative Work team has developed a policy sourcebook of the government’s policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook consists of two volumes. Volume I covers national issuances while Volume II, which will be released at a later date, will focus on local government policies.  This policy sourcebook is an evolving work that will be updated monthly as part of UPRI’s contribution to the efforts of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team and in pursuit of UP’s mandate as a public service university. It is meant to help and inform the public, students, scholars, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the intersecting fields of public health, disaster risk management, and crisis governance by providing an accessible and comprehensive annotated list of COVID-related policies in one document.  Read and download Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook, Volume 1: National Government (as of 30 June 2020).  For questions or clarifications related to the policy sourcebook, please send an email (upri.rcw@gmail.com) to Dr. Kristoffer B. Berse, Associate Professor and Director for Research and Creative Work, UP Resilience Institute. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Off-label drug therapies in COVID-19 may lead to arrythmias – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/off-label-drug-therapies-in-covid-19-may-lead-to-arrythmias/",
        "html": "Off-label drug therapies in COVID-19 may lead to arrythmias Off-label drug therapies in COVID-19 may lead to arrythmias July 2, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot from the replay of “COVID-19 and the Heart”, available on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The use of antivirals and antimalarials as off-label therapies in the treatment of COVID-19 may result in arrythmias or heartbeat irregularities, according to Dr. Chito Permejo, a UP Manila College of Medicine 2001 graduate who is a cardiology intensivist at the Philippine Heart Center.   In his talk, “COVID-19 and the Heart”, the eighth installment of UP’s STOP COVID DEATHS webinar series streamed on June 12, Permejo said these medications should be used with caution and extreme care in patients with preexisting cardiac issues who have contracted COVID-19. These drug therapies are linked to QTc interval prolongation, which may lead to arrythmias, including life-threatening torsades de pointes.     Screenshot of Dr. Chito Permejo in “COVID-19 and the Heart” from the replay on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The side effect of these drugs, along with COVID-19-related cardiac injury and the cytokine storm resulting from the body’s abnormal immune response, may be fatal and thus necessitates careful management and monitoring by doctors.  It is acknowledged that those with heart conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness if they are infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19. Cardiac involvement figures prominently in the disease.  Based on the studies that Permejo has read, he enumerated the most likely causes of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients: increased cardiac stress due to respiratory failure and hypoxemia or low oxygen levels in the blood; direct myocardial injury; indirect injury from systemic inflammatory response; or, the combination of all three. He revealed that studies have shown acute cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients, preceded by sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.     Screenshot of Permejo’s presentation slide in “COVID-19 and the Heart” showing the likely causes of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients.     For those with co-morbidities in particular, he said the link between COVID-19 and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) provides “a good theoretical mechanism for cardiac dysfunction.” While cellular ACE2 is associated with positive qualities, such as “vasorelaxation, cardioprotection, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-Angiotensin II-induced signaling, and anti-fibrosis”, it is also the binding site of SARS-CoV-2, like SARS-CoV, because of the transmembrane protease serine 2 receptor.  ACE2 is found in the heart, brain, vessels, kidneys, testes, intestines, and lungs. It is expressed abundantly in the last two. Permejo posited, “ACE2 downregulation leads to cardiac dysfunction because they’re being used up by COVID-19.”  In the management of COVID-19 in patients with cardiac issues, he advised weighing drug potential against cardiovascular risk. He also emphasized the importance of regular diagnostics to monitor the patient’s condition and be alerted to a possible cardiac event.  To view Permejo’s “COVID-19 and the Heart” in full, go to this link.  The UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is held in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center. The series is scheduled every Friday from 12nn to 2pm, with the next webinar on July 3 focusing on “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID19”. Dr. Celso F. Bate, physiatrist of The Medical City and VRP Medical Center, will be the guest speaker.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar11.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar to tackle the challenges of staying safe while serving in the line of fire – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-to-tackle-the-challenges-of-staying-safe-while-serving-in-the-line-of-fire/",
        "html": "UP webinar to tackle the challenges of staying safe while serving in the line of fire UP webinar to tackle the challenges of staying safe while serving in the line of fire July 7, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Anesthesiologists, doctors who provide perioperative care to COVID-19 patients, are among medical workers who serve at the frontlines in the battle against the viral pandemic. As such, they face health risks due to their exposure and close proximity to COVID-19-positive patients in enclosed spaces.  How then can these medical frontliners keep themselves safe while taking care of their patients?  This is the topic for the upcoming webinar on “COVID-19 Challenges for Anesthesiologists”, to be held on Friday, July 10, at 12nn. Guest speaker and resource person for this webinar is Dr. Grace Anne Herbosa, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, UP College of Medicine and the Philippine General Hospital. The webinar is the 12th installment in the UP Webinar Series on “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates”, organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center.  Anesthesiologists perform a number of interventions for COVID-19 patients and patients with severe pneumonia, including tracheal intubation, non-invasive ventilation (NIV), high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO), bronchial suctioning, bronchoscopy, and sputum induction. However, these interventions are considered aerosol-generating procedures, and it is well known that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread through droplet and aerosol transmission.  Moreover, in emergency and elective surgical procedures, anesthesiologists often stand near the head of the patient to monitor them for problems in breathing and other vital signs. This puts anesthesiologists near the patient’s upper respiratory tract, directly in the line of fire for viral load transmission.  Given these risks and challenges, what types of innovation in clinical practice are proven to keep anesthesiologists safe? This webinar will examine techniques, methods and strategies of anesthesiologists at the frontline.  Register now for the “COVID-19 Challenges for Anesthesiologists” webinar: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar12. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP BadAss hits a serve for IP communities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-badass-hits-a-serve-for-ip-communities/",
        "html": "UP BadAss hits a serve for IP communities UP BadAss hits a serve for IP communities July 6, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   The UP BadAss and Abra Indigo Manila are selling facemasks created by the Itneg community to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on their community. Photo taken from UP BadAss page.     Even with COVID-19 putting a strain on the country’s healthcare system and economy, experts have found that the world’s indigenous peoples have been disproportionately affected.  The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs recently cited that their relatively poor access to healthcare, higher rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and lack of access to essential services make indigenous communities especially vulnerable to the ravages of a global pandemic.  As part of their mandate of social responsibility, the UP Badminton Association in Diliman (UP BadAss) has organized two projects to assist the indigenous communities, particularly the Itneg, of Namarabar, Peñarrubia, Abra to find a partial solution to these problems.     Some of the designs being sold at the UP BadAss page made by the Itneg community. Visit https://facebook.com/UPBadAss to see more. Photo taken from UP BadAss page.     Recently, the group partnered with slow-fashion brand, Abra Indigo Manila, to help raise funds for the community. The first was a donation drive in May 2020 to raise funds and provide relief packs for 160 families in Namarabar. This drive to cushion the social and economic effects of COVID-19 on the community was also done in partnership with UP Circuit and the UP Economics Society.  More recently, the UP partnership of the UP BadAss and Abra Indigo Manila has been selling facemasks made by the Itneg community via their Facebook page. The face masks are made with neoprene and painted with natural dyes, patterned according to the designs of Itneg embroidery. According to the page, each mask carries a unique symbol embossed by the embroiderer that carries a piece of Itneg history and culture.     Please pay via the following channels. Visit the UP Badass page to learn more. Photo taken from UP BadAss page.     Buying a facemask from the UP BadAss Facebook page is quick and simple. You can do so by commenting ‘mine’ under the picture of the design one is interested in, sending a message containing your contact details to the page, and paying via the four indicated channels (BDO, GCash, Landbank, and BPI).  You may send proof of your transaction to the email: upbadass@gmail.com For more details, and to see all the designs for yourself, please visit the UP BadAss Facebook page.     View a similar story from our partners at UP Diliman: https://upd.edu.ph/up-badass-sells-face-masks-for-ips/.  Visit the Abra Indigo Manila Facebook page at: https://facebook.com/AbraIndigoManila/. "
    },
    {
        "title": "URUGUP para han Jipapad – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/urugup-para-han-jipapad/",
        "html": "URUGUP para han Jipapad URUGUP para han Jipapad June 30, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from the UPVTC OCEP     UP Tacloban turned over to the local government of Jipapad, Eastern Samar 231 sacks of rice (@ 10 kilos), 10 liters of alcohol-based hand rub, and 350 3-D printed face shields on 21 June 2020 for distribution to residents. The donation was delivered with the assistance of Navara Nation Philippines-Eastern Visayas Chapter.     Photo from the UPVTC OCEP     The sacks of rice were purchased from funds donated by UP Tacloban faculty and staff, amounting to 95,400 pesos, including a donation of 50,500 pesos from Batch 83 led by Assoc. Prof. Ladylyn Mangada and Prosecutor Nemitz Negado. The faculty and staff fund drive was held on 20-29 May 2020, as part of the College’s 47th founding anniversary celebration.     Photo from the UPVTC OCEP     The alcohol-based hand rub is courtesy of the UP Tacloban hand rub production team led by Dr. Rolly G. Fuentes. The 3-D printed face shields were produced by the Department of Science and Technology-Metal Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) in partnership with the University of the Philippines Visayas led by Chancellor Ricardo P. Babaran. (Report from Marvie Villones, UPVTC OCEP) "
    },
    {
        "title": "‘Be visible. Be available.’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/be-visible-be-available/",
        "html": "‘Be visible. Be available.’ ‘Be visible. Be available.’ July 6, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Image from the Nursing Program of FMDS, UPOU Facebook page.     Ma. Rita Villanueva-Tamse teaches in the UP Open University (UPOU) Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) program and at the UP Manila College of Nursing, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She is a former chief of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Division of Clinical Nursing Operations and a former deputy director for Nursing at the same hospital. She has almost 40 years of experience in nursing administration.  She was one of three nurses who shared their COVID-19 experiences in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”, an episode of UPOU’s Let’s Talk it Over online lecture series that was streamed live on June 11 on UPOU Networks. It was organized by the MAN program of the UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies.     Screenshot of Ma. Rita Villanueva-Tamse in “Who Takes Care of the Caregivers?”. The replay of the webinar can be viewed here.     So, what do nurses need from their leaders?  That visibility and availability rank high up in that list is what Tamse revealed. They need to show their nurses that they are readily available to listen to concerns and give assistance. Establishing an open line of communication is crucial to letting frontline workers know they are valued and cared for by their institutions. Health care organizations being attuned to their needs, through consultation and participation allows these organizations to create operational strategies during a crisis that strike a balance between providing service and making sure their workers are not overwhelmed.  Tamse explained how, for example, during a pandemic, responding to a disruption in regular health care services entails: looking at the necessary resources; innovative task shifting; restructuring services; making appropriate and rational staff assignments; and, surge planning. Decision-making must be fluid to adapt to a crisis. Knowing the physical, emotional, and mental health needs of their workers, professionally and personally,ensures that health services are delivered in the best way possible.  She said how ironic it is that while 2020 marks the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, this year has also become very challenging for nurses because of COVID-19. Nurses, who already play a critical role in the healthcare system, have seen the magnification and increased gravity of their contribution to the management of a highly infectious new disease. As they tend to COVID-19 patients, they are in a position to orchestrate coordination for interdisciplinary care and are the first to deal with patient safety and mitigation of complications.  Tamse said that it is the responsibility of nursing administrators and institutions  to manage the knowledge and skills gap. She said, “Not all nurses are infectious care nurses.” In a crisis where it is all hands on deck, it is necessary to arm nurses with the proper knowledge and skills to allow them to perform their new tasks better. This requires not only training but “mix-matching” non-infectious care nurses with infectious care nurses who serve as mentors to the former. She emphasized how all health care workers, including utility personnel, should be considered in a well-crafted response to a crisis.  The engagement of hospital employees in successfully managing COVID-19 should be encouraged by the institution through its leaders. Timely and consistent information is shared. Conflicts are managed efficiently. Workers are empowered to innovate and be creative. Support is clearly given with a positive attitude. Milestones should be celebrated and service is given meaningful recognition.  Policy directions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis should “synthesize experience to come up with evidence-based practice”. Tamse added that principles on pandemic response must be harmonized, including human resource management. Protocols must be fine-tuned through research. Relevant agencies must collaborate to draft a pandemic preparedness and response plan that is appropriate and sensitive. All this are needed so as to create a Philippine-specific system of managing pandemics.  Tamse, whose graduate degree focused on mental health and psychiatric nursing, addressed nurses by giving them the following advice: eat well and get enough sleep and rest; acknowledge, verbalize and share feelings of anxiety; and, be positive by using positive language.  On patient care, she said that nurses should provide a calming presence because “the most frightening thing [for patients] in this pandemic is being alone . . . . If we are fearful, our patients are doubly fearful. If we are anxious, they are more seriously anxious.” She added that the tone of voice and choice of words  were key to reassure patients  that they are receiving the best care possible in this situation. By giving accurate information, nurses can also ease uncertainties felt by their patients. And if nurses and the hospitals themselves can find ways to enable their patients to virtually connect with their families, then it will make their patients feel more supported in their fight against COVID-19.  Tamse, talking to nursing administrators this time, underscored the need to prioritize the prevention of burnout in nurses by providing psychosocial support mechanisms on top of physical well-being considerations. Some of the ways by which this can be accomplished include providing opportunities for communication through briefing and debriefing before and after shifts, or during their donning and doffing of personal protective equipment. Mandatory breaks should also be observed. A buddy or mentoring system can be put in place as a support strategy. “[Also], don’t prevent our nurses from expressing how they feel . . . . Encourage hopefulness, learning, flexibility, and adaptability.”  In the workplace, caring for these caregivers ultimately rests upon the nurses themselves, their peers and colleagues, their nursing leaders, and the administrators of their institution. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Prof. Emeritus Pernia talks COVID-19 and the Economy at UPAA Kapihan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-prof-emeritus-pernia-talks-covid-19-and-the-economy-at-upaa-kapihan/",
        "html": "UP Prof. Emeritus Pernia talks COVID-19 and the Economy at UPAA Kapihan UP Prof. Emeritus Pernia talks COVID-19 and the Economy at UPAA Kapihan July 3, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   UP alumni and members of the UP community gather via Zoom for the UPAA Kapihan featuring UP Professor Emeritus and former NEDA Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia (top left corner). Replay of the Kapihan can be viewed here.     An enriching discussion titled “COVID-19 and the Economy” on the intersection of human and economic health took place on June 16, 2020, as former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary and UP School of Economics Emeritus Professor Ernesto M. Pernia was the guest and resource speaker at the UP Alumni Association’s (UPAA) Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP program. [Watch the replay here]     UP Professor Emeritus and former NEDA Secretary Ernesto Pernia speaking during the UPAA Kapihan via Zoom.     The afternoon discussion, held over the online communications platform, Zoom, explored the Philippine government’s priorities in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as policies that promised to balance health preservation and the resuscitation of the economy. True to his promise to “advance propositions to provoke discourse”, Pernia identified key policy suggestions that he said would align with the short- and long-term goals of the country.  Pernia’s talk centered on recommendations from the Anticipatory and Forward Planning (AFP) Technical Working Group of the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Taskforce, chaired by NEDA. He said that such measures were important to renew the people’s trust in both the government and the private sector. Pernia said that while health should always come first, the economy should not be allowed to lag far behind.  The first objective of the AFP Technical Working Group of the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Taskforce, according to Pernia, is to restore the people’s confidence in the health sector, which ideally should culminate in solutions that enhance the sector further to deal with future threats.  He was critical of the national health system’s response over the nearly three-month struggle against COVID-19, citing limitations that persist to the present in comprehensive “testing, tracing, and treating” (T3) measures.  Pernia said that these limitations were, together with the country’s stringent lockdown measures, some of the factors that led to disturbing turns in key economic indicators, such as unemployment, manufacturing, and trade. The second objective, therefore, is to rebuild consumer and business confidence via a robust T3 program, as 87% of the public expressed “fear, worry, and anxiety” over the current situation.  He said that reviving consumer confidence was of paramount importance, as consumption spending amounted to 70% of GDP. Weak consumer spending would keep the economy “in the doldrums”, as businesses and employment would fail to recover.  Lastly, Pernia recommended policies and programs to help adapt to a new economic and social normal. He cited the importance of two bills to future progress on these fronts: the Philippine Economic Stimulus Act (PESA/ARISE, costing P1.3 trillion over 3 years); and, the Philippine Program for Recovery with Equity and Solidarity (PH PROGRESO, estimated at P846 billion).     UPAA President Reynaldo C. Laserna welcomes the Kapihan participants.     The Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP is a public service project of the UPAA that aims to serve as a forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to national development. Find out more by visiting: facebook.com/UPAA.Secretariat. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Plans, Possibilities and Progress: UP academics moving into the “next normal” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/plans-possibilities-and-progress-up-academics-moving-into-thenext-normal/",
        "html": "Plans, Possibilities and Progress: UP academics moving into the “next normal” Plans, Possibilities and Progress: UP academics moving into the “next normal” July 2, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    The University of the Philippines (UP) is coming to terms with the fact that we can no longer go back to the traditional modes of teaching and learning. However, this “next normal”is also opening up new prospects, platforms, and possibilities for teaching and learning, which UP is set to explore within the next two months.  A memorandum released by the UP System Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-68) dated June 19, 2020 states that even before COVID-19, UP was already planning how UP students can continue learning despite class suspensions due to natural hazards, disasters, or social and political eventualities.  “Anticipating many more such suspensions in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, the pre-COVID-19 UP System plan already entailed strategies to: 1) expedite the paradigm shift to lifelong learning; 2) accelerate changes in pedagogies and assessment that include the blending of face-to-face, virtual and experiential course work; and, 3) provide course packs at the start of every semester to facilitate independent learning as a value in itself, but most especially to make up for disruptions in the learning process, among others,” the memorandum stated.  Challenging but exciting  The COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the world merely catalyzed this overdue transformation of higher education in general and UP education in particular. The work during this unprecedented time is challenging but exciting, too, as opportunities open up for higher education institutions, including UP, to experiment with new and creative ways of delivering programs and courses, and to institutionalize innovations that enhance learning. Indeed, the “new reality” has revealed possibilities that were perhaps not as obvious before. Some examples the memorandum mentioned are the following:  • Inviting eminent visiting professors who in the past have hesitated to accept UP’s invitation because they could not afford to be physically away for an extended period of time;  • Inviting experts such as noted literary authors, artists, scientists, researchers, and practitioners to interact with students in virtual class sessions;  • Using uploaded plays, art works, music, TVUP (http://tvup.ph/) panel discussions, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs);  • Offering modular courses in sequence within a semester when feasible;  • Incorporating available virtual reality applications in courses, while ensuring that students without online connections are able to access uploaded works and recorded sessions with experts asynchronously; and,  • Designing common courses collaboratively within a unit or across the UP System, among other possible changes.  For the next two months, UP faculty, administrators, students, and staffwill be working on “new ways of doing”, especially when it comes to: new modes of teaching and learning in the first semester of the new UP academic calendar, AY 2020-2021; preparing the physical and academic infrastructure for remote learning; preparing programs and courses for the possibility of blended learning; and, enhancing and modifying support for students’ academic instruction and well-being.  Modes of teaching and learning  The memorandum stresses that the safety of UP’s constituents is the University’s first priority when it comes to adopting remote learning and/or blending remote and face-to-face learning, if the public health situation allows it.  Because of this, all courses in the first semester will be delivered remotely. Any exemption must be approved by the chancellor of the constituent unit (CU), subject to strict compliance with the guidelines set by the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) and local government units, and in consideration of the situation of students in the class which a unit endorses for exemption. Remote teaching and learning covers both asynchronous or non-real time communication (e.g., email, Facebook Messenger, Viber groups) and synchronous or real-time communication (e.g., lectures, webinars and teleconferences via Zoom or Google Meet) between teachers and learners. To avoid confusing students, the memorandum has instructed CUs to adopt one or at most two uniform Learning Management Systems (e.g., UP’s UVLE and VLE, Canvas, Google Classroom, Edmodo, etc.).  Academic calendar  The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted adjustments to the academic calendars of higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world. UP, for its part, is retaining the semester and midyear system with some adjustments, subject to the final approval of the Board of Regents (BOR).  One adjustment is the shortening of the first and second semesters to 14 weeks and the opening of the first semester on September 10, 2020, subject to student consultation. This shortening of the semesters was approved in principle by the BOR at its meeting on May 21, 2020.  The memorandum notes that the reduction in the number of weeks in the semester will not affect the delivery of content, since lessons will be delivered asynchronously or synchronously, and remote modes of teaching do not limit the time students have to interact with the learning content, the teacher, and their classmates. For students without Internet connectivity, their independent learning will be supported by activity and assignment guides in the course packs, which will be delivered to them in USB flash drives or as printed material.  Physical and academic infrastructure  Physical infrastructure is required to support remote learning.  UP is currently undertaking several initiatives to prepare its infrastructure, including: maintaining its institutional subscription to Zoom for faculty meetings, webinars, workshops, synchronous classes, student group work and interactions; discussing with telecommunication companies the procurement of gadgets, Internet connectivity, support for educational data packs, computer loans and subsidies for financially challenged students and faculty; launching fundraising and resource generation campaigns among UP alumni and private sector donors for computers and laptops for students; and, exploring the use of TV and radio as an alternative to the Internet for areas with poor signals or Internet connectivity.  Initiatives for laying down the academic infrastructure for remote learning include: piloting an in-house developed Library Services Platform and Discovery Service to replace the existing Library System (iLib) that will feature a union catalog of print and electronic resources of all CU libraries and a centralized patron database; subscribing to databases and collections for all CUs; subscribing to Open Athens (remote access platform) for each CU; procuring a Learning Management System (LMS) to supplement the CUs’ LMS if necessary; and, making local and international online educational resources available, among others.  Program and course preparations for remote learning  UP academic units will be reviewing their curricula in light of the move to remote learning this coming academic year, noting the possibility of blended learning in the second semester. The review, which will be concluded by July 10, 2020, will determine the possible sequencing of courses to be offered in the first and second semesters of AY 2020-2021 and the proposed modified midyear.  Some questions to be considered include: Which courses can be entirely delivered remotely and which of these can be offered in the first semester? Which courses should have a face-to-face component and can be delivered in a blended mode? Which courses cannot be delivered either remotely or in blended mode, and what protocol should be set to ensure students’ safety if they have to go to school for these courses? What is the reasonable student load in a remote learning mode? Can the academic unit offer more sections for the course? If not, can the course be offered in a large class with Teaching Assistants (TAs) and Teaching Fellows (TFs)?  Following the review, academic units will then come up with course packs to be distributed to students. The course packs will have the following components: a course guide with detailed syllabus; learning resources such as readings, multimedia resources like video lectures, and other content resources; study and activity guides; and assignment guides.  Student support  In addition to enhancing existing student support programs, the University is instituting two new grants to support the academic instruction of students: Learning Assistance Grants to aid students in need of equipment and subsidy for connectivity service; and Peer Learning Groups and Networks, which are networks of student assistants to support students in remote learning contexts.  Two more programs are designed to ensure the safety, health and dignity of students. One is the Student Wellness System and Networks, which is a network that provides information, referral systems and mental health services to students with additional needs, spanning UP campuses and linking the University with agencies that can support better health outcomes. The other is the Student Helpdesk and Guidance, which is a network of social workers and counselors who can provide academic, emotional, and legal support to students in special circumstances (e.g., domestic violence, working students, legal concerns).  Dialogues with stakeholders  The University held a three-part series of webinar-workshops for faculty members across the UP System on “Taking Stock and Gearing UP for AY 2020-2021” on June 8, June 15, and June 22. Special webinars for faculty on course redesign, design thinking, LMS training and other topics, as well as the retooling of UP administrative staff will be announced separately.  UP also held dialogues with its faculty and students at the CU level from June 29 to July 2. Dialogues with the UP administrative staff, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), and concerned parents of incoming first-year students, will be announced soon.  In sum, the OVPAA memorandum reminds the members of the UP community that, ultimately, all the changes the University is compelled to make within severe time constraints aim to ensure that UP students will continue “to thrive in their learning environment, engage in learning leveraging digital and information technology, learn with appropriate pedagogical practice best suited to their enrolled course, and create through various learning partnerships.” "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP webinar takes on the mental and emotional impact of COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-webinar-takes-on-the-mental-and-emotional-impact-of-covid19/",
        "html": "UP webinar takes on the mental and emotional impact of COVID-19 UP webinar takes on the mental and emotional impact of COVID-19 July 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat not just to people’s physical health, but perhaps more insidiously, to their mental, emotional and psychological health as well, with uncertainty and fear of the unknown causing and exacerbating worry and stress.   For those who are quarantined at home, it is not uncommon to experience restlessness, frustration, anger and desperation for not being able to do what one used to do, or engage in activities that provided meaning and pleasure in the past. On the other hand, patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 face loneliness and loss of hope. Being alone and having limited interaction with hospital staff and loved ones at a time when support is most needed takes faith and the ability to cope by using previous experiences, memories and skills for survival. The same goes for the families and loved ones of COVID-19 patients, whose worry, fear and sense of loss are magnified by the isolation forced upon the patients.   What is the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and well-being? And how can we help one another cope with feelings of anxiety, fear and even anger?  The 14th installment of the UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates”, which is scheduled on July 24, Friday, at 12 n.n., will delve into these issues. Titled “COVID-19, Mental Health and Mindfulness”, the webinar will focus on coping and resilience, particularly the use of mindfulness exercises that can be used by patients, and more importantly by health care workers who are overwhelmed by their circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Anselmo Tronco, chair of the University of the Philippines (UP) Philippine General Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will be the resource speaker.  The UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is organized by UP in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center.   Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar14  You may also watch the replay on TVUP‘s YouTube Channel. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Long road to recovery for survivors of critical COVID-19 cases – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/long-road-to-recovery-for-survivors-of-critical-covid-19-cases/",
        "html": "Long road to recovery for survivors of critical COVID-19 cases Long road to recovery for survivors of critical COVID-19 cases July 14, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot of “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID-19” showing (clockwise from top left) Dr. Celso Bate and co-moderators, Dr. Raymond Sarmiento, director of the UP Manila National Telehealth Center, and Dr. Susan Mercado, member of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Board of Directors     “We want our patients to be able to go back to the lives they had before being critically ill.” This is the end goal of physiatrists in providing rehabilitative care and treatment, as emphasized by Dr. Celso Bate of The Medical City and the Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center, in the eleventh episode of UP’s STOP COVID DEATHS webinar series on July 3.  And that journey back is a long one.  In “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID-19”, Bate clarified that because the disease is new, rehabilitative care and treatment protocols have yet to be established; but most helpful are existing strategies used in patients with prolonged confinement in the intensive care unit (ICU) and/or who are afflicted with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  Critical COVID-19 patients are sedated and immobilized for a long period of time. Their muscles weaken. Their joints get stiff and painful to move. They get pressure injuries. And they even develop the risk of getting deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. They have difficulty swallowing because of intubation. Bate said that in ARDS, patients are usually intubated for three to five days, “but COVID-19 patients are intubated and extubated multiple times and they are intubated for weeks!”  “The things that are happening to COVID-19 patients and the care they require—we’ve never seen these things before: being on a ventilator for so long and so many procedures being done at the same time,” he revealed.  Rehabilitation of critically ill patients should start as soon as possible, even while they are in the ICU. “They grow two to three percent weaker with each day. . . .  This is the price they have to pay to survive but we have to do something to reduce these effects.” According to Bate, all guided by the intensivists looking after the patient, the goal of early mobilization in the ICU serves to increase muscle strength and decrease reliance on mechanical ventilation.  Teaching critical care survivors how to go back to doing things that most people take for granted, like breathing normally, sitting, standing, eating, or even just being able to make simple hand and arm movements, is not as easy as it seems. “We usually give patients a year [to regain functional baselines],” he said, but stressed that patients must also be willing to rehabilitate themselves. “It is difficult, but it is the only way to regain strength.”     Screenshot of Dr. Celso Bate’s slide in “Rehabilitation for Critical Care Survivors of COVID-19”, showing examples of simple exercises that may be done early in the rehabilitation of a critical care patient who is confined to his bed: clockwise from top left, diaphragmatic breathing, lifting of both arms, knee flexion, knee extension, dorsiflexion, and sitting.     Apart from the toll critical illness takes on the body, it also wreaks havoc on the mind. Survivors experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. With COVID-19, the patients are mostly alone in their ICU rooms, which makes the situation more unbearable, although communication technology has been helping alleviate some of confinement’s negative psychosocial effects.  Patients also experience delirium as well as cognition issues. “Imagine you are heavily sedated, you have all these tubes attached to you and you can’t move nor speak. Then people in strange suits come in. You can’t see their faces, they talk funny, and they do all these things to you that you don’t understand. It’s traumatizing.” Bate recalled one patient who thought that having his temperature taken with an infrared thermometer was someone playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette with him and that each time the “gun” did not fire was a big relief because he was still alive.  While not all health care workers are psychology experts, “. . . we should always ask our patients about their concerns and give them explanations,” he said. Sometimes, the patients themselves ask to be referred to psychologists or psychiatrists, if their attending physicians have not already done so.  It takes a village, as the saying goes, and Bate agreed. “All of us in health care need to work together for the patient.”  Being free of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is just the first step toward recovery from COVID-19. And rehabilitation, which must begin in the ICU, continues on until critical care survivors have managed to return, as much as possible, to their functional and healthy selves.  To see Bate’s full presentation, go to this link.  The UP Webinar Series “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” is organized by the University of the Philippines in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center. The 13th installment of the webinar series, which will be held this Friday, July 17 at 12 n.n., will focus on ““Genetic Sequencing Research: Mutation of SARSCov2 (Implications for Clinical Management and Vaccine Development)”, with Dr. Cynthia P. Saloma, Executive Director of the UP Philippine Genome Center and professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP Diliman as resource speaker.  Register here: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar13.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP CoPES helps build psychosocial resilience of self and others – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-copes-helps-build-psychosocial-resilience-of-self-and-others/",
        "html": "UP CoPES helps build psychosocial resilience of self and others UP CoPES helps build psychosocial resilience of self and others July 14, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   The UP CoPES was organized to better coordinate and harmonize the psychosocial aspect of UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd’s volunteer services. Image taken from UP CoPES official Facebook page.     Times of crisis can inflict not only physical and economic, but also psychosocial harm. These psychosocial hazards take a toll on both individuals and families, compromising the safety and productivity of those involved.  To respond to the need to provide members of the University and its partner communities with adequate psychosocial health during periods of crisis, the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd recently launched the Committee on Psychosocial Emergency Services, or UP CoPES. The primary aim of the committee is to promote psychosocial well-being by providing volunteering opportunities to members of the UP community and its partners, especially during emergencies.  The approach the program and its constituent university counterparts take is “strengths-based” and “resilience-based” This approach taps into and recognizes the inner strength and ingenuity of individuals and communities. With respect to the University, the project works to equip students, faculty, staff members, and alumni of UP with the knowledge and skills to offer psychosocial support to themselves, their families, their peers, and communities.  A System of Support  UP CoPES is the system-wide umbrella committee for various psychosocial support programs being implemented by Pahinungod in UP’s constituent universities. It has three working areas: kamalayan (awareness promotion); ugnayan (setting up referral mechanisms, partnerships, support); and, kasanayan (training volunteers who can, in turn, also train others).  With the Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd celebrating its first year of reactivation under UP President Danilo Concepcion, as the official volunteer service program of the UP System, Pahinungòd Constituent Universities can now also collaborate through UP CoPES to coordinate and improve the psychosocial aspect of their volunteer and public service efforts. Through this body, UP’s CUs may combine their strengths to provide swift, robust solutions to emergencies, as well as to share best practices in training and public service.     Team members from the UP Los Baños Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd team who did preliminary assessment work in Taal eruption-affected communities last January. Photo by UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod     Important precursors to UP CoPES were initiatives combining the expertise of different CUs to provide holistic public service in emergency situations.  In the wake of the 2019 Mindanao Earthquakes, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd joined hands with the UP Resilience Institute to form the UP Pahinungòd Mindanao Humanitarian Effort (MHE). UP Mindanao Pahinungòd Director Michael Gatela served as overall coordinator for volunteers; while UPD Department of Psychology Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Ventura headed the Psychosocial Team, Dr. April Mendoza of the UP Manila College of Medicine headed the Medical team, and Dr. Johnrev Guilaran of the UP Visayas College of Arts and Science acted as field focal person.  The team heads joined other volunteers from the above units, as well as UP Cebu, UPV’s Tacloban College, and the UP Philippine General Hospital to conduct psychosocial support to 300 families in 8 barangays. The overall humanitarian effort, as well as UP CoPES as a whole, was organized by UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd System Director Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay.  During the acute stage of the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020, the UP Los Baños Pahinungod team partnered with other units from that CU to conduct rapid assessments of the psychosocial situations of children and families in selected evacuation centers. Projects like the abovementioned inspired the ultimate creation of UP CoPES that makes the Pahinungòd’s psychosocial efforts more sustainable and easily activated in a crisis.  Psychosocial Health Amidst a Pandemic  With the COVID-19 pandemic being the most widespread current threat to psychosocial health, UP CoPES has rolled out several public service efforts that allow volunteers from UP and its partner communities to reach out to those in need.  More recent activities spearheaded by UP CoPES include creating and disseminating information on individuals and centers where people can seek free psychosocial and mental health support, as well as two batches of orientations and Psychological First Aid and Community Resilience Model training for volunteers.     UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd’s psychosocial support program poster. Source: UP Diliman Facebook page     Moreover, UP Diliman CoPES members, Dr. Jowima Ang-Reyes of the College of Social Work and Community Development and Dr. Michelle Ong of the UP College of Social Science’s Psychology Department, champion the delivery of online peer support, which the group hopes can be expanded to serve more locations and communities in the future. The project team was convened by UP Diliman Pahinungòd Director Dr. Joyce Caragay.  Several other CUs have likewise implemented their own tailor-fitted psychosocial health solutions, with Pahinungòd partners like UPV’s Psycho-Social Support, UP Cebu’s Office of Student Affairs, UP Baguio’s Taskforce for Counseling and Psychosocial Support, UP Mindanao’s Mental Health Helpline, UP-PGH’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, and UPLB’s own Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd, all offering their own psychosocial assistance programs for community members and front liners.  The efforts of UP CoPES not only stay true to the Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd’s mandate to provide service to the wider community and promote a spirit of caring volunteerism, but also complement existing mental health efforts by entities like UPD’s University Health Service and UPD PsycServ. Notably, the program’s volunteers can ease the burden on mental health specialists at the present time by providing the first layer of psychosocial support to those in need of assistance. Padagos, Pahinungòd!     We would like to thank Ms. Diana Ruth Arcega, the focal person for UP System Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd, for being the primary resource person for this article.  Learn more about UP CoPES at: https://facebook.com/UPCoPES/.  Learn more about UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungòd and their free psychosocial peer support service at: https://facebook.com/updpahinungod. "
    },
    {
        "title": "#KaagapayUP project to bring hope to financially challenged UP students – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/kaagapayup-project-to-bring-hope-to-financially-challenged-up-students/",
        "html": "#KaagapayUP project to bring hope to financially challenged UP students #KaagapayUP project to bring hope to financially challenged UP students July 23, 2020 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion       The word kaagapay is typically associated with being at one’s side. Its constituents, the affix, ka-, which indicates relation, and its root, agapay, or support, together connote mutual assistance, trust, care, and respect from individuals who desire that others become fully functional persons.  With these qualities in mind, the University of the Philippines (UP) launched the Kaagapay sa Pagaaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan or #KaagapayUP project on July 21, 2020. The project’s primary aim is to help UP’s financially challenged students acquire the resources to engage in the remote and blended learning solutions instituted by the University in response to COVID-19. The launch was broadcast live over Zoom, and through the TVUP Youtube channel.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia (at podium, left) and Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell Capili (at podium, right) at Quezon Hall during the virtual launch of the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     For many students of UP, finding a source and sense of support in these difficult times is a necessity. The pandemic has transformed the landscape of education in the country and the world. UP itself, via a Memorandum from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs dated June 4, 2020, has adopted remote teaching and learning for academic year (AY) 2020-2021, with the possibility of blended remote and face-to-face learning in courses with discipline-specific skills (i.e. laboratory, studio, practicum, etc.), provided public health requirements are met.  Unfortunately, not all of UP’s students can effortlessly adapt to these changes. In her message, UP Vice President Elena E. Pernia estimated that of its roughly 60,000 students, there are around 1,600 financially challenged students who do not have the resources to acquire computers and stable internet access. Furthermore, there are some 4,000 students from households categorized “vulnerable”, whose incomes cannot fully support these needs because of the pandemic.     Screenshot from the official launch of the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan fundraising campaign via Zoom. The replay may be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     The #KaagapayUP program aims to raise funds to provide financially challenged students with their own laptop computers and internet connections that can help them access UP’s remote learning courses starting in AY 2020-2021. These courses will utilize asynchronous communication platforms, such as online message boards and instant messaging applications, as well as synchronous or ‘real-time’ platforms, such as UP’s Learning Management Systems, Zoom, Google Classroom, Edmodo, and others.  As its name suggests, the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral program encourages the global UP community to support its most financially challenged students. The project aims to create a culture of philanthropy on all levels, from the alumni to the student body, and to promote the practice of giving back and paying it forward.  More importantly, the project was created to inspire confidence among UP’s own students with the thought of having someone on their side in times of need. This is poignantly symbolized by the project’s icon, two sunflowers growing side-by-side, representing not only mutual support, but hope.     Screenshot of Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista’s message during the official launch of the Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan fundraising campaign via Zoom. The replay may be viewed on TVUP’s YouTube channel.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Rose Bautista noted that the COVID-19 pandemic expedited UP’s remote and blended learning solutions, which were being developed the past few years to deal with disruptions from calamities or sociopolitical unrest. The #KaagapayUP project, therefore, would aid in the training of all of UP’s students by seeking to level the remote learning playing field for those who might otherwise struggle to adapt to an educational landscape that has changed overnight.  Bautista noted that while “intelligence may be normally distributed, opportunities in this country are not,” which leads to many talented but financially disadvantaged students being admitted into UP. “We cannot allow the highly unequal structure of Philippine society to further disadvantage these students in the time of COVID,” she insisted, an inequality that is even more sharply manifested in the different capabilities of students in access to basic learning materials and devices.  UP is, therefore, tapping into the generosity of its community and the public to help the nation’s future leaders through the #KaagapayUP project to “transcend the socioeconomic divide that constrains the fulfillment of their potential and allow them to thrive, engage, learn, and create even in times of adversity.”     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion delivering his message to the UP Community. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO.     In their messages, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UP Alumni Regent Reynaldo C. Laserna both lauded the aims of the project, while pledging their full support to the fulfillment of its mission.  “Hindi po natin nais na itigil ang pagtuklas ng talino sa pamamagitan ng pag-aaral at pagsasaliksik. At kung may maiiwanan po, gagawa tayo ng paraan upang sila ay ating makasama. Ang maiwanan ang kahit isang iskolar ng bayan ay masakit po para sa atin. Kaya gagawa po tayo ng paraan sa abot ng ating kakayahan upang sila ay ating mai-angkas at mabitbit sa ating pag-usad [We do not want to cut short the discovery of intelligence through learning and research. And if anyone is in danger of being left behind, we will find a way to make sure they are with us. That even one of our iskolar ng bayan would be left behind is painful to me. That is why we will find ways, to the best of our abilities, to ensure that they are with us in our journey toward progress].”  Laserna for his part stated that with the postponement of UP’s Annual Grand Alumni Homecoming, the 2020 Jubilarians together with the UP Alumni Association’s (UPAA) 180 chapters worldwide will instead channel their resources to support the #KaagapayUP project.  The cost of supporting a typical UP student through four years of tertiary education is estimated to be P110,000 per student, with P30,000 being the cost of a laptop computer with suitable specifications, and P80,000 covering the cost of internet connectivity for four (4) years. Donation packages have been created and tailor fitted to support all or part of these amounts per student.     UP Alumni Regent and President of the UP Alumni Association Reynaldo Laserna during his message. Photo by Jun Madrid, UP MPRO     #KaagapayUP is the overall umbrella project for all system-wide efforts to support financially needy students to cope with the challenges of remote learning. Both payment options and UP’s range of donating partners have been expanded to assist as many students as possible. All entities from corporations/private institutions, alumni organizations and individual alumni, socio-civic groups, and current UP faculty, staff, and students can make a difference.        Interested donors may make use of a range of payment portals to facilitate their donations. One may donate directly via cash or check through the UP System’s Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) trust account or to #KaagapayUP accounts handled by the UP Foundation. One may also utilize bank deposits, wire transfers, online bank transfers and remittances, credit/debit cards, and digital payment platforms, such as PayMaya, GCash, PayPal and DragonPay.  For more information on how to donate and what option might be the best for you, please visit kaagapay.up.edu.ph.  For assistance, contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team tracks PH cities’ road to recovery – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-covid-19-pandemic-response-team-tracks-ph-cities-road-to-recovery/",
        "html": "UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team tracks PH cities’ road to recovery UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team tracks PH cities’ road to recovery July 23, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    How are cities in the Philippines faring in the fight against COVID-19? Where are they now on the road to recovery towards the goal of zero cases?     The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team (UP PRT) has launched “CITY vs COVID”, a feature within the endcov.ph dashboard that provides information on how cities are recovering from COVID-19 over time, based on DOH and LGU data.  Users can simply select their city to generate charts showing the latest number of cases, deaths, and recoveries, and information on their locality’s recovery rate, fatality rate, and current phase of community quarantine. Users can also find COVID-19 statistics of past dates by hovering their cursor on the bar aligned to the specific date they’re looking for.     The “CITY vs COVID” chart is color-coded for ease of use. The number of active cases is shown in blue, the number of deceased in turquoise, and the number of recovered in pink. According to the web feature, “to quickly get a sense of how a city is doing, one way is to check out the pink bars. It indicates the number of infected people who have recovered over time relative to the total number of cases. At the end of the day, the goal is simple: to see the graph dominated by recoveries (read: pink bars) as much as possible.”     Some cities, such as San Fernando City, La Union, are working hard to maintain their status of zero cases, while other cities like Cebu City require urgent attention due to the increasing number of transmissions. “CITY vs COVID” is a useful resource for the public to monitor the current situation and for LGUs to make informed decisions as they chart their path to recovery. The goal is for LGUs to see pink.  “CITY vs COVID” is one of the many features and resources of endcov.ph that are available to the public.  The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team remains committed in serving the people and in helping the nation in its fight against COVID-19.     For questions or clarifications related to endcov.ph, please send an email (upri.covid19@up.edu.ph) to the UP PRT. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU shares tutorials for creating video lectures – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-shares-tutorials-for-creating-video-lectures/",
        "html": "UPOU shares tutorials for creating video lectures UPOU shares tutorials for creating video lectures July 28, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo       The shift to remote learning because of COVID-19 brings the possibility of using video materials for teaching. Video lectures by teachers will be an important tool, especially in asynchronous learning, where lessons are discussed without the constraint of having all students together at the same place or at the same time.  Whether one is a teacher or a resource person for a learning material, creating one’s own video lecture may be daunting for some who have not done it before and who worry that they need high-tech recording equipment to do it.  This is why UP Open University (UPOU), through UPOU Networks, has put together three quick video tutorials for those who want to learn how to make better quality recorded lectures using smartphones. These may also help those who have already gone into producing do-it-yourself (DIY) video lectures, but seek to improve them.  “Mobile Video Recording for Video Lectures: Settings, Stabilization, and Framing” discusses: the rule of thirds; how to keep the device steady using household items; and, the best resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate settings, among others.  “Mobile Video Recording for Video Lectures: Lighting and Set Design” teaches proper placement of source light as well as setting up an appropriate background.  “Mobile Video Recording for Video Lectures: Audio Management” talks about ensuring clear audio by soundproofing the recording area and checking the capacity of the smartphone to receive audio.  These videos are open educational resources that are part of the UPOU Networks “Technology for Teaching and Learning” playlist. Visit https://networks.upou.edu.ph/ to explore the various learning materials available. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP offers educational materials to the public – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-offers-educational-materials-to-the-public/",
        "html": "UP offers educational materials to the public UP offers educational materials to the public August 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Photo from the screenshot of UP Diliman’s “109th Pangkalahatang Pagtatapos”.     The University of the Philippines serves as the country’s premier community of scholars, experts, academics and researchers, and a rich reservoir of knowledge, information, cutting-edge research, innovations and technologies. In accordance with its mandate as the country’s national university, tasked with taking the lead in the country’s national development as a teaching, graduate, research and public service university, UP makes it a point to open up its repository of knowledge and expertise to all sectors and members of the general public, and make its resources available to all who seek to learn, to do research and to sincerely serve the country and its people.  And in this extraordinarily challenging time, as the world faces down the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented socioeconomic hardships that go with it, as individual lives, communities and societies are shaken to the core by the resulting upheavals, UP as a higher education institution and as a community is even more cognizant of its role in educating our people, in letting science lead the way out of this public health crisis, and in informing policy- and decision-making at all levels with the best knowledge and expertise we can offer.  Here are only a few of the resources UP is offering to members of its community since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis this year. These include resources that are directly related to concerns regarding the COVID-19, such as symptoms, diagnoses and data on case numbers, as well as resources to help individuals and communities cope with the changes brought on by the pandemic. Almost all of these can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection.     UP Mindanao’s COVID-19 Insights. COVID-19 Outbreak and Case Information  Endcov.ph  The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team hosts and maintains endcov.ph, a web portal that provides the public with vital information and tools in the fight against COVID-19. The UP PRT has contributed new resources to the dashboard including features that show Case Projections, the State of Transmissions in NCR based on LGU data, Municipal/City Density Map based on current active cases, and a Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19.  UP Mindanao’s COVID-19 Insights  The UP Mindanao COVID-19 Modeling Team created and maintains COVID-19 Insights, a web-based platform that tracks COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region for the information of local government officials, policymakers, researchers, health professionals, and members of the public. The dashboard features a map showing locations, charts, and numbers of COVID-19 cases, and also the total patient recoveries and deaths. The portal also features text analytics and spatial modelling pertinent to Region XI in Mindanao.  UP Cebu’s CoVcheck  The FireCheck Project team of UP Cebu has developed CoVcheck, a web-based application that allows the local government to collect data from its constituents about cases or potential cases of infection. By doing so, the concerned agencies as soon as necessary. On top of that, with the collected data, the local government can plan and execute localized, ad hoc measures to control or contain transmission or support the affected communities.     Physical and Psychosocial Health  Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center Hotline Number 155-200  Manned by 60-70 student volunteers, the UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center is equipped with Hotline Number 155-200 that aims to answer queries related to COVID-19 from both members of the UP Community and the general public.  UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Committee on Psychosocial Emergency Services (UP CoPES)  The UP CoPES was launched to promote psychosocial well-being by providing volunteering opportunities to members of the UP community and its partners, especially during emergencies. With respect to the University, the project works to equip students, faculty, staff members, and alumni of UP with the knowledge and skills to offer psychosocial support to themselves, their families, their peers, and communities.  UP Diliman Health Service uphs.appointlet.com   The UP Diliman Health Service (UPHS) is providing telemedicine outpatient consultations to all UP-mandated clientele and residents. A new service aims to offer consultations in the following specializations: ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, ear, nose and throat, surgery and dermatology. Appointments may be made with any of the UPHS family physicians via uphs.appointlet.com. If online services are not available, appointments may be made by calling 8981-8500 local 2702. All telemedicine consultations are by appointment basis only. Physicians will be corresponding with patients through voice call, Viber, or Google Meet platforms once an appointment schedule has been set and confirmed. For other inquiries, please contact local 2702 or email uhs.updiliman@up.edu.ph.  UP Diliman Psychosocial Services (UPD PsycServ)  The UP Diliman Psychosocial Services addresses urgent and pressing mental health and psychosocial wellbeing needs of the UPD community. UPD PsycServ provides the following services: Individual Therapy Sessions, Relapse Prevention Group Therapy Sessions, Suicide Prevention and Postvention Programs, Training Workshops, and Personal Wellbeing Workshops. When Luzon was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine, UPD PsycServ expanded its services to accommodate Filipinos who have been affected and/or disturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  UPLB Office of Counseling and Guidance “OCG Cares’ Kumustahan”  To help UPLB students with their psychosocial needs despite the ECQ, the Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG) of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) implemented an online means of consultation through its program “OCG Cares’ Kumustahan.” Through this program, students may get psychosocial support from a Guidance Services Specialist (GSS). The program is available for UPLB students from Mondays to Saturdays.  UP Visayas Disaster Command Center Psychosocial Cluster  The UP Visayas Disaster Command Center Psychosocial Cluster can be reached via email at upv.psychosocial.sup@gmail.com, or through the following mobile numbers: (Globe) 0926 746 5671, 0917 486 1042; (Smart) 0999 223 6498, 0908 131 4461, 0998 982 7383; and (Sun) 0922 869 1097.     UP College of Education’s Resources for Remote Learning. University Library Services and Other Educational Resources  UP Los Baños University Library universitylibrary.uplb@up.edu.ph   The UPLB University Library (UL) has intensified its online services by building its e-resources collection and putting in place online mechanisms. Through its website, one could chat with ELVA, or the Electronic Library Virtual Assistant, for inquiries and assistance. In performing basic and initial research, one may opt to do this through the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) that uses typical search engine-like functionality as it crawls to various databases. UL also extends its services to faculty members working to digitize course readings, and continues to offer its regular Information Literacy Program (ILP) and Library Instruction Services (LIS) on specific courses, which are provided online on a scheduled and per appointment basis.  UP Manila University Library Free Resources on COVID-19  The UP Manila Library has a dedicated page that lists the free resources on COVID-19, including national and international portals and databases, academic, medical and scientific journals, and resources from UP itself such as the COVID-19 Dictionary for Children. The site is updated regularly.  The UP Diliman Main Library’s Electronic Resources  The UP Diliman Main Library continues to provide university library services online. Its iLib Online catalog allows people to search for books, eBooks, and theses. EZproxy gives access to online databases and eBooks. The Index to Philippine Newspapers is a resource for local newspaper articles, while the Index to Philippine Periodicals allows for searches for local magazine and journal articles. The Digital Archives provides access to UP publications and electronic theses. Finally, the Open Access Repository gives access to local digital resources such as rare periodicals. The UPD Library also provides webinars on information literacy in the new normal for UP faculty in its “Rediscovering Your Library in the New Normal Information Literacy Webinar” series.  UP Diliman College of Education Resources for Remote Learning  The UP Diliman College of Education is curating and making available resources for remote learning to assist educators shifting from traditional classroom instruction to blended learning. These online resources comprise materials from: leading institutions of higher learning such as the University of Denver, University of Zurich, Ryerson University, and University of Limpopo, among others; international institutions such as UNICEF, Smithsonian, World Bank and UNESCO; and local resources produced by C&E Publishing Inc., the Department of Education, UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Unilab Foundation (Covid Comics), UP Los Baños Department of Human and Family Development Studies and materials produced by the College itself.  The official YouTube channels of the various UP constituent units also offer free educational videos featuring talks, conferences and interviews of faculty and experts.  • UP Baguio Systems and Network Office  • University of the Philippines Mindanao  • UPLB Official  • University of the Philippines Diliman  • UP Manila Channel  • UP Visayas Information and Publication Office  In addition to these resources, two UP institutions, the UP Open University (UPOU) and TVUP, are noteworthy in their initiative and drive to offer UP’s knowledge resources and expertise to both the members of the UP Community and the general public for free.     The UP Open University’s resources on remote learning, teaching and working. The UP Open University  The UPOU, which pioneered remote, distance and online learning in higher education in the country, has taken the lead in training, educating and guiding various sectors of society through the “new normal” as the COVID-19 pandemic forces almost every aspect of daily life, including education, to go online. The UPOU serves as a venue for teachers and educators to share best practices and research findings, and for students to gain supplementary knowledge in needed subjects, and for parents to receive guidance in helping their children adjust to open and remote teaching and learning.  Its resources on remote learning, teaching and working are available for free to the public on its website. These resources include free online courses and educational videos aimed to assist UP faculty, staff and the entire Philippine academic community in shifting/migrating to an online mode of teaching and learning to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the UPOU Networks serves as an online repository of all UPOU-produced multimedia resources, including open educational resources (OERs), publications, web-streamed lectures/presentations/seminars/university events, radio, and podcasts.  The UPOU MODeL is the official platform of the UPOU massive open online courses (MOOCs), which provides learners with a secure and integrated system to create personalized learning through MOOCs, which are online courses open to the public for free. MOOCs target a number of learners all over the world to share and learn from other learners. The UPOU also offers a free online course on “Quick Guide on How to Convert your Classes Online.”  The Open UP Connect Blog, on the other hand, is the official blog site of UPOU. More video lectures on various subject matters are also available for free on the UPOU YouTube channel, which at present has racked up a total of over 438,000 views since 2013, with its educational videos garnering up to tens of thousands of views.  For a more in-depth list of UPOU’s educational offerings and resources, please see attached PDF list.     The TVUP website. TVUP  TVUP, UP’s Internet television network, on the other hand, continues to deliver free content for information and educational purposes. TVUP participates in generating open educational resources (OERs) to be made public by producing its own materials and collecting other content from existing sources, and sharing all these freely with all state universities and colleges, private and public higher training institutions, other training institutions, and the general public.  TVUP is a testament to the University of the Philippines’ character as the national university—a teaching, research, public service, and global/regional university—shared freely with all state universities and colleges, private and public higher training institutions, other training institutions, and the general public.  Just some of TVUP’s programming include weekly and daily educational videos on Filipino cultural heritage; documentaries; financial matters and social entrepreneurship; talks on gender, health and human rights issues; short films; latest news on scientific innovations, disaster risk reduction and management, and other environmental issues; and many more. In fact, the TVUP YouTube channel has had over 600,000 views since 2016 with its most popular educational videos garnering tens of thousands of views.  Access TVUP here: Website: http://www.TVUP.ph/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/TVUPph Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TVUP.ph Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TVUPph "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPLB graduates ready to take on the challenge of a post-COVID world – Regent Laurel – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/uplb-graduates-ready-to-take-on-the-challenge-of-a-post-covid-world-regent-laurel/",
        "html": "UPLB graduates ready to take on the challenge of a post-COVID world – Regent Laurel UPLB graduates ready to take on the challenge of a post-COVID world – Regent Laurel September 8, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     “The year 2020 is the year that will forever be remembered as the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a daunting challenge to say the least. This is where the UP education comes into play.”  So spoke UP Regent and UP Los Baños (UPLB) alumnus Francis C. Laurel, entrepreneur and member of the third generation of the esteemed Laurel clan, in his address to the UP Los Baños Class of 2020 who marched, figuratively, in UPLB’s first-ever virtual commencement exercises. The 48th UPLB Commencement Exercises was held online on August 15, livestreamed via the UPLB YouTube channel.     UP Regent Francis Laurel sharing his pointers for success with the new UPLB graduates. Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     Regent Laurel went on to give the graduates five pointers on how they can succeed out in the real world. The first is to stay positive all the time, to remain optimistic and focused, to capture the moment, and to be committed. The second is to think out of the box. “This pandemic has brought a myriad of opportunities never thought of before. As UP graduates, you are best prepared to undertake this challenge,” said Regent Laurel, stressing that for UP graduates to succeed, they will need the “extra edge” of innovation and creativity.  The third is to always uphold integrity and honesty, to not lose sight of the forest for the trees, and “in whatever you do, to plan well and execute well”. Regent Laurel’s fourth tip is to work extremely hard, as the only way the new graduates can repay the sacrifices their parents made to help them finish a UP education is to have a successful career. Finally, “embrace the challenges and crises of your life”, tempering optimism with courage at all times.  “Graduating from the UPLB is a milestone,” Regent Laurel finished. “Be proud of it. And as you move on, always remember your roots. Bear in mind you are a part of the great tradition called the Los Baños spirit. It is as old as UP. It is a spirit truly unique to our beloved UPLB.”     The members of UPLB Class of 2020 shift their sablay and swear their loyalty to their Alma Mater as new UP alumni. Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     The UPLB became the third UP constituent unit to hold its first ever virtual commencement exercises, during which the UPLB Class of 2020 officially became alumni of the University and the first batch to graduate in the time of pandemic. Of the 1,630 members of UPLB Class of 2020, nine graduated magna cum laude and 72 graduated cum laude.     Class valedictorian Shantel Anne Nicole E. Chavez addressing her fellow graduates. Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     Shantel Anne Nicole E. Chavez, BS Agricultural Economics, magna cum laude, was this year’s class valedictorian. In her message to her fellow UP graduates, she exhorted her fellow graduates to remember that “each of us has a story worth sharing” and to “let your stories be heard and to spark hope in our nation during these trying times. Let your stories inspire other UP students who are still fighting for their eventual graduation. Let your stories help in building a dream of a 10-year-old elementary student in your community. Let your stories encourage incoming and current college students to broaden the purpose of their professional dreams from just earning a decent income for their families to also serving our nation.”     UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez presenting the graduates. Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez congratulated the new graduates for finishing their studies while facing the unprecedented challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought. He also addressed their worries about the future, especially as the world grapples with the largest health crisis of modern times.  “These times demand more from you, from all of us. In this pandemic, the work to find sustainable solutions for climate change, enviornmental management, the development of affordable and clean energy, food and nutrition security and safety, and promoting inclusive and just social policies does not and should never stop,” Chancellor Sanchez urged the graduates. “These are fields that you can take part in and contribute to. The crisis will require greater creativity, greater courage, flexibility and resilience. But have faith that the knowledge, dedication and strength of will that you have honed these past years as UPLB student, will serve you well.”     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion addressing the UPLB Class of 2020. Screenshot from the replay on UPLB’s YouTube channel.     On his part, UP President Danilo L. Concepcion also emphasized that while the graduates venture forth into a world of unprecedented crisis, it is also a world of unprecedented opportunity to find new ways to serve the people.  “Ating tandaan ang panahon ng krisis ay hindi lamang isang masamang panaginip. Ito rin ay isang mabuting pagkakataon upang tayo ay lalong magpunyagi, magpakahusay, at makapaglingkod sa bayan. Isa-buhay natin ang diwa ng UP: ang pagkakaisa, ang paglilingkod ng buong husay at dangal. Patunayan natin na walang hangganan ang pag-aambag ng ating unibersidad at ng kanyang mga alumni sa paghahanap at paglalapat ng mag epektibong alternatibong at solusyon sa anuma ng suliranin [Let us remember that the time of crisis is not just a bad dream, but a good opportunity for us to further commit to honor, excellence and service to the country. Let us live up to the spirit of UP: the unity, the honor and excellence in service. Let us show that there are no limits to what our University and its alumni can offer in terms of generating effective alternatives and solutions to any problem],” UP President Concepcion said. "
    },
    {
        "title": "COVID infection and inflammation highlighted in UP’s next online medical grand rounds this Friday – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-infection-and-inflammation-highlighted-in-ups-next-online-medical-grand-rounds-this-friday/",
        "html": "COVID infection and inflammation highlighted in UP’s next online medical grand rounds this Friday COVID infection and inflammation highlighted in UP’s next online medical grand rounds this Friday August 12, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Following the success of the last two online medical grand rounds, the University of the Philippines (UP), in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, will focus on a new COVID-positive patient’s case in the upcoming 17th installation in the “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” webinar series.  Grand rounds are a tradition in medical education and inpatient care, wherein doctors, residents and medical students gather to discuss medical problems, research findings and the treatment of a particular patient.  In the webinar set for August 14, Friday, at 12:00nn, Dr. Ralph Elvi Villalobos, a consultant at the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UP College of Medicine (UPCM) and the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), will present the case of a patient whose COVID-19 infection has led to swelling in the leg.  Infection and inflammation are both processes that come into play in COVID-19. Most patients will battle the infection over two weeks and only have a mild case of the disease. In some patients, however, inflammation may be severe, leading to cytokine storms and organ failure that are difficult to manage.  Inflammation may injure the endothelial lining of blood vessels. It is associated with the blockage of blood vessels caused by emboli that can result in venous and arterial thrombosis or blood clots in the blood vessels, pulmonary embolism (PE) or blood clots in the lungs, and even strokes. Blood clots can be a serious feature of COVID-19 and medical teams should be prepared for cases with higher risks, such as a history of hypertension, obesity, or cancer in an elderly patient.  This Friday’s online grand rounds on “COVID-19 Patient Develops Swollen Leg” will review the case of a senior patient with a previous history of hypertension and cancer who develops severe COVID and thromboembolism in the right iliac vein of the leg and extensive pulmonary embolism.Dr. Jubert Benedicto, Associate Professor of the UP College of Medicine and Head of the PGH CCU-Management Action Team, will be the discussant. Dr. Shelley Ann F. De la Vega, Director of the Institute of Aging, UP Manila National Institutes of Health, will be the reactor.  The UP webinar series “STOP COVID DEATHS: VIRTUAL GRAND ROUNDS” is organized in cooperation with the UP CM and the UP PGH. The webinar series is scheduled every Friday from 12:00 n.n. to 2:00 p.m.  Register now at: bit.ly/StopCOVIDDeathsWebinar17. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPOU-Kaagapay+ launched – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upou-kaagapay-launched/",
        "html": "UPOU-Kaagapay+ launched UPOU-Kaagapay+ launched September 10, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Screenshot of the UPOU website.     In consonance with the UP System’s Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan Fundraising and Resource Generation Campaign (Kaagapay UP), UP Open University (UPOU) launched its own UPOU-Kaagapay+ program on September 1.  Kaagapay UP seeks to provide more than 5,600 students with their remote learning needs, such as computers or laptops and internet connectivity. Of these students, around 1,600 have no financial capacity at all to acquire these technologies, and more than 4,000 are no longer able to sustain their resources because the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced their household income. The University has estimated the cost of this initiative at P80 million.  While UPOU leads in open and distance e-learning and its classes are fully online, not all of its students are equipped with the necessary technologies to continue their education at home. Some rely on internet shops, family members, or friends for computers and connectivity. Others need to physically find locations with strong and stable internet connections.  And because UPOU students are not in a traditional university setup like their peers from other UP constituent universities, they have different and unique issues. This is why UPOU-Kaagapay+ was conceived.  It builds upon Kaagapay UP’s efforts to include: student loans; income generating projects; academic support via online tutorial courses and bridge courses; technological support using apps that assist in study skills, note-taking, organizational skills, etc.; psychosocial support through counseling, access to free online support resources, helpdesk, referral system, among others; and, peer support and virtual interactions through spaces like virtual hangouts.  UPOU-Kaagapay+ details may be requested through inquiries@upou.edu.ph.  For those who wish to provide financial support directly to UPOU students through UPOU-Kaagapay+, donations may be deposited to the UP Open University Foundation, Inc.’s account at the Bank of the Philippine Islands (Los Baños, Laguna branch) with account number 0911-0656-14. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Surviving the Lockdown and Beyond – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/surviving-the-lockdown-and-beyond/",
        "html": "Surviving the Lockdown and Beyond Surviving the Lockdown and Beyond April 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Discussion Paper 2020-04: “Surviving the Lockdown and Beyond” Toby C. Monsod, Orville Jose C. Solon, Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista, Emmanuel S. de Dios, Joseph J. Capuno, Ma. Joy V. Abrenica, Agustin L. Arcenas, Ma. Christina Epetia, Laarni C. Escresa, Karl Jandoc, Aleli D. Kraft, Cielo Magno, Renato E. Reside Jr.     Download full text here.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Briefer on How an Epidemic Happens and What is an Epidemic Wave – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/briefer-on-how-an-epidemic-happens-and-what-is-an-epidemic-wave/",
        "html": "Briefer on How an Epidemic Happens and What is an Epidemic Wave Briefer on How an Epidemic Happens and What is an Epidemic Wave May 22, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Briefer on How an Epidemic Happens and What is an Epidemic Wave  Mary Grace Dacuma, Ph.D.* University of the Philippines, Los Baños        The COVID-19 epidemic in the Philippines has most likely started with an imported case from an infected person or persons who entered the Philippines. This infected person or persons with the virus is/are the index case(s) that spread the virus to others locally. The index case(s), especially those that did not cause local transmission, does not form part of the epidemic wave.  When the virus is transmitted locally to other people, there is an incubation period. For COVID-19, the incubation period (meaning the virus infecting the new host but without any symptoms/clinical signs yet) can be on average 5.2 days up to 14 days. That is why you see a flat line after the introduction of the index case (see Figure).        After the incubation period, newly infected hosts develop symptoms and clinical signs – that is why they seek medical attention. In addition, because of the threat of the pandemic, our country increased its vigilance and capacity to screen more people. Hence, you can see the rapid spread and increase of cases (see Figure). The ease of movement of people by plane, land transportation, or boat made it very easy to spread the virus across the Philippines. Hence, we have an epidemic (meaning it has spread all over to many provinces and infecting thousands of people).  We will know that we have reached the peak of the curve when the net increase in the number of active cases is starting to decline (because of lockdowns, country-wide vigilance, etc.). Eventually, there will be reduction in number of cases (where the number of infected people recovering will be higher than those becoming infected). Then there will be a point where there are no more cases. That’s when we know the epidemic has stopped.  That curve from the rapid rise of local cases to reaching the peak to reduction in number of cases to the extinction of an epidemic is one epidemic wave. I did not include the index cases that started the epidemic in the “wave”. They acquired infection elsewhere out of the country.           Note: The term epidemic instead of Pandemic was used because the COVID-19 infection is spreading locally. It is a pandemic because it is now in 213 countries and territories infecting millions of people. This is just a simplified curve or wave for an epidemic. It can be more complex when we plot actual data.  *The author is a member of the UP Covid 19 Pandemic Response Team and the UPLB Kontra Covid19. She is a Molecular Epidemiologist and Ph.D. graduate from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  Paliwanag Kung Paano Nagaganap ang Isang Epidemya at Ano ang Ibig Sabihin ng Epidemic Wave  Mary Grace Dacuma, Ph.D. University of the Philippines, Los Baños (salin sa Filipino ng orihinal na Ingles)        Ipinagpapalagay na nagsimula ang epidemyang COVID-19 sa Pilipinas nang magkaroon ng imported na kaso mula sa isang tao o mga taong may impeksiyon na pumasok sa Pilipinas. Ang tao o mga taong may virus na ito ay ang pinakaunang natukoy na kaso ng nakahahawang sakit (index case) na nagkalat ng virus sa iba dito sa bansa. Hindi kabilang ang (mga) index case, lalo na yaong hindi naman naging dahilan ng lokal na transmisyon, sa bugso ng epidemya (epidemic wave).  Kapag nagkaroon ng lokal na transmisyon ng virus sa ibang tao, may panahon ng ingkubasyon (ibig sabihin nito na nahawa na ng virus ang isang tao ngunit wala pang anumang sintomas o klinikal na mga senyales) na karaniwang 5.2 araw hanggang 14 na araw lumalabas. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit may patag na linya pagkaraang magkaroon ng index case (tingnan ang Pigura).        Pagkaraan ng panahon ng ingkubasyon, unti-untinang nagkakaroon ng sintomas at klinikal na mga senyales ang mga taong nahawahan–kaya sila humingi ng atensiyong medikal. Dagdag dito, dahil sa banta ng pandemya, mas pinaigting ng bansa ang pag-iingat at dinagdagan ang kapasidad sa screening ng mas maraming tao. Kaya, makikita ninyo ang mabilis na paglaganap at pagdami ng mga kaso (tingnan ang Pigura). Ang kaluwagan sa pagbiyahe sa eroplano, mga transportasyong panlupa, o sa bangka at barko ang higit na nagpabilis sa paglaganap ng virus sa Pilipinas. Kaya, nagkaroon tayo ng epidemya (ibig sabihin, kumalat na ito pati sa maraming probinsiya at nakapanghawa ng libo-libong mga tao.)  Malalaman natin kung narating na natin ang pinakarurok ng kurba kapag ang kabuoang pagtaas ng bilang ng aktibong kaso ay nagsisimula nang bumaba (dahil sa mga lockdown, pinaigting na pag-iingat sa buong bansa, at iba pa). Sa huli, magkakaroon ng pagbaba sa bilang ng mga kaso (mangyayari ito kapag mas marami ang bilang ng gumagaling kaysa mga nahahawahan). At pagkaraan ay may puntong wala nang maitatalang anumang kaso. Doon natin malalaman na napigil na ang epidemya.  Yaong kurba mula sa mabilis na pagtaas ng bilang ng lokal na mga kaso hanggang marating ang pinakarurok hanggang sa pagbawas ng bilang ng mga kaso hanggang sa lubusang pagkasugpong isang epidemya ay ang tinutukoy na isang bugso ng epidemya (epidemic wave). Hindi ko isinama ang mga index case na nagsimula ng epidemya sa “bugso.” Nakuha nila ang impeksiyon sa ibang lugar sa labas ng bansa.           Tala: Ginamit ang terminong epidemya sa halip na pandemya sa dahilang ang impeksiyong COVID-19 ay kumalat nang lokal sa bansa. Pandemya ito ngayon sa 213 mga bansa at mga teritoryo at nanghawa ng milyong-milyong tao. Pinasimpleng kurba o bugso lamang ito ng isang epidemya. Maaaring magkaroon ng higit na kabuoan kapag ginamit natin ang aktuwal na datos.  Ang awtor ay kasapi ng UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team at ng UPLB Kontra Covid19. Isa siyang Molecular Epidemologist at nagtapos ng PhD mula sa London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Post-ECQ Job Risks: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/post-ecq-job-risks-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Post-ECQ Job Risks: Analysis and Recommendations Post-ECQ Job Risks: Analysis and Recommendations May 22, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    Problem Situation  On 12 May 2020, the IATF announced the relaxing of community quarantine protocols as we transition from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to Modified ECQ (MECQ), General Community Quarantine (GCQ), and Modified GCQ (MGCQ) starting on 16 May. Under the new schemes, the list of economic activities to be allowed are expanded at varying levels of capacity and subject to minimum health standards.  To inform the phasing-in of different sectors and jobs, we present here findings from our risk assessment of various job types.[1] Our analysis showed that:  • As economic activities are opened up, proper phasing in of different sectors and jobs should consider both economic contributions and the health risks involved, with health as the top priority. Understanding disease-related risks associated with different jobs and sectors can help guide management of the COVID-19 pandemic.  • About half of Philippine jobs are categorized as high contributors to the economy for the next 18 months but are high-risk spreaders.  • Half of the jobs are exposed to moderate risk to disease, while 38% are at high risk.  • Manageable interventions like increasing PPE and hygiene practices and/or effectivity, and switching to work from home arrangements can lessen jobs at moderate to high risk by at least 21%.  We also propose simple decision support tools that can be used as guides for the reopening of workplaces.     Potential COVID-19 Spreaders by Job Type  The previous ECQ practically suspended on-site work for all job types, except for our so-called healthcare- and non-healthcare frontliners. This has serious economic implications especially since 816 out of 987 job types (82%) in the Philippines have high importance to sustain the economy in the next 18 months (Figure 1)[2]. Our main challenge then is that the majority of these jobs (65%) have high potential to spread the COVID-19 disease as they require close or regular interaction with people. This includes health workers (Category E) who make up 13.8% of jobs.  Aside from those in the healthcare industry, most of the jobs that are both highly important and high-risk spreaders at the same time (Category D) are in the food, agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors. These sectors are highly interdependent with others, and effects on one sector can have long-lasting effects on another. Outside of healthcare workers, we need to carefully reconsider the costs and benefits of reactivating activities related to this group, and ensure that strict public health measures are followed.  We also need to look into the case of jobs that are relatively not as critical in sustaining the economy for the next 18 months but are high risk disease spreaders. These comprise 16.4% of jobs (Category C), mostly in the education and recreation sectors. These jobs are relatively less interdependent on others. For this sector, a clear intervention would be to explore other modes of job delivery to minimize social interaction, without necessarily completely discontinuing operations, such as through continued work from home and other alternative working arrangements. This way, the potential for spreading the disease through these jobs becomes low.  About one-fifth of jobs (17.7%) are of great importance to sustaining the economy for the next 18 months and are low risk disease spreaders (Category B). Most of these are in the financial, banking and BPO companies. These also are highly interdependent and have long-lasting effects on other sectors. Only less than one percent (0.9%) of jobs are considered part of Category A which contribute less to sustaining the economy for the next 18 months and are low risk disease spreaders. Minimum public health measures should be observed in these two groups (Categories A and B).        COVID-19 Risk to Various Workers  To understand the potential impact of reopening certain economic activities, we analyzed the potential risk of becoming sick and spreading the disease through various jobs in particular sectors and occupations. The risk scores were calculated using their potential exposure to the disease and physical proximity to others. The level of exposure to disease of the different job sectors were based on the number of people they encounter and how long they work, while physical proximity is estimated based on how crowded their workplace is. The risk score also takes into account workers’ protection level, such as use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene practices.[3]  Assuming a 30% level of workplace protection, our analysis revealed that half of the jobs are exposed to moderate risk to disease, while 38% are at high risk. Aside from health and social workers, high risk industries include workers involved in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; education; accommodation and food service activities; transportation and storage; arts, entertainment and recreation; and other service activities.  Not surprisingly, by occupational group, high risk was found among service and sales workers, professionals, but mostly due to health care professionals, and technicians and associate professionals. Breaking these down into sub-major groups, the ones most at risk include the armed forces, personal care workers, and protective services workers.     Job Risk by Income Level  Our analysis further showed that there is no correlation between average monthly salary and risk level. Majority of the jobs have average monthly incomes of around 20,000 to 60,000 pesos, with varying risk scores ranging from low (0.08) to high (4.55). A few high-salary jobs (more than 80,000 pesos) were estimated to have low or moderate risk scores. These include high-ranking army officers, judges, chief executives, and managers (Figure 2).  In any case, while the level of risk is not particularly related to the level of job salary, COVID-19 may have disproportionate impacts as those in the lower income bracket would have a much harder time to cover hospitalization expenses or recover lost income due to suspension of work. We also note that the data we have for the analysis do not account for jobs in the informal sector.     Job Risk by Regions  The impact of the pandemic varies across regions, with  the National Capital Region, CALABARZON and Central Visayas the hardest hit in terms of incidence and prevalence of the disease. Cognizant of this, the IATF released risk-based guidelines in deciding whether regions, provinces or highly urbanized cities should be under ECQ, MECQ, GCQ or MGCQ.[4]  To shed light on which sectors can be activated while minimizing risk at the same time, we conducted Binary Integer Goal Programming at the regional level. Our model showed that for regions to produce at least 60% of the Gross Regional Domestic Product, 22.7 million workers can go to work with the average computed risk score of 0.58 +/- 0.77. These workers belong to several sectors, namely, agriculture, hunting and forestry; fishing and aquaculture; manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities; public administration and defense; compulsory social security; and human health and social work activities. Additionally, for this to happen, the Education and Other Services sectors may not need to resume activity under GCQ in all regions.     Effect of Interventions on Job Risks  Protection level plays a key role in the risk level. Decreasing the protection level increases the risk of each job for each industrial sector, occupational group, and UPSE classification. Without any protection, almost two-thirds (63%) of UPSE Category D jobs and one-third (33%) of UPSE Category B jobs will be at high risk of getting infected. Under increased protection level (45%), which assumes perfect use of face masks and strict hand hygiene, 74 out of 505 (15%) UPSE Category D and 11 out of 175 (6%) UPSE Category B jobs are at high risk.  Job risks due to disease spread can be managed through various measures like the use of PPEs, hygienic practices and work from home arrangements to lessen contact. Job risks are lowered when protection levels were increased by 1) general increase in protection levels by 15% assuming increased or more effective use of PPEs; 2) 99% protection level for jobs that can shift to work from home; and, 3) 80% protection levels for certain health workers again assuming increased or more effective use of PPEs. Moderate and high-risk jobs lessened by 8% and 14%, respectively. Low risk jobs increased by 21%. There is ample room for intervention from the work from home setup since currently, around 90% or 887 jobs are normally not work from home, and most of these are moderate and high infection risk jobs.     Decision Support Tools to Guide Workplace Reopening  Out of the 987 jobs we have identified in our analysis, only 100 (10.13%) can be done through a work from home arrangement. The proportion is even smaller for jobs that pay Php18,200 or less per month, where only 28 of 488 jobs (5.74%) can be performed remotely.  In light of the foregoing, the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team has developed simple decision support tools that both public and private organizations can use as we transition to modified community quarantine. Figure 3 below shows a decision tree that institutions can refer to in quickly assessing their readiness to resume operations. It takes into account the basic health requirements of the IATF and DOH.     Figure 3. Decision tree to guide workplace reopening | Source: Adopted with modifications from CDC to reflect IATF guidelines     Another tool that government agencies, companies, or even individuals may find useful in assessing relative risks and interventions  is our Job Risk Profiling Tool developed up by the UPLB Biomathematics Team. It provides more information on the analysis presented here, and comes with calculators that can be used to search for specific job risk profiles and specify different configurations of encounters, work shift duration, workplace crowd density, and level of protection. This open calculator can be used to look at potential scenarios of intervention in specific workplace situations.     Endnotes  [1] Jobs based on the National Center for O*NET Development (Center) (https://www.onetcenter.org/overview.html) which has data on exposure and physical proximity per job.  [2] Adopted with modifications from the UP School of Economics (UPSE) classification.  [3] Methods based on the paper by Dy, L., & Rabajante, J. (2020) A COVID-19 Infection Risk Model for Frontline Health Care Workers. doi: 10.1101/2020.03.27.20045336 were used to derive exposure to disease, physical proximity data and the list of job titles from the National Center for O*NET Development. Work Context: Physical Proximity. O*NET OnLine. (Retrieved April 17, 2020, from https://www.onetonline.org/find/descriptor/result/4.C.2.a.3), and National Center for O*NET Development. Work Context: Exposed to Disease or Infections. O*NET OnLine. (Retrieved April 17, 2020, from https://www.onetonline.org/find/descriptor/result/4.C.2.c.1.b?a=1). Risk scores and assessment were calculated using the risk model similar to Gamio, L. (2020). The Workers Who Face the Greatest Coronavirus Risk (Retrieved 17 April 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/15/business/economy/coronavirus-worker-risk.html)  [4] See https://www.covid19.gov.ph/issuances     For questions or clarifications related to the technical or other aspects of this policy note, please send an email to upri.covid19＠up.edu.ph. Scientific reports related to this statement will be posted in the endcov.ph site. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/prevailing-data-issues-in-the-time-of-covid-19-and-the-need-for-open-data/",
        "html": "Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data May 12, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    POLICY NOTE NO. 6 / 08 May 2020     Introduction  Our previous policy notes already highlighted some epidemiological metrics vital for monitoring the state of the country in its fight against COVID-19. These metrics provide context, give insight, and serve as a guide to help stakeholders take control of the disease and monitor our own progress. As we have repeatedly pointed out since Day 1, any analysis is only as good as the data that we have.  Relevant, and accurate data about COVID-19 and the resources the country has in the fight is important. The speed and timeliness of how such is released is equally critical. We do recognize the difficulties in the collection of detailed and timely records of COVID-19 data on a nationwide scale. However, no matter how difficult, these problems need to be addressed at the soonest possible time and should be of top priority. Here, we discuss prevailing data issues we have observed, and our recommendation for open data moving forward.     Data Sharing Practices  Collecting COVID-19 data has not been easy. Since the country finally accepted the presence of community transmission around the first week of March 2020, government’s data reporting protocols have changed far too often (Table 1). There was initially no standard time of the day for when DOH posted the official daily numbers. There was even a brief period when DOH stopped releasing updates, leaving people using the data in the dark.        Fortunately, the DOH has been open to feedback, and this has been reflected in the improvement in reporting.  There is now a centralized resource for modelers to use as a common reference. There is also regularity and predictability on when reports are given, and this is commendable given that transparency and timeliness are key to managing any crisis situation, especially a pandemic.  However, there is still room for improving the quality of the data, and the process of collecting information for DOH’s data drop in the tracker. It is important to make sure that correct data is captured as swiftly as possible to minimize uploading of erroneous and anomalous, if not missing, data.     Data Accuracy and Integrity  The availability of accurate and relevant data is a basic requirement in managing any situation that requires urgent and targeted response. Almost three months since we had our first confirmed case in the person of a Chinese national on 30 January, we have yet to reconcile differences in numbers between DOH and LGU sources. For example, on 03 May 2020, DOH reported 7 deaths (28 recoveries) in Laguna, which was 22 deaths (65 recoveries) lesser than the provincial government’s official count.  Accuracy, however, goes beyond correctness in reporting aggregate numbers. Recent data drops by DOH revealed a number of alarming patient-level inconsistencies, if not gross errors. A quick comparison of the April 24 and April 25 data drops showed that forty-five (45) cases have changed sex from male to female or vice-versa; while 75 others had the data on age modified. This is on top of the 516 cases where the residence data was reclassified to another city, if not a completely imaginary city (i.e. a barangay or district) like what happened in the City of Manila (Table 2).        Related to the problem of accurate residential reporting is the handling of certain variables in the DOH data drop. For example, RegionRes is a variable for the region of residence and is coded in text such as “NCR”, “Region III: Central Luzon”, and so on. RegionPSGC is the region code based on the Philippine Standard Geographic Code [PSGC], compiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority, based on their mandate to prescribe “uniform standards and classification systems in the generation of government statistics to ensure harmonization and comparability of statistics in the country and at the international level” (PSA 2020). The DOH data drop introduced this variable last April 26, 2020 for regional, provincial, and city/municipal classification. Each region has a unique code in the PSGC; however, as seen in the table below, inconsistencies in the coding of the PSGC for cases within regions have been problematic. It is noted that the DOH Tracker uses the RegionRes variable for statistics, not the Region PSGC (Table 3).     * Total does not necessarily agree with the 10,004 cases reported in May 6, 2020 as regions with full-matching PSGC codes have been disregarded.     There are other troubling anomalies in recent data drops of DOH. For example, 18 cases no longer have data on residence in the April 25 update. On the same date, the recovery dates of two cases were either missing or changed. One patient who reportedly died on April 24 is no longer dead the following day.  The DOH data drop is also inconsistent with its use of date formats, which makes it difficult for automated systems of extracting and updating data from case information. It has made the work of data analysis difficult because of these sudden changes (Table 4).        These lapses may seem small relative to the total size of data contained in the daily updates, but they have significant implications on the reliability of our scientific analyses on COVID-19. Patient case data is the keystone for effective and insightful metrics and analysis. The integrity of the data drops is particularly important given that no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte himself has said many times that the government’s decision on managing COVID-19 will be based on science. We fully support President Duterte on this call for science-based decisions, hence this statement.     Transparency and Accountability  We acknowledge the importance of data privacy as provided for in our existing laws such as the Data Privacy of 2012 (RA 10173) and the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act of 2018 (RA 11332), among others. However, there are important data that can already be anonymized and made available to serve public interest. For example, identifiers, such as employment information or specific addresses may be removed, but variables such as onset of symptoms, exposure history, co-morbidities, and whether they were medical front-liners or not are key inputs for modelers and statisticians to map the progress of our fight against COVID-19.  We are also aware that the DOH is already sharing government data with selected groups from the private sector. These organizations are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), as required by law. However, while it may be legally right, it does not serve public interest in this time of great need for accurate and timely information. For example, DOH restricts the analytics involved with patient statistics, even for some aggregates, which have implications on understanding IATF’s recommendations for placing some provinces under ECQ.  The COVID-19 pandemic requires a science-based approach, and science cannot exist in a vacuum. Any scientific output would benefit from cross-validation from peers, and if findings do not converge, we might be standing on shaky grounds. Such scientific rigor can only happen in an environment where data, especially government data, is made available to all relevant stakeholders. Entrusting government data to select private entities is inimical to public interest.     Call for Open Data and Scientific Cooperation  We understand that some data can only be shared internally (i.e. within the government) and are not fully open to the public. In this regard, we call on other agencies, to share relevant data that can help capable institutions make scientific assessments for discussions on the evolving crisis to come up with better peer-reviewed science. Regardless of technology, it is important that the reporting system be standardized and regularized, integrated into the existing data tracker as much as possible, and made open to the public.  We also call on private institutions to contribute to the COVID-19 related data already shared in the COVID-tracker Data Drop. We believe there are private corporations who possess data that can benefit all researchers cooperating in this fight.  Making all data sources open, while also being mindful of the same data privacy protocols that DOH is following, can further empower both official and unofficial stakeholders (i.e., commissioned and independent scientists and researchers, local governments officials, IATF/NTF decision-makers)  in the battle ahead. This is important not only to inform our plans, but also to tell us how we are doing in the fight against COVID-19. This is particularly so in light of recent announcements by DOH and its private partners that we have already flattened the curve. Without access to full government data entrusted to select private sector groups, the task for an independent corroboration—the hallmark of any scientific undertaking—becomes impossible, to the detriment of public welfare and interest.  This call for open data is in line with the UNESCO call for open science and reinforced scientific cooperation. According to UNESCO, it is imperative now more than ever to strengthen/build international inter-continental and national scientific cooperation between scientists, decision/policy makers, private practitioners, industries and health professionals and civil society for a multi-dimensional approach to tackling the pandemic. This calls for open access to scientific knowledge and know-how, data sharing and evidence-based policy and decision-making.  Nowhere is the need for Open Data as clearly manifested than in the current COVID-19 crisis. In preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the impacts of health hazards or any natural hazard for that matter, data must be used to generate knowledge. If we keep our information in silos, our collective efforts and perspective of the situation narrows and so do our chances to maintain and preserve public health and security. Ultimately, because the battles ahead will no longer be just about health, this call for more open data sharing is a call to other sectors as well. We need to resolve our data issues posthaste to secure public trust in the plans, decisions, and pronouncements of the government and its private partners.  For questions or clarifications related to the technical or other aspects of this policy note, please send an email to upri.covid19＠up.edu.ph. Scientific reports related to this statement will be posted in the endcov.ph site.     Download a copy of the Policy Note No. 6 here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Davao City should consider extending community quarantine beyond April 19 and conduct more tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/davao-city-should-consider-extending-community-quarantine-beyond-april-19-and-conductmore-tests-for-covid-19-up-mindanao-researchers/",
        "html": "Davao City should consider extending community quarantine beyond April 19 and conduct more tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers Davao City should consider extending community quarantine beyond April 19 and conduct more tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers April 16, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   From left to right: (1) Fit of model to recorded cumulative confirmed data, from 15 March to 29 March 2020. New data points (from 30 March to 4 April 2020) are embedded to show model precision. (2-6) In other panels, projected population size of each subpopulation, in logarithmic scale, are derived by solving the model equations numerically to show different testing scenarios. SOURCE: Mata et al. (2020a)     A recent study by the Interdisciplinary Applied Modeling (IAM) laboratory of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao recommends that “the local government should consider extending the community quarantine” beyond the April 19 end date of the community quarantine in Davao City. The IAM lab is part of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team – Bioinformatics and Modeling Group, which is mainly composed of mathematicians across the different UP campuses.  The team headed by Dr. May Anne Mata, an associate professor in applied mathematics specializing in mathematical biology, simulated a model to predict the effect of lifting the community quarantine on April 19 and July 1 based on parameter estimates obtained by fitting an epidemiological model to the cumulative confirmed cases in the Davao Regionfrom March 15 to April 4.  The model has five population categories, namely, Susceptible (at risk to contract the disease), Exposed (infected but not infectious), Asymptomatic Infectious (without symptoms but infectious), Confirmed Cases (assumed isolated and will not infect the susceptible), and Unreported Infectious (includes only those with symptoms).  “When CQ [community quarantine] is lifted on April 19, the infected population will continue to persist . . . For instance, we see that the exposed population is stable from May to July after it peaks during the last week of March,” the study finds. “However, if we maintain CQ at the status quo’s rates of transmission and confirmation, we observe a decreasing trend in the number of exposed individuals around mid-May.”  Dr. Mata, however, cautions that the model estimates are dependent on various assumptions and only show a possible, more likely scenario. Hence, predicting the appropriate lifting dateis difficult and can only be accurately obtained by increasing the number of observations and updating parameter estimates.  “Lifting the quarantine prematurely is very risky. To be safe, perhaps we can extend the community quarantine for 14 days. If we get 0 new cases and 0 new PUIs [persons under investigation] within that period, then we can lift the community quarantine,” Dr. Mata suggests.  The next phase of the study will fit the model on data within the duration of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from April 4 to 19, covered by EO no. 23A series 2020, to see if the strategy is effective.  Extending the community quarantine, however, has an economic tradeoff, one that is difficult to model at this time. “We just don’t have data on logistics like total budget of Davao City government for COVID-19 response, breakdown per barangay, cost of goods distribution, budget per household, just to name a few, to do a model on this. Also, this will require a different modeling strategy.”     From left to right: (1) Fit of model to recorded cumulative confirmed data, from 15 March to 29 March 2020. New data points (from 30 March to 4 April 2020) are embedded to show model precision. (2-4) In other panels, projected population size of each subpopulation, in logarithmic scale, are derived by solving the model equations numerically to show different testing scenarios. Note that the untested infectious population is the sum of asymptomatic infectious and unreported symptomatic infectious populations. SOURCE: Mata et al. (2020b)     Using the same data, another study by the team shows the importance of testing persons under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs). “We recommend that the government should consider testing more PUMs and/or PUIs in the region for early detection of infected population so that these individuals will be isolated immediately from the susceptible pool,” the study states. This point is particularly important for asymptomatic individuals who may show no signs of disease but may freely and unknowingly spread the disease to the population.  In another study, researcher Zython Paul Lachica and other members of the IAM lab team collated available information from COVID-19 positive cases from the Department of Health within a 40-day observation period to assess the risk factors that increase a patient’s hazard rate.  The study yielded the following preliminary findings: “Male COVID-19 positive patients are estimated to face a hazard rate of 12.79 times the hazard faced by female patients. Coughing patients face a hazard that is 28.35 times the hazard of those who have no cough. Furthermore, a patient with pre-existing condition”—such as hypertension, kidney problem, and/or diabetes—“may have a hazard rate of 2,838 times the hazard rate of patient without any preexisting conditions. On the other hand, patients who are 55 to 64 years old and 65 to 74 years old face hazard rates that are less than patients who are 75 years and older.”It should be noted that these results are based on preliminary data, and the hazard estimates will be fine-tuned once more data becomes available.  Based on these findings, the study recommends prioritizing for testing patients who are 75 years and older and those with preexisting medical conditions once they experience coughing, persons under monitoring who might be asymptomatic patients, as well as those with high exposure to the COVID-19 positive patients such as health workers.     Estimated survival curves of COVID-19 positive patients in terms of test result duration. SOURCE: Lachica et al. (2020)     Setting up more testing centers in the different regionsis vital to contain COVID-19 cases asthe study shows that “having test results within 1 to 3 days after the onset of symptoms reduces hazard rates to almost 0%.” Survival rates decrease dramatically as the number of days before getting the test results increase.  The IAM lab was initiated by researchers from UP Mindanao’s Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science to help the government in making science-based decisions. The three studies by the lab were already sentfor review to the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team and are freely shared to local decision makers as input for strategies.  Since last March, UP Mindanao through the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao has entered into talks with the Department of Health XI, Davao del Norte LGUs, and the private sector to establish a COVID-19 testing laboratory that will be attached to the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in order to supplement the testing capacity of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in the Davao Region.     SOURCES  Mata MAE, Lachica ZPT, Ligue KDB, Almocera AES, Evangelio SA. 2020a. Shall the community quarantine be lifted soon in Davao City? A reflection based on model estimates from early cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases in Davao Region, Philippines. Link: https://bit.ly/3b8rQU2  Mata MAE, Lachica ZPT, Ligue KDB. 2020b. Testing PUMs and PUIs: What can it do about the spread of COVID-19 infected population in Davao Region, Southern Philippines? Link: https://bit.ly/2RzUiX7  Lachica ZPT, Mata MAE, Kobayashi VB, Alviola IV PA. 2020. Learnings from Survival Analysis of Early COVID-19 Positive Cases in the Philippines. Link: https://bit.ly/2JZlx9D     For more information about the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team: https://www.up.edu.ph/covid-19-updates/#pandemic  Download the PDF version here.     CONTACTS Michael Noel R. Bonghanoy                                       Rene A. Estremera Chair, University Information Committee              Public Relations Officer mrbonghanoy@up.edu.ph                                          pro.upmindanao@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Modified Community Quarantine Public Health Framework In Reponse To Covid-19 For Iloilo And Western Visayas After April 30: Data Analysis And Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/modified-community-quarantine-public-health-framework-in-reponse-to-covid-19-for-iloilo-and-western-visayas-after-april-30-data-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Modified Community Quarantine Public Health Framework In Reponse To Covid-19 For Iloilo And Western Visayas After April 30: Data Analysis And Recommendations Modified Community Quarantine Public Health Framework In Reponse To Covid-19 For Iloilo And Western Visayas After April 30: Data Analysis And Recommendations April 28, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   MODIFIED COMMUNITY QUARANTINE PUBLIC HEALTH FRAMEWORK IN REPONSE TO COVID-19 FOR ILOILO AND WESTERN VISAYAS AFTER APRIL 30: DATA ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS*  By Helena Marie Lagon Alvior, MD, Mary Camille Samson, RMT, and Philip Ian Padilla, MD, PhD     Download full text here."
    },
    {
        "title": "A Sectoral View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-sectoral-view-of-lifting-the-lockdown-and-the-use-of-sample-based-random-testing/",
        "html": "A Sectoral View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing A Sectoral View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing April 27, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Discussion Paper 2020-06: “A Sectoral View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing” Orville Jose C. Solon, Toby C. Monsod, Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista, Emmanuel S. de Dios, Joseph J. Capuno, Renato E. Reside Jr., Ma. Joy V. Abrenica, Agustin L. Arcenas, Sarah Lynne Daway-Ducanes, Ma. Christina Epetia, Laarni C. Escresa, Karl Jandoc, Cielo Magno, Carlo Irwin A. Panelo     Download full text here."
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Resilience Institute introduces COVID chatbot – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-resilience-institute-introduces-covid-chatbot/",
        "html": "UP Resilience Institute introduces COVID chatbot UP Resilience Institute introduces COVID chatbot April 8, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Meet Yani, the newest AI member of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team! Yani, short for baYANIhan and named in honor of our heroes in the fight against COVID-19, is ready to help you find the information you need.     If you’re looking for the nearest hospitals, psychosocial support, or policy information, Yani has got you covered: m.me/YaniEndCovBot Yani is ready to chat every time you visit https://endcov.ph/ and can converse both in English and Filipino (dapat!)     Related: UP launches web portal, map for COVID-19 responders "
    },
    {
        "title": "Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/yani-the-endcovbot-learns-lgbt-slang/",
        "html": "Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang May 26, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang. You can talk to Yani through Facebook messenger: m.me/YaniEndCovBot     LGBT slang or the Beki language option is now available when you converse with Yani! If you’re looking for COVID-19 statistics, the nearest hospitals, links to therapy and counseling, or information on policies, you can talk to Yani through Facebook messenger: m.me/YaniEndCovBot  Yani, the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team’s chatbot designed to talk to humans and answer questions related to COVID-19, is also in the process of “learning” different Philippine languages to be able to reach and converse with more Filipinos in an open and engaging way.  Aside from creating a multilingual AI chatbot, the UP Team has also produced social media flashcards in various Philippine languages, such as Filipino, Aklanon, Bahasa Sug, Bikol Sentral, Cebuano, Chavacano de Zamboanga, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Itawis, Kapampangan, Meranaw, Waray Leyte, and Waray Samar. Access these information materials via the UP Resilience Institute’s Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Social Interactions and Post-ECQ School Opening and Mobility of Older People: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/social-interactions-and-post-ecq-school-opening-and-mobility-of-older-people-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Social Interactions and Post-ECQ School Opening and Mobility of Older People: Analysis and Recommendations Social Interactions and Post-ECQ School Opening and Mobility of Older People: Analysis and Recommendations May 7, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    POLICY NOTE NO. 5 / 05 May 2020     Problem Situation  The novel coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) feeds on social interaction. It spreads from one person to another through droplets that may remain contagious for hours or days, depending on the setting of transmission. This is why the government’s core response to the evolving pandemic is anchored on social distancing and community quarantine. The idea is simple enough: limit people’s social and physical interactions to slow down, if not eliminate, COVID-19 spread, and at the same time, protect vulnerable groups.  Following the government decision to extend the ECQ in selected areas and identify GCQ areas with attendant regulations, how can we ease up restrictions on people’s mobility while minimizing risk? Particularly, how do we respond to the needs of two sectors on both ends of the population spectrum, namely, children and older people? It must be noted that the State is obligated to provide continued learning for the former, and ensure fundamental rights and freedoms of the latter at all times.  To shed light on the matter, the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team looked into the country-wide total age-group interactions per day and its implications on school opening and the mobility of older people. The results from our models complement existing knowledge on the probability of outbreak for cities and municipalities of the country (read Policy Note No. 2) and the situation in nearby cities and municipalities (i.e. transport links; border control policies) to help the IATF and LGUs make science-based decisions. Overall, when combined with knowledge on identified areas with a chance of outbreak, testing and isolation capacity, provincial health care capacity, quarantine policy, and capability to detect without delay COVID-19 symptomatics and asymptomatics, the analysis and recommendations we made here can be used for government strategy as we transition from ECQ to GCQ.     Age-Group Interactions  The Philippines has a generally young population. In light of this, we simulated how children and teenagers interact with older adults who are 65 years old and above, cognizant of the reality that older Filipinos usually live with their children and grandchildren under one roof. Our models show that 56% of interaction with all age groups are amongst the 0-20 years of age, compared to only 1% among those aged 65  and over. Moreover,  49% of the interaction of seniors 65 years and above happens with the age group of 0-20 (Figure 1). This essentially means two things: 1) social interaction is highest among the young;  and 2) the same group accounts for the greatest amount of interaction with older people.  Relaxing restrictions on physical interactions of children does not bode well if matched with empirical data from DOH. As of 1 May 2020, more than 97% of those who tested positive for COVID-19 among those aged 5-20 years old are asymptomatic, have mild symptoms or have recovered indicating that this age group may be more resilient to COVID-19 compared to older groups (Figure 2). The number of deaths from COVID-19 generally increases with age, rising noticeably starting at age 50-54 and steadily increasing rather steeply thereafter. In all, 70% of the total deaths are from cases age 60 and over. Putting together what we know about interactions by age group, the relative resilience of the young and the likelihood of severe disease among the old, the conclusion is that the young aged 0-20 who have the most interactions with all age groups, and especially with the old, have a high likelihood of bringing home the infection from school and from their other social contacts, being mostly asymptomatic or only showing mild symptoms, to the more vulnerable members of their households.     Figure 1. Results of interaction models on age interaction amongst all age groups and interaction with age group 65 years and above (https://psa.gov.ph; https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005697).     Figure 2. COVID-19 data per age group for mild, recovered, asymptomatic, severe and critical cases included the deceased.     Implications on School Opening  To estimate the effects of school opening, we tested different scenarios for the National Capital Region (NCR).  Assuming 90% of businesses open on 15 May, higher education institutions (HEIs) physically open on 15 August, and elementary and secondary schools physically open on 1 September, all in 2020, the following were modeled: 1) All schools physically open; 2) 50% HEIs, elementary and high schools physically open; 3) all schools physically open and there is increased detection of COVID-19 cases with about 30,000 tests per day; 4) 50% HEIs physically open but all elementary and high schools closed; and 5) all schools at all levels physically closed (Figure 3).     Figure 3. Mean result of simulations for different scenarios of physical school opening in NCR using default protection level of 10%; 10k tests per day and effective surveillance to find 30-50% of the infected individuals; prevalence in the environment and nearby communities of 1/10,000; and assumption that individuals with mild and asymptotic condition are 20-50% less infectious than symptomatic cases (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/09/science.abb6936).     The models reveal that with the current testing detection rate and the scenario with 10,000 tests per day, physically opening all schools in NCR may increase the transmission of COVID-19 to R values greater than 1 (gray, blue and yellow curves, respectively). On the other hand, continued physical closure of all schools up to the end of the year, considering the model assumptions, may continue to lower the R value to near, but not necessarily equal to zero values by the end of 2020 (orange curve). The two other scenarios show varying rates of decline in R value, but all close to or below 1.  As we have explained in Policy Note No. 2, the ultimate goal of the government is to bring the reproduction number Rt value to less than 1 or closest to 0 until a vaccine is discovered.     Implications on Mobility of Older People  The transmission potential of senior citizens, defined as age 60 and above, was analyzed and compared with people of age below 60 using the time-varying reproduction number or Rt. With respect to the transmission potential, older adults were relatively less transmissive of the disease within their group than the younger individuals. However, senior citizens had been highly transmissive before the March 15 enhanced community quarantine with Rt greater than 1. During the quarantine period, older persons were less transmissive to other `younger counterparts (Figure 4).     Figure 4. COVID-19 infection, death, and reproductive number for older adults and younger population (as of 30 April 2020). The computation assumed that younger individuals, as imported cases, transmit the disease to the senior citizens for the Rt of age 60 and up, and vice-versa for Rt of age less than 60. The reproduction number for senior citizens would describe their transmission potential within their group after subtracting the effect of transmission from the younger group, while the Rt for age less than 60 would be vice-versa.     Figure 4 above also shows that as of 30 April 2020, older people account for about three-fourths of total COVID-19 fatalities. However, there is also evidence that it is not just advanced age per se that is associated with the higher risk of dying from COVID-19 but also the presence of comorbidities such as hypertension, heart disease, chronic respiratory illness, and other diseases that compromise the immune system. Since older people are more likely to have these comorbidities, they have the highest case fatality rates of all ages.  The Philippine data shows that comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma, raises COVID-19 total mortality by as much as 30%. The increase in mortality is evident at all ages. Children (age 0 to 19) with co-morbidities are also very vulnerable to dying from COVID-19 (Figure 5). The mortality rates mentioned here refer to the probability of dying once infected with COVID-19. COVID-19 mortality rates are compared to the Philippine-specific WHO 2016 (from government data), SSS 2012 (mostly from employees of private companies) and Philippine Intercompany Mortality Table 2017 (PICT; from insured population) mortality rates to provide an idea on how much COVID-19 raises regular mortality.     Figure 5. COVID-19 mortality with and without co-morbidities by age-group     The New Normal beyond the ECQ  Results from our models support the plan of the government to carefully study the reopening of schools. Now, more than ever, we need to adapt to a new normal of delivering learning with limited physical interaction. The right to education should not stop simply because schools are closed.  Schools under ECQ must remain closed, while areas under GCQ should consider a flexible schedule that limits physical interaction of children. School activities that entail a gathering of crowds must be postponed. To ensure continuity, various forms of distance learning must be explored, and in areas where such is not possible, low-cost technologies (e.g. IoT-based systems) can be put in place to facilitate connectivity.  The foregoing analysis also lends support to the IATF’s Resolution No. 30, which takes into account the issue of co-morbidity and specific vulnerabilities in the enforcement of the stay-at-home rule. Under the new guidelines, pregnant women, those who have co-morbidities and senior citizens are required to stay at home. Cognizant of the heterogeneity of the senior citizen population, exemptions to the stay at home order has been made for older people who need to go out “[to obtain] essential goods and services or [to] work in permitted industries and offices,” including those who are living alone. This sends the message that senior citizens should limit their mobility and do their part to help contain the spread of COVID-19. The IATF needs to issue clear operational guidelines as to how these stay at home orders are to be implemented on the ground.     The outcome of the analysis is only as good as the quality of available data. For questions or clarifications related to the technical or other aspects of this policy note, please send an email to upri.covid19＠up.edu.ph. Scientific reports related to this statement will be posted in the endcov.ph site.  Download a copy of the Policy Note No. 5 here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/preparing-for-a-post-ecq-scenario-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations April 7, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    Since Day One, the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team has done simulations on the spread of SARS-COV-2 in the country. Our bioinformatics group—composed mostly of mathematicians from different UP campuses—estimate a peak by end of April to June with approximately 140,000 to 550,000 people infected in Metro Manila. A significant proportion of this estimate will not be detected unless they are tested. Hence, these estimates can guide testing capacity requirements for the succeeding months. Hospital bed capacity requirements among other healthcare metrics, can also be reasonably projected based on the proportion of severe cases (5%).  Epidemic duration estimates can help decision-makers make informed decisions and craft appropriate strategies to calibrate interventions over the short- to long-term. To this end, we are publicly releasing the results of our projections, with the hope that this can guide government action (Table 1). Other groups have conducted their own simulations using different parameters and assumptions, which reveal much higher numbers of infected persons ranging from 1.5 to 4 million for Metro Manila and 23-29 million for the whole country.     Table 1. COVID-19 Epidemic models from UP and other modeling groups     Figure 1. Scenario analysis for post-ECQ measures relative to healthcare capacity (Source: UP and Ayala Analytics group)     Our simulations also show that non-medical interventions included in the extended community quarantine such as work and school shutdown, requirement of face masks (even homemade masks with filter), washing of hands, and social distancing, can reduce the spread of the virus and flatten the curve for our healthcare system to cope with cases on infected individuals (Figure 2). Community quarantine buys us time to beef up our healthcare system’s capacity, while limiting the reach of the disease. Thus, a modified, location-specific quarantine scenario can be explored in light of public healthcare realities on the ground (e.g. number of ventilators, hospital beds) and possibly different peak periods across LGUs throughout the country.  Simulations can be improved further with more detailed information gathered using online survey forms where each LGU can input data at barangay level on a daily basis (Figure 2a). Hospital information on the number of people tested, recovered and other critical data for modeling should also be collected without delay to improve the analysis of the situation and expose areas where local community quarantine can be implemented (Figure 2b). Contact tracing should also be implemented with the aid of technologies that can do rapid collection of data. Such information system should be implemented now. UP and its partners have built this kind of system using its infrastructure and is ready for deployment.     Figure 2a (left) Metro Manila cities hotspots of cases for COVID-19 Figure 2b (right) Hotspots of cases in Quezon City defined at the barangay level     The general welfare of the public is of utmost consideration to us. Filipinos living below the poverty line and those who cannot work under the current circumstances require adequate support to minimize economic hardship. Government should continue to pursue these actions for the country. We also urge the government to get detailed real-time information for improved science-based decisions to address our current crisis.  COVID-19 is not an invisible enemy. It leaves behind traces of itself, which we can use to get ahead of the curve and stop it in its tracks. But to get there, we have to gather—and share—as much data as possible, apply the best science available, and ultimately listen to what the numbers could tell us.  Download the report here.  View the infographics here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/estimating-local-healthcare-capacity-to-deal-with-covid-19-case-surge-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations April 20, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    The Challenge: Estimated Severe and Critical Cases at Peak  The rising number of cases of COVID-19 infections on a daily basis is a serious concern as there are limits to hospital care capacity for patients with serious symptoms (e.g. difficulty in breathing). Should the number of infected people rapidly rise, there may come a time when the hospital care resources will be overwhelmed. The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, in its latest model run, estimates the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to reach 9,000 to 44,000 by the end of April 2020. As of April 16 DOH reports a total of 5,660 confirmed cases.  Majority (around 81%) of Filipinos who contract COVID-19 will exhibit uncomplicated or mild illness. These patients do not require hospitalization, but isolation is necessary in order to prevent viral transmission. Approximately 14% will develop severe illness requiring oxygen therapy, while the remaining 5% will require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. Estimates on the number of Filipino COVID-19 patients who will require hospitalization is shown in Table 1.  In a scenario at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, where a COVID-positive person can infect two others (R0=2), our simulations show that about 51,933 Filipinos will need hospitalization, approximately 13,194 of whom will need ICU treatment. Outside of Metro Manila, the biggest bulk of severe and critical patients would come from Regions III (Central Luzon), IV-A (CALABARZON), VI (Western Visayas), and VII (Central Visayas).        Can Local Healthcare Systems Absorb the Surge?  There are 456 hospitals in the country classified either as Level 2 or 3. Altogether, excluding those classified as specialty hospitals, these hospitals combined will have a total bed capacity of 67,119. Approximately 41% of these beds are in government-owned hospitals while the remaining 59% are in private hospitals. Figure 1 shows the proportion of hospital beds according to ownership.  In this analysis, it is assumed that 80% of these beds would be used for treating people with other illnesses. In 2012, the average bed occupancy rate among Level 3 hospitals in Metro Manila was 77.2%. DOH-retained hospitals across the nation had an average bed occupancy rate of 105% in 2013. For the treatment of critical cases, there are a total of 2,335 critical care beds in 450 intensive care units in the Philippines. This corresponds to 3.1% of the total approved bed capacity of Level 2 and 3 hospitals in the country.        We estimate, based on our projections (Figure 2) and assuming a scenario with a reproductive rate (R0) of 2, that three provinces adjacent to NCR, namely, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal, may face a serious shortage of hospital beds for handling severe and critical cases. COVID-19-related patients alone would fill up the total bed capacities in these areas. We also identify 25 provinces and two cities in Metro Manila, namely, Malabon and Navotas, which do not have Level 2 or 3 hospitals within their geographic bounds. Thus, it is imperative to capacitate Level 1 hospitals in these areas to address the situation.  On the projected availability of ICU beds corresponding to critical COVID cases at the provincial and regional levels (Figure3), we estimate that it is beyond the capacity of most provinces to handle the surge of the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines at its peak. There is a lack of available critical care beds because across the country, there are only a little over 2,000 ICU beds to cater to the projected 8,800 to 19,800 critical COVID-19 cases.              If we are not able to “flatten the curve” or significantly reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus in the Philippines through the enhanced community quarantine ECQ, the healthcare system will be overwhelmed way beyond their capacity as clearly seen in the relatively low number of hospital and ICU beds. Approximately 35,000 additional beds are required to accommodate the peak number of cases in a scenario wherein the reproductive number (R0) is 2. Certain regions (I, III, IV, V, VI and VII) may need to stretch their capacities to accommodate the cases during the peak.  Health human resource is another key determinant to the capacity of the healthcare system to absorb the surge of patients. To handle critical patients, there should ideally be one attending physician for every two patients, and one-on-one nursing. Additionally, there should be one intensivist, one pulmonologist, and one infectious disease specialist for every five patients.  At R0=2, this roughly corresponds to 14,500 doctors and 13,200 nurses. As of 2018, there are 40,775 doctors and 90,308 nurses in the country. Peak-time critical COVID-19 cases alone would require the attention of approximately 21% of our healthcare workers. Note that this is over and above the already heavy regular workload of our health human resource.           There are, on the average, 3.7 doctors per 10,000 population in the Philippines. This is below the World Health Organization-prescribed ratio of 1 doctor for 1,000 persons (or 10 per 10,000). Moreover, there is a wide discrepancy across regions of the country. For instance, the ratio is 10 per 10,000 in NCR while it is 0.8 per 10,000 in BARMM. Furthermore, there are 8.2 nurses per 10,000 nationwide compared to the WHO-prescribed ratio of 1:1,000.  The enhanced community quarantine reduced the Reproductive Number, R, (Figure 4), which helped get the hospital care system to deliver services to those in need. We attribute this downward trend mainly to the ECQ. As of 19 April 2020, the Reproductive Number, R, for the Philippines is at 1.072. Should the ECQ be lifted on 30 April 2020, we expect the number of Covid19-related cases and the value of R to again rise. We should prepare early for this expected surge of Covid19 patients once the quarantine is lifted.        The estimates provided in this document can be used as a guide for planning. These include: the number of hospital beds, ICU beds, and human resource availability. The number of medical equipment and supply of PPEs will also need real-time monitoring to guide administrators, decision-makers, and donors on the allocation of resources and triaging services.     Download the PDF of the report here.  Notes:  The outcome of the analysis is only as good as the quality of the available data. There is also a need for more refined information on the actual bed occupancies, critical care bed numbers, and number of healthcare workers.  For questions or clarifications related to the technical or other aspects of this policy note, please send an email to upri.covid19＠up.edu.ph. Scientific reports related to this statement will be posted in the endcov.ph site. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/modified-community-quarantine-beyond-april-30-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations April 13, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    Problem Situation  The extension of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) raises the question on how effective the ECQ has been to contain the spread of COVID-19. If it is, how should it be implemented after April 30 without unnecessarily paralyzing local economies over a long period of time?  It is important to tackle this question at this time because LGUs rely upon national directives for policy and decision-making. Crafting of guidelines for an extended ECQ requires foresight, one that is informed by scientific data on estimates of the effectiveness of pandemic control strategies. It requires key metrics that are primarily epidemiological in nature and must be infused with as many scientific points of view as possible. Here, we show the effect of differences in population density of communities in the analysis of the transmission of COVID-19 to help national and local officials make informed decisions whether to extend, lift, or relax community quarantine.  Is the Luzon-wide ECQ effective?  Time-series analysis shows it now takes a little longer for the number of confirmed cases to double in number. What took 3 days for the total number of cases to double now takes about 6 days to happen (Figure 1). Based on these trends, one can estimate about 9,000 to 44,000* possible cases reported by the end of April 2020. In general, this indicates the relative success of the ECQ–along with other interventions–in containing the spread of the virus. However, we must not simply rely on the number of cases as a means to project courses of actions.        Figure 1. Simple time-series analysis showing typical trends in the DOH reported positive cases (latest data: 10 April 2020). The current trend shows that the number of reported cases doubles about T2 = 6 days, while there has been a linear trend for the past 10 days (since 01 April). The color bar represents the data range used to estimate the linear projection. Note: Represents confirmed cases and does not include undetected, asymptomatic and mild cases.     Another metric that can be used to test effectiveness of the ECQ is the case fatality rate. Based on best available data as of 10 April 2020, we report an estimated case fatality rate of 5.38% and a reproduction number of 0.6398, which means that the ECQ has been effective (Figure 2). The goal is to keep bringing the reproductive number down to lower than 1 through continued medical and non-medical interventions.  Quantifying the effectiveness of the ECQ, however, is highly dependent on efforts in discovering new cases. Specifically, there are situations in which countries were able to bring their reproduction numbers down close to 1, but later testing pulled the number up, such as the case of Singapore. In the case of Korea, consistent increased testing coupled with contact tracing facilitated the detection and management of the epidemic, lowering the reproduction number of COVID-19.     Figure 2. Time-Dependent Reproduction Number Rt of the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea, with 95% Confidence Intervals for March 9 to April 10, 2020     Proposal on how to implement community quarantine after April 30  Successful as it may seem, an ECQ covering a wide area may not be sustainable over the long run. Prolonged restriction on the movement of goods and services over a large area (i.e. region-wide) can unnecessarily paralyze local economies. In light of this reality, our best recourse after April 30 is to implement graduated activation of ECQ depending on the level of risk in certain areas at a given time. Under this set-up, provinces (or even lower-level LGUs) may be put under ECQ depending on how close or far they are to an estimated outbreak threshold. This suggestion is made based on our analysis on the trajectory of spread and the severity of its impacts across LGUs, which varies depending on the onset of local transmission, population density, and age-group distribution.  To aid decision-making on this matter, our team continued to explore epidemiological approaches in disease mapping at the provincial level using population density as proxy measure of “outbreak spread potential” (Figure 3). By getting the ratio of the number of cases against the estimated outbreak threshold, we can determine which level of community quarantine to implement (Table 1). For instance, a province whose number of cases is at least equal to the estimated outbreak threshold should implement ECQ measures. On the other hand, a province whose number of cases is less than 75% of the estimated outbreak threshold may not declare a community quarantine at all, but only need to sustain information campaign efforts, general physical distancing, testing and contact tracing, home quarantine for probable cases, and hospitalization for patients needing care and treatment.        Figure 3. Example map showing the probability of cases/outbreak threshold (with reproductive number of 2) of the Philippines computed per province from best available data as of 9 April 2020. Map layout by Feye Andal of UPRI Youth Mappers.     Table 1.Example of a Decision Matrix for Graduated Community Quarantine Implementation     Data considerations to improve decision-making  The approach presented here depends entirely on the quality of official reports, testing accuracy, monitoring, and faithful accounts of fatalities, among others. There have been reports of discrepancies between the official fatality count and those reported from the ground and must be addressed to ensure quality and timeliness of data used in any analysis. Furthermore, model estimates would improve much if nationwide barangay-level COVID-19 related data are available daily. We recommend the employment of an automated LGU data collecting system. One of the possible applications to be used for this purpose has already been developed by our team and is ready for use by LGUs through the endcov.ph dashboard. By getting near real-time data, it becomes easier to project the rate of spread and identify locations of hotspots and outbreaks on a daily basis  The findings and suggestions outlined here are proposed to help the country’s efforts to curb the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon we will have to decide when to restart economic activities, and these localized metrics, which can be done up to barangay level may aid policy decisions on the preservation of both lives and livelihoods.  For questions or clarifications related to the technical or other aspects of this Policy Note, please send an email to: upri.covid19@up.edu.ph.  Download this report here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ECQ doing good, ‘graduated activation’ recommended after April 30—UP pandemic response team – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ecq-doing-good-graduated-activation-recommended-after-april-30-up-pandemic-response-team/",
        "html": "ECQ doing good, ‘graduated activation’ recommended after April 30—UP pandemic response team ECQ doing good, ‘graduated activation’ recommended after April 30—UP pandemic response team April 20, 2020 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed over Luzon, along with other interventions, has indeed slowed down the spread of COVID-19 virus, based on “the best available data”, according to a team specially formed by the University of the Philippines to help government make informed interventions against the pandemic.  Summarizing a five-page policy note by the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) said: “What took three days for the total number of cases to double now takes six days.” [Read the policy note here.]  It added that, compared to Singapore and South Korea, COVID-19 related deaths in the country has not increased significantly. This means that the ECQ has been “relatively successful” given the estimated case fatality rate of 5.38 percent and a reproduction number of 0.6398, which is lower than 1.  “After April 30, the best thing to do is to implement a graduated activation of ECQ. Provinces and lower-level LGUs should decide whether to extend, lift, or relax community quarantine based on how far they are to an estimated outbreak threshold,” according to the summary.     Figure 3. Example map showing tPolicy note’s example map showing the probability of cases/outbreak threshold of the Philippines computed per province from best available data as of April 9, 2020.     The team’s policy note added that model estimates would improve much if nationwide barangay-level data on COVID-19 were made available daily, preferably through an automated LGU data collecting system.  The team volunteered to help LGUs track and monitor their data through its endcov.ph dashboard.     Policy note’s example of a decision matrix for Graduated Community Quarantine implementation based on the probability of outbreak.     The web portal was launched shortly after the creation of the team on March 19, 2020.  It features a highly detailed map of the general locations and numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitals, quarantine checkpoints, and other usable data inputted by UPRI staff. The map doubles as a color-coded “heat map” showing which localized areas have the most and the least number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.  The portal has pages for COVID-19-related policies, advisories, resources, symptoms of the disease, charts, statistical data, and profiles of patients investigated, tested, admitted, and treated in hospitals, including those who have died or recovered.     Endcov.ph features profiles of patients who have been investigated, tested, admitted, and treated in hospitals, including those who have died and those who have recovered from the disease.     The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team is composed of UP Executive Vice President and former Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa and UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Lagmay as team leaders; with UPRI directors and experts on public health, medicine, the arts and sciences, engineering, education, governance, and related fields as members.  They are tasked with design and implementation of research and dissemination of findings relevant to the pandemic.  The response team made two other points, as summarized by UPRI:  • Quantifying the effectiveness of ECQ is highly dependent on discovering new cases. South Korea managed the spread of the virus and lowered their reproduction number through consistent increased testing and contact tracing.  • A region-wide ECQ may not be sustainable over the long run and can unnecessarily paralyze local economies.     Endcov.ph’s map view has a color-coded “heat map” showing which localized areas have the most (darker areas) and the least (brighter areas) number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.     Resiliency expert Alfredo Mahar Lagmay (top) and former Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa (bottom) lead UP’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team. Photos by the UP MPRO."
    },
    {
        "title": "Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/addressing-the-immediate-needs-of-all-especially-the-most-vulnerable-sectors-analysis-and-recommendations/",
        "html": "Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations April 28, 2020 | Written by UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team    Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis And Recommendations  Download the PDF copy here.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches web portal, map for COVID-19 responders – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-web-portal-map-for-covid-19-responders/",
        "html": "UP launches web portal, map for COVID-19 responders UP launches web portal, map for COVID-19 responders April 2, 2020 | Written by Fred Dabu   Endcov.ph features profiles of patients who have been investigated, tested, admitted, and treated in hospitals, including those who have died and those who have recovered from the disease.     The University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team created the web portal http://endcov.ph/ to provide the public with vital information for fighting the coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 in the country.  The website features a highly detailed map wherein users can zoom in or zoom out to see street or satellite views of the general locations and numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitals, quarantine checkpoints, and other usable data inputted by UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) staff. The easy-to-use map also has a color-coded “heat map” showing which localized areas have the most (darker areas) and the least (brighter areas) number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.     Endcov.ph’s map view has a color-coded “heat map” showing which localized areas have the most (darker areas) and the least (brighter areas) number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.     Other pages of the website show COVID-19-related policies, advisories, resources, symptoms of the disease, charts, statistical data, and profiles of patients who have been investigated, tested, admitted, and treated in hospitals, including those who have died and those who have recovered from the disease.     Screenshot of endcov.ph’s dashboard view as of 8:19 PM of April 1, 2020.     The team was created on March 19 through an administrative order as one of the University’s response in support of the ongoing efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, with UP executive vice president, Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, and UPRI executive director, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, as team leaders. The members of the team are: Director Kristoffer Berse, Research and Creative Work, UPRI; Director Genaro Cuaresma, Institution Building, UPRI; Director Emmanuel Luna, Education, UPRI; Director Rolando Tolentino, Knowledge Sharing, UPRI; Prof. Carlene Pilar-Arceo, College of Science, UP Diliman; Prof. Carlos Primero Gundran, College of Public Health, UP Manila; Prof. Emmanuel Baja, National Institutes of Health and College of Medicine, UP Manila; Prof. Jomar Fajardo Rabajante, College of Arts and Sciences, UPLB; Prof. Diocel Harold Aquino, College of Engineering, UP Diliman; and Prof. Noriel Christopher Tiglao, NCPAG, UP Diliman.  According to the administrative order signed by Dr. Herbosa, members of the team include UPRI directors and experts on public health, medicine, the arts and sciences, engineering, education, governance, and related fields. The document also stated that this team shall be involved in the design and implementation of research and dissemination of findings in areas related to the pandemic. The team may also involve more resource persons and identify other activities as needed.  In a post by Dr. Lagmay on social media, he stated that team members will be adding more information and functions to the website as more information becomes available to them.  The UPRI serves as “a proactive hub of benchmark innovative information vital to the nation’s efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation.”  As of 4:00 PM of April 1, the Department of Health reported that the total number of cases of COVID-19 in the country is now at 2,311. The DOH also reported the total number of recoveries to 50. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-PGH launches ‘Tele-kumusta’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-pgh-launches-tele-kumusta/",
        "html": "UP-PGH launches ‘Tele-kumusta’ UP-PGH launches ‘Tele-kumusta’ April 15, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital launched its ‘Tele-kumusta’ program on April 14, 2020 for their COVID-19 positive patients. COVID-19 patients can now talk to their families via video calls for free.  Para sa pasyente, para sa pamilya.     [VIDEO] Tele-kumusta sa PGH     "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team launches new features on endcov.ph – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-covid-19-pandemic-response-team-launches-new-features-on-endcov-ph/",
        "html": "UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team launches new features on endcov.ph UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team launches new features on endcov.ph July 7, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team (UP PRT) launches new features in endcov.ph, a web portal created to provide the public with vital information and tools in the fight against COVID-19.  Since it’s launch in April, the UP PRT has contributed new resources to the dashboard including features that show Case Projections, the State of Transmissions in NCR based on LGU data, Municipal/City Density Map based on current active cases, and a Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19.     COVID-19 Case Projections     Through the Case Projections feature, anyone can view projections of the “Cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines”, by date up to the end of August. These projections are under the assumption of medium risk. Users can easily set the date through the calendar provided or through advanced options such as “this year” and “this quarter”. The feature uses models developed by the UP Los Baños group of the UP PRT, led by Dr. Jomar Fajardo Rabajante, who shares their notes within the feature.     COVID-19 Transmissions in Metro Manila     Endcov.ph can now show the State of COVID-19 Transmissions in the NCR through the “Compendium of COVID-19 Statistics” located in the “Quick Count” section of the dashboard. The compendium provides information on how LGUs are faring in the fight against COVID-19 in terms of their time-varying reproductive number (Rt), case fatality rate, and recovery rate, for a specific period of time. The Rt indicates the number of people that one COVID-19 positive case can infect. The case fatality rate is the percentage of the total number of cases that account for deaths, adjusted in consideration of delays in onset and deaths. While the recovery rate is the percentage of the total number of cases that account for recoveries. The compendium is based on the Quick Count database that sources information from LGUs and their local disaster risk reduction and management offices (LDRRMOs) and health offices.  This feature also contains “special reports” highlighting LGUs that require more attention, showing their reproductive number, case fatality rate, recovery rate, and a brief analysis on whether these numbers have gone up or down, and by how much. The special reports, written in Filipino, provide easy-to-understand interpretations and explanations of the data to help LGUs make informed decisions.     Local Density Map of Active Cases     To visualize the state of COVID-19 at the local level, a new layer has been added to https://endcov.ph/map. The COVID-19 Density Maps are visualizations of the density of cases for every 100,000 people in an area. This is meant to account for the differences in population size in COVID-affected LGUs.  The categorization of areas builds on the zoning guidelines of the COVID-19 National Task Force (NTF). It shows which municipalities and cities are (1) highly critical zones with at least 10 cases per 100,000 population; (2) critical zones with at least 5 cases relative to size; (3) zones to contain the spread for areas with at least 1 case; (4) buffer areas for those with no case but are susceptible because they are contiguous to containment areas; and (5) clear areas far from zones with cases.     Policy Sourcebook     Other than COVID-19 statistics, projections, and trackers, Endcov.ph also has a collection of information resources and advisories available to the public. The latest addition is UPRI’s annotated compilation of COVID-19 policies titled, “Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: A Policy Sourcebook”.  The sourcebook, which will be updated every month, consists of two volumes: Volume I covers national issuances while Volume II, which will be released at a later date, will focus on local government policies. Volume I can now be accessed through the endcov.ph dashboard, under the Policies tab.  These resources are meant to help Filipinos keep track of the government’s policy responses as they try to cope with the current crisis. The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team remains steadfast in serving the people and in helping the nation in its fight against COVID-19.     For questions or clarifications related to endcov.ph, please send an email (upri.covid19@up.edu.ph) to the UP PRT. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-philippine-genome-center-stockpiling-for-covid-19/",
        "html": "The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 March 10, 2020 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing        Video recorded and edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP Media and Public Relations Office, with additional materials from RVTM and Manila HealthTek, Inc.     On February 13, 2020, President Rodrigo R. Duterte addressed the nation on television as fears over the spread of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 or Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) gripped many. Speaking in a video message recorded at the Malacañang Palace, he assured the public that his administration was taking all the necessary measures to limit the spread of the disease. “I call on our people to remain calm, vigilant, responsible. And I also ask [for] your trust and cooperation, support as we face the challenge,” he said.  Earlier during the day, the Manila HealthTek Inc. posted on its official Facebook page a photo of the COVID-19 test kit developed by experts from the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines Manila.     The GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 rRT PCR Detecion Kit. Courtesy of Manila HealthTek, Inc. on Facebook.     The GenAmplify Corona Virus Disease-2019 rRT PCR Detection Kit was the product of several days and hours of intensive research and testing by experts from the University who built upon the genome sequence of COVID-19, made available by the World Health Organization on its website.  According to PGC Executive Director Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, the kit was made possible after genetic experts from others countries used Next Generation DNA Sequencing in trying to understand the nature of the COVID-19 virus. Among the facilities of the center is its DNA Sequencing Laboratory which was established in 2013.     Dr. Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is the building block of every living being.  These molecules contain the genetic makeup of an organism, it is composed of nucleotides guanine, cytosine, thymine and adenine (G-C-T-A). Sequencing is the process of determining the order of the nucleotides in a DNA.  For the molecular biologist, Dr. Saloma, Next Generation Sequencing is essential in understanding the nature of living things, including viruses and bacteria. And it can even be used to determine the identity and properties of unknown organisms. “If there’s an emergency and there’s a totally unknown organism, and some might say that it’s a virus, it’s bacteria, or it’s an unknown, then Next Generation Sequencing will come in handy,” she said. The same process, she quickly added, was used in understanding the Novel Coronavirus from Wuhan, China.  Next Generation Sequencing, also known as Massive Parallel Sequencing, is a process by which several DNA samples can be simultaneously sequenced using computers, which produces more results when compared to the Sanger Sequencing, which can only process one DNA fragment at a time.     Dr. Benedict Maralit, Director, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     For Dr. Benedict Maralit, since DNA is found in all living organisms, it can be used in determining the nature of a bacteria or a virus. DNA sequencing is, he said, “a manner of characterizing DNA.” Through this method of analysis, he and his team can determine if a DNA is unique or comparable to those of other organisms. As head of the PGC’s DNA Sequencing Core Facility, he leads the center’s unit, which takes the first crack at the specimens which are sent to their institution for analysis.  After a specimen is sequenced, it is then forwarded to another unit of the PGC called the Core Facility for Bioinformatics. The unit, according to its supervisor, Dr. Jan Michael Yap, will subject the sequenced samples to a verification process to establish its proper attributes.     Dr. Jan Michael Yap, Director Computational Genomics and System Biology Program and Supervisor, Core Facility for Bioinformatics, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     In the case of the COVID-19, Yap, who is also the director of the Computational Genomics and System Biology Program, will head a team which will help in the process of sequenced DNA specimen to determine if a patient under investigation (PUI) has contracted the virus or not. He said, “We will verify if, with some degree of confidence, the person has a confirmed infection of NCOV [COVID-19].”  With the PGC, NIH and Manila HealthTek, Inc. successfully creating a locally made COVID-19 test kit, the center’s Deputy Executive Director Raul Destura has instructed his team to stockpile the produced kits in anticipation of a possible need by the country’s public health agencies. “We are currently manufacturing them, just in case,” he said.  The test kit produced by the collaboration has been presented to the Department of Health and is currently undergoing review and evaluation.  Related: FDA OKs COVID-19 test kits developed by UP scientists     Dr. Raul Destura, Deputy Executive Director, Philippine Genome Center. Photo by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     An infectious disease specialist and microbiologist by training, Dr. Destura, who is also affiliated with both the NIH and is the president and the chief executive Officer of Manila HealthTek, Inc. said they initially have started stockpiling kits for at least 1,000 persons. With a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, they are planning on adding more kits in anticipation of the possible need for testing more persons.  The Manila HealthTek, Inc. is a company founded by Destura as an avenue for research and development efforts in creating affordable, portable and reliable testing kits for infectious diseases. He considers it as a spin-off from the studies conducted by experts in the university, where they can see the practical application of their research. An earlier test kit for dengue he and his team developed, is also being produced by the company under a license granted by the university’s Board of Regents.  For now, Destura, Yap, Maralit and Saloma, prepare for the worse that COVID-19 might bring, as they continue to stockpile on test kits, observe the virus and identify possible avenues where they can extend their assistance to other government agencies.  As of March 10, 2020, the DOH has recorded a cumulative total of 725 patients under investigation (PUIs), of which 657 have been discharged from hospitals. There are now 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with one resulting in the death of a Chinese tourist. Worldwide, the virus has spread to more than 104 countries and territories, resulting to 109,577 cases and 3,809 deaths.  Majority of the cases are still in China, with significant numbers in South Korea, Italy and Iran. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/isang-pagsaludo-sa-mga-intern-ng-philippine-general-hospital/",
        "html": "Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital March 17, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Last March 14, 2020, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges gave out a directive to pull-out medical interns out of all NCR hospitals. However, over 100 interns at the Philippine General Hospital volunteered to go back on-duty to help the patients and the remaining health care workers in the hospital.  The PGH Administration has since welcomed these reinforcements with assurances of PPE, food, lodging, and standby medical care for all of them.  The University salutes the hard work and bayanihan spirit among the frontliners, health workers, and medical professionals in the country’s battle against COVID-19.  Mabuhay po kayo!     *Featured image courtesy of Manila Bulletin  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-advice-for-the-up-community/",
        "html": "Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the UP Community February 10, 2020 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Advice for the UP Community  as of 14 February 2020     On December 31, 2019, an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus or novel coronavirus disease, previously called 2019-nCoV, was first reported from Wuhan, China, and has since spread across the globe. Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some of these viruses cause illnesses that include both the common cold and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  With over 20,000 cases reported across 24 countries, including the Philippines, it is important to know what we must do to prevent an infection. For us in the UP community, the University has a set of protocols if we or someone we know contract what the World Health Organization has named the COVID-19 acute respiratory disease.     Positive for exposure  If you have traveled to China, Macau, Hong Kong or other areas with confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, or if you have had close contact (within one meter) with a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection, you should stay at home and monitor yourself for symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, for 14 days from the date of arrival or exposure. While current data show that people who have symptoms contribute most to the spread of the disease, it may also be possible that people infected with COVID-19 may be infectious before they even show any symptoms.  If you have come into close contact with a confirmed case, or you have been exposed to potential infection during your travels, please seek consultation with the University Health Service on campus, or at the nearest health facility, and undergo a health assessment before resuming your daily routine.  At this point, you will be considered a Person Under Monitoring (PUM), and you will be advised to go on self-quarantine for 14 days. Here are some home quarantine instructions for PUMs:  Stay at home except when getting medical care. Separate yourself from the other people in your home. Avoid sharing household items. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and sanitize with alcohol. Cover your cough and sneezes with tissue. Wear a face mask with the colored side facing outward. Monitor your symptoms. Call ahead before visiting your doctor.     Positive for symptoms  If you have been exposed to COVID-19 through your travels or through close contact with a confirmed case, and you are showing respiratory symptoms, here is what you should do:  Seek consultation with your University Health Service on campus or go to the nearest health facility. Once there, you will be asked to fill out a form that will include questions about your travel history and/or if you have come into contact with a confirmed case. Make sure you wear your face mask properly and call ahead. You will be brought to a holding area where the physician on duty will more closely investigate the timing of your symptoms. At this point, you will be designated as Patient Under Investigation (PUI). The physician will inform the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU) or the Municipal Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (MESU), and will continue to coordinate with the CESU/MESU in monitoring your condition, which will include admitting you to specialized hospitals with the capacity to treat the disease.     Preventive measures  When it comes to good health, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For the members of the UP community who have not recently traveled to China, Macau, Hong Kong or come into close contact with a confirmed case, follow these infectious respiratory disease-prevention rules from the Department of Health and World Health Organization:  OBSERVE PROPER HAND HYGIENE. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds (or two rounds of “Happy Birthday”), and, if available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. REMEMBER THAT YOUR FACE IS SACRED. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Your hands may have touched contaminated surfaces, and you can transfer germs from the surface to yourself. RESPECT PERSONAL SPACE. Avoid crowded places and maintain at least a one-meter or three-foot distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and have a fever. PRACTICE GOOD COUGH ETIQUETTE. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and properly and immediately dispose of the tissue. Wash your hands properly afterward. (Refer to Item No. 1.) You may be asked to wear a face mask to protect others. WEAR THE FACE MASK PROPERLY. Wear the face mask with the colored side facing outward, fully covering the nose, mouth, and chin. Never touch the mask with your hands. Remove the mask by holding only the strings. Properly dispose of the mask. Wear a face mask only when necessary, such as if you are immunocompromised or have a cough and cold. AVOID EATING RAW OR IMPROPERLY COOKED ANIMAL PRODUCTS, as COVID-19 is also animal-transmitted. WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER AFTER CONTACT WITH PETS. Although there is no evidence yet that pets can be infected with COVID-19, this will help prevent the spread of other germs such as E. coli and Salmonella. Also, wash your hands with soap and water after visiting an animal market or wet market, and avoid unprotected contact with wild or farm animals. WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING THINGS SUCH AS DOOR KNOBS AND TABLE TOPS. Although coronaviruses do not survive long on objects such as letters and packages, they have been detected on places like door knobs, table tops or other surfaces. KEEP YOUR GADGETS AND PERSONAL ITEMS CLEAN. Disinfect your mobile phones, tablets, laptops, bags, eyeglasses, etc. regularly. GET YOUR INFORMATION ONLY FROM THE PROPER AUTHORITIES to prevent the spread of fake news and disinformation. Proper health authorities include your University Health Service on campus, the Department of Health and its city and regional offices, and the WHO. BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and exercise, and drinking plenty of water. A strong immune system will be better able to fight off COVID-19, as well as other diseases.     Know who to ask  To prevent the spread of misinformation and undue alarm, it is important that we get our information only from the proper authorities.  For questions and concerns, please contact the Public Health Unit of the University Health Service on campus or in the health facility near you.  For UP Diliman, call (02) 8981-8500 local 2709, 2701, or visit the UP Diliman Public Health Unit’s Facebook page.  For UP Manila, call (02) 8554 8400 local 2076 and 2077; or (02) 8523 5350  For UP Baguio, call (074) 442 0363.  For UP Los Baños and the UP Open University, call (049) 536 6238.  For UP Cebu, call (032) 232 2642 local 305.  For UP Mindanao, call (082) 293 0863 local 9051.  For UP Visayas’ Miag-ao campus, call (033) 315 8301; for its Iloilo campus, call (033) 337 8594.  For daily updates and information about COVID-19, please visit the DOH website and the WHO website.     Infographics                     version of infographics     References  ABS-CBN News. (2020, January 31). Coronaviruses on Made-in-China goods, door knobs? DOH chief distinguishes fact from fiction | ANC [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seLvkqH4Euw  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020 February 2). About 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020 February 2). Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). FAQS on novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov/FAQs  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). Infographics. Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov/infographics  Department of Health. (2020, February 3). Updates on Wuhan coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-NCOV ARD). Retrieved from https://www.doh.gov.ph/2019-nCov  Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2019 Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) Taskforce. (2020, January 31). Algorithm for triage of patients with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.  UP Health Service, UP Diliman. (2020, January 31). Memo for all UP Diliman Community Members on the subject of the 2019-nCoV update.  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) advice for the public. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public  World Health Organization. (2020 February 2). Q&A on coronaviruses. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses  World Health Organization. (2020 February 3). Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation as of 3 February 2020, 16:00 (CET). Retrieved from http://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/c88e37cfc43b4ed3baf977d77e4a0667     *Featured image courtesy of UP MPRO photo archive "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-officials-discuss-the-establishment-of-up-pgh-bayanihan-operations-center/",
        "html": "UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center March 18, 2020 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office   From left, UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi discuss the establishment of a formal system and structure to facilitate the University’s reception of support for its frontline workers. While UP has the financial capability to readily procure personal protective equipment for its health and medical personnel, the challenge has been on the supply end.     “Necessity is the mother of invention,” the idiom goes and there is certainly no better time like the present for ingenuity. Dealing with supply shortage and delays in regular government procurement of PPEs, UP’s health workers need to get creative. Here, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi dons a makeshift face shield made of ordinary office supplies such as acetate, cardboard, and staples or tape."
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-on-academic-matters/",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters March 20, 2020 | Written by Danilo L. Concepcion    Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on academic matters  March 20, 2020     Dear members of the UP community:     As you all know, our national government has placed all of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine. Regions south of Luzon are also undergoing similar safety measures within their localities. All of these is part of our government’s effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease.     In light of these developments, the UP System has suspended all classes, both residential and online, as well as alternative learning activities, across all constituent units until April 14, 2020, with the UP Open University as the only exception. A new schedule for online classes will be announced in an upcoming Memorandum.     Moreover, the deadline for dropping and filing leave of absence for the second semester of AY 2019-2020 has been lifted. New deadlines will likewise be announced soon.     We are continually assessing the situation throughout the UP System, including factors such as students’ access to the Internet and digital technology and the time needed for faculty to shift their curricula to online and alternative modes of delivery. In the meantime, we exhort our faculty to continue exploring the different avenues for blended learning, and to be as creative and resourceful as possible so as to give all students equal access to the lessons and learning materials, and an equal chance to interact with the class and submit requirements, regardless of Internet access. The use of UP’s learning management system such as Zoom, which can now be accessed by all UP faculty and REPS at up-edu.zoom.us, is highly encouraged to aid faculty in transitioning to online and blended learning. Please refer to the email sent out by the UP System ITDC for more information and support. The UPOU also provides webinars on how to migrate to online teaching formats. While the March 23 deadline for the submission of revised syllabi is lifted, we must all continue to learn, to adapt, and to help one another by sharing our ideas and insights.     The situation at the local and national levels remain in a state of flux. We need to be nimble and flexible in responding to the shifting conditions under which our academic systems are operating. We in the administration remain on the highest alert, and we are constantly strategizing ways to facilitate learning, manage academic requirements, and maximize our academic resources in this time of COVID-19. Above all, we continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of all members of the UP community.     This is an extraordinarily challenging time and it demands much of us. But UP has survived wars, natural disasters, civil and political turmoil, and martial law, and it has done so with brilliance, courage, an unshakable sense of unity, and a bayanihan spirit.     UP will do so again.     Naglilingkod,     Danilo L. Concepcion     COVID-19 UPdates: Information and Resources "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-ups-response-to-covid-19/",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion: UP’s response to COVID-19 March 11, 2020 | Written by President Danilo L. Concepcion    Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion UP’s response to COVID-19 11 March 2020     Dear members of our UP community and fellow Filipinos,  As the national university, the University of the Philippines is mandated to take the lead in the nation’s quest for true, equitable and sustainable development by harnessing the expertise of its academic and scientific community to address the nation’s most pressing problems, one of which is the COVID-19 outbreak.  The University can only fulfill this mandate through the active cooperation of and partnership with other national and local government agencies and the private sector. In this light, we in UP welcome the Certification of Exemption by the Food and Drug Administration for the SARS CoV-2 PCR detection kit developed by UP Philippine Genome Center Deputy Director Dr. Raul Destura and other scientists and researchers from the UP Manila National Institutes of Health and the PGC.  This SARS CoV-2 detection kit was developed with funding from the Department of Science and Technology through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. It is currently being manufactured and stockpiled by Manila HealthTek, Inc. The GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit, as it is called, will be used for field testing coupled with gene sequencing at the PGC. Using the local GenAmplify™ will cost only around Php1,320 per test, in contrast to the foreign kit which costs around Php8,500 per test. Around 200 GenAmplify™ kits can be produced in a week, and enough kits are in stock now for around 6,000 tests, with more orders for around 20,000 tests already expected.  This SARS CoV-2 detection kit developed by UP scientists will greatly help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19. The FDA’s issuance of a Certificate of Exemption for the kit will ensure that this locally produced technology will be made available to a greater number of Filipinos at much less cost.  With the increased availability of testing, we can expect that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 will likely grow in our country and perhaps in our university community. This might become a source of anxiety and concern, even fear. However, we assure you that the UP administration is taking immediate and appropriate action in response to this outbreak, with the guidance of our experts from the PGC, PGH and UP Manila.  To respond to the possible increase in the number of patients infected through local transmission, the PGH has protocols in place, which include:  1. Setting up hospital response to assure readiness and safety of health staff triage, diagnose, manage patients suspected and confirmed to have the COVID-19, including the creation of an Incident Command System or COVID Task Force.  2. Training front-liners and paramedical staff to address technical proficiency and emotional/occupational concerns related to COVID-19.  3. Disseminating information and communicating risk about COVID-19 to the members of the UP community and the public.  4. Preparing the public for COVID-19 through public education.  I strongly exhort all the members of our university community and the public to please study and practice the good habits and measures to prevent infection, as described in our previous health advisory. For members of the UP community who have a travel history to countries with confirmed cases and are exhibiting respiratory symptoms, please seek consultation with your University Health Service on campus or go to the nearest health facility. We must all work together to keep our campuses and our communities safe, not just for ourselves but for all members of our University.  Ultimately, the development of the nation and the protection of health and wellbeing of its people are the purpose of the University of the Philippines. UP stands at the ready to serve the Filipino people with honor, excellence and compassion.     Sincerely,  Danilo L. Concepcion President  Related: Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion/",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion March 20, 2020 | Written by Danilo L. Concepcion    March 20, 2020     Dear members of the UP community:     I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to you all for your amazing response to this crisis—a global situation the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes. We have been forced to suspend classes, work and all other campus activities, and to stay inside our homes and practice social distancing, all to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to keep our healthcare system from being dangerously overwhelmed. For some of us, the effects of these measures on our finances, work, and social lives, and on our mental and physical health, have been devastating.     Yet, I have seen UP rise magnificently to the challenge. Every constituent unit, every sector, and every member of the UP community has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate incredible courage, resourcefulness, intelligence, selflessness, and compassion. Our scientists have used their knowledge to help their fellow Filipinos. Our medical and health practitioners, including our interns, are serving heroically at the frontlines of this war. Our faculty are exploring new ways and alternative platforms to fulfill their mission to teach, no matter the circumstances.     Our skeleton staff are working to keep our University running and to protect our communities. Our administrative officials have been tirelessly steering the University through rough waters. And our students, alumni and campus residents are doing their part by using their training to build sanitation tents for public use, or by donating food and supplies to fellow members of the UP community in need, or by campaigning for support for our doctors, nurses and health centers, or by simply doing what they can to educate, to ease people’s burdens, and uplift their spirits.     You are all an inspiration to us. Ang iskolar ng bayan ay tunay na maaasahan.     I cannot say for certain how the future will be shaped by this global crisis. However, I can assure you that we will keep moving forward as one UP community. We will continue to harness the expertise of the country’s premier community of scholars to make thoughtful and informed decisions. We will continue to communicate with you and disseminate information as often as possible. We will support your efforts to help yourselves, your families and your communities. Together, we will emerge stronger, better, and more united than ever.     We must and will remain in touch with one another. To facilitate this and to make sure that we disseminate and receive only official and verified information at a time when misleading and even dangerous rumors abound, we are opening a dedicated webpage at https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/covid-19-updates/ for the UP community. I urge you to bookmark and to follow that page for future announcements and updates, and stay safe.     Once again, I thank all the individuals and teams who are toiling bravely through this uncertain time. Thank you for showing the world what honor and excellence in the service of the Filipino people truly mean.     Maraming salamat po.     Naglilingkod,  Danilo L. Concepcion     COVID-19 UPdates: Information and Resources    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bayanihan-na-up-pgh-launches-covid-19-ops-center/",
        "html": "Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center March 31, 2020 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Manned by 60-70 student volunteers, the UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center is equipped with Hotline Number 155-200 dedicated for UP’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     155-200 is the number to call. And it’s open 24/7.  The UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) launched its Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center on March 30 to answer queries related to COVID-19, including how to volunteer and donate. [Watch the livestream of the launch]  This, just 13 days after it was initially discussed by UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila (UPM) Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP-PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi; and only a week after UP’s acceptance of UP-PGH’s designation and responsibility as a COVID-19 referral center.  These initiatives are on top of another COVID-19 effort: the field validation by the UPM National Institutes of Health of GenAmplify, the University-developed testing kit.  In partnership with PLDT, which provided 20 lines for the hotline, and the PGH Medical Foundation Inc. (PGHMFI), which will facilitate donations, the University is housing the Ops Center at the Nurses Home within the UPM compound, separate from the UP-PGH. It is currently being manned by 60-70 student volunteers in three shifts, although around 20 to 30 more are needed.     UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     Padilla revealed that volunteer developers from the UP Resilience Institute and the UP Center for Student Innovations, a student organization from the UP Diliman Department of Computer Science, along with Cocoy Mercado of Unexus Medical Solutions Inc. and NowheretogobutUP, were instrumental in fixing the platform and applications to be used in the contact center for efficient data tracking and documentation.     UP President Danilo L. Concepcion. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     In his message, Concepcion thanked the University’s partners in all its efforts to find solutions to the increasing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. He made special mention of the doctors, nurses, and medical and hospital staff, without whom the needs of sick Filipinos will not be addressed.  “Naglilingkod ng buong puso, buong husay, at walang takot, buhay man nila ang nakataya,” (Serving wholeheartedly, with utmost excellence, and without fear, even with their lives on the line) was how Concepcion described the frontliners. He said that they embodied the Oblation by offering themselves to heal the nation.     PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan, in a message read by UPM Vice Chancellor for Research Armand Crisostomo, called helping set up the Ops Center a “no-brainer” and a “perfect fit” as PLDT has been working to provide communication support to frontline agencies and personnel and UP-PGH has been designated as a COVID-19 referral hospital.     PGHMFI President Telesforo Gana Jr. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     In a video message, PGHMFI President Telesforo Gana Jr. pledged the organization’s willingness to partner with the UP-PGH in this endeavor to protect all the health and institutional workers who care for COVID-19 patients.     UP-PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi. Screenshot from the Launch of UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.     Legaspi closed the brief program by announcing that together with the launch of Bayanihan Na!, the hospital was also launching the first ward for COVID-19 positive patients. He thanked St. Luke’s Medical Center for providing 48 electric beds and everyone that donated personal protective equipment and cash for the purchase of such. He added that Citystate Tower Hotel volunteered all its rooms to house hospital personnel. Legaspi also explained that the schedule of volunteers was arranged so that they will have time off to rest and de-stress from the physical, mental, and emotional toll of dealing with the health crisis.  With the launch of the UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center, its website has also gone live at https://publicservice.up.edu.ph/uppgh-bayanihan-na/.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the PGH community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-from-up-president-danilo-l-concepcion-to-the-pgh-community/",
        "html": "Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the PGH community Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the PGH community March 26, 2020 | Written by Office of the President    Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the PGH community  26 March 2020     To the Staff and Administration of UP-PGH,     On behalf of our community at the University of the Philippines—indeed, on behalf of the Filipino people—let me thank you, first of all, for your courageous, selfless, and outstanding service in these very trying times. Our nation and our people are suffering from a devastating scourge, and those of you at the frontlines are performing a heroic and unenviable function.  You have been through this before. During the Second World War, your wards overflowed with the victims of that conflict. You treated Filipinos, Japanese soldiers, and American internees alike, doing your utmost with pitifully depleted supplies. Rather than be drafted as foot soldiers, your interns were pressed into the medical service ahead of their time.  But even, and especially, in more ordinary times, you have attended to our people’s needs, especially our poorest. “PGH” has become synonymous with hope and caring, with compassion and commitment, even in the direst circumstances. You never give up, you always give your all, often beyond the call of duty, and certainly beyond your pay grade.  Today, we all face the gravest threat of this generation to our nation’s well-being, and once again we have been called upon to close ranks and face the enemy—an infectious and insidious pathogen—with you, our Infectious Disease Specialists and Medicine personnel, at the spearhead of our defense.  It is with deep humility that those of us who march with you and behind you acknowledge that we may not be able to do as much, but we will also do our best to support you, so no effort and no sacrifice will go to waste.  In accepting the formidable responsibility passed on to UP-PGH to serve as a Covid-19 Referral Center, let me assure you that we will also protect and take care of our own ranks through specific measures, such as:  – Securing enough PPEs and instituting proper Infectious Control Measures in the hospital,  – Ensuring a strict one-week tour of duty followed by a two-week period of quarantine,  – Arranging for free lodging and accommodation as well as transportation requirements for all our HCWs in PGH during this crisis,  – Providing adequate nutrition and physical as well as psychosocial support, especially to those in the clinical areas and frontliners, and  – Ensuring full support from the DOH and the Philippine government as well as partner private hospitals for the augmentation of our manpower, technical, technological, and financial needs.  We deeply appreciate and encourage your strong spirit of volunteerism, but let me also say that PGH will allow only those who are fit to join.  PGH agreed to become a Covid referral hospital on the condition that you may continue to serve other patients with other ailments, and that the Covid Wing be exclusive and segregated from the rest of the hospital, with its own ER. We agreed also on the condition that the DOH will give us additional medical personnel for the Wing and that all its needs, e.g. PPEs, will be provided. If these conditions are not met, we shall restrict admission of cases to keep them at a safe and manageable level.  These are extraordinary times, calling for extraordinary efforts and extraordinary people. I have no doubt that once again, the brave men and women of UP-PGH will rise to the occasion and respond to their country’s call with steadfast courage, abounding talent, and exemplary professionalism. The entire UP community salutes you. Your people crown you with their gratitude.     Mabuhay po tayong lahat, at patnubayan tayo nawa ng Panginoon.     Ang inyong tagapaglingkod,     Danilo L. Concepcion  President        *Featured image courtesy of UP MPRO photo archive  "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academic Programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academic-programs/#",
        "html": "Academic Programs     A  Accountancy  UP Visayas  Agribusiness Economics  UP Mindanao  Agribusiness Management  UP Los Baños  Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Biotechnology  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Chemistry  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Economics  UP Los Baños  Agriculture  UP Los Baños  Anthropology  UP Diliman UP Mindanao  Applied Mathematics  UP Los Baños UP Visayas UP Mindanao  Applied Physics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila  Architecture  UP Diliman UP Mindanao  Art Studies  UP Diliman  B  Behavioral Sciences  UP Manila  Biochemistry  UP Manila  Biology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Broadcast Communication  UP Diliman  Business Administration  UP Diliman UP Visayas  Business Administration and Accountancy  UP Diliman  Business Economics  UP Diliman  C  Chemical Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Chemistry  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Civil Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Clothing Technology  UP Diliman  Communication  UP Baguio  Communication and Media Studies  UP Visayas  Communication Arts  UP Los Baños UP Visayas UP Mindanao  Communication Development  UP Diliman  Community Development  UP Visayas  Community Research  UP Diliman  Community Nutrition  UP Diliman  Comparative Literature  UP Diliman  Computer Engineering  UP Diliman  Computer Science  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Creative Writing  UP Diliman  D  Dental Medicine  UP Manila  Development Communication  UP Los Baños  Development Studies  UP Manila  E  Economics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Education Studies  UP Open University  Electrical Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Electronics and Communications Engineering  UP Diliman  Elementary Education  UP Diliman  English (Creative Writing)  UP Mindanao  English Studies: Language  UP Diliman  English Studies: Literature  UP Diliman  European Languages  UP Diliman  F  Family Life and Child Development  UP Diliman  Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas  UP Diliman  Film  UP Diliman  Fine Arts  UP Diliman UP Baguio UP Cebu  Fisheries  UP Visayas  Food Technology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Mindanao  Forestry  UP Los Baños  G  Geodetic Engineering  UP Diliman  Geography  UP Diliman  Geology  UP Diliman  H  History  UP Diliman UP Visayas  Home Economics  UP Diliman  Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management  UP Diliman  Human Ecology  UP Los Baños  I  Industrial Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Industrial Pharmacy  UP Manila  Interior Design  UP Diliman  J  Journalism  UP Diliman  L  Landscape Architecture  UP Diliman  Language and Literature  UP Baguio  Library and Information Science  UP Diliman  Linguistics  UP Diliman  Literature  UP Visayas  M  Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino  UP Diliman  Management  UP Visayas UP Cebu  Management Economics  UP Baguio  Mass Communication  UP Cebu  Materials Engineering  UP Diliman  Mathematics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Baguio UP Cebu  Mathematics and Science Teaching  UP Los Baños  Mechanical Engineering  UP Diliman  Metallurgical Engineering  UP Diliman  Mining Engineering  UP Diliman  Molecular Biology and Biotechnology  UP Diliman  Multimedia Studies  UP Open University  Music  UP Diliman  N  Nursing  UP Manila  Nutrition  UP Los Baños  O  Occupational Therapy  UP Manila  Organizational Communication  UP Manila  P  Pharmacy  UP Manila  Philippine Arts  UP Manila  Philippine Studies  UP Diliman  Philosophy  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Physical Education  UP Diliman  Physical Therapy  UP Manila  Physics  UP Diliman UP Baguio  Political Science  UP Diliman UP Manila UP Visayas UP Cebu  Psychology  UP Diliman UP Visayas UP Cebu  Public Administration  UP Diliman  Public Health  UP Manila UP Visayas  S  Secondary Education  UP Diliman  Social Sciences  UP Manila UP Visayas UP Baguio  Social Work  UP Diliman  Sociology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Speech Communication  UP Diliman  Speech Pathology  UP Manila  Sports Science  UP Diliman  Statistics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  T  Theater Arts  UP Diliman  Tourism  UP Diliman  V  Veterinary Medicine  UP Los Baños "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat/#",
        "html": "UPCAT  As the premier State University, UP offers a wide range of degree programs. Some degree programs are offered in only one campus (e.g., BS Nursing, BA Filipino) while others are offered in two or more campuses (e.g., B Fine Arts, BS Statistics). Most of these require qualification through the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT).  To maintain its high standard of education and to maximize its limited resources, UP has had to limit slots for freshman admission to each campus and to its various degree programs.  If you decide to take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT), you will be one among many thousands who aspire to enter the University of the Philippines.  The UPCAT consists of 4 subtests: Language Proficiency, Science, Mathematics and Reading Comprehension. Standardized scores on these subtests are combined with the weighted average of final grades in the first three years of high school to determine qualification into UP. Moreover, to implement the policy of democratization to make the UP studentry more representative of the nation’s population, socio-economic and geographic considerations are factored in the selection of campus qualifiers.  Conditions for Eligibility   To be eligible to take the UPCAT, you must meet certain specific requirements.  First: You must belong to one of the categories listed below:  1. Senior students (e.g., Fourth Year, Grade 12, Senior 6) of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad (expecting to graduate at the end of the school year); 2. Graduates of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad; or 3. Those declared eligible for admission to college after taking the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT).  NOTE: Graduates of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad and those declared eligible for admission to college after taking the PEPT  1. Must not have taken any college subject/s previously; 2. Must not be taking any college subject/s at present; and 3. Will not be taking any college subject/s prior to or for the semester/academic year for which the UPCAT is to be taken.  Second: You must also have:  Final grades for the First, Second and Third Years of the 4-year secondary school curriculum in schools with DepEd recognition/permit to operate said curriculum (or Grades 9, 10 and 11 or, their equivalent for international or foreign schools); and Third: You must also NOT HAVE TAKEN the UPCAT previously.  Taking the UPCAT  1. Go to your designated Test Center on the date specified in your Test Permit. Be there by 6:30 for the morning session or by 12:30 for the afternoon session. 2. Bring only your Test Permit, two good quality pencils, a sharpener, a rubber eraser and snacks. (The test administration will last about five hours). The use of cellphones and/or calculating devices during the test is strictly prohibited and can be a cause for disqualification.  After the UPCAT  1. Check the UPCAT website (http://www.upcat.up.edu.ph) for announcements and posting of UPCAT Results (towards the end of March). 2. A list of qualifiers from your school will be sent to your Principal. Individual notices will also be sent to all examinees.If you qualify for admission to UP, register according to the instructions provided by the college or unit to which you have been accepted.  On Scholarships  Since 1991, the UP Oblation Scholarship has been awarded to the top fifty UPCAT qualifiers. The benefits include free tuition, miscellaneous and laboratory fees, a semestral book subsidy and a monthly incentive and transportation allowance.  Recipients may enjoy the UP Oblation Scholarship throughout the normal length of time required to finish their chosen degree program, provided they maintain the required grade point average. For those in the accelerated medical program (INTARMED), however, only the first four years are covered by this grant.  The University of the Philippines has a Socialized Tuition System. It provides possible tuition discounts and/or additional financial assistance for financially needy students in the form of monthly subsidies for living and travel expenses and a semestral book allowance. A number of scholarships, study grants and awards donated by government and private companies or individuals, are also available for the Office of Scholarships and Student Services. Most are intended for financially needy students, though some are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic performance.  Important Reminders  -There is no minimum high school average grade requirement for taking the UPCAT. -The UPCAT can be taken only once.  For more details on the UPCAT and how to take test, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Undergraduate Admissions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/undergraduate-admissions/#",
        "html": "Undergraduate Admissions General Admission Requirements  Graduates of foreign and Philippine high schools accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) may be admitted as freshmen into the University based on the following: Performance in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT); and Weighted average of final grades obtained in high school.  Those who wish to study at the university take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). For more details, please go to the Office of Admissions website.  Undergraduate Programs  Requirements for academic programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over through the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Transferees  For transferees, here are links with the necessary information.  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Foreign students  Information on admission of foreign students may be found at the following pages:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu "
    },
    {
        "title": "Institutional Linkages – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/institutional-linkages/#",
        "html": "Institutional Linkages  Internationally recognized as the leading educational institution in the country, UP is the only Philippine university in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), where membership is based on the nomination and votes of member universities. UP is also the only Philippine university in the ASEAN-European University Network, a network of universities offering comprehensive graduate degree programs. It is a founding member of and is one of only three Philippine universities in the ASEAN University Network (AUN).  The University of the Philippines lives as a nerve center for most local and foreign private and government and non-government institutions by providing the much needed academic, professional and leadership training in the undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral and even professional levels. To date, UP, being the National University, has Memoranda of Agreement or Memoranda of Understanding with about three hundred foreign academic institutions throughout the world that also play a significant role in the formation of their societies.  The Office of International Linkages  The Office of Institutional Linkages is a unit under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It is mandated to identify and explore areas of cooperation and linkages with foreign and local institutions.  It promotes academic collaboration with local and foreign universities in the form of student and faculty and student exchange, joint research, exchange of publication, sponsorship of conference and other academic activities. The office is engage in the initiation, planning, implementation and monitoring of linkage activities.  The office also participates in the implementation of student exchange program with partner universities. It facilitates the application and endorsement of UP students who wishes to participate in the exchange program with local or foreign universities.  Also, it provides assistance to foreign exchange students who are studying in UP under the benefit of memorandum of agreement between their home university and UP System.  For more on UP’s linkages with other educational and research institutions, please visit the Office of Institutional Linkages website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Vision and Mission – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/vision-and-mission/",
        "html": "Vision and Mission  Our Vision for UP A great university, taking a leadership role in the development of a globally competitive Philippines. Driven by: Academic excellence and operational excellence; Strong research and creative capability, supported by an expanded graduate program and geared to addressing the country’s problems; Excellent faculty and staff working in an environment conducive to outstanding performance and high productivity; The best and brightest students from across the country prepared for successful careers and responsive citizenship; Strong support from the alumni and other stakeholders; High visibility and effective public service; Modernized physical facilities and technological infrastructure for teaching, research and administration; and Financial sustainability achieved by resource generation and administrative efficiency, while preserving its public character. For more information on the the Vision and Mission of the University, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Mandate and Functions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/mandate-and-functions/",
        "html": "Mandate and Functions  Section 3 of the UP Charter of 2008 (Republic Act 9500) states that: As the national university, a public and secular institution of higher learning, and a community of scholars dedicated to the search for truth and knowledge as well as the development of future leaders, the University of the Philippines shall perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development. The University shall: Lead in setting academic standards and initiating innovations in teaching, research, and faculty development in philosophy, the arts and humanities, the social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, and technology; and maintain centers of excellence in these disciplines and professions. Serve as a graduate university by providing advanced studies and specialization for scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and professionals especially those who serve on the faculty of state and private colleges and universities. Serve as a research university in various fields of expertise and specialization by conducting basic and applied research, promoting research and development, and contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge. Lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence. Protect and promote the professional and economic rights and welfare of its academic and non-academic personnel. Provide opportunities for training and learning in leadership, responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions, and practice through academic and non-academic programs, including sports and enhancement of nationalism and national identity. Serve as a regional and global university in cooperation with international and scientific unions, networks of universities, scholarly and professional associations in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world. Provide democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of its constituents; and promote the holding of fora for students, faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), administrative staff, and alumni to discuss non-academic issues affecting the University. For a full text of the UP Charter, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sally Campus, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sally-campus-bachelor-of-physical-education-up-diliman-college-of-human-kinetics/",
        "html": "Sally Campus, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Sally Campus, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics July 29, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Sally Campus, a freshman studying at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics as a Physical Education major and a member of the UP Track and Field Team, becoming a UP student is a special source of pride: in her family of nine siblings, she is the sixth child and the first one to go to college.  This knowledge is also a source of worry. “Nakakakaba, kasi po baka hindi ako maka-survive dito. Mahirap masyado [I feel anxious about it, because I’m afraid I might not be able to survive here. It’s hard],” she admitted.  It is also not surprising that her close-knit family has been worried about her living so far away from her hometown of Digos, Davao del Sur, particularly at a time of unprecedented crisis such as the global pandemic. But Sally is excited to go home and see her family again. “Noong June po sana eh kaso na-cancel [It should’ve been in June but the trip was canceled],” she explained. It also doesn’t help that travel restrictions in Davao have been particularly strict during the quarantine.  For Sally, the first in her family to travel so far away from home, adjusting to life in UP Diliman was made easier through the help of her teammates. Life had been fairly busy before the lockdown. “Madami pong requirements na pwede pong ipasa. Pero kinakaya din naman po kasi tinutulungan din naman ako ng mga ka-teammate ko po dito. Kasi ang sabi po ng Coach namin magtulungan na lang po, kung sino yung mga freshie. At tsaka i-guide po nila kami. Tsaka rin po mahirap yung mga subject na kinukuha ko [There were a lot of requirements we had to pass, but I managed them with my teammates’ help. And our Coach [Rio Dela Cruz] urged us to help and guide one another, especially us freshies. Also, some of the subjects I took were hard].”  Since the lockdown in March, she has spent her time at Balay Atleta, where she boards along with other UP athletes, working on finishing their academic requirements for the past semester and waiting for the chance to be reunited with their families. Fortunately, UP athletes are provided lunches and dinners during weekdays by the University Food Service, although the athletes are left to find other sources of meals during weekends. However, the lockdown has worsened the academic challenges that Sally had to face.  “Noong March, nanghihiram po ako ng laptop sa kasama ko po. At tsaka nagpatulong na din po magpa-video. Hiramin ko din po yung cellphone nila gamit na pang-video sa akin, kasi kailangan kasing mag-pasa ng mga video kasama sa mga requirements [Back in March, I would borrow the laptop computer of one of my companions, and I’d ask for help as well. One of my courses required me making videos, and I had to borrow my teammates’ cell phone and ask for help in making videos],” Sally related, saying that her own phone’s paltry memory could not handle the demands.  Life during lockdown was “mahirap po eh. Pinapangunahan po ng pangamba, takot po, ganon. At tsaka naiinggit po ako sa kasamahan ko po eh kasi nakauwi na sila, ako wala pa po eh. Gustong gusto ko na po kasing umuwi eh tsaka miss ko na din po sila. Mag-one year na din po kasi ako nandito, hindi ko po sila nakikita [Life was so hard. We had to deal with the dread and fear. And on top of that, I was so envious of my teammates who were able to go home. I really miss my family; it’s already been a year since I last saw them],” she confessed.  Kaunti lang po kasi yung may laptop sa amin eh. Yung senior na nandito ngayon…Nahihiya na din po ako eh, lagi na lang sila yung tinatakbuhan ko. Baka kung anong sabihin nila. – Sally Campus, Iskolar ng Bayan  Her companions going home meant she had even fewer technological resources with which to finish her academic requirements. “Kaunti lang po kasi yung may laptop sa amin eh. Yung senior na nandito ngayon at tsaka yung isa na umuwi na po [There are so few of us who have laptops. I’d borrow the laptop of my seniors here].” She had to wait until they were finished working on their own requirements, of course. “Nahihiya na din po ako eh, lagi na lang sila yung tinatakbuhan ko. Baka kung anong sabihin nila. Buti na lang mababait [I felt embarrassed about always running to them to borrow their laptop. It’s a good thing they’re so nice],” she said.  For Sally, to survive and thrive in UP, especially when remote learning has become the “new normal” by default, one needs the basic tools. A laptop computer is of course, a must, as is a good cell phone “para pagdating sa pasahan ng requirements eh madali na lang po [so passing academic requirements would be easier],” she said. “Tsaka mahirap din po kasi kapag nandun kami sa amin, mahirap ang signal doon. Kailangan ko din ng load na pang-Internet access [It will also be hard to study back in our home because there’s no signal there. I also need load for Internet access].”  Pag naka-graduate po ako at maging coach or teacher, educate ko po yung mga students at tutulungan ko sila para makapag-aral din sila at makatapos. Magko-coach din po ako doon sa amin ng mga bata na may potential na maging athlete. Importante po sa akin ang pagiging athlete kasi dahil sa pagiging athlete ko nakapag-aral ako dito sa UP. Nabigyan po ako ng scholarship. – Sally Campus, Iskolar ng Bayan  She dreams of becoming a coach or an educator when she graduates. “Pag naka-graduate po ako at maging professional na coach or teacher po, educate ko po yung mga students at tutulungan ko sila para makapag-aral din sila at makatapos. Magko-coach din po ako doon sa amin ng mga bata na may potential na maging athlete. Importante po sa akin ang pagiging athlete kasi dahil sa pagiging athlete ko nakapag-aral ako dito sa UP. Nabigyan po ako ng scholarship [I want to educate students and help them to be able to finish their studies. I want to coach the children in our community, especially the ones who have the potential to become athletes. I want to help them become athletes, because becoming an athlete is important to me. It’s how I am able to earn a scholarship and study in UP].”  Dapat hindi mag-alinlangan, dapat magsikap po sa kabila ng mga pangangailangan. Patuloy lang sa pangarap. – Sally Campus, Iskolar ng Bayan  She also urges her fellow students who are also going through similar challenges not to give up. “Dapat hindi mag-alinlangan, dapat magsikap po sa kabila ng mga pangangailangan. Patuloy lang sa pangarap. At tsaka hindi po dapat mahiya na maghingi ng tulong sa mga seniors [We have to work hard despite the struggles. We have to keep going. And we shouldn’t be embarrassed about asking for help from our seniors],” she added.  To support the remote learning needs of Sally and other Iskolar ng Bayan, please visit http://kaagapay.up.edu.ph. #KaagapayUP  For assistance, contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Peter Lachica, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/peter-lachica-bachelor-of-physical-education-up-diliman-college-of-human-kinetics/",
        "html": "Peter Lachica, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Peter Lachica, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics July 30, 2020 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta     Video edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO     The only child of a single mother living in their hometown of Surallah, South Cotabato, UP Diliman freshman Peter Lachica is aware of the risks of the viral disease that has brought the world to a standstill. The knowledge that there are more confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quezon City than in South Cotabato and the very real danger of bringing this virus home with him are the reasons he is having second thoughts about going home, even though he and his fellow UP students staying in the dormitories have longed to return to their families for months.  “Iyan din yung worry ko [That’s what I’m worried about],” he confessed, noting that the last few people who went home initially tested negative but then picked up the virus en route home.  Another reason he’s having second thoughts: the challenges of completing his academic requirements in all his subjects. As a Bachelor of Physical Education student at the UP College of Human Kinetics (UP CHK) and a member of the UP Track and Field Team, Peter has been hard at work completing the 18 academic units he took for the last semester, a job made more difficult given severe limitations involved.        He recalls what life was like before the pandemic and the lockdown. “Shempre po masaya. Napupuntahan namin lahat ng gusto namin. Nakakapag-training kami sa Acad Oval, and then nagte-training kami dyan sa [Athletic] Oval. Masaya po kasi kasama naming kumain yung teammate namin, nagkwekwentuhan, may regular class, minsan nagwo-worry ka kasi may assignment na gagawin, sasakay ng jeep, ganon. Normally ginagawa ng isang UP student [It was fun. We could go anywhere we wanted. We could train at the Academic Oval and Athletic Oval. We’d have fun eating out and chatting with our teammates. We had regular classes, and sometimes we’d worry about the assignments we had to do, about taking the jeep to get to class on time . . . things that a UP student would normally do,” he said.  Having no laptop or personal computer of his own had not been that big an issue, since Peter was able to use the computers at the UP CHK, at the library in Palma Hall or in the College of Arts and Letters. Other times, he managed with his cell phone and his access to free WIFI through UP DilNet.  Then with the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting quarantine, everything changed.  “Noong una po, akala namin hindi ganito kalala yung mangyayari. And then after a few months, ayun na, biglang lumala. Tapos nagulat kaming lahat na nasa dorm na bigla na lang hindi na kami lumalabas, bawal na kaming mag-jogging, tumakbo, and then bawal na rin kaming pumunta sa iba’t malalayong lugar na pinupuntahan namin usually. Tapos yung mas nakakalala pa doon is that na-stop yung class. So naisip namin, papaano yung learning namin nito? [At first we thought it wouldn’t be that bad. Then one day my fellow dormers [at the Ipil Residence Hall] and I were surprised to find that we were not allowed to go outside anymore. We weren’t allowed to go jogging or to train, and we couldn’t go to the places we used to go to. Worse, the regular classes stopped, and we were all worried about our learning],” he related.  Sinabing magiging online na daw yung class, so nag-worry po kaming mga students na wala masyadyong gadgets. Yung ginagamit ko lang po is phone, and then wala po akong laptop or computer. Kaya sabi ko, hala papaano ito, walang laptop? Papaano yung mga projects, ganon? Yung mga papers? – Peter Lachica, Iskolar ng Bayan  “Noong una hindi namin alam ang gagawin namin. Naghihintay kami ng email galing sa mga professor namin. Naghihintay din ng update galing sa UP mismo. And then, noong may natanggap kami ng email and then sinabing magiging online na daw yung class, so nag-worry po kaming mga students na wala masyadyong gadgets. Yung ginagamit ko lang po is phone, and then wala po akong laptop or computer. Kaya sabi ko, hala papaano ito, walang laptop? Papaano yung mga projects, ganon? Yung mga papers? [In the beginning, we didn’t know what to do. We kept waiting for email updates from our professors and from UP. Then we received an email informing us that classes would be online, which worried us students who didn’t have gadgets of our own. All I had was my phone, so I wondered how I’d be able to do my projects and papers without a laptop or computer].”  In order to work on his assignments, Peter had to borrow the laptop of his teammate and fellow dormer. However, he couldn’t do this all the time as his teammate also had to use his laptop to complete his own assignments. “May time na kailangan kong mag-submit ng paper namin sa Bio, parang na-delay ako dahil may ginagawa din sya and then na-late yung pag-submit ko. Eh, kinonsider naman po ng professor ko [One time I had to submit a paper for a biology class, but because my teammate also needed to use the laptop, I ended up submitting my own paper late. Our professor accepted it anyway].”  Malaki po yung mga challenges nakikita ko, yung gap between sa mga taong merong access sa gadgets, sa Internet and wifi. Masyadong malaki po yung gap. Malaking sagabal po kasi wala po kaming masyadong access. – Peter Lachica, Iskolar ng Bayan  Peter knows that with the implementation of remote learning, a lot of UP students are going through the same difficulties. “Malaki po yung mga challenges nakikita ko, yung gap between sa mga taong merong access sa gadgets, sa Internet and wifi. Masyadong malaki po yung gap [I see a lot of challenges, starting with the gap between the students who have access to gadgets and the Internet and the students who don’t. This gap is too wide],” he points out. “Kasi kagaya ko, nahihirapan ako kasi wala akong laptop, wala masyadong gadgets. Yun nga po sa pag-enlist ko, hindi nga po ako natanggap kasi wala po akong laptop at cellphone na magamit para makapag-enlist. Malaking sagabal po kasi wala po kaming masyadong access [Students like me have a much harder time than those who have gadgets and laptops. Even just enlisting online for subjects was hard. Having little or no access to the Internet is a very serious obstacle].”  Babalik po ako doon sa amin para tulungan pa yung mga kapwa ko atleta na makamit din ang pangarap nila kagaya ko, na makapag-aral sa mga ganitong mga unibersidad, sa pinakamagandang unibersidad dito sa Pilipinas, which is UP. Proud po ako doon dahil dito po ako nakapag-aral. Yun po ang gagawin ko, and yun po ang number one goal ko pag makapagtapos ako dito sa UP. – Peter Lachica, Iskolar ng Bayan  When asked what his plans are if and when he earns his degree in UP, Peter said that he would stay true to his commitment as an athlete. “Galing ako sa amin bilang atleta. Babalik po ako doon sa amin para tulungan pa yung mga kapwa ko atleta na makamit din ang pangarap nila kagaya ko, na makapag-aral sa mga ganitong mga unibersidad, sa pinakamagandang unibersidad dito sa Pilipinas, which is UP. Proud po ako doon dahil dito po ako nakapag-aral. Yun po ang gagawin ko, and yun po ang number one goal ko pag makapagtapos ako dito sa UP [I came from our hometown as an athlete, and I plan to go back home to help my fellow athletes achieve their dreams like I did, to be able to study in good universities—in the best university in the country, which is UP. I’m so proud that I am able to study here. That’s why my number one goal is to complete my studies at UP].”  He said that he would become an athletic coach. And more than that, he said, “If ever pong papalarin, ipro-proceed ko po ito sa pagiging lawyer. During quarantine, kasi meron akong books dyan about Law at Pre-Law, mga 20 plus na libro na binabasa-basa ko na rin po [If possible, I would like to go on to study law. I have over 20 law and pre-law books here, and I’ve been reading them during this quarantine].” As someone who knows how to make the best use of his time, he has also been learning to play the guitar during the  lockdown. He considers the friendships he forged with his fellow dormers who all come from different provinces and different fields the silver lining in an otherwise dismal period.  Huwag po tayong mahiyang humingi ng tulong mula sa mga taong kayang tumulong sa atin kasi sa panahon natin ngayon, napakahirap po talaga dahil sa pandemyang ito. Hindi po natin alam kung anong mangyayari sa mga susunod na araw, kaya huwag po tayong sumuko, lalong-lalo na sa pag-aaral natin. – Peter Lachica, Iskolar ng Bayan  He exhorts his fellow students who are in the same situation not to give up on their studies. “Huwag po tayong mahiyang humingi ng tulong mula sa mga taong kayang tumulong sa atin kasi sa panahon natin ngayon, napakahirap po talaga dahil sa pandemyang ito. Hindi po natin alam kung anong mangyayari sa mga susunod na araw, kaya huwag po tayong sumuko, lalong-lalo na sa pag-aaral natin [Let’s not be afraid to ask for help from the people who can help, because life is so hard during this pandemic. We don’t know what will happen in the coming days, which is why we can’t give up, especially on our own education].”  And to the people who would be generous enough to support students like him, Peter stresses how much this help would mean to him and his fellow students. “Hindi po namin kaya na kami lang ang mag-suporta sa amin, napakahirap po talaga. Kaya sana po matulungan niyo po kami [We can’t do it on our own. That’s why we’re hoping you can help].”  To support the remote learning needs of Peter and other Iskolar ng Bayan, please visit http://kaagapay.up.edu.ph. #KaagapayUP  For assistance, contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 or kaagapay@up.edu.ph.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "PROFILES – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/profiles/#",
        "html": "PROFILES      Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan Jessica Franco Perez Magna cum laude Doctor of Medicine UP College of Medicine I am Jessica Franco Perez, 32 years ...  Read More Love life and don’t give up Hannah Patricia E. Bringas Doctor of Dental Medicine UP College of Dentistry I am Hannah Patricia E. Bringas, a graduate ...  Read More Finding your own groove Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar Cum laude BS Food Technology College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines Mindanao My ...  Read More Padayon Nixie E. Serna Magna cum laude BA in English (Creative Writing) College of Humanities and Social Sciences University of the ...  Read More Peter Lachica, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics  Video edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO The only child of a single mother living in their hometown of ...  Read More Sally Campus, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Sally Campus, a freshman studying at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics as a Physical Education major and a ...  Read More ‹ 1 2 3 4 5 › "
    },
    {
        "title": "iLib – Integrated Library System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ilib-integrated-library-system/#",
        "html": "iLib – Integrated Library System        ilib.upd.edu.ph ilib.uplb.edu.ph ilib.upm.edu.ph ilib.upv.edu.ph ilib.upou.edu.ph ilib.upmin.edu.ph ilib.upb.edu.ph ilib.upcebu.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "MULTIMEDIA – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/multimedia/#",
        "html": "MULTIMEDIA      Matinong usapang para sa maunlad na bayan.         University of the Philippines’ Internet TV Network        University of the Philippines Youtube Channel "
    },
    {
        "title": "The education of an Iska – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-education-of-an-iska/",
        "html": "The education of an Iska The education of an Iska October 5, 2018 | Written by Stephanie Cabigao   Edeline Payawal shares the stoke from sea to school.     When the air conditioning unit inside her hotel room in Leyte woke her up with its loud noise, Edeline Payawal could not have known how her life was going to change. Payawal is an Iska whose achievements have only become more meaningful since that fateful day on November 8, 2013.  As the UP College of Mass Communication alumna tells it, “At the hallway, a guest told me to transfer to the hotel’s main building while the water was ankle-deep. I went back in to our room to check on my friends; however by the time we had to leave the building, the water was already neck-deep. Then suddenly, the roof broke down so that the rain started to pour on our floor. And we only had our room’s window to access the hotel’s main building by crossing over a water tank right beside it. We were 40 people in the building who had to climb out the window and cross over the water tank while braving the gusting winds of Typhoon Yolanda.”  “I can vividly remember the sound of everyone in despair. At that moment, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to die that day. I prepared myself for that moment. But all of us were able to get to the main building,” she continues.  Standing right outside the hotel’s main building after the storm, she saw a pushcart loaded with two pale, lifeless teenagers retrieved by rescuers. “From the horror of possibly dying to seeing actual death, I was seriously in a state of shock. At some point I thought I had an out-of-body experience, thinking that it could have been us,” she confesses.  For several months after the storm surge, the cum laude graduate kept questioning herself why she had been spared, while too many victims did not deserve to die. “I always asked, what meaningful thing did I do? Is it really all about finishing college with honors, having my own research firm, and being successful? Those who lost their lives in Typhoon Yolanda had families on their own, who were pillars of their communities, as compared to me. Nobody would be concerned more than my parents.”     From sea to school  The Yolanda experience led her to establish Surf to School. Surf buddies and Iskas Edeline Payawal and Nika King began this program in 2013. “That year was a time of giving. So, I asked friends who were willing to join in this donation drive. The immense support from friends and other networks inspired me to organize the program, and make it sustainable rather than remain a one-time charity project,” Payawal explains.     Zambales leg of the Surf to School Program (Photo courtesy of Edeline Payawal)     “The Surf to School Program is a collective effort of wave lovers to help these children sustain their interest to stay in school. It aspires to persuade them to live a balanced life both in school and in the sea,” she continues.  Catching up with Surf to School’s Siargao leg this year, the program brought volunteer facilitators for various arts workshops and sports clinics, and donations of school bags and supplies to the island. Since its establishment, the program has already reached the shores of Baler, Pundakit, La Union, Puraran, Bagasbas in Quezon, Pagudpud and Sorsogon. Residual funds were used to set up surf competitions with scholarships as grand prizes, according to Payawal.        Young wahines converge from La Union, Baler, Siargao and Lanuza for Surf to School’s Siargao leg (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)        Surf to School’s Girl Grom and Wahine surf competition at the Cloud 9 tower, Siargao (Photo courtesy of Edeline Payawal)     “Surf to School saved me at that critical point in my life,” Payawal says. “My favorite reaction I got from the kids was overhearing them talking about how happy they were to have food, school supplies, prizes from the competition, and scholarships. I cried, as that was exactly what I wanted for them to feel, to feel special and appreciated. This is not just about charity or helping the poor. This is about making a lasting impact. You do it once, twice, but never to make yourself look good, but to have a commitment in serving others,” she continued.     The cool in school  The UP MBA alumna anchors her professional and socio-civic activities on her UP education. “Learning is very valuable to me because I believe in the University so much. That’s why UP has been the greatest influence in my support for education as well as in public service,” she said.     Medals and other prizes for Surf to School’s Girl Grom and Wahine Camp in Siargao (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     Another thing that is known to her as part of Tatak UP is every Iskolar ng Bayan’s resourcefulness. “It is not just about the intellect or intelligence that’s being imparted to you by UP, but also being maparaan. Until now, whenever I recommend individuals for jobs, I place top priority on UP graduates because of this special skill,” she says. Payawal herself is now the managing director of Carillon Consumer Research & Growth Strategists, a market research firm.  “You should be shaken to the very core—that’s UP for me,” Payawal asserts, “so that you become a total person who has both a heart and a mind.”     Edeline takes her daughter Quinn to Surf to School’s activities (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO)     “As a mother, I’d like for my daughter to go through the same education I got from the University and make the most of it as I did, and to have that sense of continuous learning even beyond degrees and diplomas,” she concludes.       "
    },
    {
        "title": "Plant science for the people – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/plant-science-for-the-people/",
        "html": "Plant science for the people Plant science for the people November 9, 2017 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    He dreamed of becoming a doctor and now he is addressed as Dr. Pablito Magdalita. Instead of a medical degree, however, he has a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Biotechnology from the University of Queensland, Australia. “I went from wanting to help human health to plant health. It’s ultimately about wanting to help improve lives through science. I loved all my science classes in high school,” Magdalita says.  Going into medicine was something his family couldn’t afford. His father was a coconut farmer and his mother was a storekeeper. Practicality and a scholarship from the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation, Inc. prompted him to take up agriculture at Luzonian University (now Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation) in Lucena City, Quezon in 1978.  If it weren’t for that decision, Magdalita wouldn’t have started the journey to becoming the scientist he is today—one known for his work on numerous hibiscus hybrids, several varieties of fruits, and on plant breeding, genetics, and diseases. He holds a patent for the ACC oxidase gene and its use and is currently awaiting the grant of another patent from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines for the coat protein of the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). With principal breeder Dr. Violeta Villegas, he co-developed the papaya hybrid Sinta, which is tolerant to PRSV. The other fruit varieties he co-developed include the Aguinaldo guyabano, Amarillo rambutan, Mabini jackfruit, Mapino chico, Red Princess cashew, Roja rambutan.     Dr. Pablito Magdalita shows a specimen of Saba banana variety in his study on species that can adapt to climate change. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “At first it was curiosity, then it was excitement about the possibilities of how I could make crops better. I was inspired by the challenges posed by my professors in plant breeding to create improved crops through breeding and selection,” he explains about his agriculture courses. Just like that, the dream of becoming a medical doctor was soon forgotten.  Married to his career  “The environment in UP is competitive, so I am inspired to be productive,” Magdalita says, describing his 35-year stint in the University.  He started as a research aide in 1982 at the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) and enrolled in UP Los Baños’ Master of Science program in 1983, majoring in Plant Pathology and Plant Breeding. Moving up the ranks to become a research assistant, research associate, and eventually a university researcher, Magdalita spent most of his UP life conducting various studies and experiments on the development of ornamental and fruit crops.  After his doctoral and post-doctoral studies on plant breeding, plant biotechnology and genetic engineering from the University of Queensland in the late 1990s, he was asked to teach molecular biology and biotechnology courses at the Institute of Biological Sciences, but not as a full-time faculty member. It wasn’t until 2010 that he officially joined the ranks of UP faculty at the College of Agriculture and Food Science.     Specimens of Sinta hybrid papaya that Dr. Pablito Magdalita continues to do research on, despite the variety having been released in 1995. “You can always improve the variety,” he says. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     “I realized I had more to offer as a teacher because of my almost 30-year research experience. Being able to share knowledge, especially those that I’ve applied myself, is a remarkable feeling.”  And he hasn’t stopped doing research. Magdalita begins a typical workday by waking up at 4 am to get some writing done for his journal articles. “I do a little work before physically going to work.” He’s in the field around 8 to 9 am, then proceeds to his classes, does paperwork for administrative committee assignments, checks up on his laboratory at the IPB, and then goes home.  He doesn’t usually work on Sundays. He attends Mass, walks his dogs, and works in his garden. “Well, it’s like I have a second field at home because I also use my crops as fresh specimens for my classes.” It’s clear he loves what he does and even jokes, “My colleagues tell me I’m married to my career!”  Better crops for everyone  Scientists like Dr. Magdalita are often invisible to the public they serve, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He has been honored by his scientific and academic peers for his research. And while he takes pride in his accomplishments, they don’t compare to the satisfaction of knowing his work helps farmers and local communities, contributes to countryside productivity, and is enjoyed by the wider public.  “It usually takes at least ten years to come up with a good fruit crop variety and you have to wait even longer to see how far the crop has gone in terms of distribution, production, and consumption. We released Sinta papaya in 1995 and now it’s in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.”     Dr. Pablito Magdalita shows one of the papaya trees among the numerous crops outside his laboratory at the Institute of Plant Breeding. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)     His work on ornamentals and fruits continues. He reveals that they are looking into creating varieties of different-colored sampaguita and thorn-less bougainvillea, among others. He is interested in exploring other crops with health and wellness benefits as well. He also says we should watch out for three new varieties of papaya, which they started working on in 2005. In three years, the sweet Hirang, Liyag, and Timyas hybrid papayas are expected to hit the market.  “We still need more high-yielding, disease-resistant, and climate change-resistant crops. And I want to continue working on answering those needs. This is my life as a scientist in UP. To work here is to work for the people.”    "
    },
    {
        "title": "The gene doctor will see you now – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-gene-doctor-will-see-you-now/",
        "html": "The gene doctor will see you now The gene doctor will see you now March 28, 2019 | Written by Andre DP Encarnacion   National Institutes of Health Director and Dangal ng Bayan Awardee Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO     If there is anything that Dr. Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz seems not to enjoy, it’s getting undue credit. The winner of the 2018 Dangal ng Bayan Award was admittedly nervous when her mother, a former faculty member at the UP College of Education, suggested having their photo taken with the tarpaulin celebrating her feat.  “I was hoping nobody was there,” she said, “and that nobody would recognize me when we were having our family picture taken at the Oblation Plaza.”  As far as her research is concerned, Cutiongco-de la Paz is quick to laud the contributions of her collaborators over her own. The clinical geneticist and current executive director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has certainly published on a broad range of subjects, from the genes implicated in rare diseases to our population’s genetic diversity. When asked, she tends to downplay her role in each of them. “None of these is just about me,” she says.  There is, however, one topic that she talks about with pride. And that is her passion as a clinician-scientist.  Having fuelled a career that earned her an award for “sustained contributions in the field of genetics,” this passion involves using her knowledge of genes to provide accurate diagnoses of illnesses to families and managing their multidisciplinary care. This passion, which describes the field of clinical genetics in a nutshell, has shaped her character as a scholar, a teacher, and, most importantly, a healer.  Getting to this point was a journey that took Cutiongco-de la Paz nearly around the world. After surviving disasters abroad and receiving genetics training from some of the world’s top institutions, the pediatrician by training hopes that what she learned can now be used to help Filipinos and their families live healthier, more dignified lives.  Deviation from form  Graduating from the UP College of Medicine in 1989 was something Cutiongco-de la Paz thought would necessarily lead to a conventional career as a physician. An invitation to avail of a research fellowship at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Medicine in 1995, however, would change these plans forever.  While there, she had the opportunity to study a condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in great depth.  The disease is associated with a mutation in a gene on the X-chromosome and is mostly found in males. This mutation causes abnormalities in a protein called dystrophin in our muscles that makes them fragile and easily damaged. Afflicted children typically fall over and become wheelchair-bound. Since the heart and diaphragm consist themselves of muscle, those who fail to manage the illness typically die before age 30.     Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz is conferred the Dangal ng Bayan Award by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.     Although her stint in Kobe University introduced her to how deeply human genetics can influence a patient’s well-being, it was cut short unexpectedly by the Great Hanshin Earthquake—Japan’s second strongest in the 20th century. This coming before the age of social media, her survival was confirmed only after a nail-biting wait. “My mother couldn’t eat for a few days, because she didn’t know if I was alive or dead,” she recalled.  She decided instead on coming home, to develop her knowledge elsewhere. Cutiongco-de la Paz was accepted soon after for a fellowship in clinical genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. She said her initial plan was to study the genetics of infectious diseases, which seemed logical given the country’s needs. But it was in this hospital that she got fully exposed to the grim consequences of what she called dysmorphology—the study of congenital anomalies, more commonly known as birth defects.  “‘Morph’ means form,” she explained, “and ‘dys’ means a deviation from usual form.” Dysmorphic children, therefore, tend to possess genetic abnormalities that give them altered appearances when compared even to family members. “I got exposed to the clinics and I saw how the families needed help. With an appropriate diagnosis, you could actually provide them with the proper management.”  Homecoming  Upon finishing her fellowship, Cutiongco-de la Paz came home and joined UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, a geneticist herself, who actually served as her inspiration to get into the field of Genetics, in setting up comprehensive genetic services needed by the country. Together, they established a Clinical Genetics Fellowship Training Program at the PGH. This is the first and only one of its kind, teaching and training program in the subspecialty of Genetics in the country. The program is designed to provide the knowledge, understanding and skills required for the competent evaluation, management, genetic education and counseling of patients with genetic disorders and their families.     Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz (center) at the Malacañang Palace to receive her award.     “And what we did, because Dr. Padilla was trained in Australia and I trained in Canada, was to put our training programs together to get the best of both”. They began opening the program to physicians willing to be trained in different clinical genetics sub-areas, from the laboratory to the counseling room. To date, they have graduated twelve clinical geneticists, with four more in training.  Around the same time, she made it a point to do research on more complicated illnesses that more commonly afflict Filipinos. Together with colleagues like Dr. Rey Garcia of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UP Diliman, they set out mapping genes and mutations in the population associated with colon cancer.  “Why do we need to study our population?” she asked. “Because we’re seeing in research that even if we’re all part of the human race, our genetic makeup is unique compared to other population groups such as Chinese, Japanese and Americans. So we need to understand our uniqueness, ‘genetically speaking’ to gain a better understanding of diseases that our common to our people.”  A poignant condition highlighting our specificity is that of X-linked Dystonia Parkinsonism (XDP), locally known as lubag. This condition is, like DMD, caused by a mutation in a single gene in the X chromosome, and causes involuntary muscle contractions, dystonia, later on progressing to Parkinsonism. Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz provides genetic education, testing and counseling to patients with XDP and their families. She teaches patients and their families about the genetic basis of XDP, counseling them on how it is passed on from one generation to the next, and finding support mechanisms for them to cope better.  “What we want,” she added, is to see families and help them deal with the diagnosis. Hopefully we can reach a diagnosis with the help of genetic tests. Then we can tell them what caused the condition. That it’s not about what they did or did not do.”  “This is important,” she said, especially here, where knowledge of genetics could be improved, “because some mothers, they blame themselves for birth defects that their children have.”  An empowered course  This year, Cutiongco-de la Paz can make this vision a reality. In addition to being recognized as an exemplary and ethical government employee via the Dangal ng Bayan Award, she also recently received a multi-million grant to set-up a shared genomics core laboratory at UP’s Philippine Genome Center (UP PGC). This next generation sequencing facility establishes a base for her and her colleagues to do more genomics research and provide affordable genetic screening services that tackles the diseases mentioned above and more.     Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz explains the process of precision medicine at the recent launch of the UP PGC’s Shared Genomics Core Laboratory (SGCL). Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     She used Angelina Jolie’s story as an example of the power of genetic information. “Her mother died of breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother’s sister died of breast cancer, and her grandmother of ovarian cancer. They were all diagnosed with what we call hereditary breast-ovarian cancer before the age of 50.”  “She had herself tested even before a cancer diagnosis and found she carried the gene. And she took an empowered course in life; she had a prophylactic mastectomy, so the cancer would not have tissue to grow on. That dramatically drops her risk of developing breast cancer.”  Popularizing translational medicine, the science of bringing laboratory innovations to the bedside, is what she hopes this grant will enable her to do. “That means creating tools from what you find from research that ordinary Filipinos can use. Right now, the test for breast cancer genes, when sourced abroad, costs around US$3,000. But if we have the machines here, and the trained personnel to use them, we can offer those at an affordable price. And that’s what we want to do!”  This year the Civil Service Commission is already accepting nominations for its Honors Award Program–Lingkod Bayan, Dangal ng Bayan and Pag-asa ng Bayan awards. Deadline is end of March 2019.  Related: UP inaugurates Genomics facility "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academic Calendar – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academic-calendar/",
        "html": "Academic Calendar    Pace yourself accordingly. Know when the midterm and final exam periods are or check the enlistment period for the succeeding terms. Click on the links below to view or download the academic calendar of your constituent university. Diliman Los Baños Manila Visayas Open University Mindanao Baguio Cebu    Other sections which you might be interested in:  Socialized Tuition System Student Academic Information System/Computer Registration System How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps   "
    },
    {
        "title": "Campus Maps – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/campus-maps/",
        "html": "Campus Maps  For maps of the constituent universities, please click on the images below.                                           "
    },
    {
        "title": "How to get to UP Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/how-to-get-to-up-diliman/",
        "html": "How to get to UP Diliman Via C-5/Katipunan Avenue  a. For those with private vehicles:   From the South, take C-5 and go straight ahead. After crossing Kalayaan Avenue, Makati, take the bridge past the elevated the u-turn. Go further ahead and take the flyover that crosses Ortigas Avenue. This flyover is just past Tiendesitas, which is on the left side. Go straight ahead. Take the Libis flyover and then take the tunnel, which is on the left side. You are now along Katipunan Avenue. Drive along and take the Katipunan flyover.  Upon getting off the flyover, you will see the Ateneo de Manila University to your right. Go straight ahead and turn left at the traffic light, which is just past Miriam College, the La Vista gate, and Petron. You are now along CP Garcia Avenue. Drive along the avenue and turn right at the end. You are now along the University Avenue. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  b. For commuters:    Except for taxis, there is no other public transport that will take you to UP Diliman via C-5.  If you are taking a cab, use the route for private vehicles described above.  If you are coming from Marcos Highway or Aurora Boulevard, whether by jeep or fx, get off at Katipunan Avenue. You will see the jeepney terminal under the Katipunan flyover. Ride the jeep that goes inside the UP campus. Be sure to ask which ones enter the campus as there are jeeps that will only drop you off at the Magsaysay Gate because they are not allowed inside UP.  If you are coming from areas served by the LRT-2, take the train and get off at the Katipunan Station. Walk to the corner of Katipunan Avenue and Aurora Boulevard. You will pass St. Bridget School. You will see the jeepney terminal under the Katipunan flyover. Ride the jeep that goes inside the UP campus. Be sure to ask which ones enter the campus as there are jeeps that will only drop you off at the Magsaysay Gate because they are not allowed inside UP.     Via Philcoa  a. For those with private vehicles:  If you are coming from the South (Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, etc.) via EDSA, turn right at East Avenue. Go straight and turn right at the end. You are now along the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.   If you are coming from the North (Novaliches, Caloocan, etc.) take North Avenue. Go straight until you reach the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  If you are coming from Manila, take Quezon Avenue. Go straight until you reach the Elliptical Road. It goes around the Quezon City Memorial Circle. There are street signs along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  If you are coming from Fairview, go straight along Commonwealth Avenue until you reach the Elliptical Road. When allowed, you can make a u-turn to go to the campus. If it is not allowed, you have to turn right and drive along the Elliptical Road. Turn right at Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance to the campus is just beyond the commercial complex to your right. The entrance also bears a University of the Philippines marker. Straight ahead is a checkpoint where you can ask for directions to the specific building you wish to go to.  b. For commuters:  Take a bus, jeep, or fx going to Fairview. They ply the route on Commonwealth Avenue. Ask the driver to drop you off at Philcoa. There are jeeps that enter the UP campus from there.  If your area is near the MRT, take the train and get off at the Quezon Avenue Station. There are jeeps that go inside the UP campus from there.  If you are near SM City North EDSA or Trinoma, there are terminals with jeeps to the UP campus from there.  If you are coming from Fairview, take a bus, jeep, or fx that plies the route on Commonwealth Avenue and ask the driver to drop you off at Philcoa. Cross the footbridge to the commercial complex. There are jeeps bound for UP from there.  You might also want to look at the Campus Maps "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Evolution of an Activist – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-evolution-of-an-activist/",
        "html": "The Evolution of an Activist The Evolution of an Activist June 6, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Executive Vice President Jose “Pepe” Alcantara during the interview for the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     To the UP community, the name Jose “Pepe” Alcantara is up there in the annals of the brave as one of the UP student-activists who opposed martial law. Now, coming back to UP, not as a student leader but as Executive Vice President (EVP) in President Angelo Jimenez’ administrative team, Jose Fernando Tagum Alcantara still carries the fire of activism, purified by struggle and experience, and channeled into a different form.  Answering the call  The call to activism came early, although it took the form of another kind of calling, the priesthood. This led the young probinsyano from Batac, Ilocos Norte to enter Christ the King Seminary of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) in his first year of high school.  Life in the seminary was all about routine. “You wake up at 5:00 in the morning, shower at 6:00, then go to Mass. At 7:00, you prepare for school. Seminary life gave us some kind of discipline and structure.” Alcantara added with a laugh: “Pagpasok mo sa UP, grabe, total change.”  He entered UP in 1976, a year he described as a time when UP students, faculty and those in non-academic sectors reawakened after the numbing shock immediately following the declaration of martial law. “The year 1976 was the beginning of questioning: ‘Bakit pinataw ang martial law? Makatarungan ba yan?’ The community started holding symposia and outdoor activities, even though these were not allowed by the government and the military.”  He immediately took to UP’s liberal spirit, and by his second year, became president of UP Namnama, a student organization for Ilocano students. He was also part of the founding group of the Sandigan para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan (SAMASA). “In the seminary, we were exposed to social realities, so that when they talked about political issues, madali kong na-absorb. Naging automatic na nagustuhan kong makiniig, magsalita, until I became part of student activism in UP.”  “I was told that I was the very first student to be arrested inside a classroom in Palma Hall. I was detained and imprisoned for two long years because of activism.” – Alcantara     Two years of darkness  His activism soon drew the attention of enforcers of the regime, and in 1979, he was arrested while inside the campus by a military intelligence group. “I was told that I was the very first student to be arrested inside a classroom in Palma Hall,” Alcantara recounted. “I was detained and imprisoned for two long years because of activism.”  He was brought to Camp Crame, where he spent six months in a small room, roughly six by eight feet. The walls were painted black and the room had no windows, no light, and the constant darkness made it impossible to ascertain whether it was night or day. Afterward, he was transferred to the Bicutan detention center.  Return to student activism  After his release in 1981, Alcantara wanted to recoup his strength and focus on his studies, but fate had other ideas. “I was asked to run for the Student Council. It was a difficult decision, but it was in the blood, so umoo naman ako.” He urged a younger student, a “very talkative straight-shooter” named Lean Alejandro, to take on the chairmanship; but when Alejandro refused out of respect for seniority, Alcantara became the second chairperson of the Student Council, serving from 1982-1983 after Malou Mangahas.  Executive Vide President Alcantara taking his bike out for a spin in UP Diliman. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  It took Alcantara five years to finish the four-year Bachelor of Arts in Political Science program. He marched in the commencement exercises in 1983, and received the UP Diamond Jubilee Scholarship Award. He had been Chairman of the UP Student Council, founding Chairman of the Center for Nationalist Studies and KASAMA sa UP, and founding National Chairman of the League of Filipino Students.  That same year, Alcantara left for the USA. He earned his masteral degree in International Economics from the University of South Carolina in Columbia in 1987, then his Doctoral Residency in International Economics at the London School of Economics in 1991.  Life in the corporate world  “In London, I was asked to help a team working on the integration of the Philippine Stock Exchange,” he related. The Manila Stock Exchange and the Makati Stock Exchange were merged and became the Philippine Stock Exchange in 1997; and Alcantara, who was Vice President for International Trade for the Philippine International Trading Corporation from 1995 to 1997, became Senior Vice President of the Philippine Stock Exchange from 1997 to 2001.  His experience in the private sector spans 32 years. He worked in various top positions in an array of industries, and served as executive adviser and consultant for economic, business and infrastructure projects in both the private and the public sector.  Returning to UP  Then in 2023, another call to serve came when new UP President Jimenez asked Alcantara to join his team. “I have to admit, it was a difficult decision. I’m technically a retired professional.” Still, not one to shy away from the call no matter how it came, Pepe Alcantara chose to serve.  “There is excitement or the feeling of challenge,” he said about returning to UP. “And I love the work. This is the time to help the President, the UP System, to take a transformative direction.”  For Alcantara, being EVP means fulfilling two main functions: “Number one is to closely assist the President, to make things happen, to implement and realize his decisions. In doing so, I look at barriers and gaps between point A and point B.” He enumerated those barriers: the lack of money, the lack of policy to provide direction, and the lack of programs to enforce said policy.  The second function of an EVP is to advise the President. “I am there to create a supportive, loyal check and balance. My role is to provide an alternative way of looking at it and maybe give him a better way to decide.”  “Hindi tayo nauubusan ng talino at plano sa academe. Yung kailangan is the patience and the science and art of making things happen.” – Alcantara     Shifting to higher education administration  After three decades in the private sector, taking on the administration of a university is quite a change. “We have to accept that the UP work culture is totally different compared to private enterprise, pero merong mahahango sa corporate na magagamit dito, which is my expertise,” Alcantara said.  One such area is in the implementation of projects. “In UP, we have so many plans, but translating that into implementation requires the discipline and eagerness of a corporate enterprise. Hindi tayo nauubusan ng talino at plano sa academe. Yung kailangan is the patience and the science and art of making things happen.”  Some of the initiatives he is helping the UP President with include performance measurements. “We have created a good governance committee that will review the systems, procedures, and the relationships of functions so that we can also now digitally transform the entire UP System, which is the President’s top priority,” Alcantara said. “Those are the things that we have to do to make our work easier and more enjoyable. How I wish we were so efficient that we could work only four days in a week, and by 3 pm pwede na tayong umuwi so we can climb trees, go biking, swimming and kayaking,” he added.  An activist, then and now  How would Alcantara know that he will have succeeded as EVP of UP? “I would like to make sure that our staff are healthy and they enjoy what they do.”  A seminarian, student leader, and political detainee in his youth; a CEO during his professional years; a university administrator at the cusp of retirement. Yet, his activism has remained constant throughout the seeming contradictions he has lived through.  “When I was a student, my calling was to be an activist. But as you move on, you redefine yourself to become more relevant. I look at it as a process, not as contradictions. It’s part of the growing.  “If you ask me, I’m an activist,” Alcantara declared. “When I make decisions, I’m an activist. Why? Because I think outside the box.”  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Leading the Transformation into a Digital National University – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/leading-the-transformation-into-a-digital-national-university/",
        "html": "Leading the Transformation into a Digital National University Leading the Transformation into a Digital National University June 6, 2023 | Written by KIM G Quilinguing   Adviser to the President on Digital Transformation Emmanuel C. Lallana during his interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO. “Digital transformation is really about changing the way we educate our students.” – Lallana     Not everyone can make the jump from teaching political science to advocating the use of information technology for better governance and education. But Dr. Emmanuel C. Lallana has certainly proven that he can.  “I am a political scientist who knows technology,” he describes himself.  From being a student leader in the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship to becoming one of the country’s leading advocates in digital transformation, the former UP associate professor of Political Science has certainly gone a long way from what was then the College of Arts and Sciences in UP Diliman to becoming a member of UP President Angelo Jimenez’s executive team.  As the new university administration’s Adviser on Digital Transformation, Dr. Lallana is given the challenging task of providing the backbone for the realization of Jimenez’s dream of a digital national university. He admits that it is a vision he and the new president have long been discussing even back then when Jimenez was a still a member of UP’s Board of Regents.  “Digital transformation is really about changing the way we educate our students,” Lallana said.  As a UP student during the height of the Martial Law years, Lallana recalls how different and difficult it was back then to communicate with fellow students and the rest of the University community. He shared how they had use typewriters to prepare materials on the burning issues of the day, and how the same documents were mass-produced using mimeographing machines, producing copies which were then disseminated to the University community. Nowadays, with smart phones, students can easily communicate and disseminate information and organize events.  After finishing his studies in Political Science in Diliman, Lallana took up teaching Political Science in 1979, where once he was designated Acting Chair of his department. While teaching in UP, he was also appointed Director of the Center for Integrative Development Studies, one of the University’s leading research units which regularly publishes research work on social issues and other challenges that confront Philippine society.  Lallana’s fascination with what can now be considered his advocacy began during his time as a graduate student in Hawaii, when he started using a laptop computer for his studies. And as a political scientist, he was not only enamored by the technology, but also with its potentials in improving research, education, public service, and governance. He earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1982 and 1986, respectively.  According to Lallana, digital transformation is different from digitalization. Digitalization is the mere adoption of electronic devices and work processes for analog devices and procedures. Digital transformation on the other hand requires not only a change in instruments and practices, but more importantly, in the mindset towards how an organization performs its functions and delivers its services to its stakeholders.  “You may design the best application for payroll for instance, but if people refuse to use it, and have the wrong attitude towards it, the best designed software still will not work,” he said.  For Lallana, technology can only be considered successfully used when people ‘own’ it or regard it essential to their day-to-day activities. An example he provided was how short message service or SMS in phone networks, or what is called by many as text messaging, started as a tool to test signals. And in the case of the Philippines, this was used for social movements, and at the same time, personal relations. “It became a way for people to get in touch with one another, to communicate, to fall in love,” he added.  Aside from teaching in UP, Lallana also served as Deputy Director of the of the Foreign Service Institute, after he was appointed by President Fidel V. Ramos. As part of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ research and training unit, he was involved with the Philippine delegation in talks with Indonesia on boundary delimitation, as well in discussions with China on the islands in what was then called the South China Sea.  Retiring from teaching in UP in 2000, Lallana served as Executive Director of the eASEAN Task Force, which was an advisory body intended to enhance the region’s information and communications technology competencies.     “Technology, ICT applications and systems, are socio-technical systems, which means that you have to look at the social side of technology. Technology is embedded in society. But at the same time, technology also changes society.” – Lallana     In 2004, he was appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Commissioner in the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, one of the agencies instrumental in the later formation of the Department of Information Communications Technology.  In the commission, Lallana headed the Human Capital Development Group, which developed several programs, among which were: eSkwela, an electronic learning platform for out-of-school youth; iSchools, an ICT initiative for high school students; and, the eQuality Program, which worked to upgrade the information technology teaching capacity of Philippine state universities and colleges.  Since then, Lallana has advocated the use of technology not only for the improvement of communication systems in the country, but more importantly, for better governance, access to education, and skills enhancement among the youth. He sees technology not only as a tool to improve the means of communicating ideas, but also as transformative tools for a better society. “Technology, ICT applications and systems, are socio-technical systems, which means that you have to look at the social side of technology. Technology is embedded in society. But at the same time, technology also changes society,” he said.  For UP, Lallana hopes to see the possibility of providing faculty and students more flexibility in the teaching and learning of courses. When both conventionally meet at least once a week for an hour, he envisions the conduct of courses that will be more convenient for both. Essential to the realization of this idea will be the reduction of face-to-face sessions and the use of alternative means of conveying lessons. An example he shared was based on his experience back then teaching Political Science, where he spent several hours every semester talking about Plato’s ideas, when those could have been done using an engaging video material available online for students.  Aside from the use of different modes of teaching and using various forms of media materials for lessons, Lallana hopes to see the availability of courses online, which students can go over at their own pace. While this is already being practiced in the UP Open University, he envisions a widespread adoption of this mode of learning for the whole UP System. “We have to change the way we teach. We hope to change the way students learn,” he added.  While digital transformation may change the way courses may be taught in the University, Lallana emphasized that it only provides additional innovative means of conveying lessons. It does not take away a faculty member’s choice to pursue the more traditional mode of teaching. “Technology is just a platform. It’s still teachers who will design the course. You will still have face-to-face [classes] if you want,” he added.  Asked about possible challenges to digital transformation in UP, Lallana admits the task is herculean, given that the term of the Jimenez administration is only six years. But he also said that it must be done, as UP is already behind when compared to other universities abroad. “We cannot afford to be left behind further. If we don’t start now, we may not be able to catch up,” he said. While he acknowledges the efforts in digitalization by previous administrations, he added that much still remains to be done.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "As cool as a University Secretary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/as-cool-as-a-university-secretary/",
        "html": "As cool as a University Secretary As cool as a University Secretary June 6, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   Secretary Lara in this interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     At the end of the interview, Atty. Roberto M. Lara, Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents (OSU), announced: “Ako ang pinaka-gwapong naging Secretary ng UP.”  After a beat of silence, he reconsidered what he had said, “Sabagay, patay na yata lahat ng naging lalaking Secretary of the University, ano?”  Thus, because none of the male University Secretaries in the past are still alive to possibly  protest, he jokingly declared once again: “Ako ang pinaka-gwapong Secretary ng UP!”  Simply no place like (UP College) Manila  A few minutes into the interview and already one gets the feeling that conversations with Sec. Lara are rarely boring. A proud UP graduate, he earned his degree in Bachelor of Arts in Social Science in 1982 from UP Manila (UPM). Back then, it was the UP College Manila, when it was still under UP Diliman before becoming an autonomous university.  “If you are a working student, you inevitably ended up in UP College Manila, kasi Manila lang ang may evening classes and I was a working student,” recalled Lara, who worked as a clerk at the Department of Justice, “Clerk 1, which is I think one rank higher than the janitor,” he said. Most of the students in UPM at the time were freshmen and sophomores, at least until 5:30 PM, when classes for working students in their third and fourth year in college began.  “Masaya Manila noon!” enthused Lara, whose fondest memories of his undergrad days tend to range from PG-13 to R-18. For instance, there were the White House and the Doctor’s Club, which had to have the stuffiest establishment names ever, but which were actually popular watering holes frequented by UP students for the cheap beer they sold. And of course, right outside the campus was Mabini Street which, Lara pointed out, was already the lively Mabini Street even back then.  He experienced both the UP Manila and UP Diliman of the 70s and 80s, having earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the College of Law in 1987. He was admitted to the Bar a year later, and went on to earn his Masters of Law degree in Commercial Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1999.  Over the years, he worked in various government agencies, including as Senior Technical Assistant to then Senator Rene A.V. Saguisag, and as Chief of Staff of former BIR Commissioner Liwayway Vinzons-Chato. He left government service in 1998 and went into private law practice until February 2017, when then UP President Danilo Concepcion appointed him Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents.     “Of course, I am very proud to carry the mace. Siempre, you’re carrying the symbol of the authority of the University.” – Lara     Serving six years and six years more  When current UP President Angelo Jimenez asked him to continue on as University Secretary for another six years, Lara agreed. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. I had known the new President because he had been a member of the BOR for some time. Of course, I would like to help him.”  Still, he first needed to secure his boss’ permission. Wait, his boss?  “My wife,” Lara said, laughing. And what did his boss say? “She wasn’t thrilled, let’s put it that way. But of course, she said yes.”  What does Lara envision for the OSU in the next six years? “Well, I do not know how the OSU can further evolve from what it’s been doing. It is doing what it is supposed to be doing. If anything, it’s a matter of getting the right people, which I think to a large extent we have addressed in the past six years.”  Improving the OSU’s human resources is foremost, and gains have already made in this area. “We hired some very good people. We had them take exams—all of them, even our driver. And we got the best from among the candidates. I believe that we have a very good team already.”  “Basically, my goal for the OSU is that it should be able to operate without a Secretary,” Lara shared. “Meaning even if the Secretary is away, it would still be able to perform its functions. The OSU should make the Secretary redundant.”  Of mace and men  His experience as a lawyer serves him well in his role as University Secretary. “The work of the University Secretary is basically the same as that of a corporate secretary, so it’s not anything new to me. I think most lawyers, some time in their career, would have performed the duties of a corporate secretary or done something in relation to that kind of practice.”  The role of University Secretary is not easy. Even during the interview, Lara was fielding calls and preparing for yet another meeting. But when asked what the most challenging thing was about being University Secretary, his answer was both unexpected and obvious, in hindsight.  “The most challenging thing is carrying the mace,” he said, an answer which had the UP Forum staff trying hard to stifle their laughter. He said that was not even to mention having to attend all those formal University ceremonies, which could get tedious, especially when the ceremony was being held outdoors and one was sweating bullets inside that heavy gown.  “Of course, I am very proud to carry the mace,” Lara said with a smile. “Siempre, you’re carrying the symbol of the authority of the University.”  And while the title of hottest male University Secretary may be up for debate, Lara may easily be the coolest.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Becoming Lawyers for UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/becoming-lawyers-for-up/",
        "html": "Becoming Lawyers for UP Becoming Lawyers for UP June 6, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Vice President for Legal Affairs Abraham Rey M. Acosta in his interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “We better assume a new role, aside from the traditional role…. This time, we should also provide legal assistance to those who engage the communities.” – Acosta     Atty. Abraham Rey M. Acosta, UP’s Vice President for Legal Affairs, envisions his office to serve a more dynamic role during the Presidency of Atty. Angelo Jimenez, to be “lawyers for the people and not just lawyers for the UP administration,” since UP, under Republic Act 9500 or the UP Charter, is mandated to be a public service university.  The Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs (OVPLA) provides timely and expert legal advice, guidance, and support to UP officials, to facilitate the University’s pursuit of its mission of teaching, research, and service. It also handles administrative cases, student disciplinary tribunal cases, cases involving UP properties, and contracts being entered into by UP, among others.  “One of the priorities of the current administration is engagement with the public. We show the nation what UP really is, who we truly are, and that engagement will also require legal support,” Acosta said. He explained that UP’s students, researchers, staff, and teachers doing field work, advocacy and volunteer work, and other University-linked activities in various communities and sectors of society, often encounter situations that require legal assistance. However, when problems occur, like harassment or arrests, students and faculty members immediately contact public interest lawyers’ groups for help and not UP’s own lawyers.  “We better assume a new role, aside from the traditional role…. This time, we should also provide legal assistance to those who engage the communities,” Acosta further stated.  Prior to his appointment as VP for Legal Affairs, Atty. Acosta practiced law in Cebu, taking on dispute resolution, patent drafting, prosecution and litigation, and corporate registrations and housekeeping. He served as Municipal Administrator in Compostela, Cebu (2022-2023), as Partner in A Acosta & Associates Law Offices (since 2014), and as Associate in Quisumbing Torres (2011-2014) and Sycip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan. He also served as Director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City Chapter (2021-2023), and as Co-Chair of the IBP Cebu City Legal Aid Committee, which handles developmental legal aid, volunteer legal aid caravans, and jail decongestion, among others.  Atty. Acosta has also been teaching Criminal Law as Senior Lecturer in the UP College of Law since 2020. His advice to students: study hard but also do volunteer work, and enjoy UP.  “Enjoy UP! UP has a lot of things to offer, especially if you live on campus. Even if you don’t live on campus, ang daming pwedeng gawin, pwedeng maaral,” he said.  “Go near the College of Music and you will hear wonderful music. Go to the College of Science, you will see lots of lectures, in the College of Engineering… [attend] free public lectures. Ang daming pwedeng matutunan ng UP students, kaya nga don’t just stay in your classroom. Lumabas din, kahit within UP lang.”  “And if possible, volunteer outside UP. Because even as a UP student, meron na tayong responsibilidad sa bayan natin. Bayad yung tuition natin ng sambayanan eh, kaya kahit konti naman maybe we can volunteer our time. Kahit yung mga reading initiatives sa mga public libraries, teaching kids how to read, or tumulong sa mga barangay natin, to show that, us being UP students, this is what UP students are like. Engage the community. Volunteer. Yun yung gusto kong sabihin sa mga students natin,” Acosta exhorted.  VP Acosta was a dormer, student council member, and campus journalist during his undergraduate years in UP Diliman. He was editor-in-chief of the Logscript, the official student publication of the College of Engineering. Elected Councilor in 1995, he headed the Community Rights and Welfare Committee of the University Student Council (USC). He joined the news section of the Philippine Collegian after his term in the USC. Molave Residence Hall was his “home away from home” for four years.     Acosta shows the hallway of the 2nd floor of the Molave Residence Hall where his room used to be before he transferred to the mezzanine room. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     At the Molave Residence Hall today, VP Acosta reminisced about what college life was for him and fellow dormers as he took the UP Forum staff on a nostalgic tour of the dormitory. The 1990s was an era that did not have the e-mails, cellular phones and social media that we have today. Long-distance communications were limited to telegrams, telephones and snail mail; and students lined up at the public payphones in the dorm lobby and paid in one peso coins to be able to speak with their relatives and friends. Students used to rally against tuition and other fees related to education, inadequate dorm facilities, food services, and administration policies. The entry of private concessionaires and corporations, University budget cuts, and the commercialization of UP’s idle assets (vacant areas of land, among others) were among the biggest issues faced by University constituents.  “Dito ako namulat to a lot of things,” says VP Acosta about his stay in Molave. He recalled times when peers would be in the dorm lobby even at midnight, and pointed to the old spots where they would usually hang around to talk about campus life or simply do ordinary things. He showed the now renovated areas where the dorm’s dining hall was before; the area beside the windows where they watched their favorite television programs such as “The X-Files” and “Friends”; the second floor where they set up the betamax to view rented movies; the steel stairway that was previously made of thin wood; and, the mezzanine room where he stayed as a senior dormer until his graduation from the UP College of Engineering.  “A lot of things were cooked up on these tables [pointing to where wooden tables were back then]… This was my room before. Ang daming mga student leaders who had their rooms here in the mezzanine. And in the mornings, we could see everybody taking their breakfast,” VP Acosta reminisces.     “Tingnan natin kung nasaan talaga yung strength ng University. Our strength lies in our purpose. We are an academic institution geared towards helping to uplift the Filipino people.” – Acosta     VP Acosta obtained his degree in BS Electronics and Communications Engineering in 1999. Some years later, he graduated from the UP College of Law in 2006 and was admitted to the Bar in 2007.  This year, Atty. Acosta was called to serve the University once again. “When UP calls, you either run away and hide, or just answer the call. I felt that it’s time na rin for me to give back to UP what it had provided me during my student days. How can you say no to UP who nurtured you through your youth?”  VP Acosta anticipates a more publicly engaged UP under the Jimenez leadership. “Tingnan natin kung nasaan talaga yung strength ng University. Our strength lies in our purpose. We are an academic institution geared towards helping to uplift the Filipino people.”  “We have a lot of world-class research and talents here. Why don’t we show the world the face of UP? We engage the community with what we are doing. If you show them what UP is all about, if you show them that UP truly cares for the community, yung mga natulungan, sila na mismo ang magdedepensa, na ‘taga-UP yan, May malasakit yan. Tumutulong yan,’” Acosta explained.  The OVPLA faces numerous legal issues and concerns, especially on making UP campuses safer and more conducive and enabling to its constituents. There is, on one hand, various groups committing acts of red-tagging and disinformation against UP; and, on the other hand, the recent unilateral abrogation of the UP-DND (Department of National Defense) Accord of 1989, and prospects for updating the 1992 agreement between UP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).  “What the Accord is saying, if certain incidents, or if a crime is happening inside the University, may protocols tayo… for good order and safety. Hindi pwede yung bigla na lang papasok dito [referring to those entering or conducting police or military operations inside UP]….  Ang sinasabi lang naman, just inform us na may ise-serve kayo na warrant…. I hope [the agreement] would be respected by other parties, kasi ang daming pwedeng mangyari kung wala yang Accord na yan. When the Accord is in place, and there is order in serving legal processes,” he explained.  “Basic lang yan, eh. Respeto. UP is a microcosm of society, ang daming ideologies, competing ideas, marketplace of ideas nga ito eh…. We should all be respectful of each other…. If we respect each other, then I think UP will be a safe environment for everyone,” he added.  In the meantime, VP Acosta aims to address UP’s land cases, grants and donations, and procurement system for what the University could use for academic and research purposes. “We are also trying to speed up our procurement process, particularly for the big-ticket items, so that UP’s researchers will get the machinery, the equipment, or even the buildings that we need,” he concluded.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "The Many Facets of VP Wendell Capili – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-many-facets-of-vp-wendell-capili/",
        "html": "The Many Facets of VP Wendell Capili The Many Facets of VP Wendell Capili June 6, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Wendell P. Capili in his interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     If you happen to visit Art Circle Café in the UP Diliman campus, odds are you might see a bespectacled man enjoying a cup coffee and a meal. Don’t be surprised if this person turns out to be Professor Wendell Capili as that café happens to be his favorite spot in the campus. Yet at first glance, people would never assume that this distinguished looking professor-type enjoys romantic comedy movies, runs as a hobby, and loves eating sapin-sapin, his favorite Filipino snack.  Dr. Jose Wendell P. Capili is currently the UP Vice President for Public Affairs (VPPA). A Professor 12 at the Department of English and Comparative Literature in UP Diliman, his favorite subject to teach is Filipino literature in English.  He also cannot live without his mobile phone. He says that when he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he does is to check his phone for messages.  Making good on a promise  Capili has had a very long and personal history with the University of the Philippines. His earliest memory of UP was during a trip with his father when he was seven years old. “We were driving to a relative’s house in Tandang Sora, and we briefly stopped the car.” His father pointed out the UP campus to the boy, and told him that this would be the place where he would soon learn, and be educated.  Capili made good on that promise, teaching in UP as a professor for 35 years. He also spent 25 of those years serving as a University administrator: as a program development associate to UP Diliman Chancellor Claro T. Laguno and Chancellor Emerlinda R. Roman from 1997 to 2001, and as Associate Dean of the UP College of Arts and Letters for nine years. He then became Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Public Affairs for fourteen years, serving under six UP VPs for Public Affairs and three UP Presidents.     “We have to ensure that more Filipinos feel that UP is there for them. That UP is not just for the Iskolar ng Bayan; UP is for the Filipino people.” – Capili     Capili explaining his thoughts on UP’s role in nation-building. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  From the ground up  When asked about his initial reaction to being appointed as the Vice President for Media Public Affairs, Capili said he was very surprised. Up until that point, he was already considering going back to his home department and taking on a full-time teaching load.  “I thought that it was already the end of my career as an administrator and that I should spend more time as a University professor.” Although he had conditioned himself mentally to teach full time, he nevertheless accepted the new position that was given to him.  Of course, appointing someone with an academic and administrative career as long and impressive as his as the next UP VP for Public Affairs was a logical move on the part of the new administration. According to Capili, his experience of serving under six different VPs and three different UP Presidents will enable him not just to understand how the Office of the Vice President of Public Affairs is run, but also to see himself as an instrument between different sectors of the University.  “I really started from the bottom. I came from the gutter. Getting into the University, I snuck my way in,” he said of his beginnings in UP he as a temporary instructor with a yearly contract for several years before gaining tenure.  The importance of kindness in UP  Capili knows all about the struggles many UP staff and community members face. He knows what it’s like to be hungry, to have his salaries delayed and his overload pay withheld for years, to not even have the luxury of having his own office. He is well aware of the fact that there are problems that need to be resolved within the University, and if someone like him, with the highest rank of a Professor 12, feels the bitterness of these struggles, then how much worse is it for administrative staff, instructors and part-time UP contractual workers?  “I hope I can be an instrument to getting things done. Not necessarily solving these issues right away, but be the instrument, pointing out which office should attend to their needs.”  He went on to say: “As Vice President, I would be able to amplify these issues a little more, because I know things on the ground. I’m not sitting inside an air-conditioned office; I know what’s really going on down there.”  His vision aligns with new UP President Jimenez’s thrust to promote kindness and not just compassion within UP. “In the University, we keep on talking about honor and excellence. But what’s the point of having honor and excellence if you are not kind to the people around you?” Capili asked.  Aside from vulnerable UP administrative staff and contractual workers, especially those who are single parents, Capili also takes to heart the struggles his students face, many of whom come to his class without having eaten anything. “The fact that the President has emphasized in his speech that we have to have honor and excellence—that is something that we have been doing. But it has to resonate in spaces outside our classrooms, outside our offices. We have to connect to the larger community.”     “I’d rather that people do not just strive for excellence. They have to be kind, and they have to be driven to encourage and inspire as many people as they can, within the place of work or home or community.” – Capili     UP for the Filipino people  Capili believes that each employee should feel that change is happening, and that it shouldn’t be merely confined to motherhood statements. “You are not a UP official because you have to attend all these glorious events,” he said. “You are an official because you have to be an instrument. You have to attend to all these different matters that concern the lives of these people. And not just the lives of one or two people that you know. There are so many people that you still have to get to know. They all have backstories, and they needed to be attended to.”  His biggest goal is to make sure that the University does its best to make supportive processes more seamless, and that UP’s presence is felt not just by its constituents but by every Filipino.  “It is important that the operations of the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs should resonate not just within our publics, but with the larger external public. We have to ensure that more Filipinos feel that UP is there for them. That UP is not just for the Iskolar ng Bayan; UP is for the Filipino people.”  The best piece of advice Capili has been given is to be very diligent and to be determined to succeed, but more importantly, to inspire others. Many of his childhood teachers who didn’t necessarily have high positions or ranks were the ones who inspired him to choose the path that he has taken for himself, and for that he is very grateful to them.  “I’d rather that people do not just strive for excellence,” he shared. “They have to be kind, and they have to be driven to encourage and inspire as many people as they can, within the place of work or home or community.”  A behind the scenes photo of Capili during the formal portrait session for UP officials. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Coming Home, Giving Back – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/coming-home-giving-back/",
        "html": "Coming Home, Giving Back Coming Home, Giving Back June 6, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   University of the Philippines Vice President for Development Ferdinand Jesus “Boyet” Aquino Pecson during his interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     He looked around the College of Engineering Faculty Lounge, trying to recall what the room had been before. And while he could not immediately remember, Ferdinand Jesus “Boyet” Aquino Pecson knew he was home.  The new UP Vice President for Development earned his BS Mechanical Engineering and PhD in Energy Engineering degrees from UP Diliman, where he taught for 11 years. The Faculty Lounge was at that time the Department of Metallurgical and Mining Engineering, informally called “Met and Mining”. His eyes lit up in instant recognition when he was told that.  Three decades is a long time to be away, and now that he is back in the University, Pecson has imposed upon himself the duty to contribute to the growth of UP.  “I owe a lot of where I am today to UP.”  How his UP journey began  “At 16, you had no idea. Engineering was popular,” he said on picking a college program while still a senior at San Beda College High School. A close friend encouraged him to take Mechanical Engineering. Pecson chose UP.  First girlfriend, first failed exam, first honorific achievement. These were some of the more memorable experiences he had at UP. Back then, he didn’t really think about balancing school and social life. He had a girlfriend, his barkada, Beta Epsilon Fraternity, and he finished within the required five years.  After graduating in 1981, he joined the faculty. “In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes,” Pecson admitted. “We had no formal training on how to teach, so all we had were experiences from our former professors.” He picked what were worth emulating and avoided what he didn’t want his students to go through. He wanted to ensure that his students’ stay in UP would be worthwhile. “My teaching philosophy was ‘adapt to the needs of students.’” Pecson said that learning about his former students’ achievements made him “proud to have somehow been part of their growth.”  He worked on his PhD while teaching and got a USAID grant to do his dissertation at the University of Wisconsin. This would be his first chance to travel abroad. He was expected to present his research output at an international conference and did so at the Argonne National Laboratory at the 1988 symposium of The Combustion Institute. He then got his PhD from UP and taught until 1992.   “I owe a lot of where I am today to UP. This time, I can contribute to my alma mater.” – Pecson   A career outside   Pecson expanded his horizons and built a solid professional career in the private sector for the next 24 years. He worked at Philippine Investment Management Consultants, Inc. and Solid Cement Corporation before going to the US to take Northwestern University’s MMM Program. It was a two-year dual-degree offering that allowed him to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in 2000. He stayed in the US for two more years.  Then he was with Holcim Philippines for almost seven years as VP (Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials) and later as VP for Operations. After that, he joined FLSmidth & Co. A/S., first, as operations and maintenance (O&M) consultant, where he worked in various countries, then as Egypt country manager, and finally, as performance director at its headquarters in Denmark  In 2016, he went back to government service. Pecson was appointed Undersecretary and Executive Director of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center. He believed his O&M experience fit the life cycle approach of PPP. He also credited his social network—people who knew him would vouch for and recommend him—for getting the job.  After six years, his term ended. For someone who led an active lifestyle (he was a finisher at the 2019 Ironman 70.3 competition in Subic Bay) and who married the equally active Marietta who ran marathons, Pecson didn’t want to look at retirement, especially when he and his wife have been empty-nesters for years. He became a PPP consultant, created a PPP blog, and traveled to Bhutan.  Behind Pecson is the ongoing construction of the Faculty Commons in UP Diliman. Formerly the Faculty Center, the building was razed by an early morning fire that reached Task Force Alpha (level higher than fifth alarm) on April 1, 2016. The structure s well on its way to completely rise from the ashes with renewed purpose and vigor. As the new VP for Development, Pecson is intent on ensuring that UP infrastructure projects are completed “with good quality, on time, and on budget.” Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     Back in UP as VP   “Again, it was my social network,” he revealed, recalling how he was considered for the position. When he was approached, he first asked what the job entailed because he would only accept it if he had the skills to deliver. “I needed to be able to give my 100%.”  His management style is collegial and open. He listens before giving his views. Heavy on root cause analysis, Pecson is bound to probe and ask many questions. He said he is fortunate to have “a very committed and strongly motivated” team at the Office of the VPD (OVPD).  His office is in charge of infrastructure development, both physical and technological. The first is guided by the land use plans of the constituent universities (CUs) and includes UP campuses that are yet to rise. The second will be enhanced by UP President Angelo Jimenez’s digital transformation initiative, and Pecson said, “We should expect changes.”  A few months in, Pecson noticed that UP needed to be more efficient. “We need to complete projects with good quality, on time, and on budget.” He also said that OVPD should establish stronger relations within the System and outside. “We have to be good at reaching out to our partners and getting things done with them.”  “We need to complete projects with good quality, on time, and on budget.” – Pecson     Looking forward   Pecson happily reported on some major projects that had been in the pipeline. The Cancer Care Center in UP Manila was already in the procurement stage. PGH Diliman has been given conditional approval; and the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority asked UP to restructure the project from 700 beds to 400 beds and include everything affected by the change. “Just like everyone else, I’m very excited to see this project come to fruition.” As for other projects, he said, “We are collating all the priority projects [of the CUs] to determine where OVPD can assist.”  It is easy to see Pecson’s enthusiasm for his new role as VPD. Perhaps because he was indeed home. Surely because he now had six years’ worth of opportunities to give back to the University that helped make him the person he is today.     Pecson meets with his team at the Office of the Vice President for Development. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Simply Nes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/simply-nes/",
        "html": "Simply Nes Simply Nes June 6, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Vice President Nestor Yunque during his interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “I’m Nestor Yunque, the present Vice President for Administration. I started as VP for Administration way back in 2017.  And now, under the new UP President, I’m continuing to help stabilize everything.”  As a professor who taught zoology, marine biology, and environmental science courses at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) College of Arts and Sciences-Division of Biological Sciences before taking on higher administrative positions, Vice President for Administration Nestor G. Yunque said he made learning interesting for his students by organizing class field trips.  “That makes life exciting.  Ayokong ma-confine sa four corners ng classroom ang pag-aaral… It is also a form of service to the students,” said VP Nes, adding: “Nag-uumapaw yung estudyante kasi alam nilang magfi-field trip…. From Iloilo, we pass by Antique, then Aklan, overnight sa Boracay, pag-uwi, dadaan sa Roxas. It’s a tour of Panay, and they spend so much less than if they’re going to do that on their own.”  In his lectures, he would emphasize that UP students should care. “Whatever your course is—business management or biology, or chemistry or math—always bear in mind na yung pag-aaral mo, eventually, should help people. Bigyan mo ng halaga ang mga mahihirap,” he would tell them.  VP Nes, who grew up during the First Quarter Storm era, recalls his student days at the Philippine Science High School in Quezon City and in the UP Visayas. “Gusto mo yung gobyerno, yung serbisyo, para sa tao, hindi sa kapitalista o sa kagrupo nila,” he said.  He and his peers belong to the generation that organized massive rallies and campaigned for the reestablishment of the student councils. “At that time [Martial Law], lahat ng student councils ng UP units ay tinanggal. Later on, may clamor na ibalik ang student council sa bawat CU. Sa UP Visayas, we did that. Lahat ng organizations nagtipon.” As chairperson of the aggrupation, he led the students in bringing back the student council in UPV.  After college, he served as a research assistant for work on agar production and commercially important seaweeds for two years, before becoming a faculty member of the UPV. Eventually, he was assigned as the station head of the UP Visayas Marine Biological Station in Taklong Island in Guimaras.  When he was the Vice Chancellor for Administration of UPV in Iloilo, from 2011 to 2016, he cherished establishing rapport with administrative personnel and the moments he got to know about their problems and how the administration would be able to address them.  “During that time, it was for two terms, we were able to initiate changes in how the administration is being run,” he said.     “Hopefully, magtulungan talaga ang lahat ng sectors para gumanda ang takbo, ang performance ng Unibersidad. Then, we could expect more.” – Yunque        VP Nes has been in charge of UP’s human resources, compensation and benefits, union and management relations, procurement and related administrative matters since 2017.  In UP Diliman, VP Nes feels at home at the tambayan in front of the All UP Workers Union office. Referring to the Union, he said: “I feel na nagtulungan kami. Kasi hindi ko naman pwedeng gawin yung trabaho na magiging effective ako without the cooperation ng ating mga admin personnel.”  VP Nes, whose favorite snack consists simply of Skyflakes crackers and a cup of coffee, is particularly jovial in the company of UP employees and faculty, enjoying casual conversations when outside of his office in Quezon Hall. He explained that he prefers to spend his downtime in campus in the company of UP’s administrative personnel, carpenters, plumbers, drivers.  “Talagang dito ako tumatambay eh. Kasi once in a while, pupunta ang mga admin personnel, nae-encourage sila na magsabi ng mga problema nila.” He makes it a point to get them to feel at ease with one another “so they can be more open and you will know the real problem.”  “Kung sa opisina pupunta, ‘yun na yung grabe na ang problema,” he pointed out.     Vice President Yunque explaining his thoughts on human resources, compensation and benefits, and union and management relations. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     VP Nes said his appointment to his current position under the leadership of UP President Jimenez gives him the opportunity to continue to be of help to the University, since he was already serving as Vice President for Administration since 2017 under then UP President Danilo Concepcion.  “Gamay ko kung anong mga nangyayari. Nakita ni President Jimenez na, in the meantime, pwede akong tumulong para ma-stabilize naman yung relasyon ng ating mga admin personnel with the administration,” he said.  If he weren’t VP for Administration at the moment, what would he be doing instead? “I would really like to do integrated farming, aquaculture, para na rin I could share the technology with the local people,” he revealed.  “Maraming nagawa si President Concepcion para sa ating admin personnel, pero baka mas madadagdagan pa ni President Jimenez, lalo na’t ang kanyang pinaka-motto is ‘serve the people,’” he said about the new administration’s focus on efforts to provide services to the community. For VP Nes, it’s about “making UP relevant to our communities, hindi yung puro tayo academics.”  “Hinahanapan natin ng paraan na ma-improve ang mga benefits na makukuha ng ating administrative personnel. Dahil it’s one way of making all sectors of the University work together para mas mapaganda ang takbo ng UP. Hindi pwedeng may naiiwan eh,” VP Nes explained.  “Hopefully, President Jimenez will be successful in getting more items for our personnel. Yun (lack of plantilla items) ang pinakamalaking problema ng admin personnel,” he added.  Best advice he has ever received? “If you have problems, face them squarely. Do not feel frustrated if you don’t get the solution or the right answer to your problem. And always smile. Kasi less stressful yan. Kapag less stressful, mukhang magtatagal ka sa mundong ito.”  As a closing message, VP Nes in turn gave this piece of wisdom: “Ang advice ko is for all the sectors to work together. Hindi pwedeng mag-rely lang tayo sa administration. The different sectors should strive na makatulong sila for UP to achieve something… [for the administrative personnel, REPS, and faculty] to keep on working with the people, for UP to keep on being relevant to society.”  “Dapat magtulungan ang lahat ng sectors. Nobody should consider their role as less than the others. Hopefully, magtulungan talaga ang lahat ng sectors para gumanda ang takbo, ang performance ng Unibersidad. Then, we could expect more,” he concluded.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "VP Iryn’s Perfect Timing – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/vp-iryns-perfect-timing/",
        "html": "VP Iryn’s Perfect Timing VP Iryn’s Perfect Timing June 6, 2023 | Written by Deina Blancaflor   Vice President for Planning and Finance Iryn Y. Balmores in her interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     So what made you come back to UP?  “I’ve been asking myself that question for the past month,” lightly answered Ms. Iryn Y. Balmores, the newly appointed UP Vice President for Planning and Finance (VPPF).  First, what actually happened: With his official takeover of the UP Presidency in February 2023, Atty. Angelo Jimenez tapped seasoned members of past UP administrations and alumni leaders from private sectors alike to become members of his executive team. This included Ms. Iryn Y. Balmores, Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at BasicLogistics Corporation/A 1Move Logistics, Inc., and former Head of Finance for a medium-scale trading and distribution company (2016-2021) and Senior Tax Director at Sycip Gorres Velayo and Co. from 2008-2015.  A proud UP alumna and certified public accountant (CPA), Balmores hopes to use her decades of experience in audit, finance and taxation, including strategic finance, reporting, general accounting and compliance, and mergers and acquisitions by giving back to the University.  Balmores shares the fact that having celebrated a milestone birthday last February, her appointment as UP VP for Planning and Finance came at the perfect time.  “When this possibility of working for the UP System, working for the new administration with UP President Jimenez [came], I thought it was a good time to give back,” she added.   She had a very short stint with government work and accounting back in the early 2000’s. “That was a long time ago and I was very young then,” she recalled. So now, this new role with the University, while outside of her comfort zone, is a welcome challenge.  Coming into the office, she hints at issues that are yet to be resolved but that don’t dim her excitement for the job at hand. “It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise—ang boring kung walang ganoon,” she said.  Being thrust into a new environment, together with new people and new working cultures, makes this job even more thrilling for her. And acknowledging that her responsibilities as University Vice President is of public interest makes it even more worthwhile.   Fresh pair of eyes  Balmores describes herself as an outsider coming into the position, a balikbayan returning home to her roots. It’s been years since she graduated from UP, but coupled with her extensive years in private practice, medium-scale trading, and in professional services firms, she hopes these will prove useful in making sure that all the projects and plans for the University will come into fruition.  “My wish here is to be a partner for each and all the other departments [of the] UP community as a whole. ‘How can I make your life simpler? How can I make your life better? What do you need from us, so that all these things that you need from a financial service point of view will be completed at the most efficient and most effective way?’” she explains.  More than that, she is also the only female in President Jimenez’s executive team. “I would like to believe that I am here not because I am a woman, but just like my colleagues in the ExeComm, it is because of our respective competence and experience on the job and ultimately what we can contribute to the University. However, having said that, I fully support empowering more women to become leaders and increased women representation in the C-Suite because diverse talents and perspectives encourage creativity and make an organization better,” she added.     Balmores busy at work in her office. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     Putting a premium on the cycle of mentorship   Apart from the usual tasks as Vice President for Planning and Finance, Balmores also aims to instill a cycle of mentorship within her team.  “I want also to focus on training and development for our own people in finance, in budget, and accounting because sometimes, baka hindi natutuunan ng pansin; so at the same time, I also told my units to start training and looking out for the next in line kasi nga being stewards, sandali lang eh. After a few years, wala na naman; so we really need to make sure that the institutional knowledge, the skills are there, tuloy-tuloy,” she explained.  With this practice, she hopes to leave the office, the constituents, and the University, in capable hands even after her term.  Same but different   UP and its people have changed throughout the years. There have been a lot of renovations since VP Iryn’s time, but the overall sense of pride, enthusiasm, and excellence remains the same.  Expect her term, along with the executive team’s vision of pushing the University to be more globally oriented, to be innovative but prudent, efficient, and transparent.  “To my team and to the UP community and to my colleagues also in the administration, I’m happy to be here and I am looking forward to working hard with all of you so we can accomplish, achieve our vision for the University so that we support the mission of the University, as far as teaching and learning and research, is concerned,” she concluded.  You may reach VP Iryn via email, text or call, or find her along the Academic Oval enjoying a stick of fish balls or two.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Heeding the Higher Call – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/heeding-the-higher-call/",
        "html": "Heeding the Higher Call Heeding the Higher Call June 6, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo   Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo De Paz Cubillan during this interview with the UP Forum. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.     “I was already set on early retirement. I took a week to decide.”  Dr. Leo De Paz Cubillan narrated how he became UP’s new Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). That week was one of contemplation for the ophthalmologist who wanted to see things more clearly. After studying how he could contribute to UP, he drew up plans and presented them to then-incoming UP President Angelo Jimenez. Cubillan has been VPAA since April, but he was previously the President’s adviser for academic and research development during the Office of the VPAA’s (OVPAA) transition.  “The decision was difficult, but there was a higher calling.” He and his wife, Dr. Eileen Liesl Abesamis Cubillan, have been empty nesters for more than five years. He wanted more time with his children abroad, but the pull of service proved stronger, something he had felt since wanting to become a doctor and being in UP.  Student, doctor, teacher   Growing up in Surigao, Cubillan’s dream of becoming of a doctor started when he played the role of one in an elementary school play. Initially, he wasn’t even going to UP. Because the release of UP College Admission Test results came much later than those of other schools, he was already enrolled in another school. It was his parents’ friends who persuaded them that UP was the place for him.  So, armed with a National Science and Technology Authority scholarship, he moved to UP Diliman (UPD) in 1982 under the AB Humanities pre-med program. He was 16 and homesick, going to Cubao just to call home. But he also kept his focus, shifting to BS Biology as it was a better pre-med program. “When there were dorm activities, I would go somewhere else to study,” he remembered.  Graduating magna cum laude, Cubillan was named “Most Outstanding Graduate” in the first batch from the newly elevated Institute of Biology, and gained admission to the College of Medicine (CM) in UP Manila (UPM). It was another adjustment; from the sprawling UPD campus, he now found himself in cramped UPM. He was swamped with daily lectures from 7AM to 7PM and weekly exams. But it was in the flurry of med school that he met his future wife, two years his junior. Cubillan did his fellowship at the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) while waiting for her to finish the Dermatology program.  In 1998, the couple then went on fellowships to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Cubillan was already a university researcher at the UPM National Institutes of Health (NIH) Philippine Eye Research Institute (PERI) and a CM clinical associate professor. In his second year at UCSF, he took the Master of Public Health at UC Berkeley. He believed it would help him “contribute to the improvement of health care in our country” because of the issues in health care access he saw during his UP-PGH clinical training.  “The decision was difficult, but there was a higher calling.” – Cubillan     From research to policy to practice  He was seeing patients, teaching, and doing research after his UC studies. Among others, Cubillan was involved in the regular PERI survey of blindness that helped formulate the Department of Health policies on the prevention and reduction of blindness in the country. Another research outcome he was proud of was the signing in 2019 of Republic Act No. 11358 or the National Vision Screening Act for the mandatory vision screening of kindergarten pupils, which was to be implemented by the Department of Education.  Teachers were trained to test the vision of students aged below seven years, using the PERI-developed kit. Cubillan said that vision screening revealed that many children were distracted in class simply because they couldn’t see the blackboard too well. There was one who even emerged as the top student in class after being moved to the front and finally seeing the blackboard clearly. Screening at this stage in children’s development also allowed for the detection and correction of a lazy eye. While implementation of the law was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has since resumed. “We’re able to prevent further visual impairment. One student, one class at a time,” he said.  Cubillan at one of the hallways of the UP PGH Polyclinic in New Clark City, Tarlac. The facility, which will eventually be a 200-bed hospital, is one of the development projects he has been handling for UP Manila. Photo by MIsael Bacani, UP MPRO.  The administrator   As if the hats Cubillan wore weren’t enough, he has also been appointed to various administrative posts since 2005 at PERI, NIH, UP PGH, and UPM. Additionally, he has been handling development projects, such as the NIH building and the UPM units in New Clark City, including the 200-bed UP PGH whose initial structure was the polyclinic opened in time for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and the S&T park for health sciences. “I experienced firsthand the challenges of running a government academic institution and hospital,” he recalled.  Certainly taxing, but all were done in the spirit of service and the desire to help UP further contribute to national development. “Because of my experience, I have learned to think out of the box in looking at programs and projects, and learning how to do them well and making them effective despite bureaucratic challenges.” He added that President Jimenez’s vision for UP encouraged him more and inspired him to work as VPAA.  “I experienced firsthand the challenges of running a government academic institution and hospital.” – Cubillan     The next six years   The OVPAA is anchored on the three pillars of UP education: instruction, research, and public service. Under Cubillan’s leadership, it will continue to support the fulfillment of UP’s mandates. It will move to increase democratic access to UP education by expanding scholarships that cover cost of living expenses. He expressed interest in looking into possible first generation college students, the first in their families to get a college education, and to provide them with opportunities to study in UP.  Cubillan’s office will work to improve student and faculty experience by creating more spaces for social interaction among students, and academic collaboration among faculty. He intends to push for the creation of programs and avenues for public service, taking the cue from President Jimenez who envisions “a UP that is not just about honor and excellence but also kindness.”  To make more responsive curricular programs, the OVPAA will pursue the integration of digital technologies to improve teaching, learning, and research “in the face of a rapidly changing digital landscape.” It will work towards improving cross enrollment across the UP System, aligning with President Jimenez’s aim of allowing UP students smooth and seamless access, physical or digital, to course offerings in other campuses.  More initiatives are forthcoming under Cubillan’s direction. It is certainly expected of someone who has been with UP for 40 years. That he chose to continue serving over his personal aspirations speaks volumes about the man with a clear vision at the helm of the OVPAA.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "MASIKOT MAN ANG DAAN PAUWI – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/masikot-man-ang-daan-pauwi/",
        "html": "MASIKOT MAN ANG DAAN PAUWI MASIKOT MAN ANG DAAN PAUWI November 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    FREE SCREENING  One of the largest in the world, the Filipino Diaspora is a complex phenomenon of a people spread-out in the world seeking opportunities and opening new ways of seeing both the outside world and the land they came from.  Don’t miss the chance to watch Kung Saan Man Tayo (2021) and Naglalakbay (2022) at the UPFI Film Center on November 29, 2023 and explore the struggles, hardships, and resiliency of Filipinos abroad.  Admission is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.  ~~~~~ MASIKOT MAN ANG DAAN PAUWI programmed by Patrick F. Campos  November 29, 2023 UPFI Film Center – Videotheque 4:00 PM Kung Saan Man Tayo 5:30 PM Naglalakbay 6:30 PM Q&A with filmmakers ~~~~~     KUNG SAAN MAN TAYO ((Wherever We May Be)  Directed by Adrian Ellis Alarilla, Jed Yabut, Joseph Unsay, Kenneth Cardenas, Pat R., Pauline M., and Zoé Ciela Guenne Who is the Filipino émigré? Are we the hero of the new age? The breadwinner-martyr? The opportunist, the fortune-seeker? The Filipino émigré’s identity is a dynamic one, constantly changing and adapting to one’s adopted community, while at the same time attempting to compromise with one’s responsibilities with their family and with their Filipino culture. This documentary explores the stories of some of these 21st century Filipino émigré who used to be state scholars but have since followed other opportunities abroad. As these friends send a video camera to each other by courier and share their stories, they open up about adulthood and moving away, and teasing out larger themes such as the Philippine’s labor export economy, nationalism, and internationalism.     NAGLALAKBAY (Travelers) Written and directed by Dennis Empalmado  The diaspora of Filipinos around the globe is driven mainly by the economics of supply and demand. The yearning for something better, stability, and self-validation leads a handful of sojourners from the provinces of the Philippines into the arms of one of its former colonial masters — the USA. But what happens when they finally get what they want? And how? Filmmaker Dennis Empalmado explores the musings of Filipino expatriates and hopeful immigrants in “Naglalakbay” (Travelers). "
    },
    {
        "title": "Dark Memories: A Public Lecture by Rick Rocamora on his book – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/dark-memories-a-public-lecture-by-rick-rocamora-on-his-book/",
        "html": "Dark Memories: A Public Lecture by Rick Rocamora on his book Dark Memories: A Public Lecture by Rick Rocamora on his book November 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       UPDATE: Due to the continuation of the transport strike and the subsequent announcement of the Office of the Chancellor on the shift to online classes and WFH arrangement in the university, the public lecture by Rick Rocamora will be rescheduled. The lecture will be conducted a week later, 30 November 2023, Thursday, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m., Palma Hall 207.  Rick Rocamora is an award-winning documentary photographer whose work focuses on issues about the contribution of immigrants in the US, human rights, civil liberties, and social and economic inequalities in the US and the Philippines.  This public forum is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register through tinyurl.com/rrocamoraupd.  Rocamora is the author of six photo books, namely Filipino WWII Soldiers: America’s Second Class Veterans; Blood, Sweat, Hope, and Quiapo: Rodallie S. Mosende Story; Human Wrongs, Alagang Angara, Long Road to Dignity, and most recently, photobook about Muslim-Americans published by the Tokyo University for Foreign Studies Press.  His work is part of the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts, U.S. State Department Art in Embassies Program, and private and institutional collectors. His work is widely exhibited in national and international museums and galleries, published in print and online, and aired in various broadcast news outlets. His work has been exhibited in the US at the Smithsonian Institution, Center for Photographic Arts, Jewish Museum, Gordon Museum, Oakland Museum, San Francisco State University, UC Berkeley, and Boston College. In the Philippines at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ben Cab Museum, Vargas Museum, and Ateneo Art Gallery. His exhibition, Bursting at the Seams: Inside Philippine Detention Centers, won national and international awards for the Filipinas Heritage Gallery of the Ayala Museum. Before pursuing a career in documentary photography, he worked in sales, marketing, and management positions for the US pharmaceutical industry for 18 years.  Original post here: https://t.ly/LJHkD "
    },
    {
        "title": "Lockdown Diaries: COVID-19 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/lockdown-diaries-covid-19/",
        "html": "Lockdown Diaries: COVID-19 Lockdown Diaries: COVID-19 November 24, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Thirteen theater artists took the challenge to record their daily lives by making video diaries and conversations during the pandemic lockdown. Despite how bleak the pandemic was, it brought them to listen to their bodies, minds and hearts.  Avic Ilagan’s documentary Lockdown Diaries: COVID-19 will screen for free at the UPFI Film Center on 1 December Friday 5 PM. There will be a Q & A with the filmmaker and the featured artists after the screening. ~~~~~ UPFI Film Center December 2023 Lockdown Diaries: COVID-19  Dec 1 Fri 5 p.m. ~~~~~   The screening is open to the public for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Register at the cinema entrance.   Eating and drinking are not allowed. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Korean Cinema: Art and Industry – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/korean-cinema-art-and-industry/",
        "html": "Korean Cinema: Art and Industry Korean Cinema: Art and Industry November 24, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       [Public Lecture] Korean Cinema: Art and Industry Date: 4 December 2023 MONDAY Time: 9am – 12pm (GMT+8) Venue: Zoom & YouTube Live Streaming Registration Link: https://bit.ly/KorCinema  UPKRC together with UP Center for International Studies is organizing a public lecture to learn about and discuss Korean cinema! Don’t miss a chance to meet our speaker Dr. Shin Dong Kim from Hallym University (한림대학교) virtually! Speaker: Shin Dong Kim is a Professor of the Media School and Director of the Institute for Convergence Culture at Hallym University, South Korea. For decades, Professor Kim has been working on the areas of media industries and culture, cultural policies, film and society. Recently he’s been teaching how contemporary Korean films are reconstructing the colonial memories. Outside of campus, Dr. Kim serves as the Director of the Knowledge Coop for Good Governance, an independent think tank based in Seoul, and Vice President for Korean Association for Public Diplomacy. Dr. Kim has been actively teaching globally at many universities around the world including UP CMC as a visiting professor.  Moderator: Jericho Pascual (UP Film Institute)  This event is supported by the Korea Foundation-한국국제교류재단 (Ref. 2221100-1463). "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Saga of Philippine Cinema – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-saga-of-philippine-cinema/",
        "html": "The Saga of Philippine Cinema The Saga of Philippine Cinema November 30, 2023 | Written by UPFI Film Center       With support from The UNESCO Memory of the World (PH), a new movement to recognize cinema as the world’s documentary heritage needing protection and preservation is launched with the nationwide advocacy to use cinema for education. The Pedagogical Cinema kicks off with a launching program featuring Nick Deocampo’s “The Saga of Philippine Cinema.” Believing that education starts with a knowledge of history, the program combines a study of Philippine history with the understanding of a medium that has popular appeal to students and the public. In glorious 3D animation, Philippine history is recreated, giving cinema the enviable task of giving life to the social forces which defined Filipino identity and the cinema that helped shape it.  A program tailored for students and teachers it begins its nationwide journey at the UPFI Film Center in UP Diliman on December 4 Monday at 5 p.m.. Tickets for only P100. Due to limited seating, viewers need to pre-register to reserve seats: https://tinyurl.com/SagaofPHCinemaUPFI  Those who will make reservations need to be present at the venue fifteen minutes before the event, otherwise walk-in viewers will be admitted. Classes and organizations are welcome to attend. Sixteen universities, NGOs, and local government cultural and heritage committees have booked for 2024. Nationwide bookings can be made by sending a letter of intent to sponsor to: nadeocampo@yahoo.com.ph  The program consists of film screenings and lectures. Synopses of featured films:  CINE TALA (THE MOVIE CHRONICLES) OPENING FILM Dec 4 Mon 5 p.m. A film historian (played by National Artist for Theater Tony Mabesa) recalls the history of Philippine cinema from its colonial beginnings to its national maturity. Featured are movie stars of bygone eras like Rosa del Rosario and Rogelio de la Rosa in enduring film classics like Maalaala Mo Kaya?  CINE>SINE: SPANISH BEGINNINGS OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA Dec 5 Tue 5 p.m. The documentary recalls the Spanish past of Philippine cinema through language, material culture, aesthetics, and ideology. Featured are phenomenal stars like Nora Aunor and Christopher de Leon in unforgettable classics like Himala and Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?  FILM: AMERICAN BEGINNINGS OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA Dec 6 Wed 5 p.m. The American past of Philippine cinema has contributed technology, capital, aesthetics, and consumerist ideology to make movies a popular culture. Iconic stars like Fernando Poe, Sr. appears in Zamboanga and Anita Linda and Hilda Koronel star in Lino Brocka’s masterpiece, Hellow, Soldier! to provide an affirmation as well as a counter-reading of Hollywood’s excessive dominance.  EIGA: CINEMA DURING WORLD WAR II Dec 7 Thurs 5 p.m. The destruction brought about by the Japanese occupation has wrought havoc to cinema’s growth and made propaganda its cinematic contribution. Movie idols are featured in war-themed films like Leopoldo Salcedo in the propaganda movie, Dawn of Freedom, and the explosive combination of Nora Aunor, Christopher de Leon and Bembol Rocco in Tatlong Taong Walang Dios  PELIKULA: THE BIRTH OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA Dec 8 Fri 5 p.m. Since motion pictures came into the hands of photographer Jose Nepomuceno, cinema flourished as a homegrown cultural expression that made the once-colonial movies into a popular national experience. Excerpts from pioneering films like Giliw Ko and interviews of film historians like the American scholar Dr. Charles Musser and Swedish Nepomuceno scholar Nadi Tofighian make this an important film document to watch.  MARTIAL LAW FILMS Dec 9 Sat 2 p.m. Films produced during the period of martial law and its aftermath are studied for their social and semiotic significance, revealing hidden subversions contained within the cinematic texts. Lino Brocka’s films are decoded for their use of film language and visual semiotics in movies like Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim starring Gina Alajar and Philip Salvador and Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang with Lolita Rodriguez, Mario O’Hara and Christopher de Leon.  PHILIPPINE ALTERNATIVE CINEMA Dec 9 Sat 5 p.m. Outside the mainstream cinema is the alternative world of short films, documentaries, experimental films, and all things that are cinematically oppositional. A wide array of shorts is featured from the mythopoeic films of Raymond Red, to controversial documentaries like Oliver, wild animations like Roxlee’s Tronong Puti, and nihilist films like Regiben Romana’s Pilipinas.  See you at the screenings! "
    },
    {
        "title": "Bogus vote tallies and candidate disqualifications top election-day disinformation – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/bogus-vote-tallies-and-candidate-disqualifications-top-election-day-disinformation/",
        "html": "Bogus vote tallies and candidate disqualifications top election-day disinformation Bogus vote tallies and candidate disqualifications top election-day disinformation May 13, 2022 | Written by Maria Diosa Labiste and Yvonne T. Chua    Spurious last-ditch reports of candidates being disqualified and a buildup of fabricated vote tallies of presidential contenders took hold of social media as voters trooped to precincts last Monday.  This was observed by Tsek.ph, based on the consortium’s live fact-checking efforts on Election Day.  The misleading and deceptive narratives on election day largely targeted now presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his rival, Vice President Leni Robredo; their running mates, Sara Duterte and Francis Pangilinan; progressive party-list groups and the Commission of Elections.  These wefts in a pattern of disinformation not only sought to influence voters’ choices but also convey an impression that winners had already been picked even before polling closed. These in turn could undermine confidence in the credibility of this year’s elections as an exercise in democracy.  Led by the UPCMC Journalism Department, a one-day newsroom was organized for Tsek.ph partners to come together for live and continuous fact-checking on election day. Tsek.ph is a collaborative fact-checking initiative of 34 partners from academe, media and civil society. It is supported by the University of the Philippines, Google News Initiative, Rakuten Viber, Meta, Meedan and the Embassy of Canada.  Fake vote tallies  Polling precincts were hours away from closing and votes had yet to be counted, but social media were swamped with manufactured tallies of election results showing either Marcos or Robredo leading the race.  Comelec Resolution 10695 stipulates that counting and consolidation of votes, including those from overseas absentee voting, shall be held on May 9 after the casting of votes and closing of polls at 7 p.m.  Both Marcos and Robredo had their fair share of fake tallies that day. Tsek.ph partners published 10 fact checks on various claims declaring Marcos leading in partial counts, two in which he and Duterte were winning, and another two with Duterte dominating the count.  Five fact checks were about Robredo taking the lead and one declaring that both she and Pangilinan had won overseas absentee votes by a landslide. Interestingly, one claim showed Robredo and Duterte the winners.   The false narratives were overwhelmingly pushed on Facebook, and occasionally on Twitter and YouTube, mostly by Marcos supporters, including Showbiz Fanaticz channel whose election-related claims have been previously fact-checked.  Nearly all the posts utilized eye-catching graphics. Some tried to mimic the interface of mainstream media such as Rappler’s live election results and TV5’s infographic on the media reach and engagement of candidates. Both were passed off as real poll results.  One netizen ran a graphic culled from Robredo’s Facebook post in 2016 that showed her ahead of Marcos in the vice presidential contest at the time. Marcos bitterly contested the results, alleging electoral irregularities. The Supreme Court dismissed his petition last year.  The fake election results came out as early as 8:27 a.m. or about two-and-a-hours after the polls opened. They showed Marcos supposedly leading over Robredo and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso. A bogus vice presidential vote count showing Duterte far ahead in the election was posted 11:55 a.m.  Some posts gained traction in just a few hours. A tally falsely claiming Duterte was in the lead chalked up 2,898 interactions. A post announcing the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem’s landslide victory abroad, also rated false, picked up 3,514 interactions.   The bogus counts were accompanied by allegations that election results had been preprogrammed. One such post collected 145,000 shares.  The torrent of fake vote tallies on election day sets this year’s elections apart from the dominant election-day narratives in the 2019 midterm polls.  Back then, senatorial, local and party-list candidates were staggering from an onslaught of red-tagging came voting day. Local candidates and progressive groups were also the targets of disqualification lies.  The sham poll results online in this year’s elections demonstrate the country’s evolving disinformation playbook on social media that was first thrust into global consciousness following the 2016 presidential election.  Ahead of the 2016 polls, legions of netizens in the country and overseas had been organized into a network to systematically propagate positive messages about then candidate Rodrigo Duterte and negative ones against his opponents. The camp of Marcos, then a vice presidential bet, also successfully deployed this strategy, refurbishing his family’s image and later continually attacking Robredo when he lost the race.  This May 9, 2022 elections, the fabricated vote tallies rightly fall within the firehose of disinformation strategy Tsek.ph detected and described in its May 8 analysis. This strategy is characterized by an outpouring of rapid, repetitive, and indiscriminate topics coming from a volume of sources and targeting multiple online platforms. For months the Marcos-Duterte tandem had enjoyed nonstop positive messaging while the Robredo-Pangilinan duo were bombarded with negative, even malicious messaging.  The Makabayan bloc, meanwhile, was subject of a spurious disqualification document purportedly from the Comelec two days ahead of this year’s elections. Its partylists such as Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kabataan, ACT Teachers and Gabriela were allegedly disqualified.  A Facebook page, “Lamrag Sinirangan,” claimed that the partylists, along with its senatorial bet Neri Colmenares, had been disqualified by Comelec because of their links with the Communist Party of the Philippines. The false claim was debunked by Comelec, but the falsehood persisted throughout the voting hours.  In 2019, the same ploy was used against the Makabayan bloc by Facebook pages identified with police offices and military reservists. The false information was posted in the wee hours of election day.  A related disinformation strategy is red-tagging members of the Makabayan bloc or establishing their connection with the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army even without basis. However, on election day, all senatorial bets of Robredo-Pangilinan tandem were also in the red-tagged list, allegedly for being supported by the communists. The list came from an eponymous Facebook page, DSWD 4ps Updates, which has the logo of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, also known as 4Ps, of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  Other false claims circulating on election day include poll cheating such as vote buying and the fate of reelectionist senator Leila de Lima.  A handful of fact checks were on vote counting machines (VCM) that broke down, reportedly 1,800 in all, thus delaying the voting or turning voters away.  Maharlika, a pro-Marcos influencer, insinuated in a video on Facebook and YouTube that the Catholic clergy had a hand in delaying the replacement of a malfunctioning VCM at a precinct in Quezon City where her family had voted. She also took a dig at Catholic priests who had endorsed Robredo’s candidacy.   Her allegation had no basis at all. The Omnibus Election Code only allows inspectors, watchers, Comelec representatives and voters inside and around the polling place. When a VCM or its secure digital card malfunctions, Comelec’s contingency plan requires inspectors to report this to supervisors of the Department of Education assigned to the classroom. After Comelec officials are notified, city officers will keep the broken VCM as the supervisors replace the machine. Nowhere does the Catholic church figure into the picture.  This feature article is from Tsek.ph. Text by Maria Diosa Labiste and Yvonne T. Chua; infographics by Felipe Jose Gonzales "
    },
    {
        "title": "Grand’s Ideas – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/grands-ideas/",
        "html": "Grand’s Ideas Grand’s Ideas June 8, 2022 | Written by Fred Dabu    The University of the Philippines (UP) takes pride in its students, passionately generating and sharing their ideas to address real-world problems and encouraging fellow scholars to thrive.  A UP Visayas 4th year student, Grand C. Gascon, was recognized as the only Chemical Engineering undergraduate and Filipino who became a finalist of Bayer’s International Youth Agriculture Summit. In an online interview this summer via Zoom, Grand shared his experiences and some lessons learned from the event.  This image of Gascon as Bayer Youth Agricultural Summit 2021 Delegate is taken from the news article of his achievement posted on the UP Visayas website.  Bayer’s biennial summit, held online from 2021 to March 2022, was sponsored by the Crop Science division of Bayer in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Babele. Resource speakers included UN FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and more than 20 experts worldwide. Its 100 youth delegates, aged 18-25, were selected from more than 2,000 applicants who submitted ideas for improving food security and sustainability in their communities. The students attended online training and business modeling classes during the past six months. Then they pitched their ideas, primarily scientific innovations, and social projects, until the top 10 and 2 wildcard finalists emerged, from which a panel of experts selected the three grand winners.  Grand (lower, extreme left) is pictured alongside his fellow finalists in the video highlights of the finalists’ project pitches at Bayer’s International Youth Agriculture Summit.   “More Light, More Yield” (Light Manipulation to Improve Plant Growth)  Gascon’s pitch was on controlling the amount of light that reaches plants to improve their growth. His experience using Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLRs) and filters for photography served as the basis for this pitch. He thought that if camera filters could reduce the amount of sunlight that could reach the camera’s sensors, there are also ways to improve exposure to sunlight and apply these ideas to enhance plant growth and, ultimately, food production.  Gascon added different lenses and filters with a hydroponic setup for plants, with the right amount of water and nutrients can also be controlled.  Grand explains the technological principle behind his pitch during a zoom interview with MPRO.  Grand mentioned some insights on the process of the selection of finalists. He said their peers nominated them until the finalists were narrowed down to ten, plus the two wildcards. Then they had three minutes each to pitch their original ideas to the jury. The panel also asked them questions that they had to address.  He said he already had a lot of practice since he had been joining many student activities focused on creating and sharing ideas. Among these were: in student summits in UP and events sponsored by the US Mission to ASEAN in 2021; as founder and team administrator of the first-ever UP Visayas Shell Eco-marathon team in 2021; as 1st place winner in the Idea Generation at the Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines 2021 in UP Diliman; and, as 1st place winner in the Waste and Pollution: Challenging, Addressing, and Creative Solutions in the Asia Pacific, sponsored by the Asia Pacific Climate Project with The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana in Oct. 2021, among others.  Message to fellow students  Grand encouraged fellow students to look for the many events, training, and national and international opportunities offered by the University. “Always take the opportunity that you have now, even if it’s outside of your field of study, or even if it’s outside your comfort zone. You never know what experience you can get and who you will meet from that opportunity,” he said.  Gascon’s words of wisdom likewise apply to life outside the University. “Learn to improve yourself every single day. Correct your past mistakes and work hard, never to do them again. Forgive yourself for those mistakes and continuously struggle to begin again. Believe in yourself and believe in your capabilities.”  “Strive to let others know who you truly are. You don’t have to be the best. You must be unique,” concluded Gascon. "
    },
    {
        "title": "I am a Filipino – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/i-am-a-filipino/",
        "html": "I am a Filipino I am a Filipino August 24, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    I am a Filipino–inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future. As such I must prove equal to a two-fold task–the task of meeting my responsibility to the past, and the task of performing my obligation to the future.  I sprung from a hardy race, child many generations removed of ancient Malayan pioneers. Across the centuries the memory comes rushing back to me: of brown-skinned men putting out to sea in ships that were as frail as their hearts were stout. Over the sea I see them come, borne upon the billowing wave and the whistling wind, carried upon the mighty swell of hope–hope in the free abundance of new land that was to be their home and their children’s forever.  This is the land they sought and found. Every inch of shore that their eyes first set upon, every hill and mountain that beckoned to them with a green-and-purple invitation, every mile of rolling plain that their view encompassed, every river and lake that promised a plentiful living and the fruitfulness of commerce, is a hallowed spot to me.  By the strength of their hearts and hands, by every right of law, human and divine, this land and all the appurtenances thereof–the black and fertile soil, the seas and lakes and rivers teeming with fish, the forests with their inexhaustible wealth in wild life and timber, the mountains with their bowels swollen with minerals–the whole of this rich and happy land has been, for centuries without number, the land of my fathers. This land I received in trust from them and in trust will pass it to my children, and so on until the world is no more.  I am a Filipino. In my blood runs the immortal seed of heroes–seed that flowered down the centuries in deeds of courage and defiance. In my veins yet pulses the same hot blood that sent Lapulapu to battle against the first invader of this land, that nerved Lakandula in the combat against the alien foe, that drove Diego Silang and Dagohoy into rebellion against the foreign oppressor.  That seed is immortal. It is the self-same seed that flowered in the heart of Jose Rizal that morning in Bagumbayan when a volley of shots put an end to all that was mortal of him and made his spirit deathless forever, the same that flowered in the hearts of Bonifacio in Balintawak, of Gergorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass, of Antonio Luna at Calumpit; that bloomed in flowers of frustration in the sad heart of Emilio Aguinaldo at Palanan, and yet burst forth royally again in the proud heart of Manuel L. Quezon when he stood at last on the threshold of ancient Malacañan Palace, in the symbolic act of possession and racial vindication.  The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed. It is the mark of my manhood, the symbol of dignity as a human being. Like the seeds that were once buried in the tomb of Tutankhamen many thousand years ago, it shall grow and flower and bear fruit again. It is the insignia of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.  I am a Filipino, child of the marriage of the East and the West. The East, with its languor and mysticism, its passivity and endurance, was my mother, and my sire was the West that came thundering across the seas with the Cross and Sword and the Machine. I am of the East, an eager participant in its spirit, and in its struggles for liberation from the imperialist yoke. But I also know that the East must awake from its centuried sleep, shake off the lethargy that has bound his limbs, and start moving where destiny awaits.  For I, too, am of the West, and the vigorous peoples of the West have destroyed forever the peace and quiet that once were ours. I can no longer live, a being apart from those whose world now trembles to the roar of bomb and cannon-shot. I cannot say of a matter of universal life-and-death, of freedom and slavery for all mankind, that it concerns me not. For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, there is no longer any East and West–only individuals and nations making those momentous choices which are the hinges upon which history resolves.  At the vanguard of progress in this part of the world I stand–a forlorn figure in the eyes of some, but not one defeated and lost. For, through the thick, interlacing branches of habit and custom above me, I have seen the light of the sun, and I know that it is good. I have seen the light of justice and equality and freedom, my heart has been lifted by the vision of democracy, and I shall not rest until my land and my people shall have been blessed by these, beyond the power of any man or nation to subvert or destroy.  I am a Filipino, and this is my inheritance. What pledge shall I give that I may prove worthy of my inheritance? I shall give the pledge that has come ringing down the corridors of the centuries, and it shall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when first they saw the contours of this land loom before their eyes, of the battle cries that have resounded in every field of combat from Mactan to Tirad Pass, of the voices of my people when they sing:  Land of the morning, Child of the sun returning– Ne’er shall invaders Trample thy sacred shore.  Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heartstrings of sixteen million people all vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge. Out of the songs of the farmers at sunrise when they go to labor in the fields, out of the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-lig and Koronadal, out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of peasants in Pampanga, out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing, out of the crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories, out of the crunch of plough-shares upturning the earth, out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics, out of the tramp of soldiers marching, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:  “I am a Filipino born to freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance—for myself and my children and my children’s children—forever.”  I am a Filipino is an essay written by Carlos Peña Romulo, Sr. which was printed in The Philippines Herald on August 16, 1941.  A Pulitzer Prize winner, passionate educator, intrepid journalist and effective diplomat, Romulo graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1918 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1921. He would join the ranks of the UP faculty in 1923 as an Associate Professor in what was then the English Department. He would be later be appointed to the Board of Regents in 1931. Almost three decades later, he would once again be reunited with the University, serving as its 11th President in 1962. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Padayon – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/padayon/",
        "html": "Padayon Padayon September 7, 2023 | Written by Nixie E. Serna   Photo courtesy of Nixie E. Serna.  Nixie E. Serna Magna cum laude BA in English (Creative Writing) College of Humanities and Social Sciences University of the Philippines Mindanao     I am Nixie E. Serna, 23 years old, from Surigao City. I studied BA in English (Creative Writing) at the University of the Philippines Mindanao and graduated Magna cum laude. As a creative writer, it is given that you have to be interested in reading and, of course, writing. At a young age, I had always been drawn to books. I usually spent my free time browsing in the library from the time I was in grade school. I would also spend the little money I saved from my ten-peso allowance to buy those booklets sold by visitors in school back then. Eventually, reading compelled me to write because I also wanted to create my own stories.  My undergraduate thesis was an essay collection titled, Seismic, for which I received the Thesis with Distinction award. The essay collection was on disasters, particularly the 2017 earthquake in Surigao, the 2019 earthquake swarm in Davao, super typhoon Odette in 2021, the effects of the pandemic, and other personal disasters I have experienced. Some of my works have also been published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer Youngblood column, Life UPdates of Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing, Dagmay.online, and Mindanews.     Sinews of Syllables. Photo courtesy of Nixie E. Serna.     Aside from reading and writing, I also draw in both traditional and digital media. I run an art account on social media; and you can find me on Instagram and Twitter by the username @nikushiisan. Most of my drawings are fanarts of media I like such as anime, K-pop, movies, or TV shows. I rarely upload drawings nowadays because of my busy schedule, but I try my best to draw every now and then to keep my skills sharp. One of my goals is to one day improve my art so that I can also illustrate my own stories and characters or produce illustrations for Filipino writers.  In addition to reading, writing, and drawing, one of the hobbies that take my mind off the stress of academics and other matters is listening to K-pop songs, particularly the group EXO. I am an EXO stan or an EXO-L which is the official name of their fandom. I follow this K-pop group because of their diverse and great discography, artistry, and dedication to their fans. I also always keep in mind this quote by Kai, one of the members of EXO, about studying to motivate myself, “If you’re not good at studying, don’t even think about liking me. . . . Focus more on your studies than us and meet us again proudly in the future.” I do hope I can meet them at their concert in the future.     Overcoming financial constraints  My parents primarily supported me in my studies. However, there are four of us siblings in the family and their minimum wage is not enough to send us to school. As the eldest child, I had to find ways to fund my education. The Free Tertiary Education Law greatly helped me in achieving a higher education. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for me to enroll in college, especially in UP, considering that UP Mindanao is very far away from my hometown.  Since my first year, I applied to the Student Learning Assistance System of UP so that I could receive a stipend to help me with my studies. Through the stipend I saved, I was able to buy a laptop and pay for the internet bill, both of which were necessary not only during face-to-face classes but especially during online classes due to the pandemic. During my second year, I applied for a scholarship sponsored by the UP Mindanao Foundation Inc. They were meticulous in accepting their scholars by checking their academic standing and economic background, but thankfully, I was accepted. Every semester, I would renew my scholarship by submitting my grades. Even during that time when we were devastated by super typhoon Odette in 2021, I persevered in completing my requirements so that I could renew my scholarship. I am immensely grateful to UPMFI and the taxpayers who helped me finish my education. I would surely use what I have learned in the University by giving back to the people.     Dealing with disasters  Aside from financial constraints, my college life was nothing short of disasters. Like my fellow batchmates, I had to endure the challenges brought by the pandemic in 2020, including the shift to online classes which took a toll on our mental health because of isolation. My parents were laid off from work and we had to rely on the cash assistance and ayuda from the government to sustain us. Around the height of the pandemic on September 2020, our house was also demolished since the lot it was standing on was sold to a new owner. We are temporarily living right now in a house that was intended for the stay-in employee of my mother’s employers. To sum up, we currently have no fixed abode because we do not have our own house.  In October 2021, my father suffered a mild stroke and had to stop working to recover. We were able to get by and buy his maintenance medicine through the support of our relatives and family friends. As if we were not struggling enough, my hometown was leveled by super typhoon Odette in December 2021. Our roof was blown away and everything under it got soaked. For more than a month, we had no electricity, mobile signal, and we only had an intermittent water supply. I was in my third year at that time and it was around finals when the super typhoon struck. To comply with my remaining requirements, I went to charging stations to charge our flashlights and devices while I read my readings. At night by candlelight, I would write my papers by hand and then type them on my phone when I was able to charge the battery. I also contacted my professors once the mobile signal returned and relayed to them my situation. Despite the setbacks, I was able to submit my requirements on time. One of my professors told me that it was miraculous how I surpassed those challenges. Looking back, I sometimes cannot believe how I survived all of that. I was driven by my desire to win against my situation and I succeeded with the help of the people around me.     The aftermath of super typhoon Odette. Photo courtesy of Nixie E. Serna.     Although my family was not financially stable, I was not pressured and dictated upon to become anything they wanted me to be, which probably helped me to do well in my studies. There are expectations of me as the eldest daughter, but they never pressured me, which I greatly appreciate. My parents let me choose what path to take and only reminded me to focus and study hard so that I could achieve my dreams.     Study habits and survival tips for students  Regarding my studies, I always make sure that I have enough rest before I do my work. I listen to my body; if I am already sleepy then I take a break before proceeding again. A 30-minute to an hour nap will work wonders. I found myself more productive if I had enough sleep than when I did without it. Another thing that helped me with my studies was figuring out the type of environment that I thrived in. I am an introvert and I work best when I am alone and in a quiet area. I cannot do that with the crowded area we have in our house during the daytime so I work at night when everybody else is asleep because I easily get distracted by noise. Even when I was living in a boarding house with my classmates for my final semester, I tried looking for a spot where I could work peacefully or I asked them to keep it down when I was working. Knowing what environment works best for you can change the game in your studies.  If I feel down in the dumps or when I am at an impasse, I always think of the quote by John Green in his book Turtles All the Way Down, “Your now is not your forever.” Whatever bad situation I am in, it will come to pass. The disasters I have experienced are a testament to that; those disasters were not forever. The same also goes for happy moments; so it is important to cherish them. Life is too fleeting to keep overthinking. The change you are looking for will find you if you carry on. Padayon.     Speaking at the Recognition Program of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Photo courtesy of Nixie E. Serna.     Plans after graduation  Now that I have graduated, my priority is to be employed so that I can help my family, particularly my siblings who are still in school. I would like to work in the government or to teach because I would like to give back to the people. I would also like to pursue graduate studies so that I can further my education and be updated with the trends in my field.  I know I have already mentioned this but I would like to say padayon to my fellow UP graduates and alumni as a closing note. I really like this binisaya word because it encapsulates the feeling of hope and the motivation to carry on in a single word. Wherever you are and wherever you will be, I hope you continue to padayon and never forget to serve the people. The people are counting on you.  ——— Written by Nixie E. Serna for the UP Pagtatapos 2023 microsite. https://up.edu.ph/pagtatapos-2023/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Finding your own groove – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/finding-your-own-groove/",
        "html": "Finding your own groove Finding your own groove September 8, 2023 | Written by Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar   Photo courtesy of Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar.  Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar Cum laude BS Food Technology College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines Mindanao     My name is Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar, 24 years old, born and raised in Davao City, and people call me VR. I am a graduate of the BS Food Technology program at the College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines Mindanao.  My research interests include probiotics, valorization of local produces and agricultural by-products, and nutrition, all anchored on the principles of inclusivity and sustainability.  I used to compete as an Adjudicator in the UP Mindanao Debate Society, and was able to represent the University in various debating competitions and tournaments around the country.  Also, together with my fellow DOST Scholars, I am one of the founding members of the UP Mindanao League of DOST Scholars, the first and the official association of DOST Scholars in the University. I eventually served as the Founding President of the organization, and held various leadership positions throughout my residency.  I am also an active member of the U.S. Government Alumni Association -Davao, the regional chapter of international exchange alumni of U.S. Government-funded exchange and internationalization programs.  I attended McNeese State University during the Fall 2021 semester under the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGrad) through the U.S. Department of State, World Learning, and Fulbright Philippines. Upon coming home, I then became an active member of the Global UGrad Scholars of the Philippines Alumni Association.  Overcoming financial difficulties  Growing up, I was well aware of my family’s financial struggles. Scholarships, subsidies, side hustles — these sustained my financial needs throughout my studies. I started taking commissions and part-time jobs way back in high school, because even though I had a scholarship, it did not fully cover all fees and I had to find ways and means for my daily allowance and other expenses. I also saw how difficult it was for my mother to make a living and did not want to keep asking from her anymore.   In college, I was awarded an undergraduate scholarship from the Science Education Institute of DOST, which really helped ease the financial burden. Despite the generous amount I received every semester from DOST, I still opted to do side hustles as the stipend I received was still not enough for me as a self-supporting student in this economic climate. I used to do events hosting, ghostwriting for blogs and other online platforms, arts and crafts commissions, tutorials for elementary and high school students, and eventually I became a call center agent, and later on transitioned into being a freelance virtual assistant. I should say, being a working student was difficult and would not want to romanticize it. If I only had the option and the privilege to be a full-time student, I would not want to work while studying just to make ends meet.   I am not that typical “straight uno” student who would often be celebrated for academic prowess. I would rather refer to myself as a student who had the capacity to endure. This led me to being selected as one of the four Filipino students, and the only Mindanaoan, for the prestigious Global Undergraduate Exchange Program for the Fall 2021 batch. Furthermore, grit enabled me to pursue my undergraduate thesis on non-dairy probiotics which also utilized local agricultural by-products. My study won 1st Place in the Oral Research Presentation (Undergraduate Category) of the Philippine Society for Microbiology Mindanao 27th Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting and was nominated as finalist for Best Thesis (Basic and Applied Research Category) in the Department of Food Science and Chemistry of our Ccollege. Currently, I am working towards getting it published in a scientific journal. Finally, I was able to shift my Sablay from right to left when I graduated cum laude last July.  Hardships before becoming an Iskolar ng Bayan  When I was 12, someone power-tripped me and said “You do not deserve to be an honor student,” and slammed their fists on the table. Some people even expected the 12-year -old me to just easily move on from that experience, and that I was just overreacting. Of course, not everyone believes in mental health and trauma. And yes, being an honor student in elementary is not really that big of a deal for a lot of people, but the young and naïve 12-year -old me felt invalidated.  When I was 14, my family faced a huge financial problem and finishing high school was almost taken away from me. I remember seeing my mom, swallowing her pride to ask for help from others whenever I needed something for school, yet she would often be rejected or humiliated. I could even remember some relatives asking me to just drop out of school since class grades “cannot be eaten” and that I should just start working instead to be more useful to the family.  At present, my anxiety is still triggered by all those words said. I still get nightmares once in a while and I still wonder about what goes on in the minds of those people, if they think about what they’ve done, what stories they’ve told their friends, family, and other people. I haven’t exactly figured out how to let the trauma and anxiety go away. Most of the time, I just distract myself.  College seemed to be a great opportunity to pursue more things “to distract myself” and grow up from what happened in the past. And in a place like UP where freedom is highly valued, I felt more free to blaze my own trail and make the most out of my time as an eager young adult.  Org life in UP  With the freedom that we all enjoy in UP, organizations served as a meaningful avenue to grow and develop beyond classrooms and laboratories.  Through the UP Mindanao Debate Society, I was able to enjoy the art of discourse, meet new people in tournaments, and find a safe space among my co-residents. Debating taught me innovative thinking and problem-solving., Aand much more than these, it made me realize the importance of being aware of the issues that we face in society, and that talking about these issues sheds light on the real problems and lived experiences of the various sectors of society, and that the more we talk about these, the more attention we can bring to them to help shake up the status quo.  Moreover, I never initially envisioned that I’ll be a part of a bunch of people behind establishing a new organization. We were freshies back then and we often asked the same question again and again if UP Mindanao already has its own organization for DOST Scholars. Until we ourselves answered our own question. We then established the UP Mindanao League of DOST Scholars (UPMin LeaDS). Not long after, I found myself taking the lead as its founding president. From dancing “batis” during our first Patriot Scholars Formation Program, being duly recognized as a student organization on campus, launching our first project and initiative, and organizing the first Congress we attended as an org; to taking new leadership roles in the organization (as if I was playing “Trip to Jerusalem” and being surprised as to where I would end up next), being a rallying point for academic and moral support for our fellow scholars and aspiring ones, helping revive and mobilize the regional organization of DOST Scholars in Davao, struggling through the chaotic times during the pandemic (and getting a lot of anxious, worried, and confused messages from fellow scholars, all uncertain of what might happen next), and everything in between, I was grateful for the opportunity to initiate and lead. I know that the org is still far from being what it is envisioned to be and that I did have my lapses and shortcomings and a lot of unfinished business and what ifs as a leader, but I am grateful for the trust and confidence shown by the people around me and I am excited to see what’s next for UPMin LeaDS.  Being a working student  My org life in UP sounded fun and stress-free, right? Here’s what was happening beyond the org meetings, projects, and events.  I was not born with a silver spoon, and of course, society is unfair to those who are not that privileged.  At some point, I felt that I was easily exploited by others who saw my background as an opportunity to manipulate and make it work to their advantage, but I did not have much time to think about it back then. I was too preoccupied with the need to put in extra work, to make the most out of meager resources, to always be on the lookout for the next available “raket”, to think of ways on how I could make it from one paycheck to another, from one month’s stipend to the next, to juggle one job and another, switching lanyards or IDs from one shift at work to try to make it on time to the next class in school. I had to look for ways to augment my income while trying to meet deadlines and studying for exams because no one else would.  Hard work is often set as the ultimate factor behind success and our society loves seeing or hearing “rags-to-riches” stories to the point where poverty is romanticized and accepted as a norm. In an ideal world, hard work may be the sole and primary factor for success but we are far from being in that ideal world.  As a Ffood Ttechnology major, I struggled to go through a typical day in college. It was even more magnified when I was already doing my thesis with very minimal funding. I hope that someday, access and support for quality scientific education will be available for all those who aspire to be researchers, engineers, doctors, educators, scientists, and mathematicians;, and that we may move past being a society that oppresses, deprives, and excludes.  If hard work or “sipag” was the only factor to achieve success, other working students like me should have already been assured of a more comfortable life straight out of college, right? Farmers and laborers would probably be as glorified and celebrated as CEOs and world leaders. However, we are definitely not in an ideal world where hard work is the sole factor behind success.  Plot twist   No, this is not going to be a college love story.  Instead, we go back to one random morning during my sophomore year. It was around 8 AM and I just got out of my graveyard shift at work. My first class for the day, organic chemistry, was at 8:30 and with the one- to two-hour commute from the office to the campus, it would always be impossible for me to make it in time for class.  Towards the middle of the semester, I realized that by being a student by day and working the night shift as a call center agent, I would most likely fail in the class. I thought to myself that if I eventually get a 5.0 in my transcript, I should have some redeeming factor to make up for the anticipated failing grade.  The universe was telling me to let go of my graveyard shift job and just be a full-time student, which was not really sitting well with me given my situation.  I was ready to get my first 5.0 in UP and started to look for options on what I could do to compensate for that in my transcript.  Attend workshops? More debating? Start doing internships (and a lot of them)? Join fellowships? Join another org? Go on an exchange program?  Coincidentally, another professor of mine invited us to an exchange programs roadshow hosted by Fulbright Philippines and I learned about the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGrad).  The Global UGrad program is a semester-long exchange program in the United States participated in by over 60 countries that “brings future leaders to the United States to experience U.S. higher education, gain critical professional skills, and explore new cultures and values”.  Asst. Prof. Kriza Faye Calumba, who later on became my thesis adviser, was very instrumental in this endeavor as she encouraged me to apply and even agreed to write a recommendation letter supporting my application.  The things that happened next went in my favor: I got a 4.0 instead of a 5.0 and passed my removal examinations for organic chemistry, I let go of my night shift job and found another job with more flexible working hours, and I got into Global UGrad.  However, the pandemic happened and things went to a pause for a while. I was supposed to leave for the U.S. by August 2020 but the situation was still far from being under control. My program was eventually postponed to Fall 2021.  I will never forget August 12, 2021, –the day I traveled to the United States. Growing up in a family where studying in college seems like a shot to the moon, studying abroad was just as far-fetched.   McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana became my home for the rest of the semester. I was able to explore concepts in nutrition and food production from an international perspective and also studied microbiology from a clinical perspective and learned about American History with the theme “What is the role of the United States — around the world and at home?”     Homecoming Week at McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana. Photo courtesy of VR C. Adaptar.     Throughout my stay in the United States, I was also able to watch my first football game in Lousiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, enjoy the art scene and authentic Texas brisket and barbecue in Austin, Texas, explore some caverns in San Antonio, Texas, visit the historic French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, and celebrate Thanksgiving in Jacksonville, Florida. I also fulfilled a childhood dream of stepping foot inside a space center when I visited the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.     Visiting the NASA Kennedy Space Center during my Global UGrad Exchange Program. Photo courtesy of VR C. Adaptar.     Furthermore, the community engagement component of Global UGrad also allowed me to connect with the community in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and get to know the locals, many of whom were still recovering from two devastating hurricanes that struck the area at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Being an exchange student means that you are also serving as a cultural ambassador of your country, and it was truly an honor to raise the flag of the Philippines. From introducing adobo to my American roommates, showing them the way we cook rice with the trusted finger method for measuring the right amount of water, sharing some OPM songs, teaching some Tagalog and Bisaya words to my American classmates, to assisting a research student in her study on plant-based yogurt, sharing a bit of our shared history between the Philippines and the U.S. in class, and connecting with Filipino-Americans in the area, I believe that I was able to make the most out of my stay in the United States.  Upon coming back home, I continued working on my undergraduate thesis, got involved again with more projects through my organizations, and actively helped in promoting exchange and internationalization opportunities for other Filipino students to help them widen their perspectives and further capacitate them in their chosen fields, and in return, apply what they learned in their respective communities.  Yes, I flew out during the Delta surge and went back home to the Philippines in the middle of the Omicron surge.  Study habits  I can’t say that I really have good study habits. I adjust depending on my mood and physical well-being (e.g., I postpone studying or doing academic work if I feel sick). I don’t force myself to study or do academic work if I still don’t feel like it because I will end up with half-baked or mediocre outputs. One thing that I think worked for me though, is reading or writing at night. I think the peaceful atmosphere between 10 in the evening until around dawn helped me focus, especially during the lockdowns during the pandemic where everyone was at home and awake during the day. Nevertheless, I think it’s a matter of “finding your own groove” and seeing what truly works for you when it comes to studying or doing academic work and requirements, because what worked for me might not be that effective for you. If all else fails, get some sleep.  I should also emphasize that the guidance and mentorship I received from my professors in UP Mindanao, especially the Department of Food Science and Chemistry, made this academic journey seem like I was standing on the shoulders of giants. The pandemic made the semesters too uncertain yet my professors remained nurturing and understanding, especially my adviser, Asst. Prof. Calumba, who truly lived up to her role as an adviser holistically and continued to believe in me at a time when self-doubt almost consumed me.  More tips for students  Lessons I picked up while performing my experiments for my thesis:  I encountered different strains of lactic acid bacteria: some are fast-growers, some grow at just the right amount of time, while others take a bit longer. Like these different bacterial strains, we all have our own different pace in life.  I did a lot of trial and error for my experiments. I made some mistakes. I made some adjustments. It’s okay to make mistakes in college. We are human, after all. It’s okay to try again. Did it take you a 2nd, 3rd, or nth try before succeeding? Again, it’s okay and you did great! I don’t think there’s such a thing as “lesser success” just because it took you longer. Sometimes, I had to stay until 10, 11, or midnight in the lab while waiting for tests to finish and during the wait times in between, I would read or watch videos or do some side tasks (that may or may not have been directly related to my thesis). Yes, college will be exhausting but academics is not the end of it all. Find an alternative outlet or channel which you could also invest your time and energy in. I always went back to the objectives of my study throughout my thesis-related works when I felt confused. Always go back to your WHYs, your purpose. This may not exactly be motivating but it can help you recalibrate, redirect, and realign your path in pursuit of your goals.     Thesis days at the College of Science and Mathematics. Photo courtesy of VR C. Adaptar.     Plans after graduation   I intend to pursue a research and development track and work in the food industry for the next couple of years after graduation. Meanwhile, I also plan to volunteer or contribute to non-profit and civic orgs on the side because I enjoy doing those things as well. Furthermore, I also want to pursue postgraduate studies in food science and technology abroad in the near future.  The true meaning of the sablay  May we be disturbed by the stereotypical status of UP students, graduates, and alumni as “the cream of the crop”, the “upper echelon”, the “best of the best”. This privilege exists because there are others in the margins who are oppressed, deprived, and excluded.  May we be reminded that for every single sablay being shifted to the left, countless others still suffer and struggle with the very systems that they trusted yet failed them. May we also be reminded that for every single sablay being shifted to the left, there remains a lot of space that must be taken up to eliminate social injustice systematically.  UP, para kanino nga ba tayo?  After successfully defending my undergraduate thesis, with my adviser, Asst. Prof. Kriza Faye Calumba, at the College of Science and Mathematics. Photo courtesy of VR C. Adaptar.  ———- Written by Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar for the UP Pagtatapos 2023 microsite: https://up.edu.ph/pagtatapos-2023/    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Love life and don’t give up – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/love-life-and-dont-give-up/",
        "html": "Love life and don’t give up Love life and don’t give up September 11, 2023 | Written by Dr. Hannah Patricia E. Bringas   Photo collage courtesy of Hannah Patricia Bringas. Hannah Patricia E. Bringas Doctor of Dental Medicine UP College of Dentistry     I am Hannah Patricia E. Bringas, a graduate of Doctor of Dental Medicine of the UP College of Dentistry. I was supposed to graduate from the course back in 2017 but several interventions contributed to my delay.  During the preparations for the Lantern Parade 2013, my dominant (right) hand was injured by a cutter blade in a freak accident. I was immediately rushed by my seniors and my friends to the PGH Emergency Department as I was already losing a lot of blood. The hospital staff performed several tests to check if there were any internal damages, especially on the nerves, and fortunately, it all seemed okay at the time. We all thought that it was just a simple skin laceration that needed to be sutured and closed shut. I was dismissed and I returned to my classes with a bandage on my hand the next day. The unfortunate accident happened in the second semester of my first year in Dentistry Proper, while I was enrolled in the Dentistry 131.1 (Operative Dentistry I) laboratory course. This course is only offered once a year and it is a prerequisite to several of the courses in the succeeding pre-clinical years. Even now, I could recall some laboratory sessions when I struggled to finish an exercise as my bandage kept falling off or my wound suddenly bled out of nowhere, but I continued to participate in classes and even attended the Lantern Parade itself.  During the Christmas break, I started to notice some difficulty in moving my right hand, but I thought that it was just part of the healing process, and it would return to normal after a few days or weeks.  However, one day, after our anatomy class, I consulted with my professor, an orthopedic surgeon, regarding my struggle in lifting my right ring and little fingers on their own and in using my hand to grip objects. I told him about my accident and asked for any input. That was when he informed me that my injury might have resulted in the transection of a few of the tendons in my right hand. He referred me to one of his colleagues for further assessment.  My surgeon knew that I was taking up Dentistry and he warned me that if I did not immediately undergo surgery to restore function and to prevent atrophy of my arm muscles, I might have to say goodbye to my dream of becoming a dentist. So, I went through the operation. I had to wear a cast for 6 weeks while the semester was still ongoing, and I was required to attend physical therapy sessions for several months after the cast was removed. As a result, I was unable to perform our laboratory exercises in Dent 131.1. I was advised by the then College Secretary, who was also the faculty coordinator of the said course, to file for dropping to avoid getting a failing grade. I was given the chance to still attend the lectures, while struggling to write with my left hand or using my tablet just to take down notes. I was even offered an oral examination because I was struggling to write legibly.  I already knew by then that I would not be able to graduate on time, that I would be delayed, that I could not join my friends and batchmates. It was painful, both physically and emotionally. My parents even asked me if I wanted to leave Dentistry when they saw and felt how defeated I was, and thought of how my injury would definitely affect my future. It had gotten to the point that I would take my injury as a test to see if I really did belong in Dentistry. However, I never thought of quitting. I saw this hurdle as an opportunity to strive harder. I was even able to perform well academically the next semester, and finished with a GWA of a “College Scholar”.  I re-enrolled in the same laboratory course the following academic year but had to endure pain and discomfort on my right hand while still undergoing physical therapy. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete the requirements in the course on time, as the laboratory procedures then required double or even triple my previous efforts, given my injury. I received a failing mark on the laboratory course and had to wait another year to re-enroll again.  I was already delayed for two years in the pre-clinical courses, but I made sure to never receive a failing grade on any theoretical subject. I practiced performing my laboratory requirements a lot, so as not to fail ever again. I also worked as a student assistant for a year during my pre-clinical years.  As a clinician, one cause of my delay in completing the requirements was due to repeated cases because of patients’ non-compliance even with the treatments already nearing completion. I, however, attended to all my patients, other clinical requirements, research, and community service in the best way I could, despite constant suffering through pain and discomfort in my right hand.  During the semesters within the pandemic, I lived alone near the College to attend to all the remaining requirements that I could accomplish via remote laboratory sessions, online case discussions, and limited face-to-face simulation exercises. However, a few of those remaining requirements still needed to be accomplished on live patients, so I still waited for the re-opening of the clinics last September. Once the clinics re-opened, despite a few problems encountered, I did not stop until I was able to complete my requirements and finally graduate.  While attending to my classes and requirements, I was a shift head for several semesters, and later on, became the head and the student council representative of the resident clinicians. I served a few years in the Dentistry Student Council, joined and performed with the members of GrooveDex, was one of the founding members of the UPCD Occlusal Harmonies, and participated in several dental missions and served the community through the Dental Health Brigade.  Even now as I practice for the board exam, my hand still hurts every now and then. The large scar is still there and reminds me every day of what I have lost, and of what I have also gained through all I have experienced. They taught me not to give up. They taught me to appreciate every second. They taught me to love life, and that there is always light at the end of a very dark tunnel. These lessons are what I will carry with me as I face the next chapter of my life.  ———-  Written by Dr. Hannah Patricia E. Bringas for the UP Pagtatapos 2023 microsite. https://up.edu.ph/pagtatapos-2023/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/doktor-para-sa-bayan-kasama-ng-bayan/",
        "html": "Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan September 12, 2023 | Written by Dr. Jessica Franco Perez   Photo courtesy of Jessica Perez.  Jessica Franco Perez Magna cum laude Doctor of Medicine UP College of Medicine     I am Jessica Franco Perez, 32 years old, from San Mateo, Rizal. I studied BS Nutrition in UP Los Baños and graduated magna cum laude in 2011. I passed the Nutritionist-Dietitian Licensure Examination and became a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian that same year.  I worked at the Dietary Department of the UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) as a clinical dietitian. I was assigned at the Nutrition Clinic of the Department of Out-Patient Services where I provided nutrition assessment, individualized diet plans, and educational lectures to patients, doctors, and paramedical professionals. While working at PGH, I was also given opportunities to participate in different researches.  I am a co-investigator in a research project of Dr. A.G. Limpoco of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, titled “Development and Evaluation of Rapid Eating Assessment for Patients (REAP) Tool”.  I also became part of several patient support groups, such as the Hansen’s Club, Lipat Kalinga, and Psoriasis Club.  After six years of working at PGH, I then applied to and got accepted in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine at the age of 28. I became a member of the UP Pangkalusugang Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral (UP PAGSAMA) where I served under the SocCon Force, a committee that focuses on social engagements and community organizing activities. In the recently conducted 114th Commencement Exercise of the UP College of Medicine, I finally got my Doctor of Medicine degree, graduating  magna cum laude and being one of the Top 5 Most Outstanding Graduates in Academics of our batch. I was also given recognition as one of the Top 3 Most Outstanding Interns of AY 2022-2023, being an outstanding intern in Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Surgery.     Pursuing the dream  Photo courtesy of Jessica Perez.  I have always dreamt of becoming a doctor since I was a child. However, being born in a middle-class family, this dream seemed impossible. Being the second child in a brood of four, I also wanted to help my parents financially, especially in sending my younger sisters to college. I initially gave up on my dream of becoming a doctor and focused on a career still close to medicine. I was happy serving as a clinical dietitian. It was an equally fulfilling profession, having the opportunity to help other people through proper diet and a healthy lifestyle. However, I knew that some part of me was wishing and hoping I could still be a doctor someday. Every morning after I conducted lectures in the OPD waiting areas, seeing the long queue of people patiently waiting to be seen by a doctor, I had always felt the desire to serve more, both as a dietitian AND as a doctor.  When my youngest sibling was already in her last year in college, I asked myself, “Posible pa bang maging doctor ako? Ipu-pursue ko pa rin ba ang pagme-Med kahit na matanda na ako?” These doubts had been running through my mind for quite a while. I also did not want to be a burden to my family, especially to my mother, given the additional years of studying instead of earning money. Thankfully, my family and friends were very supportive and encouraged me to still try. As the famous line goes, “It is better to try and fail than to never know and wonder what could have been if I tried.” And so, I juggled work, the National Medical Admission Test review, and preparations for applications to medical schools.  With a limited amount of savings and overwhelming uncertainty, I found the courage to resign from the job I had treasured for six years to start this new journey. I was very blessed to be accepted in the UP College of Medicine, where I could have a subsidized, high quality medical education. Without the subsidized tuition fees, the scholarship grants from the College, the Pe Gan Heng Foundation, and the UP Medical Alumni Society of America (UPMASA), as well as the unending support of my family and friends, I may not have been able to reach this point.  Student life and survival tips  The University of the Philippines has been my home since I was in college. I have always believed in its ideals and advocacies. With this, I am truly grateful to be admitted to the UP College of Medicine that lives up to its vision-mission of cultivating highly competent scholars whose lives are directed to learning and service to the underserved. Our medical curriculum is guided by the principles of a community- oriented education, research, and service. These ideals and principles guided me through all these years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the College greatly helped the students as they were able to quickly adapt to the challenges and difficulties brought by the pandemic restrictions. They made sure that we were learning, while giving us ample consideration and understanding of the fact that we were also taking care of our family and doing chores at home, on top of our obligations as medical students.  Admittedly, I struggled with my studies, especially during my first year in medical school. With a gap of six years from the last time I had reviewed for an exam, I needed to relearn and adjust my study habits to fit the highly demanding medical education. I would sleep first after a long day of lectures and then wake up early in the morning to study. We all have different learning styles and thus, it is important to identify the study routine that works best for you. What worked for me may not work for other students. But if I were to share one study habit that greatly helped me survive medical school, it is the habit of planning and making a schedule. Planning ahead and identifying my target accomplishments for the day or the week made me more efficient and focused on my activities.  Photo courtesy of Jessica Perez.  Another survival tip is to allow yourself to rest, as well as to allot quality time with family and friends, and on your hobbies. These will help you keep your sanity and will give you a boost to face yet another week of unending lectures, duties, and exams. My advice to make this possible would be to: 1) actively listen during lectures; 2) limit your time for browsing your social media accounts; and 3) prioritize sleep (you absorb and understand better what you are reading with a clear mind). I also maximized my study hours during weekdays (or on allotted study days) so that I could go home to Rizal and spend time with my family in the other days. All these helped me maintain balance between studies and life outside medical school.  Last but definitely one most important advice that I want to share is to have a deeper reason for what you do. Why are you studying medicine? Whenever I felt exhausted having to study for an exam even after a tiring hospital duty, I always went back to why I was here. I always reminded myself not to study just to pass the exams, but to  study so that you will be a competent and excellent doctor for your future patients;  study so that you can be part of a better healthcare system that you have always wanted. When we have a purpose that goes beyond us, things will still be difficult, but you will have the courage to overcome whatever obstacle you will face.  Plans after graduation  After graduating and passing the Physician Licensure Examination this October 2023, I plan to apply to the Internal Medicine residency program at the UP Philippine General Hospital. In the future, I also want to enter the academe as a professor and to participate in activities, programs, and advocacies directed to the service of marginalized communities and to the betterment of our healthcare system.  Photo collage courtesy of Jessica Perez.  Looking back on my journey  Work hard, be patient, and do not give up on your dreams, even if it would take time realizing them. There will be detours and things will not always be in your favor. But be steadfast and trust that God’s plan is the best plan. Looking back on my journey, I now realize why God had to delay my admission to medical school. It was at the right time for me, when there was a CGMS (Cash Grant to Medical Students Enrolled in State Universities and Colleges) to largely subsidize our tuition fee knowing that I might not be able to finish my medical education due to financial constraints. I was taught by the most excellent professors who nurtured and inspired us to do our best as future physicians. I met my friends who have supported me and believed in me even in times when I myself doubted my own capabilities. They made my stay in UPCM worthwhile and much more bearable. Trust that the failures, rejections, frustrations, and “unanswered” prayers we encounter are part of the process to prepare us for the best things in life.  May we always uphold honor, integrity, and excellence whatever path we choose. May we all live a life of purpose, a life directed to the service of others. Kudos at Padayon, mga Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan!     ———-  Written by Dr. Jessica Franco Perez for the UP Pagtatapos 2023 microsite: https://up.edu.ph/pagtatapos-2023/ "
    },
    {
        "title": "Teaching Literature: The Gemino H. Abad Seminar-Workshop 2023 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/teaching-literature-the-gemino-h-abad-seminar-workshop-2023/",
        "html": "Teaching Literature: The Gemino H. Abad Seminar-Workshop 2023 Teaching Literature: The Gemino H. Abad Seminar-Workshop 2023 November 10, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Teaching literature is impossible; that is why it is difficult. –Northrop Frye  “Do you want to enhance your skills in reading and teaching literature? Do you want to learn how to uncover the hidden meanings and messages of literary texts?”  So reads the invitation to the Gemino H. Abad Seminar-Workshop (GASW) for Teaching Literature 2023, which was held from September 20 to 22 at the NISMED Auditorium in UP Diliman. The GASW is a project of the Likhaan UP Institute of Creative Writing, and aims to inspire and empower educators with the ultimate goal of fostering a love for literature among Filipino students. The 48 participants were junior and senior high school teachers of literature and creative writing in English from public and private schools nationwide, and the lecturers are some of the country’s most distinguished literary scholars and writers.  As a tribute to the joys and challenges of education, especially for teachers of literature and the humanities, we are sharing an article written by Dr. Vim Nadera, award-winning poet, fictionist, playwright, and essayist, at the conclusion of this year’s GASW. The article was originally published by the Pilipino Mirror.     Reading Literature: Text and Context  Ni Dr. Vim Nadera     Dr. Vim Nadera delivering his message at the workshop. Photo from Likhaan: University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing Facebook page.  Isa lamang proyekto iyon, kung tutuusin, ng Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing.  Pero binigyan ito ng bagong dimensiyon nang mag-post sa Facebook ang DLSU SHS Arts and Design Track Department ng pagbati: “We would like to extend congratulations to Ms. Blulean Albao, our Creative Writing teacher, for taking part in the Gemino Abad Seminar-Workshop for Teachers, which was conducted on October 4-6, 2023, at the NISMED Auditorium, University of the Philippines, Diliman.”  Tinapik kaming lahat ng ganitong balita sa balikat.  Kahit paano’y nabunutan ng tinik sa pagtanggap sa hamong maging Workshop Director.  At, napausal din kami ng dasal sa pagpili sa butihing guro ng De La Salle Integrated School SHS Manila sa Biñan, Laguna na marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob: “This is testimony of how a Lasallian educator can showcase capabilities and empower co-educators to nurture and mold student in the future.”  Kasama ni Bb. Albao sa loob ng tatlong araw sina Anglika Fe Amado, Alyzza Chelsea Avestruz, Michael Beraña, Jerald Belmas, Charine Bolalin, Michelle Collado, at Consuelo Celine Fuentes, Kristian Ross Pimentel, John Carlo Pineda, Ferdinand Marc Sandoval, Charma Rose Tadeja. Dahil nasa Creative Non-fiction siya, sumailalim siya sa kalinga ni Prof. Larissa Mae Suarez na sanaysayista’t kuwentista.  Para sa Fiction ang mga dumalo sina Alvin Aborde, Lou Stephie Cambe, Maria Christina Corpuz, Jericho de Leon, Reniel Justine Gandecila, Karen Laking, Jayson Paderon, Brandon Parrenas, Nicka Marcel Reyes, Rhoda Salen, Vincent Eduard Sta.Clara, at Christian Lloyd Valenzuela sa giya ni Siege Malvar na nobelista’t makata.  Para sa Drama, ang mga lumahok ay sina Ma. Jessi Carilla, Armin Concepcion, Rafaelle Jasmin Ibañez, Clarice Yvette Laroza, Lourrie Mey Libo-on, Aubrey Dorothy Macas, Roselle Grace Mendoza, Justine Montilla, Ernesto Pang Jr., Maria Fe Ricamonte, Melissa Sarmiento, at Frank Tamayo sa gabay ni Dr. Joachim Emilio Antonio na mandudula, kuwentista’t kuwentistang pambata.  At para sa Poetry, ang mga sumali ay sina Rogelio Alegrid Jr., April Arevalo, Ronald Cabingon, Melchor Cayabyab, Darlyn Lojero, Ymanuel Manaog, William James Obrero, Angelica Padilla, Manuel Radislao, Nenita Ramiro-Rondera, Rosseth Salvan, at Charles Dominic Sanchez sa patnubay ni Ramil Digal Gulle na makata’t mamamahayag.  Mas prestihiyoso ang palihang ito dahil sa panayam ng batikan sa kani-kanilang larang: Professor Emeritus Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo (Creative Non-fiction), Prof. Charlson Ong (Fiction), Prof. Luna Sicat Cleto (Drama), at Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na Dr. Gemino Abad (Poetry).  Binayayaan din kami ng pagdating sa una’t huling araw ni Lord Jim na paulit-ulit sa pagsasabing: “This is so well-organized!”  Kaya, kahit nakauwi na si Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan, amin pa ring pinasalamatan hindi lamang sina Dr. Romulo Baquiran at Prof. Vladimeir Gonzales kundi sina Howi Bakunawa at Toni Panagu at ang kanilang mga anghel na sina Arlene Andresio, Ronnie Amuyot, Denise Cayetano, Karlo Erfe, Manolet Ferrer, Kenneth Guda, Philip Jamilla, Phoebe Lina, Danielle Madrid, P.B. Maraña, Dominick Molina, Cyril Noroña, Karen Pablo, at Jasper Villasis.  At, siyempre, ang nakaisip ng paksa na si Dr. Jose Dalisay.  Subalit, ibang-iba talaga ang kahingian sa panitikang Filipino.  Kaya sana magkaroon ng Virgilio Almario Seminar-Workshop for Teachers.  For photos of the 2023 Gemino Abad Seminar Workshop for Teachers, please browse through the post below from the Likhaan: University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Locating barangay elections in the Filipinos’ list of priorities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/locating-barangay-elections-in-the-filipinos-list-of-priorities/",
        "html": "Locating barangay elections in the Filipinos’ list of priorities Locating barangay elections in the Filipinos’ list of priorities November 14, 2023 | Written by Alicor Panao    On October 30, 2023, the Philippines held what is arguably the most impactful elections in the country: the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). The 2023 elections decided the leaders and council members for the smallest unit of government and the primary implementer of government policies at the grassroots level: the barangay. After the COVID-19 pandemic led to postponement after postponement of the BSKE,  the first village-based and youth council elections were finally held after five years.  Two days later, all ballots from 42,001 barangays in the Philippines came in; and the newly elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials begin their terms at noon on November 30, 2023. Pundits have since noted that the conduct and aftermath of this year’s election, which was marked by a lack of overtime pay for teachers who served extra hours on barangay election day, teachers backing out of poll duties for fear of security threats, and stories of violence and fatal shootings, will influence the midterm elections in 2025.  But the impact of barangay elections goes much further than future polls. This article by Dr. Alicor Panao of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science explains the reason.        Aspiring candidates from Quezon City file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City on Aug. 28, 2023. Photo by Joseph O. Razon, Philippine News Agency (PNA).  People, the cliché goes, are most curious about the things that matter. Studies on issue salience, for instance, suggest that people are more likely to seek information on political matters when they are relevant, affect their well-being or align with their predispositions or values. In political science, information seeking is regarded as a cornerstone of civic engagement. After all, information is crucial to making informed decisions, not only on health, finance, or education, but also on politics.  On October 30, Filipinos voted for the leaders of the nation’s basic unit of governance. Barangay elections are vital for ensuring effective local governance, community development, and civic participation in the Philippines. Section 384 of the Local Government Code states: “As the basic political unit, the Barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled.” Barangays, in other words, are foundational in the country’s democratic system, as they allow citizens to have a direct say in the leadership and decision-making processes of their local communities.  Considering their significance in our political life as a nation, to what extent did Filipinos seek information on the upcoming barangay elections?  A quick way to grasp Filipinos’ informational interest on the barangay elections is to examine online search trends, such as those made through Google. Using Google Trends, a free online tool,  we can examine, for instance, how frequently certain search queries, such as the phrase, “barangay elections”, are entered into Google’s search engine over a specified period and in specific regions or geographic locations. Figure 1 below gives the daily series of the search phrase, “barangay elections”, and its related term, “comelec”, from June 01, 2022 to October 30, 2023. Both terms correspond to the barangay elections and are most likely the most common terms keyed in when people query for information from the search engine. Interestingly, informational interest in the barangay elections appears to be minimal and started to peak only sometime in late August and in late October. The first uptick likely corresponds to the period of the filing of candidacy for the barangay and sangguniang kabataan elections, which COMELEC set between Aug. 28 and Sep. 2. The second uptick, on the other hand, is probably due to interest generated by the campaign period (Oct. 19 to 28).  When campaign posters started littering the streets, people probably began to be curious about the candidates.  Figure 1: Election related search trends     To ascertain to what extent the barangay elections is salient, however, we need to compare it with other queries made on other issues Filipinos find relevant. Figure 2 replicates the trend lines, but this time includes series corresponding to issues that may also be of relevance to Filipinos. For simplicity, we only included two issues.  We included the search trend for the term, “job hiring”, since the clamor for better wages is perennially an urgent concern among Filipinos, based on surveys. We also included the trend for the search term, “kdrama”, since Korean dramas now consist a substantial component of contemporary Filipino entertainment.  Figure 2 shows interest on employment somewhat consistent all throughout. Employment search is expected to be a more constant concern than interest in elections, considering that jobs are a fundamental economic necessity for most Filipinos and their families. Employment provides a means to earn a living, support basic needs, and achieve financial stability. Interestingly, neither elections nor employment creates the amount of informational curiosity that Korean dramas do. While it is well known that search trends reveal information-seeking behavior related to seasonal interests or activities, elections do not seem to create the same level of excitement as, perhaps, the latest episodes of one’s favorite K-Dramas.  Figure 2: The salience of election related queries     In fine, barangay elections do not create the same degree of informational concern as, say, employment prospects or television entertainment. This is not to say, though, that Filipinos have their priorities in the wrong places. Quite understandably, in a country where there is a wide gap in the quality of life, people are always on the lookout for better paying jobs to improve their financial stability and standard of living. On the other hand, watching TV dramas can offer a sense of catharsis, allowing citizens an outlet to release pent up emotions and frustrations related to government dissatisfaction. For all we know, K-Dramas might be the only thing that keeps citizens from rioting and the state from collapsing.  Nevertheless, these trends do remind us of the need for election management bodies (e.g. COMELEC) to strengthen voter education and broaden civic education. For voter education to be impactful, initiatives should commence well in advance and persist throughout the electoral cycle. At the outset of this cycle, the electorate should receive information regarding voter registration procedures, not only to allow them sufficient time to complete the registration process, but also to help them understand the gravity of the deliberative exercise to our life as a nation. By educating citizens on the democratic process and their role in it, voter education ensures that elections are fair, transparent, and reflective of the will of the people, thereby strengthening the democratic foundations of a society.        Dr. Alicor Panao is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman. He is also a member of the Philippine Bar. (Photo courtesy of the UP Diliman Department of Political Science) "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of Support for the 42nd KASAMA SA UP National Congress and 55th General Assembly of Student Councils – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-support-for-the-42nd-kasama-sa-up-national-congress-and-55th-general-assembly-of-student-councils/",
        "html": "Statement of Support for the 42nd KASAMA SA UP National Congress and 55th General Assembly of Student Councils Statement of Support for the 42nd KASAMA SA UP National Congress and 55th General Assembly of Student Councils August 24, 2023 | Written by the Office of the President    The University of the Philippines System expresses its support for the student leaders who participated in this year’s KASAMA sa UP National Congress and General Assembly of Student Councils held in the UP Mindanao campus last 14 to 19 August. The University Administration deeply appreciates the efforts of our student councils in freely and peacefully advocating for the rights and welfare of their sector, and engaging in various legitimate issues and concerns that affect UP and the entire nation.  UP is committed to ensuring the free exercise of constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms by members of its academic community, including the right to peaceably assemble. The same commitment is expected from other duty bearers, who are mandated to respect, fulfill, uphold, and protect those time-honored liberties within and beyond our campus gates. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP History in the Making this September – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-history-in-the-making-this-september/",
        "html": "UP History in the Making this September UP History in the Making this September September 8, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta    This September, UP historical events will take place.  From September 13 to 15, the University of the Philippines will hold three milestone events in Davao City, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, with all events marking firsts in the history of not just UP but the region as well. These include: a pioneering summit that puts the development of the Bangsamoro front and center in the national University’s strategic initiatives; the investiture ceremony for the first Mindanawan UP President, to be held for the first time on the UP Mindanao campus; and finally, the first UP-initiated summit gathering leaders of state universities and colleges from across the country with the aim of boosting engagement and partnerships in the Philippine higher education sector.  With these series of high profile events, the University sets itself squarely upon the path to become the national university it is meant to be, a public service university “doing what we can for others” as “Iskolar Para sa Bayan”, as UP President Angelo A. Jimenez said in his address to the UP Diliman Class of 2023. A national university serving the Filipino people, focusing specially on the country’s most underrepresented and marginalized communities.     The UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit Consultation Date: September 13 Time: 1:00-5:00 PM Venue: Dusit Thani Residences Davao     Mindanao has been envisioned as the country’s agri-industrial center, given its rich natural, economic and human development resources, its potentials, and its people’s aspirations.  However, growth and development in Mindanao has remained uneven, hampered by such issues as poverty, social conflicts, criminality and social unrest. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), in particular, has seen a significant drop, among families, in poverty incidence, from 52.6% in 2018 to 29.95 in 2021; but it still ranks among the lowest in the Human Development Index list of Philippine regions and provinces.  In keeping with its mandate under Republic Act No. 9500 to take the lead in higher education and public service and to relate its activities to the needs and aspirations of all Filipinos, the University of the Philippines will host the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit Consultation to discuss opportunities for collaboration aiming to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro and Mindanao. This will be held on Sept. 13, 2023, 1:00 PM at the Dusit Thani Residence Davao.  These include the creation of a UP-Bangsamoro Development Program, which would be the first of its kind between the University, the BARMM government and local government units, and development NGOs and SUCs in the region. The program is envisioned to serve as an avenue of convergence between UP and the Bangsamoro for co-creating opportunities and collaborative action to strengthen human capital and improve socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro.  Slated to attend the summit are: BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Al Haj; officials and representatives of various ministries and committees of the Bangsamoro Parliament; and LGUs, NGOs, and state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the region. A memorandum of understanding between the University and the BTA will also be presented by the UP to its partners in the transition authority.     Panaad at Kabilin: Pagtatalaga kay Kgg. Angelo A. Jimenez bilang ika-22 Pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas [Investiture of Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez as 22nd President of the University of the Philippines] Date: September 14, 2023 Time: 9:00 AM Venue: UP Mindanao Atrium, Tugbok, Davao City, Davao del Sur     “The hallmark of UP in the next six years will be service to the nation. Service to the nation is constitutive of who we are and what we do. Together, we will work towards a UP that is more engaged with the nation,” Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez said in his speech on Feb. 10, when he accepted the position and authority of leading the University as its 22nd President.  Born and raised in the City of Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Jimenez is the first Mindanawan and the first Manobo, honored and named as “Datu Mankalagan” or “Great Spirit” in 2007, to become UP President. To mark the symbolic significance of his rise to become the head of UP as the national university, his formal investiture as the 22nd UP President will be held at the Atrium of UP Mindanao, in Tugbok, Davao City, on Sept. 14 at 9:00 AM.  Jimenez is a labor lawyer and a respected authority on global worker migration. His work has contributed to the establishment of the country’s new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as to the labor migration regulatory framework in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A former Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, he served as Labor Attache in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq, and was awarded Presidential citations for his work in ensuring the safety of Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict, including the rescue of a Filipino hostage held in Iraq.  With his extensive background in labor migration, Jimenez has been tapped as an expert lecturer by the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders or International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders Philippines. He has also written papers for organizations such as the International Organization for Migration Philippines and the Blas Ople Policy Center He is a regular lecturer on Philippine overseas labor laws at the UP Law Center’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education program.  Jimenez served on the UP Board of Regents twice, first as a Student Regent in 1992, when he was also elected Chair of the University Student Council of UP Diliman; and again when he was appointed Regent by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016, during which Jimenez also served concurrently as Trustee of the UP Foundation, Inc.  He obtained both his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) degrees from UP Diliman. As a law student at UP Diliman, he was Associate Editor of the Philippine Collegian and President of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He went on to earn his Master in Public Management degree from the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He was also a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at the Harvard School of Government.  Read more about his profile here.  Taking inspiration from and being guided by his Mindanawan and indigenous roots, Jimenez aims to highlight the view from the margins and bring a unique perspective on how UP can further contribute to national development. Championing kindness in the University, and setting public service as a pillar of his vision and strategic initiatives for UP, his administration plans to widen access to UP and UP-quality education through various courses, modes, and platforms, as well as to strengthen partnerships with Philippine SUCs. These partnerships are intended to advance higher education in the country through shared knowledge and expertise.  UP Mindanao, which is hosting an investiture ceremony for the UP President for the first time, is the sixth constituent university under the UP System, and the only UP constituent university in Mindanao with the primary mandate to provide equitable access to quality UP education to Mindanawans. It is headed by Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao. (For more news on UP Mindanao, visit their Facebook page.)     Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: 1st UP-SUC Summit Strengthening Partnerships in Philippine Public Higher Education Date: September 15, 2023 Time: 8:00 AM Venue: Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom Davao     Stronger together. This belief in stronger partnerships within the Philippine higher education sector is what drives “Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: The 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education”, which will be held on September 15 at Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom, Davao City, a day after UP President Jimenez’ investiture in UP Mindanao. This UP-SUC Summit will convene leaders of Philippine SUCs, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials, and interested stakeholders from Congress and private higher education institutions.  It was Jimenez’s cognizance of inter-SUC engagement and partnerships as imperatives for knowledge co-creation, innovation, research, and public service towards national development that gave rise to the conduct of the summit. This comes with the realization that when the common and unique strengths of SUCs are put together in the spirit of cooperation, they can make higher education an even more formidable force in building the Filipino nation.  The summit is envisioned to inspire engagement in transdisciplinary academic, research, and public service programs through co-designed projects. It is an opportunity for SUCs to link up and be active co-producers in knowledge-building that will ultimately translate into the service of communities and the country.  “Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy” is a platform for this network of SUCs to: (1) discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) share best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants.  The summit includes the launch of four UP programs relevant to inter-SUC engagement: the UP Data Commons; Philippines Massive Open Online Courses (PHMOOCs); TVUP programs; and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University (UPAOVU). It is expected to close with the signing of the Mindanao Declaration on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education.     Service as the Hallmark of UP     With these three landmark events, the UP System under President Jimenez officially launches its strategic platform for the next six years. This strategic plan follows three themes: “Public Service for the Common Good”; “Teaching, Research, and Innovation for Future-ready Citizens”; and “University Governance and Infrastructure with Transparency and Accountability”. Overarching all of these is the vision of UP as: “A national university dedicated to the formation of good citizens and leaders, engaged in knowledge co-creation towards a just, equitable, and progressive society,” guided by the principle of “Honor and Excellence in the Service of the Nation”.  For this week in September, and for the next six years and beyond, service to the nation will truly be the hallmark of UP.  For more updates on these events, visit the dedicated website page for these events here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Development of the Bangsamoro at the core of pioneering UP-BTA consultation meeting on Sept 13 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/development-of-the-bangsamoro-at-the-core-of-pioneering-up-bta-consultation-meeting-on-sept-13/",
        "html": "Development of the Bangsamoro at the core of pioneering UP-BTA consultation meeting on Sept 13 Development of the Bangsamoro at the core of pioneering UP-BTA consultation meeting on Sept 13 September 12, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) will be hosting an important consultation meeting with Bangsamoro Transition Authority officials and stakeholders, including: the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, Local Government Units (LGUs), development NGOs, and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in BARMM, at the Dusit Thani Residences Davao on September 13, Wednesday. Participants will discuss opportunities for collaboration aiming to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro and Mindanao.  Issues and challenges on education, health, agriculture and fisheries, labor and employment, science and technology, human settlements and development, indigenous peoples’ affairs, trade and tourism, and the environment, among others, shall also be tackled.  The event comes the day before the solemn investiture of 22nd UP President Atty. Angelo “Jijil” A. Jimenez, who hails from Butuan, to be held at the UP Mindanao Atrium on Sept. 14. It will also precede the much awaited 1st UP-SUC Summit on Sept. 15.  According to the UP President, “Mindanao has always been considered key to the nation’s progress, being the second-largest island next to Luzon and having been endowed with a wealth of human and natural resources. However, over the past several decades, we have witnessed its development severely stifled due to deeply-rooted problems that cause poverty, underdevelopment, social conflicts, criminality and war.”  Four out of the top five poorest regions, and eight out of the ten poorest provinces in the Philippines, are in Mindanao, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2015 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES). The same report cited poverty incidence at above 39% in Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), Region X (Northern Mindanao), Region XII (Soccsksargen), Region XIII (Caraga), and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  Jimenez is calling on all stakeholders to “seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to partner now with the University and allow UP to help them sustain Mindanao’s overall progress,” in accordance with the University’s mandate under Republic Act 9500, which is to lead in the nation’s higher education and public service spheres.  “Today, the interventions and reforms initiated by previous national government administrations are paving the way for the much aspired peace and development in these regions,” Jimenez said. “But we could certainly do more, and in order for these noble initiatives to have more impact on our people,” he added.  “The peace process that has led to the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (Republic Act 11054) and the establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority in 2019, and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, the country’s medium-term development blueprint, offer a grand opportunity for stakeholders and the national government, to sustain Mindanao’s recovery and economic growth, with UP serving as a catalyst and enabler for social transformation,” Jimenez added.  The PSA recently reported that Mindanao’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) has improved to 7.2 percent in 2022, with the BARMM having a 6.6 percent growth on its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These are positive indicators resulting from the reforms already being done.  Jimenez revealed that expert resource persons from both the academe and the government will lead discussions focusing on the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program and the Bangsamoro during this consultation meeting.  “With the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program, avenues for collaboration for attaining the common sustainable goals of UP and the BARMM in promoting access to quality education, improving health outcomes, strengthening the capabilities of SUCs and LGUs, reinforcing partnerships in BARMM, and rehabilitating conflict-affected communities shall be highlighted,” Jimenez said.  To achieve the abovementioned goals, UP is offering its existing expertise, facilities, and programs in its various constituent universities.  Among its academic and research institutions to be involved in the program are: UP Resilience Institute; UP National Center for Transportation Studies; UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies; UP National College of Public Administration and Governance; UP Manila National Institutes of Health; UP Cebu Center for Environmental Informatics; UP Mindanao Center for Advancement of Research in Mindanao; UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Philippine Genome Center; UP Institute of Islamic Studies; UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center; UP Mindanao Studies Center; and UP Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.  The program will have an Advisory Board with members from both UP and BARMM. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to make history with first presidential investiture rites in Mindanao – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-make-history-with-first-presidential-investiture-rites-in-mindanao/",
        "html": "UP to make history with first presidential investiture rites in Mindanao UP to make history with first presidential investiture rites in Mindanao September 13, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines on Thursday will hold the investiture of its president in Mindanao for the first time in its 115-year history, a watershed moment that will be marked by two UP-led initiatives that reaffirm the commitment of the country’s premier state university to serve the people.  The investiture on Thursday of the first UP president from Mindanao, Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, will be held in UP Mindanao—the sixth constituent university under the UP System and the only UP constituent university in Mindanao.  The investiture rites are set to coincide with the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit and the 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education—groundbreaking events that will address two pressing national issues: the development of the Bangsamoro and the future of public tertiary education in the country.  According to UP Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, “President Jimenez has stressed from his first day in office that the hallmark of UP in the next six years will be service to the nation, and this is reflected in the activities that will be held prior to and following the University president’s investiture rites.”  The UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit will be held on September 13 at the Dusit Thani Residence Davao. At the top of the agenda is the establishment of the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program, the first program of its kind in the country. It will involve UP, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government and local government units, as well as non-government organizations and state universities and colleges in the region.  Among those attending the summit are BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Al Haj; officials and representatives of various ministries and committees of the Bangsamoro Parliament; and representatives of LGUs, NGOs, and SUCs in the region. A memorandum of understanding between UP and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will be signed at the end of the summit.  The program is intended to serve as an avenue of convergence between UP and the Bangsamoro for organizing opportunities and collaborative action to strengthen human capital and improve socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro.  On September 15, the day after the investiture of Jimenez, the 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education will be held at the Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom. The summit will bring together leaders of Philippine SUCs, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials, and stakeholders from Congress and private higher education institutions.  The summit is envisioned to promote engagement in transdisciplinary academic, research, and public service programs via co-designed projects.  The historic summit is a platform for SUCs to: (1) discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) share best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants.  The summit includes the launch of four UP programs relevant to inter-SUC engagement: the UP Data Commons, Philippines Massive Open Online Courses (PHMOOCs), TVUP programs, and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University (UPAOVU).  The summit is expected to close with the signing of the Mindanao Declaration on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education. "
    },
    {
        "title": "1st UP-SUC Summit to launch four programs for SUC engagement – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/1st-up-suc-summit-to-launch-four-programs-for-suc-engagement/",
        "html": "1st UP-SUC Summit to launch four programs for SUC engagement 1st UP-SUC Summit to launch four programs for SUC engagement September 14, 2023 | Written by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo    On September 15, four University programs aimed at promoting engagement between UP and other Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs) will be launched during Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy: Strengthening Partnerships in Philippine Public Higher Education to be held in the Grand Ballroom of Dusit Thani, Davao City.  The summit is a gathering of leaders of Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials, and interested stakeholders from Congress and private higher education institutions, and dovetails the September 14 investiture ceremony of 22nd UP President Angelo A. Jimenez. It was his cognizance of UP’s public service mandate as indicated in RA 9500 or the UP Charter that led to this exploration of and strengthening of inter-SUC engagement and partnerships. For Jimenez, engagement and partnerships are imperatives for knowledge co-creation, innovation, research, and public service towards national development.  The four programs are: the UP Data Commons; Philippines Massive Open Online Courses (PHMOOCs); TVUP programs; and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University (UPAOVU).  The UP Data Commons, inaugurated in 2021, is a world class high performance computing and storage facility that includes the necessary hardware and software resources, located at the UP Diliman College of Science. Its launch during the summit opens this UP resource to SUC partnerships in pursuit of innovative research, such as those on artificial intelligence and big data. Participants to the Summit will be treated to a demonstration of the various ways SUCs can use this resource for their constituents. It has three petabytes of storage, with plans to increase it to seven, and connectivity speeds that allow data transfer in milliseconds.  PHMOOCs is a new platform designed to foster universal access to quality education, promote lifeline learning, and enhance collaboration among higher education institutions in the country. It promotes knowledge sharing, collaborative course development and implementation, research partnerships, and teaching methods and technology use innovations. It is envisioned to widen education opportunities by leveraging technology to provide accessible, inclusive, and high-quality courses, and to address the diverse needs of learners, wherever they may be. The UP Open University, which began offering MOOCS in 2013, leads this initiative that also aims to link up with MOOCs platforms in other countries.  TVUP, the UP-owned and operated internet television network, was launched in 2016 and expanded its reach through Cignal TV Channel 101 in 2022. Its debut in Pagtutulay, Pagtutuloy intensifies its commitment to the production of open educational resources in the Philippines by inviting collaborations in knowledge production through the creation of inter-university programs. TVUP will eventually evolve to become a training facility for performance and production.  The UPAOVU represents the country’s aspiration of becoming an economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable archipelagic nation. Spurred by the development of the blue economy that ties with archipelagic and ocean studies work done by UP faculty and researchers over many decades, the UPAOVU will become the hub of research and teaching that brings together the strengths of various SUCs in marine biology, oceanography, fisheries, and other allied disciplines. The end goal is to become invaluable resources, partners, and enablers of the blue economy; leading in the formulation of policies and programs that are coherent, inclusive, and sustainable.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP to hold noise barrage on Day of Remembrance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-to-hold-noise-barrage-on-day-of-remembrance/",
        "html": "UP to hold noise barrage on Day of Remembrance UP to hold noise barrage on Day of Remembrance September 18, 2023 | Written by the President's Commission for Culture and the Arts       Raise your voice, break the silence! 📢  Join us in commemorating the Day of Remembrance, as we use symbolic forms of dissent to ensure history is never forgotten.  In 2018, September 21 was declared as the UP Day of Remembrance. This year, join us for “Noises and Voices of Memory and Dissent”, a noise-making event, as we remember and reflect on our history. You can participate by making noise (honking horns or by using any sound-making materials, etc.) on September 21 at 12:00nn-1:00pm, wherever you are.  Let’s make some noise together! 🗣️  #WeRemember #UPDayOfRemembrance #NeverAgain #KalinangangUP #KalinangangBayan #WeRememberML51 "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP invites the public to join Day of Remembrance commemoration – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-invites-the-public-to-join-day-of-remembrance-commemoration/",
        "html": "UP invites the public to join Day of Remembrance commemoration UP invites the public to join Day of Remembrance commemoration September 20, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines (UP) invites the public to join this year’s Day of Remembrance commemoration on September 21, 2023, Thursday, 12: 00 pm to 1:00 pm.  Everyone is encouraged to stream the special video hosted here.  For instructions on how to stream the video on Facebook live, please click here.  This video is part of ‘Noises and Voices of Memory and Dissent’, commemorating the Philippine experience of Martial Law together through art.  The Day of Remembrance was established in 2018 to commemorate members of the UP community who stood at the forefront of the resistance to Martial Law during the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The entire country was placed under martial rule by President Marcos on September 21, 1972.  The commemoration also serves to highlight the University’s role as a champion of academic freedom and as a beacon for hope and an advocate of human rights during the darkest days of democracy in the country.  The Day is intended to remember the sacrifices and legacy of UP heroes, the living and the fallen, and to impart their stories to younger generations of Iskolar ng Bayan and other patriotic Filipinos.  Read more here: Days of Remembrance "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP fetes “Mr. Shooli” with Gawad Plaridel – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-fetes-mr-shooli-with-gawad-plaridel/",
        "html": "UP fetes “Mr. Shooli” with Gawad Plaridel UP fetes “Mr. Shooli” with Gawad Plaridel October 2, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication will be awarding actor, satirist, and advertising creative Manuel Urbano Jr., popularly known on television, film and the internet as “Mr. Shooli”, this year’s Gawad Plaridel on October 11, 2023, at 2 pm, at the UP Film Institute Film Center’s Cine Adarna.  Urbano Jr. will be feted for both his unforgettable social commentary in numerous performances across time and media as a peculiar Mongolian figure pondering on Philippine realities, as well as his remarkable contributions to multimedia commercial advertising which are distinguished for their humane values and Pinoy humor. At 84, he continues his work via social media and even participates in anti-disinformation campaigns through his own YouTube channel.  The Gawad Plaridel is the university’s highest award for outstanding practitioners known for their integrity and excellence in the different fields of media (print media, radio, television, cinema, and new media). Named after the great propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar, whose nom de plume is “Plaridel,” the recognition comes with a trophy sculpture depicting the editor of La Solidaridad by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva.  Since the establishment of the award in 2004, the Gawad Plaridel laureate has customarily delivered a lecture on important issues pertaining to his/her/their field or craft. Past recipients include Eugenia Apostol (2004), Vilma Santos-Recto (2005), Fidela Magpayo (2006), Cheche Lazaro (2007), Pacheco Seares (2008), Kidlat Tahimik (2009), Eloisa Cruz Canlas (2011), Rosa Rosal (2012), Jose Lacaba (2013), Nora Aunor (2014), Ricky Lee (2015), Francisca Custodio (2016), Tina Monzon-Palma (2017), Jessica Soho (2018), and Bonifacio Ilagan (2019).  For information, contact the Gawad Plaridel Secretariat at gawadplaridel@up.edu.ph. —– Press release from the Gawad Plaridel Facebook page. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Para Sa UP: The UP System kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month with launching of the UP Sanctuary – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-para-sa-up-the-up-system-kicks-off-mental-health-awareness-month-with-launching-of-the-up-sanctuary/",
        "html": "UP Para Sa UP: The UP System kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month with launching of the UP Sanctuary UP Para Sa UP: The UP System kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month with launching of the UP Sanctuary October 4, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez, together with the UP Office of the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs – Office Student Development Services (OSDS) and the UP Portia Sorority, are set to launch the UP Sanctuary in the UP Diliman campus on October 6, 2023, at 4:00 in the afternoon.  This inspiring initiative coincides with the celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month this October, underscoring the commitment of the University to the holistic wellbeing of its community.  Located in front of the Faculty Center, the UP Sanctuary will offer students and faculty members a convenient retreat to rejuvenate their minds amidst the hustle and bustle of academic life.  An artist rendition of the proposed green space. Graphic provided by UP Portia Sorority.  It has been meticulously designed as a dedicated space where one can find solace and tranquility during periods of heightened psychological stress, providing a safe refuge for all members of the UP community, especially the students, faculty, and staff.  Under the visionary leadership of President Jimenez and the University’s strengthened focus on public service, this project will serve as a tangible testament to UP’s dedication to advancing mental health awareness and support on campus.  The concept of the UP Sanctuary originally emerged from the creative minds of the members of the UP Portia Sorority, a UP College of Law-based sorority that counts among its illustrious members former Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales and former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. The Sorority has a strong focus on law and a deep commitment to serve not just the UP community but the public as well.  Leading the planning and execution of this project, the UP Portia Sorority and its partners will engage the entire UP community in its development journey. Notably, Architect Micaela Benedicto, an alumna of the UP College of Architecture, contributed her expertise by crafting the initial architectural designs.  Another view of the artist’s rendition of the proposed sanctuary. Photo from UP Portia Sorority.  The launching of the UP Sanctuary marks the commencement of a month-long series of activities and initiatives aimed at enhancing the welfare of the UP community, with the entire month of October dedicated to fostering a culture of well-being within the UP community.  The inaugural UP System Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, a multi-sectoral event led by the OSDS, will take place at UP Los Baños on October 11th and 12th, 2023. A webinar on Emotional and Mental Resilience will also be held via Zoom on October 18, while the OSDS will also launch its Alumni Mentoring Program in partnership with the UP Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAA SF) on October 26.  In addition to these flagship initiatives, various UP constituent universities (CUs) have organized a diverse range of events throughout the month, all aimed at promoting the collective well-being of the University community.  The UP Sanctuary stands as a symbol of UP’s commitment to the mental health and overall wellness of its community members. As UP opens its arms to this innovative project, it paves the way for a brighter, more resilient, and healthier future for everyone inside the campus. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPD and UPLB are top and 2nd top performing schools in the November 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Exam – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upd-and-uplb-are-top-and-2nd-top-performing-schools-in-the-november-2023-civil-engineers-licensure-exam/",
        "html": "UPD and UPLB are top and 2nd top performing schools in the November 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Exam UPD and UPLB are top and 2nd top performing schools in the November 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Exam December 1, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and UP Los Baños (UPLB) are the top and second top performing schools, respectively, in the November 2023 Civil Engineers Licensure Exam (CELE). UP Diliman registered a 98.55% passing rate, with 68 of its 69 examinees passing the exam, while UPLB garnered a 96.55% passing rate, with 56 out of its 58 examinees passing.  UP Diliman graduates also made it to the top ten highest placers in the CELE. They are:  Jonas Rhein Pruelo Esguerra – rank 3 with a 91.90% rating; Maria Erica Pacatang Gomez – rank 5 with a 91.50% rating; Ayrton Dave Sarmiento Bautista – rank 6 with a 91.20% rating; and, Reiner Vince Mallari Chavez – rank 8, with a 90.85% rating.  The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on November 25 that 6,180 out of 18,582 passed the Civil Engineers Licensure Examination given by the Board of Civil Engineering this November 2023. "
    },
    {
        "title": "#UPFight: Fighting Maroons to battle DLSU one last time in championship-clinching game – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upfight-fighting-maroons-to-battle-dlsu-one-last-time-in-championship-clinching-game/",
        "html": "#UPFight: Fighting Maroons to battle DLSU one last time in championship-clinching game #UPFight: Fighting Maroons to battle DLSU one last time in championship-clinching game December 5, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II   Even with a flu, Rookie of the Year Francis Lopez defies the odds, weaving his magic on the court as he fearlessly drives to score. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.     Despite the valiant fight the Fighting Maroons put up in the starting quarter of Game 2 on December 3, the University of the Philippines (UP) is heading into Game 3 against De La Salle University (DLSU) for the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball championship.  UP started out strong in the first quarter, coming out on top at 27 against La Salle’s 24. However, La Salle started to pick up momentum by the middle quarters, gaining a strong lead.  The Fighting Maroons put up a brave assault against the Green Archers, with graduating players CJ Cansino and Malick Diouf scoring 11 points each. Harold Alarcon also took charge and scored a total of ten points for UP.     Harold Alarcon emerges as the anchor, keeping the team afloat with his unwavering efficiency in scoring. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO. As the final quarter heats up, so does the intense rivalry between Torres and Nelle, sparking a fierce beef on the court. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.     When it came down to the final quarter, the Fighting Maroons tried to maintain their fight and energy to prove how hungry they were for the ultimate title. Unfortunately, they remain hungry and ready to fight another day as the final score showed 82-60, with De La Salle University coming out victorious.  UP President Angelo Jimenez, who attended the critical match, offered encouraging words to the hardworking UP players.“Congratulations, guys! That was a very good fight!” he said. “We know we can’t always be in tip-top condition and the games will not always favor us. But champions are champions. We learn our lessons, adjust, and fight back stronger. And I still believe in you. I will always believe in you and the entire UP community will always back you up. We produce more presidents than UAAP championships. You know what to do next time. Go for it, lads! Go for the gold!”     Torculas keeping it fancy on the court with a mesmerizing reverse layup. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.     Even with the one loss in Game 2, the Fighting Maroons are looking to aim high and bring home the UAAP Season 86 championship. The fated final battle between UP and DLSU will take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, December 6, 2023, 4:00 PM.  One final push for the UP Fighting Maroons. Iskolar ng Bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!  ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Prior to the game, UP Fighting Maroon Francis Lopez was chosen and recognized as this season’s Rookie of the Year. With him to receive the trophy is Office for Athletics and Sports Development (OASD) Director and former UP Fighting Maroon Head Coach Bo Perasol. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO. UP Fighting Maroon Malick Diouf was chosen as one of this season’s mythical five. With him in receiving his trophy is UAAP Executive Director Rebo Saguisag (in grey blazer). Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.     Watch President Angelo Jimenez’s message to the UP Fighting Maroons and the highlights of Game 2 in this season’s finals. Video by Al Nikko Nagutom, UP MPRO.             "
    },
    {
        "title": "Above the Fold: A glimpse into the turbulence of Martial Law through the lens of the Collegian – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/above-the-fold-a-glimpse-into-the-turbulence-of-martial-law-through-the-lens-of-the-collegian/",
        "html": "Above the Fold: A glimpse into the turbulence of Martial Law through the lens of the Collegian Above the Fold: A glimpse into the turbulence of Martial Law through the lens of the Collegian December 7, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta       Photos from the Diliman Commune, taken by Nori Palarca, highlighted in the exhibit. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     It was an eye-opening walk-through of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of of the Philippines, the university, and the country’s mass media, as seen through the words and the lenses of the Philippine Collegian. And through a roundtable discussion, three alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) and former editors of the Collegian added their voices and personal stories to complement the exhibit.  December 6 saw the formal opening of the physical iteration of the virtual exhibit titled “Above the Fold: Pages of the Philippine Collegian Under Marcos Regime,” which was launched by the Philippine Collegian in partnership with the UP Diliman Bulwagan ng Dangal University Heritage Museum.  The exhibit features selected materials published by the Collegian from the years 1973 to 1986, showing the news and feature articles on both University and national issues written by the Collegian staff during that period, the photos taken of UP Diliman during the First Quarter Storm and during the grip of martial law, and even the pages and portions of the publication left blank due to censorship. The exhibit also stands as a visual and printed testament to UP student activism then and now, and includes a tribute to three Collegian editors-in-chief who were arrested, jailed, and eventually killed by state forces: Enrique Voltaire Garcia II, who was editor-in-chief in 1965; Antonio Tagamolila, 1971; and Abraham Sarmiento Jr., 1975.  To commemorate the formal launch of the physical exhibit, a roundtable discussion was held featuring three UP alumni—all activists and former editors of the Collegian—who shared their experiences in the publication during Martial Law: Ms. Fides Lim, writer, editor, former political prisoner, founding member of the human rights alliance Karapatan and the progressive political party Bayan Muna together, and spokesperson of Kapatid, a martial law support organization, a group formed by the families and friends of political prisoners; Ms. Elizabeth “Bibeth” Orteza, film and TV actor, theater performer, writer for top-rated TV programs and award-winning films, former UP Regent and presently working with TVUP; and Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, a former UP Faculty Regent, former Director of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, founding president of All UP Academic Employees Union, and former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  With Prof. Danilo Arao of the Department of Journalism, UP College of Mass Communication—and himself a former Collegian editor—moderating, the three Collegian alumni engaged in a candid and freewheeling sharing of their experiences about their days at the Collegian.  Three Philippine Collegian former editors–(left to right) Ms. Fides Lim, Ms. Bibeth Orteza, and Prof. Judy Taguiwalo–share their experiences, with UP Journalism professor Danilo Arao (extreme right) moderating. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO. UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Vistan gives his welcome remarks at the roundtable discussion launching the “Above the Fold: Pages of the Philippine Collegian Under Marcos Regime” exhibit. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.’     They discussed working during the time before computers and digital printing; the threats they faced daily in the form of military arrests, suppression, and censorship; the experiences their own families faced; and how they stood strong in their belief in academic freedom, in a free and fearless press, and in the need to fight for human rights.  In his welcome speech, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Vistan II thanked the Philippine Collegian and the UP Bulwagan ng Dangal Heritage Museum for organizing the exhibit and the roundtable discussion “to bring our community back to those turbulent times of the martial law regime through the lens of the Philippine Collegian in particular. And that lens was a very crucial one: reading about the things written about that period—about Diliman Commune, about what happened here on campus, and how the UP administration handled the situation and protected the students against the government. And that is really I think something very distinctive of UP.”  “Still the institution [the Collegian] lives on, and that’s something we should be thankful for and proud of,” Vistan continued. “I think the current crop of Collegian editors and staff of the present and the past few years have maintained the journalistic tradition of the Collegian in their own way, as appropriate for the current situation.”  The “Above the Fold: Pages of the Philippine Collegian Under Marcos Regime” exhibition will run from December 6 to 19, 2023, at the Vinzons Hall Lobby.     At the singing of the “UP Naming Mahal”, Ms. Bibeth Orteza raises her fist alongside the rest of the audience. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO. One of the old issues of The Philippine Collegian on display at the exhibit. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO. Alumni of The Philippine Collegian view the exhibits on display. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Cebu graduate tops licensure exam for secondary-level teachers – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-cebu-graduate-tops-licensure-exam-for-secondary-level-teachers/",
        "html": "UP Cebu graduate tops licensure exam for secondary-level teachers UP Cebu graduate tops licensure exam for secondary-level teachers December 13, 2023 | Written by Celeste Ann Castillo Llaneta   The Oblation in UP Cebu. UP MPRO file photo.  A BS Mathematics graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu College of Science, Trilbe Lizann Espina Vasquez, ranked first in the September 2023 Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers (LEPT), secondary level.  In addition, three graduates from UP Diliman and one from UP Los Baños made it to the list of top ten examinees in the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET). This was announced by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Professional Teachers on December 7.  The LET Secondary Level top examinees from UP are:  Trilbe Lizanne Espina Vasquez, UP Cebu – ranked 1st with a 94.80% rating; Matthew Kyle Yee Oronce, UP Diliman – ranked 3rd with a 94.20% rating; Fritzie Anne Cebrian Bueno, UP Diliman – ranked 4th with a 94.00% rating; Maro Rapog Peña, UP Diliman – ranked 8th with a 93.20% rating; and, Rachel Anne Garcia Concepcion, UP Los Baños – ranked 10th with a 92.80% rating.  Meanwhile, UP Diliman is the second top performing school in the LET Secondary Level, with 67 out of 69 or 97.10% of its examinees passing the exam. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-partnerships-to-achieve-the-goals/",
        "html": "UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development        Promoting Partnerships under UPLB’s AGORA for Sustainability as a Way of Life     A delegation from the UP Los Baños, headed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., participated in the Sustainable Foods London Conference held on March 30-31, 2022 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. The high-level conference featured leading speakers from across the foods industry, as well as an exhibition showcasing the next generation of sustainable F&D brands, products and services.  At the conference, Chancellor Camacho promoted UPLB’s research and extension agenda called “AGORA” or Accelerating Growth through One Research and Extension in Action in a presentation titled “Sustaining food innovations under a strong university research and extension agenda”. This marked the first time the Chancellor brought UPLB’s AGORA before an international audience. His presentation gave a snapshot of a few of UPLB technologies and knowledge products for “a resilient, food-secure, and future-proof nation and to promote sustainability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN”. He mentioned seven SDGs that UPLB has aligned itself with through AGORA: SDG 2 or Zero Hunger; SDG 4 or Quality Education; SDG 7 or Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 11 or Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12 or Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG 13 or Climate Action; and SDG 15 or Life on Land.  “We must take advantage of technologies that facilitate the paradigm shift toward sustainable living. Ideally, this change must occur at all levels of society—from the private individual to the governments, big businesses, and international bodies,” Camacho said.  UPLB was the lone university that participated in the conference and exhibit that brought together over 400 senior food and beverage executives across the UK and the world. The UPLB exhibit also showcased UPLB technologies and knowledge products and activities, such as: the PCR-based DNA detection kits; rapid test kits for pesticide residue; biofertilizers, seeds and planting materials; postharvest technologies; quick tests for soybean meal and rice bran product quality; plant genetic resources; IPB Quality Protein Maize Variety 6; and Sinta papaya. Also featured were: simple nutrient addition program or SNAP Hydroponics; the UPLB Bee Program; UPLB’s own brand of dressed chicken called “manok galâ”; processed meat and dairy products; fruit wines; calamansi fruit juice; and, purple yam or ‘ubi’ powder. The National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory, where UPLB develops new and improved crop varieties, was featured as well.     The 2021 ProSPER.Net Webinar on Sustainability in Higher Education     The COVID-19 pandemic was identified by the UNDP to be the “defining global health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have faced since World War II”, a health crisis that triggered an equally dire global socioeconomic crisis. The pandemic’s impact on the environment has been varied, however. On one hand, medical and hazardous wastes increased, and plastic and packaging wastes imposed a burden on the environment; on the other hand, research has shown that GHG and other air pollutant emissions have decreased, and the reduced anthropogenic activity has allowed ecosystems to recover.  All of these emphasize the connections between COVID-19, climate change, and the environment, which was the focus of the ProSPER.Net Webinar on Sustainability in Higher Education 2021 held on October 22, 2022. This was organized jointly by the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Ateneo de Manila University, in collaboration with the UN University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability. With the theme “Planetary Health Perspectives: Lessons from COVID-19 towards Climate Action”, the webinar shared insights on our experiences of the pandemic, and reflected on what these meant for higher education institutions seeking to lead social and environmental transformations towards a more resilience society and a healthier planet.     UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo delivering this remarks online during the webinar.     “We need to think about transformations that will benefit not just our own campuses, but the rest of our communities and the entire planet,” UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo said in his closing message. “Our universities need to do research to advance our understanding of environmental issues and inform public policy, and introduce the values of sustainability in our curricula to promote awareness of our world and the consequences of our decisions and ways of doing.”  Emphasizing the importance of the academic community in creating new mindsets, new ways of looking, and new ways of living, Nemenzo added: “We need to train a new generation of graduates who understand the connections between economics and ecology, social science and environment, urban development and planetary health—the kind of people who know that the comforts of living should not be at the expense of our planet.”     UPD and WHO Philippines on Vaccination Inequities     The University of the Philippines Diliman’s COVID-19 Task Force, which deploys volunteers from the UP Diliman community, collaborated with WHO Philippines and other organizations in a consortium to vaccinate more than 650 individuals from the National Capital Region’s at-risk populations. The beneficiaries were vaccinated at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics gymnasium on September 24 and 25 and October 22 and 23, 2021.  Individuals of at-risk populations include the homeless, the survivors of gender-based violence, the severely marginalized constituents such as those belonging to the informal sectors, and people at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse.  Volunteers verify information with senior citizens wanting to avail of vaccines at the UP Diliman Vaccination Hub. UP MPRO file photo.     The activity hit SDG targets, particularly those under 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), 10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries), and 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable). The organizers primarily wanted to address vaccine inequity among the NCR’s poor and vulnerable communities and “gender inequities in vaccine rollout.”   According to Prof. Maria Dulce Natividad of the UPD COVID-19 Task Force: “UPD COVID-19 Task Force was also part of the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) initiative on vaccines and gender equity. A roundtable (discussion) was organized in April 2021, ‘What’s Gender Got to Do with Vaccines?’ We were a co-organizer then and this led to our partnership with the consortium on the project to vaccinate the homeless/street dwellers and survivors of gender-based violence from Manila and Quezon City.”   The vaccination sessions in UPD were implemented by relaxing documentation requirements and allowing advocacy groups to register them.   The other organizers of the vaccination activity were the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), the Kalinga Foundation, the Kariton Coalition, and the Australian Aid.     UPOU in Global Campaign for SDG 4     The UP Open University (UPOU) joined a global campaign that could significantly contribute in policy and practice to SDG 4, which involves ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.  UPOU Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria co-launched the Asia leg of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC) on July 29, 2022 in Penang, Malaysia. The launching of ICDE GAC Asia was one of the highlights of the High-Level Roundtable Discussion for Vice Chancellors and Senior Officials of ODL Institutions organized by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Asia eUniversity.     ICDE GAC Asia is composed of five working groups, namely: Policy, Capacity Building, Sharing Best Practices and Resources, Development of Digital Platform, and Future Collaboration. Among the other member institutions of the ICDE GAC Asia are: University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), Bangladesh Open University, Southeast Asian Ministries of Education Organization Secretariat, Virtual University of Pakistan, Asia eUniversity Malaysia, Anadolu University, Open University of Sri Lanka, Open University of China, Open University of Japan, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Universitas Terbuka, Mehr Alborz Institute of Higher Education, and HELP University Malaysia.  Launching the ICDE GAC Asia together with Chancellor Bandalaria were Professor Dato Dr. Ahmed Ansary, co-chair of the ICDE GAC Asia and founding president of Asia eUniversity, and ICDE Secretary General Torunn Gjelsvik. Bandalaria presented the campaign website which will be the digital hub for the activities to be implemented in Asian countries covered by the campaign.  The Global Advocacy Campaign aims to enable ICDE members to develop deeper understanding of regional challenges and construct key OFDL (Online, Flexible, Distance Learning) messaging within organized working groups around the world.     UPLB, NEDA and the Philippines’ SDG Aspirations     The University of the Philippines Los Baños included in a webinar series the topic, Philippine Macroeconomy and its Sustainable Development Goals Aspirations, offering an opportunity for dialogue between the top Philippine economic planners, environmental scientists and managers, and the public on a number of SDGs.  The webinar, held on February 8, 2022 at the UP Los Baños School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), featured National Economic Development Authority Undersecretary for National Development Policy and Planning Dr. Rosemarie Edillon.  Aside from upholding the importance of stakeholders’ assignment and commitment, financing and implementation plans, and data monitoring for attaining SDGs, Dr. Edillon updated concerned SESAM scientists and managers on the SDGs.  She said that under Outcome 1 or the economic, social and environmental impacts of production and consumption processes valued, NEDA had conducted an urban carrying-capacity assessment of the cities of Tagaytay and Baguio. She also shared the progress of the Philippine Nationally Determined Contributions (PH-NDC) in implementing SDG 13, particularly on climate change. “Our country committed to avoid 75 percent of future greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 to 2030,” Edillon reported.  The Undersecretary enumerated achievements made in protecting the marine environment, such as implementing policies under Fisheries Administrative Order 263 Series of 2019 for establishing Fisheries Management Areas (FMAS) that conserve Philippine waters. She also mentioned the release of a Department of Agriculture-Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Department of Interior and Local Government Joint Memorandum Circular, containing the guidelines on establishing and managing Marine Protected Area Networks.  Ninety-four participants joined the Zoom webinar, while the Facebook live broadcast garnered more than 300 views from all over the globe. “Our aim here is to have an active platform for more profound discussions on environmental problems, as well as the solutions,” SESAM Dean Rico Ancog said.     More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Climate Action – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-climate-action/",
        "html": "UP on Climate Action Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts        UPV Forum on Disaster Resiliency     The College of Management of the University of the Philippines Visayas organized an event titled “Global Forum on Iloilo Disaster Resiliency: The Role of Diaspora in Building Back Safer Communities” on February 4, 2022, via Zoom.   The College hosted the forum in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, USA, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Golden Gate University.   The forum provided insights on disaster resiliency drawn from empirical data and shared experiences. The topics covered all the major phases of emergency management, from disaster preparedness and response to post-disaster assessment and recovery.   The event officially opened with welcome messages from UPV Chancellor Clement C. Camposano, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, and Chelsea Cooper, Project Assistant at IOM Washington. Consul General Neil Ferrer of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco delivered his keynote lecture, “The Role of US Diaspora in the Prevention and Preparation for Climate Change Disasters”.   The discussion on disaster management and related issues featured three panelists who gave short presentations: “Update on Super Typhoon Odette, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Assessment–Iloilo City and Guimaras” by Ms. Donna Magno, Chief of the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction Office and Teresita Galleto-Siason, Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer at Guimaras PDRRMO; “IOM Philippines: Build Back Safer (BBS)” by Mr. Conrad Natividad Jr. and Mr. Red Atenor of IOM Philippines; and, “LifeBank Iloilo: BBS Financing” by Mr. Alner Camocon, Division Manager at LifeBank Microfinance Foundation Inc.   The presentations centered on innovative approaches to disaster preparedness, post-disaster recovery, and building community resilience. The presenters also highlighted the importance of ‘shared responsibilities’ between governments, private institutions, and local communities in addressing the gaps in disaster management. They focused on how a holistic, multi-sectoral, and multidisciplinary approach is vital for implementing emerging long-term strategies.     UP Partnerships with Local Governments for DRRM and Environmental Governance  In light of the urgent and persistent threat brought by climate change and its effects, the University of the Philippines is fully committed to supporting and advocating for the ongoing efforts, both national and international, in addressing this issue. UP actively engages in research, education, extension activities, and other initiatives aimed at taking practical and innovative measures to effectively tackle the problem of climate change and mitigate its consequences. By leveraging its academic expertise with real-world applications, UP contributes to the fight against the challenges and threats posed by climate change.  To fulfill its public service mandate, UP provides technical assistance and expertise to local governments, communities, and other stakeholders in the co-creation and development of climate-resilient plans and strategies, particularly on flood management and prevention, disaster risk reduction, environmental governance, and climate change adaptation. Through its active involvement in climate action, UP and its constituent universities play a pivotal role in advancing the collective effort towards enhancing the resilience of vulnerable populations to the impacts of climate change, and building an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for all.     Employees of the City of Mandaue in Cebu, undergo a training by experts from UP Cebu. Contributed photo.     From August 3 to 5, 2022, the UP Cebu Center for Environmental Informatics (CENVI) City-Wide Urban Flood Hazard Modeling (CUrb Flood) Project took part in the Mandaue City Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Planning Workshop from 2023 to 2027. The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office organized the workshop to update the local DRRM plan of Mandaue City and ensure the safety and protection of local communities, businesses, and critical infrastructure from extreme weather events and potential climate-related risks and hazards, such as severe flooding. During the workshop, CENVI’s CUrb Flood Project representatives shared their expertise and provided technical advice on flood hazards and spatial data requirements. The UP Cebu CENVI, established in 2018 as a regional research and development center for Central Visayas, focuses on pressing environmental issues through computing techniques. Meanwhile, the City-wide Urban Flood Modeling (CUrb Flood) Project is one of the components of the CENVI-led Smart City Solutions to Urban Flooding (Smart TUrF) program, funded by the Department of Science and Technology.  Like UP Cebu, the UP Los Baños School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB-SESAM) offers technical assistance to provincial and local government units in formulating their respective environmental codes and plans. As part of its public service efforts, UPLB-SESAM signed a Letter of Commitment (LOC) with the Municipal Government of Los Baños (MGLB) for the implementation of the “Environmental Governance in the Municipality of Los Baños” during the Earth Day celebration on April 22, 2022.  A screenshot of the home page of the UPLB SESAM showing some of its recent projects.     This academe-government partnership signifies the commitment of UPLB-SESAM to provide technical assistance and expert advice to the MGLB in formulating environmental plans required by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The project also aims to enhance the capacity of MGLB officers and staff and equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge in environmental governance. These activities align with the advocacy of UPLB-SESAM in fostering sustainable practices and taking positive action toward environmental protection and climate change resilience through education, upskilling, and knowledge sharing.  UPLB-SESAM’s dean Dr. Rico C. Ancog and SESAM Research Division head Dr. Patricia Ann J. Sanchez represented UPLB-SESAM, while Municipal Mayor Antonio L. Kalaw and MENRO Focal Person Lizette D. Cardenas represented the MGLB during the signing ceremony. UPLB-SESAM university researchers For. Sofia A. Alaira, Dr. Yusuf A. Sucol, and MGLB Environmental Consultant (former SESAM faculty member) Dr. Antonio J. Alcantara also participated in the signing ceremony.     Launch of the UP Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health Center     The University of the Philippines Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health (UPM DRRM-H) Center was officially launched on June 8, 2022 to conduct state-of-the-art disaster simulation trainings and evidence-based research.  “The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Through the Center, we seek to conduct training and seminars that will prepare our responders, even ordinary employees, in disaster preparedness through our state-of-the-art facilities. We can finally hold disaster preparedness training virtually, and mistakes could be prevented in actual situations,” said Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, lead investigator and UPM DRRM-H Center Head.  The Center envisions itself to be “the center for excellence of the academe” when it comes to disaster risk reduction and management in health. It also embodies three primary objectives, specifically in its training: to develop necessary skills such as command and control, collaboration, and coordination; to identify those who need psychosocial interventions in evacuation camps; and, to efficiently allocate available resources immediately in disaster-stricken areas.  Little over a month later, from July 27 to 28, the UP Manila DRRM-H Center conducted a two-day Disaster Simulation Training for a diverse group of emergency responders from different fields and sectors. The training consisted of lectures centered around Command, Communication, and Collaboration during emergencies, followed by immersive disaster simulation activities in which participants were challenged to respond to simulated emergency scenarios.  The UPM DRRM-H was first envisioned by the Health Emergencies and Disasters (HEAD) study group of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) back in 2016. Its creation was inspired by Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, an emergency medicine expert, and Dr. Anna Tuazon and Dr. Hilton Lam, both part of the UP Manila and UP Diliman team who trained in Sweden in 2018 on the Emergo Train System. Its partner organizations include the DOST, Department of Health, and the UP System.  The UP Manila DRRM-H Center also offers state-of-the-art Capacity Building Trainings, as well as evidence-based research and consultancy services. For inquiries, email upm-drrmh-list@up.edu.ph or ping the UPM DRRM-H Center on Messenger.     More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-sustainable-cities-and-communities/",
        "html": "UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable        UP Diliman Community vs Disruptively Bright Streetlights     The University of the Philippines Diliman campus is widely known for its lush vegetation that offers a breath of fresh air for people who are coming from the bustling cities.  The UP Wild, an online community dedicated to appreciating the flora and fauna in UP Diliman and to raising awareness on the importance of maintaining and preserving the campus’s urban green spaces, deemed the University’s newly installed outdoor lights used around its Academic Oval to be a little too bright. This can potentially harm both humans and animals within the campus.  “The lamps around the Academic Oval have way too many bulbs, and their design scatters light to all directions,” the group said in a Facebook post on October 27, 2021. The resulting light pollution creates a negative impact on the campus’s fauna, which includes owls, fireflies, frogs, and other animals. “The lights can confuse them and alter their natural behavior,” the post went on to state.   Other members of the community expressed their concerns by pointing out how excessive night light can disrupt the plants’ photosynthetic activity. According to the International Dark-Sky Association, an organization combating light pollution worldwide, artificial light can disrupt wildlife ecosystems in a variety of ways. Small insects can be drawn to the intense light, making them more visible for predators and thus drastically affecting the balance of the food chain. Stark lighting can also disturb birds’ migration patterns, which can be detrimental for UP Diliman, known to serve as a home for various avian species.      Brights lights shine along the Academic Oval in UP Diliman in this contributed photo by Jediael Neri.     The UP Wild came up with ideas to combat the high-intensity lighting by fitting the streetlamps with downward shades to diffuse light. “If their design allows, maybe the number of bulbs per post can be reduced or selectively turned on,” the group added.  The UP community showed just how dedicated they are to preserving the environment by pointing out several issues, from as simple an issue as streetlights being too bright. The UP Wild even went the extra mile by showing various research towards this problem and thought of a possible solution to fix it out of respect for the environment and non-human residents of the campus.     UP CFA’s Art Rehab and Conservation     The famous artworks, “Captivity” and “Contemplation”, were moved to the College of Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines Diliman from their original spot on the corner of University Avenue and E. Jacinto St. Both sculptures, a part of the art conservation project by the Project Management Office under the UP Office of the Vice President for Planning and Development, were created by a CFA alumnus, Idelfonso Cruz Marcelo, back in the 1960s.   The conservation project was headed by June Mercy P. Dalisay, who said the reason priority was given to these sculptures was their aesthetic and symbolic value. As time went on, it became more apparent that both “Captivity” and “Contemplation” were vulnerable to natural elements and that deterioration was bound to happen if nothing were to be done about this.   The Captivity statue being moved with a forklift from its location for the restoration work. UP MPRO file photo.     In 2020, tests were conducted during the rainy season to observe the effects of constant exposure to both light and very strong rains. “It was observed that the stone had been so weakened that its grains would crumble and fall off the surface with a slight touch,” Dalisay said. “The pressure generated by very strong downpour over the years eroded the surface and has abraded the skin of the two sculptures.”  The arts conservation project commenced on Aug 31, 2020. Under Dalisay’s supervision, the two sculptures were covered in bubble wrap to prevent further exposure to the harmful elements and possible damage. To prepare the hauling, the sides or the perimeter area of the sculptures were also excavated involving jackhammers.  The smaller sculpture, “Captivity”, was arranged to be hauled on September 1, while the bigger artwork, “Contemplation”, was to be hauled the following day. This was pushed to later dates as the heavy rains got in the way.  Finally, on September 13, “Captivity” was lifted using a forklift truck. It was then transferred from its original location on the left side of University Avenue and carefully hauled and transported to the CFA. The same procedure was observed during the hauling and transfer of “Contemplation” on September 15.  Presently, both significant artworks remain in UPD’s CFA. They continue to be preserved and handled carefully so that it continues to stay strong and proud for many Filipinos and art enjoyers to marvel and to be inspired.     UPV Lecture-Workshops in History Writing and Cultural Heritage Tourism in Western Visayas     Acknowledging the importance of local histories and cultural heritage to national development and social cohesion, the “Tourism Studies on Island-Based Opportunities for Growth in Western Visayas” (TSIBOG) program, funded by the University of the Philippines Visayas and the Commission on Higher Education, collaborated with the Municipal Government of Ibajay, Aklan, and the Department of Education Division of Aklan in launching the project “Bridging the Past, Sailing Toward the Future: History to the (and by the People)” on November 3, 2021. The project trained elementary and secondary school teachers, tourism and planning officers, and cultural workers in conducting historical research and promoting cultural heritage tourism in the Municipality of Ibajay.  During the first three days of the six-day event, several experts in history, cultural heritage, education, and environmental management shared their knowledge and insights through a series of lectures. The speakers included Dr. Michael Pante from the Ateneo de Manila University, UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano, National Museum of the Philippines Deputy Director-General Ana Maria Theresa Labrador, and Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, National Scientist.  Participants of UPV’s TSIBOG workshop pose with theri certificates after completing the short course. Contributed photo.     The last leg of the event focused on providing training workshops about cultural heritage documentation, writing learning modules, and creating promotional materials for education and sustainable tourism. Prof. Marie Joy Sumagaysay of the UP Visayas Division of Humanities guided the participants during the food-mapping activities and cultural heritage exhibit. Meanwhile, Joar Concha of Assumption San Lorenzo Makati and Yan Esquivel of the UP Visayas Teaching and Learning Resource Center assisted the participants in preparing their final outputs.  The participants are expected to utilize their outputs to educate people about local history in schools and universities, promote local knowledge, sustainable tourism, and environmental protection, conserve tangible and intangible heritage assets, and respond to the developmental needs of their communities.     Roll-Out of Modern Electric Jeepneys in UPLB     The Academic Oval at the core of the UP Diliman campus finally reopened in November 2021 with the easing of pandemic restrictions. This 2.2 kilometer-long loop, lined with a canopy of acacia trees, has always been a haven for the UP community and the wider public. Whether taking a relaxing stroll, brisk walking for light exercise, or jogging to really get heart rates up, people of all ages were welcomed back, regardless of their vaccination status. Masks were still required and unidirectional movement around the Oval was advised.  Groups of ten people or less were also allowed to use various open spaces within the Academic Oval and in areas around the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW). They could now have picnics in the Lagoon, Amphitheater, or PAUW; play games and leisure sports in the Sunken Garden; or simply lounge around on benches along the Oval or in the Promenade. Bird watchers and nature enthusiasts could go back to exploring the campus center’s green spaces following years of absent physical human activity. While biking at the Academic Oval was still prohibited at the time, campus biking routes were provided to regulars and first-time visitors so they might still enjoy what UP Diliman had to offer.  As pandemic protocols and restrictions were further loosened in 2022, members of the UP community, students, faculty, staff, and residents, and people outside of UP Diliman have come back to recover what they had to give up during the lockdowns: the opportunity to be outdoors in one of the remaining patches of greenery in the concrete jungle that is Metro Manila. A space that is free and open to all.     Reopening of the Academic Oval     The Academic Oval at the core of the UP Diliman campus finally reopened in November 2021 with the easing of pandemic restrictions. This 2.2 kilometer-long loop, lined with a canopy of acacia trees, has always been a haven for the UP community and the wider public. Whether taking a relaxing stroll, brisk walking for light exercise, or jogging to really get heart rates up, people of all ages were welcomed back, regardless of their vaccination status. Masks were still required and unidirectional movement around the Oval was advised.     Groups of ten people or less were also allowed to use various open spaces within the Academic Oval and in areas around the Philippine Association of University Women (PAUW). They could now have picnics in the Lagoon, Amphitheater, or PAUW; play games and leisure sports in the Sunken Garden; or simply lounge around on benches along the Oval or in the Promenade. Bird watchers and nature enthusiasts could go back to exploring the campus center’s green spaces following years of absent physical human activity. While biking at the Academic Oval was still prohibited at the time, campus biking routes were provided to regulars and first-time visitors so they might still enjoy what UP Diliman had to offer.  As pandemic protocols and restrictions were further loosened in 2022, members of the UP community, students, faculty, staff, and residents, and people outside of UP Diliman have come back to recover what they had to give up during the lockdowns: the opportunity to be outdoors in one of the remaining patches of greenery in the concrete jungle that is Metro Manila. A space that is free and open to all.     UP Baguio’s Indigenous Cultures Program and MOA with NCIP on IPRA and Intangible Cultural Heritage     The recognition, study, preservation and promotion of indigenous culture and indigenous studies are an integral part of UP Baguio’s identity at both the academic and the community level.  UP Baguio’s Program for Indigenous Cultures (PIC) is a significant avenue for research and activities that promote indigenous cultural vibrance and awareness. The PIC’s main objectives are: to take the lead in the discussion and promotion of issues and concerns of the Philippines’ indigenous people (IP) within UP Baguio and the larger community; to coordinate projects and activities on IPs in relation to instruction, student-led research, and extension; and, to enhance the institutional capacity of UP Baguio to sustain its initiatives on IP concerns.   The PIC is made up of several important components: the Indigenous Peoples’ Studies, such as integration in the curriculum, student-led research, and extension; the Learning and Resource Center that provides educational space for all, community life for IP students, space for interaction for IP and non-IP in the University; and, Capacity and Awareness Building and Living Traditions that count as a cultural component. Lastly, the Tanggyuob, the PIC’s monthly newsletter that is named after a local Filipino instrument made from carabao horns, provides multidisciplinary information on IPs, as well as a venue for interested faculty, students, and university employees to submit their articles, essays, and studies that cover indigenous knowledge systems and practices.   In related news, in late July 2022, UP Baguio entered into a partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Cordillera Region (NCIP-CAR) through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by UP Baguio Chancellor Corazon L. Abansi and NCIP-CAR Regional Director Atanacio Addog. The MOA facilitates the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process and research collaboration with the DOST’s National Research Council of the Philippines-funded research on “IPRA and Intangible Cultural Heritage”, a research project led by Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores of the UP Baguio College of Social Sciences.  UP Baguio remains committed to the preservation of indigenous culture and, through its programs and initiatives, encourages more Filipinos to learn and appreciate the beauty that comes from lesser known local traditions.     More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Gender Equality – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-gender-equality/",
        "html": "UP on Gender Equality Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls        Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran: Filipino Women Overseas Workers in France  The University of the Philippines regularly engages in affirmative action to encourage wider participation and equitable representation of women within and outside the University. It takes pride in being a strong advocate for giving equal opportunities and treatment to all, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  In line with the 2022 National Women’s Month banner theme, “We Make Change Work for Women,” UP created a platform where women across the world can share their experiences living and working abroad as well as their initiatives in creating a supportive environment. A webinar titled “Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran: Filipino Women Overseas Workers in France Women’s Forum,” was held on April 07, 2022. It was organized by the University of the Philippines Open University Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) in coordination with the Social Work and Women Development academic programs of the UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies.  The webinar’s resource speaker was Therese Mae C. Aviles-Debayle, a registered social worker, and a student of Master in Social Work in UPOU. She  shared information about   and challenges of Filipino women overseas workers in France, where she is currently based. Among the challenges she mentioned are adjusting to a different culture, language, food, beliefs, norms, and physically adapting to the seasons and way of life.  Ms. Therese May C. Aviles-Debayle sharing her experiences at the webinar. Contributed photo.     Aviles-Debayle added that, while women receive family support and maternity benefits that regular employees are entitled to receive from the French government, it is still important to hear the side of women working abroad. Despite the entitlements that they are receiving, Filipino women working and living abroad need further assistance, particularly, maternity benefits, family support, and reliable system and policies from the government.  Dr. Finaflor F. Taylan, Director of the UPOU Office of Gender Concerns facilitating discussions during the webinar. Contributed photo.     The forum gave the participants a picture about the lives, experiences, and journeys of women in their communities. Dr. Finaflor Taylan, UP Open University OGC director, was inspired to create social protection structures and programs for OFWs. She  emphasized the need for a support and advocacy group for Filipino women working and living in other countries and encouraged the participants to be part of it or to start creating one.  Recognition of the “Lived Identities” of UP’s Graduating Students  The University of the Philippines takes pride in being a safe space for everyone from all walks of life, regardless of age, social or economic status, and gender orientation. No matter how big or small an event is, in UP one can freely express themselves in their most authentic way without judgment. And that includes one of the biggest milestones of every Iskolar ng Bayan: their graduation.  On July 10, 2022, the UP Cebu and UP Cebu University Student Council (UPC USC) officially announced and posted that they were “allowing ALL graduates who will march on the 83rd Commencement Exercises to wear their preferred attire in accordance to their lived identities in terms of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. All graduates will not be obliged to conform to heteronormative standards and there is also no need to ask permission from the administration or prepare a letter when doing so.”  A graduating student flashes a rainbow-themed fan while waiting for the start of the graduation ceremonies in UP Cebu. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     “As long as the graduation guidelines for academic costumes, such as color schemes and lengths, are still observed, graduating students may dress themselves how they see fit.”  Similarly, the UP Manila Student Council (UPM USC) lobbied to do the same. After dialogues with the student body and administration, UP Manila followed suit with other constituent universities in recognizing the importance of letting their graduates express themselves through gender-affirming attire during their commencement exercises.  The UP Manila memo specifically states: “Students will now be allowed to express themselves through clothing as reflected by their gender identity and expression; and use their lived names and preferred pronouns in the university graduation slide deck and procession as long as parental consent is documented.” This is a huge win for transgender, gender non-conforming, and all other gender identities.     Graduating students from the UP College of Law flash their pride fans upon being called up during the UP Diliman graduation ceremony. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.     True to its mantra of “honor and excellence”, the University extends its support to programs that see and hear the LGBTIA+ community and opens its doors to dialogues to further end discrimination, ostracism, harassment, and violence. Various activities throughout the year are spearheaded by student councils, organizations, and UP offices, such as pride marches, gender sensitivity trainings, and other initiatives that highlight the University’s diversity and freedom of expression.  Educational Campaign on the Expanded Maternity Leave Benefits of UP Employees  In the Philippines, the month of March is widely recognized as Women’s Month. The occasion serves as a venue to highlight women’s significant contributions to the society as well as to discuss gender equality challenges and commitments.  The University of the Philippines has implemented various programs and activities across its constituent units to commemorate Women’s Month. From gender-related discussions to street fairs, UP actively promotes gender equality to ensure that the rights and privileges of women are observed not just during the month of celebration but throughout the year.  One of UP’s significant activities held on March 18, 2022 via Zoom was the discussion on the Amendment to Omnibus Rules on Leave (CSC MC No. 31 series of 1998) and its alignment with Republic Act No. 11210, popularly known as the 105-day Expanded Maternity Leave Law.  Under RA 11210, women are entitled to 105 days of maternity leave with full pay and an option to extend for 30 days without pay, regardless of whether she gave birth via cesarean section or natural delivery. On top of the 105 days, solo parents are entitled to 15 more days of maternity leave. Meanwhile, women who suffered miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy, or who delivered stillbirth, can avail of 60 days maternity leave with full pay.     The UP Manila Human Resource Development Office conducted a one-day virtual training with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Director of UP Field Office Hans Alcantara as the resource speaker, aimed at empowering participants by enhancing their comprehension of the law, promoting employee welfare, celebrating women’s achievements, and recognizing their invaluable contributions. The webinar was attended by 85 participants.  Director Alcantara provided the employees with a deep understanding of the legal foundations of expanded maternity leave benefits. The session covered essential topics such as the updated definitions under Rule I, which clarified the improved coverage and benefits available to expectant employees. Also, Rule XVI highlighted the differences between old and new regulations, addressing the revised frequency of maternity leave and ensuring the protection of employees’ rights, even after termination. The webinar also focused on fair allocation of maternity leave credits and mechanisms to resolve disputes, facilitating a seamless process for employees.  UP is committed to ensuring that their pregnant employees are fully equipped with the necessary knowledge about their benefits and entitlements. The webinar played a pivotal role in fostering a more inclusive and supportive work environment. UP employees and  expectant mothers should be provided with support, protection, and benefits during their maternity leave to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy and a smooth transition when they return to work.  More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Quality Education – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-quality-education/",
        "html": "UP on Quality Education Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all        UPOU’s Free and Accessible Online Educational Resources     The University of the Philippines has been providing free access to its online open educational resources (OERs) via the UP Open University (UPOU) Networks website since 2010. Literature such as books, journals, and monographs; podcasts; and videos covering a wide range of subject areas are available to all learners and educators who are looking for additional teaching materials. UPOU Networks also has resource-based course packages available for download. For calendar year 2022, almost a hundred videos of livestream events, webinars, lectures, and public fora were uploaded to the online repository.   Apart from UPOU Networks, the University also has the UPOU Massive Open Distance eLearning (MODeL). In operation since 2013, it is UPOU’s official platform for the delivery of massive open online courses (MOOCs). In 2022, MODeL offered 25 MOOCs that were free and open to the public. Among those were courses on ODeL, technology for teaching and learning, scriptwriting, understanding children better, child rights protection and promotion, social entrepreneurship, blended teaching and learning using OERs, basic animation, business analytics, and the development and production of interactive educational video materials.     A screenshot of the UPOU Networks website showing some of the materials and features available for the public. Click through to visit their website.      Changes to the higher education landscape brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic remain significant driving forces in the University’s reimagination and recalibration of its approaches to the delivery of education—not only to its students in the Philippines and abroad, but also to the wider population who aim to be lifelong learners. A deeper focus on learner-centered education allows UP to adapt to the technology-driven world and the shifts it creates in learning demands. In times when retooling and upskilling of the current and future workforce is greatly needed, UP responds with the best of its resources. At the heart of its operations is the commitment to perform public service by offering free quality learning resources to all who wish to avail.  Capacity-Building in Fisheries and Aquaculture  The University of the Philippines Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) and its institutes had been actively conducting training and other capacity-building programs for fisherfolk, people’s organizations, local governments, and educators before the pandemic. While face-to-face activities and engagements may have slowed down during the COVID-19 lockdowns, 2022 saw these activities coming back in full force.  The CFOS Public Service Program led the “Fisheries Training Needs Assessment in the Municipality of Leganes, Iloilo and Its Environs” for the members of the mayor’s office, municipal council, and captains of the coastal barangays of the municipality. The Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies gave lectures on fishery resources, laws and ordinances, climate change issues, effects of microplastics, and resource conservation and protection to the fisherfolk of the Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo.   Recognizing education’s role in promoting aquaculture sustainability to enhance the country’s food security, the Brackishwater Aquaculture Center’s (BAC) annual Aquaculture Summer Institute conducted online lectures for senior high school teachers in the Science, Technology and Engineering strand of the Leganes National High School. The BAC is the Institute of Aquaculture’s (CFOS-IA) research facility located in the municipality. The topics included basic principles of aquaculture, aquaculture systems, and basic fish diseases detection.  On a much larger scale, CFOS-IA mounted its three-week public service program for university and college teachers, Training of Educators in Aquatic Mainstream Science (TEAMS), with participants from Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Capiz, Zamboanga, and Maguindanao. TEAMS is intended to further strengthen research and instruction capabilities of higher education institutions offering fisheries and allied programs. Hands-on training sessions were conducted in partnership with the UPV National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and the UPV Museum of Natural Sciences.        A group photo of some of the participants in one of the trainings conducted by the UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UPV CFOS). Contributed photo.     Apart from the training programs for educators, CFOS-IA also had the “Training Course on Catfish Breeding, Nursery, and Management” for Miagao fisherfolk, who had some knowledge about catfish farming but were alarmed by the low survival rate of fingerlings. The course encouraged local fishing communities to maximize their resources. After their hands-on training, the catfish larvae produced during the activity were distributed to the participants to stock and culture.  Team Scallops from the Institute of Fish Processing Technology (CFOS-IFPT) went to Islas de Gigantes, a group of islands off the northernmost part of Carles, Iloilo, to provide training on value addition and good manufacturing practices for scallops, which is abundant in the area. Islas de Gigantes is considered one of the most productive fishing grounds in the Philippines and known for bivalve fishery. It was participated in by members of the Gigantes Federation of Fisherfolks Sector (GIFFS) Fishermen Cooperative. CFOS-IFPT went back months later to conduct “Training on Entrepreneurship: Sustainable Management of a Community-Based Enterprise for Seafood Products” to a much larger audience composed of those already engaged in the processing of value-added scallop products.  CFOS-IFPT then proceeded to Tibiao, Antique to conduct lectures and hands-on training on fish processing technologies to agrarian reform beneficiaries in the municipality. The participants were taught how to make the most use of their catch during peak season, a considerable volume of which was wasted—simply thrown back to the sea or buried—because of the lack of know-how in fish processing techniques.  The back-to-back “Training-workshop on Packaging and Labeling of Priority Products and Introduction to Basic Entrepreneurship” and “Training-Workshop on GMP/SSOP for Small-Scale Production of Fishery Products and Introduction to Cooperative Development and Management” were given to fisherfolk from Ajuy and Concepcion, Iloilo who process sardines, squid, and blue swimming crab wastes, among others. The first was conducted in collaboration with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region VI and with assistance from the Department of Science and Technology Region VI and the UPV College of Management. It was intended to equip the participants with the basic concepts of packaging and labeling requirements of Philippine regulatory agencies, the hows of choosing appropriate packaging materials and labels, and ways to develop marketing plans for their products. The second was still in partnership with BFAR Region VI and with added partners, Provincial Fisheries Office-Iloilo, and the local governments of Ajuy and Concepcion. It was on good manufacturing practices/ sanitation standard operating procedures for small-scale production of fishery products, and cooperative development and management.  With the ease of travel having almost gone back to the pre-pandemic normal, CFOS is expected to continue to provide its training programs within Western Visayas and across the country beyond 2022.  Pahinungod’s Educational Enhancement Programs  The Ugnayan ng Pahinungód/Oblation Corps of the University of the Philippines Los Baños has continuously provided for 27 years various volunteer service opportunities for over 5,000 UP students, staff and alumni, while assisting more than 20,000 individuals in remote areas and from marginalized sectors. Pahinungod is an integral public service arm of UP Los Baños; and it maintains various programs in: educational enhancement; environmental management; technical assistance; disaster resiliency; and, sectoral development.  Pahinungod’s educational enhancement programs are functional literacy interventions that aim to supplement formal school instruction through participatory seminars, workshops and tutorials for underserved elementary and high school students. Public school teachers in rural areas also benefit from Pahinungod’s PAGTUTURO initiative.  The Gurong Pahinungod Program (GPP) primarily caters to fresh graduates and alumni who are deployed for as long as a year as full-time volunteer faculty members of underserved elementary schools. The GPP is implemented in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), in recognition of the shared aspiration among public schools and state universities and colleges of making basic education work for Filipinos.  Volunteers of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod in UP Los Baños pose for a photo in the campus. Contributed photo.     Pahinungód’s Affirmative Action Project (AAP) helps students of public schools in rural and disadvantaged areas to become more confident to take entrance exams, pursue college education, take courses needed in their communities, and assume leadership roles in their hometowns. Pahinungód hopes to provide underserved students with better chances to access quality tertiary education, and to improve their skills as future community leaders through the AAP’s 1-2 week leadership training and college preparatory review program for incoming grade 12 students. The program is also consistent with UP’s aim to democratize access to quality education services.  Another initiative is the PAGTUTURO (Pagpapatalas ng Talino at Talento ng mga Guro). Teachers need constant updating of competence in education technology and policy. Since teachers and many faculty members of remote public schools often have limited means to access professional growth opportunities, Pahinungod provides two to three days of interactive retooling workshops on creative teaching strategies, content updates and other enrichment activities to improve their teaching capacities.  Pahinungód also has a special program that provides a  review once a week on selected difficult subject areas in the basic education curricula. The LINGAP ARAL Special Tutorials program aims to help boost the indigent students’ school performance and improve their accomplishments in national scholastic aptitude tests. Sponsor LGUs or support organizations identify these students; and they also provide resources, such as scholarships and stipends, to give the scholars sustained education support.  More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "ANNOUNCEMENTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcements/",
        "html": "Announcements Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi      The University of the Philippines stands in solidarity with Mindanao State University (MSU), after an explosion at the...  Read More UP Para Sa UP: The UP System kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month with launching of the UP Sanctuary  University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez, together with the UP Office of the Assistant Vice President for Student...  Read More UP fetes “Mr. Shooli” with Gawad Plaridel  The University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication will be awarding actor, satirist, and advertising creative Manuel Urbano...  Read More UP invites the public to join Day of Remembrance commemoration   The University of the Philippines (UP) invites the public to join this year’s Day of Remembrance commemoration on September...  Read More UP to hold noise barrage on Day of Remembrance    Raise your voice, break the silence! 📢 Join us in commemorating the Day of Remembrance, as we use symbolic...  Read More 1st UP-SUC Summit to launch four programs for SUC engagement  On September 15, four University programs aimed at promoting engagement between UP and other Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs)...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP on Good Health and Well-Being – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-on-good-health-and-well-being/",
        "html": "UP on Good Health and Well-Being Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages        Six-Day DOST-NEWTON AGHAM Researchers Link Workshop in One Health Omics     The University of the Philippines Mindanao collaborated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, in conducting a week-long free online bioinformatics workshop, otherwise known as the One Health Omics Project, from October 11 to 16, 2021.  The One Health Omics workshop capacitated Filipino researchers in Mindanao on omics technology, tools and techniques in the surveillance, management, and control of infections in a One Health setting. This was attended by 40 selected faculty members, clinicians, and researchers from different regions in Mindanao. The project can help them in their research work in the region. Due to restrictions during the COVID-19 surge, the workshop was done via Zoom.  The One Health Omics Project was funded by the DOST-Newton Agham Researcher Links Workshop grant from the British Council in partnership with LSHTM and supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)–Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD). The workshop is also co-sponsored by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao.  Workshop facilitators included bioinformatics experts from LSHTM: Dr. Taane Clark, Professor of Genomics and Global Health; Dr. Jody Phelan; Julian Libiseller-Egger; Daniel Ward; Anton Spadar; and, Paula Josefina Gómez González.  Workshop participants included: researchers from the PGC Mindanao; faculty of San Pedro College Davao; doctors from the Department of Health (DOH) XI; and, researchers from UP Mindanao.   Bioinformatics is a new field in health research. With the use of computers, it allows researchers to further examine and understand the characteristics of an organism or a microbe through its genome, such as a virus like the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease. For instance, bioinformatics allowed scientists to quickly develop diagnostic test kits and vaccines for COVID-19  “Bioinformatics and genomics techniques, as well as conducting related molecular investigations, are important skills for the participants to become genomics and genomic epidemiological experts and will contribute to improving the health of the Philippines population,” Prof. Taane said.  Facilitators from UP Manila conduct a workshop under the Social Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights project. Contributed photo.     Social Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights  The University of the Philippines Manila, as Philippine hub of the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI), conducted its Social Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights project from 2020 to 2022.  The Social Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) project, jointly conducted by the UP Manila School of Health Sciences and Maastricht University School of Health Professions Education (SHE), strengthened the capacity of UP Manila as Social Innovation in Health Initiative Philippine Hub and representatives of partner institutions. The project helped them to be trainers to frontline health professionals and facilitated their design of innovative, multi-stakeholder-driven, community-based interventions in response to SRHR problems.   Dr. Meredith Del Pilar-Labarda of the Department of Medicine at the UP Manila School of Health Sciences served as the leader for the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Philippine Hub, together with Jana Mier-Alpano and Abigail Mier.  According to Dr. Del Pilar-Labarda, this particular project trained the trainers for faculty, medical students, health officers of local government units, and leaders of communities such as the Sangguniang Kabataan. They can help co-create a comprehensive sexual education and gender issues program that would help adolescents in their communities. Another output would be the publication of a manual for trainers.  This was the first face-to-face workshop since 2020 when the first series of trainings were done online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants availed of: an introduction to gender and sex; a workshop on intervention mapping; a short workshop on social media; and, a workshop on gender issues and comprehensive sexuality education. In the context of the “new normal”, the participants from different communities and sectors shared many of their challenges and innovations, including lessons from SRHR programs done in other countries.   Among the goals of the project were: to reduce the high rates of teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV; to prevent gender-based violence; and, to help the young generation to become happy and healthy adults. The final training, which aimed to integrate all knowledge and skills from previous workshops, was scheduled for Oct. 10-14, 2022.   Launched in 2014, SIHI is a global network of individuals, organizations and institutions advocating social innovation in health and advancing research in social innovation.        UP GOE Medical Mission 2022 in Brgy. Tagumpay, Bay, Laguna     The University of the Philippines’ Grand Order of the Eagles (UPGOE) Fraternity, a duly recognized socio-civic organization in UP Los Banos, held a medical mission in Barangay Tagumpay, Bay, Laguna on June 26, 2022. The health outreach mission was done in cooperation with a medical team from the Southern Asia-Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and was supported by UPGOE alumni and partner organizations.  Medical services for a total of 644 patients included: 167 general check-ups; 158 ophthalmologic services; 150 dental services; 117 blood chemistry tests; 47 circumcisions (tuli); and, five minor surgeries. Patients-beneficiaries in the community also received a total of Php40,000 worth of medicines.  Co-sponsors of the health outreach included: Gardenia Philippines, a food company that provided Gardenia products to all volunteers and patients; the Bay local government and Art Relief Mobile Kitchen that provided the lunch of volunteer medical workers; Ms. Mayette Estacion who provided shirts to volunteers; and, the family of UPGOE member, Brod Marvin Raymundo.   UP students huddle to talk about the challenges they face in the university. UP MPRO File photo.  UP’s Financial Aid for Students’ Mental Health Expense  The University of the Philippine Los Baños, as with the other UP constituent universities, champions mental well-being by providing Php7,500 cash aid per semester to eligible UP students to support their mental health-related expenses.  This is made possible through the UP Student Wellness Subsidy Program (UP SWSP) contained in Memorandum RAG 2022-13 issued by the Office of Student Development Services (UP OSDS) on June 7, 2022. The grant aims not only to reduce the cost of prescribed medication and other mental health services but also to encourage students to seek professional help.  Apart from the lack of student spaces for conducive learning environments, inadequate manpower to address mental health issues, and financial challenges of students, there is still stigma in seeking professional help. The UP SWSP strives to address that.  The wellness subsidy program is implemented by the UPLB Office of Counseling and Guidance (OCG) and the Office of Scholarships and Grants (OSG). Currently enrolled and financially challenged UPLB students with mental health concerns are eligible for the grant.  The University has been strengthening its mental health programs, especially since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may check out the various initiatives of the OCG, from support training programs to emotional pet support to art-based and other intervention therapies.  Faculty and students are also encouraged to refer or reach out to the OCG through their landline at (049) 536-7255, via email at ocg.uplb@up.edu.ph, or through their Facebook page, “UPLB Office of Counseling and Guidance.”     More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP UP at a Glance UP’s Quality Policy Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/green-up-a-up-system-action-plan-for-environmental-sustainability/",
        "html": "Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability A lotus flower blooms in the lagoon in UP Diliman. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  The University of the Philippines’ eight (8) constituent universities (CU) span 17 geographically disparate and ecologically unique campuses. These campuses are socio-ecological systems in which education, research, and service are enabled by the environments in which human activities take place. These campuses are also situated within the broader socio-ecological system battered today by climate change, environmental pollution, and the vast environmental impacts.  As the premiere national university, the University must lead in building, nurturing, and embodying sustainability practices that enhance and revitalize the environment, reduce environmental impact, and promote eco-education and sustainable development. It must gear efforts toward developing sustainable habits for optimized environmental utilization in its students, faculty, staff, and community.  The University wholly commits to environmental sustainability as a guide to human rights principles, democratic participation, non-discrimination, gender equity, social justice, and ecological balance.  These shall be upheld in the following areas for/of action.  Green Spaces and Biodiversity. The University shall protect and promote green spaces and campus biodiversity. It shall adopt low-impact development and management plans to improve or incur no net biodiversity loss. This involves developing an environmental management protocol that monitors the health of the campus environment, promotes green spaces and biodiversity, documents and studies campus flora and fauna, and exercises proper campus animal management. Built Environment. Sustainable design should be incorporated into the University’s built environments to reduce its carbon footprint. Green technologies must be used whenever possible, and eco-friendly materials and methods must be integrated with construction and development plans. Utilities Management. The University shall regularly monitor the environmental impact of its energy usage and set reasonable targets to reduce energy and water consumption. In utility management, it shall promote energy and water conservation, periodically monitor consumption, and shift to sustainable technologies and materials in utilities upgrading or augmentation. Transportation and Mobility. The University shall ensure the availability of a reliable network of transportation and road infrastructure whose construction and maintenance are integrated with natural ecosystems. To maintain good air quality and well-protected ecosystems, UP promotes non-motorized transport and enhances pedestrian movement, ensuring compliance of public-use vehicles to emission standards; and adopting environment-friendly vehicles. Waste Management. The University’s waste management program shall adopt the UN Environmental Programme’s waste management hierarchy: prevention, reduction, recycling, recovery, and disposal, in decreasing order of importance. It shall enable individuals to embrace and realistically adopt a low- to zero-waste lifestyle by providing scientific information and support services for correct waste disposal practices.  Contingent to this, the University shall proactively reduce plastic use and develop policy guidelines to transition into plastic-free campuses feasibly and equitably. The transition must be guided by a democratic and participatory process that addresses the economic and socio-cultural dimensions of rampant plastics use.  Research. The University shall proactively encourage and support research and development relating to environmental sustainability and its multiple facets, whether ecological, social, cultural, behavioral, economic, moral, or political. It shall enable cross- and interdisciplinary approaches to address environmental concerns on the campus and the nation. It shall strengthen support, financial or otherwise, for sustainability research, programs, projects, and initiatives. Education. The University shall integrate principles of environmental sustainability in teaching and learning through its General Education program and different academic curricula. Such would facilitate cultural and behavioral changes toward sustainable living in students and faculty. Extension Services. The University shall encourage extension services and programs that promote and mainstream environmental sustainability principles to stakeholders and communities outside the University. Personnel Management. The University shall establish and activate appropriate offices or standing committees toward concrete, strategic sustainability goals. Some of its initiatives include building the capacity of staff and personnel through relevant training and certificate programs. Mainstreaming. The University shall adopt the month of April as UP’s Environmental Sustainability Month and facilitate inter-CU and inter-university collaborations toward the goals articulated in this Manifesto. This month shall turn the community’s attention to environmental sustainability projects and campaigns and engage students, faculty, and staff in environmental sustainability initiatives.  “Green UP” is articulated here as both imperative and vision. Through the unified efforts of all constituent units, UP shall become a model of human rights-based, participatory, and inclusive environmental sustainability.  The sunflowers bloom in the University Avenue in UP Diliman, Quezon City, in time for the graduation season. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO. More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP  UP at a Glance UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "About the University of the Philippines – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-the-sdgs-about-up/",
        "html": "About the University of the Philippines The Oblation, signifying the University’s commitment to serve the nation, dominates the plaza fronting Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  The University of the Philippines is the country’s national university, as mandated by Republic Act 9500 or the UP Charter of 2008. Established on June 18, 1908, in the heart of Manila, UP was meant to provide studies in medicine, law, engineering, and arts to every qualified student regardless of “age, sex, nationality, religious belief, and political affiliation.” As its first president Murray Simon Bartlett envisioned it, a “University for Filipinos.”  Over its 115-year history, UP has grown into a system of eight constituent universities and 17 campuses throughout the Philippines. It offers 586 undergraduate and graduate programs, of which 248 are in the sciences and engineering, 31 in agriculture and fisheries, and 100 in the social sciences. It also offers 93 programs in the arts and letters, 83 programs in management, and 29 programs in education.  As of December 31, 2022, the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has declared 41 academic units of the University as Centers of Excellence (COE), while five units were declared as Centers for Development (COD).  With around 1,747 International Publication Awards and a lot more locally, UP continues to achieve groundbreaking research in medicine, engineering, agriculture, fisheries, and disaster risk reduction and management. It also inspires its artists to pursue works that elevate human consciousness and move societies. UP continues to play a vital role in shaping the nation’s consciousness and identity, always anchored in honor and excellence.   UP Diliman  UP Diliman in Quezon City hosts most of the programs of the University. Its sprawling campus, which features a lagoon and an open field, has fueled the creativity of faculty and students in its various programs.  Its National Science Complex hosts several units and institutes that have produced unique and innovative research and studies that contribute to the advancement of several scientific and technological fields. Among these is the UP Philippine Genome Center (UP PGC). Instrumental in detecting COVID-19 in the Philippines, the UP PGC was also involved in developing a local COVID-19 testing kit.  UP Diliman also houses the Resilience Institute (UPRI) and its disaster risk reduction and management program, UP NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards). Partnering with communities, UPRI has conducted training programs that prepare these areas for possible disasters.  Beyond the sciences and the arts, UP Diliman is also home to the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP CWGS), a pioneering research and advocacy institution in the country to advance women’s and LGBTIA+ rights and empowerment.     UP Los Baños  Farther south in the province of Laguna is UP Los Baños (UPLB). At the foot of Mt. Makiling, UPLB is a recognized leader in agriculture, forestry, environmental management, and veterinary medicine. It hosts the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPLB BIOTECH), which has continuously pursued agricultural, environmental, and health biotechnology research, resulting in alternative technologies and products that are proven useful to farmers.  UPLB is a founding member of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), aimed at fostering collaborative efforts with partner institutions to enhance graduate education in agriculture, environment, and natural resources in the region.    UP Manila  In the country’s capital is the nation’s leader in health sciences studies, UP Manila. Home to the National Institutes of Health, (UP NIH), its experts conduct research that has resulted in innovations in public health, emergency response, and medicine.  Hosting the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH), the Philippines’ largest tertiary government hospital, the campus provides medical care to Filipinos from all walks of life. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, UP PGH served as a COVID-19 referral center, exerting its utmost to save lives. Consequently, its groundbreaking Stop COVID Deaths webinar series, the country’s first and only frontline-focused medical webinar series, was honored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) with the 2022 Gold Quill Award of Merit.  UP Manila is also home to the College of Nursing, the World Health Organization’s Regional Collaborating Center in Nursing Development. At the same time, its College of Public Health hosts TROPMED Philippines, which is the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization’s (SEAMEO) Regional Centre for Public Health, Hospital and Environmental and Occupational Health.      UP Visayas  Spread across three campuses in islands across central Philippines is UP Visayas. An acknowledged authority in fisheries, aquaculture, and marine science education and research, it is home to several units that conduct studies in support of the archipelagic nature of the Philippines. These are the Brackishwater Aquaculture Center, Freshwater Aquaculture Station, Batan Mariculture Station, and Marine Biological Station.  Aside from marine research, UP Visayas is also active in efforts to preserve and enrich the Visayan cultural heritage. Recently, UP Visayas inaugurated the UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas, allowing for the training of locals in the collection of specimens necessary for COVID-19 detection, as well as the conduct of testing in the region.      UP Open University  Situated near UPLB is the UP Open University (UPOU), the country’s pioneering virtual university. The UPOU provides quality distance education to students both in the Philippines and abroad who cannot attend the conventional in-person classroom setting due to personal or professional reasons. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UP Open University shared much of its experience in conducting virtual classes with other UP units and educational institutions.  The UP Open University has ten learning centers nationwide, as well as a virtual learning center, with over 31 academic programs for both graduate and undergraduate studies.        UP Mindanao     Affirming the University’s presence in the country’s second-largest island, UP Mindanao was established by law to provide equitable access to quality education. The campus offers various programs in the humanities and the sciences, as well as in architecture, the food sciences, the humanities, and social, natural, and computing sciences. With the addition of sports science, medicine, and engineering to its program offerings, UP Mindanao is envisioned to produce graduates who will become leaders in the region  UP Mindanao is also the home of the UP Philippine Genome Center-Mindanao, contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Philippines.      UP Baguio  Nestled in the Cordillera Region, north of Manila, atop a pine-clad hill in the heart of a mountain city, is a leading institution in science, mathematics, social sciences, and humanities—UP Baguio.  Through its Cordillera Studies Center (CSC), UP Baguio is steadfast in pursuing research in governance and development, local literature, biodiversity conservation, and ethnicity. These studies, hosted in the campus’s Museo Kordilyera, contribute to the preservation and appreciation of the cultural traditions and heritage of the indigenous communities of Northern Philippines.     UP Cebu  UP Cebu is the UP System’s flagship university in Central Visayas. It was established ten years after the founding of UP in 1908. In 2010, the Board of Regents elevated its status to an autonomous unit, and in 2016, to a constituent university, making it the eighth unit of the University.  Located in a region that is aggressively asserting itself as an area for direct and foreign investments, UP Cebu has focused on strengthening its business and information technology programs. In 2007, the Commission on Higher Education recognized UP Cebu as a National Center of Excellence in Information Technology.        More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP at a Glance UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "Message of the President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/message-of-the-president/",
        "html": "Message of the President President Angelo A. Jimenez. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  On September 14, 2023, I was granted the singular honor of being invested as President of the University of the Philippines. At a meeting with our vice presidents, chancellors, executive directors, and strategic advisers—as we began charting the course of our administration for the next six years—we made the significant decision to add one word to UP’s long-standing motto of “Honor and Excellence.”  That word was “Service.”  It is a simple yet deeply meaningful reminder of UP’s true calling and guiding principle: service to our people and to humanity as a whole. Service is a sacred vow, one made by each member of the UP community the moment we step into the University’s hallowed halls. We each learn to fulfill our responsibility as Iskolar ng Bayan with faithfulness, courage, and compassion.  In the 21st century, in a world that is becoming increasingly turbulent and difficult to navigate, the call for UP to serve has expanded well beyond the nation’s geopolitical borders. UP is called on to be a regional and global player. To paraphrase Konstantin Stanislavski, we cannot be small actors attempting to play small roles anymore. And I am proud to see that, as evidenced by the case studies presented in this UP Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report for 2021-2022, UP is doing precisely that.  Our academic units, our research institutions, our students, alumni and community organizations continue to develop, implement, maintain and strengthen research programs and initiatives targeted at solving the most pressing challenges of our time. Our lofty aims include: climate change adaptation and disaster resilience; hunger alleviation and poverty reduction; expanding access to quality education and healthcare; building sustainable cities and communities; conserving biodiversity and the environment; and creating a society anchored on peace, security, justice, equality, and the protection of human rights for all.  These goals cannot be accomplished without facilitating partnerships with other higher education institutions, local governments, and civil society, and require a holistic, grassroots approach to ensure genuine inclusiveness and community- and country-level ownership of all implemented projects and achieved outcomes. I commend every one of the units and individuals mentioned in this report for the innovation and dedication necessary to achieve this breadth of vision. Your efforts affect lives for the better, and ensure that UP and the Philippines are a positive force for change in the world.  I would also like to thank the UP System Committee on University Rankings, the administrators and advisers and research and creative staff who made this UP SDG Report for 2021-2022 possible. Thank you for continuing to build upon UP’s database of SDG-related programs and projects, thus enabling us to monitor, understand, and improve the University’s contributions to our country’s success in meeting our targets under the UN SDGs.  My administration is committed to supporting and magnifying these efforts. I affirm the UP System’s strong commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which serve as a global blueprint for addressing the most pressing challenges of our time. Our administration’s commitment to achieving the SDGs, however, goes beyond mere words; it is a firm pledge to take meaningful action. In this period of global crisis, we recognize the historical urgency of the SDGs, and thus are working to integrate them into the very fabric of our University.  The core of our commitment lies in the field of education. Access to quality education is a cornerstone of sustainable development and a prerequisite for achieving all other SDGs. In UP, we firmly believe that our academic programs should reflect this commitment. It is not just about including SDGs in specific courses; it is about making the values and knowledge latent in the accomplishment of these goals an integral part of our curriculum. In every course offered by the university, we will ensure that the principles of sustainability are embedded deeply within our educational framework.  But education is only our starting point. Research and development are also vital aspects of the SDGs, and universities like UP play a central role in advancing these goals. UP’s researchers are at the forefront of addressing the complex challenges posed by the SDGs, and our administration pledges to enable them to continue conducting action-oriented research that not only helps us better understand the costs and implications of implementing the SDGs at the local and national level, but also provides innovative solutions to real-world problems at the regional and global levels.  Furthermore, universities serve as repositories of knowledge, fulcrums of cooperation, and drivers of innovation within their countries, regions, and in the global community. Recognizing the necessity of acting collectively with other stakeholders, UP is vigorously engaging with other state universities, governments, the private sector, and civil society to promote and implement the SDGs. By working together, we will provide a supportive environment and create a broad network of resources that will enable our students, researchers, and academics to actively participate in projects that contribute to building the knowledge and tools needed to achieve the SDGs.  The tenets of sustainable development align with our mandate as the national university. We have a long and distinguished history of producing leaders, innovators, and changemakers in various fields. We have always recognized our duty to serve the people and contribute to progress and development in our country. Now, we are extending that same sense of service and commitment to the global community.  Mabuhay tayong lahat!   More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals About UP Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP at a Glance UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP at a Glance – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-the-sdgs-up-at-a-glance/",
        "html": "UP at a Glance Early morning joggers take a break while on the Academic Oval in UP Diliman, Quezon City. UP MPRO file photo.  UP Campuses 8 Constituent Universities 17 Campuses 5 Future Campuses  UP College Admissions (UPCA) 2023 111,128 Total applicants 74,280 (66.8%) Female 36,848 (33.2%) Male  17,527 Total qualifiers 11,330 (64.6%) Female qualifiers 6,197 (35.4%) Male qualifiers  Students 64,144 Total Students 38,172 (59.5%) Female Students 25,972 (40.5%) Male Students  Faculty 7,105 Total Faculty 4,172 (58.7%) Full-time or Regular Faculty 2,972 (40.5%) Part-time or Non-Regular Faculty  UP Philippine General Hospital Service Recipients 473,385 Total patients served 43,433 (9.2%) In-patient patients 386,204 (81.6%) Out-patient patients 43,748 (9.2%) Emergency cases patients  UP Landholdings 26,304.5416 hectares – Total Land Holdings 2,618.9986 hectares – Campus Sites 4,980.39 hectares – Research Areas 2,705.78 hectares – Mangrove Areas 9,093.44 hectares – Land Grants 6,900.00 hectares – Under UP Stewardship 5.933 hectares – Other Properties  More on UP and the SDGs  UP and the Sustainable Development Goals Message from the President About UP Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP on Good Health and Well-Being UP on Quality Education UP on Gender Equality UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP on Climate Action UP on Partnerships to Achieve the Goals "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-visual-identity-guidebook-2017-now-available-online/",
        "html": "UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online UP Visual Identity Guidebook 2017 now available online March 14, 2017 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office     UP Visual Identity Guide 2017 This is a digital copy of the University of the Philippines Visual Identity Guidebook 2017. This guide serves to define the elements found in official trademarks of the university, such as the seal, university colors, logo type and The Oblation.  The VIG also prescribes how these symbols should be used in official communications, websites, social media accounts and other materials of the university’s units, offices, organizations, faculty, students and staff.  The adoption of the UP VIG was approved by the Board of Regents on its 1324th Meeting held last 26 January 2017, at the Board Room, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-roots-of-angelo-a-jimenez/",
        "html": "The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez June 6, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc   Jimenez symbolically takes his oath as UP President in the mountains of a conflict-ridden place called Mahayahay in Butuan. “I was always there as a little boy. I took my oath before the children of the Lumad. I wanted to, in my own little way, remind UP where its ultimate loyalty belongs,” he says. Photo courtesy of Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) Strategic Communications Office.     Angelo Azura Jimenez has the distinction of being the first UP Student Regent to be elected UP President and the first Mindanaoan to hold the position. He brings to the table a lived understanding of sectoral representation and the hope and the pride of the people of Mindanao.  Having worked in government, he has also developed expertise in the protection and development of migrant workers.  Family, community, and identity  “Growing up in Butuan, you are close to family, close to church, and close to your friends on a day-to-day basis. We grew up in a very supporting, nurturing environment where there is much trust and very little distrust or suspicion of each other’s motives,” Jimenez described his life in his hometown.  His Mindanao life embodied a unity of cultures, that supported trust in the other. “My family has been there for over a hundred years, and I am a native of the city itself. I am a Manobo and a Christian lowlander at the same time,” Jimenez said. “We grew up trusting each other.  “We grew up playing with our neighbors. We grew up with close-knit communities and families together,” he remembered. “My mother was a high school principal and my grandmother was an elementary school principal. My mother was also a church leader,” Jimenez, who was an altar boy himself, speaks about the many other families connected to their own families through such involvements.  The Catholic school boy, several years later, would also be named a tribal datu by the city elders, who conferred on him the name, Datu Mankalagan or “Great Spirit”. He recalls that ceremony fondly. “It’ll be a great source of strength and inspiration as I face this awesome, awesome job of becoming the twenty-second president of the University of the Philippines,” Jimenez said.  He realizes that his Mindanao line is integral to his UP presidency. “It was when I got elected that people reminded me that I’m the first UP president who came from Mindanao, and I was amazed, actually surprised, maybe a little bit shocked,” he said. “It’s something significant to our people. I never realized that my election would resonate in Mindanao.  “Finally, one of their own has become a UP president,” it has dawned upon him. “I wanted to, in my own little way, remind UP where its ultimate loyalty belongs; and, I couldn’t imagine a more marginalized community than our IPs in the mountains where there has been an ongoing conflict and there still is right now.”  “I was roundly criticized then. I had to just grit my teeth and decide in favor of the students so that they could graduate.” – Jimenez     The rise of the student leader  Having lived in a harmonious but diverse Mindanao community, Jimenez did not dream of being involved in campus politics when he passed the UPCAT and moved to the Big City.  “I just loved to write, actually. So when I was in my sophomore year, I joined the Philippine Collegian where I was a feature writer, and probably the longest serving features editor in the Collegian.” Aside from features, he wrote poetry, and many of his poems were published in the Collegian and the Collegian Folio Magazine.  He would become the paper’s associate editor in 1987-1988. Inevitably, he became active in the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), of which the Collegian was a founding member and which had turned militant during the First Quarter Storm.  “One time I attended a session among campus writers in Metro Manila, and they decided they wanted me to run as CEGP national president. That was in 1987, and since it’s an organization of writers, I agreed. I won rather overwhelmingly,” Jimenez said about how he started on the path of national youth leadership. As a national leader, he got very involved with the youth and students outside UP. By then he was a freshman in Law school.  “I was always traveling. And I almost neglected my law school [studies]. It was a very challenging time. But after that, now I was in the radar of student politics, particularly student electoral politics,” Jimenez recalled. After his term as CEGP national president, he was asked to run for councilor in the UP Diliman student council. “I started to speak in the streets, in public fora, and it went naturally from there.”  As chair of the traditionally militant University Student Council in 1991-1992, he remembers facing the burning issue of the renewal of US military bases in the country. “We were against it, and I would lead rallies. [UP] would be the largest contingent. It went as far as 5,000 students in UP from all political spectrum and diversity. We were very united then.”  Jimenez, in one of first ceremonies of this presidency, leads the conferment of a Doctor of Law, honoris causa, on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim, whom he cited for, among others, the advocacy of the concept of an Asian Renaissance and a devoted study of the life, works, and teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque, UP MPRO.  The Regent and the dilemma of representation  Having been elected Student Regent in 1992, he had to deal with the more complicated issue of sectoral representation. “You have a sector that does not speak in just one voice. And then when you come to the meeting of the Board, you have to come to terms as well with what you call your personal agency, your own structure of beliefs, your ethical and moral structure that you have deep inside you as well,” Jimenez said.  He remembers going against a popular opinion concerning medical students who were refused graduation by the college on the basis of moral fitness. The students and the University Council of UP Manila agreed with the position of the College, Jimenez recalls. He agonized over his vote.  “Upon graduation, they imposed moral fitness and I was a little worried because, number one, it was not in the rules. Number two, I was worried about standards. Who sets moral standards? How do we comply with a particular standard? And what are fair standards that are acceptable to all. And we are a secular university… Whom do we allow to make judgment of our moral fitness to be in the profession?” Jimenez recalled his thoughts back then.  “I was roundly criticized then. I had to just grit my teeth and decide in favor of the students so that they could graduate.”  Jimenez would go back to the Board of Regents as a Malacañang appointee, representing the Republic of the Philippines in the University, from 2016 to 2021.     “And to strengthen the institution, I feel that we have to build trust — trust in institutions and trust in each other.” – Jimenez      President Angelo A. Jimenez. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  Lessons for UP from his experience  From 1993 to 2007, Jimenez was in government in mostly labor-related posts. He held positions in Malacañang, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. From 1999 to 2003, he was the labor attaché, first to Japan, then to Kuwait, and then to Iraq, too.  “I am a practitioner of international labor markets and the area of expertise I have developed over the last decades is the protection of migrant labor, especially overseas Filipino workers. I was on the opposite end of the educational system because I was receiving finished products,” he said, talking about OFWs as end products of the educational system. “And I have familiarity with the needs of international industries. I saw where the Filipinos are strong, based on our educational system, and where they’re weak.”  “I realize certain things: Some of our professionals are not recognized abroad, or not recognized as we do recognize them. For example, I’ve seen architects who are hired as mere draftsmen, or dentists who are hired only as dental hygienists. We lack certain units or academic units. In the Middle East, for example, many of them observe British standards.”  “At that time we didn’t have K-12. And that was one of the major weaknesses in terms of international recruitment and especially when it came to benefits pay rate, and opportunities, not just from job entry, but also job promotion,” he said.  Jimenez talks about acquiring lessons from a global experience of crisis management. “When Saddam fell, I was sent as well to Iraq. I spent two years there protecting Filipinos in a war zone. There was civil war there, and it gave me a lot of insights. First, on how important it is to strengthen institutions because I’ve seen the country where there was no government, there were no laws.”  “I saw the country implode before my eyes,” Jimenez went on. “I realized that when institutions fall, nations fall or social systems fall. And so perhaps, the greatest insight I have is the importance of strengthening our institutions, not just in the country, but more specifically today in the University as well.”  “And to strengthen the institution, I feel that we have to build trust—trust in institutions and trust in each other. Because I’ve seen how  the lack of trust in many places in the world kills societies, how societies degenerate into civil war, fratricidal war, because there was no trust in the community,” the UP President from Mindanao spoke.  Read more stories from the UP Forum Read the latest News from UP Read UP’s Announcements"
    },
    {
        "title": "Community – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/community/",
        "html": "Community TV@70: UP looks back on 70 years of Philippine television    The University of the Philippines Department of Broadcast Communication (UP DBC) closed its year-long celebration of 70 years of...  Read More Pamamahayag bilang pagmamalasakit: Ilang tala hinggil sa ‘Some People Need Killing’  Estudyante pa lang si Patricia Evangelista ng Speech Communication sa College of Arts and Letters sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman...  Read More AUPAEU: End Terror-tagging of Unionists and Activists! Resume Peace Talks!  Statement of All UP Academic Employees Union on the Red-Tagging Spree of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa December 2, 2023...  Read More Exploring Korean Studies in Europe  The last time I visited Europe, in 2019, was on a personal trip with my family. But this year, returning...  Read More Locating barangay elections in the Filipinos’ list of priorities  On October 30, 2023, the Philippines held what is arguably the most impactful elections in the country: the 2023 Barangay...  Read More UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) 2024 Tips  As the University of the Philippines prepares to administer the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the first time since...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "A Datu in Diliman – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/a-datu-in-diliman/",
        "html": "A Datu in Diliman A Datu in Diliman August 1, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Commencement Address of President Angelo Jimenez 30 July 2023 UP Diliman University of the Philippines President Angelo A. Jimenez delivering his Commencement Address to the graduating class of UP Diliman on July 30, at the Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Abraham Arboleda, UP MPRO.  Madiyaw nga hinaat kaniyo nga tanan!  Honorable Members of our Board of Regents, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan, the Chancellors of our other Constituent Universities, our University officials, faculty members, staff members, workers, students, distinguished guests, and above all our graduating students today and their proud parents:  A very pleasant albeit rainy morning to all of you, and thank you all for coming today despite the weather. I am sure that we will not allow a steel gray sky and a rush of rain to dampen our spirits, like the sunflowers along University Avenue that remain radiant as ever.  I did not know until recently, when I was approached by Chancellor Vistan, that I was to be your commencement speaker. It is uncommon—if not unprecedented—for the UP President to fill that role, which we usually reserve for an academic, cultural, or political luminary, none of which I consider myself to be.  But having been your President for less than half a year, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to introduce myself to our community, that you might know me and my ideas beyond my standard CV.  This morning, I want to tell you a story.  I am being introduced to you by my formal Christian name. Ako nga po si Angelo Azura Jimenez, abogado at ikadalawampu’t dalawang Pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.  Subalit may isa pa po akong pangalan na nais kong gamitin ngayong araw, bilang pagpapakilala sa inyo ng aking pinagmulan, at ng aking kabuuan.  Ako po si Datu Mankalagan.  Isa akong Manobo mula sa Agusan Valley. Isinilang ako at lumaki sa isang sinauna at makasaysayang lunsod sa wawa ng Ilog Agusan, sa Mindanaw. Ito ang lunsod ng Butuan, na bantog sa Silangang Asya bilang isang mayamang kaharian bago pa man dumating ang mga Kastila. In my city, we say: “Before there was the Philippines, there was Butuan.”  And what a great pre-Hispanic city it was, home to skillful artisans of gold and builders of mighty, ocean-going boats called balangays. Many elements that now form part of the cultural tapestry of our island entered through the Agusan River’s estuary. Its sheer length, one of the longest in the country, ensured that cultural and social exchanges with a larger world penetrated deeply into the heart of Mindanaw centuries before our nation was born.  I love my city. It is my legs, my arms, my mind, my heart. It is the cradle of my deepest affections. It is who I am, today and forever.  The title of “datu” was conferred on me by my people in a solemn ceremony in 2007. A ritual dagger was plunged deep into the heart of a live boar. I heard its vertiginous squeal of pain as it spurted blood and began to die.  A priestess scooped the blood that gushed straight from the heart of the boar before it fell to the ground, and proceeded to paint it on the palm of my hands and soles of my feet, to the drone of her own incantations.  I thought I was going to faint and I never fully realized it then but now I think I know why—life was being ritually offered to give birth to a new one, a new identity. It was an overpowering sensation.  On that same occasion, our elders gave me the name “Mankalagan.” In our local language, it means “great spirit.” I do not know if I deserve the name, and my title as a Manobo datu may be honorific, but the tremendous pride I draw from it gives me the courage I need to speak before you today.  It was not always so. I grew up taking it for granted. I never took the time to officially register as one, nor find the need for it. All I knew growing up was that I had Manobo blood. That was enough. Or so I thought, until something I never dreamed of happened to me—I became UP President, which reminded me of the duality of my character, and why it is important to accept and embrace.  Alam ko pong hindi lamang ito aking istorya, kundi istorya rin ng marami sa inyong kaharap ko ngayon. Malalayo ang inyong pinanggalingan, mga munting pook na minsa’y atin nang nakakalimutan. Naging bagong tahanan na natin ang kalunsuran, ang Diliman.  Like Butuan, I love UP Diliman. It is not always easy to love you, Diliman, but I do.  Because like Butuan, I was raised here, too. Like Butuan, UP Diliman is my arms, my legs, my mind, my heart—the cradle of my deepest affections. Like Butuan, UP Diliman is who I am, today and forever.  When I attained the presidency of this national university, I knew I had to reconcile these two halves of me. They were not in conflict with each other, but were rather the two legs on which I would find my way forward.  Early this year, I woke up one morning and had an epiphany. I would reclaim my Manobo identity, and view the world from its perspective, to seek both courage and clarity of vision. And it came.  My region, CARAGA, is the poorest in our country, next only to our neighbor, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. So, on February first, ten days before I took office, I went up the mountain to a place called Sitio Mahayahay.  In the early morning, in Mahayahay, I took my oath of office as the 22nd UP President before the children of the Lumad. It was a symbolic act. But it was important to me.  Oddly enough, in Bisaya, Mahayahay means comfortable, but life there is tough.  It is a poverty-stricken, conflict-ridden hamlet located north of Butuan City. I was told, in fact, that a few days before I came, a firefight occurred in that area between government and communist forces.  There could be worse places in the country, but I personally know of no place that symbolizes marginalization from the life of the nation—politically, economically and socially—more than the life of the Lumads in Mahayahay.  Jimenez symbolically takes his oath as UP President in the mountains of a conflict-ridden place called Mahayahay in Butuan. “I was always there as a little boy. I took my oath before the children of the Lumad. I wanted to, in my own little way, remind UP where its ultimate loyalty belongs,” he says. Photo courtesy of Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) Strategic Communications Office.  I wanted to remind UP, by taking my oath there, where its loyalty should ultimately lie. I needed to take that powerful lesson to heart.  Despite the early morning chill, I had never felt so warm. I was, after all, among my people. Despite the fog that covered the hills, I had never felt such clarity. There, high up in those lovely hills, among the poorest of our people, from the outside looking in, I grasped what I had long suspected about our beloved university.  And it came in the form of three great moral paradoxes.  The first paradox is that the University of the Philippines was founded to provide leaders for the nation. And indeed we have, among the 300,000 alumni who preceded you today. We have produced the most Presidents, the most number of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, Senate Presidents and Speakers of the House. Throughout the government bureaucracy, you will find our graduates in responsible positions.  In the private sector, you will find captains of industry among our alumni. In fact, among the richest Filipinos, you will find UP graduates. No other University in the country comes close to our dominant position in national life.  And yet, after over a hundred years since our founding as the national university, and still today the only national university in the broadest sense, we find ourselves in one of the most inequitable societies in the world.  We would be blind not to see that poverty, poor health, homelessness and hunger still stalk most of our people. This is an outrage and a ringing accusation against our own self-conceit as the best and the brightest, Iskolar ng Bayan, and University of the People.  This is an existential threat to Filipino nationhood. No nation can long endure under the extreme inequalities we are witnessing today.  The second moral paradox is that access to our university, which we love to call the University of the People, is very difficult for the people. Dedicated in our mind to the highest ideal of equality, are we, in fact, reinforcing and institutionalizing inequality?  I estimate that about 60 percent of our students today come from private schools, as I did. And we all know that while our public secondary schools have produced some of our best students and alumni, there is a yawning gap today between the quality of public and private basic education, in favor of the latter.  Our UPCAT is designed to select only the best, the elite among our high schools. What are the chances of the children of the lumad in Mahayahay of entering UP? Or of the children of Aetas and other lumads? Of the teeming masses of the poor huddled in cramped, under-invested public schools in the country today?  There’s more.  There are around 114 state colleges and universities today and one of them gets 20 percent of the national budget for higher education. You guessed it! That’s our UP.  I have long stopped bragging that we are the nation’s top university. With that share of the budget, we might as well close down if we were not Number One.  One might argue—and some have—that there is no moral justification for just one school, UP, to have such an inordinate share of the budget. Some even say it is because we are simply powerful. But there is actually one.  As the national university, we are mandated under Republic Act 9500, the law revising the UP Charter, to lead in higher education.  Have we?  We all know that there is a huge gap overall between the quality of UP education and the rest of the SUCs. In fact, no other public tertiary educational institution in the Philippines has ever landed among the top 1000 in in global rankings.  Have we simply run away with the biggest share of the national budget for higher education without doing what we could for others?  I believe in democratic access to UP education. And I believe that it is best done by helping improve the quality of education in other SUCs. Would this not be more equitable? Would this not be more democratic access? Does one have to be in UP to have access to a UP-level education? At the same time, we can review UPCAT and our equity-excellence formulas to give our disadvantaged a better fighting chance.  Finally, the third paradox is that the free education you enjoyed in UP today was not actually free. It was paid for by other people who might have needed it more.  Every peso that was spent on your education was one peso less for another Filipino who might have been sick and could not afford to buy medicines.  It was one peso less for housing for another Filipino who could not afford decent shelter.  It was one peso less for a hungry Filipino who could not afford to buy food.  It was one peso less for the education of another student your age who may have had to drop out of school entirely for lack of money.  The free education you got from UP came from many people who needed it just as much if not more, and paid for it by enduring a lower quality of life.  Dear graduates, throughout your UP years, the words “Honor” and “Excellence” have been drummed into your heads. For over a hundred years, we have pledged fealty to these two very personal ideals.  But I ask you now—are these enough?  All of us in UP bear a heavy moral burden to serve the Filipino people. Unless we do, honor and excellence are only for self-aggrandizement, and will mean little to our suffering compatriots.  The sunflowers bloom in anticipation of the graduation season in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The planting and blossoming of the flowers have become part of the traditions of the University. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  When I look out my office in Quezon Hall at our green campus—and looking at you today—my heart swells with pride at what we have achieved. But when my thoughts go back to being that lumad on the mountain, gazing past the horizon to far Manila, I recall, with great trepidation, the great challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead of us.  I did not mean to cast a pall on your graduation day but to reflect on what it means to be UP. I actually wanted to speak of hope. And a hopeful story is unfolding right this very instant.  As you all know, last Tuesday, the Philippines National Women’s Football Team, better known as the Filipinas, beat host-country New Zealand 1-0 in the first round of this year’s FIFA World Cup. The whole world is talking about it now.  The New Zealand Team, nicknamed the Ferns, ranked 26th in FIFA world standings, was way above our current rank of 46. In the game, they dominated with 70 percent ball possession. They were touted to win, we were not. In fact, as World Cup debutante, we were not expected to win at all. It took the Ferns 6 World Cup appearances to win their first match ever against former World Champions Norway last week.  How did our team do it? There are three important lessons for all of us.  First, by making the most of their chances. The Ferns dominated the game with 70 percent ball possession against our 30. They had 16 shots at goal, with 4 on target. We had 4, with only one, only one, on target. But that one hit the back of the net, to give us our first ever goal, our first ever win, and in our first ever appearance on the world’s biggest stage, the World Cup.  I’ve watched that magical clip of Sarina Bolden’s four-against-one winning header. The exhilaration I felt could only be matched by the one I felt two decades ago when, as a hostage negotiator in Iraq, I finally, physically grabbed Filipino hostage Robert Tarongoy into freedom and safety right in the middle of the bloody streets of war-torn Baghdad.  It was my own little, personal World-Cup-like moment. But the true prize for me was not a cheering crowd. It was way more precious. Mission accomplished for our nation, I could go back home to the loving arms of my wife and kids, alive.  In Wellington a few days ago, the Filipinas tried to create many chances but, in the end, they managed to produce only one real chance. And that one chance was all they needed.  In life, there will be precious few great chances. Maybe only one. Maybe none at all, if you will simply wait for it. We should strive for own World Cup moment. When it comes, grab it by the scruff of the neck.  Second, by making themselves invincible. The Ferns never scored against us. So, another way of looking at 70 percent possession by the other side is that our defense was under pressure 70 percent of the time, and withstood the withering fire.  I have no doubt that your UP education has made you strong, resourceful, and resolute. Yours is a generation that survived the ravages of the first ever truly global pandemic in human history.  For over two years, you were all isolated from each other. That was not easy. Humans are essentially social beings, and their social nature has been key to the survival of the species throughout history. Isolation is the enemy. We have never survived serious challenges alone.  Your generation has broken the isolation brought about by the pandemic by your mastery of technology that enabled us to keep our connection with each other. Social media and information technology may have redefined social interaction, but you have made it achieve its social purpose. It has also enabled all of you not only to graduate but prepare for life in the digital age.  Against the challenges of the COVID pandemic, your defense held, like the Filipinas on world’s greatest sporting stage.  Third, the Filipinas wanted to win more. Against a stronger side, this is absolutely required. The Filipinas had the proper motivation.  One of the most competitive elements of an athlete is mental toughness. The most amazing part of the Filipinas victory is that they just came in from a 2-0 loss in their first game against a strong Swiss team. They quickly put that behind them, adjusted, and came out more determined in the next game. And won.  This is perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from the Filipinas. We will always have our losses in life. But we take our defeats, learn our lessons, and move on to the next challenge trying to do better.  These are not new insights. In fact, this is ancient wisdom. Be strong, take risks, be motivated.  Most of all, succeed not just for yourself, but for the many others whose lives and spirits will be uplifted by the good you do.  Di lang tayo dapat Iskolar ng Bayan kundi Iskolar Para sa Bayan.  Serve the people. Wala nang mas tatayog pa sa adhikaing ito para sa ating lahat: paglingkuran ang sambayanan!  Mabuhay kayo, mabuhay ang UP, at mabuhay ang Pilipinas!  Ato ini, kadiyawon ta! "
    },
    {
        "title": "Welcome and Introduction by President Jimenez of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/welcome-and-introduction-by-president-jimenez-of-malaysian-prime-minister-anwar-ibrahim/",
        "html": "Welcome and Introduction by President Jimenez of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Welcome and Introduction by President Jimenez of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim March 2, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Welcome and Introduction by UP President Angelo A. Jimenez for the Honorary Degree Conferment Ceremony of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim 2 March 2023, UP Theater, UP Diliman University of the Philippines President Angelo A. Jimenez delivering his welcome address and introduction of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).  Your Excellency Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Charge d’Affaires Mr. Mohammad Fareed Zakaria, Esteemed Members of the Board of Regents, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo and Chancellors of our Constituent Universities, To the Presidents of the State Universities and Colleges, Members of the Faculty, Administration, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen:  I feel deeply honored to welcome you to the University of the Philippines—our country’s first and only national university to be so designated. That is because UP, as we call ourselves, represents the noblest of our people’s aspirations. It is home to the minds that shape our nation, and today those minds open themselves to yours—as we open our hearts as well to your party, who have so graciously chosen to visit us.  Of course we are pleasantly aware that for Your Excellency, this is a kind of homecoming, having come to visit UP as a young student leader to seek the counsel of the late and beloved University Professor Emeritus Cesar Adib Majul, our foremost expert in Islamic studies.  This campus would have been quite different then—a bit less crowded perhaps, given the many new buildings and facilities we have since erected. But what has not changed is the strong and unquenchable spirit of liberal and nationalist education that you would have found in UP then.  That spirit has survived many challenges throughout the decades, as you yourself, Excellency, have survived and prevailed over the many vicissitudes of your political life. And thus we feel bound in spirit to your own youthful idealism, your courage, and your lifelong quest for freedom, justice, and prosperity—not just for Malaysia but for a renewed, aware, and vibrant Asia.  The Philippines and Malaysia share a long and special kinship—one of blood and culture—beyond the politics and economics of the present. Our countries both emerged from colonial rule determined to claim our rightful place in the community of modern and progressive nations.  We each have met with our own successes and our own setbacks. And while we cannot easily prescribe one’s solution for the other, given the differences in our societies and historical experience, it is clear that we are beset by many of the same problems—corruption in government, selective justice, socioeconomic inequality, food security, and environmental destruction, among others.  There is much room and reason for our political, business, and academic leaders to engage in fruitful dialogue, and I hope that your visit today will result in new modes of cooperation between our countries and our universities.  And now it is my great privilege to introduce our guest of honor to the UP community.  Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia—a position for which his prior exposure to a broad range of government positions and responsibilities has prepared him well. Previously, he served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 and Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1998, before which he served as Minister of Education in 1986, Minister of Agriculture in 1984, and Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports in 1983.  Respected for his unyielding stance against corruption and his management of the Malaysian economy during the turbulent financial crisis of 1997, Anwar has been internationally recognized for his bold and dynamic leadership. Euromoney named him one of the world’s top four finance ministers in 1993, and in 1996 Asiamoney named him Finance Minister of the Year. In 1998, Newsweek voted him Asian of the Year.  The awards reflect the effectiveness and impact of Anwar’s financial stewardship. During his tenure as Finance Minister, Malaysia enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and economic growth despite the instability rocking the regional economy. He backed free market principles and highlighted the issue of the proximity of business and politics in Malaysia. He advocated greater accountability, declined to offer government bailouts, and instituted widespread spending cuts.  Anwar was Chairman of the Development Committee of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in 1998. During his tenure, he strongly endorsed debt cancellation initiatives and reprieves for emerging countries, particularly Africa.  Sadly, he has been made to pay a steep personal price for his unflinching principles.  His calls for further reform in 1998 led to his dismissal from government. Subsequently he was tried and imprisoned on charges that were eventually overturned by the Malaysian Supreme Court, and he was finally released from solitary confinement in 2004.  Imprisoned once more in 2015 on what were widely deplored to be political grounds, Anwar was pardoned by King Sultan Muhammad V in 2018. Anwar Ibrahim stood and won as a Pakatan Harapan coalition candidate in the general election of 2022, and was sworn in as Prime Minister by King Al-Sultan Abdullah on November 23, 2022.  He has lectured at many of the world’s leading universities, and is an internationally renowned expert on Jose Rizal and on economics, democracy, freedom, governance, Islam and democracy, and the need for accountability in government. He was appointed Honorary President of the London-based group AccountAbility and Chairman of the Beirut-based Foundation for the Future. Anwar is also an advisor to the People’s Justice Party (Keadilan) in Malaysia.  May I add, however, that this brief political biography hardly does justice to the intellectual and visionary within the politician. For beneath Anwar Ibrahim’s sharp sense of financial management lies a deep well of moral rectitude, a belief in right and wrong that seems to have deserted many of today’s political pragmatists. Much of that derives from his strong religious faith—which, unlike the West, he does not see as being incompatible with the needs and priorities of modern society. To him, this is a native strength that can be harnessed toward an Asian Renaissance.  Like Jose Rizal, who self-identified as “Malayo-Tagalog” and who was a keen student of the cultural and linguistic connections between Malays and his own countrymen, Anwar appreciates the West as a source of knowledge but cautions against neglecting or yielding our cultural specificity.  At the same time, he has championed a more inclusive and pluralistic Malaysia, arguing—and here I quote from his book on The Asian Renaissance—“not for mere tolerance, but rather for the active nurturing of alternative views. This would necessarily include lending a receptive ear to the voices of the politically oppressed, the socially marginalized, and the economically disadvantaged. Ultimately, the legitimacy of a leadership rests as much on moral uprightness as it  does on popular support.”  When I accepted the presidency of this great university not one month ago, I said that in addition to our most cherished ideals of Honor and Excellence, I wanted to add “kindness,” at least under my administration, as a measure and manifestation of our shared humanity. I am encouraged to find in his book that Prime Minister Anwar also seeks to foster “Justice, Virtue, and Compassion.” This is the humanist at the core of the man speaking—the young activist and sometime student of literature who never forgot that at the heart of all our efforts toward development lies the most human yearnings for freedom, happiness, and dignity.  Ladies and gentleman, I give you His Excellency, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.  Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) and UP President Angelo Jimenez (center) share the stage alongside the members of the UP Board of Regents during the conferment ceremony. Photo by Kevin Christian Roque (UPMPRO).  For more photos of the Conferment of the Honorary Degree on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Honor and Excellence in a Digital National University – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/honor-and-excellence-in-a-digital-national-university/",
        "html": "Honor and Excellence in a Digital National University Honor and Excellence in a Digital National University February 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Angelo A. Jimenez 22nd President University of the Philippines 10 February 2023 UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivering his speech at the Turnover Ceremony for the Presidency of the University of the Philippines on February 10, 2023, at the Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.  President Danilo Concepcion, members of the Board of Regents; and the officials of our University; the faculty, staff, and alumni present; the students of our eight constituent universities; distinguished guests; magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.  Please allow me to begin by extending my gratitude to President Danny and the officials of the University who have graciously assisted myself and my team for the past few weeks as we have prepared for this day. Our goal is to hit the ground running from Day One, and I believe we are in a position to do that because of your help. To all of you, daghang salamat, and thank you for your service to the University.  I am especially grateful to President Danny — or Danny the Builder as I like to call him — for all the work you have done in your six-year tenure as UP President. All of us are challenged to leave this world a little better than we found it; when President Concepcion assumed office six years ago, he took this to heart — and he will leave the University much, much better than when he found it. Walk around this campus and that is self- evident. Thank you very much, Mr. President; and thank you, Gabby, for sharing him with us these past six years.  Our country has just weathered a global pandemic that has triggered massive disruptions in business, technology, labor, and education. These have upended conventional thinking and compelled humankind to hurriedly adapt to and accept new realities.  In this day and age, higher education institutions (HEIs) cannot be parochial and self-absorbed. HEIs need to acquire a global consciousness in carrying their mandates. We need to look at the developments of the immediate past and prepare ourselves for a future in which the pace of innovation is — as AI is teaching us — faster than the speed of thought.  With this as background, the University of the Philippines is envisioned in the next six years to be at the forefront of transformative scientific, cultural, and artistic pedagogy, research, and public service in local and global communities.  Our mission is to foster efficacy, effectivity, and efficiency through transdisciplinary engagements in teaching, research, and public service.  Ang UP ay mananatiling bulwagan ng dangal at ipagpapatuloy natin ang simulain nito tungo sa husay at dangal.  But honor and excellence are not enough. Aanhin ang husay at dangal kung walang malasakit at kung walang pakikipag-kapwa tao?  A transformative UP means no individual or small group effort would probe enough to offer a sound alternative to the complexities we are facing. Though coming from various backgrounds and enjoying disparate privileges, UP has provided and will always provide its constituencies with a common ground to overcome our differences. A passion for knowledge production brought us together and has given us a sense of belonging, which is a strong ground to negotiate between the legacy we share and the future we envision, to better serve our academic community and the world we live in. This is the cornerstone of our first line of action: pumailanlang, pumalaot.  Pumailanlang, Pumalaot is pakikipag-ugnayan, which entails a call for communion. It is a commitment to recognize and respect each other’s worth. And in this sense, we will champion the following:  First, engagement in Transdisciplinary Research, which is also an attempt to end the silo mentality. We must conduct more collaborative research and creative projects among disciplines and among constituent universities, with an agenda of creating translational research that will benefit the country and our people. At the end of the day, the general public should and will always be the target audience of our research. It is our obligation to convert scientific, social scientific, and artistic research into practical programs that will uplift the lives of the Filipino people.  We have to build strong bridges within and between CUs. In our current reality, no single discipline nor single campus is able to provide holistic and comprehensive solutions to the problems confronted by an ever- changing world.  We have to promote and encourage greater interaction and dialogue among UP constituents, such as institutionalization of research programs or curation of creative projects that engage the sciences and the arts in solving social concerns and critically interrogating social issues.  Second, let us also build a stronger pakikipag-ugnayan with our alumni because they are an integral part of the UP community. Their role in providing resources to UP is invaluable. However, they are more than a source of much-needed funds; they are role models for our students. They may also serve as mentors to our students or they can be co-facilitators in extension programs and public services. Our alumni are also our international ambassadors — showing the world what “Honor” and ‘Excellence” with compassion means.  Third, UP must also move forward towards the direction of the 21st century education by building and crossing bridges towards digital technology. UP needs to digitally transform learning in order to be responsive to the period of rapid change in an increasingly globalized environment. In this regard, UP in the next six years will critically participate in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and we will journey towards the transformation of a learner-centered digital University.  To make this a bit more concrete, digital transformation in the UP context means:  Differentiated and personalized learning: the tailoring of learning content, processes and activities to match each learners ability level. Digital learning resources: the creation of digital resources that engage students in learning activities and support students’ learning goal. Global and remote learning: learning from anywhere and at any time. Administrative efficiencies: the greater use of data science in decision making.  I imagine our CUs and campuses enjoying high-speed networks and the enhanced digital competence of our faculty and staff.  One of the goals of digital transformation is to create compelling digital content in education that include current, relevant, and accurate information that are aligned to the highest quality standards. These user- friendly digital content will be made available to all UP students, regardless of what CU they are enrolled in. As part of our extension service, we will happily share the digital course content that we will develop with other SUCs. Our digital transformation initiative will also expand and make it easier for our students to cross-enroll in other CUs.  Fourth, as a national university, we must also help the nation by reaching out to the state universities and colleges in the regions. With its resources, UP is better armed as a teaching, research, and public service university as compared to its fellow SUCs. As such, we must extend “honor and excellence” to the SUCs by ways of consortium or by assisting in capacity buildings or by sending our experts to aid them in academic program development.  Fifth, reaching out to our administrative staff members is also a very important aspect of this agenda of pakikipag-ugnayan. We will review the benefits our staff members receive. We will also sit down with the Department of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission to address personnel and regularization issues on an institutional level.  The second major plan of action is a take on pride of place. We have to envision a UP where spaces are safe, nurturing, shared, connected, and sustainable. This is an opportunity to think of UP as a means to transform spaces into places with meaning and memories. Emplacement is historically and culturally wired; our existence is embodied in space and time. A place has history. It also articulates cultural memory, and in the case of UP, it is an extension of a long history of intellectual, scientific, and artistic traditions.  Pride of place plays an important role in identifying and supporting place- based policy, which includes environmental governance mechanisms.  Pride of place entails community spirit, confidence in an area, and standing up for the community in the face of adversity. The ultimate goal is to involve everyone in the disposition of, “I care, and I want to improve this place.”  We have to maintain UP as an ideal space of learning. Our digital national university will not only be an ideal place to learn, it will also be an ideal place to live and play. Our campuses will be green oases — the lungs of the communities that host them. We will set targets towards carbon neutrality, and in developing our campuses we will abide by the International Good Practice Principles for Sustainable Infrastructure.  Our campuses will also serve as refuge for weary souls that will be rejuvenated though art and culture. UP campuses will be arts hubs. We have to maximize the use of spaces. Our campuses are good venues of found-space performances, site-specific exhibitions, community gatherings and socializations.  With our sense of paglulugar, pagpopook, we are able to craft a system- wide arts and culture policy that will cement UPs place as the leader in arts education, culture promotion, and cultural centers in communities that hosts our campuses.  Consequently, paglulugar, pagpopook will also develop a work environment that lead to fulfilling professional lives and improved well- being. It is also about the provision of resources that the faculty and staff members need to deliver excellent results. Hence, we will continue to invest in our human resources — our most important asset. Immediately, we will create a more transparent and accountable selection process for incentives and rewards; work to increase faculty and staff non-wage benefits; and develop a program to help our retirees transition to the new lives. In the end, paglulugar, pagpopook is also pride in people and pride in their contribution no matter how big or small.  Finally, UP has molded and shaped its students. Its faculty and researchers have innovated and constructed new knowledge. At the same time, UP continuously gives back to the communities.  We will continue to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and national development.  The hallmark of UP in the next six years will be service to the nation. I sincerely believe that service to the nation is not simply on top of what we do, nor is it something that we should do on a voluntary basis. Service to the nation is constitutive of who we are and what we do. Together, we will work towards a UP that is more engaged with the nation.  As a national university our responsibility is to meet the needs of society in order to help create sustainable and inclusive human development. We will continue to be focused on the development of an enlightened and engaged citizenry and a more specialized, practical education for development.  We cannot be satisfied with knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Our role does not end in producing graduates with 21st century skills. We need to go beyond undertaking research and policy advice on improving national governance, making the economy stronger, or creating a sustainable ecosystem.  In this sense, we will work to intensify:  Knowledge co-creation or the joint production of innovation with the private sector, civil society organizations, and communities themselves; and Service learning: “An educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.”  We will embrace our national identity but aspire to be a global university that asks the consequential questions of our time and, acting locally, strives to address the serious issues confronting the country and the world.  UP will remain a bastion of academic freedom for the simple reason that we cannot achieve excellence without it. And part of it is a commitment to continue honing and supporting all forms of knowledge productions: scientific, social-scientific, creative or artistic, professional, and local or indigenous knowledge. The usual knowledge produced by the sciences and the humanities in the formal “Western” education paradigm must not be conceived as the pinnacle of learning. Engagement with indigenous knowledge or what we call the kaalamang bayan is an opportunity to understand that the world is more complicated than how these traditional classroom subjects provide. We are global yet we are very rooted to our indigenous worldviews.  We are shaped by the challenges and crises that confront us. Our recent crises have tested our pedagogical modalities, our creative practices, our research projects, and even our physical and mental health. Nonetheless, these have also forced open windows of opportunities for our faculty and students to survive, to strive, and to thrive. And UP will continue to be an enabler so that they continue to do just that.  In the end, UP will continue to be strong, courageous, critical, and nurturing because we are guided by our vision, our mission, and our values. Our UP Nating Mahal will continue to ensure diversity, inclusivity, and respect as driving forces towards honor, excellence, kindness, and compassion.  The Filipino people deserve no less. Maraming salamat po.  Mabuhay ang UP; mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!  Watch some the highlights of President Angelo A. Jimenez’s speech via the video above. Video shot and edited by Al Nikko M. Nagutom, UP MPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "TV@70: UP looks back on 70 years of Philippine television – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tv70-up-looks-back-on-70-years-of-philippine-television/",
        "html": "TV@70: UP looks back on 70 years of Philippine television TV@70: UP looks back on 70 years of Philippine television December 13, 2023 | Written by Louie Jon A. Sánchez       The University of the Philippines Department of Broadcast Communication (UP DBC) closed its year-long celebration of 70 years of Philippine television this November with several activities. The department spearheaded a lecture on long-form narratives in the age of algorithm and Tik-tok; launched an exhibit of short documentaries on local TV experiences; and conducted a roundtable discussion on radical television “in the time of crisis.”  UP DBC Lecturer Dorian Merina delivered a talk titled “Countering the Algorithm: Is There Space for Long-Form Media in a Tik-Tok World?” on November 13, 2023. He emphasized the importance of cultivating long-form media amidst the proliferation of short-form content and platforms, both of which also tend to be influenced by algorithms.  The Columbia University-educated lecturer asserted that there is currently an increasing demand for longform content, such as full-length articles and multimedia reportage. Apparently, consumers are also looking for depth, contrary to the popular belief that media culture nowadays is constricted by the public’s short attention span.  “Shorter and faster trends in broadcast media promise to amplify new voices and reach audiences. . . it is not only possible, but critical, to produce and engage with long-form media to better serve our communities,” the Batanes-based Filipino-American lecturer underlined in his abstract.  Meanwhile, UP DBC launched “TV sa Tabi-tabi: Maiiksing Dokumentaryo ng Danas TV ng mga Pilipino” on November 17, 2023. The exhibit mounted at the UP College of Mass Communication lobby featured videos produced by undergraduate students of the UP DBC’s Broadcast Media and Arts Studies program. The videos offered first-person accounts of TV viewing habits, recollections, and reflections.  “In addition, this exhibit examines television as object, text and practice, urging us to ruminate on the technological, political-economic, sociocultural, and ontological realities that define and are defined by televisual engagement,” stated the Department in the exhibit’s brief.  The exhibit, which ran until December 1, 2023, consisted of an iconic couch where visitors sat to watch; a TV monitor from which the documentaries were viewed; and some panels offering discourses on television, such as a poem by Joi Barrios, and popular culture as power articulations by the late National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera.  Lastly, the roundtable discussion, “Radical Television in the Time of Crisis”, on November 17, 2023, surveyed the ever-changing terrain of broadcast media and explored current trends and perspectives in emergent televisualities.  The panelists included: Benson Logronio, writer of GMA Network’s hit TV series Maria Clara at Ibarra; Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News reporter and teacher; Nick Santiago, Arcade Film Factory founder, partner, and commercial director; Eji Santos, IUGO Mobile Entertainment software developer and game designer; and Joelle Yuvienco, voice artist, host, and creator of the “Papaano Kung” Podcast.  UP DBC’s year-long celebration, titled “Panonood at Pagtatanod: Paggunita sa ika-70 taon ng Telebisyon sa Pilipinas”, marked the sterling seven decades of Philippine Television, which began in 1953 with the first television broadcast of Alto Broadcasting System (later  to become ABS-CBN). It was one of the few commemorations undertaken in Philippine academia.  The celebrations kicked off in March 2023 with a colloquium on children’s television in the Philippines. It was followed by a conversation on “streaming unsettling televisuality”. The activities were supported by the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), and streamed at the department-managed DZUP 1602 khz.  In 2022, UP DBC also marked the centenary of Philippine broadcasting, capping it with a virtual national conference. It also hosted several colloquial and roundtable discussions, as well as aired select broadcast productions marking the event.  Louie Jon A. Sánchez is an Associate Professor of Broadcast Communication at the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman, where he teaches critical theory, broadcast history, media research, and gender and sexuality in media. "
    },
    {
        "title": "AUPAEU: End Terror-tagging of Unionists and Activists! Resume Peace Talks! – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/aupaeu-end-terror-tagging-of-unionists-and-activists-resume-peace-talks/",
        "html": "AUPAEU: End Terror-tagging of Unionists and Activists! Resume Peace Talks! AUPAEU: End Terror-tagging of Unionists and Activists! Resume Peace Talks! December 5, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office   Statement of All UP Academic Employees Union on the Red-Tagging Spree of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa December 2, 2023     The All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) condemns the recent terror-tagging of its members in a senate hearing held last November 29, 2023. The said hearing purportedly investigates the alleged recruitment of student activists in universities to take up arms and join the communist insurgency. This kind of theatrics, played, on the one hand, by characters whose names are tainted with their record of human rights abuses and, on the other, by dubious rebel surrenderees, has been staged since the regime of Rodrigo Duterte and has been constantly replayed up to the regime of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. What occasions like this have so far done is to vilify and terror-tag activists and unionists, rather than address the socio-economic and political factors that fuel the raging fire of communist insurgency in the country. The senate hearing last Wednesday only replays the intent to vilify and terror-tag, evidenced by the mention of the names of two academics who also happen to be members of the AUPAEU.  The AUPAEU condemns the act of terror-tagging in the strongest possible terms. The hearing last Wednesday was not the first incident where academics from the University of the Philippines are terror-tagged. There have been several instances in the past where union members and academics were terror-tagged, merely because of their commitment to a pro-people and emancipatory scholarship. Not only does terror-tagging dangerously put the lives of activists, unionists, and even academics at risk, but also blur the root-causes of societal problems by identifying convenient scapegoats. The union is deeply alarmed as terror-tagging has often been a prelude to more and intense forms of harassment, including the filing of trumped-up charges, arrests, abductions, and even killings.  The AUPAEU reiterates its call to the University of the Philippines to urgently act on the demands of various sectors of the University to create a system-wide Committee for the Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights. As the political situation in the country has continued to worsen, a committee such as this could effectively mobilize the needed institutional support to protect its various stakeholders from harassments and attacks and at the same time take proactive measures to ensure the safety of its researchers, academics, and students whose commitment to an emancipatory and pro-people scholarship has been terror-tagged by the state.  An enduring peace is built on social justice. Terror-tagging should not have a place under a principled process of negotiations pursuing a just and enduring peace. The academic union challenges the Marcos Jr. regime to act in good faith in its intent to talk peace with the communists. Just days before the senate hearing, the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines have agreed to resume their peace negotiations. The Marcos Jr. regime cannot pretend to talk peace while continuing the campaign of suppression of supposed state enemies. The AUPAEU strongly supports the opportunity in resuming the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).  "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Offices – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-offices/",
        "html": "UP Offices UP announces December benefits for employees    For the last month of the year, faculty and staff of the University of the Philippines (UP) will receive...  Read More UP statement on the procurement of network infrastructures  The UP System administration clarifies that the procurement of network infrastructures at the level of both the System and constituent...  Read More Call for Papers: 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia  The Asian Center of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman is calling for paper submissions to the 5th Biennial...  Read More PCCA Lantern-making Contest 2023  Calling all UP Creatives! As we approach the Christmas 2023 Season, let’s celebrate and showcase cultural diversity through lanterns! With...  Read More BOR approves appointment of five new UP System officials      During the 1384th meeting of the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents (BOR) held at Quezon...  Read More UP increases economic benefits for regular employees    Starting January 2024, regular employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) will get an additional P1,500 to the...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "Pamamahayag bilang pagmamalasakit: Ilang tala hinggil sa ‘Some People Need Killing’ – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pamamahayag-bilang-pagmamalasakit-ilang-tala-hinggil-sa-some-people-need-killing/",
        "html": "Pamamahayag bilang pagmamalasakit: Ilang tala hinggil sa ‘Some People Need Killing’ Pamamahayag bilang pagmamalasakit: Ilang tala hinggil sa ‘Some People Need Killing’ December 7, 2023 | Written by Kenneth Roland A. Guda    Estudyante pa lang si Patricia Evangelista ng Speech Communication sa College of Arts and Letters sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman nang tumampok ang pangalan niya sa pandaigdigang entablado. Sa edad na 18, noong 2004, sumali si Patricia at nagwagi sa International Public Speaking Championship sa London, United Kingdom. Sa kanyang talumpati, pinamagatang “Blonde and Blue Eyes”, pinagdiwang niya ang mga Pilipinong nasa labas ng bansa, nakakalat sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng “mundong walang hangganan” (“borderless world”).  Sa kanyang librong Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country (2023, Random House), binalikan ni Evangelista ang talumpating ito. Sa paghirang niya sa mga Pilipinong nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa, aniya, hindi niya nabanggit—o hindi niya alam—na nangingibang bansa ang mga Pilipino dahil sa kawalan ng oportunidad sa sariling bansa. “That many of those laborers had been forced into contracts abroad for the sake of starving families at home was a fact that I glossed over,” aniya.  Gayunman, naging hudyat ang katanyagang ito ng isang karera sa midya. Noong 2006, bilang kolumnista para sa Philippine Daily Inquirer, isa si Evangelista sa pinakamasugid na sumubaybay sa kaso ng pagdukot ng militar sa dalawa niyang kaeskuwela sa UP: ang mga aktibistang sina Karen Empeño at Sherlyn Cadapan. Sinubaybayan din niya ang iba pang kaso ng mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa ilalim ng administrasyong Arroyo—sinundan, halimbawa, ang mga nanay na naghahanap ng kanilang nawawalang mga mahal-sa-buhay, kumakatok sa tarangkahan ng iba’t ibang kampo at opisina ng militar at gobyerno, para lang pagbagsakan ng mga pinto. Malayo ito sa “borderless world” na inakala noon ni Evangelista.  Taong 2016, investigative reporter na siya para sa Rappler. Hasa na siya sa isang dekadang pagsubaybay sa mga isyung pangkarapatang pantao nang masabak sa pagkober sa madugong giyera kontra droga ng administrasyong Duterte. Ang karanasan ni Evangelista sa pagsubaybay sa giyerang ito ang naging bulto ng nilalaman ng Some People Need Killing.  Mula sa paghirang ng New York Times at New Yorker sa kanyang libro bilang isa sa pinakamahusay ng taong 2023, muling nasabak sa pandaigdigang pagkilala si Evangelista. Sa pagkakataong ito, inabot niya ang pambihirang antas ng pagkilala. Pero, mas mahalaga, lalong naipapalaganap ang mga kuwento ng lagim ng giyera kontra droga ng administrasyong Duterte. Mas mahalaga, lalong naipapalaganap ang kawalan ng hustisya sa mga biktima.  Nagsisimula ang libro sa pagpapaliwanag ng awtor sa personal niyang kasaysayan at perspektiba, at iniugnay ito sa kasaysayan ng bansa. Mabagal ang pag-usad ng bahaging ito, pero esensiyal na bahagi ng pag-unawa sa sumunod na mga desisyon ni Evangelista kaugnay ng pagsubaybay sa mga kuwento ng mga biktima ng (at kalahok sa) giyera kontra droga.  Sa paglalahad ng mga kuwento pinakamakapangyarihan ang libro. Bagama’t minantine niya ang distansiya ng mamamahayag sa kanyang sabdyek, malinaw ang pagmamalasakit ni Evangelista sa mga biktima at kaanak. Malay ang awtor na nakatuntong ang giyera sa pagbubura ng pagkatao ng mga binabansagang “adik” at “tulak,” sa dehumanization at brutalidad ng mga institusyon ng estado sa mga maralitang itinuturing ng estado na latak ng lipunan. Kung kaya, pansin sa kanyang naratibo ang sadyang pagbawi ng pagkatao nila—sa pamamagitan ng paglalarawan sa kanila bilang mga magulang, anak o asawa, mga mamamayang di kaiba sa mambabasa.  Sa pagitan ng mga naratibong ito, may pagpapasilip si Evangelista sa mga posibilidad ng paglaban—ang aktuwal na paglaban sa brutalidad, hindi ang pekeng “nanlaban” —ng mga mamamayang tulad ni Normy Lopez at iba pang pamilyang tumindig, nagsalita, nagreklamo at ipinaglaban ang dignidad ng kanilang mga anak, kapatid, asawa, marami pa na nilapastangan ng giyera ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Sa kabila nito, ipinakita rin niya na bulnerable ang mga maralita sa pandarahas, panunuyo, panunuhol o pagkapagod—na siyang natural na bahagi ng mga paglaban. Sana lang, may naipakita pa ang libro na iba pang mukha ng mga biktimang tumitindig, dahil tiyak nating marami sila.  May bahagi sa libro hinggil sa mga dating tagasuporta ni Duterte at ng kanyang madudugong kampanya. Ipinakita ang sarili nilang paglaban bilang akto ng pagsusumamo sa kanilang mga “kasalanan” bilang dating tagasuporta ng dating pangulo. Konsistent ito sa Katolikong tradisyon ng paghingi ng patawad. Sa bahaging ito, sinasabi sa atin ng awtor na umaasa siyang mababatid din ng karamihan ang katotohanan sa likod ng pekeng naratibo ng dating pangulo. Mahalaga ito, dahil sa panahong nagpapatuloy pa rin ang pandarahas at pagsisinungaling, madaling malulong sa kawalan-ng-pag-asa. Mainam na pasalamatan natin si Evangelista na tila hindi pa siya nawawalan ng pag-asa sa ating bayan.  Mahalaga rin ang ilang bahagi ng libro na mistulang leksiyon sa semantikong paglalaro ng rehimen para linlangin ang mga mamamayan. Sa pagitan ng mga kuwento, panaka-nakang itinuturo ng manunulat kung papaanong binangkarote ni Duterte (at Marcos) ang wika para itago ang totoo: hindi pagsalba ang “salvage”, hindi paglaban ang “nanlaban”, at iba pa. Sa mga mambabasang artikulado at aral sa kapangyarihan ng wika, madaling masapol ang puntong ito ni Evangelista. Bahagi ng paglaban para sa katotohanan at kabutihan ang pagbawi sa ating wika bilang artikulasyon ng ating tunay na kalagayan, katangian at pangarap.  Pero abstrakto ito sa marami. Mas malinaw at kongkreto ang paglaban kung malinaw sa ating isipan ang katangian ng kalaban. Higit kay Duterte (o kahit kay Marcos Jr. at Sr.), matagal nang nakalatag ang sistema ng brutalidad sa mga maralita. May direktang linya, halimbawa, na nag-uugnay sa giyera kontra droga at giyera kontra insurhensiya. Matagal nang nakatanim sa isipan ng mga nasa kapangyarihan at armadong puwersa ng estado ang ideolohiya ng dehumanization, adik man siya, tulak, rebelde o komunista. Mainam sanang maipakita o mabanggit ang ugnayang ito. Mayroon naman sa libro, pero hindi malinaw at kulang. Mainam din kung maipapakita ang batayan sa tunggalian ng mga uri ng brutalidad ng rehimen. “Are you going to shoot fellow Filipinos?” tanong ng mga mamamayang nag-alsa sa EDSA noong 1986 sa mga sundalo ni Marcos Sr. Ayon kay Evangelista, “oo” ang sagot dito ng mga Pilipino tatlong dekada matapos ang EDSA. “Kami ang mga Duterte,” sagot ng 16 milyong Pilipino.  Pero hindi lang si Duterte ang naging tagapamandila ng brutalidad, at hindi lang ang kanyang giyera ang naging giyera sa mga maralita.  Ang kaibahan ng EDSA at Tokhang: marami sa mga nasa kalsada noong 1986 ay mula sa panggitnang uri. Silang may kumpiyansa at artikulado, nakapag-aral at angat ang kabuhayan, mahirap baliwalain at tanggalan ng pagkatao. Sa kabilang banda, hindi mahirap ituring na mababa sa antas-tao ang mga maralita, adik, tulak, rebelde. Mainam sanang maiugat ang brutalidad ng giyera kontra droga sa historikal na panghahamak sa mga mamamayang nasa laylayan—sa pamamagitan man iyan ng mga polisiya sa ekonomiya o direktang paggamit ng dahas ng estado.  Pero umaasa akong aabot din si Evangelista. Nasa tamang landas siya: ito ang landas ng pakikipagkapwa at pagmamalasakit sa mga maralitang sabdyek ng mga ulat niya. Malayo na ang inabot niya mula sa pagiging batang nangarap magkaroon ng blonde na buhok at asul na mata. Ipinakita niya sa librong Some People Need Killing ang sensitibidad ng isang mamamahayag na may pakialam sa kanyang mga kababayan, at may poot sa mga marahas at mapagsamantala.   Anu’t anuman, mahalagang babasahin ang librong ito bilang dokumento ng barbarismo ng nakaraang administrasyon. Mahalaga ito dahil nagpapatuloy at umiigting ang brutalidad sa ating panahon. Malaking bahagi ng pag-unawa natin sa panahong ito ang ginawa ni Evangelista na pakikisimpatya sa mga biktima, paglulugar ng ating sarili sa kanilang kalagayan, at pagsilip sa mga posibilidad ng ating paglaban.  Si Kenneth Roland Guda, 45, ang may akda ng “Peryodismo Sa Bingit: Mga Naratibong Ulat Sa Panahon Ng Digmaan At Krisis,” na nanalo sa Journalism category ng National Book Awards. Naging editor si Guda ng alternatibong newsmagazine na Pinoy Weekly, at naging senior reporter para sa Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Kasalukuyang bahagi si Guda ng UP Institute of Creative Writing. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Call for Papers: 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/call-for-papers-5th-biennial-international-conference-of-the-consortium-for-southeast-asian-studies-in-asia/",
        "html": "Call for Papers: 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia Call for Papers: 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia November 23, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The Asian Center of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman is calling for paper submissions to the 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA), which will be held in UP Diliman on July 18 – 20, 2024.  With the theme De/Centering Southeast Asia, the conference hopes to advance Southeast Asian scholarship by highlighting the diverse histories, cultures and societies in the region in papers and presentations. The event will also provide a venue for the discussions on possible new topics and efforts in studies on the region.  For more information on the conference, you may view the Concept Note here.  For details on the submissions, please check out the poster below.  For questions or clarifications, you may contact the UP Conference Committee Secretariat via this email address: seasia2024.upd@up.edu.ph of this mobile number: 63-9623771709 (available for Viber, Whatsapp, Line and KakaoTalk)  For updates on the conference, visit their website: seasia2024.upd.edu.ph, or follow their official Facebook page: facebook.com/SEASIA2024       "
    },
    {
        "title": "President’s Corner – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/presidents-corner/",
        "html": "President's Corner Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi      The University of the Philippines stands in solidarity with Mindanao State University (MSU), after an explosion at the...  Read More UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities    The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) of Spain have agreed to strengthen linkages...  Read More Readiness, operational research, and climate justice: UP President Jimenez’s key points in climate change discussions  UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivered the concluding remarks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) University Leaders’ Forum held in...  Read More UP President Jimenez’s October sojourn to the US  “Far tho’ we wander o’er island yonder, Loyal thy sons we’ll ever be” So go the lines from the UP...  Read More UP and PNOC sign MOU  The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) have formalized their cooperation. PNOC counts on...  Read More Possible UP-uOttawa collab areas discussed  Biosurveillance, cybersecurity, and resilience. These were the possible areas of collaboration mentioned by UP President Angelo Jimenez (PAJ) to University...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP statement on the procurement of network infrastructures – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-statement-on-the-procurement-of-network-infrastructures/",
        "html": "UP statement on the procurement of network infrastructures UP statement on the procurement of network infrastructures November 24, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The UP System administration clarifies that the procurement of network infrastructures at the level of both the System and constituent universities is ongoing. UP is still welcoming proposals from stakeholders and suppliers. All processes are being done in strict compliance with Republic Act No. 9184 and other procurement laws. The University remains committed to upholding all relevant regulations and to maintaining transparency and accountability in all procedures. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP announces December benefits for employees – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-announces-december-benefits-for-employees/",
        "html": "UP announces December benefits for employees UP announces December benefits for employees December 20, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       For the last month of the year, faculty and staff of the University of the Philippines (UP) will receive the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) Incentive for Fiscal Year of 2023, a grant of up to Php30,000.  According to Memorandum No. ACR 23-73 issued by UP Vice President for Administration Augustus Resurreccion on December 7, the CNA Incentive is sourced from the savings generated from the joint efforts of the University and the two unions, the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU) and the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU), with the help of all UP faculty, REPS (research, extension, and professional staff) and administrative staff in accordance with DBM Budget Circular No. 23-1 dated November 10, 2023.  The CNA Incentive will be given to all regular full-time and part-time UP faculty, REPS and administrative staff who:  have rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four months of service as of December 2023; are members of the AUPWU and AUPAEU; are non-members of the AUPWU and AUPAEU but want to enjoy or accept benefits under the CAN and who perform managerial functions (i.e., University officials).  Those who were separated from the University within the year and had rendered at least four months of service within the year shall be entitled to the full amount of the CNA Incentive. However, those who were separated from the University within the year and had rendered less than four months of service shall be entitled only to a pro-rated 2023 CNA Incentive as follows:  Length of Service Percentage of the 2023 CNA Incentive Amount 3 months but less than 4 months 75% Php22,500 2 months but less than 4 months 50% Php15,000 1 month but less than 4 months 25% Php7,500 Less than 1 month 10% Php3,000     As for those have rendered less than four months of service as of December 15, 2023, they too shall be entitled to a pro-rated 2023 CNA Incentive as follows:  Length of Service Percentage of the 2023 CNA Incentive Amount 3 months but less than 4 months 75% Php22,500 2 months but less than 4 months 50% Php 15,000 1 month but less than 4 months 25% Php 7,500 Less than 1 month 10% Php 3,000     Part-time employees with employer-employee relations will also receive an amount in proportion to their workload, and months of service (e.g., part-time employees with four months and above shall receive Php15,000).  SRI Incentive  In addition to the CNA Incentive, UP faculty and staff will also receive the one-time Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) grant of Php20,000, to be given to government employees in the executive branch. This was authorized by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., accordance with Administrative Order (AO) No. 12 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin on December 7. Qualified for the PhP20,000 SRI are civilian personnel in national government agencies including those in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), occupying regular, contractual or casual positions.  On the other hand, President Marcos approved under Administrative Order No. 13 the grant of a one-time gratuity pay of not more than Php5,000 each for contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) (government employees who have rendered at least four months of actual satisfactory performance of service, as stipulated in their respective contracts as of December 15, and whose contracts are still effective as of the same date.  Rice Subsidy 4th Tranche  Finally, UP faculty, REPS, and administrative staff will receive the fourth tranche of the 2023 rice subsidy in accordance with a memorandum from the UP VP for Administration dated October 24, 2023, in the amount of P2,350 each. Due to failed bidding, the fourth tranche of the rice subsidy will be converted to cash. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Readiness, operational research, and climate justice: UP President Jimenez’s key points in climate change discussions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/readiness-operational-research-and-climate-justice-up-president-jimenezs-key-points-in-climate-change-discussions/",
        "html": "Readiness, operational research, and climate justice: UP President Jimenez’s key points in climate change discussions Readiness, operational research, and climate justice: UP President Jimenez’s key points in climate change discussions November 14, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivered the concluding remarks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) University Leaders’ Forum held in San Francisco, California, on November 13, 2023.   With the theme “Investing in Tomorrow’s Biodiversity”, the forum was dedicated to sustainability and climate resilience, including sessions on sustaining the evolving biodiversity landscape, strengthening the resilience of coastal communities, rethinking food systems, and protecting water for the survival of humanity.   The APEC University Leaders’ Forum, organized by the University of California-Davis, the University of California-Santa Cruz, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), brought together presidents of the major Asia-Pacific research universities and leaders from major global corporations and governments to share insights and discuss critical global and regional issues. The forum served as an official collaborative event with the APEC CEO Summit and provided a unique platform to address key challenges and foster collaboration.   Read UP President Jimenez’s speech below.        Our troubles are mounting but peace be on all of us. As-salamu alaykum. A pleasant afternoon.  I extend my heartfelt appreciation and congratulations to each one of you as we conclude this APEC University Leaders’ Forum on “Investing in Tomorrow’s Biodiversity.” It has been an honor to share this platform with esteemed leaders, scholars, and visionaries committed to addressing the critical issues of today.  As substantive as our discussions on biodiversity have been, we cannot escape the fact that we are meeting in one of the most difficult and challenging periods for humanity since the end of the last World War. Many parts of our globe are shaking and coming apart under tragic conflict. Poverty and hunger continue to haunt billions of people. And on the immediate horizon, artificial intelligence is posing more serious questions than answers for human civilization.  Against this backdrop, we are all threatened by climate change—not only we humans, but all life as we know it on this planet. And like the most devastating of wars, this change is, as we all know, man-made. We have waged war, as it were, on ourselves, on Nature, and on the future. The question now is whether we can find the wisdom, the will, and the means to make peace with the Earth and ensure our own survival.  We have spoken all day about the severe threats faced by global biodiversity, coastal communities, and the world’s food production systems. We all know the urgent need for sustainable development, and for concrete measures to ensure climate adaptation, environmental resilience, water resource management, and food security, among others.  As we fly home to deal with our specific situations, I suggest we ponder three key questions.  First: Are existing international and national governing institutions adequately prepared to handle the global threats we face today?  We raise this question because we are alarmed by the failure of the annual Conference of Parties or COP to agree on deadlines on the phasing out of coal and fossil fuel and on climate finance to help developing economies like ours manage the difficult climate adjustment and transition programs. At the national level, many countries remain unable to deliver on their mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement of 2015. Rhetoric is cheap, but the costs of climate change to our economies and societies are real. It is Code Red for the Philippines and other countries in Asia. Alternating floods and droughts have been growing in intensity each year, severely damaging our economy and eroding our food security.  Incidentally, the Philippines, which has contributed less than one percent to global GHG emissions, is among the top five countries considered most vulnerable to climate risks. About 60 percent of our people live in coastal towns and villages, for whom a sea rise of one to two meters will be calamitous. This is why we listened attentively to the discussions in this forum on how to mitigate climate impacts on coastal communities.  Second key question: What can our universities do to fight or mitigate climate change? We hold the keys to enormous troves of knowledge, and produce new knowledge through research all the time. How much of that knowledge translates to practical solutions to real-world problems? Beyond amassing citations and achieving high global rankings, what do our universities strive for in our societies?  President Jimenez delivering his message at the Closing Ceremony of the APEC University Leaders’ Forum. Sceengrab from the UP Resilience Institute live stream video.  In our University, for example, one of our answers to this question has been the operational research undertaken by faculty members and researchers through our Resilience Institute, which has helped local communities build disaster resilience through trans-disciplinary actions, such as multisectoral and anticipatory development planning. These communities are involved from the very start of research, so they have a real stake in its outcome. We have also adopted an open-data policy, to share what we have learned with others.  In other words, we need to get our feet wet and our hands dirty before our libraries and laboratories are flooded.  Third key question: Can there be a greater moral imperative of our time than climate justice? Aside from measures to save and repair the planet, climate justice involves social justice, in that it must empower the most vulnerable victims of climate change to articulate their concerns, demand accountability, and seek proper redress for their grievances.  At the same time, green transition must be just and transformative. Within our industries, for example, we must ensure that workers and communities reliant even on fossil-dependent industries and sectors, especially in developing countries, are not unduly displaced. A just transition to green industries must mean a transition to a better life, to more jobs, and to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.  Also, it must protect and improve life for all elements of our ecosystems, because the impacts of climate change extend far beyond human affairs. Climate justice encompasses the intricate web of biodiversity that includes plants, animals, organisms—the very fabric of our planet. The forces threatening us are global in nature, underscoring the urgency of our collective responsibility. In our pursuit of progress, let us always remember that our common survival is at stake, and our actions today will reverberate through generations to come.  As we conclude this forum, let us remind ourselves that our role as educators extends beyond the confines of academia to our streets, our homes, our rivers, and the very grass beneath our feet. As we share this world, so we share in its well-being. And by contributing to the well-being of humanity and the planet, we contribute as well to the peace and prosperity our peoples everywhere so ardently desire.  In the spirit of collaboration and shared responsibility, allow me to call upon each university leader present here today to join hands in creating a sustainable and resilient future for all. Indeed, we must create a network among ourselves to provide training and education on climate change and sustainable practices, so we can share vital knowledge with those who suffer at the short end of climate justice.  Where governments fail or fall short, universities can and must act. Let us work together to amplify our impact, inspire change, promote transformative education, and usher in an era where investing in tomorrow’s biodiversity is not just a choice but an inescapable responsibility for all.  Thank you very much.        Watch UP President Jimenez’s speech with this video recorded and shared by the UP Resilience Institute. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/statement-of-president-angelo-jimenez-on-the-bombing-of-mindanao-state-university-marawi/",
        "html": "Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi December 3, 2023 | Written by the Office of the President          The University of the Philippines stands in solidarity with Mindanao State University (MSU), after an explosion at the Marawi main campus that left four dead and dozens injured. This was an act of violence not only against the innocent victims and their families, but against the principles of peace, understanding, and unity that should be inviolable in academic institutions.  We commend the swift response of MSU and its commitment to protecting the safety of all its constituents in this difficult time, and offer our support and resources in navigating the aftermath of this painful incident. State universities should serve as safe spaces for all its constituents, and as academic bastions where conflicts are discussed, debated, and resolved rather than exacerbated. It is imperative for all of us to be united in our mandate to cultivate an atmosphere where diversity and dialogue thrive.  As a Mindanaoan Christian and Manobo lumad, I share in the grief and outrage of the community over this senseless tragedy. Despite the long history of strife in our region, many of us have always believed in justice and equality among the Bangsamoro peoples, actively working to ensure the recognition and protection of all cultures and religions. Let us all rally against violence and extremism, and join in the continuing effort to build a just and inclusive society in our homeland. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Events – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/events/",
        "html": "Events Tayo na Giliw: Konsyertong Pamasko ng UP Symphony Orchestra November 30, 2023    Join the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) for their annual Christmas community concert on Tuesday, December 19,...  Read More Extending the Horizons of Human Rights: Philippines and the UDHR November 30, 2023    The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of...  Read More Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera November 30, 2023    “Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera” features home movies shot by a farmer-migrant Nicholas Viernes, the unofficial documentarian of...  Read More Tech Tales Youth November 30, 2023    Watch the premiere of the #TechTalesYouth: Films about Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific on December 7 (Thursday) from 2pm-5pm...  Read More Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending Violence Against Women November 30, 2023    As part of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), the University of the Philippines-Centre International de...  Read More The Saga of Philippine Cinema November 30, 2023    With support from The UNESCO Memory of the World (PH), a new movement to recognize cinema as the world’s...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending Violence Against Women – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/leading-safe-spaces-the-role-of-good-governance-in-ending-violence-against-women/",
        "html": "Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending Violence Against Women Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending Violence Against Women November 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       As part of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), the University of the Philippines-Centre International de Formation des Autorites et Leaders Philippines (UP-CIFAL Philippines) will hold “Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending Violence Against Women” on December 6, Wednesday, 1:00 pm, at the GT Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The forum will discuss the vital role of leaders and authorities in crafting and implementing inclusive policies addressing gender-based violence. It will also tackle the current situation of gender-based violence in the country and examine the effectiveness of policies and programs in response to VAW.  The event is free and open to the public. Interested parties however, are encouraged to register via this link: https://bit.ly/LeadingSafeSpacesForum of by scanning the QR code below.  For questions and clarifications, you may send a message to UP-CIFAL Philippines via cifalphilippines@up.edu.ph. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tech Tales Youth – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tech-tales-youth/",
        "html": "Tech Tales Youth Tech Tales Youth November 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Watch the premiere of the #TechTalesYouth: Films about Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific on December 7 (Thursday) from 2pm-5pm at the UPFI Film Center. Produced by EngageMedia, seven short films created by young and talented filmmakers from Thailand and the Philippines feature stories on digital labour, new money and platform accountability, access to the internet and digital technologies, disinformation and historical revisionism, doxxing, data privacy and accountability of the state and private companies. Aside from the screenings, there will also be talk back sessions with the filmmakers and invited guests. See you there! —- In partnership with UP Film Institute, DAKILA, Active Vista, Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), Cinemata.org, Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU), DZUP 1602 and Altermidya."
    },
    {
        "title": "Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/pangarap-amerikano-farmer-migrants-behind-the-camera/",
        "html": "Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera November 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       “Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera” features home movies shot by a farmer-migrant Nicholas Viernes, the unofficial documentarian of the Filipino immigrant community in Chicago. Since his arrival in the US in 1926, Viernes filmed events, gatherings, travels, and various slices of life. The films curated for this program were all from the 1930’s and are part of a larger collection of 240 analog films of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), established in 1986. Please join this presentation by FAHSC archivist Ashley Dequilla this December 11 Monday 5 p.m. at UPFI Film Center. ~~~ UPFI Film Center December 2023 Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera Dec 11 Mon 5 p.m. ~~~ The screening is open to the public for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Register at the cinema entrance 1 hour before screen time. Eating and drinking are not allowed."
    },
    {
        "title": "Extending the Horizons of Human Rights: Philippines and the UDHR – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/extending-the-horizons-of-human-rights-philippines-and-the-udhr/",
        "html": "Extending the Horizons of Human Rights: Philippines and the UDHR Extending the Horizons of Human Rights: Philippines and the UDHR November 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 12, 2023, Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. at the University Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The symposium, organized by both institutions, will discuss the role of the Philippines in the sharing of the international human rights framework, with a focus on UP alumnus and former United Nations General Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo’s contributions in the preparation of the UDHR.  The event will also showcase the contributions of other Filipinos in international human rights treaties and mechanisms, particularly those in the United Nations.  Interested parties may register for the event via this link: https://bit.ly/UPCelebrates75UDHR  The event will streamed live via TVUP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVUP.ph and TVUP on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TVUPph  #StandUp4HumanRights #UDHR75 #UPCelebratesUDHR75 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Tayo na Giliw: Konsyertong Pamasko ng UP Symphony Orchestra – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/tayo-na-giliw-konsyertong-pamasko-ng-up-symphony-orchestra/",
        "html": "Tayo na Giliw: Konsyertong Pamasko ng UP Symphony Orchestra Tayo na Giliw: Konsyertong Pamasko ng UP Symphony Orchestra November 30, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office       Join the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) for their annual Christmas community concert on Tuesday, December 19, 6:30pm at the UP Theater, UP Diliman, Quezon City.  The Orkestra ng Bayan will be presenting works from Saint-Saens’ Danse Bacchanale, Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance, Copeland’s Hoe Down and many more.  Capping the night will be a rendition of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with soprano Stefanie Quintin, mezzo-soprano Aya Tantiongco, tenor Malvin Beethoven Macasaet, baritone Lawrence Ayuro Jatayna, and the UPSO Chorus.  The Concert is FREE with pre-registration at http://bit.ly/upsopasko2023reg.  For more information, send a message to the UP Symphony Orchestra via their official Facebook page.  See you there!  "
    },
    {
        "title": "NEWS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/news/",
        "html": "News UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges  The University of the Philippines (UP) made a great leap in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) sustainability rankings, which measures universities...  Read More The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses  You know it’s the holiday season once again when the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) come alive...  Read More UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards    Faculty and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP), as well as the UP Press, won big when...  Read More UP Cebu graduate tops licensure exam for secondary-level teachers  A BS Mathematics graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu College of Science, Trilbe Lizann Espina Vasquez, ranked...  Read More Above the Fold: A glimpse into the turbulence of Martial Law through the lens of the Collegian      It was an eye-opening walk-through of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of of the...  Read More UP launches online courses on resilience    Starting on January 15, 2024, professionals engaged in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) work can...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-faculty-and-alumni-up-press-win-41st-national-book-awards/",
        "html": "UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards December 13, 2023 | Written by Franco Gargantiel II       Faculty and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP), as well as the UP Press, won big when the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) recently announced the winners of the 41st National Book Awards.  Among the list of winners are books written by UP faculty members or graduates of the University, and/or published by the UP Press, the official publishing house for all constituent units of the UP System and the first university press in the country. The winners are:  BEST NOVEL IN ENGLISH – “Yñiga: A Novel” – Glenn Diaz (Ateneo de Manila University Press) GERARDO P. CABOCHAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION IN FILIPINO – “Ang Buang ng Bayan: Mga Maikling Kuwento” – Rowena P. Festin (University of the Philippines Press) PABLO TAN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF NONFICTION PROSE IN ENGLISH – “Even Ducks Get Liver Cancer and Other Medical Misadventures” -Wilfredo Liangco (Milflores Publishing) BEST ANTHOLOGY IN ENGLISH – “Kalandrakas Part 1, 1890-1945: Stories and Storytellers of /on Regions in Mindanao, 1890-1990” and “Kalandrakas Part 2, 1946-1990: Stories and Storytellers of/on Regions in Mindanao 1890-1990” – Ricardo M. De Ungria (Ed.) (Ateneo de Manila University Press) BEST ANTHOLOGY IN FIILIPINO – “Plus/+ at Iba Plus, Maramihan; New Philippine Nonfiction on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities” – Roland B. Tolentino and Chuckberry J. Pasucal (Eds.) (Atendeo de Manila University Press) BEST BOOK ON MEDIA STUDIES – “Alternative Cinema: The Unchronicled History of Alternative Cinema in the Philippines” – Nick Deomampo (University of the Philippines Press) PHILIPPINE LITERARY ARTS COUNCIL PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH – “Coming Home to the Island: Poems” – Arlene J. Yandug (Xavier University Press) BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL AND COMICS IN FILIPINO – “Josefina” – Ace C. Enriquez, Illustrator (Adarna House) BEST TRANSLATED BOOK IN FILIPINO – “Illustrado” – Chuckberry J. Pascual, Translator (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House) BEST BOOK ON DRAMA AND FILM – “Huni at Pakpak: Mga Dula, Mga Sanaysay’ – Luna Sicat Cleto (University of the Philippines Press) BEST NOVEL IN BINISAYA – “Arkipelago: Novela” – Januar Yap (Advaux Publishing) BEST BOOK OF POETRY IN BINISAYA – “Ang Nakayatak kay Nayatakan (Who Steps Upon Is Stepped Upon)’ – Adonis Durado (University of the Philippines Press) ALFONSO T. ONGPIN PRIZE FOR BEST BOOK ON ART – “Julio Nakpil (1867-1950) Collected Works Volume 1: Piano, Vocal, and Chamber Music – Maria Alexandria Iñigo Chua (Ed.) (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House)  The National Book Awards, an annual prize that honors the most outstanding book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines, aims to celebrate the enterprising creative labor involved in book publishing. According to the NDBD’s website, for this cycle of the National Book Awards, a total of 235 titles were submitted across 34 categories consisting of seven languages: Filipino, English, Bikol, Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Tausug, and Waray. The 41st iteration of the awards is slated to take place in February 2024.  The 41st National Book Awards coincides with the two-year preparation of the Philippines as it makes history as the second Southeast Asian country to be chosen as Guest of Honour in 2025 at the world’s biggest book fair, the Frankfurter Buchmesse. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Making A Difference – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/making-a-difference/",
        "html": "Making A Difference Eleventh year of ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining”    Giving transcends the mere exchange of objects. It is an act that imparts something beyond the physicality of the...  Read More UP Features: Andre Arboleda  UP Features, the official video publication of the University of the Philippines, is a platform that showcases narratives of exceptional...  Read More Datu Waway Saway’s Artistic Mission as UPD’s First Culture Bearer-in-Residence  I would like to help our original culture to re-emerge, help people to understand who they are and what they...  Read More Teaching Literature: The Gemino H. Abad Seminar-Workshop 2023  Teaching literature is impossible; that is why it is difficult. –Northrop Frye “Do you want to enhance your skills in...  Read More Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan  Jessica Franco Perez Magna cum laude Doctor of Medicine UP College of Medicine   I am Jessica Franco Perez, 32...  Read More Love life and don’t give up  Hannah Patricia E. Bringas Doctor of Dental Medicine UP College of Dentistry   I am Hannah Patricia E. Bringas, a...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-makes-a-big-leap-in-rankings-for-tackling-environmental-social-and-governance-challenges/",
        "html": "UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges December 15, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc    The University of the Philippines (UP) made a great leap in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) sustainability rankings, which measures universities in terms of their ability to tackle environmental, social, and now, governance challenges. It climbed from the 401-450 bracket of 700 universities to 231st among 1,400 universities.  In terms of environmental impact, it now ranks 180th; in social impact, 355th; and in governance, 330th. The previous year’s rankings measured only environmental impact and social impact, under which categories UP ranked 365th and 405th, respectively.  Governance was measured in terms of university governance and the university’s human and research resources for sustainable development and policy-making.  Environmental impact, which contributed the biggest to UP’s climb in the rankings, was measured in terms of environmental sustainability of the campuses, environmental education, and environmental research. Environmental research, in turn, was measured largely in terms of research impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for sustainable research.  Social impact was measured in terms of equality, knowledge exchange, impact of education, employability and opportunities, and health and well-being. Equality, impact of education, health and well-being, and environmental research were measured largely in terms of research impact on the SDGs for each.  Screencapture of the rankings on the QS website.  Details of the methodology for the sustainability rankings are available here.  In the previous year’s sustainability rankings, which was the first, only UP and De La Salle University (DLSU) made it, with the latter earning a spot in the 601+ bracket. In this year’s ranking, “QS World Sustainability Rankings: Sustainability 2024”, released on December 5, 2023, three other Philippine universities figured: Ateneo de Manila University, 593rd; University of Santo Tomas, 1,001-1,050; and Mapua University, 1,201+. DLSU made it to the 981-1,000 bracket.  UP as the national university ranked number one in the Philippines in all subcategories.  A screenshot from the QS website of UP’s ranking in terms of Environmental Impact.     A screenshot from the QS website of UP’s ranking in terms of Social Impact.     A screenshot from the QS website of UP’s impact on Governance.     UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, for his part, said that UP’s rise in the QS sustainability rankings “reflects UP’s continuous efforts in sustainability and its roles as a leader in higher education, committed to making a positive impact to society and the environment.”  UP’s sustainability ranking by QS is higher than its global universities ranking by the same ranking firm, the latter placing more significance on the global reputation and orientation of research universities. UP is currently 404th among 1,500 global universities, as ranked by QS.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Datu Waway Saway’s Artistic Mission as UPD’s First Culture Bearer-in-Residence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/datu-waway-saways-artistic-mission-as-upds-first-culture-bearer-in-residence/",
        "html": "Datu Waway Saway’s Artistic Mission as UPD’s First Culture Bearer-in-Residence Datu Waway Saway’s Artistic Mission as UPD’s First Culture Bearer-in-Residence November 24, 2023 | Written by Ma. Patricia Brillantes Silvestre   I would like to help our original culture to re-emerge, help people to understand who they are and what they were. – Datu Waway Saway Datu Waway on his katyapi, a Philippine two-stringed, fretted boat-lute. (Photo from the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts)  Rodelio “Waway” Saway, Talaandig datu, brilliant master artist, musician, educator and current Municipal Councilor of Songco, Lantapan in Bukidnon, arrived November 6 at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music to fulfill a three-week sojourn till November 24 under the new UP Diliman (UPD) Culture Bearers-in-Residence Program.  Approved by the UPD Office of the Chancellor on February 7, 2023, and envisioned to shine the spotlight on the promotion and protection of the nation’s indigenous knowledges or katutubong kaalaman and kaalamang bayan, this new program aligns with Republic Act 9500, which seals UP’s mandate, as the country’s national university, to spearhead exemplary academic standards and innovative practices.  Not new to this, the College of Music since the 1960s has had a string of culture bearers as teachers of Asian music in the Musicology curricula, a significant move initiated by ethnomusicologist-composer and National Artist for Music, Dr. Jose Maceda. Ben Pangosban and Benicio Sokkong taught Kalinga music; Ligaya Amilbangsa taught Sulu pangalay dance; Joey Ayala taught instrumental music of the Davao lumad; Abraham Sakili taught Tausug gabbang and songs; and today, Aga Mayo Butocan and Kanapia Kalanduyan currently teach Magindanaon kulintangan. However, Waway’s intensive stay-in engagement brought knowledge-learning to a closer degree of apprenticeship: freer, more flexible time for lots of informal kwentuhan, juxtaposed with jamming outside of the formal class setting and curriculum.  The son of Datu Kinulintang, descendant of revered chieftain-peacemakers of Mindanao, Waway is one of 18 siblings, counting tribal leaders, Datu Makapukaw and anthropologist Datu Migketay or Vic (who lobbied for the signing of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act in 1997), and sociologist-soil-painter Salima among them. His family was instrumental in establishing the Talaandig School for Living Traditions in 1995, which endeavored to keep alive the artistic traditions and cultural values of the community. This became a model system adopted by other indigenous groups, which today has branched out to 14 other barangays by means of a moving school-on-wheels.  Transfixed by the dynamism of the tribal elders in preserving their traditions through teaching, a bunch of multidisciplinal researchers, mostly from UP, worked to bring the Talaandig educational exemplar in 1998 to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, as part of the grand Pahiyas Folklife Festival in celebration of the centennial of the Philippine Revolution. There, the Talaandig tent constantly reverberated with excitement, as Waway beat on the massive log drums, or taught the audience how to move to the shimmering bell tones and rhythmic foot stamping of the elegant ceremonial dance Dugso, enveloping those who watched in a hushed, mesmerizingly reverent state.  This was Waway’s very first foray outside of his barangay, along with two brothers and an aunt. Little did he know that he was destined for global recognition, as he would soon travel the world to share his music at festivals in Europe, Asia and the United States, and perform with noted artists in venues such as the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, and the Lincoln Center in New York. An innovator, he bridged Asia and the West through his bowed katyapi, a two-stringed lute traditionally played by plucking. He developed an adventurous, contemporary sound that keenly projected his ethnicity as it embraced globality, fusing elements of rock and reggae with indigenous melodies and timbres.     Samples of Datu Waway’s soil-paintings. (Photo from the UP Diliman Office for Initaitives in Culture and the Arts)     Not only in music did Waway make his mark. He pioneered the art of soil painting in the community, a modern form of artistic expression that sourced organic materials from the environment and colored soil (23 myriad hues) from hills and riverbanks. Through the medium of soil, Waway created a visual avenue for expressing Talaandig oral history and daily life: a woman playing the polycordal zither; female dugso dancers; a family on a moonlit walk; a mother with child at her bosom; a storyteller; flowers and butterflies. Young Talaandig soil painters have won the prestigious Philippine Arts Awards and Metrobank Award.  Datu Waway demonstrates his kubing skills. (Photo from the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts.)  Amiable, unassuming, soft-spoken and radiating with quiet wisdom and positivity, Waway is a revitalizing presence on campus. Billeted at the Balay Kalinaw, he followed an itinerary of multi-disciplinary activities to foster a collaborative spirit. At the College of Music—Sayaw, Hukagtes, Salay (Dance, Flute, Beads)—a dance and chant workshop (that had our dancers gamely working their vocal cords); bamboo flute-making (which resourcefully used PVC pipes instead of bamboo due to a logistics glitch, but which surprisingly emitted nice, airy tones); and beadwork for crafts (that fired the students’ imaginations). And at the College of Fine Arts—Bugta: Embracing Talaandig Ancestral Soil—an exhibit on Talaandig culture and Waway as Artist, preceded by an Artist’s Talk, was launched on Nov. 16 at the PAROLA Gallery, co-curated by a team from both colleges, and graced by Chancellor Vistan. Seventeen of Waway’s own soil paintings are currently on exhibit till November 24, along with his musical instruments, katyapi, pulala (bamboo flute), and kubing (jaw harp made from bamboo), while videos of Waway in musical action unfold on a screen, and a pair of headphones strung on the panel enfolds the listener in the Talaandig soundscape.  Invited as a guest in our classes, and holding lively exchanges with students and faculty, and spirited jam sessions with our groups TUGMA (Tugtugang Musika Asyatika) and Padayon Rondalla, which saw an organic immersion in music juxtaposed with precious kwentuhan, good-natured banter and insights—all these became vital components of his stay. With just three more days left of his UP visit, two final events remain on the calendar: the soil-painting workshop on November 23, and a culminating concert on November 24, both at the College of Fine Arts. Dubbed “Munahu. Datu Waway Saway, the Lightkeeper of Talaandig Culture in a Special Thanksgiving Concert”, this event brings together :prominent ethnic-pop music artists Joey Ayala and Bayang Barrios; Asian Music major and former Up Dharma Down lead singer Armi Millare; our very own Asian Music teachers, Dr. Hiroko Nagai, Tusa Montes and Malou Matute; saxophone artist Mike Guevarra, percussionist Jose Dufourt; our students and performing groups ,TUGMA and Padayon Rondalla, all in one big momentous concert that will be hard to replicate.  Three weeks of unforgettable learnings rooted in indigenous wisdom, art and life while engaging the contemporary zeitgeist. Waway’s visit was like soft rain on parched earth. He infused a new, vibrant energy into the academic community through his spontaneous sprinkles of aphorism and gentle counsel dispensed between verses of a song, or while carving out a flute or sharing a meal. He made the ordinary extraordinary: “Tingnan mo ang buwan. . . laging sinasabi na maliwanag ang buwan. . . pagmasdan na di lang maliwanag kundi maganda rin ang buwan.” He showed how effortless it was to be one with nature and the environment: “Nature was my recording studio. . . the birds, insects, rustling leaves were my back-up musicians.” He explained how organic practices, resilience, resourcefulness and creative sharing should be developed as natural attributes. His songs, Bulalakaw, Sinla Sinla, Gabi sa Unay-House of Gongs Mix, and Riverclouds, are fervent testaments to a snug union of traditional and modern-day aesthetics as they embody the Talaandig imagination, spirituality, and cosmology, as well as daily reality and struggle.     Datu Waway shares his traditions, culture and musical and artistic gifts with UP arts and music scholars. (Photo from the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts)     The soil-painting workshop on November 23 returns human respect to this most fundamental material on which rests the Earth’s systems, through use of soil as art medium. The Talaandig’s deep love for the earth is passed on to us, through their paintings which bear the community’s “geographic and geologic imprint”, as Dean San Valentin remarked at the exhibit opening.  Through each graceful turn of the hand on the kubing, each delicate brushstroke of soil paint, each sincere intonation of chant phrase, Waway demonstrated how we can all be better humans for others through art and music. Waway’s artistic journey led to his mission of “helping” his “original culture” to re-emerge. His brief but eye- and ear-opening stay as UPD’s first Culture Bearer-in-Residence has led us onto a path of re-emergence as well.           You may view Datu Waway’s latest works and activities via his Facebook page     Article written by Dr. Ma. Patricia Brillantes Silvestre, Associate Professor of Historical Musicology, and Chair of the Department of Musicology, UP College of Music.  Prof. Patricia has written on various topics, in which she combines her fluency in the Spanish language, acquired after obtaining a Diploma Básico de Español como Lengua Extranjera from the Universidad de Salamanca and an MA in Spanish from UP, with her interest in Fil-Hispanic culture. She earned her PhD in Philippine Studies from UP Diliman’s TriCollege Program in 2021. Her research focus is social history of 19th to early 20th Century Manila, thru ideas of being and becoming (in Musicology and Cultural Studies) in the journalism on music in the colonial press. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Features: Andre Arboleda – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-features-andre-arboleda/",
        "html": "UP Features: Andre Arboleda UP Features: Andre Arboleda December 6, 2023 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    UP Features, the official video publication of the University of the Philippines, is a platform that showcases narratives of exceptional individuals alongside remarkable breakthroughs within the institution. These videos celebrate UP’s legacy while highlighting the pivotal role of the University in nation building and its tradition of honor, excellence, and—most importantly—public service.   UP Features focuses on the UP community, the beating heart of the University, and showcases how individuals serve the public in various ways, whether through significant contributions towards progress and development, or through excellence in their fields that inspires others within and outside the university.  These videos highlight the extraordinary contributions of selected individuals, UP offices, and projects that set records in applied research and development for the nation. The series also features ordinary people on campus, whose work and contribution enrich the experience of life in UP for all. UP Features are open to all people who wish to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of every member of the UP community, whether they are personnel or alumni of the university.  The pilot episode of UP Features is an example of how one such member of the UP community is harnessing his passion and expertise to teach street dance. Andrei Arboleda graduated with a Bachelor of Sports Science in 2016 from UP and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences, with a focus on Physical Education.  Beyond his academic pursuits in UP Diliman, where he imparts the intricacies of Basic Street Dance to UPD students, he also teaches young students in Pampanga, working with children and teenagers aged 5 to 14. Additionally, he serves as a coach for the dance troupes at Miriam College, guiding and nurturing young talents in the art of dance.  Watch the video of this new segment of UP Features, produced by the UP Media and Public Relations Office under the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Eleventh year of ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining” – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/eleventh-year-of-artgifts-returns-with-sari-saring-likhang-sining/",
        "html": "Eleventh year of ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining” Eleventh year of ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining” December 14, 2023 | Written by Kevin Christian Roque       Giving transcends the mere exchange of objects. It is an act that imparts something beyond the physicality of the gift, leaving a fragment of oneself with the receiver. This profound act of sharing, encapsulated in the Filipino term “pababahagi,” is the essence of ArtGifts, a tradition initiated in 2012 during the term of Prof. Emeritus Benjie Cabangis as curator for the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts (UPCFA) Gallery.  Now in its eleventh year, ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining,” celebrating the spirit of giving that has been at the core of this annual fundraising show. The exhibit, featuring 44 artists from the UPCFA’s distinguished faculty and staff, showcases over 160 small artworks in various media, including ceramics, canvas paintings, ink works, photographs, sculptures, and prints – all available for sale.  The title “Sari-sari” serves as a metaphor, drawing inspiration from the humble sari-sari store. Beyond its role as a commercial space, the sari-sari store is a communal hub where meaningful exchanges unfold, and stories are shared. In the context of ArtGifts, “Sari-sari” becomes a point of departure, symbolizing the gathering of artistic expressions and diverse narratives.  Through the concept of “sari-sari,” the spirit of “pagbabahagi” is upheld, reinforcing the celebration of community and nurturing the diversity of people and artistry that define the UPCFA. The exhibit invites all to partake in this collective act of sharing, encouraging everyone to impart themselves through their creations, in whatever form they may take.     Ruben Totet De Jesus’ Mahiyaing Manok illustration.     Art Mugs atbp in collaboration with Ruben Totet De Jesus; illustrations of Philippine cultural traditions.     Ambie Abaño’s print.     Lisa Ito-Tapang’s cat print.     Poeleen Alvarez’ Tropical Depression II: Raging On.     Rogelio Espiritu’s Gayuma, Jerome San Jose’s Orange, and Lea Jadia’s Durian.     Julie Verano’s lamps, holders, and diffusers.     Toym Imao’s Kriss Kross sculpture.     Paul Albert Quiaño’s rendition of UP Oblation sculpture.     ArtGifts 2023 runs from December 6 to December 20, 2023, at Gallery One, UP Fine Arts Gallery. For the catalog, you can download it at https://bit.ly/ArtGifts-2023, send a message to cfagallery.upd@up.edu.ph, visit https://www.facebook.com/upfineartsgallery, or check https://www.instagram.com/upfineartsgallery. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP remains in position to lead Philippine universities, based on 2024 QS World University Rankings: Asia – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-remains-in-position-to-lead-philippine-universities-based-on-2024-qs-world-university-rankings-asia/",
        "html": "UP remains in position to lead Philippine universities, based on 2024 QS World University Rankings: Asia UP remains in position to lead Philippine universities, based on 2024 QS World University Rankings: Asia November 10, 2023 | Written by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc       The University of the Philippines (UP) is on the up and up again in terms of ranking among Asia’s top universities, climbing to No. 78 from the previous 87, remaining No. 18 in Southeast Asia and number one in the Philippines, according to the 2024 edition of Asia university rankings by the widely recognized and referenced Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).  Sixteen Philippine universities made it to the Asia rankings, although UP is the only Philippine university to make it to the top 10% of the top 856 Asian universities, led by Peking University. UP’s overall score out of a possible 100 is 48, 13 points higher than the next-ranked university.  The 2024 QS Asia University Rankings included a breakdown by Asian sub-region. UP placed 18th among the top 148 universities of Southeast Asia, where the National University of Singapore ranked number one.  The current rankings of Philippine universities that made the QS Asia grade are as follows: UP, 78; Ateneo de Manila University, 137; De La Salle University, 154; University of Santo Tomas, 179; Adamson University, 551-600; Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 551-600; University of San Carlos, 551-600; Mapua University, 601-650; Silliman University, 601-650; Ateneo de Davao University, 651-700; Far Eastern University, 701-750; Mindanao State University (MSU)-Iligan Institute of Technology, 701-750; Saint Louis University, 751-800; Lyceum of the Philippines University, 801+; MSU-Marawi, 801+; and Xavier University, 801+.  The rankings are based on scores for academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, faculty-staff with PhD, papers per faculty, citations per paper, international research network, international faculty, international students, inbound exchange, and outbound exchange. Based on the 2024 edition scores, UP’s biggest advantage in the Philippines appears to be in the indicators of international research network and academic reputation.  It scored 68.4 out of a possible 100 in international research network. The closest university in terms of this indicator only managed a score of 14.5. It is also where UP made the biggest improvement in score from the previous year, when it managed to get 52.1.  UP’s academic reputation is unparalleled in the country, with its score of 61.2, 20 points higher than the next highest score from a Philippine university, 41.2.  UP’s highest score, however, is in employer reputation at 77.7.  The 2024 QS Asia University Rankings can be viewed at https://www.topuniversities.com/asia-university-rankings. The QS rankings portfolio was inaugurated in 2004 and published by the Times Higher Education (THE) Supplement as Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. In 2009, THE broke from its partnership with QS in favor of Thomson Reuters and later, Elsevier, in coming out with the THE World University Rankings. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-uma-agree-on-increasing-collaboration-activities/",
        "html": "UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities December 1, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu   Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President, and Prof. Juan Antonio García Galindo, UMA Vice Rectorate of Social Projection and Communication, present a signed memorandum of agreement. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)     The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) of Spain have agreed to strengthen linkages and increase opportunities for collaboration with the opening of representative offices between UP and UMA and the creation of the Aula Maria Zambrano UP-UMA Centre at the UP Diliman campus on December 1, 2023.  This Centre will be a hub “for the study of relations between the Philippines, Spain and Ibero-America, enriching our understanding of the Pacific region’s cultural heritage,” said UP President Angelo A. Jimenez.     Universidad de Málaga (UMA) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials sign the agreements that aim to strengthen linkages and increase opportunities for collaboration in international studies. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)     Officials of the two universities visited the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) International Collaboration Unit at Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, before signing two Memoranda of Agreement at the UP Board of Regents Room at Quezon Hall.  “Together, we aim to create a lasting impact on both our institutions and the public even beyond academic pursuits. The cultural, social, political, and economic exchanges facilitated by this collaboration will provide a broader vision on Transatlantic Studies,” Jimenez said.  Prof. Juan Antonio García Galindo, UMA Vice Rectorate of Social Projection and Communication, said that the Centre here will be a place for research and collaboration. It will also link UP to the International Network of María Zambrano Centres for Transatlantic Studies (AMZET) and Centre for Ibero-American and Transatlantic Studies coordinated by the University of Málaga.       UP President Angelo A. Jimenez and UMA Prof. Juan Antonio García Galindo together with UMA Prof. Miriam Lopez Rodriguez, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo D.P. Cubillan, UP Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, UP Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino, UP Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Noel A. Moratilla, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, UP College of Law Dean Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, UP College of Law Associate Dean Solomon Lumba, and UP College of Law Prof. Donna Manlangit. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)     New avenues for cooperation, particularly in the field of international studies, include participation of faculty and students in activities of international networks, identification of areas for research and development, promotion of the Transatlantic Studies Network (TSN) Revista de Estudios Internacionales, and joint organization of courses, seminars, conferences, and scientific-technical sessions.  The UP-UMA Centre in UP Diliman will be headed by UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo D.P. Cubillan. The UP Office at UMA Teatinos campus, Spain, will be headed by Prof. Susana Cabrero Yeto, UMA Vice Rectorate for Mobility and International Cooperation. With UMA Vice Rector Galindo was Dr. Miriam López-Rodríguez, UMA Deputy Vice-President for Social Projection.  With UP President Jimenez and Vice President Cubillan were Executive Vice President Jose Fernando T. Alcantara, Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Ma. Shari Niña G. Oliquino, Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Noel A. Moratilla, UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, College of Law Dean Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, College of Law Associate Dean Solomon Lumba, and College of Law Prof. Donna Manlangit.   Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, UP President, and Prof. Juan Antonio García Galindo, UMA Vice Rectorate of Social Projection and Communication. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)     From left to right: UP College of Law Associate Dean Solomon Lumba, UP Office of International Linkages Deputy Director Noel A. Moratilla, UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Leo D.P. Cubillan, UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, UMA Prof. Juan Antonio García Galindo, UMA Prof. Miriam Lopez Rodriguez, and UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)     Universidad de Málaga (UMA) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials exchange tokens of appreciation after the signing of the memorandums of agreement. (Photo by Bong Arboleda, UP MPRO.)  Below are some highlights of the MOA signing with the University of Malaga. Video by Al Nikko Nagutom, UP MPRO. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Think-tank instrumental to S. Korea prosperity introduced in UP – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/think-tank-instrumental-to-s-korea-prosperity-introduced-in-up/",
        "html": "Think-tank instrumental to S. Korea prosperity introduced in UP Think-tank instrumental to S. Korea prosperity introduced in UP December 4, 2023 | Written by Raymond Barreno, UP Korea Research Center, and Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO   Dr. Chang-keun Lee and Ms Min-young Seo (fifth and eighth from left, back) of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, together with (left to right, back) UP professors Aletheia Valenciano, Matthew Miranda, Hwee-rak Park, Ronel Laranjo, Jean Encinas-Franco, and Erik Capistrano (third from right, back), and (middle) UP Korea Research Center’s (UKRC) Raymond Barreno (sitting), Pame Jacar, and Dr. Kyung-min Bae, with UP graduate and undergraduate students, during a Korea Studies Info-session of the UPKRC, October 20, 2023, in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo courtesy of the UPKRC.)     The University of the Philippines Korea Research Center (UP-KRC) introduced UP faculty to the Korea Development Institute (KDI) School of Public Policy and Management, the institute reputed to be the driving force behind the economic and social development of South Korea, by hosting a talk by one of its professors.  Dr. Changkeun Lee, KDI Professor of Economic History, visited the UP Korea Research Center last October 20 to conduct an orientation for UP Department of Political Science faculty and students who are interested in pursuing and advancing their careers in policymaking and development studies.  Dr. Lee ended his lecture by proposing partnerships and exchange programs between the KDI School and the UP Department of Political Science for the mutual development of the two institutions. The UP Department of Political Science contingent was headed by its Chair Dr. Aries A. Arugay and Dr. Jean S. Encinas Franco.     Dr. Chang-keun Lee, professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, talks about collaborative research opportunities in Korea, during a Korea Studies Info-session of the UP Korea Research Center, October 20, 2023, in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo courtesy of the UPKRC.)     Located at the heart of Sejong City, the KDI is the major institution that has steered the wheel of South Korea toward economic growth and development, Dr. Lee said. The KDI also prides itself as the leading institution in the field of public policy in Korea. Moreover, he stated that the KDI School focuses on evidence-based policymaking, analyzing processes and policymaking, and application of policy research that will help students become the future policymakers and leaders that their country needs.  Dr. Lee introduced the programs offered by the school. The KDI School offers Development Policy, Public Policy, Public Administration, and Intellectual Property and Development courses for Master’s Programs and Development Policy and Public Policy for Ph.D. Program. These graduate programs are being supervised by Professors with diverse academic backgrounds and policy experiences both abroad and in Korea. Dr. Lee also mentioned that the KDI has state-of-the-art resource facilities and equipment, organized peer group reviews, and a strong alumni network. Moreover, the KDI School grants financial support to aspiring scholars.  Dr. Lee said that graduates of the KDI School in Korea have numerous opportunities waiting after graduation. Graduates may consider applying for grants from the National Research Foundation in Korea for their research proposals. Ms. Min-young Seo, Head of Cooperative Research Division of the KDI School, said that they can also work with various international cooperation agencies and organizations like KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency).  The session ended with a question-and-answer forum. UP Political Science students asked questions regarding the requirements and application calendar of the school as well as fully-funded scholarships and tuition discounts for Filipino students.  Faculty members and students of political science, international relations, linguistics, business, and others listen to the talk of Dr. Chang-keun Lee of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management during a Korea Studies Info-session of the UP Korea Research Center, October 20, 2023, in UP Diliman, Quezon City. (Photo courtesy of the UPKRC.)     Learn more about the UP Korea Research Center: https://upkrc.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/UPKRC https://www.youtube.com/@UPKoreaResearchCenter "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP launches online courses on resilience – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-launches-online-courses-on-resilience/",
        "html": "UP launches online courses on resilience UP launches online courses on resilience December 7, 2023 | Written by Fred Dabu    Dr. Mahar Lagmay shows PAJ the Earthquake Simulator. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     Starting on January 15, 2024, professionals engaged in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) work can enroll in the University of the Philippines’ Basics of Resilience Online Courses.  This collaborative program was launched on December 5 at the UP Resilience Institute (UP RI) building in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The UP RI and the UP Open University Faculty of Management and Development Studies (UPOU-FMDS) designed the online courses especially for crises managers, CCA-DRR practitioners, and climate action partners and stakeholders.  According to the proponents of this program, the series of microcourses to be offered through UPOU’s Open and Distance Learning (ODL) modality can be taken as standalone courses and be eventually credited to a Diploma or even a Master’s degree.  To introduce content of the online courses, Prof. Alfredo Mahar A. Lagmay, UP RI Executive Director, delivered a 30-minute lecture on the disaster context in the Philippines. He explained CCA-DRR terminologies, some of the natural hazards and the country’s experiences during the past decades, and what must be done given that the Philippines also ranks first in the World Risk Index.  Opening Remarks of UPOU-FMDS Dean Joane V. Serrano. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO Lecture of UPRI Executive Director Alfredo Mahar A. Lagmay. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     UP and CCA-DRR officials delivered inspirational messages during the hybrid face-to-face and online launch of the program. More than 400 attended this event.  Prof. Ruben M. Gamala, UP RI Director for Education, said this program is a welcome opportunity for those who cannot leave their workplace or community to study.  UPOU-FMDS Dean Joane V. Serrano explained that the courses would provide necessary knowledge not only to those in CCA-DRR professions, but also to those in underserved sectors and other stakeholders to enable them to build resilience in their respective communities.  UPOU Chancellor Melinda Dela Peña Bandalaria added that the program’s micro-credentialing framework is transformational and can be a model for UP’s new initiatives and the country’s higher education institutions.  Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ariel F. Nepomuceno expressed hope that the online courses will capacitate more CCA-DRR professionals who will engage more people in creating safe, sustainable and resilient communities.  Climate Change Commission Secretary Robert E.A. Borje said the initiative affirms the academe’s role in resilience building and is a huge step forward in making education accessible.  Message of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO. A final photo to conclude the launch. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UPMPRO.     UP President Angelo A. Jimenez emphasized the role of universities in facing the threats due to climate change. He said that universities must bring the message to the communities that climate action—climate justice—is the greatest moral imperative of this generation.  “What is required is climate justice. There has to be equity as well,” he said. He challenged academics and researchers to be effective communicators and maximize their creativity in building a scientific culture or a culture of science.  To conclude the program launch, Prof. Genaro A. Cuaresma, UP RI Director for Institution Building, presented a recap of the messages and lessons learned as he acknowledged the speakers, participants and co-organizers of the event. "
    },
    {
        "title": "The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-holidays-arrive-with-pag-iilaw-rites-across-up-campuses/",
        "html": "The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses December 13, 2023 | Written by Chelsea Lilang   The Oblation, the University’s symbol representing the selfless commitment of the Filipino youth to the nation, is decked in colorful upcycled bicycles for the Holiday Season. Dubbed Tatsulokuyan by its creator, Fine Arts Assistant Professor Toym Imao, the name is a combination of the Filipino terms Tatsulok (triangle), Sulo (torch), and Kasalukuyan (present), symbolizing the university’s role in enlightening the nation amidst its current predicament. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.  You know it’s the holiday season once again when the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) come alive in a blaze of twinkling lights, colorful lanterns, and festive music.  Over the past week, the constituent universities of the UP System held their traditional “pag-iilaw” ceremonies to officially launch the celebration of Christmas 2023. The University’s creativity, musicality and artistic vision are once again on full display as the UP community came together to welcome the season of peace, joy, and love.     The Oblation in UP Diliman, Quezon City, stands amidst this year’s holidays design called Tatsulokuyan. Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.     “Pag-iilaw ng Tatsulokuyan” illuminates UP Diliman  UP Diliman’s most iconic statue came to vibrant life during the recent “Pag-iilaw ng Tatsulokuyan,” held on December 1, 2023 at the Oblation plaza.  This year’s traditional Pag-iilaw, with the theme “Panibagong Lakas,” illuminated the campus and featured an array of musical performances and the artistic installation of “Tatsulokuyan,” by Filipino multi-media visual artist and UP Fine Arts alumnus Prof. Abdulmari “Toym” Imao, Jr.  The title was crafted from the Filipino words “tatsulok,” “sulo,” and “kasalukuyan.”  UP Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando Tolentino, on behalf of UP President Atty. Angelo Jimenez, welcomed those who gathered for the celebration.  “Tulad ng mga parola at lighthouses sa madidilim na kalawakan, ang UP ay magsilbing liwanag na tanglaw at aktor ng pag-asa at pagbabago laban sa katiwalian at culture of impunity o kawalan nag takot na maparusahan lalo na sa edad ng malawakang disinformation, trolling and sponsored trending sa ating lipunan,” said VP Tolentino.     UP Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando Tolentino. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.     UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II mentioned the four-year transition of “Pa-ilaw” from virtual, to hybrid, then to face-to-face with masks to no masks, marking the evolving phases of the event.  “Ang panibagong lakas ay nakaugat din sa mahalagang tungkulin ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas na maging lunsaran ng pagtuklas at pag buo ng mga tugon sa iba’t ibang suliraning kinakaharap ng ating lipunan. Gamit ang panibagong lakas na ito, sikapin nating makalikha ng mga napapanatili o sustinabling lunas sa mga problemang ating dinaranas bilang isang komunidad at isang bansa,” he said.     UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan. Photo by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.  UP Diliman welcomes the season with music and dance. Photos by Bong Arboleda, UPMPRO.     UP Cebu and UPSO celebrate cultural diversity, creativity and community  This yuletide season, the University of the Philippines in the Queen City of the South illuminated their Christmas Tree at the Oblation Square on December 1. UP Cebu marked the commencement of the season with the theme “Cultural Kaleidoscope: Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Creativity in the Service of the Community.”  A highlight of the season was the debut concert of the UP Symphony Orchestra, titled “Huni ug Hudyaka sa Pasko,” held in the evening of December 7 at the UP Cebu Open Grounds. Members of the UP Cebu community were treated to the UPSO’s variety of musical pieces.     Watch the UP Symphony Orchestra’s Huni ug Hudayaka sa Pasko by clicking this link.     UP Manila and UP-PGH together celebrate unity and hope  On December 1, UP Manila and the UP Philippine General Hospital joined forces to kick off the festive season with a magical Christmas celebration. The theme at UP Manila, ‘PUNO NG PAG-ASA,’ promised a vibrant and colorful Christmas, while UP-PGH embraced ‘Pag-asa, Ginhawa, Hilom’—both themes resonating with hope and healing.  The evening commenced with a heartwarming Thanksgiving Mass at the UP-PGH Chapel, setting the tone for an enchanting night. The UP Manila Chorale invoked the festive spirit, followed by the grand Kick-Off and Tree Lighting Ceremony at PGH Flagpole & Oblation Plaza.  Amidst the twinkling lights, UP Manila officials were recognized, and the UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Michael L. Tee, conveyed a heartfelt message. Dean Charlotte M. Chiong of UPCM and PGH Director Dr. Gerardo D. Legaspi also shared inspiring messages, underscoring the significance of unity and celebration during the holiday season.  The program unfolded with captivating intermission numbers by UP Med Choir and PGH-Department of Medicine, adding musical notes to the joyous occasion. The sponsors, Firefly Electric and Lighting Corporation, were acknowledged for their contribution to the event.  As the night progressed, the College of Dentistry, in collaboration with Firefly Electric and Lighting Corporation, mesmerized the audience with a stunning Christmas Tree Lighting and Musical Light Show. Dr. Anthony Geronimo Cordero and Dr. Krizzia Rae Jabonillo skillfully guided the festivities as the Masters of Ceremony.  The joint celebration embodied the spirit of the season, bringing together the UP Manila and PGH communities in a joyous embrace of hope, joy, and unity. The Christmas magic lingered in the air, creating memories that will be cherished for years to come.        UP Baguio sparkles with festive lights to celebrate Christmas  Awash in a sea of lights, the entire UP Baguio campus sparkled in celebration of the start of the Christmas season on December 4.  Chancellor Corazon Abansi welcomed the UP Baguio community with a warm welcome message. “This traditional ceremony of illuminating the season excites us the most because it kicks off the festive mood despite deadlines to beat and the usual end of output to complete. I consider our Christmas lighting ceremony a spectacular event filled with festive cheers especially from our students,” she said.        UPLB’s annual Christmas lighting ceremony dazzles at Freedom Park  UP Los Baños’ Annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony dazzled at Freedom Park in front of DL Umali Hall on December 6. The event showcased captivating performances from Harmonya, UPLB’s string ensemble, the UPLB Choral Ensemble, Umalohokan, Inc., the UPLB Filipiniana Dance Troupe, and the UPLB Talent Pool.  In the meantime, Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., Vice Chancellor for Administration Rolando Bello, College of Human Ecology Dean Jennifer Amparo, BAO Director and Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Administration Eugene Raymond Crudo, and BAO PDA Cris Edwin Bonalos led the opening of the UPLB Christmas Bazaar. The Bazaar will be held from December 6 to 16, 2023. It will also include special activities including Local Vocals, Dance Flash Mobs, Santa Experience, and Bazaaristas’ Christmas Party.     Watch UPLB’s Christmas Lighting Ceremony streaming video here.     UPV Iloilo City Campus shines bright with festive lights Showcase  UP Visayas illuminated its Iloilo City campus for the Christmas season as part of the Paskua 2023 festivities of the University.  UPV students—composed mostly of those from the College of Management (CM) and the UP High School in Iloilo (UPHSI), UPV personnel, and guests were able to witness the opening of lights at the said campus during the Christmas Lights Illumination Ceremony held on December 7.  The University Oblation Avenue and the facade of the Main Building are now surrounded with colorful Christmas lights and displays.  ​Vice Chancellor for Administration John Lorenz Belanio, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Philip Ian Padilla, and Prof. Agustin Huyong, Paskua 2023 co-chair, led the opening of lights.  The audience was treated to a series of performances from various student groups to make the ceremony even more festive.  UPV Rhapsody and the Iloilo Harana Performing Group of CM and UPHSI, respectively, sang various Christmas songs to the delight of the audience. CM dance group UPV Khoryu, on the other hand, added flair to the event with their performance.  With the illumination of the Iloilo City campus, UPV’s two campuses now serve as attractions this Christmas season. On Dec. 5, the Miagao campus held its illumination ceremony which saw an influx of guests who witnessed the opening of lights.           Pagsalud han Dan-ag han Kapaskuhan at UP Tacloban  The UP Tacloban community welcomed the holiday season with “Paglamrag 2023 to lighten the Christmas lanterns and lights at the Oblation signaling the start of Christmas festivities at the UP Tacloban campus.  During the program held at the UP Tacloban AS Grounds, UPTC Dean Patricia B. Arinto, UPTC Alumni Association President Ateneones Bacale, and UPTC Student Council Chair Paul Lachica delivered inspirational messages, followed by a joyful singing of a medley of Christmas songs by the UP Amplify & Psych Circle. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippine Transparency Seal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/",
        "html": "Philippine Transparency Seal  The University of the Philippines complies with the conditions of good governance as set by Section 106 of the General Provisions of the FY 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Section 94 of the General Provisions of the FY 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Section 96 of the General Provisions of the FY 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and Section 102 of the General Provisions of the FY 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Available below are the information required of the University under the said directives.  I. Mandate, Function, List of Officials, and Contact Information II. Annual Financial Reports III. DBM Approved Budget and Corresponding Targets for FY 2022 IV. Projects, Programs and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation V. Annual Procurement Plan VI. Quality Management System Certificates VII. Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals VIII. Agency Review and Compliance Procedure of Statements and Financial Disclosures IX. People’s Freedom of Information X. Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, and for Other Purposes XI. Accountability Report Cards  I. Mandate, Function, List of Officials, and Contact Information   A. Mandate and Functions, Vision and Mission B. Officials, Designations and Contact Information  To view the Transparency pages of the constituent units of the University, please click the links below:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu UP PGH     II. Annual Financial Reports  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Summary Report on Disbursements 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Budget Accountability Report (BAR) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 5 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Plan (BED) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-A 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-B 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-C 2022 2021 2020  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 2 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 2-A 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 3 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 4 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 6 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019  III. DBM Approved Budget and Corresponding Targets  2023 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2023 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2023  2022 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2022 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2022  2021 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2021 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2021  2020 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2020 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2020  IV. Projects, Programs and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation for FY 2020  • Balik-PhD Research Grants • Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR)  • Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant (ECWRG) • Implementation of the Free Tuition Law  V. Annual Procurement Plan  FY 2019 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2019 Indicative APP-nonCSE) of all UP CUs FY 2019 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2019 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2019 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2019 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2020 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2020 Indicative APP-nonCSE) of all UP CUs FY 2020 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2020 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2020 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2020 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs (Updated)  FY 2021 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2021 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs FY 2021 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2021 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2021 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2021 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2022 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2022 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs FY 2022 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2022 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2022 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2022 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2023 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2023 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs (large file)  UP Systemwide Summary, UP System Administration and UP Diliman UP Los Baños, UP Manila, PGH, UP Open U, UP Visayas, UP Baguio, UP Mindanao and UP Cebu  FY 2023 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2023 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2023 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2023 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs     FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs FY 2024 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2024 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP System FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP Diliman FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Tacloban, and UP Visayas  VI. Quality Management System Certificates  ISO Certificates  Philippine General Hospital (PGH): | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | NIH-Institute of Human Genetics (IHG), UP Manila: | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | NIH-IHG-Newborn Screening Center (NSC), UP Manila: | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | Newborn Screening Reference Center (NSRC), UP Manila: | Renewal 2017-2020 | Renewal 2020-2023 | UP Law Complex, UP Diliman: | 2020-2023 | Philippine National Collection of Microorganisms – National Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (PNCM-NIMBB), UP Los Baños: | 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 |  Other Certificates  Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), UP Diliman: PRIME HRM Assessment Open University (UPOU): ICDE PRIZE OF EXCELLENCE College of Medicine (CM), UP Manila: Basic Medical Education Program – PAASCU – Level IV Re-accredited Status College of Pharmacy (CP), UP Manila: Pharmacy Program – PAASCU – Level III Re-accredited Status College of Nursing (CN), UP Manila: Nursing Program – PAASCU – Level II Re-accredited Status VII. Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals   Guidelines in Ranking of Delivery Units for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019  Guidelines in Ranking of Delivery Units for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023     VIII. Agency Review and Compliance Procedure of Statements and Financial Disclosures  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2018  UP Sytemwide 2018 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2019  UP Sytemwide 2019 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2020  UP Sytemwide 2020 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2021  UP Sytemwide 2021 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2022  UP Sytemwide 2022 SALN Review and Compliance Committee IX. People’s Freedom of Information  The Final People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual  Modified One-Page FOI Manual  Freedom of Information (FOI) Reports  Assessing Information Disclosure Practices for FOI Compliance (AID-FOI Tool)     X. Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and for other Purposes  Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2019) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (updated: 2020) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2021) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (updated: 2021) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2022) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2023)  UP System and Constituent Universities Committee on Anti-Red Tape (CART)  To view the Citizen’s Charters of the UP System and the Constituent Universities, please click the links below:  UP System Administration UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University  UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu UP Philippine General Hospital     XI. Accountability Report Cards  2021  Performance-Based Bonus Scorecard  2020  MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)  2019  Congratulatory Letter MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)  2018  Congratulatory Letter MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)"
    },
    {
        "title": "UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-of-the-philippines-up-privacy-notice-foi/",
        "html": "UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES (UP) PRIVACY NOTICE FOR FILIPINO CITIZENS REQUESTING ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN PURSUANT TO EO 2 SERIES OF 2016 August 20, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    The University of the Philippines is committed to uphold the right of Filipino citizens to information on matters of public concern under Article III Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution. E.O. No. 2 Series of 2016 http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2016/07/23/executive-order-no-02-s-2016/ which applies to the Executive Branch was issued in order to implement such right.  UP has adopted a Freedom of Information manual as required by the said E.O. In order to process FOI requests made pursuant to the above E.O. (https://www.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Revised-UP-FOI-Manual-as-of-050718-2.pdf), the University  must necessarily process the  personal information of a requesting party, that is, information that identifies a requesting party  as an  individual.  The University is likewise committed to uphold the Philippine Data Privacy Act  that implements the Constitutional right to informational privacy of data subjects. http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2012/08/15/republic-act-no-10173/  This notice explains in general terms, the purpose and legal basis for the processing of the personal information collected by UP in order to act on FOI requests made pursuant to the abovementioned E.O. from Filipino citizens like you, the measures in place to protect your data privacy and the rights that you may exercise in relation to such information.  The term UP/University/us/our refers to the University of the Philippines System and Constituent University offices.  The term you/your refers to Filipino citizens who make FOI requests pursuant to the provisions of E.O. No. 2 series of 2016 (“requesting parties”) .  Personal Information Collected From Requesting Parties, the Purpose and Legal Basis for Collecting the Information  FOI requests may be made through a paper-based application process filed with UP’s FOI Receiving Officer(s). We highly encourage requesting parties to lodge requests using the eFOI portal of the Presidential Communications Operations Office at https://www.foi.gov.ph/  Our FOI Receiving Officers may upload paper-based applications to the eFOI portal in order to enable the University to more efficiently process, monitor and track FOI requests.  In case you file a paper-based application with a UP office, your image may be captured by UP’s CCTVs and your information may be processed in connection with other security procedures e.g. you shall be required to present a valid government issued ID and sign the relevant logbook etc. upon your entry and exit from University offices.  Your name, citizenship and a copy of your government-issued ID indicating your Filipino citizenship or in the absence thereof, a document evidencing your Filipino citizenship, the specific purpose(s) for your request are processed by UP in order to verify your identity and to ascertain that your request involves a matter of public concern and that you are qualified to make such request pursuant to the 1987 Constitution.  Kindly note that, in the event your request is granted, and UP provides you with the information requested, the same must be used only for the purpose(s) indicated in your request pursuant to the provisions of the FOI EO, RA 6713 and its IRR, the DPA and related issuances as well as other applicable laws, regulations and issuances. You shall likewise hold UP free and harmless from all liabilities arising from the processing of the information received for purposes other than those stated in your application as well as those purposes allowed by applicable laws and regulations.  Your address and contact information (landline, mobile number, email) are processed in order for UP to verify your identity and contact you regarding your request.  The abovementioned personal information shall also be processed by UP in order to prevent fraud.  UP may also process personal information of requesting parties in order to do research on how to improve FOI implementation and to comply with reportorial requirements subject to the provisions of the DPA and applicable research ethics guidelines.  UP will keep your application form and the records regarding your request in order to protect itself from liabilities for the unauthorized processing of information.  CCTVs and other security measures which may involve the processing of your personal information are intended to protect your vitally important interests, for public order and safety and pursuant to the University and the public’s legitimate interests.  UP does not process your personal information to carry out any wholly automated decision making that affects you.  When consent is the appropriate or relevant basis for collecting your personal information, the University will obtain such consent in written, electronic or recorded form at the appropriate time.  UP is required to comply with the provisions of the National Archives Act of 2007 R.A.  9470 http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2007/05/21/republic-act-no-9470/ and related issuances in the archiving and disposal of your personal information.  Nondisclosure of Your Personal Information to Third Parties Except Upon Your Consent or as Required or Permitted by Law  As a general rule, UP will only disclose your personal and sensitive personal information to third parties with your consent. The University will disclose or share such information only when required or allowed by applicable laws. Note that as stated above, FOI Receiving Officers may upload your request, including your personal information in the eFOI portal in order to more efficiently process, track and monitor your request. UP is required under issuances to be enrolled in the eFOI portal and to use the same to process FOI requests. The PCOO by operating and maintaining the eFOI portal also therefore processeses your personal information.  Under the DPA, personal information may be processed e.g. disclosed, for instance, when it is necessary in order for UP to comply with alegal obligation;  to protect your vitally important interests including life and health; necessary to respond to national emergency, public order and safety; necessary to fulfill the functions of public authority or for the pursuant to the legitimate interests of the University or a third party except where such interests are overridden by your fundamental rights.  Sensitive personal information (e.g. confidential educational records, age/birthdate, civil status, health, ethnicity, government-issued ID number that identifies an individual) on the other hand may be processed e.g. disclosed when such is allowed by laws and regulations, such regulatory enactments provide for the protection of such information and the consent of the data subject is not required for such law or regulation; such is needed to protect the life and health of the data subject or another person and the data subject is unable to legally or physically express consent, in thecase of medical treatment, needed for the protection of lawful rights and interests of natural or legal persons in court proceedings, for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or where provided to government or public authority.  How UP Protects Your Personal Information  UP put in place physical, organizational and technical measures to protect  your right to privacy and is committed to reviewing and improving the same, so as to be able to comply with the DPA.  From time to time UP posts information on relevant sites that explain how you can secure and maintain the confidentiality of your personal information. Rest assured that UP personnel are allowed to process your personal information only when such  processing is part of their official duties.  As stated above the eFOI portal is operated and maintained by the PCOO. UP is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the PCOO and NPC to help see to it that your right to data privacy is protected when the eFOI portal is used by to process FOI requests pursuant to its legal obligation.  Access To Your Personal Information  In case you request for access to or the correction of  your personal information made in relation to your FOI request, UP will require you to provide a GIID to ascertain your identity and prevent fraud. In case the request is made through your representative, a letter of authorization stating the name of your authorized representative, the purpose(s) for which the requested document(s) will be used and your  GIID as well as the valid GIID of your authorized representative. UP shall request a copy of the GIID that you and your representative presented.  Kindly note that since UP is under a legal obligation to use the eFOI portal to process requests there are certain requests that you may make in relation to your personal information in the portal that must be addressed to PCOO as the operator of the eFOI portal e.g. if you register via the eFOI site then the correction of your registration information must be made via the eFOI portal as UP has no means of correcting the personal information that you entered when you registered in the eFOI portal. Queries re the eFOI portal may be directed to:  Queries Regarding Data Privacy  We encourage you to visit this site from time to time to see any updates regarding this Privacy Notice.  Please also refer to the eFOI site Privacy Notice https://www.foi.gov.ph/downloads/FOI%20Privacy%20Notice.pdf  For queries, comments or suggestions regarding this System-wide privacy notice, please contact the University of the Philippines System Data Protection Officer through the following:     a. Via post  c/o the Office of the President 2F North Wing Quezon Hall (Admin Building) University Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines     b. Through the following landlines  Phone | (632) 9280110; (632) 9818500 loc. 2521     c. Through email  dpo@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/approved-acceptable-use-policy-for-information-technology-it-resources-of-the-up-system/",
        "html": "APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM APPROVED ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) RESOURCES OF THE UP SYSTEM June 28, 2018 | Written by UP Media and Public Relations Office    Approved by the Board of Regents on its 1165th Meeting, 31 October 2002.   version Section 1. Policy Statement Computers and networks are powerful technologies for accessing and distributing information and knowledge. They are strategic technologies for the current and future needs of the UP SYSTEM. For now, computing facilities and network infrastructure are a costly resource and thus must be used solely for teaching, learning, research, and other officially-sanctioned activities. Also, since these technologies allow individuals to access and copy information from remote sources, users must respect the rights of others, particularly to their privacy and intellectual property. There is therefore a need for rules and regulations to ensure equitable, secure and reliable access to these resources. The following regulations will govern the use of computing facilities, networks and other Information Technology (IT) resources of the University of the Philippines System. These regulations aim to: ensure an information infrastructure that promotes the basic missions of the UP SYSTEM in teaching, learning and research; protect the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT resources of the UP SYSTEM; establish processes for addressing policy violations and providing sanctions for violators; emphasize that the UP SYSTEM shall not be liable for any damages incurred from the use of IT resources and for any claims and suits arising from the unauthorized and irresponsible use of the same; warn users that use of IT resources for partisan political activities as defined in relevant rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission or the University of the Philippines, or for any unauthorized commercial purposes is prohibited; and notify users of the existence of this Policy. Section 2. Basic Standards The same standards and principles of intellectual and academic freedom developed for university libraries shall be applied to material received from the network. The same standards of intellectual and academic freedom developed for faculty and student publication in traditional media shall be applied to publication in computer media. As constituents of the academic community, faculty, students, and academic and non-academic staff should be free, individually and collectively, to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the academic body. The constituents of the academic community should have clearly defined means to participate in the formulation and application of institutional policy affecting academic and student affairs. The actions of the constituents of the academic community within the areas of its jurisdictions should be reviewed only through orderly prescribed procedures. Section 3. Definitions Agreement Form means document in which the user undertakes to comply with this Policy. The form may be electronic. Confidential information means data or information which on its face is not intended for unrestricted dissemination. Examples include student records, examination archives, proprietary technical information, disciplinary case records, administrative records, and the like. Document when used in this Policy shall refer both to the paper and its electronic format. Information Technology System or IT System includes computers, terminals, printers, networks, modem banks, online and offline storage media and related equipment, and software, databases and other data files that are owned, managed, or maintained by any unit of the University of the Philippines. For purposes of this Policy, any other equipment, computer unit or external network, when attached to, or used to access and/or interact with any component of, the IT System may also be considered part of the IT System. Private files means information that a user would reasonably regard as private. Examples include the contents of electronic mail boxes, private file storage areas of individual users, and information stored in other areas that are not public, even if no measure has been taken to protect such information. System and Network Administrator means a person designated to manage the particular system assigned to her/him, to oversee the day-to-day operation of the system, or to preliminarily determine who is permitted access to particular facilities and resources of the IT System, whether hired on a temporary, contractual or permanent basis. UP SYSTEM means the University of the Philippines System and all its constituent units. User means any person, whether authorized or not, who makes any use of the IT System or any of its components by any means or from any location. Section 4. Scope And Applicability a. General Coverage. This Policy applies to all facilities within the IT System and all its users. All users should be aware of these regulations, and should realize that when using the computers within the UP SYSTEM, they are bound by these regulations. Users may be required to sign a form agreeing to comply with this Policy. However, failure to sign the agreement form will not release users from coverage of this Policy. b. Local and External Conditions of Use. Individual units within the UP SYSTEM may define additional “conditions of use” for components of the ITSystem under their control. These conditions must be consistent with this overall policy but may provide additional detail, guidelines, restrictions, and/or enforcement mechanisms. These units will be responsible for publishing the regulations they establish and their policies concerning the authorized and appropriate use of the equipment for which they are responsible. Copies of these policies should be given to the President, Vice-President for Development, the Intellectual Property Office and the Office of Legal Services. Where use of external networks is involved, policies governing such use will be applicable and must be adhered to. Section 5. General Responsibilities a. General Responsibilities of Users.  In general, users of the IT System must:  use the IT System only for its intended purpose, and refrain from misusing or abusing it; maintain the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of computer-based information resources; refrain from seeking to gain unauthorized access or exceed authorized access; respect software copyright and licenses and other intellectual property rights; respect the rights of other computer users; and be aware that although computing and information technology providers throughout the university are charged with preserving the integrity and security of resources, security sometimes can be breached through actions beyond their control. Users are therefore urged to take appropriate precautions such as safeguarding their account and password, taking full advantage of file security mechanisms, backing up critical data and promptly reporting any misuse or violations of the policy.  Every member of the University community has an obligation to report suspected violations of the Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology of the U.P. System or any of its units. Reports should be directed to the system and network administrators, Chairs, Deans, Chancellors or the President.  b. General Responsibilities Of System And Network Administrators System and network administrators and providers of University Information Technology resources have the additional responsibility of ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the resources they are managing. Persons in these positions are granted significant trust to use their privileges appropriately for their intended purpose and only when required to maintain the system. Any private information seen in carrying out these duties must be treated in the strictest confidence, unless it relates to a violation or the security of the system. System and network administrators are expected to treat the contents of electronic files as private and confidential. Any inspection of electronic files, and any action based upon such inspection, will be governed by this Policy, other university rules and all applicable laws. c. General Responsibilities Of University Administrators To be informed and knowledgeable about these policies To initiate systematic programs to inform academic and non-academic personnel of these policies Section 6. Appropriate Use a. Appropriate Use  Users may only use the IT System for its authorized purposes, which is to support the research, education, clinical, administrative and other functions of the UP SYSTEM. The particular purposes of any of the components of the IT System, as well as the nature and scope of authorized incidental personal use, may vary according to the duties and responsibilities of a user.  b. Proper Authorization  Users may access only those facilities and components of the IT System that are consistent with their authorization coming from competent authorities.  c. Specific Proscriptions on Use  The following categories of use of the IT System are considered prohibited and/or inappropriate:  i. Uses Contrary To Law Unlawful use. Users may not use the IT System for any activity that is contrary to any law or administrative rule or regulation, or to encourage any such unlawful activity. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal Infringement of protected material. Users must not infringe on the copyright and other property rights covering software, databases and all other copyrighted material such as text, images, icons, retrieved from or through the IT System. These acts shall include, but is not limited to, the unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination, distribution, importation, use, removal, alteration, substitution, modification, storage, unloading, downloading, communication, publication or broadcasting of such material. Users must properly attribute any material they copy from or through the IT System. Users are reminded that the infringement of intellectual property rights belonging to others through the use of telecommunications networks is a criminal offense under Section 33(b) of the Electronic Commerce Act. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Hacking. Users may not use the IT System to gain unauthorized access into or interfere with another computer, system, server, information or communication system, or to obtain any access in order to corrupt, alter, steal or destroy any such system or information within such system or to introduce viruses. Users are reminded that all of the foregoing acts constitute the crime of Hacking under Section 33(a) of the Electronic Commerce Act and are punishable by mandatory imprisonment and/or a fine. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. The penalty shall carry with it permanent withdrawal of all IT privileges. ii. Uses Inconsistent With The Purposes Of The UP System Cheating. Users may not use the IT System to engage in cheating or academic dishonesty. Acts prohibited under this provision include but are not limited to the following: Copying a computer file that contains another person’s work and submitting it for one’s own credit; Copying a computer file that contains another person’s work and using it as a model for one’s own work; Collaborating on a work, sharing the computer files and submitting the shared file, or a modification thereof, as one’s individual work, when the work is supposed to be done individually; and Communicating with another person on-line during the conduct of an examination. Violators shall suffer a penalty of suspension for not less than one semester. Students found guilty of cheating shall be barred form graduating with honors, even if their weighted average is within the requirement for graduation with honors. Political use. Users may not use the IT System for any partisan political activities. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Unauthorized Commercial use. Users may not use the IT System for commercial purposes, except as permitted under other written policies of the UP SYSTEM or with the written approval of a competent authority. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year with fine. If the violator is a student, the fine shall be P1,000.00 or the amount equivalent to the earnings, whichever is higher. If the violator is a faculty member or an employee, the fine shall be one-half of his monthly salary or the amount equivalent to the earnings, whichever is higher. Personal use. Users may not use the IT System for personal activities not related to appropriate University functions except in a purely incidental manner. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Unauthorized gaming or entertainment. Users may not play games or use entertainment software on or through the IT System unless authorized in writing by competent authorities. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year; provided, that the penalty for habitual offense shall be expulsion or dismissal. The presence of game software or any part thereof may be presumptive evidence of unauthorized gaming or entertainment. Use contrary to University policy or contract. Users may not use the IT System in violation of other policies of the University, or in any manner inconsistent with the contractual obligations of the University. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year in addition to the penalty of the offense facilitated through IT network. iii. Uses That Damage The Integrity, Reliability, Confidentiality And Efficiency Of The IT System Software and hardware installation and removal. Unless properly authorized, users may not destroy, remove, modify or install any computer equipment, peripheral, operating system, disk partition, software, database, or other component of the IT System; or connect any computer unit or external network to the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion. Unauthorized or destructive programs. Unless properly authorized and part of her/his administrative or academic duties, users may not develop or use programs on the IT System that may or are intended to: interfere with the ability of the UP SYSTEM to enforce these policies; damage any software or hardware component of the system; modify normally protected or restricted portions of the system or user accounts; access private or restricted portions of the system; or interfere with or disrupt other computer users. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Destructive acts. Users may not attempt to crash, tie up, or deny any service on, the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Unauthorized access. Users may not attempt to gain unauthorized access, exceed authorized access, or enable unauthorized access to the IT System, or to other networks or systems of which the IT System is a part. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to one year. Password protection. A user who has been authorized to use a password-protected account may not disclose such password or otherwise makes the account available to others without permission of the system administrator. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year. Concealing access. Users may not conceal, delete, or modify information or records pertaining to access to the IT System at the time of access, or alter system logs after such access for the purpose of concealing identity or to hide unauthorized use. Users may not conceal their own identity or masquerade as other users when accessing, sending, receiving, processing or storing through or on the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. Prohibited material. Users may not publish (on mailing lists, bulletin boards, and the World Wide Web) or disseminate prohibited materials over, or store such information on, the IT System. Prohibited materials under this provision include but are not limited to the following: Any collection of passwords, personal identification numbers (PINs), private digital certificates, credit card numbers, or other secure identification information; Any material that enables others to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. This may include instructions for gaining such access, computer code, or other devices. This would effectively preclude displaying items such as ‘Hackers Guides’, etc.; Any material that permits an unauthorized user, who has gained access to a system, to carry out any modification of the computer programs or data stored in the system; and Any material that incites or encourages others to carry out unauthorized access to or modification of a computer system. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion. iv. Uses That Encroach On The Rights Of The Users Wasteful and destructive practices. Users may not encroach on others’ access and use of the IT System through wasteful and destructive practices such as but not limited to the following: Sending chain-letters or excessive messages including spamming, either locally or off-campus; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; spamming, includes the act of (1) repeated cross-posting the same message to as many newsgroups or mailing lists as possible, whether or not the message is germane to the stated topic of the newsgroups or mailing lists targeted, (2) maliciously sending out of unsolicited email in bulk, or (3) sending large unwanted or unnecessary files to a single email address. Printing excess copies of documents, files, data, or programs; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Running grossly inefficient programs when efficient alternatives are known by the user to be available; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Using more than one computer terminal at a time, unless specifically authorized by competent authority. Faculty members whose duties require the use of more than one computer shall be exempted. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year; Locking public access computers using screen savers or otherwise, unless specifically authorized by competent authority; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; Not logging out of the system to allow other users to make use of the public access computer; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month; and Using a service which has been identified by the System Administrator as causing an excessive amount of traffic on the IT System or its external network links; violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one year. Offensive material. Users may not use the facilities of the IT System to produce, disseminate, or display material that could be considered offensive, pornographic, racially abusive, or libelous in nature. Users may not use electronic communication facilities (such as mail, chat, or systems with similar functions) to send messages which are fraudulent, maliciously harassing, obscene, threatening, or in violation of laws, administrative rules and regulations, or other policies of the University System or its constituent universities (CU). Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Inappropriate messages. Users may not send to a mailing list, including local or network news groups and bulletin boards, any unsolicited material inconsistent with the list’s purpose. Users of an electronic mailing list are responsible for determining the purpose of the list before sending messages to or receiving messages from the list. Subscribers to an electronic mailing list are deemed to have solicited any material delivered by the list that is consistent with the list’s purpose. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one week to one month. v. Uses which Violate Privacy Confidential information. Unless properly authorized, users may not attempt to gain access to archives or systems that contain, process, or transmit confidential information. Authorized users may not exceed their approved levels of access, nor should they disclose confidential information to others. Users shall treat as confidential such information which may become available to them through the use of the IT System, whether intentionally or accidentally. Users may not copy, modify, disseminate, or use such information, either in whole or in part, without the permission of the person or body entitled to give it. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. Encrypted information. Users shall consider as confidential all encrypted information. This includes but is not limited to passwords, digital keys and signatures. Users may not decrypt, attempt to decrypt, or enable others to decrypt such information if they are not the intended recipient. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal. Information belonging to others. Users may not intentionally seek or provide information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, programs, or passwords belonging to other users, without the permission of those other users. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one month to expulsion or dismissal. Wiretapping, traffic capture and snooping. Unless properly authorized, users may not re-route or capture data transmitted over the IT System. Violators shall suffer a penalty ranging from suspension for one year to expulsion or dismissal.  vi. In addition to the penalties provided, all IT privileges of the offender may be suspended for a maximum of the period of the penalty. If the violation amounts to a penalty punishable by expulsion or dismissal, IT privileges may be revoked permanently.  vii. repeated violations of any of the acts proscribed under this policy shall be considered as gross misconduct.  Section 7. Tolerated Use  From time to time, the UP SYSTEM or its constituent universities may issue a list classifying certain types of use under the category of tolerated use. This list shall form part of this Policy and will be considered binding on all users. Users should consult their system and network administrators if they are not sure whether a certain type of use is considered allowed, tolerated, unacceptable or prohibited.  Section 8. Enforcement Procedures  a. Monitoring. The UP SYSTEM or its constituent universities may monitor all use of the IT System at all times as may be necessary for its proper management. Activities on the IT System may be automatically and/or continuously logged. System and network administrators may examine these logs anytime. All logs shall be considered confidential.  b. Access to Private Files. The UP SYSTEM may access all aspects of the IT System, including private files, without the consent of the user, in the following instances:  When necessary to identify or diagnose systems or security vulnerabilities and problems, or otherwise preserve the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System; When such access to the IT System is required to carry out essential business functions of the UP SYSTEM; When necessary to avoid disrepute to the UP SYSTEM; When there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of law or a significant breach of this Policy or any other policy of the UP SYSTEM may have taken place, and that access and inspection may produce evidence related to the misconduct; When required by law or administrative rules or court order; or When required to preserve public health and safety. The UP SYSTEM will access private files without the consent of the user only with the approval of the Chancellor except when an emergency entry is necessary to preserve the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System or to preserve public health and safety. The UP SYSTEM through the system and network administrators will document all instances of access without consent.  c. Reporting Problems and misuse. Users must report to the appropriate system administrators any defects discovered in system accounting or system security, all known or suspected abuse or misuse of the IT System, and especially any damage to or problems with their facilities or files.  d. User Cooperation. Users, when requested, are expected to cooperate with UP SYSTEM in any investigation of IT system abuse.  e. Guidelines for Immediate Action.  Notification. When any system administrator or member of the faculty or staff has persuasive evidence of abuse or misuse of the IT System, and if that evidence points to the activities or the files of an individual, he or she shall, within 24 hours of the discovery of the possible misuse, notify the Chancellor or his/her duly designated authority. Suspension. In such cases, the system administrator may temporarily suspend or restrict the user’s access privileges for a period not exceeding 72 hours. A user may appeal such suspension or restriction and petition for immediate reinstatement of privileges through the Chancellor or his/her duly designated authority. The Chancellor may extend the suspension for thirty (30) days. Removal. In addition, in such cases, the system administrator may immediately remove or uninstall from the IT System any material, software or hardware which poses an immediate threat to the integrity, reliability, availability, confidentiality and efficiency of the IT System or any of its components or if the use might be contrary to this Policy. The user shall be notified of the action taken. A user may appeal such removal and petition for reinstatement of the material within fifteen (15) days from removal.  f. Investigation. The investigation and prosecution of academic and administrative personnel and students shall be in accordance with the regulations of the UP SYSTEM. The investigating committee, body or tribunal must have at least one member knowledgeable about IT. The actions the proper officer may undertake include but are not limited to the following:  Extend the suspension or restriction of a user’s privileges for the duration of the investigation, or as may be deemed necessary to preserve evidence and protect the system and its users; Call and interview potential witnesses; and Summon the subject of the complaint to provide information.  g. Filing of Criminal Charges. In cases where there is evidence of serious misconduct or possible criminal activity, the Chancellor shall file the appropriate criminal charges with the proper courts. Where proceedings have been instituted against a user for violation of this Policy, the Chancellor may indefinitely suspend or restrict the user’s access privileges for the duration of such proceedings.  h. Cumulative Remedies. The procedures under this Policy shall not exclude any other remedy available to any injured or interested party under any relevant law, administrative rule or regulation, or other policy of the UP SYSTEM.  i. External Legal Processes. The UP SYSTEM shall comply with any lawful order to provide electronic or other records or other information related to those records or relating to use of the IT System which may result from coercive processes in administrative investigations, or judicial actions or proceedings.  Section 9. Waiver  a. Loss of Data. Users recognize that systems and networks are imperfect and waive any claim for lost work or time that may arise from the use of the IT System. The UP SYSTEM shall not be liable for degradation or loss of personal data, software, or hardware as a result of their use of the IT System.  b. Authorization. Users recognize that the UP SYSTEM provides access to the IT System only as a privilege and not a right; that they have no right to use it for any purpose other than those directly connected with the work of the UP SYSTEM; and that the UP SYSTEM may take whatever measures it deems necessary to enforce this. Users therefore waive any action they may have against the UP SYSTEM under any law or administrative rule or regulation for any act the UP SYSTEM undertakes under this Policy, specifically including, but not limited to, those acts enumerated under Section 7 hereof.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "RSS FEEDS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/rss-feeds/",
        "html": "RSS FEEDS NEWS FEED ANNOUNCEMENTS FEED BREAKTHROUGHS FEED PROFILES FEED"
    },
    {
        "title": "Online Portal of University of the Philippines COVID-19 News and Information – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/covid-19-updates/",
        "html": "Online Portal of University of the Philippines COVID-19 News and Information  This portal serves as a compilation of verified information and resource materials on UP’s actions during this public health situation. Please bookmark and refresh this page to get the latest updates on UP’s response to COVID-19. Share this site and help us prevent the spread of misinformation. Thank you.  Messages from the UP President About COVID-19 UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team Policy Papers News, Memos, and Announcements Information on Constituent Universities Resources on Remote Learning, Teaching, and Working Tributes Messages from the UP President   26 March 2020—Message from UP President Danilo L. Concepcion to the PGH community To the Staff and Administration of UP-PGH, On behalf of our community at the University of the Philippines—indeed, on behalf of the Filipino people—let me thank you, first of all, for your courageous, selfless, and outstanding service in these very trying times. Our nation and our people are suffering from a devastating scourge, and those of you at the frontlines are performing a heroic and unenviable function. [Read full text]  20 March 2020—UP president addresses the university community Dear members of the UP community: I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to you all for your amazing response to this crisis—a global situation the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes. We have been forced to suspend classes, work and all other campus activities, and to stay inside our homes and practice social distancing, all to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to keep our healthcare system from being dangerously overwhelmed. For some of us, the effects of these measures on our finances, work, and social lives, and on our mental and physical health, have been devastating. [Read full text]  20 March 2020—Actions on academic matters  11 March 2020—UP’s response to COVID-19  About COVID-19 Health Advisory  Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Advice for the UP Community [Read full advisory] | [ version of infographics] What to do while at home on enhanced community quarantine:     COVID-19 Test Kit  What does the NIH-PGC test kit contain?  What does the locally produced COVID-19 test kit contain? These are explained by Dr. Raul Destura of the University of the Philippines Manila National Institutes of Health and Philippine Genome Center to members of the media during the press conference on March 12. While the kit can be dependably used as it is, it does contain a component that allows for a quality control mechanism with the aid of the experts at the PGC.  For Dr. Cynthia Saloma of the PGC, the samples that will be derived from the kit will allow them to analyze the origin of the COVID-19 virus circulating among patients with the disease. It would also allow them to compare this with those found in other countries.  With the test kit and analysis, UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Carmencita Padilla is confident of the University’s capability, as it does have the necessary equipment to get the job done.   The Philippine Genome Center: Stockpiling for COVID-19 [Learn more]  10 March 2020—As the world grapples with the spread of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 or COVID-19, countries such as the Philippines are mobilizing its experts in preparation of its impact on its citizens.  Among those actively working to address the public health concern is the Philippine Genome Center of the University of the Philippines. On February 13, 2020, its pharmaceutical partner, Manila HealthTek, Inc. released a photo of a locally-made test kit which is the product of efforts by experts at the PGC and the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila. [Read full story]  COVID-19: Dr. Raul Destura explaining the process of collecting samples Collecting samples for COVID-19 is a risky and challenging task. In this video, epidemiologist Dr. Raul Destura of the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila and Philippine Genome Center, explains how it is carefully and properly done. According to Destura, a medical professional who intends to collect samples from a suspected patient should be wearing the following: Personal protective equipment (PPE); N95 mask; gloves; goggles or face shield; water resistant or waterproof laboratory gown.  All of these must be worn, observing the proper donning and doffing so as to prevent the person collecting samples from patients from getting into contact with any contaminant from the kit. The equipment, he added, must also be disposed of properly, abiding by generally-adopted protocols.  What you need to know about the UP-developed coronavirus test kits 7 April 2020—After weeks of field trials, the country’s first locally-developed test kits for COVID-19 detection finally received the green light for public use. The Food and Drug Administration last week issued a certificate of product registration for the GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit, the low-cost test kit invented by a team of scientists from the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health, the Philippine Genome Center, and The Manila HealthTek Inc. [Read full story]  120,000 UP-developed COVID-19 test kits available starting this weekend —DOST 30 March 2020—The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Monday announced that at least 120,000 locally-developed test kits for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will be available starting Saturday. [Read full story]  DOST: Locally developed COVID-19 test kits ready this week 30 March 2020—The field validation of the locally developed COVID-19 test kits funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and made by scientists at the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) is expected to be finished by April 1, DOST’s top official announced on Monday. [Read full story]  UP-PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center  UP PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center for patient queries and donations  Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center 31 March 2020-155-200 is the number to call. And it’s open 24/7. The UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) launched its Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center on March 30 to answer queries related to COVID-19, including how to volunteer and donate. [Read full story]  UP officials discuss the establishment of UP PGH Bayanihan Operations Center  UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, and UP Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi discuss the establishment of a formal system and structure to facilitate the University’s reception of support for its frontline workers. While UP has the financial capability to readily procure personal protective equipment for its health and medical personnel, the challenge has been on the supply end. [See photo story]  Isang Pagsaludo sa mga Intern ng Philippine General Hospital   UP-PGH launches ‘Tele-kumusta’    UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team launches new features on endcov.ph  The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team (UP PRT) launches new features in endcov.ph, a web portal created to provide the public with vital information and tools in the fight against COVID-19. [Read full story]  UP Resilience Institute EndCOV Dashboard  The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team has created a web portal (http://endcov.ph/) mapping out COVID-19 cases in the country in clear, useful detail. [Read full story]  Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations  Social, economic, and political inequalities are starkly manifested in times of disasters. Read the full report here.  ECQ doing good, ‘graduated activation’ recommended after April 30—UP pandemic response team  The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed over Luzon, along with other interventions, has indeed slowed down the spread of COVID-19 virus, based on “the best available data”, according to a team specially formed by the University of the Philippines to help government make informed interventions against the pandemic. Read the story here.  Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations   The rising number of cases of COVID-19 infections on a daily basis is a serious concern as there are limits to hospital care capacity for patients with serious symptoms (e.g. difficulty in breathing). Should the number of infected people rapidly rise, there may come a time when the hospital care resources will be overwhelmed. The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, in its latest model run, estimates the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to reach 9,000 to 44,000 by the end of April 2020. As of April 16 DOH reports a total of 5,660 confirmed cases. Download the report here.  Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations   The extension of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) raises the question on how effective the ECQ has been to contain the spread of COVID-19. If it is, how should it be implemented after April 30 without unnecessarily paralyzing local economies over a long period of time? Download the report here.  Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations  The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team releases the results of its projections, analyses, and recommendations to aid decision-making. Here’s what they have found:  The peak of the “curve” is estimated to be seen by the end of April to June As many as 140,000-550,000 people are projected to be infected in Metro Manila, including undetected, mild and asymptomatic cases comprising probably 80% of the total Hospital bed capacity and other healthcare metrics can be projected based on the proportion of severe cases (5%) School and work lockdown, requiring PPEs, hand-washing, and social distancing are projected to help flatten the curve A modified, location-specific community quarantine strategy can be explored in light of different realities on the ground There is a need for more open, transparent data and sharing of information so we can apply the best science available  Download the report here.  UP Resilience Institute introduces COVID chatbot  Meet Yani, the newest AI member of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team! Yani, short for baYANIhan and named in honor of our heroes in the fight against COVID-19, is ready to help you find the information you need.  If you’re looking for the nearest hospitals, psychosocial support, or policy information, Yani has got you covered: m.me/YaniEndCovBot Yani is ready to chat every time you visit https://endcov.ph/ and can converse both in English and Filipino (dapat!)  LGBT slang or the Beki language option is now available when you converse with Yani! If you’re looking for COVID-19 statistics, the nearest hospitals, links to therapy and counseling, or information on policies, you can talk to Yani through Facebook messenger: m.me/YaniEndCovBot. Read more: Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang  Policy Notes Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations (7 April 2020) Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations (13 April 2020) Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations (20 April 2020) Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations (26 April 2020) Social Interactions and Post-ECQ School Opening and Mobility of Older People: Analysis and Recommendations (7 May 2020) Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data (12 May 2020) Post-ECQ Job Risks: Analysis and Recommendations (22 May 2020) Policy Papers Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations (7 April 2020) Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations (13 April 2020) Davao City should consider extending community quarantine beyond April 19 and conduct more tests for COVID-19—UP Mindanao Researchers (16 April 2020) Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations (20 April 2020) A Sectoral View of Lifting the Lockdown and the Use of Sample-based Random Testing (27 April 2020) Surviving the Lockdown and Beyond (27 April 2020) Addressing the Immediate Needs of All, Especially the Most Vulnerable Sectors: Analysis and Recommendations (26 April 2020) Modified Community Quarantine Public Health Framework In Reponse To Covid-19 For Iloilo And Western Visayas After April 30: Data Analysis And Recommendations (28 April 2020) Public Health Data Analysis and Recommendations for COVID-19 in Western Visayas as of 30 April 2020 (7 May 2020) Social Interactions and Post-ECQ School Opening and Mobility of Older People: Analysis and Recommendations (7 May 2020) Briefer on “Flattening the Curve” (9 May 2020) Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data (12 May 2020) Post-ECQ Job Risks: Analysis and Recommendations (22 May 2020) Briefer on How an Epidemic Happens and What is an Epidemic Wave (22 May 2020) News  UP offers educational materials to the public  17 August 2020—The University of the Philippines serves as the country’s premier community of scholars, experts, academics and researchers, and a rich reservoir of knowledge, information, cutting-edge research, innovations and technologies. [Read full story]  UPOU-Kaagapay+ launched  10 September 2020—In consonance with the UP System’s Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan Fundraising and Resource Generation Campaign (Kaagapay UP), UP Open University (UPOU) launched its own UPOU-Kaagapay+ program on September 1. [Read full story]  UPLB graduates ready to take on the challenge of a post-COVID world – Regent Laurel  8 September 2020—“The year 2020 is the year that will forever be remembered as the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a daunting challenge to say the least. This is where the UP education comes into play.” [Read full story]  Enrolling in UP this semester? Here’s what to expect  26 August 2020—Aside from gadgets and financial assistance, UP will be implementing two additional programs for the student’s health, dignity, and welfare. [Read full story]  COVID-19 cases in PH could hit over half a million by end of 2020, UP forecast says  2 September 2020—The coronavirus tally in the Philippines could average at around 585,000 before the year ends, based on a forecast by researchers from the University of the Philippines. [Read full story]  Social scientists give insights on the COVID-19 pandemic  24 August 2020—Faculty members of the UPLB Department of Social Sciences (DSS) gave their take on the COVID-19 pandemic using the lenses of their respective disciplines at the inaugural edition of USAP PH webinar series on Aug 20. [Read full story]  UPLB CMDL aims to double its testing target per day  18 August 2020—The University of the Philippines Los Banos COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (UPLB CMDL) is aiming to double its target number of testing per day through employing two shifts. [Read full story]  SiM opens  18 August 2020—The newly-renovated Molave Residence Hall is in an acceptable distance from the various communities inside UPD, including Barangay UP Campus. [Read full story]  COVID infection and inflammation highlighted in UP’s next online medical grand rounds this Friday  12 August 2020—Infection and inflammation are both processes that come into play in COVID-19. Most patients will battle the infection over two weeks and only have a mild case of the disease. In some patients, however, inflammation may be severe, leading to cytokine storms and organ failure that are difficult to manage. [Read full story]  UP-backed genome center on the trail of coronavirus  1 August 2020—Researchers at the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) are working round the clock to trace the “route” of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that has been ravaging populations around the Philippines since March. [Read full story]  #KaagapayUP project to bring hope to financially challenged UP students  23 July 2020—The word kaagapay is typically associated with being at one’s side. Its constituents, the affix, ka-, which indicates relation, and its root, agapay, or support, together connote mutual assistance, trust, care, and respect from individuals who desire that others become fully functional persons. [Read full story]  UPOU shares tutorials for creating video lectures  28 July 2020—The shift to remote learning because of COVID-19 brings the possibility of using video materials for teaching. Video lectures by teachers will be an important tool, especially in asynchronous learning, where lessons are discussed without the constraint of having all students together at the same place or at the same time. [Read full story]  UP-developed test kits ready for commercial use: DOH  19 July 2020—The Department of Health said the test kits developed by University of the Philippines scientists are now ready for commercial use. [Read full story]  UP webinar takes on the mental and emotional impact of COVID-19  22 July 2020—The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat not just to people’s physical health, but perhaps more insidiously, to their mental, emotional and psychological health as well, with uncertainty and fear of the unknown causing and exacerbating worry and stress. [Read full story]  UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team tracks PH cities’ road to recovery  23 July 2020—How are cities in the Philippines faring in the fight against COVID-19? Where are they now on the road to recovery towards the goal of zero cases? [Read full story]  UP CoPES helps build psychosocial resilience of self and others  14 July 2020—Times of crisis can inflict not only physical and economic, but also psychosocial harm. These psychosocial hazards take a toll on both individuals and families, compromising the safety and productivity of those involved. [Read full story]  Long road to recovery for survivors of critical COVID-19 cases  14 July 2020—“We want our patients to be able to go back to the lives they had before being critically ill.” This is the end goal of physiatrists in providing rehabilitative care and treatment, as emphasized by Dr. Celso Bate of The Medical City and the Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center, in the eleventh episode of UP’s STOP COVID DEATHS webinar series on July 3. [Read full story]  COVID-19 cases in Philippines may rise to 85,000 by end of July —UP experts  16 July 2020—Experts from the University of the Philippines have projected that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country may reach more than 85,000 by the end of July. [Read full story]  UPLB inaugurates its COVID-19 testing center  15 July 2020—The UPLB-CMDL will serve as a subnational testing center for Laguna and nearby provinces, thereby helping ease a major bottleneck in the COVID-19 response in the country. [Read full story]  Devcom prof joins scicom in COVID-19 talk  15 July 2020—“Today, more than any other time, science communication plays an integral part on how science can become more relevant in overcoming the challenges we face in this pandemic.” [Read full story]  PGH says can no longer accept critically ill coronavirus patients  15 July 2020—The Philippine General Hospital said Wednesday it could no longer accept critically ill coronavirus patients from other health facilities because its beds were almost full. [Read full story]  Social protection should be sector-specific – UP experts  14 July 2020—The experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) have recommended that the government should take into consideration the sector-specific needs of the vulnerable and marginalized to be able to survive the coronavirus pandemic. [Read full story]  UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team launches new features on endcov.ph  7 July 2020—The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team (UP PRT) launches new features in endcov.ph, a web portal created to provide the public with vital information and tools in the fight against COVID-19. [Read full story]  UP webinar to tackle the challenges of staying safe while serving in the line of fire  7 July 2020—Anesthesiologists, doctors who provide perioperative care to COVID-19 patients, are among medical workers who serve at the frontlines in the battle against the viral pandemic. As such, they face health risks due to their exposure and close proximity to COVID-19-positive patients in enclosed spaces. [Read full story]  ‘Be visible. Be available.’  6 July 2020—Ma. Rita Villanueva-Tamse teaches in the UP Open University (UPOU) Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) program and at the UP Manila College of Nursing, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She is a former chief of the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Division of Clinical Nursing Operations and a former deputy director for Nursing at the same hospital. She has almost 40 years of experience in nursing administration. [Read full story]  Know the risk of getting COVID-19 at your workplace  6 July 2020—You can calculate this using job and workplace risk calculators developed by UPLB biomathematicians based at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics (IMSP) of the College of Arts and Sciences. [Read full story]  UPLB alumna is behind COVID-19 testing tech in Switzerland  7 July 2020—An alumna of UPLB and native of Los Baños leads the development of a mass testing technology in Switzerland that is considered a breakthrough in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read full story]  Biochemist stresses agri biotech’s role in COVID-19 fight  7 July 2020—At first glance, the field of agricultural biotechnology (agri biotech) does not seem to have any relation at all to fighting a pandemic. But according to Dr. Flerida A. Cariño, professor of biochemistry at UP Diliman, agri biotech has a bigger role in countering the current COVID-19 crisis than most people realize. [Read full story]  Next Edu-Hack Podcasts targets Students’ Perspectives on Learning amidst the Pandemic  6 July 2020—The next episode of “Edu-Hack: Navigating a Turbulent Educational Landscape” targets students who will be enrolling this academic year, with the gloom of the pandemic on their shoulders. [Read full story]  UP BadAss hits a serve for IP communities  6 July 2020—Even with COVID-19 putting a strain on the country’s healthcare system and economy, experts have found that the world’s indigenous peoples have been disproportionately affected. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs recently cited that their relatively poor access to healthcare, higher rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and lack of access to essential services make indigenous communities especially vulnerable to the ravages of a global pandemic. [Read full story]  PH starts Covid-19 vaccine trials  10 July 2020—The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the collaboration with five coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine manufacturers from China and Taiwan to be used in clinical trials in the country. [Read full story]  UP-PGH’s COVID-19 admissions exceed 130-bed capacity  9 July 2020—The University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital on Thursday said it has exceeded its initial 130-bed capacity for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. [Read full story]  Plans, Possibilities and Progress: UP academics moving into the “next normal”  2 July 2020—The University of the Philippines (UP) is coming to terms with the fact that we can no longer go back to the traditional modes of teaching and learning. However, this “next normal”is also opening up new prospects, platforms, and possibilities for teaching and learning, which UP is set to explore within the next two months. [Read full story]  UPRI launches Policy Sourcebook on COVID-19  3 July 2020—With the barrage of news, information, and social media posts coming from all sides, it can be a challenge for ordinary Filipinos to stay up-to-date with the national government’s efforts to fight COVID-19. In light of this, the University of the Philippines (UP) has come up with a way to keep track of the government’s latest policies and measures to defeat the viral pandemic in the country. [Read full story]  Off-label drug therapies in COVID-19 may lead to arrythmias  2 July 2020—The use of antivirals and antimalarials as off-label therapies in the treatment of COVID-19 may result in arrythmias or heartbeat irregularities, according to Dr. Chito Permejo, a UP Manila College of Medicine 2001 graduate who is a cardiology intensivist at the Philippine Heart Center. [Read full story]  UP Prof. Emeritus Pernia talks COVID-19 and the Economy at UPAA Kapihan  3 July 2020—An enriching discussion titled “COVID-19 and the Economy” on the intersection of human and economic health took place on June 16, 2020, as former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary and UP School of Economics Emeritus Professor Ernesto M. Pernia was the guest and resource speaker at the UP Alumni Association’s (UPAA) Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP program. [Read full story]  UPLB epidemiologist situates pandemics in ecosystem status  29 June 2020—A molecular epidemiologist from UPLB explained how pandemics, such as COVID-19, are caused by declining biodiversity. [Read full story]  UPLB COVID testing center is now certified!  29 June 2020—The UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (UPLB-CMDL) received today, June 29, its certification as a molecular laboratory that can perform independent testing for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) by Realtime PCR from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM). [Read full story]  UP BadAss sells face masks for IPs  1 July 2020—The UP Badminton Association in Diliman (UP BADASS), in coordination with Abra Indigo-Manila, is selling hand-embroidered face masks by the Itneg community in Abra to raise funds for the indigenous peoples (IPs) community in Namarabar, Peñarrubia, Abra. [Read full story]  URUGUP para han Jipapad  30 June 2020—UP Tacloban turned over to the local government of Jipapad, Eastern Samar 231 sacks of rice (@ 10 kilos), 10 liters of alcohol-based hand rub, and 350 3-D printed face shields on 21 June 2020 for distribution to residents. The donation was delivered with the assistance of Navara Nation Philippines-Eastern Visayas Chapter. [Read full story]  Self-reliance needed in country’s response to COVID-19  30 June 2020—UP Manila (UPM) College of Medicine (UPCM) Dean Charlotte Chiong said, “We need to be self-reliant in testing, prevention, and treatment.” This was her statement after being asked by PhilHealth Board Director Susan Mercado to comment on the country’s independence in the fight against COVID-19. [Read full story]  University students help rice farmers sell their produce  26 June 2020—Among these are the farmers who have lost their market due to transport constraints. Seeing the plight of the farmers, a group of university students decided to act and help the farmers gain a market in the metro. [Read full story]  Sisters launch fundraiser for UP’s Ikot, Toki drivers  29 June 2020—But what began as a hobby and at times, a source of additional income, has now turned into a way for the trio to give back to the jeepney drivers on the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus in Quezon City who have been jobless since March due to the Metro Manila lockdown. [Read full story]  Masks reveal history of Cordillera fabrics  28 June 2020—Masks made of indigenous fabric have retained some level of value both for producers and their clientele. This is because of the time, effort and history behind the fabric woven the traditional way in many parts of the city and other Cordillera towns. [Read full story]  COVID-19 cases in Philippines may reach 60,000 by July 31 —experts  30 June 2020—The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines may reach more than 60,000 by July 31, according to a study made by a group of experts. [Read full story]  332 COVID-19 patients in PH now participating in WHO Solidarity Trials  26 June 2020—There are now 332 patients afflicted with the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country who are participating in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global Solidarity Trial, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said on Friday, June 26. [Read full story]  How the pandemic impacts healthcare  28 June 2020—The art of medicine is almost as old as civilization itself. Advances in science have increased the reliability of treatments we use to help our patients feel better. The way we deliver care, however, has remained the same. A doctor still needs to examine a patient. [Read full story]  UP Mindanao, DOST XI to help set up COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro  26 June 2020—The University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao will help set up another COVID-19 testing facility in Davao de Oro Province, signing a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Government and the Department of Science and Technology Region XI last 22 June 2020 at the Provincial Capitol in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro. [Read full story]  UPOU offers free online bridge courses  23 June 2020—True to the University as a public service institution, UP Open University (UPOU) will offer free online bridge courses in English and Mathematics for senior high school students, college freshmen, and all other interested individuals starting July 1. [Read full story]  10th UP-PhilHealth webinar will be about children’s health during COVID-19 pandemic  24 June 2020—There are many ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect the health, wellbeing, and development of children. Like adults, they are also at risk of getting COVID-19 or facing various stressful situations, such as lack of access to food, vaccination, healthcare, education, and other basic needs due to lockdown policies, unfavorable environment, or possibly other illnesses. Children may also become anxious about this “new normal” or have difficulties in expressing their feelings about the situation. [Read full story]  “Bawal lumabas.”  23 June 2020—Angelique Rosete is a gynecology and trophoblastic nurse, and a research coordinator at the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) who is currently finishing her thesis in the Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) program of UP Open University (UPOU). [Read full story]  CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture: “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya”  24 June 2020—The UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center invites everyone to join us on Friday, 26 June 2020, 10:00 a.m., via Livestream for the CSC@40 Anniversary Lecture titled, “Katatagan at Pagbangon sa Panahon ng Pandemya” to be delivered by Prof. Rozel Balmores-Paulino of the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, University of the Philippines Baguio. [Read full story]  Surviving COVID-19, becoming a better nurse  23 June 2020—John Alex Melencio is a charge nurse and team leader at The Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK. He is also a UP alumnus, having earned his Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) degree from the UP Open University (UPOU). [Read full story]  Univ Lib expands online services during the pandemic  23 June 2020—In this time of a pandemic, the UPLB University Library (UL) aims to move “closer” to its users by intensifying its online services. [Read full story]  With forensics, COVID-19 dead can tell fresh tales on pandemic  24 June 2020—A forensics-based approach to managing the dead due to COVID-19 will help policymakers better understand the disease as they navigate the country through the pandemic, a member of the academe said Wednesday. [Read full story]  DOST, UP-PGH to conduct convalescent plasma transfusion as possible cure for COVID-19  24 June 2020—The project called “Convalescent Plasma as Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19″ will provide adjunctive therapy which is a treatment used to support the main or primary treatment of diseases. [Read full story]  Philippines wants equitable access to vaccine  21 June 2020—The Philippine representatives to the WHO Solidarity clinical trial are led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. [Read full story]  Record 1,150 new cases sets total near 32k, UP team cites relaxed lockdown for surge  24 June 2020—The relaxation in quarantine restrictions has brought about a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections nationwide, a University of the Philippines math professor said Tuesday. [Read full story]  UP Baguio opens arts and crafts market at Oblation grounds  22 June 2020—It is the artists and artisans their turn at trading their works at the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) Oblation Grounds with an arts and crafts fair dubbed “Mandëko Kito, Artisans Market” scheduled every Monday and Tuesday 9:00am-12:00nn starting June 15. [Read full story]  UPVTC URUGUP distributes 2nd batch of alcohol  17 June 2020—UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC), through URUGUP, its institutional response to the COVID-19 crisis in Eastern Visayas, distributed its second batch of 80% ethyl alcohol URUGUP hand rub on May 27. [Read full story]  UP webinar highlights Lung Center’s innovations in fighting COVID-19  18 June 2020—Dr. Antonio B. Ramos, manager of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) Department of Administrative Services and resource speaker for the sixth episode of the University of the Philippines’ “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates” webinar series held on May 29, talked about the LCP experience in promoting hospital personnel safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read full story]  Is there more to a zero in disease statistics?  17 June 2020—Lachica is a member of the IAM laboratory and has been involved in the conduct of COVID-19-related research. He is also a research assistant in the Commission on Higher Education-Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Interdisciplinary Opportunities: Synoptic Study on Transmission and Optimum Control to Prevent Rabies Program or the CHED DARE-TO: STOP Rabies Program, which is headed by UPMin. [Read full story]  COVID-19 Clinical Management: The Cebu Experience  17 June 2020—To help Filipinos courageously face the COVID-19 pandemic, the UP webinar series, “STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” is hosted by the University of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Telehealth Center, every Friday from 12nn to 2pm. [Read full story]  UP freshmen told to expect remote learning under new normal  16 June 2020—Incoming freshmen entering the University of the Philippines (UP) are told to expect remote teaching and learning under the new normal. [Read full story]  Bucoy ‘monovlogs’ pay tribute to COVID-19 frontliners  16 June 2020—The latest literary works of Layeta Bucoy, UPLB’s lone UP Artist, homegrown playwright, and faculty member at the Department of Humanities, is a story about life, struggles, and love for family amid the pandemic and community lockdown. [Read full story]  Catastrophic Loss in Jobs and Work Hours: Save the MSMEs and Protect the Workers  17 June 2020—More catastrophic losses in both jobs and work hours are expected in the second and third quarters of 2020 in view of: (a) the expansion of the lockdown from Luzon in mid-March to virtually the rest of the country by early April 2020; (b) the extension of the community quarantine until a vaccine against COVID-19 is available and made more widely accessible; and (c) the influx of tens of thousands of displaced overseas Filipino workers. [Read full story]  UPCAT qualifiers enrolling in UP can expect the “new normal” of remote learning  15 June 2020—For this year’s batch of successful UPCAT qualifiers who will be entering the University of the Philippines (UP) as freshmen enrollees, their first taste of university life will be that of the “new normal”: remote teaching and learning, with the possibility of blending remote and face-to-face meetings. [Read full story]  UPV Tacloban College maps the COVID-19 outbreak in Eastern Visayas  16 June 2020—Motivated by recent developments in the COVID-19 situation and incremental movements towards the new normal in Eastern Visayas, the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College, through its Regional Environmental Information Systems program and Health Services Unit, has endeavored to visualize key COVID-19 data in the region. [Read full story]  Gender inclusion, appreciative resilience vital to crisis response  16 June 2020—Response to a crisis, whether the crisis may be resolved quickly or drawn out over a long period, benefits greatly from gender inclusion and appreciative resilience. For which reason these actions are vital to successfully ensuring the psychosocial well-being of persons dealing with crises. [Read full story]  Remote learning resources now available  15 June 2020—Resources for remote learning are now available to assist educators shifting from traditional classroom instruction to blended learning when the new school year opens on August 24. [Read full story]  Oplan Hatid makes 1000th mark in students served  15 June 2020—UPLB’s Oplan Hatid has made it to the 1,000th mark in the number of students it has served since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was implemented in Luzon on March 16. [Read full story]  Oplan Hatid embarks on biggest international operation  12 June 2020—Twenty four Sri Lankan graduate students from UPLB were able to fly home to their country today, June 11, through an embassy-coordinated operation of various UPLB offices and Oplan Hatid. [Read full story]  PAF flies stranded UPLB students home to Western Visayas  12 June 2020—UPLB Oplan Hatid, a program under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), partnered with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to fly home students who were stranded in the UPLB campus during the series of community quarantine implemented in Luzon from March 16 to date. [Read full story]  UP webinar takes on COVID-19 and its impact on heart disease  11 June 2020—One out of four adult Filipinos has hypertension, while a large portion of the population are not aware that they have persistently high blood pressure. How does the COVID-19 pandemic impact adult Filipinos with heart disease? [Read full story]  UPV community takes care of UPD students  11 June 2020—The arrival of 14 Ilonggo UP Diliman (UPD) students in Iloilo City on May 31 may have come as a surprise to the UP Visayas (UPV) administration and alumni, but they wasted no time in taking care of these students. [Read full story]  UP Alumni Association to hold Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP on “COVID-19 and the Economy”  11 June 2020—From jobs lost, businesses shutting down, manufacturing and supply chains interrupted, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on both the global and national economy. [Read full story]  UPOU sets more online lectures and discussion  11 June 2020—The easing of restrictions does not mean the crisis is over, with the impact of COVID-19 cutting across various sectors. In an effort to continue the capacity-building of affected individuals, organizations, and fields, the UP Open University (UPOU) has embraced its unique role as online education provider, at a time when physical distancing is a must and mass gatherings are prohibited. [Read full story]  Virgin coconut oil trials for COVID patients OK’d  9 June 2020—Virgin coconut oil trials on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) are finally underway, according to Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña. [Read full story]  Telepresence device enables health workers at PGH to communicate with patients remotely  7 June 2020—A telepresence device that can enable health workers to connect with their patients without physically being present in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wards can now be used at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). [Read full story]  COVID-19 test booth project reaches 100th mark  5 June 2020—A partnership that sought to help the medical community in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic has fulfilled its promise. [Read full story]  Opening soon: UPHS telemedicine specialty clinics  5 June 2020—Seven UP Health Service (UPHS) specialty clinics will be available through telemedicine and will tentatively serve on Monday. [Read full story]  UPLB makes upgraded COVID-19 swabbing booth  5 June 2020—Swabbing booths for COVID-19 testing have become imperative to protect the lives of medical frontliners who collect sample specimens from suspected and probable patients. [Read full story]  5 more stranded UP Mindanao students return home  4 June 2020—Five more students from the University of the Philippines in Mindanao were able to return to their hometowns in Davao region after being stranded due to the lockdown brought by the coronavirus disease. [Read full story]  DIY face shields initiative continues in UPV  24 May 2020—Students of UP Visayas may be considered as trail blazers in the creation of the ‘Do It Yourself’ face shields in the country. [Read full story]  UP Mindanao, SPMC to train more medical personnel for Covid-19 testing facilities  3 June 2020—The Mindanao campus of the University of the Philippines and the Southern Philippines Medical Center would soon start a series of training for medical personnel to handle the human resource demand of the emerging testing centers across Mindanao for Covid-19 cases. [Read full story]  UP Mindanao launches online platform to track COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region  3 June 2020—COVID-19 Insights, a web-based platform created and maintained by the UP Mindanao COVID-19 Modeling Team for tracking COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region was launched last month. The team created the platform to provide local government officials, policymakers, researchers, and health professionals valuable tools for decision-making. [Read full story]  UP researchers develop VR prototype of stay-homecare for behavioral and psychological conditions  3 June 2020—Neurological conditions, such as Dementia and Cerebral Palsy, affect the cognitive abilities, motor functions, and performance of activities of daily living of patients. These manifestations may occur throughout the patients’ lifetime, which may render poor quality of life for both the patients and their families. [Read full story]  Lessons from the San Lazaro experience  3 June 2020—In the fifth presentation of the UP webinar series,“STOP COVID DEATHS: Clinical Management Updates,” on May 22, 2020, Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital, shared valuable insights from their care and management of COVID-19 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other infections. [Read full story]  The pivotal role of Noel Ferriols and PGC-Visayas in the WV fight against COVID-19  2 June 2020—Heroes emerge during times of crisis. [Read full story]  How epidemics start and end: COVID-19 spread in PH analyzed  23 May 2020—Dr. Mary Grace Dacuma of the UP Pandemic Response Team has released findings from a recent study on how an epidemic happens and what an epidemic wave is. [Read full story]  Quarantine facility sa UP College of Human Kinetics, handa na para sa mga gumaling sa COVID-19  1 June 2020—Handa na ang Kalinga Center quarantine facility sa College of Human Kinetics annex gym sa University of the Philippines-Diliman sa lungsod ng Quezon para sa mga pasyenteng gumaling na sa COVID-19 at nangangailangan lang ng karagdagang quarantine period. [Basahin ang buong istorya]  Yani, the EndCovBot, learns LGBT slang  26 May 2020—LGBT slang or the Beki language option is now available when you converse with Yani! If you’re looking for COVID-19 statistics, the nearest hospitals, links to therapy and counseling, or information on policies, you can talk to Yani through Facebook messenger: m.me/YaniEndCovBot. [Read full story]  Medical eLearning at the time of COVID-19  29 May 2020—UP College of Medicine, DOH, and APMC to hold month-long Medical eLearning: Behind the Screens Virtual Conference on June 2020. [Read full story]  Frontliners at the forefront of the 6th UP “Stop COVID Deaths” Webinar, May 29  26 May 2020—The University of the Philippines, in partnership with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center, is inviting you to join the fight against COVID-19. [Read full story]  UPVTC reflects on MHPSS in COVID-19 crisis  29 May 2020—The COVID-19 pandemic, just like previous emergency and crisis situations, activated the UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) core team. [Read full story]  23 stranded UP Mindanao students return to hometowns through inter-agency efforts  29 May 2020—Twenty-three students of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao successfully returned to their respective hometowns starting May 6, following a tightly coordinated inter-agency operation. [Read full story]  More UPV students reunite with families  29 May 2020—Stranded no more. Students of UP Visayas (UPV) who hail from other cities, municipalities, provinces, and regions have gone home as UPV has continued to facilitate their return to their families with the province of Iloilo’s transition to general community quarantine. [Read full story]  Doing the math in a pandemic  27 May 2020—“Our decision will be based on science.” The science community must have heaved a collective sigh of relief when a top government official said this about the way forward for the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read full story]  UPLB ready to open COVID-19 laboratory  21 May 2020—The University of the Philippines Los Baños’ (UPLB) molecular diagnostic laboratory for COVID-19 is now on its way to the final stages of obtaining approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), Department of Health (DoH), and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). [Read full story]  P4.7M allotted for research, development of disinfection pods for health frontliners  25 May 2020—Dubbed the “SANI-POD,” the research and development project is a partnership among doctors of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila and engineers of UP Diliman, President Rodrigo Duterte’s report to Congress on Monday said. [Read full story]  LRT-1 operator invests in disinfection technology  28 May 2020—Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), has partnered with the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s National Engineering Center for the use of an ultraviolet technology to disinfect its train sets. [Read full story]  UP women’s basketball team creates masks to help indigent members  29 May 2020—The UP Women’s Basketball Team is launching a fundraiser to help indigent team members amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. [Read full story]  UP Baguio puts up farmers market to aid food growers  30 May 2020—A farmers market will be open to the public every Friday at the University of the Philippines Baguio, to help widen access to food during the quarantine. [Read full story]  Lopez Group helps PGH expand testing capacity  30 May 2020—The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) has accepted an offer from the Lopez Group to help the state university hospital increase 10 times its capability to test for the virus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Read full story]  OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-62: Reiteration of the Grading System in the Implementing Guidelines of the UP System Policy on the Second Semester 2019-2020 in Light of COVID-19  22 May 2020—The University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs has issued Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-62 reiterating the grading system in the implementing guidelines of the UP policy on the second semester 2019-2020 in light of COVID-19. [Read full memorandum]  UPVTC turns 47  22 May 2020—What to do when mass gatherings are not allowed to celebrate an occasion because of a pandemic? Take it online. [Read full story]  Kidney patients more vulnerable to COVID-19  21 May 2020—The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, is well-known for causing respiratory problems. However, the virus does not only attack the lungs but targets other organs as well. [Read full story]  UP Cebu CENVI presents “a timeline in maps” of Cebu City’s battle against COVID-19  21 May 2020—The University of the Philippines Cebu Central Visayas Center for Informatics (CENVI), a Department of Science and Technology-funded project under the NICER program, created last May 5 a story map showing the series of events that took place after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Cebu City. [Read full story]  Negrense students of UPV go home  21 May 2020—Twenty-three UP Visayas (UPV) students from Negros Occidental who were stranded in Miagao and Iloilo City due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) have gone home. [Read full story]  UP Beta Sigma Fraternity – UP Visayas Chapter ramps up COVID-19 response, distributes medical supplies, sends relief in southern Iloilo  21 May 2020—The local chapter of UP Beta Sigma Fraternity in the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) distributed 100 liters of alcohol and 1000 pieces of medical grade surgical masks to different health centers and hospitals in the first district of Iloilo, including the municipalities of Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, and the UPV Infirmary and dormitories. [Read full story]  IMSP FabLab makes medical accessories for frontliners  21 May 2020—Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has made UPLB colleges and institutes step up to do their part. [Read full story]  Save a life. Make a face shield.  20 May 2020—To continue providing frontliners protective gear to battle COVID-19, the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA) is making a clarion call for volunteers to assemble face shields. [Read full story]  14 stranded UP students to arrive in Naga City  20 May 2020—At least 14 students of the University of the Philippines (UP), who were stranded at the school campus in Quezon City since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine last March, were expected to arrive in Naga City on Wednesday afternoon. [Read full story]  UPD continues to help  19 May 2020—Here is an update on the initiatives or projects of various UPD units, student organizations and an alumni group. [Read full story]  CHED chair, HEI heads discuss grad educ amid COVID-19  8 May 2020—Issues surrounding higher education institutions (HEIs) amid the COVID-19 pandemic are often associated with the undergraduate level, with this sector comprising majority of students. [Read full story]  CoVcheck develops Quarantine Buddy: a patient care management system  15 May 2020—In these extraordinary times, speed is of the essence. To further accelerate our LGUs’ CoVID-19 response, CoVcheck developed the Quarantine Buddy (QB). [Read full story]  UPV facilitates going home of students  14 May 2020—UP Visayas is continuously endeavoring to assist its students who are stranded in Miagao and Iloilo City campuses who wish to return to their places of residence now that the Second Semester has ended. [Read full story]  LOOK: Palma Hall opens its doors as isolation unit for UP Diliman  19 May 2020—Dubbed as Kanlungang Palma sa Panahon ng Pandemya, the social sciences and humanities hub of University of the Philippines Diliman takes on the responsibility of housing suspected and probable coronavirus cases in the area. [Read full story]  UP CHK opens annex as step-down iso facility for COVID-19 cases  18 May 2020—In support of the government’s drive to curb the effect of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, University of the Philippines opened the annex of the College of Human Kinetics Gym as a step-down isolation facility. [Read full story]  NIMBB trains 54 medical technicians under DOH-RITM  15 May 2020—The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) helped the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM) train 54 medical technicians. [Read full story]  UP Diliman looking for volunteers to help assemble frontliner gear  17 May 2020—The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (UPD-OVCAA) of the University of the Philippines-Dilman is asking for volunteers to help assemble face shields for frontliners. [Read full story]  Tsikiting Stories addresses children’s mental health amidst COVID-19  15 May 2020—While adults are adjusting to the arrangements required by the COVID-19 crisis, children are likely having a hard time understanding the sudden changes going on around them. [Read full story]  STAT: Finding solutions for COVID-19  12 May 2020—Like most UP Diliman units, the UP School of Statistics (STAT) has projects addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. [Read full story]  Relaxed quarantine measures in PH not ‘coming-out party’: disease expert  14 May 2020—An infectious diseases specialist cautioned the public against keeping their guard down as the Philippine government is set to reduce quarantine restrictions to revive the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. [Read full story]  Philippines in a global race to find a treatment for COVID-19  13 May 2020—As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the planet, medical experts and scientists around the world have found themselves in an unprecedented race to find a treatment for the disease. [Read full story]  Yani the EndCovbot has unlocked a new skill!  12 May 2020—Remember Yani the EndCovBot? If you’re looking for the latest COVID-19 statistics in your municipality, city, province, region, or for the whole Philippines, just ask Yani on Messenger. [Read full story]  UP to provide its workforce additional emergency allowance  14 May 2020—In consideration of the unprecedented situation confronting its constituents, UP is providing its workforce an additional emergency allowance of P5,000 each not earlier than May 15, 2020. [Read full story]  UPLB ensures adherence to biosafety reqts in COVID-19 testing lab  11 May 2020—As UPLB stepped up to establish its own COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory that shall serve as a subnational testing center for Laguna and neighboring provinces, it sought to equip the said facility with an all-important pre-requisite – biosafety and biosecurity. [Read full story]  ECQ alone won’t curb coronavirus, PH needs mass testing – UP expert  12 May 2020—’Mass testing, isolation, and contact tracing – this is where we should invest,’ says Professor Jomar Rabajante of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team [Read full story]  The inspiring everyday heroism of PGH’s frontliner moms  9 May 2020—‘Ma, Bakit Hindi ka pa uuwi?’ is a question often asked of the children of these amazing women at Philippine General Hospital. But despite missing and worrying about their own families, they must heed their call to serve. [Read full story]  U.P. experts say ‘open data’ is part of fight vs COVID-19  12 May 2020—The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team, a group of some 200 professors, researchers, alumni, and students, says data sharing ‘must be used to generate knowledge’ [Read full story]  UP experts spot ‘alarming errors’ in DOH’s COVID-19 patient data  12 May 2020—The University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team in their policy note released Tuesday pointed out errors and discrepancies in the Department of Health’s data on COVID-19 patients. [Read full story]  Pinoy medical experts, scientists join fight vs virus  13 May 2020—Filipino scientists and medical practitioners who were trained and based overseas have joined the frontliners in Philippine hospitals in the continuing struggle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). [Read full story]  ‘Test center gives more hope against Covid-19 in Eastern Visayas’  10 May 2020—The first accredited molecular laboratory in Eastern Visayas will boost the country’s fight against the deadly coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the region. [Read full story]  UP-Diliman’s Palma Hall now a DOH-approved quarantine facility  13 May 2020—The University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) Palma Hall is now operating as a quarantine facility for suspected and probable cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). [Read full story]  Pandemic shines light on country’s brightest minds  11 May 2020—In the battle against COVID-19, Filipino scientists—such as the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team—take center stage. Get to know some of the ways they harness their knowledge and skills to help the country win the war against a deadly virus. [Read full story]  UP Concert Chorus conveys peace message in song  11 May 2020—Netizens were treated to a heart-felt cover of the song “Let there be Peace on Earth” by the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus. [Read full story]  Metro Manila Council chief sees another lockdown extension  11 May 2020—On Saturday, a team of University of the Philippines (UP) professors recommended that the government extend the ECQ in Metro Manila and other areas, warning that a premature easing could lead to 24,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,700 deaths by mid-June. [Read full story]  Philippines now has 26 COVID-19 testing centers — DOH  10 May 2020—There are now 26 testing laboratories in the Philippines that are capable of detecting the SARS CoV-2—the coronavirus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Read full story]  UPD-NIMBB trains med-techs for COVID-19 detection  8 May 2020—The University of the Philippines is training medical technicians in performing the qRT-PCR assay for the detection of the SARS CoV2, to support the training efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for COVID-19 testing. [Read full story]  COVID-19, ECQ, and Crash Landing on You  8 May 2020—Question: How does one explain the COVID-19 crisis from a governance perspective in an easily digestible and palatable manner? [Read full story]  UP pays tribute to 22 alumni who died from COVID-19  8 May 2020—The University of the Philippines has released a video paying tribute to its alumni who succumbed to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). [Read full story]  UP Law faculty proposes use of new tech for ‘smart courts’ during pandemic  7 May 2020—Incorporation of new technologies into the Philippine court system will help dispensation of justice during the COVID-19 pandemic and even after, a study from the University of the Philippines College of Law said. [Read full story]  UP scientist: gov’t should reconsider activities with adverse effects on air quality  6 May 2020—To maintain the “good air quality” as the “new normal,” a scientist from the University of the Philippines has appealed to all sectors to use the opportunity to reconsider activities that have adverse impacts on air quality. [Read full story]  UP’s “StopCOVIDDeaths” webinar to discuss COVID-19 treatment landscape  7 May 2020—The third installment of the UP webinar series, “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates,” will happen on Friday, May 8, at 12:00 PM in Taipei. [Read full story]  #TatagUP: resilience, survival and response post-ECQ  1 May 2020—As the nation looks forward to a post-pandemic scenario, UP Diliman (UPD) is easing the transition to post-ECQ. [Read full story]  Maynilad turns over 100 isolation tents  7 May 2020—MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. has handed over 100 isolation tents and hygiene kits to an alumni association of the University of the Philippines that is setting up a 100-bed quarantine facility for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. [Read full story]  5 tips to maintain psychosocial health amid COVID-19 pandemic  6 May 2020—Physical health is not the only thing that needs precious care in this COVID-19 crisis. Equally important is mental and psychosocial well-being. UP Open University (UPOU) Assistant Professor Finaflor Taylan of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, who is also a registered social worker, gives advice on maintaining psychosocial health during this time. [Read full story]  UP pays tribute to COVID-19 fatalities  6 May 2020—UP honors the memory of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 as “unknown heroes who fell during the night” in a music video of Fr. Manuel Francisco’s “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”, featuring the symbolic image of UP’s Oblation and an alumni roster whose lives were also taken by the virus. [Read full story]  UP buildings transformed into Covid-19 facilities  1 May 2020—Several buildings within the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City have been transformed into testing sites, a quarantine facility and living quarters for frontliners and health workers. [Read full story]  58 UP Students na Umuwi sa Isabela, Nasa Maayos na Kalagayan!  4 May 2020—Nasa maayos na kalagayan at walang sintomas ng COVID-19 ang 58 estudyante ng UP Los Baños na sinundo ng pamahalaang panlalawigan ng Isabela. [Read full story]  UPCAT 2020 results targeted for release within the month of May  5 May 2020—As previously announced, the release of the UPCAT2020 results has been delayed due to the enhanced community quarantine. [Read full announcement]  Elevate air pollution problem in post-ECQ “new normal” agenda – UPD scientist  5 May 2020—A scientist from the University of the Philippines-Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology has called on all sectors to consider putting the issue and solutions to the air pollution problem in the higher agenda for a post-enhanced community quarantine (post-ECQ) “new normal” Philippines. [Read full story]  UPV increases priority of relief to its affected communities  5 May 2020—While the University continues to deliver public service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UP Visayas (UPV) has decided to give more priority to the sectors that have been affected by its work and class suspensions. These include its students and employees as well as those who rely on the UPV community’s patronage: tricycle drivers, food vendors, and laundry service providers, among others. [Read full story]  Air quality after ECQ far from ‘new normal’ expectations – UPD experts  5 May 2020—Experts from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science and College of Engineering are looking at the positive impact of the enhanced community quarantine on air quality, but are not seeing this to be the “new normal” in a post-enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) Philippines. In making this conclusion, they conducted ground-, satellite- and modeling-based approaches to visualize the extent of air quality during pre-ECQ and while on lockdown. [Read full story]  UPV to stranded students: “Prepare to go home”  5 May 2020—UP Visayas (UPV) has advised its students stranded in campus and off-campus housing to start preparing to go home. [Read full story]  UP Law offers free legal aid online  5 May 2020—The UP College of Law launched on April 20, 2020 an online portal to “handle requests for legal assistance, legal advice and education, and if necessary, legal representation for issues arising from the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine [ECQ].” [Read full story]  UPOU launches “Edu-Hack” podcast series  5 May 2020—Flexibility and compassion. These were the key takeaways in the first episode of UP Open University’s (UPOU) podcast series, “Edu-Hack: Navigating through a Turbulent Educational Landscape” on April 28. [Read full story]  UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity donates 10,000 PPEs for UPM-PGH frontliners  5 May 2020—The UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity (UPBE), based in the UP Diliman College of Engineering, is doing its part to help the country win the war against COVID-19. [Read full story]  UPSO, UP musicians come together in “Alay sa Sambayang Pilipino sa Panahon ng Agam-Agam”, a musical tribute  4 May 2020—Musicians, vocalists and choristers from the University of the Philippines came together in a virtual performance to honor of the medical and healthcare workers, the frontliners, and the ordinary Filipino people battling against a global pandemic and socio-economic uncertainty. [Read full story]  UPLB medical technologists and volunteers train in COVID-19 testing  1 May 2020—In order to prepare for the operation of the UPLB SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 Testing Center, UPLB personnel took the SARS-CoV2 Testing Training Program at the UP Manila -National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) in UP Diliman on April 28 and 29. [Read full story]  UP’s graduation tradition of planting sunflowers endures despite COVID-19  4 May 2020—While the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may lead to the postponement or even cancellation of this year’s commencement rites at the state university, it doesn’t mean the end of a cherished graduation tradition. [Read full story]  Para sa bayan: U.P. lends expertise, resources in fight vs coronavirus  1 May 2020—As the coronavirus disease continues to spread across the country, the University of the Philippines (UP) has risen to the challenge of lending its expertise and resources to stem the new virus. [Read full story]  UP team bares 3 minimum health standards to flatten the curve  2 May 2020—With COVID-19 cases declining in major areas in Luzon, a team of professors from the University of the Philippines said three minimum health safeguards have to be met first to sustain the flattening of the curve if the government intends to relax its quarantine protocols. [Read full story]  UP Men’s Basketball players stay fighting amidst COVID-19  3 May 2020—The whole world of sports has come to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team (UP MBT) stay fighting. [Read full story]  DavNor donates P12-M for UP Covid-19 test lab  29 April 2020—The Provincial Government of Davao del Norte donated P12 million to help set up the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP-Mindanao) coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing laboratory. [Read full story]  UP holds “Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates” webinar for healthcare frontliners  30 April 2020—The University of the Philippines continues its mission to help educate our country’s medical and healthcare workers and frontliners, enabling them to win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic through the sharing of information, research, experience, and expertise. [Read full story]  Start an EL garden today and have a ready food source  28 April 2020—Whether one has or has no money, food source during the enhanced community quarantine remains a problem. [Read full story]  PGC Core Facility for Bioinformatics releases six (6) genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from Philippine samples between March 22-28, 2020  30 April 2020—The Philippine Genome Center through its Core Facility for Bioinformatics releases today to the global community through the GISAID database six (6) viral genome sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 cases between March 22-28, 2020 in Metro Manila. [Read full story]  More support for UP Cebu’s stranded students  29 April 2020—More support has come in for the students left stranded at the University of the Philippines Cebu campus following the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and travel ban over the City of Cebu. [Read full story]  UPV team submits post-ECQ plan to Iloilo City gov’t  29 April 2020—UP Visayas (UPV) Professors Maria Elisa Baliao (Sociology), Rhodella Ibabao (Management), Hanny John Mediodia (Economics), Cristabel Parcon (Sociology), Juhn Cris Espia (Political Science), and Vicente Balinas (Statistics) have forwarded their team’s proposed exit plan to the Iloilo City government in anticipation of the eventual lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). [Read full story]  UPLB laboratorians complete online biosafety training on COVID-19  28 April 2020—Nine UPLB staff completed the Free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-COV-2 or COVID-19, boosting UPLB’s capability to become certified as a COVID-19 testing center. [Read full story]  UPV turns over 3D-printed face shields to Western Visayas LGUs  27 April 2020—UP Visayas has started distributing 3D-printed face shields to local government units and its institutional partners in Panay and Negros since last week as part of the university’s contribution to the efforts against COVID 19 pandemic. [Read full story]  UPLB retrofits BL2 lab for gold standard COVID-19 testing  27 April 2020—UPLB is now rushing work to retrofit one of its Biosafety Level II laboratories into a COVID-19 testing center. [Read full story]  Project ARK can diagnose a combination of rapid antibody testing, PCR screening  28 April 2020—A private sector-led initiative has started to conduct a massive testing for the coronavirus disease to help in the early identification, isolation, and management of the disease at the community level. [Read full story]  Telepsychotherapy services offered to frontliners and COVID-19 patients, PUIs, PUMS, and probables  23 April 2020—The Department of Psychology of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) is offering free “telepsychotherapy” services to frontliners, and suspect, probable, and positive COVID-19 patients, including their relatives, and other severely affected by the pandemic. [Read full story]  Philippine Genome Center is country’s 18th coronavirus testing hub  24 April 2020—The Department of Health on Friday, April 24, confirmed that the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is the country’s 18th testing center for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Read full story]  UP Mindanao eyes opening of COVID-19 test lab by June  24 April 2020—Mindanao will have its second COVID-19 testing laboratory by June this year, University of the Philippines Mindanao said in a press release Friday. [Read full story]  UP team favors quarantine extension to check coronavirus transmissions  27 April 2020—Based on its forecast, the UP team said that should the ECQ be continued, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) will not breach the 10,000 mark by May 31. [Read full story]  OVP buys 10,000 coronavirus test kits developed by UP scientist  24 April 2020—The office of Vice President Leni Robredo has purchased 10,000 units of coronavirus test kits that were developed by a scientist from the University of the Philippines. [Read full story]  UP sets guidelines on proceeding with academic year affected by the ECQ  24 April 2020—The University of the Philippines released on 23 April 2020 implementing guidelines for proceeding with the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020, which has been affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other parts of the country. [Read full story]  UPD chemists produce sanitizers  24 April 2020—Like other UP campuses with chemists and chemistry laboratories, UP Diliman (UPD) has been producing alcohol sanitizers—the demand for which has significantly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These were distributed to the UPD community and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). [Read full story]  Statement on the Reported Proposal of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team to Delay the Reopening of Schools up to December 2020  24 April 2020—In a press briefing at Malacañang Palace on 21 April 2020, the scientific findings by the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team on age-group social interactions and its implications on flattening the so-called epidemic curve was presented. [Read full statement]  UP united: How the state university is raising head and heart against COVID-19  23 April 2020—As expected of the country’s national university, the University of the Philippines has been among the main institutions at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus. The spirit of honor, excellence and compassion shines brightly among faculty, students, alumni, and staff across constituent universities nationwide. [Read full story]  UP historic building to shelter persons for COVID-19 isolation  23 April 2020—Operations of “Kanlungang Palma” will begin on April 22 after the historic Palma Hall of UP Diliman (UPD) was designated an isolation area for suspected and probable cases of persons with COVID-19, according to bulletins from the UPD College of Social Sciences of Philosophy (CSSP). The shelter will handle cases coming from the UPD area. [Read full story]  UPD department offers free counseling in a time of physical distancing  23 April 2020—The UP Diliman Department of Psychology, along with its UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) program, has offered free telepsychotherapy services to frontliners, PUMs and PUIs, COVID-19 positive individuals, their relatives, and others severely affected by COVID-19. [Read full story]  URUGUP: UPV Tacloban’s call for cooperation amid COVID-19 crisis  23 April 2020—Partner, ally, kaugop. This is what UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) advocates each and everyone to be in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the Waray word, ugop, URUGUP is UPVTC’s institutional initiative in bringing together various sectors to help those in need in these trying times. [Read full story]  UP economics profs recommend sector-based random sample testing  22 April 2020—A group of economics professors from the University of the Philippines (UP) has proposed the use of sample-based random testing for COVID-19 from among the different industries or sectors and localities such as barangays to fully understand and monitor the transmission of the deadly virus. [Read full story]  Stranded UPLB students participate in blood donation drive  22 April 2020—Stranded students of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) participated in a blood donation drive to make purposeful use of their idle time. [Read full story]  UP-PGH, PLDT upgrade Action Center with telemedicine program  23 April 2020—Since the establishment of the University of the Philippines Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Bayanihan Na! Covid-19 Action Center on March 30, 2020, PLDT Enterprise has served as its backbone through its connectivity infrastructure, Hotline 155-200. [Read full story]  UP AIT houses QC District 6 testing center for COVID-19  22 April 2020—The east wing of the newly renovated UP Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) building located along Commonwealth Avenue is now COVID-19 Testing Center of Quezon City District 6. [Read full story]  Stop COVID Deaths: Clinical Management Updates Webinar Series  22 April 2020—Changes in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 as an infection, and as it impacts on all medical and surgical conditions occur at great speed. There are no experts in COVID-19. But over the past month, expertise in different specialties of medicine is growing. [Read full story]  COVID-19 heroine was ‘Wonder Woman’: ‘It’s my moral responsibility and obligation’  22 April 2020—At 5:37 p.m., April 11, Faye Marie Palafox, head nurse with the Hospital Infection Control unit at Philippine General Hospital (PGH), posted on her Facebook: “Finally! Home sweet home!” [Read full story]  Millennial ‘bayanihan’: UP-PGH interns’ ‘call center’  22 April 2020—When the Alliance of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) ordered the pull-out of 350 medical students from the University of the Philippines Manila Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) mid-March, interns Nick Tan, Ino Villlacastin, PA Pangan and Michelle Eala couldn’t help but feel anxious. [Read full story]  UP-Min’s Covid-19 diagnostic lab now under engineering planning stage  21 April 2020—The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) diagnostic laboratory proposed by the University of the Philippines (UP)-Mindanao is now in its engineering planning and manpower training stages, said Philippine Genome Center (PGC)-Mindanao director. [Read full story]  UPLB publishes free-to-download children’s ebooks on COVID-19 prevention and control measures  20 April 2020—The Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS) under the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology (UPLB-CHE) has published free-to-download children’s e-books about the importance of social distancing and of wearing face masks during this time of COVID-19. This was announced in recent posts on UPLB’s Facebook page. [Read full story]  Former UPLB researcher who developed a COVID-19 test kit in UK says local research is valuable in a pandemic  20 April 2020—“Local research provides country- or region-specific information and data that are necessary for adoption of a new technology.” [Read full story]  UP-NIH begins mass distribution of Pinoy-made COVID-19 test kits that can yield results within 2 hours  20 April 2020—The Manila Health Tek Lab, Inc. has delivered the locally-made coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test to the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH). [Read full story]  Get help on how to teach, learn, and work remotely  20 April 2020—Physical or social distancing have been buzzwords since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out more than a month ago. Traditional classes have been suspended. Work has been reduced to skeleton forces and confined to industries of basic goods and services. [Read full story]  DILG-endorsed UPOU MOOC begins in May  20 April 2020—Enrollment is ongoing for the UP Open University (UPOU) Master of Public Management (MPM) program’s massive open online course (MOOC) on interlocal cooperation. It is free and open to the public. [Read full story]  ECQ doing good, ‘graduated activation’ recommended after April 30—UP pandemic response team  20 April 2020—The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed over Luzon, along with other interventions, has indeed slowed down the spread of COVID-19 virus, based on “the best available data”, according to a team specially formed by the University of the Philippines to help government make informed interventions against the pandemic. [Read full story]  Estimating Local Healthcare Capacity to Deal with COVID-19 Case Surge: Analysis and Recommendations  20 April 2020—The rising number of cases of COVID-19 infections on a daily basis is a serious concern as there are limits to hospital care capacity for patients with serious symptoms (e.g. difficulty in breathing). [Read full paper]  UP Baguio produces ethyl alcohol  20 April 2020—A team from the UP Baguio College of Science (UPB-CS) is producing 70-percent ethyl alcohol in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UPB announced through an official Facebook post on April 8, 2020. [Read full story]  Call for blood donations: Red Cross ‘Love Bus’ goes to UP Diliman dorms  20 Abril 2020—Dahil sa COVID-19 at sa umiiral na enhanced community quarantine, maraming mga mass blood donation ang nakansela. Nahihirapan din ang mga walk-in donors dahil sa limitasyon sa public transportation, kahit na bukas ang ibang blood donation centers. [Basahin ang buong pabatid]  Meet the Hero Doctor Helping Fight COVID-19 By Developing a Filipino-Made Ventilator  20 April 2020—At least one good thing that has come out of the coronavirus pandemic is the display of bravery and heroism from ordinary people. [Read full story]  Palma Hall sa UP Diliman inihahanda bilang COVID-19 isolation facility  19 Abril 2020—Inihahanda na ang gusali ng Palma Hall sa University of the Philippines-Diliman (UP) campus sa Quezon City para magsilbing isolation facility ng mga pasyenteng may coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Basahin ang buong kwento]  UP scientists aim to double COVID-19 test kit output by May  19 April 2020—The team of scientists who delivered the country’s first locally-developed test kits for COVID-19 detection aims to double their production capacity by next month. [Read full story]  UP frat alumni send aid to COVID-19 frontliners, set up quarantine facilities at Diliman campus  18 April 2020—Alumni of a fraternity at the University of the Philippines Diliman have come together to send help for frontliners in the battle against the coronavirus crisis. [Read full story]  UP students given options in complying with course reqs, safety nets against failing grades  17 April 2020—In light of the global pandemic and enhanced community quarantine declared across most of the country, the University of the Philippines has decided to end the second semester of AY 2019-2020 on April 30, 2020, instead of the original May 23, 2020. [Read full story]  UP CMC battles COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ through fact-checking  17 April 2020—The UP College of Mass Communication Journalism Department is joining the fight against COVID-19 through fact-checking. [Read full story]  Filipinos start to ‘flatten curve’ but expert warns vs. ‘resurgence’ of COVID-19 cases if they let their guard down  17 April 2020—As the government-ordered shutdown continues in Luzon, data show the coronavirus curve is starting to flatten, a health expert said Friday. [Read full story]  Get Checked! FireCheck develops CoVcheck  8 April 2020—While it’s important to remain socially distant, there’s no stopping our joining of hands to #CombatCOVID. [Read full story]  Free Rides, AI-Powered Thermal Scanning, And Grocery Deliveries: How Pinoy Tech Startups Are Fighting COVID-19  16 April 2020—Working with DOST-PCIEERD and UPSCALE Innovation Hub, three Philippine tech startups have started offering new services to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The startups will offer these services and roll out improvements for the duration of the pandemic. [Read full story]  “OCG Cares’ Kumustahan” ensures psychosocial support to UPLB students in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic  16 April 2020—Apart from being a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, is also a psychosocial crisis. [Read full story]  A little help with WFH  14 April 2020—WAHM, SAHM – we’ve probably heard of these before. The terms Work-at-home-moms or stay-at-home-moms have been circulating the virtual space for a few years now. Mothers, mostly, are the ones who maintain online jobs to earn while attending to their families. Today, however, forced by circumstances we find everyone staying home while earning. [Read full story]  DILG endorses UPOU MPM’s MOOC on Inter-Local Cooperation  15 April 2020—The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has formally endorsed the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Interlocal Cooperation (ILC) of the Master of Public Management (MPM) Program. [Read full story]  Iloilo City gov’t receives 1,700 UP-developed COVID-19 test kits  15 April 2020—The city government of Iloilo City on Wednesday received additional COVID-19 test kits bought using donations. [Read full story]  No alcohol? UP scientists come to the rescue  15 April 2020—The local supply of alcohol for sanitation has dwindled due to high demand triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. [Read full story]  UP athletes initiate online training program to help fund PPEs for frontliners  15 April 2020—A group of athletes from University of the Philippines organized an online training program for the benefit of frontline workers. [Read full story]  Dorm frontliners briefed on how to give psychosocial support to stranded UPV students  13 April 2020—“During disasters, the most basic needs are to be attended,” says Dr. Johnrev Guilaran, clinical psychologist and assistant professor of the College of Arts and Sciences, UP Visayas during an orientation for the frontliners of the university’s six dormitories at the Miagao campus. [Read full story]  UP COVID-19 team suggests localized quarantine after initial lockdown ends  14 April 2020—The COVID-19 response team of the University of the Philippines (UP) has suggested enforcing localized quarantine measures after the initial enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) deadline ends on April 30. [Read full story]  UP rolls out free online courses to train teachers in online teaching  14 April 2020—In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the limitation of educational institutions to hold physical classes, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) said it will be offering free online courses to train teachers in online teaching. [Read full story]  Manila HealthTek aims to produce 8,000 UP-developed coronavirus test kits daily  15 April 2020—Medical research company Manila HealthTek Inc. said Tuesday it aims to produce 8,000 coronavirus test kits per day, which will be distributed to different local government units (LGUs). [Read full story]  Luzon lockdown slowed COVID-19 spread: UP institute  14 April 2020—A nearly month-long lockdown of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon slowed the spread of COVID-19, an institute of the University of the Philippines said Monday as it identified areas that might need to sustain quarantine measures beyond April. [Read full story]  UPLB mobilizes for COVID-19 R&D and testing center establishment  13 April 2020—UPLB has always stood at the ready to help in the areas of its expertise in the name of public service during times of great calamity, but the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently gripping the nation and the whole world may be its biggest challenge so far. [Read full story]  UPV officials and task force members donate allowance and benefits for COVID-19 efforts  12 April 2020—Officials of UP Visayas led by Chancellor Ricardo Babaran are turning over one month of their Representation and Travel Allowance (RATA), honorarium or other additional benefits to UP, Magbubunga Tayo! to sustain the UPDanay donation drive and relief efforts during the current public health emergency. [Read full story]  Beyond the call of duty: UP Manila teacher assembles PPEs, distributes food for homeless  14 April 2020—A young instructor from the University of the Philippines-Manila’s College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP) has earned the admiration of netizens for going beyond the call of duty amid the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. [Read full story]  26,000 PH-developed COVID-19 test kits ready for delivery  13 April 2020—The delivery of locally developed COVID-19 real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits is finally moving after getting the nod from the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [Read full story]  UP Vanguard raises P1.8-M for PPEs, other medical supplies for hospitals  12 April 2020—A University of the Philippines group raised some P1.8 million to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to be donated to some hospitals in Metro Manila. [Read full story]  From free masks to free money delivery: Covid-19 Bayanihan in Eastern Visayas  13 April 2020—In Tacloban City, businessman Rhoel Ladera and lawyer Hermie Alcera II are organizing a drive to help the frontliners anywhere in the region through their car club Navara Nation Philippines-Eastern Visayas (NNP-EV) chapter. [Read full story]  Drive Manila’s grocery delivery app goes live  13 April 2020—An app that offers grocery delivery service, which was developed with the support of the Department of Science and Technology and the University of the Philippines Sustaining Collaboration in an Advanced Learning Environment (UPSCALE), was launched by Drive Manila. [Read full story]  UP creates COVID-19 dictionary for children  3 April 2020—For the young to further understand terms they usually encounter during the COVID-19 pandemic, the faculty of the University of the Philippines College of Education has created a children’s dictionary containing words related to COVID-19. [Read full story]  Modified Community Quarantine beyond April 30: Analysis and Recommendations  13 April 2020—Problem situation: The extension of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) raises the question on how effective the ECQ has been to contain the spread of COVID-19. If it is, how should it be implemented after April 30 without unnecessarily paralyzing local economies over a long period of time? [Read full report]  PGH naglunsad ng ‘e-dalaw’ para sa COVID-19 patients  13 Abril 2020—Pinagagamit ng Philippine General Hospital (PGH) ang sistemang “e-dalaw” o electronic dalaw sa kanilang mga pasyenteng may coronavirus disease (COVID-19) para makausap ng mga ito ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay at kahit papaano ay maibsan ang lungkot dulot ng paglaban sa sakit. [Basahin ang kabuuan ng istorya]  FASSSTER than COVID-19: The science used to forecast COVID-19 in PH  8 April 2020—Evidence-based forecasts of possible cases and scenarios on the spread of COVID-19 in the country can now be accessed thanks to the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler or FASSSTER. [Read full story]  UPOU’s Free Online Courses will Train Teachers in Online Teaching  13 April 2020—In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitation of educational institutions to hold physical classes, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) continues its offering of free online courses to train teachers in Online Teaching. [Read full story]  Schools now safe shelters for frontliners  8 April 2020—The University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City has converted one of its buildings to accommodate around 35 health workers from the university’s health service and the Lung Center of the Philippines. [Read full story]  Preparing for a Post-ECQ Scenario: Analysis and Recommendations  7 April 2020—Since Day One, the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team has done simulations on the spread of SARS-COV-2 in the country. Our bioinformatics group—composed mostly of mathematicians from different UP campuses—estimate a peak by end of April to June with approximately 140,000 to 550,000 people infected in Metro Manila. [Read full story]  Even in the midst of need, UPLB extends a helping hand  3 April 2020—UPLB may be on SOS mode as it raised an urgent call for donations to provide food and other needs of around 1,500 of its students who are stranded in dorms inside and outside the campus due to the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). [Read full story]  EL Team donates fresh produce, planting materials to stranded dormers  6 April 2020—Nutritious diet with fruits and vegetables has become even more important for survival and better immunity in the midst of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read full story]  Dulaang UP is streaming 3 of its plays for free  7 April 2020—Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP) is letting the public watch three of its plays online for free amid the coronavirus-induced quarantine. [Read full story]  Lawyers from UP College of Law to aid people discriminated amid COVID-19 scare -Nograles  6 April 2020—Lawyers from the University of the Philippines College of Law have offered to defend individuals who have experienced discrimination amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Monday. [Read full story]  PH gov’t to launch contact tracing app for COVID-19 cases  5 April 2020—The Philippine government is beginning the testing of a new contact tracing smartphone app to aid its fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Read full story]  UP scientists lauded for COVID-19 test kits  4 April 2020—Senator Joel Villanueva lauded on Friday the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the University of the Philippines-developed COVID-19 testing kits for public use. [Read full story]  UP Tacloban produces alcohol-based hand rub for frontliners  6 April 2020—Through its URUGUP public service initiative, UPV Tacloban College has produced an alcohol-based hand rub following World Health Organization standards for donation to healthcare facilities and other frontline service providers in Eastern Visayas. [Read full story]  UP PGC-Visayas Satellite Facility shares equipment for COVID-19 testing  6 April 2020—The UP Philippine Genome Center-Visayas Satellite Facility (PGC-VSF) has lent its reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) to strengthen the hospital’s capability in testing patients for COVID-19. [Read full story]  Locally-made COVID-19 test kits to cost less: health official  6 April 2020—The Food and Drug Administration last week said it has approved the test kits developed by the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) and the Philippine Genome Center with the support of the Department of Science and Technology. [Read full story]  Quarantine extension would flatten COVID-19 curve – UP team  5 April 2020—The University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team said an extension of the enhanced community quarantine may help control the further transmission of the novel coronavirus. [Read full story]  UPLB to open subnational testing lab for COVID-19  5 April 2020—The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has offered to convert its existing research laboratories to become a subnational testing center for the coronavirus. [Read full story]  BREAKING: FDA approves UP-developed COVID-19 test kits for commercial use  3 April 2020—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday that it has approved the test kits developed by the University of the Philippines-National Institute ofHealth (UP-NIH). [Read full story]  UP-developed COVID-19 test kits ready for rollout  3 April 2020—The COVID-19 testing kits developed by scientists of the University of the Philippines (UP) have completed field validation, and are now ready for mass production and usage. [Read full story]  The low-cost COVID-19 testing kit made by UP scientists is ready for rollout  3 April 2020—A number of testing kits, which can do up to 26,000 tests, will be distributed for field implementation from April 4 to 25. Currently in production are testing kits that can accommodate up to 120,000 tests. [Read full story]  DOST to study use of virgin coconut oil as coronavirus treatment  2 April 2020—The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is conducting clinical studies on the possible benefits of virgin coconut oil for patients with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 and patients under investigation (PUIs). [Read full story]  DOST gives PGH medical devices that reduce contact between COVID-19 patients, frontliners  2 April 2020—The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has delivered 106 units of RxBox, a device capable of simultaneously measuring an individual’s vital signs, to the Philippine General Hospital. [Read full story]  UP launches web portal, map for COVID-19 responders  2 April 2020—The University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team created the web portal http://endcov.ph/ to provide the public with vital information for fighting the coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 in the country. [Read full story]  UPD food tech students produce ginger-calamansi concentrate for PGH and Lung Center frontliners  2 April 2020—Meghan Sevilla and Sofia Tagle, 4th year BS Food Technology students from UP Diliman’s College of Home Economics (CHE), formulated and produced a ginger-calamansi concentrate called Lucal. Lucal can easily be consumed when mixed with warm or cold water. [Read full story]  DOH pins hope on UP-NIH-developed ventilators  1 April 2020—DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire hopes that the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health can soon come out with their locally produced ventilator that is now still in the pipeline. [Read full story]  UPLB prepares 80% ethyl alcohol for frontliners  2 April 2020—The University of the Philippines Los Baños Institute of Chemistry (IC-UPLB) produced ethyl alcohol to be given to the frontliners fighting against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). [Read full story]  U.P. researchers develop coronavirus dashboard tracker  2 April 2020—The University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), in collaboration with the UP Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), developed a dashboard that tracks the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines. [Read full story]  UP-produced Covid-19 testing kits ready for deployment, says Nograles  2 April 2020—IATF spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced that the government has allocated 57.2 million pesos for the production of locally-produced COVID-19 testing kits developed by the UP NIH and Manila HealthTek Inc., saying in a press briefing on Tuesday that field validation of the said kits has already been completed and will be rolled out by April 4. [Read full story]  DOST allots P53.2-M to fund development of UP COVID-19 test kits  1 April 2020—DOST has allotted P53.2 million as funding for the development of the COVID-19 test kits by the University of the Philippines National Institute of Health in response to the pandemic, a report submitted by President Rodrigo Duterte to Congress states. [Read full story]  UPD College of Science responds to COVID-19  1 April 2020—The UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) expressed its appreciation for its constituents who are actively helping the country respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read full story]  UP-PGH begins operating as COVID-19 referral center  1 April 2020—Preparations have been completed, and on March 30, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) begins operations as a COVID-19 referral center. [Read full story]  How the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits aid hospital work  1 April 2020—Test kits are essential for rationalization in hospital work. This is what University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Director, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said in a press conference on March 12. This, he said, allows them to provide their patients proper advice when they consult them about their health. [Read full story]  UP scientists making ventilators as coronavirus cases mount: health dept  1 April 2020—Scientists from the University of the Philippines are designing a more affordable ventilator that will help patients with the novel coronavirus breathe, the health department said Wednesday as cases of the respiratory disease continued to climb. [Read full story]  New Clark City polyclinic ready for PUIs  31 March 2020—Isolation rooms set up at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Polyclinic inside the New Clark City are now ready to take in persons under investigation (PUI) for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), who display mild symptoms, Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan said in a statement. [Read full story]  Bayanihan Na! UP-PGH launches COVID-19 Ops Center  31 March 2020—155-200 is the number to call. And it’s open 24/7. The UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) launched its Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center on March 30 to answer queries related to COVID-19, including how to volunteer and donate. [Read full story]  LOOK: UP-PGH launches COVID-19 operations center  30 March 2020—The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital on Monday launched its operations center for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) concerns. [Read full story]  PGH debuts 24/7 COVID Bayanihan Operations Center hotline  30 March 2020—The University of the Philippines Manila-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on Monday launched a dedicated 24/7 hotline number for its Bayanihan Operations Center that covers cases related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). [Read full story]  UPV chemists formulate alcohol to aid hospitals in this COVID-19 pandemic  28 March 2020—Chemists composed of students and alumni of UP Visayas are currently making alcohol to be donated to hospitals and frontliners. [Read full story]  UP personnel to receive emergency allowance  28 March 2020—The UP Administration has announced the release of an Emergency Allowance amounting to P5,000.00 each for all UP faculty and Professors Emeriti who are in active service as of March 17, 2020; research, extension and professional staff (REPS); administrative staff, whether regular, permanent, temporary, UP contractual/casual or substitute; and Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) workers who are rendering full-time service. [Read full story]  Announcement on the release of UPCAT 2020 results  28 March 2020—The University of the Philippines Office of Admissions is postponing the release of the UP College Admissions Test 2020 results, which was originally scheduled on 30 March 2020. Please wait for further announcement. [Read full story]  Salin sa Filipinong mga terminolohiya kaugnay ng COVID-19  28 March 2020—Halaw sa salin ni Prof. Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez mula sa Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, UP Diliman. [Read full story]  UP employees get financial aid early  27 March 2020—The University of the Philippines has released additional financial support for its members in light of the enhanced community quarantine implemented in Luzon. [Read full story]  UP Visayas lends RT PCR Machine to WVMC for COVID-19 Testing  27 March 2020—The University of the Philippines Visayas through its Philippine Genome Center, transferred its RT Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine to the Western Visayas Medical Center for COVID-19 testing to complement the existing PCR machine of WVMC. [Read full story]  SOS for stranded students  27 March 2020—The UP community in each constituent university banded together to give donations and other forms of assistance for UP students who have been stranded in campus and off-campus housing by the enhanced community quarantine. [Read full story]  Free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2  27 March 2020—The National Training Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity (NTCBB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UP Manila is offering a free Online Biosafety Training for Laboratorians who will be handling SARS-CoV-2 on March 30 to April 3, 2020. [Read full story]  UP-PGH to continue treating non-COVID-19 patients even as a COVID-19 referral center  26 March 2020—The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) will continue serving non-COVID-19 patients even while operating as a COVID-19 referral center as designated by the Department of Health (DOH). [Read full story]  The bayanihan spirit burns bright in the University of the Philippines  26 March 2020—No task is too big nor too small in UP’s fight against COVID-19. This is the rallying spirit behind the various UP bayanihan efforts that range from science and technology to humanitarian efforts, leading the way in social responsibility for its students and staff. [Read full story]  Your 3-D Printer might help save lives in the COVID-19 crisis  25 March 2020—UP’s College of Engineering is working on several initiatives to help solve problems brought about by the coronavirus. Here’s how you can help. [Read full story]  Dr. Raul Jara: The Blueprint of a Great Teacher  24 March 2020—On Tuesday, Dr. Raul Jara, a renowned cardiologist and an influential teacher, passed away because of COVID-19. We are republishing this piece, originally written in 2013 and updated in 2019, as a tribute to the legacy of Dr. Jara, with permission from the author. [Read full story]  CALL FOR DONATIONS: FabLab is in need of materials to produce PPEs  24 March 2020—FabLab UP Cebu is receiving so many requests for face shields that it is producing. We are producing these for free to the medical frontliners of Cebu. Design work for other types of personal protective equipment (PPE) is also in the pipeline. [Read full story]  UP-PGH preparing to operate as COVID-19 referral center  24 March 2020—The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital has been designated by the Department of Health as one of the three COVID-19 referral centers in NCR, with the concurrence of UP President Danilo L. Concepcion and UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita D. Padilla. [Read full story]  UP Cebu FabLab creates face shields for frontliners against COVID-19  23 March 2020—A team of faculty members and staff at the University of the Philippines Cebu FabLab has designed and started 3D-printing face shield frames to contribute to the much-needed supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fight against COVID-19. [Read full story]  UP Mindanao Proposes a Diagnostics Program for Free COVID-19 Testing in Davao Region  23 March 2020—The University of the Philippines Mindanao is proposing a diagnostic program that can give free testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Davao Region. [Read full story]  In Memoriam: Former UP Asian Center Dean Aileen SP Baviera  21 March 2020—Dr. Aileen San Pablo-Baviera, UP political science professor, former Dean of the UP Asian Center, and one of the country’s foremost experts in international relations and Asian and China studies, passed away at 3:55 a.m. on March 21, 2020, at San Lazaro Hospital. She was 60 years old. [Read full story]  ‘China always rose to the front and center of my work’ | Dr. Aileen Baviera (1959–2020)  21 March 2020—Dr. Aileen S.P. Baviera, Professor and former Dean of the UP Asian Center, passed away on the early morning of 21 March 2020. She was 60. [Read full story]  UP-PGH is designated as COVID-19 referral hospital for NCR  20 March 2020—The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has been designated by the Department of Health as one of its COVID-19 referral hospitals for the National Capital Region in line with UP’s mandate as a public service university. [Read full story]  Salaries of UP lecturers, teaching assistants and fellows to be released early  20 March 2020—In light of the lockdown of Luzon and provinces in other regions, the UP System administration, through Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-40 dated March 20, 2020, instructed the constituent universities (CUs) to process the early release of salaries due to lecturers and to teaching assistants (TAs) and fellows (TFs) up to April 15, 2020. [Read full story]  Protocols carried out as 2 UP faculty members undergo test for COVID-19  11 March 2020—The University of the Philippines is strictly carrying out protocols following a recent case of two faculty members being declared patients under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus disease. [Read full story]  Memos and Announcements Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-38 & 39 on Suspension of Classes in All UP Constituent Universities (except Open University) and Lifting of Deadline for Dropping and Filing of Leave of Absence for Second Semester AY 2019-2020 and Addendum Memorandum from OVPAA: Academic Contingency Plan in Light of COVID-19 Memorandum No. TJH-2020-15 on Payment of the First Tranche of the Annual Incentive Grant (AIG) for the Faculty, REPS and Administrative Staff for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Memorandum No. NGY 20-49 on Guidelines on Release of the First Tranche of Rice Allowance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 BOR Resolution on 16 April 2020: UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19 Implementing Guidelines to the UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of COVID-19 OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-62: Reiteration of the Grading System in the Implementing Guidelines of the UP System Policy on the Second Semester 2019-2020 in Light of COVID-19 Information on Constituent Universities Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 10 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 9 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 8 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 7 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 6 UPD unfazed by ECQ extension 2 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 5 Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 2  Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 1  Summary of COVID-19 Responses by Constituent Universities  Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletins (Updates as of 31 March 2020) Constituent Universities’ Weekly Bulletins (Updates as of 24 March 2020)  Diliman  [Website] | [Social Media] Los Baños  [Website] | [Social Media]  Manila  [Website] | [Social Media] Philippine General Hospital  [Website] | [Social Media] Visayas  [Website] | [Social Media] Open University  [Website] | [Social Media] Mindanao  [Website] | [Social Media] Baguio  [Website] | [Social Media] Cebu  [Website] | [Social Media]  Resources on Remote Learning, Teaching, and Working     Tributes  IN MEMORIAM: Remembering those we have lost They died alone, with no relatives around to hold their hands as they breathed their last. Some still have to be buried, and others were cremated with no ceremony and no one to bid them goodbye. [Read full story]  Members of the UP Concert Chorus (UPCC) Batch 90s who are in different countries pay tribute to their co-UPCC alumnus, Dr. Raul Jara, and other UPCC alumni-frontliners.  UPSA’s Tribute to COVID-19 Frontliners University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors Founded and Conducted by Dr. Ed Manguiat  IN MEMORIAM UP Video Tribute: UP honors the memory of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 as “unknown heroes who fell during the night” in a music video of Fr. Manuel Francisco’s “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”, featuring the symbolic image of UP’s Oblation and an alumni roster whose lives were also taken by the virus.  ALAY SA SAMBAYANANG PILIPINO SA PANAHON NG AGAM-AGAM Nasa aming puso ang lahat ng nagdadalamhati. Nasa aming diwa ang mga bayani ng bagong panahon. Nasa aming kaluluwa ang pakikiisa sa bawat Pilipino. Mula sa mga lockdown na lugar ng Baguio, Leyte, Cebu, Davao, Manila, at iba pa, inaalay ng University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO), kasama ang UP Madrigal Singers at ang UPCC, UP Staff Chorale, Auit Vocal Ensemble, at mga artista’t iskolar.   In a time as dark as a pandemic, the true heroes shine the brightest: our medical and healthcare frontliners and essential workers, the people who risk each day to save lives, protect our campuses and communities, and keep the world safe for the rest of us. The University of the Philippines System and TVUP offer a tribute video to thank and honor the people who continue to serve despite the gravest odds, featuring an original song titled “I’ll Hold the Line,” composed, arranged and performed by UP Integrated School alumnus Ardie O. Lopez.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP Forum – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-forum/",
        "html": "UP FORUM The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez    Angelo Azura Jimenez has the distinction of being the first UP Student Regent to be elected UP President and...  Read More Heeding the Higher Call    “I was already set on early retirement. I took a week to decide.” Dr. Leo De Paz Cubillan narrated...  Read More VP Iryn’s Perfect Timing    So what made you come back to UP? “I’ve been asking myself that question for the past month,” lightly...  Read More Simply Nes    “I’m Nestor Yunque, the present Vice President for Administration. I started as VP for Administration way back in 2017. ...  Read More Coming Home, Giving Back    He looked around the College of Engineering Faculty Lounge, trying to recall what the room had been before. And...  Read More The Many Facets of VP Wendell Capili    If you happen to visit Art Circle Café in the UP Diliman campus, odds are you might see a...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "Academic Programs – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/academic-programs/",
        "html": "Academic Programs     A  Accountancy  UP Visayas  Agribusiness Economics  UP Mindanao  Agribusiness Management  UP Los Baños  Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Biotechnology  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Chemistry  UP Los Baños  Agricultural Economics  UP Los Baños  Agriculture  UP Los Baños  Anthropology  UP Diliman UP Mindanao  Applied Mathematics  UP Los Baños UP Visayas UP Mindanao  Applied Physics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila  Architecture  UP Diliman UP Mindanao  Art Studies  UP Diliman  B  Behavioral Sciences  UP Manila  Biochemistry  UP Manila  Biology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Broadcast Communication  UP Diliman  Business Administration  UP Diliman UP Visayas  Business Administration and Accountancy  UP Diliman  Business Economics  UP Diliman  C  Chemical Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Chemistry  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Civil Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Clothing Technology  UP Diliman  Communication  UP Baguio  Communication and Media Studies  UP Visayas  Communication Arts  UP Los Baños UP Visayas UP Mindanao  Communication Development  UP Diliman  Community Development  UP Visayas  Community Research  UP Diliman  Community Nutrition  UP Diliman  Comparative Literature  UP Diliman  Computer Engineering  UP Diliman  Computer Science  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Creative Writing  UP Diliman  D  Dental Medicine  UP Manila  Development Communication  UP Los Baños  Development Studies  UP Manila  E  Economics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Education Studies  UP Open University  Electrical Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Electronics and Communications Engineering  UP Diliman  Elementary Education  UP Diliman  English (Creative Writing)  UP Mindanao  English Studies: Language  UP Diliman  English Studies: Literature  UP Diliman  European Languages  UP Diliman  F  Family Life and Child Development  UP Diliman  Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas  UP Diliman  Film  UP Diliman  Fine Arts  UP Diliman UP Baguio UP Cebu  Fisheries  UP Visayas  Food Technology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Mindanao  Forestry  UP Los Baños  G  Geodetic Engineering  UP Diliman  Geography  UP Diliman  Geology  UP Diliman  H  History  UP Diliman UP Visayas  Home Economics  UP Diliman  Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management  UP Diliman  Human Ecology  UP Los Baños  I  Industrial Engineering  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Industrial Pharmacy  UP Manila  Interior Design  UP Diliman  J  Journalism  UP Diliman  L  Landscape Architecture  UP Diliman  Language and Literature  UP Baguio  Library and Information Science  UP Diliman  Linguistics  UP Diliman  Literature  UP Visayas  M  Malikhaing Pagsulat sa Filipino  UP Diliman  Management  UP Visayas UP Cebu  Management Economics  UP Baguio  Mass Communication  UP Cebu  Materials Engineering  UP Diliman  Mathematics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Baguio UP Cebu  Mathematics and Science Teaching  UP Los Baños  Mechanical Engineering  UP Diliman  Metallurgical Engineering  UP Diliman  Mining Engineering  UP Diliman  Molecular Biology and Biotechnology  UP Diliman  Multimedia Studies  UP Open University  Music  UP Diliman  N  Nursing  UP Manila  Nutrition  UP Los Baños  O  Occupational Therapy  UP Manila  Organizational Communication  UP Manila  P  Pharmacy  UP Manila  Philippine Arts  UP Manila  Philippine Studies  UP Diliman  Philosophy  UP Diliman UP Los Baños  Physical Education  UP Diliman  Physical Therapy  UP Manila  Physics  UP Diliman UP Baguio  Political Science  UP Diliman UP Manila UP Visayas UP Cebu  Psychology  UP Diliman UP Visayas UP Cebu  Public Administration  UP Diliman  Public Health  UP Manila UP Visayas  S  Secondary Education  UP Diliman  Social Sciences  UP Manila UP Visayas UP Baguio  Social Work  UP Diliman  Sociology  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  Speech Communication  UP Diliman  Speech Pathology  UP Manila  Sports Science  UP Diliman  Statistics  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Visayas  T  Theater Arts  UP Diliman  Tourism  UP Diliman  V  Veterinary Medicine  UP Los Baños "
    },
    {
        "title": "Financial Aid – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/financial-aid/",
        "html": "Financial Aid  There are a number of private and government funded scholarships available to UP students, both in the undergraduate and graduate programs.  To view the updated list of these scholarships, please visit the links below:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visay UP Cebu  The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), which handled the student financial assistance services for applicants, has been renamed as the Office of Student Development Services (OSDS). And aside from financial assistance, they now also provide the following services to students:  Student Academic Support Student Welfare IT and Admin Support for Students  For more on the OSDS, please visit their website: https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/ or like their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/uposds  For questions and concerns, the OSDS can also be contacted via the following contact information:  Postal Address  Office of Student Development Services Vinzons Hall, 4F, University of the Philippines University of the Philippines Diliman Campus, Quezon City 1101 Metro Manila, Philippines  Telephone numbers: (632) 8981-8500, local number 8779; (632) 8981-8779 Email addresses: osds@up.edu.ph or studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "UPCAT – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/upcat/",
        "html": "UPCAT  As the premier State University, UP offers a wide range of degree programs. Some degree programs are offered in only one campus (e.g., BS Nursing, BA Filipino) while others are offered in two or more campuses (e.g., B Fine Arts, BS Statistics). Most of these require qualification through the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT).  To maintain its high standard of education and to maximize its limited resources, UP has had to limit slots for freshman admission to each campus and to its various degree programs.  If you decide to take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT), you will be one among many thousands who aspire to enter the University of the Philippines.  The UPCAT consists of 4 subtests: Language Proficiency, Science, Mathematics and Reading Comprehension. Standardized scores on these subtests are combined with the weighted average of final grades in the first three years of high school to determine qualification into UP. Moreover, to implement the policy of democratization to make the UP studentry more representative of the nation’s population, socio-economic and geographic considerations are factored in the selection of campus qualifiers.  Conditions for Eligibility   To be eligible to take the UPCAT, you must meet certain specific requirements.  First: You must belong to one of the categories listed below:  1. Senior students (e.g., Fourth Year, Grade 12, Senior 6) of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad (expecting to graduate at the end of the school year); 2. Graduates of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad; or 3. Those declared eligible for admission to college after taking the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT).  NOTE: Graduates of DepEd-accredited schools or secondary schools abroad and those declared eligible for admission to college after taking the PEPT  1. Must not have taken any college subject/s previously; 2. Must not be taking any college subject/s at present; and 3. Will not be taking any college subject/s prior to or for the semester/academic year for which the UPCAT is to be taken.  Second: You must also have:  Final grades for the First, Second and Third Years of the 4-year secondary school curriculum in schools with DepEd recognition/permit to operate said curriculum (or Grades 9, 10 and 11 or, their equivalent for international or foreign schools); and Third: You must also NOT HAVE TAKEN the UPCAT previously.  Taking the UPCAT  1. Go to your designated Test Center on the date specified in your Test Permit. Be there by 6:30 for the morning session or by 12:30 for the afternoon session. 2. Bring only your Test Permit, two good quality pencils, a sharpener, a rubber eraser and snacks. (The test administration will last about five hours). The use of cellphones and/or calculating devices during the test is strictly prohibited and can be a cause for disqualification.  After the UPCAT  1. Check the UPCAT website (http://www.upcat.up.edu.ph) for announcements and posting of UPCAT Results (towards the end of March). 2. A list of qualifiers from your school will be sent to your Principal. Individual notices will also be sent to all examinees.If you qualify for admission to UP, register according to the instructions provided by the college or unit to which you have been accepted.  On Scholarships  Since 1991, the UP Oblation Scholarship has been awarded to the top fifty UPCAT qualifiers. The benefits include free tuition, miscellaneous and laboratory fees, a semestral book subsidy and a monthly incentive and transportation allowance.  Recipients may enjoy the UP Oblation Scholarship throughout the normal length of time required to finish their chosen degree program, provided they maintain the required grade point average. For those in the accelerated medical program (INTARMED), however, only the first four years are covered by this grant.  The University of the Philippines has a Socialized Tuition System. It provides possible tuition discounts and/or additional financial assistance for financially needy students in the form of monthly subsidies for living and travel expenses and a semestral book allowance. A number of scholarships, study grants and awards donated by government and private companies or individuals, are also available for the Office of Scholarships and Student Services. Most are intended for financially needy students, though some are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic performance.  Important Reminders  -There is no minimum high school average grade requirement for taking the UPCAT. -The UPCAT can be taken only once.  For more details on the UPCAT and how to take test, click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Graduate Admissions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/graduate-admissions/",
        "html": "Graduate Admissions The UP Diliman campus with Quezon Hall, the main administrative building in the foreground. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  Requirements for graduate programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over through the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio  UP Cebu "
    },
    {
        "title": "Undergraduate Admissions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/undergraduate-admissions/",
        "html": "Undergraduate Admissions General Admission Requirements  Graduates of foreign and Philippine high schools accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) may be admitted as freshmen into the University based on the following: Performance in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT); and Weighted average of final grades obtained in high school.  Those who wish to study at the university take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). For more details, please go to the Office of Admissions website.  Undergraduate Programs  Requirements for academic programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over through the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Transferees  For transferees, here are links with the necessary information.  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu  Foreign students  Information on admission of foreign students may be found at the following pages:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu "
    },
    {
        "title": "ADMISSIONS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/admissions/",
        "html": "ADMISSIONS     General Admission Requirements  Graduates of foreign and Philippine high schools accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) may be admitted as freshmen into the University based on the following:  Performance in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT); and  Weighted average of final grades obtained in high school.  A total combined score of 1,200 for the verbal and mathematics subtests in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) will also qualify an applicant for automatic admission as freshman to the University.     The UPCAT  Those who wish to study at the university take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). It is administered on the first weekend of August every year. The UPCAT is a four-hour long examination consisting of subtests on language proficiency, reading comprehension, mathematics and science. The UPCAT is in English and Filipino.  Standardized scores on these subtests are combined with the weighted average of final grades in the first three (3) years of high school to determine qualification into UP. Moreover, to implement the policy of democratization to make the UP studentry more representative of the nation’s population, socio-economic and geographic considerations are factored in the selection of campus qualifiers.  UPCAT applicants are ranked based on their admission grades which are the combinedUPCAT scores, high school grades, and equity factors where applicable. Admission grades like the University Predicted Grade (UPG) measure the applicant’s potential to do well in the University.  Every year, thousands of senior high school students take the UPCAT exam at UP constituent units and designated exam centers across the country. In 2010, over 65,000 examinees took the UPCAT.  For more details, please go to the Office of Admissions website. Those who want to study at the UP Open University, may want to check this link for instructions.     Graduate students  Requirements for graduate programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over with the links the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio  UP Cebu     Transferees  For transferees, here are links with the necessary information.  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu     Foreign students  Information on admission of foreign students may be found at the following pages:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu     Scholarships  There are a number of private and government funded scholarships available to UP students, both in the undergraduate and graduate level. To view the updated list of these scholarships, please visit the links below:  Diliman Los Baños Manila Visayas Cebu Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs)  In consonance with the mandate of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), as provided for in Article XIV, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution, “to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all,” and Article XIV, Section 2(3) “to establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged,” the CHED Commission en Banc (CEB) approved the Revised Guidelines for the Implementation of Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs) Effective AY 2014-2015, signed as CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 13, series of 2014, by virtue of CEB Resolution Nos. 045-2014 and 148-2014 dated January 27, 2014 and March 10, 2014, respectively.  For more details on the CHED StuFAPs please click here.     Other sections which you might be interested in:   University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps Academic Calendars    "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP System Officials and Offices – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-system-officials-and-offices/",
        "html": "UP System Officials and Offices The Board of Regents  Hon. J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III Chairperson Chairman, Commission on Higher Education  Hon. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ Co-chairperson President, University of the Philippines  Hon. FRANCIS JOSEPH G. ESCUDERO Chairperson, Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education  Hon. MARK O. GO Chairperson, House Committee on Higher and Technical Education  Hon. ROBERT LESTER F. ARANTON Alumni Regent President, UP Alumni Association  Hon. RAUL C. PAGDANGANAN Member  Hon. GREGORIO B. PASTORFIDE Member  Hon. GLADYS S.J. TIONGCO Member  Hon. CARL MARC L. RAMOTA Faculty Regent  Hon. SOFIA JAN DG. TRINIDAD Student Regent  Hon. VICTORIA C. BELEGAL Staff Regent  Hon. ROBERTO M.J. LARA Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  Board of Regents contact information: borsecretariat@up.edu.ph  Officials of the UP System Administration  Executive Committee  ANGELO A. JIMENEZ President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  JOSE FERNANDO T. ALCANTARA Executive Vice President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  LEO D.P. CUBILLAN Vice President for Academic Affairs (632) 8926-4736 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  IRYN Y. BALMORES Vice President for Planning and Finance (632) 8928-2866 ovppf@up.edu.ph  AUGUSTUS C. RESURRECCION Vice President for Administration (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  FERDINAND JESUS A. PECSON Vice President for Development (632) 8928-2888 ovpd@up.edu.ph  ROLANDO B. TOLENTINO Vice President for Public Affairs (632) 8929-1288 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2531, 2532, 2507 ovppa@up.edu.ph  ABRAHAM REY M. ACOSTA Vice President for Legal Affairs (632) 8927-8459 ovpla@up.edu.ph  ROBERTO M.J. LARA Secretary of the University (632) 8920-6885 osu@up.edu.ph  RICKY D. DELA TORRE Chief of Staff of the Office of the President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  PETER A. SY Adviser for Digital Transformation (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  Assistant Vice Presidents  MA. THERESA T. PAYONGAYONG Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Curriculum and Instruction) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  PERCIVAL F. ALMORO Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Research) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  ALYSSA M. PELEO-ALAMPAY Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Quality Assurance) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 qa.ovpaa@up.edu.ph  MA. SHARI NIÑA G. OLIQUINO Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 osds@up.edu.ph  IMEE S. MARTINEZ Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) (632) 8928-8321 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2544 oil@up.edu.ph  JOSE ANTONIO R. CLEMENTE Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (R and D Resource Mobilization) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  NOREEN P. ESCULTURA Assistant Vice President for Planning and Finance (632) 8930-5992 npescultura@up.edu.ph  TIFFANY ADELAINE G. TAN Assistant Vice President for Administration (Organizational Development and Operations) (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  RICHARD S. JAVIER Assistant Vice President for Administration (Human Resource Development) (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  JEANETTE L. YASOL-NAVAL Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs (632) 8929-1288 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2531, 2532, 2507 ovppa@up.edu.ph  Program Directors  MARIE THERESE A.P. BUSTOS System Director, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2603, 2607-08 pahinungod.upsys@up.edu.ph  TERESA S. ENCARNACION TADEM Executive Director, Center for Integrative and Development Studies (632) 3435-9283 cids@up.edu.ph  MARIE AUBREY J. VILLACERAN Director, Center for Women and Gender Studies (632) 8920-6950 cws@up.edu.ph  FELICITAS L. LACBAWAN Executive Director, Philippine Genome Center (632) 8981-8742 / (632) 8981-8500 local 8742 pgc@up.edu.ph  CHERISH AILEEN A. BRILLON Director, Padayon Public Service Office (632) 8981-8500 local 4256 padayon@up.edu.ph  ALFREDO MAHAR LAGMAY Executive Director, UP Resilience Institute (632) 8924-2904 resilience.institute@up.edu.ph  GRACE J. ALFONSO Director, TVUP (632) 8936-7031 television@up.edu.ph  MICHELLE R. PALUMBARIT Director, UP CIFAL Philippines (632) 8981-8500 local 4266 to 67 cifalphilippines@up.edu.ph  KYUNG MIN BAE Director, UP Korea Research Center pkrc@up.edu.ph  Administrative Offices Directors  FRANCISCO N. DE LOS REYES Director, Office of Admissions (632)927-4561 oadms@up.edu.ph  GALILEO S. ZAFRA Director, UP Press (632) 8928-2558 press@up.edu.ph  NOREEN P. ESCULTURA Director, System Budget Office (632) 8930-5992 sbo@up.edu.ph  JENNIFER M. TOLENTINO Officer-in-Charge, System Cash Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2540  ISAGANI L. BAGUS Acting Chief, System Supply and Management Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2538, 2539 spmo.upsystem@up.edu.ph  SUSAN C. SANCHEZ Director, System Accounting Office (632) 8981-8500 local 4253  FLOR L. OFILADA Director, System Procurement Office flofilada@up.edu.ph (632) 8981-8500, local 4056, 4058 and 4061  MA. SHARI NIÑA G. OLIQUINO Director, Office of Student Development Services (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 osds@up.edu.ph  RICHARD S. JAVIER Director, System Human Resource Development Office (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  LUIS G. SISON Director, Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2542 ttbdo@up.edu.ph  PAULO NOEL G. PAJE Director, Information Technology Development Center (632) 8920-2080 / (632) 8981-8500 local 4469 itdc_info@up.edu.ph  LARISSA MAE R. SUAREZ Director, Media and Public Relations Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2549, 2550 to 52, 2511 media@up.edu.ph  KAREN CONNIE M. ABALOS-ORENDAIN Director, Office of Alumni Relations (02) 8981-8500 local 4252 and 4251 up.alumnioffice@up.edu.ph  JOSE FERNANDO T. ALCANTARA Officer-in-Charge, UP Bonifacio Global City Campus, (UP-BGC) (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  Chancellors of Constituent Universities  EDGARDO CARLO L. VISTAN Chancellor, UP Diliman (632) 8929-5401 chancellor.updiliman@up.edu.ph  JOSE V. CAMACHO, JR. Chancellor, UP Los Baños (6349) 536-2567 oc.uplb@up.edu.ph  MICHAEL L. TEE Chancellor, UP Manila (632) 521-0184 upm-oc@up.edu.ph  CLEMENT C. CAMPOSANO Chancellor, UP Visayas (033) 315-9378 oc.upvisayas@up.edu.ph  MELINDA dP. BANDALARIA Chancellor, UP Open University (6349)536-6001 oc@upou.edu.ph  LYRE ANNI E. MURAO Chancellor, UP Mindanao (6382) 293-0310 oc.upmindanao@up.edu.ph  CORAZON L. ABANSI Chancellor, UP Baguio (6374) 442-3888 oc.upbaguio@up.edu.ph  LEO B. MALAGAR Chancellor, UP Cebu (6332) 232-8104 / (6332)231-3086 oc.upcebu@up.edu.ph  GERARDO D. LEGASPI Director, Philippine General Hospital (632) 523-7123 od.uppgh@up.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of the University President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-the-university-president/",
        "html": "Office of the University President Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Angelo A. Jimenez President University of the Philippines  Angelo A. Jimenez is a labor lawyer and a respected authority on global worker migration whose work has contributed to the establishment of the Philippines’ new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as the labor migration regulatory framework in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  A former Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Jimenez’s expertise and experience in the field of migrant worker welfare have brought him to different parts of the world. He served as Labor Attache in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded him citations for ensuring the safety of Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict and for the rescue of a Filipino hostage held in Iraq.  While at the Department of Labor and Employment, Jimenez represented the agency on the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, Governing Board of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and the Inter-Agency Media Task Force on Overseas Filipino Workers. At the Office of the President, he represented the Office of the Senior Deputy Executive Secretary in the Presidential Fact-Finding and Policy Advisory Commission on the Protection of Overseas Filipinos––better known as the Gancayco Commission––and the Cabinet Committee on Maritime and Ocean Affairs during the administration of the late President Fidel V. Ramos.  With his extensive background in labor migration, Jimenez has been tapped as an expert lecturer by the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders or International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders Philippines, where he has given lectures on gender-responsive migration governance, ethical recruitment principles, migrant protection, and crisis preparedness. He has also written papers for organizations such as the International Organization for Migration Philippines and the Blas Ople Policy Center, focusing on immigration law and labor recruitment policies, processes, and practices. He is a regular lecturer on Philippine overseas labor laws at the UP Law Center’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education program.  The global outlook of Jimenez is not just a result of the work he accomplished overseas but the education he received abroad. Jimenez graduated with a Master in Public Management degree from the National University of Singapore’s  Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and was a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at the Harvard School of Government.  His understanding of the factors that have led to the Filipino diaspora, on the other hand, is the product of his education and experiences in Butuan, Agusan del Norte––where he was born and raised––and in UP Diliman, where he obtained both his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) degrees. As a law student at UP Diliman, he was an Associate Editor of the Philippine Collegian and President of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He was also elected Chairperson of the University Student Council and, in 1992, was appointed Student Regent to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) by the late President Corazon C. Aquino. He later rejoined the BOR when he was appointed Regent by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016, during which he also served concurrently as Trustee of the UP Foundation, Inc.  A son of Mindanao, Jimenez believes that the Philippines’ premier state university must be a hub for transformational change and that engaging communities and helping solve real-world problems should be a part of the UP academic experience. Ultimately, the goal is for UP to become a global university that asks the consequential questions of our time and, acting locally, strives to address the serious issues confronting the country and the world.  Roles and Powers of the University President  The UP President is the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer of the University for a fixed term of 6 years.  The President is expected to pursue goals stated in the UP Charter and pursue the Vision-Mission (which is later refined into a 6-year strategic development plan) s/he pledged to the community.  Majority of the powers of the UP President are provided for in the UP Charter and determined  by the Board of Regents as reflected in the Handbook on Existing Delineation of Authority in the University (2008).  Offices under the Office of the President UP Professional Schools Bonifacio Global City Resilience Institute TVUP UP Pahinungod Office – System  Below are select messages and writings about President Jimenez  Honor and Excellence in a Digital National University Welcome and Introduction by President Jimenez of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim A Datu in Diliman The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez"
    },
    {
        "title": "The Board of Regents – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-board-of-regents/",
        "html": "The Board of Regents  The highest governing body in the UP System is the Board of Regents. Its members are drawn from both the University and the private and public sectors.  The current Board of Regents is composed of:     Hon. J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III Chairperson Chairman, Commission on Higher Education     Hon. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ Co-chairperson President, University of the Philippines     Hon. FRANCIS JOSEPH G. ESCUDERO Chairperson, Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education     Hon. MARK O. GO Chairperson, House Committee on Higher and Technical Education     Hon. ROBERT LESTER F. ARANTON Alumni Regent President, UP Alumni Association     Hon. RAUL C. PAGDANGANAN     Hon. GREGORIO B. PASTORFIDE     Hon. GLADYS SJ. TIONGCO     Hon. CARL MARC L. RAMOTA Faculty Regent     Hon. SOFIA JAN DG. TRINIDAD Student Regent     Hon. VICTORIA CANAPE BELEGAL Staff Regent     Hon. ROBERTO MJ LARA Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  For more information on the Board of Regents and the Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents, please visit their website.  You may also get in touch with them via these contact details:  Telephone number: (632) 8981-8500 loc 2534/35/36 Email address: osu@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Contact Us – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/contact-us/",
        "html": "Contact Us  For more information on the University of the Philippines, you may contact:     GENERAL INFORMATION  University of the Philippines Quezon Hall, UP Diliman Quezon City 1101 (632)8981-8500  ADMISSIONS  University of the Philippines Office of Admissions Kalaw cor. Quirino Avenue, UP Diliman Quezon City 1101 Telefax: (632)9274561 Telephone number: (632)8981-8500 loc. 3827/3828/3830/3831 Email: oadms@up.edu.ph Website: https://upcat.up.edu.ph Facebook  ABOUT THIS WEBSITE  University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101  Telephone number: (632)8981-8500 local 2549, 2550, 2551 and 2552 Email: media@up.edu.ph  You may also contact the UP MPRO via the university’s social media accounts which it maintains:  Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube TikTok  Constituent Universities Contact Information:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu"
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP Charter – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-charter/",
        "html": "The UP Charter     Mandate as the National University  Under its Charter of 2008 (RA 9500), UP is mandated to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development.  The University of the Philippines shall:  Lead in setting academic standards and initiating innovations in teaching, research, and faculty development in philosophy, the arts and humanities, the social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, and technology; and maintain centers of excellence in these disciplines and professions.  Serve as a graduate university by providing advanced studies and specialization for scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and professionals especially those who serve on the faculty of state and private colleges and universities.  Serve as a research university in various fields of expertise and specialization by conducting basic and applied research, promoting research and development, and contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge.  Lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence.  Protect and promote the professional and economic rights and welfare of its academic and non-academic personnel.  Provide opportunities for training and learning in leadership, responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions, and practice through academic and non-academic programs, including sports and enhancement of nationalism and national identity.  Serve as a regional and global university in cooperation with international and scientific unions, networks of universities, scholarly and professional associations in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world.  Provide democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of its constituents; and promote the holding of fora for students, faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), administrative staff, and alumni to discuss non-academic issues affecting the University.  Rights and Responsibilities  Academic Freedom  UP has the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom.  Academic Excellence  UP has the responsibility to maintain and enhance its high academic standards in the performance of its functions of instruction, research and extension, and public service.  Commitment to National Development  UP shall harness the expertise of the members of its community and other individuals to regularly study the state of the nation in relation to its quest for national development in the primary areas of politics and economics, among others.  UP shall identify key concerns, conduct research and formulate responsive policies regarding these concerns, give advice and recommendations to the President of the Philippines, Congress, the Supreme Court, the lower courts, other government agencies and instrumentalities.  Social Responsibility  UP is committed to serve the Filipino nation and humanity, and relate its activities to the needs of the Filipino people and their aspirations for social progress and transformation, and provide venues for student volunteerism.  Democratic Access  UP shall take affirmative steps, which may take the form of an alternative and equitable admissions process to enhance the access of disadvantaged students.  Sports  UP shall undertake and support comprehensive sports programs that promote physical education, uphold excellence and encourage competitive participation in sports activities, instill school identity and solidarity, cultivate pride, self-discipline and teamwork.  Institutional and Fiscal Autonomy  UP has the right to be treated in a manner consistent with its institutional requirements as the national university by the service-wide agencies in the exercise of their respective jurisdiction.  Taking into account national goals and priorities, UP shall exclusively determine its teaching, research and extension thrusts, plans, policies, programs and standards, and on the basis of such determination, shall recommend its annual budget to the President of the Republic of the Philippines and Congress.  Guiding Principles  Honor, Excellence and Democratic Governance  Committed to UP’s long tradition of honor and excellence, we shall be guided in our decision-making by the principles of democratic governance: collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of the University’s constituents  Accessibility and Responsiveness  We will break down bureaucratic walls and make our administration accessible and responsive to our stakeholders.  Innovativeness and Creativity  In making decisions, we shall not be bound by traditional solutions. We shall be prepared to pursue innovative approaches in solving the problems and issues that confront the University.  One University  We shall be guided by the spirit of Oneness: common standards of excellence, harmonized systems, common and shared services across constituent universities, but with decentralized decision-making and execution.  For a full copy of the UP Charter or Republic Act 9500, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "ADMINISTRATION – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/administration/",
        "html": "ADMINISTRATION     The University System  The University of the Philippines is a university system and shall be composed of constituent universities established solely by its Board of Regents upon the recommendation of the President of the University.  The University of the Philippines System is composed of its existing constituent universities, as follows: University of the Philippines Diliman; University of the Philippines Manila; University of the Philippines Los Baños; University of the Philippines Visayas; University of the Philippines Mindanao; University of the Philippines Baguio; University of the Philippines Open University; and those that may be created in the future. It is referred to in this law as the “National University .” (Sec. 4, Republic Act 9500)     The Board of Regents  The governance of the national university is vested in a board of regents known as the “Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines System,” hereinafter referred to as the “Board,” composed of:  The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education as Chairperson;  The President of the University of the Philippines System as Co-Chairperson;  The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture;  The Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education;  The President of the U.P. Alumni Association, to serve as Alumni Regent during his or her incumbency in that position;  One Faculty Regent representing all teaching personnel, chosen in accordance with the rules and qualification set by the constituent university councils to.serve for a term of two (2) years;  One Student Regent, to serve for a term of one (1) year, chosen by the students from their ranks in accordance with rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students;  One Staff Regent representing the full-time permanent research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) and administrative personnel, and chosen by them from their ranks in accordance with the rules and qualifications set by their duly recognized organizations, to serve for a term of two (2) years; and  Three other Regents who have distinguished themselves in their professions or fields of specialization, to be appointed by the President of the Philippines, considering the recommendation of the Board. At least two (2) of these Regents should be alumni. All these Regents shall each serve for a term of two (2) years: Provided, That the Regents holding office as members of the Board at the time of the effectivity of this Act shall continue to serve until the expiration of their appointments as provided in Executive Order No. 204-A, issued by the President of the Philippines on July 15, 1987. (Sec 12, RA 9500)     The President of the University  President of the University is the chief  academic officer, head of  the university faculty  and the chief executive officer of  the University.  The President of the University shall exercise the powers specifically provided for in the UP Charter (RA 9500), those determined by the Board, those which pertain to the office of the president of a university, and those which are related or necessary to its functions.  The Board shall determine the compensation of the President of the University. (Sec 13, RA 9500)     The Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  There shall be a Secretary of the University appointed by the Board, who shall also be the Secretary of the Board, and who shall keep such records of the University as may be designated by the Board. (Sec. 15, RA 9500).     The Chancellors  The Administration of each constituent university is vested in the Chancellor insofar as authorized by the Board and the President of the University.  The Chancellor of the constituent university shall be elected by the Board upon nomination of the President of the University, following a process of consultation with the constituents of the constituent university based on standards and guidelines set by the Board.  The Chancellor shall report to the President of the University, and shall perform the duties and functions elsewhere stated in this Act, and all the usual, necessary and related functions of the Office of the Chancellor, subject to the policies and rules prescribed by the Board. The Board shall determine the term and compensation of the Chancellor.  If a Chancellor fails to complete his/her term, the President shall appoint an acting Chancellor while a search process is in progress. In no case shall the search and election of the next Chancellor be longer than sixty (60) calendar days from the date when the vacancy occurs. (Sec. 18, RA 9500)     For more information on the officials of the university, please click these links:  Vice President for Academic Affairs  Vice President for Administration  Vice President for Planning and Finance  Vice President for Development  Vice President for Public Affairs  Vice President for Legal Affairs  UP System Officials and Offices      Click here for the full text of Republic Act 9500 or the Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Institutional Linkages – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/institutional-linkages/",
        "html": "Institutional Linkages  Internationally recognized as the leading educational institution in the country, UP is the only Philippine university in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), where membership is based on the nomination and votes of member universities. UP is also the only Philippine university in the ASEAN-European University Network, a network of universities offering comprehensive graduate degree programs. It is a founding member of and is one of only three Philippine universities in the ASEAN University Network (AUN).  The University of the Philippines lives as a nerve center for most local and foreign private and government and non-government institutions by providing the much needed academic, professional and leadership training in the undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral and even professional levels. To date, UP, being the National University, has Memoranda of Agreement or Memoranda of Understanding with about three hundred foreign academic institutions throughout the world that also play a significant role in the formation of their societies.  The Office of International Linkages  The Office of Institutional Linkages is a unit under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It is mandated to identify and explore areas of cooperation and linkages with foreign and local institutions.  It promotes academic collaboration with local and foreign universities in the form of student and faculty and student exchange, joint research, exchange of publication, sponsorship of conference and other academic activities. The office is engage in the initiation, planning, implementation and monitoring of linkage activities.  The office also participates in the implementation of student exchange program with partner universities. It facilitates the application and endorsement of UP students who wishes to participate in the exchange program with local or foreign universities.  Also, it provides assistance to foreign exchange students who are studying in UP under the benefit of memorandum of agreement between their home university and UP System.  For more on UP’s linkages with other educational and research institutions, please visit the Office of Institutional Linkages website. "
    },
    {
        "title": "University Seal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-seal/",
        "html": "University Seal   The Seal that is in current use in the University was approved by the Board of Regents at its 77th meeting on February 25, 1913. It shows an eagle with its wings spread and perched on a shield that carries three icons representing the fields of specialization in the University, namely, agriculture, engineering, and medicine. Inscribed on the circular band that surrounds it are the words “University of the Philippines” on top and “1908” at the bottom.  An earlier seal, however, was utilized by the University before 1913. It was adapted from the coat-of-arms of the Philippines approved by the Philippine Commission in 1905. It showed an eagle with outstretched wings on the crest of a shield that symbolized the city of Manila and the 13 colonies of America which fought for independence against Great Britain. Like the eagle in the coat-of-arms of the Philippines, the eagle in the University Seal was the American bald or white-headed type. This was the same eagle which appeared on the Seal that was approved in 1913.  The eagle is among the most predominant animals used in heraldry, the art of devising or adorning insignias or coat-of-arms. It was used in the national emblems of ancient Rome, France, and the United States. Recognized as the king of birds, it has become a favorite in heraldry as a particular symbol for courage and power. The most common attitude by which the eagle is depicted in heraldry is with its wings spread out and pointing upwards. The head is usually turned to the right, that is, to the observer’s left. The Great Seal of the United States features the eagle in this position, from which the seals of the Philippines and the University were based.  Several variations of the eagle can be gleaned, however, from the different instances in which the university has appeared from the 1910s to the pre-sent. These mutations include the positioning of the wings, the direction where the head turns, and the icons that represent the fields of specialization in the University.  The establishment of UP in 1908 was considered the early 1900s as the best the American educational system had to offer. The University was also seen as the foundation upon which Filipino nationalism would take root.  Conscious of its role in national development, the University initiated a move to redesign its coat-of-arms which was seen as a remnant of colonialism. President Salvador P. Lopez opened a competition through Memorandum Circular dated November 13, 1971. He stated, “Just as a new seal was designed for the Philippines when it became independent in 1946, so a new seal for the University should have been designed and adopted at that time…. The eagle appears to be particularly inappropriate as the dominant element in the seal of the university.”  The winning design was made by Galo B. Ocampo, then director of the National Museum. The move to adapt it as the new university seal was deferred by the Board of Regents for further study.  Up to the present, different versions of the university seal as in existence. These are being used by the different units and offices of the University in their publications and communications. Novelty items, carrying the different versions of the seal are being sold by commercial establishments doing business inside the campus.   There is a need to standardize the seal of the University, in the light of the current proliferation. Article XV Section 83 of the Code of the University of the Philippines describes its design, its diameter, and the inscriptions “University of the Philippines” and “1908.” This is the only instance where the genus of the seal is specified (as approved in the 77th Board of Regents meeting held in 1913). But the position of the bird, details of the icons and colors were not indicated. No records have yet been uncovered to provide for the appropriation of the university colors of forest green and maroon in the university seal.  Since the seal of an institution is not only a mark for its legal and public documents, communications, and publications, but more importantly, a symbol of the institution, then clarity in its elements must be imposed. A seal does not only feature a distinctive object that would make identification clear and easy.  More than that, it signifies the sentiments and aspirations that guide the institution and its constituents. The current directive by the Heraldry Division of the National Historical Institute regarding the design of seals discourages the use of foreign heraldic objects and this criteria has a bearing on the university seal.  Though a change in the elements of the seal may be considered, the study of the conception, clarification of its elements, and its standardization are of utmost need to avert the indiscriminate proliferation of the university seal.  The university seal, with the eagle as the dominant object including the icons of the fields of specialization, faithfully symbolize what the University aspires for—the highest in the field of knowledge as well as a commitment to the nation. It is only proper that the symbol of the State University be given the necessary serious attentions it deserves.  (This article by Professor Armando P. Burgos of the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts was reprinted in the May 2011 issue of the UP Newsletter with permission from the author and first publisher. It originally appeared in the August-September 1998 issue of the Diliman UPDate.)  For more details on how the university seal, as well as other symbols of the university, can be properly used, please view the the UP Visual Identity Guidebook below.   UP Visual Identity Guide 2017 "
    },
    {
        "title": "University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-history/",
        "html": "Emerging Excellence: UP in the Past 115 Years     On June 18, 1908, a hundred and fifteen years ago, the University of the Philippines (UP) was founded through Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly. UP was the result of the recommendation of Secretary of Public Instruction, William Morgan Shuster to the Philippine Commission, the upper house of the Philippine Assembly. It was meant to fill the need to meet the increasing demands for instruction in the higher levels of learning and to provide professional studies in medicine, law, engineering or applied sciences.  Act No. 1870 authorized the Governor General to establish the University in the “city of Manila, or at any point he may deem most convenient.” The UP was to give “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training” to every qualified student regardless of “age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation.”  According to UP’s Bulletin No. 1, the University was seen as “the logical outgrowth and culmination of efforts made during the past ten years to establish a complete system of education for the Philippine islands.”  Over the past one hundred years, the University of the Philippines has evolved from the pinnacle of the American-established educational system in the country, to a “University for the Filipino” as envisioned by its first president, Murray Simpson Bartlett.   The early years  UP first opened on Calle Isaac Peral (now United Nations Avenue) and Padre Faura in downtown Manila in 1909, with: the College of Medicine (which, as the Philippine Medical School established in 1905, predated the University by three years); the School of Fine Arts (1909); the College of Liberal Arts (1909); the College of Veterinary Medicine (1910); the College of Engineering (1910); the College of Law (1910); and, the College of Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna (1906).  The UP president at that time, Murray Bartlett, vowed that, as a “University for the Filipino,” UP must be “supported by the people’s money,” with a charter framed by the people’s representatives and “its hope based on the confidence and sympathy of the people.”      In 1915, a lawyer, Ignacio Villamor, would be chosen president of the University. He would be the first Filipino to lead what had by that time grown to become the Philippines’ premier higher educational institution. Under Villamor, UP continued to grow with the addition of units such as: the Conservatory of Music; the University High School; the College of Education; and, the Junior College in Cebu City.  In 1935, UP’s famous statue, the Oblation, was installed at the Manila campus. The statue was the creation of National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and inspired by his interpretation of the second stanza of Dr. Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios.”   The Transfer to Diliman  The Second World War saw the destruction of several buildings of UP in Manila, Los Baños, Cebu, and Iloilo. In 1947, the Philippine General Hospital formally became a part of UP through Executive Order No. 94. In 1948, under the stewardship of UP President Bienvenido Gonzales, much of UP was transferred from its campus in Manila to a bigger campus in Diliman, Quezon City.  The 50’s and 60’s saw the transformation of UP from the brainchild of American hopes and dreams for the Philippines into a bastion of intense nationalism. UP President Vicente Sinco preserved the University’s integrity from communist paranoia and partisan politics, while UP President Carlos P. Romulo introduced Filipinism, student activism and faculty dissent.      The First Quarter Storm  UP President Salvador P. Lopez would see the culmination of UP’s freedom-loving, activist spirit facing off against a rising autocracy, from the events of the first quarter of the year 1970, now dubbed the “First Quarter Storm,” to 1971 when the Diliman Republic become the Diliman Commune. From January to February, the campus became a battleground between militant students protesting the deteriorating conditions of the country, and policemen.  The students completely barricaded the campus and established full control of the facilities. There were several attempts by the police to mount an assault on the campus, but they were unsuccessful. The student barricades at Palma Hall and the University Avenue in the Diliman campus rose again during the time of UP President Edgardo Angara, this time in protest against a tuition hike.  The nationalist and activist spirit of the First Quarter Storm would continue to burn within the University through the succeeding decades, firmly establishing UP as the bulwark of critical thinking and free speech, and a haven for the voiceless and marginalized. A new call arose to counter state authoritarianism and foreign intrusion in the country’s state of affairs: “Serve the people.”  Development and expansion  The University continued to develop and expand through the years, even as it navigated through the conditions of a dictatorship. Development-oriented programs and institutions were established, such as: the Institute for Small-Scale Industries, the Population Institute, and the Asian Labor Education Center (now the School of Labor and Industrial Relations) in UP Diliman, and the Dairy Training and Research Institute in UP Los Baños, all of which were founded during the time of UP President Romulo.  Also established were: during the term of UP President Lopez, the Agrarian Reform Institute at the College of Agriculture, the Institute of Social Work and Community Development, the Philippine Center for Economic Development, the Institute of Fisheries Development and Research, and the Marine Sciences Center; the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, the Transport Training Center, the National Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, and the Third World Studies Program during the succeeding terms of UP Presidents Onofre D. Corpuz and Emanuel V. Soriano; and, the National Institute of Geological Sciences, the Natural Sciences Research Institute, the National Institute of Physics, and the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, under UP President Edgardo J. Angara.  By the mid-70s, UP had become a multi-campus University, with UP Los Baños granted autonomy in 1973; the Health Science Center in UP Manila, in 1977; and UP Visayas, in 1979. UP Diliman would be declared an autonomous campus in 1985 retroactive to 1981. Other UP campuses included: UP College Baguio, UP College Cebu, UP College Tacloban, UP College in Clark Air Base, and UP Extension in San Fernando, Pampanga.  Social transformation and service to the nation  Through the next two decades, UP looked inward through constant self-examination and toward promoting social transformation that aimed to build a just, humane and democratic society. The review of academic programs and General Education programs were conducted so as to make these relevant and meaningful to the development of Philippine society, even as the University continued to expand. Student financial assistance and socialized tuition programs were established; issues in the use of the Filipino language were tackled; and programs to enrich Filipino culture and arts were expanded, parallel to the drive toward modernization and the focus on science and technology.  UP extended its resources and expertise to aid communities and regions affected by the massive earthquake of 1990 and the historic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Indeed, in the 1990s, UP deepened its tradition of service to the nation by harnessing the spirit of volunteerism and selfless service through the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod or Oblation Corps. The University also sought to democratize access to UP education by opening two more constituent universities in 1995: UP Open University and UP Mindanao.  A national university in the 21st century  As the world moved inexorably toward globalization, greater interconnectivity and a knowledge-based economy due to rapid advancements in information and communication technology, higher education institutions were compelled to rethink their roles. Under the successive terms of UP Presidents Francisco Nemenzo, Emerlinda R. Roman, Alfredo E. Pascual, and Danilo L. Concepcion, UP was no exception.  For the first two decades of the 21st century, physical infrastructure across all the constituent units were modernized so as to keep up with the evolving demands of the Information Age. This included: improving Internet and WiFi facilities for greater connectivity within and among the different constituent universities; automating libraries; conducting academic and administrative processes online; and, constructing and improving facilities and laboratories for teaching and research in science and technology, recognized as the drivers of economic development.  The academic infrastructure was also bolstered through improvements in faculty support, student assistance and accessibility, and through incentives for scientific and creative endeavors. The University’s General Education Program, which instilled and nurtured the Tatak UP among its students, was continually reviewed and revised in light of the changing contexts and conditions of the 21st century. Internationalization also gained prominence, with UP embracing accreditation and international benchmarking so as to fulfill its mandate to become a top regional and global higher education institution.  The year 2008 was a significant one for UP for two reasons. First, it was the year the University celebrated its first 100th anniversary. And second, it was the year Republic Act No. 9500, “An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University,” was signed into law, amending Act No. 1870 and establishing UP as the country’s national university. With this—and with UP Baguio attaining the status of constituent university in 2002 and UP Cebu in 2010—the University of the Philippines was redefined as the UP System composed of constituent universities.  Changing paradigms, constant values  By 2017, UP had grown into a massive University System consisting of eight constituent universities located in 17 campuses throughout the Philippine archipelago. Under its Charter of 2008, UP is mandated to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development in multiple roles: as a teaching university, a graduate university, a research university, a public service university, and as a regional and global university. Underpinning the expansion of its role in national development, however, is the University’s unchanging commitment to its guiding principles of honor and excellence in the service of the country—a true “University for the Filipino.”  UP continues to grow and expand, building cutting-edge facilities and improving existing ones in order to create an optimal environment for learning and knowledge creation. Its community of scientists, researchers, experts, artists and humanists continue to put UP on the global map of breaking and cutting-edge research, such as the discovery in 2019 of a new human species, the Homo luzonensis, by an international multidisciplinary team led by a UP associate professor.  In keeping with UP’s mandate to serve the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people, UP scientists and researchers continue to harness their research to meet the needs of and help develop Philippine industries, communities and the general public. UP students also continue to win recognition in national and international circles in every field, from science and engineering to music and the arts.  UP’s sustained efforts toward improving its teaching and pedagogy, its research environment and output, internationalization efforts and public service initiatives have borne fruit in its performance in recent world university rankings. In the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, UP climbed 30 points from its position in 2019 to place 65th out of 489 universities.  Since 2017, the University has been featured in the THE Asia University Rankings, entering the top 100 for the first time in 2019, soaring 61 places from its 156th position in 2018. A year before that, UP belonged to the 201st-250th ranking group.  UP has also appeared in the top 33 percent of the 2020 QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings, placing 356th in the top 1,000 institutions from around the world, and climbing 28 notches from the previous year to reach its highest standing since 2014. UP continues to hold the top spot among Philippine universities.  The third function of a university—that of rendering extension service—has been greatly expanded and enhanced in UP. Through institutions such as the UP Padayon Public Service Office, the UP Resilience Institute and the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the University has become a public service institution fully conscious of its responsibility to produce ethical leaders, engage with communities, and translate the results of UP’s research into products and processes useful to people.  Into the third decade of the 21st century  For the past 115 years, the University of the Philippines has proven itself worthy of the title of the country’s national university. Surviving world wars, colonial occupations, civil rights struggles and cultural upheavals, economic downturns and upsurges, UP has played a role in shaping the nation’s political and social consciousness, and ultimately helping to define the national identity.  From the education of ordinary Filipinos under Americans at the time of UP President Bartlett to its journey onto another century under the stewardship of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, the University has produced: a Nobel Peace Prize winner; a Pulitzer Prize awardee; 39 National Scientists; 50 National Artists; nine National Social Scientists; seven out of the 16 Presidents of the Republic; 15 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court; and, tens of thousands of doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers serving in the country and abroad, as well as hundreds of thousands of graduates in other academic fields.     All the strengths that UP possesses have been brought to bear in 2020. In the face of a global pandemic, the University rose to this new and unprecedented challenge with its characteristic brilliance, courage, and a generosity of spirit, mobilizing resources and coming together as a nationwide and even global community to come to the aid of the country and its people.  UP scientists and engineers have created locally produced, accurate and affordable COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, sanitation facilities, and much-needed sanitation chemicals. UP social scientists and researchers have mapped the progression of the disease through the country, creating databases and generating research that would inform policy and decision-making on the national and local levels. UP artists and musicians have shared works that inspire, give hope, and pay tribute to the country’s heroes.  UP students, alumni, administrators and residents have come together to help the members of the UP community survive the viral outbreak and the quarantine. And UP’s doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers through the UP Philippine General Hospital once again heroically serve those in need, in spite of the risks to life and well-being.  As people come to grips with the new realities in a world indelibly altered by a global disaster and economic and geo-political upheavals, the country will once again look to UP. And the University, as it has done in the past 115 years, will once again answer the call to serve as: a bastion of knowledge, reason, ideas and insight; as a center for social transformation; and, as a University for the Filipino.     References: The UP Office of Alumni Relations Alfonso, O.A. (Ed.). (1985). University of the Philippines: The first 75 years (1908-1983). Quezon City: UP Press. Llanes, F. (Ed). (2009). UP in the time of People Power. Diliman, Quezon City: UP Press. Roman, E.R. (2010). The UP President’s End of Term Report. University of the Philippines System. Pascual, A.E. (2017). One UP: Shaping Minds that Shape the Nation (The UP President’s End of Term Report). University of the Philippines System. University of the Philippines Strategic Plan 2017-2023 "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philippine Transparency Seal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philippine-transparency-seal/",
        "html": "Philippine Transparency Seal  The University of the Philippines complies with the conditions of good governance as set by Section 106 of the General Provisions of the FY 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Section 94 of the General Provisions of the FY 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Section 96 of the General Provisions of the FY 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and Section 102 of the General Provisions of the FY 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Available below are the information required of the University under the said directives.  I. Mandate, Function, List of Officials, and Contact Information II. Annual Financial Reports III. DBM Approved Budget and Corresponding Targets for FY 2022 IV. Projects, Programs and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation V. Annual Procurement Plan VI. Quality Management System Certificates VII. Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals VIII. Agency Review and Compliance Procedure of Statements and Financial Disclosures IX. People’s Freedom of Information X. Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, and for Other Purposes XI. Accountability Report Cards  I. Mandate, Function, List of Officials, and Contact Information   A. Mandate and Functions, Vision and Mission B. Officials, Designations and Contact Information  To view the Transparency pages of the constituent units of the University, please click the links below:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu UP PGH     II. Annual Financial Reports  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Summary Report on Disbursements 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Budget Accountability Report (BAR) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 5 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Plan (BED) No. 1 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-A 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-B 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 1-C 2022 2021 2020  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 2 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 2-A 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 3 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 4 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014  Financial Accountability Report (FAR) No. 6 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019  III. DBM Approved Budget and Corresponding Targets  2023 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2023 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2023  2022 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2022 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2022  2021 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2021 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2021  2020 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2020 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2020  IV. Projects, Programs and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation for FY 2020  • Balik-PhD Research Grants • Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR)  • Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant (ECWRG) • Implementation of the Free Tuition Law  V. Annual Procurement Plan  FY 2019 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2019 Indicative APP-nonCSE) of all UP CUs FY 2019 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2019 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2019 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2019 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2020 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2020 Indicative APP-nonCSE) of all UP CUs FY 2020 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2020 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2020 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2020 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs (Updated)  FY 2021 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2021 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs FY 2021 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2021 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2021 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2021 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2022 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2022 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs FY 2022 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2022 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2022 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2022 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs  FY 2023 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2023 Indicative APP-non CSE) of all UP CUs (large file)  UP Systemwide Summary, UP System Administration and UP Diliman UP Los Baños, UP Manila, PGH, UP Open U, UP Visayas, UP Baguio, UP Mindanao and UP Cebu  FY 2023 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2023 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2023 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2023 APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs     FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs FY 2024 Consolidated Annual Procurement Plan for Common-Use Supplies and Equipment (FY 2024 APP CSE) for all CUs FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP System FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP Diliman FY 2024 Consolidated Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 Indicative APP-nonCSE) for all UP CUs – UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Tacloban, and UP Visayas  VI. Quality Management System Certificates  ISO Certificates  Philippine General Hospital (PGH): | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | NIH-Institute of Human Genetics (IHG), UP Manila: | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | NIH-IHG-Newborn Screening Center (NSC), UP Manila: | Renewal 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 | Newborn Screening Reference Center (NSRC), UP Manila: | Renewal 2017-2020 | Renewal 2020-2023 | UP Law Complex, UP Diliman: | 2020-2023 | Philippine National Collection of Microorganisms – National Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (PNCM-NIMBB), UP Los Baños: | 2018-2021 | Renewal 2021-2024 |  Other Certificates  Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), UP Diliman: PRIME HRM Assessment Open University (UPOU): ICDE PRIZE OF EXCELLENCE College of Medicine (CM), UP Manila: Basic Medical Education Program – PAASCU – Level IV Re-accredited Status College of Pharmacy (CP), UP Manila: Pharmacy Program – PAASCU – Level III Re-accredited Status College of Nursing (CN), UP Manila: Nursing Program – PAASCU – Level II Re-accredited Status VII. Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals   Guidelines in Ranking of Delivery Units for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019  Guidelines in Ranking of Delivery Units for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022  Guidelines in Determining the Eligibility of Delivery Units and Individuals for the Grant of Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023     VIII. Agency Review and Compliance Procedure of Statements and Financial Disclosures  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2018  UP Sytemwide 2018 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2019  UP Sytemwide 2019 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2020  UP Sytemwide 2020 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2021  UP Sytemwide 2021 SALN Review and Compliance Committee  Review and Compliance Procedures in the Filing and Submission of Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN) and Disclosure of Business Interest and Financial Connections for 2022  UP Sytemwide 2022 SALN Review and Compliance Committee IX. People’s Freedom of Information  The Final People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual  Modified One-Page FOI Manual  Freedom of Information (FOI) Reports  Assessing Information Disclosure Practices for FOI Compliance (AID-FOI Tool)     X. Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and for other Purposes  Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2019) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (updated: 2020) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2021) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (updated: 2021) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2022) Certificate of Compliance to Republic Act No. 11032: An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Services (2023)  UP System and Constituent Universities Committee on Anti-Red Tape (CART)  To view the Citizen’s Charters of the UP System and the Constituent Universities, please click the links below:  UP System Administration UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University  UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu UP Philippine General Hospital     XI. Accountability Report Cards  2021  Performance-Based Bonus Scorecard  2020  MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)  2019  Congratulatory Letter MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)  2018  Congratulatory Letter MFO Accountability Report Card (MARC-1) Management Accountability Report Card (MARC-2)"
    },
    {
        "title": "NEWS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/news/",
        "html": "News UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges  The University of the Philippines (UP) made a great leap in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) sustainability rankings, which measures universities...  Read More The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses  You know it’s the holiday season once again when the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) come alive...  Read More UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards    Faculty and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP), as well as the UP Press, won big when...  Read More UP Cebu graduate tops licensure exam for secondary-level teachers  A BS Mathematics graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu College of Science, Trilbe Lizann Espina Vasquez, ranked...  Read More Above the Fold: A glimpse into the turbulence of Martial Law through the lens of the Collegian      It was an eye-opening walk-through of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of of the...  Read More UP launches online courses on resilience    Starting on January 15, 2024, professionals engaged in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) work can...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "ANNOUNCEMENTS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/announcements/",
        "html": "Announcements Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi      The University of the Philippines stands in solidarity with Mindanao State University (MSU), after an explosion at the...  Read More UP Para Sa UP: The UP System kicks off Mental Health Awareness Month with launching of the UP Sanctuary  University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez, together with the UP Office of the Assistant Vice President for Student...  Read More UP fetes “Mr. Shooli” with Gawad Plaridel  The University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication will be awarding actor, satirist, and advertising creative Manuel Urbano...  Read More UP invites the public to join Day of Remembrance commemoration   The University of the Philippines (UP) invites the public to join this year’s Day of Remembrance commemoration on September...  Read More UP to hold noise barrage on Day of Remembrance    Raise your voice, break the silence! 📢 Join us in commemorating the Day of Remembrance, as we use symbolic...  Read More 1st UP-SUC Summit to launch four programs for SUC engagement  On September 15, four University programs aimed at promoting engagement between UP and other Philippine state universities and colleges (SUCs)...  Read More Load More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "PROFILES – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/profiles/",
        "html": "PROFILES      Doktor Para sa Bayan, Kasama ng Bayan Jessica Franco Perez Magna cum laude Doctor of Medicine UP College of Medicine I am Jessica Franco Perez, 32 years ...  Read More Love life and don’t give up Hannah Patricia E. Bringas Doctor of Dental Medicine UP College of Dentistry I am Hannah Patricia E. Bringas, a graduate ...  Read More Finding your own groove Virgilio Roi C. Adaptar Cum laude BS Food Technology College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines Mindanao My ...  Read More Padayon Nixie E. Serna Magna cum laude BA in English (Creative Writing) College of Humanities and Social Sciences University of the ...  Read More Peter Lachica, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics  Video edited by KIM Quilinguing, UP MPRO The only child of a single mother living in their hometown of ...  Read More Sally Campus, Bachelor of Physical Education, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics Sally Campus, a freshman studying at the UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics as a Physical Education major and a ...  Read More ‹ 1 2 3 4 5 › "
    },
    {
        "title": "MULTIMEDIA – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/multimedia/",
        "html": "MULTIMEDIA      Matinong usapang para sa maunlad na bayan.         University of the Philippines’ Internet TV Network        University of the Philippines Youtube Channel "
    },
    {
        "title": "iLib – Integrated Library System – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/ilib-integrated-library-system/",
        "html": "iLib – Integrated Library System        ilib.upd.edu.ph ilib.uplb.edu.ph ilib.upm.edu.ph ilib.upv.edu.ph ilib.upou.edu.ph ilib.upmin.edu.ph ilib.upb.edu.ph ilib.upcebu.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Frequently Asked Questions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/frequently-asked-questions/",
        "html": "Frequently Asked Questions  1. What is the University of the Philippines?  The University of the Philippines (UP) is the national university of the Philippines. Originally founded as a single campus in Manila in June 18, 1908, it is now eight constituent universities and one autonomous college, spread across 17 campuses all over the country.  For more information about UP, please click here.  2. What does constituent university mean? How does it differ from an autonomous unit?  A constituent university (CU) is a group of colleges headed by a chancellor, with a defined vision and purpose that meets the following requirements: it is necessary to UP, the region where it is located, and the country; it possesses the capacity and faculty resources to offer appropriate programs of quality; it has enough personnel items to run on the accepted standard of quality; it conforms to established University standards and requirements in the recruitment of, grant of tenure to, and promotion of faculty, the formulation and evaluation of academic programs, rules on student progress, etc.  A new CU is and must always be created by the University through its Board of Regents (BOR).  A college is a degree-granting unit consisting of various departments, institutes, or divisions, with the dean as head. College can also mean school, provided that the latter offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. An autonomous college, in particular, is one such unit, though it does not fall under any constituent university and is a scaled-down version of a CU. Both college and university enjoy autonomy in the formulation of their thrusts, taking into consideration their regional location and how they can contribute not only to the UP System but to the country as well.  When a college is declared autonomous from a CU, it is usually a temporary status until it meets all the requirements to be elevated to CU status. An example of this is UP Baguio. Since its inauguration in 1961, it was a regional unit of UP Diliman (UPD) and was then called UP College Baguio. In April 1999, the BOR approved its elevation from a UPD unit to an autonomous college under the Office of the President of the University and was called UP Baguio. In 2002, it was elevated to CU status.  3. How can one qualify for admission into UP?  Traditionally, prospective UP students are screened through the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). It is held once a year in the different constituent units of the University, as well as in select examination centers all over the country. The applications are filed prior to the date of the examinations.  For student athletes, the Varsity Athletic Admission System (VAAS), administered by the College of Human Kinetics of UP Diliman, awards slots to exemplary applicants who may not have taken or passed the UPCAT, after a stringent system of tryouts. VAAS students are required to represent the university in national or international sports competitions to maintain their status as UP students.  In light of the public health situation brought about by the spread of COVID 19, the University has adopted a different admissions process which will allow for the application, selection and admissions of applicants who can meet the rigorous requirements of UP. For more details on the process, please visit the Office of Admissions website: upcat.up.edu.ph.  4. What are the degree courses offered by UP?  UP offers several undergraduate degree non-baccalaureate degree programs. For a full list, please visit this page from the Office of Admissions.  5. What is UP’s tuition rate?  As the national university, UP is funded by the Philippine government. With this, the tuition fees of UP students are minimal. Added to this, UP students are also able to access other support services which would further defray the cost of their education. Through the Student Learning Assistance System, students can avail of discounted tuition fees to full tuition fee waivers, plus cash subsidies, according to their individual income brackets.  6. What financial assistance programs are available to UP students?  The Office of Student Development Services provides financial assistance programs, scholarship opportunities and learning assistance packages for students of the University. Formerly known as the Socialized Tuition Office, the OSDS continues to perform its function as the policy and coordinating body for student financial assistance programs in UP.  Visit the Office of Student Development Services website for more details on available opportunities, as well as the application process.  7. What kind of services and benefits can one expect as a UP student?  UP students are represented by a Student Regent in the Board of Regents, the University’s highest governing body, as well as by a University Student Council in each constituent campus.  UP students enjoy benefits such as selected free services and discounts in health service clinics within the system, and in the Philippine General Hospital, the premier tertiary referral center in the country.  Meanwhile, the eLib allows them to access the largest database in the Philippines. They also have access to other facilities like UP’s many research centers and institutions.  The spacious campuses in various UP units can inspire the students’ youthful and creative energies.  Outside the conventional classrooms, students mount theater, dance and musical performances, art exhibits, poetry-reading sessions, and film screenings, that set their imagination free, quench their thirst for new experiences and explore the dimensions of their creativity. Many of these endeavors have now gone online due to the public health emergency.  The vigorous online and offline cultural life in UP makes classes beyond the classroom shape a collective consciousness that is critical yet constructive, global yet uniquely Filipino, and imaginative yet rooted in the nation’s heritage.  For more information, please contact:  University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office West Wing, Fonacier Hall Magsaysay Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 media@up.edu.ph (632) 8981-8500 local numbers 2550-2552. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Financial Aid – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/financial-aid/",
        "html": "Financial Aid  There are a number of private and government funded scholarships available to UP students, both in the undergraduate and graduate programs.  To view the updated list of these scholarships, please visit the links below:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visay UP Cebu  The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), which handled the student financial assistance services for applicants, has been renamed as the Office of Student Development Services (OSDS). And aside from financial assistance, they now also provide the following services to students:  Student Academic Support Student Welfare IT and Admin Support for Students  For more on the OSDS, please visit their website: https://slasonline.up.edu.ph/ or like their official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/uposds  For questions and concerns, the OSDS can also be contacted via the following contact information:  Postal Address  Office of Student Development Services Vinzons Hall, 4F, University of the Philippines University of the Philippines Diliman Campus, Quezon City 1101 Metro Manila, Philippines  Telephone numbers: (632) 8981-8500, local number 8779; (632) 8981-8779 Email addresses: osds@up.edu.ph or studentwelfare.osds@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Graduate Admissions – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/graduate-admissions/",
        "html": "Graduate Admissions The UP Diliman campus with Quezon Hall, the main administrative building in the foreground. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  Requirements for graduate programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over through the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio  UP Cebu "
    },
    {
        "title": "Constituent Universities – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/constituent-universities/",
        "html": "Constituent Universities  The University of the Philippines (UP) is the country’s national university. This premier institution of higher learning was established in 1908 and is now a university system composed of eight constituent universities and one autonomous college, located in 17 campuses all over the archipelago.  As of 2020, the Commission on Higher Education has declared 41 units of the university as Centers of Excellence; while 5 units have been declared as Centers of Development. For a more detailed list of the units and the programs they offer, please click here.  The University of the Philippines System publishes regular updates on the university via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Videos about the university are also available on YouTube and TikTok, while publications from the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and other units of the university are also published on Issuu. Photos of some of the recent events and historical moments of the university are also posted on Instagram.  UP Diliman offers the most number of undergraduate and graduate degree programs and is composed of almost 50 percent of the entire UP System student population. Aside from the 493-hectare main campus in Quezon City—home to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology—this constituent university also administers the UP Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga (UPDEPP). The latter is located at the Clark Special Economic Zone which is less than 20 kilometers north of Manila.  UP Diliman website     UP Diliman on Facebook     UP Diliman on Twitter   UP Diliman on Instagram  UP Diliman on YouTube     UP Los Baños in Laguna—roughly 65 kilometers south of Manila—is the country’s recognized leader in agriculture, forestry, and environmental management. Because of its location at the foot of Mt. Makiling and its fields of expertise, it is host to two international research institutions: the International Rice Research Institute and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. As a pioneer in forest conservation, UP Los Baños has stewardship over the 4,244-hectare Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve.  UP Los Baños website     UP Los Baños on Facebook     UP Los Baños on Twitter       UPLB on YouTube   UPLB on Instagram         UPLB on LinkedIn  UP Manila is the leading academic institution in the health sciences. It is home to the National Institutes of Health and the UP Philippine General Hospital, the country’s largest government tertiary hospital. The UP Manila College of Nursing is the World Health Organization’s Regional Collaborating Center in Nursing Development, while the College of Public Health is the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Network in Tropical Medicine and Public Health Regional Center for Public Health. It has also established extension campuses of its School of Health Sciences in Luzon (Baler, Aurora), Visayas (Palo, Leyte), and Mindanao (Koronadal, South Cotabato).  UP Manila website     UP Manila on Facebook     UP Manila on Twitter     UP Manila on YouTube     UP Visayas, with its three campuses in Iloilo City, Iloilo and Miag-ao, Iloilo, is the acknowledged authority in marine science education and research, fisheries, and aquaculture in the country. Its research endeavors are supported by the following facilities: Brackishwater Aquaculture Center, Freshwater Aquaculture Station, Batan Mariculture Station, and Marine Biological Station. It is also the base agency of the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium. Apart from its focus on the sciences, this constituent university also prioritizes the preservation and enrichment of Visayan cultural heritage.  UP Visayas website     UP Visayas on Facebook     UP Visayas on Twitter     UP Visayas on YouTube     UP Open University is the pioneer institution in distance education and open learning in the Philippines. While its base of operations is in Los Baños, Laguna, it is basically a virtual university—providing quality education to students in the country and abroad who are not able to attend conventional colleges and universities due to personal or professional constraints. At the UP Open University, students learn at their own pace and convenience. It has ten learning centers with 19 testing centers all over the country. For its students abroad, it has a virtual learning center to address their academic concerns. Examinations for these students, meanwhile, are either administered online or in the Philippine Consulates.  UP Open University website     UP Open University on Facebook     UP Open University on Twitter   UP Open University on Instagram      UP Open University on YouTube     UP Mindanao is the only UP constituent university in Mindanao with the primary mandate to provide equitable access to quality UP education to Mindanaoans. It offers academic programs in the fields of the humanities, architecture, mathematics, food, economics, social, natural, and computing sciences. As a graduate university, it offers PhD by Research, and graduate degrees in management, food science, urban and regional planning, and sports science. Its development agenda focuses on opening additional academic programs and new colleges in human kinetics, medicine, and engineering, to support Mindanao sports, health, technological, and bio-cultural diversity initiatives. With these, it aims to be an internationally competitive graduate, research, and public service university, primed to contribute to Philippine development.  UP Mindanao website     UP Mindanao on Facebook     UP Mindanao on Twitter     UP Mindanao on YouTube     UP Baguio attained its status as constituent university in 2002. It is a leading institution in the areas of science and mathematics, social sciences, and the humanities in Northern Philippines. Through its research arm, the Cordillera Studies Center, UP Baguio contributes to higher education by focusing on the preservation of the cultural traditions of the Cordilleras, Northern Luzon, and Cagayan Valley.  UP Baguio website     UP Baguio on Facebook     UP Baguio on YouTube     UP Cebu, formerly one of the UP Visayas campuses, became an autonomous college under the UP Office of the President in September 2010. Autonomy was granted to better serve the needs of its region—a region that is aggressively asserting itself as an area for direct and foreign investments. This is why its focus is on the strengthening of its information technology and business programs. In 2016, UP Cebu was declared a constituent university of the UP System.  UP Cebu website     UP Cebu on Facebook     UP Cebu on Twitter     UP Cebu on Instagram   UP Cebu on YouTube     UP Tacloban, previously also a campus under the UP Visayas, was elevated to an autonomous college under the UP Office of the President in 2023. It has four academic divisions offering nine undergraduate programs and three graduate programs. It is known for its in Accountancy, Biology, Computer Science, Management, and Psychology programs. It also hosts the Leyte-Samar Heritage Center, the Regional Environmental Information Systems (REIS) for Eastern Visayas and the Office of Continuing Education and Pahinugod.  UP Tacloban website     UP Tacloban on Facebook    UP Tacloban on Twitter    UP Tacloban on YouTube     UP Tacloban on LinkedIn  University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Telephone number: (632) 8981-8500 Comments and feedback: media@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "Philosophy of Education and Graduate Attributes – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/philosophy-of-education-and-graduate-attributes/",
        "html": "Philosophy of Education and Graduate Attributes  A UP education seeks to produce graduates imbued with an abiding sense of responsibility to their people and nation, the skills and mindsets to improve human life, and a commitment to the freedom and welfare of all.  Aside from mastery of knowledge in their specific disciplines, UP graduates must possess breadth of mind, strength of character, and generosity of spirit, fostered by a firm grounding in both the arts and sciences, and such specialist courses as their programs may require.  They must be prepared to inclusively engage with society and the world at large, mindful of their people’s needs and capabilities, and keen to the challenges and opportunities of national development in this century of rapid global change.  UP aims to achieve this through its General Education program, one that develops mind, body and spirit, which familiarize all its students with their culture and history and fosters a sense of shared citizenship, while equipping them with critical thinking, discernment and technical skills they will need to excel in their chosen professions.  UP Statement of the Philosophy of Education and Graduate Attributes UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Approved by the Board of Regents on 28 November 2019     Profiles of select UP graduates     National Institutes of Health Director and Dangal ng Bayan Awardee Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO  Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz  If there is anything that Dr. Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz seems not to enjoy, it’s getting undue credit. The winner of the 2018 Dangal ng Bayan Award was admittedly nervous when her mother, a former faculty member at the UP College of Education, suggested having their photo taken with the tarpaulin celebrating her feat.  “I was hoping nobody was there,” she said, “and that nobody would recognize me when we were having our family picture taken at the Oblation Plaza.”  As far as her research is concerned, Cutiongco-de la Paz is quick to laud the contributions of her collaborators over her own. The clinical geneticist and current executive director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has certainly published on a broad range of subjects, from the genes implicated in rare diseases to our population’s genetic diversity. When asked, she tends to downplay her role in each of them. “None of these is just about me,” she says.  Read the full story: The gene doctor will see you now                    Dr. Pablito Magdalita shows a specimen of Saba banana variety in his study on species that can adapt to climate change. (Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO)  Dr. Pablito Magdalita  He dreamed of becoming a doctor and now he is addressed as Dr. Pablito Magdalita. Instead of a medical degree, however, he has a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Biotechnology from the University of Queensland, Australia. “I went from wanting to help human health to plant health. It’s ultimately about wanting to help improve lives through science. I loved all my science classes in high school,” Magdalita says.  Going into medicine was something his family couldn’t afford. His father was a coconut farmer and his mother was a storekeeper. Practicality and a scholarship from the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation, Inc. prompted him to take up agriculture at Luzonian University (now Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation) in Lucena City, Quezon in 1978.  If it weren’t for that decision, Magdalita wouldn’t have started the journey to becoming the scientist he is today—one known for his work on numerous hibiscus hybrids, several varieties of fruits, and on plant breeding, genetics, and diseases. He holds a patent for the ACC oxidase gene and its use and is currently awaiting the grant of another patent from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines for the coat protein of the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV).  Read the full story: Plant science for the people           Edeline Payawal shares the stoke from sea to school and back.  Edeline Payawal  When the air conditioning unit inside her hotel room in Leyte woke her up with its loud noise, Edeline Payawal could not have known how her life was going to change. Payawal is an Iska whose achievements have only become more meaningful since that fateful day on November 8, 2013.  As the UP College of Mass Communication alumna tells it, “At the hallway, a guest told me to transfer to the hotel’s main building while the water was ankle-deep. I went back in to our room to check on my friends; however by the time we had to leave the building, the water was already neck-deep. Then suddenly, the roof broke down so that the rain started to pour on our floor. And we only had our room’s window to access the hotel’s main building by crossing over a water tank right beside it. We were 40 people in the building who had to climb out the window and cross over the water tank while braving the gusting winds of Typhoon Yolanda.”  “I can vividly remember the sound of everyone in despair. At that moment, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to die that day. I prepared myself for that moment. But all of us were able to get to the main building,” she continues.  Read the full story: The education of an Iska     For more stories like these, visit the UP Alumni website.     UP Alumni share their memories of the University "
    },
    {
        "title": "ADMISSIONS – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/admissions/",
        "html": "ADMISSIONS     General Admission Requirements  Graduates of foreign and Philippine high schools accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) may be admitted as freshmen into the University based on the following:  Performance in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT); and  Weighted average of final grades obtained in high school.  A total combined score of 1,200 for the verbal and mathematics subtests in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) will also qualify an applicant for automatic admission as freshman to the University.     The UPCAT  Those who wish to study at the university take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). It is administered on the first weekend of August every year. The UPCAT is a four-hour long examination consisting of subtests on language proficiency, reading comprehension, mathematics and science. The UPCAT is in English and Filipino.  Standardized scores on these subtests are combined with the weighted average of final grades in the first three (3) years of high school to determine qualification into UP. Moreover, to implement the policy of democratization to make the UP studentry more representative of the nation’s population, socio-economic and geographic considerations are factored in the selection of campus qualifiers.  UPCAT applicants are ranked based on their admission grades which are the combinedUPCAT scores, high school grades, and equity factors where applicable. Admission grades like the University Predicted Grade (UPG) measure the applicant’s potential to do well in the University.  Every year, thousands of senior high school students take the UPCAT exam at UP constituent units and designated exam centers across the country. In 2010, over 65,000 examinees took the UPCAT.  For more details, please go to the Office of Admissions website. Those who want to study at the UP Open University, may want to check this link for instructions.     Graduate students  Requirements for graduate programs vary according to those set by the colleges and units. The programs offered by the constituent universities can be browsed over with the links the following links:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio  UP Cebu     Transferees  For transferees, here are links with the necessary information.  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu     Foreign students  Information on admission of foreign students may be found at the following pages:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu     Scholarships  There are a number of private and government funded scholarships available to UP students, both in the undergraduate and graduate level. To view the updated list of these scholarships, please visit the links below:  Diliman Los Baños Manila Visayas Cebu Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs)  In consonance with the mandate of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), as provided for in Article XIV, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution, “to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all,” and Article XIV, Section 2(3) “to establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged,” the CHED Commission en Banc (CEB) approved the Revised Guidelines for the Implementation of Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAPs) Effective AY 2014-2015, signed as CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 13, series of 2014, by virtue of CEB Resolution Nos. 045-2014 and 148-2014 dated January 27, 2014 and March 10, 2014, respectively.  For more details on the CHED StuFAPs please click here.     Other sections which you might be interested in:   University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) How to get to UP Diliman Campus Maps Academic Calendars    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Contact Us – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/contact-us/",
        "html": "Contact Us  For more information on the University of the Philippines, you may contact:     GENERAL INFORMATION  University of the Philippines Quezon Hall, UP Diliman Quezon City 1101 (632)8981-8500  ADMISSIONS  University of the Philippines Office of Admissions Kalaw cor. Quirino Avenue, UP Diliman Quezon City 1101 Telefax: (632)9274561 Telephone number: (632)8981-8500 loc. 3827/3828/3830/3831 Email: oadms@up.edu.ph Website: https://upcat.up.edu.ph Facebook  ABOUT THIS WEBSITE  University of the Philippines Media and Public Relations Office Fonacier Hall, Magsaysay Avenue University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101  Telephone number: (632)8981-8500 local 2549, 2550, 2551 and 2552 Email: media@up.edu.ph  You may also contact the UP MPRO via the university’s social media accounts which it maintains:  Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube TikTok  Constituent Universities Contact Information:  UP Diliman UP Los Baños UP Manila UP Visayas UP Open University UP Mindanao UP Baguio UP Cebu"
    },
    {
        "title": "UP and the Sustainable Development Goals – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-and-the-sdgs/",
        "html": "UP and the Sustainable Development Goals The Quezon Hall, the main administrative building of the University, basks in the sunset, surrounded by the verdant trees of the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.  In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States. The Agenda outlines the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are needed to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet, from now into the future.  The University of the Philippines, as part of its mandate as the national university of the country, commits to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It continues to work towards the realization of these six SDGs: Health and Well-being; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Climate Action; and Partnership for the Goals.  Read more about the university’s efforts in these SDGs by browsing through the links to the online articles found below.  Message from the President A message on the University of the Philippines and Sustainability from UP President Angelo Azura Jimenez.  About the University of the Philippines  Know more about the University of the Philippines and its mandate as the national university.  UP at a Glance  Facts and figures on the university, its personnel, and its academic communities.  UP’s Quality Policy UP’s  guide to the continuous improvement of the University’s performance in carrying out its mandate in education, research and public service.  Green UP: A UP System Action Plan for Environmental Sustainability UP’s action plan on environmental sustainability, guided by principles of human rights, democratic participation, non-discrimination, gender equity, social justice, and ecological balance.  UP on Good Health and Well-Being Six-Day DOST-NEWTON AGHAM Researchers Link Workshop in One Health Omics Social Innovation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights UP GOE Medical Mission 2022 in Brgy. Tagumpay, Bay, Laguna UP’s Financial Aid for Students’ Mental Health Expense     UP on Quality Education UPOU’s Free and Accessible Online Educational Resources  Capacity-Building in Fisheries and Aquaculture Pahinungod’s Educational Enhancement Programs        UP on Gender Equality Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran: Filipino Women Overseas Workers in France Recognition of the “Lived Identities” of UP’s Graduating Students  Educational Campaign on the Expanded Maternity Leave Benefits of UP Employees        UP on Sustainable Cities and Communities UP Diliman Community vs Disruptively Bright Streetlights UP CFA’s Art Rehab and Conservation UPV Lecture-Workshops in History Writing and Cultural Heritage Tourism in Western Visayas  Roll-Out of Modern Electric Jeepneys in UPLB Reopening of the Academic Oval UP Baguio’s Indigenous Cultures Program and MOA with NCIP on IPRA and Intangible Cultural Heritage     UP on Climate Action UPV Forum on Disaster Resiliency UP Partnerships with Local Governments for DRRM and Environmental Governance Launch of the UP Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health Center        UP on Partnerships for the Goals Promoting Partnerships under UPLB’s AGORA for Sustainability as a Way of Life The 2021 ProSPER.Net Webinar on Sustainability in Higher Education UPD and WHO Philippines on Vaccination Inequities  UPOU in Global Campaign for SDG 4  UPLB, NEDA and the Philippines’ SDG Aspirations     The University of the Philippines Sustainability Report Academic Year 2021-2022 can also be viewed in full here. The UP Sustainability Report for Academic Year 2020-2021 can also be viewed here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "University of the Philippines Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-principles-for-responsible-artificial-intelligence/",
        "html": "University of the Philippines Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence A UP Cebu Fablab workshop features IoT technology. (Photo courtesy of the Fablab UP Cebu Facebook)     Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the discipline concerned with the design and development of automated intelligent systems that perceive, reason out, formulate decisions, and act in an environment to achieve a set of measurable goals. AI systems embody computational structures that mimic human or animal cognition to process data, learn from experiences, and decide, plan, and act autonomously to satisfy a programmed objective.  In this document, AI is appreciated as machines that exhibit a certain level of human or animal intelligence, capable of problem-solving, decision-making, learning, and rational behavior. Further, AI is also a “socio-technical system” where “the processes used to develop [this] technology are more than their mathematical and computational constructs.”¹ Fully understanding AI means taking into account”the values and behavior modeled from the datasets, the humans who interact with them, and the complex organizational factors that go into their commission, design, development, and ultimate deployment.”²  Although the spread of AI provides excellent opportunities, it also creates significant risks.  AI makes lives easier by automating tasks and providing information and recommendations that suit individual needs. It is harnessed in making decisions on who gets a job, who is approved for a loan, what kind of medical treatment a patient receives, and what communities get policed.  AI can also be an essential tool for development. Al systems can revolutionize healthcare, transportation, and agriculture; aid in responding to climate issues; help in addressing poverty and hunger; and enhance personalized learning and improve education management. A study on AI and sustainable development goals (SDGs) published in 2020 revealed that “AI can enable the accomplishment of 134 targets across all the goals.”³  However, the adoption of AI has led to increasing risks and hazards.  The 2023 AI Index Report indicates that incidents of “ethical misuse of AI has increased 26 times since 2012.”⁴ Some experts are worried that people will misuse these systems to spread disinformation.  Estimates show that AI deployment in the economy could also lead to massive job losses. The previously cited study on AI and SDG also reported that AI “may also inhibit 59 [SDG] targets.”⁵ In education, AI challenges include access for marginalized groups of students and privacy violations, such as unethical data collection and processing. Currently, many are worried that ChatGPT, Google Bard, and other generative AI applications open the door to cheating and plagiarism. There are also a few who fear that AI could slip out of human control.  The Philippines is committed to utilizing AI for development. The Department of Trade and Industry has developed an AI roadmap focusing on four areas: (1) digitization and infrastructure, (2) research and development, (3) workforce development, and (4) regulation. The Emerging Technology Development Division (ETDD) of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, Emerging Technology Research, and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) issued a report titled Artificial Intelligence and Information & Communications Technology. According to the secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, “…government should come in and find ways to regulate it to ensure that AI is beneficial, that it is interoperable, it is transparent, and it is accountable.”⁶  AI is seen to “make a significant contribution to the Philippine economy by 2030.”⁷ In terms of use, the Generative AI Global Interest Report 2023 revealed that the Philippines has “the highest monthly search volume for AI tools overall: 5,052 per 100,000 population, mostly for text Al.”⁸ However, in Government AIReadiness 1ndex2022, referring to a government’s readiness to use AI in delivering public services, the Philippines ranked of 181 countries.⁹ While it scored higher than the global average, it lags behind Singapore (2nd) Malaysia(29th ), Thailand (31st ), and Indonesia (43rd).  The University of the Philippines (UP) is actively engaged in developing AI in the country. AI is taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels. UP has the country’s first Ph.D. program in AI, and UP faculty members and researchers are active in AI development. The UP Center for Intelligent Systems will conduct transdisciplinary research and education on artificial intelligence, data science, and complex systems.  For a national university that is committed to developing Al in the country, the challenge remains: how to promote positive and responsible use of AI and mitigate its negative consequences. It is therefore adopting the following Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy AI in order to provide guardrails and indicate the way forward on the development and use of AI in the University and the country.  It is also hoped that the adoption of these principles shall intensify the national discourse on the role of AI in national development.  University of the Philippines Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence  1. COMMON GOOD. AI should benefit the Filipino people in particular, and humanity, in general by fostering inclusive economic growth, effective governance, sustainable development, and enhanced well-being while protecting the environment. AI systems should further the rule of law, human rights, and democracy.  2. EMPOWERMENT. AI should promote self-determination and bolster the capacity of humans to shape their future. Particularly, AI must empower vulnerable and marginalized groups.  3. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY. AI systems must be culturally responsive and culturally sustaining. Cultural norms, values, beliefs, and practices of users must be respected in designing, developing, and deploying AI systems.  4. PRIVACY. AI systems must incorporate privacy-by-design principles. Informed consent from users and maintaining the confidentiality of personal information must be upheld, when users provide information and when the system collects information about the users.  5. ACCOUNTABILITY. Individuals, groups, departments, institutes, colleges, and constituent universities involved in the development, deployment, and use of AI must take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. UP shall put into place mechanisms to hold the relevant stakeholders accountable for the AI systems actions and outcomes.  In Research and Development  6. MEANINGFUL HUMAN CONTROL. Humans should have decision-making authority over the AI ‘s actions, decisions, and behaviors. AI systems should not operate in an unpredictable or unmanageable manner.  7. TRANSPARENCY. People should be able to understand how AI systems work. Individuals should be informed if AI-enabled tools are used. To the extent possible, the methods should be explainable. Finally, users should be able to understand AI-based outcomes and identify ways to seek remedies to harms that they may cause.  8. FAIRNESS. AI should be evaluated for gender bias, other forms of unfairness, and all forms of discrimination, especially in the data, models, and algorithms that are used. Collaborative procedures should be in place to actively identify, mitigate, and remedy these harms. AI developers should be mindful of its unintended consequences.  9. SAFETY. AI should never endanger lives. AI systems must function securely and safely. AI systems must be robust. In this context, robustness refers to the capacity of AI systems to endure and surmount adverse circumstances, including digital security threats. Compromising safety and security is unacceptable.  10. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY. AI should be evaluated in terms of its impacts on sustainability. AI models and tools must minimize risks to the environment. Developers should use computing resources more efficiently.  In Education  11. PRIMACY OF LEARNING GOALS. Decisions on the use of AI in teaching should start with the educational needs and priorities of learners, UP shall adopt AI systems that promote learner-centered pedagogy and foster collaborative and social learning. AI shall be used to improve the assessment of multiple dimensions of competencies and outcomes.  12. HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT, UP shall strengthen existing programs and develop new ones to ensure that the country’s Al workforce is highly skilled and ethical. These programs shall target women and other groups that are often excluded.  13. CAPACITY BUILDING. All members of the UP community must be AI literate. Additionally, faculty members must be trained in effectively using and integrating AI into teaching and learning practices. These two initiatives are necessary if faculty and students are to jointly innovate and benefit from the new technology as it further evolves.  14. EDUCATION MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY. AI should improve university decision-making; make for more efficient administration, including admissions, enrollment, registration, human resource management, procurement, and inventory; and enable prompt regulatory compliance.  15. COLLABORATION. UP shall work with other universities, colleges, and research institutions to share best practices, co-develop AI courses and programs, undertake joint research and development, and advocate for responsible and trustworthy AI.  These Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence shall serve as guardrails for our community and stakeholders.  Tensions are anticipated between these principles; hence, there is a need for policies, programs, and protocols that balance innovation and regulation.  Towards this, a multidisciplinary UP AI Advancement Committee (AIAC) is established.  The ultimate goal of the AIAC is to create an empowering environment where members of the UP community can continue to openly discuss the benefits and concerns associated with using AI and continue to come up with better policies and guidelines. This environment should also encourage the development and co-creation of AI tools among stakeholders. The AIAC shall also create a culture of cooperation, trust, and transparency among the university community, private sector, civil society, government, international organizations, and other stakeholders.  Immediately, the AIAC shall draft, for approval of the UP President, issuances to operationalize the development, deployment, and use of responsible and trustworthy AI. These issuances include, but are not limited to, the development of the following:  AI code of conduct based on the above-mentioned principles; AI development program to accelerate AI research and development in the University; Implementing framework for AI in UP education, including an Al literacy program, a faculty and staff upskilling program, and a research and teaching program on AI in society; and, AI and digital infrastructure development to support the use of Al in teaching, research, and use. This includes providing equitable access to AI by members of the UP community  The UP President will appoint the chair and members of the AIAC and shall provide the necessary support for the committee to be able to discharge its functions.  A multi-sectoral UP AI Advisory Board (AIAB) is also created.  The AIAB shall advise the Board of Regents, through the UP President, on the following matters related to responsible and trustworthy AI:  Ensuring UP leadership in AI research, development, and teaching Progressing UP’s AI initiatives, managing and coordinating related activities, developing a resource leverage strategy, and enhancing opportunities for various sectors of society  Preparing the present and future Philippine workforce to use AI in all sectors of the economy Coordinating ongoing AI research, development, and teaching activities among all agencies, higher educational institutions, and other organizations to ensure collaborations  The AIAB shall be composed of leaders from various sectors of society including, but not limited to, business / private sector, government / public sector, academia, and civil society.  The UP President shall appoint the chair and members of the AIAB. The AIAC shall provide secretariat support to the AIAB.     ¹ ‘Towards a Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence NiSTSpeciaI Publication 1270 March 2022 https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.Sp.1270.pdf ² Ibid ³ Vinuesa, R., Azizpour, H., Leite, I. et al. “The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” Nature Communications 11, 233 (2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-14108-y ⁴ https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report/  ⁵ Vinuesa, The role of AI in achieving the SDG  ⁶ https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/6/15/dict-ai-regulation-workplace.html  ⁷ The Economic Impact of Generative AI: The Future of Work in the Philippines https://accesspartnership.com/the-economic-impact-of-generative-ai-the-future-of-work-in-the-philippines/  ⁸ https://www.electronicshub.org/generative-ai-global-interest-report-2023/  Oxford Insight Government AIReadiness Index 2022 available at https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2023-01/Government AI Readiness 2022 FV.pdf. In this index, Singapore is 2nd Malaysia is 29th Thailand is 31st Indonesia is 43rd and Vietnam is 55th.    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Quality Policy – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/quality-policy/",
        "html": "Quality Policy  The University of the Philippines commits to meeting standards of academic excellence as guided by the UP Charter and defined within the changing context of national, regional, and global developments that profoundly impact universities worldwide.  UP is committed to creating and sustaining a quality culture in all its programs and constituent units supported by a quality management system of global standards to fulfill its vision, mission, and mandate.  With this system, UP shall:  • Produce graduates who will lead in the advancement of knowledge, contribute to national development, and thrive in a changing global landscape;  • Undertake research and creative work to contribute to the pursuit, creation, and translation of knowledge into innovative solutions to national and global problems and challenges;  • Spearhead public service work that brings about meaningful change in the community and the country;  • Create an environment that supports the holistic development of its students, faculty, research and extension personnel, professional staff, administrative staff, and other stakeholders;  • Deliver stakeholder-driven support services and adhere to the applicable statutory and regulatory requirements;  • Align our policies on research and innovation, activities in teaching and learning, and outreach engagements with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  As a guide to the continuous improvement of the University’s performance in carrying out its mandate, the UP Quality Policy shall be communicated to all stakeholders.  UP recognizes that to sustain academic excellence, a quality assurance system will enable it to continuously enhance the quality and relevance of its academic programs. The UP Quality Assurance System, previously known as the Academic Assessment and Development System, aims to assure the Filipino public as well as national and international stakeholders that UP programs and delivering units meet standards of academic excellence as currently defined within the changing context of local, national, regional and global developments that have had profound impact on universities worldwide.  For more information on the Quality Assurance System of the University of the Philippines, please click here.  More links on UP  About UP UP and the Sustainable Development Goals News Announcements "
    },
    {
        "title": "Budget and Finances – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/budget-and-finances/",
        "html": "Budget and Finances  As the public national university, the University of the Philippines is considered by many as a model in the pursuit of democratic principles of accountability and transparency in governance. This ideal is not only manifested in the operations of the university but also explicitly expressed in its charter.  Under Section 3 of the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008 (Republic Act 9500), the University of the Philippines considers it its duty to “(h)Provide democratic governance in the University based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency and active participation of its constituents, and promote the holding of fora for students, faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), staff, and alumni to discuss non-academic issues affecting the University.”  Section 26 of the Charter also states that “The national university shall submit an annual report to Congress containing the financial statements, statement of assets and liabilities, actual projected income from tuition fees and other revenue sources, contracts and investment entered into pursuant to Section 22 (c) hereof and programs of expenditure. All accounts and disbursements of the national university shall be audited by the Commission on Audit.”  With these principles and provisions in mind, the university makes available its Financial Statements, Internal Operating Budget and Budget Proposals. To view these documents please click on the links below.  I. Mandate, Function, List of Officials, and Contact Information II. Annual Financial Reports III. DBM Approved Budget and Corresponding Targets for FY 2022 IV. Projects, Programs and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation V. Annual Procurement Plan  To view the Budget and Corresponding Targets approved by the Department of Budget and Management, please click the following links:  2022 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2022 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2022  2021 A. General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2021 B. GAA Performance Targets for FY 2021  For more on the university’s budget and expenditures, please visit the Transparency page of this website.  UP Statistics  For more facts and figures on the UP, you may also want to look up the UP Statistics for the following years:  2021     2020     2019     2018     2017     2016     2015     2014     2013    2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006  These reports on the university are annual compilations of data from the Constituent Universities (CUs) of the University of the Philippines (UP) System.  Data collection and consolidation is done by the Planning Services Division of the UP System Budget Office, Office of the Vice-President for Planning and Finance. "
    },
    {
        "title": "University Seal – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-seal/",
        "html": "University Seal   The Seal that is in current use in the University was approved by the Board of Regents at its 77th meeting on February 25, 1913. It shows an eagle with its wings spread and perched on a shield that carries three icons representing the fields of specialization in the University, namely, agriculture, engineering, and medicine. Inscribed on the circular band that surrounds it are the words “University of the Philippines” on top and “1908” at the bottom.  An earlier seal, however, was utilized by the University before 1913. It was adapted from the coat-of-arms of the Philippines approved by the Philippine Commission in 1905. It showed an eagle with outstretched wings on the crest of a shield that symbolized the city of Manila and the 13 colonies of America which fought for independence against Great Britain. Like the eagle in the coat-of-arms of the Philippines, the eagle in the University Seal was the American bald or white-headed type. This was the same eagle which appeared on the Seal that was approved in 1913.  The eagle is among the most predominant animals used in heraldry, the art of devising or adorning insignias or coat-of-arms. It was used in the national emblems of ancient Rome, France, and the United States. Recognized as the king of birds, it has become a favorite in heraldry as a particular symbol for courage and power. The most common attitude by which the eagle is depicted in heraldry is with its wings spread out and pointing upwards. The head is usually turned to the right, that is, to the observer’s left. The Great Seal of the United States features the eagle in this position, from which the seals of the Philippines and the University were based.  Several variations of the eagle can be gleaned, however, from the different instances in which the university has appeared from the 1910s to the pre-sent. These mutations include the positioning of the wings, the direction where the head turns, and the icons that represent the fields of specialization in the University.  The establishment of UP in 1908 was considered the early 1900s as the best the American educational system had to offer. The University was also seen as the foundation upon which Filipino nationalism would take root.  Conscious of its role in national development, the University initiated a move to redesign its coat-of-arms which was seen as a remnant of colonialism. President Salvador P. Lopez opened a competition through Memorandum Circular dated November 13, 1971. He stated, “Just as a new seal was designed for the Philippines when it became independent in 1946, so a new seal for the University should have been designed and adopted at that time…. The eagle appears to be particularly inappropriate as the dominant element in the seal of the university.”  The winning design was made by Galo B. Ocampo, then director of the National Museum. The move to adapt it as the new university seal was deferred by the Board of Regents for further study.  Up to the present, different versions of the university seal as in existence. These are being used by the different units and offices of the University in their publications and communications. Novelty items, carrying the different versions of the seal are being sold by commercial establishments doing business inside the campus.   There is a need to standardize the seal of the University, in the light of the current proliferation. Article XV Section 83 of the Code of the University of the Philippines describes its design, its diameter, and the inscriptions “University of the Philippines” and “1908.” This is the only instance where the genus of the seal is specified (as approved in the 77th Board of Regents meeting held in 1913). But the position of the bird, details of the icons and colors were not indicated. No records have yet been uncovered to provide for the appropriation of the university colors of forest green and maroon in the university seal.  Since the seal of an institution is not only a mark for its legal and public documents, communications, and publications, but more importantly, a symbol of the institution, then clarity in its elements must be imposed. A seal does not only feature a distinctive object that would make identification clear and easy.  More than that, it signifies the sentiments and aspirations that guide the institution and its constituents. The current directive by the Heraldry Division of the National Historical Institute regarding the design of seals discourages the use of foreign heraldic objects and this criteria has a bearing on the university seal.  Though a change in the elements of the seal may be considered, the study of the conception, clarification of its elements, and its standardization are of utmost need to avert the indiscriminate proliferation of the university seal.  The university seal, with the eagle as the dominant object including the icons of the fields of specialization, faithfully symbolize what the University aspires for—the highest in the field of knowledge as well as a commitment to the nation. It is only proper that the symbol of the State University be given the necessary serious attentions it deserves.  (This article by Professor Armando P. Burgos of the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts was reprinted in the May 2011 issue of the UP Newsletter with permission from the author and first publisher. It originally appeared in the August-September 1998 issue of the Diliman UPDate.)  For more details on how the university seal, as well as other symbols of the university, can be properly used, please view the the UP Visual Identity Guidebook below.   UP Visual Identity Guide 2017 "
    },
    {
        "title": "The UP Charter – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-up-charter/",
        "html": "The UP Charter     Mandate as the National University  Under its Charter of 2008 (RA 9500), UP is mandated to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development.  The University of the Philippines shall:  Lead in setting academic standards and initiating innovations in teaching, research, and faculty development in philosophy, the arts and humanities, the social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, and technology; and maintain centers of excellence in these disciplines and professions.  Serve as a graduate university by providing advanced studies and specialization for scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and professionals especially those who serve on the faculty of state and private colleges and universities.  Serve as a research university in various fields of expertise and specialization by conducting basic and applied research, promoting research and development, and contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge.  Lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public and volunteer service, as well as scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society while maintaining its standards of excellence.  Protect and promote the professional and economic rights and welfare of its academic and non-academic personnel.  Provide opportunities for training and learning in leadership, responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions, and practice through academic and non-academic programs, including sports and enhancement of nationalism and national identity.  Serve as a regional and global university in cooperation with international and scientific unions, networks of universities, scholarly and professional associations in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world.  Provide democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of its constituents; and promote the holding of fora for students, faculty, research, extension and professional staff (REPS), administrative staff, and alumni to discuss non-academic issues affecting the University.  Rights and Responsibilities  Academic Freedom  UP has the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom.  Academic Excellence  UP has the responsibility to maintain and enhance its high academic standards in the performance of its functions of instruction, research and extension, and public service.  Commitment to National Development  UP shall harness the expertise of the members of its community and other individuals to regularly study the state of the nation in relation to its quest for national development in the primary areas of politics and economics, among others.  UP shall identify key concerns, conduct research and formulate responsive policies regarding these concerns, give advice and recommendations to the President of the Philippines, Congress, the Supreme Court, the lower courts, other government agencies and instrumentalities.  Social Responsibility  UP is committed to serve the Filipino nation and humanity, and relate its activities to the needs of the Filipino people and their aspirations for social progress and transformation, and provide venues for student volunteerism.  Democratic Access  UP shall take affirmative steps, which may take the form of an alternative and equitable admissions process to enhance the access of disadvantaged students.  Sports  UP shall undertake and support comprehensive sports programs that promote physical education, uphold excellence and encourage competitive participation in sports activities, instill school identity and solidarity, cultivate pride, self-discipline and teamwork.  Institutional and Fiscal Autonomy  UP has the right to be treated in a manner consistent with its institutional requirements as the national university by the service-wide agencies in the exercise of their respective jurisdiction.  Taking into account national goals and priorities, UP shall exclusively determine its teaching, research and extension thrusts, plans, policies, programs and standards, and on the basis of such determination, shall recommend its annual budget to the President of the Republic of the Philippines and Congress.  Guiding Principles  Honor, Excellence and Democratic Governance  Committed to UP’s long tradition of honor and excellence, we shall be guided in our decision-making by the principles of democratic governance: collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency, and active participation of the University’s constituents  Accessibility and Responsiveness  We will break down bureaucratic walls and make our administration accessible and responsive to our stakeholders.  Innovativeness and Creativity  In making decisions, we shall not be bound by traditional solutions. We shall be prepared to pursue innovative approaches in solving the problems and issues that confront the University.  One University  We shall be guided by the spirit of Oneness: common standards of excellence, harmonized systems, common and shared services across constituent universities, but with decentralized decision-making and execution.  For a full copy of the UP Charter or Republic Act 9500, please click here. "
    },
    {
        "title": "UP System Officials and Offices – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/up-system-officials-and-offices/",
        "html": "UP System Officials and Offices The Board of Regents  Hon. J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III Chairperson Chairman, Commission on Higher Education  Hon. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ Co-chairperson President, University of the Philippines  Hon. FRANCIS JOSEPH G. ESCUDERO Chairperson, Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education  Hon. MARK O. GO Chairperson, House Committee on Higher and Technical Education  Hon. ROBERT LESTER F. ARANTON Alumni Regent President, UP Alumni Association  Hon. RAUL C. PAGDANGANAN Member  Hon. GREGORIO B. PASTORFIDE Member  Hon. GLADYS S.J. TIONGCO Member  Hon. CARL MARC L. RAMOTA Faculty Regent  Hon. SOFIA JAN DG. TRINIDAD Student Regent  Hon. VICTORIA C. BELEGAL Staff Regent  Hon. ROBERTO M.J. LARA Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  Board of Regents contact information: borsecretariat@up.edu.ph  Officials of the UP System Administration  Executive Committee  ANGELO A. JIMENEZ President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  JOSE FERNANDO T. ALCANTARA Executive Vice President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  LEO D.P. CUBILLAN Vice President for Academic Affairs (632) 8926-4736 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  IRYN Y. BALMORES Vice President for Planning and Finance (632) 8928-2866 ovppf@up.edu.ph  AUGUSTUS C. RESURRECCION Vice President for Administration (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  FERDINAND JESUS A. PECSON Vice President for Development (632) 8928-2888 ovpd@up.edu.ph  ROLANDO B. TOLENTINO Vice President for Public Affairs (632) 8929-1288 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2531, 2532, 2507 ovppa@up.edu.ph  ABRAHAM REY M. ACOSTA Vice President for Legal Affairs (632) 8927-8459 ovpla@up.edu.ph  ROBERTO M.J. LARA Secretary of the University (632) 8920-6885 osu@up.edu.ph  RICKY D. DELA TORRE Chief of Staff of the Office of the President (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  PETER A. SY Adviser for Digital Transformation (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  Assistant Vice Presidents  MA. THERESA T. PAYONGAYONG Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Curriculum and Instruction) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  PERCIVAL F. ALMORO Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Research) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  ALYSSA M. PELEO-ALAMPAY Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Quality Assurance) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 qa.ovpaa@up.edu.ph  MA. SHARI NIÑA G. OLIQUINO Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Student Affairs) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 osds@up.edu.ph  IMEE S. MARTINEZ Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (Internationalization) (632) 8928-8321 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2544 oil@up.edu.ph  JOSE ANTONIO R. CLEMENTE Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (R and D Resource Mobilization) (632) 8981-8500 local 2622 ovpaa@up.edu.ph  NOREEN P. ESCULTURA Assistant Vice President for Planning and Finance (632) 8930-5992 npescultura@up.edu.ph  TIFFANY ADELAINE G. TAN Assistant Vice President for Administration (Organizational Development and Operations) (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  RICHARD S. JAVIER Assistant Vice President for Administration (Human Resource Development) (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  JEANETTE L. YASOL-NAVAL Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs (632) 8929-1288 / (632) 8981-8500 local 2531, 2532, 2507 ovppa@up.edu.ph  Program Directors  MARIE THERESE A.P. BUSTOS System Director, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2603, 2607-08 pahinungod.upsys@up.edu.ph  TERESA S. ENCARNACION TADEM Executive Director, Center for Integrative and Development Studies (632) 3435-9283 cids@up.edu.ph  MARIE AUBREY J. VILLACERAN Director, Center for Women and Gender Studies (632) 8920-6950 cws@up.edu.ph  FELICITAS L. LACBAWAN Executive Director, Philippine Genome Center (632) 8981-8742 / (632) 8981-8500 local 8742 pgc@up.edu.ph  CHERISH AILEEN A. BRILLON Director, Padayon Public Service Office (632) 8981-8500 local 4256 padayon@up.edu.ph  ALFREDO MAHAR LAGMAY Executive Director, UP Resilience Institute (632) 8924-2904 resilience.institute@up.edu.ph  GRACE J. ALFONSO Director, TVUP (632) 8936-7031 television@up.edu.ph  MICHELLE R. PALUMBARIT Director, UP CIFAL Philippines (632) 8981-8500 local 4266 to 67 cifalphilippines@up.edu.ph  KYUNG MIN BAE Director, UP Korea Research Center pkrc@up.edu.ph  Administrative Offices Directors  FRANCISCO N. DE LOS REYES Director, Office of Admissions (632)927-4561 oadms@up.edu.ph  GALILEO S. ZAFRA Director, UP Press (632) 8928-2558 press@up.edu.ph  NOREEN P. ESCULTURA Director, System Budget Office (632) 8930-5992 sbo@up.edu.ph  JENNIFER M. TOLENTINO Officer-in-Charge, System Cash Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2540  ISAGANI L. BAGUS Acting Chief, System Supply and Management Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2538, 2539 spmo.upsystem@up.edu.ph  SUSAN C. SANCHEZ Director, System Accounting Office (632) 8981-8500 local 4253  FLOR L. OFILADA Director, System Procurement Office flofilada@up.edu.ph (632) 8981-8500, local 4056, 4058 and 4061  MA. SHARI NIÑA G. OLIQUINO Director, Office of Student Development Services (632) 8981-8500 local 2622/3753 osds@up.edu.ph  RICHARD S. JAVIER Director, System Human Resource Development Office (632) 8925-0984 ovpa@up.edu.ph  LUIS G. SISON Director, Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2542 ttbdo@up.edu.ph  PAULO NOEL G. PAJE Director, Information Technology Development Center (632) 8920-2080 / (632) 8981-8500 local 4469 itdc_info@up.edu.ph  LARISSA MAE R. SUAREZ Director, Media and Public Relations Office (632) 8981-8500 local 2549, 2550 to 52, 2511 media@up.edu.ph  KAREN CONNIE M. ABALOS-ORENDAIN Director, Office of Alumni Relations (02) 8981-8500 local 4252 and 4251 up.alumnioffice@up.edu.ph  JOSE FERNANDO T. ALCANTARA Officer-in-Charge, UP Bonifacio Global City Campus, (UP-BGC) (632) 8928-0110 op@up.edu.ph  Chancellors of Constituent Universities  EDGARDO CARLO L. VISTAN Chancellor, UP Diliman (632) 8929-5401 chancellor.updiliman@up.edu.ph  JOSE V. CAMACHO, JR. Chancellor, UP Los Baños (6349) 536-2567 oc.uplb@up.edu.ph  MICHAEL L. TEE Chancellor, UP Manila (632) 521-0184 upm-oc@up.edu.ph  CLEMENT C. CAMPOSANO Chancellor, UP Visayas (033) 315-9378 oc.upvisayas@up.edu.ph  MELINDA dP. BANDALARIA Chancellor, UP Open University (6349)536-6001 oc@upou.edu.ph  LYRE ANNI E. MURAO Chancellor, UP Mindanao (6382) 293-0310 oc.upmindanao@up.edu.ph  CORAZON L. ABANSI Chancellor, UP Baguio (6374) 442-3888 oc.upbaguio@up.edu.ph  LEO B. MALAGAR Chancellor, UP Cebu (6332) 232-8104 / (6332)231-3086 oc.upcebu@up.edu.ph  GERARDO D. LEGASPI Director, Philippine General Hospital (632) 523-7123 od.uppgh@up.edu.ph    "
    },
    {
        "title": "Office of the University President – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/office-of-the-university-president/",
        "html": "Office of the University President Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO. Angelo A. Jimenez President University of the Philippines  Angelo A. Jimenez is a labor lawyer and a respected authority on global worker migration whose work has contributed to the establishment of the Philippines’ new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as the labor migration regulatory framework in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  A former Deputy Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Jimenez’s expertise and experience in the field of migrant worker welfare have brought him to different parts of the world. He served as Labor Attache in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded him citations for ensuring the safety of Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict and for the rescue of a Filipino hostage held in Iraq.  While at the Department of Labor and Employment, Jimenez represented the agency on the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, Governing Board of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and the Inter-Agency Media Task Force on Overseas Filipino Workers. At the Office of the President, he represented the Office of the Senior Deputy Executive Secretary in the Presidential Fact-Finding and Policy Advisory Commission on the Protection of Overseas Filipinos––better known as the Gancayco Commission––and the Cabinet Committee on Maritime and Ocean Affairs during the administration of the late President Fidel V. Ramos.  With his extensive background in labor migration, Jimenez has been tapped as an expert lecturer by the UP Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders or International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders Philippines, where he has given lectures on gender-responsive migration governance, ethical recruitment principles, migrant protection, and crisis preparedness. He has also written papers for organizations such as the International Organization for Migration Philippines and the Blas Ople Policy Center, focusing on immigration law and labor recruitment policies, processes, and practices. He is a regular lecturer on Philippine overseas labor laws at the UP Law Center’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education program.  The global outlook of Jimenez is not just a result of the work he accomplished overseas but the education he received abroad. Jimenez graduated with a Master in Public Management degree from the National University of Singapore’s  Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and was a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at the Harvard School of Government.  His understanding of the factors that have led to the Filipino diaspora, on the other hand, is the product of his education and experiences in Butuan, Agusan del Norte––where he was born and raised––and in UP Diliman, where he obtained both his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) degrees. As a law student at UP Diliman, he was an Associate Editor of the Philippine Collegian and President of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines. He was also elected Chairperson of the University Student Council and, in 1992, was appointed Student Regent to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) by the late President Corazon C. Aquino. He later rejoined the BOR when he was appointed Regent by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2016, during which he also served concurrently as Trustee of the UP Foundation, Inc.  A son of Mindanao, Jimenez believes that the Philippines’ premier state university must be a hub for transformational change and that engaging communities and helping solve real-world problems should be a part of the UP academic experience. Ultimately, the goal is for UP to become a global university that asks the consequential questions of our time and, acting locally, strives to address the serious issues confronting the country and the world.  Roles and Powers of the University President  The UP President is the Chief Academic Officer, Head of the University Faculty, and Chief Executive Officer of the University for a fixed term of 6 years.  The President is expected to pursue goals stated in the UP Charter and pursue the Vision-Mission (which is later refined into a 6-year strategic development plan) s/he pledged to the community.  Majority of the powers of the UP President are provided for in the UP Charter and determined  by the Board of Regents as reflected in the Handbook on Existing Delineation of Authority in the University (2008).  Offices under the Office of the President UP Professional Schools Bonifacio Global City Resilience Institute TVUP UP Pahinungod Office – System  Below are select messages and writings about President Jimenez  Honor and Excellence in a Digital National University Welcome and Introduction by President Jimenez of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim A Datu in Diliman The Roots of Angelo A. Jimenez"
    },
    {
        "title": "The Board of Regents – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/the-board-of-regents/",
        "html": "The Board of Regents  The highest governing body in the UP System is the Board of Regents. Its members are drawn from both the University and the private and public sectors.  The current Board of Regents is composed of:     Hon. J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III Chairperson Chairman, Commission on Higher Education     Hon. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ Co-chairperson President, University of the Philippines     Hon. FRANCIS JOSEPH G. ESCUDERO Chairperson, Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education     Hon. MARK O. GO Chairperson, House Committee on Higher and Technical Education     Hon. ROBERT LESTER F. ARANTON Alumni Regent President, UP Alumni Association     Hon. RAUL C. PAGDANGANAN     Hon. GREGORIO B. PASTORFIDE     Hon. GLADYS SJ. TIONGCO     Hon. CARL MARC L. RAMOTA Faculty Regent     Hon. SOFIA JAN DG. TRINIDAD Student Regent     Hon. VICTORIA CANAPE BELEGAL Staff Regent     Hon. ROBERTO MJ LARA Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  For more information on the Board of Regents and the Office of the Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents, please visit their website.  You may also get in touch with them via these contact details:  Telephone number: (632) 8981-8500 loc 2534/35/36 Email address: osu@up.edu.ph "
    },
    {
        "title": "University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/university-history/",
        "html": "Emerging Excellence: UP in the Past 115 Years     On June 18, 1908, a hundred and fifteen years ago, the University of the Philippines (UP) was founded through Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly. UP was the result of the recommendation of Secretary of Public Instruction, William Morgan Shuster to the Philippine Commission, the upper house of the Philippine Assembly. It was meant to fill the need to meet the increasing demands for instruction in the higher levels of learning and to provide professional studies in medicine, law, engineering or applied sciences.  Act No. 1870 authorized the Governor General to establish the University in the “city of Manila, or at any point he may deem most convenient.” The UP was to give “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training” to every qualified student regardless of “age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation.”  According to UP’s Bulletin No. 1, the University was seen as “the logical outgrowth and culmination of efforts made during the past ten years to establish a complete system of education for the Philippine islands.”  Over the past one hundred years, the University of the Philippines has evolved from the pinnacle of the American-established educational system in the country, to a “University for the Filipino” as envisioned by its first president, Murray Simpson Bartlett.   The early years  UP first opened on Calle Isaac Peral (now United Nations Avenue) and Padre Faura in downtown Manila in 1909, with: the College of Medicine (which, as the Philippine Medical School established in 1905, predated the University by three years); the School of Fine Arts (1909); the College of Liberal Arts (1909); the College of Veterinary Medicine (1910); the College of Engineering (1910); the College of Law (1910); and, the College of Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna (1906).  The UP president at that time, Murray Bartlett, vowed that, as a “University for the Filipino,” UP must be “supported by the people’s money,” with a charter framed by the people’s representatives and “its hope based on the confidence and sympathy of the people.”      In 1915, a lawyer, Ignacio Villamor, would be chosen president of the University. He would be the first Filipino to lead what had by that time grown to become the Philippines’ premier higher educational institution. Under Villamor, UP continued to grow with the addition of units such as: the Conservatory of Music; the University High School; the College of Education; and, the Junior College in Cebu City.  In 1935, UP’s famous statue, the Oblation, was installed at the Manila campus. The statue was the creation of National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and inspired by his interpretation of the second stanza of Dr. Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios.”   The Transfer to Diliman  The Second World War saw the destruction of several buildings of UP in Manila, Los Baños, Cebu, and Iloilo. In 1947, the Philippine General Hospital formally became a part of UP through Executive Order No. 94. In 1948, under the stewardship of UP President Bienvenido Gonzales, much of UP was transferred from its campus in Manila to a bigger campus in Diliman, Quezon City.  The 50’s and 60’s saw the transformation of UP from the brainchild of American hopes and dreams for the Philippines into a bastion of intense nationalism. UP President Vicente Sinco preserved the University’s integrity from communist paranoia and partisan politics, while UP President Carlos P. Romulo introduced Filipinism, student activism and faculty dissent.      The First Quarter Storm  UP President Salvador P. Lopez would see the culmination of UP’s freedom-loving, activist spirit facing off against a rising autocracy, from the events of the first quarter of the year 1970, now dubbed the “First Quarter Storm,” to 1971 when the Diliman Republic become the Diliman Commune. From January to February, the campus became a battleground between militant students protesting the deteriorating conditions of the country, and policemen.  The students completely barricaded the campus and established full control of the facilities. There were several attempts by the police to mount an assault on the campus, but they were unsuccessful. The student barricades at Palma Hall and the University Avenue in the Diliman campus rose again during the time of UP President Edgardo Angara, this time in protest against a tuition hike.  The nationalist and activist spirit of the First Quarter Storm would continue to burn within the University through the succeeding decades, firmly establishing UP as the bulwark of critical thinking and free speech, and a haven for the voiceless and marginalized. A new call arose to counter state authoritarianism and foreign intrusion in the country’s state of affairs: “Serve the people.”  Development and expansion  The University continued to develop and expand through the years, even as it navigated through the conditions of a dictatorship. Development-oriented programs and institutions were established, such as: the Institute for Small-Scale Industries, the Population Institute, and the Asian Labor Education Center (now the School of Labor and Industrial Relations) in UP Diliman, and the Dairy Training and Research Institute in UP Los Baños, all of which were founded during the time of UP President Romulo.  Also established were: during the term of UP President Lopez, the Agrarian Reform Institute at the College of Agriculture, the Institute of Social Work and Community Development, the Philippine Center for Economic Development, the Institute of Fisheries Development and Research, and the Marine Sciences Center; the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, the Transport Training Center, the National Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, and the Third World Studies Program during the succeeding terms of UP Presidents Onofre D. Corpuz and Emanuel V. Soriano; and, the National Institute of Geological Sciences, the Natural Sciences Research Institute, the National Institute of Physics, and the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, under UP President Edgardo J. Angara.  By the mid-70s, UP had become a multi-campus University, with UP Los Baños granted autonomy in 1973; the Health Science Center in UP Manila, in 1977; and UP Visayas, in 1979. UP Diliman would be declared an autonomous campus in 1985 retroactive to 1981. Other UP campuses included: UP College Baguio, UP College Cebu, UP College Tacloban, UP College in Clark Air Base, and UP Extension in San Fernando, Pampanga.  Social transformation and service to the nation  Through the next two decades, UP looked inward through constant self-examination and toward promoting social transformation that aimed to build a just, humane and democratic society. The review of academic programs and General Education programs were conducted so as to make these relevant and meaningful to the development of Philippine society, even as the University continued to expand. Student financial assistance and socialized tuition programs were established; issues in the use of the Filipino language were tackled; and programs to enrich Filipino culture and arts were expanded, parallel to the drive toward modernization and the focus on science and technology.  UP extended its resources and expertise to aid communities and regions affected by the massive earthquake of 1990 and the historic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Indeed, in the 1990s, UP deepened its tradition of service to the nation by harnessing the spirit of volunteerism and selfless service through the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod or Oblation Corps. The University also sought to democratize access to UP education by opening two more constituent universities in 1995: UP Open University and UP Mindanao.  A national university in the 21st century  As the world moved inexorably toward globalization, greater interconnectivity and a knowledge-based economy due to rapid advancements in information and communication technology, higher education institutions were compelled to rethink their roles. Under the successive terms of UP Presidents Francisco Nemenzo, Emerlinda R. Roman, Alfredo E. Pascual, and Danilo L. Concepcion, UP was no exception.  For the first two decades of the 21st century, physical infrastructure across all the constituent units were modernized so as to keep up with the evolving demands of the Information Age. This included: improving Internet and WiFi facilities for greater connectivity within and among the different constituent universities; automating libraries; conducting academic and administrative processes online; and, constructing and improving facilities and laboratories for teaching and research in science and technology, recognized as the drivers of economic development.  The academic infrastructure was also bolstered through improvements in faculty support, student assistance and accessibility, and through incentives for scientific and creative endeavors. The University’s General Education Program, which instilled and nurtured the Tatak UP among its students, was continually reviewed and revised in light of the changing contexts and conditions of the 21st century. Internationalization also gained prominence, with UP embracing accreditation and international benchmarking so as to fulfill its mandate to become a top regional and global higher education institution.  The year 2008 was a significant one for UP for two reasons. First, it was the year the University celebrated its first 100th anniversary. And second, it was the year Republic Act No. 9500, “An Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University,” was signed into law, amending Act No. 1870 and establishing UP as the country’s national university. With this—and with UP Baguio attaining the status of constituent university in 2002 and UP Cebu in 2010—the University of the Philippines was redefined as the UP System composed of constituent universities.  Changing paradigms, constant values  By 2017, UP had grown into a massive University System consisting of eight constituent universities located in 17 campuses throughout the Philippine archipelago. Under its Charter of 2008, UP is mandated to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development in multiple roles: as a teaching university, a graduate university, a research university, a public service university, and as a regional and global university. Underpinning the expansion of its role in national development, however, is the University’s unchanging commitment to its guiding principles of honor and excellence in the service of the country—a true “University for the Filipino.”  UP continues to grow and expand, building cutting-edge facilities and improving existing ones in order to create an optimal environment for learning and knowledge creation. Its community of scientists, researchers, experts, artists and humanists continue to put UP on the global map of breaking and cutting-edge research, such as the discovery in 2019 of a new human species, the Homo luzonensis, by an international multidisciplinary team led by a UP associate professor.  In keeping with UP’s mandate to serve the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people, UP scientists and researchers continue to harness their research to meet the needs of and help develop Philippine industries, communities and the general public. UP students also continue to win recognition in national and international circles in every field, from science and engineering to music and the arts.  UP’s sustained efforts toward improving its teaching and pedagogy, its research environment and output, internationalization efforts and public service initiatives have borne fruit in its performance in recent world university rankings. In the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, UP climbed 30 points from its position in 2019 to place 65th out of 489 universities.  Since 2017, the University has been featured in the THE Asia University Rankings, entering the top 100 for the first time in 2019, soaring 61 places from its 156th position in 2018. A year before that, UP belonged to the 201st-250th ranking group.  UP has also appeared in the top 33 percent of the 2020 QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings, placing 356th in the top 1,000 institutions from around the world, and climbing 28 notches from the previous year to reach its highest standing since 2014. UP continues to hold the top spot among Philippine universities.  The third function of a university—that of rendering extension service—has been greatly expanded and enhanced in UP. Through institutions such as the UP Padayon Public Service Office, the UP Resilience Institute and the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, the University has become a public service institution fully conscious of its responsibility to produce ethical leaders, engage with communities, and translate the results of UP’s research into products and processes useful to people.  Into the third decade of the 21st century  For the past 115 years, the University of the Philippines has proven itself worthy of the title of the country’s national university. Surviving world wars, colonial occupations, civil rights struggles and cultural upheavals, economic downturns and upsurges, UP has played a role in shaping the nation’s political and social consciousness, and ultimately helping to define the national identity.  From the education of ordinary Filipinos under Americans at the time of UP President Bartlett to its journey onto another century under the stewardship of UP President Angelo A. Jimenez, the University has produced: a Nobel Peace Prize winner; a Pulitzer Prize awardee; 39 National Scientists; 50 National Artists; nine National Social Scientists; seven out of the 16 Presidents of the Republic; 15 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court; and, tens of thousands of doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers serving in the country and abroad, as well as hundreds of thousands of graduates in other academic fields.     All the strengths that UP possesses have been brought to bear in 2020. In the face of a global pandemic, the University rose to this new and unprecedented challenge with its characteristic brilliance, courage, and a generosity of spirit, mobilizing resources and coming together as a nationwide and even global community to come to the aid of the country and its people.  UP scientists and engineers have created locally produced, accurate and affordable COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, sanitation facilities, and much-needed sanitation chemicals. UP social scientists and researchers have mapped the progression of the disease through the country, creating databases and generating research that would inform policy and decision-making on the national and local levels. UP artists and musicians have shared works that inspire, give hope, and pay tribute to the country’s heroes.  UP students, alumni, administrators and residents have come together to help the members of the UP community survive the viral outbreak and the quarantine. And UP’s doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers through the UP Philippine General Hospital once again heroically serve those in need, in spite of the risks to life and well-being.  As people come to grips with the new realities in a world indelibly altered by a global disaster and economic and geo-political upheavals, the country will once again look to UP. And the University, as it has done in the past 115 years, will once again answer the call to serve as: a bastion of knowledge, reason, ideas and insight; as a center for social transformation; and, as a University for the Filipino.     References: The UP Office of Alumni Relations Alfonso, O.A. (Ed.). (1985). University of the Philippines: The first 75 years (1908-1983). Quezon City: UP Press. Llanes, F. (Ed). (2009). UP in the time of People Power. Diliman, Quezon City: UP Press. Roman, E.R. (2010). The UP President’s End of Term Report. University of the Philippines System. Pascual, A.E. (2017). One UP: Shaping Minds that Shape the Nation (The UP President’s End of Term Report). University of the Philippines System. University of the Philippines Strategic Plan 2017-2023 "
    },
    {
        "title": "University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/",
        "html": "Static overlay The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses  You know it’s the holiday season once again when the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) come alive in a blaze of twinkling lights, colorful lanterns, and festive music.  Read more Static overlay Emerging Excellence: UP in the Past 115 Years  For the past 115 years, the University of the Philippines has proven itself worthy of the title of the country’s national university.  Read more Static overlay UP launches online courses on resilience  Starting on January 15, 2024, professionals engaged in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) work can enroll in the University of the Philippines’ Basics of Resilience Online Courses.  Read more Static overlay Think-tank instrumental to S. Korea prosperity introduced in UP  The University of the Philippines Korea Research Center introduced UP faculty to the Korea Development Institute, reputed to be the driving force behind the economic development of South Korea.  Read more Static overlay UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities  The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) of Spain have agreed to strengthen linkages and increase opportunities for collaboration.  Read more Static overlay UP remains in position to lead Philippine universities  The University of the Philippines is on the up and up again in terms of ranking among Asia’s top universities.  Read more Making A Difference Eleventh year of ArtGifts returns with “Sari-saring Likhang Sining” Read More UP Features: Andre Arboleda  UP Features, the official video publication of the University of the Philippines, is a platform that showcases narratives of exceptional...  Read More Datu Waway Saway’s Artistic Mission as UPD’s First Culture Bearer-in-Residence  I would like to help our original culture to re-emerge, help people to understand who they are and what they...  Read More See More News UP makes a big leap in rankings for tackling environmental, social, and governance challenges Read More The holidays arrive with “Pag-iilaw” rites across UP campuses  You know it’s the holiday season once again when the campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) come alive...  Read More UP faculty and alumni, UP Press, win 41st National Book Awards    Faculty and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP), as well as the UP Press, won big when...  Read More See More Events Dec 19 Tayo na Giliw: Konsyertong Pamasko ng UP Symphony Orchestra   Join the University of the Philippines Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) for their annual Christmas community concert on Tuesday, December 19,... Dec 12 Extending the Horizons of Human Rights: Philippines and the UDHR   The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of... Dec 11 Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera   “Pangarap Amerikano: Farmer-Migrants Behind the Camera” features home movies shot by a farmer-migrant Nicholas Viernes, the unofficial documentarian of... Dec 7 Tech Tales Youth   Watch the premiere of the #TechTalesYouth: Films about Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific on December 7 (Thursday) from 2pm-5pm... Dec 6 Leading Safe Spaces: The Role of Good Governance in Ending...   As part of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), the University of the Philippines-Centre International de... See More Voices President's Corner Statement of President Angelo Jimenez on the Bombing of Mindanao State University – Marawi     The University of the Philippines stands in solidarity with Mindanao State University (MSU), ... UP-UMA agree on increasing collaboration activities   The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) of Spain ... Readiness, operational research, and climate justice: UP President Jimenez’s key points in climate change discussions UP President Angelo A. Jimenez delivered the concluding remarks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ... See More UP Offices UP announces December benefits for employees   For the last month of the year, faculty and staff of the University of ... UP statement on the procurement of network infrastructures The UP System administration clarifies that the procurement of network infrastructures at the level of ... Call for Papers: 5th Biennial International Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia The Asian Center of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman is calling for paper ... See More Community TV@70: UP looks back on 70 years of Philippine television   The University of the Philippines Department of Broadcast Communication (UP DBC) closed its year-long ... Pamamahayag bilang pagmamalasakit: Ilang tala hinggil sa ‘Some People Need Killing’ Estudyante pa lang si Patricia Evangelista ng Speech Communication sa College of Arts and Letters ... AUPAEU: End Terror-tagging of Unionists and Activists! Resume Peace Talks! Statement of All UP Academic Employees Union on the Red-Tagging Spree of Senator Ronald “Bato” ... See More      "
    },
    {
        "title": "ADMINISTRATION – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/administration/",
        "html": "ADMINISTRATION     The University System  The University of the Philippines is a university system and shall be composed of constituent universities established solely by its Board of Regents upon the recommendation of the President of the University.  The University of the Philippines System is composed of its existing constituent universities, as follows: University of the Philippines Diliman; University of the Philippines Manila; University of the Philippines Los Baños; University of the Philippines Visayas; University of the Philippines Mindanao; University of the Philippines Baguio; University of the Philippines Open University; and those that may be created in the future. It is referred to in this law as the “National University .” (Sec. 4, Republic Act 9500)     The Board of Regents  The governance of the national university is vested in a board of regents known as the “Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines System,” hereinafter referred to as the “Board,” composed of:  The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education as Chairperson;  The President of the University of the Philippines System as Co-Chairperson;  The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture;  The Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education;  The President of the U.P. Alumni Association, to serve as Alumni Regent during his or her incumbency in that position;  One Faculty Regent representing all teaching personnel, chosen in accordance with the rules and qualification set by the constituent university councils to.serve for a term of two (2) years;  One Student Regent, to serve for a term of one (1) year, chosen by the students from their ranks in accordance with rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students;  One Staff Regent representing the full-time permanent research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) and administrative personnel, and chosen by them from their ranks in accordance with the rules and qualifications set by their duly recognized organizations, to serve for a term of two (2) years; and  Three other Regents who have distinguished themselves in their professions or fields of specialization, to be appointed by the President of the Philippines, considering the recommendation of the Board. At least two (2) of these Regents should be alumni. All these Regents shall each serve for a term of two (2) years: Provided, That the Regents holding office as members of the Board at the time of the effectivity of this Act shall continue to serve until the expiration of their appointments as provided in Executive Order No. 204-A, issued by the President of the Philippines on July 15, 1987. (Sec 12, RA 9500)     The President of the University  President of the University is the chief  academic officer, head of  the university faculty  and the chief executive officer of  the University.  The President of the University shall exercise the powers specifically provided for in the UP Charter (RA 9500), those determined by the Board, those which pertain to the office of the president of a university, and those which are related or necessary to its functions.  The Board shall determine the compensation of the President of the University. (Sec 13, RA 9500)     The Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents  There shall be a Secretary of the University appointed by the Board, who shall also be the Secretary of the Board, and who shall keep such records of the University as may be designated by the Board. (Sec. 15, RA 9500).     The Chancellors  The Administration of each constituent university is vested in the Chancellor insofar as authorized by the Board and the President of the University.  The Chancellor of the constituent university shall be elected by the Board upon nomination of the President of the University, following a process of consultation with the constituents of the constituent university based on standards and guidelines set by the Board.  The Chancellor shall report to the President of the University, and shall perform the duties and functions elsewhere stated in this Act, and all the usual, necessary and related functions of the Office of the Chancellor, subject to the policies and rules prescribed by the Board. The Board shall determine the term and compensation of the Chancellor.  If a Chancellor fails to complete his/her term, the President shall appoint an acting Chancellor while a search process is in progress. In no case shall the search and election of the next Chancellor be longer than sixty (60) calendar days from the date when the vacancy occurs. (Sec. 18, RA 9500)     For more information on the officials of the university, please click these links:  Vice President for Academic Affairs  Vice President for Administration  Vice President for Planning and Finance  Vice President for Development  Vice President for Public Affairs  Vice President for Legal Affairs  UP System Officials and Offices      Click here for the full text of Republic Act 9500 or the Act to Strengthen the University of the Philippines as the National University. "
    },
    {
        "title": "Sitemap – University of the Philippines",
        "url": "https://up.edu.ph/sitemap/",
        "html": "Sitemap  Home  Login to UP Mail Give to UP Quicklinks Information Systems UPCAT Online ST System UP Forum iLib – Integrated Library System MULTIMEDIA News Announcements Breakthroughs Profiles Constituent Universities Diliman Map Calendar Los Baños Map Calendar Manila Map Calendar Visayas Map Calendar Open University Map Calendar Mindanao Map Calendar Baguio Map Calendar Cebu Map Calendar Transparency Seal Social Media Sites Facebook Twitter YouTube Google + Instagram LinkedIn  About UP  University History University Seal The UP Charter Institutional Linkages Contact Us  Administration  The Board of Regents Office of the University President Office of the Executive Vice-President Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs Office of the Vice-President for Administration Office of the Vice-President for Planning and Finance Office of the Vice-President for Development Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs Office of the Vice-President for Legal Affairs Office of the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents UP System Officials and Offices  Research & Academics Admissions  Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions UPCAT UgAT LAE VAAS Financial Aid Academic Programs  Alumni Public Service "
    }
]